Does game difficulty affect whether NPCs can damage placeables?

Terrorble

Not sure if this is the best place for this, anyway...

I have an encounter where the NPCs cast spells to destroy placeable objects. This part has been working fine, I think, until I noticed nwserver was loading the mod at Easy difficulty by default and I changed it to Hardcore. Changing it back didn't help. The placeable is not marked plot or static, just useable (I create a number of them via script and apply a beam effect from them to something else).

Now the NPCs can cast their spells at the same one endlessly and never destroy it. I can have my character destroy them by bashing them normally.

Any info related to this is appreciated.

Ancarion

Might it be an issue with the placeables' faction? Are the NPCs in a faction that is "friendly" to the placeables?

Terrorble

Ok, so that was it. The placeables were part of their faction and the cantrips they were casting do no damage to friendly objects (although their visuals fire which sorta steered me away from thinking it was something with the specific spells).

Thanks for helping me put that unexpected speed bump behind me.