Desecrate's secondary effect?

[Knightfall]

Okay, the last paragraph of the desecrate spell states the following...

If the area contains an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture of a deity, pantheon, or higher power other than your patron, the desecrate spell instead curses the area, cutting off its connection with the associated deity or power. This secondary function, if used, does not also grant the bonuses and penalties relating to undead, as given above.

What exactly does this mean?

I read it as meaning that if a cleric of Pelor, for example, entered such a cursed area that he wouldn't be able to cast or learn spells or turn undead, while in the area of the desecreated alter.

This will be coming up in my game soon, maybe even tonight, so I need some quick feedback.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[kinem]

I take it to mean that it simply cancels the effects of a magical altar, if any. It most certainly won't stop a cleric from using his powers.

 

[Knightfall]

I take it to mean that it simply cancels the effects of a magical altar, if any. It most certainly won't stop a cleric from using his powers.

Ahh, I see said the blind man.

What I thought was that if a cleric so chose, they could cast desecrate on an evil alter dedicated to their own god, and if an enemy cleric came into the alter's range, the cursed area of the evil alter would cut the good cleric off from their deity!

Oops.

 

[kyuss]

Ahh, I see said the blind man.

What I thought was that if a cleric so chose, they could cast desecrate on an evil alter dedicated to their own god, and if an enemy cleric came into the alter's range, the cursed area of the evil alter would cut the good cleric off from their deity!

Oops.

That sounds like a cool effect though and if it fits in your game, why not?

 

[Knightfall]

That sounds like a cool effect though and if it fits in your game, why not?

Yeah, well my players are a bunch of rule lawyers. They won't accept that interpretation without something to back it up. Hmm, maybe there needs to be a greater desecrate (and greater consecrate) spell.

 

[Pielorinho]

That sounds like a cool effect though and if it fits in your game, why not?

That's definitely a cool effect. My only caution would be to think about how this will affect the enjoyment of any cleric players in your game. If this is the scene of a climactic battle, and if you're saying that it prevents the use of divine magic, it could render the cleric character useless for the scene, which would be frustrating. If you do something like this, I think it'd be better to declare that the spell automatically casts dispel magic on any opposed divine magic within its AoE; at least that way the cleric has a chance of doing something useful.

Daniel

 

[darthkilmor]

Yeah, well my players are a bunch of rule lawyers. They won't accept that interpretation without something to back it up. Hmm, maybe there needs to be a greater desecrate (and greater consecrate) spell.

If you're the DM, who cares? Slap it out as "Some form of epic ritualized magic from an ancient scroll" and be done with it.

 

[Pyrex]

What exactly does this mean?

My take is that that section is flavor text which means the same thing as "Desecrate counters and dispels consecrate."

 

[Pyrex]

...If you do something like this, I think it'd be better to declare that the spell automatically casts dispel magic on any opposed divine magic within its AoE;

*cough*Unhallow*cough*

 

[Darklone]

Pyrex is right. Consecrate supresses Unhallow for it's duration and Desecrate supresses Hallow. No other effects, I'd say.