When a wizard casts Imprisonment, the target is permanently imprisoned deep under the earth.
Description[]
| “ | Imprisonment When the Imprisonment spell is cast and the victim is touched, the recipient is entombed in a state of suspended animation in a small sphere far beneath the surface of the earth. The victim remains there unless the reverse of the spell––Freedom––is cast. Otherwise, the victim will remain there as long as the earth exists; rather a horrible fate, actually. If a Freedom spell is cast in the area where the creature was imprisoned, then he will reappear exactly where he was last standing. Otherwise, this spell cannot be dispelled and Dispel Magic will not free creatures trapped in this manner. There is no Saving Throw and the target's Magic Resistance is ignored. |
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Gameplay[]
In the classic version of the game, the imprisonment spell (and many other level 9 spells) is not meant for the player in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. No imprisonment spell scroll is available until the Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal.
This slow casting spell has a short range of a touch attack. When the spell is finished and the target affected a unique "cage" animation plays over the creature, and in two seconds the caged creature vanishes. A sound effect also plays during the sequence.
If a creature is imprisoned it can be brought back and freed from the effect with the Freedom spell, as long as that spell is cast in the same area as where the event occurred.
When a creature is imprisoned, the game counts this as a death, and awards whatever the experience point value is assigned to the creature - even though it technically isn't dead.
If the protagonist is imprisoned, it is game over. There is no opportunity allowed to cast a freedom spell and bring the bhaalspawn back.
There is another version of Imprisonment that is an innate spell (SPIN788.spl). This version is nearly the same, but it has a 10' range and a casting time of 1. That version is typically reserved for Demilich creatures to use, although some of these undead mages also use the ordinary arcane Imprisonment spell as well.
The wizard spell version of Imprisonment is not flagged as a "Hostile" spell, yet some other versions of the spell are. This inconsistency could be an error or an omission.
Potential protection vs Imprisonment[]
- Berserker ability - Enrage
- Rogue high-level class ability - Avoid Death
- Shaman high-level class ability - Favored of the Spirits
- Rod of Absorption
- Spell Immunity: Abjuration
- Shield of the Archons
- Spell Deflection
- Spell Turning
- Spell Trap
- Protection from Magic scroll
- Protagonist ability - Slayer Form
- Invisible characters can't be targeted with single-target spells. Turning invisible right before the Imprisonment spell finishes casting (e.g. Sanctuary, Shadow Door, drinking a Potion of Invisibility) will make it fail. A character who is Improved Invisible is also protected. However, this form of protection does not work against casters who can innately see through invisibility, which does include several enemies that are scripted to cast Imprisonment.
- Otiluke's Resilient Sphere protects, but also means that character can't contribute to the fight. It could however be a way to protect your main character, since it's instant game over if he gets imprisoned.
- If the Imprisonment is cast by an undead creature (e.g. Lich), Protection From Undead scrolls shield against it.
These protections work if applied any time before the Imprisonment spell projectile hits. Once it has hit and the cage animation starts playing, it is too late - a last-second application of Avoid Death, for example, will not save the character.
As with all touch spells, walking out of range once it starts casting will not help. If the target was in range when the caster started casting, the projectile will follow them everywhere.
Where to obtain its scroll[]
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal[]
- Arcana Archives
- The Book Merchant in Dennaton's mansion, during Neera's companion quest in Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal.
Gallery[]
Mod content[]
This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
Spell Revisions mod has changed this arcane spell description. See below:
Imprisonment
Level: 9
School: Abjuration
Range: Short
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None
When the Imprisonment spell is cast the target creature becomes entombed in a small sphere far beneath the surface of the earth in a state of suspended animation, conscious of its fate. The victim remains there unless the reverse of the spell, Freedom, is cast. Otherwise, the victim will remain there as long as the earth exists, rather a horrible fate, actually. If a Freedom spell is cast in the area where the creature was imprisoned, then he will reappear exactly where he was last standing. Dispel magic will not free creatures trapped in this manner. The target’s magic resistance, if any, does not affect this spell.