Ring of Spell Turning

[ShadowTheft]

Yeah, so...
Say there's an evil, now poor sorcerer who wants to cast a fireball at the innocent, good, and now rich rogue who just so happens to have a ring of Spell Turning. For all points and purposes, we'll say that the Rogue has the better initiative in this confrontation. Does the Rogue have to hold his action in order to utilize the ring's power, or can the Rogue go ahead and prance about during his turn, and let the ring handle things on the sorcerer's turn. I ah, didn't see anything in the DMG concerning what kind of action using the ring is. I would assume saying the command word to activate it would be a free action. I mean, how long does it take to say "Counter!"? Now... if the command was, "Strike down he who dare oppose the will of the One who is omnipotent, that he might suffer eternity in a flaming hell of his own making!" I could see it being a... standar...er, full roun... minute long action?
In my opinion, you shouldn't have to hold your action to wait for the sorcerer to cast if'n you've got an uber ring of spell turning. Can someone set me straight?

 

[gfunk]

1. Ring of Spell Turning works exactly like the spell Spell Turning. That means area of effect spells like Fireball are not turned. Spells have to be targeted on you (e.g. Charm Person, Enervation). Touch attacks also are not turned.

2. The ring must be activated as a standard action. However, it's duration is exactly the same as the spell (with the caster level being whatever is the pre-req for making the ring). You can re-activate the ring all day, thereby making wasting combat actions on doing it unecessary.

 

[FrankTrollman]

1> A Ring of Spell Turning simply makes the recipient be the recipient of spell turning. It's a proactive measure, and does not have to be used when the spell is cast - it is automatic while activated.

2> Spell Turning only functions on spells which have you as their target. Fireball has no target and cannot be affected by this protection.

So the order of operations is this:

1> The Rogue gave himself spell turning a long ass time ago by expending a standard action.

2> The combat starts, the Sorcerer dumps a Fireball on the Rogue and spell turning doesn't do a god damned thing because Fireball is a non-targetted spell.

-Frank

 

[Hypersmurf]

Say there's an evil, now poor sorcerer who wants to cast a fireball at the innocent, good, and now rich rogue who just so happens to have a ring of Spell Turning.

Uh... do you mean a Ring of Counterspells with the Fireball spell stored in it?

Spell Turning doesn't work on Area spells...

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Spell Turning only functions on spells which have you as their target.

Snap

-Hyp.

 

[ShadowTheft]

Uh... do you mean a Ring of Counterspells with the Fireball spell stored in it?

Spell Turning doesn't work on Area spells...

-Hyp.

Hrm. Can't an area spell have a designated target? I'm taking the idea of, "I'm casting fireball, targeting so and so..." literally, which might be the problem.

 

[gfunk]

Hrm. Can't an area spell have a designated target?

No.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hrm. Can't an area spell have a designated target? I'm taking the idea of, "I'm casting fireball, targeting so and so..." literally, which might be the problem.

I recommend (and don't take this as patronising) reading the Magic Overview section in the PHB, at the start of the Magic chapter, through a couple of times start to finish, and noting the difference between A. an Area defined by shape, B. an Area defined by creatures, and C. a Target entry affecting creatures separated by a maximum distance.

They all behave slightly differently.

Examples:
A. Fireball, Invisibility Sphere.
B. Bless, Holy Word.
C. Magic Missile, Mass Cure Light Wounds.

-Hyp.

 

[ShadowTheft]

Thanks guys. You've set this "n00b" upon the learn-ed path once again. I'm currently sharing a PHB with a friend, and don't have it on my person every time I've got a question. Gimmie a week or two and I'll get it all down.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hrm. Can't an area spell have a designated target? I'm taking the idea of, "I'm casting fireball, targeting so and so..." literally, which might be the problem.

What you do is designate the point of origin. There's nothing to stop you using "so and so" as a 'landmark' for designating that point - "I'm casting Fireball, centred on Bob", "I'm casting Fireball, centered twenty feet South of Bob" - but in neither case is Bob literally "targetted" by the Fireball spell.

(Of course, if you're playing with a grid, strictly the point of origin has to be on an intersection, so you couldn't quite centre it "on Bob", but that's beside the point.)

I'm currently sharing a PHB with a friend, and don't have it on my person every time I've got a question.

Try here.

-Hyp.