Dimensional Anchor

[Janos Antero]

As per the SRD:
The character must make a ranged touch attack to hit the target. Any creature or object struck is covered with a field that completely blocks bodily extradimensional travel. Forms of movement barred by the dimensional anchor include astral projection, blink, dimension door, ethereal jaunt, etherealness, gate, maze, plane shift, shadow walk, teleport, and similar spell-like or psionic abilities. It prevents the use of a gate or teleportation circle for the duration of the spell.

The dimensional anchor does not interfere with the movement of creatures already in ethereal or astral form when the spell is cast, nor does it block extradimensional perception or attack forms. Also, it does not prevent summoned creatures from disappearing at the end of a summoning spell.

Is there any reason known, published, or inherent in this text I missed that would keep an outsider from hitting himself with this spell and thereby making himself immune to Banishment, and other spells to send an Outsider packing off it's native plane?

The text of the spell lists most of the spells that do those style effects, but specifically skips Banishment type spells. Does this mean they still function normally? That is what it implies, but I wanted to get other opinions.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond.

 

[gfunk]

Well it does say that you cannot use it on summoned creatures to make them stay longer. So, by extension, I would say that banishment type effects are not affected by D. Anchor.

 

[andargor]

From the SRD:

Banishment
Abjuration
Level: Clr 6, Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets: One or more extraplanar creatures, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Banishment enables the character to force extraplanar creatures out of the character's home plane. Up to 2 HD of creatures per caster level can be banished. To target a creature, the character must present at least one object or substance that it hates, fears, or otherwise opposes. For each such object or substance, the character gains +1 on the character's caster level check to overcome the target's SR (if any) and +2 on the saving throw DC.
At the DM's option, certain rare items might work twice as well.

Seems to me Banishment does not send the creature away, but makes it want to return to it's home plane.

Kinda like turning undead.

EDIT: Dismissal, however, would qualify.

Andargor

 

[AuraSeer]

Seems to me Banishment does not send the creature away, but makes it want to return to it's home plane.

Kinda like turning undead.

The text doesn't say anything about making the creature want to leave; it says the creature is forced out of the plane. They're kicked out immediately.

The spell is not mind-affecting, does not have the Fear or Compulsion descriptor, has an Instantaneous duration... what makes you think it's a compulsion spell instead of instant banishment?

 

[Voadam]

Good question!

I would rule that it does prevent banishments as the effect is a one way "bodily extradimensional travel" that is prevented by the anchor.

You can't teleport it away, you can't plane shift it away, and you can't banish it away is my line of thinking.

If it is summoned though a dispel magic could still end the summoning which would mean that the creature is no longer magically projected onto our plane of existence, in effect being banished back to its plane despite the anchor shielding.

 

[andargor]

The text doesn't say anything about making the creature want to leave; it says the creature is forced out of the plane. They're kicked out immediately.

The spell is not mind-affecting, does not have the Fear or Compulsion descriptor, has an Instantaneous duration... what makes you think it's a compulsion spell instead of instant banishment?

I see your point, but the text can be interpreted as repelling the creature sufficiently so that it leaves, whether it is fear or loathing induced.

It is an Abjuration spell. However, so is Dismissal, but that spell's description does not allow conjecture as to what actually happens to the creature in question.

I just wanted to point out that Dimensional Anchor is clearly intended for Transmutation spells (some with the Teleportation descriptor), and others may be open for DM interpretation.

Voadam is correct in assuming that Banishment would be prevented, as even if the creature wants to leave the caster's plane, it can't. The creature's reaction is up to the DM...

Andargor

 

[AuraSeer]

I see your point, but the text can be interpreted as repelling the creature sufficiently so that it leaves, whether it is fear or loathing induced.

If that were the case, it would only work on creatures who have some innate ability to plane shift. The average melee demon can't return to Hell under its own power no matter how much it wants to, so under your interpretation, it could basically ignore this spell. The spell description doesn't even imply that this could be the case.

You'd make the spell tremendously more complicated without adding any value, and AFAIC there's still no evidence at all for your interpretation.

 

[drnuncheon]

Is there any reason known, published, or inherent in this text I missed that would keep an outsider from hitting himself with this spell and thereby making himself immune to Banishment, and other spells to send an Outsider packing off it's native plane?

Many outsiders would lose a significant amount of their abilities - the spell would also prevent them from gating in help, from using their teleport without error ability to escape, etc.

I'd say that's plenty of reason in and of itself.

Andargor: don't read too much into the material component of any spell. They're just there for flavor - like the copper piece for detect thoughts ("a penny for your thoughts"). In this case, it's producing the image of the priest presenting his holy symbol to drive out the fiend.

J

 

[andargor]

You'd make the spell tremendously more complicated without adding any value, and AFAIC there's still no evidence at all for your interpretation.

Which spell? Banishment?

In any case, to reiterate, I don't believe Banishment would be prevented by Dimensional Anchor, since it's mostly meant for Transmutation spells by the examples given in the spell description.

Creatures that are on the caster's plane without Plane Shift ability have most probably been summoned, and hence qualify for the exception for summoned creatures in the description.

I'm not trying to make it more complicated, just stating that Banishment relates more to summoned creatures returning to their home plane, rather than teleport-like abilities.

Andargor

 

[Janos Antero]

Many outsiders would lose a significant amount of their abilities - the spell would also prevent them from gating in help, from using their teleport without error ability to escape, etc.

Well the specific circumstance was a non-native planetouched trying to avoid being banished by a high level priest in RttToEE automatically each fight. Monte gave pretty much every priest one memorization of banishment, and she's getting tired of it. We're trying to see if she can protect herself in any particular way or not.