Baldur's Gate Wiki

Silence, 15' Radius is a 2nd level priest spell only usable by cleric and paladin classes. It may silence any creature in the area of effect.

Description[]

Upon casting this spell, complete silence prevails in the affected area. All sound is stopped: Conversation is impossible and spells cannot be cast. Each creature in the area must make a Saving Throw vs. Spell with a -5 penalty; if the save is failed then they are silenced for the duration of the spell. Note that this spell does not continue to affect the area after being cast; only those in the area at the time of the casting are affected by the silence.

Gameplay[]

The caster selects a point on the area map to aim this spell toward, using the targeting cursor to designate the center of the spell's area of effect.

When the spell casting is finished a sparkling projectile speeds to the point and then immediately applies the spell effects to all creatures in the Area of Effect.

Each creature exposed to the spell is allowed a Saving throw versus spell with a 5-point penalty to resist it - if the creature succeeds, the spell has no effect on that creature.

If the saving throw fails, the creature will have a brief lighting effect and color fade render over their sprite, and a sound effect will audible - additionally, each affected creature's name is displayed with a text reading "Silence".

Player characters will show an icon (No. 34) titled "Silenced" on their portrait for the spell's duration - and a second sound effect will audible when the spell expires.

Any victim of the spell is subjected to the Silence effect for the spell's duration, or until the effect is cured/removed - see that link for what this effect does, and defenses to thwart it.

The spell can potentially be removed by any applicable Dispel Magic effect or cured with a Vocalize spell.

This spell can potentially be blocked with Magic resistance, and a Spell Immunity: Alteration will stop it outright.

A Spell protections type defense such as Minor Globe of Invulnerability will also protect the creature inside the globe.

Notes[]

  • The save penalty is abnormally high, and Transmuter dual-classes may further boost it to -7. Load multiple copies into sequencers for even higher chances.
  • In Shadows of Amn, the majority of wizards will automatically cast Vocalize to cure the status; clerics are still highly vulnerable, however. This spell is still highly effective throughout Baldur's Gate.
  • Spells can still be cast from scrolls or wands, consuming their charges.
  • Silenced creatures may not initiate dialog or be talked to, even out of combat. This can prevent story-advancing, quest-related, or romance talks until it wears off.
  • Casting Silence on neutral creatures will not make them hostile.
  • The internal coded range for this spell is actually 80-ft, but in practical gameplay application, the caster must be within visual range of their selected spell targeting point. If the caster's visual range was extended beyond the norm, only then would the longer range come into play - but this is only going to occur in certain modded game content.

See also[]

  • The magical longsword Namarra casts a party-friendly version of this spell 3 times per rest.
  • The Horn of Silence casts 3 times per rest this spell, but with power level of 0 and a save vs breath to negate the effect.

Trivia[]

The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition priest spell Silence, 15' Radius is commonly known by clerics.

The BG video game spell version has an abnormally difficult saving throw penalty, but the PnP spell version has no saving throw penalty at all, and that spell version has some other differences, such as the silencing effect can be placed on an object, or a just a fixed area zone where no sound can propagate at all.

The spell can be centered upon a creature, and the effect then radiates from the creature and moves as it moves. An unwilling creature receives a saving throw against the spell. If the saving throw is successful, the spell effect is centered about 1 foot behind the position of the subject creature at the instant of casting.

This spell provides a defense against sound-based attacks, such as harpy singing, horn of blasting, etc.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

Mod content[]

This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.

Spell Revisions mod has replaced the divine "Silence, 15' Radius" spell with "Silence". See below:

Silence
Level: 2
School: Alteration
Sphere: Guardian
Range: Long
Duration: 1 turn
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: 15’ radius
Saving Throw: Spell negates

Upon casting this spell, complete silence prevails in the affected area. All sound is stopped: conversation is impossible, and spells cannot be cast unless an affected spellcaster then casts Vocalize. All enemies in the area must make a saving throw vs. spell at -4; if the save is failed, then they are silenced for the duration of the spell. At the instant the spell is completed, it affects all creatures in a 15-foot radius centered on the point selected by the caster (thus, affected creatures leaving the area are still subject to the spell’s effect; those entering the area after the casting is completed are not).

Note: his spell is only usable by Cleric/Paladin classes.

The Sword Coast Stratagems mod routinely prepares Mages with Vocalize in their scripts, especially in BG2. If silenced, an SCS arcane caster will almost always use vocalize, if able.

External links[]