A friend of mine has given me a hot tip - Don Barleone´s staff that can only be worn by fairy ninjas. Now I´m considering to change the class of my fairy mage, after she has learned all spells.
Problem: She needs 25 more STR points in order to change class, which probably means that I won´t be able to do it before level 25. Would it still make sense to build on that? What level do you usually reach until the final battle ... , when you use a group of 7 characters throughout most of the game?

In Trynton there was a well that raised my INT. Is there any kind of thing in the game that improves characters´ STR likewise?

To be honest with you, if you're that late in the game it probably isn't worth changing now. As far as I know also that well is the only thing that increases a stat, in this case intelligence. Level 25-ish is a pretty common level to beat the game at, so IMO you'd be best off starting a new game with a faerie ninja if you want the cane.

Looks like your chars are level 16 now, so if you're really desperate you could kick out the mage and recreate a new faerie ninja (click on the name in inventory, then there's a button in the lower left corner to replace characters). Will make much more sense then waiting for 9 levels (imho). A new character will be back to lvl 8 in no time at all (just don't let it die, or resurrect it before end of combat), so it's possible. a Ninja with 3M xp less than the rest will trail a level more in the end, but it's not that big a difference.

Or just start a new party ;)

(Edit: I wouldn't do so though, the cane is good, but not worth that much trouble)

[ 02-01-2004, 05:34 AM: Message edited by: ferro287 ]

It really is not worth changing class at this point. The Cane is a nice weapon for the FN, but it is also cursed, meaning you can't switch from that to a missile weapon. Ergo, your ninja would have to be up front to be useful, and I suspect may not have what it takes to survive there.

I suggest waiting until you start a new party and create a FN from scratch, where you will do much better.

<center>Nightowl2</center>

Thank you for the good advice. Yes, I see now that changing at level 25 probably won´t make much sense - even with the Cane, a front fighter with 69 hitpoints and a wand/staff ability of 7 is of rather limited use, I suppose.

Well, the reason why I´d like to change something is that I´m unhappy with my party conception. I did not understand the function of class skills, so I did not learn dual-wield with my Paladin and hand-to-hand with my Monk. On top of that, the Monk is still far from reaching 100% with an attribute, so when he levels, I must put all of his skill points into the magic branch. Now I´m wondering ... should I dump him and create something new, or hope for the Ebon Staff to make this character happy and strong when I find the gem?

I built a dual-wielding Samurai, but made the mistake (?) to have him use two swords - the Wakizashi´s damage is pathetic of course, and now I wonder: Is there anywhere in the game a good magic weapon of that type? If there´s not, maybe I´d better let him use a Dagger in his backhand, in the hope that he´ll catch up in skill ...

Still, the party is far from weak, I for example killed Nessie when I was at level 12/13, and somehow even got those large numbers of Depth Dwellers dead without ever resting underwater. It´s just that I feel disgusted when I look at those mishandled characters.

Another idea: Wouldn´t it make sense to have Monk and/or Paladin change class to Fighter? This will change the class bonus to something useful, and even add Berserk attack ... I´m just afraid that my party may become too strong after that ;) .

Well, these are my thoughts ... would be great if one of you could give me some input - ideas how I might be able to make the game as enjoyable again as it was in the beginning.

There are some Enchanted Wakisashi, one's in a fixed location.
Monk with staff isn't so bad, there's a really great one in a fixed location.
I'd probly switch the Lord to Fighter as soon as you learn the Portal spell. (L14, if you got your Div up to 60...)

And the Ebon Staff won't work for your monk anyway. It's a magic specialist staff. But staffs are good, and by kicking and punching you'll raise Martial arts anyhow (just pull the others back at the last monster if you want to focus one char on anything special).

Oh, and @Scatter you'll need L15 for a Hybrid Portal.

We all made errors the first time through, Marmot, so welcome to the club ;)

Yeah, your party members are going to lag through the rest of the game, though lots of practice can help build up skills, especially when they're low. Many players using Lords have commented on how well the stiletto works in the off hand for dual weapons. That may not apply to you, if the skills (dagger and dual) are very low, but you can always try.

However, if your group managed Nessie at such a low level, you have no need to feel disgusted with your characters. They are actually doing quite well. Just go on with them, and then in the next game, apply what you've learned and you'll do much better.

<center>Nightowl2</center>

Ah, that´s a lot of valuable informations. Okay, then I´ll keep the Wakizashi, and damn ;) , all my hopes were directed at the Ebon Staff, as my level 16 Monk is still using some 3-11 damage no specials thing that he found early in the game. But it´s good to hear that there actually are good staffs.

To learn Portal, what exactly do I need: 60 Divinity or 60 Divine Magic [img]smile.gif[/img] ? Right now the Lord´s Divinity is only at 27. I suppose I must do some brainless casting/resting in order to get him back on track.

Yes Nightowl, maybe I´ll play the game a second time, when I´ll be able to build a Fairy Ninja and a Mook Fighter [img]smile.gif[/img] . I love to find magic weapons with extraordinary abilities, and it´s a shame that their use is so strongly restricted. But I usually don´t have the patience to play the same RPG more than once ... maybe Wizadry will be an exception ;) , but I doubt it.

[ 02-01-2004, 05:57 PM: Message edited by: Marmot ]

For a Lord, it would have to be 60 divinity, or rather, your divinity score plus 10% of your air skill must equal 60 for a portal spell.

For a monk, it would be psionics. For a Samurai, wizardry, and so on.

Also, in the Rapax castle treasury is the Zatoichi Bo, usable by Monk or Samurai, and the best non-cursed staff in the game.

<center>Nightowl2</center>