What's your favorite spell combos?

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White aren't imbetween magics, they are magics that give an advantage.

I think the best spells are the Magic Missiles and Holy Smite.

 

After playing some more magic users lately I now stick to the one and only tactic: use evry spell that has 'Fire' in it:

first and most important is Protection from Fire.

Then there's the breakdown for every level:
- Magic Missile
- Aganazzar's Scorcher (Blur, MI)
- Fireball
- Fireshield Red (Stoneskin, Imp Inv)
- Sunfire (Breach)
- Improved Haste (for lev 6)
- Delayed Blast Fireball (Kh Ward Whip)
- Incendiary Cloud
- Energy Blades.

Those are almost the only ones I use. VERY VERY effective.

 

Modjahed,

I'm interested at your choices of fire spells. Your's is the voice of massive experience, so please elaborate.

For instance, the skull trap causes more damage than fire ball, and some of the most dangerous bosses are resistant/immune to fire.

What is it that I am not considering ?

 

Aha, Kull! Very clever question you asked here.

Now I will try to elaborate.

First of all let us consider a few possibilities: a) solo spellcaster; b) solo non-spellcaster; c) at least 3 chars in the party with at least one cleric/druid; d) two characters with at least one spellcaster and no cleric/druid.

b) no magic - means no spell choices .
c) evidently this will cover the BIGGEST number of parties. When I listed my spell chices I forgot to tell that the strategy when using those is not the following: "mage hides with the Stafff of Magi, approaches the group of enemies, fires a trigger with three FB, then retreats and gives room for fighters...". When I use my fire-based spells it means I use it in the middle of a battle, where my fighters slash, and my mage scorches. It means that ALL my characters need to be protected from fire. If for a second I will think of using Scull Trap, I will also have to protect all my chars with Protection from Magical Energy or resort to the above described tactics.

Now let's talk in detail about protections. Protection from Magical Energy is a 6th level spell, and imagine a waste of spell slots when needing to protect my chars. Plus, Scull Trap is the ONLY magic-based spell (level 3). Ok, at lev. 1 you can use magic missiles, at lev. 5 you can use cone of cold (fighters still need protection), at level 8 - Abi-Dalzim's. But what abnout damage spells at other levels?

On the other side, let's look at the Protection from Fire. If you have at least one Cleric/Druid in the party, it will eventually have at least 6-7 level 3 spell slots. Why not devote them to Protection from Fire? You are losing nothing at all. This Protection is very good - lasing 1 turn per level and giving 100% (80%) resistance to fire and magical fire. Then let's remember that some of your party can wear magic items like Red Dragon Scale, Nalia's ring, Ring of Fire Resistance, Ring of Fire Control, etc. Then you don't need 80% protection, you can use a mage's version that will give 50% protection. AND you have a fire-based attack spell in almost every spell level.

Now we come to teh point where we meet a fire-resistant monster. In fact, it is the same thing as meeting a MR monster like a golem - and the solution is simple - hack and slash (remember, we have some people in the party).

a) if I am running a solo spellcaster, I will still use fire-based spells, because it is very easy to protect one char from fire: Fireshield, Items, potions, Scrolls, etc. BUT in thsi case I will have my Sorc learn Scull Trap - just in case I need to kill someone Fire-resistant.

d) if I have one fighter-type char and one mage - this is the only case when I will change my spell tactics. I will try to devote as many spells as possible to boosting up my front liner.

PS. I almost never use Haste in the later stages of the game - only Improved Haste, Items or Potions. I HATE when my chars become fatigued... I also don't use Ghost Armor much, because if you have a straight Mage, he usually hangs back, and doesn't need armor, if I have a F/M or a M/T, he will better have a +4 AC bonus from the Improved Invisibility and wear some bracers.

 

That's a well thought out strategy, Modjahed. It's well worth the time to read your post!

I've got a few questions/comments for you too.
A strategy based on one element is interesting, as Kull mentioned, it can be vulnerable .

A nitpick, but your listed spells aren't all fire based like MM and Energy Blades.

- Skull Trap & Protection from Magic Energy.
What you can do with PfME & Skull Trap is cast PfME on your two best fighters - and possibly on the spellcaster who casts the Skull Traps - then these fighters engage the enemy while the rest attack from a distance. You will then be able to Skull Trap at will in the middle of the fighting. A sorcerer is the best choice for this tactic, since already at level 12 he can cast three level 6 spells per day.
Note that PfME lasts a very long time, so you cast it well before any battle and if you wish you can just sleep when they run out.

- Level 3 priest spells.
There are some very good level 3 priest spells, primarily Holy Smite but also Animate Dead (at clvl 15) and Dispel Magic. Druids are screwed though, so they might as well stick w PfFire.

- The golem analogy.
Yes, sometimes we must rely on brute force, but in the case of golems there is no choice while with Fire resistant monsters there is. You can just include some non-fire based offensive spells.

 

Heh, heh. Yeh. I've actually used that strategy in AD&D, protect my fighter from fire and beef his AC up magically, allow the monsters to congregate around him (they always love to flank and aid in third edition), then the mage burns the monsters to cinders. Yep, I'm sure that strategy will work fine.

 

@Earl Grey:

1) You are being lazy again. When I posted my previous reply I specifically checked in the manual: PfME and PfF (Cleric version) have EXACTLY the same duration of 1 turn per level.

2) There are much less Fire-resistant monsters than Neutral and Good-aligned. And Holy Smite is a 4 dice when Fireball is a 6 dice. What for Skeletons - I use summons only when having no fighters.

3) There IS a choice in the case with golems - Lower Resistance x3, so ...

4) What concerns Magic Missiles, Melf's Minute Meteors and Energy Blades - if I were allowed to cast those three without limits while sacrificing all other spells - I would do it. These spells I consider like weapons with limited charges, and not "magic".

 

@Modjahed
No, I wasn't being lazy. I know their duration and I consider 1 turn/level to be very long. I did not say PfF was bad or had a short duration.

Holy Smite is a clerical spell while Fireball is magical, so there's no use comparing the two. Holy Smite is one of the best clerical spells.

Please elaborate.

Golems and Lower Resistance.
Of course, but my point was that in your earlier post you defended the impotence of your spell selection against certain monsters by adding them to the group of monsters which your spells are inefficient against. You could have just selected additional spells that are efficient instead.

Energy Blades is not for this forum, which leaves you with MM and MMM. Two brilliant spells, most everyone agrees on that. Aren't you overexaggerating just a wee bit when you say you'd sacrifice all other spells just to be able to use these.

 

I think that this discussion is a bit carrying away. Let's just say that everyone has his preferences...

What concerns Holy Smite, IIRC its description it only hurts evil beings and monsters. For example enemy mages that are not evil are not affected by it.

Effectively, just MM and MMM is not a very good tradeover, BUT I am still positive on that kind of trade if you add EB.

 

Earl: yes yes I know, however that's what it took to keep me from ranting on my ridiculous ToB spellcasting setup. I'm sure you can find it somewhere in the ToB forum if you look.

My spellcasting philosphy has always been to let the one mage (yes one only) in the group sit back and cast nothing except during major boss fights, as a well rounded fighter group with an Inquisitor can mercessly plow through about any encounter out there.

...that and I'm much to lazy to keep track of all my spellcasters spells and find having to rest as much as you do to keep them battleworthy quite annoying.

Anyway, back on topic:

Righteous Magic + Draw Upon Holy Might can turn any priest into a tank.
3 Lower Resistances in a Spell Trigger for those pesky Dragons

 

Mirror image + Stoneskin turn my F/M/T to unkillable monster. Other: Black blade of disaster + [ToB HLA] is the most deadly combo I ever seen.

[This message has been edited by ivanatora (edited June 07, 2002).]

[Does this look like the ToB forum to you? We should start deleting posts from people who ignore the rule that posting no ToB material is allowed in here.] -Tal

[This message has been edited by Taluntain (edited June 08, 2002).]

 

Improved invisibility and non-detection on my assassin. Can you say goodbye magic user. It is like dropping a torpedo.

 

Modjahed-

You mentioned soloing with only a mage, or going through the game with only a mage and a fighter type. How would you deal with traps? I'm hoping that there is a way.

-CUE

 

OK, get a mage familiar that can pick pockets. Then pick the pocket of Ribald Barteman to get his Ring of Regeneration, this will help you against damage taken from traps. Also you can use the spell Stoneskin to protect against physical damage traps.

With a fighter, buff him up and let him slug through the traps.