Holy Smite is a 3rd level priest spell usable by cleric and paladin classes of good and neutral alignment.
Description[]
| “ | This spell calls upon energy from the Positive Energy Plane in order to open a channel between it and the targets. The result is that any evil creatures within the spell's area of effect take 1d4 points of damage per level of the caster, or half damage upon a successful Saving Throw vs. Spell. If the victims fail their Saving Throw, they are also blinded for 1 round. | ” |
Gameplay[]
The caster designates a point on the area map where the spell's area of effect center is desired, using the targeting cursor and "clicking"/selecting to set the spot.
Upon completion of the spell cast, a "Holy Blight" projectile almost instantly renders on the map, centered on the designated spot in a 15-feet radius.
Any creature, friend or foe, within the area of effect that is of evil Alignment is potentially exposed to the spell's effects.
The spell applies variable Magical damage as determined by the caster's priest level - ranging between 5 to 20d4 - although a Saving throw versus spell will reduce the damage by half (approximately).
If the saving throw is failed, the victim is also Blinded for one round - and a text will display, reading "Blinded" as well.
This spell can potentially be blocked by Magic resistance, and a Spell Immunity: Necromancy will negate it outright.
A Minor Globe of Invulnerability will block this spell, as will the Cloak of Mirroring.
Note that this spell will affect innocent and neutral creatures with an evil alignment in the spell's AoE and may provoke hostility, including others in the vicinity.
Bugs[]
- In the original
Baldur's Gate II:
Shadows of Amn (2000)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn campaign.Baldur's Gate II:
Throne of Bhaal (2001)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal campaign. this spell rolls its damage as d2's; for example, a level 15 cleric casting this spell deals 30d2 damage instead of 15d4 as stated in the description. This causes the spell to deal more damage on average than in the Enhanced Edition - also in the original game this spell's blindness effect is permanent and incurable at caster level 6 and 7. This can cause the player to permanently blind their own evil party members for the remainder of the game.
Notes[]
- In the Enhanced Edition of BG1 and BG2, this spell is usable by evil-aligned Viconia.
- This spell implements the magic damage in an unusual way compared to most spells, and the player may notice two applications of damage for a victim that fails its saving throw, rather than just one - this is by design, and if only one damage message is displayed on the combat log, that simply means that the creature succeeded with their save - the "half" damage stated in the spell's description isn't actually half.
- Another odd behavior of this spell is that any creature in the AoE, including the caster, will display a "Save vs. Spell" message on the combat screen - even if they aren't evil-aligned.
Trivia[]
The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition ruleset has no spell titled Holy Smite. The spell is a creation by the game developers.
Mod content[]
- This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
Spell Revisions mod has changed this Divine spell, revising its description, and scaling. See below:
Holy Smite
Level: 3
School: Necromancy
Sphere: Necromantic
Range: Long
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 3
Area of Effect: 20’ radius
Saving Throw: Special
With this spell the priest draws down holy power to smite his enemies. Opponents within the spell’s area of effect take 1d4 points of damage for every level of the caster (up to a maximum of 10d4), with a successful saving throw vs. spell for half. If the victim fails his save, then he will also be blinded for 1 round.
External links[]
- Holy Smite on the Icewind Dale Wiki, a wiki for the first Icewind Dale game.
- Holy smite on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.