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An ear-shattering roar careened down the staircase and took Xornn cleanly off his feet, impacting him into the wall and taking his breath away. A wave of searing heat hungrily chased into the corridor, bursting the thick oaken door the small army of heroes had just opened into flame. As the heat reached Xornn and the enchanter beside him, their world slipped into a blurring ripple of vision. Both of their robes took aflame, on the sleeves and legs, but they both calmly puffed out the loose, magical cloth from the ground. Muadan, the half-elven paladin of reknown, soared through the archway and bounced down the stairs unceremoniously as another ear crushing roar eminated from beyond the portal. The window into the battle was only a roiling mass of unnatural fire and magic, with the screams of heroes and cries of fallen comrades sounding the score of this quest. Muadan rose painfully to standing again, giving Xornn a solemn look of wordless knowledge--the battle wasn't fairing well. Mystical runes shimmered around the stalwart paladin, not healing his wounds but minorly covering them up for a time. "It's time, Xornn." "Aye." Xornn and Jakonis calmly strode into the portal, calling upon discording spells to shatter Lord Nagafen's psyche. During the 14th Circle you will encounter another set of spells with widely varying usefulness, including a very hotly debated one. This will be the last level that you are able to participate in fighting Lord Nagafen and Lady Vox, though don't be surprised if you're asked to come and buff well into the high 55+ range. There are going to be a multitude of groups pounding on your door with invites now, as if the last 35 levels or so haven't been testament to your desirability. Spells Boon of the Clear Mind - 175 mana for a 27 minute group buff, of Clarity. People receiving this spell (and almost all Kunark post-50 spells) must be 42nd level or higher. If a 41 or lower is grouped with you, then BoCM will not cast. Be prepared to hear several questions about what this spell is, even requests for Clarity. It doesn't say Group Clarity, and a notable number of people will not make the connection. The mana regeneration is 7/tic (as Clarity is at 48th on), and goes to 8/tic at 56th, but you will have Clarity II by then. If you need to Clarity more than two people, this spell is going to save you mana. Not only that, but you will know exactly when to refresh mana regen now. As you probably discovered with Group Resist Magic, at least half of most groups will remind you that the group buff is fading. I used to try to explain it fades for me also, but I finally just started smiling and saying, "On it." Color Slant - You next PB Stun, 125 mana, 8 second stun, 1.5 second casting time, and drains 100 mana from affected targets, same 12 second recast, and a 35 feet AoE again. This stun will actually see little use, as Color Shift and Skew will be sufficient for just about any stunning situation, and if you need a solid stun lock with no gaps, Color Flux added to the former two will be much more mana effective. However, I did on one occasion, in a Mistmoore raid involving a contest to see how many mobs we could pull at once, load Color Flux through Color Slant--and 24 faction hits later, I was really low on mana. Fascination - Upgraded form of Mesmerization, and one of the most hotly debated topics among enchanters (Mesmerization vs Fascination), as is the use of AoE Mezzing all together. Stated here is my well tested opinions, and after 51 levels of opinions, take that as you may. At 200 mana per cast, versus 70 mana per Mesmerization, this is a colossus mana upgrade to go through, 3 times normal. What you get for the extra 130 mana: drastically reduced resist rate, with basically a built in 25 MR drop on the target's save, 5 extra feet on the AoE (35 feet), and 2 extra tics of duration (36 seconds). Those two tics can often be the difference between having time to memorize another spell, and being stuck in a renewal of AoE Mez loop and casting one or two spells before you have to renew your hold. Most powerful is the lowered resist rate, however--you will rarely see a resist in most grinding groups, meaning that you're paying 3 times as much, but are less likely to have to double cast this spell. If you see two resists on an AoE Mez, you will likely just cast again and hope for a better result, as two coming free stands a chance to waste too much time single mezzing them, and suddenly the rest of the pack is coming free. A single resist is no big deal, and usually that's what you will encounter in most xp grinding camps. However some places you might find resists a bit higher, and this is when pulling out Fascination for that one time you need to get 4 mobs off the cleric now can really pay off. Highly a situational spell, but when resists are higher, and Mesmerization is limited in effectivness, Fascination can be an asset. Rune V - Last of the Rune series, still uses a Peridot, just at Rune IV did, only this one affords an appreciable amount of protection. At level 52 this is a 640 HP Shield, capping at 700 HP at 60th. The spell requires 350 mana and the previously mentioned Peridot, but can be quite effective in an emergency, or for a planned damage. Primary example is a situation like pulling King Tranix (fire giant in Nagafen's Lair, shadow knight); Rune V is placed over the monk puller who goes up and takes the harm touch (700ish in damage) then feigns death, comes back for a heal, and goes up again to pull the now "spent" shadow knight. Without Rune V, the harm touch would have done a massive amount of damage, and left the monk a small hit point base to rely on for feign deathing away from several upset fire giants. Should the spell actually go to duration, 110 minutes is the expiration time. For many raiding situations, enchanters will get (or bring) a stack of peridot for keeping Rune V on themselves, as 650 to 700 HPs is a nice buffer to keep you standing during intense fights. Trickster's Augmentation - Buffs-Solo - Though at 52nd level I saw much less soloing, and quite a bit of time in places like Chardok, Karnor's Castle, and Old Sebilis (especially the latter), I did still charm solo from time to time, usually do to login time restraints. Clarity & Arch Shielding were all I kept up, with Adorning Grace when charming. My animation (still used on seafury cyclopses and such) got Swift Like the Wind & Shadow, with Berzerker Spirit as the heal spell. Buffs-Group - As stated last circle, I pull the whole ball of wax out for groups, using every buff that helps at all whenever mana permits. Only real change is Boon of the Clear Mind assisting with the mana load, and helping keep track of when the group needs refreshed. Bear in mind that Boon of the Clear Mind will not overwrite your own Clarity, so click it off before casting. Tactics Changes Group-Dungeon - Boon of the Clear Mind is more of a pleasant distraction than an amazing buff at this point, as you won't really need this spell, it's just handy. Fascination will be a decision every enchanter tries, I warn to be cautious of the mana cost, but respect the drastically increased power of the spell. Rune V will see use in pulls where you are aware of damage about to be taken, plus if you have the peridot to spare--this can really reduce the amount of healing you need. However 350 mana per rune can burden your mana pool if chewing through them too quickly. I still usually dump Rune III up, just because it's cheap and efficient, stopping the first attack tic of a mob, and giving me time to react. However Rune V will stop quite a bit before going down. Prepare for a long journey to 53rd, but at least you will always have a multitude of groups to choose from, and at this level, you will really start getting remembered for your work. On many raids, you will start moving into position as the lead enchanter at this point, but it's no different than small grouping. Tell everyone what you want them to do, and expect them to do it. |
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