Trying to get around Greater Dispel; how would this work?

[bookwormbabe29]

So I have a level 14 character highly dependent on her magic items. I am to face a wizard who practically specializes in Greater Dispel. I wish to protect my items from Greater Dispel magic. The question is how?

As I understand, an area dispel won't target items. So it needs to targeted. I'm not clear if the wizard can target my character to dispel my magic items, or would he need to target the magic item directly. If he gets to target me, he gets to dispel 3-5 of my items at once, and I'm screwed.

I'm trying to come up with plan that protects me from this, and I think I have an idea with Ioun stones. Lavender and Green Ellipsoid Ioun stones absorb spells, right? I am led to believe Dispel can target Ioun stones and dispel even this power. But what if I combined it with the Western Star Ioun stone? It's power makes Ioun stones invisible, which should protect my Ioun stones from being 'targeted' by dispel... and if the Lavender and green can't be dispelled, it's effect should work. I'm even thinking of grabbing two Lavender and Green Ellipsoid to cover each other. If I'm right, this should shut down the mage and his Dispel magic.

Any ideas if this would work or not?

[B.A. Ironskull]

Greater dispel magic.

pfprd wrote:

Area Dispel: When greater dispel magic is used in this way, the spell affects everything within a 20-foot-radius burst. Roll one dispel check and apply that check to each creature in the area, as if targeted by dispel magic. For each object within the area that is the target of one or more spells, apply the dispel check as with creatures. Magic items are not affected by an area dispel.

I'd say the Evil Mage in question would need to target the items in question, once they are revealed to be magical, which would first require a detect magic casting, unless said opposed caster makes a successful skill check or an opposed Spellcraft check if you activate an item.

[Pizza Lord]

In my opinion, trying to dispel an opponent's magic items in combat is a poor use of time unless they only have one or it's a real doozy of an item that's specific to a situation, like a bad guy using boots of water-walking to run across pools of lava or acid (with some other protection to keep the boots from taking damage). Then, even if you succeed, it's only suppressed for 1d4 rounds, you have no way of knowing.

A lavender and green ioun stone will work against a greater dispel magic, but of course it takes a readied action which means you may as well just ready an action to counterspell or just blast them with a damage spell if they start casting. I would let it absorb spells targeting your items or targeted at you in this case.

A ring of counterspells (greater dispel magic) is good for automatically countering the spell if it's targeted on you (not on your items), but your DM may allow it to count on targeted items.

Otherwise, keeping your items hidden (rings under gloves, magical necklaces and amulets tucked into your shirt, etc.) or invisible is a good way to keep them from being targeted, unless the item or DM says it can't be hidden or the enemy has see invisibility. (They could detect the magic and even pinpoint the location by concentrating with detect magic or using arcane sight but still can't target the hidden item.)

Make sure you tell your DM, even conversationally before-hand that your items are under gloves, or hidden. DMs hate using an ability in combat, rolling caster level checks, telling the results only to be blind-sided with "Oh, my item is such-and-such because I just said so..." Make sure it's mentioned and preferably that other people heard you say it.

Also a few magic aura spells should legitimately play hob with a caster using detect magic. Even with arcane sight (you'll know because their eyes will be glowing blue), it will still take them a round of discerning (it says 3 rounds under Spellcraft but I think that is counting the 3 rounds of detect magic, I'd still rule it takes 1 round of study). Then they need a Will save to determine the true nature of the item.

It's especially good since you can either make your non-magical items seem magical and you can make the magical items seem non-magical, but you can also make them seem like different items. Is your wand of fireball detecting as a wand of frost ray? Does you non-magical hat detect as a hat of spell-turning?

Nevermind that he's never heard of one, as long as you keep from 'breaking' the rules too much (a non-masterwork weapon or armor detecting as magic, or your hat detecting as a +2 vorpal greataxe, or a wand looking like a wand of disintegrate which would break the 4th-level spell limit), even then there are still possible ways it might exist but that will likely be enough to reveal the trick.

[wraithstrike]

Targeting items is not efficient. It only makes them nonmagical, and only one can be targeted at a time. Even then they still have to make the caster level check to dispel the item. If you sword is a +5 weapon it would have a DC of 26 to dispel.

If he uses greater dispel magic it will likely be to debuff the party or any annoying party members.

[bookwormbabe29]

Good to know, and Pizza Lord thanks for those details. I hadn't realized I needed to ready an action for the ioun stones.

As stated, the mage in question is known for using Greater Dispel, and he knows of the powerful item I'm wielding. This gave me some good ideas though, so I think I can make this work.