Protection from Magical Weapons

Del

I'm playing a half-elven fighter/mage and for some reason I can't learn Protection from Magical Weapons. Imoen has the option to learn the spell but I don't. And it's not already in my spell book. Possible bug or am I missing something? Playing version 1.3. Thanks.

Doubledimas

Have you reached the maximum number of spells for that level?

Del

Ha! That's it! Thanks.

Tresset

Drink a potion of genius or mind focusing. That will fix your problem.

sarevok57

also, based off of your INT is the amount of spells per level you are allowed to have in your book, and highest spell you are allowed to cast for example:

16 INT - 11 spells/level - highest level spell can cast:8
17 INT - 14 spells/level - highest level spell can cast:8
18 INT - 18 spells/level - highest level spell can cast:9
19 INT - all spells/level - highest level spell can cast:9

if you check out the game manual ( which is inside your BG folder) on page 202 of mastering melee and magic, it will go into more detail

gorgonzola

The game manual is not correct, afaik intelligence has no effect on the level of the spells that can be cast, a mage with 12 INT can cast all the spells.
INT affects only
1) the ability of using wands (and maybe scrolls), a minimum INT requirement is needed.
2) learning, but not memorizing or casting, spells.
3) getting HLAs.
2 and 3 can be solved with potions or other ways to increase INT (items, wish spell for each stat at 25) at the moment the spell is learned or at level up.
1 needs constant improvement, even if probably a trick can be used having higher INT at the moment that the wand or scroll is equipped in the quick slot (I did not test it).
Edit:@Grond0 , in the post below this, is correct, getting HLAs is not affected by INT.

Grond0

gorgonzola said:

The game manual is not correct, afaik intelligence has no effect on the level of the spells that can be cast, a mage with 12 INT can cast all the spells.
INT affects only
1) the ability of using wands (and maybe scrolls), a minimum INT requirement is needed.
2) learning, but not memorizing or casting, spells.
3) getting HLAs.
2 and 3 can be solved with potions or other ways to increase INT (items, wish spell for each stat at 25) at the moment the spell is learned or at level up.
1 needs constant improvement, even if probably a trick can be used having higher INT at the moment that the wand or scroll is equipped in the quick slot (I did not test it).

1) You can indeed use scrolls, wands etc by temporarily increasing intelligence to the required minimum (normally 9, though there are exceptions).

3) I don't think intelligence has ever affected HLAs (unless in a modded game).

sarevok57

gorgonzola said:

The game manual is not correct, afaik intelligence has no effect on the level of the spells that can be cast, a mage with 12 INT can cast all the spells.
INT affects only
1) the ability of using wands (and maybe scrolls), a minimum INT requirement is needed.
2) learning, but not memorizing or casting, spells.
3) getting HLAs.
2 and 3 can be solved with potions or other ways to increase INT (items, wish spell for each stat at 25) at the moment the spell is learned or at level up.
1 needs constant improvement, even if probably a trick can be used having higher INT at the moment that the wand or scroll is equipped in the quick slot (I did not test it).

they changed that in the EEs , if you have 17 INT you are not going to be able to write level 9 spells in your spell book, in the vanilla games, it was true, it didn't matter what your INT was, you were able to write any spell level regardless of your INT

infact, in the old vanilla days, regardless of your INT you could have all of the level 9 spells in your spell book ( since the level "10" spells take up the same page) but that has been "fixed" in the EEs so if you learn too many of the level 10 spells, you are going to be taking up level 9 spell space, if you only have 18 INT

ThacoBell

gorgonzola said:

The game manual is not correct, afaik intelligence has no effect on the level of the spells that can be cast, a mage with 12 INT can cast all the spells.
INT affects only
1) the ability of using wands (and maybe scrolls), a minimum INT requirement is needed.
2) learning, but not memorizing or casting, spells.
3) getting HLAs.
2 and 3 can be solved with potions or other ways to increase INT (items, wish spell for each stat at 25) at the moment the spell is learned or at level up.
1 needs constant improvement, even if probably a trick can be used having higher INT at the moment that the wand or scroll is equipped in the quick slot (I did not test it).

Pretty sure this was changed in the EE. I believe a min. INT requirement was implemented for level 9 spells.

sarevok57

@thedamages I love how we posted that at the exact same time haha

ThacoBell

sarevok57 said:

@thedamages I love how we posted that at the exact same time haha

What are the odds?

gorgonzola

You say that if you have a sorcerer in you party, that can wish for each stat each time and just before you level up a mage with low int he can not learn all the lev 10 spells?
I have still to try, but I am convinced of the opposite.
In no EE there was no INT check, but in EE I am quite convinced that it works exactly as learning the other spells, potions, items and that spell can let you learn more than supposed. The only difference is that you learn leveling up, not reading scrolls.
Now I test than I tell you the results.

gorgonzola

Just did it, giving with EEkeeper 3000001XP to Nalia, a wish scroll in inventory and making her int 15.
She could not learn it, but after a potion of genius cuold with no problem and leveling up could chose improved alacrity.
Then saved and changed with EEkeeper again, this time 50 wish spells in quick slot and a potion of insight, 7000001 XP.
After the potion I started to cast the scrolls, and I was lucky, at second try stats 25. I immediately leveled up her and she could chose all the lev 10 spells.
Sorry people, this time I am right and you are wrong
But I know that is not always so
Edit

I did more tests and she could learn them, memorize them , but not cast them, only the lev 10 ones, the level 9 was still possible.

So you are still wrong, as you was talking of lev9 spells, that rising the int can be learned and then can be memorized and cast even with int15.
But I was not right, rising int before level up lev 10 can be learned, and then memorized with int 15.
But is impossible to cast them. It seems like a bug to me, there is no sense that I can see in being able to learn and memorize something and then to not be able to use the slots that where memorized with no problem.

I also see a problem with existing NPC mages with low int, as Aerie, the one that I like the most to use.
If the current behavior is not changed I must think if to rise routinely NPCs int or to quit playing EE, even if I like some of the enhancements that make over the original.
Imo something that make possible to learn and memorize something that is impossible to use and that nerfs existing NPCs is not an enhancement.

Edit 2 all I put under spoiler is wrong due to a false result in the testing, that I don't know how to replicate, please ignore it.

ThacoBell

@gorgonzola The potion raised her int to 25. Therefore she could learn the spell. High level abilites are also not constrained by intellegince.

gorgonzola

thedamages said:

@gorgonzola The potion raised her int to 25. Therefore she could learn the spell. High level abilites are also not constrained by intellegince.

I was commenting @sarevok57 's post

sarevok57 said:

also, based off of your INT is the amount of spells per level you are allowed to have in your book, and highest spell you are allowed to cast for example:

16 INT - 11 spells/level - highest level spell can cast:8
17 INT - 14 spells/level - highest level spell can cast:8
18 INT - 18 spells/level - highest level spell can cast:9
19 INT - all spells/level - highest level spell can cast:9

if you check out the game manual ( which is inside your BG folder) on page 202 of mastering melee and magic, it will go into more detail

That was relating int to the level of the spells you can cast.
And that is not true as you can not learn lev 9 spells with less than 18 int, but you can rise int, learn spells, and then, with int less than 18 you can both memorize them resting and then cast them all day long.
That is what the manual also tell. The phrase "allowed to cast" that is not in the manual, is the wrong thing.
The manual tells "This has no effect on the mage's ability to cast spells of every level" page 203.

Lev 10 ones, alias HLA, the ones that you learn leveling up, are not constrained by intelligence, I don't know what I did mess up in the test done after my edit in the previous post, where I was able to memorize them but not to cast them. I repeated it and did not have the problem again. You can learn them, memorize them and cast them even with int 15.No need to rise int.

So in the end no mage is nerfed, as rising his INT with something he can learn all the spells from lev 1 to 9, and then cast them forever with no need to rise again intelligence.
For lev 10 HLAs is not even needed to rise INT.

sarevok57

the statement I made, is if you don't rise your INT, so in case people were confused as to why they couldn't write level 9 spells, and the above example was the reason why

and that's the thing, everyone now just chugs down a potion to get pass this problem

gorgonzola

sarevok57 Yes, you just wrongly used the word cast instead of write or learn, and I posted to correct this, because, even if I did know what you meant and that you know the mechanics of the thing perfectly, it can be misleading for who read, can make them think that they have to rise the intelligence each time they cast.
but then begun a misunderstanding between us 3 that now is cleared, I hope.

lunar

Ah. Potions of geniuses have so many uses.

I typically hoard many scrolls in a case, and then after gulping potions of geniuses to ensure %100 spell success, write them all. Also, if you have unidentified items around, 25 intelligence boosts lore a lot so they can be identified easily. It also gives you more free hits from mindflayers, do you know if they even stack so even if the stat shows as 25, it may be 30 and a hit from mf will still drop to 25? Gotta check that.

HLAs are unaffected from intelligence limit, an int 9 mage can get the hla spells upon reaching lvl 18 and beyond. Spellcasting is also unaffected, only actually copying scrolls to your book checks for intelligence. After all said and done, Edwin is not a hot spellcaster for his 18 int, but rather for his birtright amulet that gives bonus spells.

All scrolls and wands need int of 9 or greater to operate. Thus Minsc can't use protection scrols on himself without a potion of genius. Yeslick in bg1 can not even use wand of heavens IIRC. Though once equipped to quickslot after a potion of genius it should stay there till the next levelup.

Potion of mind focusing also helps, but is inferiour to genius for mages, and is more expensive too. It helps thieves that struggle with a particular lock or trap, though, giving them a nice boost thanks to dex bonus.

gorgonzola

That is the same way I go. And every temple and few merchants have potions of genius, with a wise use, as you don't have to learn scrolls and identify most items immediately, there are enough potions even for my mage heavy parties, in my current run I have 5 chars that need to learn scrolls and have no shortage problem.

I use potion of mind focusing to stack with master thievery one, for stealing purposes as I don't stack identical potions to make a Nalia capable to steal everything from everyone. But is my play style, so is not important for everyone.

In not EE going over 25 would cause to start from 1 again, too many potions would cause a negative effect.
In EE this don't happen any more, you reach 25 and the other potions are simply not effective.
The same apply for ability scores.

ThacoBell

I lower the difficulty to normal just to write new spells. Then 3 hours later I remember to raise it back up