WizWar: too lazy to play the dispelling game & how are you handling the mage battles?

Skaffen

I admit it. I am too lazy and just can't be bothered to play the arcane "take down the defences" rock paper scissors game.

I try to use a combination of elemental weapons, the few +6 weapons when they become available, Carsomyr (sometimes wielded by thieves if I don't have a pal and am of sufficient level, meat shields, AoE spells, tenacity, lots of attacks and patience to let defenses run down. Oh, and true sight of course (though so far I am pleasantly surprised by detect illusion in my Dark Moon solo nun run).

I keep reading those detailed threads on hints and spell combat spread sheets like

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AoLScCUe7V__dE1RaEhCbm5na0VlakQwYVMxOFJVc1E

with the best of intentions to try it some time but when the next lich appears In the end I always end up just nuking the fellow with horrid wiltings and sunrays and sending in cannon fodder to soak up the time stop barrage.

Is there hope for me? Am I the only one? if not, should we open an anonymous support group?

FinneousPJ

Inquisitor is brilliant for people like you

mjs

i just use breach. it removes the combat protection spells that stop your weapons from hitting, but doesn't affect the spells that stop magic from hitting

i don't think you need anything else. khelben's warding whip is pretty nice too (for those bastards who have contingencies up). it drops a protection once every round

Erinne

Generally, my strategy for dealing with enemy mages goes something like this:

Plan A: backstab them to death before they get defenses up
Plan B: toss an insect plague in their general direction and hope for the best
Plan C: PANIC!

Real

Well, if you already went through with a solo monk before, you probably already knew that you can send her in, turn on autoattack ai, go do a big one in the loo, return and the lich should be almost dead after their 6th, protection from magickal energy/mislead/stoneskin/icannotbekilledbyyouLuls spells.

nano

If it's a regular mage, you can always kill it with weapons. If it's a lich, I check to see if it has Pf Magical Energy and Pf Fire. If it's missing one you can nuke it with spells. Otherwise you have to do it the hard way, but we're not out of tricks yet. Skeleton warriors are highly magic resistant and the lich will waste a lot of spells on those. I send them in one at a time to stall the lich. I'm mostly waiting for PfMW to expire, because as soon as it goes down it doesn't matter whether the lich has spells left - they'll be interrupted by the swords hitting it. It's not feasible to outlast PfME because it has a much longer duration but PfMW lasts a mere 4 rounds.

Lathlaer

Erinne said:

Generally, my strategy for dealing with enemy mages goes something like this:

Plan A: backstab them to death before they get defenses up
Plan B: toss an insect plague in their general direction and hope for the best
Plan C: PANIC!

Plan B is excelent when you play a druid. You cast it and see how a slow swarm approaches enemy mage. He doesn't know it yet, but his fate is already decided. And so is the fate of his team

For the rest, after gaining few levels I tend to act exactly like OP. One dispel from Inquisitor or one Breach and then heavy hitting. Sometimes Protection from Evil 10 ft. Radius if I suspect that there will be Pit Fiend gating.

Larkus

Skaffen said:

In the end I always end up just nuking the fellow with horrid wiltings and sunrays and sending in cannon fodder to soak up the time stop barrage.

Your method is a perfectly valid way of dealing with a lich.

Another tactic is soaking up his spells while polymorphed into a mustard jelly (by spell). But pay attention. If he summons something, morph into a wolf and run away.

You can also just cast Death Fog on the lich. Since it's a level 6 spell, it passes through his lich immunity; since it's an area spell, it will ignore his spell protections; and since it is a persistent damage spell, it will interrupt his spells, and you can trigger multiple of his defensive contingencies with it. And even if he manages to summon something - Death Fog dispels summons.

Concerning Spell Protections in general: Here's another good link: http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/SpellsReference/GeneralSpellInfo.htm

Spell protections removal
There are several spells that specialize in removing an enemy's spell protections. Annoying though these effects may be, there are two easy workarounds available:

Beat the wizard up. If they cast a combat protection, cast Breach (which will happily ignore spell protections). Remove (and Dispel) Magic will also ignore spell protections, but you must be of sufficient level to get them to work.
Cast area spells. These are not affected by spell protections. Do not despair if you face magic resistant foes: Lower Resistance will also ignore spell protections.

In other words: do not waste any slots on spell protections if you can go with either of the above alternatives. The workarounds have the added advantage of instant effect, while removing protections does not disable, disrupt or damage your opponents in any way yet.

A fun alternative to casting these spells to remove (Minor) Spell Turning is bouncing beneficial spells off of them. Casting Improved Invisibility on your opponent would take out his Minor Spell Turning and make you invisible.

A third way to remove (Minor) Spell Turning is to cast Spell Turning yourself, then cast a spell that will be bounced back and forth, ending up on your opponent.