A spell or special ability that instantly slays the target, such as finger of death. Neither raise dead nor reincarnation can grant life to a creature slain by a death attack, though resurrection and more powerful effects can. In most cases, a death attack allows the victim a Fortitude save to avoid the affect, but if the save fails, the character dies instantly. A victim cannot be made stable and thereby kept alive. In case it matters, a dead character, no matter how she died, has -10 hit points. The spell death ward protects a character against these attacks.