Save Game Mechanic by Tleilaxu_Ghola:
Summary:
With this trick one is able to create "save" game points, with a minimal cost of 15 XP. The point allows one to adventure for a day and then reload the save game point if something went awry.
Ingredients:
Forced Dream (Magic of Eberron)
Anticipatory Strike (Complete Psionic)
Time Hop
Psionic Contingency
A psi-crystal
Status
Imbue Spell-like Ability
Sending Stones (Magic Item) (Complete Arcane)
Forced Dream: Psion/Wilder 3
[paraphrased]Any time during the rounds/level duration (or minutes per level with 4 pp augment), you can spend a swift action to restart your turn. "When this effect is used, everyone and everything is reset to the state they were at when the subject's turn began. Any spells or abilities used are available again, any damage dealt is healed , any effects incurred are negated, any objects or creatures moved are reset to their original position, and so on. The only exception to this is that any power points spent to manifest forced dream are not recovered..." The power ends when the swift action to do this is expended or when the duration expired.
The Trick
Manifest psionic contingency on your psi-crystal placing a contingent ancipatory strike on him contingent on the event: returns to the normal timestream from a time hop.
Share metamorphosis with your psi-crystal. Transform him into something that isn't immune to mind-affecting compulsions. Heck you could transform him into an object of any size if you wish. Have the party cleric use imbue spell-like ability on the psi-crsytal so that it can use the spell status. Mix with affinity field if you wish the psi-crystal to have knowledge of all party members' condition.
The Psi-crystal casts status on you or whatever party member you choose. This person's condition will determine whether or not the save-game will be reloaded, so choose carefully.
Manifest forced dream on your psicrystal at some time before you fear harm will befall you. Ready a std action to manifest time hop mass contingent when the psi-crystal moves (tell him to do so), advancing him hours / level ahead in time. With enough ML you can advance your psi-crystal nearly a day. Adventure on your merry way, whilst your psi-crystal is outside the time stream.
If your party succumbs to a TPK, your psi-crystal will still be alive and kicking the next day. No time will pass for him and when he comes out of the time hop the contingency will grant him sufficient actions to check the status of the party (provided they are on the same plane as the psi-crystal). The psi-crystal may also use a sending stone to ask whether his master would like to reload or not. If the party member is under a certain condition or if the master tells the crystal to, the save game is reloaded as the psi-crystal spends a swift action to return to the beginning of his turn (which began with you manifesting time hop on him right before he started moving). You may now retry whatever you failed to accomplish. There is a 5% error in the sending transmition if you are not on the same plane as the psi-crystal and the status effect will not work across planes.
???
Profit.
