Spellbooks : What are the very best ones to be used ?

[popps]

When it comes to Spellbooks, there is quite a variety of options....

That I know of, Mages besides Invasion Spellbooks, have six Artifact Books :

Clainin's Spellbook
Conjurer's Grimoire
Tome of Enlightenment
Tome of Lost Knowledge
Scrapper's Compendium
Anon's Spellbook
Hallowed Spellbook

Mystics have two :

Corgul's Handbook on Mysticism
Fallen Mystic's Spellbook.

Necromancers have three:

Corgul's Handbook on the Undead
Ossian Grimoire
Juo’nar’s Grimoire

My question is, what are the "best" options then, for a Mage, Mystic and Necromancer spellcaster when it comes to using a Spellbook among all of those available ?

That is, is there a "BEST" Spellbook for them to use ?

Also, as in regards to Mages, being the Scrapper's Compendium a craftable Spellbook, is it any worth using when compared to all of the other Spellbooks available for Mages ?

My question being, is there a specific Spellbook which a Mage, Mystic or Necromancer Spellcaster should target to use over any other being available for that particular spellcasting ?

Thanks !

 

[Xris]

When it comes to Spellbooks, there is quite a variety of options....

That I know of, Mages besides Invasion Spellbooks, have six Artifact Books :

Clainin's Spellbook
Conjurer's Grimoire
Tome of Enlightenment
Tome of Lost Knowledge
Scrapper's Compendium
Anon's Spellbook
Hallowed Spellbook

Mystics have two :

Corgul's Handbook on Mysticism
Fallen Mystic's Spellbook.

Necromancers have three:

Corgul's Handbook on the Undead
Ossian Grimoire
Juo’nar’s Grimoire

My question is, what are the "best" options then, for a Mage, Mystic and Necromancer spellcaster when it comes to using a Spellbook among all of those available ?

That is, is there a "BEST" Spellbook for them to use ?

Also, as in regards to Mages, being the Scrapper's Compendium a craftable Spellbook, is it any worth using when compared to all of the other Spellbooks available for Mages ?

My question being, is there a specific Spellbook which a Mage, Mystic or Necromancer Spellcaster should target to use over any other being available for that particular spellcasting ?

Thanks !

Not really. You generally want as high sdi as possible on a pvm mage. People use others because they need the mods (+skill, fc, DCI etc..) SDI is king for mages.

 

[popps]

Not really. You generally want as high sdi as possible on a pvm mage. People use others because they need the mods (+skill, fc, DCI etc..) SDI is king for mages.

So, basically, whatever Spellbook has the highest SDI wins the contest with other spellbooks and would be the one to use for a spellcaster ?

For example, what about Scrapper's Compendiums ? Are they still worth to be used when compared with the other many Spellbooks that a Mage has at hand to use instead ?

 

[Lord GOD(GOD)]

It depends on a number of factors including the template, the rest of the equipment the character has, and what you're fighting with it. Multi-part answer (It is not a case of one or the other, but depends on the situation, and is therefore whichever is truer at the time):

Answer 1, as above, is yes SDI is king in PvM. Which means (assuming the target monster has a slayer) a slayer Scrappers is the best book for a Mage or Mystic.

Answer 2 is if it doesn't have a slayer then a 50 SDI invasion book is best for a Mage, or Mystic, and also Word of Death from Spellweaving.

Necromancy doesn't gain anything from Slayers or SDI, so those book mods are irrelevant for that class.

Answer 3 is if the book is to make up a shortfall in suit mods (like low MR or getting DCI to the cap), or if the book is to make up skills on an advanced template (like a +30 skill book) then that would be the best book for a Mage, Mystic or Necro.

However, unless you know for an indisputable fact that a book is never going to leave your characters hands, (which you don't as some things Disarm) then I personally think it's a bad move to rely on books for certain mods. Specifically ones like FC/FCR/LRC/LMC/DCI/Eval (Eval if using a Defensive Wrestle setup). Having any of those suddenly drop on your character could cause you no end of problems especially if you aren't that aware and don't notice straight away.

With all the above in mind it shows how pointless many of those books are. Especially in the case of having Mystic and Necro ones that don't functionally do anything different.

 

[popps]

It depends on a number of factors including the template, the rest of the equipment the character has, and what you're fighting with it. Multi-part answer (It is not a case of one or the other, but depends on the situation, and is therefore whichever is truer at the time):

Answer 1, as above, is yes SDI is king in PvM. Which means (assuming the target monster has a slayer) a slayer Scrappers is the best book for a Mage or Mystic.

Answer 2 is if it doesn't have a slayer then a 50 SDI invasion book is best for a Mage, or Mystic, and also Word of Death from Spellweaving.

Necromancy doesn't gain anything from Slayers or SDI, so those book mods are irrelevant for that class.

Answer 3 is if the book is to make up a shortfall in suit mods (like low MR or getting DCI to the cap), or if the book is to make up skills on an advanced template (like a +30 skill book) then that would be the best book for a Mage, Mystic or Necro.

However, unless you know for an indisputable fact that a book is never going to leave your characters hands, (which you don't as some things Disarm) then I personally think it's a bad move to rely on books for certain mods. Specifically ones like FC/FCR/LRC/LMC/DCI/Eval (Eval if using a Defensive Wrestle setup). Having any of those suddenly drop on your character could cause you no end of problems especially if you aren't that aware and don't notice straight away.

With all the above in mind it shows how pointless many of those books are. Especially in the case of having Mystic and Necro ones that don't functionally do anything different.

Thanks for the reply.

I noticed that you mentioned "........a slayer Scrappers is the best book for a Mage or Mystic......" That is something I do not understand...

Aren't Scrapper's Compendiums limited to Magery or can they also be used by Mysticism ?

If Mysticism can also make use of Scrapper's Compendium's Spellbooks by adding Mysticism spells to the Scrapper's Compendium Book, why cannot the same be done for Necromancy or Spellweaving ?

 

[Lord GOD(GOD)]

The book itself and the spells it holds are irrelevant. This is what I was alluding to where I said how pointless it is having Mystic and Necro books. The school of magic the book is from makes no difference to anything. Other than visually and in terms of 'open book' macros which will prioritise the one in hand over ones in pack. For instance if you have an empty Scrappers in your hand and a full regular book in your pack your open spellbook macro will open the empty Scrappers.

You can't put spells from a different school of magic in the wrong book... but you don't need to...

The book in your hand is just equipment like any other it's properties will work with anything they work with. It doesn't matter whether it's a Mage or Mystic or Necro book, Slayers only work for Mage and Mystic spells. For example the Fallen Mystic book is a Fey Slayer Mysticism book but you don't need to be a Mystic to use it. While equipped your Mage spells will get the bonus.

 

[Lord GOD(GOD)]

Necro and Spellweaving spells don't get Slayer bonus even if you were holding a (hypothetical) Dragon Slayer Necro book.

Spellweaving's Word of Death gains SDI from any type of book with SDI.

 

[Innoxicated]

It may be difficult to wrap your head around, but that's because you're over-thinking it. It would make sense that a necro or mystic book with mods would help those--and only those--schools of magic. However (and fortunately so, or we'd all be juggling books) as @Lord GOD(GOD) stated they are just equipment with properties.

In fact a flesh-bound necromancer grimoire with undead slayer, sdi, and faster casting would actually be of No use at all to the necromancer, as cool as he might look clutching it in his hands.

If you can get your head around the fact that we're playing a game where a mighty wizard can cast forth powerful bolts of energy while wielding a magical tome with absolutely nothing written inside, you're already getting close. It's a common misconception, but imagine the spellbooks more like book-shaped wands with properties. And as long as the properties function for the type of magic you're using, then they help, regardless of what the wand looks like.


As a side note: damn i had no idea sdi didn't apply to necro spells! Tbh I'd ask if you're sure, but you can trust Lord GOD to know his ****. He's become one of my personal forum heros... Possibly too strong? rofl but fkn true, nonetheless!

 

[popps]

Necro and Spellweaving spells don't get Slayer bonus even if you were holding a (hypothetical) Dragon Slayer Necro book.

Spellweaving's Word of Death gains SDI from any type of book with SDI.

I do not understand this....
If Spellweaving DOES GET the SDI bonus from any type of book that the spellcaster might be holding in hand, why then the Slayer Bonus that such a book had would not work, instead ?

SDI yes but Slayer no ?

How does this make sense ?

 

[Innoxicated]

Hmmm I thought spellweave, at least WoD benefits from slayers. Perhaps it doesnt? Would be fairly simple to test, I reckon! I do know WoD takes a damage bonus from SDI a lil differently than most spells. Rather than a percentage it's a 1:1 or 3:1 sdi:spell damage ratio. It may just be how these direct damage from WoD is calculated or it may be intentionally done, but I believe it is additive and not multiplicative. I'm just not sure on the proportion

 

[Mayhem_wushu]

I do not understand this....
If Spellweaving DOES GET the SDI bonus from any type of book that the spellcaster might be holding in hand, why then the Slayer Bonus that such a book had would not work, instead ?

SDI yes but Slayer no ?

How does this make sense ?

the answer can be found on Word of Death - UOGuide, the Ultima Online Encyclopedia

My last time playing with this was probably 10 years ago so I defer to published findings.

 

[SouthPaw]

Hmmm...I'm pretty sure SDI works with Wither. Will need to test it when I get home.

*EDIT*
From UO Guide:
"As with most code over time, Spell Damage Increase is not as straight-forward as it seems. It does affect Poison Strike and Wither, but it does not affect Pain Spike or Holy Light. It works with Word of Death, as the spell is not dependent on a secondary ability check, e.g. like Pain Spike, which involves Spirit Speak, or Holy Light, which involves Karma."
Spell Damage Increase - UOGuide, the Ultima Online Encyclopedia

 

[Lord GOD(GOD)]

Has anyone tested it yet?

 

[Innoxicated]

It does affect [bcolor=rgb(16, 16, 16)]Poison Strike[/bcolor] and [bcolor=rgb(16, 16, 16)]Wither[/bcolor], but it does not affect [bcolor=rgb(16, 16, 16)]Pain Spike[/bcolor] or [bcolor=rgb(16, 16, 16)]Holy Light[/bcolor]. It works with [bcolor=rgb(16, 16, 16)][bcolor=rgb(16, 16, 16)]Word of Death[/bcolor][...][/bcolor]

I just redid my entire suit on my necro-noxmage to maximize sdi, and he is fairly reliant on poison strike.... And wither... And WoD. lol... This is how I thought it worked, and I did see an increase in wither damage, but i didn't take any screenshots. Now I wonder if slayers benefit those, if only those, necro spells? I still believe the necro => no slayers rule should apply, if only because that's what I've always heard.

And as a side note: I've always neglected essence of wind even for spawning, in favor of wither, mostly due to spammability. But with a lvl 6 focus it deals reasonable when you consider the range. Maybe good for a 1st cast to aggro and draw the spawn into wither range, or if the spawn is just spread too thin for wither to be viable.

And now I also wonder, technically WoD does a 2nd check to see which damage calculation it uses, based on your focus and the targets HP. If SDI works for WoD does it not work for essence of wind? And does spirit speak not enhance withers damage? As usual with uo the documentation quoted, though very helpful, begs a few more questions. I'll gladly test myself (and take some fkn screenshots), unless someone knows for certain

 

[Lord GOD(GOD)]

Just tested it.

SDI does work for Poison Strike and Wither. Slayers do not.

 

[Innoxicated]

sdi also does work for spellweave. Confirmed with essence of wind, and it's been established that it works for WoD, slayers do not.