quote:
Originally posted by KraGorn:
If what you two say is true, and I wouldn't doubt it, then just what does the spellbook skill control? If the power of spells is dictated by the realm score, eg. fire, just what does Wizardry and the others do?
It controls what spells you have access to. If you played Wiz 7, they didn't have the Realm skill -- just the four basics and depending on how high your skill was it gave you access to certain spells. The all-area spells used to only be available when you hit 96 or so. Anything below that was a single-group only. I much prefer the way they've changed those now.
So now you need the School skill to get access to a particular spell and then the realm skill to cast it successfully. For example - you need a 45 in Alchemy - or its equiv with the 10% rule - to learn any Lvl 4 Alchemy spell. But in order to cast that spell with any degree of expertise, you need a decent skill in that realm.
Like you can't count on successfully casting the Acid Bomb spell with just 20 points in the Water realm. You might be able to count on a 1 or 2 die casting, but if you want the 6 and 7 die casting you need at least a 50 to be able to give it any real continuing chance of success.
And just a note: With 90+ in all of my realms by the end of the game and 90+ in my two Bishops' chosen schools (Wiz/Div, Alc/Psi), I was still backfiring spells about every fourth or fifth combat even when they showed as all green.