Spellcasting tactics

[Atgxtg]

I'm taking a couple of geases to raise my Sense (Assassin) Sense (Ambush) skills after just reading that stunt. No wonder Humakt isn't close to Orlanth. That's nasty.

I wonder if I can take a Sense (Alynx) skill?


I think Wind Lords are one reason why Harmonize went out the window in RQ3.

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

I think Wind Lords are one reason why Harmonize went out the window in RQ3.

Well, as a spirit spell it was just always overpowered; it was too easy to turn it into a death spell, not something you could say about Demoralize, Disruption or even Befuddle.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

Well, as a spirit spell it was just always overpowered; it was too easy to turn it into a death spell, not something you could say about Demoralize, Disruption or even Befuddle.

Yeah, it was a bit nasty. Maybe not as a Spirit Spell, but as a low cost spell. Still, a Wind Lord who jumps off a cliff is probably going to be better off that the poor schmuck he harmonized.
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[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Yeah, it was a bit nasty. Maybe not as a Spirit Spell, but as a low cost spell. Still, a Wind Lord who jumps off a cliff is probably going to be better off that the poor schmuck he harmonized.

Frankly, just not being in melee yourself so you stood around in a "hit me!" pose for soemone else to nail the target was bad enough. If water or a dropoff was present, you didn't even need to go off it; just move in such a fashion that your target did.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

Frankly, just not being in melee yourself so you stood around in a "hit me!" pose for soemone else to nail the target was bad enough. If water or a dropoff was present, you didn't even need to go off it; just move in such a fashion that your target did.

Oh yeah. The ever popular knife in the back from the Harmonized dude was another goodie. Run the guy into trees, walls, nearby bodies of water.

Even if you were the worst fighter or spell caster in the group, if you know Harmonize and had a POW storing crystal, you could probably take any one foe out of the fight just by burning some POW.

Sometime I'm surprised we didn't see more "chain harmonize" situations. The spell was probably invaluable to the players guild. Think of how much easier it would make choreography!

[RMS]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

I'm taking a couple of geases to raise my Sense (Assassin) Sense (Ambush) skills after just reading that stunt. No wonder Humakt isn't close to Orlanth. That's nasty.

I wonder if I can take a Sense (Alynx) skill?

This longrunning game has a reoccuring GMPC/NPC (my old character from way back) that's a Sword of Humakt. (Honestly, he showed up once when I needed a quick powerful Humakti and the PCs keep seeking him out and players like him, so I must not be abusing him.) Anyhow, we've noted that Humakti are very nasty compared to Wind Lords early after they each make Rune Lord, but over time Orlanthi magic offers a lot of tactical options and general flexibility that the Humakti lacks. Once melee starts, the Humakti is top dog. (I've noted before that this particular character can deal out 50+ points of damage every hit, twice per round. That's really hard to match.) Before that, the Wind Lords can be extremely nasty with mutiple powerful sylphs, teleport, alynx directed magic (don't forget that max 38 POW they have in RQIII for POW v. POW rolls), infinitely stackable attack spells, such as lightning and thunderbolt, etc. The deal is that the Wind Lord needs a lot of POW invested in magic to get there. In this long running campaign, the PCs have 50+ points of divine magic each.

I think Wind Lords are one reason why Harmonize went out the window in RQ3.

It's been so long, I don't even remeber what the spell does. Can anyone refresh my memory? I do recall that I'd tossed it before getting RQIII, so it's problems must have been pretty obvious. I only have it for Jack-o-bears now, but using one of those has been a long time in the past too...

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by RMS

This longrunning game has a reoccuring GMPC/NPC (my old character from way back) that's a Sword of Humakt. (Honestly, he showed up once when I needed a quick powerful Humakti and the PCs keep seeking him out and players like him, so I must not be abusing him.) Anyhow, we've noted that Humakti are very nasty compared to Wind Lords early after they each make Rune Lord, but over time Orlanthi magic offers a lot of tactical options and general flexibility that the Humakti lacks. Once melee starts, the Humakti is top dog. (I've noted before that this particular character can deal out 50+ points of damage every hit, twice per round. That's really hard to match.) Before that, the Wind Lords can be extremely nasty with mutiple powerful sylphs, teleport, alynx directed magic (don't forget that max 38 POW they have in RQIII for POW v. POW rolls), infinitely stackable attack spells, such as lightning and thunderbolt, etc. The deal is that the Wind Lord needs a lot of POW invested in magic to get there. In this long running campaign, the PCs have 50+ points of divine magic each.

Sounds about right. Humkati tend to lack the flexibility of some other characters, but do alright as the direct approach suits them, AND they are among the best at doing what they do. In a straight fight or undead hunt, they are hard to beat. Anything else, and they are going to try and push it towards a straight fight or undead hunt.

We had one Storm Bull who loved having Humakti around. They were the only ones who would complain that if he was going to use face chaos then he better keep up with them. If only the Humakti hated Chaos the way the hated undead!

Originally Posted by RMS

It's been so long, I don't even remeber what the spell does. Can anyone refresh my memory? I do recall that I'd tossed it before getting RQIII, so it's problems must have been pretty obvious. I only have it for Jack-o-bears now, but using one of those has been a long time in the past too...

Sure. What you do, the victim does. You hop on one foot, so does he. You jump off a cliff, so doe he. You stand there and take off your helmet, so does he. You jump into the lake and start swimming, or not and let your fields hold you up, so does he.

The possibles for use and abuse should be obvious.

[frogspawner]

Originally Posted by soltakss

An allied spirit is in mind-link with its master, so can see through its master's eyes. So, unless the Runemaster is unconscious, the allied spirit can cast spells quite happily. It can also cast spells on its master with range touch as it is effectively touching its master at all times.

I thought it was a special Runemaser-Allied Spirit thing that gave the ability to see through the master's eyes, and a normal Mind Link spell wouldn't. I didn't know about the touch-range thing either. Is that RQ2 or RQ3? But I'd have said the Spirit could cast even when it's master was unconscious/blinded, just that focussed spells would take longer.

Originally Posted by RMS

Right. It can use it's own eyesight or it's master's. A particularly nasty tactical application of this that one of my player's Wind Lord has used is as follows: <snip>

Also, I'd always assumed that it was spirits in objects that used their master's senses, and animal familiars would be limited to their own. But maybe you're right - nasty!

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Sure. What you do, the victim does. You hop on one foot, so does he. You jump off a cliff, so doe he. You stand there and take off your helmet, so does he. You jump into the lake and start swimming, or not and let your fields hold you up, so does he.

The possibles for use and abuse should be obvious.

It's actually worse than that, since the victim's orientation doesn't have to start the same as yours; if you're facing away form the victim (though this makes it at least tricky to throw the spell) and run, he'll run off in whatever direction he's facing.

[frogspawner]

Originally Posted by RMS

It's been so long, I don't even remeber what the spell does. Can anyone refresh my memory? I do recall that I'd tossed it before getting RQIII, so it's problems must have been pretty obvious. I only have it for Jack-o-bears now, but using one of those has been a long time in the past too...

Harmonize from a Jack-o-Bear is a bit different, I believe: stand there till it eats you. Less powerful - but it could get more than one victim at once (I don't think chain-harmonizing was legal with the spell).