[SPOILERS] Killing Shandalar the Arch-Mage (Vanilla BG)
Caldegan
Member Posts: 33
I killed Shandalar the Arch-Mage. Yes, I admit it, my hands have been sullied and stained by the blood of an immensely powerful wizard comparable to the devious Jon Irenicus. His mastery of magics was no match for my physical strength and martial prowess. You can view the capture of this moment here, though try not to strain your eyes too much: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n1EG0CpaLY
Beyond this charming story of my murder of the arch-mage and my reasoning behind it, I would like to know what you, the forumites, have done with Shandalar. What were your thoughts on this under-developed, non-recurring character? Did you try killing him as I have or did you thank him, smile as your hundredth good deed was completed, and carry on to your next quest?
If your choice was the former, what tactics did you use to kill this man before his magics teleported him away to a distant sanctuary? What was your reasoning?
If your choice was the latter, what reasoning was behind this? And why were you not angered at him for the pathetic reward he awards you?
I'd love to hear this from you forumites. All comments are welcome, try to stay on topic as much as possible (though a tangent doesn't hurt much — as long as it isn't bickering over semantics).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n1EG0CpaLYRecently, Shandalar the Arch-Mage sat upon my rusty pole-arm and hung like a victim of Vladimir the Impaler. Many would exclaim, “why in Helm's name would you kill a wizard of such power with no justification?!” and I would delightfully respond with this: “he's a selfish prick.” I need not go into much detail — those of you who have infiltrated his estate during the Thieves' Guild quest line acquire this information from his daughters. On top of this, however, Shandalar—without much warning—teleports you to a remote frozen island off the Sword Coast to obtain his special cloak with no intention of bringing your lively (or lifeless) body back. Knowing the mysterious, dangerous magic of the island, Shandalar entraps the player in its relentless dungeon until the cloak is retrieved from a band of raving wizards on the brink of lunacy. Only when you kill the mad brigand, Dezkiel, involved in the theft of Shandalar's cloak, the arch-mage brings you back in one piece forthwith. The reward for such a daunting quest? A few hundred experience points and a thank-you.
This, my dear comrades, is the reason I chose to slaughter the arch-mage formerly known as Shandalar. A whopping 26,000 experience points and an equally devastating amount of ax blows later, the hubris of the man lie on the ground along with his lifeless, sullied body, the length of my pole-arm lodged in his shattered vertebrae. As his body twitched one last time, I could hear a breathless utterance slip its way into my ears as his jaw opened slowly, mouthing the words: child of murder.
This, my dear comrades, is the reason I chose to slaughter the arch-mage formerly known as Shandalar. A whopping 26,000 experience points and an equally devastating amount of ax blows later, the hubris of the man lie on the ground along with his lifeless, sullied body, the length of my pole-arm lodged in his shattered vertebrae. As his body twitched one last time, I could hear a breathless utterance slip its way into my ears as his jaw opened slowly, mouthing the words: child of murder.
Beyond this charming story of my murder of the arch-mage and my reasoning behind it, I would like to know what you, the forumites, have done with Shandalar. What were your thoughts on this under-developed, non-recurring character? Did you try killing him as I have or did you thank him, smile as your hundredth good deed was completed, and carry on to your next quest?
If your choice was the former, what tactics did you use to kill this man before his magics teleported him away to a distant sanctuary? What was your reasoning?
If your choice was the latter, what reasoning was behind this? And why were you not angered at him for the pathetic reward he awards you?
I'd love to hear this from you forumites. All comments are welcome, try to stay on topic as much as possible (though a tangent doesn't hurt much — as long as it isn't bickering over semantics).
5
Comments
I zapped him with the Wand of Paralyzation and just hit him to death.
And why is Shandalars AI so stupid. He must be only mage in the game that didn't cast some antimelee defensive spell
If I were to kill the mage, I would first try a silence spell and or the wand of para.