Question about Dispel Magic

[bguy]

In regards to Dispel Magic and Greater Dispel Magic, if you cast it on a buffed enemy that your party has also hit with spells (say Diminsional Anchor), can the Dispel Magic end up removing your spells too or will it only affect the spells you want it to affect?

[Diarmuid]

If you use the Targetted version of the spell and select the enemy NPC as the target, it will attempt to work on every spell currently effecting the NPC, including your debuffs.

[tyckspoon]

You will risk removing your party's own spells as well, and you will automatically remove any you personally cast - Dispel Magic doesn't have an option for selective targeting or deliberately failing a check when you use the Targeted option to hit a creature. But note that you can choose to target a single spell with them instead of a creature, so if there's just one effect that is giving you particular trouble you can selectively snipe that one.

[sleepyphoenixx]

If you can see magic (such as with Arcane Sight) you can target the buff you want to remove. If you target the creature you attempt to dispel all spells and automatically dispel all spells you cast personally.

Edit: Swordsage'd

[Lafaellar]

You don't automatically dispel all your spells, it is just an option.

[bguy]

You will risk removing your party's own spells as well, and you will automatically remove any you personally cast - Dispel Magic doesn't have an option for selective targeting or deliberately failing a check when you use the Targeted option to hit a creature. But note that you can choose to target a single spell with them instead of a creature, so if there's just one effect that is giving you particular trouble you can selectively snipe that one.

Makes sense. Thanks to everyone for the quick responses.

[Aracor]

You don't automatically dispel all your spells, it is just an option.
I disagree. According to the text of dispel magic: "You automatically succeed on your dispel check against any spell that you cast yourself."

[Chronos]

On the other hand, if you use the Truename Dispelling spell from Tome of Magic, you learn all the spell effects on your target, and can pick and choose exactly which ones to remove and which ones to leave in place, and don't even have to make dispelling checks for them. The catch (and of course there's a catch) is that you have to research and then correctly speak the target's personal truename.