Running out of spells.

[General Malaise]

I fail to see how spells not resetting after each battle improves the game. Just means you either have to camp, or head back somewhere for sleep, even when you don't need the health.

Anyone explain how this improves the game?

Got a few characters on level 3. They only get a handfull of spells before they're spent. When I can isolate a single enemy or maybe 2, I'm not even using any. Even so, it's not too long before I have to head back to The Inn(for the bonus).

[supertrooper225]

All in the name of balance buddy. You are a low level right now so you are supposed to not be able to fight for the game equivalent of 16 hours straight.. It gets better.

[General Malaise]

I've played a party up to level 8, but having a go on Hard. I don't understand the balance of it. Resseting after each battle wouldn't alter that . My health is fine, just opened a door and there's at least 3 shades in there. I quick look, and neithe Durance or Aloth got a single spell left. I've got to sleep or head to the inn - but what's the point to that?

[Mansen]

It's an incredibly weird hybrid between current day pen and paper mechanics, old AD&D rules from the Baldur's Gate era - And Obsidian's personal ideas.

I agree that Wizards start out needlessly weak compared to other classes - It's one of those stereotypes of the genre that Obsidian for some reason decided to keep. Start out terrible - end up as nukes.

You can always go back and rest somewhere for free if you choose to - or just ignore the limitation entirely and use the console to rest for free (Baldur's Gate approach)

[supertrooper225]

There are also the fatigue negative buffs or whatever you might call them. But anyway, I assume it is there to keep you from spamming certain spells and to promote wise use of them. Just because a game is an FPS doesn't mean you should get unlimited ammo right?

[Braxxas]

I'm sure, that this has nothing to do with balance or logic, whatsoever.
The reason is simple: Baldur's Gate used Vancian Magic, so PoE does too. It's to bring back the the feeling of old D&D Infinity games. And since D&D used (and still uses) Vancian Magic...

[feralgal]

You aren't supposed to use your per rest spells for the whole battle. The idea is that you only use them tactically and somewhat sparingly. You shouldn't be using them for trash mobs.If you could spam spells for every encounter, the game would be far too easy. It would almost be like god mode.

If you want to play like that it's fine. It is a single player game. But the game wasn't designed to rest after every couple of battles. So resetting spells after every encounter would be very OP and they would need to nerf spells (or further restrict the number you could use per rest). This way, if ppl really need to regain their spells, they can do it by resting. It's like a cheat for new players or in case an encounter goes very badly. The BG and IWD games did that too.

[supertrooper225]

Originally posted by feralgal:

You aren't supposed to use your per rest spells for the whole battle. The idea is that you only use them tactically and somewhat sparingly. You shouldn't be using them for trash mobs.If you could spam spells for every encounter, the game would be far too easy. It would almost be like god mode.

If you want to play like that it's fine. It is a single player game. But the game wasn't designed to rest after every couple of battles. So resetting spells after every encounter would be very OP and they would need to nerf spells (or further restrict the number you could use per rest). This way, if ppl really need to regain their spells, they can do it by resting. It's like a cheat for new players or in case an encounter goes very badly.

That is much closer to what I thought. I think spells can be pretty damn powerful so having unlimted uses would feel like a definite cheat mode or something. Might as well just nuke the balance.

[General Malaise]

Wow, yeah - they're so overpowering!!!

;)

[sheep from hell]

its about to learn to just use whats needed and dont nuke every cockroach with all you got ;)

[Matthew]

Though at the same time, you cannot pre-buff which already limits spell abuse. In previous games you could load up on a ton of buffs, trivialize a fight, then rest afterwards.

I agree with Braxxas that it is probably largely out of tradition. They could have easily found a way to work in spells in a per-encounter basis if they wanted to, but they chose not to. At least for the "classic" magic users.

[General Malaise]

Originally posted by sheep from hell:

its about to learn to just use whats needed and dont nuke every cockroach with all you got ;)

Well I did say that I'm not.

:)

[Payn]

most of the time i run out on health on one of my tanks before i used all my spells.
most of the times i only use the per encounter stuff and a heal if its needed. only if there are alot of enemies i use aoe dmg and control spells.
the lvl 1 and 2 single targets spells i use only on specific enemies like healers other spellcasters or some of the enemies with high physical defense but low magic resist.

tho sum it up primarily use ur per encounter stuff and only if needed or if you gona rest soon anyway spam ur spells.

ur fighter/paladin/roughe/... also have just 2-4 active stuff to use during a fight. handle wizards the same

[General Malaise]

Also, you don't know what's ahead. When I hit the Drake on the Springs place, I had very few spells left, and none pretty quick. I needed a full complement of them, and the only way to do that, is to rest every time you use one.

[sheep from hell]

Originally posted by Lilith:

Though at the same time, you cannot pre-buff which already limits spell abuse. In previous games you could load up on a ton of buffs, trivialize a fight, then rest afterwards.

I agree with Braxxas that it is probably largely out of tradition. They could have easily found a way to work in spells in a per-encounter basis if they wanted to, but they chose not to. At least for the "classic" magic users.

sure they could design encounters that you have to use all your spells, but classes without spells would be highly underpowered through this (see old bg games). limitations means not only the lag of freedom, it means at the same time an enhance in tactic and strategy

[Flip]

I believe this harks back to the older D&D games. Wizards have a certain amount of spells they could cast at rest.

If you look at BG1/2, IWD 1/2 wizards started out quite weak but as they lvl up they turn into walker doombringers :D

in BG 1 your wiz could cast THREE spells at lvl, no per encounter stuff, couldn't do damage really outside of it. So Pillars is not that harsh :D

Personally I like the system but might be because I am used it it or personal preference.

I think the idea with it is to make the player decide WHEN do they really need to use spells. At first I used em up in the first few encounters. Now I am more picky, I only use per rest spells when I have too. Priests and Wizards still have some nifty per encounter abilities that help them contribute.