The 5th level wizard spell Breach strips its target of all combat and specific protections.
Though the description focuses on protection spells from the mage book, priest spells are also affected.
Description[]
“ | When this spell is cast at a creature, it breaches and dispels all of the specific and combat protections on the target creature. Here is a complete list of all the specific protection spells that are dispelled by Breach: Shield, Protection Circle, Resist Fear, Protection From Fire/Cold, Fireshield, Protection From Acid, Protection From Electricity, Protection From Magic Energy, Protection From The Elements, and Protection From Energy. The combat protection spells dispelled by Breach are Protection From Normal Missiles, Protection From Normal Weapons, Protection From Magical Weapons, Stoneskin, Armor, Ghost Armor, Spirit Armor, Absolute Immunity, Mantle, and Improved Mantle. The target's Magic Resistance, if any, does not affect this spell. | ” |
Gameplay[]
The only practical counter spell protection to prevent a Breach is Spell Shield. When the Breach strikes the shield, both are nullified and consumed.
A creature who cannot be targeted cannot be breached. For example, Stealth, Invisibility, or Sanctuary prevents targeting from a Breach Spell (aside from a few late-game enemies ignore this mechanic).
A creature that is immune to spells with a 5 Power level will also be immune to a Breach spell, such as a Lich, or Rakshasa.
A Breach doesn't remove illusionary protections such as Blur, Mirror Image or Reflected Image.
Although Breach is of the Abjuration school, Spell Immunity: Abjuration doesn't block the spell.
In the unmodified game, Breach cannot be blocked by a spell protection such as Spell Deflection, Spell Turning or Spell Trap. See the Mod content below for alternative game revisions.
Spells subject to breaching[]
Listed below are all combat and specific protection spells and innate abilities, subject to breaching in alphabetical order. An icon denotes those particular spells that differ by game version.
- Absolute Immunity
- Armor (spell)
- Armor of Faith
- Assassination
- Aura of Flaming Death
- Avoid Death
- Barkskin
- Blade Barrier
- Chaos Shield, Improved Chaos Shield
- Chaotic Commands
- Death Ward
- Defensive Harmony
- Evasion, Greater Evasion
- Exaltation
- Fireshield (Blue), Fireshield (Red)
- Free Action (spell)
- Ghost Armor
- Globe of Blades
- Greater Sun
- Hardiness
- Baldur's Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions
This icon indicates content from all Enhanced Editions of the Baldur's Gate games. May situationally encompass Siege of Dragonspear and The Black Pits I & II content as well. Iron Skins - Magic Flute
- Mantle, Improved Mantle
- Baldur's Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions
This icon indicates content from all Enhanced Editions of the Baldur's Gate games. May situationally encompass Siege of Dragonspear and The Black Pits I & II content as well. Negative Plane Protection - Physical Mirror
- Protection From Acid (spell)
- Protection From Cold (spell)
- Protection From Electricity (spell)
- Protection From Energy
- Protection From Evil
- Protection From Fire
- Protection From Good
- Protection From Lightning
- Protection From Magic Energy
- Protection From Magical Weapons
- Protection From Normal Missiles
- Protection From Normal Weapons
- Protection From Petrification (spell)
- Protection From The Elements
- Repulse Undead
- Resist Fear
- Resist Fire and Cold
- Shield (spell)
- Shocking Grasp b
- Spirit Armor
- Spirit Ward
- Stoneskin
- Storm Shield
- Thorns
Locations[]
The Black Pits[]
Sold by[]
- Dinguer the Mad (×3)
Shadows of Amn[]
Found in[]
- Storehouse (Bridge District) in a trapped cupboard
- The Planar Sphere (Guardian's room)
- The Planar Sphere (Elder Orb room)
Sold by[]
Throne of Bhaal[]
Sold by[]
Bugs[]
- Shocking Grasp is falsely tagged as "combat protection" and actually shouldn't be "breached". This is fixed in the Enhanced Editions.
Mod content[]
- This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
The mod Sword Coast Stratagems "More Consistent Breach Spell" component changes Breach in two significant ways:
- Spell Immunity: Abjuration, (Minor) Spell Turning, (Minor) Spell Deflection and Spell Trap protect against Breach. The Priest Spell Shield of the Archons also Protects against Breach;
- Enemies immune to level 5 spells (Lich, Rakshasa, Bone Golem) become vulnerable to Breach.
- From the SCS Overview - More consistent Breach spell (always affects liches and rakshasas; doesn't penetrate Spell Turning): Although it isn't documented, the 5th level spell Breach will remove a creature's combat protections (such as Stoneskin) even if that creature is protected by Spell Deflection, Spell Turning or Spell Trap; it will not, however, affect creatures like liches or rakshasas, because they are immune to spells of level 5 or below. This component removes both features: Breach now bounces off Spell Turning (etc.), but it affects even those creatures immune to "normal" 5th level spells. Once this is installed, the Breach effect of the Wand of Spell Striking will behave in exactly the same way as the Breach spell.
The Spell Revisions mod 5th Level spell Dispelling Screen protects against one instance of a dispel magic effect or a Breach spell.
Spell Revisions mod has changed this arcane spell, revising its effects to match up with the SR combat and specific protections it removes. See below for description:
Breach
Level: 5
School: Abjuration
Range: Long
Duration: Instant
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None
When this spell is cast at a creature, it breaches and dispels all of the specific and combat protections on the target creature. The target’s magic resistance, if any, does not affect this spell.
The specific protection spells dispelled by Breach are: Resist Fear, Resist Elements, Death Ward, Free Action, Protection from Acid, Protection from Cold, Protection from Electricity, Protection from Fire, Chaotic Commands, Protection from Magic Energy, Protection from the Elements, and Protection from Energy. The combat protection spells dispelled by Breach are: Mage Armor, Shield, Armor of Faith, Barkskin, Protection from Missiles, Spirit Armor, Stoneskin, Protection from Normal Weapons, Protection from Magical Weapons, Physical Mirror, Prismatic Mantle, and Absolute Immunity.
External links[]
- the Gibberlings 3 Infinity Engine Modding Community - Spell Revisions
- Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Spell Combat - Google Tabellen – A useful table regarding how spells behave in vanilla and with SCS, including the Breach information.
- Breach on the Icewind Dale Wiki, a wiki for the first Icewind Dale game.
- Breach on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.