9 replies to this topic

[BoardGuest808888l]

Hello again, I'm trying to make an all spellcasters party. Before doing so, I'd like to know these, just to make sure I get it correctly;

 

1. How Concentration works ? Does NPCs/AIs have concentration check ? (never seen they failed on this). How high do I need for ltypical mages  and clerics ?

 

2. How does Silence works ? Do I get save vs Silence ? (seems I always automatically silenced whenever someone cast it, friend/foe).

 

3. Is there any way to counter Bigby's Hand of (something), other than Spell Resistance ?

 

4. Is there a level limit for Holy Word to work  ? 

[Arkalezth]

1. Yes, they do. As a rule of thumb, max it with casters, unless you don't plan to cast in combat at all, in which case you can ignore it.

 

2. If Silence is cast on a creature, that creature gets to roll a save. But if it's cast on the ground, no save is allowed. That said, AI-controlled enemies that cast Silence are extremely rare in my experience.

 

3. Some of them allow a counter roll. Check the wiki for details. Whether that roll is easy to pass is a different thing.

 

4. If you mean Word of faith, then no, no limit.

[BoardGuest808888l]

Aha that explains a lot. Thx.

Oh and another, does Parry works while casting spells ? Which is better, Defensive casting mode, Parry mode or Expertise mode (for spellcasters) ?

[Arkalezth]

Parry does work when casting, but I don't remember the details. I'm no fan of the skill in general.

 

I'd say (Improved) Expertise > Defensive casting, at least if you can get a decent AC with it, but I don't consider it a priority. If I have feats to spare and plan to use offensive spells often, then I'll take it, but with buffs, your defence should be good enough with or without it.

 

Another thing to consider is what weapons you're using. I usually have my low level wizards shoot a crossbow when they aren't casting spells, and CE only works with melee weapons.

[BoardGuest808888l]

Ah yes, so it's better to give a ranged alternative than trying to buff the casters' melee ? That means I'll need to pile up wands.

[GCoyote]

SoZ is very good for players who like using wands. Once you have enough cash, you can make wands for all of the spells you use most often, stone skin perhaps. This gives you a chance to memorize less common spells and see what you can do with those.

[Arkalezth]

Ah yes, so it's better to give a ranged alternative than trying to buff the casters' melee ?

 

Well, it depends on the character. A classic, physically weak wizard will often be better served by using a ranged weapon at low levels, when you don't have a lot of spells per day. A spellsword type can use buffs and melee instead.

[GCoyote]

Like Ark' says. An Elven wizard can also use a longbow and longsword. Halflings get a bonus with throwing weapons. Gives more options to the player to have different races in the party. 

 

Q: Have you tried the NWN2 Character Builder yet? 

[BoardGuest808888l]

Yeah, I'm thinking about all spellcasters party, so most probably physically weak wizards & sorcerers will be the majority. My concern are things that can shut down spellcasting (like Silence or Holy Word) and going for melee. At level 9+, melee won't be a problem, but before, I need at least someone who can act at least as temporary tank. Seems I'll need at least one spellsword type no matter what.

And btw, that Character Builder is full with class I don't know, like Dragonslayer and Stormsinger. Either those are typos or I'm missing something there.

[Arkalezth]

There's a mod, Kaedrin's PRC Pack, that introduces those classes, among other things. Choose the "Storm of Zehir" game version when you start a build if you don't use that mod.

 

Like I said, it's highly unlikely that you run into an enemy that uses Silence. If you're really worried, you can always take Silent Spell, but IMO, there are more useful feats.