Magic and Magicians

[The Black Panda]

haha sorry this is my 2nd post bout magicians but i still have questions bout them

does a pure mage (a mage with no specialization) have access to all the spells from 1-9? Or is he limited in some way? Probably is, but im not sure what...

and if anyone has ToB...explain what the wild mage does?? Like what spells *can't* he use? All i know about him is that after he casts his reckless dewomer spell, something whaky happens...is that all thats to know about him?

[Jake]

mages are normal,
specialized mages get an extra spells for each level, ok say you get to level 10 and you get a level 5 spell, you get 5 new spell slots for the spell level you got, wereas a mage gets 4 slots. id prefer a necromancer or a conjerer, cause they dont miss out on much, no you only get up to level 8 spells, level 9 spells are for more powerful mages (and cause of the exp. cap) so you'll probly get them in the expantion pack (or a exp. cap remover)

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[Tuor]

If you play a normal mage with no xp cap remover and an intelligence of 18/19 you can get to level 17 which enables you to cast level 8 spells.

You can still cast level nine spells off scrolls however.

If you have less than 18 intelligence you will be unable to memorise spells of a certain level for example you can only learn 7th level spells if you have 15 intelligence.

Your intelligence also limits how many spells per level you can memorise.
(18 spells per level with 18int)

Specialist mages get an extra spell at each level but cannot cast spells of their opposing school. Whichever you pick make sure you retain evocation spells
because they tend to be things like magic missile and chromatic orb.

Minor spoiler
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You can use potions of genius to get round the problem if you wish but you are better off sticking 18 or 19 if you are a gnome into your intelligence just to avoid any trouble in the first place.

[trux]

A mage's intelligence dictates what level spells they're able to comprehend, and also how many they're allowed to write of each level.

Wild mages are not limited in spells. They can use all spells as well as their wild mage spells.



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trux

A wild mage has a 5% chance of a Wild Surge (random magical effects) after casting ANY spell. In addition, his casting level will vary slightly whenever a spell is cast - from 5 levels above his current level to 5 below. All spells may be used, keeping in mind he'll need an 18 IQ to cast 9th level spells.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Quick question,

Can I use Lvl 9 spells if my Intelligence is 18? I ask this because I cannot memorise Lvl 9 spells currently and I do not know whether this is because I have not installed the expansion.

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If not a Sorcerer, then a Paladin.

[Istaron]

You can memorize all spells in the game, wether you have 12 int or 20. But it will be pretty hard with only 12
Myself, I always save before I will try to memoriza a new spell. If I fail, then I just load.
Though, me failing only happend one or two times with 19 int

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We call him Bobby Corwen

According to the chart in the manual, you have to have an 18 IQ to cast 9th level spells - let us not forget that you also have to be 18th level, which is above BG2's experience cap!

Writing the spells to your spell book, OTOH, is another matter - any mage can do it (although you may have to perform some cheese tactics or take some potions to do so). In general, unless you have ToB installed, or a mage with Nahal's Reckless Dweomer spell (it IS possible to start out with it without cheating), you are better off not writing any 9th level scrolls you find - just use them when you need them.

[This message has been edited by Desuma_Malevois (edited 07-22-2001).]

[The Black Panda]

I don't understand the mage levels though...what do you mean when they go "+ or - 5 each time?"

And any way to improve spell casting time? I'm tired of waiting for one spell to finish and another one to start! Suggestions?

[Nerull]

Originally posted by The Black Panda: I don't understand the mage levels though...what do you mean when they go "+ or - 5 each time?" And any way to improve spell casting time? I'm tired of waiting for one spell to finish and another one to start! Suggestions?

Many of the spells in the game have characteristics based on level (for example, fireball does 1d6 per level, max 10d6). These include range, effects, etc. With a wild mage, your level (at least as far as the spell is concerned) fluctuates from five levels lower to five levels higher than your character's actual level. Each time you cast the spell, the level will be different with each casting. For example, a 10th level mage casting Sunfire (1d6 per level, max 15d6) would do 10d6 every time. A 10th level wild mage would do anywhere from 5d6 (fifth level) to 15d6 damage (15th level), varying every time they cast the spell.

To speed up casting times, try the Robe of Vecna.

SPOILER (ToB):
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In ToB (which you would need to have installed to (legally) play a wild mage, anyway), there is a 10th level wizard spell called improved celerity. This removes the gap between spell castings for a few rounds. Other than that, no way to stop the sitting around between spells.


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Death is only the beginning...