Spell damage is a critical issue in a BT1 speed run. Spell damage is a function of saving throws which has more detailed information not repeated here. This section deals with spell damage and its practical applications. Another page deals with Binary Spells that cause effects other than numerical damage (e.g., DEST, STTO, SPBI). The general principles are illustrated by common cases:
Character Casting Single Unit Damage Spells on Creatures:
The general rule when a character targets a single creature with a damage spell is that if the character’s saving throw is equal or greater than the target creature’s saving throw, then the target creature will take at least some damage. If the character’s saving throw is less than the target creature’s saving throw, then the target creature will repel the spell entirely.
In cases where the character’s saving throw is equal to or greater than the target creature’s saving throw, the target creature will take at least some damage, but gets an additional throw to see if it will take half damage. In particular, if the target creature’s saving throw + 4 is equal to or greater than the character’s saving throw, the target creature will only receive half damage.
Some examples illustrate the calculations:
A level 10 elf Conjurer with 18 luck and no Luckshield casts ARFI (1-4 damage * (level + 1)), targeting a Mad Dog with a monster index of 13. The damage of the spell is calculated first, and the Conjurer rolls a 3, which is multiplied by 11, for a total of 33 damage.
Next, the Conjurer’s saving throw is calculated (see saving throws) to be 12, with the math as follows:
- Generic Bonus – 2 points
- Luckshield Bonus – 0 points
- Luck Bonus – 3 points
- Level Bonus – 5 points
- Class Bonus – 2 points
Then, the Mad Dog’s saving throw is calculated (he gets a good roll) to be a 7, with the math as follows:
- Monster Index Bonus – 1 point
- Random Bonus – 6 points
As the Conjurer’s saving throw (12) exceeds the Mad Dog’s saving throw (7), the Mad Dog will take at least some damage. Further, as the Conjurer’s saving throw is greater than the Mad Dog’s saving throw by more than 4 points (7+4 < 12), the Mad Dog takes full damage.
A Mad Dog, with a bit of luck, can roll a maximum of 8 as its saving throw. In that case, the Conjurer’s saving throw (12) exceeds the Mad Dog’s saving throw (8). As such, the Mad Dog will take at least some damage. However, this time the Mad Dog’s saving throw plus 4 (8 + 4 = 12) is equal to or greater than the Conjurer’s saving throw (12), and so the Mad Dog takes half damage.
Creatures Casting Single Unit Damage Spells on Characters:
Creatures casting single unit damage spells on characters is calculated in the same way as above, except that the roles are reversed.
Character Casting Group Damage Spells on Groups of Creatures:
When a character targets a group (or groups in case of MIBL) of creatures with a damage spell, the character and each individual creature have their own independent little rounds as if the spell was a single target damage spell. This is readily apparent when different creatures in the same group repel a spell, others take low damage, and others take full damage.
Creature Casting Group Damage Spells on Characters:
Creatures casting group damage spells on characters is calculated in the same way as characters casting group damage spells on groups of creatures. This is apparent in cases when a Paladin will repel a spell, but other heroes will take full or half damage.
Damage Items
Items that case spells like Dragonwands and Fire Horns are treated as a normal damage spell cast by the character and are subject to being repelled or having their damage reduced as with regular spells. Hence the importance of Luck for Bards.
Characters Casting Damage Spells on Characters
I have not tested character on character casting of damage spells. They certainly work but the saving throw case is unclear. Further, the use cases in a speed run are small and arise mostly in the case of doppelgangers and possessions, which must be avoided anyway. This issue is addressed in part with respect to Binary Spells.
Interesting Examples:
I will leave it to the reader to calculate their own examples (hint, use Excel) because that’s an important learning experience. But I will provide one here because it is particularly interesting in the context of a speed run.
Demon Lords
The Demon Lord. This creature is at the far end of the monster index ranking at 126. His saving throw is a minimum of 15, avg of 19, and max of 22. He also rolls a 14-270 for his HP, with an average of 142 HP. This makes him very difficult (or impossible) to kill by low level spell casters.
For example, a level 13 Conjurer with 18 luck but no Luckshield casts ARFI (1-4 damage * (level + 1)) at him. It’s the Conjurer’s lucky day and he rolls a 4 for damage. His total damage is 56 (4*14=56). The Conjurer’s saving throw is 13. The Demon Lord’s saving throw is at least 15, so the Demon Lord will always repel the spell.
In the next case, the Conjurer levels up a bit, farms a Luckshield and a Dragonwand and tries again. This time the Level 15 Conjurer uses the Dragonwand (20 – 80 damage), gets lucky, and rolls an 80. The Conjurer’s improved saving roll from 2 levels and a Luckshield is now at 16.
Unfortunately for the Conjurer, 3 out of 4 times the Demon Lord will repel the spell via saving rolls of 17–22. In the remainder of the cases (1 out of 4 times) the Demon Lord will take half damage (40 damage). But 40 damage is not even 1/3rd of the Demon Lord’s average HP (142). As such, the odds of a full power Dragonwand blast (which is rare in itself) killing the Demon Lord is the half damage chance (1/4) * the chance of Demon Lord having 40 or fewer HP (26/270). This results in a about a 2.4% chance.
In the reverse case, the Demon Lord uses his breath attack which deals huge damage (roughly 40-180) on the Conjurer. In the Level 13 case above, the Conjurer cannot repel the spell, and will take full damage the vast majority of the time. In the Level 15 case, the Conjurer has a small chance to repel, will usually take half damage, but may still take full damage 25% of the time.
The overall lesson here is that in the context of a speed run, the chances of a party made up of solely level 13 heroes (without a Wizard or Sorcerer) to both get to the final Mangar fight and actually win are very small. (I currently estimate about 1 in 80 million, but I’m constantly reconsidering this number in light of various strategies.) The forced random encounters require a high flee chance. Dragons and demons easily wipe the team. And if the party survives long enough to get to Mangar, they have to kill a really nasty group of creatures that alone has a very low probability of success. As a result, time must be spent farming to increase the heroes’ levels, HP, and SP, as well as to obtain Luckshields and other necessary items.