Garhkal wrote:
It seems that the designers should have really labeled it "ANTI ANYTHING Supernatural or outside of mortal ken), since it blocks psionics, breaths, gaze attacks, sonic attacks AND MAGIC.. And like you, i have often been in arguments about why Should it block breath attacks and such...
Yeah, they just made it too all-inclusive. I'd agree with your re-write except for the following things...
I would
not include the sound attacks of sirens, harpies, banshees, etc. to be blocked by the AMS (
anti-magic shell), because those are
sounds and, by my reasoning, therefore
not magical. This is why you can put wax in your ears and not be affected by them. If they were magical effects, plugging your ears would not block them.
I would also
not include the vampire's gaze for the same reason. The MM says:
"Any person who allows the vampire to look into his eyes will be affected as if by a charm person spell."
Note the words "as if". In other words, it
mimics the effects of a charm spell, but is
not an actual charm
spell. In game terms, natural effects often have to be compared to the effects of a magical spell in order to easily explain what that natural effect does. Hence the words "as if". Note that a charm
spell has an 80 yard range, which is 240'. I don't know about you, but I cannot possible stare into the eyes of a person 240' away from me. I'm lucky if I can make out his face or even form! That's almost a city block away! So with the spell, it's obviously a magical effect, achieved by the magic of the spell and even at great distances. A vampire must make eye contact, just like in the movies, because he's using his
force of will, which then dominates the will of the victim. His superior force of will affects the victim
as if affected by a charm spell. It is
not, however, a magical spell. It is compared to the charm spell ("as if"), in order to emphasize/explain the effect.
I would also
not prevent the life draining or paralyzing effects of undead. If you cut off their link to the Negative Material Plane in order to prevent the drain or paralysis, then
by sheer logic they should drop dead (or rather become inert?) because they are disconnected from the power that actually
animates them, as well as gives them those powers. If the Negative Material Plane both animates them
and gives them their power, and you to cut off that link so they lose that power, then logically speaking they should not be able to exist or move, much less use those powers.
As for hedging out summoned creatures, I'm a bit mixed on that. The rule fails to make a lot of sense here, as written in the PHB. Conjured
animals, for example, are
magical creations (literally made out of magical energy), and therefore should be dispelled or kept out by the AMS. However, conjured
elementals are
actual beings from another plane, summoned through a temporary gate. I think that's very different. The spell is not creating an elemental made of magical power, it's opening a gate through which an actual, physical elemental enters. When the spell ends, the elemental must flee back through the gate. I've never given it too much thought until now, but allowing it to hedge out conjured elementals, to me, would mean the AMS should also be able to hedge out all monsters, or at least any monster brought permanently to the PMP (say a demon summoned via a ritual). I'd have think this particular issue over more deeply. But the others (sound attacks, vampire gaze, etc.), those I stand by.
