Help! Haste caster keeps running out of mana

[fung]

In all my primary games...i always had a bard as the primary haste caster...he used to cast haste in the first round always.

Now I'm trying something new...I replaced the bard with a gadgeteer and having a bishop cast haste.

Right now, I'm lvl 13 and my bishop runs out of mana all the time. Its quite frustrating actually...haste cost 8 per level...so i cast level 5 haste...that's 40 SP per battle. After two fights...my fire realm is drained dry...

But when I neglect to cast haste (for small battles), I realise that my fighters are missing out on valuable training.

mana stones and nectar are being used at an alrming rate and it will be a long time before my hybrid casters can cast portal, so tyrnton fountain is unavailable

Can someone give me some suggestions? Where are the earliest parts of the game I can find SP regen items etc?

[Gimli]

Well you can sell the mana stones back to the shop keepers and they'll get recharged, so they are kind of limitless that way, just at the cost of some $$.
Later in the game it will be way less of an issue when the bishop builds up some serious mana and you get the portal spells to boot.

[Oruboris]

Just wanted to point out you need to leave 1 charge on the mana stone to keep it from dissappearing before you can do the sell/buy thing.

I always set my first portal at the trangaporter and the next at the mana fount, if that helps...

Oru

[Wereboar]

But when I neglect to cast haste (for small battles), I realise that my fighters are missing out on valuable training.

Unless you kill the monsters with spells, your fighter should get more training without haste, not less. You need the same number of hits to kill them, but you'll hit less often with low speed, thus you have morechnaces to improve your skills (and the bishop can cast heal more often).

I currently have a party with a monk as haste guy, and cast it only in big battles. With high dexterity, the characters get several attacks/swings without haste, once their weapon skill is high.

Where are the earliest parts of the game I can find SP regen items etc?

Ferro, or Mountain wilderness dungeon.

[Gimli]

"Unless you kill the monsters with spells, your fighter should get more training without haste, not less. You need the same number of hits to kill them, but you'll hit less often with low speed, thus you have morechnaces to improve your skills (and the bishop can cast heal more often)."

Not sure what you mean here, speed has nothing to do with calculating the "to hit" rolls, for most weapons that's a function of Str/Dex. All speed does is give you extra attacks and/or swings per round and improve initiative, not the chance to hit or miss. From what I understand about weapon skills going up, it's based on the # of swings you take which would be the same either way - the advantage to having the high speed would be you get the swings in earlier and take out the monsters faster.