A6 - newbie question about energy

[GuyB]

Hi folks! I'm very excited that Avernum 6 is here at last. My level 80 WoW warlock is gathering dust as I type this.

 

Dumb question I hope, but... my spellcasters' energy bars (mana bars) don't regenerate. They go into a fight, drain down their energy, and once the fight's over they're out of energy (and useless) until they return to town. PLEASE tell me I'm missing something obvious...

[Rionep Ecnirp Etlevs]

Unfortunately, you need to return to the gates of a friendly town. There are other ways to replenish energy, however:

 

1. Hold [sHIFT]+[D]. Type "imdrained". It's a cheat code, but if you already have a safe route to town, you shouldn't feel guilty for saving a little time.

2. Energy potions and energy elixirs replenish your energy. There may be other potions with restorative qualities.

3. First aid skill gives you some HP and Energy back after each battle. The level of regeneration increases with First Aid skill level (and Anatomy) and number/difficulty of enemies defeated.

4. A few NPCs have a dialogue option to restore your health and energy for free.

[ex post slarto]

For a very long time, the paradigm in most computer RPGs was that spell energy, MP, or whatever you want to call it wouldn't regenerate at all unless you slept at an inn. This has begun to shift a little starting with real-time MMORPGs, but is still far from universal. So what you're missing, is that automatic MP regen isn't any kind of universal default in RPGs.

[GuyB]

Thank you both for those quick responses!

 

Clearly WoW has ruined me :-) I played Avernum 4 and 5, but it was a while ago and I can't remember the details of the gameplay. This one had eluded me. Well, I'll just have to stock up on potions and try to remember the route back to civilisation!

 

Many thanks and happy hunting in those caves...

[Fael]

Buy a couple levels of First Aid -- two levels per character is only four skill points and I've found that to be pretty much all I need.

 

Make sure to buy up the intelligence of your spellcasters, so that they have more mana points.

 

The Magical Efficiency skill, once you unlock it, will reduce the mana cost of all your spells, so that you don't go through your spell energy as quickly.

[Lilith]

Originally Posted By: Fael

Buy a couple levels of First Aid -- two levels per character is only four skill points and I've found that to be pretty much all I need.

Wait, how do you figure four? The starting cost for First Aid is 1 skill point, so it's 2 per PC or 8 total. It's certainly good value, though.

Quote:

The Magical Efficiency skill, once you unlock it, will reduce the mana cost of all your spells, so that you don't go through your spell energy as quickly.

Magical Efficiency has no benefit for area-of-effect damage spells: Icy Rain, Divine Fire, Fireblast and Arcane Blow. It's not clear whether this is a bug or a feature, but it makes the skill significantly less useful, especially for mages.

[Archmage Brock]

Less useful if you use those particular spells frequently, anyway.

[ex post slarto]

Since three of those spells are the three best damage-dealing spells in the game, it definitely makes ME less useful.

[Fael]

Originally Posted By: Thuryl

Wait, how do you figure four?

By doing math-based posts right before bed... Your numbers are, of course, correct.

Originally Posted By: Thuryl

Magical Efficiency has no benefit for area-of-effect damage spells: Icy Rain, Divine Fire, Fireblast and Arcane Blow. It's not clear whether this is a bug or a feature, but it makes the skill significantly less useful, especially for mages.

It works for buffs, summons, and healing, though, not to mention Bolt of Fire, Acid Splash, Smite (your priest's best option against Slith, which you fight a ton of), and Repel Spirit (your priest's--heck, you're whole party's--best option against undead).

[Archmage Brock]

Originally Posted By: Fael

Originally Posted By: Thuryl

Wait, how do you figure four?

It works for buffs, summons, and healing, though, not to mention Bolt of Fire, Acid Splash, Smite (your priest's best option against Slith, which you fight a ton of), and Repel Spirit (your priest's--heck, you're whole party's--best option against undead).

My point exactly.

[Lilith]

Buffs, summons and healing don't need to be spammed, and Bolt of Fire, Acid Spray, Smite and Repel Spirit don't cost very many SP in the first place.

[monolith94]

what about lightning spray?

[Lilith]

Lightning Spray is a decent spell, but it does less damage than Arcane Blow and only hits up to 3 targets -- and then only if they're quite close together and at the right angle from the caster.

 

The point is not that area-of-effect damage spells are the only spells worth casting. The point is that you're probably going to end up using area-of-effect damage spells pretty often, and when you do they're going to represent a substantial fraction of your SP usage.

[Alorael at Large]

Magical Efficiency would be much more valuable if A6 enforced more long hauls. If you did have to buff repeatedly between chances to recharge more often, those pricey buffs and the healings in between would justify the cost. As it is, it's often easier to just have enough Intelligence and energy, carry a few potions, and not worry about it.

 

—Alorael, who at least appreciated a few instances where retreating and healing didn't work. A4 and A5 made very slow dungeon slogs with frequent breaks easy and infuriating.

[ex post slarto]

I don't think the Lightning Spray targets have to be at the right angle from the caster, only the target you actually click on. The other two can be out of sight, it just chooses two at random from within 2 squares (Icy Rain range) of the target.

[Lilith]

Nope. If you target an enemy 1 space east of you with Lightning Spray and there's another enemy 1 space west of you, the second enemy will never be hit. The choice of secondary targets definitely isn't random, either: if you cast it on the same primary target twice while enemies are arranged in the same positions, it'll always hit the same enemies.

[Archmage Brock]

Maybe Geneforge spoiled me, but I find single target or 3 close together target spells are what I use most often. It helps that my entire party always consists of mage-priests with massive amounts of energy, such that utilizing energy conservation methods makes me never run out.

[ex post slarto]

Interesting. The thing that's weird is that the primary target won't necessarily be the first target to be hit (and therefore impacted with battle disciplines), so it's not as if it actually has to refract off that enemy. Weird.

[jlsgaladriel]

Originally Posted By: brock

I find single target or 3 close together target spells are what I use most often.

With the prevalence of fire-resistant sliths in A6, I've found myself using the single-target acid spell and the three-target lightning spell very heavily.

Originally Posted By: brock

Maybe Geneforge spoiled me

Ah, but isn't it G5 that has the lovely multiple-target acid spell, much like A6's corrupting baton?

[Dantius]

Originally Posted By: jlsgaladriel

Ah, but isn't it G5 that has the lovely multiple-target acid spell, much like A6's corrupting baton?

I loved that spell. It saved me when I realized that I didn't have enough living tools going into the Ghaldring endgame to turn off the Shaper's machines.

[Archmage Brock]

yes, it did have acid shower, and earlier ones had aura of flames too. The energy cost made it prohibitive for repetitive use, and I have an infiltrator style of play-no creations as anything more tan meat puppets to distract enemies. Hence, the lower cost offense spells that I can spam were my main damage source.