How do you effectively use Mages?
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EternalKnight
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Sat Dec 16, 2000 11:00 pm
- Location: Porterville, CA, USA
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How do you effectively use Mages?
I have some powerful spells, I stole all of the spells from the underdark people. I need to know how you guys use them, because when I use mages they're always the first to die, and they aren't very affective. I had Edwin, he was powerful but not effective, and I now have Imoen, and I hear everyone say that Jaheira is a good Cleric, but I guess I'm doing something wrong. Do you guys use turned based or something, or a special AI script?
First of all your mages should be in the rear, away from all the bad guys. They should be equipped with ranged weapons so they don't go charging into battle. I have mine using a ranged weapon attack script.
Your mages are the 'fire support' for your front line fighters. I have a Ranger and Keldorn and the rest of my party are spell casters (vic, aerie, nalia, imoen). The mages pump lots of magic missles (the ONLY lvl 1 spell u should memorize), and Melf's acid arrows into the baddies. Area effect spells such as fireball, chain lightning, and skull trap are good. When you run into a Bad Ass Mage make sure you have a couple copies of Breach and lower resistance to cast at them. Invisible stalker is the BEST sumoning spell IMO. They are tough and they last 9 hours!
In a tough battle your clerics should be casting beneficial spells such as Bless, chant, protection from evil, etc. Animate dead provides cannon fodder to take the heat off your fighters.
I could go on and on....but I am sure others will chime in too.
I almost forgot. In your game preferences set auto-pause option for spell casting. That way you know when your spell has gotten off and you can cast another right away.
Hex92
[This message has been edited by Hex92 (edited 12-30-2000).]
Your mages are the 'fire support' for your front line fighters. I have a Ranger and Keldorn and the rest of my party are spell casters (vic, aerie, nalia, imoen). The mages pump lots of magic missles (the ONLY lvl 1 spell u should memorize), and Melf's acid arrows into the baddies. Area effect spells such as fireball, chain lightning, and skull trap are good. When you run into a Bad Ass Mage make sure you have a couple copies of Breach and lower resistance to cast at them. Invisible stalker is the BEST sumoning spell IMO. They are tough and they last 9 hours!
In a tough battle your clerics should be casting beneficial spells such as Bless, chant, protection from evil, etc. Animate dead provides cannon fodder to take the heat off your fighters.
I could go on and on....but I am sure others will chime in too.
I almost forgot. In your game preferences set auto-pause option for spell casting. That way you know when your spell has gotten off and you can cast another right away.
Hex92
[This message has been edited by Hex92 (edited 12-30-2000).]
Hex hit it right on. Give the mages ranged weapons. Don't let any opponents close on your mages. Make sure you control where the battle is fought and which characters they are fighting with.
Matti Il-Amin, Paladin, comedian, and expert adventurer. Proudly bearing the colors of the [url="http://www.svelmoe.dk/blade/index.htm"]Blades of the Banshee[/url]
Plus don't forget to pause and redirect what the mage is doing. PS I play with the AI off so i can control who does what.
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(I would betray the world before i let the world betray me.) Chao Chao 192 a.d.
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(I would betray the world before i let the world betray me.) Chao Chao 192 a.d.
"Vile and evil, yes. But, That's Weasel" From BS's book, MD 20/20: Fine Wines of Rocky Flop.
I don't want to brag, but if I'm an expert in any area in BG2, it has to be mages. My party consists of FOUR mages, so I've had plenty of experience keeping them alive Like everyone else said, keep them in the back. Also use pause a lot when spellcasting. What I disagree on is the use of magic missles and ranged weapons. I have three words, "MELF'S MINUTE METEOR'S." It was a kick-ass spell at the beginning of the game, and it continues to be as far as I've gotten (I'm at the end of Ch. 6). Memorize three or four per mage so they never run out. These babies do greater damage per hit than any ranged weapon, you can shoot five per round (wow!), and therefore are better than ranged weapons or magic missles (you can fire only up to five magic missles per round, and they do much less damage per missle than a meteor).
Here's another little tip: they have no duration limit, so cast one before you sleep and you will wake up with them already active, but still have all of them memorized. The same thing applies to stoneskin/ironskins, but it lasts only twelve hours, so you have four hours of free stoneskin/ironskins.
Now that I've covered typical combat, now for the spells! With the wide variety to choose from, innumerable strategies can be used. By far the best spell, that can be obtained in the game without the exp cap remover IMO, is Abil-Dhalzim's Horrid Wilting, which you get the ability to cast at 16th level. It does about 60-80 damage if no save, and 30-40 if save. In addition, it has a pretty good area affect, and DOES NOT harm your party members, or even innocent bystanders! I learned about this spell the hard way from that nasty lich in that storage container in the Underdark. By the way, an aerial servant (cleric spell level 6) kicks an invisible stalker's ass. How do I know this? I stage occasional *mock* battles for my personal amusement, as well as for information. Aerial servant is the best summoning spell for clerics, and animate dead (at least 15th level) is the best for mages (5th level spell). In combat, the aerial servant beats the skeleton warrior, but not as badly as it beats everything else.
Lastly, I haven't had a chance to verify this, but Mordenkainen's Sword (7th level mage spell) may be even better than aerial servant. In mock battles I have found the summoned flying sword to be impervious to ALL weapon damage, but it is extremely susceptible to magic, and even a couple of magic missles will kill it. But they could slice and dice anything that doesn't use magic, and hit as +4 weapons! I have yet to test it in true battle, so I don't know how good they truly are.
And if you truly want to know magical power, disable the experience cap with a utility at [url="http://www.teambg.com"]http://www.teambg.com[/url] so you can get 9th level spells. These spells are the ones often used by liches and Irenicus. I don't consider it cheating because you still have to earn the experience.
Congratulations! You just read this entire message (kind of long, don't you think)
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Magus, mighty sorcerer, and summoner of hordes of...magical flying swords
Like everyone else said, keep them in the back. Also use pause a lot when spellcasting. What I disagree on is the use of magic missles and ranged weapons. I have three words, "MELF'S MINUTE METEOR'S." It was a kick-ass spell at the beginning of the game, and it continues to be as far as I've gotten (I'm at the end of Ch. 6). Memorize three or four per mage so they never run out. These babies do greater damage per hit than any ranged weapon, you can shoot five per round (wow!), and therefore are better than ranged weapons or magic missles (you can fire only up to five magic missles per round, and they do much less damage per missle than a meteor). Here's another little tip: they have no duration limit, so cast one before you sleep and you will wake up with them already active, but still have all of them memorized. The same thing applies to stoneskin/ironskins, but it lasts only twelve hours, so you have four hours of free stoneskin/ironskins.
Now that I've covered typical combat, now for the spells! With the wide variety to choose from, innumerable strategies can be used. By far the best spell, that can be obtained in the game without the exp cap remover IMO, is Abil-Dhalzim's Horrid Wilting, which you get the ability to cast at 16th level. It does about 60-80 damage if no save, and 30-40 if save. In addition, it has a pretty good area affect, and DOES NOT harm your party members, or even innocent bystanders! I learned about this spell the hard way from that nasty lich in that storage container in the Underdark. By the way, an aerial servant (cleric spell level 6) kicks an invisible stalker's ass. How do I know this? I stage occasional *mock* battles for my personal amusement, as well as for information. Aerial servant is the best summoning spell for clerics, and animate dead (at least 15th level) is the best for mages (5th level spell). In combat, the aerial servant beats the skeleton warrior, but not as badly as it beats everything else.
Lastly, I haven't had a chance to verify this, but Mordenkainen's Sword (7th level mage spell) may be even better than aerial servant. In mock battles I have found the summoned flying sword to be impervious to ALL weapon damage, but it is extremely susceptible to magic, and even a couple of magic missles will kill it. But they could slice and dice anything that doesn't use magic, and hit as +4 weapons! I have yet to test it in true battle, so I don't know how good they truly are.
And if you truly want to know magical power, disable the experience cap with a utility at [url="http://www.teambg.com"]http://www.teambg.com[/url] so you can get 9th level spells. These spells are the ones often used by liches and Irenicus. I don't consider it cheating because you still have to earn the experience.
Congratulations! You just read this entire message (kind of long, don't you think
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Magus, mighty sorcerer, and summoner of hordes of...magical flying swords
Magus, mighty conjurer, and summoner of hordes of...magical flying swords