GameBanshee Forums

I am new to this game and I need advice on the advisability of changing characters midstream. i am currently a fighter at around level 7 and I know how to change over to a mage or a thief, but I am rather unsure as to what benefits (or drawbacks) there would be to do so at this point. Can someone give me some advice please?

The drawbacks are identical to the ones you'd expect: you lose all profession-specific abilities of the original class. So although you keep your proficiencies with any given weapon, if you become a mage, you lose the ability to wield, say, a mace, or an axe, or a sword. If you switch from mage to thief, you lose the ability to cast spells--and so on.

Note that the game doesn't suddenly "end," so if you switch professions, you don't lose on experience for your first profession--you can always switch back, anytime.

You gain experience as a fighter, thief or mage by killing things and finishing quests. But you also gain experience as a thief by training Annah in thievish skills like pickpocketing. (If she trains you, you gain in that skill. If you train her, you gain overall experience. It's a win/win situation.) You increase your thievish skills as in other Interplay RPGs, but allocating points when you make a level.

Note that the first profession in which you reach level 7 gains you a special tattoo at the tattoo shop that offers bonus of use to that profession. If you also make level 12 in that profession before any other, a second tattoo appears which is a great deal better, still. No tattoo appears if you make level 12 in a different profession, first.

Hope that helps.

Yeah, fable, it helps some. I would consider changing over to a mage(not a thief) but if I do that, do I start out at level one Mage or whatever level my current experience points put me at? do I have spells or do I just take some form Dak'kon and pick up some more as I go along? If I do decide to change back to a fighter, do I lose all ability to cast spells? Sorry for the dumb questions, but this is such a great game, I am trying to get the most out of it.

You're given some starter spells by Mebbeth, plus you have the spells that derive from Dak'kon's training (quite a few, actually), and more when you train with Ignus (though these come at a personal cost, usually in hit points). You can then find or buy spells, and frankly, after a while--especially after playing around in the Modron space--you won't ever lack for money.

You lose spellcasting abilities in another profession, just as you lose thief abilities when not a thief, or the ability to use certain weapons when not a fighter. Some tattoos, too, are profession-specific. You regain skills and spells as soon as you shift back to a profession that lets you handle 'em.

Hey, thanks, fable. Maybe I'll give it a shot. You've been very informative.

Advice eh? Well, besides working on your swordsmanship, besides that... I’d have to think. I know! Find someone rich then kill em! Then find someone richer and kill them too! Hack and slash your way to fortune! WOOHOO!!!



[ 06-14-2001: Message edited by: Kayless ]

Uhh...we are still talking about the game, right Kayless?

I've found it advantageous to level up to a 7th level fighter to gain extra weapon proficiencies and hit points, no matter what class I played. You keep the extra half-attack/round, specialization, and hit points no matter what class you play. If I played a thief or mage, I leveled up to 7 in that class first to get the thief/mage specializtion bonus.