A little while back, Achillea acquired the 3rd level Magic User spell, Dispel Magic during a level up segment. She got it through a random roll, but the implications of this turn of fate were immediately significant. Could she just... dispel the magic on Aldvay and reverse his petrifaction? If so, the story would be more or less over. I'm sure I choked on my coffee a bit when this occurred to me, but after a moment's consideration, I understood that no, this is not something this spell could do. Story saved.
But let's talk a bit about why this is so, without getting into 'angels on the head of a pin' territory. The Expert rules say the spell removes 'spell effects' cast by a magic user. So, a definition of 'effects' is in order. If a Disintegrate spell kills a villager, the effect might be that the villager is dead - clearly Dispel Magic will not bring Farmer Joe back to life.
I think the crux of any argument has to be: is the magic still there? And here's where it gets tricky. A Wall of Fire? Can be dispelled. An active Levitation spell? Can be dispelled. Petrifaction? Well, we have to know if the newly created stone is magical or not. I would argue it is not. A quick look online shows that the community is split on this and I learned that in 5e, there's a window of opportunity in which a Dispel Magic will work, but after a minute or so, the effect is considered permanent.
So for me, Achillea's choice not to risk ending her quest to go home and risk failure is justified (she would have failed). It's a bonus that it didn't ruin the plot, but I do think the ruling is sound.
Do you have thoughts? Share in the comments below :)
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