Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post

EEWorzelle · 06-11-2003, 01:35 AM

[I had not read el_kalkylus' post prior to posting mine below. He states the virtues of the Mage better and more elegantly than I. His analysis of spells reminded me about Banish, which is a very powerfull spell on the peak that the Priest and Mage have, but not the Alchemist or Psionic. Against certain foes, the roles are reversed and Banish and the Mage and Priest, are more powerful than the other casters. It is more often the other way, but the Mage is definitely good for Balance]

ChaosTheorist, I believe that's a little harsh (but only a little) concerning the Mage. Mostly I agree with you. I'm sure you would agree there is nothing fundamentally weak about the character, if Dominus happened to be a bit less fire-resistant place.

I was disappointed in my Mage in my first party, too, but since then have developed him or her differently, with more of a Water-Earth emphasis (then Air, Divine, Mental and finally Fire), and, shoulder to shoulder with the Alchemist on the peak, performance is about 90%.

So why not just two Alchemists?

Well, the end of the game isn't the only part of it. The Mage gets offensive magical power faster than any other magic class and their Fire realm spells are powerful through about half of the middle game. Having the Mage protection spells early is very nice and X-Ray, cast by either a Wizardry-knowlegable character or a Gadgeteer is indespensible, IMO.

Why not a Samurai or Bishop? Actually, both are viable options. Bishops develop slower, and there is always "pressure" to save your spell picks for later, so the Bishop, in practice, will not hit the ground running in the same way a Mage does. For many of the Mage spells, if you don't get them early, why get them at all. The Samurai is nominally four levels behind but in practice it is more like seven or eight. Again, the strength of the Wizardry realm is early.

I don't like to creep around, hide and run a lot. With a Mage in the party I am less likely to need to, and more likely to survive the first half of the game. Currently, like el_kalkykus, I'm playing in EM and IM modes, so getting through that first half of the game safely is a challenge. Also, the Mage makes a great charater to cast a fast Element Shield. On Expert Mode, as you probably know, it is important to get those Soul and Element Shields up before enemy casters and Haste does not change the order of casting in the round it is cast. By making the Mage fast it removes that burden from the Alchemist, who would rather put those Attribute points in something else.

The Mage is good in a balanced magical party. Knowing what you know now I bet you would develop your Mage very differently today than what you did your one time you actually used one. Try one out in one of your current parties. I know we all tend to want to go for long term power but 90% isn't bad and that early power can really assist in agressively developing the other characters for the long run and still surviving in the meantime (like going for Powerstrike and Powercast both, with the Priest and Alchemist).

[ 06-11-2003, 02:04 AM: Message edited by: EEWorzelle ]

06-11-2003, 01:35 AM	#20
EEWorzelle Manshoon Join Date: October 25, 2002 Location: Gilbert, Az Age: 73 Posts: 234	[I had not read el_kalkylus' post prior to posting mine below. He states the virtues of the Mage better and more elegantly than I. His analysis of spells reminded me about Banish, which is a very powerfull spell on the peak that the Priest and Mage have, but not the Alchemist or Psionic. Against certain foes, the roles are reversed and Banish and the Mage and Priest, are more powerful than the other casters. It is more often the other way, but the Mage is definitely good for Balance] ChaosTheorist, I believe that's a little harsh (but only a little) concerning the Mage. Mostly I agree with you. I'm sure you would agree there is nothing fundamentally weak about the character, if Dominus happened to be a bit less fire-resistant place. I was disappointed in my Mage in my first party, too, but since then have developed him or her differently, with more of a Water-Earth emphasis (then Air, Divine, Mental and finally Fire), and, shoulder to shoulder with the Alchemist on the peak, performance is about 90%. So why not just two Alchemists? Well, the end of the game isn't the only part of it. The Mage gets offensive magical power faster than any other magic class and their Fire realm spells are powerful through about half of the middle game. Having the Mage protection spells early is very nice and X-Ray, cast by either a Wizardry-knowlegable character or a Gadgeteer is indespensible, IMO. Why not a Samurai or Bishop? Actually, both are viable options. Bishops develop slower, and there is always "pressure" to save your spell picks for later, so the Bishop, in practice, will not hit the ground running in the same way a Mage does. For many of the Mage spells, if you don't get them early, why get them at all. The Samurai is nominally four levels behind but in practice it is more like seven or eight. Again, the strength of the Wizardry realm is early. I don't like to creep around, hide and run a lot. With a Mage in the party I am less likely to need to, and more likely to survive the first half of the game. Currently, like el_kalkykus, I'm playing in EM and IM modes, so getting through that first half of the game safely is a challenge. Also, the Mage makes a great charater to cast a fast Element Shield. On Expert Mode, as you probably know, it is important to get those Soul and Element Shields up before enemy casters and Haste does not change the order of casting in the round it is cast. By making the Mage fast it removes that burden from the Alchemist, who would rather put those Attribute points in something else. The Mage is good in a balanced magical party. Knowing what you know now I bet you would develop your Mage very differently today than what you did your one time you actually used one. Try one out in one of your current parties. I know we all tend to want to go for long term power but 90% isn't bad and that early power can really assist in agressively developing the other characters for the long run and still surviving in the meantime (like going for Powerstrike and Powercast both, with the Priest and Alchemist). [ 06-11-2003, 02:04 AM: Message edited by: EEWorzelle ]