Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Casting Glyph of Warding in Combat

I am fine with this spell not consuming expensive material components, but raw, it takes 1h to cast, which makes sense, since it is supposed to be a magical trap basically.

As it is, it just takes an action, so I can use it offensively in combat, like I would any other AOE spell, which kind of negates what this spell is even supposed to represent.
It is also quite overtuned. You basically have like 10 spells in 1, and many of these effects are extremely powerful.

From 5d8 (22.5 on average compared to fireballs 28) of various damage types, to a "mass shove" that can easily end combats if your enemies stand next to a cliff or lava, to a concentration free AOE sleep effect.

So this is basically fireball, thunderwave but better and hypnotic pattern all in one.
Seems a little op to me haha. Especially now, that ypnotic pattern was HEAVILY nerfed (instead of lasting 10 rounds, it now lasts 2. WHYYYYY???)

I think it would be best if it remained what it is supposed to be, a magical trap.
So you can cast it out of combat, but not in combat. (representing the 10 turns casting time)

Also I am a little disappointed that the Spell Glyph is not properly implemented yet
That allows for some interesting combinations with spells!

TL;DR:
- Glyph of Warding should only be cast outside of combat
- Spell Glyphs should be properly implemented

Thoughts?

I think to make a compromise and make it a little better, I would change it so it can not be cast in combat, but as a compromise, it would not break stealth when you cast it.
That way you can not use it in combat like you would say fireball, but you can basically trap a choke point, a tunnel etc, and then lure enemies into your traps.

Sounds like a fun playstlyle tbh, a stealth focused wizard
Especially with the spell glyph, so you can cast other spells through the glyph as a trap

I have mixed feelings about it.
On one hand, I really like a damaging AOE spell for clerics, that is not subclass dependant... SH feels like a boss in my playthrough
On the other hand, it is so OP right now, because it is control and instant AOE damaged packed into 1 spell... I'd like to read some other suggestions on how it can be changed and balanced other than non-combat solution. Any other ideas?

Spirit Guardians is the only good AOE option I guess...
Cleric damage will be a lot better once spiritual weapon is released, but only single target sadly.

But for me, it is not primarily about the balance, but mainly about the intent of the spell, since you obviously are not really supposed to use spells with 1h casting time in combat
But yeah, I would also like to hear what others think about it!

May be it could activate at the start of the caster's next turn?

In exchange for its improved flexibility, I'd say that it should only be castable outside of combat and/or have a range of 0m. The caster should have to inscribe it where they're standing (centered? adjacent?). This way, you either have to put your caster in danger, or you'll likely only get 1 or 2 enemies in the AoE. No casting it on a cluster of enemies that are 10 ft away from the caster.

+1, this is the best solution IF it does not break stealth (like minor illusion) so you can actually use it for combat (before attacking) and do not have to kite enemies for hundreds of meters into your traps

Activate at the start of the next turn, and maybe add on an interrupt if you take damage before then? That way you'd want to do it from a relatively safe location rather than in the thick of it.

I don't think it should be castable in combat. The spell just requires a bit of set-up, I think it will be fun to play around with, the control effects and damage are good, especially for a Cleric or Bard. The glyph should be invisible, though the spell description allows an Int (Investigation) check to spot. But I say just make it invisible. You'd just put it in path the enemy would take to reach you after you start the battle with a ranged attack. This AI will barrel right through it, I imagine. The spell's range would probably need to be extended for this to be useful though, otherwise one would probably trigger combat while trying to place the glyph.

Not good against flying enemies though, given all Larian's blast radii are flat.

It will only catch one enemy with this implementation, unless enemies use swarm AI, but its usage can overcomplicate the whole sequence even more. There are too many unpredictable outcomes with that implementation, because turn-based real-time mechanic which is not ideally implemented overlaps with the swarm AI which is not suitable for any encounter...