Dispel Magic

[sithramir]

I've got a question.

If I target dispel someone does it only affect the spells on that person? The way I've always played it while DMing is that it affects all his spells and all his magic items (but magic items are suppressed for only 1d4 rounds).

However, in a game where i'm not the DM we discussed this. One played said that since the spell says it only dispels spell effects on the person its ONLY spells he cast (or others cast) on his person. I believe it still means that anything like ring of blinking, ring of mage armor, boots of levitation are still dispelled and have to be reactivated. It does say under these items that you are affected as if by that spell.

I personally think it should still hit all magic items but it seems items like Bracers of Armor that don't actually give you a spell affect wouldn't be affected.

Whats the rest of your takes on this?

 

[dcollins]

I agree with your friend -- a dispel targetted on a creature effects "each ongoing spell", not magic items. It looks to me like continual magic items are just that -- continual -- not casting a spell for free at times of your choosing. Many other people (probably most) agree with you, that permanent magic items are casting spells on the user.

It seems that the mechanics of a ring of blinking should be consistent with those of a +1 shield. Of course, others would argue that your example of bracers of armor itself is also in the business of casting mage armor on the user.

This was previously debated a few months ago.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I would say that the Dispel Magic might turn off the powers of activated items. Like if you have a ring of invisibility activated, dispel magic would make you visible again, but you can just re-activate the ring right away.

 

[BSF]

Because there is an option to target an object with a Dispel Magic, I would not apply it universally to every item a creature has. Hit the creature and they lose their buffs & protections. Hit the item and the item doesn't work. (OK, it is suppressed for 1d4 rounds)

Though, I can see your point about items that effectively give you a spell. Consider the Helm of Brilliance. I would not allow a dispel targeted on the character (as opposed to the item) to remove the Fire Resistance 30, but I might allow the dispel to supress a weapon that is currently flaming because of the Helm.

 

[sithramir]

see the reason i feel that it should is because in the description of certain items it says "The caster is AFFECTED as if by the fly spell".

The dispel magic spell states that it targets "spells and spell AFFECTS on the person"

So i see them as being one and the same.. Ring of blinking must be activated so it makes sense for that to happen but bracers of armor doesn't nor does it state you're treated as if by a mage armor spell. It only states you gain an armor bonus of whatever...

 

[dcollins]

The dispel magic spell states that it targets "spells and spell AFFECTS on the person"

I'm pretty sure that's not a real quote.

At any rate, consider that potions actually say they "are like spells cast upon the imbiber". If an item uses different language, like "as if continually under the effect of a freedom of movement spell", then that's actually evidence that it must mean something different -- namely, it shares the effect of the spell but not the spell-being-cast of the spell.

If a permanent item has been activated (whether by command word or use activated), then clearly the item can't be de-activated by an creature-targeted dispel -- the activation is a property of the item. So after a creature-targeted dispel the item is still activated. So the effect of the item is still present.

If magic item effects were meant to be turned off by an creature-targeted dispel, it would have to say so, and it would have to be included in the example in the book. But they're not -- disrupting magic items is a specific, separate category.


The idea that magic item effects are turned off for a fraction of a second from any dispel and then reactivated with a free action (or whatever) is just too clunky for words. Just say they're only affected by an item-targetted dispel and keep things clean.