"Will the defendant please rise!" The multi-toned voice of the Tribunal of Dungeon Masters rang out over the crowd, and an expectant hush settled over the audience. Slowly, the nervous spell, Stoneskin, got up.
"You are charged with being too powerful for a mere 4th level spell!" the tribunal intoned, while several of the other spells nodded in agreement, among them the weird but powerful Wish, the stately Ironguard, and the cunning Protection from Normal Weapons.
"What do you have to say in your defense?"
Stoneskin tentatively cleared its throat, and wished he could call himself on himself, to let himself lend him some strength and toughness. Of course, calling spells is not allowed in the Great Hall, so he restricted himself to whispering a brief prayer to Midnight, the goddess of magic.
"Well, Your Honors, I have several things I would like to present to the Jury in my defense."
With that, he began on a long, rallying speech in defense of himself, and his integrity, painfully aware of all the versions of himself altered by angry DMs all over the world. Nevertheless, he might just make it, he decided.
Here are some of the common misconceptions about the spell, and their refutation:
The Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue states that the cost for 1/8th carat of diamond cost 150 gp - and the DM would of course be free to decide how much diamond is needed... perhaps 1/8 ct would be needed for Small, 2/8 ct for medium, and 3+/8 for large? 6 oz. granite dust cost 1 gp - and also here, the DM is free to decide how much granite dust is needed - but 1 oz. for Small, 2 oz. for Medium (and so on) would be in keeping with the suggested style of the diamond dust.
Here we go for the magical variations. First, a word about magical weapons. Magical weapons which depend on a wound to work, will not work. The weapon itself will never cause any damage, but the special effects may still work. What I mean is - though a Vorpal Sword may not decapitate a person protected by a Stoneskin, a "normal" flaming sword will still burn the person protected by the Stoneskin... but the sword per se will not damage the Stoneskinned person. Weapons whose special effect may or may not work (taken from the top of my head - I am sure that you can find more if you go through the Encyclopedia of Magic, your copy of the DMG, or whatever):
1st level Wizard spells:
Audible Glamer - distracting a person, luring them off the edge of cliffs Charm Person - obvious; if you can't beat them, join them Color Spray - same as Charm Person Enlarge (r) - make'em small, then kick them away Magic Missile - at high levels, this counts as a good amount of attacks Phantasmal Force - same as Audible Glamer2nd level Wizard spells:
Bind - incapacitating and distracting Flaming Sphere - lasts several rounds, worth many attacks Hypnotic Pattern - same as Bind Improved Phantasmal Force - same as Audible Glamer Melf's Acid Arrow - lasts several rounds Stinking Cloud - same as Bind Summon Swarm - lasts several rounds, counts as many attacks3rd level Wizard spells:
Dispel Magic - pretty obvious, isn't it? Flame Arrow - worth several attacks Hold Person - incapacitating Melf's Minute Meteors - worth a multitude of attacks Sepia Snake Sigil - incapacitating Slow - impairs combat effectiveness Spectral Force - same as Audible Glamer Vampiric Touch - weakens opponent, counts as an attack, beneficial4th level Wizard spells:
Charm Monster - if you can't beat them, charm them Confusion - incapacitating Contagion - heh Emotion - hmm, can have interesting effects Enervation - evil one Evard's Black Tentacles - this is a spell, remember? Fire Charm - incapacitating Fire Shield - Stoneskin, and goad your opponent to hit you Fire Trap - nasty on doors... and in a maze? Hallucinatory Terrain - there isn't really a pit there you know Ice Storm - the hailstorm variant is a multitude of attacks Illusionary Wall - disorienting Phantasmal Killer - it's all in your mind Rainbow Pattern - incapacitating Stoneskin - takes a thief to catch one Wall of Fire - attacks, and damages Wall of Ice - ice sheet, impedes progress5th level Wizard spells:
Advanced Illusion - disorienting Chaos - disorienting Cloudkill - Stoneskin doesn't protect against this Hold Monster - incapacitating Summon Swarm - worth many attacks Summon Shadow - saps Strength Transmute Rock to Mud - incapacitating, drowning? Wall of Force - impedes progress Wall of Iron - impedes progress Wall of Stone - impedes progress6th level Wizard spells:
Anti-Magic Shell - heh, now you're protected, now you're not Death Fog - obvious Death Spell - obvious Disintegrate - heh, you're a goner, literally Eyebite - this is evil Geas - so is this Permanent Illusion - as Audible Glamer Programmed Illusion - even more effective Project Image - I am standing in front of your friend... NOT7th level Wizard spells:
Finger of Death - obvious Force Cage - well, impedes progress at least Mordekainen's Sword - again, doesn't protect against spells, remember? Power Word Stun - heh, you're stunned Prismatic Spray - incapacitating8th level Wizard spells:
Bigby's Clenched Fist - impedes progress Incendiary Cloud - ouch Mass Charm - if you can't beat'em, join 'em Otto's Irresistible Dance - heh, feel for a jig? Nasty for spellcasting Power Word Blind - now you see me, now you don't Prismatic Wall - yeah Trap the Soul - nasty doesn't begin to describe it9th level Wizard spells:
Bigby's Crushing Hand - well Meteor Swarm - large scale destruction Power Word Kill - death might not be too good for you Prismatic Sphere - untouchable, are we now? Temporal Stasis - impedes progress Weird - heh, weird1st level Priest spells:
Command - yeah (my favourite? Defecate!) Entangle - impedes progress2nd level Priest spells:
Charm Person or Mammal - join them Fire Trap - yeah, like, boom (Incidentally, I once used this spell for mines) Flame Blade - this is a spell, so it'll go right through Stoneskin Hold Person - scared stiff?3rd level Priest spells:
Dispel Magic - obvious Glyph of Warding - obvious Summon Insects - multitude of attacks from little bugs4th level Priest spells:
Neutralize Poison (r) - heh, this would be nasty Produce Fire - is that your hair burning? Spell Immunity - you're immune to Stoneskin or something5th level Priest spells:
Insect Plague - I do so like bugs Rainbow - over the rainbow, skies are blue - bow version Transmute Rock to Mud - this drowning sensation Wall of Fire - yeah6th level Priest spells:
Blade Barrier - this is created, so the damage's a part of the spell Fire Seed - creates missiles is the key word Heal (r) - does this Harm you? Wall of Thorns - creates a barrier is the key word7th level Priest spells:
Chariot Of Sustarre - going to hell in a handbasket, or chariot as the case may be Confusion - what do you wanna do? Creeping Doom - those bugs really bite, don't they? Fire Storm - always useful aren't they Wither - those things're gonna kill you Resurrection (r) - you're gonna be destroyedI'm sure that you can find other spells as well. Remember, the Stoneskin spell doesn't protect against spells or their effects, so go for the spells that make weapons or the like, such as acid lash, the various Bigby spells, and so on.
As I've always followed guidelines similar to this one when I've encountered Stoneskin in any of my campaigns, I've never really had problems with the spell. Especially, I think, after the time I did the contact poison trick. (Evil grin? Me? Naah.)