Getting a different mage

24jel

Hello all,

I was wondering: I have Neera in my party, and I like her very much. What I don't like are the odds of losing money everytime she casts a spell. Can you recommend a normal mage which fits in a neutral/good party? I was thinking of the guy I met in the Nashkel mines, but he joined me briefly, so he would still be at level 1 while most of my party members are level 4 now.

Azrael

actually party members who join you, should be the same level as your main character or even higher,
but if you worry about neera you couls simply cast the chaotic shield before level 2 spell, and she even says so if you lose money and can simply reload : )
I would stick with neera since she adds something new to BG and you can have romance with her.

24jel

Cool thanks! There is no way to store your money somewhere right?

Azrael

no there is no such option i am aware of, and there shoudlnt be an item which costs as much as you can sell it for, so no! I guess the safest route is to simply check how much money you have before each encounter and check if it was reduced by about 80% : ) to do so press q all the time : )

alveus

If you don't mind picking up another thief, you can also dual-class Imoen into a mage.

Frosty

Dynaheir can be found in the Gnoll fortrice and is a good alighned mage. and in 2nd best NPC mage in the game

TJ_Hooker

Azrael said:

actually party members who join you, should be the same level as your main character or even higher

I believe this is only for the first time you recruit them; if you've had them in your party, dumped them, and then pick them up again when you're a higher level, I think they stay at whatever they were when you dumped them.

Time4Tiddy

TJ_Hooker said:

I believe this is only for the first time you recruit them; if you've had them in your party, dumped them, and then pick them up again when you're a higher level, I think they stay at whatever they were when you dumped them.

Correct, if you got Xan at level 1 and then left him, he will be level 1 until you pick him up again. Xan can be a lot of fun - he is great for CC with sleep, charm, etc. but he has very very low HP. He doesn't have a lot of damage spells, but he can use all the wands you find. Xan is actually my favorite mage.

Another unorthodox option is Quayle. He is a multi-class cleric/illusionist you'll find when you get to Baldur's Gate. He has a lot of funny lines and gets a CRAP-TON of spells because of having both cleric and mage spell lists. With some of the spell boosting rings, he can have 30+ spells memorized at one time. I have used him a lot, and he is my second-favorite mage after Xan. I know many people hate him. He can use a shield and helmet unlike the other mages, and all the cleric spells are great for being back-up heals and buffer but still doing a lot of damage.

24jel

Thanks for all the tips! I'll keep my eyes open for the next mages I'll encounter!