Xan, Dynaheir, and Garrick

[StarVid]

I'm starting a new game in BG1 with a character that I'm going to take to BG2 and I need to figure out what I'm going to do about a mage. In the past, I've always played a mage, but now I'm playing a cleric (that I'll dual to a mage later on). Anywhos, the way I see it, my only options for mages is Dynaheir (with her low dex), or Xan, (with his inability to cast powerful invocation spells like cloudkill). I think I came up with a strategy for this, but I'm not sure it'll work.

Me (cleric)
Minsc
Kivan
Imoen
Xan or Dynaheir
Garrick

I'm taking Garrick in as a part time mage, and as an extra bowman. Minsc will be my tank, and then Kivan can provide cover fire. The only problem has to do with charisma. Imoen is the only person with decent charisma, and I don't want to have to shift her to party leader every time that I go to buy stuff or people come talk to me or anything. Eventually, I'd drop whatever mage for another thief (Safana? Coran?) when I dual Imoen to a mage to replace who I drop. Garrick can hold things while Imoen catches up. The only thing I have to figure out is whether to choose Xan or Dynaheir. If I choose Xan, then Garrick is going to have mostly combat spells, which is odd for a bard. If I choose Dynaheir, then Garrick will have all the enchantment and conjuration spells (and there are a -lot- of them, probably more than a bard can handle.)

Anywhos, you see my plan, what do y'all advise?

[Gabriel]

I suggest that you go for Xan as your mage and so teach Garrick attack spells, not really a bad thing to do as he be able to cover your duel-classed Imeon until she reaches a higher level. Also if you have Dynaheir as your mage and drop her when you change Imoen into a mage she won't take Minsc with her.

[Ithaqua]

as for buying & selling/talking she dont need to be head of your party, just click on her and then on the person you want to talk to and she will do it.
dont wory about Dynaheir taking Minsc with her. Just get her killed by sending her into the middle of a battle (she's a mage so she should die quite quick) then boot her, if she is dead she wont take minsc with her. I learnt that when i wanted that theif but not the necromancer. The thief went off in a huff later anyway cos i took too long geting to nashkel :{

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[SixOfSpades]

Typically, I just do without a Mage for the first part of the game--you don't really need one at all, except for the tougher bosses, when a good Dispel Magic REALLY comes in handy....and Clerics can Dispel, anyway. If you're set on a Mage, though, take anybody but a Transmuter or an Invoker. Have you SEEN the list of good spells they can't cast??? Take Xan....he can't do Stinking Cloud, but he CAN do Sleep, which I prefer. And he's got 16 DEX, so there's a chance he'll actually hit something with his sling. (Don't let him use his Moonblade. Nice weapon....shame they had to go & stick it on a Mage.)
Imoen, though.....Imoen, Imoen, Imoen. Better than Edwin, in my opinion. Sure, he has 1 extra spell per level, but who the hell cares? His DEX sucks, and he doesn't even start with a point in Missile! Imoen can be a Conjurer too, or a Necromancer, which is probably next best. Then slap on the Eagle Bow, Bracers of Archery and the Book of Dexterity, and she's a full-fledged whoopass merchant! Edwin this, Edwin that....Take ME up to Level 7 when I can use my bow again, and I'll kick his arse!
And Imoen isn't the ONLY member of your party with decent CHA. Garrick has 15, remember? The only NPCs with higher than 16 are Ajantis and Safana, both of whom have 17.

[Kaz]

Originally posted by SixOfSpades: Typically, I just do without a Mage for the first part of the game--you don't really need one at all, except for the tougher bosses, when a good Dispel Magic REALLY comes in handy....and Clerics can Dispel, anyway. If you're set on a Mage, though, take anybody but a Transmuter or an Invoker. Have you SEEN the list of good spells they can't cast??? Take Xan....he can't do Stinking Cloud, but he CAN do Sleep, which I prefer.

Mage selection is often a matter of how you plan to use him. I use my mages as attack and id mages. For that, IMHO, Xan is nearly useless. He can hardly cast ANY attack spells, just things like charm person which I never use anyway! My favorite mage is transmuter because they can both id and attack. But mage selection is a lot how you plan to use him and also personal choice. And btw, I agree with Xan and the Moonblade: it looks cool, it does nice damage, but Xan does NOT have enough health OR armor to be a close-combat guy.

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Kazara

Sapphire Dragoness of ALSB
Waitress at Cloudy's Cafe
Guardian of the Temple of Aerie (specialized in GenCon and BG)
Most Illustrious Arch-Magess of the Illuminati
Lux omnis est

[SixOfSpades]

Originally posted by Kaz: Xan is nearly useless. He can hardly cast ANY attack spells......Xan does NOT have enough health OR armor to be a close-combat guy.

Xan can't attack? Really? Ever seen him cast Sleep at a big knot of Gnolls or Ogres? Works for me every time....But you're right: Xan can't cast Fireball, Aganazzar's Scorcher, Magic Missile, Lightning Bolt....and who cares? Those spells all come in WANDS. The only spells he actually CAN'T use are Chromatic Orb, Web, Stinking Cloud, and Cloudkill, and he can just use scrolls for those, if you really REALLY want to. Here's what Dynaheir can't cast:
Sleep (WAND), Charm Person, Dire Charm, Hold Person, Confusion, Armor, Melf's Acid Arrow, Flame Arrow, Ghost Armor, Monster Summoning 1, 2, and 3 (WAND)
And try finding those Wands of Sleep and Monster Summoning. I think there's only 1 of each in the game, until you can finally get to Sorcerous Sundries. AND Dynaheir's dexterity is only 13.
And of course, NO mage could ever be a melee fighter...but Xan does come close, since his Moonblade gives him an AC bonus. Before I learned the ins & outs of the game, I regularly sent him in toe-to-toe against gnolls with relatively few ill effects. Foolish of me, I know, but I've learned my lesson: Imoen kicks ass. Oh, and I made a mistake in my earlier post: She can't become a Necromancer. I meant to say Illusionist.

[Attila]

A note to you Sixofspades...

Xan is a mage, a shit mage. Mages are magic uses that by definition use magic to kill and not confront enemies toe to toe in melee. Xan is a poor choose for a mage, cant cast some very important spells. Xan is a poor chose for a fighter he doesnt have the health or armor to be effective. If i wanted a fighter id take a fighter and if i wanted a mage id take one, and not some real weak hybrid that is weak in both fields.

Secondly, you seem to flame Edwin quite abit, Edwin is a true mage who can cast a hellofalot of chromatic orbs, one of the best spells in the game considering it is a level 1 spell, and coupled with 2 rings of wizardry, its insane the amount of them you can cast. Do i have to remind you that CO is a spell Xan cannot cast. I agree sleep is very useful, but not later on, enemies have high magic resistances. Edwin is not the best mage in the game because of his evil alighnment, and his friggin annoying abrasive tone. which i must add Xan is even worse than Noober!!!At least Noober stops!!!

Sixofspades i can understand you try and be different and suggest different Npcs to use, but people suggest npcs for a reason, because they are good! Instead of degrading Edwin and boasting Xan could kick his ass, admit Edwin is good but suggest that Xan may be a viable alternative...Dont be offended by my comments

[Bahamut]

I think Edwin is better than Xan and Dynaheir also... Xan depressed accent and actions piss me off. Although the moonblades cool, he still gets beaten up by... well... kobolds... I mean come on... And believe me... cloudkill helps.

Anyways, I'd pick Dynaheir anytime although I remember my party being

ME (paladin)
Khalid
Jaheira
Imoen
Kivan
Dynaheir

Or something...

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Chaotic Cavalier of ALSB, protector of the Innocent, slayer of the mad...

[Zbyszek]

I always use Dynaheir, running good party

[SixOfSpades]

Attila, please read my post through again to make sure you understood it all. I'm NOT saying Xan is a great mage, as he definitely is not. He's simply one of the many half-decent mages you meet, and he also has the ability to step in and lend a hand with the melee guys every once in a while, though it's not a really good idea. The main point I was making is that I'd rather have Xan than Dynaheir. I agree about the Sleep spell: Great on low and medium enemies, useless for those with decent Saving Throws.
I did NOT say that Xan was better than Edwin--I said that Imoen is. The only thing wrong with Edwin (apart from his alignment) is his 10 DEX--the lowest dexterity in the game, unless you count one of the Illusory NPCs.
I think that using the items you find in those leeetle tiny crevices (such as that second Ring of Wizardry you seem to be so fond of) is a cheesy way to play.
You're right, it IS better to use a variety of NPCs, to get different experiences each time. But StarVid said he was starting a new game, and asked the forum for what we advise. I gave him my answer: Imoen is better than Edwin is better than Xan is better than Dynaheir. (Xzar is somewhere between Edwin and Xan, but nobody uses him because they hate to pronounce his name. )
As for Xan being annoying, I actually LIKE his attitude. Same with Edwin and Quayle. Having little minions whose every action is dictated by my merest whim is one thing, but it gets funny when they try to depress me or act uppity.