Magic resistance vs resistance to magic damage

Bruce Lee · Post by **Bruce Lee** » Sat Dec 01, 2001 5:18 pm

I noticed that some of the changes made to monsters in the improved versions are that their high magic resistance have been replaced with high resistance to magic damage. This resistance cannot be lowered and makes spells like skull trap and Horrid Wilting useless(against those opponents that is). I don't really like this. What do you guys think?
Resistance to magic damage combined with low saves is almost like immunity to magic.

Curdis · Post by **Curdis** » Sat Dec 01, 2001 8:15 pm

Bruce Lee, I'm sure that's why the 'improvement' was done like this. In the BG computer implementation magic resistance only worked against targeted spells. So a creature with 100% Magic resistance which is infact

almost like immunity to magic.

would be damaged by a 5th level magic user's fireball/skull trap. This clearly was not correct to the real game and the fix is pretty much along the lines originally used for magic resistance. If it is broke fix it right

- Curdis

Bruce Lee · Post by **Bruce Lee** » Sat Dec 01, 2001 8:55 pm

100 percent magic resistance will stop fireball and skulltrap.

Aegnor · Post by **Aegnor** » Sun Dec 02, 2001 8:15 am

Does anyone know if MR is affected by the level of the caster? I think this was the case in old D&D rules but have no idea if its the same in BGII.

Kovi · Post by **Kovi** » Sun Dec 02, 2001 9:16 am

As a sorcerer I had three ways to deal with enemy:
1. if not too fire resistant: cast Sunfire, Dragon's Breath (both ignore MR)
2. if not too magic resistant/magic damage resistant: cast Skull Trap, Abi Dalzim
3. use some other methods

[ 12-02-2001: Message edited by: Kovi ]

Bruce Lee · Post by **Bruce Lee** » Sun Dec 02, 2001 2:39 pm

My problem is that some monsters are highly fire resistant plus highly resistant to magic damage and only hit by plus 4 weapons or better. Then what?
You cannot lower fire resistance or lower the magic damage resistance.
By the way how the hell can someone be immune to the damage caused by the level 10 spell comet?? Feels a bit strange.

Curdis · Post by **Curdis** » Sun Dec 02, 2001 3:42 pm

@Bruce Lee, I should have been clearer I was talking about splash damage, not direct targeting damage. Are you sure about skull trap? - Curdis

Xyx · Post by **Xyx** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 4:20 am

Magic resistance: % chance not to be affected by any spell. 100% means never affected by any spell, so totally immune, even to Skull Trap, Fireball... you name it.

Magic damage resistance: % of damage ignored from sources labled as magic damage, such as Magic Missile, Cause Serious Wounds, Skull Trap, Horrid Wilting, Finger of Death... Has nothing to do with resisting Fireballs or non-damage spell effects (such as Power Word Blind or Finger of Death's instakill).

Bruce Lee · Post by **Bruce Lee** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 7:07 am

Yeah but the cheesy thing is that soem of the monsters with a high resistance to magic damage are immune to death magic and stun and blindness etc. And their resistance cannot be lowered. Ah well I guess I have to resort to the old bashing method then.

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 7:53 am

You can still cast greater malison which lowers saves. Not having MR means that this spell will work more easily, making subsequent save Vs spell spells more likely to succeed.

Resistance to magic damage ain't going to help stop greater malison.

Kovi · Post by **Kovi** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 10:49 am

Originally posted by Bruce Lee:
<STRONG>My problem is that some monsters are highly fire resistant plus highly resistant to magic damage and only hit by plus 4 weapons or better. Then what?</STRONG>

Only special bosses are resistant to all of those. And tThen cames the bashing.

With the solo sorcerer you can use Mordenkainen's Swords or Shapechange/Energy Blades (in combo with Tenser's Transformation).
Of course it might be better to disable them first (eg. Power Word Blind after a couple of Lower Resistance).