Transformation spell results

[NTJedi]

What luck have people had using the transformation spell??

Also has anyone tried the transformation spell on an archmage pretender?? Imagine a high magic level archmage with low life & stats transformed into a high magic level vastness or titan . http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[SurvivalistMerc]

I would love to know the spell's results.

I think one of the risks of the spell is that you may lose all magical skills. Otherwise this would always be the way to go with something like a crone.

I would also like to know folks' experience with the spell "lichcraft" and whether it can be cast by a pretender on himself.

[Gandalf Parker]

I used to have a good time doing it to jade amazon mages. Sometimes they changed into things that had much better armor class and were a big surprise (heehee that lizard is a magician?). That was all Dom1 tho

[ December 31, 2003, 18:03: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Catquiet]

Originally posted by SurvivalistMerc:
I would also like to know folks' experience with the spell "lichcraft" and whether it can be cast by a pretender on himself. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">If I recall correctly, in Dom I the Lichcraft spell just summoned a Demi-lich with 4 Death.

You could not cast it on an existing mage.

[Taqwus]

Lichcraft, Last I checked (Dom I), was a summoning spell instead of a transformation spell.
Transformation, at least in Dom I, appeared to have a fairly limited selection which greatly resembled the sort of things you get from crossbreeding. Yes, there's a risk of feeblemind as well. A chimera or dragon-something hybrid mage can be pretty nifty, 'tho.

[SurvivalistMerc]

Taqwus,

I have never tried lichcraft...but here is what the new description says:

The spell is now in the school of enchantment. Not that the school necessarily means much, but it isn't a conjuration.

Description: With knowledge of this ritual, the death mage has discovered how to remove the viscera of another necromancer, making him immortal. The casting mage performs the ritual of lichcraft on a willing necromancer in return for eternal servitude. The subject is then transformed into an immortal being of great magical power known as a demilich. By removing the viscera of the target and hiding it, the caster can ensure the immortality and loyalty of the subject. Should the body of the demilich be physically destroyed, a new one is formed from the dust of dead humans.

I don't know what it does, but from the description it seems to affect a target necromancer.

[Endoperez]

Target necroomancer, who is not any of your own... So, with every casting of that you find out a new necromancer every time... Well, it wouldn't be that bad if you could tell what it did. Description is good, but not very describing.

Transformation has never *not* worked for me. Though I haven't tried it on much of anything that I'd care to lose if it did.

You seem to get a good variety of creatures, with flying ones being fairly common. Seems a decent spell; but just kind of a "Oh there it is" type of spell. Maybe if you could pick what you wanted to change into (thus you could form a strategy around it) it would be more of a "I finally got Transforatmion" instead of "Hmm, wonder what this does" type of spell.

[ywl]

Originally posted by Zen:
Transformation has never *not* worked for me. Though I haven't tried it on much of anything that I'd care to lose if it did.

You seem to get a good variety of creatures, with flying ones being fairly common. Seems a decent spell; but just kind of a "Oh there it is" type of spell. Maybe if you could pick what you wanted to change into (thus you could form a strategy around it) it would be more of a "I finally got Transforatmion" instead of "Hmm, wonder what this does" type of spell. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">It could be a usable spell. The only issue is in Dom 1, you lost the item on the mage if the creature he/she tranforms into doesn't have the slot. I don't know whether it's been changed in Dom 2. Otherwise, you could have a bunch of Druids or even Bards tranformed. If they change into big creatures such as Fire drake, Earth drake etc, you would have some powerful creatures who can cast "Regeneration" (Nature 2) and "Elemental Fortitude" (Nature 1) before going into melee. Not bad at all.

[rabelais]

does the luck scale have any effect on this spell?

seems like it (the scale) could use the help...

Rabe

[ywl]

I just checked. If the creature cannot used the item, it's returned to the lab in Dom 2. So, you could indeed recruit bards or druids, give them items and turn them into animals.

At 8 gems a piece, it's not a bad deal. But I don't know effective it'll be in a competitive MP game.

[PvK]

Originally posted by ywl:
I just checked. If the creature cannot used the item, it's returned to the lab in Dom 2. So, you could indeed recruit bards or druids, give them items and turn them into animals.
... <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Good to know, but except for un-removable objects, even if it didn't do that, you could just remove them before the transformation, no?

PvK

[SurvivalistMerc]

PvK,

Some creatures need items to be able to cast transformation since it is a 3-nature spell. That's quite a bit of nature magic for anyone but a pretender.

So if you have items that increase nature by a total of 2...then a nature-1 unit, like the Bard mentioned earlier can cast it...and even if the bard can't use the item...you can give it to the next bard. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[PvK]

Aha! I see - that makes sense. Thanks.

PvK

[Treebeard]

I just checked it out - even cursed items go back to your laboratory when casting transformation. At least the armor of thorns did.