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Unholy Blight... useless?

"This spell calls upon energy from the negative material plane in order to open a channel between it and the targets. The result is that any good creatures within the spell effect take 1-4 damage for every level of the caster with a save vs. spell for half. Also, if the victim fails his save, then he receives a -2 penalty to all his rolls for 4 rounds."

*any good creatures within the spell effect take 1-4 damage for every level of the caster*
*any good creatures within the spell effect*
*any good creatures*
*good creatures*
*good*

My evil cleric is upset by the fact that this great spell, that would otherwise do a lot of damage to a lot of enemies, is quite useless, because after all, which bandits/monsters/enemies are ever GOOD-ALIGNED???

:(
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Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,675
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,268
    Just wait till BG2 where just about everyone is evil.
  • OperativeNLOperativeNL Member Posts: 146
    Can't there be a mod that changes this spell? I'd like it to see damage neutral creatures at least. Or just have both versions of this spell damage everyone (possibly with the caster excluded)
  • atcDaveatcDave Member Posts: 2,387

    Can't there be a mod that changes this spell? I'd like it to see damage neutral creatures at least. Or just have both versions of this spell damage everyone (possibly with the caster excluded)

    It's kind of one of the points of alignment and the choices you make. And Unholy Blight works great if you're a computer generated NPC battling against one of my good parties.

    And for the record, Holy Smite works great, awesome spell...
  • OperativeNLOperativeNL Member Posts: 146
    atcDave said:

    Can't there be a mod that changes this spell? I'd like it to see damage neutral creatures at least. Or just have both versions of this spell damage everyone (possibly with the caster excluded)

    It's kind of one of the points of alignment and the choices you make. And Unholy Blight works great if you're a computer generated NPC battling against one of my good parties.

    And for the record, Holy Smite works great, awesome spell...
    My point is that the PC is obviously not an NPC battling good parties (in fact, which common enemies and/or bosses are good?) and evil PC's don't get acces to Holy Smite.

  • atcDaveatcDave Member Posts: 2,387

    atcDave said:

    Can't there be a mod that changes this spell? I'd like it to see damage neutral creatures at least. Or just have both versions of this spell damage everyone (possibly with the caster excluded)

    It's kind of one of the points of alignment and the choices you make. And Unholy Blight works great if you're a computer generated NPC battling against one of my good parties.

    And for the record, Holy Smite works great, awesome spell...
    My point is that the PC is obviously not an NPC battling good parties (in fact, which common enemies and/or bosses are good?) and evil PC's don't get acces to Holy Smite.

    Which was exactly my point too. You make a choice, you live with it.
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356

    ... after all, which bandits/monsters/enemies are ever GOOD-ALIGNED???

    In BG2 there are two encounters where you can end up fighting a group of Paladins. One group is Fallen and the other is disguised as a group of monsters, but nevertheless they're Paladins and therefore ought to be Lawful Good, so presumably Unholy Blight would work in both of those instances.

    In either BG1 or BG2, if you're playing Evil in a bloodthirsty axe-maniac way, then Unholy Blight ought to be useful for slaughtering Flaming Fists, Amnish Soldiers, and sundry other guards who are fairly likely to be Good-aligned.

    Other than those examples, I can't think when it's likely to be much use.

    Presumably the main point of the spell is that it exists so that enemy Evil (or Neutral) Clerics can cast it against Good player parties.
  • KnettgummiKnettgummi Member Posts: 152
    On the other hand, your evil PC is immune to enemy Unholy Blights.

    (Also, evil clerics get control undead instead of turn undead, which I think makes up for the disadvantage of losing Holy Smite -- certainly in BG2)
  • FrostyFrosty Member Posts: 190
    And a evil cleric can be a priest of Talos so it can cast lightening bolt.
  • NifftNifft Member Posts: 1,065

    Unholy Blight really is a bit too useless.

    It's particularly glaring as an issue because Evil is well known for doing battle with Evil, especially when they're on opposite sides of the Ethical alignment spectrum.

    Maybe it shouldn't have full effect on other Evil enemies, but it should do something bad to your foes, even the Neutral or Evil ones.
  • KidCarnivalKidCarnival Member Posts: 3,747
    Frosty said:

    And a evil cleric can be a priest of Talos so it can cast lightening bolt.

    Can, but isn't by default. You could also play a vanilla cleric worshipping an evil deity not represented with a kit. Then you wouldn't have any specials and could only rely on the regular cleric spells. And in that case, Unholy Blight is as useful as an ability that improves your THAC0 vs. caterpillars. You simply don't ever fight any.

  • NifftNifft Member Posts: 1,065

    Unholy Blight is as useful as an ability that improves your THAC0 vs. caterpillars.

    Those pesky Carrion Crawlers will never become beautiful butterflies, will they?
  • KidCarnivalKidCarnival Member Posts: 3,747
    They really want to, but it's not as easy as taking their wings...
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    Unholy Blight functions exactly as it is supposed to. It's not the fault of the spell that there are few good aligned enemies in BG.
  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    Fardragon said:

    Unholy Blight functions exactly as it is supposed to. It's not the fault of the spell that there are few good aligned enemies in BG.

    But...but...but is it not written that all spells, items, and abilities must either be suitably awesome in their awesomeness or totally useless by definition?

  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    Vanilla BG actually bothered to have proficiency for clubs, and then provided no magical iterations. Suffice to say, Bioware was fond of player traps back in the day.
  • DjimmyDjimmy Member Posts: 749
    Completely useless. Save the slot for something better.
  • IkMarcIkMarc Member Posts: 552
    This makes me wonder: does the helmet of opposite alignment change the priest spells?
  • FrostyFrosty Member Posts: 190
    edited March 2013
    Changing the spell is probably not possible because of licensing, But maybe a different spell of the same level can be added. Like Letting evil cleric to cast skull trap instead.
  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    If you are playing evilly you will run into encounters where this spell is useful.
    If you are playing an evil NPC running around with a 18 Rep, you won't.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    SCS clerics use this spell to great effect. It totally decimates my whole party if I am not careful. Hint:See a cleric casting a necromancy spell with that white pentagram in circle thingie and chanting 'vita, mortis, careo' disrupt him/her at all costs!!!
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    Quite so, @lunar. Unholy Blight isn't useless at all, it can be quite a significant spell ... but as I said before, mainly for enemies to cast against you if you're Good, not for you to use if you're Evil. Unless, as @deltago suggests, you play axe-maniac-evil and thereby have lots of Good-aligned guards and so on to slaughter.

    I occasionally play Evil, but I've never gone for the axe-maniac approach. Perhaps I ought to try it that way sometime.

    I'm wondering, from comments in this thread, if most "Evil" players are (like myself when I play Evil) playing at fairly high reputations. I think I'll go create a poll ...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,675
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    Poll now created ...
  • RedGuardRedGuard Member Posts: 672
    Perhaps this would be one of the better instances to keep an eye on meta-gaming. You can always change what spells are available to cast, so you could keep Unholy Blight out of your spell repertoire until you come to an area where you believe you will face good aligned npc's.
  • SidemiSidemi Member Posts: 70
    There are many good-aligned targets! Like... children, women, beggars...
  • JalilyJalily Member Posts: 4,681
    Most commoners are neutral.
  • FafnirFafnir Member Posts: 232
    Jalily said:

    Most commoners are neutral.

    I keep a sword for those.

  • atcDaveatcDave Member Posts: 2,387
    Sidemi said:

    There are many good-aligned targets! Like... children, women, beggars...

    I was going to click "like"; but I didn't because I wanted to be clear its in the "like, I'm completely horrified" sense of the word...

  • OperativeNLOperativeNL Member Posts: 146
    Sidemi said:

    There are many good-aligned targets! Like... children, women, beggars...

    *bursts out laughing*
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