High Level Abilities

[dvandersluis]

I think that the Mage High Level Abilities are lacking compared to the other classes. First of all, whereas most classes have innate abilities as choices, mages can only choose from 10th level spells and one time improvements like Extra X Level Spell (I guess this is probably true for clerics as well). The spell options are okay, but for 10th level spells, I think that they could be slightly better...

Of course, it's probably just AD&D rules, that ToB has no control over...

[Raphtyr]

I disagree.
Dragon's Breath and comet, whilst being almost the same spell, are infinitely useful at taking out hordes of shades and shadows.
A planetar will never go astray in any sort of battle, their spell selection is farly impressive.
Alacrity is considerably useful if used properly with a time stop, and Energy Blades are just fun.
The extra mage spells are useful too. What sort of abilities would you have designed for ToB, if I may ask?

[UserUnfriendly]

Dragon and comet are both really variants of abi dahzim, and we all know just how great that spell is. Plus with comet, even if the enemy has time to cast protects, the knock down effect is just too sweet.

The stinking vs guide says energy blade is useless, and quite frankly its like melf minute meteors, upgraded, and we all know just how wonderful that spell is for golem killing and spell disrupt. I've wasted liches with it in soa.

finally, greater alacrity and timestop with robes of vecna is impossible to defeat. cast timestop, cast alacrity, cast another timestop, and instead of in so where you got maybe 3 spells off befoer timestop runs out, and it takes a round for the second to take effect, you have a double duration timestop and the spell casting time is obscene. with the amulet of power I stopped countimg after 10 spells. I tried to kill melissan at saradush, and I hit her with spell strike, breach, 3 lowerresistance, malison 5 finger of death and 2 disintegrate. got tired so I let it run out.

One sorc at hogh levels can really unload a sheer volume of spells its annoying. For even more evil cast timestop and alacrity and cast wand spells. they have a cast time of 1, so I figure I can cast around 20 per timestop. I don't actually have fireball mem for my sorc, since anything I have wands for I don't memorize, and quite frankly that is almost too cheesey.

Face red dragon, cast time stop, alacrity and hit with 7 cones of cold. end of battle, its dead before it knows what hit it. and since I do have cone of cold, becasue unlike fireball it gets stronger without a cap, I figure my sorc does 24d4+10 points of cold damage!!!!

stack 10 together, and I might see a blue dragon where ther once was a red dragon.

[UserUnfriendly]

oh yeah, forgot how nasty planetars are. with sunray, holy word, ressurect and its weapon is a vorpal blade, it is already a winner. add globe of blades and you have perfect chipper shreader. send it along with globe at a mob aand most will die after a while, failing thier save against death. It also has 75% magic resist, and does not become unsummoned at all until duration runs out. I plan to send 12 against demo gorgon, using the project image trick.

this is why aerie is such an asset to a party, I got her at 17 level mage, 19 cleric, and soon I will be able to chain contingency 3 implosions. Set up contingency in last level of whatcher's keep. Here is a truely dirty trick. first, memorize at least 2 more like 3 chains. send her with improved inv and spell immunity divination to face demogorgon. set up chain to cast 3 project images. once each image spawns, set up chain in each image to cast tripple implosions. Implosion does physical damage, so I think it will bypass elemental resist. Book says you can save for half, but even then 9 implosions???


this would kill of the attendent demona at the very least.

[dvandersluis]

I did not mean that the 10th level spells were bad. What I meant was that with all the 9th level spells and only a few 9th level slots (until really high levels), your spell selection is slightly limited.

I love Planetars (tho they very easily can go astray... if they even walk into an area spell they will get hostile) and Improved Alacrity is great too. However, Dragon's Breath and Comet, tho they do render enemies unconcious, usually is not effective for groups of high level enemies with magic resistance (like Drow).

What I am suggesting is that the 10th level spells either get their own spellbook page from the 9th level, or they become true abilities rather than spells.

[UserUnfriendly]

Thats why sorc are so great, at relatively high levels, you can get ALL the new spells, and can cast up to 6 times a day. The sorc is for those who absolutley understand the spells they want and prefer staying power in a magic heavy duel, not the mage who wants a lot of variety, tailoring his spells to precise situations ahead of time.

Also, 90% of all spell protections, like spell trap and spell turning, can be replaced by two spells, improved invisibility and spell immunity . Use imm with div, and no spellcaster enemy can break your invisibility. I think this works against monsters who can see invisible creatuers too. Anyway this prevents ther really nasty, single target spells from hitting you because as per rules of magic invisibility, if you can't target, you cant cast a spell. I think this will work against the awful ranged imprison from demi lich too.

Throw away globe of invulnerablity, and spell trap, you don't need them. using those tricks, you can make an effective sorc knowing how to get the results you want.

There is a great site about all the spells in the game, mage, and other tricks I am just amazed about.

Punch thru lich immunities using delay action fireball is an old fav, and I'd rather have delay action than regulaar fireball, because you can get a wand for it.

My approach is to cheat, and grab all the spells I want. But since I know them so well, I can create a sorc within game rules and create an effective and deadly sorc for any situation I can think of. and at lev 19 you can cast 6 of every level a day.

Yeah, I do understand where you're coming from, I'd love to have my sorc cast implosion or globe of blades.

Thats why I think the mage cleric has such a versatility about being able to provide a superb and big spell library. Too bad you can't dual from a mage kit, I'd love the bigger spell library and if you choose abjureer, youiss out divination, but cleric spell true sight will work just as well.

I wish there was some way to do it!!!


Anyway, the first time you cast dragon you realize this is really cool, because dragon is not so nice as storm of vengence, but looks as cool. best high level direct damage, is implosion. however, soon my little aerie sweetie will soon reach high enough level to get 9th level spells, and she can then chain contingency implosions....really evil!!!

Just imagine a poor monster getting hit by 3 imposions in a row. Now I was not that impressed, I cast it on two of gromnirs thugs, and one sum***** actually resisted it! unbeleiveable! If the resist is made, or the save made, then the poor guy still should have taken over 50 fier damage or so,

[Xyx]

Originally posted by Raphtyr:
<STRONG>Dragon's Breath and comet, whilst being almost the same spell, are infinitely useful at taking out hordes of shades and shadows.</STRONG>

Do you really need a level 10 spell to deal with those?

Originally posted by UserUnfriendly:
<STRONG>soon I will be able to chain contingency 3 implosions.</STRONG>

Was Chain Contingency changed for ToB? In SoA, it does not accept level 9 spells...

Originally posted by UserUnfriendly:
<STRONG>once each image spawns, set up chain in each image to cast tripple implosions.</STRONG>

Again, in SoA I could not get clones to use trigger spells (they could cast them, but could not place any spells in 'em)...

Originally posted by Armageddon:
<STRONG>Dragon's Breath and Comet, tho they do render enemies unconcious, usually is not effective for groups of high level enemies with magic resistance (like Drow).</STRONG>

Don't these ignore magic resistance? I remember reading that in a description somewhere. Wish I had ToB...

Originally posted by Armageddon:
<STRONG>What I am suggesting is that the 10th level spells either get their own spellbook page from the 9th level, or they become true abilities rather than spells.</STRONG>

Bioware felt that way too, until they found out the engine did not support an extra page.

Oh well... Mages have it good in BG. Memorize all spells in a single rest and no need for material spell components.

[THE JAKER]

Yeah, sure miss having to carry/buy/protect those material components

Hey I think they should've put the mage and cleric high level abilities on the special abilities button, maybe, instead of in the spell book. I think it's pure class clerics who really got burned on this one - they already had some good 7th lvl spells, and now they just have to pick and choose from even more good stuff...

I think as far as the mage stuff goes, improved alacrity is the equivalent of the thief's "use any item" - it's just SO good...it makes all the other abilities look tame...but then I think a 30th level wizard SHOULD be really powerful-look how Irenicus pops off all those spells in the cutscene battles with cowled wizards - I'm sure glad he doesn't do that when he's fighting me!

[Xyx]

Originally posted by THE JAKER:
<STRONG>I think they should've put the mage and cleric high level abilities on the special abilities button, maybe, instead of in the spell book.</STRONG>

That thought apparently also occurred to Bioware. They say they didn't want to clutter the "already extremely full" special abilities bar. That, of course, is total cr@p. If you have too many abilities to fit on the screen, you get the "<" ">" thingies.