Trevo, please post a little tidbit about some of the items that may be used in lieu of a dispel attempt, and how the rules affect them, especially with regard to whether they can be used if a spell is cast with IF.
If you do not have the opportunity to dispel, such as the enemy casting with Irresistible Force (IF), there really isn't anything you can do other than hope for the best. There are some exceptions of course and an example of this would be the Lizardmen Arcane Item "Cupped Hands" which is a special item that Slain-Mage Priests can bring with them that has specific rules regarding a Miscast - but that protects him from his own miscast that he casts. As for affecting an enemy's IF casting attempt, I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would be able to help you with that situation.
Even if there is an item like that, typically these items are going to be Army Specific (with the exception of the Earthing Rod which allows the bearer to re-roll the result of its own miscast).
With that being said, as long as the enemy caster did not succeed with Irresistible force, there are a few things you can still do, but all of them are considered your "Dispel attempt" and you only get one action after an enemy wizard has successfully casted a spell.
Since there are so many different items that can work for you during the Dispel Sub-Phase, I'll discuss each one individually:
*Note: Because the wording of all of the scrolls states "... instead of attempting to dispel..." you may not use the scroll if the enemy caster successfully casted their spell with IF - Again, there isn't really much you can do.
- Dispel scroll: Simple and easy to use; simply announce that you are using your the scroll and the enemy spell fails.
- The Feedback scroll: This is a great spell to use against Warriors of Chaos flying Disk/Purple Sun casters since they typically rely on their armor save to protect them and the wounds caused by this scroll cannot be saved by Armor. However, only wounding on a 5+ is very hard to kill a caster with and this scroll should only be used if they used 6 dice to cast with. Also remember that the spell they cast still goes off and resolves first before you can use this scroll.
- Scroll of Leeching: Now this is a helpful scroll and if you are worried about being wrecked during your magic phase and feel insecure with Hellheart + Dispell Scroll, this is your backup baby. Most enemies cast smaller spells or less important to them spells to draw out dispel dice; instead of just letting it go to save your dispel dice for the next spell - use this scroll to get even more dispel dice! This is particularly useful against armies that generate a lot of power dice (Like High Elves) since often times they will have 9+ dice and you will have 3 or 4.
- Sivejir's Hex Scroll: Not a very high chance of success most of the time, this scroll is great to use against an enemy caster that is always casting a dangerous spell every turn (Like Infernal Gateway or Banishment) since it has a chance to keep them as a frog for a lot longer. However, it is even more effective against the Lore Master casters in the game since they are usually level 1 or 2 (Daemons of Chaos come to mind).
- Scroll of Shielding: Good against the strong magic missile attacks like Banishment and Infernal Gateway, this is a great substitute to dispelling that allows you to keep your dispel dice/dispel scroll or use those two first and keep this as backup if they don't cast it first. With missle attacks being random in the number of shots and still having to roll to wound, you'll already be reducing the number of wounds being inflicted and then this scroll on top basically allows you to negate almost all of the inflicted wounds. And since Magic Resistance and Ward Saves stack, Combo that 4+ Ward Save with Magic Resistance and you've got a nearly impossible unit to blow up with magic missiles!
- Scepter of Stability: This item reminds me of our old Grut's Sickle in the sense that you get to see what you rolled before you use it. This item is best used if you missed the dispel attempt by 3 or less and more risky if you missed it by 4 or more. However, if its an especially dangerous spell, its worth the risk. Oh and if you rolled one six, hope to roll another six with the extra dice from this scepter for the Irresistible Dispel!
- Channeling staff: Not directly helpful with dispelling, but every extra dice you get helps - especially if your enemy rolls a natural one on his Winds of Magic roll and you channel and his doesn't ... you'll have the same number of dice!
- Book Ashur: Pretty expensive, but it does give you an extra edge on dispelling with the extra bonus kick to help your casting too!
If anyone else has any input on this subject, please chime in! Like I said above, I can't for the life of me think of any items that affect an enemy caster's Irresistible Force, but there are a few armies I still haven't gotten a chance to really look into.[/list]
