diff --git a/res/eressea/races.xml b/res/eressea/races.xml
index e4e22d0c3..de5a26325 100644
--- a/res/eressea/races.xml
+++ b/res/eressea/races.xml
@@ -1283,7 +1283,6 @@
     <attack type="4" damage="5d30"/>
     <attack type="6" spell="drain_skills" level="12"/>
     <attack type="6" spell="aura_of_fear" level="12"/>
-    <precombatspell spell="shadowcall"/>
   </race>
   <race name="shadowbat" magres="80" maxaura="0.000000" regaura="0.000000" weight="500" capacity="540" speed="1.000000" hp="1" ac="4" damage="2d4" unarmedattack="0" unarmeddefense="0" attackmodifier="3" defensemodifier="3" scarepeasants="yes" fly="yes" walk="yes" teach="no" getitem="yes">
     <ai splitsize="5000" killpeasants="yes"/>
diff --git a/src/kernel/race.c b/src/kernel/race.c
index a4a11c15d..683d37d63 100644
--- a/src/kernel/race.c
+++ b/src/kernel/race.c
@@ -277,7 +277,6 @@ void free_races(void) {
                 free(at->data.dice);
             }
         }
-        spellref_free(races->precombatspell);
         free(xrefs);
         xrefs = 0;
         free(races->_name);
@@ -337,7 +336,6 @@ race *rc_create(const char *zName)
         assert(strchr(zName, ' ') == NULL);
     }
     rc->_name = strdup(zName);
-    rc->precombatspell = NULL;
 
     rc->attack[0].type = AT_COMBATSPELL;
     for (i = 1; i < RACE_ATTACKS; ++i)
diff --git a/src/kernel/race.h b/src/kernel/race.h
index c58bad701..8fc6d5989 100644
--- a/src/kernel/race.h
+++ b/src/kernel/race.h
@@ -138,7 +138,6 @@ extern "C" {
         int df_default;             /* Verteidigungsskill Unbewaffnet (default: -2) */
         int at_bonus;               /* Ver�ndert den Angriffsskill (default: 0) */
         int df_bonus;               /* Ver�ndert den Verteidigungskill (default: 0) */
-        struct spellref *precombatspell;
         signed char *study_speed;   /* study-speed-bonus in points/turn (0=30 Tage) */
         int flags;
         int battle_flags;
diff --git a/src/kernel/xmlreader.c b/src/kernel/xmlreader.c
index 3a4b351dd..1ac5583ec 100644
--- a/src/kernel/xmlreader.c
+++ b/src/kernel/xmlreader.c
@@ -1849,17 +1849,6 @@ static int parse_races(xmlDocPtr doc)
         }
         xmlXPathFreeObject(result);
 
-        /* reading eressea/races/race/precombatspell */
-        xpath->node = node;
-        result = xmlXPathEvalExpression(BAD_CAST "precombatspell", xpath);
-        assert(rc->precombatspell == NULL
-            || !"precombatspell is already initialized");
-        for (k = 0; k != result->nodesetval->nodeNr; ++k) {
-            xmlNodePtr node = result->nodesetval->nodeTab[k];
-            rc->precombatspell = xml_spellref(node, "spell");
-        }
-        xmlXPathFreeObject(result);
-
         /* reading eressea/races/race/attack */
         xpath->node = node;
         result = xmlXPathEvalExpression(BAD_CAST "attack", xpath);
diff --git a/src/magic.c b/src/magic.c
index 89774e96a..19890ec0e 100644
--- a/src/magic.c
+++ b/src/magic.c
@@ -561,13 +561,6 @@ const spell *get_combatspell(const unit * u, int nr)
     if (m) {
         return m->combatspells[nr].sp;
     }
-    else {
-        const race * rc = u_race(u);
-        if (rc->precombatspell) {
-            return spellref_get(rc->precombatspell);
-        }
-    }
-
     return NULL;
 }