@the_spyder, the mage stronghold is an unnoficial deal that you have with some members of the high hank of the order, it's even spoken when you accept the deal of the planas sphere that you're doing a secret work for them and you allegiance isn't an open issue, therefore the common members would treat you as they have done before.
I don't like to deal with the cowled wizards and i always get pissed of for the only way to pursue the mage stronghold is to deal with them.
@kamuizin - thanks for the info. I might have to go back and try not paying with my evil party. It's more in character that way anyway. Not that money is an issue. but it's the principle of the thing.
LOL. Yeah, money is a plenty in BG2. I am still in chapter 2 and have already bought the robe of Vecna, the shield of Balduran, Girdle of Giant Strength, Mercy Killer and a bunch of other equipment. I have also set the Solamnic Knights free, bought my license, had my students magic up some nice items for me including the staff of power and stocked up on every single scroll that I found on store shelves and still have 50K gold to play with. It's insane how much cash there is lying around.
I usually forget you even CAN do that. I don't think I will this time, though. I mean, knowing that you can summon a bunch of magical item carrying jerkbags to kill at-will is the perfect RP excuse to pre-buff the party and set traps ahead of time. Find a confined spot where they'll have to appear within melee range, buff up, and then caste Haste or Strength or the like.
@CoM_Solaufein That only helps if you pay taxes. Since you're the Child of Bhaal, all your income is shielded as if you were a House of Worship. Now if you married your husband/wife might get a deduction if you file seperately and he or she has their own income.
I usually forget you even CAN do that. I don't think I will this time, though. I mean, knowing that you can summon a bunch of magical item carrying jerkbags to kill at-will is the perfect RP excuse to pre-buff the party and set traps ahead of time. Find a confined spot where they'll have to appear within melee range, buff up, and then caste Haste or Strength or the like.
I really like this idea. After the first time you just want some payback. Why not set a trap for them and clean their clocks? Plus (RP) maybe you can capture one of them and "Ask" them about Irenicus. You know, the "Ask" where you use pointy metal things and hot coals and the like?
I really like this idea. After the first time you just want some payback. Why not set a trap for them and clean their clocks? Plus (RP) maybe you can capture one of them and "Ask" them about Irenicus. You know, the "Ask" where you use pointy metal things and hot coals and the like?
...Yes! Of course. You could capture them! By the gods I'm clever.
I probably should have included a more of emphatic YES as a choice but whatever.
I've been playing as a blade recently but chose not to give the money. Mostly because its an evil playthrough and I'm saving up for equipment. Stuffs expensive when your reputation is 6
Well i never paid them, until i installed SCSII in my pc with every option... Grrrrrrrrrr it's impossible now to kill even the first party at low level, one of the bitchs keep summoning an cornugon with teleport without error that fuck my entire party... ok, now i pay... ¬¬.
The most important question is one of consequences. The game starts with a bunch of "DM Fiat" where the coweled wizards just snatch up imoen and irenicus. This sets a bad precident and makes me worry about more DM fiat.
Honestly, I am morally opposed to this sort of corruption and violation of personal freedom and will want to take down the coweled wizards as an organization. But my experience with other games tell me that it will most likely brand me evil for opposing them, unfairly so.
The questions are: 1. Will the game let me stand up to them (the answer I found so far is yes, they back off after you kill their enforcers 6 times) 2. Will the game arbitrarily brand me as evil for it. 3. Will my NPC allies object. 4. Will the game allow me to break their power as an organization (fighting them 6 times and them giving up is not the same as taking them out as an organization)
For my first 20 playthroughs I didn't know you could pay them, so I developed a habit of not fighting in town. I tried it when I found out and it only helped me twice (keldorns armor and some quest on the bridge) so I never thought it was worth it after that. I like it as an rp workaround though. I'm glad there's an option.
I spent a lot of games in BG2 just not using magic outdoors in the city. Then I discovered the joy of killing them for fun and profit via exploiting the AI's blindspots.
As a slight aside, does anyone else find it odd that your attackers in the city can throw as much arcane magic at you as they want without any trouble, but a single magic missile from you gets the ten-thousand pound @#$% hammer of the Cowled Wizards dropped on your head? You can't tell me every street thug in the city ponied up for a spell-caster's license. Where in the nine hells is my Cowled Wizard back up, damn it?!
It's never bothered me much, as being attacked by a mage out in the open in Athkatla is a fairly infrequent occurrence. And while every street-thug may not by ponying up the cash for a license, they might be working for/with a group that floats a general bribe to the Cowled Wizards to look the other way.
I usually pay. I play the game in a very procedural fashionnthat lends itself to having more money than I cna spend, so 5 grand to cast spells freely is not a problem
I used to pay them, for I used to have tactics and scs installed. With tactics I get ambushed by skilled thug groups at nights. I have to use magic to deal with them. SCS makes their scripts and cowled enforcerers way too powerful to tackle.
Then again, with Unfinished Business and Boo's Kidnapping quest, if I have Minsc I don't have to pay them. His quest will give you free pass to magic ban.
I was a goody two-shoes and just never used magic unless I was inside of a building where I learned you could cast without drawing attention. The first time I did it outside I ripped bricks when you see a circle pop up and some old guy slapping your hand... I figured it'd be some lich-powered maniac throwing spells all over the place at the time.
I didn't realise that they only enforce the no-magic rule in the city itself, and only outdoors. That means there's relatively few encounters where you'd need to use magic.
I am a lawful person by nature, and that's reflected in the way I roleplay, but those damned wizards really rub me up the wrong way. I think I'll try to kill them next time lol...
Incidentally, is it possible to defeat them without resorting to cheese or cheating?
I was a goody two-shoes and just never used magic unless I was inside of a building where I learned you could cast without drawing attention. The first time I did it outside I ripped bricks when you see a circle pop up and some old guy slapping your hand... I figured it'd be some lich-powered maniac throwing spells all over the place at the time.
But I pay if it advances a story in some way.
Why is it that a thatch roof slum house blocks the wizards from bothering you? You're still casting 'in the city.'
they must have some advanced private property laws.
I find myself normally not casting arcane spells on the streets of the city... They don't care what happens indoors or during ambushes where most of the encounters happen.
Me too This time (first time!) my BSpawn is a mage so I might pay it. Usually I am so stingy, even if you end up with money you never spend lol
I probably would have paid if you couldn't cast priest spells as well though. Luckily that isn't the case.
Incidentally, is it possible to defeat them without resorting to cheese or cheating?
I am not sure if cheese: Go inside a house, rest, buff to max, step outside the house, use divine summoning spells, cast a lone level 1 mage spell to summon the enforcers into a trap.
Definitely not cheese: rest, go to a public place, summon using cleric spells, cast all your cleric buffs, pause game, have all your mages cast their arcane buffs at the same time.
This is not even really cheating because the enemy mages who gate in all have a level inappropriate sequencer which full buffs them as soon as they gate in. Probably a workaround hardcoded features because its assumed they buff up before teleporting in because they aren't morons.
By fully buffing before summoning the fight, you are leveling the playing field as both parties end up being fully buffed
Comments
I don't like to deal with the cowled wizards and i always get pissed of for the only way to pursue the mage stronghold is to deal with them.
=-p
I've been playing as a blade recently but chose not to give the money. Mostly because its an evil playthrough and I'm saving up for equipment. Stuffs expensive when your reputation is 6
The game starts with a bunch of "DM Fiat" where the coweled wizards just snatch up imoen and irenicus.
This sets a bad precident and makes me worry about more DM fiat.
Honestly, I am morally opposed to this sort of corruption and violation of personal freedom and will want to take down the coweled wizards as an organization. But my experience with other games tell me that it will most likely brand me evil for opposing them, unfairly so.
The questions are:
1. Will the game let me stand up to them (the answer I found so far is yes, they back off after you kill their enforcers 6 times)
2. Will the game arbitrarily brand me as evil for it.
3. Will my NPC allies object.
4. Will the game allow me to break their power as an organization (fighting them 6 times and them giving up is not the same as taking them out as an organization)
Then again, with Unfinished Business and Boo's Kidnapping quest, if I have Minsc I don't have to pay them. His quest will give you free pass to magic ban.
As a mage I need to respect a fellow mages racketeering...
But I pay if it advances a story in some way.
I didn't realise that they only enforce the no-magic rule in the city itself, and only outdoors. That means there's relatively few encounters where you'd need to use magic.
I am a lawful person by nature, and that's reflected in the way I roleplay, but those damned wizards really rub me up the wrong way. I think I'll try to kill them next time lol...
Incidentally, is it possible to defeat them without resorting to cheese or cheating?
they must have some advanced private property laws.
I probably would have paid if you couldn't cast priest spells as well though. Luckily that isn't the case.
Definitely not cheese: rest, go to a public place, summon using cleric spells, cast all your cleric buffs, pause game, have all your mages cast their arcane buffs at the same time.
This is not even really cheating because the enemy mages who gate in all have a level inappropriate sequencer which full buffs them as soon as they gate in. Probably a workaround hardcoded features because its assumed they buff up before teleporting in because they aren't morons.
By fully buffing before summoning the fight, you are leveling the playing field as both parties end up being fully buffed