The way I see it, the Disintegrate spell has a duration of "instantaneous", so there is no lingering magic effect which can be dispelled. The description of disintegrate just makes it clear that the body of the creature is reduced to such a state that it does not meet the requirement to be able to be brought back to life by resurrection.
Resurrection states that "This spell closes all mortal wounds and restores any missing body parts."
True resurrection states that "The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists." It's a bit weird because you have to "touch a creature" but it's possible that the body no longer exists.
The disintegrate spell description itself seems to be clarifying that the pile of ash that is created is still the creature for the purposes of touch targeting, but that this creature no longer has a body and therefore cannot be helped by resurrection but it does qualify for true resurrection or wish.
True resurrection states that "The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists." It's a bit weird because you have to "touch a creature" but it's possible that the body no longer exists.
You only need to touch the body if it exists this is explained in the last paragraph of the spell
"The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists, in which case you must speak the creature's name. The creature then appears in an unoccupied space you choose within 10 feet of you."
Other than that I Iagree with you regarding the OPs question. All theat Dispel magic does is end the spell not the effects of the spell that have already happened. If that wasn't the case dispel magic would be insanely powerful, if the enemy casts fireball or meteor swarm you could just cast dispel magic to undo the damage on everyone. If a summoned creature is dispelled is everything that they did before it happened undone?
So it’s not a rider to the spell effects, but just a shorthand description of what spells can bring back the target, does it just not consider a spell like Reincarnation that doesn’t care if the body is at all whole?
Disintegrate stops any revival spell short of True Resurrection. It's right there in the spell description. You get disintegrated, and unless this is a tier 4 party or the DM's ready to break out some good old deus ex, you're gone for good.
Also, regarding Dispel Magic; it only works on spell with a duration. You can't use it to, say, extinguish things set alight by a fire spell unless the spell itself is an ongoing one such as Immolate.
I'll just add also that disintegrate is a "transmutation" spell. The creature's body is physically changed into something else such that the body no longer exists. It's like an irreversible chemical reaction that only goes in one direction and cannot be reversed once the reaction occurs because the reactants have been changed into something else -- the product of the reaction -- and it's impossible to reassemble the reactants from the product.
Not all transmutation effects are necessarily irreversible, but that's why there is this extra bit in the description for disintegrate which is more or less stating that this particular transmutation is indeed irreversible -- the body has changed into something that is no longer the body and it cannot be reassembled. The body no longer exists, which is why true resurrection or wish is required for revival.
Disintegrate stops any revival spell short of True Resurrection. It's right there in the spell description. You get disintegrated, and unless this is a tier 4 party or the DM's ready to break out some good old deus ex, you're gone for good.
Hence why Im curious about using dispel magic to negate the effect blocking lesser restoration spells.
Also, regarding Dispel Magic; it only works on spell with a duration. You can't use it to, say, extinguish things set alight by a fire spell unless the spell itself is an ongoing one such as Immolate.
Where does this duration limitation come from? It works on continuous effects like enchantments on weapons too.
Disintegrate stops any revival spell short of True Resurrection. It's right there in the spell description. You get disintegrated, and unless this is a tier 4 party or the DM's ready to break out some good old deus ex, you're gone for good.
Hence why Im curious about using dispel magic to negate the effect blocking lesser restoration spells.
Also, regarding Dispel Magic; it only works on spell with a duration. You can't use it to, say, extinguish things set alight by a fire spell unless the spell itself is an ongoing one such as Immolate.
Where does this duration limitation come from? It works on continuous effects like enchantments on weapons too.
No, it doesn't work on magic weapons, unless there's something in the item description that says otherwise. Anti-magic Field suppresses them, but that's a level 8 spell. You'll find a collection of useful clarifications on the scope of Dispel Magic here. The short version is that it only ends the effects of spells with a duration. Any effect that came from another ability or a spell with a duration of "Instantaneous" cannot be ended by Dispel Magic.
The effect of a spell can persist beyond the duration, so even if the spell has ended it's effect can remain. Dispel Magic just "ends the spell". That's all it does. If something from a spell persists after the spell has ended - dispel magic cannot do anything to it. For instance: Find Familiar. Dispel Magic does nothing to the familiar. The spell that conjured it, has ended. The familiar cannot be dispelled away.
You also don't need Sage Advice. The PHB is clear on this:
Many spells are instantaneous. The spell harms, heals, creates, or alters a creature or an object in a way that can’t be dispelled, because its magic exists only for an instant.
Disintegrate has a duration of Instantaneous. So, it cannot be dispelled. As per the very clear RAW.
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Disintegrate says a creature killed by it can’t be resurrected by anything but true resurrection.
But If dispel magic is used on the ashes, does this effect end? Allowing Reincarnate or Resurrection to then work?
The way I see it, the Disintegrate spell has a duration of "instantaneous", so there is no lingering magic effect which can be dispelled. The description of disintegrate just makes it clear that the body of the creature is reduced to such a state that it does not meet the requirement to be able to be brought back to life by resurrection.
Resurrection states that "This spell closes all mortal wounds and restores any missing body parts."
True resurrection states that "The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists." It's a bit weird because you have to "touch a creature" but it's possible that the body no longer exists.
The disintegrate spell description itself seems to be clarifying that the pile of ash that is created is still the creature for the purposes of touch targeting, but that this creature no longer has a body and therefore cannot be helped by resurrection but it does qualify for true resurrection or wish.
You only need to touch the body if it exists this is explained in the last paragraph of the spell
"The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists, in which case you must speak the creature's name. The creature then appears in an unoccupied space you choose within 10 feet of you."
Other than that I Iagree with you regarding the OPs question. All theat Dispel magic does is end the spell not the effects of the spell that have already happened. If that wasn't the case dispel magic would be insanely powerful, if the enemy casts fireball or meteor swarm you could just cast dispel magic to undo the damage on everyone. If a summoned creature is dispelled is everything that they did before it happened undone?
So it’s not a rider to the spell effects, but just a shorthand description of what spells can bring back the target, does it just not consider a spell like Reincarnation that doesn’t care if the body is at all whole?
Disintegrate stops any revival spell short of True Resurrection. It's right there in the spell description. You get disintegrated, and unless this is a tier 4 party or the DM's ready to break out some good old deus ex, you're gone for good.
Also, regarding Dispel Magic; it only works on spell with a duration. You can't use it to, say, extinguish things set alight by a fire spell unless the spell itself is an ongoing one such as Immolate.
I'll just add also that disintegrate is a "transmutation" spell. The creature's body is physically changed into something else such that the body no longer exists. It's like an irreversible chemical reaction that only goes in one direction and cannot be reversed once the reaction occurs because the reactants have been changed into something else -- the product of the reaction -- and it's impossible to reassemble the reactants from the product.
Not all transmutation effects are necessarily irreversible, but that's why there is this extra bit in the description for disintegrate which is more or less stating that this particular transmutation is indeed irreversible -- the body has changed into something that is no longer the body and it cannot be reassembled. The body no longer exists, which is why true resurrection or wish is required for revival.
Hence why Im curious about using dispel magic to negate the effect blocking lesser restoration spells.
Where does this duration limitation come from? It works on continuous effects like enchantments on weapons too.
No, it doesn't work on magic weapons, unless there's something in the item description that says otherwise. Anti-magic Field suppresses them, but that's a level 8 spell. You'll find a collection of useful clarifications on the scope of Dispel Magic here. The short version is that it only ends the effects of spells with a duration. Any effect that came from another ability or a spell with a duration of "Instantaneous" cannot be ended by Dispel Magic.
Dispel Magic can be used on an object, although you're right about it not removing magic from magic items, just spell effects.
But again, nothing, not even the SAC you link to, has some duration limitation.
Read the first sentence of this part of the SAC.
The effect of a spell can persist beyond the duration, so even if the spell has ended it's effect can remain. Dispel Magic just "ends the spell". That's all it does. If something from a spell persists after the spell has ended - dispel magic cannot do anything to it. For instance: Find Familiar. Dispel Magic does nothing to the familiar. The spell that conjured it, has ended. The familiar cannot be dispelled away.
You also don't need Sage Advice. The PHB is clear on this:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/spellcasting#Instantaneous
Disintegrate has a duration of Instantaneous. So, it cannot be dispelled. As per the very clear RAW.
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