imported>Wordman |
imported>Wordman |
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| Naerai has a metric ton of options, which can be a bit paralyzing when it gets to his turn and there is no obvious best choice. Keep some of the following in mind if you get stuck. The most complicated of Naerai's choices actually come when selecting which spells to use each day. His usual list is a pretty solid mix, but a bit of tuning based on expected events can go a long way. In any case, once the spell list is fixed, if you are not sure what to do on a given turn, ask yourself some questions in roughly this order:
| | [[Sikarsis]] was built to be a heal-stick NPC, so is not the most optimised cleric on the block (which suits him and his religion just fine). Here's a quick guide to using him. |
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| == Can I tag someone with acid? == | | == Openers == |
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| OK, this isn't really your first consideration, but Naerai's acid dart ability only costs a swift action to use, which means you can usually toss out 1d6+1 of acid damage each time you act and still do whatever else you want to do. In a day when you expend all your uses of this ability, that's basically 45 points of free damage. This damage is also a good way to force a caster concentrating on maintaining a spell to make a concentration test (most spells don't require concentration to maintain, but ''wall of fire'' is an example).
| | As his main job is to enhance his allies, this is what to look for when combat begins. He has a number of ways to buff all of his allies at once, so this should be the first thing he tries to do on any turn. If some of these buffs are already active, then maybe look to do something else, but certainly do one of these at the start of the combat (in this rough order of preference): |
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| == Is the party hasted? ==
| | * If the party is not ''hasted'' (or, in big battles, even if they are) and the combat looks to be hard, cast ''[[pfsrd-spell:b/blessing-of-fervor|blessing of fervor]]''. In the following turns, make use of the free metamagic effects (extend, in particular). |
| | * Otherwise the standard opener is ''[[pfsrd-spell:p/prayer|prayer]]''. |
| | * If the enemy is using a particular type of energy attacks, everyone will love ''[[pfsrd-spell:r/resist-energy|communal resist energy]]''. This is a good spell to [[pfsrd:.com/feats/metamagic-feats/extend-spell-metamagic---final|extend]] with his metamagic rod. As with all spells with a long duration, this is a good one to cast before combat even begins, if possible. |
| | * If facing evil outsiders, summoners or creatures with mental attacks, consider casting ''[[pfsrd-spell:m/magic-circle-against-evil|magic circle against evil]]''. The bonuses provided by this spell are incidental (most of the party already has deflection and resistance bonuses), so the real point of this spell is the protection against metal attacks and hindering of summoned creatures. |
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| The ''[[pfsrd-spell:h/haste|haste]]'' spell is one of the most useful in the whole game. This should probably be memorised multiple times a day (which is tough, because there are a lot of good third level wizard spells). Keep one in reserve for a "boss battle".
| | In battles that look like they might be over quickly (or those that look like some extra help is needed), some secondary spells that last a while can be useful: |
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| == Can I alter the environment to give the party an advantage? ==
| | * If out of ''prayers'' or in need of some additional buffing, ''[[pfsrd-spell:b/bless|bless]]'' stacks with ''prayer''. This is a good spell for secondary encounters because it provides a bit a benefit without burning bigger spells, and can be cast extended, so that it will probably last through a couple more encounters. Spells that last this long are also good canidates |
| | * If ''bless'' or a ''magic circle'' is already running and you have nothing better to do, casting ''[[pfsrd-spell:m/moment-of-greatness|moment of greatness]]'' is a nice trick that lets each member of the party pick a moment to double the bonus granted by those spells (as well as other morale effects). Note that his ''[[pfsrd:magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/a-b/beads-prayer-strand|prayer beads]]'' allow him to cast this for free once a day, so use that first. |
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| Battlefield control is Naerai's bread and butter and he has a lot of spells that do this in ways that can't be resisted on his current list. You have a good handle on how to use these already, so just remember that this sort of stuff is really what Naerai was built to do. You'll probably only really need one or two of these per battle.
| | == Group healing == |
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| {| class="wikitable centeredcells"
| | Sikarsis can channel positive energy to heal damage on the hole party many times a day. With two uses of this ability, he can activate this as a move action, which allows him to cast a spell, and still provide group healing. If healing is needed, it is almost always worth spending twice the uses to still cast another spell (maybe another heal) in the same turn. |
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| ! Spell !! Spell level !! Defense !! Effect
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:f/faerie-fire|faerie fire]]'' || 1 || none || Outline anyone in the burst area, removing concealment."
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:g/grease|grease]]'' || 1 || Reflex (DC 19) || Targets in area slip and fall
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:o/obscuring-mist|obscuring mist]]'' || 1 || none || Provides concealment
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:c/chill-metal|chill metal]]'' || 2 || Will (DC 20, object) || Slowly building cold damage from metal armor on six targets.
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:d/darkness|darkness]]'' || 2 || none || Radiate darkness
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:g/glitterdust|glitterdust]]'' || 2 || Will (DC 20, blinding only) || Outlines invisible, targets in area may be blinded)
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:p/pyrotecnics-(fireworks)|pyrotecnics (fireworks)]]'' || 2 || Will (DC 19) || Blinds creatures. Extinguishes fire.
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:p/pyrotecnics-(smoke-cloud)|pyrotecnics (smoke cloud)]]'' || 2 || Fort (DC 19, penalties only)) || No sight inside cloud (not even darkvision). Those inside take -4 to Str and Dex
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/soften-earth-and-stone|soften earth and stone]]'' || 2 || none || Softens unworked ground (wet ground becomes thick mud, dry earth becomes loose sand, etc.)
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:w/web|web]]'' || 2 || Reflex (DC 20) || Grapples those in area; makes terrain difficult; provides cover
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:w/wind-wall|wind wall]]'' || 2 || none || Vertical curtain of upward wind along any path. Prevents passage by small creatures and fouls arrows.
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/sleet-storm|sleet storm]]'' || 3 || none|| Blocks sight, makes ground really slippery icy, extinguishes small fires
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/stinking-cloud|stinking cloud]]'' || 3 || Fort (DC 21) || Nauseates those within for 1d4+1 rounds
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/stone-shape|stone shape]]'' || 3 || none || Form a stone into any crude shape you like
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:b/black-tentacles|black tentacles]]'' || 4 || Combat Maneuver Defense || Targets in area hit with grapple attack each round
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:c/confusion|confusion]]'' || 4 || Will (DC 21) || Targets in area at casting time become confused.
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/spike-stones|spike stones]]'' || 4 || Reflex (DC 20) || Impede movement through an area and deal 1d8 damage for each 5 foot section crossed.
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:w/wall-of-fire-(sheet)|wall of fire (sheet)]]'' || 4 || none || rowspan="2" | Sheet of fire dealing fire damage to those close to one side. Double damage to undead.
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:w/wall-of-fire-(ring)|wall of fire (ring)]]'' || 4 || none
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:t/transmute-rock-to-mud|transmute rock to mud]]'' || 5 || none || Turn natural stone into mud
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:w/wall-of-stone|wall of stone]]'' || 5 || none || Create a plane of stone in any shape, which will merge into existing stone.
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| For these spells (and others), consider the type of save the target gets when choosing one. Caster types tend to have high Will saves and low Fortitude saves. Most brute strength fighting types are the opposite. Both tend to have bad Reflex saves, but agility fighters/sneaks have good Reflex saves (and often Evasion).
| | If anyone is in dire straights, take advantage of how good Sikarsis is a healer. Leave ''cure light'' to a wand, but otherwise his empowered healing is a more effective choice. Sweet spot is usually to cast the lowest level spell that allows the addition of all of his caster levels (''cure serious'' at the moment, for about 38 points on average). Note that ''breath of life'' and ''heal'' are not "cure" spells, so can't be spontaneously cast (and don't get empowered for free). |
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| Generally speaking, if you can setup your front line fighters so that they engage only one or two enemies at once (and don't have to move, so they can full attack them), you're doing good. Another consideration is to pin foes such that they line up nicely for a blast from Oreni or yourself.
| | == Fixing things == |
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| == Should I be an elemental? ==
| | Next, Sikarsis is a problem solver. He has spells, scrolls, wands and other abilities to clear conditions from allies. Unfortunately, most of these only work on one target at a time. Still, if everyone is buffed, or one ally is really screwed, pull some of these out. When trying to solve a particular problem, look for solutions in this order: |
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| There are very few disadvantages to Naerai's elemental form, so if he isn't an elemental yet, you might want him to become one. For what he does, the flight provided by the air form is extremely useful. Stick with that unless you have a good reason not to. Such reasons might be: you want to "swim" through stone (earth), you want to breathe and function under water (water), you are in the middle of an inferno (fire), etc.
| | * Check to see if one of his special ability touches can solve the problem. These don't require spells and have a decent number of uses per day. |
| | * If not used yet today, see if his ''[[pfsrd:magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/a-b/beads-prayer-strand|healing bead]]'' can manage it. |
| | * If the problem can be cleared up by one of his wands, use them. This might seem counterintuitive, since wand charges cost money and memorised spells are free, but any of Sikarsis' spells can be turned into a heal, so they are slightly more valuable. Using ''lesser restoration'' from a wand is a typical action here. |
| | * Use a spell to solve the problem, the lower level, the better. Stuff like ''remove paralysis'', ''remove disease'', ''remove fear'' can be useful here. If necessary, this is where ''dispel magic'' or ''break enchantment'' come in, too. |
| | * Use a scroll to solve the problem. |
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| At the moment, you can become a small, medium or large elemental. Large elementals are tougher, with better bonuses to abilities and armor. Their special attacks (especially the whirlwind ability of the air form and vortex ability of the water form) are ''much'' more useful as well. The drawback is you take up a lot of space and look menacing as well, so, sometimes medium is a better choice.
| | When using these abilities, timing can sometimes matter. For example, ''restoration'' clears all ability damage, so if a target is fighting something that is doing ability damage, it may be better to wait until that enemy is dead before casting it. |
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| == Can I mess with a big bad guy? == | | == See who needs help == |
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| If there is a big boss type of enemy, Naerai has some tricks to gimp him, so look to do that next. If there is ''only'' a big boss, this might be more important than battlefield control (but maybe not). For casters, particularly arcane casters, ''[[pfsrd-spell:f/feeblemind|feeblemind]]'' and ''[[pfsrd-spell:d/dispel-magic|dispel magic]]'' are good choices. At the right time, ''[[pfsrd-spell:t/telekinesis|telekinesis]]'' can also be useful. | | If none of this is applicable, take a look to see if someone needs a boost to confront a situational problem. Ideally, you can anticipate this before combat even starts and hand out strategic buffs before you engage the enemy. Some possibilities here: |
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| You often have ''[[pfsrd-spell:c/charm-person|charm person]]'' memorised, but this might not be a great choice anymore for three reasons: a) you haven't faced a lot of humanoids lately, b) the save DC is really low, since it is a first level spell and c) you're a better conjurer than an enchanter. Even the higher DC and greater target choic of ''[[pfsrd-spell:c/charm-monster|charm monster]]'' isn't all that compelling, as you have better things you can do with a third level spell. Could be that you'd get more mileage out of ''[[pfsrd-spell:u/unseen-servant|unseen servant]]'' as a first level spell.
| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:f/freedom-of-movement|freedom of movement]]'': This is good to cast on someone getting grappled, entangled or slowed down. |
| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/spell-immunity|spell immunity]]'': If you fear a particular 4th level or lower spell for some reason (e.g. you know an enemy you are about to fight is really good at casting ''charm monster'' or ''enervation''), cast this on the person most likely to be targeted. |
| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/spiritual-ally|spiritual ally]]'': If someone needs a flanker, or you need to hit a flying target, or you need to hit an incorporeal target, this spell is your friend. |
| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:d/death-ward|death ward]]'': If someone is facing something with energy drain, death effects, or negative energy, this will help a lot. Stack with ''moment of greatness''. |
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| == Can I summon help? == | | == Against the undead == |
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| Creatures summoned by Naerai tend to be better than average, thanks to some feats and his Ally Infusion ability. In addition, he can make use of summoned creatures in ways that others can't (as as using them as a spell conduit). Some things to remember about summoned creatures:
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| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:c/consecrate|consecrate]]'': |
| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:d/disrupting-weapon|disrupting weapon]]'': |
| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/searing-light|searing light]]'': |
| | * ''[[pfsrd-spell:u/undeath-to-death|undeath to death]]'': |
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| * They act on the round they are summoned.
| | == Don't forget gear == |
| * Because they act independently hey allow you to get around one of the largest restrictions in the rules: only having one action per round.
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| * Because they are temporary, you want to use their resources (hit points, spells, etc.) instead of your own when possible. Every hit on a summoned monster is damage you don't have to heal.
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| Some summoning choices are better than others. Stick with these:
| | While concentrating on his spells, it is easy to forget that Sikarsis' gear provides a number of tricks. His ''boots of levitation'' should be able to keep him above the fray. The ''prayer beads'' mentioned above provide free spells. His ''pearls of power'' all him to recall a 1st and 2nd level spell he has already cast. His cloak allows him to move silently. His amulet lets him buff his AC or saving throws. |
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| {| class="wikitable centeredcells"
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| ! Creature !! Summoned by !! Suggested infusion !! Use
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/vermin/spider/giant-spider|giant spider]] || ''summon nature's ally ii'' || air || weak, but get ranged web attack, which can entangle up to large creatures
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/crocodilians/crocodile/crocodile|crocodile]] || ''summon nature's ally iii'' || earth or fire || bite and grapple foes
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| | 1d4+1 [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/dog/dog|dogs]] || ''summon nature's ally iii'' || air or earth || flanking and fodder
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/mephit/mephit-magma|magma mephit]] || ''summon nature's ally iv'' || already elemental, gets max hp || breath weapon, ''pyrotechnics''
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/giants/cyclops|cyclops]] || ''summon nature's ally v'' || air or earth || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/giants/ettin|ettin]] || ''summon nature's ally v'' || earth or fire || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/elemental|large elemental]] || ''summon nature's ally v'' || already elemental, gets max hp || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/cat-great/tiger/dire-tiger|dire tiger]] || ''summon nature's ally vi'' || water or fire || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/elemental|huge elemental]] || ''summon nature's ally vi'' || already elemental, gets max hp || physical combat
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| | 1d3 [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/elemental|large elementals]] || ''summon nature's ally vi'' || already elemental, gets max hp || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd-spell:f/flaming-sphere|flaming sphere]] || ''flaming sphere'' || n/a || fire damage
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/hell-hound|hell hound]] || ''summon monster ii'' || n/a || breath weapon, physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/aberrations/choker|choker]] || ''summon monster iii'' || n/a || grapple, silence's target
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/templates/celestial-creature-cr-special|celestial]] [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/boar/dire-boar|dire boar]] || ''summon monster iii'' || n/a || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/archon/hound-archon|hound archon]] || ''summon monster iv'' || n/a || ''magic circle against evil'', ''aid''
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/templates/celestial-creature-cr-special|celestial]] [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/cat-great/tiger|tiger]] || ''summon monster iv'' || n/a || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/templates/celestial-creature-cr-special|celestial]] [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/dinosaur/ankylosaurus|ankylosaurus]] || ''summon monster v'' || n/a || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/templates/celestial-creature-cr-special|celestial]] [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/cat-great/lion/dire-lion|dire lion]] || ''summon monster v'' || n/a || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/templates/celestial-creature-cr-special|celestial]] [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/animals/cat-great/tiger/dire-tiger|dire tiger]] || ''summon monster vi'' || n/a || physical combat
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| | [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/templates/celestial-creature-cr-special|celestial]] [[pfsrd:bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/azata/lillend|lillend]] || ''summon monster vI'' || n/a || bardic performance, enchantment spells, ''cure serious wounds''
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| == Can I make Rauros more effective or vise versa? ==
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| While great at flowing through cracks and such, Rauros has the drawback that she takes that combat penalty when out of water. You have a number of options to get some water sloshing around her to eliminate this penalty, all of which are also useful on their own. Could be that you have too many spells for this sort of thing, so play around with them and maybe you can winnow them down. The spells are ''[[pfsrd-spell:c/create-water|create water]]'' (0 level, create 24 gallons of water at will), ''[[pfsrd-spell:h/hydraulic-push|hydraulic push]]'' (1st level, knock someone down with water, leaves enough water around for a turn or two), ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/slipstream|slipstream]]'' (2nd level, create a cascading wave that rushes along in a single direction, which Rauros can ride), ''[[pfsrd-spell:a/aqueous-orb|aqueous orb]]'' (a rolling sphere of water you can control). Naerai also has a ''[[pfsrd:magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/c-d/decanter-of-endless-water|decanter of endless water]]'', which can potentially fill a whole room is left open long enough. | |
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| Naerai's bond with Rauros allows him to cast spells with a range of "personal" on her. Personal spells include some good defensive buffs like ''[[pfsrd-spell:s/shield|shield]]'', ''[[pfsrd-spell:b/blink|blink]]'', ''[[pfsrd-spell:m/mirror-image|mirror image]]'' and ''[[pfsrd-spell:e/elemental-aura|elemental aura]]''.
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| You can also cast spells through Rauros a couple times a day, so use her to get within range for short range spells.
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| == Can I buff a party member? ==
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| Rauros can also be buffed with magic, just as any other member of the party. Don't forget yourself, either. Some fun choices:
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| {| class="wikitable centeredcells"
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| ! Spell !! Spell level !! Ideal target
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:e/enlarge-person|enlarge person]]'' || 1 || Lostwhite or Carilaria
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:p/protection-from-evil|protection from evil]]'' || 1 || anyone being enchanted
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:v/vanish|vanish]]'' || 1 || Scoffney
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:m/mirror-image|mirror image]]'' || 2 || yourself or Rauros
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:f/fly|fly]]'' || 3 || any ranged attacker
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:e/elemental-aura|elemental aura]]'' || 3 || Rauros
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:i/invisibility|invisibility (greater)]]'' || 4 || Scoffney
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:p/produce-flame|produce flame]]'' || 1 || yourself or Rauros
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:m/magic-fang|magic fang greater]]'' || 3 || a summoned creature
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:d/detonate|detonate]]'' || 4 || a summoned creature, someone immune to the element you pick
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:b/blur|blur]]'' || 2 || yourself
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| | ''[[pfsrd-spell:o/owls-wisdom|owl's wisdom (self)]]'' || 2 || yourself
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| |}
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| == Does anyone need set on fire? ==
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| Naerai isn't as much of a blaster has he used to be, but can still hurl a ''fireball''.
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| Druids also have a number of spells (''produce flame'', ''call lightning'', etc.) that generate a lasting effect that you can invoke repeatedly (e.g. call down a 3d6 lightning strike ten different times). Calling these effects takes an action, unfortunately, but spells like this can be useful for mopping up, or when you want to let the battle develop a little before acting.
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| == Other ==
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| If out of other ideas, try this:
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| * Move to somewhere more advantageous.
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| * Use a wand
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| * Use your scimitar (this is a more important thing to do if you face incorporeal creatures, as your weapon is particularly good against them).
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| == Adjustments to prepared spells ==
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| In looking at this stuff, I noticed a couple of things about Naerai's spell selection. Might want to change some selections next time he rests:
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| * ''burning hands'' - can't think of any case where your action could be used better than by casting this. Either a duplicate of a favorite 1st level spell, ''shield'' or ''touch of gracelessness'' might be better.
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| * ''charm person'' - mentioned this above.
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| * ''fly'' - Oreni can cast this on himself, and you can fly as an air elemental, so ''haste'' might be a better choice. Also, ''air walk'' lasts ten times longer (though is a higher level spell).
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| * ''air walk'' - since you can fly as an air-elemental, there may be better uses of the slot that this. Something like ''scrying'', ''geyser'', ''ice storm'', ''ball lightning'' or ''flame strike'' might be better.
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Sikarsis was built to be a heal-stick NPC, so is not the most optimised cleric on the block (which suits him and his religion just fine). Here's a quick guide to using him.
Openers
As his main job is to enhance his allies, this is what to look for when combat begins. He has a number of ways to buff all of his allies at once, so this should be the first thing he tries to do on any turn. If some of these buffs are already active, then maybe look to do something else, but certainly do one of these at the start of the combat (in this rough order of preference):
- If the party is not hasted (or, in big battles, even if they are) and the combat looks to be hard, cast blessing of fervor. In the following turns, make use of the free metamagic effects (extend, in particular).
- Otherwise the standard opener is prayer.
- If the enemy is using a particular type of energy attacks, everyone will love communal resist energy. This is a good spell to extend with his metamagic rod. As with all spells with a long duration, this is a good one to cast before combat even begins, if possible.
- If facing evil outsiders, summoners or creatures with mental attacks, consider casting magic circle against evil. The bonuses provided by this spell are incidental (most of the party already has deflection and resistance bonuses), so the real point of this spell is the protection against metal attacks and hindering of summoned creatures.
In battles that look like they might be over quickly (or those that look like some extra help is needed), some secondary spells that last a while can be useful:
- If out of prayers or in need of some additional buffing, bless stacks with prayer. This is a good spell for secondary encounters because it provides a bit a benefit without burning bigger spells, and can be cast extended, so that it will probably last through a couple more encounters. Spells that last this long are also good canidates
- If bless or a magic circle is already running and you have nothing better to do, casting moment of greatness is a nice trick that lets each member of the party pick a moment to double the bonus granted by those spells (as well as other morale effects). Note that his prayer beads allow him to cast this for free once a day, so use that first.
Group healing
Sikarsis can channel positive energy to heal damage on the hole party many times a day. With two uses of this ability, he can activate this as a move action, which allows him to cast a spell, and still provide group healing. If healing is needed, it is almost always worth spending twice the uses to still cast another spell (maybe another heal) in the same turn.
If anyone is in dire straights, take advantage of how good Sikarsis is a healer. Leave cure light to a wand, but otherwise his empowered healing is a more effective choice. Sweet spot is usually to cast the lowest level spell that allows the addition of all of his caster levels (cure serious at the moment, for about 38 points on average). Note that breath of life and heal are not "cure" spells, so can't be spontaneously cast (and don't get empowered for free).
Fixing things
Next, Sikarsis is a problem solver. He has spells, scrolls, wands and other abilities to clear conditions from allies. Unfortunately, most of these only work on one target at a time. Still, if everyone is buffed, or one ally is really screwed, pull some of these out. When trying to solve a particular problem, look for solutions in this order:
- Check to see if one of his special ability touches can solve the problem. These don't require spells and have a decent number of uses per day.
- If not used yet today, see if his healing bead can manage it.
- If the problem can be cleared up by one of his wands, use them. This might seem counterintuitive, since wand charges cost money and memorised spells are free, but any of Sikarsis' spells can be turned into a heal, so they are slightly more valuable. Using lesser restoration from a wand is a typical action here.
- Use a spell to solve the problem, the lower level, the better. Stuff like remove paralysis, remove disease, remove fear can be useful here. If necessary, this is where dispel magic or break enchantment come in, too.
- Use a scroll to solve the problem.
When using these abilities, timing can sometimes matter. For example, restoration clears all ability damage, so if a target is fighting something that is doing ability damage, it may be better to wait until that enemy is dead before casting it.
See who needs help
If none of this is applicable, take a look to see if someone needs a boost to confront a situational problem. Ideally, you can anticipate this before combat even starts and hand out strategic buffs before you engage the enemy. Some possibilities here:
- freedom of movement: This is good to cast on someone getting grappled, entangled or slowed down.
- spell immunity: If you fear a particular 4th level or lower spell for some reason (e.g. you know an enemy you are about to fight is really good at casting charm monster or enervation), cast this on the person most likely to be targeted.
- spiritual ally: If someone needs a flanker, or you need to hit a flying target, or you need to hit an incorporeal target, this spell is your friend.
- death ward: If someone is facing something with energy drain, death effects, or negative energy, this will help a lot. Stack with moment of greatness.
Against the undead
Don't forget gear
While concentrating on his spells, it is easy to forget that Sikarsis' gear provides a number of tricks. His boots of levitation should be able to keep him above the fray. The prayer beads mentioned above provide free spells. His pearls of power all him to recall a 1st and 2nd level spell he has already cast. His cloak allows him to move silently. His amulet lets him buff his AC or saving throws.