Harm

The Harm spell is the reverse of the Heal priest spell and causes near fatal damage instead of healing.
==Description==
==Gameplay==
This spell is cast on self only.
When the spell casting is finished, a text will display reading "<Caster>: Harm and a Necromancy spell school casting animation will render.
The caster's main hand weapon slots are temporarily unable to be used to attack and are "replaced" with a magically created item that has a red-colored open hand icon with a small cross on the palm, which represents the Harm melee touch attack weapon.
This weapon has a relatively short duration of 15 seconds, and then it will disappear if not used (and it can be dispelled as well).
The touch attack weapon has a range of 1 foot, and the caster must successfully achieve a touch attack on a single target creature in order to apply the harming effect.
The caster will roll to hit as normal and receive a +2 THAC0 bonus to do so - the caster's weapon proficiency skills aren't factored into this, nor are any Strength modifiers.
Any other modifiers that alter THAC0 specifically (from equipped items or spell/potions) are applicable to the to-hit roll.
If the caster misses the to-hit roll, the magical weapon disappears, and the spell is finished.
If the touch attack succeeds, then a special application of damage is inflicted upon the victim, along with a red colored burst graphic on the target's sprite, and the weapon disappears - additionally a text is displayed, reading "Hit Points reduced by Harm".
The quantity of damage inflicted is not a determined by a die roll, nor resisted by any form of direct damage resistance, but administered so that the victim is left with only 1 hit point remaining, regardless of how many current hit points it had previous to the harm attack.
This touch attack damage can be prevented in several ways, including Magic resistance, Spell Immunity: Necromancy, or a Spell protections type defense such as Shield of the Archons, (Minor) Spell Deflection, or Spell Trap.
Additionally, a Spell Turning will reflect the damage back on the attacker.
The Cloak of Mirroring will negate this touch attack as well.
==Notes==
* The Harm touch attack weapon is classified as a magical and +6 enchanted item for the purposes of what it can hit - theoretically, it can strike any creature, since none are innately immune to +6 weapons.
* As a successful hit with the harm weapon is needed to apply the effect, the priest's THAC0 is key to success.
** A 100% hit rate can be achieved by using the Critical Strike High-level class ability in combination with this spell. Additionally, an active Time Stop or Time Trap will also give 100% hit rate. 
* It is blocked by Protection from Magical Weapons, but not Absolute Immunity.
* The attack can be fooled by Reflected Image and Mirror Image.
* This spell can be used against a player's party, but the instances of this are infrequent, and not common in the game - For example, drow priestesses are scripted to use this spell, and those potential foes account for the majority of any likely risk to the party. The Beamdog Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition content also added a number of potential enemies that may use this spell.
==Trivia==
The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition ruleset doesn't list the Harm spell under that title as its own individual spell, and it is actually the reversible form of the Heal priest spell.
In the PnP ruleset, Harm infects the victim with a disease and causes loss of all but 1d4 hit points, if a successful touch is inflicted.
Heal or Harm cannot affect creatures without corporeal bodies, nor can it cure/afflict disease upon creatures not living or of extraplanar origin - the BG video game spell version did not implement those restrictions, and can be applied to the undead, mists, ghosts, specters, nonliving targets, fiends, celestials etc.
==Mod content==
Regarding the Harm spell, the Sword Coast Stratagems mod will do the following:
Modify the Harm spell so it does damage rather than reducing target to 1 hp (BG2,BGT)
The Harm spell reduces its target to 1 hp in 2nd edition D&D; in 3rd edition, it does a large amount of damage instead. This component modifies Harm to work more like the 3rd edition spell: it inflicts 150 hp damage, with no saving throw, on a successful touch attack, to a minimum of 1 hp. The rationale for this is that Harm (especially combined with Critical Strike) is otherwise an almost-instant way of eliminating even foes with hundreds of hit points. Harm remains lethal in this component, but is not quite so overwhelming.
The Spell Revisions mod makes changes to Harm, spell description below:
Harm
Level: 6
School: Necromancy
Sphere: Necromantic
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 turn
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Spell half
This spell is the reverse of Heal. Instead of healing the creature touched, it causes damage. On a successful touch from the priest, the spell inflicts 90 points of damage upon the target. Harm cannot reduce the target’s hit points to less than 1. The spell expires once the priest makes a successful melee attack or after 1 turn has passed. The priest gains a +4 bonus to hit the target. Magic resistance does not affect this spell.
If both SCS and SR are installed, the SR version will be the one implemented.
==Mod gallery==
WK FL SCS SR Harm.png|Lich-Priest strikes PC with Harm attack. Some damage is mitigated. SCS and SR mods shown.
==External links==
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Category:Cleric 6th level spells
Category:Druid 6th level spells
Category:Offensive damage (spell type)
Category:Touch spells