[Dullah]

It is fairly simple really.

First off dispells always land, even when they don't seem to do anything.

Then each buff gets a check vs your MR minus the spell modifier (or whoever the dispell is landing on).
If that buff fails the check it gets stripped.
If that buff passes the check then the dispell moves on to the next buff and so on. In the case of every buff succeeding the check no buffs will be stripped.

Some dispells strip multiple buffs, in this case the first x buffs that fail their check get dispelled.

In the case of some of the lower resist modified versions it will seem that random buffs are stripped, what is in fact happening is that the buffs above that are passing their checks. Next time you cast the dispell a different buff fails...etc.

In the case of spells like Recant which has a massive modifier (-400) it is pretty much certain to strip the 1st 4 buffs. However there is always a chance to save against it.

If you want a definitive answer from a dev, you might get lucky but its pretty rare for them to post info reguarding game mechanics.

Strength comparison based on that number- that's not the number of buffs dispelled, but a strength rating of the dispel. Dispel checks against top buff, if the buff 'saves' against the dispel, goes down and checks next one. Continues until a spell is dispelled or all buffs/debuffs save.

It should be noted that because of that, dispels from lower level npcs against you are far more likely to appear random than higher level ones, since you are more likely to 'save' with your initial buffs. IE, level 55 western wastes dragon will probably make it down to your middle buff slots before a dispel finally succeeds, while a level 85 npc will strip your first consistently.

http://www.elitegamerslounge.com/hom...?f=179&t=71183

That gives a little insight behind why dispels seemed random.