Dispel Magic

[Stalker0]

My only real concern is how much use are you going to see with this spell?

It takes up one of the wizard's precious daily slots, yet I haven't seen many monster effects (from the ones we've seen, which span a decent array of levels) that would be unmade by dispel magic. My biggest question is, are there going to be lots of days when the wizard feels like he wasted a daily slot?

 

[Falling Icicle]

Any sort of "buff dispel" is hugely problematic because the game grinds to a halt while you figure out the new status of various combatants. Anyway, I think 4e is mostly doing away with combat buff spells, outside of personal defenses and 1-round duration type things.

This is exactly the kind of design philosophy in 4th edition that is troubling me. So removing a buff causes the game to grind to a halt while you figure out new statistics, but having buffs last only one round is fine? If buffs being removed really do cause the game to grind to a halt than 4e is going to be a disaster, since almost every buff is removed 1 round later. I'll take the long buffs and dispels any day. At least then when I modify my statistics to account for a buff that information is going to be good for a while.

 

[small pumpkin man]

This is exactly the kind of design philosophy in 4th edition that is troubling me. So removing a buff causes the game to grind to a halt while you figure out new statistics, but having buffs last only one round is fine? If buffs being removed really do cause the game to grind to a halt than 4e is going to be a disaster, since almost every buff is removed 1 round later. I'll take the long buffs and dispels any day. At least then when I modify my statistics to account for a buff that information is going to be good for a while.

Adding or removing one buff is fine. Adding or removing three or four, (or more at high levels) is bad.

I'm more concerned about monster auras and debuffs than Cleric & Paladin one round buffs, altohugh admitadly, the ones that look most fiddly come from Elite monsters with the subtype (Leader), and it's probably a bad idea for other reasons to run multiple Elite Leaders.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

So Dispel Magic can't end Fly, Invisibility, etc. Interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about the very limited scope of it quite yet. Of the level 10-16 spells, I only saw 3 of them that can be negated by dispel Magic.

I don't think you need a special Dispel power to end those effects; just a stunning attack. Fly, Invisibility, etc. all have "Sustain Minor" in their durations, so if you stun or otherwise disable the spellcaster for one round so he can't take that minor action, the spell ends, I'd think.

 

[mach1.9pants]

My only real concern is how much use are you going to see with this spell?

It takes up one of the wizard's precious daily slots, yet I haven't seen many monster effects (from the ones we've seen, which span a decent array of levels) that would be unmade by dispel magic. My biggest question is, are there going to be lots of days when the wizard feels like he wasted a daily slot?

Maybe you have different slots for utility and attack powers? WotC said you'll never have to choose either water-breathing or fireball. However that could apply only to the power/ritual split only....

 

[Pale Jackal]

Maybe you have different slots for utility and attack powers? WotC said you'll never have to choose either water-breathing or fireball. However that could apply only to the power/ritual split only....

Since everyone can learn rituals... I'm pretty sure utility and combat powers are seperate.

I like the new Dispel, though Abjure might've been a better name.

 

[Falling Icicle]

Since everyone can learn rituals...

Are you sure about this? I'm not aware that this has ever been officially confirmed.

 

[Spatula]

This is exactly the kind of design philosophy in 4th edition that is troubling me. So removing a buff causes the game to grind to a halt while you figure out new statistics, but having buffs last only one round is fine? If buffs being removed really do cause the game to grind to a halt than 4e is going to be a disaster, since almost every buff is removed 1 round later. I'll take the long buffs and dispels any day. At least then when I modify my statistics to account for a buff that information is going to be good for a while.

Well, I think that the whole concept of what buffs do in D&D has been changed. i.e. no more piling on short-term combat bonuses until you're twice as effective as you are unbuffed. I seem to recall the belt of giant strength (seen at DDXP) could be used to give the wearer a short-duration bonus to a Str-related check, but not to attack or damage... a big change from such items in previous editions.

 

[Pale Jackal]

Are you sure about this? I'm not aware that this has ever been officially confirmed.

I could be wrong. Regardless, I don't think there will be a conflict between utility and damage-type powers.

 

[fnwc]

Based on their comments about magic items, it looks like disjunction is definitely out of the new system.

Good riddance. Mordekainen's Disj... err... Mage's Disjunction is broken beyond all belief.