Spell Immunity

• Spell Immunity
• Ally Interactions
• Enemy Interactions
• Changelogs

This article is about Spell Immunity. For the mechanic used by Black King Bar, see Debuff Immunity.

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▶️ Magic shall not prevail! — Anti-Mage

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Spell Immunity (formerly known as magic immunity) is a status that prevents most abilities from targeting the affected unit. This includes a single-targeted, area of effect, passive and active abilities.

Spell immunity is not provided by any ability, but granted to some units as an extra layer of protection, usually on ward-type units, or in combination with Invulnerability or Hidden.

Mechanics

Spell immunity is a status effect (also known as modifier). Most abilities in the game first check whether or not the unit is spell immune. If true, single-target abilities cannot target the unit at all, while area-of-effect abilities ignore the unit, and already ongoing effects may stop affecting it. However, some abilities (and most ultimates) pierce spell immunity and can fully target and affect spell immune units.

Usually, an ability cast either fully pierces spell immunity, or is fully blocked. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Whether or not a spell pierces spell immunity can be viewed in the interactions list.

When a unit turns spell immune while a projectile from ability is already flying towards it, the projectile has no effect upon impact if the spell it originates from does not pierce spell immunity. The same applies to most, but not all delayed effects.

Spell immunity does not prevent regular attacks of any units. However, some attack modifiers do get blocked, but not all of them. Generally, critical strike, cleave, lifesteal, and most bashes pierce spell immunity.

Damage Interaction

Main Article: Damage Types

Spell immunity itself does not interact with damage at all. If an ability pierces spell immunity and has a damage component, its damage will still be applied normally, regardless of its damage type. Therefore, spell immunity only governs if an ability has any effect, not its damage types (nor its damage values).

A 0 damage instance is still registered and still may proc on-damage effect unless it is flagged as HP Removal.

If an ability does not pierce spell immunity, it does not attempt to damage spell immune units either, regardless of the damage type. In order for an ability to damage spell immune units, it must be set to pierce spell immunity, or it must be already affecting it in case of buffs/debuffs.

Dispel

Certain modifiers periodically check for spell immunity and remove themselves if it is detected. The following abilities periodically check for spell immunity:

Spell Immunity Dispels these abilities

• Ethereal Blade – Ether Blast
• Ghost Scepter – Ghost Form
• Necrophos – Ghost Shroud
• Grimstroke – Phantom's Embrace
• Lion – Mana Drain
• Shadow Shaman – Shackles (vs enemy)
• Primal Beast – Pulverize
• Pugna – Life Drain (vs enemy)

Debuff Immunity

Debuff immunity is an innate component of spell immunity, stopping the effects of already existing debuffs on the unit, allowing them to resume once the spell immunity and thus the debuff immunity expires.

Sources

The following abilities provide spell immunity as an extra layer of protection. All of these abilities also apply invulnerability and/or hiding.

Spell Immunity Sources

• Dawnbreaker – Solar Guardian
• Juggernaut – Omnislash ¹
• Juggernaut – Swiftslash ¹
• Lifestealer – Infest
• Terrorblade – Reflection (Illusion)
• Tombstone – Grab Ally
• Tusk – Snowball

¹ Other abilities in this list apply Hidden. While these 2 abilities are active, the hero can be affected by Global Silence.

Non-hero Units

The following units are permanently spell-immune, either through a passive ability, or a modifier

Spell Immunity

Ability

Passive

Affects

Self

This unit does not feel the effects from magical damage sources.

• Details
• Status Effects
• Show All

• Spell immunity is either gained through a passive ability, a status buff or a visual indicator.

• With a status buff, it is possible for enemies to check the buff and ‼ Ping the remaining duration of the unit.
  • Some units' ability uses the other spell immunity icon.

modifier_magic_immune

Spell Immune

Units with permanent Spell Immunity

• Anchor – Spell Immunity
• Spell Immunity – Spell Immunity
• Fiend's Gate – Spell Immunity
• Ice Spire – Spell Immunity
• Plague Ward – Spell Immunity
• Roshan's Banner – Spell Immunity
• Tombstone – Spell Immunity
• Twin Gate – Spell Immunity
• Undying Zombie – Spell Immunity

Units with permanent Spell Immunity without Status Bar Icon

• Beetle – Spell Immunity
• Healing Ward – Spell Immunity
• Massive Serpent Ward – Spell Immunity
• Power Cog – Spell Immunity
• Phoenix Sun – Spell Immunity
• Serpent Ward – Spell Immunity

Piercing Spell Immunity

Spell Immunity prevents the use of most targeted spells and protects against most negative effects.

The command dota_create_ability neutral_spell_immunity can be used to add a passive ability that provides spell immunity.

Piercing Enemy Spell Immunity

Note that some effects (e.g. slow) continue to work if spell immune was obtained after their use, but the abilities themselves can't be used on an spell immune enemy. This list was tested on a hero who was spell immune from the very beginning.

Pierces Enemy Spell Immunity

• Alchemist – Corrosive Weaponry
• Ancient Apparition – Ice Blast
• Bane – Fiend's Grip
• Batrider – Flaming Lasso
• Beastmaster – Primal Roar
• Bloodseeker – Rupture
• Bounty Hunter – Track
• Bristleback – Quill Spray
• Clockwerk – Hookshot
• Chaos Knight – Reality Rift (Talent)
• Dawnbreaker – Starbreaker
• Dark Seer – Wall of Replica
• Doom – Doom
• Dragon Knight – Corrosive Dragon
• Dragon Knight – Frost Dragon
• Drow Ranger – Multishot
• Earth Spirit – Rolling Boulder (hit)
• Earth Spirit – Magnetize
• Earthshaker – Echo Slam
• Elder Titan – Earth Splitter
• Enigma – Black Hole
• Faceless Void – Chronosphere
• Gyrocopter – Flak Cannon
• Grimstroke – Dark Portrait
• Grimstroke – Soulbind
• Hoodwink – Acorn Shot (can't direct cast)
• Huskar – Life Break
• Invoker – Sun Strike
• Jakiro – Macropyre (Scepter)
• Kez – Falcon Rush
• Kez – Raptor Dance
• Kez – Shodo Sai (Mark)
• Legion Commander – Duel
• Leshrac – Diabolic Edict
• Lifestealer – Infest
• Lion – Earth Spike
• Lycan Wolf – Cripple
• Lycan Wolf – Hamstring
• Magnus – Reverse Polarity
• Medusa – Stone Gaze
• Medusa – Cold Blooded
• Meepo – Ransack
• Mirana – Sacred Arrow (hit)
• Morphling – Morph
• Morphling – Morph (Alt-Cast)
• Naga Siren – Ensnare(Scepter)
• Naga Siren – Reel In
• Nature's Prophet – Nature's Call
• Necrophos – Heartstopper Aura
• Nyx Assassin – Vendetta
• Phantom Assassin – Phantom Strike
• Phantom Lancer – Phantom Rush
• Pudge – Meat Hook
• Pudge – Dismember
• Razor – Static Link
• Razor – Eye of the Storm
• Riki – Blink Strike
• Rubick – Spell Steal
• Shadow Demon – Demonic Cleanse
• Shadow Demon – Demonic Purge
• Silencer – Global Silence
• Skywrath Mage – Concussive Shot (considered as a valid target, but applies nothing)
• Slardar – Corrosive Haze
• Spectre – Spectral Dagger
• Spectre – Dispersion
• Spectre – Haunt
• Spectre – Shadow Step
• Spirit Breaker – Nether Strike
• Templar Assassin – Meld
• Treant Protector – Overgrowth
• Troll Warlord – Berserker's Rage
• Tusk – Walrus Kick
• Vengeful Spirit – Nether Swap
• Viper – Viper Strike
• Void Spirit – Astral Step
• Warlock – Chaotic Offering (Stun)
• Queen of Pain – Sonic Wave
• Undying Zombie – Deathlust (Slow)
• Winter Wyvern – Winter's Curse
• Wraith King – Spectral Blade
Bash
• Abyssal Blade – Bash
• Faceless Void – Time Lock
• Skull Basher – Bash
• Spirit Breaker – Greater Bash
• Roshan – Bash
Cleave
• Earthshaker – Enchant Totem^2a
• Kunkka – Tidebringer³
• Magnus – Empower
• Sven – Great Cleave
• Battle Fury – Cleave
Critical Strike
• Alpha Wolf – Critical Strike
• Brewmaster – Drunken Brawler
• Chaos Knight – Chaos Strike
• Crystalys – Critical Strike
• Daedalus – Critical Strike
• Juggernaut – Blade Dance
• Khanda – Critical Strike
• Lycan – Shapeshift
• Lycan – Wolf Bite
• Phantom Assassin – Coup de Grace
• Revenant's Brooch – Phantom Critical
• Tusk – Walrus PUNCH!
Ensured Critical Strike
• Dawnbreaker – Luminosity
• Mars – God's Rebuke
• Monkey King – Boundless Strike
• Tusk – Walrus PUNCH!
• Void Spirit – Astral Step¹
• Wraith King – Mortal Strike
Attack
• Bounty Hunter – Jinada
• Clinkz – Burning Barrage
• Ember Spirit – Sleight of Fist
• Gyrocopter – Flak Cannon (Scepter)
• Kez – Echo Slash
• Luna – Lunar Orbit
• Monkey King – Wukong's Command
• Jakiro – Liquid Fire (Alows cast, deals no other effects)
• Juggernaut – Omnislash
• Juggernaut – Swiftslash
• Io – Tether (lvl 25 talent)
• Pangolier – Swashbuckle
• Riki – Tricks of the Trade
• Tiny – Tree Throw (point target)
• Tiny – Tree Volley
• Tusk – Walrus PUNCH!
• Weaver – Geminate Attack
• Windranger – Focus Fire
Can choose spell immune as second target
• Medusa – Split Shot
• Muerta – Gunslinger
• Snapfire – Buckshot
• Troll Warlord – Fervor ^1b
Other Items
• Desolator – Corruption
• Echo Sabre – Echo Strike
• Eye of Skadi – Cold Attack
• Mjollnir – Static Charge
• Nullifier – Nullify
• Orb of Blight – Lesser Corruption
• Parasma – Magic Corruption
• Stygian Desolator – Greater Corruption