The OotS thread

[Narkis]

I theory I'd read on those forums is that his intelligence is actually pretty high, but his wisdom abysmal. It would explain the brilliant tricks he's pulled off occasionally, and his behaviour when he's not sufficiently motivated.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

He's also over a century old and spends most of his time crafting spells and items. His ideas that require any planning might be thought up through brute-force brainstorming, which fits his character, actually.

[FaxModem1]

What's the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard anyway?

[Lord of the Abyss]

What's the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard anyway?

From my ( possibly out of date ) understanding, the difference is that wizards learn spells from books, have to memorize them beforehand and lose that particular spell once memorized. While a sorcerer just knows a certain number of spells per level, and can cast them over and over ( but only a certain number of times per day for each level of spell ). But a sorcerer is stuck with just those spells, not the books full that a wizard can have access to. So a wizard is more flexible in terms of the breadth of spells he can use, while a sorcerer is more flexible about how often he uses what he has ( since a wizard who wanted to cast something five times in a row would need to have memorized it five times first ).

[Oskuro]

There was a quote that went something like "A Wizard carries a tool for every situation, while a Sorcerer has a hammer and tends to see all problems as nails"

[Lord of the Abyss]

What's the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard anyway?

From my ( possibly out of date ) understanding, the difference is that wizards learn spells from books, have to memorize them beforehand and lose that particular spell once memorized.

Ugh. That should be "lose that particular spell once cast."

[Lusankya]

Wizards are basically Batman: give them enough prep time and you're screwed.

Sorcerors don't get the prep time, but they end up shooting more things at you unless their hitpoints run out first.

[Raxmei]

Compare at first level for simplicity. A first level Sorceror knows two 1st level spells and can cast them a total of three (or more if he gets bonus slots from high casting stat, and he probably does) times a day. A first level wizard has three or (most likely) more 1st level spells in his spellbook plus read magic and must choose at the start of the day which ones (most likely two, depending on his intelligence score) he will be casting. A wizard might decide to prepare one each of magic missile and sleep one day, then two color sprays the next. His sorceror buddy knows magic missile and enlarge person, and can cast them a total of three or four times a day in any combination. It's different sorts of flexibility. A wizard has to worry about what he might need to do each day and how many times, while a sorceror has to worry about what he's going to have to be able to do over the course of his career. A wizard has more ability to customize what he can do each day because he can potentially have more spells known, but once he makes his preparations they're locked in for the day.

[consequences]

Wizards are also a hell of a lot easier to gratuitously load with more low level spell slots, and thus even more flexibility, than they can ever use purely through the power of gold(although a sorceror can match the sheer number of repetitions of the fifth level and higher spells they have at the same cost), and can actually make use of the Quicken Spell feat without having to burn additional and sometimes epic feats, which can lets them double the throughput of a sorcerer for as long as their spells last.

At Epic levels with sufficient funding, it becomes 'Hi, I'm a wizard with five rings of Epic Wizardry 1-9(this without using an epic feat or paying for non-standard location mind you, although two normal feats are necessary, otherwise you''re limited to only three of them without a surcharge), and six times my base spell slots. Anything you can do, I can do better, and three times over.' There's more than a little truth to the OotS-verse belief in the inherent superiority of wizards. Of course, they'd be able to prove it a lot easier if they bothered to slam down an Effulgent Epparation before getting into the duel with the Energy Drain Spammer. Gah, one frikking spell, and V would have effortlessly torn Xykon apart(well, up until the Superb Dispelling).

[Anguirus]

That's something that confuses me. Xykon has proven to be very clever on occasion, more clever than I would think a charisma-based character would be (given Elan as an example). He seems to be very knowledgeable and canny, just easily distracted.

Xykon got a good dose of extra Intelligence when Redcloak turned him into a lich. This led directly to Redcloak losing his tenuous control over him.

[Imperial Overlord]

. Of course, they'd be able to prove it a lot easier if they bothered to slam down an Effulgent Epparation before getting into the duel with the Energy Drain Spammer. Gah, one frikking spell, and V would have effortlessly torn Xykon apart(well, up until the Superb Dispelling).

That's Elminster's Effulgent Epuration and V isn't adventuring in the Realms.

[consequences]

. Of course, they'd be able to prove it a lot easier if they bothered to slam down an Effulgent Epparation before getting into the duel with the Energy Drain Spammer. Gah, one frikking spell, and V would have effortlessly torn Xykon apart(well, up until the Superb Dispelling).

That's Elminster's Effulgent Epuration and V isn't adventuring in the Realms.

Pretty sure they retconned the name along with all the others to remove the old-school D&D proper names as of the Spell Compendium, as well as making it non-campaign setting specific.

And regardless, three epic level casters in the soul bond, plane jumping isn't remotely out of the question. And there's always an Absorption or three for that matter, it's not like they were lacking for spell slots.

[Imperial Overlord]

Pretty sure they retconned the name along with all the others to remove the old-school D&D proper names as of the Spell Compendium, as well as making it non-campaign setting specific.

*shakes fist*. Those swine. The more Dying Earth you can squeeze into a D&D spell name the better. *fondles grimoire containing Phandaal's Gyrator and The Excellent Prismatic Spray*

And regardless, three epic level casters in the soul bond, plane jumping isn't remotely out of the question. And there's always an Absorption or three for that matter, it's not like they were lacking for spell slots.

Truth. Unfortunately, as Xykon put it, those high level spell slots were attached to his mid level ass and mid level doesn't give you much experience with using and abusing really effective anti-magic warding.

[Darmalus]

Truth. Unfortunately, as Xykon put it, those high level spell slots were attached to his mid level ass and mid level doesn't give you much experience with using and abusing really effective anti-magic warding.

Not only that, but aside from that sorceress at the bandit camp, I don't think V ever had to face off against another caster. Most of the fights seem to be variations of caster vs melee, which might mean that V only knows theoretical magic warding tactics.

[Kodiak]

Truth. Unfortunately, as Xykon put it, those high level spell slots were attached to his mid level ass and mid level doesn't give you much experience with using and abusing really effective anti-magic warding.

Not only that, but aside from that sorceress at the bandit camp, I don't think V ever had to face off against another caster. Most of the fights seem to be variations of caster vs melee, which might mean that V only knows theoretical magic warding tactics.

Didn't he face off against a druid and use his famous "SONIC" attack?

[Lord of the Abyss]

Truth. Unfortunately, as Xykon put it, those high level spell slots were attached to his mid level ass and mid level doesn't give you much experience with using and abusing really effective anti-magic warding.

Not only that, but aside from that sorceress at the bandit camp, I don't think V ever had to face off against another caster. Most of the fights seem to be variations of caster vs melee, which might mean that V only knows theoretical magic warding tactics.

Didn't he face off against a druid and use his famous "SONIC" attack?

No, that was Durkon. He summoned a storm and the thunder shattered the druid's animated trees ( which shouldn't have worked, but Thor thought it was so cool he let it pass as I recall ).

[consequences]

Truth. Unfortunately, as Xykon put it, those high level spell slots were attached to his mid level ass and mid level doesn't give you much experience with using and abusing really effective anti-magic warding.

Not only that, but aside from that sorceress at the bandit camp, I don't think V ever had to face off against another caster. Most of the fights seem to be variations of caster vs melee, which might mean that V only knows theoretical magic warding tactics.

Didn't he face off against a druid and use his famous "SONIC" attack?

He also faced Zz'drti. But there's been an ongoing theme where he just hasn't had the spells prepared or raw power needed to overcome the opposition, it's actually by this point pretty understandable that he took the evil power-up.

[Straha]

Having just re-read the Start of Darkness I've got something itching away at me:
Spoiler

The plan is for Redcloak and Xykon to take control of a gate to the Snarl and then transfer it to the realm of the gods to suit the Dark One's needs. They weren't able to do that at Lirian's gate because they burned it down, and they couldn't do it at Azure City because it was blown up. Why didn't they do it with the gate in the Dungeon though? Surely they could have gotten the spell prepared in the time they were there, and then the plan would be done.

I'd guess that, maybe, Xykon is on to Redcloak using him for this, but then why is he still going after the gates? Nothing going there, and he doesn't want to destroy them for the sake of destroying them because, as he said to Roy, he actually likes the World and wants to keep it around for a while. So what's up?

[Isolder74]

I think for the plan to work they have to be able to open the gate first.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

Isolder has it. Spoiler

Remember that the whole ploy at the end was to get the Order to the throne room and trick them into opening the gate. Xykon touching the gate caused his body to outright explode; they needed to get through the gate somehow.

Also, if you've read the first book, some of the bonus comics show Xykon testing out the gate as he's trying to figure a way to get past Dorukan's seals.

[Crazedwraith]

672 is Up

Now that pretty much looks like the end of the book. Ooo! And the Raven talks now. nd what he ha to say is very interesting...

[The Grim Squeaker]

Urgh, please don't tell me that he's going for the "That's the Real World" trope

[Lord of the Abyss]

Urgh, please don't tell me that he's going for the "That's the Real World" trope

It did destroy the previous world, supposedly. Perhaps the previous world wasn't so much destroyed as consumed?

[The Grim Squeaker]

Urgh, please don't tell me that he's going for the "That's the Real World" trope

It did destroy the previous world, supposedly. Perhaps the previous world wasn't so much destroyed as consumed?

I don't care about explanations or "That explains the game mechanics", it's lame in essence.

[SAMAS]

I think he means the previous world created by the Gods, that was supposedly destroyed by the Snarl. i.e.: Not the "Real World"

It could just be another plane, like Greyhawk to Mystara, or the world of another game system, like Rifts or WoD, or something like that.