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So everybody is saying how great the Wild Mage is going to be. I hear about extra spell slots and no opposition schools, which is good.

The Surges supposedly have beneficial and detrimental effects. Spells dealing quadruple damage or your whole party being polymorphed into squirrels...

Does anyone know how all those surges even out? If the bad stuff does not outweigh the good stuff, Wild Mages are more or less Specialist Mages without opposition schools. Kinda unbalancing.

Everytime a Wild Mage casts a spell, there is a 5% chance it backfires, in which a random effect 1d100 will result (at least, within the game mechanics).

NO MAD TWO

Backfires as in "not good, take cover", or is there a balance between good and bad side effects?

Here is the description of the spell from the game itself, it's already in Baldur's Gate 2, called Nahal's Reckless Dweomer,as Lucian_Garland said.

Nahal's Reckless Dweomer* (Invocation/Evocation)
Level: 1
Range: Special
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Special

This spell is the wild mage's ultimate last-resort spell. When cast, the mage releases a sudden flood of wild magical energy in the hope of seizing and shaping that energy into a desired spell effect. The attempt usually fails, but something almost always occurs in the process.
Before casting the spell, the mage announces the spell effect he is trying to create. The mage must be able to cast the spell (i.e., have it in his spellbook), but need not have it memorized. After announcing the spell (along with the target and any other conditions required by the spell), the wild mage casts Nahal's reckless dweomer. A burst of magical energy is released, which the wild mage tries to manipulate into the desired form. The actual effect of the spell is determined randomly.

Because the release of energy is planned by the mage, his level is added to the dice roll. If the result indicates success, the mage has shaped the magical energy into the desired effect. More often than not, the effect is completely unexpected. The result may be beneficial to the mage or it may be completely disastrous; this is the risk the mage takes in casting Nahal's reckless dweomer.


You can test out the spell by giving it to your mage using Shadow Keeper. The spell is fun, because you never know what will happen, some effects that I've seen include: Random Texts, halve spell duration, weakness, auto saves, polymorph. I think there is a balance of good and bad outcome.

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

auto saves

What the heck!? The game auto-saves? That's not very nice if you were thinking of reloading...

Yep, that's what it did when I cast the spell. There might be an auto load as well, though that's not a very comforting thought.

My favorite effects from the reckless dweomir were 'on fire?' and 'wild color change'
on fire? makes it look like you're on fire without taking actual fire damage (like you've just been hit by a firball or something)
wild color change made my spellcaster's skin red, robe the color of Jan's clothing only darker and his hair green.
I'm prettu sure these things can't be dispelled.

There might be an auto load as well

Weapon glow was fun, and once a big cow fell down on my enemy.

Do any of the mage's stats affects his control of the spell at all.....

My most interesting Wild Surge was the sex change, which happened more than once.

Two of my favourites were the one where all spells are rememorised ("you feel refreshed"), and the one that transforms a single-target spell into area effect - suddenly, my whole pary is stoneskinned!

[Edit = typo]

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

Aren't automatic saves an option you can toggle off?

As to sex changes via Wild Surge--it wouldn't be much of an effect if it didn't result in some humorous responses from your teammates.

I hear that if a level 9 spell seriously backfires you have a change of your C: drive being formatted.

MM

(cough) MM, you're pretty evil, aren't you? I admire that in a person.

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