In 7.8 NC I am finding a few spells and potions that I am not sure if they are working or not. Wondering if anyone can confirm: Remove Fear (Cleric) - there is no visual counter on this one above the portraits, and though you can select the characters to cast it at, it never successfully dispels existing fear, nor seems to offer any protection against incoming fear - hard to tell though, as the fear spell always puts a visual counter below the portrait even when it has no affect. Blight: What an earth is this spell for? Should it work on fungi (because it doesn't)? Wonnilon's Control Plants: Another one that is of dubious use. When cast at fungi it entangles them, rather than controlling them. Is this the desired affect? Potions of Protection against X: Some of these have a visual effect, but most of them do not put up a visual counter above the portrait (such as protection from Undead or Protection from Elements, Fire) so it's hard to tell if they are doing anything.
Remove Fear: You instill courage in the subject, granting it a +4 morale bonus against fear effects for 10 minutes. If the subject is under the influence of a fear effect when receiving the spell, that effect is suppressed for the duration of the spell. Remove fear counters and dispels cause fear. Blight: This spell withers a single plant of any size. An affected plant creature takes 1d6 points of damage per level (maximum 15d6) and may attempt a Fortitude saving throw for half damage. A plant that isn’t a creature doesn’t receive a save and immediately withers and dies. This spell has no effect on the soil or surrounding plant life. At least this is what the SRD says about it.
Yes the spell descriptions say the same. My point was more on whether they are actually working, as I can't seem to tell - remove fear casts, but seems to have no impact, and blight I can't seem to cast it on fungi. Now strictly speaking fungi aren't plants, so this might be intended, but then I do wonder what the spell is for!
Blight is a touch attack spell and does affect the fungi Zuggtmoy summons IIRC. As for Remove Fear check the dice roll box that you can make open or close during combat. Cast Remove Fear and then check and see if its effects were applied.
Same advice --watch the dialog box for effects-- goes for the Potions of Protection. Against Undead, for example, your AC is lowered allowing Undead to "hit" more easily, but you don't take damage. I think it's a damage reduction thing because it isn't proof against damage from certain Hill Giant Skeletons. It lasts 1 turn (10 rounds), and the only expiration warning you get is the vague "a spell has expired" banner message.... and you resume normal AC and take damage normally. The potion does not work if you've already cast Prot from Evil on whoever drinks the potion. (Prot from Evil blocks a lot of effects one wouldn't normally intuit.) Potion of Prot of Magic always gives me a counter. 90 rounds, if I recall, and Spell Resistance of 21. Those are the only two potions (found as loot, or obtained by persuasion) I've used. I've never crafted potions, so can't comment on their efficacy. Potions of Protection purchased from Mother (moathouse respawn) didn't seem to work the one time I bought them, so I don't bother anymore. But all the potions I've found as loot seem to work as advertised. Except sometimes on the Fire/Air/Water temple(s) level of the Temple, when drinking a potion in either proximate in time or location (not sure which) to one of the temple priests casting a protection spell causes the potion to assume the characteristics of the spell. Many times, I've bottomed up a potion of cure light wounds only to end up with 6 hours of Endure Elements or some such ... And, yes, Control Plants acts as Hold Plant, with the Entangle visualization.
