Dodging / resisting magic attacks

[paulblay]

It's clear that magical attacks can be mitigated in three different fashions:
- dodging (EVADE MAGIC, EVASION, MAGIC DEFENSE)
- resistance (SOUL SHIELD, FORCE FIELD*1, DEFENSIVE POWER ATTACKS*1)
- absorbing damage (BLOCK MAGIC, GREAT GUARD*1, MAGIC DEFENSE*2)

*1 works against all attacks, not just magic
*2 noted under 'Evade Magic' description in skills.txt, but not in main 'Magic Defense' description)

However the first (dodging) seems a little over complicated. Evade Magic and Evasion are percentage based but Magic Defense is a 'compare rolls' system. It isn't clear whether the 33% from Evade Magic is cumulative with the percentage from Evasion or not.

I suspect that somebody with all three dodging capabilities has three separate checks to avoid a magic attack (but haven't been able to check this). Changing the Magic Defense system to percentage based would have game balance implications (as it is influenced by monster level while the others aren't), so may be best avoided, but I think the Evade Magic ability could just be replaced with "+30 to Evasion" bonus when Agility skill 70 is reached. Possibly a "Magic Evasion" percentage could be included somewhere in the character sheet display.

[Variaz]

Actually, the current description for Evade Magic is:

- Evade Magic(Passive, 70 points): Warriors with great agility have such
great reflexes and jumping abilities that they can sometime dodge a deadly
magical attack that would be directed toward them.

Effects: You gain a chance to avoid a magical attack. When an enemy casts
a spell at you, it'll be a test of your Agility versus the monster's level
and mind. It works just like the magic defense skill, except that you
get only 1 "power" per Agility points, and if you fail, there is no
damages reduction.

Are you by any chances using an older version? The latest is 0.3 build 007.4.

It's no longer a static percent, but a separate test similar to Magic Defense, but less powerful. Also, Block Magic no longer exists, and it's effect has been included in another of the Defender's abilities.

I'm guessing you're playing 0.2? I suggest you download 0.3 build 007.4, as it's the latest and greatest version. I should really take down 0.2, only reason I'm keeping it is because there were links to it from other sites, though I think most of them now mentions 0.3...

[paulblay]

Are you by any chances using an older version? The latest is 0.3 build 007.4.

No, I see what's happened, I got the 33% bit from the reference pdf (which I guess is a little out of date now).

The bit about "damages reduction" on failure still applies though. Under Magic Defense it says nothing about damage reduction if you fail, but the Evade Magic description implies that there is some damage reduction on failure for Magic Defense.