I've played the gae a fair bit but I'm looking for quirky ways of playing with lots of mage characters without compromising my front ine fighting ability and I was hoping you guys could help.

I usually play:

paladin undead hunter
ranger/cleric
fighter/thief
fighter/mage
fighter/mage
pure class fighter

but I'm looking for 4 mage characters (or the equivalent) who can all cast reasonably powerful mage spells...

Use some Bards then. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif

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It's bleedin dark down here, slippery too.
http://www.planettribes.com/hosed/sm.../cwm/piss2.gif Man, that's a pisser. http://www.contrabandent.com/pez/cwm/cwm/piss.gif

bards are good but they can only use up to 6th level spells. maybe try a cleric/mage, they are completely self-sufficient and have access to all forms of magic. also maybe try a sorcerer-they get lots of spells

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trux

But they can only cast spells up to level 6. (although they can do lots of other cool stuff I admit)

I did the same thing with mage characters, I wanted to get more experience with mages who can gain it with scrolls.

Here is what I made up for my 5 characters...

Kensai/mage dual weapons grandmaster with katana
Beserker/mage dual weapons grandmaster with longsword
Beserker/mage grandmaster with quarterstaff, 2 slots to 2-handed weapons
Beserker/mage dual weapons grandmaster with warhammers
Beserker/mage dual weapons grandmaster with axes

And I have a 6th player character in the last slot, that way I can do most of the character classes also.

This party gives you a major major melee/magic party. Your mages once they bypass their fighter levels are going to be incredible melee fighters, along with being powerful casting mages. The variety of weapons will give each of them some of the best weapons in the game.
With spells like stoneskin, blur, haste, mirror image, tensers transformation, you will slaughter your foes with 5 magic warriors.
PLUS!! you can wear armor! you won't be able to cast while wearing it, but each character can carry 1 set of great armor (gorgon armor, red dragon, armor of the hart) and if they get to a area they can power up THEN put on the armor.

Thus your mage will go into combat mirror imaged, tenser transformed (2x HP and lesser AC), blured, stoneskin, then they put on their armor, and basically go into combat as Grandmaster warriors powered up with spells. If you know the battles, you can tailor the mage to the fight.

I usually keep a healer in the 6th slot, or a thief depending on where I'm going. I never used another mage such as Edwin or Aerie in the 6th slot except to do their quests and gain a ton of experience by letting them inscribe scrolls.
Imagine 5 mages hitting a foe with chained magic missiles (15 magic missile spells in one attack, 5 missiles per mage, thats 75 magic missiles in one volley. Watch a dragon die real quick.
Im in chapter 3 so far with this group. Getting kinda boring how quick I tear up the foes now. Leveled up ALOT! Know how much experience you get by having something like 8 mages or so in the game memorizing scrolls? 5 of yours and 3 or so NPCs?
The only problem you will have is NO healers and NO thieves unless they are the 6th NPC. I don't have a major problem, since my mage/fighters tear up most foes even before they get close to do any damage to me. I killed the red and shadow dragons without taking ANY damage using magic resistance/lower resistance/a zillion magic missiles. Magic missiles, such a cheesy level 1 spell. he he.

heh, and i thought my IWD party was magic-strong! a fighter/mage, a mage, a bard, and a cleric/mage, backed up w/ 2 fighters. but really, THAT is a magic strong party there sunder!

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I'll kidnap ya fer 100, reprogram ya fer 300, and kill ya fer 500! Oh come one! I'll throw in the killin' fer 250!

Yep, thats why I got it. I was thinking more of the experience boost than the magic power. I didn't care how strong the mages got, just how much experience they could rack up.
I also didn't have alot of money compared to other games. Many other games I easily had 100,000 plus gold, I could have gotten alot more with thieves cleaning out a merchant, can't do that with all mages. I only have about 20,000 gold presently, and that stretches alot trying to buy scrolls and other things. But not doing to bad.
I can't wait to cast level 8 spells and get simulacrum. I'll have 10 mages all casting linked magic missile spells, oh its gonna hurt!

For some NPC action (wich I prefer) try out a magic loaded evil party with Anomen (Fighter/cleric), Viconia (cleric), Edwyn (mage), Haer d'Alis (bard), and yourself. I would try a thief dualled to mage. The sixth slot could be Jaheira (cleric) or Jan (thief/illousionist), or maybe Korgan as a tank. Yeah....I think I'll try that.....

Just so you know, for kicks I just had my mage party attack the silver dragon for fun (its a good party, so I just reloaded after and did it the good way). Killed the dragon in one volley. Mages are so damn cool LOL

I didn't use the cheesy magic resistance spell.
I had 2 mages cast lower resistance on the dragon, then all 5 of them unloaded with a major spell sequencer magic missiles x3. Killed the dragon with 75 magic missiles. HA magic is so great.
my NPC character just watched. Took some pictures for the scrap book. BUT DAMN! what a lag my computer went through trying to draw 75 magic missiles flying through the air, I was hoping it wouldn't crash the system.

question?

where u get so many spell scrolls for 5 mages

spoiler???? maybe not but........
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you can buy them at the Adventurers Mart.... and theres a lady in the upstairs section that sells scrolls. Also, theres a merchant in the Promonade on the upper right hand tier that sells them I think. Look for the merchants in Trademeet and the Umar Hills. Copper Coronet in the Slums has some too. Just about anywhere for that matter. Some merchants only sell weapons but most sell a few scrolls too.

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THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!

There are a TON of scrolls in the game, so many you don't really ever use most of them. You can find a ton of scrolls as treasure, you can pickpocket scrolls off NPC's, and the stores are loaded with them. The hard part is actually getting enough money to buy the ones you want. Having a thief with high stealing can help out greatly.
I never totally filled up my spellbooks, trying to complete 8 or so mages with spells is hard work, but Almost every scroll I find goes to someone (except the extra death spell/truesight scrolls you can get, those I sell)

LOLOLOL! sounds like my dual mage that i onice played in muliplay, i made two two muliclass mage/clec, then had one mage/clec do all the buffing and debuffing of mosters, and second mage all loaded to the brim with magic missiles, death spells, flesh to stone, and all that junk http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif i totaly rule, i had a no xp cap so... but i hate xp cap so http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif it was so funny watching the red dragon die so fast, one mage/clec just unloaded minor spell sequencer with two doom, then an mormal spell sequencer with 2 doom and malesotorm, then the spell trigger with magic resistence, and two lowern resistance, lol! now the dragon probably had like very bad saveing throws and low resistance, then second mage, shot off a spell trigger all loaded with flesh to stone spells, then that dragson became a stone which i shattered http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif

Spoiler: Maybe
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Do you still get the items from using a flesh to stone spell (i.e when the target turns to stone)? If not you missed Carsomyr +5 http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif

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"Oh King to whom all birds are dear, speed now this feathered shaft, and recall some pity for the Noldor in their need."

-Fingon's prayer to Manwë as he prepared to shoot Maedhros

Yup i missed it http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif but it was kind of pointless cause this was going to be a two mage solo the entire game, ahem mage/clec but that's beside the point http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif