Newbie Questions

[Dancing Virginia]

Hi. I used to do a lot of gaming was I was a teenager (I am now 25) and i'm just getting back into it. I'm not at all familiar with AD&D rules so I need some help with filling up my spell book. In IWD, I keep finding scrolls. Are this for "one time use" with my priests/mages or am I supposed to hold onto them and write them into my spell book. And by the way...when do I get to write new spells into my spell book???

Also, when choosing weapons proficiencies for my characters, is it best to equip everyone with some sort of long range proficiency to minimize melee confrontation or to diversify? If the latter is preferable, how would you suggest I diversify my proficiencies (keeping in mind that some classes can't use certain weapons, of course).

Another thing...all the gaming I did back in the day used turn-based battling instead of melee style. Can you give me any tips for adjusting to real time fighting? I keep getting my butt kicked. The best tactic I've come up with as a newbie is to put the game on pause to input my spell casting. That's kind of cheating, I know, but its only until I get a handle on things.

Any other unsolicited tips you can give would be much appreciated!!!

XO,
Cary

[Aerich]

Welcome to Ironworks!

Ok, IWD answers to follow. Forgive me if you know some of this stuff already.

1) Spells. All spellcasting characters (mage, druid, cleric, bard, and eventually paladin and ranger) have to memorize spells. You do that by clicking on the appropriate icon on the left (a book or a scroll) filling your spell slots, then resting. Priests automatically gain access to new spells every two levels (1,3,5, etc), but still have to memorize them to cast. Any priest scrolls you acquire are single-use casting items. Put them in your quick item slots and click on them to cast.

Mages have to write spells into their spellbooks. You can do that by going into your inventory and right-clicking on the scroll. The description pops up, and there should be a "write spell" option at the bottom, if you haven't already learned that spell. Note that specialist mages (invoker, conjuror, illusionist, etc) cannot cast or memorize spells from their opposition schools.

2) When choosing weapon proficiencies, have a ranged weapon with every character. There's plenty of good longbows later in the game, a couple of great crossbows, and plenty of good darts and slings/slingstones. Ranged fighting is preferred in this game. You can do lots of damage from long range, and it can save you a lot of grief. A common tactic is to walk the toughest and best armored fighter (called a "tank") forward to draw the attacks. That way, only one character takes the hits, and the rest get to fire away. It's a great tactic because a good-AC fighter (actually, the lower the AC, the better) can avoid being hit on enemy attack rolls that would hit a mage.

For melee weapons, it's hard to go wrong. Swords are plentiful, although short swords are somewhat less common. There're some fantastic axes; make sure to have at least one character with axe proficiency or specialization. Lots of good blunt weapons as well. I wouldn't take a staff or scimitar proficiency with anything except a druid, although there are a couple cleric- and mage-specific staves. Magical spears and clubs are also rare, but the ones available are quite good (the same holds true for scimitars). Try to have a good mix of sharp and blunt weapons. Every melee fighter should have at least one blunt weapon proficiency. There's lots of skeletal undead, who only take half damage from slashing, piercing, and ranged weapons.

3) Don't feel like it's cheating to use the pause/auto-pause features. Most people use them, and those who don't get credit for being hardcore gamers. I use it all the time; it's the only way to survive some fights, especially because the in-game character scripts (their "automatic pilots", so to speak) are not very good. If you're directing 6 characters in a close fight, you'd better use that pause button. I have my game set to pause whenever a character finishes its round. That way I can specify what I want them to do each round, and they don't lose valuable in-game time waiting for me to direct them.

Post any more specific or general problems/questions you have. We can handle 'em. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Edited for clarity.

[ 07-23-2004, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Aerich]

Now for more tactical advice.

The most important advice I can give is to save, save, save. Use a few save slots; don't just save over the Quicksave all the time. Save before entering an area and after defeating creatures. Be aware that the game will not allow you to save if certain spells are active or if enemy creatures are still targeting you. Here's a few more tips.

1) Variations on the "tank"

One of my favourite tactics is to cast the third level priest spell Protection from Fire on my tank. It lasts a long time, so it should be cast before combat. Not only will it protect you from any fiery attacks by enemies, but you can cast Fireball or any other fire spell (or potion) near that character without injuring it much. So halt your party, send the tank to draw some enemies, pull back into sight range of your mage, and toss that Fireball. Make sure your other characters are out of range.

Cast other protective spells on your tank. Protection from Evil is useful, as it lowers your AC by 2 and protects you from Charm spells. Make sure you give your tank the best armor and best shield available.

If you have two or more tough characters, don't be afraid to rotate them as tanks. An injured tank can pull back and get healed, or just use a ranged weapon. Use the pause button to pass around good armor in combat. Kind of cheesy, but the game can be very hard if you don't take advantage of certain features allowed by the game engine.

Use summoned creatures as tanks. You get Animate Dead as a 3rd level clerical spell (your cleric gets 3rd level clerical spells at character level 5) and some very powerful animal summons as a druid. They can take a lot of pressure off your main tank. Cast them before combat, or during combat if your caster is well out of the line of fire. It's nice to cast summons behind opposition melee fighters and in front of enemy archers/spellcasters.

Use a Free Action spell, potion, or item on your tank (there's a couple free action rings you can get by picking pockets in Kuldahar). That lets you cast movement-inhibiting spells on the ground before you draw enemies with your tank. Free Action allows your tank to walk with impunity through spells like Web (2nd lvl mage spell), Grease (1st lvl mage spell) and Entangle (1st lvl druid spell). Creatures chasing your tank will likely get stuck for a round or two, giving you that much more time to destroy them with missiles from your entire party. Free Action also protects your tank from Hold Person, which is a favourite spell of enemy clerics.

2) Scouting
Your thief has this great ability called Stealth. Stealth essentially makes you invisible for a short period of time. Use that time to scout ahead of your party and figure out what monsters you may be fighting, how numerous they are, and where they are. Your thief should not act as a tank though, unless it is a fighter/thief with the ability to throw on some decent armor. You can also use the 2nd level mage spell Invisibility or a potion of the same name. Be warned that you cannot pick up items or attack without blowing your cover. The advantage to an Invisibility spell or potion is that you can use it on your thief, who can detect traps at the same time (can't disarm them though, without losing invisible status).

3) Targeting
When fighting, take out the most dangerous creatures first. By definition, that includes any and every spellcaster. The only exception to this rule is if you can kill off a different creature very quickly (for example if it reads "almost dead"). Hit magic users with missiles, hammer them with quick spells (to disrupt their spells), and use a tough fighter or two wielding quick weapons (ones with low initiative such as daggers, hammers, short swords, etc) to finish them if necessary.

4) Use mass spells as well as single-target damaging spells. Curse, Bless, Prayer, Recitation, and Defensive Harmony can really turn the tide of a battle. They can make you harder to hit, increase your attack rolls, and decrease the enemy's saving throws (which makes these sort of spells a good setup for damaging/paralysing spells). Haste is good for tough fights. It will make you fatigued after it expires, but it can be worth it; just make sure you have a place picked out to rest. Haste is great for taking out tough creatures, particularly archers, spellcasters, and bosses.

If you need any more suggestions (say for taking out certain areas/creatures, or on party composition) or any other type of help, don't hesitate to ask.

[ 07-23-2004, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Roboghost]

Note that summoned creatures benefit from buffs as well as your characters...so take advantage of it.

The Druid's Stalkers are a great creature to buff the crap out of--turns them into lean-mean-fighting-machines. The Stalkers get caught in Web and Entangle [you'd think they shouldn't get caught in Entangle, since they can cast it on their targets?] and I wondered how to stop that from happening. That "Free Action" spell mentioned just gave me an idea I never used: cast the spell on your more powerful summons! Don't worry about Elementals' though--they don't get stuck in such things (thankfully).

[Xen]

Welcome to Ironworks! [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img]

[Aerich]

So, DV, how's the game coming along? Doing well? Getting the hang of it? Have any more questions? Were our tips/explanations helpful for you?

[NobleNick]

Dancing Virginia,

Two things,

1.) IWD *IS* turn-based, not meant to be played as an RTS. That is why you are getting smacked around. Use that pause button, LOTS, and you may also find the autopause settings helpful.

2.) Save, just before you attempt to memorize a scroll and just after you successfully memorize it. Reload if you fail a memorization attempt. If you view this as cheating, then definitely make sure your mage is under the influence of an INT-raising spell or potion before memorizing. (Hopefully you also maxed out your mage's INT during character roll.)

--------------------
What's a party,
without a song?
Bards ROCK!
Party On!!

[Dancing Virginia]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and all of the great advice. It took me a while to get the hang of everything since I am used to the Final Fantasy format, but everything is going at a slow but steady pace now. A few more questions:

1.) How can I avoid getting attacked by monsters when I'm resting?

2.) Is it worthwhile to purchase the more expensive weapons/armor they sell in Kuldahar or just assume I'll find better stuff along the way?

3.) When, oh when, will my mage get more spell slots?!?! She only has five at any given time and that really sucks.

Any more random advice? Let me know!

Cary

[Stratos]

1. The only way to avoid it completely is to rest at an Inn. Most major areas have some form of entrace map; a small map before you enter the actual location with just a few monsters. It's relatively safe to rest here. Some large places also have one or two places where you can rest without being disturbed, usually by talking to someone. Another way is to simply quicksave before you rest, and quickload of any monster show up.

2. Many of the more expensive weapons sold in Kuldahar are simple +3 weapons without any special effect on them. Few enemies in the game requires +3 weapons or better to hit and if you're already have a +2 weapon equiped, it might be a bit pointless to buy a +3 one for 40k. Don't forget that Gerth and Orrick the Grey have some good items as well. Orrick will also update his store a few times throughout the game, so make sure to check back at him on a regular basis.

3. She'll get more spellslots as she level up, but spellslots are always limited. Spells in DnD are more about quality than quantity. There are, on the other hand, a couple of items in the game that gives you more slots while equipped, so be on the lookout for them.

[ 08-31-2004, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: Stratos ]

[Dancing Virginia]

Originally posted by Stratos: 3. She'll get more spellslots as she level up, but spellslots are always limited. Spells in DnD are more about quality than quantity. There are, on the other hand, a couple of items in the game that gives you more slots while equipped, so be on the lookout for them.

Which spells would you suggest as being "quality"?

Cary