Scrolls and Wands almost all pointless?

[Vent]

When I tried use those scrolls and wands for attack spells I always got ridiculous results.

 

For Scrolls to keep I saw only Mass Healing, Mass Curing, Resurrect, the Wards, but my party is at level 11 only.

 

For Wands, perhaps those Terror Wands but I haven't tried them, all other are pointless and better get the money.

 

All other scrolls and wands seem pointless, for example a few Haste will very hardly change a fight issue, to use Haste during a fight you need a mage knowing casting it. So better sell other scrolls than those listed above, that's my current feeling.

 

What's your feeling and comments about that?

[Fael]

Wands are most helpful at the beginning of the game, when their damage relative to your opponents is high. As the game progresses, yes, they become much less effective.

 

But not completely ineffective. They still have three uses.

 

1) They give area-effect attacks to your non-mage party members. Not very effective ones, granted, but sometimes that's all you need.

 

2) They give extra actions to characters who otherwise don't get them. If you're battle frenzied or hasted, this is useless. But, if not, you can use one and still make your regular attack. Again, the damage is low -- but over the course of a battle, it adds up. Useful for tough boss fights.

 

3) Some enemies are vulnerable only to a specific type of damage. If, for example, an enemy is only vulnerable to fire damage, giving your fighters a bunch of Wands of Fire at least lets them do something.

 

The best example of this is a certain lich in Avernum 6 that you had to kill in a certain very limited number of rounds. If you'd been saving all the wands of fire you'd found over the course of the game up to that point, it was a fairly easy fight. If you hadn't, you were really, really screwed...

[Vent]

Yeah yeah but the problem is it's possible to use them but it seems pointless. You got a case with the lich in Avernum 6 (I played only first parts) but I doubt those wands/scrolls can really change anything against any boss or mini boss fight in Avernum.

 

It's a little bit different with Mass Heal and Cure, at least until you can use them without scroll. And obviously Resurrect is a very worthy scroll plus the Wards can help in any rude fight until you have learned yourself the spell.

 

EDIT:

I hope there no similar lich in AEFTP because even before post this thread I had sold all those crappy wands I had.

[Kreador]

I found wands and scrolls pretty useful early on. I wouldn't pay to buy them from a vendor, but I stockpiled a bunch of Radiate Ice on my lead fighter, and it was very helpful in eliminating that large group of smoldering bats. Charge him in so the bats surround him, use healing to keep him standing and he just peeled off ice blasts until the bats were all gone. 2 mass attacks per round that way. The acid showers and such can be good for eliminating the support troops for the various bosses and mini-bosses along the way, also. They're not something you would go out of your way to try to hold on to for late game support, but they make gaining early XP easier by letting you take on tougher fights sooner.

[Fael]

The Wards really are useless once you can cast the spell, since you cast it once when you leave town and then they don't wear off.

 

Resurrect, Mass Heal, and Mass Cure are always useful because someone other than your priest can cast them. Useful when you're priest is the one who needs resurrecting, or when turn order (or daze) means you have to have a heal before your priest's next turn comes up.

 

Also, here's a riddle:

 

Q. When is a haste potion/scroll better than a haste spell?

 

Click to reveal..

A. When it doesn't use your mage's attack action for the round to cast it!

[Vent]

One level of Priest for all your characters won't hurt them and will allow save a Priest before his turn comes. But yes Mass Heal/Cure seems to keep for some cases.

 

About the riddle, yes it's better but useful is another point. Better enough to make a difference, I doubt. It's better to use first a wand and get poor damages and then attack, but is it worth it, I don't think so, better take the money. But well this can be argue I agree.

[Kreador]

I think money is easier to come by than experience, so I'd rather get higher experience early by being able to take on tougher foes (since XP is scaled by the relationship between your level and the opponent's level). But, as you say, it can be argued either way and we're all free to play it as we see fit. The joys of an open RPG.

[Callie]

Power lash scrolls remain useful throughout the entire game (or anything that causes lightning status), in my opinion. I used Oozing wands liberally in the early part of the game.

[Ceiling Durkheim]

I found damaging wands and scrolls most useful in the early game. First off, because they're more likely to do something your characters can't: for instance, at the very beginning of the game scrolls of radiate ice and wands of fire are likely your only area attacks. Second, because I found they hit more reliably in the first half of the game. I still gave my fighters a corrupting baton/wand of the inferno for helping with larger groups, but they don't make that big of a difference.

 

Also, on the subject of scrolls to keep: speed burst. Probably the best consumable item in the game (well, that or invulnerability elixirs).

[Randomizer]

Ensnaring wands are useful early in the game to keep melee foes out of attack range. There's nothing like seeing a foe just stand there and have to take it without hurting you.

 

Wand of the Inferno are useful through out the game against all but a few boss monsters.

[Slawbug]

Originally Posted By: Kreador

I think money is easier to come by than experience, so I'd rather get higher experience early by being able to take on tougher foes (since XP is scaled by the relationship between your level and the opponent's level). But, as you say, it can be argued either way and we're all free to play it as we see fit. The joys of an open RPG.

Actually I think you'll get more XP overall by NOT taking on tougher foes early. Yes, the XP is scaled up for tough foes, but it is scaled down very sharply for weak foes, so every huge XP boost you get early on that moves your level up, means you'll get less XP for every wimp you kill.

RE wands, scrolls and potions: Like Alorael I am biased against consumables. Nonetheless, wands have been 90% underwhelming in every SW game for a long, long time. Since effects do not scale with level, the stronger you are the worse their effects seem.

[Vent]

Well thanks all for those highlights. I'd say I continue feel most wands and many scrolls aren't really useful. At end either you use a ton for one fight and is the fight worth the price? Either anyway you'll have use another tactic, one or two area attack with poor damages won't change a fight. That said for those that can immobilize (for 2 turn only) well I can imagine some rare time they could be very handy. Also there's clearly some useful scrolls and probably some later wands more useful.

[Decho]

Agree!