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.I am running a game and they PCs have reached the climatic fight where the BBEG sits inside an unhallowed area with a silence spell effect tied to it.
This has shut down any PC ability to speak or cast spells.
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.we have been discussing how would someone remove the unhallow effect without casting the natural opposite hallow (because casting hallow takes too long to work).
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After looking through the core book for spells, it seems like "break enchantment" is the best choice, but even break enchantment takes too long in a combat (one minute cast time).
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.Are there any other solutions to remove the unhallow effect?
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.Right now I am considering a little DM fiat and giving "greater dispel magic" a chance to work for the PCs.
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.The PCs have access to 8th level spells.
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.We did discuss the use of an anti-magic spell, but that's pretty extreme and has a very limited range and doesn't really help that much.
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.There were suggestions that amounted to just completely remove or damage the FLOOR through various spells, (casting from the entry way into the room). That is not a very desirable solution and arguably just scraping away the top layer of the floor doesn't necessarily remove the unhallow effect for the entire area.
So I am just wondering if we missed something in the Pathfinder system that would let the PCs bring down the unhallow effect.
(note: no PCs have the silent spell feat, no one has any silent meta magic rods, yet.)
P.S. Not sure if it matters but we are playing a Pathfinder game and the adventure is an older 3.5 module. The unhallow/silence dynamic was written in the book by the designers. The designers discussed how this is a tough challenge for the PCs to overcome.
This is a heavily modified Red Hand of Doom game for high-level PCs
An awesome adventure and story!!
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Very simple limited Wish.
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (diamond worth 1,500 gp)
EFFECT
Range see text
Target, Effect, Area see text
Duration see text
Saving Throw none, see text; Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
A limited wish lets you create nearly any type of effect. For example, a limited wish can do any of the following things.
•Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 6th level or lower, provided the spell does not belong to one of your opposition schools.
•Duplicate any non-sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, provided the spell does not belong to one of your opposition schools.
•Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, even if it belongs to one of your opposition schools.
•Duplicate any non-sorcerer/wizard spell of 4th level or lower, even if it belongs to one of your opposition schools.
•Undo the harmful effects of many spells, such as insanity.
•Produce any other effect whose power level is in line with the above effects, such as a single creature automatically hitting on its next attack or taking a -7 penalty on its next saving throw.
A duplicated spell allows saving throws and spell resistance as normal, but the save DC is for a 7th-level spell. When a limited wish spell duplicates a spell with a material component that costs more than 1,000 gp, you must provide that component (in addition to the 1,500 gp diamond component for this spell).
Use this to cast hallow as a standard action.
Here is a similar thread. No one came to a definitive solution. I think bless might work though.
I created a magic item a while back to deal with exactly this sort of situation.
Idol of the Apostate
Aura faint divination, moderate evocation; CL 5th
Slot – ; Price 12,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This fist sized lump of sandstone has been carved into the rough semblance of a human head, with two bright blue chips of sapphire for eyes. Whenever it is brought into a sacred or profane place, such as a temple, a consecrated/desecrated area, or a site of regular worship, the idol's eyes turn jet black and it whispers the name of the site's patron deity, if it has one.
Holding an idol of the apostate in the hand allows the bearer to detect traces of divine power. This power is usable at will and functions like detect evil, except that it detects the auras of divine spellcasters, spells, and objects, and the user is vulnerable to overwhelming divine auras from these things. If an idol is used to view a deity directly, it screams and shatters.
Finally, an idol of the apostate may be invoked once per month as a full-round action when in a sacred or profane place. Doing so severs the site's divine connection, as described in the secondary function of consecrate. Also, if the site is consecrated or desecrated, that spell is automatically dispelled. If the site is hallowed or unhallowed, all effects of the hallow or unhallow are suppressed for one hour.
An idol of the apostate requires an offering of a vial of holy or unholy water once per month, which is poured over it and absorbed into the sandstone. If deprived of its monthly offering, it will cease functioning until it receives one.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, consecrate or desecrate, detect chaos/evil/good/law, creator must have 5 ranks in Knowledge: religion; Cost 6,000 gp
holy water?
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Uh, don't bother getting rid of Unhallow and just kill the guy? It's only a 40' radius.
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.SOLVED!
@mysterious stranger, Thank you! That looks like an excellent suggestion on how to solve this challenge.
@venomblade, i don't see how a level one "bless" spell will counter the higher-level "unhallow" spell. Besides, "bless" just provides +1 on attack rolls and a bonus to saves versus fear.
Whoah, what? It's worth 1500gp to fight this guy without being silenced? Why can't you just buff/blast from outside the 40' radius and beat him up in silence?
Also, why can you go pick up a 1500gp diamond, but can't go pick up a rod of silent spell, which will be useful more than just this once?
There are many many unhallows in place covering a much larger than 40' area. The only area we could cast from is a wee-little tunnel that would have all the casters grouped up for aoe's and would get us walled out of the main room I am sure.
If you are looking to get rid of the unhallow then the limited wish is probably the easiest way. If you are looking to be able to cast in a silence spell then there are other ways. Silence is affected by spell resistance so any spell that grants spell resistance will work. Spell Immunity would be the best way since there is no chance of failure. I am not sure what level the spell is going considered 2nd level or 5th. If it is considered 2nd level the spell immunity communal would allow multiple people to be affected for a single spell. Otherwise you will need greater spell immunity for each caster.
Charlie, The unhallow affect is keyed to the BBEG's religion. So he is not affected by the silence.
Mysterious Stranger, That is perfect!! I will cast spell immunity silence on all of my party so that the silence does not affect them! That is a lot cheaper than Limited wish!
Great idea!
I know you said limited wish may solve things, but in case you end up without its material component...
If you stand outside the range and cast Greater Dispel Magic into the unhallowed area as an area dispel, can you dismiss unhallow--at least within the 20 foot radius of the spell?
Also, depending, I might just fight him as it is. I don't know your party makeup but I'm assuming you've got folks who can fight with weapons without worrying about casting. Have your party set up a group of hand signals with each other so they can communicate. If the area's silenced, he's going to have limited access to spellcasting as well, which could end up being toward your advantage. Mysterious stranger's point about SR aside, however.
Also, the Big Bad can't gloat in a silenced area. :)
The other thing is cast buff spells and other spells with durations before entering the area. Others have mentioned standing outside the range and casting, and if that's doable it's definitely an option. You could do stuff like wall him in with a wall of fire or any number of things depending on the layout.
There are very few, but there are also some spells that don't have verbal components. Now would be a good time to look them up.
Also, most class abilities will also work as silence does not affect spell-like or supernatural abilities -- meaning clerics can still channel energy (yes, the unhallow will help protect him from that, but not entirely, and the cleric can still heal that way), and most spellcaster classes have su and sp abilities they will still be able to get off. It's limited, but in a pinch it's doable.
Obviously if you can get the limited wish off great, but if you're able to work your tactics to work with the silence rather than view that as the problem, you could be more successful than you think. Plus it's a great opportunity to let your non casters in the party shine.
Mysterious Stranger, That is perfect!! I will cast spell immunity silence on all of my party so that the silence does not affect them! That is a lot cheaper than Limited wish!
Be careful, that is not how Silence works.
Silence is cast on a person or object--if the person chosen to be the centerpoint has SR, then it applies. It does not apply to anyone simply entering the area of the spell once it's been anchored--they're just screwed.
Good point, MPLindustries.
I think you might be right. casting "spell immunity: silence" would only provide immunity from someone casting (targeting) silence on the protected player, not make them immune to a silence spell already in effect.
I like the idea of doing something to blaspheme against the god the guy has unhallowed it to. Otherwise, Mage's Disjunction or Anti-Magic field might work.