Ways to Counter Death Ward

[StreamOfTheSky]

If the party can cast a lot of Death Ward spells per day, we should also expect that they are using truly a lot of Magic Circle against Evil, I guess.

A 25 gp scroll of Protection from Evil would do the trick, used in each instance, and can be used after the fact. Again, short duration, but long enough to kill the caster who used the dominate spell.

 

[SelcSilverhand]

EDIT: By RAW, the rings won't work, actually. What a shame. Is there an item out there that works like I'm thinking? Keyed to one specific spell and stops it, regardless of target? Within a certain range, obviously.

Complete Arcane had an extremely pricey ring called the Ring of Spell Battle that lets you steal any spell cast within 60' of you if you could identify it with a spellcraft check. Only worked 1/day and was like 67,000 gp.

Lots and lots of dispel magic scrolls is what I'm thinking. Cheaper than the ring and more effective especially if they have more death wards prepared than they cast. Remember that with dispel magic used on an area you make a check against each person caught within it. It doesn't stop if it dispels the first buff off of the first person. Once it dispels something or fails on all the buffs of the first person, you move onto the second and repeat it. It makes it terribly effective against buff-happy parties.
Dispel Magic
[SBLOCK]
Area Dispel: When dispel magic is used in this way, the spell affects everything within a 20-foot radius.

For each creature within the area that is the subject of one or more spells, you make a dispel check against the spell with the highest caster level. If that check fails, you make dispel checks against progressively weaker spells until you dispel one spell
[/SBLOCK]

Try to get them into an area where you can hold them for a few rounds in a tight group. A narrow hallway or small room with doors they need to break down.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

But the problem with dispel scrolls is the CL check, it will likely be too low a bonus to work frequently, if at all. If you're going to rely on dispel magic, may as well just have an ally devoted to it (decent level cleric w/ Inquisition domain, which gives +4 on dispel checks).

Try to get them into an area where you can hold them for a few rounds in a tight group. A narrow hallway or small room with doors they need to break down.

Or use Sculpt Spell metamagic feat to toy with the area of effect.
[sblock]One group, a guy made tons of explosive rune spells on paper during downtime, and my character liked using Sculpt Spell. We had to fight of an army coming through the woods at one point with a much smaller force, but benefit of ambush. He layed out the papers, and then I used my "dispel cannon" (line area) to devastating effect...
Good times![/sblock]

 

[s-dub]

What level is the party? If they are low level, they won't be able to death ward everyone for more than a few fights. That's when you use your non-vampiric minions with a vampire or two thrown in just to make sure they put up death ward.

If they are high level, put them in an AMF and then send in your vampire fighter/reaping mauler with some normal vampires to clean up.

 

[Jack Simth]

There's a spell in the Spell Compendium that's nifty for this - Otulke's Suppressing Field, I think it was - that gives you a non-action dispel check (for supression) against all spells in range of a school specified at casting.

 

[Draconil]

Honestly, if they're able to cast quite a few death wards, what level are they? at 11th, those vampires have a lot more to be worried about. Disintegrate as they hit 0 will turn them to dust, not let them go gaseous. Undeath to Death doesn't have a high HD cap like circle of death and will simply destroy them. Likewise, if the cleric has 11th level spells, he can simply turn on an antimagic field. just worry about con drain. No more DR, energy drain, fighter and cleric can tear up the vampires in a single round at that rate most likely, and they simply end up destroyed when they hit 0 since they can't go gaseous.

 

[Runestar]

Work around it? I am sure there are many other things a vampire can do besides level-draining them.

If they have spent resources (eg: spell slots/wands) on it, it seems cruel to want to deny them the benefit.

 

[milo]

Lightning bolt and fireball get around death ward.

 

[Shin Okada]

Work around it? I am sure there are many other things a vampire can do besides level-draining them.

Good point. Melee vampires suck due to their weakness (Recoil from strongly presented Holy Symbols and Mirrors).