Timestop VS. Chain Contingency

[Alson]

What shall be my sorcerer's first level 9 spell pick?
I already know that my first Ability will be Improved Alacrity, but what shall be the spell pick?
It'll be either Timestop or Chain Contingency...
What do you think?

Oh, and i am a party sorcerer, and ToB installed.

[philip]

I say Timestop (but it's because I don't like contingencies)
If you want to know which is better you can save and choose 1 and later reload if it isn't as good as you thought.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Time Stop, it goes hand in hand with Improved Alacrity. You can deal much more damage with the Time Stop + Improved Alacrity combination than Chain Contingency. If you have the Robe of Vecna + Amulet of Power, definitely Time Stop. Enemies have been causing you pain with Time Stop, time for you to be the executor now.

Besides... with Time Stop in your hands, it will only be a matter of time before you gain Chain Contingency as well.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Originally posted by philip: I say Timestop (but it's because I don't like contingencies) If you want to know which is better you can save and choose 1 and later reload if it isn't as good as you thought.

Contingencies are wonderful things, enabling you to store multiple spells, or as a emergency backup. One of my favourite tactic with Chain Contingency is to store 3 Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wiltings in it and set it to cast on the nearest enemy when enemy is sighted.

With this wonderful bomb trembling to be released, I can enter a room, fire a Spell Trigger filled with 3 Lower Resistances on an enemy I do not like and laugh as he/she/it eats 3 ADHWs.

One design of the Contingency spells is that they can be cast at any time, even if you just casted a spell. This means you can spam Chain Contigencies in a battle.

That said and done though, I will still choose Time Stop first. Both spells are always in my spell list.

[Alson]

It's interesting to read that Dundee - because in your Party Sorcerer Spell List, Chain is listed as the level 18 spell pick, while Timestop is the level 19 pick . A typing error, perhaps?
And, back to topic - i think Chain is much more powerful. It can be used defesively, as a counter, or, like Dundee said, as the ultimate offensive spell:
It has a casting time of 1 (which is actually 0, because i have the robe), and it is not affected by the one spell per turn restriction! Thus, i can cast it like i'm under the effect of Improved Alacrity! Don't you think that it's more then Timestop can offer?
I'm not underestimating Timestop - i'm aware of it's power. Chain just seems more powerful, if used properly.

[ 07-27-2002, 10:28 AM: Message edited by: Alson ]

[Dundee Slaytern]

Eh? Did I list it that way? Typo then, on the list. I will edit it later.

Time Stop is powerful because it works well in a combination. I have devised the RATI tactic as a result of Time Stop, where RATI stands for...

Robe of Vecna + Amulet of Power + Time Stop + Improved Alacrity

Within the time frame of two rounds and assuming Ring of Wizardry and Acuity, I can discharge 6 Magic Missiles, 8 Melf's Acid Arrows, 7 Flame Arrows, 1 Greater Malison, 1 Emotion, 7 Lower Resistances/Breaches, 7 Chain Lightnings( assuming Party Sorcerer), 7 Fingers of Death, 1 Minor Spell Sequencer, 1 Spell Sequencer, 1 Spell Trigger and still have time to cast one or two Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wiltings( or dance around the enemy with poms-poms if you so desire ).

If you think that is powerful... wait till you factor in Project Image, which will give us the PRATI tactic. At the cost of ONE Project Image, you can cast all of the above( minus 1 Finger of Death)... and if the enemy somehow miraculously survive the first barrage, simply cast another Project Image... and a third if they still survive... and a fourth ~~

Then we have ToB equipment and HLAs which give the Sorcerer more spell slots, which means even more devastation.

[philip]

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: quote: Originally posted by philip: I say Timestop (but it's because I don't like contingencies) If you want to know which is better you can save and choose 1 and later reload if it isn't as good as you thought.

Contingencies are wonderful things, enabling you to store multiple spells, or as a emergency backup. One of my favourite tactic with Chain Contingency is to store 3 Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wiltings in it and set it to cast on the nearest enemy when enemy is sighted.

With this wonderful bomb trembling to be released, I can enter a room, fire a Spell Trigger filled with 3 Lower Resistances on an enemy I do not like and laugh as he/she/it eats 3 ADHWs.

[/QUOTE]I don't have ToB (sold out in all the Netherlands)

[Legolas The Magnificent]

i think to choose between the two is as difficult as choosing which underwear will you wear for a date. timestop is ofcourse very helpful when doing a surprise combat, it gives you time to cast your spell without being disturbed (when hit by a range weapon, your magic will be lost). change of contingency is a big help for those nasty weaklings (specially archers), just cast red labeled spells and they will cry for help.

which is better fire arrow magic? or acid arrow magic?

nah!!!!

[img]graemlins/knight.gif[/img]

"my arrowhead welcomes your heart"

[Alson]

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: Eh? Did I list it that way? Typo then, on the list. I will edit it later. Time Stop is powerful because it works well in a combination. I have devised the RATI tactic as a result of Time Stop, where RATI stands for... Robe of Vecna + Amulet of Power + Time Stop + Improved Alacrity Within the time frame of two rounds and assuming Ring of Wizardry and Acuity, I can discharge 6 Magic Missiles, 8 Melf's Acid Arrows, 7 Flame Arrows, 1 Greater Malison, 1 Emotion, 7 Lower Resistances/Breaches, 7 Chain Lightnings( assuming Party Sorcerer), 7 Fingers of Death, 1 Minor Spell Sequencer, 1 Spell Sequencer, 1 Spell Trigger and still have time to cast one or two Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wiltings( or dance around the enemy with poms-poms if you so desire ). If you think that is powerful... wait till you factor in Project Image, which will give us the PRATI tactic. At the cost of ONE Project Image, you can cast all of the above( minus 1 Finger of Death)... and if the enemy somehow miraculously survive the first barrage, simply cast another Project Image... and a third if they still survive... and a fourth ~~ Then we have ToB equipment and HLAs which give the Sorcerer more spell slots, which means even more devastation.

Yes, that's true, and i know that tactic. But i can also cast Project Image, then let the image cast six Chains in a round - that means 6*3 = 18 spells, and if the enemy survives, i can, just like you, cast another image [img]smile.gif[/img] . Both tactics have their advantages.

Besides... with Time Stop in your hands, it will only be a matter of time before you gain Chain Contingency as well.

And vice versa

[ 07-27-2002, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Alson ]

[Daniel]

I say Timestop especially if you have Improved Alacrity not much can stand against a level 31 sorceror with these spells and lots of wilting horrors.

A NOTE OF CAUTION: If you play multiplayer games online use these spells sparingly, one tactic of mine used to be walk into a room of enemies cast time stop, then improved Alacrity then 3 wilting horrors then before the time stopended cast it again and repeat the process you should run out of wilting horrors before timestops (using robe of vecna and amulet of power) so after that just cast what ever you want till toy have no timestop left. Well back to my point other online players got fed up of this they sat there bored and helpless watching me kill everything whilst they had to wait for 3 minutes. In the end people started kicking me from there games because they were fed up with my style of play, I mean whats the pount of having the most powerful fighter in the game if everyones dead before they can even get in close