Icewind Dale Hints

Priest Spells (5th-7th Levels)

• 5TH LEVEL
  
  Animal Summoning II -- Same as Animal Summoning I, with just slightly fewer animals, which are all, on average, twice as powerful. Quite a nice summoning spell. Druid-only, I believe.
  
  Cure Critical Wounds -- Same as other heal spells, but it heals 27 hitpoints. This spell is really, really useful. It's not too practical in combat because it has a long casting time, but it will cure hitpoints at a extremely fast rate. If your Priest isn't being attacked, it can be used fairly effectively in battle, assuming the target doesn't die first.
  
  Flame Strike -- The big priestly offensive spell. It hits each target for 6-48 points of fire damage, or half that if they save, and has a radius. It's quite useful for frying, or at least weakening, the more powerful enemies that don't have any resistance to fire, such as Frost Giants.
  
  Raise Dead -- This spell is infinitely useful. Obviously, it raises any non-elf character from the dead. The target will only have 1 HP left when brought back, but hey, it's better than being ripped off at a temple or having to reload.
  
  Spike Stones -- Causes 2-8 HP damage to everyone in the area of effect every round, for the duration. This is a useful little spell to use on a large group of enemies. If you place it well, some will be stuck in the rocks, blocked by their own allies... ha ha.
  
  
  6TH LEVEL
  
  Animal Summoning III -- Same as I and II, but with another double in possible maximum power, and two less maximum summoned.
  
  Conjure Fire Elemental -- Calls a fire elemental to fight for the caster. This is better than the Mage version because you have a chance of summoning a significantly powerful elemental (24 HD, or at least 20 HD). These creatures are very useful, because they deal both physical and fire damage and can take a healthy beating. Druid spell only.
  
  Heal -- Cures a target completely. All HP restored, all negative effects gone. Nothing more needs to be said. (Too bad they didn't give you harm.)
  
  Sol's Searing Orb -- Kind of like a mega version of Magic Stone, this does 6-36 damage and blinds the target for 1-6 rounds if the save fails. It deals double damage to undead and blinds them for twice as long, even with a save.
  
  
  7TH LEVEL
  
  Conjure Earth Elemental -- Same as Conjure Fire Elemental, except this one has more HP, and does only physical damage, so nothing resists it.
  
  Creeping Doom -- Summons a whole lot of small, biting, stinging insects in a 20-foot square. (You get 500-1000 insects, I believe.) Basically, it will kill anything not immune to non-magical weapons. Needless to say, keep your party away from these little buggers (pun intended). It's a Druid-only spell.
  
  Resurrection -- Brings any dead character back from the dead at full HP, and it works on elves. Otherwise, the same as Raise Dead.
  
  Sunray -- Non-undead must save or be blinded for 1-3 rounds, any undead in the area take 8-48 damage, and fungoid creatures take 3-18. Both undead and fungoids can save for half-damage. Great for weakening those amazingly annoying large groups of undead you'll encounter in the late game. Be sure to keep this one handy around the end of Dorn's Deep.
  
  Symbol of Hopelessness -- All creatures (yes, including your party) in a 60-foot radius must save versus spell or do nothing for a really...really...really long time. If you cast this at a far away group of enemies, you've basically won the battle... saves rarely seem to work.
  
  Whew, finally done. Remember, all the spells have utility. Don't think that these are the only spells worth memorizing. Experiment, and use your judgment on what spell fits a particular situation.
  

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