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Distance is one of the most important combat concepts in the game. If you're in Skara Brae itself during day time, you'll only ever face a single monster group during combat. That increases to possibly one or two monster groups in the city at night. If you're in a dungeon, you may face anywhere from one to four monster groups. Typically any given monster group will have one to eight monsters in it. However, some monsters may have more than eight, especially during the later dungeons in the game. For example, the last couple of levels in Mangar's Tower may have Gimps that can number up to 128 in a single group.
Suppose that you get an encounter with four monster groups. The first two monster groups will typically already be within melee range, in which case they won't have any indication of distance from the party. You can attack them with hand-held weapons and they in turn may attack you in melee. Sometimes even the first two monster groups can appear at a range of 20 feet or 30 feet.
The monsters in the third and fourth groups will typically appear in ranges from 20 to 70 feet. 90 feet is the maximum possible range, but that doesn't truly become relevant until the second and third games. Monsters who are beyond the 10 foot range can only be attacked by ranged weapons or spells, but not by melee attacks. They in turn are limited to attacking you with ranged weapons and spells. There are a number of ways of dealing with monsters who are at a distance greater than 10 feet.
One way is to use spells on them. But even then, some spells have a maximum range. Pay attention when deciding on which spell to use.
Another way is to use ranged weapons on them, like a bow and arrows, spears, axes and so on. But again, pay attention to the maximum range of the ranged weapon you are using.
The first time the Rogue goes into hiding, he can thereafter attack and land an instant Critical Hit on a monster that is at most 20 feet distant. If the Rogue is still in Hiding at the start of the round, and has not blown stealth by attacking, you have the option of selecting the Hide option again so that the Rogue can increase his backstab attack range by another 10 feet. Suppose that a monster you want to kill is 50 feet distant. You could have your Rogue go into Hiding four straight combat rounds so that he or she can backstab at a range of 50 feet. Of course, you need to be mindful that it requires the Rogue to successfully make the Hide skill check four times in a row. In fact, a Rogue who makes the check eight times in a row can make the Critical Hit attack at the maximum range of 90 feet.
Another way is to clear a path so that the party can collectively advance on the distant monsters. Suppose you're fighting one group of monsters that is within melee range, and another group that is 30 feet distant. You cannot advance on the distant monsters, because there is a closer group of monsters that is still interposed in between. Now assume that you kill the monsters in mellee range, and there's nothing else in between you and the distant monsters. The next round gives you the option to advance forward 10 feet to get closer to the monsters that were previously 30 feet distant. The monsters are now 20 feet distant. Assuming that the distant monsters didn't summon something else like a Wind Warrior to block your way with a new and closer monster (which is a possibility), you can again select Advance another 10 feet and finally bring yourself within melee range.
The monsters can themselves decide to advance closer to the party, and in fact some of them can advance 20 feet closer at a time. The ability of monsters to advance can be exploited to your advantage. Suppose that monsters are 20 feet distant, and you know that they will advance the next round because they never cast spells or use ranged weapons. You can have your combat characters choose the option to attack them. The reason is that their advance will always happen before your combat characters attack, and therefore they'll step right into your oncoming attacks. It's literally a matter of getting in free blows as they close in.
This is also one of the most important facets of the combat system, and arguably the most important during the first two games. AC in these games is very much like AC was in the 2nd edition D&D rules, the lower the AC value was, the better protected your characters were against physical attacks. The maximum possible AC is any of the three games is -50.
The idea is that you want characters in the first four slots to have as low an AC as possible, thus leaving the last three characters (often spellcasters) free to use their ranged attacks and spells without fear of melee attacks. The back three characters can still benefit from AC, especially when enemy archers aim projectiles at them, but that is a far rarer consideration. It is important to construct the first four characters as a shield-wall.
There is a loophole around this for one character class. A Rogue, if he or she can achieve a guaranteed 100% chance for it (more on this later), can go into Hiding at the start of the round before any of the monsters can target the Rogue. The Rogue can then take an offensive action the next round (e.g. a backstab attack) without ever getting targeted by the monsters. The Rogue can thus repeat the cycle endlessly in any given fight, thereby turning one of the party slots into one that is simply untouchable even if the Rogue's AC is weak.
An AC of -37 suffices to render any character completely immune to any monster ever connecting with a physical attack during the first game. (The second and third games are a different story, but I digress). And this is certainly achievable by a Bard having Traveller's Tune in place as a long-lasting buff, the use of Ybarra's Mystical Coat of Armor as another enduring buff (which stacks), and the first four characters (unless a Rogue) equipping enough of the best items (e.g. Diamond Plate armor) found in the last parts of the game.
If you're so inclined, Kylearan's Invisibility spell provides an AC bonus that stacks with the other during a battle itself, but also provides a bonus to saving throws for everyone.
Some monsters will simply inflict physical damage that reduces their target's Hit Points without anything more. That is not a concern unless a party member dies as a result of having his or her Hit Points reduced to 0, and lost Hit Points can be healed through spells like Quick Fix, Flesh Restore, Flesh Anew and Restoration. However, some monsters not only inflict damage but will also inflict an additional effect that automatically takes hold on its target should the physical attack connect. I now describe them, how to deal with them, and which monsters can inflict them (in order of least powerful to most powerful).
Poison - A Poisoned character will lose a few Hit Points every combat round, or every three seconds or so while exploring and not in combat. Although a Temple can heal Poison, it is easy enough to cure any poisoned characters yourself with spells like Flesh Restore (single party member only), or Flesh Anew (the whole party) and Restoration (the whole party). Monsters that can cause poisoning through physical attacks include Black Widows, Spinners, Eye Spies, Evil Eyes and Beholders. Note also that enemy spellcasters can also Poison party members through the Poison Strike spell.
Withered - A party member that is Withered has all of his or her attributes reduced to 1, which can severely impact that character's ability fight back. The only way to get rid of it is to have the priests at a Temple heal it, and it can get pretty expensive to do so (for lower-level parties at least). Monsters that can cause Withering through physical attacks include Wights, Ghouls, Lesser Demons, Ghosts and Ancient Enemies. Note also that enemy spellcasters can also Wither party members through the Wither Strike spell.
Insanity - An Insane party member may do any one of a number of things. He or she may continue to attack the enemy monsters, may do nothing during a combat round, or may decide to attack a fellow party member. Which it will be in any given combat round is completely random. Spells that cure Poisoning will also cure Insanity. Monsters that can cause Insanity through physical attacks include Wraiths, Shadows, Demons and Balrogs.
Possession - A Possessed character, unlike an Insane character, will ALWAYS target fellow party members for attack, making dealing with it as soon as possible imperative. The Wizard's Dispossession spell has the specific purpose of ridding a party member of the Possession effect. Monsters that can cause Possession through physical attacks include Body Snatchers, Greater Demons and Liches. Enemy spellcasters can also cause Possession through the Baylor's Spell Bind spell.
Drained - A Drained character is operating as a character effectively one class level lower that what he or she actually attained through experience points. Drained levels can accumulate. The only way to get rid of the Drained effect is by paying the Priests at a Temple to heal it. Even then, a Drained character still permanently loses 1,000xp for each time he or she has been drained. Monsters that can Drain characters through physical attacks include Phantoms, Vampires, Spectres and Vampire Lords.
Stoned - A Stoned character has been petrified and effectively killed. It's even worse than death in that you have to first use a Stone to Flesh spell on the petrified character, and then use a Beyond Death spell on that same character, before he or she is truly back among the living. Monsters that can cause Stoned through physical attacks include Basilisks and Demon Lords. Enemy spellcasters, Mongos in particular, can cause Stone through the Stone Touch spell.
Critical Hit - If an enemy lands a Critical Hit on a party member, that party member will die regardless of how many Hit Points he or she has left. Only Master Ninjas, and Mangar himself should you get close enough to him, can cause Critical Hits through physical attacks. Enemy spellcasters can also cause Critical Hits through the Death Strike spell.
You can often deal with the concerns by making your characters' AC good enough so that the monsters will always miss. However, an alternative option is to use a spell like Far Foes to push them further away to a safer distance, which in turn gives you the option to take them out with offensive spells.
If you want one of your first four characters to hit a monster, it must make a successful To Hit Roll that wins out against the target's own AC. Your attacks will pretty much always connect during the early going, although it can be a problem during the last few levels when you're faced with powerful monsters with very good AC.
Maybe you want to play a given character like a tank, it doesn't matter if he can't connect as long as the monsters in turn cannot touch him. However, if you want another character to land those attacks, be on the lookout for items that confers bonuses To Hit. Spells like the Wrath of Valhalla, and the Bard's Seeker's Ballad, can help as well during a tough fight.
Every character defends against spell attacks through a saving throw. Each character's saving throws improve as they level-up, although that apparently stops after level 36.
If it's an offensive spell that damages an entire group, everyone in the party has to make their own saving throws. If the saving throw fails completely, that party member takes full damage. If the saving throw partially succeeds (I don't know the exact formula), the party member takes half-damage. If the saving throw fully succeds, the party member avoids any and all damage from the attack. By the way, breath weapons from monsters such as Dragons and Soul Suckers and Demon Lords are treated as offensive spells that usually do more damage than the spells you see in the spellbooks. The saving throws for them are dealt with in the same way.
If it's a single-target damaging spell, the saving throw is treated the same as for damaging spells described above, except that it's only one party member that needs to make the throw. If it's a single-target spell that inflicts an effect that doesn't involve damage (e.g. the Death Strike spell), then it's an all-or-nothing saving throw made by the individual party member that was targeted.
There are some spells that try to inflict a non-damaging effect on the whole party. For example, Freeze Foes tries to worsen AC for the whole party. Curse tries to weaken To Hit and damage for all party members. Hypnotic Image tries to leave multiple party members Stunned in subsequent combat rounds. If enemy spellcasters try these spells against the party, it is the first party member who makes the saving throw on behalf of the whole party. In that respect, a Paladin is an ideal candidate for the party leader. He or she can both fight upfront, and also enjoys a natural bonus to saving throws that help nullify such spells.
Luckshield also provides a saving throw bonus for any melee (i.e. non-spellcaster) characters that equip them. Their AC bonus isn't as good as other shields, so whether the trade off is worth it is up to you.
It's often the case that many fights can be resolved by letting the front-line characters hack the monsters away, two or three at a time each round. Which is good, since it allows your spellcasters save their spells for when it's really needed.
And when the monsters are numerous enough, or dangerous enough, I tend to think it's best to be more direct with damaging spells instead of beating around the bush with status-effect spells. That is true of at least the first game, where the monsters don't particularly have a lot of Hit Points. Even so, always be mindful of the range of the spells you want to use.
Of particular note is that Mangar's Mind Blade will damage every monster in every group (not just one group). It inflicts optimal damage to all monsters within a range of 30 feet, and half damage to all monsters in ranges of 40 feet to 60 feet.
And on your end, you yourself will need to overcome the monsters' own saving throws. The Luck attribute plays a role here, since the higher your own saving throw is, the more likely you are to connect with your own spells.
As for replenishing your Spell Points, sometimes grind cycles in a dungeon are short enough that you can make a trip to Roscoe's Emporium in between them. For long trips, Mage Staves will allow your spellcasters to replenish Spell Points as though they were in the city in daylight.
