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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 9599169" data-attributes="member: 7737">88Dalris squints through the peephole and whispers that the "warriors" are beginning to search the cathedral, so we need to act fast.We consider whether to launch our attack with "one of [our] more powerful offensive spells", "such as"<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Burning Hands</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Magic Missile</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fireball</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lightning Bolt</li> </ul>Or we can sacrifice the element of surprise to use a defensive spell, "such as"<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Armor</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Protection from Evil</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fly</li> </ul>We have to select one spell from those listed above [so much for “such as”], mark it off, and THEN turn to (34).---Commentary:Let's go over our spells.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Burning Hands [cone 3 ft. by 120 degrees, 1 HP damage per magic-user's level, no save] -- The 'no save' aspect saves (heh) this spell from complete uselessness, but 6 damage isn't going to do jack here. Especially considering that we could instead cast…</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Magic Missile [1d4+1 damage X 3 (?) missiles, unerringly strike their target] -- With 3 missiles the total damage is 3d4+3, or 6-15. Meaning that Magic Missile completely outclasses Burning Hands on a pure damage basis.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fireball [long range; 33,000 cu. ft. volume; 1d6 damage per magic-user's level, ignites combustables, save for half] -- Assuming Carr is 6th level, this is 6d6 damage, an average of 21. This would kill a bunch of low-level paladins. It might even kill Arno if he is a similar level to us and rolled poorly on HP. It should arguably set the entire sanctuary on fire (wooden pews, cloth, wax candles…) but such effects were notoriously up to the DM and dependent upon the player's arguing ability.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lightning Bolt [medium range, 1d6 damage per magic-user's level, save for half; can blast through or rebound off barriers, depending upon how strong they are] -- Also 6d6 damage, average 21, and now you get to bring out your ruler and protractor to determine how to angle the bolt the hit as many things as possible.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Armor [gives magic-user an AC of 8, or 2 better than unarmored (lower is better in AD&D)] -- An extra 2 AC is not going to save us from 100 angry paladins. Nor will it do anything against Arno's spells, nor Pazuzu's demonic abilities.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fly [fly at roughly double normal walking speed for 1 turn/level + 1d6 turns] -- An excellent mobility spell that would keep us from being melee'd to death by angry paladins; we'd just have to hope they don't have missile weapons. Still wouldn't protect us from Arno's spells.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Protection from Evil [prevents bodily contact by 'enchanted or conjured' creatures including demons; imposes -2 attack upon them; grants magic-user +2 saves against them]  -- The biggest threat here is Pazuzu. This will prevent him from using demonic mojo against us. Leaving only an enemy wizard (who likely outclasses us) and 100 paladins (but they're going to be held off by Dalris and Perth - no problem).</li> </ul>As I see it, our real choice is between Fireball and Protection from Evil. The former might snuff Arno, but would only mildly annoy Pazuzu. The latter would protect us from Pazuzu, but not do anything about Arno.(Lightning Bolt could also kill Arno, but I left my protractor in my junior high school locker back in 1986.)Although it's tempting to take the opportunity to rid the world of our sneering school-days rival (not to mention incinerate all the furniture in the cathedral), the safer play is Protection from Evil so that Pazuzu can't corrupt us the way he did the paladins.</blockquote>

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