Unhallow with Dispel Magic

[roguerouge]

Would an unhallow with dispel magic tied to it targeting good creatures:

1. Cast dispel magic once on all good creatures each time they enter the area?
2. Cast dispel magic on all good creatures each round they remain in the area?
3. Cast dispel magic on all good creatures each round they remain in the area AND counterspell subsequent spells cast by them?
4. Cast dispel magic once on all good creatures when they enter the area AND counterspell subsequent spells cast by them?
5. Any of options 1-4 PLUS counterspell spells cast by good creatures INTO the area?

 

[azhrei_fje]

I've always ruled it as #1, but re-reading the spell description of unhallow, I'm not so sure any more:

From the SRD:

The spell effect lasts for one year and functions throughout the entire site, regardless of its normal duration and area or effect.

That one line would seem to indicate that the dispel magic effect would continue for the entire 1 year duration of the spell!

Since the description also says, "You may designate whether the effect applies to all creatures, creatures that share your faith or alignment, or creatures that adhere to another faith or alignment," I'm thinking that it must be the area effect version of dispel magic and not the targeted version. And because it's not targeted, it can't be used to counterspell.

So now I'm leaning towards #2. I'm curious to hear what others have to say about this...

 

[frankthedm]

Now IIRC a FAQ, Sage Advce or Customer Service said it was.

1. Cast "Area dispel" dispel magic once on all good creatures each time they enter the area?

 

[Delta]

Frank's right, I remember that in the FAQ (#1). Personally when I read the book myself I interpreted it as #2.

Honestly, Skip Williams had a habit of ruling that spell-like effects follow exactly the same duration/activation/spell casting limitations, even when that really didn't make sense. So I'm not totally sold on the FAQ answer.

 

[frankthedm]

Frank's right, I remember that in the FAQ (#1). Personally when I read the book myself I interpreted it as #2.

Honestly, Skip Williams had a habit of ruling that spell-like effects follow exactly the same duration/activation/spell casting limitations, even when that really didn't make sense. So I'm not totally sold on the FAQ answer.

Well, How would you feel an unhallowed area with cause fear ought to work? If that hits every round, anyone in the area will be shaken and each round there will be a minimum 5% chance the character makes a run for the exit.

On the other hand, if the spell effects don't hit every round, that makes a perverse incentive to jump in and out of the unhallowed area to keep refreshing protection from energy's 108-120 points of energy absorption .

Spell effects that may be tied to an unhallowed site include aid, bane, bless, cause fear, darkness, daylight, death ward, deeper darkness, detect magic, detect good, dimensional anchor, discern lies, dispel magic, endure elements, freedom of movement, invisibility purge, protection from energy, remove fear, resist energy, silence, tongues, and zone of truth.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Just go with what's reasonable. Once upon entrance seems reasonable, unless the targets are somehow being forced to repeatedly enter/exit. I'd probably go with that. I could also see once per 24 hours though.

Once per round is silly. Same with someone jumping in and out to replenish a protection from energy.

 

[Shin Okada]

I vote for one area dispel per entering.

If interepret otherwise, I can't see any reason to define it as "once per round" or "once per turn". How can you say it is not once per moment = indefinite times per turn?

 

[roguerouge]

I'm fairly ambivalent on what the correct ruling is here. Bless would basically function as having a year's duration, wouldn't it? And if a dispel magic targeted the bless on you, I can certainly see either it re-establishing itself on you the next round or if you re-entered the area. But if you apply that former principle to dispel magic, you've got basically a cheap, semi-reliable anti-magic zone and if you apply the latter principle to protection from energy, you get a constant refreshment of the spell... which is sort of what you have with bless.