Dazzling Spray
 Dazzling Spray
| |
|---|---|
| Level | 3 |
| School1 | Conjuration |
| School2 | Hexes |
| Source(s) | |
| Casting noise | 3 |
| Spell noise | 3 |
| This spell fires a spread of scintillating energy bolts from the caster's fingertips which can dazzle the vision of any living creature they strike, leaving them stumbling about blindly. |
| Spell Details | |
|---|---|
| Damage Formula | 2d(8+Power/4) |
| Max Damage | 2d(20.5) |
| Max Power | 50 |
| Range | 5 |
| Targeting | Beam |
| To-hit | 9+Power/7 |
| Special | Hits up to 3 targets, may temporarily dazzle them. |
Dazzling Spray is a level 3 Conjurations/Hexes spell that fires up to three beams of energy at targets in the same general direction. If there are less than three legal targets within the same roughly 90° arc, then fewer beams will be fired. Along with dealing light irresistible damage which rises with spell power, this spell can also dazzle natural, demonic, and holy monsters for several turns. The success rate of the dazzling effect is based on the monster's hit dice, ignoring both magic resistance and your spell power, making it useful even in the late game if you find a monster with low HD. Note however that plants, the undead and nonliving, as well as batty, bird-like creatures and all enemies with hit dice greater than or equal to 19, are immune to the dazzling portion.
Chance of Dazzling: (19 - HD) / 20
Strategy
The exact impact of dazzling varies from creature to creature. Ranged attackers of all sorts are made significantly less effective when dazzled, and anything of animal intelligence or lower will be much less capable of attacking you in melee or pursuing you as you flee. Intelligent melee opponents will be able to find you easily enough, but they'll still suffer accuracy penalties as though you were invisible.
One of the best aspects of Dazzling Spray, however, is how easily it sets enemies up for stabbing opportunities. Even if you haven't trained Stealth at all, a character with significant training in their weapon skill will be able to do significantly more damage when stabbing, especially if wielding a short blade. Also, it's much easier to cast the level 3 spell Dazzling Spray than to cast the level 6 spell Invisibility, and it provides similar benefits, even against enemies with see invisible.
Once it hits decent spellpower, its damage output makes it useful for softening up approaching foes or clearing cannon fodder out of a band of enemies. Its unusual shape makes it great for hitting multiple scattered targets that a Bolt spell or Fireball would have difficulty with. Just make sure to adjust the spell's aim before firing; the game doesn't always auto-target the maximum number of enemies.
Monster Version
Although no ordinary monsters can cast Dazzling Spray, player ghosts who knew it in life can use a modified version of it. Instead of dazzling your character, it instead inflicts confusion for 4+1d3 turns, with a chance to resist based on your experience level.
Chance of player ghost dazzling you: (85 - 3 × XL)%
History
- In 0.25, Dazzling Spray was replaced with Dazzling Flash.
- Prior to 0.15, the chance of dazzling a monster was (85 - 3 * HD), making the spell more effective in the late game.
- Dazzling Spray was added in 0.12.
