Charmed?!

Ok, this is an umodded version question - how do I counter this spell?
My guys get charmed, change robes and etc. and never get out of the spell even if the enemy which cast it dies.

What do I need?

Plus, why can't Otis come back more than 2 times to the temple? How is this btw? Is this so if we visit nulb twice or... just leave an re-enter the temple twice? If so I won't go to Nulb for a while then ...

Thanks in advance.

 

if you go to the temple and at some point go back to Nulb, that counts as one trip. Then he will leave but you will have options to pick up two other NPCs from there with Otis for the 2nd trip. They all leave when you return from the second trip. So, if you want him to stay don't go back to Nulb.

 

Otis is "hard-wired" to leave after those two trips, it was part of the PnP module, I believe, and is a drawback to having him, but the interplay between him and his brother (Elmo) is very kewl I think in the DH mod they had a great part with thier Uncle at the end as well...

To counter a Charm Person spell, you can either A. Dispel Magic B. Break Enchantment or C. Charm the affected character back with your own Charm Person spell

 

Ummm... what if... ummm... I'm stuck in level 3 and can't get back?

Hmmm... could my wizard learn those somehow after he levels?

I really don't like one thing:

Melee fighters>sorcerors (any magic caster), because if you miss with a fighter - you still can try over and over, but the wizard just uses up his spells and that's it - he becomes useless. It doesn't really make sense how I can only cast magic missile 3 times in a battle and etc. Does the dope really forget how to do it? It's like if a fighter would use his sword once and then say "hmmm... I don't know how to attack anymore with this" :/ so lame

 

If there weren't any restrictions on spellcasting, a mage or whatever could stand far away all day and hose down things much bigger and badder than he is. I don't even want to think what would happen with say a 20th wizard with unlimited spellcasting. Ugh. They could rampage and burn Greyhawk to ashes in a very short time. As Jaroo says, the holy mother Beory advises balance in all things. :mrhappy:

 

My mediocre one has way less spells than a real spellcaster should. Level 5 or 6 should get at least a chance to DENT enemies. I find it really a pain in the ass that my wizard is just a distraction and the spells do less than 5 damage to anything - if they even f***ing hit at all. Spell disrupted, spell countered, ranged attack missed - what the fuck am I playing as? The enemies in the game are 200hp and what am I supposed to do with a wizard against that?

Thats my point.

Anyway, I'll have to just try and get some scrolls for this crap.

Where do I find a potion and scroll shop in hommlet? I dont want to go to Nulb yet.

 

Some people will tell you that magic is incredibly powerful and they'd be right about it. Problem is it takes a high-ish level wizard to really put the hurt where it belongs, IMHO.

There are useful low-level spells too but I just can't seem to make them work. I mean, sure you can lay down a pool of grease or a spider web but eventually your own fighters will have to wade in too, neutralizing the spell effect's benefits (yes you can get items that prevent the side effects or cast your own protections but...see how it all begins to add up?). The only places I've found those spells to be helpful is in big areas with a bucket load of enemies so that the web (which is huge, another problem) or the grease or the vines trap a few of them in place while I whack the rest of the critters that got to close to my fighters.

Glitter always works, though!

And, ather than direct damage (missiles and fireballs), mages' true potential is with save-or-die spells and even then you must know what to cast against whom. Fort-based save spells against other mages and will-based save spells against fighters, for example.

That and you have the resting issues that like you said, limit what you can get out of a mage. I hate walking back and forth to rest areas and I absolutely abhor the XP loss that comes with scribing scrolls so there goes that. You do get the Teleport Spell but it's rather difficult to get it, in my opinion (XP-wise).

So yeah, magic can be awesomely destructive but I just can't bother with all the little details so I've been focusing on hack-and-slash parties lately (I tried a King Arthur party a while ago and I'm taking a Pratchett's City Watch one through the game right now) and I've found it very entertaining! Maybe you could give it a go?

 

I haven't played it since I asked this, but it's pain when you have to actually go back for just one little thing when you're so close to some goal.
The glitterdust scrolls are used up (or I accidentally sold them off with other stuff) and it's really a mystery to me how to play this game correctly. They went the most difficult to understand route when they shouldve aimed for more simplistic.
I'll go and see if I can get smth from Burne.

Just another question: did the saves ever work in vanilla?

 

Yes at low levels a wizard can be a pain. The idea is to keep the wizard alive long enough to level up and gain useful area effect spells like web and fireball. But even at low levels the magic missile is useful. Some creatures ( the will o wisp comes to mind) can only be hit by magic or magic weapons. Hitting a will o wisp with a dexterity of 29 with a magic weapon can be a lesson in frustration. Once your wizard learns fireball he/she becomes the best long range artillery you have. One fire ball can clear out a room full of kobolds and put some hurting on a group of bugbears. Also the area effect spells do not have to target an enemy. Your wizard can lob one into a room. So get a wizard and keep him/her alive your party will thank you.

 

Yeah, thats the idea, but I think I've just taken the necromancer build (really cant remember) and it doesn't have flashy fancy fireball spells. For that matter, how can I just level up faster in the game? I see I have taken just a few minor sidequests, yet I am lvl5-6 with my guy (lvl1 cleric also, so there's a level wasted <_<)...

 

Is Spugnoir supposed to regenerate his spells between each battle? Because he does when I use him. On the other hand, my PC wizard has to rest a full eight hours.

 

He ain't regenerating his spells. He's stealing all the scrolls from the party and using them on everything, whenever he can, as per the agreement of his joining the party.

 

So what's the point of having him? XD I used to have him, but since my main char was a wiz - I didn't pick him, just tested him out.

 

The point of having him is so that he can steal all of your scrolls. You never, ever ask spugnoir to join, unless you use the humble npc thing so you don't have to give him anything.