timestop and the rainbow road
ameliaboggins
Member Posts: 287
about to buy my first timestop...
ABout to break new groudn here, am not an expert MU (old dnd shorthand)
Never used a spell sequencer before....
DO you have to set it up every morning? post sleep.
what do you recommend using with timestop...presumable offensive stuff.
Can you also recommend a defensive sequencer as well.
Probably about time i tried to get into using these!
btw does improved alacrity remove casting time? makes cast instantly like a wild mage? or it do something else.
thanks)
ABout to break new groudn here, am not an expert MU (old dnd shorthand)
Never used a spell sequencer before....
DO you have to set it up every morning? post sleep.
what do you recommend using with timestop...presumable offensive stuff.
Can you also recommend a defensive sequencer as well.
Probably about time i tried to get into using these!
btw does improved alacrity remove casting time? makes cast instantly like a wild mage? or it do something else.
thanks)
2
Comments
and yes, spell sequencer can be used for defensive, but if you use a spell that is supposed to be self and try and cast it on someone else it will fail for ex: if you have spell sequencer store mirror image as one of your spells and then cast it on yourself it will work, if you try and cast that same sequencer on someone else it will fail
improved alacrity erases the pause between casting, as you would have noticed, every time your mage has casted a spell in the past, they always paused a little bit before they casted another one, improved alacrity makes it so that pause is now gone, so as soon as you cast a spell you can start firing off your next one, but be warned, it has a pretty short duration, so careful timing is necessary
and with timestop, depending on how you play it doesn't really matter what spells you cast while time is stopped, whether it be crowed control spells like symbol stun, or offensive spell like abi-dalzims horrid wilting, or maybe some debuffers like breach or ruby ray of reversal, usually a timestop will allow you to cast about 3 spells before it runs out ( also depending on their casting times and if you are wearing any casting time cutting items)
if you really want to novelize on timestop and unload an entire spell book you will need the robe of vecna and the amulet of power and then you could do something of this calibre:
cast timestop
then cast improved alacrity
then cast abidalzims horrid wilting x3
then cast timestop
then cast improved alacrity
then empty spell book
if done right, and if you're quick McGraw on the draw when it comes to pausing the game, casting spells as soon as the previous one ends, if im not mistaken you should be able to do it in that order ( its been a while since I've used the spell emptying strategy on enemies since its not really necessary to beat the game)
and remember you will need the robe of vecna and amulet of power, to get your spell casting time as low as possible to do this
but the best thing to do, is experiment with it yourself and see what suits your fancy, there really is no right or wrong way to play the game, and the thing that is awesome about the bg series is that there are so many different ways you can over come challenges, so never worry about if you think you are doing something wrong, as long as you are winning, then you are definitely doing it right
Day 1: Cast Spell Sequencer, put in three Skull Traps. Then rest.
Day 2: Activate Spell Sequencer, deal 60d6 magic damage. Then rest.
Day 3: Re-cast Spell Sequencer, put in three Skull Traps. Then rest.
Day 4: Activate Spell Sequencer, deal 60d6 magic damage once more. Then rest.
2. Time Stop? You can do all kinds of weird stuff with that. Some use it to cast Horrid Wilting spells and the like without risk of spell disruption. Others use it to restore their defenses; throw out a special spell combination; wait out spell durations (spell duration keeps running while time is stopped); or land automatic attacks.
All hits during Time Stop hit without fail, unless you're attacking a TS-immune critter like Demogorgon, Abazigal, or Melissan. Mage/Thieves can dual-wield speed weapons (Belm and Kundane give +1 attack per round each) to backstab repeatedly using Mislead (Mislead can let you backstab multiple times in the same round), and Time Stop will make sure their poor THAC0 doesn't make them miss. Time Stop can also help Cleric/Mages land Harm spells to reduce the enemy's HP to 1, or let mages get instant kills on nearly any enemy using Mind Flayer form from the Shapechange spell, which drains 5 Intelligence per hit. Drain INT to zero and any enemy will die, even those that are supposed to be unkillable for plot reasons (be careful; you can break the game!). Enemies immune to +2 weapons (like Melissan, Planetars, and Iron Golems) will resist the Mind Flayer attack weapon, but you can make any weapon strike as +3 with EE's new Enchanted Weapon spell.
3. A defensive-oriented Spell Sequencer? I often use Teleport Field+Invisibility 10' Radius+Teleport Field. It's a strong escape option because multiple Teleport Fields scramble the enemies around the map, opening up pathways and making it almost impossible for enemies to reach you. That will hold off demons and celestials, if not liches; Invisibility 10' Radius will hold off everything else.
I use that sequencer to escape from fights, though; not to protect myself. A more conventional sequencer might be Stoneskin+Improved Invisibility+Mirror Image.
4. Improved Alacrity does in fact eliminate time between spells cast. Once you're done casting one spell, you can begin casting another, even in the same round. If you enable auto-pause on spell cast (it's in the options menu, under the auto-pause section), all your spells, except for those cast via scrolls, will pause the game when cast. Also, if you use the Amulet of Power and/or Robe of Vecna to reduce spellcasting times to zero, you can cast certain spells instantly. A mage with the Amulet of Power and Improved Alacrity can cast 5 Magic Missiles almost simultaneously. Equip the Robe of Vecna as well, and you can do it with Sunfire.
Note that Improved Alacrity only lasts 2 rounds, so that surge of power will run out if you start casting slow-casting spells like Horrid Wilting.
There's also a cute trick where you combine Shapechange with Improved Alacrity. Cast Shapechange first, then Improved Alacrity, then switch to Mind Flayer form. You can then cast Psionic Blast and switch to Mind Flayer form again, which lets you cast Psionic Blast once more. By repeatedly switching to Mind Flayer form, you can cast Psionic Blast every frame. In tough fights, I've used it to cast Psionic Blast 30 times before Improved Alacrity even wore off!
Psionic Blasts stuns the enemy for 10 rounds on a failed save vs. spell and it bypasses magic resistance. You can even stun other Mind Flayers with it. It's also safe for your party; it won't stun your friends.
Have fun!
Magic missiles, flame arrows, lightnings/fireballs, skull traps, sunfires/cone of colds, all can be cast in the blink of an eye (1-2 seconds) with robe of vecna+amulet of power+improved alacrity+auto pause trick. You can also release several horrid wiltings but they will not have instant casting time, taking about 3 segments to cast:still with auto pause you will save precious time. Better yet, have your project image do this and empty his spellbook so your own spells will still be available.
For defensive, stoneskin+mirror image+fireshield sequencer is good enough for emergencies. For triggers, mislead+pro from magic weapons+spell deflection will work in a pinch. For chain contingency, almost any combo is possible. One offensive favourite is the nuke em all:3 horrid wiltings, nearest enemy, enemy seen. It can decimate an entire enemy unit before they can even react. (60d8 magic damage, area effect, party friendly, does not count from your daily spells if cast yesterday and counts as an extra action in a given round)
in my blacck pits run through, i can summon a weapon, one of four types.
summons them out of thin air....
this the same spell your talking about? or is it updated on a later patch?
Though it provides for a cheap 'russian roulette' thrill if you cast it on yourself and find out!
Also remember that not all defensive spells auto-cast on self. So if it asks you to pick a target... that's not a helpful clue. Darn you, spirit armour.
Oh... so many deaths. Think I may have called that sorceress Iris the Incompetent. Fun times.
that would been handy in the vampire fight, at start of tier 2. Had a problem getting negative plane protection off fast enough on my tanks......ended up having to dannce around behind an army of summons; keep the vamps at distance and pick em off with a throwing axe(azureedge).
^talkin blackpits 2 btw
been farming the sahuagin garden with this one! makes it trivial )
still learning atmo///
Dragons, most undead, trolls, and almost any enemy that delivers a dialog of some sort upon being defeated (Irenicus, Lavok, Sendai, etc.) are immune to stun.