Okay I'm a little confused. The manual says it's best to have 6 characters, but then says you can have NPCs as characters as well (but only 2). So can you have two NPCs as well as 6 characters of your own, or should you only make 4 characters because the two NPCs make up the six? Do you need to get NPCs or can you just have your own 6 the whole way through?

Also, will a bishop be enough for healing, or do you need a proper priest?

You can have 6 characters of your own, plus 2 more RPCs (recruitable PCs) making it a grand total of ...... 8 !!! ( I can do math [img]smile.gif[/img] )

Except for a few quests, you don't really need RPCs, but some of them are fun.

Most of them will not go to certain areas though.

As to whether or not to use them, there are two schools of thought.

Having them around decreases the amt of xp your own characters recieved. Also, they then to be weaker than your characters.

However, on the flip side, since monsters are scaled to your level, less xp, more skill practise is better. Also, you get to enjoy their personality.

My take ?

Recruit RPCs to complement and beef up your party. (ie if you need someone to pick locks, recruit Myles). Also, if like the RPC then recruit him/her. Else just leave them alone.

As for Bishop healing, if you concentrate on the priest or alchemist spells, they should be sufficient. However, it does not hurt to have another backup if something nasty happens. Either that or have lots of potions available.

Good Luck !

~~aelia~~

okay. here's a few things i have come across.

* if you like hard battles, then you can make a 4 person party. you get more experience this way, so levels are faster, but you really need to make a party that can do it.

* making a 4 person party would prolly involve a lot of restarting! so you should be pretty patient, too. :D

* the rpc's (recruitable player chars) have their own lives and will not follow you blindly everywhere. each area, however, has a couple (usually) that will be willing to go with you, so you won't be lonely long. [img]smile.gif[/img]

* i believe there is at least one rpc per class.

* you don't have to hire them. i think there is one later on that you HAVE to take to fufill a quest. but once again, that's up to you.

and about your bishop, i have heard others say they are good replacements for the priest.
* you need to read the manual on that class and plan out exactly what spell you're gonna need at what levels and save them or spend them accordingly.
* the bishop will not start learning spells till level 5, so you will need to carry lots of pots and scrolls until that time.
* you are going to have to be very focused with how you develop him. find your main stats and abilities and only distribute the points in those areas at level up.

those are the basics. i am sure those who have 4 person parties will be able to be of more help! good luck and have fun!! :D

Thanks heaps [img]smile.gif[/img] I'm certainly having 6 created characters, I just wasn't sure whether with the RPCs you could have 8, or whether 6 was the maximum party number.

Bishops don't learn spells until level 5? Then how could I choose two spells for her when I created her? I thought they just learnt them slower because they had more spell books to choose from [img]graemlins/confused2.gif[/img]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Aelia Jusa:
Bishops don't learn spells until level 5? Then how could I choose two spells for her when I created her? I thought they just learnt them slower because they had more spell books to choose from [img]graemlins/confused2.gif[/img] <hr></blockquote>

[img]graemlins/homer.gif[/img]

oopsie! watch out! Blonde Brigade coming thru!!
i'm tripping over my big, fat mouth! i am 100% wrong. thanks for waking me up!

Priests stink. Go with a Bishop.

Hi!

I have a Bishop and a Priest too.
When not casting spells, the priest strikes with a Staff of Doom, or shoots with a Wist Rocket.
He is very useful.

Bye!

Sleepwalker

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Simkin:
Priests stink. Go with a Bishop.<hr></blockquote>

Disagree. Priests are incredibly useful, you just have to play them right. Use them for healing, and damn near nothing else, and they'll keep the rest of your party in great shape dealing death. They are also comparitively easy to develop compared to a Bishop. For someone's first time through, especially if they're new to the Wizardry system, I'd strongly recommend a preist over a Bishop.

I have played a 4 character party and never grabbed any NPC's to go with me. Frankly, it wasn't anymore difficult than what I'm experiencing with my new 6 person party. The only reason I gave up on that party was that I would be crippled when one of the party members leaves for a while later in the game.

will try two in future ....