Friends (spell)

[Mike Garrison]

The description says that "on higher difficulties" it may result in the target becoming hostile to you. According to some things I have read, using it on a companion automatically drops their relationship with you by 10 points.

So how is it intended to be used? I guess I could see it being used in a few very specific circumstances, but mostly it seems like any use of it to avoid a combat situation would be self-defeating.

I could see it being useful, for instance, when trying to convince Yurgir to kill his allies and then himself. You are going to enter combat at the end of that discussion no matter what, unless you actually do convince him to kill himself, so in that case it seems like a good call.

Can you use friends on someone and then immediately leave before they go hostile? And if so, are they still mad at you if you meet them again several days later?

[Dizzy Ladybug]

On Tactician, when the spell ends they start looking for the character who cast it. So you can cast Friends then run away to wait until both the spell ends and the character stop searching around the area.

I think many who cast it forget they did so and end up shocked when that character becomes hostile with them 😭

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

They only go hostile when the spell expires, so if you're not in the area when that happens, oh well.

It's mostly intended to let you bypass guards you won't be seeing twice, or don't mind killing when you do.

[Mike Garrison]

Originally posted by Pan Darius Loveless:

It's mostly intended to let you bypass guards you won't be seeing twice, or don't mind killing when you do.

OK, I guess that's understandable. Kind of niche, but then again a lot of spells are.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

Originally posted by Pan Darius Loveless:

It's mostly intended to let you bypass guards you won't be seeing twice, or don't mind killing when you do.

OK, I guess that's understandable. Kind of niche, but then again a lot of spells are.

Fortunately, Larian creates tons of situations where stuff like this is useful.