Violate Spell-Like Ability — Wounds of Infernal Magic
A fiend’s magic leaves more than a burn. The victim bears a wound that resists common healing until sacred magic reaches it. An outsider may use the same familiar blast of fire or lightning, but part of the harm clings with infernal malice.
At a Glance
| Feat | Violate Spell-Like Ability |
|---|---|
| Type | Monster metamagic or supernatural feat |
| Effect | Half of damage inflicted by a magic ability becomes vile damage |
| Uses | Two violated uses of each qualifying power per day; ordinary limits remain |
| Healing | Magic cast in a consecrated sanctuary |
| Typical wielders | Devils, demons, cult-made horrors and other magical foes |
| Related adversary | Horned Devil |
| Related feat | Violate Spell |
Rules by Edition
Violate Spell-Like Ability — D&D 2024
Monster Feat (Prerequisite: at least one innate spell or named magical action that deals damage)
Vile Magic. Choose a magical action or damaging innate spell in your creature’s statistics. When you use that ability, you may declare the use violated before rolling damage. Calculate damage and apply the normal saving throws, resistances and immunities. Of the hit point damage actually taken by each target, half (rounded down) is vile damage of the same original damage type. It does not bypass immunity or resistance.
Vile Wounds. Track that portion separately. These lost hit points cannot be restored through rest, Hit Dice, or ordinary healing outside consecrated ground. Healing magic cast in a consecrated or hallowed sanctuary can restore them; Greater Restoration may remove the restriction.
Uses. You may violate the selected ability twice per Long Rest. Each use still expends an ordinary use of that spell or ability and obeys its Recharge or other limitations. You may select this feat more than once, each time adding two violated uses per Long Rest for one selected ability.
Example: A fiend’s magical bolt deals 25 Necrotic damage after all defences. The victim takes 13 ordinary and 12 vile Necrotic damage.
Violate Spell-Like Ability — D&D 2014
Monster Feat (Prerequisite: a damaging innate spell or other named magical attack)
Benefit. Select one damaging innate spell or magical attack possessed by the creature. Up to twice per day, the creature may use that ability as violated magic. Its attack bonus, saving throw, action, range, damage dice and original damage type remain unchanged. After resistances, immunities and saves have been resolved, divide the hit point damage into an ordinary portion (rounded up) and a vile portion (rounded down).
Consecrated Healing. Track vile hit point loss separately. Only healing magic performed in a consecrated or hallowed place restores it, unless Greater Restoration removes the restriction. Ordinary Hit Dice and rests do not heal the vile portion.
Uses and Limits. Violating the ability never grants extra charges, spells, uses or actions. A once-per-day magical attack can still be used only once even if this feat permits two violations. The feat can be taken again for another ability.
Example: A fiend casts an innate Fireball that inflicts 21 Fire damage to one creature. It takes 11 ordinary Fire damage and 10 vile Fire damage.
Violate Spell-Like Ability — Pathfinder 1e
Monster Feat · Prerequisite: at least one spell-like ability that deals hit point damage.
Benefit. Each of your spell-like abilities that deals damage can be violated up to twice per day. A violated use gains the evil descriptor. Resolve any saving throw, spell resistance, energy resistance and energy immunity normally, then mark half the hit point damage actually inflicted (rounded down) as vile damage of the same source and energy type. The remaining damage is ordinary damage. Immunity to the original energy prevents the entire attack.
Healing. Vile damage cannot heal naturally and is not restored by fast healing or regeneration. Only healing magic cast inside a consecrate or hallow effect restores it. Track its points separately until they are healed.
Usage. The violated use expends one normal daily use of the underlying spell-like ability. It does not increase the ability’s daily maximum, and its action cost is unchanged. The feat is repeatable: taking it again grants two more violated uses each day for each spell-like ability.
Example: A creature whose Lightning Bolt ability deals 35 Electricity damage marks 17 points vile and 18 ordinary. An Electricity-immune foe is unharmed.
Violate Spell-Like Ability — D&D 3.5e
Metamagic Feat · Prerequisite: the ability to use one or more spell-like abilities.
Benefit. Up to twice each day for each spell-like ability you possess, you may use it in a violated form. The ability gains the Evil descriptor. Half of the damage it deals (rounded down) counts as vile damage. Roll the ability’s damage normally; apply the normal save, spell resistance, energy resistance and immunity before dividing damage. Vile damage from Electricity is still prevented by Electricity immunity and does not create a new type of energy.
Healing Vile Damage. Natural healing, regeneration and healing magic cast outside consecrated or hallowed ground cannot restore this damage. Healing magic cast in such a sacred area can heal it normally.
Special. Every violated activation expends an ordinary use of the ability. If it is normally usable three times per day, you can still activate it no more than three times total, of which two may be violated. You may take the feat again to gain two more violated activations for each ability per day.
Example: A horned devil that deals 35 points with an eligible spell-like effect inflicts 18 ordinary and 17 vile damage. The spell-like ability’s ordinary action, saving throw and resistance rules still apply.
The Cost of an Infernal Wound
The Prison Beneath the Chapel
A village healer cannot close the wounds of prisoners rescued from beneath an abandoned chapel. The village’s old altar lies behind a wall of rubble. If the companions restore access to the sanctuary and find a priest with healing magic, the prisoners can recover. The monster responsible may return before the work is done.
The Fiend in the Gatehouse
A horned devil watches a road from a burned gatehouse. Its magical attacks leave vile wounds on anyone who tries to force passage, and the closest sanctuary is on the far side of the gate. The party may search for a safer crossing, lure the fiend away or make one desperate push through the arch.
The Division of Damage
| Final damage taken | Ordinary portion | Vile portion |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 10 | 10 |
| 21 | 11 | 10 |
| 35 | 18 | 17 |
| 0 after immunity | 0 | 0 |
Damage resistance and a successful save are resolved before the split. An ability’s recharge, charges and daily limits remain in force.
Sources and Licensing
The original feat appears in Book of Vile Darkness (2002), page 50, with vile-damage rules on page 34. Its D&D 3.5e treatment is paraphrased here. The 2024, 2014 and Pathfinder 1e versions are original complete mechanics, and the encounter material is original. The source publication predates the D&D 3.5e revision.
Keep this reference growing
If this page helped with your reading or game, you can support its upkeep or explore the curated books.
Explore the Bookshop — epics, classics and stories behind imagined worlds.