Spell Resistance Items

[OXHawkXO]

Would an Item with 28 spell resistance be of any use? And if anyone could explain how SR works, That would be very helpful as well.

Thanks.

[Tsidkenu]

Spell resistance is basically AC vs. magic. When a caster casts a harmful effect against you (or AoE near you), the caster must first breach your Spell Resistance for the spell to have any effect at all.

The calculation is 1d20 + caster level (+ bonus feats, eg. Spell Penetration) vs. SR amount as DC.

So for example a 20th level caster with Spell Penetration is going to roll 1d20 +22 against your SR 28. Thus they need to roll 6 or higher, giving you a 25% chance of successfully resisting the spell. Any hostile spell resisted in this way has no effect on the target whatsoever.

Also note that some spells ignore or reduce a target's SR for a period of time: eg. Assay Resistance (-10 SR), Lesser/Normal/Greater Dispel Magic (ignores SR), Mordenkainen's Disjunction (-10 SR), Lesser Spell Breach (-2 SR), Greater Spell Breach (-4 SR). Epic spells also ignore SR (i think).

[Hoihe]

As a rule of thumb,

Spell resistance is not ignored by spells that directly affect you. Be it a fireball tossed at your feet or at you directly, either way, you'd be damaged by the spell and not its effect. As such, you can be pretty sure that SR will protect you from Evocation.

Necromancy is another such school. and so is Enchantment. Illusion spells that do not target you will ignore spell resistance, however... we don't really have such on the server.

The only offensive divination spells we have also directly affect the target, so it will make you immune to the power words, too! However, we have a debuff divination spell that lowers SR... so be careful!

Abjuration is a special school when it comes to this. On one hand, they directly affect you. However, on the other hand, many of the spells help with piercing or even destroying spell resistance.

Transmutation and Conjuration are curious schools. Disintegrate directly targets a person and tries to destroy them. As such, SR will protect against it. However, Entangle casted on the ground will make you roll reflex saves or be halted. Once again: spells that directly affect your character and not their enviornment will be resisted.

Conjuration can be harder to understand, as the Orb spells directly affect your character, right? Wrong. They create a ball of certain element, then the caster hurls it at his/her target using the spell's built in telekinesis. Once it hits you, you aren't protecting against magic; you are protecting against a magically held together spehere of overheated air/vapor, supercooled air/vapor(ice for example), electrically charged air waiting to discharge, a ball of acid, a ball of pure force (basically, sudden acceleration on impact) or a ball of "sound".
note: Magic missile and missile storms are also Force spells, but they are resisted as they are Evocation spells. In more detail, the caster has to actively guide the spell and maintain it, and thus spell resistance can shut it down before doing any damage.

The rule of thumb with conjuration is: Does it create an effect INSIDE/on my character? If yes, you will protect against it with SR. If not, you will not. This once again can be played with by targeting. Target you with an AoE, you will be hit. Target you directly, you will not be hit.

Not the simplest answer, but it can help you deduce what you can/can't defend from (and I think it's easier to remember some if/if not rules than to remember what spells out of over 250 spells are dangerous/aren't dangerous). And if you play a character with ranks in spellcraft, gives you some RP ammunition!

[OXHawkXO]

Thank you Tsidkenu and Hoihe for your timely and in depth responses. It was very helpful.

[Ol' Kel]

Be sure to re-equip your SR item after transitioning to a new area. It has been my experience that the effect usually disappears.

[OXHawkXO]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll be on the look out for that!

[Styxwash]

Just to put things into perspective btw. SR 28 is pretty good on a item for this server, i've only ever seen items with up to 32 Spell resist, got two items like that myself.

28-32 spell resist will help against some caster mobs in the early and mid epic levels, but becomes useless against truely epic casters ofc.

[Karond]

Small thing about spell resistance items: The auctioneer won't trade them.