Unusual Sightings

[Jumbie]

And you'll know the artifact even if you lose the encounter fight?

[Kalrex]

It usually tells you there in the beginning what the guardian is guarding- or - If it's something like the Bats or Wizard you find out and likely have to go back and approach it in a different manner

[Jumbie]

In the sample turn reports I've read, the details on what you found didn't come til the end, e.g.

THE VALIANT PATROL WAS VICTORIUS. THE TERROR
WHICH EXISTED MOMENTS AGO IS NOW REPLACED WITH AN EERIE CALM.
THE PATROL
MOVES ON TO A FULLER INSPECT AND DISCOVERS A VERY STRANGE CHEST, WHICH WITH
GREAT DIFFICULTY IS FINALLY OPENED AND PRODUCES A GREAT DIAMOND VALUED AT
9000 GOLD(ADDED TO YOUR TREASURY), AN ORNATE GOLD KEY, AND A PARCHMENT
WRITTEN IN A NEARLY FORGOTTEN TONGUE: ONLY HE WHO POSSESSES THIS, THE KEY
OF THE MAKER, CAN HOPE TO OBTAIN THE RING OF POWER.

[Kalrex]

That's a successful mission though- You asked about unsuccessful missions as well...

[paway]

The original article seems to imply (or state) that you can self invisible a wizard, have it assist in the unusual sighting, and he will contribute at full effectiveness.

What's the point of issuing a Guarded Attack, instead, if that reduces the value of the assisting wizard by half? I'd have to assume that the information from the first article is false, or else its a poorly designed aspect of the game.

Assuming that self invisible/assist in unusual encounter provides only a negligible assistance in doing the unusual sighting, have people found it better to pick out the spell or just throw the wizard into the mix? Is there a list of spells that 'work' when investigating unusual sightings? A number of these low-level spells appear quite useful, but their spell text gives no indication that they work in unusual sightings (like Guarded Attack does):

Protect Heroes and Wizards 94
Kill Leader/Wizard 96
Shield 100
Lightning Attack 102

Any insight would be appreciated.

[Lord Diamond]

The original article seems to imply (or state) that you can self invisible a wizard, have it assist in the unusual sighting, and he will contribute at full effectiveness.

What's the point of issuing a Guarded Attack, instead, if that reduces the value of the assisting wizard by half? I'd have to assume that the information from the first article is false, or else its a poorly designed aspect of the game.

Assuming that self invisible/assist in unusual encounter provides only a negligible assistance in doing the unusual sighting, have people found it better to pick out the spell or just throw the wizard into the mix? Is there a list of spells that 'work' when investigating unusual sightings? A number of these low-level spells appear quite useful, but their spell text gives no indication that they work in unusual sightings (like Guarded Attack does):

Protect Heroes and Wizards 94
Kill Leader/Wizard 96
Shield 100
Lightning Attack 102

Any insight would be appreciated.

The wizard chooses the most appropriate spell for the encounter. You just decide if he participates. I do not believe that he will participate at all with Self Invisible.

[Kalrex]

I've done several quests recently and you do need to actually issue an order that will place a Wizard into the patrol.

[Jumbie]

Kalrex, so if you place the order to enter the patrol you can then choose guarded attack etc in a separate order?

[Lord Diamond]

Guarded Attack replaces the order telling the wizard to participate. It's all you need to do for the wizard.

[Jumbie]

Kalrex seems to dispute this.

Any way to settle the issue definitively?

Also the original article seems to say that self-invisible lets the wizard contribute just as much as the assist order which seems odd.