Talk:Time Stop/@comment-86.253.189.235-20200208220655/@comment-35434313-20200216122838

>> It's rarely useful to combine Time Stop with Improved Alacrity, when the character is equipped with the Robe of Vecna and the Amulet of Power.

Replacing "rarely useful" with "not always useful" would make sense.

Here is a perfect example to illustate the "huge" different between IA and TS + IA.

Let's say you and your enemy try to cast spells at the same time, you don't know what he is casting.

1) If you choose to cast Improved Alacrity -

Once you're done casting it, you feel strange that your enemy did not try to interrupt you. You feel confident that with IA activated, you are now ready to oblierate your enemy.

However, the in-game feedback shows that the spell that your enemy started to cast at the same time you started to cast IA was Imprisonment!!! Once you're done casting IA, the Imprisonment spell is (literally) already in the air. Now you want to cast Spell Immunity to stop it, but it's too late. Imprisonment is landed on you exactly the same instant your Spell Immunity becomes effective... Oops, you are now imprisoned, dead, forever feeling sorry that even with your immensive powers to crush each and every of your enemies, you let yourself be killed by a pathetic elder beholder.

2) If you choose to cast Time Stop -

Once you're done casting it, although the in-game feedback won't tell you of this, we know an Imprisonment spell is already (literally) in the air flying towards you at the speed of light. However, with Time Stop activated, that spell has to wait, as everything must be frozen in time for up to 3 rounds. You now start to dump your whole spellbook on your enemy. As soon as Time Stop is over, your enemy drops dead. Although Imprisonent will be landed on you killing you in the next instant, at least this time you die a hero death, knowing you have killed your pathetic enemy.

Without Time Stop, almost all spells (including Time Stop itself) are interruptable. Improved Alacrity will not protect you from being injured, stunned, confused, paralyzed, mazed... or instantly killed.

With Time Stop activated, however, everything has to wait. You are free to do whatever you like in the next 3 rounds, with nobody (except a few big bosses) able to interfere.