Psionic dualing - good idea?

wearboar makes a great point about getting one more level as a psi. regardless of whether you change, grabbing one or more level 6 spells now seems hard to pass by.

there's no doubt that dual-classing is tough to get good value out of, from an individual character strength perspective. and particularly so for spell casters, because caster level is so important to effectiveness.

however, as dplax points out, the smaller your team, the more effective it can be. this is because with fewer characters splitting the experience, the more levels you will gain before the end of the game.

i typically find that by the end game, the melee'rs are so strong, that often my casters end up just standing about keeping buffs up and making sure everyone stays healthy. however, a number of people have shown that if you develop your magic consistently, and pursue powercast to maximise your effectiveness, magic can be just as overwhelming late in the game as it is early.

or, to paraphrase an old mouldy joke:

Q: how do you get to ascension peak?
A: practice, practice, practice!

[Ziggurat]

It looks like I'll dual class to a Monk to get the melee addition. I'll wait one more level to do it to "unlock the lev 6 spells" as Wereboar and Sultan suggested. I wasn't sure they were worth it. Others here say the Psionic is not that useful towards the end, and that's what I was thinking. I originally was going to take her up all the way just to do it, now I think I need a little more kick. Currently using a Lord-Rogue-Bard-Mage-Psionic-Priest combo with RFS. I agree with those who said I should have done it earlier for max benefit of dualing to Monk. Maybe I'll do the retros to give her more training. C'est la vie, live and learn, etc.

[ 10-08-2003, 08:11 PM: Message edited by: Ziggurat ]

personally, the psi book beyond level 5 doesnt appeal to me. as of this writing, i have every intention of shelving the psionicist next to the gadgeteer as classes i just dont enjoy. a primary reason for this is what i perceive to be level 6 and 7 spells that just arent comparable to mage and alchemist spells.

having said that, i know that there are several people out there who swear by psionicists and recommend running every party with at least two. (!)

my low opinion of high level psi spells may seem out of sync with my agreement with wearboar. however, my feeling is that you're too close not to take advantage. and who knows - once you start building spellcasting again as a monk, you may be quite glad you grabbed that when you could.

[EEWorzelle]

I agree that Level 6 and above Fire realm spells (such as the Psionic's Prismatic Ray and Primic Chaos) run into too much resistance by the time you get them, and I have been unable to Turncoat anything of importance later in the game. However (asumming Powercast), Might to Magic and Pandemonium are both effective, Mind Flay is an excellent damage spell (when it doesn't run into a 150+ resistance wall) and Cerebral Hemorrhage is effective against some single opponents.

Also, the Psionic (next time, if desired) can be an Eagle Eye, deadly accurate stone slinger, which can very strategically effective against some foes later. Casting Eye for Eye can be useful, as well as PL7 + Powercast Soul Shield, and PL7 Psionic blast is one of my favorites. Even unseen enemies, if listed, can be nailed with it. You will probably be able to cast Eye for Eye with full effectiveness either way, but without Psionics caster level increasing (for at least four levels) the Power Level of your spells that you do know will probably not be increasing during that time.

[ 10-09-2003, 01:28 AM: Message edited by: EEWorzelle ]

[Ziggurat]

I picked Eye-to-Eye on lev 14. Will help against certain battles. Finished Mountain Wilds retro. It wasn't too bad, considering we are at the lower range (12-13) of what you need to get through there. Now ready to switch to Monk. I guess I won't be able to learn more magic spells until lev 19. I don't think I can get more lev 6 Psi spells easily (maybe at Ferro's? but that will be much later). I can still build the other skills. Will let you know how it goes.

i dont think ferro sells any level 6 spellbooks. come to think of it, i think the only level 6 spellbooks available in the game are the 2 banish spellbooks. anyone know of any others?

i'm not sure, but i suspect the biggest barrier for you learning any level 6 spells will be your spellbook level, since your monk wont get the 25% bonus to spellbook.

good luck!

[Ziggurat]

I know some spells require 90 ability in the school, such as Psionics in this case for lev 7. Looked at the lev 6 spells. I can probably do without, but Eye for an Eye may help. Don't know if I ever had that one before. I can do without.

eye for an eye potions are easy to come by. so if you REALLY want it, it's not like you're stuck. just stop by uncle braffit.

[Ziggurat]

I don't use potions much for protection, unless desperate. I have this feeling they are going to fail and often they do. I guess you need to keep it up to increase Artifact skill or whatever. The same goes for scrolls. I'd rather get the money when I sell them.

my preferred style is exactly the same, zig. for the longest time i wandered the world in wonder at all these silly items that clogged my inventory until i could exchange them for cash.

but then i started pushing the bounds of what i was comfortable with regarding party composition, and quickly discovered our lives could be made easier by pushing the bounds of what i'm comfortable with regarding weapons, items, strategies and tactics.

my preferred party still uses little more than restoration potions, smelling salts, and resurrection powders (and bard items ), but i'm starting to see the wizardry world in every greater detail, and with it more appreciation for the creators.