Does anyone ever use dispel magic?

[MrWaeseL]

If so, what is it good for? Ongoing effects are generally undispellable due to DM stealth-nerfs, and dispelling in combat is generally a bad idea. Not to mention that you need to use a higher-level version to raise the cap

How are you supposed to use dispel magic? Or how would you fix it?

[josephbt]

i used the psi version. because of the weird scaling, my bonus to dispel was usually way beyond the caster level of the effect.

never did use it in combat, though.

[Josh_Kablack]

It's oddly strong against higher-end dragons, who have caster levels far behind the PCs, Spell Resistance and little else to do with their low level spells aside from stack low level AC buffs.

[User3]

Chain Dispel Magic + Chain Shatter is good times.

[User3]

The one time I played in a high-level game, I used dispel magic all the time. Thanks to Necklace of Prayer Beads, I had a big caster level bonus.

We frequently fought enemy spellcasters who would have defenses like improved invisibility, displacement, haste, and shield-- I seriously don't know how we would have beat them at all without using dispells. If I dispelled their defenses, then we'd sic a flying barbarian on them, and they died.

Also, we nearly got killed by a bunch of hasted ogres with barbarian levels who jumped out of the bushes at us. Dispelling that helped a lot too.

[Cielingcat]

I've never used it. If there's something that we have time to dispel, we just have the Rogue disable it. Plus, we rarely face pure spellcasting enemies. Things like demons cast spells, but most of their SLAs are offensive, and so its much better to either defend against those or try to limit the use of them (Wall of Force is wonderful for that).

[User3]

Dispel Magic is for getting rid of enemy status effects used in combat time that persist beyond combat time. That's about it.

Example: I used to throw Blindness around all the time in combat, because it's a cheap Core Rules spell that targets Fortitude at range. But Blindness has a duration of permanent. So -- once you get rid of the person who cast it on you -- you still have to get rid of it, and, if you don't have Cure Blindness handy (and who does?), Dispel Magic is a nifty way to do away with that problem.

Of course, really, this utility is pretty limited, because if you have a cleric and 8 hours to rest, you do have Cure Blindness handy. And if you're at a level where people are throwing Blindness at you instead of spells that will actually kill you, you probably don't have a lot of 3rd level spell slots lying around to waste on unlikely contingency planning like this.

--d.

[User3]

I have used Dispel Magic in combat to nuke enemy spell effects. Its been critical in a number of combats. Yeah, GDM is like a poor man's MDJ, but before you get MDJ, sometimes you just need to clear the crap off the enemy so you can really fuck him up.

Of course, I don't tend to play in games where dispel magic gets stealth nerfed.

[Judging__Eagle]

I like to pack a few scrolls of Dispell, since I hate prepping it and it when you need it, boy do you feel better for having it.

Also, for some reason I'm able to roll incredibely well on my dispell checks, don't ask me why.

[User3]

I've also used Dispel Magic to counterspell repeatedly and to good effect. Of course, I was playing in a large group, so the number of actions we lot by having me ready to counter wasn't high percentage, and we fought enemies with area spells that could have made everyone's life miserable.

It didn't hurt that thanks to 3.0 haste, I was able to cast a spell and then ready to counter...

[RandomCasualty]

1176143108[/unixtime]]
Of course, I don't tend to play in games where dispel magic gets stealth nerfed.

What kinds of stealth nerfs do people throw onto dispel?

[Fwib]

1176365353[/unixtime]]

1176143108[/unixtime]]
Of course, I don't tend to play in games where dispel magic gets stealth nerfed.

What kinds of stealth nerfs do people throw onto dispel?

I am guessing that caster levels too high to be (easily) dispelled would be the main nerf.

[MrWaeseL]

If anything has glowing runes in a dungeon, it can't be dispelled. If there's a magic door in the way and you need a key, it can't be dispelled.

Just the usual DM railroading stuff.

[Judging__Eagle]

1176388237[/unixtime]]If anything has glowing runes in a dungeon, it can't be dispelled. If there's a magic door in the way and you need a key, it can't be dispelled.

Just the usual DM railroading stuff.

Aka: you have an uncreative DM.

Railroading means that the DM wants to run a console RPG, not a table top one.

[MrWaeseL]

REALLY?

[Crissa]

Still, dispelling a magic door might leave a big hulking door in the way with no easy way to unlock it. Dispelling makes the magic go away - not open the door and then go away.

And suppressing magical items is covered in dispelling; it only works for a little while unless you're big enough to blow them away - and in the level appropriate challenge, that isn't going to happen.

Lastly, who's going to have enough slots to dispell every trap in the dungeon that the rogue points out?

Stupidnerfs, you mean. Seaforium is going to work on chests, now.

-Crissa

[Josh_Kablack]

1176405389[/unixtime]]

1176388237[/unixtime]]If anything has glowing runes in a dungeon, it can't be dispelled. If there's a magic door in the way and you need a key, it can't be dispelled.

Just the usual DM railroading stuff.

Aka: you have an uncreative DM.

Yeah in my old old 3.0 game where the Dispel + Haste combo meant one side got to have buff spells and the other didn't, I was at least creative enough to use magic traps which were placed on/in dungeon elements which had been PaO'ed into being the various load-bearing structural components for the dungeon that they were when the traps were set.

[tzor]

1176388237[/unixtime]]If anything has glowing runes in a dungeon, it can't be dispelled. If there's a magic door in the way and you need a key, it can't be dispelled.

Personally I can't see why you can't allow them to be dispelled. I did a quick look at the SRD to make sure I wasn't using notions from a previous edition that no longer apply. The SRD says, "to temporarily suppress the magical abilities of a magic item." Runes carved into a wall placed there by the DM counts as a "magic item" in my book. The same for a "magic door." If you want to "temporarily suppress" the runes or the door, be my guest. Have fun. Enjoy yourself.

The trick to understanding how to use dispell is to understand that effective magic doesn't "prevent" but "enables." OK you have dispelled the runes (for now). The runes were used to activeate the portal so now you can't use the portal until the dispell magic wears off. (1d4 rounds) The magic in the door doesn't prevent the door from being opened it makes something that is normally nearly impossible to open easy to open. So dispelling the magic now hinders you from opening the door for 1d4 rounds.

The problem with designing magic like the gordian knot is that someone will inveritably come and cleave the thing in two and spoil all the plot. Good magic design in scenarios enrouages the character to use or manipulate the magic to achieve their goals not to have magic stand in their way. This doesn't lessen the effect of dispell magic, but it also turns the effective use of dispell magic into another enabler rather than a disabler.

[Catharz]

I'm pretty sure he was illustrating a common and annoying style of DMing, not describing his dungeon designing strategy.

[Judging__Eagle]

Actually, the same character that can supress the magic can "enable" the door to open.

With blasting charges.









I mean Explosive Runes.

Written on sheets of normal paper (15 gp = a 100 page book, so 200 runes that you can cast up in your free time for no noticable cost), use an other dispell scroll or charge out of a wand and set them off by "failing your caster level check" to break the door.

Just don't place more than you would need to blow a 5 foot wide hole at a time, Ex. Runes has a really limited range.

It's much safer, cheaper and lighter to use than conventional explosives though.

[tzor]

1176486197[/unixtime]]With blasting charges.

True but any properly desiged magic door should, without the aid of its magic be one level of difficulty harder to eliminate than the wall that sourrounds it.

In point of fact most idiots who spend half their dungeon budget on the fancy magic door often have to go cheap on wall construction in order to afford the door. Why everyone but the players knows that!

[Judging__Eagle]

Meh, I tend to by-pass magical or trapped doors by attacing the door jams or the walls anyway.

Who needs a rogue if you've got a fighter with power attack, an adamantine weapon and a cleric who can cast Silence out of a wand or scroll?

[RandomCasualty]

1176388237[/unixtime]]If anything has glowing runes in a dungeon, it can't be dispelled. If there's a magic door in the way and you need a key, it can't be dispelled.

Just the usual DM railroading stuff.

Yeah, that's pretty crazy. I'm glad I've never run into a DM like that.

I mean I can see coming up with some high caster levels on the door, but simply ruling it can't be dispelled at all is really harsh. I bet he also uses un-disarmable traps too.

[Catharz]

1176650921[/unixtime]]Meh, I tend to by-pass magical or trapped doors by attacing the door jams or the walls anyway.

Who needs a rogue if you've got a fighter with power attack, an adamantine weapon and a cleric who can cast Silence out of a wand or scroll?

I prefer the robe of useful items. Just put a new door in the wall.

[tzor]

Or the Yellow Sumbarine version of a portable hole.