The Unholy Word spell is usable by the cleric class, as long as their alignment is non-good. The spell is made available for Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.
Description[]
| “ | Uttering an Unholy Word spell creates magic of tremendous power. The priest acts as a bridge between his/her god and the Prime Material Plane, causing a small explosion centered on the priest and reaching up to a 30-ft. radius. It affects only creatures of any good alignment that are caught in the area of effect. The effects vary depending on the target's Hit Dice: Hit Dice / Levels –– Effects of Unholy Word Less than 4 –– Death 4 to 7 –– Stunned for 1 turn 8 to 11 –– Slowed for 1 turn with a 75% chance of spell failure 12 and up –– Deafened for 1 turn with a 50% chance of spell failure There is no Saving Throw. The effects are instantaneous and last for the duration of the spell or until dispelled. Note that priests of good alignment may not cast this spell. |
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Gameplay[]
This spell will automatically be cast upon self, and the spell's effects radiate instantly in a 15-feet radius from the caster's sprite - at the same time a 3D "Unholy" graphic renders on the caster lasting a few seconds.
All good aligned enemy creatures within 15 feet of the caster are exposed to the unholy word's effects, which vary depending on the enemy's Hit Dice/experience level:
- Hit Dice/level <4: Instantly killed with the Slay effect.
- Hit Dice/level 4-7: Stun effect for 1 turn.
- Hit Dice/level 8-11: Slow effect, 75% miscast magic/spell failure effect for 1 turn.
- Hit Dice/level 12+: Deafness effect (which inherently applies a 50% miscast magic/spell failure effect).
A player character/party member affected by a Unholy Word spell will show various icons on their portrait, such as Stun, Slow, Deaf or Spell Failure.
This spell is potentially blocked by Magic resistance, and a Spell Immunity: Conjuration will negate it outright.
All of the applied effects with a duration are subject to applicable Dispel Magic effects.
Notes[]
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. The Deafness effect at target level 12+ stacks with itself which means casting the spell twice will result in a 100% miscast magic/casting failure rate.
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Shadows of Amn (2013)
This icon indicates content from the Shadows of Amn campaign of the Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Throne of Bhaal (2013)
This icon indicates content from the Throne of Bhaal campaign of the Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. Casting this spell twice will only refresh the Deafness effect's duration. The spellcasting failure rate doesn't stack.- Note that many creatures affected by miscast magic/spell casting failure percentages can/will still release various spells, especially if they are innately released (not traditionally "cast") or from spell triggers, contingency/sequencer scripting - it all depends on the specific creature's AI scripts.
Trivia[]
The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition priest spell Unholy Word is not listed as its own stand-alone spell but is actually the reversible form of the Holy Word priest spell - the PnP spell differs from the BG video game version.
In the PnP ruleset, unholy word drives off good creatures from other planes, forcing them to return to their own planes of existence, provided the speaker is in his home plane - this banishing element isn't implemented in the video spell game version.
The reverse, holy word, operates exactly the same way but affects creatures of evil alignment.
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 effects, and description. See below:
Unholy Word
Level: 7
School: Conjuration
Sphere: Combat
Range: Personal
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: 30’ radius
Saving Throw: None
Uttering an Unholy Word channels magic of tremendous power. The spell affects all enemies that are caught in the area of effect, while the effects differ according to the level of the target as follows:
Target’s Hit Dice – Effects of Unholy Word
Equal to caster level – Deafness for 1 turn
Up to caster level -1 – Slowness for 5 rounds
Up to caster level -5 – Confusion for 1 round
Up to caster level -10 – Death
The effects are cumulative and concurrent.
External links[]
- Unholy word on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.