Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - Seriously, what is a mage really good for?

NobleNick · 01-23-2005, 02:24 PM

goe2112,

Most Mages rock. You ~WILL~ understand and appreciate the power of a Mage before you finish the game, becuase there are some nasty ones out there waiting for you.

Is your Mage a General Mage (GM), or did you specialize? You can get into trouble specializing in the wrong school for a single Mage party. Hopefully, if you did specialize, you picked Illusionist.

Are you buying spells for this guy in Kuldahar, and also memorizing from the scrolls you find? Are you saving before you memorize, so that you can retry if memorization fails? Are you filling your slots in the Mage book with spells? Are you sleeping often enough for the Mage to have spells available? Are you filling your slots with the RIGHT KIND of spells? (If you do not ever use a spell, get rid of it and fill the slot with a spell you DO use.)

Assuming you got all the basics correct, it is likely that you have just relied heavily on other members of your solidly built party. In the beginning game, the Mage basically hides in the back and just tries to stay alive; but by the time you start DE, s/he should have a history of contributing significantly. I can't count the number of times my Mage/Thief has saved the party's bacon with her spells. At one point she had racked up almost as many kills as my Fighters; and many of my Fighters' kills were enemies that were all but dead from my Mage's spells.

Here are some specific ideas of how a Mage could have been very useful, in places you've already been:

~

~ (Early-to-midgame spoilers)

~

~

~

1.) Cast Magic Missile at magic users in Orc cave, VoS, ToFG and DE to disrupt enemy magic users. A basic spell that gets more powerful as your Mage levels. Chromatic Orb is another good bread-and-butter spell.

2.) Summon monsters to use as defensive "meat shields" between you and non-ranged attackers, in various fights on virtually every level of DE and SH. My most often used "trick", and one of the first really useful skills that your Mage should master. Especially useful in the final battle of DE.

3.) Defensive Area of Effect spells like Grease and (preferably) Web can slow down enemy units so that your Fighters can handle the flow, and don't get overwhelmed. Other area spells like Stinking Cloud can also weaken or even kill them outright. Many, many oppurtunities for this trick; but the most memorable for me was when rescuing the priestess at the end on the long tunnel in DE2. Also very useful in the first fight of DE3, and later in DE3, when making a stand at the bridge.

4.) Evocation spells like the classic Fireball. Throw this during the first fight of DE3 (after throwing a few Webs) to even the odds a bit. Also excellent later in DE3 and for the first fight in DE4. A great way to get the party off to a warm start in the Lizard King's chamber in DE1. Chain Lightning will bust up a pack of Lizardmen, Orcs, or whatever, quite nicely. Aganazzar's Scorcher is a delight to use.

5.) Skull Trap is an excellent and VERY damaging spell that can kill many enemies outright.

6.) Improved Invisibility can be cast on your Fighters, to get them into strategic positions for a first strike at enemy spellcasters. Even after becoming visible, your Fighters carry a residual (IIRC) 4 point bonus to Armor Class! (And why are we targeting the enemy SPELLCASTERS first? Because they have the ability to screw you royally; just like your Mage has the ability to screw with the enemy. Remember that: When you run into a Mage that throws a spell you just HATE, file that spell name away. Find it. Memorize it. Use it.)

7.) Mirror, Blur and Stoneskin can be cast on your Mage, then walk her out into the enemy and let them beat on her while she smiles as your Fighters bash on THEM. There are a few extremely deadly spells (that you probably haven't found yet) that would make the enemy rue the decision to surround your Mage. Useful tactic in virtually any tough fight, where enemy cannot dispell.

~

~ END spoilers

~

While a Fighter can get one kill with many hits, a Mage can often get many kills with one spell! There are MANY other spells, techniques and situations we could discuss; but some would be spoilers for places you haven't been, and this post is getting long; so I'll stop here.

If you are really pining away for another Fighter instead of that Mage, I'd suggest getting a carefully rolled Fighter that you could later DC into a Fighter/Mage. Or get an MC Fighter/Mage, or a Bard. Both the F/M and the Bard make respectable spellcasters later in the game.

Hope this helps.

--------------------
What's a party,
without a song?
Bards ROCK!
Party On!!

[ 01-23-2005, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: NobleNick ]

01-23-2005, 02:24 PM	#5
NobleNick Quintesson Join Date: February 5, 2002 Location: Huntsville, AL, USA Age: 65 Posts: 1,045	goe2112, Most Mages rock. You ~WILL~ understand and appreciate the power of a Mage before you finish the game, becuase there are some nasty ones out there waiting for you. Is your Mage a General Mage (GM), or did you specialize? You can get into trouble specializing in the wrong school for a single Mage party. Hopefully, if you did specialize, you picked Illusionist. Are you buying spells for this guy in Kuldahar, and also memorizing from the scrolls you find? Are you saving before you memorize, so that you can retry if memorization fails? Are you filling your slots in the Mage book with spells? Are you sleeping often enough for the Mage to have spells available? Are you filling your slots with the RIGHT KIND of spells? (If you do not ever use a spell, get rid of it and fill the slot with a spell you DO use.) Assuming you got all the basics correct, it is likely that you have just relied heavily on other members of your solidly built party. In the beginning game, the Mage basically hides in the back and just tries to stay alive; but by the time you start DE, s/he should have a history of contributing significantly. I can't count the number of times my Mage/Thief has saved the party's bacon with her spells. At one point she had racked up almost as many kills as my Fighters; and many of my Fighters' kills were enemies that were all but dead from my Mage's spells. Here are some specific ideas of how a Mage could have been very useful, in places you've already been: ~ ~ (Early-to-midgame spoilers) ~ ~ ~ 1.) Cast Magic Missile at magic users in Orc cave, VoS, ToFG and DE to disrupt enemy magic users. A basic spell that gets more powerful as your Mage levels. Chromatic Orb is another good bread-and-butter spell. 2.) Summon monsters to use as defensive "meat shields" between you and non-ranged attackers, in various fights on virtually every level of DE and SH. My most often used "trick", and one of the first really useful skills that your Mage should master. Especially useful in the final battle of DE. 3.) Defensive Area of Effect spells like Grease and (preferably) Web can slow down enemy units so that your Fighters can handle the flow, and don't get overwhelmed. Other area spells like Stinking Cloud can also weaken or even kill them outright. Many, many oppurtunities for this trick; but the most memorable for me was when rescuing the priestess at the end on the long tunnel in DE2. Also very useful in the first fight of DE3, and later in DE3, when making a stand at the bridge. 4.) Evocation spells like the classic Fireball. Throw this during the first fight of DE3 (after throwing a few Webs) to even the odds a bit. Also excellent later in DE3 and for the first fight in DE4. A great way to get the party off to a warm start in the Lizard King's chamber in DE1. Chain Lightning will bust up a pack of Lizardmen, Orcs, or whatever, quite nicely. Aganazzar's Scorcher is a delight to use. 5.) Skull Trap is an excellent and VERY damaging spell that can kill many enemies outright. 6.) Improved Invisibility can be cast on your Fighters, to get them into strategic positions for a first strike at enemy spellcasters. Even after becoming visible, your Fighters carry a residual (IIRC) 4 point bonus to Armor Class! (And why are we targeting the enemy SPELLCASTERS first? Because they have the ability to screw you royally; just like your Mage has the ability to screw with the enemy. Remember that: When you run into a Mage that throws a spell you just HATE, file that spell name away. Find it. Memorize it. Use it.) 7.) Mirror, Blur and Stoneskin can be cast on your Mage, then walk her out into the enemy and let them beat on her while she smiles as your Fighters bash on THEM. There are a few extremely deadly spells (that you probably haven't found yet) that would make the enemy rue the decision to surround your Mage. Useful tactic in virtually any tough fight, where enemy cannot dispell. ~ ~ END spoilers ~ While a Fighter can get one kill with many hits, a Mage can often get many kills with one spell! There are MANY other spells, techniques and situations we could discuss; but some would be spoilers for places you haven't been, and this post is getting long; so I'll stop here. If you are really pining away for another Fighter instead of that Mage, I'd suggest getting a carefully rolled Fighter that you could later DC into a Fighter/Mage. Or get an MC Fighter/Mage, or a Bard. Both the F/M and the Bard make respectable spellcasters later in the game. Hope this helps. -------------------- What's a party, without a song? Bards ROCK! Party On!! [ 01-23-2005, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: NobleNick ]