Area of effect spells.

[Sokina]

I know when you cast a AoE fire spell, friendlies AND hostiles are affected (Pretty sure at least)

 

But say if you cast a shield spell with an Area of Effect, will it affect hostiles too?

 

If so, is there any mod that makes it so only Hostiles get damaged by Damaging Area spells, and only Allies get affected by Shield/Healing spells? (Don't know how easy it'd be to make one, probably not as simple as I make it out to be)

 

I've been playing with CM Companions and FCOM, on a harder difficulty than normal, and Non-Essential companions, and I'd rather not keep killing my Allies with AOE Fire. (RIP Mysty)

[SandsOfTime404]

Yes, any spells with an Area effect affects anything and anyone caught in the area. I learned this the hard when when I tried to heal town guards during the main quest outside of Bruma. The Xivilai were also being healed by the same spell I was using to keep friendly characters alive. Also, as far as I know, there aren't any mods that fix this problem. Then again I've never looked so someone else may know something.

[RatcatcherOfKvatch]

You've got to have good aim if you want to act as a healer during combat, but you have to have perfect aim if you want to actually fight in combat and don't want to be treated like a criminal afterward.

 

I've been point-blank with a hostile Daedra, had a real doozy of a cocktail brewing -- frost, shock, damage health, and a pinch of soul trap just for fun -- and an idiot guard jumps in front of the bolt right as it goes off, falls to the ground dead, and all the guys fighting the Daedra stop in their tracks and yell, "Murder!"

 

So yeah, being a healer is the right idea, then when all the stupid people have gotten themselves killed despite your heroic efforts to save them you can single-handedly kill all the monsters without getting a bad reputation.

[SandsOfTime404]

Yeah, that's the downfall of being a battlemage when there's friendly AI involved. You've got essentially no control over them, and at any point they just dart out in front of you. Area effect spells are useful, especially when you miss, but it always seems that I miss and have a massive fireball land in the middle of nowhere. While it's still chugging away (I usually slap a 10-second time on it for good measure) a few guards find it a good idea to casually plod right through it.

 

That's what frustrates me so much about the Great Gate part outside of Bruma during the main questline. Using magic is easily one of the more effective ways of stemming the tide of enemies, but with a plethora of stupid friendly AI running around you're pretty limited. I honestly wish there was a way to tell them to all wait on the hill until I head into the gate. "Yeah, once I go in you can mop up. Until then just stay here and let me do my thing."

[Deleted1848331User]

That's what frustrates me so much about the Great Gate part outside of Bruma during the main questline. Using magic is easily one of the more effective ways of stemming the tide of enemies, but with a plethora of stupid friendly AI running around you're pretty limited. I honestly wish there was a way to tell them to all wait on the hill until I head into the gate. "Yeah, once I go in you can mop up. Until then just stay here and let me do my thing."

 

Ha, yeah. So many things about Oblivions AI could be improved.

 

Such as saying out loud by pressing some key:

 

"Watch out! I'm going to fire a spell!"

 

They'd still probably go in front of you though :pinch:

[SandsOfTime404]

Yeah, no joke. Heck if anything it'd make them run in front of you, because all that'd register in their mind is, "Oh crap, a spell, I better move." It'd be asking too much for them to take into consideration where you intend to send the spell off to.

[WeissYohji]

That's what frustrates me so much about the Great Gate part outside of Bruma during the main questline. Using magic is easily one of the more effective ways of stemming the tide of enemies, but with a plethora of stupid friendly AI running around you're pretty limited. I honestly wish there was a way to tell them to all wait on the hill until I head into the gate. "Yeah, once I go in you can mop up. Until then just stay here and let me do my thing."

 

Ha, yeah. So many things about Oblivions AI could be improved.

 

Such as saying out loud by pressing some key:

 

"Watch out! I'm going to fire a spell!"

 

They'd still probably go in front of you though :pinch:

Just what the blue hell was Bethesda thinking making the AI like that? Radiant AI my aching ass! You'd think they'd program friendly NPCs so there WOULDN'T be as much friendly fire!