Magic immunity

Magic immunity is a buff that prevents a unit from being affected by most unit and structure effects, including most hero skills. Magic immunity is largely used to mitigate incoming magical and pure damage (the damage types dealt by nearly all skills, including those of strength heroes) and harmful spell effects, although it also prevents most buffs from becoming active and can be cast for this effect. Magic immunity is however not also a silence, and can be dispelled itself by other effects.

It is an aspect of some hero abilities as well as many popular items. Many ultimates and certain specific skills (including all skills that deal physical damage) have the bonus of penetrating magic immunity.

Effects of magic immunity

A unit under the magic immunity buff will take no damage that is considered magical damage or pure damage. This includes any magical damage caused by an enemy Hero's ultimate ability. Note that this is not the same as having 100% magic resistance: certain damage types that are reduced by magic resistance will still affect the hero, mixed damage in particular. Exceptions: Doom, Midnight Pulse, and March of the Machines will damage units which are magic immune despite dealing magical damage, as they deal a special type of magical damage called universal damage.

A magic immune unit cannot be targeted by most abilities. They can still be affected by area-of-effect non-targeted abilities that heal, deal physical damage, or deal mixed damage, such as Dazzle's Shadow Wave or Beastmaster's Wild Axes. However, they cannot be directly targeted, even if the ability does physical damage. Dazzle's Poison Touch, for example, cannot affect magic immune units.

Basic attacks are unaffected by magic immunity, as are most attack modifiers such as critical strike. Bash from a ranged unit is considered a magical effect and will not work, but the bonus damage from the bash will. Bash from a melee hero, on the other hand, will stun but not deal damage. The chain lightning effect from Mjollnir or Maelstrom will work, but will not damage any Heroes that are magic immune. Similarly, the mana burning effect from Diffusal Blade or Anti-Mage will also not work, nor will Incapacitating Bite from Broodmother.

Magic immunity can be used to dodge projectile-based abilities such as Magic Missile.

Gaining magic immunity

Heroes can gain temporary magic immunity from several sources. In addition, certain higher level neutral creeps are permanently magic immune. Roshan is not magic immune, but will block some abilities, similar to Linken's Sphere.

Abilities & Effects that grant Magic Immunity

Black King Bar - Avatar 3900 Duration: 10/9/8/7/6/5 (decreased by each use)	Brewmaster - Earth - Spell Immunity Duration: Permanent
Juggernaut - Blade Fury Duration: 5	Lifestealer - Rage Duration: 3/4/5/6
Neutral Creep - Spell Immunity Duration: Permanent	Omniknight - Repel Duration: 6/8/10/12 Note: Can be purged.

Creeps with magic immunity

Thunderhide Thunderhide Camp	Black Dragon Dragon Camp
Flying Courier Item	Granite Golem Large Golem Camp
Mud Golem Golem Camp	Rock Golem Large Golem Camp
Rumblehide Thunderhide Camp

Ultimate Disables That Will Not Go Through Magic Immunity

In general, the disabling components of most ultimates will penetrate magic immunity, even if the damage doesn't. Exceptions to this rule can be seen below.

Note that magical damage will not damage through magic immunity. This means that damage-dealing ultimates with no disabling component, such as Finger of Death, will have no effect on magic immune units.

Centaur Warrunner - Stampede	Crystal Maiden - Freezing Field
Disruptor - Static Storm	Puck - Dream Coil
Naga Siren - Song of the Siren	Skeleton King - Reincarnation
Templar Assassin - Psionic Trap	Tidehunter - Ravage
Timbersaw - Chakram	Undying - Flesh Golem*
Luna - Eclipse

*Additionally, Undying will not be healed if a magic immune unit dies.

List of Abilities That Will Go Through Magic Immunity

Hero Abilities That Will Go Through Magic Immunity

Alchemist Acid Spray Unstable Concoction If activated after throw, only the stun is blocked. Otherwise full block.	Ancient Apparition Ice Blast This skill is blocked by magic immunity. However, becoming magic immune while under its effects blocks damage but does not block regeneration preventing & instant kill.
Anti-Mage Mana Void Damage is blocked, stun is not.	Axe Berserker's Call Counter Helix Culling Blade Instant kill can't be blocked, normal hit can.
Bane Fiends Grip Damage is blocked, disable & mana drain are not.	Batrider Flaming Lasso
Beastmaster Wild Axes Primal Roar Damage is blocked, disable is not. Poison	Bloodseeker Thirst
Bounty Hunter Jinada Shadow Walk Track	Brewmaster Drunken Brawler Pulverize Wind Walk
Broodmother Poison Sting Damage is blocked, slow is not.	Centaur Warrunner Return
Chaos Knight Chaos Strike	Clockwerk Power Cogs Damage & mana burn are blocked, knockback is not. Hookshot Damage is blocked, stun & moving of Clockwerk are not.
Dark Seer Wall of Replica Damage is blocked, creating replica of enemy hero is not.	Dazzle Shadow Wave Weave
Death Prophet Exorcism	Doom Doom
Dragon Knight Elder Dragon Form Splash Attack(Lvl 2, lvl 3) & Frost Breath(lvl 3) can't be blocked.	Earthshaker Enchant Totem Echo Slam Echo is blocked, initial damage is not.
Enigma Midnight Pulse Black Hole Damage is blocked, disable & sucking are not.	Faceless Void Time Lock Damage is blocked, stun is not. Chronosphere
Meepo Geostrike Damage is blocked, slow is not.	Gyrocopter Flak Cannon Call Down Damage is blocked, slow is not.
Huskar Life Break Damage is blocked, slow is not.	Invoker Ghost Walk
Juggernaut Blade Dance Omnislash	Kunkka Tidebringer Ghost Ship Damage is blocked, stun is not.
Leshrac Diabolic Edict	Lich Chain Frost Damage is blocked, mini-stun & bounces are not.
Lifestealer Feast Infest Damage of Consume is blocked.	Lone Druid Entangling Claws Becoming magic immune while under its effects removes debuff.
Luna Moon Glaive	Lycanthrope Critical of Shapeshift Critical Strike
Magnus Empower Cleave cannot be blocked.(Cannot cast on magic immune allies) Reverse Polarity Damage is blocked, stun & sucking are not.	Medusa Split Shot Stone Gaze Becoming magic immune while under its effects removes debuff.
Naga Siren Ensnare	Nature's Prophet Sprout Targeting is not blocked. Wrath of Nature Damage is blocked, bounces are not.
Necrolyte Heartstopper Aura Reaper's Scythe Damage is blocked, stun is not.	Slark Essence Shift
Nyx Assassin Vendetta	Omniknight Degen Aura
Outworld Devourer Sanity's Eclipse Damage is blocked, but mana will be drained if the target is under the Intelligence difference threshold.	Phantom Assassin Coup de Grâce
Pudge Meat Hook Damage & mini-stun are blocked, dragging is not. Dismember Damage is blocked, disable is not.	Razor Static Link Unstable Current Damage is blocked, purge is not. Eye of the Storm
Rubick Spell Steal	Sand King Epicenter Damage is blocked, slow is not.
Shadow Demon Soul Catcher Shadow Poison Shadow Poison can be stacked under magic immunity, but it will not deal any damage when the shadow poison is released. Demonic Purge Damage is blocked, purge is not.	Shadow Fiend Presence of the Dark Lord Requiem of Souls Damage is blocked, slow is not.
Shadow Shaman Mass Serpent Ward Targeting is not blocked.	Silencer Global Silence Becoming magic immune while under its effects removes debuff.
Skeleton King Critical Strike	Slardar Slithereen Crush Stun is blocked, damage is not. Bash Damage is blocked, stun is not. Amplify Damage Becoming magic immune while under its effects removes debuff.
Sniper Headshot Mini-stun is blocked, damage is not. Assassinate Damage is blocked, stun is not.	Spectre Spectral Dagger Damage is blocked, slow is not. Haunt
Spirit Breaker Greater Bash Damage is blocked, knockback & stun are not. Nether Strike Damage is blocked, bash & moving of Spirit Breaker are not.	Riki Backstab
Sven Great Cleave	Templar Assassin Refraction Meld Psi Blades Damage will only be blocked if magic immune unit is not the primary target.
Tidehunter Anchor Smash	Tinker March of the Machines
Tiny Toss All damage is blocked but a unit can still be tossed. Grow Aghanim's cleave cannot be blocked.	Treant Protector Overgrowth Becoming magic immune while under its effects removes debuff.
Troll Warlord Bash of Berserker's Rage Damage is blocked, stun is not.	Tusk Ice Shards Damage is blocked, shards are still created. Walrus PUNCH!
Undying Tombstone	Ursa Fury Swipes Can be dispelled if the target becomes magic immune while under its effects.
Vengeful Spirit Wave of Terror Nether Swap	Venomancer Venomous Gale This skill is blocked by magic immunity. However, becoming magic immune while under its effects blocks damage but does not remove movement slow debuff. Poison Sting Damage is blocked, slow is not. Poison Nova This skill is blocked by magic immunity. However, becoming magic immune while under its effects blocks damage but does not remove the debuff.
Viper Poison Attack This skill is blocked by magic immunity. However, Becoming magic immune while affected will not remove it. Nethertoxin Corrosive Skin Damage is blocked, slow is not. Viper Strike Damage is blocked, slow is not.	Warlock Chaotic Offering Damage is blocked, stun is not. Flaming Fists
Weaver The Swarm Geminate Attack	Witch Doctor Death Ward
Windrunner Windrun Focus Fire	Zeus Thundergod's Wrath Damage is blocked, but enemy hero is still revealed.
Abyssal Underlord Pit of Malice Atrophy Aura	Bristleback Quill Spray
Ember Spirit Sleight of Fist	Soul Keeper Sunder

Item Abilities That Will Go Through Magic Immunity

Urn of Shadows Soul Release Can cast on magic immune allies, but not enemies.	Medallion of Courage Valor
Veil of Discord Magic Weakness	Shadow Blade Shadow walk
Abyssal Blade Bash Overwhelm	Skull Basher Bash
Battle Fury Cleave	Sange Lesser Maim
Heaven's Halberd Maim	Sange and Yasha Greater Maim
Orb of Venom Poison Attack	Eye of Skadi Cold Attack
Crystalys Critical Strike	Daedalus Critical Strike
Desolator Corruption	Assault Cuirass Assault Aura

Trivia

• The negative Auras of Tusk's Frozen Sigil and Shiva's Guard are blocked by magic immunity in Dota 2, but go through magic immunity in DotA.
• Despite dealing physical damage, Searing Arrows cannot be targeted on magic immune units.