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Neera The Wild Mage Magic

BytebrainBytebrain Member Posts: 602
in Archive (General Discussion)
I did a search on this, but the only other thread I could find with the lousy search function here was a five pages long discussion on her portrait... :/

Well, I just picked her up and got into a couple of skirmishes. Every single spell she casts was a surge it seems. I'm not using the special spell she's got, the Reckless Dweomer, im only using ordinary spells like sleep, chromatic Orb etc.

Is it intentional that we can't expect any spells to perform as intended at all, or am I just unlucky/doing something wrong?
If every spell cast becomes something else entirely, then it's going to be all but impossible to win a battle I think.

I thought the only risk with her would be the Reckless Dweomer, not every spell..

Where am I going wrong here?

Comments

  • FlashburnFlashburn Member Posts: 1,847
    Wild Mages have a 5% chance that a normal spell will wild surge. You must be seriously (un)lucky to get Wild Surges a few times in a row.

    When she gets level 2 spells, have her memorize a Chaos Shield or two. This should help you get better Wild Surge rolls.
  • Loki330Loki330 Member Posts: 15
    Not much. In theory the wild mage has a 5% chance for a wild surge regardless of what spell you're actually casting; RD simply *assures* you'll get one. I agree with the unspoken implication that she seems to get surges far more often than one every 20, all I can really say is she 'stabilises' quite a bit by the time she hits level 4 or 5. Partially because she gets Chaos Shield, a level 2 spell which gives a bonus to wild surge if/when it triggers.

    She may seem like a total liability, but I would point one thing out in her favour; since RD lets her cast *any* spell she's got memorised it allows her to cast spells her level shouldn't let her. My current game's got her at level 5 and she can (try to) cast level 5 spells such as cloudkill as many times are she's got reckless dweomer memorised.
  • BytebrainBytebrain Member Posts: 602
    LOL
    Only a 5% chance?
    Wow. I tried to use the Sleep spell twice in a row, and it became Deafness and a random lightning (that hit Neera).
    Then I reloaded three times and tried just one Sleep spell each load, and not once did I get the actual Sleep spell to work...
    Pesky spiders in Beregost! They just won't go to sleep when told...

    I guess I'm very unlucky then. 5% chance doesn't sound so bad, so I'll continue with her in the party and hope my luck changes...

    Thx for the advice wit Chaos Shield, and for the quick response to my question.
  • MadhaxMadhax Member Posts: 1,416
    I haven't been casting Chaos Shield with her, and I still haven't had a surge in quite a while. I'm probably due to accidentally fireball myself in the next three fights at this rate.

    Wild Mages seem like an unnecessary liability in BG1. I look forward to trying some shenanigans in BG2 with Neera, where I can chaos-shield up at a high level and start churning out level 9 spells with Reckless Dweomer. At the moment, I can't seem to get the wild magic to work in my favor.
  • BytebrainBytebrain Member Posts: 602
    I do like the random idea, and five percent really doesn't sound like much.
    I guess I'm just rolling low numbers.

    My luck will change, and I really like the character.
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    edited December 2012
    I love neera. I have 6 reckless memorized at all times. The nifty thing is they don't count against your spell a round, so it's like having improved alacrity at level one. A very desperate improved alacrity, but can be devastating nonetheless.

    I actually have a question: do chaos shields in a sequencer still stack? That was a nifty trick in bg2 that made WMs quite good. I never really play mages, so I was hoping Neera could benefit.

    EDIT: Ok, I just ran some test myself, and AFAICT it still stacks. From sequencer causes there to be two separate wild surge bonus under her effects (Near infinity), whereas two sequential castings results in only a single wild surge bonus effect.
  • EnterHaerDalisEnterHaerDalis Member Posts: 813
    seems a hell of a lot more than 5% doesn't it? :D

    I was done with Neera after she turned Bassilus into stone and denied me the Lightning Warhammer +2

    Maybe next time honey
  • CutlassJackCutlassJack Member Posts: 493
    Flashburn said:

    Wild Mages have a 5% chance that a normal spell will wild surge. You must be seriously (un)lucky to get Wild Surges a few times in a row.

    When she gets level 2 spells, have her memorize a Chaos Shield or two. This should help you get better Wild Surge rolls.

    Her chance is closer to 90% on my playthrough. Nearly every time she casts it surges. The Chaos Shield is a great plan on paper, but of course she surges every time I try to have her cast that too. That must be her 'transmute to Irony' spell.
  • OurQuestIsVainOurQuestIsVain Member Posts: 201
    Just be thankful she can't roll a surge when she casts identify.
  • RiolathelRiolathel Member Posts: 330
    I went to cast a magic missle and she gave my whole party the hiccups O_o
  • BytebrainBytebrain Member Posts: 602
    Riolathel said:

    I went to cast a magic missle and she gave my whole party the hiccups O_o

    LOL
  • KurumiKurumi Member Posts: 520
    edited December 2012
    It seems, that people that think, that wild surges happen more often to them, don't know that wild surges occur differently when casting reckless dweomer..

    The caster tries to form the raw chaotic wild magic into a form he knows. The caster can try to use Nahal’s reckless dweomer to cast any other spell he knows. To successfully cast the desired spell he just has to roll less then the surge border. Surge border is equal to 11 + level of spell slot used to cast Nahal’s reckless dweomer – level of desired spell, if the roll is equal or higher than the surge border it results in a wild surge.
  • ElendarElendar Member Posts: 831
    I almost never see Neera having a wild surge, other than increased spell caster level or changing colors/genders or some such silly thing.. Granted, I don't use the dweomer very often..
  • CutlassJackCutlassJack Member Posts: 493
    Kurumi said:

    It seems, that people that think, that wild surges happen more often to them, don't know that wild surges occur differently when casting reckless dweomer..

    Nope I knew that. I expect it then. I'm talking when casting the spell directly. As mentioned above, identify is about the only reliable thing she did for me.
  • NecroblivionNecroblivion Member Posts: 210
    Wild surge have good and bad sides. I use Neera to cast remove fear on the group before we go off to fight other casters. And so far her wild surges on party members were kinda amazing. Not sure if its a bug though, but Dorn have 175 hp and permenent Improved Haste on him. I guess that one day a dispell magic will remove this buffs, like it removed the peremenent yellow color Neera had for a long while..
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    I have used Neera since lvl 1 and havent had many surges, at least no serious ones. I have always wondered if some of her surges are permanent. Like sex or color change? Would be good to know whether I should reload or not when something like that happens... (I dont want a female, blue CHARNAME).
  • NecroblivionNecroblivion Member Posts: 210
    She was yellow for me for a lot of time until someone used dispell magic on her.
  • brainlessantbrainlessant Member Posts: 2
    Me: *Selects Neera, Cast magic missile on sarevok*
    Neera:...*WILD SURGE!, Casted Summon Fiend*. "Ops...A PIT FIEND!?"
    Pit Fiend: "Raaargh me so angry", * Slaughtered sarevok's party and himself*
    *Plays the ending scene*
    Pit Fiend: *Slaughters CHARNAME party*

    Game over, reload?
  • Aegir_FellwoodAegir_Fellwood Member Posts: 81
    @brainlessant good one lol
  • OperativeNLOperativeNL Member Posts: 146
    brainlessant said:

    Me: *Selects Neera, Cast magic missile on sarevok*
    Neera:...*WILD SURGE!, Casted Summon Fiend*. "Ops...A PIT FIEND!?"
    Pit Fiend: "Raaargh me so angry", * Slaughtered sarevok's party and himself*
    *Plays the ending scene*
    Pit Fiend: *Slaughters CHARNAME party*

    Game over, reload?

    ...and the Pit Fiend wins the game! LOL!

  • RiolathelRiolathel Member Posts: 330
    *Casts sleep to avoid bandit ambush*
    *wild surge*
    *weapons glow*

    /facepalm
  • CaptRoryCaptRory Member Posts: 1,660
    *Loots the weapons and tries to pass them off as magic to a shopkeep* hehehehe
  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    How many types of fiends are summoned? I've summoned Nabassu twice, and they go down pretty easily.
  • brainlessantbrainlessant Member Posts: 2
    Sorry, it's not "Summon Fiend"
    Neera wild surges a "Gate" spell...(highest level demon summon spell, lv 9 i believe)
  • ElendarElendar Member Posts: 831
    Just keep a prot from evil 10' up when playing with Neera, then Gate turns into awesomeness.
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