Hi, this is a newbie kinda q.

I have an elfen mage but don't really wanna spend my spell points into things like energy blast. I wanna save them for the later level spells...but they won't be avilable till the later game.

Are there any early level spells I can invest in for the mage? Or should I save them all for later?

For a mage, the only spells you won't be able to buy books for are 6th and 7th level, so you only need to save enough picks to learn those. It'll be quite a few levels before you get to learn those spells, so early on it's not a bad idea to use some picks on spells you think will help you out. Sleep, Enchanted Blade, Missile Shield, and Web are all really effective early on.

Yah, i think so too, here's another thing for you: There's a Book of Terror in the opening-scene chest, about 30%, i would guess. Just restart the game, check the chest, restart, etc. Handy little first-level group-effect Mental realm spell. Only 7 spells you can't get books for, so save up 3 by L14 to learn them right away, and then you have 4 levels, one to learn the 4th L6 spell and 3 to get to 18 and learn all the L7 spells. There are some sites and pages with exact info on which Merchants sell which Spellbooks, and where you can find them.

[ 06-27-2002, 02:17 AM: Message edited by: otter ]

but umm..if you a bard or a gadgeteer...you don't have to get some of the magic for your magic user because bard and gadgeteer can also have item that can cast magic. plus it only uses your bard's/ gadgeteer's stamina to cast it.

There are not that many spells for each profession.
If you play the game till the end, you wil probably learn them all.

Until Arnika, i wouldn't save spell picks if there are any spells available that sound interesting.
Except that maybe i don't learn a spell at level 2 or 4, to be able to learn more higher level spells the next level-up.
In Arnika, and later elsewhere, buy books to learn the ignored low level spells.

It is a completely different matter with bishops.
In my current game (fighter-bishop duo), i saved all spell picks until level 14 to learn high level spells.
I think it was around level 30 when i learned the last few low level spells, for wich no books did show up.

Save 6 of your spell picks. The rest you can use at your leasure, or save for your level 3-5 spells. Banish is the only level 6 spellbook that can be purchased, which leaves 6 level 6-7 spells that you can get as soon as you hit the required levels(15/18).

oh, yeah, i forgot about the Books of Banish when i said save 7.
Bishops are really the only ones who have to save like mad.
The reason to learn all the spells you can, even if you don't use them all, or a Bard/Gad has some, is because your Mana pool increases nicely every time you learn a spell. Plus you get Skill advances in Schools, Realms, and even Artifacts when you read Spellbooks.

but casting an easy spell like light can up your fire realm skills considerably: personally don't save spell picks, even for bishops, but I like smaller parties where you level quicker, and where even a small amount of damage from a spell you'll almost never use can help tip a tough encounter in your favor. All depends on your style of play.

Oru