PC.GAMESPOT.COMGameSpot HomeVideo GamesPC HardwareGameSpot LiveGameBuyer
GameSpot PC Games
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2001 
 
Click Here!

 

PC Games
News

Reviews

Previews

Movies/Media

Downloads

Hints/Codes

Game Guides

Special Features

Beta Center

Release Calendar

Forums

Top Games

 
Genres
Action

Adventure

Driving

Puzzle

Role-Playing

Simulation

Sports

Strategy

 
Subscribe to
PC Newsletter

HW Newsletter

 
Elite Services
Join GameSpot

 
See Also
3D Browser

CD Center

GameFAQs

Netflix

 


IntroductionReforming the PartyTips and StrategiesItemsWalk-ThroughsGuide Contents


ALSO CHECK OUT:
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
PDF Game Guide

Download for Free!
The Use of Wish Spells and the Deck of Many Things

Both wish spells and the deck of many things provide you with the opportunity to get some incredible rewards that can help determine a battle, but they can also turn a bad situation even worse. Here's some information that'll help you decide if you want to wager the risks to possibly get the benefits.

Deck of Many Things

The effects of the deck of many things are random, so there's nothing you can do to prepare to enhance your possibilities of getting a positive result (luck spells have no effect). The results you get when using the deck on your own are different from the pool of results that you can get when playing the cambion's game at the end of level 3 of Watcher's Keep.

To get a good effect, you're likely to get a bad effect first. Before you decide whether or not you want to take the risks, here's a complete list of potential risks and rewards to help you to make an informed decision.

Nature of Effect

Card Drawn

Effect

Major bad

Donjon

Imprisoned (with a save vs. death at -4), freed normally with freedom spell

 

Ruin

Party loses 100,000 gold immediately (no save)

 

Void

Disintegrated (with a save vs. death at -4); this is permanent death

 

Magician

Transformed into a rabbit (no save); effect can only be cancelled by a remove curse spell (of 15th level or higher if that can be set)

 

Skull

A death shade is summoned in and attacks user and user only hasted and armed with the equivalent of +5 enchanted weapons and 100 percent immunity to magic and resistant to most attacks

Nature of Effect

Card Drawn

Effect

Major Good

Key

Gain magic item

 

Star

If user is fighter, paladin, ranger, or barbarian, +1 to strength; if user is monk, cleric, or druid, +1 to wisdom; if user is a magic user or sorcerer, +1 to intelligence, if user is bard or thief, +1 to dexterity

 

Throne

Party gains +1 million experience points immediately

 

Moon

User gains +10 hit points permanently

Nature of Effect

Card Drawn

Effect

Minor bad

Euryale

User has permanent -1 to all saving throws (no save, permanent)

 

Flames

Immediately gates in a powerful Balor and four fire elementals

 

Knight

Immediately summons in four powerful demon knights

 

Rogue

The user is immediately charmed (no save) and will attack the rest of the party

 

Talons

Blinded permanently until remove curse spell is cast

 

Fool

Wisdom lowered to 3 and confusion effect; confusion may be cancelled by dispel magic, but both can only be removed with remove curse spell

Nature of Effect

Card Drawn

Effect

Minor good

Comet

+5 percent fire resistance permanently

 

The fates

+1 to all stats, lasts for one game day

 

Gem

Party gains one each of the following gems: rogue stone, king's tear, sapphire, diamond, ruby, and emerald

 

Vizier

Mantle spell that lasts for one game day

 

Jester

User immediately gains +50,000 experience points

 

Sun

Party immediately gains +300,000 experience points

The game initiated by the cambion in Watcher's Keep uses different cards. Here's a description of each available card in the cambion's game, listed from lowest to highest. To win the game, you must draw a card higher than the cambion's.

Card Drawn

Effect

Plague

Reduces constitution to 6

Triumph

Summons four warriors

Guile

Summons assassins

Defiance

Flame strike hits cardholder

Strife

Slowed effect until a remove curse spell is cast

High priestess

Silenced until a remove curse spell is cast

Empress

True sight effect for seven days

Emperor

Immune to all mind effects for seven days

Construct

Summons adamantine golem

Strength

Reduces strength to 6 until a remove curse spell is cast

Wheel

Spell effect, but it does nothing

Spell Effects Wish

While the available wish spell effects are also somewhat random, you can affect your chances of getting a positive result by ensuring that the caster has a high wisdom score (either naturally or temporarily through magic). The higher the caster's wisdom score, the fewer bad effects the game will have to choose from. There are five different wisdom "categories" the game can place the caster in based upon the caster's current wisdom score: low wisdom (less than 10), medium wisdom (10-14), high wisdom (15-17), and super high wisdom (more than 18).

The following chart sets out all the possible good, neutral, and bad results.

Good Effect

Bad Effect

Neutral

Advanced haste on all party members

Heal all enemies 50 hit points

Breach on all people in the area

Breach on all enemies

Advanced haste on all enemies

Blow all people away from the caster

Restoration on entire party

Extra hostile monsters spawn in

Heal everyone 50 hit points

25 in all stats for all characters for four rounds

Level drain all party members two levels

Strength on everyone (set to 18)

Mass raise dead to full health

Remove 50 percent of caster's hit points

Miscast magic on everyone for one round

Greater deathblow

Remove 15 percent of all party members' hit points

Magic resistance on everyone

Hardiness

Lose all spells memorized

Horrid wilting on everyone

Create wand

Lose 10,000 gold

Everyone intoxicated

Create seventh level scroll

Bring meteor swarm down on the caster

Bad luck on everyone

Instant rest causing all spells to be rememorized and 30 hit points to be recovered

Reduce one of strength, wisdom, constitution, dexterity, or intelligence to 3 (temporary)

Silence on everyone

Double length time stop with improved alacrity

Slow entire party, no save

Haste on everyone


 
« Previous Page General Gameplay Tips and Strategies (cont.) »

 


GameSpot Help  |  Contact Us  |  Worldwide  |  About Us  |  Advertise  |  Join GameSpot
  CNET Networks: CNET | GameSpot | mySimon | TechRepublic | ZDNet About GameSpot  
GameSpot is a CNET Networks Media Property. Copyright ©1995-2001 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy policy.