Spell Turning vs Dispel Magic

[Stalker0]

Check me on this:

If you cast dispel magic and target the spell caster, it becomes vulnerable to spell turning. The dispel is targeted back on the caster, and since you automaticallly succeed on any caster check made to overcome your own spells, the caster would then lose any spell he casted upon himself.

Correct?

 

[lottrbacchus]

Looks like that's how it is written especially because under 'area dispell' it says "You may choose to automatically succeed on dispel checks against any spell that you have cast."

Personally, if I have this type of question, I talk to my players about it before it becomes an issue and we agree on an interpretation and pencil it into the books.

 

[shilsen]

Yes, a Spell Turning would turn a Dispel back on you, but since you "may choose to automatically succeed" on dispel checks vs. spells you've cast and presumably do not choose to do so in this case, you still need to roll the dispel checks. It's not automatic unless you choose to make it so.

 

[AuraSeer]

No. Dispel magic says, "You may choose to automatically succeed on dispel checks against any spell that you have cast." If the caster doesn't want to automatically succeed, he can roll the dice instead, and hope for a failure.

 

[gnfnrf]

No. Dispel magic says, "You may choose to automatically succeed on dispel checks against any spell that you have cast." If the caster doesn't want to automatically succeed, he can roll the dice instead, and hope for a failure.

That is only for an area dispel. A targeted dispel says "You automatically succeed on your dispel check against any spell that you cast yourself."

--
gnfnrf

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Don't cha think that the game designers probably didn't have spell turning in mind when they worded dispel magic?

It seems pretty obvious to me that the wording in question was put in place so that a caster wouldn't have to go through the whole routine of rolling to dispel his own spells. Since no check is needed, there must be some degree of effort required in either dispelling or preventing dispelling, and that effort is determined by the caster.

So if a caster's dispel magic is turned back on him, don't cha think he'd resist rather than not? If he wants to auto dispel his own spells, fine. But if he doesn't, also fine.

This just looks like a loophole in the rules to me. And it would be ultra cheesy to tell a player that all his spells were auto-dispelled by turning a rule back against the caster who it was meant to benefit.

 

[Bad Paper]

A targeted dispel says "You automatically succeed on your dispel check against any spell that you cast yourself."

Yes, and this is the text that I have always used to make this combo devastating for the dispeller (if his dispel check fails against spell turning, that is).
edit:

it would be ultra cheesy to tell a player that all his spells were auto-dispelled by turning a rule back against the caster who it was meant to benefit.

Does it matter if it helps the PCs? They never bother with dispelling; this was a BBEG using it against the PC cleric. (he beat the cleric's spell turning, but otherwise I was prepared to totally debuff him) Am I wrong to run it this way?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Actually I consider this a feature of spell turning, rather than a bug (considering the degree to which spell turning was enfeebled by barring it from turning several important categories of spells, it *needs* a little boost)

 

[green slime]

Actually I consider this a feature of spell turning, rather than a bug (considering the degree to which spell turning was enfeebled by barring it from turning several important categories of spells, it *needs* a little boost)

Really? What changed? (afbatm)

 

[Plane Sailing]

Really? What changed? (afbatm)

I'm thinking of "The abjuration turns only spells that have you as a target. Effect and area spells are not affected. Spell turning also fails to stop touch range spells."

Originally (1e) I think it turned everything except area spells... Personally I think it still ought to turn effect and touch spells to remain a truly viable choice.