Faerûn spell Mystra's Miasma - can someone clarify that?

[Dark Dragon]

Faerûn spell Mystra's Miasma - can someone clarify that?

Hi all,

recently, one of the party wizards got the spell Mystra's Miasma (description in Player's Guide to Faerûn).
It is a level 9 spell that simulates a Solid Fog plus: "...any spell caster in the fog gets a -4 penalty on caster level checks when he tries to cast spells..." (don't remember the exact wording).

So, what does that mean?
Is it working similar to dispel checks, i.e., any caster within the fog must make a CL check -4 against the one who had cast Mystra's Miasma to succeed in casting a spell? E.g., a wizard of level 17 casts MM and affects a cleric of level 17. Whenever the cleric wants to cast a spell, he must make a CL check DC 21 (=> rolling at least a 4 on a d20) to succeed.
Right?

 

[shilsen]

I don't have the book, so I'm just going off the info in your post, but I'd guess that's an example of bad phrasing and it's intended to be "-4 on caster level".

 

[Plane Sailing]

Maybe it just means that subjects are worse at penetrating spell resistance?

 

[Dark Dragon]

Maybe it just means that subjects are worse at penetrating spell resistance?

If the authors meant it like that, the spell is barely worth in being placed at level 9 (but things like that did happen ).

I don't have the book, so I'm just going off the info in your post, but I'd guess that's an example of bad phrasing and it's intended to be "-4 on caster level".

That would mean lower damage, shorter durations, and more difficult SR checks. Hm, that would be ok, because the spell description says that MM acts like a sinkhole for magical energy...