________________________________________
/ =================================== \
\ /
/ Advanced Dungeons and Dragons \
\ Pool of Radiance /
/ \
\ Magic Guide /
/ \
\ A Comprehensive Strategy Guide /
/ For The Nintendo Console System \
\ =================================== /
/ \
\________________________________________/
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. LEGAL INFORMATION
2. INTRODUCTION
3. USING MAGIC
A. Magic Overview
B. Learning and Memorizing
C. Magic in Travel and Battle
D. Notes about the guide
4. CLERIC SPELLS
A. Level 1 Magic
B. Level 2 Magic
C. Level 3 Magic
5. MAGIC USER SPELLS
A. Level 1 Magic
B. Level 2 Magic
C. Level 3 Magic
6. SPELL RECOMMENDATIONS
7. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Mystery Spells
Two Missing Cleric Spells
Battle Spells in Travel
8. CREDITS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
9. CLOSING
-----------------------------------
===================================
1. LEGAL INFORMATION
===================================
-----------------------------------
(c) 2006 Daniel A. Pas
This is written and copyrighted to me, Daniel A. Pas, known as JaketheScumbag
online.
The guide is my own original work. Don't try to sell it, distribute it as
your own work, or post it on your website without my permission. I really
don't care if you print this out for personal use. If you want this on your
website, ask me first. I'll probably say yes. If I do say yes and let you
post it, please do not take credit for this. It is illegal to distribute
this for money, so don't do it.
As of this update, this guide should only be on the following websites:
www.gamefaqs.com
If this guide is anywhere else, it is without my permission. No portions of
this guide may be reprinted on any other websites than those listed above
without the expressed, written consent from me, the author.
AD&D Pool of Radiance and the characters and contents within the game are
copyright of Strategic Simulations Inc. and Pony Canyon Inc., 1988, 1989,
1991.
If you don't follow these guidelines, I may just have to cast Hold Person
on you and then fry you with a Magic Missile.
Seriously, just don't take credit for this, sell this, or put it up on your
website without my permission and we'll all be happy. If you don't, I'll
make sure you're unhappy.
Enough bad guy notice. Let's cast some magic!
-----------------------------------
===================================
2. INTRODUCTION
===================================
-----------------------------------
Hey there. I'm glad you're one of the people that appreciates this truly
rare treat of a game. For the NES, this game's about as open-ended as it
gets. Loads of side quests, strategic and unique battle system, lots of
different ways to handle any one situation- this game really has it all.
I came across this game about 3 years ago, and just couldn't stop playing
it for the first few days after I got it. While leveling up my Magic Users,
I had trouble deciding which spells to give them. So, I looked at gamefaqs
for a guide, but was appalled at just how little information there was on
this game. At the time, the only info for the game was a vague guide for
the CPU version of the game. So, I figured why not provide some much
needed insight on the game's vast selection of magic?
Anyway, for some reason, I started writing the guide and stopped shortly
afterwards. About 4 months ago, I stumbled upon it while organizing my
folders on my hard drive and began working on it again. I was almost finished
when said hard drive crashed on me. (BOOOOO!) But, after what seems like
endless setbacks, this guide is finished. Oh yeah!
I hope it helps.
-----------------------------------
===================================
3. USING MAGIC
===================================
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------
A. Magic Overview
-----------------------------
The only two characters that can use magic are Clerics and Magic Users.
The Cleric and Magic User both have very different spell capabilities.
It's entirely up to you how to use magic, but the wide world of magic in
this game can be pretty confusing for first-time players.
To sum up magic in 3 words: black and white. Either a spell is incredibly
useful and you'll be using (and abusing) it often, or it downright sucks
like crap and you'll never touch it. Sadly, most magic isn't very useful
in this game. Spells either aren't very helpful, are too unreliable, and/or
don't seem to do anything at all. There are a few good spells, thankfully,
and they are extremely helpful. So it's well worth your time and effort to
take along characters that know how to use magic.
-----------------------------
B. Learning and Memorizing
-----------------------------
Magic is learned by leveling up your spell casters and, in the case of
Magic Users, by reading scrolls.
Clerics have more freedom than Magic Users do in learning spells. Clerics
learn all the spells within a particular group when the group becomes
available. At level 3, Level 2 Cleric magic becomes available for use. At
level 5, Level 3 Cleric magic becomes available.
Magic Users are limited to learning 1 new spell per each level. When a
Magic User levels up, he can only choose 1 spell to learn. Not 1 spell
per group, just 1 spell. Yeah, it stinks... Magic Users can learn Level
2 magic at level 3, and they can learn Level 3 magic at level 5.
Magic Users can also learn magic by using the "Scrb" command. If they
find a scroll in battle with Magic User spells written on it, and the
scroll has a spell the Magic User does not already know, the Magic User
can learn the spell from the scroll. Just select the "Scrb" (scribe, I
believe) command, make sure the scroll is in the Magic User's inventory,
select the scroll, select the appropriate spell, and rest. By the time
you're done resting, the spell will be available for use.
Spells must be memorized before they can be used. Each spell memorized
takes up a spell point. The spell caster is limited by the number of
points he has available per level of magic. So, if he has 3 points available
for his Level 1 spell group, he could memorize 2 Magic Missiles and 1 Sleep
spell.
All spells require rest to be memorized. Some take longer than others, it's
usually 3-10 hours. If your rest is interrupted, then the spells will not
be memorized.
-----------------------------
C. Magic in Travel and Battle
-----------------------------
Certain spells can only be used while moving around the map, certain
spells can only be used while in battle, and some spells can even be used
anywhere.
Travel spells usually last for a certain amount of time. Each spell lasts
for a different amount of time. I'm not entirely sure of the finer details,
but most of the duration spells last a few hours.
Battle magic requires a little strategy. It's important to remember that
spells cannot be cast past walls or objects such as rocks or trees. They
can, however, be cast through units. Spells cannot be cast if they are
out of their range, either. Just watch the white cross hair closely when
casting a spell. If it becomes a white square, then spell is either blocked
by a wall or is outside of its range. It cannot be cast if this happens.
The solution is to either aim somewhere else or move your spell caster.
If your spell caster is hit before his turn in battle, then he will not
be able to cast spells that turn. In addition, if he his hit while casting
a spell, then the spell will be cancelled. Keep in mind that the spell
caster must be hit, not merely attacked. If a unit attacks the caster and
misses, the spell caster's ability to use magic that turn will be unaffected.
-----------------------------
D. Notes about the guide
-----------------------------
This is a little explanation on how to read the guide.
Location-
Where the spell can be used. Pretty self-explanatory.
Size-
How many units the spell affects, how large the spell is in battle, and
how far the spell can be cast in battle.
"Squares" are how I measured space in the battlescape. For instance, a
party member takes up 1 "square."
A spell's radius is how many squares the spell will have effect. A spell's
range is how many squares the spell can reach before becoming ineffective.
For all battle spells, unless specifically stated otherwise, the "size"
gives the spell's details for battle.
Effects-
What the spell does and strategies for use.
Verdict-
Brief word on the spell's overall usefulness.
-----------------------------------
===================================
4. CLERIC SPELLS
===================================
-----------------------------------
Clerical magic, as you may have guessed, centers mostly on bolstering, healing,
and protecting your other characters. From my personal experience playing this
game, the cleric, unfortunately, is not as useful as you may think. Most
clerical spells do not have the chance to be used, and the only spell that heals
HP, Cure Light Wounds, becomes inadequate very quickly. Nonetheless, the cleric,
with proper use, can really be an asset in battle. My suggestion is to make a
cleric/fighter instead of just a pure cleric. I have seen no benefit at all to
having a cleric-only character. Make sure you have at least one cleric in your
party. He is invaluable in certain areas of the game (the graveyard comes to
mind) and his healing skills can come in handy.
----------------
A. Level 1 Magic
----------------
=======
Empower
=======
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Multiple Units; 4x4 square radius; 7 square range
Effects-
I'm not exactly sure, but I tested this many times and I did find that attacks
were more accurate with this spell. I noticed no difference in the amount of
damage dealt, as you may have wanted this spell to do. I don't think I'll
ever be 100% certain of what this spell does, but this is what I found.
Verdict-
Since it's difficult to determine what this spell does, I didn't use it all
that often. If you think it works, then use it. I got by just dandy without
it, though.
=====
Curse
=====
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Multiple Units; 5x5 square radius; 7 square range
Effects-
Uhh... it curses people? Your cleric yells out a truckload of obscenities
at your foes? I have no idea. It's hard to determine exactly what "effect"
spells do in this game. I think this may affect your opponent's THACO or
their AC negatively. I noticed that my fighters were dealing a little more
damage than usual against chumps like Kobolds and Nomads, but that's it.
Verdict:
It isn't very helpful.
=======================
Cure Lt.(light) Wounds
=======================
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; One square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
The only HP healing spell in the game. This is very useful at the start of
the game, but it becomes woefully inadequate as your max HP levels rise. It
will heal anywhere from 1-10 HP per cast. Usually, it will run you about
3-5 HP healed per spell. Despite how little this is, you will still find
yourself using this alot. Healing items are very few, and the only other
way to recover HP on the field is to rest for 24 hours, which will give
you one lousy HP per day.
Verdict-
A must-have. Always make sure that you have a couple of these spells in
reserve. It's almost all you got.
========================
Cause Lt.(light) Wounds
========================
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; One square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Just the opposite of cure. It will damage the enemy anywhere from 1-10 HP.
Unlike its counterpart, however, this spell is almost completely useless.
I've never really used it other than to test it out for this guide. It just
doesn't deal enough damage, and it's not worth taking up a spell point.
Verdict-
Don't waste your time or space on this one.
=============
Detect Magic
=============
Location-
Cast During Travel; Treasure Findings
Size-
N/A
Effects-
This is a nifty spell. Whenever you find treasure left behind by monsters
or when you stumble upon it on the map, cast this and you may find more
than what you would have without this spell. This doesn't really pay off
very often, but it's worth a try whenever you feel inclined. Sometimes
you'll get something. On a side note, this CAN be cast in battle, but I
have no idea whatsoever as to what it does. I don't think it really does
anything in battle.
Verdict-
Save one space for this. You never know when it may come in handy.
==========
Prot/Evil
==========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single unit; One square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Welcome to the first of many of the Prot/ spells. You'll notice a common
trend in all of them- worthlessness. This was supposed to give you an
added AC bonus against "evil" enemies, but I noticed no difference when
fighting Undead or the Giants in the final dungeon. It's anyone's guess
as to what the game considers "evil" enemies as well.
Verdict-
Save the space for a Cure Lt. Wounds spell. This is quite useless.
==========
Prot/Good
==========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Just like prot/evil, it's ambiguous and not quite useful. I tried it against
the city guards and noticed nothing new or great. Against anyone with "good"
alignment, this adds a slight AC bonus, probably. Again, there's no way to
be sure.
Verdict-
These prot/ spells just don't seem to do anything.
===========
Resist Cold
===========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; One Square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Your character will be more resistant to cold. Wonderfully useful spell
against all 0 of the cold based attacks in this game! Yes, that was sarcasm.
I've played this game through about 3 times (once for this guide) and not one
enemy hit me with a cold or ice attack. This was probably a hold over from
the PC version of the game where enemies did use cold attacks. On another
note, this spell takes a long time to cast in battle, making it even more
terrible.
Verdict-
Completely, utterly useless spell.
----------------
B. Level 2 Magic
----------------
==========
Find Traps
==========
Location-
Cast During Travel
Size-
N/A
Effects-
Using this while walking around will tell you if there's a trap in the area
or not. It does not, however, disarm the trap for you. I'm not sure what
determines your ability to disarm traps or not, so this spell is really
just a warning, if nothing else. You'll be giving this spell a workout in
the Kovel Mansion area. Give it a point for a little security if you're
so inclined.
Verdict-
If you feel in danger, use it. It gives you a chance to disarm the trap.
It alone, however, will not save you.
===========
Hold Person
===========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Up to 3 Units; One Square; 7 Square Range
Effects-
This spell has a chance to paralyze any humanoid character that it is cast
upon. It will not work on monsters. There really isn't a whole lot of
difference when casting the spell on higher level enemies versus lower
level enemies. This works just the same on Nomads as it does on Level 8
Fighters. Go nuts with it. It will help you like no other.
Verdict-
Second best Cleric spell only to Cure Lt. Wounds. If you only fill your
level 2 category with one spell, make it this one.
===========
Resist Fire
===========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Your character's damage will be reduced if he is hit by a fire attack when
affected by this spell. Since the computer's AI for using magic intelligently
is atrociously bad, you won't get hit with fire spells too often. The only
area where you may want to use this is the end of the game, where you have
to face Fire Giants, and the final boss, Tyranthraxus. In both situations,
however, I think your Cleric's turn is better spent using Cure Lt. Wounds
in battle. So just cast it before hand if you want.
This is also a good if you like to get trigger happy with fireballs and
tend to hit your party members with them.
Verdict-
I didn't use this spell. Use it before a battle and never during one. Don't
waste space on this until the end of the game, if you choose to do so at
all.
============
Silence 15'R
============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; 13 square range
Effects-
Well, unlike this spell says, you don't have a 15 square range, but a 13
square range. It really doesn't matter, though, because you'll never use
this spell. When cast upon a foe, it will silence them, making them unable
to use magic. Since the AI is seemingly incapable of doing anything very
intelligent with magic, this spell's usefulness plummets. The only threat
that computer controlled Magic-Users pose is if they happen to have a wand
of some sort in their possession. Wands can still be used even when silenced,
so this spell's a dud!
Verdict-
Complete waste of a spell point.
===========
Slow Poison
===========
Location-
Cast During Travel
Size-
Single Unit
Effects-
Usually in most RPGs, poison status means that your character loses HP
randomly in battle and will lose HP while walking around in the world. This
isn't Final Fantasy, however, and poison's effects are far more brutal. If
a party member is poisoned, he/she will be out of combat until the poison is
cured. This spell is a cure for poison. It would cost you 1000 gold at the
temple, so why not cast it yourself? There aren't a whole lot of enemies
that poison you, but there are a couple. You'll meet the ones who do in
the wilderness, so you may want one of these memorized for an emergency.
Verdict-
You won't use it often, or maybe even at all if you're good at keeping away
from poisonous enemies. If you do happen to get poisoned, here's your
antidote.
===========
Snake Charm
===========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Multiple Units
Effects-
If you are battling any Giant Snakes, using this spell may stun them. Notice
that I said "may" stun them, not "will" stun them. Even if it was guaranteed,
this still really wouldn't be that useful. There's only a few areas where
Giant Snakes appear, and even then they are usually avoidable. The only area
where you may want this spell is the Wilderness, where they appear randomly.
Verdict-
If you're in the wilderness, you may want a point in this. Other than that,
don't bother, as this spell has no guarantees. This will ONLY work on Giant
Snakes. Email me if it works on anything else.
=============
Spirit Hammer
=============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit
Effects-
Here's an odd spell. This will give the Cleric who cast the spell a hammer
to use in battle. Casting it will put a "MagicalHammer" into your Cleric's
inventory for the remainder of the battle. I really can't tell if this is
a good weapon or not, as it doesn't reveal its exact power in battle. I had
a better hit rate using a +3 L Sword with my Fighter/Cleric than this hammer
gave me. This is probably a +2 or +3 hammer, of which a +2 or even +1 L Sword
would trump anyday.
This is a ranged weapon, oddly enough. I'm not sure how a Hammer could be
a ranged weapon, but it is. The idea behind this, I'm guessing, was to give
the Cleric an opportunity to use a ranged weapon. But, if you've followed
my recommendation and made your Cleric a Fighter/Cleric, then you won't
have to worry about not being able to use ranged weapons.
Hammers aren't very good weapons to begin with, anyway. You can't keep this
after battle, either.
Verdict-
The hammer just isn't good enough. Bows do it better.
----------------
C. Level 3 Magic
----------------
==========
Cure Blind
==========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Just like it says, it cures blindness. Not a single enemy ever blinded me
in this game, however. So I can't even be sure if this works. My guess is
that it does, but it really doesn't matter.
Verdict-
Waste of space, pure and simple. You'll never get blinded, so you'll never
use this.
===========
Cause Blind
===========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Makes the targeted unit blind. Quite useless, really. Especially since it
has such a low chance of being successful, even on the lowest of enemies. I
tried this out on Goblins, Kobolds, and my own level 1 Fighter whom I made
for the purpose of testing magic on, and it was ineffective more often than
not on each of them. I don't even know what blindness does in this game,
either.
Verdict-
It takes a long time to cast, has terrible range, and never works. You'll
probably find it equally as useless as I did. Since Level 3 Cleric Magic
really sucks, though, I guess you could try this for kicks.
============
Cure Disease
============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
There's only one enemy I've ever found that causes disease, and those are
the Mummies whom you battle in the Graveyard. There's only four of them in
the entire game. If they happen to disease you, here ya go. If you don't
feel like casting this for some odd reason, you can get disease cured at
the temple.
Verdict-
One of the two somewhat useful spells of the Level 3 Cleric Magic group.
Keep a couple points in this before you fight the Mummies in case you get
diseased. After that, this spell is useless.
=============
Cause Disease
=============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
The only effect I can pinpoint on disease is that it doesn't allow you to
recover the 1 HP you normally would by resting for a day. If it affects
enemies the same way, this makes Cause Disease a total dud. Oh, and it has
all the useless fixin's Cause Blind does as well- long time to cast, poor
range, and low effectiveness rate.
Verdict-
Bloody useless.
============
Dispel Magic
============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit outside of battle
Multiple Units in battle; 3x3 square; 13 square range
Effects-
This spell cancels out any previously cast effect spells. (Prot/Evil,
Resist Fire, etc.) Since the AI in this game never makes spell casting
enemies do anything good with magic, they will never upgrade themselves,
nor will they cast any negative effect spells on you. And since there's
no reason to cancel your own effects (if you ever really use them), this
spell's usefulness diminishes almost entirely.
The only time you may ever need this is in battle. On the very off chance
that one of your party members gets paralyzed, this will heal them. It's
quite rare this happens, though. Still, this is probably the most useful
spell in the Cleric's Level 3 lineup.
Verdict-
Almost worthless, but still the best spell in the Cleric's Level 3 magic
group.
==========
Meditation
==========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Entire Party
Effects-
This is a mysterious spell. It will affect your entire party when cast,
even in battle. Does it have any "effects," though? Well, Dave Goss from
the GameFAQs message board writes:
"Meditate most likely functions like prayer and other such spells in 2nd
edition rules, giving allies an AC bonus and enemies a THAC0 penalty."
That's what the spell's supposed to do. Upon testing this spell many times,
however, I can safely say that this spell doesn't quite do that. I checked
my character's AC after casting this spell and it was not affected in any
way. I didn't notice any difference in enemy attacks, either. Even when I
checked the "Disp" screen, not one character had the "Meditation" effect.
On an interesting side note, this spell was named "Prayer" in the CPU
version. Nintendo had to change it to Meditate because Prayer has, heaven
forbid, religious meaning. Excellent job keeping your games politically
correct, Nintendo, even though the Vampire's tomb is shaped like a crucifix
on the map, and the Vampire himself is supposed to be the perversion of all
that is holy in the name of God.
Verdict-
What this spell does is completely beyond me. Since it doesn't even show
up as an effect on the "Disp" screen, it's highly possible that this spell
does nothing at all.
============
Remove Curse
============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
If you get cursed, here's your cure. But you'll never get cursed. Like with
blindness, I have not come across an enemy that will give you a Curse.
Is it just me, or does the Level 3 Cleric Magic group kinda suck?
Verdict-
I never used this, and neither will you.
============
Bestow Curse
============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric
Effects-
Were you expecting something great and wonderful here that would make the
Cleric's Level 3 Magic group worthwhile? Sorry, but the final spell is just
like the others- ineffective and pointless. This is supposed to curse an
enemy, which would impact an enemy's THAC0 negatively. But, like Cause
Blind and Cause Disease, this had too low of an effectiveness rate to
be sure. Oh, and it's just like the others, too- short ranged and slow. I
don't know if there's any difference between this spell and the Level 1
Curse spell either. I think the Level 1 spell would be a little better,
because it hits a larger area and more than one enemy.
Noticing a trend yet in the Level 3 Cleric Magic group? I really think they
should have put a stronger cure spell here, which would have been arguably
the best spell in the game. Sadly, however, there is very little that
redeems this lackluster performance by the Cleric's Level 3 Magic.
Verdict-
I suppose if you're going to try any of the 3 harmful spells in this group,
this one would probably benefit you the most. It's still not useful at all.
A dismal end to a dismal spell group.
-----------------------------------
===================================
5. MAGIC USER SPELLS
===================================
-----------------------------------
Magic User spells are more or less the opposite of Cleric spells. Emphasis
is on damaging and impeding your foes, though there are a number of spells
which affect the environment. Sadly, a good amount of these spells are
quite useless, just like the Cleric's. Nonetheless, don't leave home without
your Magic User. He's usually the deciding factor in many of the beginning
and mid game battles.
----------------
A. Level 1 Magic
----------------
============
Detect Magic
============
Location-
Cast during Travel; Treasure Findings
Size-
N/A
Effects-
Just the same as the Cleric's Detect Magic spell. I've found no differences
between the two. Useful if you want to save room for another Cure Lt. Wounds
spell in the Cleric's lineup. Near the end of the game, when most other
Level 1 magic spells become rather obsolete, this is a good spell to put
here.
Verdict-
Same spell as Cleric's Detect Magic, only a different caster. It's your
choice who uses it.
==========
Read Magic
==========
Location-
Cast during Travel
Size-
N/A
Effects-
Well, if my AD&D memory serves me correctly, this is supposed to help you
read any unknown script or text that you may come across. I tried casting
in the Library area, where I thought it would help the most, but it revealed
nothing new.
What this ended up doing was enabling my Magic User to read a scroll found
from battle or a treasure find. Usually, however, scrolls have terrible
spells on them, and you can have them identified for a couple hundred gold
at the weapon shop. So, this spell's usefulness goes down the drain.
Verdict-
Unless you're the cheapest AD&D player ever, this is rather pointless.
======
Shield
======
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Spellcaster only in Battle; Any party member in Travel
Effects-
Well, in the CPU version, this is supposed to block any incoming Magic
Missile attacks. However, when I cast this on my Magic User and had another
character use a Magic Missile wand on him, the spell did squat. This doesn't
add anything to AC either. I tried it again on another character, and the
Magic Missile still cut through the "Shield" like butter. Even if this
spell did work, it wouldn't be worth casting since enemies will NEVER cast
Magic Missile on you. (unless the enemy has a Magic Missile wand)
Verdict-
It's a dud. I don't think I'll use it again.
=======
Enlarge
=======
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; 2 Square Range
Effects-
This gives your character a slight boost to his/her Strength stat. It
doesn't make you larger in battle, as you probably thought it would.
(Although it would have been sweet) I also thought it would affect your AC
level negatively, but fortunately it didn't. (a larger target is easier to
hit)
You might find it helpful for a few battles, but for the most part, I
think you're better off casting Magic Missile instead. The increase just
isn't enough. If you really want a good boost, wait until you can learn
Level 2's Strength spell.
Verdict-
It really won't help you all that much.
======
Reduce
======
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; 2 Square Range
Effects-
This was supposed to be the opposite of Enlarge, reducing your size. I would
think that it would lower your Strength stat and reduce your AC level, but
after testing this about 10 times, I never once saw it work. I cast it on
my own characters outside of battle, and it never worked. Even when casting
this on Kobolds and Nomads it never worked. Didn't work on Hill Giants
either. Once I saw how ineffective this was, I never touched it again.
Verdict-
Worthless, worthless, worthless.
=======
Friends
=======
Location-
Cast in Travel
Size-
Spellcaster only
Effects-
This spell raises the Magic User's Charisma. Charisma, however, is hands-
down the most worthless stat your characters have, and I'm not even sure
if it affects anything at all. This spell didn't help any of my "parley"
attempts go any smoother, nor did it lower the price of any services.
Suffice it to say, you won't be making any new friends with this.
Verdict-
This spell's about as useful as that TV show "Friends."(it's not useful)
=============
Magic Missile
=============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; 13 square range
Effects-
One of AD&D's most famous spells. And it's famous for a reason: it's quite
effective. Casting this will deal anywhere from 5-15 damage on average to
an enemy. And since it deals generic "magic" damage, it will always hit
as well. Its excellent range and instant cast time make it a solid choice.
These are great throughout the game, so keep you Magic User's Level 1 spell
list chock full of these. It's especially great in the beginning of the
game where you're much more likely to miss with melee attacks.
Verdict-
Awesome spell. Use often.
=========
Prot/Evil
=========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
Like the Cleric's Prot/Evil spell, I am puzzled. I didn't notice any
difference when facing "evil" enemies like undead or bandits. Whatever the
effect, it sucks.
Verdict-
Nothing useful.
=========
Prot/Good
=========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
I wish I could figure out if these Prot spells did anything. Again, I tried
it against "good" enemies like city guards, but it did nothing as far as
I could tell. Don't bother learning these Prot/ spells. If you really want
to use them, have the Cleric cast it.
Verdict-
Don't bother with these Prot/ spells.
==========
Burn Hands
==========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
This spell will deal damage equal to your Magic User's level to the target.
So, if your Magic User is at level 5, the spell will deal 5 damage. Which
is exactly why I didn't really use this spell. By the time you reach a
Level where this spell could deal respectable damage, you'll have better
spells to cast than this. Its short range makes it even less useful. If
you really want a quick hit spell, go with Magic Missile.
Verdict-
Magic Missile does it better.
============
Charm Person
============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; 13 square range
Effects-
Casting this will cause any humanoid enemy to switch sides and fight along
with you. Not as useful as it sounds, to be honest. Most of the enemies you
can charm are wimps (kobolds, Level 1 Thieves, etc.), and the ones you could
actually use in battle aren't usually affected by this. (Level 6 Fighters,
Mutant Lizardmen, etc.) Still, if you ever feel like you could use another
soldier, here ya go. Unfortunately, the enemy won't stay with your party
after battle.
Veridct-
Not particularly useful.
=====
Sleep
=====
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Multiple Units; 3x3 square, 6 square range
Effects-
Normally, in most RPGs, the Sleep spell is rather useless in that one hit
will wake up the sleeping enemy, and all the enemies that a Sleep spell
would be useful against are never affected by it. This isn't Final Fantasy,
however, and Sleep is far more powerful here.
When this spell is cast, it has a chance of putting anyone within the
square of magic to sleep, paralyzing the unit. When you hit a paralyzed
unit, you will defeat them, regardless of its health. This spell works
great on most early game enemies such as Goblins, Orcs, and the like. Be
careful, however. Your own units are also susceptible to this spell's effects.
Verdict-
This is an excellent spell for early in the game. You'll need it.
===========
Shock Grasp
===========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
Well, here's a terrible spell. Out of all the spells in the game, this is
the only spell that actually "missed." I cast it on an Orc and the spell
missed. I cast it on Kobolds, Goblins and Bugbears, and it never hit any
of them. In contrast, I cast it on a member of my own party and it hit for
7 points of electrical damage! Once that happened, I stopped using this.
Verdict-
Couldn't be more useless if it tried.
----------------
B. Level 2 Magic
----------------
=============
Det Invisible
=============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Spellcaster only
Effects-
Well, this spell lets you detect any enemies that have Invisibility cast
upon them. This would allow you to strike anything attempting to move past
your Magic User in battle regardless of Invisibility stats. However, no
enemy will ever cast Invisibility, so... (toilet flush)
Verdict-
(toilet flushes again)
============
Invisibility
============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
Using this on a member of your party will enable them to move past an enemy
in battle without fear of getting attacked. I guess this would be useful
if you need to run from battle, or if you want to slip one of your Fighters
past the front ranks and take out the archers. But, all in all, I really
didn't find this to be all that useful. Running from battle is usually a
horrible idea anyway, and its easier to just cast Magic Missile on the
archers in back.
I guess you could use it if you want a little variety, or if you like the
novelty of running around your enemies like a crazy fool without getting
smacked around. :)
Verdict-
It's not really worth it.
=====
Knock
=====
Location-
Cast in Travel
Size-
N/A
Effects-
There's only one area in the game that I know of that uses this spell- the
Kovel Mansion. There are a few locked cabinets that you can open with this
spell. Using this spell will open them quietly, while the alternative is
to break them open loudly, alerting the thieves inside to your presence. The
obvious way around this is to take care of the thieves first and then break
open the cabinets, thereby effectively reducing this spell's uses to 0.
No, you can't use this to break open doors to shops at night. Why would
you really want to, anyway?
Verdict-
There's only one spot in the game this can be used, and even then you don't
need it at all. Don't touch this.
============
Mirror Image
============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; Spellcaster only
Effects-
Casting this will protect your Magic User from 2 attacks from enemies.
Unfortunately, this only affects the Magic user casting the spell. Usually
your Magic Users will be in the back lines, away from the heavy action in
battle, so this spell won't help that much. This would have been a pretty
good spell if you could cast it on anyone, and maybe use it before battle,
but, alas, this is all you get. It could have been really sweet, but it fails
to live up to any potential it had.
Verdict-
Pretty dismal. I didn't use this.
============
Enfeeblement
============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Single Unit; 2 square range
Effects-
I thought this spell would be pretty good, but it failed spectacularly
to be of any use. I cast this about 10 times on wimps like Orcs and Kobolds
and only once did I see it work. Combine that with terrible range and not
even being sure if this spell actually does anything and you've got one
worthless spell.
Verdict-
It's a feeble excuse for a spell, indeed.
===========
Stink Cloud
===========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Multiple Units; 2x2 square radius; 4 square range
Effects-
Say hello to one of the best spells in the game. This spell has a decent
chance of stunning anything caught inside the cloud's area. And I mean
ANYTHING. I've stunned Ettins, Hill Giants, Fire Giants, and even the
Vampire with this spell. The only enemy I've never seen this work against
is the final boss, so keep that in mind. It wouldn't be very challenging
fighting the last boss if you could, though, now would it? However, if
this spell doesn't work, the enemy will be fit as a fiddle. It will say
that the enemy is "nauseous," but that means nothing.
Be forewarned, however, as this can also affect your own party members.
Sometimes you won't be able to hit the enemy you want without endangering
your own party members, so use at your own risk when doing so. Also
remember that when casting this spell the top left square with the
crosshair must hit a unit or else the spell will not take effect.
Verdict-
Totally awesome. It will certainly be your saving grace against tougher
enemies.
========
Strength
========
Location-
Cast in Travel
Size-
Single Unit
Effects-
Cast this on a party member will increase their Strength stat substantially
for the next few battles. Just as obvious as it sounds. The spell lasts a
good while, and it can give weaker characters a chance to hit with melee
attacks. This is a good spell to use before a big battle.
Verdict-
Good spell to use for tough fights.
----------------
C. Level 3 Magic
----------------
=====
Blink
=====
Location-
Cast in Travel
Size-
Single Unit
Effects-
Supposedly, this makes the party member affected harder to target in
battle. In actuality, this does jack. Seriously, enemies had no trouble
hitting my Fighter that I cast this on in battle. If it has any other
effects, they certainly escaped my notice. It's anybody's guess if this
spell really does anything.
Verdict-
Does nothing as far as I can tell.
============
Dispel Magic
============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit in travel
Multiple Units in battle; 3x3 square radius; 13 square range
Effects-
Works the same way as the Cleric's Dispel Magic spell. Yeah, all it does
is cure paralysis and take away any effect spells. (Prot/evil, Invisibility,
etc.) However, do not use a precious spell point on this when the Cleric
can do so. You'll rarely, if ever, use this spell anyway.
Verdict-
Have your Cleric cast this if you need it. It's a waste of a spell point
with your Magic User.
========
Fireball
========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Multiple Units; 5x5 square radius in wilderness battles; 7x7 square radius
indoors; 17 square range
Effects-
The best damaging spell in the game. Casting this will deal anywhere between
10-30 damage to any units within the radius. I know that so far, there
hasn't been a real good, reliable spell that you can lean on to get you
through the game. Well, here it is. If you've been waiting for a really
awesome spell, this is it.
Be careful with this, as your own units will get damaged by this spell
as well. And this does not work on Fire Giants, so keep that in mind. Also
take into account the size differences according to the battle environment.
This spell is larger indoors, thankfully, so use it here as often as you
can.
Verdict-
Probably the best overall spell in the game. Learn this immediately when
Level 3 magic becomes available.
=====
Haste
=====
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Entire party in travel
Multiple units in battle; 5x5 square radius; 7 square range
Effects-
Casting this will give your party members double their movement points
and possibly another attack. I say possibly because half the time my
Fighters only got one attack. I'm not too sure why, either.
I found this to be too unreliable to be useful. And besides, by the time
Level 3 magic becomes available, your Fighters should be able to pack a
good punch, and you'll be throwing Fireballs left and right, so having
a second attack really isn't all that helpful. The extra movement really
doesn't help you a whole lot, either. Oh, and this spell also "ages" your
party members, but age affects nothing as far as I can tell.
Verdict-
It would have been more useful earlier in the game, but by the time you
get around to learning it, it's rather pointless.
===========
Hold Person
===========
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Up to 4 Units; Single square; 13 square range
Effects-
Works the same way as the Cleric's Hold Person spell, except that this
works on up to 4 units instead of the Cleric's 3. It's a good spell, but
I still wouldn't learn this at a level up, because Fireball and Lightning
Bolt are more valuable. If you find this on a scroll, learn it from that.
Even if you never find it, your Clerics should have more than enough of
this spell.
Verdict-
The Cleric does it better.
==========
Invis 10'R
==========
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Entire Party outside of battle
Multiple Units; 3x3 square radius; 1 square range
Effects-
Just like Invisibility, except on a larger scale. I found invisibility to
be rather pointless, so I didn't use this spell. Once again, if you want
a little variety, or you just get a kick out of running around the enemy
without fear of getting attacked, then this spell will be your best friend.
Otherwise, you'll do just fine without it.
Verdict-
Nothing important or useful.
==============
Lightning Bolt
==============
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Multiple Units; 8 square line of damage; 11 square range
Effects-
Just can't use Fireball because you'll hit too many of your own units?
Then cast Lightning Bolt. Casting this will deal 10-30 damage to any unit
within the spell's path. You'll notice how the spell works rather quickly:
the path the spell takes is the direction the enemy is facing the spell
caster from. So, if the enemy was west of the spell caster, the bolt would
travel west. The bolt starts its damaging path when it hits an enemy and
lasts for 8 squares.
There's a very nice bonus to this if you're in a confined space. It bounces
off walls. The spell will bounce off the wall or object it hits and strike
into the previous square. So, if an enemy is standing next to a wall, zap
him with Lightning Bolt and he'll get hit twice. This trick is especially
effective against Fire Giants and Hill Giants in the final dungeon. Just
make sure your own units aren't in the line of fire, as they take damage
from this spell as well.
Verdict-
Excellent alternative when Fireball just won't do. In certain cases, this
spell is better.
==============
Prot/Evil 10'R
==============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
I really don't see any benefits to using these prot/ spells. This spell
was supposed to affect everyone within 10 meters of the target according
to the CPU version's instruction manual, but as far as I can tell, it does
jack squat. It didn't protect me against undead or giants, nor did it
affect anyone except the person it was cast upon. But, to make a long
story short:
Verdict-
This sucks and doesn't even work.
==============
Prot/Good 10'R
==============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
Just like the other prot/ spells: pointless and ineffective. Using against
city guards and enemy clerics protected me from nothing. If these prot/
spells work, and someone can provide me with PROOF, not just a hunch or a
vague story, please email me. I'm really curious if these spells do anything
at all.
Verdict-
Waste of a spell, pure and simple.
=============
Prot/Missiles
=============
Location-
Cast Anywhere
Size-
Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User
Effects-
Unlike the other prot/ spells, casting this is supposed to protect the
unit from damage from projectile attacks such as bows and slings. But,
just because it's supposed to do something, it doesn't mean that it will.
I cast this on my Fighter and sent him in front of a group of Centaurs.
(those half horse/half human monsters who always use a bow) He was torn
apart in two rounds. The arrows cut through the spell like butter. Suffice
to say, I never used this spell again.
Verdict-
I still don't think these prot/ spells do anything. Don't bother with any
of them.
====
Slow
====
Location-
Cast in Battle
Size-
Multiple Units; 5x5 circle radius; 15 square range
Effects-
This was a tough one to figure out, and I'm still not entirely sure of this
one. Anyway, the only effect this spell seems to have is that if an enemy
can attack twice in one round (Trolls, Lizardmen, Ettins, etc.) this spell
will prevent the second attack. It didn't seem to reduce the number of movement
spaces the enemy had.
All in all, this spell really sucks. You're much better off casting Fireball
or Lightning Bolt instead of this. The only really good aspect of this spell
is that it doesn't affect your own party members if they are caught in the
spell's radius.
Verdict-
It's not that great.
-----------------------------------
===================================
6. SPELL RECOMMENDATIONS
===================================
-----------------------------------
Alright, now that you now what each of these spells do (or doesn't do),
you can make your own judgement as to what you think is useful or not. But,
in case you need help, here's my two cents.
-------------
Cleric Spells
-------------
His healing spell is a must. You'll also find yourself abusing the Hold
Person spell quite a bit. Other than these two spells, the Cleric's magic
is pretty dismal. Still, you'll be glad he's there.
Best Spells:
Level 1- Cure Lt. Wounds, Empower
Level 2- Hold Person, Slow Poison
Level 3- Dispel Magic, Cure Disease
Best Overall Spells- Cure Lt. Wounds, Hold Person
Worst Spells:
Level 1- Resist Cold, Prot Evil/Good
Level 2- Silence 15'R, Spirit Hammer
Level 3- Cure/Cause Blindness, Remove/Bestow Curse
Worst Overall Spells- Resist Cold, Silence 15'R
-----------------
Magic User Spells
-----------------
He can paralyze enemies in the beginning of the game, and by the game's
end he'll be dropping legions of enemies with his magic. Your focus should
be Sleep and Stink Cloud in the beginning and middle of the game, and
Fireball and Lightning Bolt near the end.
Best Spells:
Level 1- Magic Missile, Sleep
Level 2- Stink Cloud, Strength
Level 3- Fireball, Lightning Bolt
Best Overall Spells- Fireball, Stink Cloud
Worst Spells:
Level 1- Reduce, Friends
Level 2- Knock, Enfeeblement
Level 3- Blink, Prot/Missiles
Worst Overall Spells- Reduce, Prot/Missiles
-----------------------------------
===================================
7. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
===================================
-----------------------------------
Some things about magic that didn't really seem to fit anywhere else.
--------------
Mystery Spells
--------------
There are a few spells in this game that I can't figure out. Their functions
elude me. Got any info on these bad boys? Email me and you'll get credit.
Cleric:
Level 1- Curse
Level 3- Meditation, Cure Blindness, Cause Disease, Remove Curse
(Are there any enemies that cause Blindness or Curse you? And does Disease
do anything besides prevent a character from recovering 1 hp per 24 hours
of rest?)
Magic User:
Level 1- Reduce
Level 2- Enfeeblement
Level 3- Blink
Both Classes:
Prot/ Spells
These worked like crap, but I'm still interested in finding out if they
technically do anything or not. I'm inclined to think they don't, however,
since Prot/Missiles did not do what it said it would. Leads me to believe
the other Prot/ spells follow the same suit.
-------------------------
Two Missing Cleric Spells
-------------------------
There are two other spells for the Cleric. They are Restoration and Animate
Dead.
Restoration can only be found on scrolls. This is used whenever an Undead
monster "drains" a party member of levels. Using this will restore your
party member back to his original level. This is always a bad idea, however,
since the member will always have less HP than before. You can also restore
at the Temple for a fee, but once again, Restoration isn't worth it. My
best advice is to not get drained.
Animate Dead was a Level 3 spell in the PC version that was never included
in the NES. This would have let the Cleric raise any slain humans in battle
as Zombies to fight for you. If there was room for one in the party, he would
have stuck around even after battle and would stay until he got killed.
My guess is that the creators didn't want to draw a character portrait
for the zombie. Damn shame, too. This sounded like a really fun spell... :(
-----------------------
Battle Spells in Travel
-----------------------
All spells can technically be cast in travel. Battle spells, like Fireball
and Magic Missile, have no effect outside of battle. The game, however,
asks you if you want to cast the spell anyway. Why this was included in
the game really puzzles me. Don't do it. It's a total waste of a spell.
-----------------------------------
===================================
8. CREDITS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
===================================
-----------------------------------
-------
Credits
-------
I wrote this guide by myself, but there are certainly a few people who come
to mind:
You, the reader- For reading this guide, as well as being a fan of this
glorious game. I'm glad you're one of the few that came across this game.
Strategic Simulations Inc. & Pony Canyon- For making this game. It is
truly awesome. Props on a job well done!
CJayC- For running GameFAQs. It must take a lot of work... here's to you!
The gaming community is so much better because of you.
GameFAQS member Wolfgang- For providing me information on how to use the
"Scrb" command, telling me about Mummies and Disease, insight on Prot/
spells, info on Curse spell.
GameFAQS member Dave Goss- For giving me info on Meditation, Resist Cold,
Dispel Magic, insight on Prot/ spells, and offering me information from
the NES game's instruction manual.
^^^^^
You two guys ROCK. If I missed anything else, just tell me. Also thanks
for encouraging me, and letting me know I'm not the only fan of this
game out there!
GameFAQS member Overdrive- For writing the awesome guide for the NES
version of this game. Helped me out a ton.
www.thehouseofgames.net- For having the CPU version's manual available
for download. This was incredibly helpful.
Everyone else- There may have been someone I missed, but thanks to anyone
who provided me with little tidbits here and there.
Everyone who likes this game- You guys are the ones I wrote this for. Thanks
for giving me a reason write this!
-------------------
Contact Information
-------------------
I'm always eager for feedback, so let me know what you thought of this
guide. Liked it? Hated it? Found it useful? Know something I don't? Have
new information about some of the Mystery Spells? Printed this guide out
just so you could wipe your ass with it? Let me know.
Email me:
[email protected]
Also, if you don't feel like emailing me, just give me a shout out on the
NES AD&D Pool of Radiance message board on GameFAQS.com. The other fans
of the game and I will help you out. We need more people there anyway.
-----------------------------------
===================================
9. CLOSING
===================================
-----------------------------------
Well, that's it for this guide. Man, it seemed like I would never get this
done! It ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, but it was
worth it to be complete. Too many setbacks... But, thankfully, it's done.
I was originally going to make this a character creation/items/equipment
guide as well, but my hard drive crashed, forcing me to write this thing
almost from scratch. :( I later decided that this would make a good stand
alone guide and that a character/equipment guide would be better as a separate
document. Stay tuned for that other guide...!
And, finally, my bottom line purpose for writing this guide was to help
make this game more enjoyable. If I've helped a few more people appreciate
this game, then it was totally worth writing.
I guess that's about it. Play this game again. Cast a few spells for me, won't
you? Just don't cast something lame like Enfeeblement or Shock Grasp... Heh!
__________________________________________________
Yours Truly,
*JaketheScumbag*
