Combining Spells? : V - Skyrim

» Tue May 17, 2011 2:40 am

Repost from another thread:

Lemme try to clarify this for some worried folks.

In the GI issue, it mentioned how we can set 2 different things in each hand. It said you could do it with magic, with weapons, or anything else. It never mentioned you could combine two different spells to create some crazy awesome effect, it said we could combine put two of the same spells in each hand to make them extra powerful.

Now here is what you can do in Skyrim:

Left Hand Spell 1# vs 1H Right Hand Weapon = You can swing your weapon in the right hand, and cast spells with the left hand, and vice versa. Just like with Oblivion, but now there is no casting button, that means you wont be able to duel wield daggers and still cast spells, or use a shield and a sword and try to cast a spell.

Left Hand Spell 1# vs Right Hand Spell 2# = Like some games that allows duel wielding pistols, it will work pretty much the same. Shoot right spell, shoot left spell, or shoot right spell, shoot right spell again and then shoot left spell, or any combo in between. You can't combine both spells to create some physics law defying and crazy whacky spell.

Left Hand Spell 1# vs Right Hand Spell 1# = Same as above, but now you have the option to use them at the same time to double the power.

Some folks are also worried about spell creation, it will probably work the same as in Oblivion. You could create a spell with Fire, lighting and frost effect all together, it wouldn't have a different cool crazy shader effect, but it would still work.

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:17 pm

If there was one or two features I enjoyed from Fable III it was combining spells.

even visually it was just satisfying to use and mixing and matching spells was also fun

» Tue May 17, 2011 10:50 am

Repost from another thread:

*snip*

Good stuff. Very clarifying.

» Tue May 17, 2011 11:29 am

I think they removed custom spell making. Based on the GI article, they said there were like 80 spells someone could learn, they wouldn't be able to give a number if there was spell making in the game.

as long as they are unique and beautiful and with amazing effects I'm all for it, why customize 10 spells 1000 times while you can get 100 unique ones that level up (making them 1000000)

» Tue May 17, 2011 6:22 am

If there was one or two features I enjoyed from Fable III it was combining spells.

even visually it was just satisfying to use and mixing and matching spells was also fun

Nothing like setting everyone around me on fire and then impaling them with flying swords...made of magic!

Also, what's this about fire and frost magic combined not making sense? it's bloody magic, since when has it ever needed to make sense?

» Tue May 17, 2011 11:38 am

We can combine two identical spells to be more powerful and/or cost less than two of that same spell alone.

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:46 am

One thought on a related note: What about having two-handed spells where each hand serves a separate function?

For example,

1) A more specific frenzy spell where one hand determines the creature whose mind is affected, and the other hand determines who they're getting angry at. So, you can provoke some random fights.

2) A spider silk spell that lets you connect two things together with a strong magical strand of webbing, sort of like Just Cause 2's grapple

3) An advanced version of telekinesis where one hand determines the object to throw, and the other determines where to throw it.

4) A fire wall spell where each hand determines one of the endpoints of the wall and it springs up between them

5) A teleportation spell cast on target. Well, that might be too unbalanced, but maybe a swap position spell? Or a portal gun spell.

It really works for any two-target spell or any spell where there are two connected targets or modes.

» Tue May 17, 2011 9:35 am

Hrm. Wouldn't a Frost spell in one hand and a Fireball spell in the other create a "Power Word Rain" spell?

Perhaps if you tweak it right, we could even get freezing rain out of it, turn the ground to ice and watch the NPCs slip and fall in front of us!

What I wonder is how the spell combination system works, as it seems like we could have some wacky combinations if it were left up to us.

They speak directly to combining spells, so I'm sure they have all the different mixtures designed by now... Still I'm hoping for some hilarious effects when we do silly things like fireball and frost cone at once.

» Tue May 17, 2011 9:33 am

Does it entirely depend on the type of spells your employing, is there any point in using a fire and frost spell together, they'll just negate the effect of the other. Its like using a Fortify Health 15 points on Self and Drain Health 15 points on Self, it simply makes no sense

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:09 am

The ability to equip two different spells on your left and right hand raises the question – can you combine more than one spell? “We're not talking about that,” Howard says with a smile. “We're not sure. We'd like to; it'd be awesome.”

I was a little disappointed when I read this. Surely duel wielding spells across two hands means unique spell creation is a no-brainer? Surprised no ones mention Dragon Age in this regard yet. It had some decent spell combos. But seeing as TES has never displayed that much inventiveness in the spell department, we're never going to see a 'grease fire' spell in Skyrim are we?

Slightly off topic, don't know what to make of Lightening's new ability to damage enemy magicka levels either. I would have preferred it if they'd boosted its elemental effects - make it chain between enemy npcs wearing metal armour etc

» Tue May 17, 2011 8:52 am

Still waiting for my "magic-user's dream" game: Semi-realistic interactions like...freeze something solid with magical frost, then watch it come apart under expansion stress when the follow-up fireball hits. Seriously, ever pour boiling water into a glass that just came out of the freezer? Now that's what I'm talkin' about!