Protecting against Blasphemy

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Seems a rather horrendous spell. No Save. A target 5 or more levels below the caster is going to be paralysed for D10 minutes - which is pretty much as good as dead IME.

I figure Greater Spell Immunity - but that's an 8th level spell per protected target. Not a cheap method and it's prone to Dispels - so not a great solution against higher level BBEGs.

As it's a {sonic} spell, I guess silence would stop it. Although that comes with it's own problems and is a bad answer for spellcasters...

What methods exist for becoming immune to paralysis?

What do you do?


For reference:
http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/theraven_stephenh/spells/Blasphemy.html

 

[Shin Okada]

Fast of all, only someone with 5 or more lower HD than the caster level will be paralyzed. Not 2. But as there are various way to increase CL, it is still a strong spell.

You will become immune to paralysis via Freedom of Movement. A cleric with Travel domain can be free from Paralysis for several rounds (usually enough), too. If a cleric survives, he can cast Remove Paralysis.

Also, at that power level, PCs are (at least some of the party are) assumed to have some kind of spell resistance. Not immune. But at least have a chance to resist.

 

[StealthyMark]

A few counters

Freedom of Movement (spell or item).
Being a Cleric with the Travel domain.
Counterspelling.
Bardic Countersong (On second thought, this one doesn't help).

 

[Darkness]

The morality undone spell (3.5 version: Brd5/Clr5, Lords of Madness) protects completely from blasphemy.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Oops. Meant to press 5 instead of 2. Will edit the first post... Anyway, caster level +5 bad guys have not been uncommon in the higher level games I've been involved in.

IME, effective spell resistance doesn't seem to be that common an ability for PCs. Aside from monks, short duration spells, races and PRC features - I've not seen that many ways of getting SR that is going to pose any obstacle for high level bad guys... most characters have none. But that's just the way the games I've played in have worked out. In particular SR items seem to offer very little for their huge cost. Mass Spell Resistance gets wheeled out from time to time, but there tends to be a fair bit of dispelling flying around - often ends up getting knocked down.

Freedom of movement... How could I forget that!

Morality undone - I've not seen Lords of madness, but why am I thinking that spell might have a few side effects?

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

The Str penalty is moderately nasty, but I'm sure most fighter types can still do something at that level.

But on reflection, the dazing is potentially very unpleasant. An at will Blasphemy bad guy could sit there uttering one per round, while their mooks carve up the party... boring and likely to lead to hacked off players, but what do you do about it?

 

[Darkness]

Morality undone - I've not seen Lords of madness, but why am I thinking that spell might have a few side effects?

Right, its actual function - i.e., turning the target evil - can certainly be seen as a side effect when you cast it just to protect an ally against blasphemy.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Become Imbued With Evil, like my necrotheurge. The +1 ECL has to be good for something, sometime. Doesn't it?

 

[Shadowdweller]

One of the nastiest spells out there to deal with. Some other (poor) solutions include:
- Contingency spells to get away.
- Make sure the party stays sufficiently far apart to avoid all getting caught.
- Take 6 levels of the Horizon Walker PrC and Evil planar terrain mastery.

 

[moritheil]

Seems a rather horrendous spell. No Save. A target 5 or more levels below the caster is going to be paralysed for D10 minutes - which is pretty much as good as dead IME.

I figure Greater Spell Immunity - but that's an 8th level spell per protected target. Not a cheap method and it's prone to Dispels - so not a great solution against higher level BBEGs.

As it's a {sonic} spell, I guess silence would stop it. Although that comes with it's own problems and is a bad answer for spellcasters...

What methods exist for becoming immune to paralysis?

What do you do?


For reference:
http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/theraven_stephenh/spells/Blasphemy.html

This was prompted by my post, wasn't it?

Rest assured that I intend not to allow my build to stop with a mere +5 caster levels above my enemies!