Understated Ur-Drakon Celtic Minstrel Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 The first thing I think of when seeing it is Age of Empires. Especially when it's capitalized as you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Articulate Vlish Figgy Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Originally Posted By: The Mystic Here's my list of weird spells:Minor Manna - Almost totally useless. The most food I've gotten with this spell is about 3, as opposed to an average of 10 or 11 with Manna. Minor Mana was extremely helpful for getting past Chapter 2 in Exile 2, it let you skip a boss completely if you had an energy potion on you. Energy pot, minor mana, rest! Curse Solved, time saved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Point taken, since you can't get Manna until Chapter 3. However, for the most part, it's not worth casting unless you have several people, each of whom can (and do, when you need food) cast it at least 3 or 4 times in a row. Then once you can cast Manna, Minor Manna pretty much has no real purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Understated Ur-Drakon Celtic Minstrel Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Also, "Mana" and "Manna" are two entirely different things; "Mana" is a synonym for "spell points" in role-playing games (the word originates in Polynesian culture), while "Manna" is something that was supposedly ground up into flower to make cakes (this word originates in the Bible). Though "Manna" is occasionally spelt with a single N, this spelling is archaic, probably due to the introduction of the unrelated word "Mana". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Articulate Vlish Figgy Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 I never once casted a manna spell outside chapter 2. Buying food was just so much easier than wasting time casting manna a bunch of times personally. and more enjoyable. But the spell does serve a purpose all the same if you need to save up that gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 I, on the other hand, never buy food. With a playing style that's rather extreme on spells and alchemy (six combination mage/priests, one level 20 alchemist), I need every scrap of gold I can get my hands on in order to buy all the spells and recipes in the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotghroth Rhapsody Thaluikhain Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 Normally I forget about how much food I've got, and need to cast manna to get food in the middle of nowhere. Though, if there's lots of monsters to kill, you can get lots of their food, depending on the monster, which is nice. But yeah, very useful spell for me, though I think you regenerate faster than you starve anyway, at least with the right traits and items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Originally Posted By: Thaluikhain Normally I forget about how much food I've got, and need to cast manna to get food in the middle of nowhere. Been there, done that. When that happens, I go somewhere secluded and cast Manna about 10 to 20 times, then rest to restore my spell points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotghroth Rhapsody Thaluikhain Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 What did people think of detect life? Always seemed a bit like the motion detector from Aliens to me, though with the computer AI and so on, it couldn't really be used to increase tension the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Having played E3 so many times that I know pretty much how to find everyone important, I don't really need it. For me, it's more of a novelty spell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenderfoot Thahd Horn of Ammon Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I'm a bit surprised that no one has mentioned ... using walls to ROB TOWNS BLIND! Quite literally, when you cast fire or force walls (sp?) to block the line of sight of storekeepers, guards, etc., and then could steal stuff right in front of their noses. You could also use this to block the line of sight of guards to loot boxes (or simply push moveable barrels to other rooms to loot them). The greedy capitalists deserved it anyway - why wouldn't they just give their best stuff away for free to the saviors of the world? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotghroth Rhapsody Thaluikhain Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 That's true, yeah...though at the level you need to be to cast them, most of the stuff you can nick isn't really worth the effort. Moving barrels and stuff is great, though. I remember one bit in Sharimik where troglos attack the guards...afterwards, it struck me that if I'd not helped so much, the people there would have died and left all sorts of stuff unattended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Micawber Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I loved those puzzles that involved pushing barrels around. </nostalgia> Oh! oh! and the moving walls were cool too. It's almost enough to get me playing Exile III again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineffable Wingbolt Tirien Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 Originally Posted By: Seaweed The spells in the Avernum games suck. Nobody likes them. Thats becuase there was no quickfire or snakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Understated Ur-Drakon Celtic Minstrel Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 That said, there are some pretty nice spells in the Avernum games. Still, Exile had more pretty nice spells... probably because it just had more spells in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 What I liked with the spells in the Exile series is that you could cast essentially the same spell at different strengths, even after you learned all the spells. For example, Light Heal, Heal, and Major Heal are basically the same spell, but with different costs and strengths. The same is true for Minor Poison, Poison, and Major Poison. The list is actually quite long. I absolutely hated the spell system in the earlier Avernum games, where you couldn't cast a spell at level 1 once you learned it at level 2 or 3. This is especially true of Bind Foe in A1-2; at level 1, it's helpful for slowing down enemy wizards, but at higher levels, it's totally useless against them due to the wizard's immunity to magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Niemand Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 The only spells in the original Avernum trilogy where I thought that was a real hindrance were Bind Foe and Arcane Summon (before A3 for the latter). What I find most unfortunate about the transition from Exile to Avernum was the loss of space based (rather than creature based) targeting, and somewhat as a result the loss of field generating spells. The creature based targeting is really great most of the time for casting spells quickly but accurately, but it accomplishes this with a corresponding loss of flexibility, which showed up in some frustrating cases like the way that invisible creatures became immune to magic, for the simple reason that spells couldn't be launched at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrulous Glaahk S M Adventurer Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Yeah, in A1 and A2 Bind Foe at level 1 was a great spell, since nothing could resist it. In my playthroughs I purposely avoid getting the spell at level 2 or 3. Invisible monsters are very annoying to deal with because you can't target them with magic. At least they are only two invisible monsters. Any more would be even more frustrating. Back to E3, I liked to the vast number of spells too. Some spells were useless, but others really come in handy sometimes. My favorite spells are Firestorm, Divine Thud, Bless Party, Major Haste, and Major Blessing. Wound also deserves a mention. It is very useful for taking out monsters that are immune to everything, as the damage type is physical and unblockable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineffable Wingbolt Tirien Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Ugh...the one monster that everyone hates the most.... The invisible ones... Or the drakes from A3, with their stupid forcecage making them near impossible to kill (quickly at least) when playing as a singleton. Also, as a sidenote, smite is the most effective spell on Melanchion on A6, I just stood far enough from him that he wouldnt/couldnt hit me with that aoe fire attack, but not far enough that he would charge up next to me. I havent played any of the exile games in about 10 years now, so I dont remember many of the spells, but I do remember the huge selection of spells and weapons. Avernum just doesnt have the sense of custimization that the Exile series had... Forgot to mention, you can hit invisible monsters with magic, just has to be a aoe spell like...crap cant remember its name... the priest spell that made all the blades... anyways, invisible monsters just cant be targeted with Any ranged attack. Which is why a party with nothing but archers and spellcasters is a bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Niemand Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Originally Posted By: Tirien Forgot to mention, you can hit invisible monsters with magic, just has to be a aoe spell like. . . the priest spell that made all the blades Cloud of Blades. This was probably my favorite spell in A2; it was tricky to use, since each target would be surrounded by a 5 by 5 area that was as deadly to my characters as the enemies, but very powerful, and its uniqueness made it fun. It's also an important spell in BoA due to the way that fields inflict level based damage, so that at very high level where the game's balance starts to break down badly, Cloud of Blades is the only spell that can still inflict appreciable damage. (While other BoA designers have gone so far as to prohibit its use, I did sort of the opposite and taught the NPCs to cast it, though only in my personal copies of a few scenarios to date. That made for some tough fights indeed.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineffable Wingbolt Tirien Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Cloud of blades! Been awhile since I've played the classic (aka best) Avernum games. Worked great in A2 against large bands of empire soldiers, i'd just spam it around the battlefield and retreat some, then spam it again. Kept the melee fighters running through the blades. Most of the time my melee characters never really got a chance to attack becuase of that. Ahhh.... good times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Dantius Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Originally Posted By: Niemand Originally Posted By: Tirien Forgot to mention, you can hit invisible monsters with magic, just has to be a aoe spell like. . . the priest spell that made all the blades Cloud of Blades. This was probably my favorite spell in A2; it was tricky to use, since each target would be surrounded by a 5 by 5 area that was as deadly to my characters as the enemies, but very powerful, and its uniqueness made it fun. It's also an important spell in BoA due to the way that fields inflict level based damage, so that at very high level where the game's balance starts to break down badly, Cloud of Blades is the only spell that can still inflict appreciable damage. (While other BoA designers have gone so far as to prohibit its use, I did sort of the opposite and taught the NPCs to cast it, though only in my personal copies of a few scenarios to date. That made for some tough fights indeed.) In Blades at least, I found Simulacrum quite good at high levels(since monsters scale with themselves), especially when used in conjunction with CoB, and getting the simulacra to act as a choke point and then hitting him repeatedly to slice everything around him to bits. I recall killing Vahkos with ease by just cloning him and watching him kill himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Originally Posted By: S M Adventurer Wound also deserves a mention. It is very useful for taking out monsters that are immune to everything This is actually one of my favorites from the Exile series. Apart from Shockwave (another favorite), it's one of the best ways to take out anything with a resistance/immunity to magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasoned Roamer Hondero Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Originally Posted By: The Mystic Originally Posted By: S M Adventurer Wound also deserves a mention. It is very useful for taking out monsters that are immune to everything This is actually one of my favorites from the Exile series. Apart from Shockwave (another favorite), it's one of the best ways to take out anything with a resistance/immunity to magic. I agree, Wound is great. I am re-playing E2 and am in the early stages on Chapter IV, so there aren't any real magic-immune monsters yet, but it is still great to give experience to the priest. Another spell I always like was Ice Bolt . . . not sure why though. It's a little expensive for what it is and I can never really see the improvement in damage over Flame (does Ice Bolt do about the same as an individual square of Fireball?), but it has a special place in my heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Cairo Jim Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I actually found that some of the more useless spells sometimes seemed a little more useful when used in conjunction with an actual useful spell. Like using fear on strongish monsters seem to make them easier to sharm and to use Capture Soul on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineffable Wingbolt Tirien Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I actually found fear somewhat useful, but thats becuase I had three members of my party spamming it. Works very well when spammed on a group of goblins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenderfoot Thahd ppd Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 Originally Posted By: Hondero Another spell I always like was Ice Bolt . . . not sure why though. It's a little expensive for what it is and I can never really see the improvement in damage over Flame (does Ice Bolt do about the same as an individual square of Fireball?), but it has a special place in my heart. Did anyone else notice that it seemed like every scroll of Ice Bolt you found was a poison trap? : D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenderfoot Thahd half0tempo Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Sleep cloud is where it's at.... Nothing like a bunch of sleeping enemies lying around the battlefield, priests and mages could beat them with bare hands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Understated Ur-Drakon Celtic Minstrel Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 As long as it's not used against you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrulous Glaahk Cryolemon Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Originally Posted By: Celtic Minstrel As long as it's not used against you! I'm not sure I've ever seen an enemy use sleep cloud. Are there any that do? (I presume enemy mages can, but it doesn't seem common). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Mea Tulpa Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Enemy mages didn't have access to the exact same set of spells as PCs. They had a different list, and some of the spells on both lists had slightly different mechanics depending on who cast it. The lists are not all that different but there were a few unique enemy spells and a handful of unique PC ones. Sleep Cloud may have been one of those -- I can only ever remember enemies with the Sleep Cloud special ability, not spell, using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasoned Roamer Hondero Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Originally Posted By: CRISIS on INFINITE SLARTIES I can only ever remember enemies with the Sleep Cloud special ability, not spell, using it. Oh man! I remember the Gorgon in E3 using it on me in the far Eastern coast (Gremlin land). When I first started playing the Exile games, I always cheated by giving my single character full stats/spells and amazing items . . . but when an army of Gorgon appeared, my one character fell asleep and would not wake up for the entire battle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 You should've cast Hyperactivity; if memory serves, it's supposed to be great protection against sleep. It also prints out something like "Your party is now really, REALLY awake." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineffable Wingbolt Tirien Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Originally Posted By: Hondero Oh man! I remember the Gorgon in E3 using it on me in the far Eastern coast (Gremlin land). When I first started playing the Exile games, I always cheated by giving my single character full stats/spells and amazing items . . . but when an army of Gorgon appeared, my one character fell asleep and would not wake up for the entire battle. Ive done much the same thing in A3, and ended up stuck in a forcecage for over an hour. Its why singletons should stay as far away from large mobs of drakes as possible. And why (in your case) you shouldnt have your dex so high that nothing can hit you. At least if you die quickly once stuck asleep you can get it over fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Understated Ur-Drakon Celtic Minstrel Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Gorgons breath sleep clouds. They may be the only enemy that uses them, actually... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineffable Wingbolt Arch-Mage Solberg Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 Gorgons have very bad breath. May I suggest some mouthwash? Post #488 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 That might help, but it's just easier to cast Summon Altoids on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Articulate Vlish Mestalidd Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Originally Posted By: half0tempo Sleep cloud is where it's at.... Nothing like a bunch of sleeping enemies lying around the battlefield, priests and mages could beat them with bare hands! /agree but probably the best part of it was that sleeping enemies cannot avoid or mitagate your attacks. My Hard hitting pole weapon fighter could dish out horribly rediculous blows on sleeping creatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrulous Glaahk Venom Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Gah. Reading this thread makes me want to play Exile III all over again! For the fifth time! Why oh why did Avernum lose all the cool spells?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Originally Posted By: Venom Reading this thread makes me want to play Exile III all over again! For the fifth time! Only the fifth? I've played all the way through E3 about a dozen times, at least. Quote: Why oh why did Avernum lose all the cool spells?! Different engine, different spell system. My only real complaint with Avernum's spells is that you can't cast a spell at a lower level once you learn it at higher levels. I really miss Shockwave and Divine Thud myself. I can (mostly) live without Avatar, but once or twice I've cursed the day Jeff decided to get rid of Recharge (I can see his point, though; it's kind of overpowered). And Identify I found extremely useful, albeit expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyshakk Koan Vicheron Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I remember dumbfound being quite useful against magic users. Web was great since no one can resist it. Magic map was an incredibly useful spell. I always carried a couple of sapphires with me. Mind duel lets you stockpile spell points. My favorite spell system has to be the one in Realmz where you can adjust the power of every spell you cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Understated Ur-Drakon Celtic Minstrel Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Originally Posted By: The Mystic once or twice I've cursed the day Jeff decided to get rid of Recharge (I can see his point, though; it's kind of overpowered). Recharge was only in Exile 1, right? Originally Posted By: Vicheron My favorite spell system has to be the one in Realmz where you can adjust the power of every spell you cast. As I recall, I found it to be too complex. Realmz was just too complex in general, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Originally Posted By: Celtic Minstrel Originally Posted By: The Mystic once or twice I've cursed the day Jeff decided to get rid of Recharge (I can see his point, though; it's kind of overpowered). Recharge was only in Exile 1, right? And in Exile 2; I just checked. I was just wishing it had also been in Exile 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Understated Ur-Drakon Celtic Minstrel Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Really? I don't remember noticing it in Exile 2, though I'm not that surprised to hear it's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Yeah, it's there. I just looked in the hint book, and it's located Click to reveal.. in Elderan's tower. I don't know the exact location, and the hint book isn't specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Harehunter Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 I kind of miss the 6 PC setup in Exile. It made it easy to split into multiple task forces to clear a level. My favorite group was 3 fighter/priests (Avatar is a really effective spell on your combat troops), and 3 mage/priests (They really need the protection from Avatar). The fighters would charge the room, stopping short lob a volley of Divine Thud against the bad guys, followed by the mage/priests who spam Anitmagic Cloud on the enemy magic users, making them completely ineffective until the fighters can swarm them and take them out. That was about the only way to take out Garzahd (Exile 2), who was flanked by a couple of (ugh!) magic-immune Rakshasi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenderfoot Thahd AndyLandy Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Oh wow! Just found this thread and it's a great read! I'm currently hacking my way through Exile II again, having just recently finished the first game (again). I swear E2 is by far the hardest of the bunch! If I make it out the end, it'll be E3's time. My magic repertoire is fairly mundane. bless & haste for the fighters, then flame / fireball the monsters. The natural progression is major haste, bless party and firestorm and (predictably) on to M.Bless, avatar and divine thud. Still, I do love having an odd moment of insanity when I throw around a bunch of random fields, summon shedloads of cannon fodder, then sit back and watch. Originally Posted By: The Almighty Doer of Stuff If you have high strength, any door that can be picked can also be bashed. Unlock has the added benefit that it's the only thing capable of unlocking magically locked doors. In E3, you can use piercing crystals on magically locked doors. I don't know if this works in E1 or E2. They also have an additional use in E3... Click to reveal.. You can use them in the same way as Dispel Barrier in the Tower of Shifting Floors to take out the Golem-making machines Originally Posted By: The Mystic Originally Posted By: Celtic Minstrel Originally Posted By: The Mystic once or twice I've cursed the day Jeff decided to get rid of Recharge (I can see his point, though; it's kind of overpowered). Recharge was only in Exile 1, right? And in Exile 2; I just checked. I was just wishing it had also been in Exile 3. Recharge is in E1 and E2, but not in E3/Blades. Identify is one item for 15sp in E2, but all items for 50sp in E3/Blades. My reckoning is that Jeff decided not to build the code to cast a spell on an item into the E3/Blades engine, since they were the only two spells to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Trenton. Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 i dont know if 15 days is a necromancy type thing for andy but i think unlock in avernum unlocked any type of door, not just regular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Originally Posted By: loyal servile of sasuke uchiha i think unlock in avernum unlocked any type of door, not just regular In A1-3, level 3 Unlock worked on ALL doors, even impassable ones. This is not the case in BoA or A4-6; the spell system was changed around a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Trenton. Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 i wish the unlock in avernum 6 would do that. that would have been real useful istead of using either my 15 skill points of mechanics...but were getting off track here, were on exile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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