Arrow Fend

[Warhammer]

Arrow fend gives your army 80% air shield. Does this apply to magic missile weapons as well? For example, if someone casts Arrow Fend, will that aid his defense when I cast nether bolts?

[RonD]

I think Arrow Fend only helps against spells that cast/create mundae missles (like bladewind). I think nether bolts works against MR, so Antimagic would be a good defense.

[Warhammer]

Well this was an issue where my guys suddenly started missing repeatedly after arrow fend was cast which prompted the question.

[Lazy_Perfectionist]

Apparently shields can block single target spells such as firebolt. The question is how arrow fend works precisely. If it functions like a shield in giving a chance for a missile to hit not a square, but a unit in the square, then...

What spells were you casting, were they area one (or more) or single target (times whatever number of effects)? And by miss, did they still hit the square, just not any unit?

I really don't know what I'm talking about. But I remember asking a dev whether a shield could block spells (answer: some) and arrow fend may function similarily.

[Warhammer]

It seemed nether bolts and shadow bolts missed rather suddenly after the spell fired.

[Meglobob]

Warhammer said:
It seemed nether bolts and shadow bolts missed rather suddenly after the spell fired.



Thats interesting...errm never thought of arrow fend as a counter to those spells.

Perhaps, it just effects all bolt spells?

[Xietor]

Dr. P worked out how arrow fend works, and it is posted somewhere early in the Alpaca game thread. If i recall any spell that is not aoe is affected by arrow fend(ie blade wind).

So if the spell targets 1 unit, and is not aoe 1, it is affected by arrow fend. That is what i recall of Dr. P's analysis of how the spell is coded.

[Ironhawk]

Wow, thats pretty cool. I suppose there are too many battle-winning type combat spells that are single target. Still thats another feather in the cap for Air nations

[Meglobob]

Heres a thought, does the air bless work in the same way arrow fend does?

[DrPraetorious]

AoE attacks are definitely *not* blocked by arrowfend.

Blade Wind definitely *is* blocked by arrowfend.

Flaming Arrows definitely *are* blocked by arrowfend.

I'm not sure about:
1) Magical missile weapons other than flaming arrows, the Howling Bow for example.
2) Single target attack spells which are non-physical, like fire darts, nether darts or shadow bolt.

[Sombre]

What about non projectile single target spells? For instance a prison of fire type spell which aims at one target. Or something like incinerate?

How does the game know the spell is a projectile?

[thejeff]

It's not quite as simple as "not AoE"

100 precision spells (or effects - mind blast) aren't blocked.

Are lightning bolts?

[Kristoffer O]

Lightning bolt, many alterations, mind butn and similar spells have a 'hit' flag, meaning it always hits a target if there is one in the square.

Projected spells rarely have this tag (lightning being a good example of an exception, since it finds a body to use as a conductor).

Not sure if air shield blocks magical projectiles. It might, but this thread leads me to believe otherwise.

[DrPraetorious]

Well, that explains one of the mysterious spell flags http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.

Thanks, KO.

[Cor2]

Kristoffer O said:
Lightning bolt, many alterations, mind butn and similar spells have a 'hit' flag, meaning it always hits a target if there is one in the square.

Projected spells rarely have this tag (lightning being a good example of an exception, since it finds a body to use as a conductor).

Not sure if air shield blocks magical projectiles. It might, but this thread leads me to believe otherwise.



that was really good thinking, i never would have designed it that way, so my lightning bolts would suck.