Spell Resistance Help

[Dusto]

My DM and I are in disagreement on how spell resistance work. The exact situation was my character using an item to cast hide from undead. He is saying since the spell indicates spell resistance, that his undead baddie gets a spell resistance roll against it when my character gets close enough for him to see. I argued that the spell resistance was simply there if the person getting the spell cast on themselves had spell resistance. Any help would be greatly appreciated, reference specifically to books would be great as my DM is very literal.

[Slipperychicken]

This would be a lot easier if Hide from Undead was an illusion spell, because illusion has rules for this (even if they're vague, broken rules). I have no idea why in the nine hells it's Abjuration.

Since the undead gains a saving throw, this implies the magic acts on the undead directly, like a figment illusion. In that case, the undead creature should certainly gain the benefit of SR. However, the undead are not the target, but this makes one wonder why they get a will save against it. I think your GM's ruling is the more plausible one.

[Anxe]

By RAW, no. Undead do not get to apply spell resistance to this spell. SR is applied for the target of the spell, which is the person hiding. Undead normally wouldn't get Will saves either, not being targets, but the text of the spell makes a specific exception for that rule.

Your DM is wrong in how the rules work, but I should say his ruling is a reasonable houserule.

As for rules text, from the SRD on SR, "In many cases, spell resistance applies only when a resistant creature is targeted by the spell, not when a resistant creature encounters a spell that is already in place."

[TuggyNE]

He is saying since the spell indicates spell resistance, that his undead baddie gets a spell resistance roll against it when my character gets close enough for him to see.

For completeness' sake, there is no such thing as a spell resistance roll or check, and attempting, say, 1d20+SR vs CL will only end in absurdity. Rather, it's a CL check by the caster against the SR as a DC: 1d20+CL+misc vs SR. Hopefully this misstatement does not indicate a deeper misunderstanding, but if it does, there you go.

[Slipperychicken]

For completeness' sake, there is no such thing as a spell resistance roll or check, and attempting, say, 1d20+SR vs CL will only end in absurdity. Rather, it's a CL check by the caster against the SR as a DC: 1d20+CL+misc vs SR. Hopefully this misstatement does not indicate a deeper misunderstanding, but if it does, there you go.

I think we all know what is meant when one says "spell resistance roll against it".

[TuggyNE]

I think we all know what is meant when one says "spell resistance roll against it".

One hopes so, but the math if someone misunderstands is pretty badly wrong (there being, in the average case, no possible way for a spell to affect any creature with SR if you do 1d20+SR vs CL), so hey, free clarification. :smallwink:

[Dusto]

Yeah, my poor wording, it would be my roll against his SR. Thanks for the tip on the SR in the SRD. I'll show that to him and see what he says.

[Chronos]

It should seldom be relevant, since any undead creature with SR is probably also going to have a great will save, such that it would be highly unlikely to fail a save against a first-level spell anyway.