[NobleNick]

I would have to side with Avatar on this subject: Anyone who detests mages hasn't learned how to use them. Furthermore, to a point, the more mage-power the better! My Gnome thief/Illusion Specialist has progressed to the point that she easily accounts for more than 1/3 of the kills in my 6-member party; and four of those members are 7th-level warriors. (I can barely wait for 2 of my fighters to dual over to Invocation Specialist and Conjuror Specialist. Heh, heh, then we'll see the [smoking] fur REALLY fly!)

Mages have only three big drawbacks, and all can be easily overcome:

1.) Mages are weak, defensively.

Sure, mages have wimpy HP and armor at all levels; but you can overcome the HP problem by dualing them over from fighters at mid-game. (You must prepare for this at character generation.) That way they build up HP; and, depending on when you switch class, will actually have *MORE* HP than straight fighters! There are many magical spells in most mage's repetoires that can boost their effective AC against magical and melee attacks, when needed. (Try hitting a blurred, mirrored wizard!) Of course, you can also use the common-sense technique of keeping you mage in the rear, away from melee combat.

2.) Mages must "recharge" their arsenal frequently.

Yes, they do; but one can compensate for this in several ways. One is to get an extra spell per level by going as a "Specialist Wizard." Another way is to have more wizards, so that each uses their spells more slowly. Still another is to sleep often. "Wait!" you say, "That *is* the problem, NOT the solution!" I disagree. The problem is when you go to sleep, and you really, REALLY need that sleep, and you get woken up to a monster party before you are done resting! The actual sleeping takes at least 8 hours of game time; but only a few seconds of real time; so it has a negligible effect on gameplay. Therefore, there is no excuse for not sleeping often.

BTW, I have heard people say that "There are only 2 places to sleep in so-and-so caves/dungeon." I have verified at least one such report to be untrue. Just pick a nice out-of-the-way spot, gird for battle, SAVE GAME, and hit the snooze button: If you sleep, that's great. If you fight, that's more easy XP (unless, of course you waited until you actually NEEDED the sleep). Re-form and hit snooze again. If you fight three battles in a row, maybe go try in another spot, or reload. There have been a very high percentage of times when I have been awakened by monsters, dusted them, and simply went back to a successful night's sleep in the same spot.

3.) Some magic is hard to place accurately, and often the effects miss the enemy and damage friendly forces.

Well, there is no really good excuse for this one. First off, there are plenty of direct-attack "no-can-miss" magic (e.g., "magic missile," "chromatic orb," "monster summoning," "and "lich touch," to name a few). Now, admittedly, most of the really neat spells do take some control, and I think this is what makes this game so fun: you need to think! Strategy! Tactics!

The first issue, toasting your own comrades, can be solved by practicing. Load your wizard up with three fireballs, SAVE GAME, and practice throwing them such that your friends don't get scorched. Reload game for more practice. For something like "Agannazar's Scorcher," visualize the line of fire to where your target will be, and practice moving front line troops just far enough out of the way; or just move the mage to the side. (One of my favorite tactics is to line up my fighters in a straight line to meet the monster onslaught. Then my mage waits until monsters have engaged my front line before quickly moving over to the side and just ahead of my front line, and throwing Agannazar's Scorcher at the far monster, toasting the whole brood to a crackly crunch.)

The second issue, NOT catching the enemy with spell effects, can be largely offset by control (the practice sessions you just completed should help there) and by forethought: Where do you think the enemy will be at the time your caster has finally completed his mumbling and unleashed his magical harbinger of doom? Put your area effect magic to this spot, adjusting as needed to not damage your own forces.

Another valid tactic is to march your healthy fighter right into a swarm of enemy, then dump a couple of area effect spells on the whole bunch. Sure, your fighter loses 70 HP; but if he had 150, and each of the eight monsters surrounding him had 60, well, it's battle over.

Of course, one of the really nice reasons for using lots of magic (that I haven't heard mentioned, yet) is that it is really great to watch the fantastic graphics effects!