New Party

[stealthblade78]

I'm starting and new game and am wondering what I should do. My last game was a six party on easy. i'm thinking about a magic party with a bard and gadgeter to be able to use most of the items in the gsme. I could also use my same party on a higher level like hard and ironman. My last idea is to start a solo faerie mission. What do you think? Should I do something else?

Ideas welcome!

[EEWorzelle]

Stealthblade, why not go for a magic-heavy party. Bard, Gadgeteer, Mage, Priest, Psionic and Alchemist? It gives you all six types of magical mastery in the game, done by those who do them best.

The key here is to get damage and protection spells. Energy Blast, Mind Stab, Acid Splash and Make Wounds are key at the beginning. I also get Frost, Heal Wounds in the Alchemist and Psionic (not Priest at first) and Paralyze for the Priest. I save spell picks at each level until major new spells appear at levels 3, 5, 8, etc. That allows getting two or three of the new, more powerful spells as soon as they appear.

As soon as possible get cone and area effect spells (Shrill Sound, Whipping Rocks, Fireball...).

Get protections and cast them into place all the time: Magic Screen, Missle Shield, Armorplate, Enchanted Blade, Chameleon, etc...

Use crippling spells to slow enemies down (like Web, Paralyze), and scattering spells only as a last resort (Blinding Flash, Terror, Sonic Boom).

You can develop strong melee capability in the Bard (Sword and Close Combat, Strength and Dexterity), and let the Gadgeteer take care of Locks and Traps. I would also recommend you develop Shield Skill (three every level-up)in the Bard and Priest (and possibly Gadgeteer), but if you do so for the Priest go for Mace and Flail rather than Staff and Wand weapons. With my Alchemist I generally go for Staff and Wands and no shield. For the Mage and Psionic I usually go for ranged (Sling).

This party, played Normal Mode is not an extremely difficult party to play. In fact, it is extremely well balanced, fun to play, and it gives you a chance to really wring out the magic side of the game.

Don't worry about the magical capabilities of the Bard and Gadgeteer at first. The starting Music Instrument is nice but it will be the mid-game before they start getting a lot of Instruments and Gadgets. The Gadgeteer gets a nice Gadget early (already built) that I use in almost every round for the first third of the game. The Bard, developed for it, rapidly becomes one of the most powerful fighters in the game, as well as her magic speciality.

Whether you try this or something else, have fun!

[ 07-02-2003, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: EEWorzelle ]

[Wereboar]

It sounds like you're not very experienced. Thus i'd suggest taking a pure fighter instead of the gadgeteer, with a shield instead of two-handed weapons or dual wield. He can protect your spellcasters much better, and if you don't know where to cast detect secrets, you'll easy miss some gadget parts.

For the solo character, don't do it if you don't like reloading 90% of the fights for a long time.

[EEWorzelle]

Ouch. Wereboar is right about hidden gadgets. I did use this party the first time I played (first time I made it to Arnika, that is), and found all of the objects but I used search mode and later the Detect Secrets Spell a lot, after checking each area for monsters, everywhere there might possibly be anything.

I have also run a party with a Ranger instead of a Gadgeteer, and that was an excellent party. The Ranger will automatically find everything for you, and the Ranged capability is nice. With the ranger you can either put them in the front line or in the backrow. I put mine in the back row, and went for high Intelligence (and Powercast) as well as Senses (and Eagle Eye), but Sensus and Dexterity (and then Strength plus either Intelligence, Speed or even Vitality might be more conservative for a first time using a Ranger. If you don't have a Gadgeteer, your Bard will need to learn Locks and Traps.

Wereboar's suggestion of a Fighter instead of Gadgeteer is a good one, for the purpose of protecting your casters, as he said, but there is a subtle danger. I usually recommend a slower developing character with some magic ability (a little or a lot) in that sixth slot, like a Gadgeteer or Ranger, specifically because your party needs the early training of not having the front line too stong. As a new (new to Wizardry8 but not RPGs) play you will need to figure out how to stop the approaching enemy in their tracks, kill them before, or slightly after, they get to you, and heal, cure and protect your party with spells when you need to. You will also need to learn the use of objects, such as potions, powders and the special attributes of certain weapons, armor and items. To succeed with a party like this it is necessary to learn to rely on Magic, and nothing else, to win your battles, using your Melee or Ranged capability to complement, clean up after and in some cases add to the magic damage capability of the Party.

With the Fighter there is a chance you would get into a habit of bashing your way through the easier battles.

It is better, IMO, for you to get lots of practice relying on Magic in the Lower Monestary and Arnika, where starting over is no big deal (if you need to), rather than reaching the later parts of the game and suddenly realizing you don't have the player skills you need to use a Magic-Heavy party there. By that point your Fighter will not be enough to protect you any more. There's a real orientation to playing such a party and relying on Magic to kill. Of course a Fighter can even be a great asset in the later game (tremendous) if you also have also developed those Magic skills, so it's up to you.

The Fighter will make it easier at first, but if you decide to go that route, be sure to rely on Magic rather than Melee in your fights, and take the time to replenish your Magic between battles, with short naps (not full 8 hour sleeps), if it gets depleted. If instead you do find yourself preferring to just use Melee mostly, you might be better off with a Melee-oriented party. You can have a Bard and Gadgeteer in one of those also (a Bishop also fits nicely).

Shields, as Wereboar suggests, are an excellent idea in any case. Their benifits are far more than the straight AC the shield itself provides. Many enemy attacks that hit, hit the shield instead and are wasted. In the original party recommended above, the Bard, Priest and Gadgeteer are good candidates for a shield. I would recommend it for the Ranger, also (along with a Sword) and it sounds like Wereboar recommends it if you go with his suggestion of a Fighter. Don't neglect the Shield Skill, if you use a shield.

[ 07-02-2003, 08:25 PM: Message edited by: EEWorzelle ]

[Wereboar]

With the Fighter there is a chance you would get into a habit of bashing your way through the easier battles.

I'm just running the same party. Yes, i didn't write it: The fighter is there to take care of enemies you can't kill fast enough with magic. With this party, never walk to approach monsters. I didn't even give the fighter a ranged weapons. He only deals with enemies that are at close range.

In the original party recommended above, the Bard, Priest and Gadgeteer are good candidates for a shield. I would recommend it for the Ranger, also (along with a Sword) and it sounds like Wereboar recommends it if you go with his suggestion of a Fighter. Don't neglect the Shield Skill, if you use a shield.

Usually i go for dual weapons with a fighter. But in this party, the fighter is mostly for protection, not offensive, so a shiled is far better.

I don't use shields with Ranger or Gadgeteers. Their strength lies in ranged weapons, so i don't give them a melee weapon at all. (i normally use only ranged weapon with bard too, but in this party i tried the Bartender. It dosn't work well, but thats probably the party.

[stealthblade78]

Thanks for the advice I think I'll keep the magic party and just stay in the lower monastary until I get detect secrets. It's only a lv 2 spell so I will get it soon. If you have any more info. please tell.

[stealthblade78]

Wereboar you're right, I've only played the game once with a well balanced force so I don't really know what to do. Thanks again for the advice

[stealthblade78]

Wereboar you're right, I've only played the game once with a well balanced force so I don't really know what to do. Thanks again for the advice