Defenses against Blasphemy?

[Felon]

I'm running a certain published adventure that includes an encounter with a foe that makes liberal use of blasphemy as a spell-like ability. Looking at the spell, I see there's no save and the effect is brutal to any opponent who is even one level below yours: the creature is dazed and loses 2d6 Strength. Chaining blasphemies up, the PC's will all be on their backs within three rounds. Nothing they can really do about it once it starts. The radius is so big that I doubt anyone will be out of range when it goes off.

Now, I realize I can try to substitute another foe, or have this one fight not-so-efficiently, but I'd like to think this at least should be possible--I mean, it shouldn't be flat-out impossible to fight someone whose CR is line with your party's level.

Are there any spells, items, etc. that can protect them?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Are there any spells, items, etc. that can protect them?

Blasphemy is a [Sonic] spell; Silence explicitly provides a defence against sonic attacks.

Unfortunately, deafness is not a protection as it is against Dictum or Holy Word - those two spells specify that it is creatures who hear the utterance that are affected, but Blasphemy and Word of Chaos do not.

Personally, my inclination with Blasphemy is to incorporate a line from the 3E spell:
Creatures native to the character's plane who hear the blasphemy and are not evil suffer the following ill effects...

For the average PC, this means that a Blasphemy cast as a 7th level spell by the evil cleric will daze you... but usually only once. Whereas the Blasphemy as an at-will spell-like ability nine rounds in a row by the Balor won't, because you're not native to his plane.

It means that Blasphemy stops being an "I win!" SLA, and becomes a "Get off my plane!" SLA.

-Hyp.

 

[dirkformica]

It's [Sonic] so Silence effects will stop it. Its range is also short at 40', so keeping distance helps.

Greater Spell Immunity can also help.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Depending upon the characters' levels:

1. Greater spell immunity: blasphemy. You don't have a better use of an 8th level slot. Oh, and you get to pick a couple other spells to be immune to.

2. Holy Aura. SR 25 is not insurmountable, but it will sometimes save you.

3. Spell resistance. Again, it'll work sometimes.

4. Be an archer. If your party is spread out enough, the 40 radius won't be able to get everyone.

5. Greater Ring of Counterspells

6. Ready an action to move out of the radius.

7. Ready a grant move action to get everyone out of the radius.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

A bard's countersong can block it entirely. If the hit die difference is really minute, the bonus hit dice from Inspire Greatness may be enough, as well as giving combat boosts to the party. Bards rock!

Also, my group's found the most efficient (and satisfying!) way to deal with blasphemy-whores is to hit them mercilessly with enervations. If you nerf their level below yours', it becomes rather worthless. ^_^
Granted, for outsiders w/ it as a SLA, this may not work, as they simply cast it as a cleric of level x. If I were the DM, I'd allow it....

EDIT: Oops, countersong is only for affects that allow saves. Wow...that's kinda stupid... If a bard can't drown out a sonic attack w/ his own loud mouth, who can?

 

[Kmart Kommando]

Best Defense: Be Evil.

Works for Belkar.

Blasphemy is the number one reason I hate the "PCs can't be Evil" house rule most people seem to use.
It loosely translates to: "I'm gonna hit you with a Karma Bead-enhanced Blasphemy in the surprise round just as the party walks through the door...Bwahahaha!"

 

[Mouseferatu]

Blasphemy is the number one reason I hate the "PCs can't be Evil" house rule most people seem to use.
It loosely translates to: "I'm gonna hit you with a Karma Bead-enhanced Blasphemy in the surprise round just as the party walks through the door...Bwahahaha!"

*shrug*

My version of that house rule translates to "I'd rather run a game of heroic fantasy, thanks." And I've never once thrown blasphemy at the PCs.

As far as defenses against it, I've found the best one is to convince the DM to add a saving throw for partial effect.

 

[Testament]

My first move was to normalise all 4 "Words of Faith" (Blasphemy, Holy Word, Dictum and Word of Chaos) to have the same effects as one another, and to have them all dependent upon being heard. The fact that Blasphemy is just flat out better than the other three has always irked me (action deprivation at the levels this thing starts flying is a near-automatic win)

That being said, how do you defend against this monstrosity? Greater Spell Immunity is my number-one pick, it is to 8th level slots as Hero's Feast is to 6th, the cleric perma-burns that slot. And Blasphemy should be your first pick. Other main pick is to do something, anything, that can silence enemies that are capable of casting it.

And in the case of a cleric, a readied Shatter against their holy symbol is a wonderful little trick.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Depending upon the characters' levels:

1. Greater spell immunity: blasphemy. You don't have a better use of an 8th level slot. Oh, and you get to pick a couple other spells to be immune to.

2. Holy Aura. SR 25 is not insurmountable, but it will sometimes save you.

3. Spell resistance. Again, it'll work sometimes.

4. Be an archer. If your party is spread out enough, the 40 radius won't be able to get everyone.

5. Greater Ring of Counterspells

6. Ready an action to move out of the radius.

7. Ready a grant move action to get everyone out of the radius.

I'm not convinced about the usefulness of these options...

1. Well, if you're a 15th+ level cleric...
2. OK if you are a cleric
3. OK if you are a cleric (no love for arcane casters in this defensive arena, note!)
4. Fine for an archer, doesn't help anyone else
5. Can counterspell stop an area affect? I thought it was just targetted spells
6. So you spend your entire time standing there just in case? When you're readying you're not doing anything else!
7. I'm not sure where this comes from but it has the same problem as 6

 

[Felon]

I suppose I'll go ahead and provide the context in spoiler tags...

Spoiler

In Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, there are lots of things that seriously stretch credulity (almost to the degree of the old Castle Zagyg module), but it looks fun enough to run. So far, the party has had fun plane-hopping and bumping into demons portrayed in a sort of banal and cartoonish manner, more snarky and petty than unspeakably evil. This is really driven home in the party's trip to Zelatar, the capital city of Graz'zt, where moments after the party's arrival a hezrou decides these adventurers would make fine additions to his stable of slaves.

They're 9th level. Without blasphemy, they'd punt him through the nearest viper tree, but with it he'll likely make good on his intentions.