Spell-Casting Classes

Laicamir

Greetings, I would like to apologise most profusely for asking a second question so soon after my first but I am having a problem choosing a class for my character in the second Baldur's Gate.

I like to play as some form of wizard so I made a Mage and a Sorcerer, In the beginning believed that I could only memorise a spell once so I used my sorcerer, recently I realised my error and also used my mage. I can now no longer decide which would be preferable to use.

At this point I prefer the Sorcerer's casting system and have not even used all the spells he has, but as I keep finding scrolls and giving them to the other casters in my party I worry that I will not have enough spells later on if a wider variety is used.

Thank you for your assistance!

ZanathKariashi

Because of how limited in scope BG is, a sorcerer can handle all possible arcane magical needs, if you choose his spells wisely. Sadly, most of the utility spells that would give a mage an edge aren't implemented so there's actually only a handful of truly useful spells and the Sorcerer's lack of known spells is a minor disadvantage then the real dilemma that a PnP mage vs sorcerer would face.

In BG it's more a question of, do you want to dual/multi class, or do you want the flexible casting system.

Laicamir

Well I don't intend to dual class on my first character. Exceeding thanks upon you!

Madhax

A mage is probably the better choice for a newer player. They have less raw firepower, but a Sorcerer commits to the spells that they learn permanently, so if you aren't experienced with the BG spell system then you can easily ruin your character. Once you've experienced the combat system, though, a sorcerer is likely the more powerful option.

Laicamir

Is the system the same as in Dungeons and Dragons?

ZanathKariashi

Basically. Just read your spell descriptions carefully and don't waste slots on spells with save bonuses (+ is bad, - is good) or only effect enemies up to a certain level since they'll become useless at higher levels, or are VERY specialized in use, such as find familiar, which is a spell you should only ever have to cast once.

For a mage, sleep is an awesome spell probably the best in BG1, but for a sorcerer it's a bit of a liability since it takes a slot that will be effectively useless in the sequel. Most enemies are immune, and the few that aren't you could kill 100s of them at once effortlessly anyway so it's not needed. Now warranted, there is some wiggle room for first level spell choices, but it's still not good having a useless spell if you don't have to.

It also depends on whether you're soloing or not. If you use a party you can leave certain spells to divine casters or utility spells to another arcane user. Though if you're soloing, or don't want to use any other spellcasters, you'll need to pick your spells very carefully, which requires experience for knowing all the various situations you'll need to counter.

Laicamir

Okay, I will see how I go then, I will have other spell casters with me. Thanks for the advice!

Alsn

Laicamir said:

Okay, I will see how I go then, I will have other spell casters with me. Thanks for the advice!

Something to keep in mind, your other spellcasters(if pure mages like xzar, edvin or dynaheir) will reach new spell levels before your sorcerer(assuming equal experience gained), giving you some chance to experiment with the spells of that level that you can find scrolls of so that you can evaluate them for your sorcerer.

This is due to the fact that sorcerers are "behind" one level in their spell level progression. They reach level 2 spells at character level 4, compared to a mage who will reach level 2 spells at level 3. After getting level 2 spells they each gain new levels ever other character level. So sorcerers gain it on even levels(4, 6, 8, 10) and mages gain them on odd levels(3 5 7 9) hopefully giving you a chance to try some interesting stuff out.

Laicamir

That is excellent advice, I thank you much.