Another Email from Xyx!
Spell Reference is updated, BTW. [img]smile.gif[/img]

You start off with 90%, but the moment you swing your weapon and hit the enemy, it resets to 50%. Annoying, but there you go.
It is not inconceivable that one can complete the game without Pierce Shield, and I do agree that RRoR is better most of the time, but the description of Pierce Shield is misleading and should at least be corrected.

Assuming a level 20 Mage,

Pierce Shield remove one spell protection of level 8 or lower and lowers the target's Magic Resistance by 30%. RRoR removes one spell protection of level 9 or lower. Ergo, Pierce Shield is not <font color="white">RRoR + Weaker Lower Resistance</font>. Pierce Shield is <font color="white">Improved Secret Word + Lower Resistance</font>. Improved Secret Word because it ignores Globe of Invulnerability.
Heh, heh. Different styles of playing I guess, especially since I dislike Simulacrum. ;) It does have its' uses though, especially since the caster's base resistances are not always 0%.
That same Project Image can still shoot out 4+ FoDs if it should so desire. After all, you and I both know that the PI illusion is free anyway. ;) Polymorph Other cannot compare to FoD as enemies have outrageous saves against Polymorph. They tend to have sad saves against spells though. Weird, but there you go.
My bad, I just tested myself and verified. I concede on this point.
If you are referring to Polymorph Other, refer to my above comments regarding FoD. Feeblemind uses the save vs spell roll. Polymorph Other uses the save vs petrification/polymorph roll. Enemies tend to have much worse saves vs spell then polymorph. As for the latter, not every spell is good, but certain spells become exceptionally good when combined with Greater Malison. On their own, they are still good.
Protecting against their Wail of Banshee, total immunity to their Flame Arrows and Melf's Acid Arrows( Mirror Image is not 100% guaranteed ;) ), immunity to their Flesh to Stone, etc... These are the Liches, we also have to deal with traps that spit out horrifying spells like Maze or Imprisonment. Then we have the general-type enemy Mage that loves to cast Evocation spells. Spell Immunity generally has a use in all fights that involves hostile spellcasting.

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Thanks for going through the trouble of reviewing our comments.

I see. I will have to give Pierce Shield more credit then.
I am referring to unmodded encounters. ;) Were I to include modded encounters, my list would be much, much, longer.
I am flattered, but... I am not the guy behind Elmonster. ;) As for cloning, I use it a lot. Alson knows about my PRATI cheese.

As I have mentioned in my earlier reply, Polymorph Other works differently from Feeblemind and Finger of Death. They use different saving throws to determine the success of the spell. As a result, Polymorph Other suffers badly in ToB, but Feeblemind and FoD continues to work well.

One of these days I should only cast FoD at a Dragon though, they do not usually survive to get hit by the level 4 spells... too many level 1-3 spells hitting them. I would garner that my success rate with sniping with FoD is around 75%, which is very good odds already.

If you want to talk about luck though... there was this one time where I slayed a Mind Flayer with a Chromatic Orb, and another time, a Pit Fiend. Now THAT, is luck.
Solo Sorcerer Spell List, it has a cousin, the PartySSL( PSSL). Speaking of which, I should update it to reflect changes needed for mods.

I must say though, this "old" dog is learning new tricks and being enlighted on several ones as well.

Here's one from me regarding Khelben's Warding Whip. It is a little known fact that KWW disrupts a Mage's spellcasting when its' grayish sphere appears. It is possible to totally wreck a Mage's spellcasting by bombarding him with KWWs.

I am so happy to hear that, Dundee.
That's the point behind the Spell Reference (well, IMO at least... It was Xyx who started it) - it is suited for the "fresh meat" and for the "old dogs" alike. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Or bombarding him with Magic Missile. Or Insect Plague. Or Creeping Doom. Or Power Word : Blind. Or Nature's Beauty. Or Skull Traps. Or... Well, you get my drift... [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Enemy Mages are easy once you know your spells.
That's why i like the Improved Mages so much. They are soooo much better. Cast&Attack with MMM's was never so scary... ;)

Just got round to reading the spells guide finally(I've been meaning to for a while but haven't had the time) and I must say a job well done to all those involved! This guide has inspired me to try a few spells I've never used before. I've bookmarked this site, once again well done!

Yeah, but I thought you might want to include that quirk in your description of KWW. No other counterspell does this, at least none that I know of.

Listening to Xyx and Dundee debating about spells is something i wanted to see a long time ago... *My* best spells debates were with those two. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Xyx strikes back:

What is your playing style then? I am what some may consider to be a speedcaster. "Normal" fights for me last no more than 3 rounds( the duration of Time Stop). The key to most of my strategy is to bombard the enemy with so many spells, that even if the enemy saves or avoids some of them, the majority will still hit the enemy. It is not uncommon for my Project Image to be almost depleted after one round of Time Stop.

Some players advocate the usage of high-level, heavy-duty spells to cast on the enemy, but they tend to have long casting times. The majority of my offensive spells have a casting time of 0 after you factor in the Robe of Vecna and the Amulet of Power. Thus, I can flood out all my level 1-7 spells( and certain level 9 ones) and still have time to cast my level 8 ones( usually about 4 Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting). In addition, were this to be my real Sorcerer doing the casting, you can also include all the Sequencers and pre-stored Contingencies.

To cut a long story short, I cast the fast spells first, then cast the slow spells. Chain Lightning, Finger of Death, Dragon's Breath, Wish, etc... are all above level 5, but still have a casting time of 0 due to their low base casting time. Throw a stone at a guy, and he will most likely live. Throw a hundred stones at the same guy... and he will most likely die.
Well, I do play the game multiple times. ;) Firkragg is an evil creature and should be elimated for the good of the land, and rare few will insist on skipping him( although the player is free to choose whatever he wants). Same goes for Saladrex, who holds a component to the most damaging weapon in the game. Resist Fire/Cold can see more action than just these fights though. The Guardians in Firkragg's dungeon is where Fire Resistance will come in handy as well, the Twisted Rune's Mage casts Meteor Swarm, Fire-based Traps, Imix in Yaga Shura's Stronghold, etc... ...

True, it is not necessary all the time, but it is handy when it is needed.
Miscast Magic has a -2 penalty to save, Hold Person does not have a save penalty at all. Both have a casting time of 5, and assuming the Priest's version, both last for 1 turn. Miscast Magic can also be used on Undead, Dragons, and any creature larger than a humanoid, whereas Hold Person is ignored by them.

As an early Anti-Spellcaster spell, Miscast Magic is superior.
Do they? Do they use it then? Everytime I summon an Aerial Servant, the enemy can see them without fail. Do I have to activate the ring myself?
I stand corrected.
You already know about it, ;) it is listed on your website. The Wish method. Sorcerers have an easier time utilising the Wish cheese because they can spam Wish with minimal effort. A Mage has to memorise several Wishes to even try to equal the Sorcerer in spamming Wishes, so the Spell Trap method is much better for the Mage. Sorcerers have to be careful what they choose for their spells, and Wish will help them more the Spell Trap, so it is better for them to use the Wish method.
Ah... but that is not the case. ;) Listen to what the Lich says as it casts its' spell, and observe the animation. This will enable you to know what is the school of magic that this spell is from, and allow you to cast Spell Immunity properly. With the Robe of Vecna and the Amulet of Power, casting Spell Immunity is instantaneous.

To defeat a Lich, I just need a good old sling( usually the Sling of Everand), some resistance spells( using Contingencies), and Spell Immunity. The robe and amulet are taken for granted of course, since you can easily get them in Chapter 2.
Hard to describe in words. It has to be seen to be believed.

Here are some screenshots of the tactic in action with a Necromancer before I incorporated Project Image into it,

http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/ds_s...l/Gromnir.html
That is assuming all the enemies are hulking, brooding Dragons wanting to devour your soul. ;) For the majority of fights, the enemy has no Magic Resistance, and average saves. On a side-note, success with a Dragon is easier than you think. ;) Chromatic Orbs have +6 bonus save, but the Dragon can only roll so many good saves before it fails. Polymorph is not the easiest, but whenever I have tried, it takes only at most, 4 tries before the Dragon is reduced to a squeaking squirrel. The odds become even better when I use Finger of Death or Feeblemind. It is 50/50, very good odds.
Hmmmm... just tested and got disappointed. Looks like ToB has fixed it. Dang. :(