Spells

I am not giving away numbers, but still the below can make you more powerful so you may need to increase difficulty if you want to keep the game challenging despite knowing all the ins and outs.

RESIST EVIL / FIRE / COLD / POISON / MAGIC / LIGHTNING These spells will boost the resistance that the target character has, for a period of time. Extent and duration increase with spell level. Resist evil works against the life draining damage you will face when fighting ghosts, spectres, lich, banshees, wights etc. The effect is smaller if you are on a higher difficulty setting, which by the way is normally a small factor in every skill and spell. Several same spells on the same target will stack, like layers. So similar to equipment: if a target has two spell buffs active that grant him 50% fire resistance each and his intrinsic resistance is zero, then his fire resistance is 75% because his ‘exposure’ of 100% gets halved twice.

AC BOOST Also sometimes called “resist physical” is a similar buff, but adds armor class points to a target. at low level it starts with about ~50 points to each of the 3 types of damage, which is about a 25% damage reduction.

FROST BALL Area effect spell, inflicts cold damage and freezes several target. Radius and effect increases with spell level, but radius general smaller than ball of lightning or fire ball. The effect is so cool it even leaves visual effects on the battlefield.

POISON DART The spell caster (mostly druids) picks up anything small and sharp from the ground, magically alters its surface to create a toxic slime, and projects it at the target. Due to the rudimentary projectile, the range is very limited. But effect can be simple and deadly, in particular if stacked several times. Range improves slightly at higher levels.

UNLOCK Map view spell to manipulate a lock so it is easier to open. This still benefits / relies upon your lock picking skill, but at very high levels any non-rogue can open locks with such heavy magical assistance.

MAGIC MISSILE The most basic and common magical attack. Unlimited range, guided (always hits), but not a lot of damage to a bulky opponent. But very effective against entities that are vulnerable to magic, for example those that are fairly invulnerable to physical attacks. Though not their preference, even druids and clerics can learn to use magic missiles.

LIGHTNING STRIKE One of the favourites of the druids, he will manipulate the natural forces around the target (the floor, air or water) to have it hit by a lightning charge. The damage is nominally lower than that of a magic missile, however resistance lightning is rarer, and lightning strike has a chance to paralyse the target as well, in particular at higher levels.

LIGHT Map view spell to allow you to see further than your always-on torches would do. Higher levels mean better radius as well as duration.

HEAL Without distance limitations, a cleric or priest, but also druids or monks, can use their magical powers to heal a target. Higher levels make such much more effective. Rumour has it that some also use this for darker means, but it would surely come at a price to try such foolishness.

HOTSPOT A no-nonsense spell that increases the temperature around a target, and setting the air on fire for a short period of time. But no ongoing damage. No range restriction.

FIRE BALL A classic, enjoyable projectile that explodes into flames on impact. Higher levels mean longer range, wider explosion radius and more damage. You also leave your mark on the battlefield just to show who is boss.

HASTE Increases the target’s speed. If you really think there is a single player that carries the fate of the fight, then why not make him more efficient by boosting his speed and make him do everything faster and more often. Quite expensive and short duration though. But can be vital if time is of the essence.

WIZARD’S EYE A map view spell that enhances your perception, allowing you to spot secret passages and treasure much better.

IGNITE A spell whereby you direct energy at all foes until they erupt into a prolonged fire, dealing ongoing fire damage. This can be stacked. Excellent for minion control (read: auto-kill).

HOLY SMITE You use your mana to charge up a mighty holy blow on your next turn. If you do not attack right after, it fades. It creates a huge bonus vs. undead, and some bonus to accuracy. A mighty tool in the hands of an exorcist but also any monk that wants to get his hands dirty. Clerics and priests are not very good (but not hopeless) at this.

HOLY PLASMA Instead of trying to make your weapon/self more damaging to an undead being, you focus on blessing any substance you can get your hands on and attach it to the target. This provides ongoing damage and debuffs the target as well, and duration is not short either. Good to move in, slap it on, and move back into safe distance. This also stacks.

MYSTERY 32 If you see this you have played the pre-1.0.30 versions of the game. Please ignore and overwrite the quick action slot with any of your other skills or spells. 8-p

MAGIC RUPTURE Some think this is similar to IGNITE, however a very different concept is at play: instead of focussing on the foes to trigger a reaction and get on with life, the caster triggers a general rupture of the fabric of mana flows, causing magic damage exposure to everyone. But he separately prepares a magical shield for the party members, so that they are not affected. The damage from magic rupture is significant and has a long duration, however the spell caster is busy the entire duration with shielding the party members. Best crowd control EVER.

BALL OF LIGHTNING You create a powerful electric charge similar to a lightning strike, but stronger and more concentrated. At the spot you choose, it then discharges and hits many foes in a considerable radius. Can paralyse. Radius increases with proficiency, but impact reduces with distance from centre.

METEOR Single target. The rest should be obvious. If you can’t defeat them the ordinary way, crush them under a piece of astronomical debris. Period. If the force damage won’t kill them, they should be stunned for a bit. If not, RUN.

HEALNG AURA More than just your ordinary HEAL spell, this will heal all party members, however the effect is distributed in a wave with its benefit shrinking quickly with each tile, so players farther away get much less benefit. Close by, this heals more than the single spell does. The effort is so immense though that the caster is left dizzy, impacting evasion, speed etc.

RESURRECT Does what it says on the tin. But is time-consuming so cannot be performed in combat. Any form of resurrection (!) incurs an XP penalty to the target, but professional help incurs the least. Higher levels mean less penalty.

DISGUISE Lowers the chance of being detected by roaming monsters even when you are within their range of perception. Once they noticed you, the spell has no impact anymore and they will do the usual chasing if they feel like it.

DISPEL A very technical spell available to wizards (at low levels, mages and geomancers may learn it as well). For a large mana cost, it tries to disrupt (remove) current fight effects. It does not work in a targeted fashion, but will randomly roll if effects are successfully removed, whether they originated from players or monsters. If only a single effect is in play, chances are very high even at low spell levels. Higher spell levels work better on multiple effects. Note though that if there are several effects of the same type in play for similar monsters, they count as individual effects even though they are displayed as one line (to keep it organised) at the top left of the fight arena. Should not be cast if you have significant and important buffs in play that you don’t want to lose.