"Rust" spell/scrolls...

[fishhooks]

...I've seen a couple of comments in some guides that indicate this scroll will open any lock, right from the start. Just so I'm clear on this...that is NOT the case, right? My Rust scrolls have a value equivalent to my current Crystal Magic stat, so if that stat is at 30, the scrolls only open locks of 30 or less.

Either that or I'm not using them correctly. I see a 110 lock, place a scroll in slot 8, look at the chest and press 8...spell fails to open lock. That's the way it's suppossed to be, right?

Thanks for clarifying for me.

[Totally]

I have the same issue.

[Valden21]

AFAIK, the Rust spell weakens the lock by whatever your Crystal Magic ability is at. So in the example, the lock starts at 110 and is hit with a Rust spell from someone with a Crystal Magic score of 30, so the player now needs a Safecracker score of at least 80 to open the lock.

[fishhooks]

Oh, I see...so after hitting the lock with the spell, it should now register as 80. I never bothered to take note of that, so I don't know if it was actually happening. Means I may have wasted a few Rust scrolls due to not paying attention to any possible changes in the lock level.

I'll give it a try...thanks for the clarification.

EDIT...ok, just gave your suggestion a try...no go. Just bounces off and has no affect. I'm guessing that these scrolls are just a way to avoid dumping Glory into Dexterity, and use Crystal Magic instead (although I don't know why I would prefer to put more points into Crystal Magic rather than Dexterity, since the latter also is required for pickpocketing and piercing weapons).

[Valden21]

Originally posted by fishhooks:

Oh, I see...so after hitting the lock with the spell, it should now register as 80. I never bothered to take note of that, so I don't know if it was actually happening. Means I may have wasted a few Rust scrolls due to not paying attention to any possible changes in the lock level.

I'll give it a try...thanks for the clarification.

EDIT...ok, just gave your suggestion a try...no go. Just bounces off and has no affect. I'm guessing that these scrolls are just a way to avoid dumping Glory into Dexterity, and use Crystal Magic instead (although I don't know why I would prefer to put more points into Crystal Magic rather than Dexterity, since the latter also is required for pickpocketing and piercing weapons).

Well, If you're playing as a mage, the Crystal Magic skill is really useful because it governs your spellcasting capability.

Okay, just did a little bit more research on the subject, and OP, it appears that you were using the Rust spell correctly in the first place. The reason it wasn't working was that your Crystal Magic skill wasn't high enough. The idea of the Rust spell is that it opens locks if your Crystal Magic skill is equal to the strength of the lock, so in your example, a chest/door with a 110 lock would need a both a Rust spell and a Crystal magic level of at least 110 to get the lock open. Of course, if your lockpicking ability is that high or close enough so that a Potion of Thievery hits or exceeds that mark, it becomes moot.