Getting Around Magic Immunity and AMF [3.5/PF]

[Chess435]

A question to the playground: Is there any way to bypass the suppressive effects of an antimagic field, allowing me to cast inside one, and to get around the magic immunity of creatures such as golems?

[Cyrion]

If you are the caster of the AMF, there are a couple of feats that allow you to shape your spell to leave a vacant spot for you and/or allies. Most easily picked up is probably sculpt spell.

For beating up on golems, once you know their immunities, just pick spells that avoid them. Grease, for example, works on golems, as does solid fog. Once you've inconvenienced the beastie, that's what the fighters are for...

[CycloneJoker]

A question to the playground: Is there any way to bypass the suppressive effects of an antimagic field, allowing me to cast inside one, and to get around the magic immunity of creatures such as golems?

There is the Cheater of Mysteria, though I'm not quite sure how it works.

[Kansaschaser]

To cast spells inside an Anti-Magic Field you have to be a specific prestige class or cast the 9th level spell, Invoke Magic. Invoke Magic is expensive and should only be used if you really need to cast a spell in an Anti-Magic Field.

As for golems and their immunities, just cast spells that don't require spell resistance.

[Alleran]

The Initiate of Mystra feat allows you to cast inside an antimagic field if you make a caster check against the CL of the field itself. It requires you, however, to worship Mystra and (IIRC) be capable of casting 3rd level divine spells.

Which of course leads to the Supernatural Spell abuse, where you can use it to create yourself an undispellable antimagic field around you, inside of which you have full access to all your spells and where your opponents get nothing.

[Jay R]

A question to the playground: Is there any way to bypass the suppressive effects of an antimagic field, allowing me to cast inside one, and to get around the magic immunity of creatures such as golems?

I hope not. The purpose to including anti-magic fields in the game at all is to allow situations where a powerful mage has to role-play creatively. In any game I run, and anti-magic field will require you to not use magic.

[Lord_Gareth]

As loathe as I am to suggest it, Soulknives can access all of their class features inside an AMF if you can succeed at a Concentration check.

[Tyndmyr]

A question to the playground: Is there any way to bypass the suppressive effects of an antimagic field, allowing me to cast inside one,

Yeah, a tower shield. It's an emanation, so put something solid between you and it.

I hope not. The purpose to including anti-magic fields in the game at all is to allow situations where a powerful mage has to role-play creatively. In any game I run, and anti-magic field will require you to not use magic.

AMF is not a "no magic at all". There are rules for it. Casting inst conj into it works. Blocking it off works. Initiate of Mystra work. Invoke Magic works. That's what these things are for.

It is an obstacle to a mage, not "no magic for you, have fun being a commoner".

[Psyren]

As loathe as I am to suggest it, Soulknives can access all of their class features inside an AMF if you can succeed at a Concentration check.

That's a bit debatable - some readings suggest that while you keep the sword, it just becomes masterwork. (This is made explicit in Pathfinder.)

However, you can still throw the blade OUT of the field, in which case it would regain all its buffs mid-flight. (The same is sadly not true for a Soulbow, as Mind Arrows are (Su.)

AMF is not a "no magic at all". There are rules for it. Casting inst conj into it works. Blocking it off works. Initiate of Mystra work. Invoke Magic works. That's what these things are for.

It is an obstacle to a mage, not "no magic for you, have fun being a commoner".

While I agree for the most part, Cheater of Mystra would never come near my table. (Not unless the player was willing to regularly observe every arbitrary Mystra-worship vagary in FaP.)

Invoke Magic is fine, as that's just the kind of thing I'd expect 9th-level magic to be able to do. And of course, tinfoil hat, orbs and what-have-you are fine as well.

As for AMF, I view it as having two purposes;

1) A supreme defense against otherwise unanswerable magic: You have no hope of making your saving throw against the BBEG's doom spell, or you find yourself near some very nasty magical traps - AMF lets you sacrifice your other abilities to bypass these obstacles, just as the Total Defense action lets you sacrifice your combat ability to protect yourself.

2) Putting gishes and full-casters on even footing. Sure neither of you can cast now, but you're the guy/runescarred berserker with the sword.