Spell Breach, Lesser

Spell Breach, Lesser
Spell Information
Spell level :	Innate level: 4, Sorcerer/Wizard: 4
School :	Abjuration
Components :	Verbal and Somatic
Range :	Medium
Target/Area :	Single
Duration :	Special
Save :	None

Description

This spell strips an enemy mage of up to two magical defenses. This spell will also lower the target creature's Spell Resistance by 3 for ten rounds.

The following is a list of the protections that can be removed by the breach effect, they are removed at random:

• Greater Spell Mantle
• Shades
• Death Ward
• Premonition
• Spell Mantle
• Shadow Shield
• Greater Stoneskin
• Ethereal Visage
• Globe of Invulnerability
• Energy Buffer
• Greater Sanctuary
• Lesser Globe of Invulnerability
• Spell Resistance
• Stoneskin
• Lesser Spell Mantle
• Improved Mage Armor
• Least Spell Mantle
• Mind Blank
• Elemental Shield
• Protection from Spells
• Protection from Energy
• Resist Energy
• Death Armor
• Ghostly Visage
• Endure Elements
• Shadow Shield - repeated.
• Shadow Conjuration: Mage Armor
• Energy Immunity Fire
• Sanctuary
• Mage Armor
• Energy Immunity Cold
• Shield
• Shield of Faith
• Lesser Mind Blank
• Energy Immunity Electricity
• Resistance
• Energy Immunity Acid
• Energy Immunity Sonic

Bug notes

This spell fails to remove several spell protections, despite them being similar/higher level versions (often new spells for NWN2) of those above:

• Energy Immunity
• Ethereal Jaunt
• Improved Mage Armor
• Shades (Premonition, Protection from Spells, and Shield are supposed to be breachable)
• Greater Shadow Conjuration (Lesser Globe of Invulnerability and Ghostly Visage are supposed to be breachable)
• Greater Resistance and Superior Resistance

Gameplay Notes

Useful against mages with a lot of spell protections that will resist most damage and mind-affecting spells cast against them. Some spells easily get past the protections removed by this spell, however, and almost no Cleric or Druid protection spells are removed (such as Death Ward) which limits its general usefulness. It is really aimed at battling enemy sorcerers and wizards only.

It proves less useful than a targeted high-level dispel magic if your casting level is close to that of the opposition because dispel magic can remove more than 2 protections at once.

It is by far a great spell to have on a Wand, Scroll or Rod. It doesn't use caster level or the casters ability modifier for anything, and so even at its lowest casting level it has its full power and gets no better.

The other use, for lowering spell resistance, is secondary but proves useful against some high spell resistance monsters, and unlike Assay Resistance can lower resistance against all spells cast against the creature, not just those cast by the caster themselves. Combined with Greater Spell Penetration, it can prove an easy way to get past otherwise impossible spell resistance.

3.5E Notes

No spell like this exists in the 3.5E regular source books. This spell is probably a holdover from similar spells in Baldurs Gate II which required stripping a mage of their spell protections to even touch them. It is odd how there were additional Dispel Magic spells (Lesser was added, Mordenkiens dispel is basically changed to a higher level Dispel Magic) in addition to these.

The Breach spells do seem powerful enough, but only against specific enemies, meaning unlike Dispel, which can remove buffing spells (Bull's Strength, Tenser's Transformation, Aid and suchlike), this cannot. However, this spell removes several layers of protection without any opposing roll (something no other spell does), meaning in certain circumstances the mage lacking this spell will be the loser.