No one can contest...mages are the best class

[trux]

Very true, Nanobyte. That's the trade-off.

That's why only the most intelligent, creative, patient and cunning mages ascend. And even then their survival is more thanks to luck than skill for the first years of their adventuring days.

This is also why you'll NEVER see a low-level mage adventuring alone - always gotta be at least one fighter with him/her. It's always been a good rule of thumb in any PnP adventure I DM that if you see a lone mage travelling he/she's best left alone - lest your life be taken by him.

(P.S. what does "rule of thumb" mean, anyway?)

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trux

[Jerome]

Well there was once this bloke named "Thumb".....

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[Killing Spree]

Eh eh eh, I've been stuck sleeping in that tavern for a few days now. It's "THE Thumb".

Ah, and on the mages. I've had bad expiriances with magic users. Trust me... Don't make me tell you the story. Why they started calling my mage Toast Like Bread... Nope, not tellin' ya...

(OK so mages could kick ass later on, but look at it this way, without an accomplished cleric or a healthy supply of temples how many of these mages would make it?)

[DonkeyWan]

rule of thumb, style of measurement way back when (a thumb was roughly two inches long). Also I though that the game was about balance, the whole mage v's every other class seems pointless in the extreme, I mean scroll of magic protection and what will your mage do then etc. The game is about balance, no one class can be too powerful, or two weak, each has strengths and weaknesses, or else how would you ever finish it, accept if you went as a mage. Soloplayers don'r choose mages, 'cos even at the higher levels, survival is terribly difficult with a mage, example, tough battle, you use all your magic, you try to rest, you get attacked and killed by a horde of maurading rabbits or something. In a one of battle mages are well hard, especially at later levels (not invincible mind) but only thinking in one off terms is not enough, overall as a continuing character, mages are weak and prey to a host of attacks. Mages are no better or worse than any other class of character.

[TheDutkanator]

SOLUTION: Multi-Class!! It's like playing two (or three) seperate characters all in one! Sure they level up slow, but it's DEFINATELY worth it. I have played MANY of the classes and my favorite by far is an Elven Mage/Thief. Use up all your spells? Set up a bunch of traps in a circle. Stand within the circle and hide. Now try to rest. If you get attacked, the traps do their work. Some monsters immune to trap damage? Then you must not have Throne of Bhaal. Want a mage that could defeat a fighter in single combat? Fighter/Mage. Want a mage that can kill a lich without casting a single spell? Mage/Thief. Want a mage that can heal himself/herself or others? Cleric/Mage. The only multi-class mage I found difficult to use (but sometimes wish I would've tried just a little longer) is the Fighter/Thief/Mage. They level up EXTREMELY slow. So slow, it's really hard to do anything early on AND you almost can't reach your experience cap.

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Let's get'em guen!

"I'm sorry, did I kill you?" -TheDutkanator

Oh God! Not this debate again - YAWN!!!! It all comes down to style of play, and that's that

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In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is pimp.
http://lordraptor0.tripod.com/index.html

[DonkeyWan]

S'right (btw, what the hells is that ugly picture, and I don't mean the chicken).

If you mean the egyptian thing on my left, those are Ziroc's pictures depending on your post rankings

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In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is pimp.
http://lordraptor0.tripod.com/index.html

[DragonEdge]

Rule of Thumb...
If you want to see a HILARIOUS explanation of where this came from go out and Rent/Buy the movie- Boondock Saints

[TheBeerBaron02]

It used to be legal to beat your wife with a stick so long as its not thicker than your thumb. Thats where it came from.