Orders of magic

[wrathgon]

So most of this prob wont come up but just in case it does this is the rules we have come up with over the years playing with powers like Gods and multiple DMs in same games. If you dont understand it dont worry too much and if you do get it you are one of the few players of the game that does 

Orders of Magic

Four Dimensional

NM (normal magic). This covers all normal spellcasting, supernatural abilities, spell-like abilities, and other “magic-like” abilities like psionics. The effects produced by all-encompassing spell replication (the Alter Reality SDA, wish, and the like) fall into this category, even if the effect that caused the spell replication is of a higher order.
PM (powerful magic). Spells and effects that are still accessible to mortals up to 20th-level but that are given special status in the rules. Wish, Pierce Any Shield, Mind Blank, Mantle, Wildfire, spellfire, ring of Boccob, and the like. Most magic treats extraordinary abilities at this power level for the purposes of overcoming immunities, such as natural immunity to critical hits or fire.
Four Dimensional that taps the Fifth

NE (normal epic). 10th-level spells, true dweomers, epic magical items, and 'normal' magical items that cannot be created (sometimes called relics), such as a staff of the magi, fall into this category. The effects produced by narrow-encompassing spell replicating SDAs (such as domain powers or Divine Fire Mastery) fall into this category, though the generating power is still of a higher order. Most generic god abilities are at this level. Effects of relics.
PE (powerful epic). Relics (real relics), Elven High Magic, Psionic Enhancements, quest spells. 11th-level spells probably fall here. Effects of artifacts. 3rd Edition proxies. Avatars on the Prime Material plane.
Five Dimensional

ND (normal divine). Salient divine abilities are the most obvious things to fall here, as are artifacts (the real kind). 12th- and 13th-level spells like Karsus's Avatar seems to fit here.
PD (powerful divine). Salient cosmic abilities, those of overgods. If something trumps the powers of a god, it probably falls here. If you're crazy enough to use 14th- and 15th-level spells in your game, they're likely at this order. As a house rules, the true Orbs of Dragonkind fall here.
Five Dimensional that taps the Sixth

NR (normal rule-changing). Powers that affect the game from outside the game. In other words, if an effect actually changes which rulebook you use in your game, file it here.
PR (powerful rule-changing). Effects that affect the rules in someone else's game or that affect games in other systems. Noah's “everyone in every game run by anyone sees Ankrusa enter the library” is the only example I can think of.
Six Dimensional

NO (normal official). An effect in the real world that affects your game. DM rulings, players burning their character sheets.
PO (powerful official). Published campaign setting details. Major errata. Things that affect everyone's game unless their DM wants to keep their game cut off from all other games.
Six Dimensional that taps the Seventh

NS (normal supernatural). Unless you believe in the supernatural in the real world, this category doesn't exist. One of your players praying to Jesus and actually having their prayer granted would qualify.
There are, generally speaking, four types of interaction.

Opposed. Each effect specifically prevents the other from coming into being. Light and darkness, for example. The effect of the lower order is cancelled by the higher. If of the same order, they resist each other. If that still ties, they cancel each other.
Contradicts. One effect specifically prevents the other from coming into being, but not vice-versa. Dimensional anchor and teleport, for example. The contradicted effect fails against effects of the same order, resists against effects of one-two orders lower, and works despite effects of three orders lower.
Blocks. One effect allows the other to exist but fail to do its job. Fire immunity against a fireball, for example. The blocked effect fails against effects of the same order, may resist effects of one order lower, resists normally effects of two-three orders lower, and works despite blocks of four orders lower.
Inhibits. One effect reduces the effectiveness or boosts defense against another. A saving throw bonus, for example. The inhibiting effect fails against effects of four orders higher, resists effects of three orders higher, and works against effects of two orders higher or less.
The term resist, here, means that the higher spell level, or the creator of higher divine rank, wins, or that some sort of contested caster level check is in order.

Technology

Treat technology as a spell of a level equal to its Progress Level. Certain PL 9 effects would therefore be 2nd Order, and

EXAMPLE 1:

A god wishes to read the mind of someone protected by mind blank. This is an example of a block, and mind blank is a 2nd-order effect. That means it would take a 6th-order effect to ignore the mind blank, something unavailable to a normal god. Even a 3rd-order effect, including the god's own domain powers, has a decent chance of failure. But 4th or 5th order effects are only resisted by the mind blank, and the god is certain they'll win that contest (having a higher divine rank that the puny mortal). That means the god either requires a specific salient divine ability that allows mind-reading, or a relevant relic or artifact.

EXAMPLE 2:

A new proxy has been granted access to Hand of Death and wants to know what it works on, and what resistances or immunities work against it.

Hand of Death is a 5th-order effect, but only 4th for a proxy. Resistances fall under Inhibits, which tells us that normal saving throw bonuses apply. Actually being immune (a Block) would require at least a true dweomer (3rd order) and a good opposed check, or just being a god. Actually preventing the proxy from even trying to use their Hand of Death is a Contradict, and would therefore require an salient divine ability such as Gift of Life.

EXAMPLE 3:

A mage hates the idea of Mordenkainen's disjunction (2nd-order) and wants to be immune (Block) by creating their own spell. Any 1st-order effect can only resist, and most DMs don't allow the invention of 2nd-order effects. But a true dweomer should work without problem.

But then a god walks up who has Mordenkainen's disjunction as a domain spell. It hits the true dweomer... and fails, because they're both 3rd-order effects. Unfortunately, the god also has the Sunder and Disjoin salient divine ability (5th-order). Now its a question of who generates the stronger effect, at which point the god laughs and the mage's shield is disjoined.

But let's say the true dweomer had been cast by a more powerful god. Still only a true dweomer (3rd-order), and Sunder and Disjoin is still 5th-order, but now the true dweomer wins the contest.

EXAMPLE 4:

Sarah, in fire elemental form, is attacked with fire by Kossuth.

He uses his mortal action to cast fireball, uses Alter Reality to generate fireball, uses his Divine Fire Mastery to generate fireball, uses his Fire domain to generate fireball, and activates his Elemental Aura (fire). These effects are, in order, 1st-order, 1st-order, 3rd-order, 3rd-order, and 5th-order.

Sarah, as a fire elemental, is immune to fire. She also has multiple magical items that grant fire resistance, and has a clerical granted power that also grants fire resistance. She also has fire immunity the spell active. These effects are, in order, 2nd-order, 1st-order, 1st-order, and 1st-order.

So the question is, of the 5 fire effects Kossuth throws at her, how many is she immune to, how many does she get her fire resistance against, and how many just blow through everything?

Immunity is a Block. Her immunity from being a fire elemental is higher order that her immunity from her spell, so its the only one we need consider. Blocks win ties, so she is immune to Kossuth's first two fireballs. Kossuth's second and third fireball only have a small chance of beating her immunity (opposed caster level check), while his fire aura definitely gets through (he's clearly of higher divine rank). For the sake of argument, let's say he wins one opposed check and loses the other.

Resistance is an Inhibit. All of Sarah's resistances are 1st-order, so they do not apply at all against Kossuth's aura. But against his Fire domain fireball they do work, so she takes very little damage from that.

NOTES:

The above rules help justify deities taking SDAs like Divine Weapon Focus. While the simple +4 to attack rolls is fairly insignificant, its the ability to bypass Blocks (such as a miss chance) and Inhibits (such as an AC bonus) that is truly awesome. The same goes for Divine Weapon Mastery, which would treat an AC bonus as a Block (since it prevents a damage roll) and an elemental's damage reduction as an Inhibit.

EXAMPLE 5:

The DM makes a ruling that a particular spell cannot be created. The player wants their character to be the exception and do it anyway. The ruling is 9th-order, and the player wishes to Contradict. Even another DM ruling they can do it wouldn't work, because its the same order. However, the player finds a published source (10th-order) that says they can. This creates social pressure and an opposed check, which the player sadly loses. Still desperate, they turn to Jesus. Jesus knows that even granting a prayer (11th-order) may not be enough, and therefore shows up in person (13th-order). The DM is forced to give in and allow the player is research the spell.

MORE NOTES:

The four types of interaction are listed in order of difficulty. Therefore, when creating new spells or effects, its obviously better to create effects that Inhibit than effects that Block or Contradict, especially if you are excepting to encounter countermeasures.

Ooh...

EXAMPLE 6:

Sarah is trapped in Ravenloft and wishes to escape. Her normal means of escape, plane shift, is 1st-order, and has no chance against Ravenloft's Sealed Realm SDA, 6th-order. Since Sealed Realm entirely blocks its effect, it's a Contradict, though Ravenloft's tendency is send plane shifting individuals to another domain may means its only a Resist. However, in the Sealed Realm SDA it states that it's only 5th-order for the purposes of preventing egress.

Hoping its a Contradict and not a Resist, and knowing she'll fail any contested rolls, Sarah needs an outright win, which would mean a DM ruling (9th-order). Since her DM is her player, that would be unfair. An entity of equal or higher rank than Ravenloft (DR 26), such as the Lady of Pain, might be able to do it. Bah.



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