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Antimagic Field

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Antimagic Field
  • Level: 8
  • School: Abjuration
  • Class: Cleric, Wizard
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S, M (iron filings)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

An aura of antimagic surrounds you in 10-foot Emanation. No one can cast spells, take Magic actions, or create other magical effects inside the aura, and those things can't target or otherwise affect anything inside it. Magical properties of magic items don't work inside the aura or on anything inside it.

Areas of effect created by spells or other magic can't extend into the aura, and no one can teleport into or out of it or use planar travel there. Portals close temporarily while in the aura.

Ongoing spells, except those cast by an Artifact or a deity, are suppressed in the area. While an effect is suppressed, it doesn't function, but the time it spends suppressed counts against its duration.

Dispel Magic has no effect on the aura, and the auras created by different Antimagic Field spells don't nullify each other.

Tactical Usage​

When to Choose Antimagic Field:

  • Ultimate counter against overwhelming magical threats
  • Excellent for neutralizing powerful spellcasters
  • Strong choice when facing magical constructs or effects
  • Valuable for creating magic-free zones in critical situations

Positioning Strategy:

  • Center yourself to affect maximum area and enemies
  • Use against groups of spellcasters for maximum impact
  • Consider that you also lose access to magic within the field
  • Plan non-magical backup strategies before casting

Duration Management:

  • Requires concentration - extremely valuable and vulnerable
  • 1-hour duration covers extended tactical situations
  • Consider concentration-saving throw protection
  • Plan exit strategies if concentration breaks

Spell Combinations​

Pre-Cast Preparations:

  • Contingency: Set up magical defenses to trigger when field ends
  • Glyph of Warding: Place outside field to trigger when enemies flee
  • Magic Items: Remove or store items before casting to preserve them
  • Buff Spells: Apply long-duration effects before entering field

Post-Field Strategies:

  • Counterspell: Ready to counter enemy magic when field drops
  • Dispel Magic: Clean up lingering magical effects
  • Healing Spells: Address damage taken during magical combat
  • Defensive Spells: Re-establish magical protections

Material Component Details​

Iron Filings:

  • Availability: Common at smithies, workshops, tool shops
  • Cost: Negligible (few copper pieces)
  • Symbolism: Iron's traditional association with disrupting magic
  • Preparation: Can be prepared in advance and stored easily

Roleplay Opportunities:

  • Describe the iron filings creating a magnetic disruption
  • Reference the fundamental opposition between iron and magic
  • Use the component as dramatic foreshadowing
  • Emphasize the deliberate nature of magical suppression

Creator Notes​

Adjudication Guidance:

  • Affects ALL magic equally within the emanation
  • Magical items become non-magical while inside
  • Suppressed spells resume when leaving the field
  • Artifacts and divine magic are explicitly exempt

Encounter Design Considerations:

  • Fundamentally changes the nature of combat encounters
  • Creates "pure martial" combat scenarios
  • NPCs can use this for dramatic power-leveling moments
  • Consider how different character classes adapt

Balancing Notes:

  • 8th-level slot cost appropriate for complete magical denial
  • Concentration requirement creates tactical vulnerability
  • Self-centered emanation affects caster equally
  • Limited range prevents abuse from distance

Environmental Interactions​

Magic Item Effects:

  • All magical properties suppressed within field
  • Potions become inert (but resume function when removed)
  • Magical weapons function as mundane equivalents
  • Enchanted armor loses magical properties

Ongoing Spell Interactions:

  • Transformations (like polymorph) are suppressed but not ended
  • Summoned creatures wink out but return when field ends
  • Ongoing damage or healing effects pause
  • Duration continues to count down during suppression

Planar and Teleportation Effects:

  • No teleportation in or out of the field
  • Portals close temporarily while overlapping
  • Planar travel abilities completely blocked
  • Dimensional doors and similar effects fail

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can creatures with innate magical abilities use them in the field? A: No, all magical effects are suppressed regardless of source.

Q: What happens to magical diseases or curses? A: They are suppressed but resume when the creature leaves the field.

Q: Can you maintain concentration on this spell without magic? A: Yes, concentration is a mental activity, not magical.

Q: Do racial magical abilities work in the field? A: No, all magical effects are suppressed including racial abilities.

Alternative Applications​

Non-Combat Uses:

  • Research Safety: Study dangerous magical artifacts safely
  • Magical Quarantine: Contain magical plagues or effects
  • Diplomatic Meetings: Create neutral ground free of magical influence
  • Ritual Interruption: Stop dangerous magical ceremonies

Creative Problem-Solving:

  • Disable magical traps and wards temporarily
  • Force magical creatures to their true forms
  • Create safe passage through magically dangerous areas
  • Level playing fields in magical duels

Anti-Magic Effects:

  • Dispel Magic: Remove specific magical effects
  • Counterspell: Prevent spellcasting reactively
  • Globe of Invulnerability: Protect against specific spell levels
  • Silence: Prevent verbal spellcasting in area

Area Control:

  • Wall of Force: Physical barrier creation
  • Forcecage: Imprisonment and control
  • Maze: Remove enemies from combat
  • Plane Shift: Forcibly relocate enemies

8th-Level Alternatives:

  • Mind Blank: Ultimate mental protection
  • Feeblemind: Devastating intellectual attack
  • Dominate Monster: Control powerful creatures
  • Earthquake: Massive environmental manipulation

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression:

  • Available at Level 15+: Ultimate anti-magic tool for highest-level play
  • End-Game Power: Completely nullifies magical threats
  • Campaign Defining: Can fundamentally alter high-level encounters

Tactical Evolution:

  • Early Access: Primary tool against overwhelming magical foes
  • Advanced Use: Component of complex anti-magic strategies
  • Master Level: Perfect timing and positioning for maximum effect

Long-Term Viability:

  • Always useful against magical threats regardless of level
  • Becomes more valuable as magical complexity increases
  • Concentration requirement remains significant vulnerability
  • Essential tool for dealing with magical apocalypse scenarios

Narrative Flavor​

Extended Description: You scatter iron filings in a perfect circle around yourself while speaking words that seem to drain the very concept of magic from reality. The air becomes heavy and oppressive as the fundamental forces of arcane energy recoil from your presence. Colors seem less vivid, magical auras fade to nothing, and an almost tangible silence falls over the area as the chaotic energies of magic are banished from this small pocket of purely mundane reality.

Sensory Details:

  • Visual: Magical auras and effects visibly fading to nothing
  • Auditory: Sudden cessation of magical sounds and energies
  • Tactile: Heavy, oppressive feeling as magic is drained away
  • Magical: Complete absence of magical sensation or energy

Cultural Context: This spell represents the ultimate philosophical statement about the relationship between magic and reality. Some view it as a necessary tool for maintaining balance, while others see it as an abomination that violates the natural order. The spell embodies debates about whether magic is fundamental to reality or an artificial overlay that can and should be removed when necessary.