Undocumented Spell Interactions
by Slartucker
Last updated June 2007
Goals:
Codify facts known by many experienced players, but nowhere recorded.
Clarify many things that are discussed inconsistently or misleadingly in the rules.
- REMOVE ENCHANTMENT + ANTI-SPELL
Despite being classified as an enchantment, Anti-Spell is not affected by Remove Enchantment. This is somewhat intuitive, but unrecorded.
- REMOVE ENCHANTMENT + CHARM MONSTER
Similarly, Charm Monster is not affected by Remove Enchantment. In other words, if Remove Enchantment and Charm Monster are cast on the same monster in the same turn, the monster will obey its new master's orders once before perishing.
- TIME STOP + DELAY EFFECT or PERMANENCY
You can bank spells during time stopped turns, and you can cast permanent spells during time stopped turns, contrary to what the rules imply.
- TIME STOP + DISPEL MAGIC
Dispel Magic's shield has no effect on a Time Stopped Turn. (ambiguous in rules)
- TIME STOP or HASTE + PARALYSIS
The rules explain that paralysis has no effect during turns in which
its caster does not submit orders. What they don't mention is that such
turns reset the paralyis hand choice, so that when the caster next
submits orders, he gets to choose which hand to paralyze again, even if
the enchantment itself has been continuously present. This can probably
be considered a bug.
- HASTE + HASTE
If a warlock is hit with Haste during another
warlock's Hasted Turn, the newly hasted warlock does not immediately
get a Hasted Turn as the rules suggest. However, his Haste counter does
decrement, so he will effectively only get 2 hasted turns.
- DELAY EFFECT + DISPEL MAGIC
Spells cast using the "Bank" option provided by Delay Effect are banked before Dispel Magic takes effect. As stated in the rules, Dispel Magic does not remove banked spells.
- DELAY EFFECT + SUMMON
If you bank a spell which targets "LH:Warlock" or similar, the spell will target the creature summoned from that hand that turn
(if any) -- i.e., if cast on a later turn when something else is being
summoned from that hand, it will not hit it. If the creature is killed,
casting the banked spell will produce an absurd message saying the spell missed the
creature "due to invisibility."
- HASTE + ELEMENTAL
Haste can target elementals successfully,
but they never use their extra attack, instead "running around
frantically swinging at Nobody" -- this appears to be a bug
- CONFUSION + ELEMENTAL
Confusion, like Maladroit and Fear, will not stop an elemental from attacking. (omitted)
- ELEMENTAL + ELEMENTAL + ...
It's unclear how the game decides what to do when more than two elementals are present simultaneously. There will never be more than one elemental remaining at the end of the turn, but it's unclear how the game determines which elemental has a chance of surviving. Interactions between multiple elementals and storms (and fireballs) are also unclear.
- MAGIC MIRROR + BLINDNESS or INVISIBILITY
Contrary to what the
unexpected interactions page claims, if Invisible warlock A targets
Invisible warlock B, and warlock B casts Magic Mirror, the spell will
be reflected AND WILL hit warlock A. (Not sure if the parallel
situation would work the same way with blind warlocks.)
- COUNTER SPELL
Counter Spell has a distinct "discernable
effect" message for a number of spells that it can counter. This is relevant since
Blindness and Invisibility can make the discernable effect the only way
of knowing what spell was countered. However, certain spells produce
the same discernable effect when countered:
- Resist Heat, Resist Cold, and Protection
- Amnesia, Confusion, Maladroitness, Paralysis, Fear, Charm Person, and Charm Monster
- Cure Light Wounds and Cure Heavy Wounds
- Cause Light Wounds and Cause Heavy Wounds
- Lightning Bolt and Clap of Lightning
- Poison and Disease
- Invisibility and Blindness
- Permanency and Delay Effect
- NOBODY
Several spells produce a discernable message when targetted at Nobody (or when targetted at a potential creature that is not summoned). Grouped by those which have identical discernable messages, these spells are:
- Shield
- Counter Spell
- Magic Mirror
- Magic Missile
- Fireball
- Lightning Bolt and Clap of Lightning
- Summon Goblin, Summon Ogre, Summon Troll, and Summon Giant
- Amnesia, Confusion, Maladroitness, Paralysis, Fear, Charm Person, and Charm Monster
Every other spell does not produce any message when targetted at Nobody! Anyone who's tried to piece together his opponent's invisible spellflow by watching shields knows the impact this could have: limited in scope, but grave. If you're invisible and you're sure your opponent will counter your SPFP, target it at Nobody to keep him guessing. This esoteric distinction is not mentioned anywhere in the rules, and is largely unknown.