GameBanshee Forums

I am new to this game, and I am wondering why I have not bought it sooner.

I just like to ask seasoned IWD gamers what their favorite spells are. So far, without spoiling too much, I have found Animate Dead to be the most useful. It lasts for about 8 hours (?), my sorc doesn't have to rest at all, and the summons single handedly got my out of some sticky situations.

My next favorite spell must be improved invisibility - can't live without it!

So what are your favorite spells?

stoneskin, mass haste, mass heal, finger of death, animate dead, chromatic orb, chain lightning, champion's strength, barskin, sunfire, tortoise shell

Fireball

Delayed Blast Fireball

Mass Haste

Magic Missile

Fireball

-Magic Missile: don't leave home without it.
-Emotion Hope is awesome, Emotion Dispair is cool as well.
-Sleep is invaluble early on to combat the weak goblins as you are weak as well at that point. It really makes things much easier, but it quickly loses its effectiveness.
-Defensive Harmony
-Executioner's Eyes: haven't used it personally, but it sure looks awesome.
-Haste is an old favorite of mine, but the 3E rules limited its effect to one person and pushed its old area effect ability to the Lv6 spell, Mass Haste.
-Heal
-Horrid Wilting is devestating when cast by a high level caster.
-Invisability Sphere
-Mordenkainen's Sword
-Power Word Kill
-Skull trap
-Stoneskin
-Mirror Image
-Tenser's Transformation

Only one: Holy word.

I play IWD2 in Heart of Fury mode

Right now, Magic Missile, Ice Dagger, Web, Melf's Acid Arrow, Fireball & Flame Arrow, Improved Invisibility, Stoneskin, Shield, Cone of Cold, Sunfire, Vitriolic Sphere, Mordenkainen's Force Missiles, and Mass Haste. My sorceror isn't high enough in levels yet to really test out higher level spells. With a point in Spell Focus: Evocation, she's proving to be rather deadly. I let my cleric/druid handle all the summoning spells - they get all the good ones so my sorceror can focus on other ones.

Jeebus, I can't believe no one has mentioned the single best spell in the entire game, bar none:

Improved Invisibility

Invisibility that doesn't wear off when you attack or cast spells. Unless the monsters cast see invisible or similiar on you, you can attack them with impunity without any fear of them attacking back. There's nothing like wandering into the middle of a group of 40 bad guys and chain casting wail of the banshee again and again while the bad guys not only don't attack you, they don't move out of range

Originally posted by cjdevito
Jeebus, I can't believe no one has mentioned the single best spell in the entire game, bar none:

Improved Invisibility

Invisibility that doesn't wear off when you attack or cast spells. Unless the monsters cast see invisible or similiar on you, you can attack them with impunity without any fear of them attacking back. There's nothing like wandering into the middle of a group of 40 bad guys and chain casting wail of the banshee again and again while the bad guys not only don't attack you, they don't move out of range

That's why I like it so much.

Almost nothing beats beating the crap out of enemies without them seeing you. Other than having summons do the same thing for you.

Use II with caution though, certain enemies can see thru it.

Cheers.

They obviously made a bug in improved invisibility. Neither the rules nor any of the predecessor infinity games allow a character to attack with i.i. without getting fought back.
As far as I remember, in the 3rd edition rules it says: When one attacks while improved invis, he will become partially visible, but he still remains a 50% concealment bonus until the spell runs out of duration. The invisibility itself is gone though, and everybody will be able to see the caster after he has attacked for the first time.

And btw, Holy Word is still a lot more useful than the buggy improved invis as it is now.

Wicky

Magic missile & fireball. The reasons why I chose an evoker despite missing out on divination and conjuration spells. That and I miss Dynaheir

I'm getting to like Belteyn's Burning Blood as well, it's great watching your enemies go beserk and slaughtering all their friends!

Originally posted by Chris Boney
Only one: Holy word.

I play IWD2 in Heart of Fury mode

What spell is Holy word?
I can't find it in the spell list.

It's a level 7 clerical spell. I stuns all enemies in a huge radius for one round (if the cleric invokes the next word immediately afterwards, the enemies will just keep stunned)

Might not sound so impressing, but..
Stunned targets are automatically hit (good for power attack and to hit those"insane AC" monsters)
Targets get NO saving throw against holy word. Only good alignment monsters are immune to it, but tell me one monster with good alignment in IWD2 !
It's THE lifesaver. For example, the Barbarian is 20 yard away from the cleric, needs urgently a heal.. Until the cleric can reach him, he's dead three times already. So cleric casts holy word, all monsters are stunned.. Enough time for the cleric to walk there and cast a heal. (holy word and heal both have a casting time of 1.. that means, just after the barbarian is fully healed up, the monsters start moving again)

Chris

ANIMATE DEAD !!

The ubercheesespell in this game.
Enter a dungeon summon a bunch of greater drowned deads and elite greater boneguards and lay back and enjoy the show.
5 of those beasts along with a hidden thief clear out almost everything without even getting a scratch.
The catch is, it takes away most of the fun from the game.

based on sheer utility:

eagle's splendor. (i still can't see choosing this spell for a bard or sorc, it's wizard only in my book, but i always have one (at least) ready to go.)

doesn't sound like much 1 +d4 boost to charisma, lasts 10 rnds / caster level.

until you begin to realize how many things cha is tied to.

store prices. early in game when every gold counts...
paladin & cleric turn undead (and most of the paladins abilities & saving throws)
it adds some spells to a sorc or bard, in addition makes their spells better.
helps w/ some dialogues

what's not to love?