Managing spell casters
Savith
Member Posts: 1
Plaid threw the game with an archer. Wow that was harsh. I felt mighty. I imported to bg2 and found my archer not so powerful.
Now I'm back in bg1 ( bg1 ee on steam ) I've made a party of spell casters. I keep running into the same 2 problems.
1) I'm a man of the mind I'm not playing darts! I pause. cast my spells, then un pause. Some in my party are faster than others at casting the same spell... the one who's first out the gate then wants to take em all on bare handed and starts closing there distance to give evil a good smack to the head. Is there no " hold your ground option? "
2) Someone has cast a spell on me and I cant remember who these people are I'm with. Might as well try and kill them... After failing to dispel me, Dynaheir is quick on her draw and gives me a dose of her wand of paralyzation. This happens allot... now my party want to attack me because I'm the closest hostile... I have to walk them away from me before they will not target me. I think this is a bug. My non affected party cant even throw a magic missile if there standing too close to me. They keep getting distracted with my poor mind altered paralyzed self. I never had this problem with my archer party.
Pause, Dynaheir! cast magic missile on evil dude over there! the one that is trying to kill us. The spell icon comes up. Unpause, but then she steps toward poor mind altered Rova and starts throwing punches. Driving me nuts! is there a fix to this? Never attack part member unless I say so button I don't know about?
I also wish there was a training room where you could duel with your party members to work out how spells work instead of testing them out in combat. i.e. I didn't know color spray affected everyone. you only have the rear party member cast that spell once! also I get my math wrong all the time. Minsc seems to be better with two one handed than one two handed. If I need 5 damage to kill someone, hitting them from 5 or hitting them for 20 means nothing, he's dead Jim.
Now I'm back in bg1 ( bg1 ee on steam ) I've made a party of spell casters. I keep running into the same 2 problems.
1) I'm a man of the mind I'm not playing darts! I pause. cast my spells, then un pause. Some in my party are faster than others at casting the same spell... the one who's first out the gate then wants to take em all on bare handed and starts closing there distance to give evil a good smack to the head. Is there no " hold your ground option? "
2) Someone has cast a spell on me and I cant remember who these people are I'm with. Might as well try and kill them... After failing to dispel me, Dynaheir is quick on her draw and gives me a dose of her wand of paralyzation. This happens allot... now my party want to attack me because I'm the closest hostile... I have to walk them away from me before they will not target me. I think this is a bug. My non affected party cant even throw a magic missile if there standing too close to me. They keep getting distracted with my poor mind altered paralyzed self. I never had this problem with my archer party.
Pause, Dynaheir! cast magic missile on evil dude over there! the one that is trying to kill us. The spell icon comes up. Unpause, but then she steps toward poor mind altered Rova and starts throwing punches. Driving me nuts! is there a fix to this? Never attack part member unless I say so button I don't know about?
I also wish there was a training room where you could duel with your party members to work out how spells work instead of testing them out in combat. i.e. I didn't know color spray affected everyone. you only have the rear party member cast that spell once! also I get my math wrong all the time. Minsc seems to be better with two one handed than one two handed. If I need 5 damage to kill someone, hitting them from 5 or hitting them for 20 means nothing, he's dead Jim.
0
Comments
Install "Ease-of-use party AI".
Go to: Character Screen --> Customize --> Script : The above AI script
Set casters to "no melee" (unless someone comes right up to them; but they won't pursue or engage).
The default AI is worse than no-AI.
(Note: almost anything else you add in this mod will make the game significantly harder. I love it and recommend it if that's something a person wants, but if it's not what you want then just download the "Ease-of-use party AI".)
There are "do nothing" AI options in vanilla BG too - but this is a nice balance. It also keeps people from breaking invisibility and from stopping perpetual actions - like bardsong or turn undead (which is super annoying). And, if you want, can automate healing spells and eating goodberries out of combat.
Then each party member will do exactly what you tell them to do.
Under "options", "gameplay", take a look under "autopause". Check "spell cast" and "end of round". Then the game will pause the second a spell is cast and a new action can be began, and also at the end of a round when the last ordered action is completed, and a new one can be ordered. If that's too much pausing for you, experiment until you get the pause setting tweaked to what works for you.
If you have EE, there are little icons in the top right of each character portrait to show you what that character has been ordered to do. If there is a spell in progress, the action icon will disappear or change to an attack weapon icon when the spell fires.
The party AI is just going to make you tear your hair out in frustration with its dumbness and its countermanding of your orders. It will cause your characters and your own avatar to commit suicide on a regular basis. Get rid of it - completely.
If this happens to you a lot, try the Cloak of Algernon, Charm/Dire Charm spells/scrolls and Safana's charm ability to charm the character back to your side. Or even better, use it proactively against the enemy and make them taste their own medicine. Casting something to lower their saves first helps (Horror, Doom, Sleep, the usual).
If you want to practise with spells, I recommend you to start a game of Black Pits. It's 90 % combat based arena fights; your (up to) 6 party members vs. various enemy types. You can create a party of all mages/bards/sorcerers. After fights, you will be automatically healed/revived, and all spells in the game are available in a store right next to you. While there are some rp elements and a story, it's mostly combat and ideal to compare builds and try out classes.
In Black Pits, you earn less gold than in BG, and spells are expensive. I'd therefore recommend to add sorcerers/dragon diciples to your party mix; they don't pay for spells and it serves the same purpose to just try out different casting strategies.
Second, casting is fun and can be devastating against opponents, but you will ultimately have to equip some sort of ranged or alternate weapon eventually. If not darts, sling. You won't do much damage with them, but it is only supplemental damage anyway. Otherwise your casters are standing around doing nothing much of anything for at least some of the time. As a side note, mirror image and stone skin can make your wizard a bit more survivable in combat, should it come to that.
Auto-pause is fantastic in my mind. it absolutely gives a much more 'turn based' feel to the game and allows you to actually 'Control' your party. Play around with the level of auto-pause until you get to the level that you want. Again, the more casters you have, the higher you are going to want that pause level so you aren't wasting resources/spells and time.
AOE or Area of Effect spells will often times have adverse effects on your group if you aren't careful. But don't make this mean that you don't want to use them. You just have to plan strategically and cast where you aren't going to hit your party. Web is one of the best low level spells you can get. it really messes with mobs and allows your party to equip ranged weapons to pick them off. You will save a LOT of healing if you use it properly. Same with sleep and confusion and horror and a fair number of other 'Battle Field control' spells. Cast them while your group is well back and then mop up whatever is left over.
control spells can mess with you if you get hit by them. Best either to clear away from the controlled party member, or give them something to keep them occupied until they are no longer controlled. Summonables will do nicely for this. Hold as well, although that pretty much wastes a spell that could be otherwise used against someone else. Dispel Magic will also help out. but there are items that help prevent control and you should seek them out when you can.
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