Discovery: Major inconsistencies in Spell Resistance!

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Let's get this settled once and for all - spell resistance IS a godsend.

However, since I haven't been able to find an online resources on what EXACTLY it is good for, I conluded some testing myself. I created several high-level casters (in the upper 20's) and bombarded my trusty Rogue(2)/Paladin(2)/Illusionist(20) deep gnome tank. Since he wields the Holy Avenger, he has exactly 50 SR, the unmodded game's maximum allowed. In cleartext, he's nigh untouchable by even level 30 spellcasters. Or at least I thought so. Here's the results.

Legend:
None - Neither spell resistance nor evasion had any effect, ie. spell has full effect on everyone regardless.
Ev - Spell Resistance doesn't matter, but evasion will save yer hide if you make that saving throw.
SR - Spell Resistance works as advertised - spell is totally blocked by it.

Seems like anything that is summoned or used as a weapon by the caster won't care about spell resistances, which is kinda logical.

Various spells vs Spell Resistance and Evasion

Mage Spells
===========
Level 1
Burning Hands SR
Charm Person None
Chill Touch None
Chromatic Orb SR
Color Spray None (even if it says spell resistance)
Grease SR (but still half speed)
Ice Dagger None
Larloch's Minor Drain None (yes it says spell resistance)
Ray of Enfeeblement None
Shocking Grasp None

Level 2
Aganazzar's Scorcher None (primary target, Ev for the rest of the beam)
Blindness SR
Deafness SR
Death Armor None
Gedlee's Electric Loop Ev
Ghoul Touch None
Horror ? (party friendly)
Melf's Acid Arror SR
Power Word: Sleep SR
Snilloc's Snowball Swarm Ev
Stinking Cloud SR
Web None

Level 3
Dire Charm None
Fireball SR
Flame Arrow Ev
Icelance SR
Lance of Disruption Ev
Lightning Bolt SR
Skulltrap SR
Slow ? (party friendly)
Vampiric Touch None

Level 4
Beltyn's Burning Blood None
Confusion ? (party friendly)
Emotion: Despair None
Mordenkainen's Force Missiles Ev
Shout None (says spell resist but you still take damage)
Vitriolic Sphere SR

Level 5
Ball Lightning None
Chaos ? (party friendly)
Cloudkill None
Cone of Cold Ev
Dominate Person None
Feeblemind None
Lower Resistance None (would've been strange if it did but had to test)
Shroud of Flame SR
Sunfire SR

Level 6
Acid Fog None (says spell resisted)
Acid Storm SR
Chain Lightning Ev
Dart of Bone None
Flesh to Stone None
Lich Touch None
Otiluke's Freezing Sphere Ev
Soul Eater SR

Level 7
Delayed Blast Fireball SR
Finger of Death None (Yes it says spell resisted but you still die on failed save)
Malavon's Rage SR
Mordenkainen's Sword None
Power Word Stun SR
Prismatic Spray None
Suffocate SR

Level 8
Fiery Cloud Ev
Flaying None for the inital damage, SR for rest
Horrid Wilting None
Great Shout SR
Power Word: Blind ? (party friendly)

Level 9
Meteor Shower Ev
Power Word: Kill ? (party friendly)
Wail of Banshee None (haven't tested myself since it's party friendly)

Cleric Spells
=============
Level 1
Bane SR
Command None
Doom SR (even if it shows saving throw)
Inflict Light Wounds None

Level 2
Chant SR
Hold Person ? (party friendly)
Inflict Moderate Wounds None
Silence SR
Spiritual Hammer None

Level 3
Circle of Bones None
Contagion None
Glyph of Warding SR
Inflict Serious Wounds None
Miscast Magic SR
Poison SR
Prayer SR
Rigid Thinking SR

Level 4
Cloak of Fear SR
Cloud of Pestilence SR? (Didn't affect my char at least)
Recitation SR
Unholy Blight None

Level 5
Flamestrike SR
Greater Command ? (party friendly)
Slay Living None

Level 6
Circle of Blades Ev
Dolorous Decay None? (shows fortitude save even when resisted)
Sol's Searing Orb None

Level 7
Blasphemy SR
Destruction None

Level 8

Level 9

Druid Spells
============
Level 1
Entangle None
Faerie Fire SR
Frost Fingers SR
Sunscorch Ev (None against blind effect)

Level 2
Alicorn Lance SR
Charm Person or Animal None
Flame Blade None
Rainstorm SR

Level 3
Contagion None
Mold Touch None
Spike Growth SR

Level 4
Spike Stones Ev
Thorn Spray SR
Wall of Moonlight None

Level 5
Ice Storm SR
Insect Plague None (but my dummy could still cast spells?)
Smashing Wave SR
Wall of Fire SR

Level 6
Fire Seeds Ev
Spiritual Wrath SR

Level 7
Creeping Doom None (3 att/rnd, about 10 dmg/hit, 550+ hp in HoF)
Firestorm SR (strikes twice)
Sunbeam Ev, None for the blind effect (strikes four times!)

Level 8
Whirlwind Ev (still says spell resistance but you'll get damage and risk stun without evasion)

Level 9
Tremor ? (Party friendly)
Shambler None (3 att/rnd for about 20-30 damage)
Elemental Legion None (4 hostile elementals, each hits for ~30 dmg per hit)

 

Great stuff! This will be very useful for gameplay. Did you continually test each spell until you were sure of each? The list is quite exhaustive, kudos for the effort. Some spell aspects aren't detailed precisely, like whether the drow's SR can also protect it from the blindness of a Sunfire, for example. But thanks for all the info so far!

 

I didn't have to continually test most of it, just getting a "spell resisted" message is enough to know that it's behind a SR check. However, the obviously odd cases that show both "spell resisted" AND some sort of a saving throw had to be tested until I actually failed the save.

I was thorougly surprised by any and all charm spells ignoring SR completely, not to mention it having no effect on some really, utterly nasty spells like Disintegrate and Finger of Death. Those mean permanent death on most difficulty settings, thus power word: reload looms ever so close.

Another discovery I made during the process: Neither Tymora's Loop or Ned's Lucky Knucky have any effect on saving throws. Ned's has the ordinary +2 to all saves, but it still won't help you against those critical failures. Alas, so far it seems those two only help you doing physical damage with weapons.

Edit: More noteworthy things. Wearing the Chain of Drakkas does NOT disable the evasion ability, but even Cornugon's Hide (Hide Armor) shuts it off completely. (For example, wearing that, my tank would get frozen solid by each and every Cone of Cold my sorc tossed at him - without that on he dodged them all.) So no evading fireballs wearing anything heavy. Not sure if the upper limit is leather armor (allowed by rogues) or nothing at all (if you get Evasion by being a Monk.) Gotta test that too.

I have to keep my eyes focused on the various party friendly spells when they're used by the enemy. I recall resisting Call Lightning, Chant/Prayer/Recitation and most symbol spells during my previous play-throughs, but that's far from conclusive evidence.

 

Could it be that some of these spells, specifically the charm spells, ignore SR because the game knows they are being cast on your party members?

The best test case would involve a specially created enemy NPC casting...

 

Damn, I was told that Evasion works with armour, for both rogue and monk... I didn't bother to test it though. Now it'll be an error in the brand new version of my guide. The Chain of Drakkas is coded in the game as a robe, BTW; if you install MindChild's 'monks can wear robes', then monks can wear it too. If you also install Weimer's ease-of-use component 'armour/shields give DR', then the Chain also offer DR! Say Cheese!

About luck: I think the game handles spellcasting like combat. The attacker rolls to hit, and the die of damage are also influenced. But the defender's armour class/SR/saving throw bonus are fixed. Since the defender doesn't roll anything, he receives no bonus.

 

Tested armors with evasion: It seems like both rogues and monks can don light (aka leather) armor and still benefit from Evasion. Kinda makes that Zuvembie even better for battleclerics with a monk mix-in in HoF mode. Death ward seems MUCH more important now that I know that SR won't save me.

Edit: I can confirm that SR stops Hold Person (It DOES show will save, I even failed it a few times without getting stunned) and Chant cast by enemies. My Deep Gnome rogu/ftr/mage tank and his bard/druid companion struggled through Shaengarne.. in Insane difficulty mode. Man that's a whole another beast of a game there.

 

Thanks for the info Sir Rechet.

'Lower Resistance' has more than full effect on targets. It is buggy as it reduces spell resistance by two points for every one level instead of the appropriate 1 point for every two levels. Atleast it works that way on friendly targets.

 

Not just death ward; it makes you appreciate good ol'-fashioned saving throw bonuses too, right?

Yeah, the Shaengarne bridge was unbelievably difficult. But the kick I got out of completing it... a true game-gasm Most of my 6 member party is drow/svirf, and my available spells were minimal. Making do with apparently inadequate spells against seemingly overpowered opponents is indescribable. Which reminds me, don't ever underestimate the drow's faerie fire! It casts quicker than the normal version, has no save (so Evasion shouldn't work either) and bypasses SR. So it makes everything just that bit easier to hit: Will-o-wisps (100SR), Iron Golems, everything! You can see every monster get affected, because they turn a little lighter.

 

Spell resistance applies for Hold Person.

 

Call Lightning is both resistable and evadable. Booya, Trugnuk!

 

Jukka, try this: cast 7 or 10 skull trap on the same spot, then walk your SR character into them.