Contingencies and Sequencers - What do you use?
Zaxares
Member Posts: 1,330
What does everybody else like to put in their Contingency and Sequencer spells? Making this post largely out of curiosity and to see if perhaps there's some awesome combo that I overlooked. 
Minor Sequencer - I used to put double Magic Missiles in this slot ("Say hello to my Ten-Shooter! PEW PEW!"), but after encountering a certain Planeswalking Rakshasa in Siege of Dragonspear, I've since changed it to a combined Web+Stinking Cloud. I've found it to be quite a nasty combo for hurling into the back of a large group of enemies and having them permanently incapacitated from one spell or the other.
Contingency - You can't really go wrong with the classic "Stoneskin at 50% health", but I got a bit tired of having to recast my Contingency every time my Mage took a lucky high-rolling Fireball to the face, so I instead changed it to "Improved Invisibility at 25% health". This not only tends to take my Mage out of immediate danger (primarily because it also prevents spellcasters from directly targeting me), but it also gives me time to re-position and perhaps cast some other defensive spells before attacking again.
Spell Sequencer - I used to put 3x Flame Arrow into this to provide a heavy hitting puncher, but more recently I've started putting 3x Skull Trap thanks to the Tweaks mod that improves the detonation trigger for Skull Traps if you cast it into an area where enemies are standing. Much fewer creatures are immune to Magic damage, and it packs a small (so it's less likely to hurt your front line fighters) AOE burst into the bargain.
Spell Trigger - I usually use this as my "Shield Breaker", with a combination of Pierce Magic+Breach+Lower Resistance, for use against spellcasting foes like Liches. At higher levels though I usually need to throw in a Pierce Shield first to remove any high-level wards before casting this.
Chain Contingency - This one I'm torn about. My current plan is to put in a 3x Horrid Wilting (since BG's version of Horrid Wilting doesn't affect party members) on "Enemy that last hit the Mage" when my Mage falls to 10% HP (again, I'm trying to avoid having to recast my Contingencies too often) as a "Doomsday Nuke" when things get really desperate, but there are lots of other defensive strategies I could use too.
Minor Sequencer - I used to put double Magic Missiles in this slot ("Say hello to my Ten-Shooter! PEW PEW!"), but after encountering a certain Planeswalking Rakshasa in Siege of Dragonspear, I've since changed it to a combined Web+Stinking Cloud. I've found it to be quite a nasty combo for hurling into the back of a large group of enemies and having them permanently incapacitated from one spell or the other.
Contingency - You can't really go wrong with the classic "Stoneskin at 50% health", but I got a bit tired of having to recast my Contingency every time my Mage took a lucky high-rolling Fireball to the face, so I instead changed it to "Improved Invisibility at 25% health". This not only tends to take my Mage out of immediate danger (primarily because it also prevents spellcasters from directly targeting me), but it also gives me time to re-position and perhaps cast some other defensive spells before attacking again.
Spell Sequencer - I used to put 3x Flame Arrow into this to provide a heavy hitting puncher, but more recently I've started putting 3x Skull Trap thanks to the Tweaks mod that improves the detonation trigger for Skull Traps if you cast it into an area where enemies are standing. Much fewer creatures are immune to Magic damage, and it packs a small (so it's less likely to hurt your front line fighters) AOE burst into the bargain.
Spell Trigger - I usually use this as my "Shield Breaker", with a combination of Pierce Magic+Breach+Lower Resistance, for use against spellcasting foes like Liches. At higher levels though I usually need to throw in a Pierce Shield first to remove any high-level wards before casting this.
Chain Contingency - This one I'm torn about. My current plan is to put in a 3x Horrid Wilting (since BG's version of Horrid Wilting doesn't affect party members) on "Enemy that last hit the Mage" when my Mage falls to 10% HP (again, I'm trying to avoid having to recast my Contingencies too often) as a "Doomsday Nuke" when things get really desperate, but there are lots of other defensive strategies I could use too.
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Comments
i will either do magic missile x2 or melf's acid arrow x2 for offensive
blur + mirror image for defensive ( this only works if you cast it on yourself )
contingency:
i always forget to use this spell until the end of ToB, and then when i do use it, i put protection from magical weapons in it, since virtually every enemy in ToB is using a magical weapon
spell sequencer:
for offensive i put emotion hopelessness x3 in it and watch enemies hopelessly full to the floor
for defensive i put a stoneskin/mirror image/improved invisibility in it instead
spell trigger:
offensive wise i put in chain lightning x3
for defensive wise i use PfMW, globe of invulnerability, and mislead or improved invisibility
chain contingency:
now this one is the one that i actually use all the time ( the other spells i hardly if ever use ) but for this one i will actually cast it in battle and put in x3 ADhW and set it to "enemy sighted", works wonders in the fire giant enclave when those guys are just EVERYWHERE
The PfMW idea is definitely one that I'm going to use once I reach ToB. For the moment though I'm still running up against foes like Minotaurs that (annoyingly) use ordinary Battleaxes so they can still hit me. :P
I kinda feel the same way. The thing about putting 3x Skull Traps or ADHW is because they're SO good that there's no real alternative. It's not like it was in IWD where, say, there was generally 2 or 3 good offensive or defensive spells per level that warranted consideration. (For instance, a mixture of Flame Arrow, Skull Trap, Vitriolic Sphere or Mordenkainen's Force Missiles for Spell Sequencer. I REALLY miss Vitriolic Sphere in the BG series.
But at least for Stinking Cloud+Web, my rationale was that the mixture of spells helps deal with mixed groups of foes. Web, as a Save vs Spell, is more useful for incapacitating Fighter and Rogue types, while Stinking Cloud, with its Save vs Poison, is more useful for taking out enemy spellcasters. In addition, the fact that one is a Hold effect while the other is a Poison effect also means that unless you run into a foe that's immune to both, chances are they'll be susceptible to at least one of them. Thus, throwing both at the same time into a bunch of foes means that either way, it's likely that they're going to fail one of them just because it's what they're weak against.
ordinary battle axes eh? then you can put a protection from normal weapons in there instead
Hmm, what's SCS? Is that a mod?
Yeah, but then you also meet magical weapon-wielding foes and enemies like Vampires and Umber Hulks whose attacks count as magical weapons, so it's no longer a one-size-fits-all Contingency. XD But by the time ToB rolls around I'm pretty sure that you don't encounter any normal weapon-wielding foes anymore. (Or if you do they're so rare and probably such pushovers that they're non-issues.)
Its main function is to improve the intelligence of the enemy (and the difficulty of the game), but it does a whole lot of other stuff, and since everything is optional, you can decide to only install certain tweaks and leave the AI improvements for another day.
https://www.gibberlings3.net/forums/forum/118-sword-coast-stratagems/
The Spell Revisions mod is also highly worthwhile.
Chain Contingency:
Summon Efreet/Summon Djinni/Summon Hakeashar
Summon Fiend x2/Improved Mantle
Symbol of Death/Finger of Death/Horrid Wilting
Symbol of Stun/Spell Shield/Improved Mantle
Mislead/Spell Immunity:Divination/Improved Mantle
Mordenkainen's Sword x2/Mass Invisibility
Mordenkainen's Sword x2/Incendiary Cloud
Triggers:
Shadow Door/Spell Immunity:Divination/Globe of Invulnerability
Spell Deflection/Spell Immunity:Abjuration/Fire Shield
Protection from Magic Weapons/Stoneskin/Spell Deflection
Secret Word/Breach/Power Word:Silence
Lower Resistance x3
Cone of Cold x3
Conjure Earth/Air/Fire elemental
Summon Nishruu x3
Tenser's Transformation/Stoneskin/Improved Haste
Greater Malison/Chaos/Chaos
Flesh to Stone x3
Sequencers:
Minor Spell Deflection/Improved Invisibility/Minor Globe
Minor Spell Deflection/Stone Skin/Ghost Armor
3x Flame Arrow
3x Fireball
3x Skull Trap
3x Dispel Magic
Web/2x Spider Spawn
Confusion/Emotion:Hopelessness/Slow
Contingencies:
Stoneskin
Protection from Magic Weapons
Spell Shield
Globe of Invulnerability
Minor Sequencers:
Acid Arrow x2
Sleep x2
Charm Person x2
Ray of Enfeeblement/Blindness
Mirror Image/Invisibility
Mirror Image/Blur
Stinking Cloud/Web
Web x2
a typical aerie's trigger can be holy power, righteous magic and improved haste, followed by a minor sequencer with DUHM and an other spell, that can be mirror image or whatever. a second after the enemy is seen she is ready to go mlee and after 6 seconds her offensive buff is complete. as a wise mage has already stoneskin on and if needed pfmw can be applied using a contingency right in the first round.
she can buff offensively and defensively in 6 seconds and a fraction of second.
the FM has other options, but as lacks of divine spells to buff he uses the sequencers in a different way.
the sequencers as the wands are the ways a FM cast both damaging and protecting spells as he goes into a battle while equipping an armor as the casting is disabled, but not the use of pre set sequencers.
EDIT this is also true for a tensor transformed mage or MT. END OF EDIT.
an interesting use of the contingency for a fighting mage is to improve haste himself, if he has enough level to have a lev 6 spell in it. this because the contingency ignores the 1 spell/round limit and pfmw is really fast to cast. having a not still used contingency memorization a FM can, as he see the enemy, cast pfmw and then immediately set the contingency to haste him at enemy seen.
this is very useful if his buffs are dispelled during a fight as he can protect himself almost immediately and then haste himself in the same round.
with the pre set contingency the buff time is really fast, but unless meta knowledge or a good scout is used it is risky, you can possibly waste a precious improved haste for a very minor enemy.
about stacking the same spell in a sequencer i find it logic in some situations.
when something need many spells to take down his magic resistance a sequencer let a single mage do it in less of the time that 3 mages would have taken without, when the spells do damage why don't use the best spell for the situation and cast it multiple times in a very fast way, when spells like web create an aoe that forces the enemy to roll to save each round why don't force him to roll and risk to fail more times?
@subtledoctor to say that the best spell in a certain situation should work better if coupled with an other spell then stacked with itself, and that it is a fault of the implementation if it is not so, sounds to me like to say that use the best weapon for the situation and stacking its hits should work worst then to hit with it and then change weapon after an attack.
i agree that both to stack webs and to always use your best sword are things that lack of creativity, but the party is fighting for his life, in such situation what is most effective prevails on creativity.
obviously a very experienced player that has no problems in beating the game has much more space for creativity in his way of playing, and then a lot of creative tactics and uses of the sequencers can be used, even if are not the strongest tactics and uses possible.
https://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/SpellsReference/Main.htm
i only copy and paste what has not already been told in the thread like 2 MM or blur and mirror image...
minor sequencer:
Melf's Acid Arrow and a Glitterdust.
Glitterdust and Horror (someone should fail a save here).
sequencer:
Three Holy Smites (Cleric/Mages).
Greater Malison, Web and Stinking Cloud.
Greater Malison, Slow and Teleport Field.
trigger:
Three Sunfires (have multiple mages use this simultaneously for even more fun).
Improved Haste, Tenser's Transformation and Mislead.
CC:
Three Implosions for Cleric/Mages.
Three Regenerations (or two and an Improved Haste if you feel cheesy) for Cleric/Mages at 50% hit points.
there is also a good combo against lich that is sunfire and 2 delayed fireballs on self at enemy seen, a gd3 lich is immune to sunfire but not to the DF, so the mage is protected from fire damage by the sunfire as the fireballs damage the lich.
a favorite use of the CC of mine is PI, Simulacrum and a 3rd spell, that can be mass invisibility if the clones don't have to recharge the mage's spells with the spell trap trick or whatever, haste is a good candidate as well as pfmw or a strong summon as a mordy sword or a skeletal warrior. set on self and on enemy seen it allow the mage to have 2 clones at the same time, at very high level both the clones can cast improved alacrity, at lower level the simulacrum can anyway be very effective using a rod of resurrection, a wand of spell striking or high level scrolls in the quick slots and casting the highest spells he retains and that are useful.
as also CC ignore the 1 spell round limit a mage with equipment that let him cast fast can gate a planetar, summon a mordy or skelly and have 2 clones of himself in less then 1 round. imho it is much better then 3xADHW, as the PI alone will do much more then 3ADHW just a couple of seconds after it is created.
a CC, afaik a recipe of mine, i love for the high level C/M is implosion, storm of vengeance and flame tempest on the nearest enemy, the M/C has to be protected from fire and have to go near the boss to have the implosion target him.
But the storm deal so many elemental damages that no one is immune to all them (disruption and damage over time), the tempest ignores MR and is even more damaging and the implosion stun the boss and damage him.
beholders and many other dangerous foe will like the combo as well, they will scream for the joy
the CM can summon 3 skeletal warriors in a short time consuming lower level spells then any other mage.
a good way to call a strong help in a no reload battle that is not going as well as you was supposing (obviously at really high levels...).
You have interpreted what i wrote in a completely wrong way.
I don't want to shut down no one, and i want even less that other players adhere to my way to play the game, that by the way is not only power game oriented, actually i am also interested in RP but my main interest is variety.
My main way to have fun in the game is to reload the same battles many times and use all the spells and tactics that can work in that situation, so i don't always stack webs or go for the most effective and easy way, in the same battle i don't use web at all or maybe i use only divine spells or don't use any magic.
You did quote a part of my post, let me quote some of the rest of it You can maybe notice that my point is that i appreciate creativity and variation more then to stick to the most powerful solutions, but that it depends also on the level of skill of a player compared to the skill requirements of the game, to play vanilla on easy or to play lob hard modded are 2 completely different things.
I don't want that anyone adheres to my personal way to play, i want that he plays in the way that gives to him fun. And my position is clear about it in thread and also in other ones, take an example the one where we was discussing about the shield of balduran where i told that even if i personally never use it and i suggest to try to live without it as soon as a player is competent enough, as don't using it a player can learn more and have more fun as soon as he is beyond the initial phase when to be destroyed by the beholder's rays reload after reload is only utterly frustrating.
But i also told there that if a player want to use the shield it is a legittimate decision, if doing so he has fun for me is ok.
Maybe is you and not me that want to force players towards his own way to play the game as you wish changes in the game on things that are completely optional, no one compel to use the shield or to use/stack web, things that make the game more enjoyable for other players, not necessarily me, in the case of the shield certainly not me as i used it only once in my life to test it, as i started to play the game without it and i did want to know how it works.
So my point quoting you is that i agree with you about how the game can be played using all the resources, spells and items, and not only the most powerful ones, and also i find the game more enjoyable that way.
But i disagree with you about the opportunity to introduce changes in the vanilla game that make impossible to play in other ways, being hard powergaming, stick to easy tactics or even cheating or using items and tactics that grant an effortless victory the way a particular player has fun playing.
If you introduce such changes in your awesome mods you give a great contribution that i really appreciate. And in using your or other modders mods a player has choice. A modder that has his idea on how the game should be is a better modder then an other maybe technically more gifted but not with a clear idea, like a painter that has an idea is a better painter then one more skilled with the brush but lacking of good ideas.
You have both skill and ideas about how to make the game better so you are a great modder, and for who has feelings similar to yours your mods are a fantastic improvement of the game.
But some players can have different feelings about the game then yours can use other mods, mods like tactics and item upgrade that push the PG aspect of the game, or npc and quest mods cause they need a different type of variety then yours, more based on content then on mechanics, or mods like SCS that make the game harder without the emphasis on PG that tactics has.
To introduce the changes you auspicate in mods give to the players more freedom, to do it in the vanilla mechanics limits the freedom of the players.
they can be set before resting, giving you more spells the next day, but if to use 3 fireball, large aoe, skull trap, smaller aoe but more damage and less resistant enemies, or flame arrows, on target so party friendly, really needs to know what you are going to fight the next day. and there are few times when you really know it, like if you find firkraag, rest and then go back to fight him. then you know that is a red dragon, so is immune to fire damage and has magic resistance, so you can chose if to use a sequencer with skull traps and a minor one with let's say a MM and a melf magic arrow (disruption for a short time) or to use the sequencer to quickly lower his mr.
but for most of the battles the party don't really know what they will find the next day or in the next room of a dungeon.
and when the enemies just spawn at a trigger point i rp that they was able to ambush me and i go to the fight not buffed.
but even so in many situations you really don't know what you will find the next day or entering a new area.
i also often play with tactics mod where many of the enemies can see naturally trough the invisibility. take the mind flyers, they do it, so it is impossible to spot them without being spotted, they can also go invisible at will and will teleport next to the weakest of your party members even if they are in an other room, so as you are buffing they start to hit you and to drain your int. really annoying to face them if you don't use meta knowledge, but for me not a good reason to do it, i accept to have to reload some times but at least in the first room of a dungeon, like the one in the temple area sewers, until the party has not a clue that mind flyers are there i don't buff.
Item upgrades seems really cool. Finally a use for those starter items that pretty much are useless after chapter 3.
And this one, of course: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/21774/saturday-spellcaster-strategies-3-triggers-and-contingencies/p1