Survey: Most Useful Profession in a Party

[Mage_77]

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For making money....an achemist with a high alchemy score is pretty useful.

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Ranger, Ninja, Bishops can also combine the potions for money [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

[skywalker]

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Originally posted by Mage_77:


Ranger, Ninja, Bishops can also combine the potions for money [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

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Agreed, but Alchemists can make the more expensive potions sooner, since their Alchemy scores are higher, sooner. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Mark

[Jem]

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Originally posted by dale:
[qb]Do I have some surprises waiting for me?

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Oh yes. There are numerous undead of many different types lurking about. You'll run into some in Marten's Bluff, in the various Retro Dungeons, in Mt. Gigas, to name a few. Plus the infamous Death Lords of the SE Wilderness and so on.

[Nydlari]

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Originally posted by Jem:
Seriously though: define 'useful'. Everyone has their own preferences.
Me, I think in terms of "What can I absolutely not get by without if I want to survive this game?"
[ 02-20-2002: Message edited by: Jem ]

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There really isn't any one class that I absolutely have to have to finish the game. I could easily finish the game with 6 fighters, and I have already finished the game with a party that had no fighters; so no one is indispensible.

A better question might be "What would the best character to solo with be?"

For this I'd have to say either Bard, Gadgeteer, or Bishop.
The Bard and Gadgeteer have already had the strengths well explained, but I think the bishop has been overlooked. He is the only profession that can cast every single spell in the game! You can solo and still get all of the defensive spells. He can use a wide variety of armor and weapons, including shields which are a god send when soloing. He can mix potions for money and cast alchemy spells while silenced. At the end of the game when so many people are mistakenly calling magic useless, he casts psionic spells which tear through the opposition (I LOVE MINDFLAY!) What more need I say?

[Merulus]

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A better question might be "What would the best character to solo with be?"

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I have to ask… Have you actually tried this? As far as I know, no one has managed to complete the game with any of those classes solo. AtlusSeven (the person who wrote the bishop spotlight) mentioned that he tried a solo bishop, but it was so difficult that he wasn’t able to get through the Rapax areas.

People have completed the game with solo lords, ninja, samurai, and rangers – with ninja being the most popular (especially, of course, faerie ninja). Soloing (which I must admit I haven’t tried yet) seems to require a class with a good mix of skills and abilities, not necessarily a class which would be really useful to a group.

That said, my vote for “most useful to a group” would be gadgeteer or rogue. Bards are nice, but they aren’t as useful as the other two late in the game in my opinion.

[Nydlari]

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Originally posted by Merulus:
I have to ask… Have you actually tried this? As far as I know, no one has managed to complete the game with any of those classes solo. AtlusSeven (the person who wrote the bishop spotlight) mentioned that he tried a solo bishop, but it was so difficult that he wasn’t able to get through the Rapax areas.

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Curently working on it. My third party is a solo Dwarven Bishop. He's level 20 and just became a templar. I haven't killed Al yet, but I don't see her or the away camp as much of a threat since the Rapax seem quite vunerable to mindflay, cerebral hemerage, and turncoat (especially Turncoat). Actually the hardest part was in the begining fighting the rats and bats and slimes in the monastery, once I got to Arnika and leveled him for a while walking the beat with the guards, he has been fine.

We'll see though, still have to face the Djinn's of the Clouds (ugh!)

[Merulus]

Ouch, yeah… I’d forgotten about the Djinns. That would be rough for just about anything solo. That last Rapax encounter might be rough as well, just due to the numbers and terrain.

Well, good luck with it! Let us know how it turns out… Heh. If you make it through, you’ll probably be the first. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Mr Creosote]

In terms of "useful" for me has to be the Bishop, there isnt a round that I dont use her in one way or other - defensive spells, offensive spells, a little bit of ranged attack, (she has double the kills of anyone else at the moment), opens locks and doors, identifies everything, uncurses the guys, and is the prettiest member of the party [img]smile.gif[/img]
I opted for a single spell-caster after a zillion restarts, I will probably regret not having two portal casters but I just HAD to have a Gadgeteer to play with all the new stuff in the game, and a Bard seemed sensible for a bit of everything, but I am now wondering whether I should have had 2 Bishops instead of a Bard + Bishop.
To me, this is one of the wonders of Wizardry - the variety of party balance options, looking through the board there are so many different ways people successfully mix their party and enjoy it.

Maybe I will restart AGAIN!! ....

[DraconisRex]

To each his or her opinion. Obviously, this is a personal taste question. My personal taste would be the Bishop in the Faerie race.

Focus in three areas to Level 14ish or so...: Divine, Mage & Alchemy. Then work Psionics with the remainder points in the previously listed three colleges. Use nothing but Psionic spells in combat for a while. That skill will really build.

Prior to the Psionic switch, in combat, I work the Alchemy college the hardest. Once Alchemy hits 50, you can make Pandimonium Powder. This means you should be able, if you've been hording the components, to make 50 of them. Selling them at 3,000GP a pop brings in some serious cash.

Stopping by Crock's, the Umpani Commissary and the T'Rang shoppe gives you a LOT of spells in the 3rd and 4th levels.

The Ebon staff is a good weapon that even a Faerie Bishop can weild, and your Bishop can get in some support work. Plus there is some Faerie armour you can have made. Add a couple of healing amulets (+3 AC each) and your base AC is 8, then that 90 speed (giving another +2) to raise base AC to 10...


Of course, there is the Hobbit bard..... Doh!!!!

[the_Avatar]

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Originally posted by Nydlari:


My third party is a solo Dwarven Bishop. He's level 20 and just became a templar. Actually the hardest part was in the begining fighting the rats and bats and slimes in the monastery, once I got to Arnika and leveled him for a while walking the beat with the guards, he has been fine.

We'll see though, still have to face the Djinn's of the Clouds (ugh!)

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[img]graemlins/jawdrop.gif[/img] You guys are playing solo????
And I'm getting my butt kicked with my full party plus 2 recruits!