Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

A forum to ask questions if you are stuck in the The Gate Rune Wars; or wish for more clarity on the gameplay systems.
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Dauntless07
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Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by Dauntless07 »

I recently noticed going through Shasarazade with the Blacksmiths, (the only point in the game you can fight a boss with them,) the game doesn’t seem to give me the tools I need to tank magical damage. Some armor boosts magic, but even with 2x Emblems, some Characters’ Magic stat is just too poor to withstand multiple AOE spells, and using Guard Robes over readily available Dragon Armor would make my physical fighters 5x weaker to physical damage.

Not that I have the luxury to include a magician, (thanks Viktor,) but even if I did, anti-magic spells seem non-existent. Water and Earth, the go to Runes in S2, only raise Defense and Evasion in this game. They do nothing against magic as far as I can tell, (besides Earth’s Copper Flesh spell which only protects a single character.) That leaves Sacrificial Buddhas as the sole viable option; expecting my non-magical characters to die. That, or spam Water AOE healing every turn.

Not missing anything, am I? There’s no way to block or evade magic, right? Guess this is one issue subsequent games resolved. I think Defense should really have factored in with Magic, like how Power and Attack both affect physical damage.
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KingSpilly
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by KingSpilly »

The only way I know of to protect yourself from spells is to get the bug-fix patch that makes the magic-protection spells work as intended.
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4405/

I'd either do that or stock up on water rune pieces to make it easier to tank spells.
"I'm a deeply flawed individual, but I bring joy to the world." -Tequila Sunset
Dauntless07
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by Dauntless07 »

I’m actually using the Patch. (Thank you Pyriel btw.) The wording doesn’t suggest to me Earth spells would do anything against magic.

“By default, the patch will utilize base defense for the character.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Defense only relates to the amount of damage a character takes from physical attacks. Only the Magic stat can counter magical attacks.
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KingSpilly
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by KingSpilly »

I just tested it in the final boss fight using Cheat Engine. The boss's fire blast attack does roughly 75 damage with 255 magic and 200 damage with 0 magic. Neither armor nor natural defense seems to be a factor.
"I'm a deeply flawed individual, but I bring joy to the world." -Tequila Sunset
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KingSpilly
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by KingSpilly »

Also, it turns out I was confusing the first game's earth spells with the second game's earth spells. The bugged spells in the first game are supposed to just raise defense, not defend from magic.
"I'm a deeply flawed individual, but I bring joy to the world." -Tequila Sunset
Dauntless07
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by Dauntless07 »

That’s OK, they’re easy to mix up. I tested in my bug fix save also. Loaded all the Blacksmiths with Earth Runes, and had all self-cast Clay Guardian. It offered no apparent defense against magic, as I suspected.

This is why a character like Pahn, one of your strongest party members at the game’s start, is just helpless by the end. He’s slow, but that’s nothing the Spark Rune couldn’t fix if you really wanted to use him, and his stats otherwise appear perfectly usable, but because he’s lacking in the all-powerful Magic stat, he’ll only hold your party back if you take him to the final boss, as he requires constant healing. He no longer is capable of what a front-row fighter ought to be, tanking damage.
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Pyriel
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by Pyriel »

Kind of unrelated, but I was unaware the patches had been uploaded to ROMHacking.net. I guess I don't mind.

And yeah, apart from Guard Robes and a small boost from Emblems, I don't think there's much for it beyond just grinding all your problems away. I think in the relatively simple design of this game, they kind of expected one party member to be a dedicated healer who'd just keep firing off party heals every other round.
KFCrispy
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by KFCrispy »

you also gain elemental resistance from the weapon rune piece's element. not exactly sure if the base element of some characters' weapons affect it.
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wataru14
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by wataru14 »

Is the resistance from the Rune Piece or from an equipped Rune? I thought there was a thread somewhere that said it was the Rune itself.
Dauntless07
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by Dauntless07 »

According to this site’s Runes tab, “Equipping an elemental rune reduces the corresponding elemental damage taken” in S1. No mention of rune pieces, so I assume they only affect damage inflicted rather than taken.
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Pyriel
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by Pyriel »

I don't remember seeing anything in the code that looked like a defensive buff related to rune pieces, but I may not have been looking in the right place. And the code around that is like JCL where the logic is negate it, flip it, rotate it, rip it and skip it. So I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it turns out a fire piece gives you lightning resistance.
TheyCallMeStacy
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Re: Magic Damage (Taken): No Counter?

Post by TheyCallMeStacy »

From my own experience solely the rune equipped affects resistance to magic damage, and not rune pieces and the inherent weapon element some characters have. It's a nice touch, although in this game not always the most practical, especially with the one rune limitation everyone has (which is probably why it got removed in subsequent games).
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