Priests and Magi

Expert Spell Casting in DDO

By Darkgolem

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Using good tactics may be more important for spell casters than any other classes.  This is because spell casters can affect the largest amount of targets at once.  A badly placed spell can turn an easy fight into a struggle for survival for your whole party.  However, a skillful spell caster, backed by a party of adventurers who work well together, can handle combat much more dangerous than normal.

Working with your Party

There is nothing more important than planning with your party and explaining how your magic works. A good example of a spell that requires careful planning between the caster and his party members is Hypnotic Pattern. Hypnotic Pattern causes an effect to appear and stay over an area for 15 seconds per level.  Whenever an enemy enters the effect area, they must save or be hypnotized.  Furthermore, if led out of the area of effect, then back in, the enemy must save again. The hypnotism lasts until it is broken by a player's attack.

Now, there are two ways this spell can be used. If not explained, then it can be cast, your party can charge into it, they can attack all the foes inside the effect at once, and it can provide no real benefit for your party. If explained, then it can be cast, your party can attack one foe at a time, if a person who is not a combatant is attacked, they can lead foes out of and back into the affect, and so on.  This can reduce the risk to your party enormously.

Make sure to keep things as simple as possible, and try to use the same tactics, as long as they are effective, when working with your party.  Even when using voice chat, when trying new ways of doing things, complications and chaos can result in inefficient efforts.

Know how your Spells Work

There are many intricacies to spells in Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO).   A good example is Hypnotism (and Hypnotic Pattern). First and foremost, enchantments do not work on undead. Hypnotic affects use will saves, so are less effective against spell casters and in turn more effective against melee types. Furthermore, while under the affect of hypnotism, as long as no damage is done to a target, one can place other spells upon an enemy.  For example, one can bestow curse, use touch of idiocy, use ray of enfeeblement or anything that does not cause damage upon a target without fear of them breaking out of the hypnotism affect.

There are many spells that have unique qualities that a spell caster should know.  I suggest going into a lower level adventure once you have leveled and testing your spells upon different types of creatures (humanoids, giant kind (such as ogres), giant vermin, undead and oozes) to test the limits of your spells in (relative) safety.  If you do choose to do this, make sure to bring spells that are useful as backups, just in case.  You don't want to incur debt because you didn't use your defensive spells and have a web spell or similar to hold off your opponents in case a spell doesn't work out as you would want.

Plan your Spell Placement

Take a moment to consider spell placement before casting spells.  If placed properly, your spells will have the maximum affect on your enemies.  If placed poorly, you can actually increase the danger to your party.

When looking into a room with a narrow entrance, does one place a web on the far or near side of the archway?  The best place to place the spell in this case is near to you, not on the far side of the door.  This is because you want your enemies to run out of the far room and get stuck just outside the door of the room.  This way your fellow party members can stand out of sight from those in the far room (so enemy archers and spell casters cannot target them), and attack from the side of the held opponent, gaining flanking bonuses in the process.  Also, since enemies cannot run through each other, this causes a traffic jam, preventing those enemies who are not affected by your spells from running into the room until you have dealt with your enemy's immobile friends.

If you place the web spell on the far side of the doorway, then immobile enemies do not prevent access to where you are from the side, and your party cannot attack them unless they enter the room.  This actually puts your party at greater risk than they should be.

With a little practice and consideration, you can place your spells most effectively, and make your spell points go much further.  Again, understand the effects, limits and other factors in your spells to best decide how to place your spells.

Spell Point Conservation

Spells that buff your party are very useful, but should be use with care.  For example, there is no need to use Cat's Grace on every member of your party. You should think about how you want to apply your spells with an eye toward providing the benefits to those who can use them most, as well as to provide the greatest benefit overall to your party.

If you can reduce the chance of your party members getting hit in melee you save spell point costs that would otherwise be expended on healing.  If you have a party member who repeatedly takes damage because their armor class is low, consider putting Cat's Grace or Shield of Faith upon them. Remember that your party members have limits to how well dexterity can affect them, based upon the items and armor they wear.

Are your spells (or a fellow party member's) of the “save or die” type, such as Hold Person? Or are they spells that cause half damage if saved against?  With the latter, it might not be necessary to have a buff to your intelligence (or charisma, or wisdom) to increase the DCs of your spells. After all, even if you do cause only half damage, you're still causing damage.

When you rest at a shrine, first have your cleric heal everyone to full hit points, except for those who are going to use the rest shrine.  Then have the clerics and casters wait until everyone else has finished resting (if they are going to--you might want to save the shrine for later), then use all the buffs that you want to on your fellow party members.  Finally, rest yourself.  Now the party members already have buffs on them, and you have a full spell point bar.

By using these techniques, your spells will be much more effective.  You will save spell points, your spells will work better, and your party will be more survivable.  By educating yourself and your party, you will not only benefit your party and yourself, but you will bring these lessons to other members of the DDO community, and make the game better overall.

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