Otherwise Known As

ZaramMaldovar

Here's a fun idea for a new board:

Take a spell or item (or combination) and give it a funny little "Otherwise Known As" anecdote. I'll go first

1. Death Spell: Otherwise Known As "You're not even worth my time"
2. Crom Faeyr: Otherwise Known As "What Golem?"
3. Robe of Vecna+Amulet of Power+Improved Alacrity+Time Stop: Otherwise Known As "I'm going to cast my entire spellbook at once and there's not a damn thing you can do about it"
4. Chain Contingency: Otherwise Known As "Hitting me was the worst mistake of your life and here's three reasons why"
5. Spell Immunity: Abjuration: Otherwise Known as "Kangaxx? Please"
6. Seven Spike Traps: Otherwise known as "Power Word: Powergame"

ThacoBell

Magic Missile: Otherwise known as "I didn't read any of the other spell descriptions, so this is my whole spellbook."

Balrog99

Sleep (in BGEE): Otherwise Known As, "I win!"

OlvynChuru

1. Polymorph Self: Otherwise Known As "Because I envy the magic resistance of a slime monster"
2. Polymorph Other: Otherwise Known As "You is getting squirrely"
3. Ruby Ray of Reversal: Otherwise Known As "Screw you Spell Immunity: Abjuration"
4. Maze: Otherwise Known As "Wait, how much intelligence does a Neeber have again?"
5. Strength of One: Otherwise Known As "Strength of 18/75"

jmerry

OlvynChuru wrote: »

1. Polymorph Self: Otherwise Known As "Because I envy the magic resistance of a slime monster"

Or the bashing ability of an ogre.

From the in-game time speedrun I just finished. Critical backstab. Overkill by more than a hundred points.

OlvynChuru wrote: »

3. Ruby Ray of Reversal: Otherwise Known As "Screw you Spell Immunity: Abjuration"

Spell Thrust: Otherwise known as "Really screw you, Spell Immunity: Abjuration".

Two test sorcerers here. 2.6, no relevant mods.

One casts Minor Globe and Immunity: Abjuration.

The other casts Spell Thrust. No more protections.

Spell school immunity does not protect against anything in the spell attack line. It doesn't matter that Ruby Ray is an alteration spell instead of an abjuration, unless you're playing a specialist mage of one of those two schools.

ZaramMaldovar

Dorn+Potions of Mirrored Eyes: Otherwise Known as "I'm going to solo Mutamin's entire Garden"

jmerry

Dorn? Just about any melee character can do it with a PfP spell/scroll. Though if you have an oil of speed and/or a strength potion to spare, it goes faster. The thing is, basilisk gazes are equipped as a ranged attack. Whenever they're in petrification mode, any melee attacker gets +4 to hit and damage against the basilisks, and that means the damage piles up quickly.

But if a greater basilisk decides to switch to melee ... then you might be in trouble. How good is your soloist at tanking, anyway?

_Luke_

jmerry wrote: »

The thing is, basilisk gazes are equipped as a ranged attack. Whenever they're in petrification mode, any melee attacker gets +4 to hit and damage...

I think it's only +4 to hit (no damage bonus)...?

jmerry

No, there's definitely a damage bonus. As a demonstration, here's a cat familiar (base damage 1d3) backstabbing a basilisk.

1+4 damage, doubled to 10

I played it out just because I could; that cat took down all of the basilisks except Mutamin's pet (eight lesser, one greater) without being hit once. And ran away from a random gibberling, because that was a real threat.

The case that only has its chance to hit affected? Ranged attacks at melee range. That's a -8 to-hit penalty with no damage adjustment.

ZaramMaldovar

These are all amazing ?

Balrog99

Find Familiar - AKA "Yay, now I can survive one Kobold Commando arrow hit!"

Ammar

Mind Flayer - AKA "Otyugh" (for low int characters in the Underdark)

_Luke_

jmerry wrote: »

No, there's definitely a damage bonus.

OK, good to know, thought it was only a THAC0 bonus...