Dispel magic concern [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dispel magic concern [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
xerric
07-28-06, 03:37 AM Hi, last week my friends and I were playing and we were fighting a Shield Guardian and our cleric cast dispel magic in hopes to somehow destroy the guardian. According to the monster manual the Shield Guardian is imbued with limited wish, shield, shield other, discern location at caster lvl 15. If anyone could give their imput on what would happen if anything I would be grateful.
Thiez
07-28-06, 10:46 AM It doesn't work. Nothing happens.
mightymouse1107
07-28-06, 02:43 PM To be more helpful and expansive than the somewhat terse preceeding reply... If you read the text of "Dispel Magic" carefully you find it can be used to counter-spell, to end ongoing magical effects (of both the spell and spell-like ability variety) and to disrupt, temporarily, the functioning of a magic item. With the shield guardian, the confusion is understandable, especially for newer or more inexperienced players.

The guardian may seem like a magic item, but it is not. It is a construct, which means that even though magic was used in the process of animating it, it uses extra-planar energy to power it. Dispel Magic does not banish this energy, therefore the guardian itself is unaffected. (Rather as undead, animated by negative energy, are unaffected by dispel magic.)

As for its imbued spells... if it casts an ongoing effect on itself or another person that is subject to dispel magic, a successful dispel will end that effect. Dispel will not, however, do anything to spell like abilities or effects it has available but not activated, in the same way that dispel magic does not disrupt a wizard's prepared spells.

Hope this was helpful!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
xerric 07-28-06, 03:37 AM	Hi, last week my friends and I were playing and we were fighting a Shield Guardian and our cleric cast dispel magic in hopes to somehow destroy the guardian. According to the monster manual the Shield Guardian is imbued with limited wish, shield, shield other, discern location at caster lvl 15. If anyone could give their imput on what would happen if anything I would be grateful.
Thiez 07-28-06, 10:46 AM	It doesn't work. Nothing happens.
mightymouse1107 07-28-06, 02:43 PM	To be more helpful and expansive than the somewhat terse preceeding reply... If you read the text of "Dispel Magic" carefully you find it can be used to counter-spell, to end ongoing magical effects (of both the spell and spell-like ability variety) and to disrupt, temporarily, the functioning of a magic item. With the shield guardian, the confusion is understandable, especially for newer or more inexperienced players. The guardian may seem like a magic item, but it is not. It is a construct, which means that even though magic was used in the process of animating it, it uses extra-planar energy to power it. Dispel Magic does not banish this energy, therefore the guardian itself is unaffected. (Rather as undead, animated by negative energy, are unaffected by dispel magic.) As for its imbued spells... if it casts an ongoing effect on itself or another person that is subject to dispel magic, a successful dispel will end that effect. Dispel will not, however, do anything to spell like abilities or effects it has available but not activated, in the same way that dispel magic does not disrupt a wizard's prepared spells. Hope this was helpful!