Your favorite SCS option regarding spellcasters prebuffing with short duration spells

RedWizard

Currently I'm trying to decide between option 2 and 3.
Having all mages prebuff with short duration spells all the time does not make any sense at all, especially because my party doesn't permanently walk around with globes of invunerability, physical mirror, chant, bless and such. On the other hand, I'm worried it might be a bit too easy if they only start battle with Stoneskin and all, but I guess that's what triggers/sequencers etc are for?
I've heard the AI was better optimized around options 1 and 2 however.
I played with option 2 for a bit but it was also a bit nonsense unless there are mages teleporting right to you. I mean, the mercenaries at Delosar's Inn for example started with all sorts of buffs despite well... there not being a reason they would be expecting an ambush or an attack.

nano

I use option #2 because it was the "recommended" one, or at least the one that the creator himself uses. I figure it should be the most balanced one. But whichever one you pick they still have a whole slew of buffs at the beginning of every combat.

Shin

I usually go with option #2 as well, to make many fights somewhat more suitable to my playing style. Obviously, from the perspective of an enemy mage, fighting charname's party is their only fight in the entire game, so it makes sense for them to pull out all the stops, whereas the party go through a lot of battles throughout the game - so to have your mages fight at the same "all-out, no holds barred, spells memorized specifically for this fight" level that NPC mages do, you would have to rest after every single encounter and then set up triggers and contingencies again and re-resting, etc.

My playing style is far from this as I tend to use casters much more sparingly with the philosophy that they should "last" for an entire day's worth of encounters. By similarly denying many NPC mages automatic pre-buffing unless they're specifically ambushing the party, I feel it comes out more realistic for me.

Pantalion

I put up buffs when I have an information advantage in the form of a scout having seen the enemy mage and prepared in advance, or performing a course of action I suspect to end in my being attacked. Even then, I use very few short term buffs in general unless it's after I'm going after the boss monster in the area, and those are pretty much sign-posted anyway.

Enemy mages, unless they are in the same situation in reverse have absolutely no reason to have mirror image popping up out of nowhere on the offchance that CHARNAME will show up later that day minute.

Even with option #2 set, a bizarre number of mages still pulled out those magical prebuffs from their posteriors, so a no-prebuff generally set up more reasonable encounters where the mages were at least realistically set up to be surprised.

In the end I had to uninstall SCS anyway, since for some reason it made every basic melee enemy just freeze in place for long periods of time, and made Basillus fully heal, fully buff and recover all spells when he was hidden behind one of his stone monoliths for less than a round - three times in a row.

CrevsDaak

I want them to be tricky, but not so much, also, I like difficult battle, mostly because I feel that the game is too easy.

Lord_Tansheron

I don't really care about "logic" in these cases, so I go with the nuclear option. Just have enemies fully buffed always and at all times. Easy!

aldain

If you check the readme for SCS, there's actually an explanation for why mages pre-buffing completely at start of combat can be considered plausible.
Basically, you'd expect any mage worth his salt to use scrying spells, or have a familiar/golem/magical servant of some sort keep an eye out, or have some magic early warning system (a crystal ball?), or anything really that lets him find out that you're coming to gut him. None of this is implemented in the game of course.

Mages without prebuffs are dog food, basically. The more potent enemies have defensive triggers and contingencies, but it's typically not enough, and they'll waste precious rounds applying defensive spells that could have been spent destroying YOU.
Clerics without prebuffs are quivering mounds of interrupted spells waiting to happen. Given that they've got no immunity spells a la Stoneskin/PfMW, they tend to die rapidly even with them, but it's still an improvement, and they can at least lay down a little hurt in between losing their spells to damage when they start with DUHM and Righteous Magic active.

With the things above in mind, allowing mages and clerics to prebuff seems a natural choice if you want a challenge.

kryptix

I am running with 2, but it seems like every mage once you engage still casts a ton of buffs instantly... Maybe a bug? However, it at least lets me backstab one to death once ina while.

DavidW

I use 2 for mages, 1 for clerics, fwiw.

velehal

Generally I choose the "hardest" option.

jorgehalcaraz

I have the same problem as kriptix! I choose obtion 2, but still, they cast prebuffing spells even though they aren't created T_T .

CrevsDaak

Huh. Looks like this is another Poll where I uncaringly choose wrong, since I always go 1 both for Mages and Priests.

JuliusBorisov

Well, to me if you're installing the SCS mod, you want to test yourself, you want to make it harder. And what's the point in trying harder conditions if they are not the hardest ones.

So, the first option seems the best to me.

The more difficult the task is, the more interesting to me is the process of overcoming it.

Blackraven

I picked this option for the same reason as others already mentioned: to maximize the challenge. Do I like seeing enemy mages insta-cast five buffs when they turn hostile? Not really, but victory is all the sweeter when they fall
Btw I can understand that some players prefer realism. It's something I also tend to look for with a number of mods, just not this one.

lunar

I use the mod for the extra challenge, so might as well go all the way. Go hardcore or go home! :-D

Lemernis

I selected "Mages cast some short-duration spells instantly at start of combat, to simulate pre-battle casting."

Juris

Went with 2 for the same reason - why install SCS if you aren't going to use it. I do think some of the pre-buffs are ridiculous. Stoneskin yes, Spirit Armor yes, spells that only last 1 round per level? No, that kinda bugs me. It really encourages the 'run away and wait it out' strategy.

jorgehalcaraz

Well if you choose option 3, then, it seems like enemies still pre-buff with stoneskin and armor, and maybe spirit armor, and that's great, these are long duration spells, so it's ok. I think if you consider this, obtion 3 is very good, and logical. I think next time, I will choose that XD