What can stop a sending?

[Alzrius]

There's a question that's come up recently in my group with regards to how to stop a sending spell from reaching someone. Other than disrupting the actual casting, there doesn't seem to be very much that can stop this spell from being sent.

The basic scenario is that my group is worried about a BBEG calling for reinforcements, and want a way to isolate him before moving in for the kill. This basically means shutting down a lot of long-range communication spells, but this one in particular is giving them trouble.

Any ideas?

[Pizza Lord]

I don't see a lot that will do it in general. Even a globe of invulnerability doesn't appear to be able to stop the caster from using it to reach a target (though it would stop them from being targeted back, unless it's the sor/wiz version which is 5th level.)

About the only mitigator seems to be the local conditions mention, which is up to the GM and could be anything reasonable to the time and location. These are all up for debate, for instance, surrounding them with lead-lined walls or disrupting wards could be 5%. Another plane: 5%; Electrical storm: 5%. Powerful artifact in the area: 5% (or more). Again, there's nothing listed (other than another plane) so anything reasonable could work, but even then, that might not actually affect the casting, only the receiving location (though it's magic, so technically the conditions at the caster's location could prevent the spell from 'getting out'.) Again, it's all a GM discretion though and at best you might get up to a 20% chance of blocking it.

Otherwise, you need to prevent the casting itself, either gagging, muting, binding the caster, or preventing access to material components. Or you could feeblemind, polymorph, or silence them. Beyond that, you may need to find ot design a spell specifically designed to block sending.

[Balancer]

Antimagic field?

[Generic Villain]

You could houserule that the 5th-level spell mage's private sanctum blocks sending spells. It's a stretch, but the spell's description says that "No sounds, no matter how loud, can escape the area, so nobody can eavesdrop from outside." It's a very liberal reading, but I guess sending could be included as a sound.

[JoeElf]

My reading says these disrupt/counterspell if you ready an action or have already affected the area on the sending side.

a. Do enough damage on a readied attack/spell that they fail a concentration check.
b. Counterspell with sending and successful Spellcraft check.
c. Counterspell with successful dispel magic vs. their sending.
d. Cast Globe of Invulnerability [vs. the spell level 4 cleric sending] or Antimagic Field and be within 10 feet.
e. Cast quickened Silence [and the enemy caster is unable to leave the 20 foot radius silence area].
f. Cast a hold/charm/etc. and have the enemy caster fail the save + SR.

On prevention on the receiving side, you would have to already be there within 10 or 20 feet of the recipient with an existing Globe, Field, or Silence up. Alternatively, Memory Lapse cast within a round and the recipient fails the save + SR.

Wish, Miracle, or Time Stop would give other options.

[MichaelCullen]

Not sure your level, but Aroden's Spell Bane or Source Severence could both work.

[Mark Seifter]

It has a 10 minute casting time, so if you don't afford the foe 10 minutes, there won't be enough time to cast it.

[MichaelCullen]

Mark Seifter wrote:

It has a 10 minute casting time, so if you don't afford the foe 10 minutes, there won't be enough time to cast it.

Fair point / nice catch Mark. Though there are some ways around that. Limited wish can do it as a standard action. Though I'm not sure if that is within the power of the BBEG the original poster is asking about.

[Kayerloth]

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