Casting Spells; Spell Disruption; Casting In The Middle Of Combat; Saving Throws - Black Isle ICEWIND DALE 2 Manual

Dexterity Modifiers for Missile Weapons: Dexterity affects the character's ability to attack with a mis-
sile weapon. Like Strength modifiers, a higher Dexterity score will increase the chances to hit, lower Dexterity
will lessen the chances. Unlike Strength, Dexterity does not affect the amount of damage inflicted by a missile
weapon.
Magical Items: A weapon's magical properties can modify a character's chance to hit and his damage bonus.
Items that impart a bonus to the attack roll or Armor Class are identified by a plus sign. For example, a sword
+1 improves a character's chance to hit by one and inflicts +1 damage if the attack is successful. A suit of
chainmail +1 improves the Armor Class of the character by one beyond normal, "non-magical" chainmail.
Cursed items have a negative modifier (a penalty), resulting in a subtraction from the attack roll or a subtrac-
tion from Armor Class. There is no limit to the number of modifiers that can be applied to a single die roll, nor
is there a limit to the positive or negative number (the total of all modifiers) that can be applied to a die roll.
Feats: There are a number of Feats that a character can possess, which can improve both their chance to hit
and the damage done after a successful hit. Please see Feats on page 65.
All spellcasters use the same rules for casting spells. To cast a spell, the character must have the spell memo-
rized except in the case of bards and sorcerers. If it is not memorized, the spell cannot be cast. The caster
must be able to speak (not under the effects of a Silence spell) and have both arms free (not paralyzed or
Held, for example). If the spell is targeted on a person, place, or thing, the caster must be able to see the tar-
get. It is not enough to cast a Fireball 150 feet ahead into the darkness; the caster must be able to see the
point of explosion and the intervening distance. Once the casting has begun, the character must stand still. (If
you choose not to have a spell caster cast a spell after you have selected the spell, but before you have select-
ed a target, you can R-click to cancel the spell and it will not be lost from memory.) If you instruct a charac-
ter to move after a spell has been started, the spell could be lost if the casting has begun.
If the spellcaster is struck by a weapon or fails to make a saving throw before the spell is cast, there is a
chance the caster's concentration will be disrupted and the spell will be lost in a fizzle of useless energy. It
will be wiped clean from the memory of the caster until it can be re-memorized. As a result, spellcasters are
advised not to stand at the front of any battle, since it makes them easy targets.
As a general rule, the higher level of the spell, the more likely it is a spell will be disrupted if the caster takes
damage. The higher the caster's level and skill in Concentration, however, the less likely it is a spell will be
disrupted if the caster takes damage (more experienced spellcasters with a high Concentration skill are able
to concentrate and focus better than weaker casters).
Another difficulty presented to spell casters is trying to prepare and fire off spells in the middle of a melee. In
order for a spell to be successfully cast within 5 feet of a enemy, the caster must make a Concentration skill
check against a DC15 + the level of the spell. As an example, Asmir, attempts to cast a Fireball in the middle
of a fight. He has a Concentration skill of 7 and an Intelligence modifier of 4. In order for him to successfully
cast the spell he will need to roll at least a 7 on a d20. Skill of 7 plus a modifier of 4 plus a roll of 7 equals
18, which is equal to a DC of 15 plus a spell level of 3.
Saving Throws are measures of a character's resistance to special types of attacks - poisons, magic, and
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