NWN spell visual effects - wow! How do you visualise?

[Plane Sailing]

I've just got hold of Neverwinter Nights, and I'm enjoying it - but what has really made be go "wow!" is the spell visual effects. My first level wizard kept preparing different spells, resting and then casting them just to see what they looked like.

Colour spray was wonderful!

Burning Hands was awesome!

I can hardly wait to see what higher level spells look like.

This brings me to my main question - do you visualise spell effects in the game? How do you and your DM describe them? I'm ashamed to say that in our game in recent months the spell has often been a shorthand way of inflicting x or y damage. I'm going to start being a lot more descriptive now

What has been your inspiration (if any) for spells?

Cheers

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

*sigh*

I admit we don't. This is one area where CRPGs rock.

But the best spell visual, IMHO, is Meteor Swarm from Planecape: Torment.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

This brings me to my main question - do you visualise spell effects in the game?

Hmm. Not very much at all. It would be nice if Fiery Dragon would make counters for spell effects- especially if we could get them on trasparent plastic.

SD

 

[Jeremy]

Spell Effect in a CRPG that had the biggest sit-back-in-your-seat-and-say-WHOAH effect on me was Shapechange: Dragon in NWN.

That thing is huge! And walking around and wailing on stuff? That was impressive. Though I love the look of having 12 different buffs across the top of the screen and 8 or 9 of them being visible on my character. You see someone walking around like that....

 

[Lazybones]

I like the buffing effects as well, and even use them to make new monsters by putting a permanent effect in a monster's OnSpawn script (it's a way of stretching the # of models in the game, since I don't use HakPaks).

To keep this thread on topic, though: I agree that it's often easy to neglect good description in the game (and not just with spells, but combat actions, locations, etc.). I think DMs and players both can contribute to this; if even one player starts using rich visual descriptions the others might be inspired to follow suit. Of course this can also backfire if one person's descriptions turn rather "over the top" and become annoying rather than evocative.

 

[SteelDraco]

But the best spell visual, IMHO, is Meteor Swarm from Planecape: Torment.

Agreed. There's something to be said for a cutscene triggering in the middle of the game because you cast a spell. Torment, in general, had great spellcasting VFX. It's a shame they're sprite-based, or I'd pull 'em out and put them in NWN.

As to the original poster's question, yeah, we do describe spell effects. Most of them are pretty well-described in the books, so we just use that. I do allow people to change the outward appearance of spells to suit character themes, though.

(By the way, if you were impressed by Color Spray, try casting Wierd once you get to high level. I actually jumped back, away from my chair, the first time I saw that one go off. Very impressive.)

 

[Zappo]

I like a lot the high-level spells from any of the latest Final Fantasy games. And the summonings too of course.

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

I agree that NWN is very nice. I play a cleric, and spell visuals are ok, although i have not seem them all. I do have seen cure xxx wounds quite often though.

Its not a great visual per se, but i love casting Harm... i love seeing that red column of light strike down and seeing a little orange "438" appear... Take that you dragon!

As for in-game visual effects, the DM usually uses them when describing other magic combats that we're seeing but not participating in. One DM insists one describing magic missile as star wars laser rifle shots, which I hate

Maitre D

 

[Destil]

I've always tried to provide very vivid descriptions for spells, at least the first time the're used.

I draw inspiration from as many sources as I can. My current desktop is a image of the sun with through some sort of alternate-energy telescope (not really sure what type). The way the field lines interact and emanate is really becoming burnt in my mind, and is going to be a part of how on of my NPC sorcerers spells look.

There's a lot more to spells than the visual, too. I usually try and incorporate several senses into my descriptions. Summon Monster I, for instance, I've described as "A slight ting of nausea builds in the pit of your stomach as the fabric of space is bent and folded around a vortex of golden light. In an instant the feeling is gone and a golden-furred and silver-toothed badger with bright emerald-green eyes that shine with intelligence is standing amid the fading haze of light."

My last game had a cleric of a war god of the ocean, and thus many of his spells were related to this. Slay living turned the someone into a pillar of salt which blew away on a breeze with a soft echo of a crashing wave. Sound Burst was a crescendo of sound so loud it jars your spine, barely identifiable as the sound of a mile-high wave breaking across a mountain over the din. Stone floors under the center of the effect often had small spider-web cracks afterwards. Cure spells left wounds with a slight sting of salt that faded into the feel of cool water. And so on.

At times in large battles I need to shorten these (We’ll joke “ok, turning off spell animations”).

 

[Ashy]

I'm with Destil, but I usually do better at it if I am playing instead of DMing (too many things going on, I guess). I have a Windwalker of Shaundakul (2e FR stuff) and all of her spells have not only a "prayer", but also a wind-based spin on them. It really brings out a lot in game, IMHO...