First time conjurer, what spells to learn?

[danr]

Okay, I've got a level 13 SpVM (Vehumet) going and I'm wondering a few things:

- How far to train conjurations? I currently have spellcasting 13, conjurations 13, poison magic 7, and one or two levels in a few other schools.
- What spells to learn? I've got decent utility spells, I'm wondering about offence:

I've got Sting, Mephitic cloud, Mystic Blast, static discharge and I just added Iron Shot (though I won't cast it much until the cost comes down.

Some options I'm considering:
- Olgreb's toxic radiance - I just found an rPois ring in a shop, or I could learn resist poison. I'm leaning toward the resist poison spell because it keeps a ring slot free, and I have cure poison anyway as well. However, I already have poison cloud too.
- Alistair's intoxication - I just found an amulet of clarity. However, the same shop has another interesting amulet: {Inacc Str+4 Int+3 EV+3}
- Bolt of Cold
- Freezing Cloud
- Venom Bolt
- Invisibility.

[tromboneandrew]

I'd also recommend Magic Dart if you don't have it. You didn't list any low-level conjurations beside sting, and Magic dart never misses.

[galehar]

Alistair's is great with clarity, but somewhat redundant if you already have Mephitic Cloud.

Appart from the obvious unresistible and LOS range advantages of Alistair's, what I also like about it is that it is much less noisy then mephitic.

[pratamawirya]

If you have a book with Orb of Destruction, learn it. It's good.

Don't learn Bolt of Cold. You better learn Fire Magic, 'cause Firestorm is great.


EDIT: I think you better find a free Amulet of Clarity. Don't buy it from a shop, unless the amulet has other properties.

[MrMisterMonkey]

While orb of destruction is fun, it has many limitations (takes multiple turns to hit its target, easily evadable and blockable, loses its target if it goes out of los, likes to hit walls when used in corridors, bad damage at close range) and other spells are more convenient and usually as good, if not better; I think it got a damage buff in trunk, though, so you might want to try that out, but still get bolt of cold (it's nice). For another thing orb of destruction cannot do, try using bolt of cold to pierce and hit multiple targets.

If you're going ice magic (which is great, too), get bolt of cold. pratamawirya, you do know there's an ice storm (not smitey and doesn't leave vortices but usually better damage, if I recall correctly), too, right? Other ice spells are also good.

Buying clarity from a shop is fine if you really want it.

[danr]

I bought clarity because I've only found three shops all game and I have stacks of cash. However, I've been using mephitic cloud because it's cheaper and I have this randart amulet of inaccuracy with Int+3 Str+4 EV+3 that I like to wear.

However, mephitic cloud is not confusing as many things as it used to, even things that are not supposed to be poison resistant. Hm.

Fortunately I found selective amnesia and I have a stash of about 15 spellbooks by now, so I have a lot of flexibility.

I spotted Mara on Elf 6 and just ran back to the dungeon. There I met Louise, who looks a lot less scary than Mara but I took about five shots at her with Poison Arrow and Mystic Blast and she just blocked all of them.

[colma]

Damn, I hate Mara so much .

I would say fire magic is much more useful than ice to a Venom Mage. Most of what resists poison also resists ice spells, so in my experience fire is the better gap-filler. I've also had some sweet runs as with poison/necromancy combo if you have the spellbooks (but no wins so far going that route...).

Poison Arrow may no longer be "brokenly overpowered," but its still probably the best poison spell in the game later on and still quite useful. But pumping your poison skill is up to you.

[MrMisterMonkey]

There's also ignite poison (tmut/fire), which turns your poisonous clouds (from poisonous cloud) into flame clouds, and other wonderful things like that.

[Stormfox]

Mephitic's success rate is based on hit dice, if I'm not mistaken, so really beefy monsters will ignore it even if they're not poison resistant.

If you go the Ignite Poison route, ditch your poison needles...that's a mistake that I made only once.

[danr]

Currently "mystic blast" is my main damage spell, and it does all right - it's nice that the damage is not resistable (though it can be blocked). But I need something with more oomph.

Unfortunately the only fire spells I have access to are fireball and firestorm. Fireball is currently castable at "Honeycomb" which is a pretty steep cost for a spriggan.

I have a lot more ice spells available. However, ice and fire are both -2 for spriggans. Should I be concerned about that, when conjurations is already -3 for me? I guess not, if people can play Ogre casters, this should be doable.

For whatever reason, I've accumulated a lot of necro / summoning / transmutation books. I'm really wanting to play a straight-up blaster style though.

[galehar]

Fortunately I found selective amnesia and I have a stash of about 15 spellbooks by now, so I have a lot of flexibility.

Aren't you playing trunk now? Because selective amnesia has been removed.

[danr]

I play some trunk, some 0.7.1.

Selective Amnesia removed? But scrolls of amnesia have been added, right?

That makes Sif Muna a bit more compelling...

[lucy_ferre]

I play some trunk, some 0.7.1.

Selective Amnesia removed? But scrolls of amnesia have been added, right?

That makes Sif Muna a bit more compelling...

I thought you were playing 0.4.5? Anyway, you can forget spells by destroying books and amnesia scrolls aren't uncommon, so there's no need to worship Sif for that ability.

[danr]

... you can forget spells by destroying books and amnesia scrolls aren't uncommon, so there's no need to worship Sif for that ability.

How do you forget a spell by destroying a book? Throw it into some lava and you forget all the spells from that book?

[lucy_ferre]

... you can forget spells by destroying books and amnesia scrolls aren't uncommon, so there's no need to worship Sif for that ability.

How do you forget a spell by destroying a book? Throw it into some lava and you forget all the spells from that book?

0.8: read a book, select the spell, and 'F'orget it.

[danr]

... you can forget spells by destroying books and amnesia scrolls aren't uncommon, so there's no need to worship Sif for that ability.

How do you forget a spell by destroying a book? Throw it into some lava and you forget all the spells from that book?

0.8: read a book, select the spell, and 'F'orget it.

And that destroys the book?

[galehar]

0.8: read a book, select the spell, and 'F'orget it.

And that destroys the book?

Yes. But you get a warning message about it. This also angers Sif, so don't do that to save piety if you worship her!