I like to mix it up and use less-popular spells once in a while. Like everyone, I love Magic Missile, but I like some variety, too!
I've tried out the Level 1 and 2 touch attacks and found out they are actually better than expected and can be reasonably effective in some situations. The spell descriptions don’t accurately describe them nor do them justice, so I thought I’d report what I have found (and tested).
Shocking Grasp:
• +4 To Hit
• Counts as a Crushing attack, so modifiers to crushing attacks are applied
• Lasts only 1 round, so you get only one attack.
• Damage: 1d8 plus 1/level electrical damage (so for example a Level 5 mage would do 6-13)
(This one is definitely the weakest of the three)
Chill Touch
• + 5 To Hit (for some reason this one is a bit higher than the other two)
• Counts as a Piercing attack, so modifiers to piercing attacks are applied
• Lasts 10 rounds, so you get 10 attacks
• Damage: 1d3 physical plus 1d8 cold damage, for a total of 2-11 each hit. (Cold resistance blocks the cold damage, of course, but not the physical)
• Special effect: If hit, the target must make a saving throw or suffer -2 to his THACO (the penalty lasts 5 rounds)
• The cold damage goes through whether or not the target saves! (This is contrary to the spell description.)
• The physical damage is unaffected by strength modification, so there is no extra damage even if the caster has high strength.
Ghoul Touch
• +4 To Hit
• Counts as a Piercing attack, so modifiers to piercing attacks are applied
• Lasts 5 rounds, so you get 5 attacks
• No damage
• If hit, target must Save or be Paralyzed (for 5 rounds)
For all of these spells, I also discovered that increased Strength did not increase the To Hit chances (nor did it increase the damage, not even to Chill Touch, to my surprise, even though that spell inflicts some physical damage).
I also discovered that the game treats Ghoul Touch and Chill Touch as Piercing/Missile Damage, and Shocking Grasp as Crushing damage. Modifiers that affect these attack types get applied to your To Hit Chances. For example, if the target of Shocking Grasp is wearing the belt that gives +4 AC against Crushing attacks, the attack roll suffers a -4 penalty, giving the To Hit roll a net +0 modifier (+4 bonus for the spell, -4 penalty because it counts as a Crushing attack). Note that the various armors also have modifiers for different types of attacks. For example, wearing Splint applies a -2 penalty to Shocking Grasp To Hit chances, and -1 penalty to Chill and Ghoul Touch.
Also, if the target has a ranged weapon equipped when attacked, the To Hit roll gets the +4 bonus that is given to a melee attack when an opponent is holding a ranged weapon. Thus attacking an archer with Chill Touch gives you a +9 bonus To Hit.
I found Chill Touch and Ghoul Touch can be pretty useful, and a great way to mix it up and have a bit of fun. They are even more effective in the hands of a fighter/mage combos with better base THACO, of course, but even regular mages can find them useful. A good tactic is to attack opponents already engaged with your tanks. I have used Chill Touch quite effectively, especially early-mid game; 10 attacks at +5 To Hit and doing 2-11 is pretty excellent! And Ghoul Touch can be very useful in support of my tanks. 5 chances to paralyze isn’t bad!
Shocking Grasp is the weakest by far because it lasts only one round. It scales but Magic Missile is always a better choice: ranged attack that always hits, and generally for more damage. Thus I’d never choose it over Magic Missile, but at least the scrolls you find can be used instead of selling them, knowing they attack at +4. (Oddly, the spell description in the original BG1 and BG2 manuals says this spell was supposed to do 1-10 and never miss, unless the wizard was disrupted casting the spell. I’d love to see this spell tweaked so it wasn’t a total throw-away.)
Hope this helped a few of you!
I've tried out the Level 1 and 2 touch attacks and found out they are actually better than expected and can be reasonably effective in some situations. The spell descriptions don’t accurately describe them nor do them justice, so I thought I’d report what I have found (and tested).
Shocking Grasp:
• +4 To Hit
• Counts as a Crushing attack, so modifiers to crushing attacks are applied
• Lasts only 1 round, so you get only one attack.
• Damage: 1d8 plus 1/level electrical damage (so for example a Level 5 mage would do 6-13)
(This one is definitely the weakest of the three)
Chill Touch
• + 5 To Hit (for some reason this one is a bit higher than the other two)
• Counts as a Piercing attack, so modifiers to piercing attacks are applied
• Lasts 10 rounds, so you get 10 attacks
• Damage: 1d3 physical plus 1d8 cold damage, for a total of 2-11 each hit. (Cold resistance blocks the cold damage, of course, but not the physical)
• Special effect: If hit, the target must make a saving throw or suffer -2 to his THACO (the penalty lasts 5 rounds)
• The cold damage goes through whether or not the target saves! (This is contrary to the spell description.)
• The physical damage is unaffected by strength modification, so there is no extra damage even if the caster has high strength.
Ghoul Touch
• +4 To Hit
• Counts as a Piercing attack, so modifiers to piercing attacks are applied
• Lasts 5 rounds, so you get 5 attacks
• No damage
• If hit, target must Save or be Paralyzed (for 5 rounds)
For all of these spells, I also discovered that increased Strength did not increase the To Hit chances (nor did it increase the damage, not even to Chill Touch, to my surprise, even though that spell inflicts some physical damage).
I also discovered that the game treats Ghoul Touch and Chill Touch as Piercing/Missile Damage, and Shocking Grasp as Crushing damage. Modifiers that affect these attack types get applied to your To Hit Chances. For example, if the target of Shocking Grasp is wearing the belt that gives +4 AC against Crushing attacks, the attack roll suffers a -4 penalty, giving the To Hit roll a net +0 modifier (+4 bonus for the spell, -4 penalty because it counts as a Crushing attack). Note that the various armors also have modifiers for different types of attacks. For example, wearing Splint applies a -2 penalty to Shocking Grasp To Hit chances, and -1 penalty to Chill and Ghoul Touch.
Also, if the target has a ranged weapon equipped when attacked, the To Hit roll gets the +4 bonus that is given to a melee attack when an opponent is holding a ranged weapon. Thus attacking an archer with Chill Touch gives you a +9 bonus To Hit.
I found Chill Touch and Ghoul Touch can be pretty useful, and a great way to mix it up and have a bit of fun. They are even more effective in the hands of a fighter/mage combos with better base THACO, of course, but even regular mages can find them useful. A good tactic is to attack opponents already engaged with your tanks. I have used Chill Touch quite effectively, especially early-mid game; 10 attacks at +5 To Hit and doing 2-11 is pretty excellent! And Ghoul Touch can be very useful in support of my tanks. 5 chances to paralyze isn’t bad!
Shocking Grasp is the weakest by far because it lasts only one round. It scales but Magic Missile is always a better choice: ranged attack that always hits, and generally for more damage. Thus I’d never choose it over Magic Missile, but at least the scrolls you find can be used instead of selling them, knowing they attack at +4. (Oddly, the spell description in the original BG1 and BG2 manuals says this spell was supposed to do 1-10 and never miss, unless the wizard was disrupted casting the spell. I’d love to see this spell tweaked so it wasn’t a total throw-away.)
Hope this helped a few of you!