Mordenkainen's Disjunction

[Cheiromancer]

All magic effects... are disjoined. That is, spells and spell-like effects are separated into their individual components (ending the effect as a dispel magic spell does)... You also have a 1% chance per caster level of destroying an antimagic field.

Does this mean

1. Unless otherwise specified, any spell effect is ended (with no possibility of failure).

or

2. Unless otherwise specified, the spell works like dispel magic against a spell? (d20 +10 dispel check vs a DC of 11+caster level, can't affect curses and geases, etc., etc.)

or something else entirely?

I had always thought that option 1 was the case, but now I'm thinking that option 2 is probably more reasonable. 2 is like a targetted dispel magic against everything in the area of effect, and can destroy magic items (that fail their saves) and a number of magical barriers that are otherwise very hard to deal with. (Prismatic Sphere, Wall of Force, etc.)

So which is it, according to the rules?

 

[kreynolds]

1.

This has been verified by the fact that it automatically ends even Epic spells.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I looked through the ELH and while I found a disappointing passage about Anti-Magic Field, I didn't notice anything about Mordenkainen's Disjunction.

You wouldn't happen to have a page reference handy, would you?

 

[kreynolds]

You wouldn't happen to have a page reference handy, would you?

I wish I did. Instead, I'm gonna have to do this the hard way.

First of all, ignore the caster level check from Dispel Magic. Mord's Disjunction does not require a caster level check. The description of Mord's Disjunction states...

(ending the effect as a dispel magic does)

...simply because it disrupts a spell just like a successful Dispel Magic, meaning the spell is completely ended, unless noted otherwise in the targeted spell's description or in the description of Mord's Disjunction, such as Antimagic Field. However, it does not require a caster level check in any way. Disrupting spells automatically may seem kinda powerful, but it is a 9th level spell after all. Sure, it may effect magic items as well, but the items get a save against Mord's Disjunction, and they use their own save or yours, whichever is higher. In the end, magic items have just as good/bad a chance to save against this spell that you would have against any spell (that allows a save) shot at you.

As far as power is concerned, it's just fine for a 9th level spell.