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THAC0 lowering with mage and priest spells

I like to know if there are any THAC0 raising lowering spells for melee and ranged combat.
I know raising strength and dex will lower your Thac0. But are there other spells?

I like the hit more with Melf's minute meteors, harm, cause wounds etc.

Witch spells do you advise?

Comments

  • gunmangunman Member Posts: 215
    Divine spells:
    Bless: +1 bonus
    Aid: +1
    Chant: +1
    Draw Upon Holy Might: increases STR/DEX
    Strength of One: increases STR
    Holy Power: increases STR
    Champion's Strength: increases STR, +1 bonus to THAC0 per 3 caster levels
    Righteous Magic: increases STR

    Arcane spells:
    Luck: +1
    Glitterdust: reduces target AC
    Strength: increases STR
    Slow: reduces target AC
    Contagion: reduces target AC
    Tenser's Transformation: increases STR and lower THAC0

    Also, Hold Person/Monster help hit the target
    artificial_sunlight
  • artificial_sunlightartificial_sunlight Member Posts: 601
    I totaly overlooked:
    Bless: +1 bonus
    Aid: +1
    Chant: +1
    Luck +1

    So its easy to get +6 Thac0 bonus on a cleric/mage in BG2. Nice :D
    This will make liches a lot easier.
  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    edited August 2013
    Easiest way to kill Liches is to just cast Polymorph Self: Mustard Jelly (100% Magic resistance, 2 apr, +2 1d6 blunt damage). Dropping an Acid fog to kill anything they summon and deal damage over time to disrupt the occasional spell is optional, but recommended (the mustard jelly is immune, so you can hang out in the cloud and pound on them).

    15+ Animate Dead (cleric side will get it MUCH sooner then the mage half) is also pretty nice. 70% Magic resistance, hits pretty hard, decent amount of hp, highly resistant to everything but blunt. Just wait till they blow their death spell, and pop a few out.


    Holy power on the cleric side sets your base thac0 to equal to that of a fighter, and boosts (or lowers) str to 18/00. Definitely the spell of choice if you're going for a Harm.
  • LarkusLarkus Member Posts: 54
    edited August 2013

    I totaly overlooked:
    Bless: +1 bonus
    Aid: +1
    Chant: +1
    Luck +1

    So its easy to get +6 Thac0 bonus on a cleric/mage in BG2.

    Chant:
    It's not clear whether Chant is correctly implemented in BG2. From the BG2 Spells Reference: "The description of this spell states it provides a bonus to hit and damage rolls and saving throws for the party and a penalty for your enemies. None of that can be verified by using it, though. It does not show up in the Character Record or the Extra Combat Info."
    http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/SpellsReference/DivineSpells.htm#Level2

    Apart from that, Bless, Chant and especially Luck are very short-lived.

    I'd recommend Holy Power.

    Holy Power:
    From the spell's description: "[The priest's] THAC0 becomes that of a fighter of the same level"
    http://www.gamebanshee.com/baldursgateii/spells/priestlevelfour.php

    Champion's Strength:
    Don't use it. It improves your THAC0 by 1 per 3 caster levels, but at the price of shutting down your casting ability. If you have to use it, let your Simulacrum use it on you.

    Tenser's Transformation:
    This spell gives you the THAC0 of a fighter of the same level, but at the price of shutting down your casting ability. In most cases it's not worth it for a C/M.

    Like Gunman already proposed, you can also make extensive use of spells like Hold and Web. Attacks on paralyzed targets (this includes timestopped targets) hit automatically.
    gunman said:


    Arcane spells:
    Glitterdust: reduces target AC

    Glitterdust does not worsen AC (and neither saving throws) in BG2 (I don't know whether this has changed in BGEE). Instead, like all blinding spells, it worsens the target's THAC0 by 10.
    Post edited by Larkus on
  • WispWisp Member Posts: 1,102
    Blindness has been changed in BGEE. It penalises THAC0 and AC by 4.
  • LarkusLarkus Member Posts: 54
    Wisp said:

    Blindness has been changed in BGEE. It penalises THAC0 and AC by 4.

    Have you checked it in the game or have you just checked the spell description?
  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    Corrected, would be more appropriate (+4 thac0/AC penalty is PnP accurate for blindness (as is the extra save penalty on glitterdust). And the manual does say that is it's intended effect.


  • WispWisp Member Posts: 1,102
    edited August 2013
    @Larkus
    I've checked.

    I'm fairly sure Glitterdust is missing its save penalty, however.
    elminster
  • LarkusLarkus Member Posts: 54
    edited August 2013
    @Wisp

    Interesting. Thank you.
    Post edited by Larkus on
  • gunmangunman Member Posts: 215
    For liches the easiest way is to use Protection from Undead scrolls. Some consider them cheesy, but they are part of the game and I can't see other uses for them.
  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    They're supposed to prevent the warded target of detecting you, by surrounding you with a mobile ward, extending out five feet. But any hostile action or attempting to force the ward up against a ward creature is supposed to dispel the effect. It's kind of like an Undead specific sanctuary spell that lets you move through them undetected, rather then fighting your way through. Like getting through Korgan or Edwin's quest without fighting (aside from the actual battle for the scroll)

    The fact they aren't dispelled is why they're cheese.


    Of course.....Spell Immunity (one of the most abused spells) is actually supposed to be a cleric spell instead of mage spell, and only grant immunity to spells of the chosen of school...of 4th level or lower (it's basically the divine version of globe of invulnerability, but only affects 1 school at a time). And the mage version of spell immunity is supposed to be 8th level and only grants a +10 bonus to all saves vs magical effects.

    PI and Mislead are just broken. Even more so then PfU scrolls...since you can at least choose to use those properly.


  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    Doom and Chill Touch lower enemy thac0. Probably others too.
  • artificial_sunlightartificial_sunlight Member Posts: 601
    Protection from undead is more an spell to disrupt crowds (where you fight undead and not undead) instead cheesing single enemy battles.
  • MathsorcererMathsorcerer Member Posts: 3,037


    Holy power on the cleric side sets your base thac0 to equal to that of a fighter, and boosts (or lowers) str to 18/00. Definitely the spell of choice if you're going for a Harm.

    This tactic is highly useful against certain very powerful foes, like dragons or even The Unfettered One in Watcher's Keep. A level 12 cleric using Holy Power then Draw Upon Holy Might and then Harm has an effective thac0 of 3; even against an AC of -12 this gives a 30% chance to hit. Not bad if you have a little luck on your side. If you have already hit them with Lower Resistance or, ideally, Pierce Magic then the fight takes about 3 rounds. If your cleric is wielding Crom Feyr (apologies for any misspelling) then the chance to hit rises to 45% and DUHM isn't needed.

  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    By the time you can get crom faeyr, you should be level 20+ (base thac0 of 1 with HP) and like -10 thac0 with Harm (which means you can only miss any enemy other then Drizzt (-16...which is WAY higher then it should be (only about -7 from all his gear and bonuses)) on a 1)...Crom doesn't help at all in this situation aside from saving you casting DUHM, at the cost of taking 2 of the better strength items from the rest of the party. A Cleric NEVER needs Crom Faeyr. Heck the only class that actually benefits is a pure (and Good) wizard slayer because they can't use gauntlets or belts
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    level 5 cleric spell righteous magic, is an amazing buff spell, it stacks with itself, gives +1 hp per level and +1 str per 3 levels and makes you do maximum damage
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