Quick question about contingency and chain contingency

Ziva75

Playing a sorcerer and trying to plan out my spells for all 9 lvls;

my question is, do contingency and chain contingency stack? it says they do on baldurs.wiki, but sometimes the site is wrong (maybe some spells are different for EE compared to default?)

ie; let contingency throw up an instant mirror image+stoneskin upon taking damage, and

letting chain contingency throw up 3 horrid wiltings upon 'enemy sighted'

could I have both of these contingencies saved simultaneously?

Thank you to any mage players who know the answer to this (for the EE version!)

Kurumi

Sorry.. no.. this doesn't work.. only chain or the normal can be/stay prepared at a time, but they still not count towards your "one spell per round" limit !!

Ziva75

ok wow, ty. so there isn't much reason to take both chain and normal contingency...better to decide on one.

much obliged!

[Deleted User]

@Kurumi This is absolutely untrue. You can have an active Contingency and an active Chain Contingency at the same time. I just tested it with Neera; Contingency (Stoneskin) on sighting enemy and Chain Contingency (2x Abi-Dalzim's, 1x Bigby's Clenched Fist) on sighting enemy. The next enemy I saw, both contingencies triggered. Also, there is now a 'Contingency' button on the Wizard Spellbook screen; you can click on it and see what's in your prepared Contingency(ies). This will clearly show both active if you've cast both.

@Ziva75 I would suggest Chain Contingency as it is much more flexible, but having both certainly won't hurt. The trick is balancing Contingency vs all of the other good level 6 spells: Improved Haste, True Sight, Protection from Magical Weapons, and Globe of Invulnerability are my favorites. You can get all of the best ones eventually as a Sorcerer, but it will take quite a few levels due to the way they learn spells. Note that your Contingency example won't work, as you only get one spell slot for it. Rather than 'up to six spell levels', you get 'up to level six spells', depending on caster level. Chain Contingency gets three spell slots, and is always up to level eight spells.

bbear

In my opinion, Contingency is not really worth it for a Sorcerer. First, there are a bunch of excellent level 6 spells, and you are limited to 5. Second, it's less versatile since you cant use it offensively. Third, you have to wait to level 18 until you can put a level 6 spell in the Contingency.

Unless you are playing some kind of crazy solo/no equipment/no reload challenge, it's not really worth it to pick it as one of the spells for sorcerer.

Ziva75

Thank you for all the answers everybody! With only one spell storable for Contingency, you're right in that it doesn't seem very good..although using it defensively to put up a stoneskin when taking damage still seems like a decent about choice. still i dont think ill take it all 6th lvl spells considered

I have Truesight, Chain Lightning, Protection from Magical Energy, and Protection from Magical Weapons planned

my last pick im not sure; glob of invul does sound like a solid choice, and is especially attractive since i DONT have minor globe of invul

but improved haste is also good; you use project image exploit to cast it six times on the party without expending all your 6th lvl slots.

anyway, thanks!

jukaga

While I've always used sequencers, I've never like contigency spells as I want to always have control and flexibility over my choices. I definitely don't want to spit out 3x Horrid Wiltings at the mere sight of an enemy and my basic protections like stoneskin are always running anyways. They seem more like useful spells for enemy wizards to use, not the party.

Ziva75

@jukaga good point to be sure; it also comes down to playstyle preferences.

For some reason I don't like pre-buffing my party before an encounter; i like to always start a fight completely unbuffed. I figure since the monsters usually don't start out buffed, why should I?

But its all preference; logically you have a point, contingency seems a bit unnecessary, unless you use it for rds/lvl buffs that you might not have up all the time, such as protection from magical weapons.

[Deleted User]

It can also be helpful when facing enemies that use Remove Magic to dispel your existing buffs; many of the tougher encounters in ToB have that element. Then your protections can pop back up if your sorcerer gets low on health. I think it's even possible to have Contingency itself dispelled, although I'm not positive.

Tsyrith

It's flagged as not-dispel/bypass resists, and some quick testing shows it weathering the storm when other dispellable buffs are being removed.

Ziva75

cool i might still take both contingencies then; i just love how they're used!

[Deleted User]

@Tsyrith thanks, good to know!

Xukuth

jukaga said:

While I've always used sequencers, I've never like contigency spells as I want to always have control and flexibility over my choices. I definitely don't want to spit out 3x Horrid Wiltings at the mere sight of an enemy and my basic protections like stoneskin are always running anyways. They seem more like useful spells for enemy wizards to use, not the party.

On the other hand you can break the game with it pretty effectively in hard fights if you do Timestop -> Imp Alacrity -> Chain Contingency (3x Horrid Wilting) until you run out. It's even more effective than just the base combination.

Ziva75

@Xukuth

and this is because Chain Contingency itself is instant cast, right? so you just keep setting 'enemy sighted' as the condition, and thus keep sending instantly 3x horrid wiltings...am I understanding it right?

[Deleted User]

I really like Contingency: Helpless -> Dispel Magic, as it helps me get control back immediately when I would be unable to use sequencers.

nano

Yeah I don't think the Timestop is necessary when you have IA up.

jukaga

Kaigen said:

I really like Contingency: Helpless -> Dispel Magic, as it helps me get control back immediately when I would be unable to use sequencers.

That I like, I didn't know you could set it to a 'helpless' condition.

Xukuth

Ziva75 said:

@Xukuth

and this is because Chain Contingency itself is instant cast, right? so you just keep setting 'enemy sighted' as the condition, and thus keep sending instantly 3x horrid wiltings...am I understanding it right?

Yes.

nano said:

Yeah I don't think the Timestop is necessary when you have IA up.

It just makes sure you're immortal while murdering everything around you.

[Deleted User]

@Xukuth unless you happen to be fighting one of the few bosses who are immune to Time Stop...I hate those guys. Sometimes I forget they're immune and then swear at myself as they wander around slaughtering my party.

XerxesV

I recently found that chain contingency is perfect for a sorcerer in the black pits. When you're running from a tough enemy just keep casting chain contingency aimed at "nearest enemy" with offensivfe spells. This makes it so you don't have to stop running to attempt a casting that can be disrupted. I cast it 6 times in a tough fight near the end of the game and killed them without actually standing still. Pretty nifty.

wizzywazzo

Keep in mind contingency can be used offensively, even though spell can only cast on your player. Example if you have minor globe up, you can cast skull trap on yourself. And then (because contingency doesn't wait till the next round) drop another skull trap on yourself via contingency. So I like to run contingency on my sorc for ability to cast extra spells per round, but if you are going lvl 9 chain c, then the level 6 isn't mandatory. It just adds some extra versatility.

SpaceInvader

Kurumi said:

Sorry.. no.. this doesn't work.. only chain or the normal can be/stay prepared at a time, but they still not count towards your "one spell per round" limit !!

Eh?

bbear said:

In my opinion, Contingency is not really worth it for a Sorcerer. First, there are a bunch of excellent level 6 spells, and you are limited to 5. Second, it's less versatile since you cant use it offensively. Third, you have to wait to level 18 until you can put a level 6 spell in the Contingency.

Unless you are playing some kind of crazy solo/no equipment/no reload challenge, it's not really worth it to pick it as one of the spells for sorcerer.

Eh?

jukaga said:

While I've always used sequencers, I've never like contigency spells as I want to always have control and flexibility over my choices. I definitely don't want to spit out 3x Horrid Wiltings at the mere sight of an enemy and my basic protections like stoneskin are always running anyways. They seem more like useful spells for enemy wizards to use, not the party.

Eh?

nano said:

Yeah I don't think the Timestop is necessary when you have IA up.

Eh?

Guys, no. Sorry but that's all just wrong.
Contingencies are the cheesiest spells in the game, if you know how to use them.
I would also want to point out that every spell casted upon the caster (except ADHW) through a contingency, will ignore the magic resistance.

Few examples:
- Load a contingency with 3 Skull Traps casted upon the caster on enemy sight, go near an adamantine golem, they trigger, golem down.
- Protect yourself from fire, aggro the whole drow city, load a contingency with 3 Incendiary Clouds casted upon the caster on enemy sight, drow bbq.
- Load a contingency with a Web casted upon the caster on enemy sight, it will ignore magic resistance
And so on...

There are many tricks. To avoid the damage of the Skull Traps you can, for example, cast a Mirror Image before triggering the traps.

Despite what @jukaga said, contingencies are WAY more flexible than any sequencer ;p

bbear

@SpaceInvader: The fact that skull trap target self can damage MR resistant foe has nothing to do with the spell Contingency. However, this is clearly an exploit.

(I am not making judgment on you or anyone. I am simply pointing out that this is not supposed to happen.)

SpaceInvader

It bypasses MR just because of the unique possibility of choosing yourself as the target, given by contingencies or sequencers

Don't worry, no offence taken
I always play solo (keeping npcs in party just for banters), so I don't mind to exploit sometimes.

nano

@Spaceinvader Eh?

SpaceInvader

@nano Time stop + IA is a really good tactic vs regenerating/magic resisting/dangerous foes.
For example the last fight of the BP2, Demogorgon or the final fight in Ascension.
Those 2 spells don't exclude each other

nano

@SpaceInvader Indeed, that was meant to be a reply to the discussion about Time Stop>IA>CC. Since CC is instant Time Stop is redundant

On the other hand, Time Stop>IA costs less level 9 slots than IA>CC>CC>CC...

I think Demogorgon is immune to Time Stop though. And others as well. It only hurts your party in that case.

SpaceInvader

@nano
Yes, but his minions are not
Better face him alone than the Remove Magic his demons cast. You can keep the party in a safe spot in the meantime.
And in Ascension just

Melissan and Balthazar have TS immunity

nano

@SpaceInvader Agreed. I can see that being useful if you mostly fight solo. Time Stop is still a great spell. Though sometimes I think it's a little overrated, or at least overkill

If you are only scared of Remove Magic, there's always SI:Abjuration.

With a party I just beat down big D in melee before he can summon anything

jukaga

Neato on the contingency tricks, it's just that kind of cheese doesn't suit my playstyle. No grief on anyone who wants to use them.

GamingFreak

jukaga said:

Neato on the contingency tricks, it's just that kind of cheese doesn't suit my playstyle. No grief on anyone who wants to use them.

I'd say Contingiency is totally legit. Enemies use them too. Hell, how do you think dragons, or boss mages get their buffs out so fast? Contingiencies.