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Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Friday, 16th September 2016, 21:20
by jwoodward48ss
These will probably only be good for newbs, as I'm a mediocre player and I've never won a caster.

1. Learn all the spells in your starting book. ALL OF THEM.

Magic Dart is useful even in Lair as a guide for your Battlesphere. Searing Ray does decent damage, and is especially good in hallways. Dazzling Spray is good when you have a pack on your tail and need to skedaddle, but you don't want to drag the whole pack around. (That is, it's a good pack-splitter.) Iskenderun's Mystic Blast will be your big damage-source until you have Battlesphere, and even then, it's useful. Fulminant Prism is good with kiting and yakpaks.

2. Specific advice vs tough enemies.

Make sure you have battlesphere.

a. Weak packs that would deplete your MP if you tried to use IMB on them, but are too tough to take out with MD.

Cast Battlesphere, go to town with your never-miss MD and close air support.

b. Tough packs.

You have a few options. I find that kiting and casting FP just between you and the nearby pack, but also to the side slightly, is good for keeping it from being prematurely exploded. Dazzling Spray helps split packs, and does decent multi-target damage. It has no synergy with Battlesphere, though. Once you've split a pack, see below for each individual enemy.

The following apply when only one enemy is in sight.

c. Any individual enemy that can't get to you before IB+MD kills it.

Kill it with IB+MD.

d. Any individual enemy that you think could deal decent damage before IB+MD kills it.

If you think IB+IMB will kill it, then use that. Hint: Unless you're literally two squares away from the enemy, it will. I've taken down eight-headed hydrae with this. I've taken on the retiring mercenary guy with this. Use it against anything even slightly challenging, like spiny frogs, too.

Watch out for ranged enemies, though. It won't deal with ice dragons. (Why are you fighting ice dragons? You shouldn't keep on fighting in the Ice Caves that contain them. Grab the decent loot protected by yaks, and leave before dragons and death yaks show up.)

The above apply when only one enemy is in sight.

e. You see a variety of enemies.

Lure. Always remember where your staircase is. If there's a torpor snail and you can't kill it quickly, teleport. If there's a dangerous ranged enemy, teleport. Otherwise, split it up like a pack. Dangerous ranged enemies never appear in packs, thank goodness. Always try to deal with dangerous ranged enemies one-on-one. You're a ranged fighter, swarms of rats that block LoF are useful for hack-and-slashers, not you.

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Friday, 16th September 2016, 21:21
by Sar
Why no Searing Ray? It's good!

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Friday, 16th September 2016, 21:46
by VeryAngryFelid
Weak packs should be killed with weapon unless you are with Vehumet and lazy. Basically treat being low on MP as melee characters treat being low on HP: you made a mistake, retreat earlier next time.

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Saturday, 17th September 2016, 03:43
by jwoodward48ss
Oops, forgot Searing Ray. I personally don't like being stationary unless I have to. Normally, Searing Ray is good for packs (in corridors) and when something jumps on you from around a corner. Lair has few corridors and few sharp corners, so it's normally not as useful in Lair. Still, don't forget it, it's good in D.

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Saturday, 17th September 2016, 05:55
by ydeve
Searing Ray is an awesome mp-efficient spell in Lair. It should be used against frequently, especially when not right next to the stairs. You don't have to use it against packs. It's good for single-target as well.

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Saturday, 17th September 2016, 07:42
by Siegurt
Indeed, only the last round of searing ray is penetrating, so it is actually great against a single tough target, perhaps with some weaker buddies following behind.

Also both searing ray and dazzling spray work just fine with battlesphere, depending on what you want to hit.

Dazzling spray is also great with a minimal stealth+short blades investment as a way to stab blinded stuff. It is a very efficient way to dispose of small groups of things that won't kill you in one shot, but would chip away at your hps in straight melee or leave you low on mana if you were just blasting away with spells.

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Saturday, 17th September 2016, 18:01
by jwoodward48ss
Oh, searing ray has synergy with battlesphere? Didn't know that. Unless it's been changed, though, battlesphere doesn't trigger when dazzling spray is used.

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Sunday, 18th September 2016, 00:08
by Siegurt
jwoodward48ss wrote:Oh, searing ray has synergy with battlesphere? Didn't know that. Unless it's been changed, though, battlesphere doesn't trigger when dazzling spray is used.

You're incorrect:
Casting: Iskenderun's Battlesphere
Confirm with . or Enter, or press ? or * to list all spells.
Aiming: Dazzling Spray
Press: ? - help, Shift-Dir - straight line, f - ogre
Aim: an ogre, wielding a giant club (resting)
The spray of energy hits the ogre.
The ogre is moderately wounded.
Your battlesphere fires!
The barrage of energy hits the ogre.
The ogre is heavily wounded.

It does and has always triggered battlesphere.

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Sunday, 18th September 2016, 03:58
by jwoodward48ss
What about when there are multiple targets? (No computer access, so can't test myself.)

Re: Thoughts on a Lair Conjuror

PostPosted: Sunday, 18th September 2016, 04:04
by Siegurt
jwoodward48ss wrote:What about when there are multiple targets? (No computer access, so can't test myself.)

I know it only fires at one target, I don't recall how it decides which one, I'd have to go test it when I have some time (I suspect it always picks the "middle" target, but I don't actually know for sure)

Or someone else might get around to it first.