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Hiya guys

I am thinking of soloing with a spellcaster (wizard or sorceror, NOT bards, never liked them) but I have never plyed a spellcaster type character before, so, if someone could give me any advice on which class, race, what spells to pick and so on, that'd be really great. I have played the game through both with a party and solo (Kensai\Thief), so I know kinda what to expect.

I plan on playing both SoA and ToB with this char

Any advice on what equipment and weapons to use would also be greatly appreciated.

i think a generalist mage is prolly the best, u need all the spells u can get.
be an elf cuz the dex bonus
use staves and slings, get the staff of the magi in the bridge district (HARD fight for a solo char)
get the bracers of armor AC 3 at the adventurer's mart
robe of Vecna in adventurer's mart

another note:
keep any and all scrolls
learning a scroll makes you gain XP, using scrolls u find is a good way to help level up

I've never soloed the game with a Wizard or a Sorcerer, so I can't tell you which one is best. There are some things you should keep in mind, though.

First of all, there are racial restrictions on the classes. For example, if you choose to play an elf for the +1 DEX bonus, you can only play a Diviner, an Enchanter, or a non-specialist Mage. If you wanted to play a Conjurer, you'd have to play a half-elf or a human, and you couldn't get the racial DEX bonus. This will help you to determine which class and race to select.

Any item that can increase the number of spells you can memorize is very helpful (Ring of Wizardry, etc.). So is any item that can decrease casting time (Amulet of Power, Robe of Vecna). Also, check out Improved Alacrity (one of the High Level Abilities). And speaking of High Level Abilities, some of them give you the ability to cast extra spells, while others give you the ability to cast awesome spells, so choose them carefully.

I agree with Raumoheru--the Bracers of Defense and the Robe of Vecna should be your first picks for armor. (Pick up Yoshimo or Jan and go on a shoplifting spree if you're worried about gold.) But instead of relying solely on armor for protection, you should also use the protection spells that are available to you. Stoneskin, Mirror Image, Invisibility, Mislead, Protection from Normal Weapons, Protection from Magical Weapons, Protection from Fire (and so forth), Project Image, etc. will give you better protection than any armor. To prevent them from being dispelled, you can combine them with Spell Immunity: Abjuration, Spell Immunity: Divination, and so forth.

As for weapons, the Staff of the Magi is considered to the best choice by most people. I wouldn't try to hit anybody with it, though; I'd wield it just for the beneficial effects (Invisibility, various Protections, etc.)

Instead of relying on weapons, which can't usually do much damage in the hands of a spellcaster, I suggest that you rely on summoned help to do your melee fighting for you. There are all sorts of options in the game. You can get a Wand of Monster Summoning early in the game. Animate Dead and Mordenkainen's Sword are two of my favorites. Later in the game, when you're really high in level, you can use Project Image several times and summon several Planetars. If you can do that, does it matter if you're holding a little dagger or a wimpy sling? Just be careful when you fight monsters that can cast the Death spell, which will instantly destroy most summoned monsters.

In addition to summoned help, you can also recruit an NPC temporarily if you need help with a particularly tough quest. For example, when Keldorn is sent to help you on the Temple's quest, you might take him up on it. When the quest is over, you can dismiss him. If you need the skills of a Thief, let Yoshimo help you for a while. Just because you let someone into your party, that doesn't mean you have to keep them forever. There are some places in the game where I'd rather not be without a Thief or a good sword hand. But if you can get by without them, then don't take them with you.

Your best offense, of course--better than any weapon you can hold in your hand--is your arsenal of spells. The really powerful spells such as Horrid Wilting, Finger of Death, and the good old Fireball are very handy, of course. But don't overlook the lower level spells! Magic Missiles are devastating if you hit an enemy with enough of them. Chromatic Orb was my favorite spell when I played Icewind Dale because it can stun the target. Grease and Horror will keep large groups of enemies from swarming you. Spook will also keep an enemy away from you. Glitterdust will seriously weaken your opponents. And those are all just 1st and 2nd Level spells. Lower Resistance and Greater Malison are essential when you fight enemies with high magic resistance or low saving throws. If you want to set "traps", use Skull Trap, or lob it like a hand grenade towards thy foe. And then there are High Level Abilities such as Dragon's Breath. "Which weapon should you use?" I'll let you decide.

I hate to say it, but if you have primarily concentrated on melee attacks in the past (which is incredibly fun--don't get me wrong), then you can't really know what to expect when you play a game that concentrates primarily on spellcasting. You'll need to study the spells very carefully and learn how to use them for best effect. I'm sure you'll get a lot of useful tips from people here. Pay close attention--it's worth it.

another thing

contingency, chain contingency, minor spell sequencer, spell sequencer, and spell trigger are VERY nice....

thnx alot folks, but if I go for a specalist mage, which one should I choose? I've been thinking a bit about a necromancer for all those handy death spell types (death, finger of death, wail of the banshee and so on) but will I lose some important spells then?

Necromancers can't cast illusionspells. No matter what school you'd go for, you'll eventually miss out on some spells.
You could, of course, choose a sorceror, a very effective solo class, or so I've been told. The downside is that you have to choose your spells very carefully.
One of the kits I had the most fun with was a wild mage. Almost every fight was exciting because I'd never know what to expect.

Originally posted by Coot

You could, of course, choose a sorceror, a very effective solo class, or so I've been told. The downside is that you have to choose your spells very carefully.

Personally I would go for the sorceror. You do not need to rest as frequently in order to prepare for battle, nor do you need to prepare specific spells in advance.. they will all be right at your fingertips. As for having fewer varieties of spells at your disposal, this is not really a problem IMO, because at least 40% of the spells at each level are virtually useless, or they become useless when your character has gained more experience. Think of it as quality over quantity, and just imagine being able to rapid fire some of the really good spells of mass destruction at a group of particularly annoying nasties. Horrid Wilting comes to mind...

Well..

I'm not a soloer myself, but a sorceror will likely do better, at least once they have some levels under their belt. You'll want summons-intensive strateies when possible, so pick your spells accordingly. Don't forget Elmonster's Journal as a delightful piece of fan fiction, and a pretty good guide for the arcane soloer.

Good luck!

well i just got done soloing my fighter mage through SoA and i got him to be 28/23... a little too powerfull i thinks

i dont think there is a point to using him in ToB cuz it will be too easy. on hard fights just cast time stop and then use whirlwind attack

Try going with wild mage. I don't think you can get one unless you install both SoA and ToB because you can only get them in ToB. They might be one of the kits you can get, though I'm not sure. Correct me if I'm wrong. But they can use all spells as well as a few that only they can cast. Can't remember them at the moment, though. I'd be an elf if I were you. And fireball is always a good spell.

Wild Mage is a ToB mage kit. The problem with wild mages is the wild effect, where spells have a minor chance of changing (into another spell). There is a probability table somewhere on the net, but I don't remember where I saw it. However wild mages also have the spell Nahal's Reckless Dweomer, which is a first level spell which can be shaped into a spell of any level. However the shaping (as well) has a chance of coming out wrong, depending of spell level. For a high level wild mage NRD just translates into six extra slots for high-level spells (esp HLAs).

Personally I don't really use Wild Mages. Wild Mages function just like normal mages, with the minor exception of NRD providing more spell slots. Therefore playing style with Wild Mages doesn't differ from any other mage. The random element can't be controlled, so it's there only for the sake of novelty, IMHO.

Originally posted by araknid70
Therefore playing style with Wild Mages doesn't differ from any other mage. The random element can't be controlled, so it's there only for the sake of novelty, IMHO.

The very fact that the random element can't be controlled is part of the fun of playing a wm. The randomness is sort of the point. I see your point though, a wm isn't that different from other wizards. But I still had more fun with him than with the other magekits.

Yeah it is quite amusing to suddenly see a bunch of demons turned into rabbits... I didn't use a wild mage, but there's a wild magic zone in watcher's keep. I suppose nahal's dweomer exists partly so that wild mages aren't too inconvenienced by having their high level spell nerfed by wild magic surges.

Originally posted by araknid70
For a high level wild mage NRD just translates into six extra slots for high-level spells (esp HLAs).

When combined with limited wish though, you could efffectivley have endless NRDs.