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Some comments on Cleric/Mage: the most powerful character in BG2

GanymedeGanymede Member Posts: 3
I'm a longtime BG/BG2 player who just joined the forums. After playing BG as a 12-year-old and not really knowing anything about D&D rules (or what I was doing in general) I've revisited the game many times and played as a solo character, to increase the challenge in some ways and because I never liked that NPCs were to some extent pre-made. Whereas fighters were clearly the "easy mode" way to beat BG1, in BG2 and ToB spellcasters are generally far more powerful (in large part because magic protections can only be brought down by other magic).

The most powerful dual- or multi- capable spellcasting classes are cleric and mage, making the cleric/mage the most fearsome BG2 character choice, I think. Here are some tips for how to play this spellcaster, with a focus on spell choices. A lot of the commentary below is generic to arcane and priest spell choices, and I'm sure has been discussed ad nauseum here. But I've tried to focus on how to use cleric and mage spells together, as much as possible. Hopefully two types of people will read this (1) people learning the game looking for ideas; and (2) people who know much more than me who can tell me why I am wrong about what's written.

======GENERAL STRATEGY======

One way to view a cleric/mage is as a mage that has a bit more fighting power and roughly double the spell slots. The reason for this is that clerics have many of the same key spells as mages, allowing the cleric/mage to use up her cleric spell slots to free slots for powerful mage-specific damage and buff spells. Since mages are the most powerful spellcasters in the game, it makes much more sense to dual to a mage (if not multiclassing) than vice versa. You will lose the option of a specialty mage school this way, but guarantee that your late game XP goes towards leveling your more powerful class (mage). Another reason to begin as a cleric (especially if soloing) is that clerics can bash their way through low levels in BG1 far more effectively than mages, mainly because of their ability to wear armor. Pick up the quarterstaff +1 from Silke in Beregost, the Ankheg plate in the field in Nashkel, and the ring of protection +1 from the uninformed widow on the E Side of Beregost at levels 1-2 and you are set for the next several levels. Soloing levels 1-10 as mage is much, much more difficult (requires using early NPCs' potions of invisibility and haste to steal the wand of paralyzation from the flesh golems' cave).

======SPELL CHOICES======

These spell choices assume that you are playing in BG2 with significant XP and levels from BG1, such that you have access to all levels of both mage and cleric spells.

A. CLERIC SPELLS

Level 1: if you have Staff of the Magi, level 1 Cleric spells are pretty much a wash, and you can play around with them however you wish. At high levels with the Staff, I usually fill the level with Armor of Faith and Doom. Doom and Improved Alacrity is a cheap Greater Malison (I'm unaware whether Doom stacks--if it did, that would make it much more viable late game), and Armor of Faith is the least useless of the remainder. One would think that 25% resistance to all forms of damage (what happens when you cast Armor of Faith as a very high level Cleric) is powerful, but as a spellcaster in BG2 if you are taking any damage at all you are probably dead with or without that 25%. (Note: this is a theme in how I think about spell choices--a cleric/mage should have enough buffs at all times to avoid needing to rely on her HP to survive, which is a good way for a spellcaster to die in BG2 and especially ToB.)

If you don't have Staff of the Magi, Protection from Evil and Sanctuary should fill this level. Protection from Evil is for the AC and saves boost (and fairly good duration at higher levels). Sanctuary is an underrated spell that I've never heard discussed much on forums. It's a fast-casting invisibility spell that will allow you to exit battles to re-buff or heal if you are in a tight spot. That has utility at all levels.

Level 2: fill this with Draw Upon Holy Might and Barkskin at high levels, and one or two Silence at low levels (when opposing mages might be weak enough to fail their saves, and not have perma-vocalize). Barkskin is useful because it scales with your level, eventually granting base AC significantly lower than with bracers or your robe (which is Vecna as soon as you can buy it). As a pure cleric/mage you won't use the extra strength from Holy Might much, but the Dex is helpful and this spell acts as a minor healing spell by allowing you to retain the HP you gained as a result of the Con boost once it wears off.

Level 3: Animate Dead, Dispel Magic, and Holy Smite. Animate Dead is a mediocre spell until Level 15, when you can begin spawning Skeleton Warriors. Haste them and watch them tear apart almost any opponent except the most elite fighters and mages. This is the best low-level summons spell.

Dispel Magic cannot be underrated, even at high levels. I believe that the way that this spell operates is to compare the caster's level to the level of those within the area of effect of the spell, and dispel magic on those targets if the caster's level is higher than theirs (subject to some calculus). (If anyone knows what the precise mechanic is, I'd love to know.) Based on the guides I have read I would assume that Breach, Ruby Ray, etc. are the only options for debuffing opposing mages--but in my experience running cleric/mages, Dispel Magic can be more effective. (1) It's AoE; (2) it removes many more buffs than, e.g., a Ruby Ray; and (3) crucially, it can be cast on an area instead of an individual character, and so will work on invisibility-, mislead-, or shadow door-affected spellcasters. And it's level 3! It may be true that this spell is so powerful as a cleric/mage because the calculus for determining whether an opponent's buffs are dispelled includes mage levels as well (does anyone know?). In any event, stock these and use them on groups of buffed enemies and invisible enemy mages to great effect.

Holy Smite is the best damage spell here, because it scales with levels and casts quickly. A poor man's Skull Trap, if you will. The lightning glyph is tempting but that spell takes far too long to cast. Also, Holy Smite can be used in public without blowing up civilians, which is helpful. Sometimes I encounter a fight I don't remember from previous playthroughs and throw this out as an aggressive detect alignment.

Level 4: This is a weak level. Stock a couple of Death Wards and cast them when you wake up, for all-day protection (just in case). Farsight can come in handy depending on how cheesy you get with summons and Project Images, and Protection from Evil 10'' Radius is a good buff for your summons (if that's your style). I prefer to stock mostly Poison here, even though it's a save-and-nothing-happens spell. The damage output from this one is too insane at high levels to pass up, and at a casting time of 4 it is instant-cast with Vecna and Amulet of Power. Useful for brawny mobs who aren't sophisticated enough to have high saves, but would take forever to bash down or wipe out with level 1-2 mage spells, and don't warrant wasting a 'serious' damage spell (and there's always Malison and Doom for the rest--but that's getting pretty complicated for just setting up a level 4 spell). Poison will operate like a Finger of Death at high levels because the damage is so high (and the save-or-nothing nature of the spell).Defensive Harmony is also worth considering in small quantities if you like to buff summons.

Level 5: There are several great buffs here. Even though Flame Strike's damage is sexy, you don't need it as a cleric/mage because you will have great damage spells coming from your arcane magic side. Plus, the casting time is too long to spend on one target, and fire resistance abounds at high levels. Instead, take a Chaotic Commands (cast it right after your Death Ward when you wake up), a couple Magic Resistance (especially at high levels, will do you better than the best items for a cleric/mage will), and then load up on True Sight. This is a perfect example of how the Cleric functions as extra spell slots for a mage. True Sight is an indispensable spell in large quantities in SC2 (3-4 per rest, even) because of how many enemy spellcasters rely on invis to prevent their buffs from being dispelled by the standard debuffing arsenal, which require an individual target.

True Sight is a level 6 mage spell, and at level 6 arcane magic becomes powerful enough that you will be glad to free up slots for it.

If you like going into "fighter mode" occasionally, Righteous Magic is a fantastic spell that should occupy about half of your level 5 slots (displacing True Sights and maybe your one or two Flame Strike). Pair it with a Tenser's Transformation (I am not a fan because it wipes out spellcasting, but it's fun to use) and a Draw Upon Holy Might. I'm not sure how many "turn a spellcaster into a fighter" spells scale with level, but it can't be many. Righteous Magic's duration, plus to HP, and plus to STR all scale with level, making it a legitimate threat to transform your spellcaster into a decent hack-and-slash fighter at high levels. For fighter/mage/clerics, this spell is essential.

Level 6: Another weak level for Cleric magic, at least for a solo cleric/mage (for party players, Heal is obviously important). The spells here aren't make or break and can be fooled around with. It's kind of disappointing for such a high level to have so many spells devoted to slaying undead, since by the time you are a level-6-spell-capable Cleric your Turn Undead should be decent enough to rely on instead of using up spell slots. As a solo cleric/mage here I include a few Aerial Servants (really decent summons), one Heal for the rare situation in which a powerful BG2 healing potion is insufficient, and a bunch of Blade Barriers. Blade Barrier is the most powerful spell at this level, simply because it is a passive effect (cast and go about your business) that does legitimate damage (8d8) and can affect multiple targets. High-level baddies will save vs. Blade Barrier for 10 rounds straight, but it can be used effectively as crowd control against masses of lower-level mobs. Of course, beware of wearing this one around civilians, if you care about your rep.

Level 7: Here there are gobs of spells that pair well with your mage half. I'll cover the ones worth considering in order of utility (most useful up top).

--Implosion: this is as good as single-target damage spells get in BG2. Whopping damage and the save only halves it. Casting time of 5 means that this can be thrown out easily with Vecna and Amulet of Power. But perhaps most importantly (and cheesily), there are powerful synergies with high-level mage spells. Implosion is one of the few damage spells in BG2 that will take effect during a Time Stop (and certainly the most powerful). Time Stop, Improved Alacrity, and fire 10 of these in a casting time of 10. Your enemies will die before time resumes.
--Energy Blades: another instance where you can save a spell slot in your precious book of arcane magic. If you are a fighter/cleric/mage, at high levels you will almost always be better off using your fighter class's weapon of choice rather than this spell. If not, you _must_ stock this as it's almost the only way for your character to be effective against high-level enemies in between casting (i.e. whenever not under the effects of an Improved Alacrity spell). The number of attacks per round, thac0 boost, and addition of lightning damage (hits through stoneskins) make Energy Blades powerful even though your character has no idea how to use a regular weapon. Energy Blades also give you a realistic chance at hacking down enemies during the duration of a Time Stop.
--Shield of the Archons: save some spell-absorbing slots on your arcane side and use this instead. The fact that it scales with level in two regards (duration and number of spells absorbed) make it a worthy choice especially at very high levels. I always stock one or two of these.
--Storm of Vengeance: this spell is a damage spell, but its primary utility is in disrupting enemy spellcasters. Because saves only half damage, the Storm tries a wide variety of damage types (acid, lightning, etc.), and it repeats itself for three rounds, I have found this spell highly effective at dispatching groups of enemy mages (by interrupting their casting) like those pesky Cowled Wizards who will try to tell you you can't cast Mirror Image in the street. The spell is also one of those handful of area of effect damage spells that won't slay friendlies or neutrals, which is another small reason to choose it.
--Summon Deva: the Deva is maybe the second-most powerful summons in the game--so why rank this spell so low? Because as a mage you have access to the Planetar, which is the best summons in the game (and so much better that it's worth using a precious 9th level mage slot for it, even though you have the Deva as an option). This spell should be used extensively only when you are in that range of levels when you have access to it but not yet the Planetar spell.
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Comments

  • moody_magemoody_mage Member Posts: 2,054
    What about race choice? If dualling then obviously you are human but would you reccomend going half-elf or gnome as a cleric/illusionist? Personally I think gnomes bring so much more to the table but you may have a different POV.
  • ShikaoShikao Member Posts: 376
    Great posts! I was considering Cleric/Mage for one of my future playthroughs and you definitely sold that combination to me. Though I have couple questions.

    Dual or Multi? If dual, at which level?
    Which kit would you recommend for priest? Which for mage?
    As @decado already asked, which race would you recommend? Which race would recommend if there were no restrictions? (I run with mod removing race/class restrictions)
    Guidelines for starting stats?
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    This post is AWESOME! I'm gonna play with Aerie. I've used her before but I'm so bad with clerics that I just used her to heal since I needed it and to shoot fire at things. This gives me so many more ideas.
  • MaylanderMaylander Member Posts: 74
    Indeed, and such scaling is one of the reasons I'm a bit hesitant in calling it "the best" or "most fearsome" class in the game. Also, getting level 9 spells at 6M XP instead of 3M makes a huge difference. All in all, it pretty much depends on what enemies you're up against, but there are many combos or classes I consider as strong as Cleric/Mage.

    At any rate, the race choice is pretty obvious in my opinion: Gnome is the way to go. Higher int, extra saving throws and more Mage spells makes it an easy choice.
  • koalabobkoalabob Member Posts: 22
    Very nice post with some good breakdowns of the spell levels. I had just made me a cleric/thief but I may have to re-roll the cleric/mage as this sounds pretty epic. I especially like the Time Stop/Alacrity/Implosion combo.

    @decado I know that one of the cons against the gnome illusionist is the lack of necromancy spells so no Abi-Dalzam's or Skull Trap both of which are pretty nice spells. I'm not sure if +1 spell per level outweighs that or not.

    Couple of questions/comments:

    - Didn't they cap Skull Trap at 12d6? I know I read that somewhere but it could be one of the mods I'm using.
    - 5th Level Mage Spell "Lower Resistance" does stack with itself so it can be doubled up to lower MR even more.

  • PibaroPibaro Member, Translator (NDA) Posts: 2,989
    I guess that the best dual vs. Multi combination are:

    a) 14 cleric can gain up to 27 mage level.
    This will give you up to 4 6th level cleric spell (if you gain 24 wisdom) and 1 7th level cleric spell. And will grant up to 4 8th level mage spells and 4 9th level mage spells.

    b) multiclass can gain 25th cleric level and 20th mage level.
    This will give you up to 9 6th level cleric spell (if you gain 24 wisdom) and 3 7th level cleric spell. And will grant up to 3 8th level mage spells and 2 9th level mage spells.
    The gnome multiclass cleric/illusionist can gain 1 bonus magic spell per level, but cannot memorize useful spells as Skull Trap, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting and Animate Dead (and has a -1 wisdom)
  • ryuken87ryuken87 Member Posts: 563
    edited December 2013
    No doubt it's a good class combo with a ton of utility, but I don't think it's the most powerful. It takes so long to get level 8 and 9 spells and by the end of the game you will only have a few slots to use them. Having Planetars, Dragon's Breath, Timestop, Alacrity, CC et al sounds great but you can only cast a couple a day and that's right at the end of the game.
    koalabob said:


    - Didn't they cap Skull Trap at 12d6? I know I read that somewhere but it could be one of the mods I'm using.

    Think SCS has the option to do that but otherwise no its 20d6.
    Pibaro said:


    The gnome multiclass cleric/illusionist can gain 1 bonus magic spell per level, but cannot memorize useful spells as Skull Trap, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting and Animate Dead (and has a -1 wisdom)

    You can still use Animate Dead from the cleric spellbook which you should be doing anyway since it's level 3 vs level 5. I think the gnome is the better choice because the extra spell slot makes a huge difference when in a full party game, you will probably only a single level 9 slot and three level 8 slots anyway. Losing the wisdom point I think is fairly important in BG1, but given that Necromancy is a bit pants in BG1 and you're getting the extra mage slots, it's more than worth it.

    The other thing I noticed from the OP is Sunfire - it no longer ignores MR.

  • moody_magemoody_mage Member Posts: 2,054
    Gnomes also have far superior saves (depending on your CON of course). I don't have a whole lot of experience in ToB so not sure if that is really such an advantage at that stage of the game. It certainly is in BGEE and SoA.
  • decado said:

    Gnomes also have far superior saves (depending on your CON of course). I don't have a whole lot of experience in ToB so not sure if that is really such an advantage at that stage of the game. It certainly is in BGEE and SoA.

    Depends on your perspective, I suppose, as the saves that Gnomes buff are the ones that mages are already really good at. On the one hand, this means that you reach "auto-save" territory faster; on the other hand, it means the saving throw bonuses become superfluous faster as you stack up other save bonuses. I'd still call it a notable positive just because multiclass characters have to suffer a slower save progression than single class characters due to the experience split.
  • GanymedeGanymede Member Posts: 3
    elminster said:

    Dispel Magic/Remove Magic are generally not a good choice for a multiclass cleric/mage. The characters level will be far enough behind your enemies (unless you are facing easy enemies) that it isn't likely to work against them.

    this really depends whether you solo (and hoard XP yourself) or play with NPCs in the party. since I tend to solo I find these spells incredibly useful. it's worth mentioning that through BG1 Dispel Magic/Remove Magic is one of the only ways to deal with enemy mages (Shandalar's Cloak quest anyone?). the AoE is just an added perk, vs. say Breach. those Ogre Mages at the docks look silly vs. this build!
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,317
    Ganymede said:

    elminster said:

    Dispel Magic/Remove Magic are generally not a good choice for a multiclass cleric/mage. The characters level will be far enough behind your enemies (unless you are facing easy enemies) that it isn't likely to work against them.

    this really depends whether you solo (and hoard XP yourself) or play with NPCs in the party. since I tend to solo I find these spells incredibly useful. it's worth mentioning that through BG1 Dispel Magic/Remove Magic is one of the only ways to deal with enemy mages (Shandalar's Cloak quest anyone?). the AoE is just an added perk, vs. say Breach. those Ogre Mages at the docks look silly vs. this build!
    Which is why I wrote generally :)
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    I'll second @ryuken87's doubts that they are the "most powerful" character in Baldur's Gate games. I like them, and often bring Aerie along as a support caster (even Quayle sometimes).

    While they do have a good deal of mid-late TOB power I always find multi Claric/Mages lag significantly behind single or duals at SOA and early TOB levels. In my current early TOB run Imoen has several 100k XP less than Aerie in total, but while Aerie is still stuck on level 7 mage spells Imoen has level 8 and 9 slots.

    I guess this is different if you're soloing, but with a full party they're a great utility character but not game-breaking. They're the swiss army knife of characters compared to the invincible machete of fighter/mage combos.
  • ronaldoronaldo Member Posts: 263
    This thread has really tempted me to try a Mage/Cleric run through. But I have a question on wisdom:

    @Pibaro was talking about the extra bonus spells you would get from a 24 wisdom. How is it possible to get your wisdom that high?
    If you are starting with 18 at character creation then add in the 3 tomes from BGEE and the machine from BG2EE that brings you to 22..... Am I missing other ways to increase your wisdom permanently?
  • PibaroPibaro Member, Translator (NDA) Posts: 2,989
    @Ronaldo
    Yes, you are missing:
    1) The wrath tear in the Nine Hells (good path)
    2) The deck of many thing (if you are a cleric as main class)
  • ronaldoronaldo Member Posts: 263
    @Pibaro Oh yeah... :-) Thanks for the inspiration for a Mage/Cleric run through!
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    I'm not fully sold... Cleric/Mage has some interesting utility with things such as time stop + harm and chain contingency firestorm x3? Not sure this is doable but might just make up for losing ADHW from the Mage side by going illusionist. If you play with SCS pretty much every Mage will have multiple spell immunities which makes ruby ray pretty vital.

    However, I really don't see it as being better than a fighter/Mage... Here's the biggest problem I have with them, they won't be able to choose the Mage hlas that matter until 6 million exp. by then they probably had to waste picks on a lot of cleric and Mage hlas that are pretty useless. The fighter Mage however can stock up on 3-4x critical strikes, hardiness and a few greater whirlwinds by then and then just focus on Mage picks. Also, it does much more damage while still having the same survivability.
  • nanonano Member Posts: 1,632
    The cleric side also gives some nice gear options for a mage, like the shield of reflection. I guess you lose some weapons though. Chaotic commands and remove fear should cover most of the edged weapon immunities. Hm..

    It does sound like a fun solo.
  • mumumomomumumomo Member Posts: 635
    Good information.

    Yet, mage/cleric is very strong but VERY far from a sorceror in my opinion.

    The cleric spell list brings very little
    Level 1 : remove fear is OK to save lvl 2 mage spells slot. Not a big deal.
    Level 2 : useless
    Level 3 : dispel magic is ok too. Animate dead, but sorcs can cast it also at level 5.
    Level 4 : useless
    Level 5 : chaotic command is THE cleric spell that i miss playing as a sorceror
    Level 6 : useless
    Level 7 : level 7 HLA can be nice even though they are far from being as powerful as the lvl 9.

    So basically you get chaotic command (very nice) and level 7 HLA (semi useful).

    In exchange for that, the sorceror gets much more high level spells to be cast without needing to memorize. This enables a crazy number of absurdly powerful combos.
    For example :
    a sorceror can pull time stop/improved alactrity 3 times before resting (more like 10-15 times if using project image). A mage/cleric can do than once (maybe 2-3 with project image depending on spell memorization), IF he choses not to use any other level 9 spell.

    Overall if you don't mind resting often, the cleric/mage can compete. If not, the sorceror has a clear win.


    As for leveling difficulty (assuming multi. Dual is much harder)
    - BG1 is very easy with a sorceror (invisibility, web, MMM trivialize the game). Also very easy with cleric/mage (sanctuary, web,...).
    - For early BG2 (before 1.5-2M xp), the cleric mage is probably stronger
    - From level 14-15 (project image, skeleton warrior) the sorceror catches up
    - From 3 to 6 Million xp, the sorceror has a very clear advantage (having access to level 9 arcane spells is much stronger than anything the cleric mage can have)




  • ryuken87ryuken87 Member Posts: 563
    @mumumomo
    While I agree Sorcerers have much more power, I think you're missing a few tricks with the cleric spells.
    1. Doom - Nice little spell to combine with Malison and others in Sequencers.
    2. Yeah pretty crap for a C/M, Hold is decent early on, DUHM is great if part warrior.
    3. Holy Smite - awesome damaging spell, I *think* it caps at 15d4 but the best part is it's probably going to be party friendly. Can also throw three of those in a sequencer.
    4. Death Ward - 'nuff said.
    5. True Seeing - I'd much rather use a level 5 cleric slot than a level 6 mage slot and sacrifice an Improved Haste, PfMW, etc.
    6. Pretty crappy, I usually fill this with Wonderous Recall to get more level 5 castings. Late game however, Harm+Timestop makes a great combo for killing off large foes.
    7. Firestorm is good since it ignores magic resistance, Implosion does large damage to a single target. I'm not saying this spell level compares in anyway to mage level 9/10, but it's still fairly powerful.
  • SpaceInvaderSpaceInvader Member Posts: 2,125
    I agree with almost everything. Pretty well done guide and pleasant to read :)
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    Personally I consider the Mage/Thief to be the most powerful, but that doesn't detract from a nicely put together post all the same, well done.
  • MalinorMalinor Member Posts: 11
    This guide is very good. Some comments: I agree with your text. But if you play the whole saga (begin from Canldekeep at level 1/1), you play a lot in low level without your nice high level tools. This is especially true in BGEE 1.

    Some spells are really powerful at low level, but become useless later (e.g. in SOA). I put here some of them. These tips mainly assumes that you have installed Sword coast stratagems (SCS) addon. It changes the usefulness of the spells dramatically (especially in BG1!).

    Cleric:
    1.
    -Command: In BGEE1 use it against: wolves, bears, gibberlings, hobgoblins etc. Especially in solo games. Cast this, throw a rock with a sling (automatic hit) and repeat.
    -Magic stone: A nice spell against the skeletons in High hedge. Use it and your sling repeatedly.

    2.
    -Draw upon holy might (DUHM): One of the best spells in this level. If I play a gnome cleric/illusionist, I always have STR18. With this spell at level 3, your STR is 19, and the difference is huge. Your damage bonus is +7, which means that your sling (or Ashideena/Stupefier) hits very hard.
    -Hold person: This is a nice spell in BG1 and in SOA (before Underdark). It will sometimes hit even 3 targets and the probability that some of them fail in their saves is quite high. Very good in Nashkel mines, against hobgoblins and low level humanoids.
    -Find traps: An essential spell in solo games.

    3.
    -Invisibility purge: Very good spell in BGEE1 if you have installed SCS. You don't have True sight, so you need to use this spell or some other low level spell to remove invisibilities (good against thieves, mages (very good against those annoying minor sequencers with invisibility and mirror image spells)).
    -Glyph of warding: A useful trap spell in Bandit Camp fight in BG1 with SCS. Use it with skull trap (or without it in case of cleric/illusionist).
    -Zone of sweet air: Very good spell to remove cloudkills and stinking clouds (in SCS you see these spells often).
    -Animate dead: The best summon spell in BG1. Combine it with protection from evil 10' radius.
    -Protection from Fire: This is a good spell combined with Agannazar Scorcher, fireball or sunfire (to your pary members).

    4.
    -Holy power: Very good spell in BGEE1. Combine it with DUHM and you can get low THAC0, which means you hit almost always (and like a truck). Use this with hit & cast strategy.
    -Protection from Evil 10' Radius: Very good spell in BGEE1 to cast to your skeletons (and yourself).

    5.
    -Greater Command: If you know, which enemies are not immune against this, this spell becomes quite powerful.

    6.
    -Bolt of glory: A good spell against liches, high level vampires, other undeads and demons
    -False dawn: A good spell against liches and other high level undeads (turn undead is not enough).
    -Harm: Very good with Time stop. Or if you buff yourself to be quite sure that you hit (Holy power, DUHM) => in every fights.

    Mage:
    1.
    -Magic missile: This is not so good spell with SCS (and in BG1). Very many mages have a shield spell => they are immune against this spell.
    - Shield: The best armor spell. Your AC is 4 (against missiles 2). Protects against magic missiles (you see them often with SCS).
    -Blindness: A nice spell against bears and similar creatures.

    2.
    -Agannazar's Scorcher: A very good spell in solo games (or with fire resistance spell). Much better than Melf's acid arrow. Especially with a haste or speed boots.
    -Glitterdust: Mass blind, useful against large parties.
    -Luck: A good spell to cast to your thieves to rise the probability to detect traps, open locks or set traps (I think that the best thief skills are set traps and detect illusions (free true sight). The latter is very good with SCS installed in BGEE1.
    -Strength: A good spell for Imoen before backstabs. Useless for C/M.

    3.
    -Detect illusion: The best spell in BG1 with SCS to remove mirror images.
    -Ghost Armor: The armor spell for cleric/illusionists.
    -Melf's Minute Meteors: A very good spell. They are fast (5 attack per round) +5 arrows!
    -Minor Spell Deflection: The best spell in BG1 with SCS before you get the minor globe of invulnerability. And even with it, because it frees your 4th level to cast something else (e.g. stone skins or spider spawns).
    -Slow: A good spell, because the save is difficult.
    -Spell thrust: This spell is really needed in SCS. It have uses even in higher levels. Cast it to remove a spell shield (and do not waste a higher level spell). A great spell to remove minor globe of invulnerability (you see this spell often in SCS).

    4.
    -Improved Invisibility: Combine with spell immunity: divination and the enemies cannot cast a direct spells to you.
    -Minor Globe of Invulnerability: The protection spell in BG1 (and even in SOA). Use this and you can cast skull traps, fireballs, web and stinking clouds easily.
    -Minor Sequencer: Some interesting combinations:
    1. Two magic missiles
    2. Doom + hold person
    3. Mirror image + blur
    4. 2 webs
    -Spider spawn: Combine with web spells (spiders are immune against the spells)
  • PteranPteran Member Posts: 388
    @Malinor I found your post very helpful. The only question I have is why cast Protection from Evil 10' on your summons?
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    Pteran said:

    @Malinor I found your post very helpful. The only question I have is why cast Protection from Evil 10' on your summons?

    PfE is a generally solid buff that lasts for ages, as do skeletons, and later on, for summoned demons the PfE actually stops them from infighting and keeps them focused on your enemies.

  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    I do hate you all.

    Just finished a BGEE + ToSC run with my beloved Half-Orc Fighter/Assassin. But everytime I take a peek at this forum I wish to start with something new.

    Except for Paladins and Rangers. They always sucks.
  • PteranPteran Member Posts: 388
    Pantalion said:

    Pteran said:

    @Malinor I found your post very helpful. The only question I have is why cast Protection from Evil 10' on your summons?

    PfE is a generally solid buff that lasts for ages, as do skeletons, and later on, for summoned demons the PfE actually stops them from infighting and keeps them focused on your enemies.

    I've been playing this game for a decade and a half, and I've just now realized there are other perks to Prot. from Evil than being protected from demons...upon closer inspection that's actually an amazing buff!
    Raduziel said:

    I do hate you all.

    Just finished a BGEE + ToSC run with my beloved Half-Orc Fighter/Assassin. But everytime I take a peek at this forum I wish to start with something new.

    Except for Paladins and Rangers. They always sucks.

    I feel the exact same way! I get a few chapters into my current character, and then read about how amazing another combo is and I get inspired to give it a whirl. I disagree with your bit about Rangers sucking though. Archers are pretty kick ass.
  • Cal_ElCal_El Member Posts: 56
    My Solo Cleric/Conjurer sailed through BG1 and so far through SOA chapter 2 racking up XP. This post is superb, giving me some new tactics and spell uses.

    As far as Contingency goes i just wack Sanctuary in 'Hopeless' just incase. Its rare though because Chaotic Commands....
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