Minor Spell Deflection - how effective is it?

Permidion_Stark

I'm soloing as an FMT and I have imposed a 'no cosumables' rule upon myself, which means I'm not using any potions, wands or scrolls (except for scribing). It also means I can't used the Greenstone Amulet, which has always been my favourite item when fighting enemy spellcasters (it makes you pretty much invulnerable to any kind of mind magic).

So far I haven't had any trouble fighting mages (they tend to throw Horror at you and I can avert that by casting Remove Fear on myself before the fight starts) but clerics are more of a problem because I have got no defence against Rigid Thinking. I'm also worried about when I come to fight the Sirines because I have got nothing to stop their Feeblemind attacks and though, being an elf, I am 90 per cent immune to their Dire Charms I would still like to find a way to block the spell completely.

Anyway, I was wondering if Minor Spell Deflection would help here or is there another form of defence that I am overlooking?

Zaxares

I'm not sure if you're high enough level to cast it yet, but Improved Invisibility is another excellent defense against spellcasters. Even if you're made "visible" by attacking or casting your own spells, the enemy still can't target you directly with their own spells, so barring some kind of invisibility dispel, they're reduced to just attacking you physically (with a penalty because you're still invisible).

jmerry

Minor Spell Deflection should reliably eat the first two casts of something like Rigid Thinking or Dire Charm - and after that, it's gone. Sirine dire charm is treated as a level 3 spell for these purposes.

The best defense is a good offense - if you can disrupt their spellcasting, then they've wasted their round. Clerics can't put up the same kind of anti-spell defenses that mages can, so damaging spells like Magic Missile and Larloch's Minor Drain will reliably disrupt them if you time the cast right. Minor Drain is particularly good at this, with casting time 1 and no missile travel time.

Groups with multiple spellcasters you have to pay attention to? The game is meant to be played with a party. Solo play is a challenge.

Permidion_Stark

Zaxares wrote: »

I'm not sure if you're high enough level to cast it yet, but Improved Invisibility is another excellent defense against spellcasters. Even if you're made "visible" by attacking or casting your own spells, the enemy still can't target you directly with their own spells, so barring some kind of invisibility dispel, they're reduced to just attacking you physically (with a penalty because you're still invisible).

I'm only 5th level at the moment so Improved Invisibility is still some way off.

jmerry wrote: »

The best defense is a good offense - if you can disrupt their spellcasting, then they've wasted their round. Clerics can't put up the same kind of anti-spell defenses that mages can, so damaging spells like Magic Missile and Larloch's Minor Drain will reliably disrupt them if you time the cast right. Minor Drain is particularly good at this, with casting time 1 and no missile travel time.

Larloch's Minor Drain is one of those spells that I have always overlooked. Sounds like I should memorise a few in case of emergency.

Sandkatze

it could also be used for healing yourself. it's just very slow on that part ^^'

Very_BigSword

There is a helmet of charm protection sold in Feldeposts Inn that stops dire charm. Its not expensive either IIRC. Good for racing through low levels by sirine farming.

Chronicler

Very_BigSword wrote: »

There is a helmet of charm protection sold in Feldeposts Inn that stops dire charm. Its not expensive either IIRC. Good for racing through low levels by sirine farming.

That must be mod content. I don't think there's any way to acquire a helmet of charm protection in BG1 without cheating, though there are some NPC's that have them.

Permidion_Stark

Chronicler wrote: »

Very_BigSword wrote: »

There is a helmet of charm protection sold in Feldeposts Inn that stops dire charm. Its not expensive either IIRC. Good for racing through low levels by sirine farming.

That must be mod content. I don't think there's any way to acquire a helmet of charm protection in BG1 without cheating, though there are some NPC's that have them.

According to the wiki they were stealable from the Ghost Knights in the Firewine ruins in original BG1 but I don't think it is possible in BGEE (I haven't tried it though - to be honest it never occurred to me to try to pickpocket a ghost). https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Helm_of_Charm_Protection

Neverused

The Helm of Charm protection is introduced by Unfinished Business, if I'm not mistaken.
About the Sirenes specifically, their Feeblemind effect is a rider effect from their melee attacks (like paralysis is a rider effect from a Ghast's attacks). You can avoid it with ranged attacks, but I'd highly recommend getting Elves' Bane from the ogre with the belt fetish and Senses of the Cat from Nimbul before engaging in a ranged fight vs Sirenes. Given the number of spells they can cast, though, Minor Spell Deflection isn't going to be enough to guarantee safety against their spells: another possibility at level 3 is Summon Monster I, which also has the advantage of wasting their own Improved Invisibility spells.

Best of luck.

Borco

A general word of caution when using Minor Spell Deflection against clerics - it does not stop Hold Person (presumably because of its small AoE effect).

As for the sirines, there are couple of handy L4 mage spells (MGoI, Improved Invisibility, Polymorph: Self - Mustard Jelly), though these will most likely not be available to a FMT other than via scrolls. My solution would therefore be Invisibility/HiS -> avoid any contact

Permidion_Stark

Borco wrote: »

A general word of caution when using Minor Spell Deflection against clerics - it does not stop Hold Person (presumably because of its small AoE effect).

I'm okay against Hold Person, I happened to pickpocket myself a ring of free action when I was wandering about in Ulgoth's Beard. But thanks for the warning.

willoughby43

Hey guys new Here in spell deflection it says it protects up to 10 spell levels is that a quantity Does that mean 10 level one spells for a total of 10 spell levels or two level five spells and so on or is it saying it will protect you from one spell up to 10th level?

Zaxares

The former. It will block any number of spells whose total levels equal to 10. (And I think if it goes over, it will block the excess too. So if you cast Spell Deflection and then get hit by a Fireball (3), Cloudkill (5) and then another Fireball (3, for a total of 11), it would still block the last Fireball spell before collapsing.)

jsaving

Yes that is absolutely right, though as @Borco noted it does not protect against AoE spells unless they are actually cast at you rather than the ground near you.

Grond0

jsaving wrote: »

Yes that is absolutely right, though as @Borco noted it does not protect against AoE spells unless they are actually cast at you rather than the ground near you.

I think the spell description is misleading there - in practice I don't think it ever protects against area spells.

Danacm

Area spell deflection is from a mod content as i remember.
The charm protection helmet not stealable now in vannilla ee as i know.