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Mindflayer psionic attacks vs. greater divine protection in SCS

KorbenDallasKorbenDallas Member Posts: 29
With SCS I have the IWD spells component installed, and the description for greater divine protection is 100% magic resistance and immunity to damage for 3 rounds. In the Underdark, I buffed Anomen with greater divine protection and sent him in solo to fight three mindflayers. I tested this with reloads: Anomen got Mazed once, Stunned once, and dire charmed once. When he got stunned, they walked right up to him and devoured his brain and killed him. Greater divine protection is #1 supposed to give 100% magic resistance and #2 provide immunity to damage; the spell does neither.

So I tested chaotic commands and the regular divine protection spell; chaotic commands protected him from the psionic attacks, but divine protection did nothing against their devour brain attack. Divine protection is supposed to provide the caster immunity from damage, but it did not.

As I understand it, devour brain is a magical weapon attack, so why doesn't divine protection provide the immunity it is supposed to? And why does greater divine protection not provide protection versus psionic attacks since greater divine protection is supposed to provide 100% magic resistance? Can someone help explain what is going on?
Blackraveniosfrustration

Comments

  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    edited November 2020
    Psionic abilities - everything mindflayers do - ignore magic resistance. Then the intelligence drain on their attacks isn't damage, and it doesn't require damage to be dealt.

    In other words, working as intended. Your defense isn't perfect, and illithids are well placed to exploit the gaps.

    Your greater divine protection will provide immunity to the psionic damage spells (Detonate, Ballistic Attack) that mindflayers use and from the 1d2 damage their melee attacks deal. That's it. If you want immunity to the stun, either crank up your saves or use something with that specific immunity like Chaotic Commands, Cloak of the Sewers troll form, or the Sword of Arvoreen. If you want immunity to the intelligence drain, the only player-accessible way to do it is with immunity to +2 weapons - any of the Mantle line, or Iron Golem form from Shapechange.
    ... All right, Hexxat doesn't die from the Int drain. And certain summons (shaman spirits, magical swords) are immune.
    BlackraveniosfrustrationJuliusBorisov
  • KorbenDallasKorbenDallas Member Posts: 29
    Thanks for the reply, protection from magical weapons also prevents their devour brain attack from landing. I am going to fine-tune the difficulty for mindflayers and dial it down. In my opinion, SCS went overboard and made them OP.
    iosfrustration
  • iosfrustrationiosfrustration Member Posts: 153
    20 years of playing the game and I never knew this.
    Quake in fear mindflayers, my fighter/mage is coming for you!
  • KorbenDallasKorbenDallas Member Posts: 29
    edited November 2020
    A fighter/mage seems like a great counter since to recast PoMW during the fight, but I don't have a fighter/mage in my party, Charname is a pure mage. Next time I'll try Chaotic Commands + Haste + PoMW + Tensors with Charname and Imoen with a skeleton summon army and see what happens. I'll have Anomen use saving throw buffs beforehand, I have some potions of invulnerability but I don't want to use them since I'll likely have to rest after each encounter. So the skeleton warriors will begin to get detonated and the mages will have 3 rounds with PoMW before they start getting their brains devoured and will have to run away like weaklings. Anomen and Minsc don't really stand a chance against the devour brain attack. If anyone has suggestions I'm open to them. I would even resort to cheese, but I'm having trouble coming up with a cheese tactic against them.
  • iosfrustrationiosfrustration Member Posts: 153
    edited November 2020
    jmerry wrote: »
    Skeletons are immune to the disablers, but can die to the brain-sucking and the damage spells.

    This always puzzled me - skeletons clearly do not have a brain. Not having any tissue is pretty much a job requirement for being a skeleton.

    My guess is that this was a coding oversight originally that was left in for balance reasons.

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