Shadow attack

From NWNWiki

This article is about the shadow ability; for the shifter spectre ability, see Shadow attack (shifter).

Range: touch
Save: none
Spell resistance: no
Area of effect: single
Duration: permanent

Description: If the caster succeeds with a melee touch attack, the target suffers 1d6 points of strength damage. Under the hardcore (or higher) difficulty setting, if this damage exceeds the target's current strength, the target is killed instead.

[edit] Notes

• Unlike most spells, the results of this attack are cumulative and will stack with themselves.
• The strength damage is a magical effect, so can be removed by resting or dispelling.
• Killing the target is accomplished by applying magical damage equal to the target's current hit points. Magical damage resistance or immunity can prevent death in this case (albeit such things are typically rare).
• If targeted on a placeable or door, the target will be destroyed on a successful hit.
• This ability corresponds to the second listing of "shadow attack" under the creature properties special abilities tab in the toolset (for the first listing see shadow attack (shifter)).
• Use of this ability other than by the special abilities tab provokes an attack of opportunity, the same as if the creature cast a spell. (Probably a bug.) Also, if a creature is affected by silence it will be unable to use this ability.
• The only standard summoned creatures that use this attack are summoned by a shadowdancer via summon shadow.
• The use of this spell does not break invisibility. Thus an invisible shadow can kill many targets with shadow attack and not be detected.

[edit] Trivia

• The actual description for this spell is that for inflict critical wounds. A player character will not see this in game, though, because only shadows are given this ability (through a special AI).

[edit] Custom content notes

• script: X2_S1_shadow.nss
• The comments in its script describe this ability as being too powerful for shifters. Thus it is probably unbalancing to give it to a player character.