Water elemental "drench" and fireball

[interwyrm]

Drench (Ex): The elemental’s touch puts out torches, campfires, exposed lanterns, and other open flames of nonmagical origin if these are of Large size or smaller. The creature can dispel magical fire it touches as dispel magic (caster level equals elemental’s HD).

If a fireball or scorching ray is cast at a water elemental, can it dispel it?

 

[Nifft]

IIRC, Instantaneous spells can be countered and negated, but not dispelled.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Steve Jung]

Those are instantaneous effects so they're gone by the time the elemental gets to use quench.

 

[domino]

From the SRD.

You can use dispel magic to end ongoing spells that have been cast on a creature or object, to ... to end ongoing spells (or at least their effects) within an area, or to counter another spellcaster’s spell.

Counterspell
When dispel magic is used in this way, the spell targets a spellcaster and is cast as a counterspell. Unlike a true counterspell, however, dispel magic may not work; you must make a dispel check to counter the other spellcaster’s spell.

Both Fireball and Scorching Ray have a duration of "Instantaneous" making them not ongoing effects. So the first two uses don't apply.

The counterspell usage is focused on the caster, however, drench involves touching the flame, and not the caster.

So, I'd say no, it cannot. The fireball is possibly entirely vaporized into a cloud of steam, or severely lessened.

Though, if the water elemental is close enough, you might be able to argue that it can use the counterspell use by drenching the spell caster as it casts the spell, extinguishing the flame before it gets too devestating.

 

[Nifft]

The ability to dispel an effect does not always give you the ability to counterspell. Rather, it is a property of the specific spells dispel magic (and the greater version) which allow them to be substituted for any other spell for the purpose of counter-spelling.

Drench isn't even a spell.

Cheers, -- N