Tactical Question

[AlanBruce]

Two casters are dueling. One has fly on them and wings of cover (an immediate action to activate, negates spells, attacks, etc).

The other caster is on the ground. He has mislead prepared and will cast it to leave an illusion and sneak behind the flying caster (underneath him) and use greater dispel magic on him.

My question is: Would Wings of Cover avoid the effect, provided the grounded caster surprised the flying one through a successful hide check? Mislead, if I'm not mistaken produces a greater inv. effect as well. The flying caster has see inv., but the grounded caster could still attempt to hide from view.

I was asking to see if this is a legal action and if the ruse could work.

Thank you very much in advance.

[soveliss24]

Reading Wings of Cover here (http://dndtools.eu/spells/races-of-the-dragon--83/wings-of-cover--3100/), I don't see any language that says you need to be aware of the incoming spell or attack. Unless there is a general rule that you cannot use an immediate action to react to something you are unaware of, it looks like the airborne, surprised caster could still block the spell with WoC.

Personally as a DM I would not allow it to work, but it seems to work by RAW.

EDIT: Was too busy looking for language about awareness, overlooked what WoC can actually do. It doesn't block a spell OR attack, it blocks "a melee, ranged, spell, or psionic attack". Even the targeted version of Greater Dispel Magic doesn't involve an attack roll, so WoC cannot prevent it. Even if the flying caster was aware of the casting of GDM, it wouldn't work.

[AlanBruce]

Thank you. I was afraid of that. This will not go so well, then.

[soveliss24]

Actually, it would not work, but for different reasons than I thought. See edit above.

[Deophaun]

Was too busy looking for language about awareness, overlooked what WoC can actually do. It doesn't block a spell OR attack, it blocks "a melee, ranged, spell, or psionic attack". Even the targeted version of Greater Dispel Magic doesn't involve an attack roll, so WoC cannot prevent it. Even if the flying caster was aware of the casting of GDM, it wouldn't work.
Back to this again. Keep in mind, if you define "attack" this way (which yes, is found in one place in the PHB), Evasion becomes the most useless ability in the entire game (as well as a bunch of other abilities, as that one, selective, special PHB definition is certainly not the one the rest of the game assumes; for instance, all saving throw DCs for spells are determined by "the attack," but most spells that allow saves don't have attack rolls).

Otherwise, the only other definition for attack is a hostile action: Intimidating someone to demoralize them, for example, is an attack, as is dispelling someone's buffs.

Thus, Wings of Cover works by RAW (unless you just hate rogues).

If I were you, though, it seems like the player is expending significant resources to feint and catch his opponent flat footed. I'd Rule 0 this in a heartbeat and have him make a bluff check with a circumstance bonus from his spells. He succeeds, the target is considered flat footed against the spell, so no interrupts.

[dantiesilva]

You got it backwards Deophaun the opponent is spending a lot on luck trying to get the player flat footed XD. The player is the one with wings of cover ready while the bad guy is the one with mislead and trying to sneak under him. Quite amusing really watching these two duel.

[Deophaun]

Is this Archmage1? Did he take me advice with WoC? Then I cannot in good conscience... bah, yes I can!

Rule 0 away! :smallbiggrin:

[dantiesilva]

Nope our party mage Nathan. Me and archmage are sitting in the bleachers rooting for him XD

Our lives are in his hands as it so happens.