Spells you couldn´t live without...

[Rataxes]

Originally posted by Alson: Quote: Originally posted by Rataxes: To answer the subject question, as a party mage. There's only one spell I couldn't live without, and that's Haste. As far as I'm concerned, it increases the efficiency of a Fighter-orientated party by geometric rates.

Don't you favor Improved Haste? It's way superior to Haste, in my opinion. Yes, it's more expensive. Yes, it only effect one target. But it pays off. I did the math for several of my fighter heavy parties, and Imp. Haste trumped Haste big time. Perhaps it's because i usually play with quite a few Mages, so i can afford it... dunno. [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]Well, it depends on how your party is set up. I got two partial mages and FIVE pure/partial fighters. Thus, I can only afford 5-6 Imp Haste per sleep since both of my mages have other important 6th level spells they need to have memorized at all times, and that is only enough to put Imp Haste on all my Fighters once per rest. Imp Haste is obviously far better than Haste, but I have to preserve it for particularly tough battles where it's necessary to prebuff properly.
Haste on the other hand, I can keep active constantly, and I can Haste my entire party, and all my summons, in an instant. Whereas it takes more than two rounds to cast Imp Haste on all my fighters. Not only is it a spell that, with a single casting, grants me 6 extra attacks per round (Aerie sometimes joins the fight), but it also doubles the movement speed of my entire party and gives them all speed factor bonuses. One casting of Imp Haste cannot achieve a fraction as much in a Fighter-orientated party.

But if one, like you, play with a mage-orientated party with few fighters, it might be possible to use Imp Haste on a regular basis, making Haste obsolete.

[Alson]

Originally posted by Rataxes: But if one, like you, play with a mage-orientated party with few fighters, it might be possible to use Imp Haste on a regular basis, making Haste obsolete.

Many Mages or many Fighters? Nah... many Fighter/Mages! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I tell you this... Four Imp. Hasted fighters with solid weapons (with side effects) just tear through every non-tactics encounter within a round or two. Really. It's scary to watch.

[Rataxes]

Originally posted by Alson: Quote: Originally posted by Rataxes: But if one, like you, play with a mage-orientated party with few fighters, it might be possible to use Imp Haste on a regular basis, making Haste obsolete.

Many Mages or many Fighters? Nah... many Fighter/Mages! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I tell you this... Four Imp. Hasted fighters with solid weapons (with side effects) just tear through every non-tactics encounter within a round or two. Really. It's scary to watch. [/QUOTE]Well, now now... Multiple Fighter/Mages would require a custom party no? [img]smile.gif[/img] I feel overpowered enough already with just one Fighter/Mage NPC with nearly 100% MR (Sola). In fact, I probably would've kept Imoen instead of him if it weren't for his NPC-specific challenges (which really haven't been that spectacular either yet, though I still hold high hopes for the Eclipse Team)
My team of PC Ranger/Cleric, Minsc, Keldorn, Mazzy, Sola and Aerie already cuts through just about anything like butter when Hasted.

Uh, feel like I lost the plot. The point is that in the sort of Fighter-orientated non-customized parties I usually play with, Haste is more useful and effective than Imp Haste.

[ 02-25-2003, 04:54 PM: Message edited by: Rataxes ]

[Xero279]

i allways use abi-dalzims horrid wilting, mordenkainen'sword, magic missle, finger of death, flame arrow... and stoneskin is a butt saver.

Edit: Cant forget haste!

[ 02-25-2003, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: Xero279 ]

[Sir Ryan Trawl]

Spells you cant live without? How about Raise Dead? [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Imprisonment was a nifty way to get rid of that anoying half-elf wench, Jaheira I've never gotten tired of Simulacrum eather.

[Dace De'Briago]

Ghost Armour.
Stoneskin.
Mirror Image.
Improved Haste.
Tensers Transformation.

ATTACK!!!

[SixOfSpades]

Wow.....I didn't think these spells would get their first mention THIS far down the thread, but here goes.

Greater Malison
Web
Stinking Cloud
Holy Smite
Chaos
Horror
Emotion: Hopelessness
Silence 15' Radius

Let's hear it for Incapacitation! The 2nd floor of the Guarded Compound was completely helpless by the end of the 1st round, and the only damage done to my party was when Keldorn stepped on one of the Traps. (Roleplayed--Jan didn't know there were going to be Traps. No buffing spells, either.)

Another good thing about incapacitation is that your summons never turn hostile.

[super_smasher3]

One good thing you guys didn't say about magic missle: Casting time=1. That's what makes it so good. Same with Chromatic Orb. I am playing a game where I pumped up a sorceror in SK (Yes, I know it's cheating, but I thought it might be fun to go around and check out all the tight spells. I am not using this to figure out how to do anything or giving away any of the plot with it. His name: Sauron =). Also I have not jacked him up to much in anything more than spells so he still can die and it is a challenge to cast the spells right agaisnt hard enemies, especially becuase the difficulty is on insane.)anyway, one thing that makes Chromatic Orb better than finger of death is that it takes hardly any time to cast. Whereas FoD, Disentigrate etc. take so long to cast that usually someone has attacked you by the time you cast it.

Anyway, my favorite/must have spells would be:
Magic Missle
HASTE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Raise dead/Harper's call
Heal
Animal summoning III
That's all I can think of right now. (note that I have only actually played through the game far enough to get Imoen and I don't know too much about how some of the high level spells fit in with the game.) Jaheira's Harper's call followed by a heal spell is awsome to have. Also Restoration is a critical spell to have when dealing whith so absolutely NASTY vampires (I didn't realize that Aeirie could cast that spell untill I had already spent countless hours going back to temples to get my level drains restored. Oohh those things are nasty! *shudders*).

[Dundee Slaytern]

Finger of Death can casted instantanously... if you have the right equipment.