Indeed. Even when spells do essentially the same thing for mages and clerics...
Detect Invisibility (arcane 2) has casting time 2. Invisibility Purge (divine 3) has casting time 8. And revealing invisible opponents is something for which every tick counts.
Dispel Magic (divine 3) has casting time 6. Dispel Magic (arcane 3) has casting time 5. Remove Magic (arcane 3) has casting time 3.
Warrior priests have to pay particularly close attention to this - spells with long casting times are not something you want to cast while engaged in melee. Stick to quick spells like Draw Upon Holy Might, Neutralize Poison, and Dolorous Decay when you're in the enemy's face. Slower spells call for withdrawing from the front, or simply casting while out of combat.
That's why I am building a statue of Keldorn in my living room and making offerings to it on a daily basis. I think his True Sight and Dispel Magic (on twice his level) innate abilities have casting time of 1 or so, which is a godsend, as I am finding these two to be among the 5 or so most important spells in the game.
Yes, the inquisitor abilities each have casting time 1. Instant dispels with the amulet of power.
Bards can also manage instant dispels - a high-level bard with Use Any Item can equip the Robe of Vecna for instant Remove Magic. Most parties would rather give that item to a mage, but I've played exceptions.
I'm sometimes tempted to do a level 2 Mage -> Cleric dual just to open up mage scroll use. So many scrolls in the game it's most of the utility of the M/C without all the waiting around on leveling.
Moreso even I'd rather do that with a Druid. One of these days maybe I'll just mod all the Mage scrolls to be useable by base Druids and call that my "kit".
Related note, there really ought to be a lot more Priest scrolls in the game. The scant few that actually are barely useful.
Technically, there shouldn't be any cleric scrolls hanging around, since they are divine. However, having restoration, raise dead, and greater heal available to the masses is a great evangelism tool.
What if they AREN'T spell scrolls? Maybe they're just verses from the relevant deities' bible? And they only work because people are so used to spell scrolls, that it gives them enough faith for it to work?
Pretty sure Priest scrolls were a thing in AD&D, and there are also Neutralize Poison and Cure Serious Wounds scrolls already in the game (BG2). Just few and far between. I think the item codes exist for a few additional ones as well, though I don't recall them being available in the game.
Those other priest scrolls show up in the TotSC content (mainly Durlag's Tower) in BG. Although I haven't played it myself, I hear there are also priest scrolls in SoD. In BG2EE, there's a merchant in Neera's ToB quest that sells three each of the priest scrolls.
Most of the priest scrolls are class-restricted; you need to be a cleric, druid, monk, paladin, or ranger to use them. Restoration and Stone to Flesh are the exceptions, being available to all classes.
Comments
Detect Invisibility (arcane 2) has casting time 2. Invisibility Purge (divine 3) has casting time 8. And revealing invisible opponents is something for which every tick counts.
Dispel Magic (divine 3) has casting time 6. Dispel Magic (arcane 3) has casting time 5. Remove Magic (arcane 3) has casting time 3.
Warrior priests have to pay particularly close attention to this - spells with long casting times are not something you want to cast while engaged in melee. Stick to quick spells like Draw Upon Holy Might, Neutralize Poison, and Dolorous Decay when you're in the enemy's face. Slower spells call for withdrawing from the front, or simply casting while out of combat.
Bards can also manage instant dispels - a high-level bard with Use Any Item can equip the Robe of Vecna for instant Remove Magic. Most parties would rather give that item to a mage, but I've played exceptions.
Maybe it takes that long for their god to decide whether they want to power it or not?
On a serious note, if Aerie ever gets time stop...
Moreso even I'd rather do that with a Druid. One of these days maybe I'll just mod all the Mage scrolls to be useable by base Druids and call that my "kit".
Related note, there really ought to be a lot more Priest scrolls in the game. The scant few that actually are barely useful.
Most of the priest scrolls are class-restricted; you need to be a cleric, druid, monk, paladin, or ranger to use them. Restoration and Stone to Flesh are the exceptions, being available to all classes.