Wild Surge

A Wild surge is an event that occurs 5% of the time when a Wild Mage attempts to cast a memorized spell, or 100% of the time when they attempt to cast through Nahal's Reckless Dweomer. It will also happen when any spell is cast in an area affected by wild magic (like some levels of Watcher's Keep or the Wild Forest). When a wild surge occurs, a 100-faced die is rolled and the mage's wild surge bonus is added to it. The result is compared to a table with rows numbered 1 to 101. If it matches one of the rows, the effect from that row replaces the spell that the mage was trying to cast. Otherwise the desired spell is cast properly and not replaced.

Lore

Wild Magic is a young school of magic born after the Time of Troubles, as scholars started to study the wild magic zones created from the descent of so many gods on Toril. In such places, the Weave, a "fabric" that serves as a convenient interface letting casters more easily and more safely manipulate raw magic, has become damaged or distorted. Spells cast through the Weave in such a state behave differently, sometimes becoming more potent, sometimes being more difficult to aim as desired, or sometimes producing entirely unpredictable results.

Soon enough, Wild Mages became able to reproduce this phenomenon in areas where the Weave is intact. Since it involves a more direct manipulation of raw magic, it is harder not to make mistakes, mistakes don't just result in spell failure, and there seems to be an irreducible part of chaos to the process. As the mage shapes magical energy into the desired spell, a mistake or that irreducible part of chaos may get in the way and force them to release the raw energy in a sudden surge called wild surge.

As a way to lift the limitations on spellcasting that go in hand in hand with a full reliance on the Weave, Wild Magic is a promising school. Research focused on improving raw magic manipulation and reducing risk enabled the creation of items such as the Robe of Goodman Hayes or the Thayan Circlet, and spells such as Chaos Shield, Improved Chaos Shield and Nahal's Reckless Dweomer.

Nahal's Reckless Dweomer

• With this spell, the mage purposefully makes the raw magical energy surge with the intent of shaping it into any spell they understand, memorized or not, way over their level or not. If it is in their spellbook, they can cast it.
• Additionally, there is no issue with the residual energy that lingers around a mage or priest who just cast a spell: Through the dweomer, this energy is just re-used raw immediately, whereas normal spellcasting requires waiting for its dissipation before chanting another spell.
• Last but not least, because the surge was generated on purpose, odds that the mage will succeed in shaping the correct spell are increased by a value equal to their level.

Note: Casting this spell means a wild surge will occur, odds are not 5% but 100%.

Mechanics

Whenever a wild surge occurs, a D100 is rolled and the caster's wild surge bonus is added to it. If the result matches the ID of one of the 101 rows in the wild surge table, the effect in that row will replace the spell that the mage wanted to cast. If the result matches no row, typically because it is greater than 101, the mage will successfully cast the spell they wanted to in the way they wanted to.

All creatures have a wild surge bonus of 0, which can be modified by:

• The mutually exclusive Chaos Shield (15), Improved Chaos Shield (25) or Robe of Goodman Hayes (15)
• The Thayan Circlet (+15)
• The Wild Mage's level when casting through Nahal's Reckless Dweomer (+1 to +31)

Note:	The Wild Mage's ±5 level modifier does not affect the wild surge roll or bonus even with NRD.

For the most part, it can be considered that every point of wild surge bonus translates to an increase of 1 percentage point in the odds to cast the desired spell in the desired way. As the bonus increases, its other effect is to decrease the proportion of bad surges in the remaining pool of "incorrect spells". This is because the density of potentially troublesome surges is higher in the lower rows of the surge table, and those rows are eliminated first from the realm of possibilities as the wild surge bonus grows.

Best casting odds

Maximum achievable chance to cast the desired spell, by game

Game	Normal casting	Dweomer casting	Reason
BG1:EE	96.3%	35%	Level 9 and Chaos Shield leave 65 "incorrect spell" values on the D100.
SoD	96.3%	37%	Level 11 and Chaos Shield leave 63 incorrect values.
BG2:EE	97.55%	77%	Level 31, Improved Chaos Shield and the Thayan Circlet leave 23 incorrect values.
BG2	99%	100%	Level 23 and a Chain Contingency with 3 Improved Chaos Shields leave no incorrect value through NRD.

Confusing aspects

Wild surges can be confusing at first, so it can be useful to be aware the following:

• Random, harmless visual and sound effects occur on both caster and target whenever a wild surge occurs, even if the desired spell is cast.
• All surges have an associated message that the combat log will display, for example if surge #3 happens, the log will read "Wild Surge: Squirrels... Everywhere squirrels!". Any surge below #1 or above #101 allows the desired spell to be cast on target. The combat log will report a blank string when that happens, ie. "Wild Surge: ". The actual ID of the surge is never displayed, only the message.
• The target of the desired spell is retained or modified to fit the surge spell, following a set of rules described below. Understanding targeting rules is one of the keys to minimizing risk and making good use of a low-level Wild Mage.

Targeting

Most of the 101 wild surges described in the surge table below entirely replace the spell that the Wild Mage was trying to cast. But there is one element that remains: the target.

A spell target can either be a creature or container, or a point on the ground. Single-target spells such as Blindness expect the former type, whereas AoE spells like Grease expect the latter type. A sub-type of single-target spells expects that the target creature be the self -- the caster -- like Mirror Image.

When a Wild Surge occurs and replaces the desired spell, the spell target may not be appropriate to the surge spell selected by the D100. Surges use the following rules to address that concern.

Target effectively used by a surge depending on the original spell's target type

Spell target type	Surge target type	Target selected in the end
Self	Self	The original Self target is used as-is
	Creature
	Point
Creature	Self	The caster becomes the target
	Creature	The original Creature target is used as-is
	Point	The original Creature target is used as-is. The surge projectile follows it around, so it's not its position that is being targeted but truly the creature itself. Note: In Enhanced Editions, Burst #76 will fail silently when the creature is not the caster.
Point	Self	The caster becomes the target
	Creature	The original target changes completely, even when it was a creature's exact position. A random creature in a radius 150% the size of the caster's visual range will be selected as the new target. Unlike other types of target modifications described in this table, this one actually changes the original spell itself. The original spell's target is now the random creature and its target type is now Creature, not Point. This distinction only matters to multi-roll surges #24, #46 and #63, where the original spell's features are used for multiple surges.
	Point	The original Point target is used as-is. Exceptions: Burst #76 will fail silently if the original target is not the caster's position, and Invisible #29, Held #61 and Color change #98 will fail silently in all cases.

Note:	If they contain at least one spell expecting a Self or Creature target, contingency and sequencer spells align all spells they contain to the Self or Creature type before the surge kicks in. [verification needed]

Wild surge effects

Legend

In the surge table, the Block or remove column uses shorthand icons to convey ways to either block or remove all of a surge spell's effects. The following icons mean that their associated spell(s) are effective against a surge:

	Abjuration	Alteration	Conjuration	Enchantment	Evocation	Illusion	Necromancy
Spell Immunity:

• All sources of Protection From Evil
• Reflected Image and Mirror Image
• Stoneskin and Iron Skins
• (Minor) Spell Deflection, (Minor) Spell Turning, Spell Trap and Shield of the Archons
• Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Globe of Invulnerability and Protection From Magic
• Globe of Invulnerability and Protection From Magic, but not Minor Globe
• Protection From Magic, but not the Globe spells
• All Spell protection removers
• All sources of Dispel Magic, including Protection From Magic *if* used after the surge spell took effect

Warning:

Spell Immunity and the Spell Deflection family cannot protect the caster from their own spells or surges. Similarly, the Globe spells and Protection From Magic can only protect the caster from their own spells if they cause damage, or if they are flagged as hostile — only Colors! #33, Lightning bolt #66, Fireball #71 and Turned to Stone #72 apply, along with surges that cast the desired spell when it's flagged hostile, which most aggressive wizard spells are.

Notes to help read the other columns:

• In green are surges that let the desired spell be cast in desired conditions
• In orange are surges that need particular attention. With bad saves, some more surges deserve attention.
• In blue is the one failed surge that's most often better than the desired spell
• An Area in the Target column means the surge affects the entire area and works regardless of spell target
• An Upheld in the Target column means the actual spell is going to be cast with its actual target unchanged
• A 15-foot radius describes an area the size and shape of a Fireball spell
• This table was built on BG2EE 2.5.16.6. Some surges are slightly different in BG1EE

Wild surge table

Roll	Message	Effect	Target	Save or MR	Block or remove	File
1	Wild color changes	Caster shines and flickers for 1 turn	Self	No	No	SPWM102
2	Wild color changes	Caster shines and flickers for 1 turn	Self	No	No	SPWM102
3	Squirrels... Everywhere squirrels!	Summons 8 allied squirrels around caster for 2 turns	Self	No	No	SPWM103
4	I'm so itchy	Caster suffers a -2 penalty to casting time and weapon speed factor for 1 turn	Self	No	No	SPWM104
5	It's so bright!	Saturated colours on caster for 1 turn	Self	No	No	SPWM105
6	Area effect	The effects of the desired spell are applied to all creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on caster. Spells with an area of effect that triggers several times only get to have one trigger.	Self
7	Sex change	Caster's gender is reversed for 100 rounds (aka 10 turns or 2 in-game hours) (see Bugs section)	Self	No	No	SPWM107
8	Color change	Caster turns golden for 1 turn	Self	MR		SPWM108
9	Baldur's Gate II Classic & Enhanced This icon indicates content from all games of the 2nd Baldur's Gate instalment – all editions and expansions. This may include The Black Pits II. What was that? Over there! Baldur's Gate I Classic & Enhanced This icon indicates content from all games of the 1st Baldur's Gate instalment – all editions and expansions. This may include The Black Pits. Explosion?	All in a radius twice the caster's visual range face towards the same point, that can be quite far away, where a "soul rising" animation is played	Self	No	No	SPWM109
10	Explosion?	Harmless fire effect on caster	Self	No	No	SPWM110
11	Entangled	Movement speed set to 0 and -2 AC penalty on caster for 1 turn	Self	MR		SPWM111
12	Slowed	Slow effect to all in a 15-foot radius centred on Point, for 1 turn	Point	No	No	SPWM112
13	Polymorphed	For 70s, target is affected by:  ① Polymorph Spirit Wolf: Base AC 0, Cold & Elec. resistances 100%, 16 STR, 20 DEX  ② Create weapon: Magical +1, 3 APR, plus Normal Haste in BG2 or +50% mov. speed in BG1. Casting disabled, Innates excepted.	Creature	MR: ①	: ①	SPWM113
14	Held	Caster affected for 70s by Hold in BG2 or Hold 2 in BG1	Self	MR		SPWM114
15	Hastened	Caster affected by Normal Haste for 1 turn	Self	No	No	SPWM115
16	Polymorphed	Caster turns Squirrel for 40s in BG2, 1000 hours in BG1: Casting disabled, HP 5, STR & DEX 3, APR 1. See Bugs for BG2.	Self	vs Poly MR		SPWM183
17	Gold Destroyed!	80% of party gold is destroyed	Self	No	No	SPWM117
18	Weakened	Target suffers -6 Strength for 1 turn	Creature	No	No	SPWM118
19	Burst	The Sunfire spell bursts out from caster	Self	Spell ½ Baldur's Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions This icon indicates content from all Enhanced Editions of the Baldur's Gate games. May situationally encompass Siege of Dragonspear and The Black Pits I & II content as well. MR		SPWI523
20	Legs... so... heavy.	Caster's movement rate reduced by 4 for 1 turn. (Base rate for player characters is 9.)	Self	No	No	SPWM120
21	Caster also targeted	The desired spell is cast twice: ① On target, ② On caster, where it affects all creatures in the potential AoE.	① Upheld ② Self
22	Held	Caster is affected by Hold Creature for 1 turn if they are humanoid	Self	vs Spell MR		SPWM122
23	Fear	All creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on Point are affected by Panic for 14 rounds. The caster is never affected.	Point	Spell -4 MR		SPWM123
24	Roll twice more	Roll twice more. If the desired spell expects a Point target, it can be overwritten by a Creature surge. Subsequent surges will believe the desired spell expected a Creature type of target all along, and will receive the creature randomly selected by the preceding surge as the actual target. It is the only case where a surge inherits from another surge.
25	Area explored	The entire area is now explored	Area	No	No	SPWM125
26	Globe of Invulnerability	For 7 rounds, target becomes immune to all effects of power level 1, 2 and 3	Creature	MR		SPWM126
27	Silence	The Silence, 15' Radius spell is cast, centred on caster	Self	Spell -5 MR		SPPR211
28	Dizzy	Caster suffers from 100% spellcasting failure and -4 penalty to THAC0 for 1 turn. Innate abilities can still be used.	Self	No	No	SPWM128
29	Invisible	The Invisibility spell is cast on Creature target. Nothing happens if the desired spell used a Point target.	Point	No		SPWI206
30	Pretty sparkles	One of eight visual effects occurs on caster, while a harmless blue projectile flies towards Point	Self	No	No	SPWM130
31	Caster becomes target	The desired spell is cast but on caster, and all creatures are affected within the potential AoE	Self
32	Invisible	The Invisibility spell is cast on caster	Self	No		SPWI206
33	Colors!	The Color Spray spell is shot away from caster and towards Point	Point	vs Spell MR		SPWI105
34	I've always said that bird magic is the most difficult.	Summon 8 non-selectable birds on Point, they vanish after 2 turns	Point	No	No	SPWM134
35	Shouldn't this spell do something?	Only the visual and sound effects of the desired spell are "cast" on Point.	Point	No	No
36	Gems!	After a one-second delay, caster receives 3 to 5 gems among Aquamarine, Garnet, Horn Coral, Pearl and Sphene	Self	No	No	SPWM136
37	Berries in my pocket.	The legendary Goodberry spell is cast	Self	No	No	SPPR207
38	Berries in my pocket.	The legendary Goodberry spell is cast again and solves world hunger	Self	No	No	SPPR207
39	Projectile changed	A different projectile carrying the effects of the desired spell is hurled towards the Creature target. AoE spells become single target and friendly fire becomes possible if it wasn't.	Creature
40	What's this in my pocket?	Rich random treasure created on caster	Self	No	No	SPWM141
41	What's this in my pocket?	Rich random treasure created on caster	Self	No	No	SPWM141
42	Combat ready!	All creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on caster receive a +2 bonus to THAC0 and damage for 1 turn	Self	MR		SPWM142
43	Combat ready!	All creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on caster receive a +2 bonus to THAC0 and damage for 1 turn	Self	MR		SPWM142
44	*hiccup*... *hic*...	All creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on Point get hiccups, suffering -1 penalties to THAC0 and weapon speed factor for 1 turn	Point	No		SPWM145
45	*hiccup*... *hic*...	All creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on Point get hiccups, suffering -1 penalties to THAC0 and weapon speed factor for 1 turn	Point	No		SPWM145
46	Roll twice more	Roll twice more. If the desired spell expects a Point target, it can be overwritten by a Creature surge. Subsequent surges will believe the desired spell expected a Creature type of target all along, and will receive the creature randomly selected by the preceding surge as the actual target. It is the only case where a surge inherits from another surge.
47	Polymorphed	For 70s, caster is affected by:  ① Polymorph Spirit Wolf: Base AC 0, Cold & Elec. resistances 100%, 16 STR, 20 DEX  ② Create weapon: Magical +1, 3 APR, plus Normal Haste in BG2 or +50% mov. speed in BG1. Casting disabled, Innates excepted.	Self	MR: ①	: ①	SPWM113
48	Oops, wrong target.	The desired spell is cast, aiming at a random creature selected within a radius 150% the size of the caster's visual range. Potential AoE is upheld, but friendly fire becomes possible if it wasn't. This surge is independent from targeting rules, it is not affected by any kind of external target data and does not affect other surges in multi-rolls #24, #46 or #63.	Independent
49	I feel refreshed.	The desired spell doesn't happen. Instead, caster recuperates as if they rested.	Self	No	No
50	Monsters summoned	The Monster Summoning II spell is cast on Point	Point	No	No	SPWI407
51	Is that snow?	If outdoors, it starts snowing. If indoors, turns into surge #46 Roll twice more.	Area	No	No
52	What's with the noise?	The desired spell is cast on target with a faint thump	Upheld			SPWM155
53	Double Hit Points	The target's Hit points are doubled for 1 turn	Creature	No	No	SPWM153
54	Oops, a gate... Is that a demon?!	A Cacofiend-like spell is cast, centred on Point. But it lasts 20 rounds – Cacofiend lasts 15 rounds in EE. The Nabassu summoned is much more dangerous in Baldur's Gate I because it uses Aec'Letec's Death Gaze.	Point	No		SPWM154
55	What's with the noise?	The desired spell is cast on target with a faint thump	Upheld			SPWM155
56	Duration halved	The desired spell is cast on target but the duration is halved where applicable	Upheld
57	Swirly things	All creatures within a 15-foot radius centred on Point get a swirly smoke effect with a noise around them. It can repeat a few times but stops after 80s.	Point	No		SPWM157
58	Projectile speed halved	The desired spell is cast on target but both the projectile and the shock wave speed are halved	Upheld
59	Weapons glow	All wielded weapons in the area glow for 10s	Area	No		SPWM159
60	No Save	The desired spell is cast on target and no saving throw is allowed against its effects	Upheld
61	Held	Creature target is affected by Hold in BG2 or Hold 2 in BG1 for a little over 11 rounds (70s). Nothing happens if the desired spell used a Point target.	Point	MR		SPWM114
62	Detect magic	Any creature within a 15-foot radius centred on Point gets highlighted if it is affected by dispellable magic.	Point	No		SPWM162
63	Roll 4 more times!	Roll 4 more times. If the desired spell expects a Point target, it can be overwritten by a Creature surge. Subsequent surges will believe the desired spell expected a Creature type of target all along, and will receive the creature randomly selected by the preceding surge as the actual target. It is the only case where a surge inherits from another surge.
64	Slowed	For 45s, all creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on Point are affected by the Slow effect and a -4 penalty to AC and THAC0. Baldur's Gate I & II Classic This icon indicates content from all original Baldur's Gate games, extensions included. See Bugs section.	Point	Spell -4 MR		SPWM164
65	Baldur's Gate II Classic & Enhanced This icon indicates content from all games of the 2nd Baldur's Gate instalment – all editions and expansions. This may include The Black Pits II. Oops, wrong spell. Baldur's Gate I Classic & Enhanced This icon indicates content from all games of the 1st Baldur's Gate instalment – all editions and expansions. This may include The Black Pits. Ooops wrong spell	Instead of the desired spell, a different spell is cast on target, selected randomly from a pool of up to 11 spells, generally of the same level. This surge does no retargeting, so "wrong" spells that can't handle the desired spell's target type will have no effect. [verification needed]
66	Lightning bolt.	The Lightning Bolt spell is cast at the target.	Creature	Spell ½ MR		SPWI308
67	Strengthened	Target benefits from a +6 Strength bonus for a little over 11 rounds (70s)	Creature	MR		SPWM167
68	Heal	An AoE version of the Heal spell is cast, affecting all creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on target	Creature	MR: • Heal • Cure Intox		SPWM168
69	Entangle	Movement speed set to 0 and -2 AC penalty on target for 1 turn	Creature	MR		SPWM111
70	Weakened	Caster suffers -6 Strength for 1 turn	Self	No	No	SPWM118
71	Fireball	The Fireball spell is cast, centred on Point	Point	Spell ½ MR		SPWI304
72	Turned to Stone	The Flesh to Stone spell is cast on target	Creature	Spell MR		SPWI604
73	Spell cast and I feel refreshed.	The desired spell is cast on target and the caster recuperates as if they rested	Upheld
74	Heal	An AoE version of the Heal spell is cast, affecting all creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on caster	Self	MR: • Heal • Cure Intox		SPWM168
75	Dizzy	Target suffers from 100% spellcasting failure and -4 penalty to THAC0 for 1 turn. Innate abilities can still be used.	Creature	No	No	SPWM128
76	Burst	The Sunfire spell bursts out from Point. In EE, nothing happens if Point is not the caster's position. Multi-roll #24, #46 & #63 are able to overwrite the target in case of Point spell ➜ Creature Surge ➜ #76. Burst might inherit the caster as a target then.	Point	Spell ½ Baldur's Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions This icon indicates content from all Enhanced Editions of the Baldur's Gate games. May situationally encompass Siege of Dragonspear and The Black Pits I & II content as well. MR		SPWI523
77	Held	Target is affected by Hold Creature for 1 turn if they are humanoid	Creature	vs Spell MR		SPWM122
78	Blinded	Target is affected by Blindness for 100 rounds (aka 10 turns or 2 in-game hours)	Creature	vs Spell MR		SPWM178
79	Charmed	Target is affected by Charm Creature for 50 rounds (aka 5 turns or 1 in-game hour). Elves have a 90% chance to be unaffected and Half-elves 30%. Contrary to most charm spells, blue-circled creature will not become hostile when this spell wears out.	Creature	vs Spell MR		SPWM179
80	Gems!	After a one-second delay, 3 to 5 droppable but unstealable gems are created on target. See #36 for the list.	Creature	No		SPWM136
81	My legs! What have you done?	Target's movement rate reduced by 4 for 1 turn. (Base rate for player characters is 9.)	Creature	No	No	SPWM120
82	What's in my pack?	Droppable but unstealable Rich random treasure created on target	Creature	No		SPWM141
83	Silence	The Silence, 15' Radius spell is cast, centred on Point	Point	Spell -5 MR		SPPR211
84	Silence	The Silence, 15' Radius spell is cast, centred on Point	Point	Spell -5 MR		SPPR211
85	Sex change	Target changes gender for 100 rounds (aka 10 turns or 2 in-game hours). Many creatures will be unaffected. (See Bugs section)	Creature	No	No	SPWM107
86	Explosion?	Fake, harmless Flame Strike on target	Creature	MR: • Flame		SPWM186
87	Stinking cloud	A spell identical to Stinking Cloud is cast, centred on Point.	Point	Death +2 MR		SPWM187
88	COW!	Cow falls from the sky for 3d10+3 crushing damage on target. The cow may explode on impact in a thunderous noise, dealing a shock wave blow to the target and all within a varying radius, for another 3d10+3. Walls break the spread of AoE attacks.	Creature	MR	Baldur's Gate I & II Classic This icon indicates content from all original Baldur's Gate games, extensions included.:	SPWM188
89	Dizzy	Target suffers from 100% spellcasting failure and -4 penalty to THAC0 for 1 turn. Innate abilities can still be used.	Creature	No	No	SPWM128
90	Area effect	The effects of the desired spell are applied to all creatures in a 15-foot radius centred on Point. Spells with an area of effect that triggers several times only get to have one trigger.	Point
91	Itchy	Target receives a -2 penalty to weapon speed factor for 80s. Note: The visual effect can be negated with an odd save vs Polymorph.	Creature	vs Spell MR		SPWM191
92	Hit Points doubled	The caster's Hit points are doubled for 1 turn	Self	No	No	SPWM153
93	Held	Target is affected by Hold Creature for 1 turn if they are humanoid	Creature	vs Spell MR		SPWM122
94	Hastened	Target affected by Normal Haste for 1 turn	Creature	No	No	SPWM115
95	My gold!	80% of gold on the target is destroyed	Creature	No	No	SPWM199
96	Spell cast twice	The desired spell is cast twice on target	Upheld
97	Spell cast, +4 save	The desired spell is cast on target; victims make any Saving throws against it with a +4 bonus	Upheld
98	Color change	The target creature's skin turns red for upwards of 3 years. Nothing happens if the desired spell used a Point target.	Point	vs Spell MR		SPWM198
99	Spell cast at double level	The desired spell is cast on target, but at double the caster level. Note: The growth of most spells caps at level 20, but higher caster level makes them harder to dispel.	Upheld
100	Spell cast normally	The desired spell is cast on target	Upheld
101 (9B)	What was that? Over there!	The desired spell is cast on target	Upheld

Tips

Saving throws

The Wild Mage has a vested interest in improving their save vs Spell as quickly as possible, especially in Baldur's Gate I. A foolproof value for save vs Spell is -4, but a value of 1 coupled with a Vocalize spell memorized is great.

As an evil-aligned character, the Wild Mage gets a +2 save bonus against their own surges with Protection From Evil.

Before Baldur's Gate I's Chapter Four, the ways to improve saving throws vs Spell are Amulet of Spell Warding, The Claw of Kazgaroth, Robe of the Evil Archmagi, Spirit Armor, Ring of the Princes, Cloak of Protection +1, Protection From Evil, Improved Invisibility, Chant, Aid, and consumables Potion of Stone Form, The Horn of Kazgaroth and Potion of Magic Shielding. Blur could also be found as a random drop.

Without reliance on consumables, a +11 bonus can be expected before Chapter Four, leading to a save vs Spell of 1 at level 5 and below, and of -1 at level 6+. This doesn't account for Spirit Armor and Improved Invisibility (high level spells) or Blur (random drop), but does rely on a +2 bonus from Chant and Aid and on the Wild Mage being evil.

Note: The best source of Protection From Evil at low level is Ajantis's innate ability, because it lasts for 1 turn.

Spell scrolls

Hunt for high level spell scrolls as early as possible, and keep an eye out for random treasures. What a random treasure will be is determined only once, either upon first entry into the area hosting the creature or container, or when a creature is first spawned.

In Baldur's Gate I, a lot of useful spells are sold in the High Hedge Estate, others can be stolen from Shandalar, Improved Invisibility is at Ulgoth's Beard Inn, and there are many great ones in containers of the labyrinth's 1st level under Durlag's tower. Domination and Polymorph Self are in the 2nd level, more difficult to reach early on.

For random loot, valuable scrolls may be pickpocketed or dropped by all kinds of Ogres, Basilisks, Gnolls, Ghasts, Doppelgangers, Ankhegs, Amnian Soldiers in Nashkel, or the Skeleton Warriors from the 1st level of Durlag's labyrinth. Containers don't have random loot.

In Baldur's Gate II, absurdly high level spells can be found as random loot in containers and on creatures right from the start of the game. Cowled Wizards are good target practise, but many containers in Athkatla qualify.

Play style

At low level, it is relatively safe to cast single target spells at enemies that are distant enough to cover the radius of a standard AoE (i.e. a Fireball's). That is because "Creature" spells cannot be retargeted unless it's a Self surge or #48 Oops, wrong target. "Point" spells, on the other hand, can get retargeted by both Self and Creature surges.

Note:	If available, Spell sequencers can be used to cast AoE spells and have them count as safer "Creature" spells. All that's needed is to cast at an enemy a sequencer that contains just one Creature spell. [verification needed]

Bring statistics to your side

In Baldur's Gate I, Evermemory doubles level 1 spells. While the odds for a single NRD to cast the desired spell are low, it is very likely to happen when all NRDs are unleashed at once. If the nature of the desired spell is such that it could end the fight on its own, then the battle is very likely to be won in a single quick barrage of NRDs.

Keep in mind play style and saving throw advice to avoid risks.

Other tips

• It is safe to romance both Neera and Hexxat at the same time in a single playthrough, without consequence, which is possible because of the bug with surges Sex change #7 and #85. Since Hexxat only romances females and Neera males, it seems that Beamdog developers didn't bother writing a conflict for this pair.
• Baldur's Gate I & II Classic
  This icon indicates content from all original Baldur's Gate games, extensions included. In the original Baldur's Gate II, the Fireshield (Blue) and Fireshield (Red) spells will never surge. If cast through the Reckless Dweomer, they will always get surge #100 Spell cast normally. That makes them level 1 spells that don't even need to be memorized.
• Wild magic areas such as the Wild Forest or the Tiefling room from the Teleport Maze have holes. Every 14 seconds, they apply two effects that last for 14 seconds to all creatures in the area if the protagonist is available. There is no way to block or dispel these effects, but if the protagonist is mazed for example, the area script will fail to apply them. Even when the spell succeeds, there's still a hole. The first effect forces the very next spell cast by an affected creature to surge. It works just like NRD, so Wild Mages benefit from their level. The second effect sets the initial wild surge bonus to 1 instead of 0. (Bug: This overrides both Chaos Shields in BG2:EE, so they have no effect in wild magic areas.) After these effects are applied, a creature's first spell will surge, but all subsequent spells will not until the area script re-applies the effects. Note that none of these flaws apply to items like The Brick, the Wild Sling or the Tunic of Blindeye, because they don't rely on an area script, they don't modify the wild surge bonus, and they force all spells to surge instead of only the first one.
• A Wild Mage may cast level 7 spells not normally available in Baldur's Gate I thanks to Improved Chaos Shield. This requires getting surge #65 Oops, wrong spell, which may replace the shield with e.g. Spell Turning, Protection from The Elements, Project Image, Cacofiend, Mantle or Spell Sequencer.
• Sequencers (ie Minor Sequencer, Spell Sequencer and Spell Trigger) don't surge when being prepared, but they do when being released (and they're all treated as unique level 1 spells). However, if a surge that doesn't allow the sequencer to release correctly occurs, said sequencer will only be expended momentarily and may be regained via resting. eg a Mage in a wild zone can prepare a Minor Sequencer with 2x Melf's Acid Arrow with no issues, but when said sequencer is released, surge #65 Oops, wrong spell can result in Color Spray, Burning Hands or a few other level 1 spells being cast instead, surge #6 Area Effect will result in nothing happening (so the spells contained in the sequencer don't matter) and surge #14 Held will attempt to hold the Mage. Whatever the surge, if the sequencer isn't actually properly released (like it would be with surge #100, for example), the Mage may then rest to regain that same 2x Melf's Acid Arrow Minor Sequencer and it will only ever truly be gone if it's released correctly, otherwise the Mage can continue to rest to regain it.

Technical details on Oops, wrong spell

As seen in the table, surge #65 replaces the desired spell with another in a certain pool of candidates. But what does that pool contain? The game takes the desired spell's file name, usually in the form "SPWIxxx" — the x being digits, and replaces the last two digits with an integer randomly selected between 00 and 10. For example, if a player casts the level 9 spell Absolute Immunity (SPWI907) and gets this surge, the resulting spell could be Spell Trap (SPWI902), Spellstrike (SPWI903), Gate (SPWI905), Absolute Immunity (SPWI907), Chain Contingency (SPWI908), Time Stop (SPWI909) or Imprisonment (SPWI910).

That's, at least, how it goes with regular Mage, Cleric, Druid or Shaman spells whose file names start in SPWI or SPPR. There seems to be some kind of slightly different system when it comes to some Innate abilities (most of them result in SPIN1xx spells), Class abilities (like the Dark Moon Monk's Frozen Fist, some of them result SPCL1xx spells) or even outlier cases such as wishes cast by the genie from the level 9 spell Wish (something entirely different).

If the randomly selected number corresponds to no spell or the target is invalid, then no spell will be cast. For example, the level 9 spell Meteor Swarm never produces any result, as the spells from the pool listed above fail in the same way that Invisible #29, Held #61 and Color change #98 do when inheriting a Point target.

All of this also means that if the game is modded, then the Oops, wrong spell surge can cast spells installed by mods if they fit the criteria. For example, Sword Coast Stratagems adds Monster Summoning IX with the file name SPWI904, making it a valid candidate for a "wrong" spell.

Some creatures, abilities and spells may replace the desired spell with effects that constitute a bug or exploit, e.g. permanently granting Blackguard passive abilities, summoning Kangaxx or granting the Slayer ability. See the Wild Surge: Oops, Wrong Spell entry on the Exploits page.

Bugs

• Burst #19 and #76: Like the real Sunfire spell, these surges will have no effect if the casting command is given while the character is walking and casting speed is 0.
• Entangle #11 and #69: When combined with #20 Legs... so... heavy. or #81 My legs! What have you done? on the same creature, can make them move at teleporting speed.
• Baldur's Gate II
  Classic & Enhanced
  This icon indicates content from all games of the 2^nd Baldur's Gate instalment – all editions and expansions. This may include The Black Pits II. Polymorphed #16: In both editions of Baldur's Gate II, the character turned into a squirrel will retain an effect that sets their Attacks per round to 1 even when back to human form. Since it lasts for 500 days, it is advised to dispel this effect. Dispel has a chance to fail, however. A player could verify that the effect has been removed by equipping a weapon that sets attacks per round to something else than 1. If APR remains 1, the effect was not dispelled. Any dart will do. Boomerang Daggers will not.
• Sex change #7 and #85: These surges can trigger companion romance if they affect the protagonist. This romance will continue even after the sex change is reverted.
• Baldur's Gate I & II Classic
  This icon indicates content from all original Baldur's Gate games, extensions included. Slowed #64: When the victim succeeds in their save roll, all effects are negated. But in Original BG2 only, the slowed sound and portrait icon are still applied.

Gallery

The party enters Watcher's Keep - Wild Magic? (AR3009) and Aerie casts a spell, which Wild Surges, leading to additional surges and chaos.

A Quasit group's spell casting in Wild Magic room leads to random surge results. A COW! is incoming soon.

No one expects a COW to drop from above and explode in a shockwave of bovine bits.

TODO

• Confirm with further in-game tests the accuracy of the table's column Block or remove when casting each of Self, Creature and Point spells. ^{[verification needed]}
• Check differences between the current data, which was researched on BG2EE 2.5.16.6, and the original edition of Baldur's Gate II with Throne of Bhaal. For instance, Burst #76 doesn't fail when the target is not the caster in the original edition.
• Check differences between the current data and BG1EE. For instance, Polymorphed #16 lasts for 1000 in-game hours in BG1EE.