Endless Spells Strategies

Spell Trap (budget version)

The basic idea is that you cast Spell Trap and let your clones recharge your spells by casting Power Words at you. Since one clone can cast a lot of free spells, you can fully recharge your spellbook.

This cheap version uses a bare minimum of spells and is effective outside combat only.

Minimum requirements:

• Spell Trap, memorized.
• Project Image, memorized.
• Power Word, Kill, memorized or on a scroll in a quickslot.
• Power Word, Stun, memorized or on a scroll in a quickslot.

How it works:

1. Memorize the spells and place the scrolls in the quickslots.
2. Cast Spell Trap.
3. Cast Project Image.
4. Command the Image to cast both Power Words at you. This recharges your spells. The cycle is complete. Now reap the rewards.

You now have a free Image. Have fun.

Tips and tricks:

• Have the Image summon more minions. Planetars, Mordenkainen's Swords and more clones make good pets. Build up a free army. Send them on a rampage guided by Wizard Eye or Farsight (cast by the clones, of course).
• Have the Image cast enhancements on your party. Improved Haste, the Limited Wish Minor Globes of Invulnerability and the Limited Wish Negative Plane Protections are always nice if they're free. Cleric/Mages could add Chaotic Commands, Free Action and healing spells to that.
• Watch out for enemy True Sight; it'll kill your Image.
• Use Simulacrum instead of Project Image to get a clone that can act alongside you. You'll need Bigby's Clenched Fist or Maze instead of Power Word, Stun to recharge it. A Simulacrum has less spells than an Image. Organize your spellbook accordingly.

Spell Trap (power version)

As with the cheap version, the idea is that you cast Spell Trap and let your clones recharge your spells by casting spells at you. This version employs a Chain Contingency and Time Stops and requires no preparation right before combat. This one is a little more complicated.

The Auto-Pause: Spell Cast game option is important to avoid wasting time. The instructions below assume you cast from memory and use the Auto-Pause. The Auto-Pause does not trigger if you use scrolls, so if you do you'll need to pause the game yourself (spacebar is easiest).

Minimum requirements:

• Chain Contingency, memorized.
• Spell Trap, memorized.
• Two Project Images, memorized.
• Two Time Stops, memorized or on scrolls in a quickslot.
• Power Word, Kill, memorized or on a scroll in a quickslot.
• Power Word, Stun, memorized or on a scroll in a quickslot.

How it works:

1. Memorize the spells, place the scrolls in the quickslots and set the game to Auto-Pause at Spell Cast.
2. Get into a fight!
3. Cast Spell Trap. The game pauses.
4. Cast Chain Contingency (while the game is still paused). Load it with two Project Images (leave the third slot empty). Set the Condition to See Enemy and the Target to Self.
5. Unpause and wait for your Images to appear, then immediately pause the game again.
6. Select one Image and command it to cast Time Stop, then hit the spacebar twice to quickly unpause and pause again.
7. Select the other image and command it to cast Time Stop as well. Thanks to the quick unpause and pause, the two Images will cast slightly out of sync.
8. Unpause and wait for the first Time Stop. The game pauses.
9. Command the first Image to cast its first Power Word at you (doesn't matter which one).
10. Unpause and wait for the Power Word. The game pauses.
11. Command the first Image to cast its other Power Word at you.
12. Unpause and wait for the other Power Word. The game pauses.
13. Command the first Image to cast its next Time Stop.
14. Unpause and wait. The first Image's Time Stop will expire a fraction before the second Image finishes casting its Time Stop. Time will briefly resume, then stop again. When it does, immediately pause the game.
15. Command the second Image to cast its first Power Word at you (doesn't matter which one).
16. Unpause and wait for the Power Word. The game pauses.
17. Command the second Image to cast its other Power Word at you.
18. Unpause and wait for the other Power Word. The game pauses. You have now recharged all the spells you just cast. The cycle is completed, but you have yet to reap the rewards.
19. Command the second Image to cast its next Time Stop.
20. Unpause and wait. The second Image's Time Stop will expire a fraction before the first Image finishes casting its second Time Stop. Time will briefly resume, then stop again. When it does, immediately pause the game.
21. Go nuts. You have three rounds to let the first Image do whatever you like. Then, when its Time Stop runs out, the second Image will take over almost immediately, giving you another three rounds.

You basically get the chance to unload your spellbook for free, twice, in only two rounds!

Tips and tricks:

• Have the Images cast Improved Alacrity. Especially if you have the Robe of Vecna, this will greatly increase the number of spells the clones can cast during their Time Stops. Who needs Wish for a double length Time Stop and Improved Alacrity?
• Get more Time Stops, memorized or on scrolls. Just string them together, the Images taking turns. You can't use more than six total since your clones won't last that long.
• Cast the initial Time Stops from scrolls so they cannot be disrupted.
• Get Power Word scrolls instead of memorizing them. That way you can be lazy and just click three quickslots in a row. Ideal for the mage that likes to do this every battle. Even better, get two scrolls of Power Word, Kill so you need only one quickslot. Power Word, Kill will recharge Simulacrum or Project Image if you have no empty slots at higher levels.
• Swap an Image for a Simulacrum (two Simulacra won't work) if you fear True Sight, Dispel Magic or Remove Magic (which can kill Images) or if you want some melee action out of your clone. You' ll need Bigby's Clenched Fist or Maze instead of Power Word, Stun to recharge it. A Simulacrum has less spells than an Image. Organize your spellbook accordingly.
• If one of the clones gets killed, try to let the other clone take over. If it has twice the needed amount of Time Stops and Power Words it can keep the combo going on its own.
• Let your clones make more clones for even more free spells. Cast Simulacrum after the clones finish their Power Word chores, cast Project Image (with Simulacra) at the end since Images paralyze their creator.

Wish

Not much of a strategy... just a few tips to increase your chances of getting the Wish option that "makes it as if the entire party has just rested a full night and re-memorized all their spells". The advantage to this strategy is that it refreshes the whole party, not just the caster. The disadvantage is that it's a gamble and your luck will run out sooner or later. Try to make that "later" rather than "sooner". Wisdom 18 gives you about 20% chance of getting this desired option.

Minimum requirements:

• Wish, memorized.

How it works:

1. Use up some of your party's spells and abilities.
2. Cast Wish, talk to the Dao and hope it gives you the option to rest. This rememorizes the Wish itself, thus completing the cycle.

Pretty simple so far. The difficulty is in getting the right option.

Tips and tricks:

• Get as many clones as possible to try their luck at Wish as well. If your level is high enough, have your Projected Images cast Simulacrum before you do so yourself. Let your clones use scrolls to make more clones or cast more Wishes (if you somehow managed to get another Wish scroll).
• Use Potions of Insight to raise your Wisdom to 18 if it is lower. Let only your clones use the potions if you do not want to expend them permanently.
• Combine this strategy with the Nahal's Reckless Dweomer strategy below if you're a Wild Mage, but use the Dweomers to cast Wish rather than Limited Wish.

Nahal's Reckless Dweomer

A variant on the Wish strategy above. In this case, use Nahal's Reckless Dweomer to cast Limited Wish and "wish that spells you have cast would be restored, that you might cast them again!". The advantage over using Wish is that Limited Wish always gives you the same options. The drawbacks are that Wild Surges may mess things up and it only recharges level 1-4 spells (but a Wild Mage can always cast his high level spells through his Dweomers).

Minimum requirements:

• Nahal's Reckless Dweomer, memorized.
• Wisdom 16 or higher (or a Potion of Insight).

How it works:

1. Use up some of your party's level 1-4 spells. Conserve your own spells as much as possible to make sure the Limited Wish will restore at least one Dweomer.
2. Cast Nahal's Reckless Dweomer, choose Limited Wish, talk to the Dao and let it restore your spells. This will rememorize the Dweomer, thus completing the cycle.

Pretty simple so far. The difficulty is in not getting a bad Wild Surge.

Tips and tricks:

• Cast (Improved) Chaos Shield to decrease the odds of the Wild Surges messing things up. Cast it through a Dweomer so you'll be able to recharge it cheaply.
• Get as many Dweomers as possible. One Limited Wish can restore up to four of them.
• Get as many clones as possible to try their luck at Nahal's Reckless Dweomer as well. Simulacrums will be able to cast Limited Wish through it no matter what your level since they still know the spell even if they don't have slots of that level. Get your clones to make more clones before trying as long as they still have four or more Dweomers (any less and next generation clones won't get them anymore).
• Let someone with higher Wisdom talk to the Dao or use Potions of Insight to raise your Wisdom if you do not meet the minimum requirement. Only let your clones use the potions if you don't want to expend them permanently.
• Combine this strategy with the Wish strategy above.