Darth Canoli
Arcane
Note that I'm talking about proper spellcasting duels involving mages, clerics, druids and bards. And monsters like ogre mages and greater doppelgangers.
BG has many examples: Tarnesh, Silke, Nimbul, Mulahey, Bassilus, Tranzig, Venkt, Amarande, Kysus, Rezin, Natasha, Osmadi, Droth, Davaeorn, Mutamin, Ramazith, Degrodel, Entillus, Naaman, Cythandria, Angelo, Shaldrissa, Semaj, Krystin.
Spellcasting duels are a mainstay of the plot-critical path but can be found elsewhere as well. They employ illusions, teleporting, invisibility, protection spells, direct damage, immobilization, divide and conquer etc.
There are at least 20 more in the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion (Durlag's Tower, Ice Island, Werewolf Island).
Also, BG invented rival party faceoffs; that is, pitting the party against other adventuring parties or clans of assassins.
Ok, remember you asked for it ...
Rival parties
As there a lot of cRPG i didn't play, i'm not going to presume i know which one introduced them first.
Still, there's a game featuring them years before BG, maybe you heard about it, it's an obscure title called Wizardry VII ... Ring a bell ?
Mages duels
I'll only give 3 examples but there is more obscure titles which did it as well with simpler combat systems.
Wizardry series. I suppose there's no need to comment on this one.
Might & Magic series, in Isles of Terra, for example, there is some high profile priests, mages, lichs throwing a lot of shit your way, from confusion and fear to turn into stone and instant death spells ...
Heroes of Might & Magic (starting with the first one), ok, it's not a cRPG but as far as combat goes, it's better than most cRPG and the spell books are full of nasty stuff, well they don't cast them on themselves but on their troops so here's your technicality, still, in my mind it's pretty much the same thing.
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