I could use a little help... I will be playing BG2 and ToB with a friend (multiplayer campaining) I know one of us (him) will be the main char. and the other (me) some sort of NPC that follows around, is there more to it that we should be aware of?
My main reason for the thread is this... I was thinking of playing a Sorceror but I got stuck at stat division... as far as I know CHA is the prime stat for a Sorc. but says INT is in the game plus apparently it doesn't matter if you got 18 CHA or INT regarding the number of spells you can cast. My friend will be playing most likely paladin which makes it unnessecary for me to have CHA regarding whatever dialog or merchantizing there might be... so what do you guys recommend for Sorceror stat that I should focus on?
Also is it much better to play Mage instead of Sorc? it's not my first time I play (it's my friends first time... teeheee a BG virgin) and I am fully capable of munching it so I can powertrip and feel like a demi-god but we're really only out to enjoy the game and the story
Thanks in advance!
Most will say that the sorc is more powerful than the mage. It does require that you know which spells to choose.
And I'm not really sure about this but I don't even think that charisma is that important in this game. I'd just get it as high as possible just to be sure. It should be easy to get reasonable strength 18 dexterity and 16 constitution while still having a good charisma. That's what I would do at least.
A Mage's Intelligence affects his or her chance to learn a spell, and it determines the number of spells he or she can put into the spellbook. Neither of these issues applies to a Sorcerer, because Sorcerers learn spells automatically and all Sorcerers are limited to the same number of spells in their spellbooks. In other words, a Sorcerer's Intelligence doesn't make much difference. Neither does Charisma, which has no effect on spellcasting.
This means that only the usual considerations apply when you create a Sorcerer:
Strength: determines how much weight your character can carry, affects the chance to bash open locks, and gives you attack bonuses if it's over 15. Some items such as weapons and shields have minimum Strength requirements, but I can't think of any items that a Sorcerer can use that are restricted by Strength. I suggest that you give your Sorcerer 17 or 18 Strength so you can have a +1 THAC0 bonus with your staff or sling and so you can carry a lot of weight.
Dexterity: make it as high as possible for the best Armor Class bonus and the best missile attack bonus. Elves can have Dexterity up to 19.
Constitution: 16 will you the best possible hit point bonus. Elves can have up to 17, so an elf would be perfect.
Intelligence: 9 is the minimum for a Mage or Sorcerer. Not coincidentally, 9 is also the minumum required to use wands and scrolls. If you're playing a Mage instead of a Sorcerer, you want this stat to be as high as possible to maximize the number of spells in your spellbook. Mindflayers can drain your Intelligence and kill you, but personally I don't think that should be a consideration when you're assigning stat points, since you'll only encounter about 50 mindflayers in the whole game and there are lots of ways to avoid the loss of ANY Intelligence points.
Wisdom: the manual is wrong when it says that Wisdom affects saving throws. That feature was not implemented in the game. Wisdom affects the outcome of a Wish spell, but that is the only affect that Wisdom has on a character who isn't a Cleric. How many times do you think you will use a Wish spell? If you never use it, you can set your character's Wisdom to 3 and you'll never notice the difference. Some of the dialogues check the speaker's Wisdom, but in those cases, you can let an NPC with higher Wisdom do the talking, or you can simply accept the less desirable options and get on with the game.
Charisma: You don't need high Charisma, but it is useful in a lot of situations. High Charisma gives you better prices at stores and you get more favorable reactions from all sorts of NPCs. Some people might tell you to use the Ring of Human Influence to raise it to 18, but I think it's foolish to waste a ring slot when there are so many rings a Mage or Sorcerer can use. If you need a character who has high Wisdom, add someone like Keldorn to your party (he has Charisma 18) and let him do the talking, or else give your own character Charisma 18.
If you want versatility, then I suggest that you play a Specialist Mage. It's nice to be able to choose from a wide variety of spells. I think the Conjurer is the best specialty since it requires the least amount of compromise. Giving up Divination spells isn't so painful, especially if you have another character in the group who can cast True Seeing, True Sight, or the thief version of Detect Illusion.
On the other hand, if you can get by with a limited number of spells, then it's nice to play a Sorcerer who can use any of your spells without having to memorize them in advance. But it takes a long time to acquire spells, and you need to choose them carefully. If you play a Sorcerer, you should look at other message threads in which we have discussed spell selections.
Here is a spell progression chart for Sorcerers, along with my own recommendations. As you can see, some of the spells are few and far between, so you have to make tradeoffs:
You'll pick up a few more spells after that. By all means, listen to other people's suggestions for spell picks as well as mine. I myself enjoy trying new things based on what other people suggest, and there's a lot of good advice to be had.
@ Vondondu wow I'm speechless an excellent and comprehensive guide to a Sorceror. however I'll ad my 2 cents minor spoiler warning
no need to waste points in charisma you only put the ring of human influence on when shopping there are no tradeoffs here 10 for roleplaying purposes so your not an ugly unattractive orc ;-)
edit I'd also get dragon breath before planetar you have your undead skeleton warriors to act as meat IMHO an extra nuke is better
As far as spell selection, VonDondu's suggestions are pretty solid, though I would choose the upper-level spells (they are often the hardest ones to choose between) differently.
At level 6, I would select, in order: (1) Mislead; (2.1) True Sight - but only if you are playing with no Clerics or Thieves (who can use detect illusions to similar effect); (2,2) Protection from Magic Weapons - particularly if you are using no other NPCs); (3) Contingency; (4) Improved Haste; (5) Tenser's Transformation
At level 7: (1) Project Image; (2) Spell Sequencer; (3) Mordy Sword; (4) Delayed Blast Fireball - though Mass Invisibility could be good with other NPCs; (5) Power Word Stun.
At level 8, Horrid Wilting and Spell Trigger are clear choices, but at (3) I would go with Power Word Blind over Simulacrum. Between using projected images, the possibility of Vhailor's Helm, and perhaps just reading scrolls if you really need a simulacrum, I often find the spell somewhat superfluous for a sorcerer. Plus, PW Blind is really swell.
Level 9: (1) Chain Contingency - this has always been, in my view, the most powerful spell in the game. (2) Time-stop, though I've personally tended not to use it in recent games. (3) Power Word Kill (I've become a big fan in recent games; it really spoils the plans of those irritating enemies who like to suddenly heal or put back up nasty protections right before they're supposed to go down).
- Shapechange is sometimes fun but more of a novelty, in my view; and if you need wishes, it's easy enough to read them directly off scrolls (or its duplicate via images/simulacrums)
HLAs: (1) Imp. Alacrity; (2.1) Dragon's Breath - though like Time Stop, I've personallty got bored with it and tend not to use it; (2) Planetar; (3) Energy Blades (given the universal love for Melf's meteors, I'm surprised these aren't more popular; I'm a big fan - twice as fast as Melfs, no weight, electric damage.)
First of all thank you all for replying and giving me the input on Sorceror as you guys did.
As mentioned chances are very high that my friend will be playing paladin so I can nerf my CHA and let it stay low besides since he'll be main char. he can do the talking
There will be NPC's so it'll have to be a relatively party friendly Sorceror, I've looked at the gear you can get and thought of maybe try get the paladin (Cavalier) to 100% fire resistance so he can charge into the enemy and I can nuke with all the fire I like (except against fire mobs ofc) I like fire... and I like nuking plus he if do play paladin he'll get Carsomyr which can/will dispel enemy protection spells maybe ease a little with spells that pierce them?
What about chain lightning?? does it plain just suck or? it will affect enemies only and eventually I will be level 40 (plan to kill and do everything the game offers) so the damage would be high wouldn't it?
About Tenser's Transformation wouldn't it be working best with a dual class fighter? fighter/mage ofc I know Sorcerors can't dual unless you start as Sorceror (no mods here) and maybe build and plan a little melee orientation so your simulacrums can open a can of whupass (with for example Black Blade of Disaster and other boost spells) ... if not then maybe a little can? :laugh:
Finally as I understand it you can pick Sorceror and (at end game) cast 6 spells of every spell level with hmmm... 5 diffrent spells at each spell level which you pick from or play mage and cast 5 spells of every spell level but then have "unlimited" (18 INT) spells at your disposal... wouldn't it perhabs be better to play mage so one could experiment with all the spells and even change nuking tactics when blasting with same spells become boring?? I know I know I asked for Sorceror that's mostly cause I like the extra nuking you can I hope I don't offend anyone for thinking of going to the Dark side... sorry I mean mage side... last why play mage when you can play wild mage? you don't HAVE to cast the wild magic unless you feel the need plus... at level 40 with the chaos shield would it be +55 on the wild chart? that'd be only good effect if I remember correctly...
If your friend is going for Paladin, you should get him to be an Inquisitor rather than Cavalier - it will free you from having to get True Sight and Dispel Magic for the Sorcerer, which would be very valuable.
Chain Lightning is an ok spell, but I don't find it worthwhile enough for a sorcerer given all the other good selections at level 6. I would actually say to use level-5 Sunfire instead (let a cleric animate dead instead) for offense. It's not party friendly, but if you're going to have a lot of fire resistance around, it's a great option. (maybe even get before lower resistance, especially since Sunfire bypasses magic resistance). Have your Mislead sorcerer walk into a pack of enemies and let off a Spell Triggered Sunfire x3. Or, at higher levels you can even use User-Unfriendly's patented lich killing Sunfire-delayed blast fireball-delayed blast fireball in a Chain contingency for extra fire-based fun.
Tenser's would be more powerful for a dual class Fighter/Mage(Sorcerers cannot dual at all though), but it will still make any mage a powerful fighter at high enough levels. Put it in a Spell Trigger with Protection from Magic weapons, and Improved Haste, and start beating people over the head with your best staff.
