Runes and spells: cumulative?

[fable]

Just that. For example, the novice frost rune, and the spell that adds frost damage to weapons: do these stack frost damage, or just duplicate it?

[Ragin Cajun]

Not sure fable.

I did read that the rune is NOT destroyed so you can upgrade later and received the original ruin back to sell/keep.

[Ned Flanders]

Fable,

When you damage an enemy, check the numbers floating over a struck enemy. White damage is normal damage and blue is ice/cold damage. Each successful attack will display types of damage separately. I thought I recall seeing two ice damage numbers, one for my rune and one for Morrigan's buff.

Moral of the story: I think they stack, emphasis on think.

I've been trying to figure out lots of things with the combat system. When I'm down to one enemy, I'll shift the tactics of my NPCs to stand there and do nothing while I experiment. Backstabs, stacking elemental damage, Morrigan's hex that makes enemies more susceptible to elemental damage, testing if cold spells work on undead (they seem to, which I found odd).

[GawainBS]

They stack. As Ned pointed out, check the numbers: I have seen two instances of Frost damage with Morrigan and Frost Weapons, and two of Fire damage with Wynne and Flame Weapons. The smaller number was always the exact damage from the rune.

BTW, can you imagine some people wouldn't *want* to see numbers in ability descriptions and a better combat/game system explanation?

[Ned Flanders]

They stack. As Ned pointed out, check the numbers: I have seen two instances of Frost damage with Morrigan and Frost Weapons, and two of Fire damage with Wynne and Flame Weapons. The smaller number was always the exact damage from the rune.

BTW, can you imagine some people wouldn't *want* to see numbers in ability descriptions and a better combat/game system explanation?

The lack of a combat log is one of my biggest gripes. In addition to direct damage broken down, I'd like to see attack vs defense and how that is rolled, resistances, armor penetration and most notably when things are resistant to my spells and/or why. No intent to totally hijack the thread, but I'd also like to know the duration of stun/freezing effects et. al.

It's a little tough to strategize against tougher enemies when there is so much ambiguity in the combat system.

[GawainBS]

Hey, Ned, [url="http://dragonage.gulbsoft.org/doku.php/"]this[/url]might be of some use to you.

[Revi]

They stack, and I can really recommend using one of the elemental weapon damage buffs at almost all times. My group is running around with Flaming Weapons and Haste all the time, and it makes fights so much easier.

The only times I switch them off are when Wynne needs to heal a lot, and cannot spare the mana.

[fable]

They stack, and I can really recommend using one of the elemental weapon damage buffs at almost all times. My group is running around with Flaming Weapons and Haste all the time, and it makes fights so much easier.

Yes, we know this--which is why we were trying to figure out whether the pluses were cumulative.

Another problem is that sometimes, despite having Frost or Flame weapons turned on, the effect vanishes from both the weapon descriptions, and the visual effects. This leads me to wonder whether the spell needs to be stopped and restarted, or not. It's also worrying that a poisoned or envenomed weapon loses its extra effects within a few minutes of application, even if the weapon hasn't been used. I hope these are bugs, and that they will be fixed.

[Ned Flanders]

If you have a 'poisoned' weapon, it will show up as a status effect when you select your character in combat. For instance, deathroot will give a +1 nature damage and lasts for 60 seconds of game time. So, as long as the effect is active, you get the bonus. Coating weapons seem to happen as quickly as activating sustained effects, so it doesn't seem necessary to poison a weapon prior to combat starting.

Also, interesting comment about multiple different elemental effects on a weapon. My rogue has an electrical enchanment on his main hand longsword. When I activate Morrigan's 'cold effect for all weapons' (the name of the spell escapes me), that effect takes over graphically in the game. Haven't noticed in combat if both types of damage are taking effect.

Gawain,

thanks for the link, I'll give it a look.

[fable]

If you have a 'poisoned' weapon, it will show up as a status effect when you select your character in combat. For instance, deathroot will give a +1 nature damage and lasts for 60 seconds of game time. So, as long as the effect is active, you get the bonus. Coating weapons seem to happen as quickly as activating sustained effects, so it doesn't seem necessary to poison a weapon prior to combat starting.

Not necessary, no--but if you're micromanaging combat, doing this beforehand just helps let you focus on other things in battle. And it doesn't make sense for poison and venom effects on a blade to simply fade if they aren't used in 60 seconds. It's a coating, not a timed spell, if you follow me.

Also, interesting comment about multiple different elemental effects on a weapon. My rogue has an electrical enchanment on his main hand longsword. When I activate Morrigan's 'cold effect for all weapons' (the name of the spell escapes me), that effect takes over graphically in the game. Haven't noticed in combat if both types of damage are taking effect.

I would be very curious whether both effects occur in battle despite the visuals vanishing.

[BuckGB]

Based on my experience, all item statistics - including weapon elemental damage effects - stack. If you're wearing armor that adds +3% critical chance and your weapon has +2% critical chance on it, then you get a +5% overall. Or equip a Grandmaster Flame Rune, a Grandmaster Electricity Rune, and a Grandmaster Frost Rune into your Starfang and it's doing +15 damage above and beyond its base damage. Enable the Flame Weapons spell, and you get yet another bonus to damage that scrolls above the struck foe alongside your other fire damage.

[Ned Flanders]

Not necessary, no--but if you're micromanaging combat, doing this beforehand just helps let you focus on other things in battle. And it doesn't make sense for poison and venom effects on a blade to simply fade if they aren't used in 60 seconds. It's a coating, not a timed spell, if you follow me.



I would be very curious whether both effects occur in battle despite the visuals vanishing.

I'll agree with you on the timer not making sense, but incorporating the application with an if/then in combat tactics works great. I don't think I've had a battle last more than 60 seconds in real time and if a coating/poison already exists on a weapon, the tactic doesn't seem to duplicate itself if the condition is met.

Buck,

were you comments meant to be constructive or just to point out you have not one, not two, but three grandmaster runes applied to a named weapon?

On that note, how do you know if a weapon or armor can hold a rune in the PC edition? I'm still not certain.

[Gauda]

On that note, how do you know if a weapon or armor can hold a rune in the PC edition? I'm still not certain.

On my computer x empty slots is shown on a weapon, which is filled out when I apply a rune. So my guess is that if you have a empty slot on the bottom of the weapon description, you can at least have one rune on it.

[Ned Flanders]

On my computer x empty slots is shown on a weapon, which is filled out when I apply a rune. So my guess is that if you have a empty slot on the bottom of the weapon description, you can at least have one rune on it.

But on what screen? Highlighting the mouse over the weapon in inventory or actually right clicking the weapon and selecting examine?

I guess I'll have to watch for it. Maybe I'll get the rune pulled out of my one weapon I've enchanted thus far just to see if I can find the indicator.

[GawainBS]

But on what screen? Highlighting the mouse over the weapon in inventory or actually right clicking the weapon and selecting examine?

I guess I'll have to watch for it. Maybe I'll get the rune pulled out of my one weapon I've enchanted thus far just to see if I can find the indicator.

If you highlight a weapon and it has runeslots, there appear empty boxes beneath its stats.