hastening spells versus quick action skill

[Tcheedchee]

Hello Avernum-Players,

 

as the forum is still a bit "crippled" in parts at the moment, I'd like to know, if I interpret this right.

It seems to me, that a haste-spell is used up much faster by a character who already posesses a lot of speed skill. Does it still make sense to haste him? Or is it a waste of spell-energy?

The other option, which might use up the speed, could be berserker rage. What do you think?

[Lilith]

You're mistaken. The duration of hasting isn't affected by any other equipment or abilities that raise the recipient's action points: it's only affected by the Mage Spells, Magery and Spellcraft skills of the caster, and the spell level of Haste that they know. In fact, extra AP from Haste stacks with extra AP from other sources, and it's always good to be as fast as possible, so you should haste everyone before any major fight.

 

By the way, the skill that gives extra AP is Quick Strike, not Quick Action. Quick Action only affects turn order and second attacks in melee.

[Randomizer]

You might be fighting a monster that has a slow effect that removes your haste faster.

[Tcheedchee]

Thanks for the distinction of quick strike and quick action. Actually the character has got quick strike.

Concerning the main question: After I had discovered, that said character "burns" his hasted-spells, I expressly watched if he was being slowed. There weren't any "character is slowed by monster"-messages… I didn't see any.

The reason I came to ask if he can "burn" haste, were not the skipped turns, but the fact, that the character looses his hasted-tag quite soon and he's the only one. All partymembers are hasted by my mage. So if his skill is the measure for the amount of time they are hasted, all should be hasted for the same amount of time, shouldn't they? Do curses affect speed? I mean actual APs during their turn.

[Randomizer]

Curses affect shield and bless. Some mosters use a static field like lightning aura that can remove buffs like haste.

 

Stuns can reduce AP per turn. That's why I really hate AP drainers like ghasts, draining slimes, etc.

[Tcheedchee]

Oh, now I got it, Thanks!

It was draining slimes!

Wow!

[Evnissyen]

Honestly, it seems to me that Quick Strike should be renamed Quick Action, and Quick Action Quick Strike. ...Or else find a different name for one of them. I found the names confusing... not that I ever mistook one for the other (they are, after all, separated extremely well, visually, on the stats box), but I've just always thought that one should really be describing the other.

 

I know you can argue either way with these... but to me "strike" implies a more direct relationship to battle (therefore being able to "strike" more than once), whereas "action" refers to your ability to react, as well as adding AP ("action" points).

 

[Rowen]

I would really like to have it so that when I am hasted and then get slowed, it slowes me down to normal speed, erasing only me haste effect. That means I have to get slowed again to get my ap under my normal number. I would then have to use two hastes to get my haste effect again. Also to have the same thing aply to the monsters in the game.

[Randomizer]

Haste and slow, bless and weaken, shield and curse are all given in spell strengths so the stronger caster changes these more than a weaker caster. By the end of the game you can shrug off your opponents attempts to remove your buffs.

[Tcheedchee]

Thanks Randomizer,

 

unintendedly you answered one of my other questions. I had not quite figured out the relationship of the curses and spells yet. Haste and slow is easy to realize, but the other two…. I always concentrated more on spells to kill my opponents or heal my party members. I felt quite stupid wasting valuable magical energy on trying to countercurse too much. But it's nice and handy to know, now.