Prepping for Antimagic and Dead Magic

[BowStreetRunner]

Theoretical question: you are playing a full caster class of some sort and are planning on entering an area where magic will not be available. It could be an Antimagic field or a Dead Magic Zone or even a plane with the Dead Magic trait. How do you prepare?

[sleepyphoenixx]

Pick up some alchemical items (though i do that anyway, so it's more restocking and putting them in nonmagical storage). And be glad i tend to play divine casters or gishes instead of pure wizards.
Mostly stuff like Torchbug Paste, Acid and Alchemical Fire (or Acidic Fire), Ghostblight, Trollbane, Quicksilver and so on. Basically gear to deal with things i'd otherwise use my spells for.
Also a suit of the best mwk armor + shield i can wear and a good mwk ranged weapon + ammo, if i don't already have those.

I'd also pick up a good companion if i can before leaving. Wild Cohort, Improved Familiar, stuff like that.

Not much else you can do, really. The only thing that consistently gets around AMF or Dead Magic is Initiate of Mystra. If i'm a cleric of Mystra i take it no matter what, if i'm not i can't.

[Eldonauran]

My first thought: Nope. Not going there and you can't make me.
My second thought(s): You bring an army with you. Craft Construct or some undead/elementals/dragons that owe you a favor or are available for hire. Their "magic" might be suppressed, but they are still functioning and powerful.

[Psyren]

There's also Invoke Magic from LoM but that's a 9th-level spell IIRC.

Another thing you can do are bind some backup (Planar Binding/Ally.) Called creatures don't wink out in AMF. Bind stuff with strong physical stats and multiple movement modes, for example the biggest Earth Elemental you can call on if the spot is underground. You want something that can hold its own in a fight without being buffed (since you won't be able to provide any.) Something that can take you around terrain obstacles, e.g. something with Ex or Natural flight, would be useful as well. Work out a payment commensurate with how long you plan to spend in such a place.

If necromancy isn't frowned on by your party, animating some undead serves a similar purpose, without having to deal with a bound creature's alignment, self-preservation or other qualms. If that;s too squicky for you and/or you have sufficient spare dosh/time on your hands, crafting a construct or two serves a similar purpose, while also giving you a bit more freedom to customize its abilities for whatever you plan to face.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

There's always the ubiquitous wizard's hat. (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1ksmnx/35the_ubiquitous_wizard_hat_and_its_true_function/) Not really useful if the effect is widespread, though.

Originally based on Lycanthromancer's tinfoil hat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?129012-How-Many-Uses-for-a-Tinfoil-Hat).

[Psyren]

There's always the ubiquitous wizard's hat. (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1ksmnx/35the_ubiquitous_wizard_hat_and_its_true_function/) Not really useful if the effect is widespread, though.

Originally based on Lycanthromancer's tinfoil hat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?129012-How-Many-Uses-for-a-Tinfoil-Hat).

Isn't that for if someone tries to sneak up on you? When you know you have to go into such an area it's less useful. It won't stop a widespread area as you noted, but even if it were an emanation, nothing would have line of effect to you but you also won't have line of effect to anything else.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Isn't that for if someone tries to sneak up on you? When you know you have to go into such an area it's less useful. It won't stop a widespread area as you noted, but even if it were an emanation, nothing would have line of effect to you but you also won't have line of effect to anything else.Mostly useful if someone else is using an AMF against you, yes. This blocks Line of Effect to you, allowing you to teleport out -- or use some other magic that doesn't require LoE. Line of Sight is still possible, depending on the materials you use for the hat.

Still, it's useful when dealing with antimagic under certain conditions.

[Psyren]

Mostly useful if someone else is using an AMF against you, yes. This blocks Line of Effect to you, allowing you to teleport out -- or use some other magic that doesn't require LoE. Line of sight is still possible, depending on the materials you use for the hat.

Still, it's useful when dealing with antimagic under certain conditions.

Oh it is, I'm not disputing that - I just don't think it's useful in this condition/situation.

(That's not an indictment of you, but rather for informing the OP.)

[liquidformat]

Mostly useful if someone else is using an AMF against you, yes. This blocks Line of Effect to you, allowing you to teleport out -- or use some other magic that doesn't require LoE. Line of Sight is still possible, depending on the materials you use for the hat.

Still, it's useful when dealing with antimagic under certain conditions.
Useless for dead magic zone but good as an oh-crap buzzer for AMF... Plus it should hold up for a couple of attacks which is nice.

[BowStreetRunner]

Oh it is, I'm not disputing that - I just don't think it's useful in this condition/situation.

(That's not an indictment of you, but rather for informing the OP.)

FYI - the inspiration behind the original question was this other thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?564920-3-5-How-would-you-build-2-characters-that-can-handle-most-any-situation) where people were asked to come up with 2 characters to handle any situation in game and most responses include 2 full casters. Which leads me to believe that many of these players feel that full casters should be able to handle antimagic quite well. So I want to know how various players feel full casters can best handle antimagic.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

There used to be a handbook for AMFs and dead magic zones, but Google can't seem to find it anymore.

[sleepyphoenixx]

There used to be a handbook for AMFs and dead magic zones, but Google can't seem to find it anymore.
Do you mean the Anti-Antimagic Handbook (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=8843)?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Do you mean the Anti-Antimagic Handbook (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=8843)?That's it, yes. Thanks.

[Quertus]

Invalid question, does not compute.

There's artifacts. There's spells and classes that let you cast in anti-magic. There's Sculpt Self. There's various minions.

But the correct answer is, you fix the magic before going there.

[Eldariel]

Honestly, in an AMF the various Animated Dead, Planar Bound creatures and Simulacrums/Ice Assassins you can have lying around are pretty much the kings of the hill. No level appropriate non-caster gets anywhere near their stats without magic. Thus I just procure a sufficient number of underlings and either send them on the quest or if micromanagement is needed, accompanied by me.

[flappeercraft]

Initiate of Mystra is always a good choice.

[Psyren]

FYI - the inspiration behind the original question was this other thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?564920-3-5-How-would-you-build-2-characters-that-can-handle-most-any-situation) where people were asked to come up with 2 characters to handle any situation in game and most responses include 2 full casters. Which leads me to believe that many of these players feel that full casters should be able to handle antimagic quite well. So I want to know how various players feel full casters can best handle antimagic.

Hopefully you got some answers from this thread then :smallcool:


Honestly, in an AMF the various Animated Dead, Planar Bound creatures and Simulacrums/Ice Assassins you can have lying around are pretty much the kings of the hill. No level appropriate non-caster gets anywhere near their stats without magic. Thus I just procure a sufficient number of underlings and either send them on the quest or if micromanagement is needed, accompanied by me.

Indeed, and one could argue that is one reason these spells exist. Even in a dead magic zone, it's the kind of backup that only a caster could provide.

[Sleven]

I could have been more specific, but that takes time...

As an arcane caster: Increase caster level with as many mundane and/or spell-based means as possible. Take Arcane Mastery or Aura of Perfect Order. Worship Mystra, be a Rainbow or Striped Servant 10 + 3 levels of any deity-based class that could include Mystra, and take the Initiate of Mystra feat.

Be a psionic class, take Burrowing Power. Shield yourself from line of effect with method of choice (I like a transparent wrap or structure or commissioning a box or suit of riverine, etc., but an instantaneous Metacreativity power such as Quintessence, an opaque wrap or mold—or even a barrel—works as well with a burrowing detection power). Use Psionic Fly for mobility.

Obtaining the Magic Mantle + 3 cleric, favored soul, or etc. levels and Initiate of Mystra is another possibility for manifesters.

You can do something similar with casters and Still Spell. You just can’t use spells that require line of effect (no Burrowing Spell feat, but a liberal reading of the Magic Mantle might get you this), so buff yourself into oblivion and proceed to destroy everything with unarmed strikes and skill checks.

Use Planar Binding, Dread Warriors, etc. minions to do everything for you, as mentioned by a number of others.

Make yourself a deity.

Make yourself an epic spellcaster.

Use the shadow weave or—possibly —subpsionics (works against dead magic only).

Take Martial Study: Iron Heart Surge

Etc.

[unseenmage]

IIRC dead magic areas refer to and inherit from antimagic field.

Pretty sure that info is in the Manual of the Planes and also in the 3.5 book it was copypasted into.

Am at work away from books at the moment. Any chance someone else could corroborate?

EDIT: Oh and to the OPs question. Lantan devices are magic effects that are non-magical. As is Pathfinders technology. Ethergaunt tech could also be extrapolated. And 3rd party Ravenloft devices are non-magic magic devices as well.

In addition, special armor and weapon materials and alchemical items are also explicitly not magic items and should also function just fine in antimagic.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Craft a device (from Ravenloft: Legacy of the Blood) of acorn of far travel (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20040710a) (scroll or wand or whatever), cast it on a place where there is no null-magic, and store the acorn on your person. Now you're immune to the null-magic trait and can cast however you like, as you count as sitting under a tree where the antimagic trait isn't in effect.

Or you could craft a bunch of the above devices to act as wands and use them instead of magic while you're oot and aboot in the antimagic area.

[Goaty14]

Can't you still use psionics if transparency isn't being used?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Can't you still use psionics if transparency isn't being used?Depends on the level of non-transparency, really.

In FR, psionicists can manifest in dead zones just fine, so long as the powers are target: self.