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Spell ** Domination ** veteran users

Looking for feedback/tips from those here that routinely use any form of domination spells. They are quite obviously powerful, with the proper combos one could almost live on them to walk through most fights especially the toughest ones. Although quite a few baddies have immunity. Is there any compilation of who exactly is immune?

The lvl.4 cleric version has a -2 save penalty. Doom->Domination will have the target save at -4. Casting time is decent: 4. Main drawback is a short duration of 8 rounds.

Last question: what can a dominated character do for you? force doors/locks? walk through traps? engage conversation? can you use his/her spellbook, "borrow" their weapons/items?

Comments

  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    Bumping this. No one has ever tried to run a playthrough basing his spellbook mostly on charming ennemies?
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    Not sure about the list of immune creature: I'm not sure there are many which are totally immune.

    Dominated characters can do a lot of thing for you. You can force them to speak with you, swap weapons, and use there spells (although you can look in thier spell book). I believe you can also use thier thieving skills or turn undead if they are an appropriate class, although you can't use their special abilities,for example, mind flayers :(
    You can typically defeat a charmed enemy by making them swap to using fists in combat, and then buffing your own party with there spells, and targetting themselves with thier most powerful offensive spell.

    If you are interested, in BG2, you can pick up a total of 4 mindflayer control circlets, which can dominate anything thing in the game with no save (but they are one use only).

    So yeah, charm and domination are seriously powerful spells which I recommend using (tbh, I use charm person more than dominate, but I usually memorise at least 1 domination)
  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    Thanks for the feedback. I park it as an interesting idea / challenge to try a run, maybe with a party of 2, trying to run it exclusively (or about) controlling other creatures, via summons and the various charm/domination spells.

    I just used cleric lvl.4 Domination on a black talon elite - and once under my control, I did not manage to have him swap weapon between bow and sword...
  • DjimmyDjimmy Member Posts: 749
    One of my "tactics" is to have 1 spell per combat that eliminates 1 opponent by killing him or preventing him/her interfere for a period of time. Spells like Domination, Dire Charm, Disintigrate, Flesh To Stone, Maze, Imprisonment... If their saving throw is successful against it, then I don't use second because I don't want to waste spell slots.
    Ignatius said:


    Last question: what can a dominated character do for you? force doors/locks? walk through traps? engage conversation? can you use his/her spellbook, "borrow" their weapons/items?

    force doors/locks - No
    walk through traps - No
    engage conversation - No
    can you use his/her spellbook - Yes
    "borrow" their weapons/items - No

  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    @Djimmy: thanks a lot. The efficient combo I am thinking of is to use quick spells that soften tragets' saving throws (such as Doom, Chant, etc...) and then throw disabling/domination in. Repeat if need be. Then sit back and watch.
  • AHFAHF Member Posts: 1,376
    Ignatius said:

    @Djimmy: thanks a lot. The efficient combo I am thinking of is to use quick spells that soften tragets' saving throws (such as Doom, Chant, etc...) and then throw disabling/domination in. Repeat if need be. Then sit back and watch.

    Two other useful spells for lowering saves are Greater Malison (-4 to saves) and Glitterdust (-4 if the bad guy fails his save). Glitterdust may render the opponent less useful for the remaining 4 or fewer rounds of the spell's duration.
  • The_New_RomanceThe_New_Romance Member Posts: 839
    edited January 2013
    I find the most important thing with domination is to target only enemies that haven't been targetted by other elements of your party already. It happens quite often that you manage to successfully dominate/charm someone only to have the effect broken a split-second afterwards by a fireball, a stray arrow or one of your NPCs who picked a new target because of enabled AI scripts. Unfortunately, your party doesn't notice when a hostile that they were going to attack turns friendly.
  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    I won't have that problem since I never play with AI scripts on.
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    edited January 2013
    Ignatius said:

    Last question: what can a dominated character do for you? force doors/locks? walk through traps? engage conversation? can you use his/her spellbook, "borrow" their weapons/items?

    When you click on the charmed creature his or her usage of equipped weapons, spells, any special abilities, and charged items are available on the bottom menu of action buttons. Mainly, you can cast memorized spells and unequip their weapons (select fist icon). Because the Thief skills icon is on that menu, in theory, a charmed thief should be able to pick a lock or disarm a trap. (If that icon is grayed there's your answer.) They will go wherever you direct them. I would think you can have them initiate conversation, unless the dialogue button is grayed.

    Things you can't do: open their inventory or spellbook. So you can't have them drop items or give items directly to you, for example. (This is to the best of my recollection, anyway.)

    It does sound like an intriguing tactical challenge to try utilizing charm spells to the max.
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    Heres a picture. Sorry for the double post, couldn't figure out how to attach a file from an edit.
    lawl.png 691.3K
  • ljboljbo Member Posts: 177
    Isn't Mulhey backed up by skeletons in BG:EE?
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    Kobolds and skeletons. The skeletons are still sitting up there outside the fog of war, no one went far enough to get their attention yet.
  • ljboljbo Member Posts: 177
    @moopy I see, rings a bell now!
  • ljboljbo Member Posts: 177
    Very clever!
  • Oxford_GuyOxford_Guy Member Posts: 3,729
    moopy said:

    Heres a picture. Sorry for the double post, couldn't figure out how to attach a file from an edit.

    BTW is your CHARNAME an Assassin? Interestingly you seem to be using Throwing Axes!
  • The_New_RomanceThe_New_Romance Member Posts: 839

    moopy said:

    Heres a picture. Sorry for the double post, couldn't figure out how to attach a file from an edit.

    BTW is your CHARNAME an Assassin? Interestingly you seem to be using Throwing Axes!
    Must be some kind of spellcaster in order to be able to charm. Hm. Arcane magic, throwing axes, hooded figure... looks like everybody's favourite Nimbul! :)
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
  • syllogsyllog Member Posts: 158
    Here's a question: Does elves' resistance to "Charm" also apply to "Domination"?
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