i've stopped using this strategy years ago with my arcane spell casters, in the unmodded game ( even on insane ) it is actually completely unnecessary to do this
Well, I was personally expecting @semiticgod to show up and explain that TS+IA is actually a suboptimal use of your aura. Alas, he didn’t show up. Yet ?
@Arctodus: You might be thinking of @Lord_Tansheron, who has criticized Time Stop as an inefficient spell. As for me, I don't use Improved Alacrity much since my mages' spell slots are generally reserved for defensive and utility options (emptying a spellbook to deal damage isn't something I normally do), and I mostly use Time Stop to get automatic hits.
I do think Time Stop and Improved Alacrity are a bit over-valued as a combo, though, simply because their roles are redundant: they both let you fire off multiple spells before the enemy can react.
A fairly simple but reliable strategy is to load 3 ADHW into a chain contingency, triggered on seeing an enemy. Pair it with 3 lower resistances in a spell trigger for dragons, and you're set.
There's a bit of a lag between where you see an enemy, and the contingency firing, which is good, because it allows your spell trigger to hit first. I once took out the Suldanessar dragon like that before anyone else could get a shot off.
A fairly simple but reliable strategy is to load 3 ADHW into a chain contingency, triggered on seeing an enemy. Pair it with 3 lower resistances in a spell trigger for dragons, and you're set.
There's a bit of a lag between where you see an enemy, and the contingency firing, which is good, because it allows your spell trigger to hit first. I once took out the Suldanessar dragon like that before anyone else could get a shot off.
Every time I try something like that, I run into a goblin I forgot about right before the Big Bad.
@Timbo0o0o0 Yeah, that soultaker plot hole aggravates me to no end. I'm willing to accept that TOTSC isn't canon, but it has to be if the soultaker dagger exists. And if it is canon, the Soultaker Dagger can't still exist in SOD.
@Timbo0o0o0 Yeah, that soultaker plot hole aggravates me to no end. I'm willing to accept that TOTSC isn't canon, but it has to be if the soultaker dagger exists. And if it is canon, the Soultaker Dagger can't still exist in SOD.
The paradox, it hurts.
Really? How so? I recall charname saying they lost the dagger at the end, and Stoneblade ASSUMES that its power was drained. But nothing in the game confirms it.
@ThacoBell It's because the dagger was broken to summon Aec'Lectec so it can't exist after the events of TOTSC, which have to be canon if the dagger exists.
@Arctodus: You might be thinking of @Lord_Tansheron, who has criticized Time Stop as an inefficient spell.
More precisely, I don't consider Time Stop an efficient OFFENSIVE spell, but rather think of it as one of the ultimate DEFENSIVE spells. That's not to say it doesn't have offensive uses, of course (preventing enemies from activating defensive abilities, for example) but it comes at a steep cost if you're playing with a party because you're also disabling all your other party members. In most (but not all) combat scenarios the EV for total damage per round will be negative because of that.
Much of the perceived offensive nature I would posit simply stems from the "time" flavor of the spell, which somehow suggests that no time is passing (it is, though, that's why you can do things and also why periodicals keep ticking and buff/debuff timers keep running). If the spell simply said "stuns every unit except the caster" people would evaluate it differently, I think, despite it effectively functioning the same (with small exceptions).
@ThacoBell It's because the dagger was broken to summon Aec'Lectec so it can't exist after the events of TOTSC, which have to be canon if the dagger exists.
Does the game actually confirm it was broken? StoneBlade certainly ASSUMES it to so, without even seeing it. Besides, Irenicus is an epic level mage. Even if Soultaker was broken (again, no confirmation), he should have the ability to repair.I mean, a mage at some point created it to begin with.
@ThacoBell It's because the dagger was broken to summon Aec'Lectec so it can't exist after the events of TOTSC, which have to be canon if the dagger exists.
Does the game actually confirm it was broken? StoneBlade certainly ASSUMES it to so, without even seeing it. Besides, Irenicus is an epic level mage. Even if Soultaker was broken (again, no confirmation), he should have the ability to repair.I mean, a mage at some point created it to begin with.
Comments
I do think Time Stop and Improved Alacrity are a bit over-valued as a combo, though, simply because their roles are redundant: they both let you fire off multiple spells before the enemy can react.
Strategy #1:
Time Stop
Horrid Wilting
Horrid Wilting
Horrid Wilting
Time Stop
Fireball
Fireball
Time Stop
Repeat
Strategy #2:
Breach
Stab
Repeat
Strategy #3:
Group up...AND HIT IT TILL IT DIES!!!!
Those are the strategies I normally use.
(Yes I know that's not how it works
There's a bit of a lag between where you see an enemy, and the contingency firing, which is good, because it allows your spell trigger to hit first. I once took out the Suldanessar dragon like that before anyone else could get a shot off.
#supportThac0Bell
Yeah, that soultaker plot hole aggravates me to no end. I'm willing to accept that TOTSC isn't canon, but it has to be if the soultaker dagger exists. And if it is canon, the Soultaker Dagger can't still exist in SOD.
The paradox, it hurts.
It's because the dagger was broken to summon Aec'Lectec so it can't exist after the events of TOTSC, which have to be canon if the dagger exists.
Much of the perceived offensive nature I would posit simply stems from the "time" flavor of the spell, which somehow suggests that no time is passing (it is, though, that's why you can do things and also why periodicals keep ticking and buff/debuff timers keep running). If the spell simply said "stuns every unit except the caster" people would evaluate it differently, I think, despite it effectively functioning the same (with small exceptions).
Did you play SOD?
The Soultaker is related to SOD. Play it and you will understand