i need to know.... dynaheir or edwin ???

[knoj]

i want to eventually run with an all mage party as i explained in an ealier thread. i have had dynaheir in a previous game but can't remember her specific stats or magic capabilities. i can remember hearing in the past on this forum that edwin is the best mage in the game. but i want to know why.

major factors in my decision on who to take will be based on thier constitution, dexterity, and intelligence. i need to make sure they can both be durable and evasive, since body armour is obviously not allowed for mages. i don't care very much whether they have the "greatest" spells or not, since there will most likely be someone else in my party who can make up for dyna or edwin's short comings in that catagory.

shed some wisdom please.

Dynaheir and Edwin both have low dexterity, which means they both start off with AC 10 (ie. not good at all) so in that respect they do not differ. There isn't much difference with regards to constitution, either. They both have reasonable hit points (not as low as Xzar, for example). As far as intelligence goes - I think they're only one or two points apart in this respect - Edwin has 18 and I think Dynaheir has 17.

The main advantage that Edwin has over Dynaheir is the amount of spells he can cast - this due to his amulet from Thay. He gets extra spells per level and so has much better casting capabilities. He is, strictly speaking, the better mage. But Dynaheir certainly isn't a bad choice either. I don't think you can have them both in your party at the same time though, so I'd choose Edwin if your party is evil or neutral and Dynaheir if you're trying to be as lawful good as possible.

Hope this helps [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 05-15-2002, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: Arledrian ]

[Intimadater]

Originally posted by Arledrian: I don't think you can have them both in your party at the same time though, Hope this helps [img]smile.gif[/img]

I've had them in my party at the same time but it wasn't for a very long time so I don't know if that makes a difference.

[knoj]

oh. i didn't realize that edwin had an amulet of such power. well i will obviously take him instead. thanks, thou hast shed much wisdom.

say... i have a couple of other questions maybe you or someone else could answer.

* at what point should i turn immoen into a mage??
* what is the lowest ac level that you have seen or had for an npc mage (pure) in a game?? with out cheating of course.
* is body/chest armour the only type of armour that prevents a fighter/mage (my pc) from casting spells??

thanks again and if you guys have any other tips on running a mage oriented party, please let me know.

If you're going to dual Imoen to a mage, I'd do it around level six. This way, she's reasonably skilled in thieving (provided you put all or most of her points into trap disarming and lock picking) plus she still has the time and experience points necessary for becoming a decent spell-caster.

Minor (item) spoilers
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The lowest AC I've ever had as a mage was -1. This was with a base dexterity of eighteen, the 'Robe of the Good Archmagi' (available from Thalantyr in High Hedge) and the 'Ring of Protection +2' - looted from Ramazith's desk in Baldur's Gate.

Body armour is the only thing that will prevent your fighter/mage from casting spells. It doesn't matter what type of armour you wear - leather, scale, chain or plate - they all disable your spell casting ability. If you want to lower your AC, you should look out for the 'Bracers of Defense' - there are several to be found throughout the game and they will help bring your AC down a little. There are many 'Rings of Protection' floating around too - just keep your eyes open and you'll find them soon enough.

[img]smile.gif[/img]

[knoj]

Oringinally Posted By: Arledrian If you're going to dual Imoen to a mage, I'd do it around level six. This way, she's reasonably skilled in thieving (provided you put all or most of her points into trap disarming and lock picking) plus she still has the time and experience points necessary for becoming a decent spell-caster.

i must be completly confused on this "dualing" stuff! i read on page 9 in the game manual that you can use your first class's skills AGAIN only after the second class has surpassed the "level" of the first's. so if i used imoen as a theif until level 4, then dualed her as a mage, i wouldn't be able to use her theif skills AGAIN until her mage "skill level" has surpassed her original theif's skill level. therefore she would have to be at level 8 !!
hopefully you can follow what i am babling about.

[SixOfSpades]

Originally posted by knoj: i read on page 9 in the game manual that you can use your first class's skills AGAIN only after the second class has surpassed the "level" of the first's. so if i used imoen as a theif until level 4, then dualed her as a mage, i wouldn't be able to use her theif skills AGAIN until her mage "skill level" has surpassed her original theif's skill level. therefore she would have to be at level 8 !!

"Surpassed" does not mean 'doubled,' it just means 'a little bit more.' I think the highest you can take Imoen as a Thief is Level 6, and she gets her Thief skills back when she hits Mage Level 7. (This requires ToSC, or an EXP cap remover, though.)

When you Dual a character, let's say from a Level 5 Fighter to a Cleric, you become a Level [1], not Level [5 or 6], Cleric. Those 5 Fighter levels are temporarily nonexistent, and you gain skills and levels just as a plain Cleric would.

[knoj]

oh. thanks for clearing that up, i was a little confused with the language that the manual uses on this subject.

BTW, lemernis said that he ran with 6 specialist mages in a game once. how the heck do you go about creating more characters on top of your pc??? is there a trick or something??