<font color=cadetblue>Hmm, how is Anomen a better Cleric than Viconia? Viconia wasn't dual classed so she has more cleric levels and she also has a much higher WIS + INT to boot. Throw in a belt of giant STR and she's good to go.</font>

I seem to have this vague memory that there was a heated debate about this subject matter before? Anomen vs. Viconia, who's a better "cleric"? don't remember the final verdict though...

That's what most people say - "I let her tag along, what do I care".
I LIKE her and like to use her abilities because Imoen can be a GREAT NPC with the right equipment and if you manage to fill the XP gap. And if you take her along to ToB it gets even more interesting. There are others I find far more useless (Nalia anyone?) and once you get her to these high levels she is unsurpassed in arcane skill by any other NPC (except for Edwin, but he can't even "Identify" [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) </font>[/QUOTE]well...I did and will take Imone into ToB everytime. I always want to have at least 2 mages in my party, most of the time, Imone is the second mage and the thief (before we get her back, either Jan or Nalia takes that position). My main mage never bother to identify, mostly the lvl 1 slots are filled with my favorite lvl 1 offensive spell. my main mage is the main offensive magic force, and Imone is good as the secondary mage (dispel magic/haste/breach etc...and of course also joins the offensive force). My last run through SoA/ToB, Edwin was the main mage with Imone by the side...she really did well, finishing off Yaga Shura and Draconis.

XP gap doesn't really matter that much, Imone can level up to be effective and helpful regardless of when you take her back.

my current party though has different approach to this XP gap issue, with my PC F/M and Aerie level up very, very slowly, when we get Imone back, there isn't really that much XP gap in the mage department. This time I don't really follow my own main mage + second mage route, it's more like a three mages system, none of them is really ahead of each other. right now, my PC and Aerie are lvl 13 as mage and Imone is at lvl 12, and she will soon over-level the other two mages. This is the first time I play this roster, and so maybe Imone will turn out to be my main mage?

The final verdict is that Anomen is a vastly better NPC than Viconia in terms of party usefulness. Ignorance is what usually gives Viconic the "advantage".

It's that "good" versus "evil" undead turning debate too.
pro good: utterly destroys 'em, fast way to get rid of 20 ghouls
pro evil: controls 'em, control 20 ghouls to get rid of 1 Greater Mummy
contra good: only kills easy undead no help against tough ones
contra evil: once you used your easily turned undead to kill the tougher ones you have to slay all your 20 ghouls manually one-by-one

One by one? njaww, just send em in a corner and fireball em...
Shouldn´t be so tough... [img]tongue.gif[/img]


Asking for spoilers...
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So are there any specific items found working well on her?

I have found that with Stone skin + Short sword +3 backstab (or something such) in one hand + cutthroat +4 short sword in the other hand, Jan can become a nice half tank.

Legos...you know...you talk like Edwin...(I should just fireball all of them when they sleep...) [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img]

well...I'd consider this only if Mazzy isn't in the party. If you don't go to WK early (with ToB installed) to get certain GREAT short sowrd, these two are the best short swords in SoA and Mazzy is among the deadliest fighters in the game dual wielding them (there are other decent daggers and short swords for Jan to sneaks into the battle and backstabs...)

[ 09-04-2003, 11:20 PM: Message edited by: teardropmina ]

To be honest, Imoen has been in just about any party I have made (except the all evil that I am playing off and on). I don't use backstabbing and traps too much, so she handles the two areas that require a thief (locks and traps). If you Baldurdash your game, it gives her extra thief points, making her much more useful (100% in open locks, 95% in find traps). Combine that with the fact that she advances at the same rate as a single class in mage, and she is very useful. I usually go very early to get her back (first opportunity), so she does not lag too far behind.

My first game, I put Imoen, Nalia, and Aerie in the same party. All were good in their specific areas. Imoen was the party thief, who also was #2 in the mage department. Aerie was backup cleric, and also backed up mage quite nicely. Nalia was a straight mage in my party; I did not once use her thieving skills (except for weapons, of course). Heavy on magic, to be sure, but still very good.

I guess it all comes down to your preference. I have always seen her as a strong member of the party, but others may disagree.

One last point on the Anomen vs. Viconia comparison: Don't assume that just because Anomen is Dual-classed and Viconia is a true Cleric, she has a "head-start" on him as far as Cleric levels are concerned--she doesn't.

My current project is a Chaotic party:
CN Wild Mage
Haer'Dalis
Jan
Valygar
Korgan
Anomen

After emerging from the Dungeon, I grabbed Korgan, Jan, Viconia, Valygar, and Haer'Dalis (as quickly as possible). Not counting our Travel Time to & from the Umar Hills, Viconia was in my party for about as long as it took to kill Mekrath and recruit Haer. At this point, I realized that "I can make Viconia (hrmph hrumph) in ToB, but I can make Anomen (hrmph hrumph) a whole lot sooner." So off we went to trade Viconia for Anomen. When I dropped Viconia, she was Level 9 or 10. Anomen, however, was already Level 11, and could cast 6th-Level spells. Do you have any idea how much help a single Aerial Servant can be in the Planar Prison (which is especially important if Haer'Dalis is included in your Party Plans)?

Ehh...
Well at first i got chaotic evil in the one alignment test that has been popping up here and there...
We´re like aligned...
[img]tongue.gif[/img]

Yes, well i have found that the game includes far too many great weapons...

I have some times trained Mazzy with the halberd to get some use out of the nice +4 wave that i usually get...

Minsc has the Vorpal sword...
yeesh, i love that weapon, it was really funny to see one Lich i was attacking die of the first blow that Minsc took at him...
I had prepared with all kinds of spell buffs, and the lich went and died before the fight began. xD

Also, having the equalizer as the off hand sword and Black Razor/Day star as the right hand weapon on my main character...

Uhh, and still it is hard to find use for all of the great wepons found all around...