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Ok so the deal is that I am pretty far through the game (floating around suldeneslar looking for more quests for XP) and my party has been almost finalized except i just have one problem. I need a mage. I had gotten rid of Nalia for Arie thinking that it was a win win situation since I have Imoen. But now i realize that Arie just levels up too damn slow and she is never going to have the good spells i am looking for. Since i think i will be getting rid of Arie my only spell casters will be: stupid, not level up enough Imoen, Anomen, and my guy who is a SKALD of all things. obviously this will not do and I need to know what is the best choice for a mage. I have been toying with the idea of getting Edwin because i think hes the man, but i don't know if he is going to incite a big brawl in my party or not. Will he? If Edwin blows then it will be very hard for me to come to grips with the fact that annoying little Nalia may be the best mage the game has to offer me. Kill me if thats the case. oh yes and then theres Jan, but is he really even to be considered? ok so whats the consensus.. Edwin, Nalia, Arie, or Jan? who is the best?

Edwin.1
Nalia.2
Arie.3
Jan.4

Weasel won't steer you wrong. Yeah! That's the ticket.

BTW, I believe whoever you get at this point will be too under-experienced at this point in the game, so you may be better off keeping Nalia, even though Edwin is technically the best mage. If you've invested a lot of experience in Nalia, you're probably better off keeping her.

@Rail.Thanks..if JimmiePop had asked about all of the mages..


Edwin.1
Imoen.2
Nalia.3
Aerie.4
Jan.5

(questions about BG2 I will not steer you wrong. )

Originally posted by Weasel:
(questions about BG2 I will not steer you wrong. )

Very true. Weasel's knowledge of the game is outstanding. Listen to him. His ethics, though...

thanks all that helps me alot.

It's more like

1. Edwin
6. Imoen
7. Nalia
8. Aerie
9. Jan

Edwin is by far the best

I don't use mages,sorry (My mages were posers).Anyway,I'd stick to using Imoen and and Aerie.Imoen should be at the exp. cap if you reach Suldanassellar after completing every single quest there is in Amn

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I lay my claim on the fence

Why does everyone bash Jan I used him the one time I made it to the Underdark (I keep starting over) and he was pretty good, besides he's the only thief besides Yoshimo unless you want a level 4 Imoen or Nalia

Imoen was good enough,since I'd only used her thieving skills to detect/disarm traps

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I lay my claim on the fence

@Prince of Havoc...I'm not bashing him...I'm basing it on spells . Check the thread RATE THESE NPCs!

Originally posted by Prince of Havoc:
Why does everyone bash Jan I used him the one time I made it to the Underdark (I keep starting over) and he was pretty good, besides he's the only thief besides Yoshimo unless you want a level 4 Imoen or Nalia

Me to - I (unless my main character is a thief) I always use Jan, but it is mainly for his thieving-skills, and not his mage-skills.

I guess I'm bashing Jan. I just don't like that style of fantasy. I.E. gnomish technology and wild inventions. I find it unbelieveable and childish. It's just my personal taste. I haven't used Jan, nor have I felt I was missing out. To each his own. He seems both an adequate thief and mage.

I find a way to get over 1millionxp every nine hours and three days everyone will reach xcap.

Originally posted by samcu:
I find a way to get over 1millionxp every nine hours and three days everyone will reach xcap.

well, it might take only 1'
.
.
.
.
with Shadowkeeper
or 3' with A.X.E.

L.
PS There already have been correspondents claiming some achievement and not remembering how it might be done


[This message has been edited by Loredweller (edited 03-23-2001).]

With respect, I'd suggest that a mage can't simply be judged by their spells--it's more complicated than that. You have to look at the balance of your party, the quest difficulties they face, and the mix of skills that mage may bring in addition to casting.

Edwin, for instance, is the best pure spellcaster in the game, but what if you don't want to put a separate thief in your party, and your other five slots are filled? Then Nalia, Imoen, and Jan suddenly become more valuable to you.

What if you don't have Viconia or Anomen in your party? In that case, Aerie probably is the best choice to make: strong mage and clerical support.

If you don't do a lot of the chapter two quests early in the game, Imoen becomes much more potentially powerful, since you can bring her back and raise her levels quickly.

Jan may be the worst mage in the game, but in some ways, he's the best thief. And what if you already have a strong spellcaster as your character in the party? Jan may be just the thing.

In short, there's nothing hard-coded about respective levels of adequacy among the characters. It's all the way you play.

To apply to your specific situation (based on the little info you've offered), you might want to consider either adding Jan and Edwin (while removing your basic thief type), or just adding Edwin. I'd opt for option #1. Jan can grow to be as good a thief as any, and the only real skill he lacks at the start is traplaying. (His invisibility spells cover for his hiding problems.) Unlike a singleclass thief, he can use a wand from hiding, while acting as scout. (I love watching him destroy entire ambushing parties with his Cloudkill wand.) His mage spells make him a good adjunct to your real power mage during a battle, and he can always polymorph if you need the muscle.

But in my opinion, if you want the highest level spells, and you've already created a Skald, get Edwin. Spells are what he does best.

I belive you all haveforgotten a spellcaster. Haer´dalis. He will only reach lvl 6 spells however but he is damn good. Teach him tenser transform, use girdle of fortitude and you will have a tank that can mach most enemies.

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When there is no wrong, there can be no right.

When there is no darkness, there can be no light.

And when there is no evil, there can be no good.

~Just a few words of wisdom from a proud member of the Brotherhood of the woods

Hehe, Jan is the ONLY mage in my group and I'm doing just fine. I'm just about to enter the asylum. He has a lot of those spellprotection-removers memorized, so my fighters hack the mages to pieces after he dispels their protections. Then a couple of magic missiles, wands, fireballs and stuff. Just wanted to try a different way to play through. My main char is a priest of Helm.

Robin Hood