Magic Resistance, Step by Step
by Skip Williams
magic resistance ought to work, dont
worry, youre in good company. Magic
resistance is widely misunderstood, and
has been giving DMs fits since it was introduced
back in the original D&D® game.
The first version of the game was a set
of three slim booklets in a nondescript
brown box. One of the monsters included
in the set was the balrog, which had a 75%
chance to resist spells cast at it. At the
time, no other monster in the game had
that ability and DMs didnt quite know
what to do with it. Most people treated the
balrogs magic resistance as a special saving
throw, rolling 1d100 instead of 1d20 to
see if a spell cast at a balrog worked or
not. Of course, this meant that a balrog
that successfully resisted a fireball still
suffered half damage from the blast. Eventually,
however, word got out that magic
resistance was something that a creature
enjoyed in addition to a saving throw, and
that successful resistance made the creature
immune to the spell.
These days, the sheer diversity of magic
in the AD&D® game makes adjudicating
magic resistance something of an art, but
its an art anyone can master.
The Steps
No matter what the circumstances, you
can decide how magic resistance works by
following three basic steps:
Step One: Decide if the magical effect
can be subject to magic resistance at all.
Only spells and spell-like abilities from
creatures and magical devices are subject
to magic resistance. Breath weapons, gaze
weapons, special attacks (such as disease,
energy drain, or paralysis), magical combat
bonuses, and psionics are not. A fear
effect from rod of lordly might is subject
to magic resistance, because it is a spelllike
effect. The rods combat bonuses (such
as the +2 bonus from the rods mace
form) are not.
Step Two: Decide if magic affects the
resistant creature directly. Magic resistance
has no effect unless the energy created
or released by the magic actually goes
to work on the resistant creature. If the
magic acts on anything else (the air, the
ground, the rooms light) and the creature
is affected as a consequence, there is no
magic resistance roll.
Creatures can be harmed by a spell
without being directly affected. For example,
a continual light
spell, harms a drow elf because drow are
sensitive to light and suffer considerable
penalties when exposed it. Continual light,
however, usually is cast on the area containing
the drow, making it bright, not on
the drow itself. So, the effect is indirect.
Step Three: Decide what happens to the
magic if a magic resistance roll is called
for and it succeeds. The result of a successful
roll depends on the type of magic
involved. For purposes of magic resistance,
well split magic into just four types.
(See Chapter 9 of the Players Handbook
for details):
Individually targeted spells, which are
completely negated if the resistance roll
succeeds.
Area-effect spells, which have no effect
on the resistant creature if the resistance
roll succeeds, but are not negated. Other
creatures and objects within the area of
effect are still subject to the spell.
In-place spells, which collapse and cease
to exist if the resistance roll succeeds.
Permanent spells, which have no effect
on the resistant creature if the resistance
roll succeeds, but are not negated. The
permanent spell continues to function and
other creatures within the area of effect
remain subject to the spell.
There, now you know everything you
need to know about magic resistance.
Troubleshooting
Having problems? Here are the difficulties
most commonly encountered at each step:
Step One: The most frequent problem
here is deciding what is a spell or spell-like
effect and what isnt. All spells are potentially
subject to magic resistance. If the
user memorizes it and casts it, its a spell.
Beyond that, anything that works like a
spell is also subject to magic resistance.
Use your common sense. Does the effect
in question seem spell-like? If so, it probably
is. (Sometimes it pays to get literal. If a
monsters description contains a list of
spell-like abilities, then everything in the
list is spell-like.)
A creature can have some abilities that
are subject to magic resistance and some
that are not. For example, an androsphinx
s priest spells are subject to magic
resistance, but its roar is not (its more like
a breath weapon than a spell). An aboleths
enslavement power is subject to magic
resistance, but its mucous cloud is not (the
cloud is produced in the aboleths body). A
clerics spells are subject to magic resistance,
but the characters undead turning
ability is not (unlike a spell, undead turning
works only under certain specific
conditions).
Step Two: The chief difficulty here usually
is deciding whether the effect in question
actually works directly on the target.
Many effects are not subject to magic
resistance because they are indirect. The
easiest way to decide if an effect is direct
or indirect is to consider the school of
magic involved.
Evocations: These spells are almost
always subject to magic resistance. If an
evocation spell inflicts damage, it is either
an individually targeted spell or an area
effect like ice storm, depending on the spell.
Wall spells are in-place effects. They are
subject to magic resistance if they inflict
damage, entrap, or restrict movement.
Enchantments/Charms: These are almost
always subject to magic resistance and are
treated as individually targeted effects
unless the spell enchants an object that is
then employed against a creaturethese
are indirect spells. An enchanted weapon
spell, for example, is never subject to
magic resistance. Enchantment/charms
that effect several creatures simultaneously
are treated as individually targeted
effects, but only the portion targeted at a
resistant creature can be negated.
Conjurations/Summonings: These are
almost never subject to magic resistance
unless the spell conjures some form or
energy, such as a power word, stun or a
prismatic spray. The former is an individually
targeted effect, the latter is an area
effect. Spells that summon creatures are
never subject to magic resistance. A few
conjurations fall into a gray area. Evards
black tentacles, for example, can be treated
as a summoned creature (and therefore
not subject to magic resistance) or as an
in-place effect. Pick one and then stick
with your choice.
Abjurations: These are sometimes subject
to magic resistance. The target crea
ture must be harmed, changed, or
restricted in some manner. Perception
changes, such as non-detection, dont
count.
Illusions: These spells are almost never
subject to magic resistance. Illusions that
inflict a direct attack, such as phantasmal
killer or blindness,
are exceptions.
Alterations: These usually are subject to
magic resistance, especially if they transform
the target creature. Alteration spells
are not subject to magic resistance if they
are targeted on a point in space instead of
a creature. Transmute rock to mud and
wizard eye change a creatures surroundings,
not the creature itself, and are never
subject to magic resistance.
Divinations: These do not affect creatures
directly and are not subject to magic
resistance, even though what they reveal
about a creature might be very damaging.
Necromancy: Most of these spells alter
the target creatures life force and are
subject to magic resistance. Necromancy
spells that summon creatures, such as
summon shadow, or detect creatures,
such as detect undead, are not subject to
magic resistance.
Step Three: This step usually doesnt
give people much trouble, but beware of
individually targeted effects masquerading
as area effects. Spells such as magic missile,
hold person, hold monster, and slow
affect several creatures within a limited
area. Nevertheless, they are individually
targeted spells, though a successful resistance
roll still applies only to the portion of
the spell directed at the resistant creature.
Area effects are not negated by a successful
resistance roll. A baatezu caught in
a lightning bolt while crossing a bridge
over a bottomless pit can avoid the spells
effects, but the bridge cant.
Wall spells are in-place effects (unless
they are permanent); if a resistance roll
succeeds against a nonpermanent wall, the
whole wall collapses. This can be quite
terrifying for a mage who thought he was
safe and sound.
Miscellaneous Notes
A magic-resistant creatures own abilities,
spells, and magical items always work
normally; magic resistance never interferes
with magic that comes from the
resistant creature. Also, magic resistance
extends to a creatures items. If its resist
resistance
succeeds, the creatures items are
protected, too. Magic resistance can be
voluntarily lowered whenever the resistant
creature wishes. Doing so takes some
concentration, and cannot be done while
the creature takes any action other than
moving at half normal speed. Once resistance
is lowered, every spell directed at the
creature that round works normally.
Magic resistance works in addition to a
saving throw, if the resistance roll fails,
the creature is entitled to a saving throw
(if one applies). A creature that has voluntarily
lowered its resistance fails its resistance
roll automatically, but it still gains
any saving throw it normally would be
entitled to.
A special note about wall spells: If (like
me) youre uncomfortable with the
thought of magic resistant creatures running
around collapsing wall spells, I suggest
that you treat all wall spells as
permanent effects. Magic resistant creatures
can walk through them if their resistance
rolls succeed, but the wall does
not collapse. If the resistance roll fails, the
creature cannot try to penetrate the wall
again that day.