________________________________________ / =================================== \ \ / / Advanced Dungeons and Dragons \ \ Pool of Radiance / / \ \ Magic Guide / / \ \ A Comprehensive Strategy Guide / / For The Nintendo Console System \ \ =================================== / / \ \________________________________________/ TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. LEGAL INFORMATION 2. INTRODUCTION 3. USING MAGIC A. Magic Overview B. Learning and Memorizing C. Magic in Travel and Battle D. Notes about the guide 4. CLERIC SPELLS A. Level 1 Magic B. Level 2 Magic C. Level 3 Magic 5. MAGIC USER SPELLS A. Level 1 Magic B. Level 2 Magic C. Level 3 Magic 6. SPELL RECOMMENDATIONS 7. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION Mystery Spells Two Missing Cleric Spells Battle Spells in Travel 8. CREDITS AND CONTACT INFORMATION 9. CLOSING ----------------------------------- =================================== 1. LEGAL INFORMATION =================================== ----------------------------------- (c) 2006 Daniel A. Pas This is written and copyrighted to me, Daniel A. Pas, known as JaketheScumbag online. The guide is my own original work. Don't try to sell it, distribute it as your own work, or post it on your website without my permission. I really don't care if you print this out for personal use. If you want this on your website, ask me first. I'll probably say yes. If I do say yes and let you post it, please do not take credit for this. It is illegal to distribute this for money, so don't do it. As of this update, this guide should only be on the following websites: www.gamefaqs.com If this guide is anywhere else, it is without my permission. No portions of this guide may be reprinted on any other websites than those listed above without the expressed, written consent from me, the author. AD&D Pool of Radiance and the characters and contents within the game are copyright of Strategic Simulations Inc. and Pony Canyon Inc., 1988, 1989, 1991. If you don't follow these guidelines, I may just have to cast Hold Person on you and then fry you with a Magic Missile. Seriously, just don't take credit for this, sell this, or put it up on your website without my permission and we'll all be happy. If you don't, I'll make sure you're unhappy. Enough bad guy notice. Let's cast some magic! ----------------------------------- =================================== 2. INTRODUCTION =================================== ----------------------------------- Hey there. I'm glad you're one of the people that appreciates this truly rare treat of a game. For the NES, this game's about as open-ended as it gets. Loads of side quests, strategic and unique battle system, lots of different ways to handle any one situation- this game really has it all. I came across this game about 3 years ago, and just couldn't stop playing it for the first few days after I got it. While leveling up my Magic Users, I had trouble deciding which spells to give them. So, I looked at gamefaqs for a guide, but was appalled at just how little information there was on this game. At the time, the only info for the game was a vague guide for the CPU version of the game. So, I figured why not provide some much needed insight on the game's vast selection of magic? Anyway, for some reason, I started writing the guide and stopped shortly afterwards. About 4 months ago, I stumbled upon it while organizing my folders on my hard drive and began working on it again. I was almost finished when said hard drive crashed on me. (BOOOOO!) But, after what seems like endless setbacks, this guide is finished. Oh yeah! I hope it helps. ----------------------------------- =================================== 3. USING MAGIC =================================== ----------------------------------- ----------------------------- A. Magic Overview ----------------------------- The only two characters that can use magic are Clerics and Magic Users. The Cleric and Magic User both have very different spell capabilities. It's entirely up to you how to use magic, but the wide world of magic in this game can be pretty confusing for first-time players. To sum up magic in 3 words: black and white. Either a spell is incredibly useful and you'll be using (and abusing) it often, or it downright sucks like crap and you'll never touch it. Sadly, most magic isn't very useful in this game. Spells either aren't very helpful, are too unreliable, and/or don't seem to do anything at all. There are a few good spells, thankfully, and they are extremely helpful. So it's well worth your time and effort to take along characters that know how to use magic. ----------------------------- B. Learning and Memorizing ----------------------------- Magic is learned by leveling up your spell casters and, in the case of Magic Users, by reading scrolls. Clerics have more freedom than Magic Users do in learning spells. Clerics learn all the spells within a particular group when the group becomes available. At level 3, Level 2 Cleric magic becomes available for use. At level 5, Level 3 Cleric magic becomes available. Magic Users are limited to learning 1 new spell per each level. When a Magic User levels up, he can only choose 1 spell to learn. Not 1 spell per group, just 1 spell. Yeah, it stinks... Magic Users can learn Level 2 magic at level 3, and they can learn Level 3 magic at level 5. Magic Users can also learn magic by using the "Scrb" command. If they find a scroll in battle with Magic User spells written on it, and the scroll has a spell the Magic User does not already know, the Magic User can learn the spell from the scroll. Just select the "Scrb" (scribe, I believe) command, make sure the scroll is in the Magic User's inventory, select the scroll, select the appropriate spell, and rest. By the time you're done resting, the spell will be available for use. Spells must be memorized before they can be used. Each spell memorized takes up a spell point. The spell caster is limited by the number of points he has available per level of magic. So, if he has 3 points available for his Level 1 spell group, he could memorize 2 Magic Missiles and 1 Sleep spell. All spells require rest to be memorized. Some take longer than others, it's usually 3-10 hours. If your rest is interrupted, then the spells will not be memorized. ----------------------------- C. Magic in Travel and Battle ----------------------------- Certain spells can only be used while moving around the map, certain spells can only be used while in battle, and some spells can even be used anywhere. Travel spells usually last for a certain amount of time. Each spell lasts for a different amount of time. I'm not entirely sure of the finer details, but most of the duration spells last a few hours. Battle magic requires a little strategy. It's important to remember that spells cannot be cast past walls or objects such as rocks or trees. They can, however, be cast through units. Spells cannot be cast if they are out of their range, either. Just watch the white cross hair closely when casting a spell. If it becomes a white square, then spell is either blocked by a wall or is outside of its range. It cannot be cast if this happens. The solution is to either aim somewhere else or move your spell caster. If your spell caster is hit before his turn in battle, then he will not be able to cast spells that turn. In addition, if he his hit while casting a spell, then the spell will be cancelled. Keep in mind that the spell caster must be hit, not merely attacked. If a unit attacks the caster and misses, the spell caster's ability to use magic that turn will be unaffected. ----------------------------- D. Notes about the guide ----------------------------- This is a little explanation on how to read the guide. Location- Where the spell can be used. Pretty self-explanatory. Size- How many units the spell affects, how large the spell is in battle, and how far the spell can be cast in battle. "Squares" are how I measured space in the battlescape. For instance, a party member takes up 1 "square." A spell's radius is how many squares the spell will have effect. A spell's range is how many squares the spell can reach before becoming ineffective. For all battle spells, unless specifically stated otherwise, the "size" gives the spell's details for battle. Effects- What the spell does and strategies for use. Verdict- Brief word on the spell's overall usefulness. ----------------------------------- =================================== 4. CLERIC SPELLS =================================== ----------------------------------- Clerical magic, as you may have guessed, centers mostly on bolstering, healing, and protecting your other characters. From my personal experience playing this game, the cleric, unfortunately, is not as useful as you may think. Most clerical spells do not have the chance to be used, and the only spell that heals HP, Cure Light Wounds, becomes inadequate very quickly. Nonetheless, the cleric, with proper use, can really be an asset in battle. My suggestion is to make a cleric/fighter instead of just a pure cleric. I have seen no benefit at all to having a cleric-only character. Make sure you have at least one cleric in your party. He is invaluable in certain areas of the game (the graveyard comes to mind) and his healing skills can come in handy. ---------------- A. Level 1 Magic ---------------- ======= Empower ======= Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Multiple Units; 4x4 square radius; 7 square range Effects- I'm not exactly sure, but I tested this many times and I did find that attacks were more accurate with this spell. I noticed no difference in the amount of damage dealt, as you may have wanted this spell to do. I don't think I'll ever be 100% certain of what this spell does, but this is what I found. Verdict- Since it's difficult to determine what this spell does, I didn't use it all that often. If you think it works, then use it. I got by just dandy without it, though. ===== Curse ===== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Multiple Units; 5x5 square radius; 7 square range Effects- Uhh... it curses people? Your cleric yells out a truckload of obscenities at your foes? I have no idea. It's hard to determine exactly what "effect" spells do in this game. I think this may affect your opponent's THACO or their AC negatively. I noticed that my fighters were dealing a little more damage than usual against chumps like Kobolds and Nomads, but that's it. Verdict: It isn't very helpful. ======================= Cure Lt.(light) Wounds ======================= Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; One square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- The only HP healing spell in the game. This is very useful at the start of the game, but it becomes woefully inadequate as your max HP levels rise. It will heal anywhere from 1-10 HP per cast. Usually, it will run you about 3-5 HP healed per spell. Despite how little this is, you will still find yourself using this alot. Healing items are very few, and the only other way to recover HP on the field is to rest for 24 hours, which will give you one lousy HP per day. Verdict- A must-have. Always make sure that you have a couple of these spells in reserve. It's almost all you got. ======================== Cause Lt.(light) Wounds ======================== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; One square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Just the opposite of cure. It will damage the enemy anywhere from 1-10 HP. Unlike its counterpart, however, this spell is almost completely useless. I've never really used it other than to test it out for this guide. It just doesn't deal enough damage, and it's not worth taking up a spell point. Verdict- Don't waste your time or space on this one. ============= Detect Magic ============= Location- Cast During Travel; Treasure Findings Size- N/A Effects- This is a nifty spell. Whenever you find treasure left behind by monsters or when you stumble upon it on the map, cast this and you may find more than what you would have without this spell. This doesn't really pay off very often, but it's worth a try whenever you feel inclined. Sometimes you'll get something. On a side note, this CAN be cast in battle, but I have no idea whatsoever as to what it does. I don't think it really does anything in battle. Verdict- Save one space for this. You never know when it may come in handy. ========== Prot/Evil ========== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single unit; One square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Welcome to the first of many of the Prot/ spells. You'll notice a common trend in all of them- worthlessness. This was supposed to give you an added AC bonus against "evil" enemies, but I noticed no difference when fighting Undead or the Giants in the final dungeon. It's anyone's guess as to what the game considers "evil" enemies as well. Verdict- Save the space for a Cure Lt. Wounds spell. This is quite useless. ========== Prot/Good ========== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Just like prot/evil, it's ambiguous and not quite useful. I tried it against the city guards and noticed nothing new or great. Against anyone with "good" alignment, this adds a slight AC bonus, probably. Again, there's no way to be sure. Verdict- These prot/ spells just don't seem to do anything. =========== Resist Cold =========== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; One Square; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Your character will be more resistant to cold. Wonderfully useful spell against all 0 of the cold based attacks in this game! Yes, that was sarcasm. I've played this game through about 3 times (once for this guide) and not one enemy hit me with a cold or ice attack. This was probably a hold over from the PC version of the game where enemies did use cold attacks. On another note, this spell takes a long time to cast in battle, making it even more terrible. Verdict- Completely, utterly useless spell. ---------------- B. Level 2 Magic ---------------- ========== Find Traps ========== Location- Cast During Travel Size- N/A Effects- Using this while walking around will tell you if there's a trap in the area or not. It does not, however, disarm the trap for you. I'm not sure what determines your ability to disarm traps or not, so this spell is really just a warning, if nothing else. You'll be giving this spell a workout in the Kovel Mansion area. Give it a point for a little security if you're so inclined. Verdict- If you feel in danger, use it. It gives you a chance to disarm the trap. It alone, however, will not save you. =========== Hold Person =========== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Up to 3 Units; One Square; 7 Square Range Effects- This spell has a chance to paralyze any humanoid character that it is cast upon. It will not work on monsters. There really isn't a whole lot of difference when casting the spell on higher level enemies versus lower level enemies. This works just the same on Nomads as it does on Level 8 Fighters. Go nuts with it. It will help you like no other. Verdict- Second best Cleric spell only to Cure Lt. Wounds. If you only fill your level 2 category with one spell, make it this one. =========== Resist Fire =========== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Your character's damage will be reduced if he is hit by a fire attack when affected by this spell. Since the computer's AI for using magic intelligently is atrociously bad, you won't get hit with fire spells too often. The only area where you may want to use this is the end of the game, where you have to face Fire Giants, and the final boss, Tyranthraxus. In both situations, however, I think your Cleric's turn is better spent using Cure Lt. Wounds in battle. So just cast it before hand if you want. This is also a good if you like to get trigger happy with fireballs and tend to hit your party members with them. Verdict- I didn't use this spell. Use it before a battle and never during one. Don't waste space on this until the end of the game, if you choose to do so at all. ============ Silence 15'R ============ Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; 13 square range Effects- Well, unlike this spell says, you don't have a 15 square range, but a 13 square range. It really doesn't matter, though, because you'll never use this spell. When cast upon a foe, it will silence them, making them unable to use magic. Since the AI is seemingly incapable of doing anything very intelligent with magic, this spell's usefulness plummets. The only threat that computer controlled Magic-Users pose is if they happen to have a wand of some sort in their possession. Wands can still be used even when silenced, so this spell's a dud! Verdict- Complete waste of a spell point. =========== Slow Poison =========== Location- Cast During Travel Size- Single Unit Effects- Usually in most RPGs, poison status means that your character loses HP randomly in battle and will lose HP while walking around in the world. This isn't Final Fantasy, however, and poison's effects are far more brutal. If a party member is poisoned, he/she will be out of combat until the poison is cured. This spell is a cure for poison. It would cost you 1000 gold at the temple, so why not cast it yourself? There aren't a whole lot of enemies that poison you, but there are a couple. You'll meet the ones who do in the wilderness, so you may want one of these memorized for an emergency. Verdict- You won't use it often, or maybe even at all if you're good at keeping away from poisonous enemies. If you do happen to get poisoned, here's your antidote. =========== Snake Charm =========== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Multiple Units Effects- If you are battling any Giant Snakes, using this spell may stun them. Notice that I said "may" stun them, not "will" stun them. Even if it was guaranteed, this still really wouldn't be that useful. There's only a few areas where Giant Snakes appear, and even then they are usually avoidable. The only area where you may want this spell is the Wilderness, where they appear randomly. Verdict- If you're in the wilderness, you may want a point in this. Other than that, don't bother, as this spell has no guarantees. This will ONLY work on Giant Snakes. Email me if it works on anything else. ============= Spirit Hammer ============= Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit Effects- Here's an odd spell. This will give the Cleric who cast the spell a hammer to use in battle. Casting it will put a "MagicalHammer" into your Cleric's inventory for the remainder of the battle. I really can't tell if this is a good weapon or not, as it doesn't reveal its exact power in battle. I had a better hit rate using a +3 L Sword with my Fighter/Cleric than this hammer gave me. This is probably a +2 or +3 hammer, of which a +2 or even +1 L Sword would trump anyday. This is a ranged weapon, oddly enough. I'm not sure how a Hammer could be a ranged weapon, but it is. The idea behind this, I'm guessing, was to give the Cleric an opportunity to use a ranged weapon. But, if you've followed my recommendation and made your Cleric a Fighter/Cleric, then you won't have to worry about not being able to use ranged weapons. Hammers aren't very good weapons to begin with, anyway. You can't keep this after battle, either. Verdict- The hammer just isn't good enough. Bows do it better. ---------------- C. Level 3 Magic ---------------- ========== Cure Blind ========== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Just like it says, it cures blindness. Not a single enemy ever blinded me in this game, however. So I can't even be sure if this works. My guess is that it does, but it really doesn't matter. Verdict- Waste of space, pure and simple. You'll never get blinded, so you'll never use this. =========== Cause Blind =========== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Makes the targeted unit blind. Quite useless, really. Especially since it has such a low chance of being successful, even on the lowest of enemies. I tried this out on Goblins, Kobolds, and my own level 1 Fighter whom I made for the purpose of testing magic on, and it was ineffective more often than not on each of them. I don't even know what blindness does in this game, either. Verdict- It takes a long time to cast, has terrible range, and never works. You'll probably find it equally as useless as I did. Since Level 3 Cleric Magic really sucks, though, I guess you could try this for kicks. ============ Cure Disease ============ Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- There's only one enemy I've ever found that causes disease, and those are the Mummies whom you battle in the Graveyard. There's only four of them in the entire game. If they happen to disease you, here ya go. If you don't feel like casting this for some odd reason, you can get disease cured at the temple. Verdict- One of the two somewhat useful spells of the Level 3 Cleric Magic group. Keep a couple points in this before you fight the Mummies in case you get diseased. After that, this spell is useless. ============= Cause Disease ============= Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- The only effect I can pinpoint on disease is that it doesn't allow you to recover the 1 HP you normally would by resting for a day. If it affects enemies the same way, this makes Cause Disease a total dud. Oh, and it has all the useless fixin's Cause Blind does as well- long time to cast, poor range, and low effectiveness rate. Verdict- Bloody useless. ============ Dispel Magic ============ Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit outside of battle Multiple Units in battle; 3x3 square; 13 square range Effects- This spell cancels out any previously cast effect spells. (Prot/Evil, Resist Fire, etc.) Since the AI in this game never makes spell casting enemies do anything good with magic, they will never upgrade themselves, nor will they cast any negative effect spells on you. And since there's no reason to cancel your own effects (if you ever really use them), this spell's usefulness diminishes almost entirely. The only time you may ever need this is in battle. On the very off chance that one of your party members gets paralyzed, this will heal them. It's quite rare this happens, though. Still, this is probably the most useful spell in the Cleric's Level 3 lineup. Verdict- Almost worthless, but still the best spell in the Cleric's Level 3 magic group. ========== Meditation ========== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Entire Party Effects- This is a mysterious spell. It will affect your entire party when cast, even in battle. Does it have any "effects," though? Well, Dave Goss from the GameFAQs message board writes: "Meditate most likely functions like prayer and other such spells in 2nd edition rules, giving allies an AC bonus and enemies a THAC0 penalty." That's what the spell's supposed to do. Upon testing this spell many times, however, I can safely say that this spell doesn't quite do that. I checked my character's AC after casting this spell and it was not affected in any way. I didn't notice any difference in enemy attacks, either. Even when I checked the "Disp" screen, not one character had the "Meditation" effect. On an interesting side note, this spell was named "Prayer" in the CPU version. Nintendo had to change it to Meditate because Prayer has, heaven forbid, religious meaning. Excellent job keeping your games politically correct, Nintendo, even though the Vampire's tomb is shaped like a crucifix on the map, and the Vampire himself is supposed to be the perversion of all that is holy in the name of God. Verdict- What this spell does is completely beyond me. Since it doesn't even show up as an effect on the "Disp" screen, it's highly possible that this spell does nothing at all. ============ Remove Curse ============ Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- If you get cursed, here's your cure. But you'll never get cursed. Like with blindness, I have not come across an enemy that will give you a Curse. Is it just me, or does the Level 3 Cleric Magic group kinda suck? Verdict- I never used this, and neither will you. ============ Bestow Curse ============ Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Cleric Effects- Were you expecting something great and wonderful here that would make the Cleric's Level 3 Magic group worthwhile? Sorry, but the final spell is just like the others- ineffective and pointless. This is supposed to curse an enemy, which would impact an enemy's THAC0 negatively. But, like Cause Blind and Cause Disease, this had too low of an effectiveness rate to be sure. Oh, and it's just like the others, too- short ranged and slow. I don't know if there's any difference between this spell and the Level 1 Curse spell either. I think the Level 1 spell would be a little better, because it hits a larger area and more than one enemy. Noticing a trend yet in the Level 3 Cleric Magic group? I really think they should have put a stronger cure spell here, which would have been arguably the best spell in the game. Sadly, however, there is very little that redeems this lackluster performance by the Cleric's Level 3 Magic. Verdict- I suppose if you're going to try any of the 3 harmful spells in this group, this one would probably benefit you the most. It's still not useful at all. A dismal end to a dismal spell group. ----------------------------------- =================================== 5. MAGIC USER SPELLS =================================== ----------------------------------- Magic User spells are more or less the opposite of Cleric spells. Emphasis is on damaging and impeding your foes, though there are a number of spells which affect the environment. Sadly, a good amount of these spells are quite useless, just like the Cleric's. Nonetheless, don't leave home without your Magic User. He's usually the deciding factor in many of the beginning and mid game battles. ---------------- A. Level 1 Magic ---------------- ============ Detect Magic ============ Location- Cast during Travel; Treasure Findings Size- N/A Effects- Just the same as the Cleric's Detect Magic spell. I've found no differences between the two. Useful if you want to save room for another Cure Lt. Wounds spell in the Cleric's lineup. Near the end of the game, when most other Level 1 magic spells become rather obsolete, this is a good spell to put here. Verdict- Same spell as Cleric's Detect Magic, only a different caster. It's your choice who uses it. ========== Read Magic ========== Location- Cast during Travel Size- N/A Effects- Well, if my AD&D memory serves me correctly, this is supposed to help you read any unknown script or text that you may come across. I tried casting in the Library area, where I thought it would help the most, but it revealed nothing new. What this ended up doing was enabling my Magic User to read a scroll found from battle or a treasure find. Usually, however, scrolls have terrible spells on them, and you can have them identified for a couple hundred gold at the weapon shop. So, this spell's usefulness goes down the drain. Verdict- Unless you're the cheapest AD&D player ever, this is rather pointless. ====== Shield ====== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Spellcaster only in Battle; Any party member in Travel Effects- Well, in the CPU version, this is supposed to block any incoming Magic Missile attacks. However, when I cast this on my Magic User and had another character use a Magic Missile wand on him, the spell did squat. This doesn't add anything to AC either. I tried it again on another character, and the Magic Missile still cut through the "Shield" like butter. Even if this spell did work, it wouldn't be worth casting since enemies will NEVER cast Magic Missile on you. (unless the enemy has a Magic Missile wand) Verdict- It's a dud. I don't think I'll use it again. ======= Enlarge ======= Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; 2 Square Range Effects- This gives your character a slight boost to his/her Strength stat. It doesn't make you larger in battle, as you probably thought it would. (Although it would have been sweet) I also thought it would affect your AC level negatively, but fortunately it didn't. (a larger target is easier to hit) You might find it helpful for a few battles, but for the most part, I think you're better off casting Magic Missile instead. The increase just isn't enough. If you really want a good boost, wait until you can learn Level 2's Strength spell. Verdict- It really won't help you all that much. ====== Reduce ====== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; 2 Square Range Effects- This was supposed to be the opposite of Enlarge, reducing your size. I would think that it would lower your Strength stat and reduce your AC level, but after testing this about 10 times, I never once saw it work. I cast it on my own characters outside of battle, and it never worked. Even when casting this on Kobolds and Nomads it never worked. Didn't work on Hill Giants either. Once I saw how ineffective this was, I never touched it again. Verdict- Worthless, worthless, worthless. ======= Friends ======= Location- Cast in Travel Size- Spellcaster only Effects- This spell raises the Magic User's Charisma. Charisma, however, is hands- down the most worthless stat your characters have, and I'm not even sure if it affects anything at all. This spell didn't help any of my "parley" attempts go any smoother, nor did it lower the price of any services. Suffice it to say, you won't be making any new friends with this. Verdict- This spell's about as useful as that TV show "Friends."(it's not useful) ============= Magic Missile ============= Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; 13 square range Effects- One of AD&D's most famous spells. And it's famous for a reason: it's quite effective. Casting this will deal anywhere from 5-15 damage on average to an enemy. And since it deals generic "magic" damage, it will always hit as well. Its excellent range and instant cast time make it a solid choice. These are great throughout the game, so keep you Magic User's Level 1 spell list chock full of these. It's especially great in the beginning of the game where you're much more likely to miss with melee attacks. Verdict- Awesome spell. Use often. ========= Prot/Evil ========= Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- Like the Cleric's Prot/Evil spell, I am puzzled. I didn't notice any difference when facing "evil" enemies like undead or bandits. Whatever the effect, it sucks. Verdict- Nothing useful. ========= Prot/Good ========= Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- I wish I could figure out if these Prot spells did anything. Again, I tried it against "good" enemies like city guards, but it did nothing as far as I could tell. Don't bother learning these Prot/ spells. If you really want to use them, have the Cleric cast it. Verdict- Don't bother with these Prot/ spells. ========== Burn Hands ========== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- This spell will deal damage equal to your Magic User's level to the target. So, if your Magic User is at level 5, the spell will deal 5 damage. Which is exactly why I didn't really use this spell. By the time you reach a Level where this spell could deal respectable damage, you'll have better spells to cast than this. Its short range makes it even less useful. If you really want a quick hit spell, go with Magic Missile. Verdict- Magic Missile does it better. ============ Charm Person ============ Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; 13 square range Effects- Casting this will cause any humanoid enemy to switch sides and fight along with you. Not as useful as it sounds, to be honest. Most of the enemies you can charm are wimps (kobolds, Level 1 Thieves, etc.), and the ones you could actually use in battle aren't usually affected by this. (Level 6 Fighters, Mutant Lizardmen, etc.) Still, if you ever feel like you could use another soldier, here ya go. Unfortunately, the enemy won't stay with your party after battle. Veridct- Not particularly useful. ===== Sleep ===== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Multiple Units; 3x3 square, 6 square range Effects- Normally, in most RPGs, the Sleep spell is rather useless in that one hit will wake up the sleeping enemy, and all the enemies that a Sleep spell would be useful against are never affected by it. This isn't Final Fantasy, however, and Sleep is far more powerful here. When this spell is cast, it has a chance of putting anyone within the square of magic to sleep, paralyzing the unit. When you hit a paralyzed unit, you will defeat them, regardless of its health. This spell works great on most early game enemies such as Goblins, Orcs, and the like. Be careful, however. Your own units are also susceptible to this spell's effects. Verdict- This is an excellent spell for early in the game. You'll need it. =========== Shock Grasp =========== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- Well, here's a terrible spell. Out of all the spells in the game, this is the only spell that actually "missed." I cast it on an Orc and the spell missed. I cast it on Kobolds, Goblins and Bugbears, and it never hit any of them. In contrast, I cast it on a member of my own party and it hit for 7 points of electrical damage! Once that happened, I stopped using this. Verdict- Couldn't be more useless if it tried. ---------------- B. Level 2 Magic ---------------- ============= Det Invisible ============= Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Spellcaster only Effects- Well, this spell lets you detect any enemies that have Invisibility cast upon them. This would allow you to strike anything attempting to move past your Magic User in battle regardless of Invisibility stats. However, no enemy will ever cast Invisibility, so... (toilet flush) Verdict- (toilet flushes again) ============ Invisibility ============ Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- Using this on a member of your party will enable them to move past an enemy in battle without fear of getting attacked. I guess this would be useful if you need to run from battle, or if you want to slip one of your Fighters past the front ranks and take out the archers. But, all in all, I really didn't find this to be all that useful. Running from battle is usually a horrible idea anyway, and its easier to just cast Magic Missile on the archers in back. I guess you could use it if you want a little variety, or if you like the novelty of running around your enemies like a crazy fool without getting smacked around. :) Verdict- It's not really worth it. ===== Knock ===== Location- Cast in Travel Size- N/A Effects- There's only one area in the game that I know of that uses this spell- the Kovel Mansion. There are a few locked cabinets that you can open with this spell. Using this spell will open them quietly, while the alternative is to break them open loudly, alerting the thieves inside to your presence. The obvious way around this is to take care of the thieves first and then break open the cabinets, thereby effectively reducing this spell's uses to 0. No, you can't use this to break open doors to shops at night. Why would you really want to, anyway? Verdict- There's only one spot in the game this can be used, and even then you don't need it at all. Don't touch this. ============ Mirror Image ============ Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; Spellcaster only Effects- Casting this will protect your Magic User from 2 attacks from enemies. Unfortunately, this only affects the Magic user casting the spell. Usually your Magic Users will be in the back lines, away from the heavy action in battle, so this spell won't help that much. This would have been a pretty good spell if you could cast it on anyone, and maybe use it before battle, but, alas, this is all you get. It could have been really sweet, but it fails to live up to any potential it had. Verdict- Pretty dismal. I didn't use this. ============ Enfeeblement ============ Location- Cast in Battle Size- Single Unit; 2 square range Effects- I thought this spell would be pretty good, but it failed spectacularly to be of any use. I cast this about 10 times on wimps like Orcs and Kobolds and only once did I see it work. Combine that with terrible range and not even being sure if this spell actually does anything and you've got one worthless spell. Verdict- It's a feeble excuse for a spell, indeed. =========== Stink Cloud =========== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Multiple Units; 2x2 square radius; 4 square range Effects- Say hello to one of the best spells in the game. This spell has a decent chance of stunning anything caught inside the cloud's area. And I mean ANYTHING. I've stunned Ettins, Hill Giants, Fire Giants, and even the Vampire with this spell. The only enemy I've never seen this work against is the final boss, so keep that in mind. It wouldn't be very challenging fighting the last boss if you could, though, now would it? However, if this spell doesn't work, the enemy will be fit as a fiddle. It will say that the enemy is "nauseous," but that means nothing. Be forewarned, however, as this can also affect your own party members. Sometimes you won't be able to hit the enemy you want without endangering your own party members, so use at your own risk when doing so. Also remember that when casting this spell the top left square with the crosshair must hit a unit or else the spell will not take effect. Verdict- Totally awesome. It will certainly be your saving grace against tougher enemies. ======== Strength ======== Location- Cast in Travel Size- Single Unit Effects- Cast this on a party member will increase their Strength stat substantially for the next few battles. Just as obvious as it sounds. The spell lasts a good while, and it can give weaker characters a chance to hit with melee attacks. This is a good spell to use before a big battle. Verdict- Good spell to use for tough fights. ---------------- C. Level 3 Magic ---------------- ===== Blink ===== Location- Cast in Travel Size- Single Unit Effects- Supposedly, this makes the party member affected harder to target in battle. In actuality, this does jack. Seriously, enemies had no trouble hitting my Fighter that I cast this on in battle. If it has any other effects, they certainly escaped my notice. It's anybody's guess if this spell really does anything. Verdict- Does nothing as far as I can tell. ============ Dispel Magic ============ Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit in travel Multiple Units in battle; 3x3 square radius; 13 square range Effects- Works the same way as the Cleric's Dispel Magic spell. Yeah, all it does is cure paralysis and take away any effect spells. (Prot/evil, Invisibility, etc.) However, do not use a precious spell point on this when the Cleric can do so. You'll rarely, if ever, use this spell anyway. Verdict- Have your Cleric cast this if you need it. It's a waste of a spell point with your Magic User. ======== Fireball ======== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Multiple Units; 5x5 square radius in wilderness battles; 7x7 square radius indoors; 17 square range Effects- The best damaging spell in the game. Casting this will deal anywhere between 10-30 damage to any units within the radius. I know that so far, there hasn't been a real good, reliable spell that you can lean on to get you through the game. Well, here it is. If you've been waiting for a really awesome spell, this is it. Be careful with this, as your own units will get damaged by this spell as well. And this does not work on Fire Giants, so keep that in mind. Also take into account the size differences according to the battle environment. This spell is larger indoors, thankfully, so use it here as often as you can. Verdict- Probably the best overall spell in the game. Learn this immediately when Level 3 magic becomes available. ===== Haste ===== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Entire party in travel Multiple units in battle; 5x5 square radius; 7 square range Effects- Casting this will give your party members double their movement points and possibly another attack. I say possibly because half the time my Fighters only got one attack. I'm not too sure why, either. I found this to be too unreliable to be useful. And besides, by the time Level 3 magic becomes available, your Fighters should be able to pack a good punch, and you'll be throwing Fireballs left and right, so having a second attack really isn't all that helpful. The extra movement really doesn't help you a whole lot, either. Oh, and this spell also "ages" your party members, but age affects nothing as far as I can tell. Verdict- It would have been more useful earlier in the game, but by the time you get around to learning it, it's rather pointless. =========== Hold Person =========== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Up to 4 Units; Single square; 13 square range Effects- Works the same way as the Cleric's Hold Person spell, except that this works on up to 4 units instead of the Cleric's 3. It's a good spell, but I still wouldn't learn this at a level up, because Fireball and Lightning Bolt are more valuable. If you find this on a scroll, learn it from that. Even if you never find it, your Clerics should have more than enough of this spell. Verdict- The Cleric does it better. ========== Invis 10'R ========== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Entire Party outside of battle Multiple Units; 3x3 square radius; 1 square range Effects- Just like Invisibility, except on a larger scale. I found invisibility to be rather pointless, so I didn't use this spell. Once again, if you want a little variety, or you just get a kick out of running around the enemy without fear of getting attacked, then this spell will be your best friend. Otherwise, you'll do just fine without it. Verdict- Nothing important or useful. ============== Lightning Bolt ============== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Multiple Units; 8 square line of damage; 11 square range Effects- Just can't use Fireball because you'll hit too many of your own units? Then cast Lightning Bolt. Casting this will deal 10-30 damage to any unit within the spell's path. You'll notice how the spell works rather quickly: the path the spell takes is the direction the enemy is facing the spell caster from. So, if the enemy was west of the spell caster, the bolt would travel west. The bolt starts its damaging path when it hits an enemy and lasts for 8 squares. There's a very nice bonus to this if you're in a confined space. It bounces off walls. The spell will bounce off the wall or object it hits and strike into the previous square. So, if an enemy is standing next to a wall, zap him with Lightning Bolt and he'll get hit twice. This trick is especially effective against Fire Giants and Hill Giants in the final dungeon. Just make sure your own units aren't in the line of fire, as they take damage from this spell as well. Verdict- Excellent alternative when Fireball just won't do. In certain cases, this spell is better. ============== Prot/Evil 10'R ============== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- I really don't see any benefits to using these prot/ spells. This spell was supposed to affect everyone within 10 meters of the target according to the CPU version's instruction manual, but as far as I can tell, it does jack squat. It didn't protect me against undead or giants, nor did it affect anyone except the person it was cast upon. But, to make a long story short: Verdict- This sucks and doesn't even work. ============== Prot/Good 10'R ============== Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- Just like the other prot/ spells: pointless and ineffective. Using against city guards and enemy clerics protected me from nothing. If these prot/ spells work, and someone can provide me with PROOF, not just a hunch or a vague story, please email me. I'm really curious if these spells do anything at all. Verdict- Waste of a spell, pure and simple. ============= Prot/Missiles ============= Location- Cast Anywhere Size- Single Unit; Unit must be adjacent to Magic User Effects- Unlike the other prot/ spells, casting this is supposed to protect the unit from damage from projectile attacks such as bows and slings. But, just because it's supposed to do something, it doesn't mean that it will. I cast this on my Fighter and sent him in front of a group of Centaurs. (those half horse/half human monsters who always use a bow) He was torn apart in two rounds. The arrows cut through the spell like butter. Suffice to say, I never used this spell again. Verdict- I still don't think these prot/ spells do anything. Don't bother with any of them. ==== Slow ==== Location- Cast in Battle Size- Multiple Units; 5x5 circle radius; 15 square range Effects- This was a tough one to figure out, and I'm still not entirely sure of this one. Anyway, the only effect this spell seems to have is that if an enemy can attack twice in one round (Trolls, Lizardmen, Ettins, etc.) this spell will prevent the second attack. It didn't seem to reduce the number of movement spaces the enemy had. All in all, this spell really sucks. You're much better off casting Fireball or Lightning Bolt instead of this. The only really good aspect of this spell is that it doesn't affect your own party members if they are caught in the spell's radius. Verdict- It's not that great. ----------------------------------- =================================== 6. SPELL RECOMMENDATIONS =================================== ----------------------------------- Alright, now that you now what each of these spells do (or doesn't do), you can make your own judgement as to what you think is useful or not. But, in case you need help, here's my two cents. ------------- Cleric Spells ------------- His healing spell is a must. You'll also find yourself abusing the Hold Person spell quite a bit. Other than these two spells, the Cleric's magic is pretty dismal. Still, you'll be glad he's there. Best Spells: Level 1- Cure Lt. Wounds, Empower Level 2- Hold Person, Slow Poison Level 3- Dispel Magic, Cure Disease Best Overall Spells- Cure Lt. Wounds, Hold Person Worst Spells: Level 1- Resist Cold, Prot Evil/Good Level 2- Silence 15'R, Spirit Hammer Level 3- Cure/Cause Blindness, Remove/Bestow Curse Worst Overall Spells- Resist Cold, Silence 15'R ----------------- Magic User Spells ----------------- He can paralyze enemies in the beginning of the game, and by the game's end he'll be dropping legions of enemies with his magic. Your focus should be Sleep and Stink Cloud in the beginning and middle of the game, and Fireball and Lightning Bolt near the end. Best Spells: Level 1- Magic Missile, Sleep Level 2- Stink Cloud, Strength Level 3- Fireball, Lightning Bolt Best Overall Spells- Fireball, Stink Cloud Worst Spells: Level 1- Reduce, Friends Level 2- Knock, Enfeeblement Level 3- Blink, Prot/Missiles Worst Overall Spells- Reduce, Prot/Missiles ----------------------------------- =================================== 7. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION =================================== ----------------------------------- Some things about magic that didn't really seem to fit anywhere else. -------------- Mystery Spells -------------- There are a few spells in this game that I can't figure out. Their functions elude me. Got any info on these bad boys? Email me and you'll get credit. Cleric: Level 1- Curse Level 3- Meditation, Cure Blindness, Cause Disease, Remove Curse (Are there any enemies that cause Blindness or Curse you? And does Disease do anything besides prevent a character from recovering 1 hp per 24 hours of rest?) Magic User: Level 1- Reduce Level 2- Enfeeblement Level 3- Blink Both Classes: Prot/ Spells These worked like crap, but I'm still interested in finding out if they technically do anything or not. I'm inclined to think they don't, however, since Prot/Missiles did not do what it said it would. Leads me to believe the other Prot/ spells follow the same suit. ------------------------- Two Missing Cleric Spells ------------------------- There are two other spells for the Cleric. They are Restoration and Animate Dead. Restoration can only be found on scrolls. This is used whenever an Undead monster "drains" a party member of levels. Using this will restore your party member back to his original level. This is always a bad idea, however, since the member will always have less HP than before. You can also restore at the Temple for a fee, but once again, Restoration isn't worth it. My best advice is to not get drained. Animate Dead was a Level 3 spell in the PC version that was never included in the NES. This would have let the Cleric raise any slain humans in battle as Zombies to fight for you. If there was room for one in the party, he would have stuck around even after battle and would stay until he got killed. My guess is that the creators didn't want to draw a character portrait for the zombie. Damn shame, too. This sounded like a really fun spell... :( ----------------------- Battle Spells in Travel ----------------------- All spells can technically be cast in travel. Battle spells, like Fireball and Magic Missile, have no effect outside of battle. The game, however, asks you if you want to cast the spell anyway. Why this was included in the game really puzzles me. Don't do it. It's a total waste of a spell. ----------------------------------- =================================== 8. CREDITS AND CONTACT INFORMATION =================================== ----------------------------------- ------- Credits ------- I wrote this guide by myself, but there are certainly a few people who come to mind: You, the reader- For reading this guide, as well as being a fan of this glorious game. I'm glad you're one of the few that came across this game. Strategic Simulations Inc. & Pony Canyon- For making this game. It is truly awesome. Props on a job well done! CJayC- For running GameFAQs. It must take a lot of work... here's to you! The gaming community is so much better because of you. GameFAQS member Wolfgang- For providing me information on how to use the "Scrb" command, telling me about Mummies and Disease, insight on Prot/ spells, info on Curse spell. GameFAQS member Dave Goss- For giving me info on Meditation, Resist Cold, Dispel Magic, insight on Prot/ spells, and offering me information from the NES game's instruction manual. ^^^^^ You two guys ROCK. If I missed anything else, just tell me. Also thanks for encouraging me, and letting me know I'm not the only fan of this game out there! GameFAQS member Overdrive- For writing the awesome guide for the NES version of this game. Helped me out a ton. www.thehouseofgames.net- For having the CPU version's manual available for download. This was incredibly helpful. Everyone else- There may have been someone I missed, but thanks to anyone who provided me with little tidbits here and there. Everyone who likes this game- You guys are the ones I wrote this for. Thanks for giving me a reason write this! ------------------- Contact Information ------------------- I'm always eager for feedback, so let me know what you thought of this guide. Liked it? Hated it? Found it useful? Know something I don't? Have new information about some of the Mystery Spells? Printed this guide out just so you could wipe your ass with it? Let me know. Email me: thekoolfool@hotmail.com Also, if you don't feel like emailing me, just give me a shout out on the NES AD&D Pool of Radiance message board on GameFAQS.com. The other fans of the game and I will help you out. We need more people there anyway. ----------------------------------- =================================== 9. CLOSING =================================== ----------------------------------- Well, that's it for this guide. Man, it seemed like I would never get this done! It ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, but it was worth it to be complete. Too many setbacks... But, thankfully, it's done. I was originally going to make this a character creation/items/equipment guide as well, but my hard drive crashed, forcing me to write this thing almost from scratch. :( I later decided that this would make a good stand alone guide and that a character/equipment guide would be better as a separate document. Stay tuned for that other guide...! And, finally, my bottom line purpose for writing this guide was to help make this game more enjoyable. If I've helped a few more people appreciate this game, then it was totally worth writing. I guess that's about it. Play this game again. Cast a few spells for me, won't you? Just don't cast something lame like Enfeeblement or Shock Grasp... Heh! __________________________________________________ Yours Truly, *JaketheScumbag*