Edwin's Amulet o.O
Skie
Member Posts: 90
So... wait... in BG2EE he gets +2 spells/level just from him amulet? 
Isn't that overpowered? And, like, why?
Isn't that overpowered? And, like, why?
2
Comments
As for the why... somebody once explained the lore reasoning for it, I only vaguely remember snippets of it, but I think it's something to do with Red Wizards in PnP having two schools of opposition or other such restrictions that were not implemented in the IE games, so Edwin gets all the boons of being a Red Wizard with only the downside of a normal specialist mage.
Any PnP experts out there, please do correct me if I am wrong or offer a bit more clarity.
However, Edwin's amulet does not in fact come with any penalties, so it simply adds a MASSIVE bonus making it the best wizard amulet in the game. It has always done that, as @Tresset said, the description is simply more clear now. The effect is unchanged from the original version.
I suppose you could RP-explain it away after a fashion, saying that Edwin is simply a ridiculously talented and powerful wizard. Would make sense given that in ToB he reaches absurdly high levels, on par with some of the major PnP characters.
And on a more serious note, Edwin is strong but not strong enough for me to look past his character and therefore he never finds a spot in my party. Stuff dies even without the constant attention of my mages, so he really doesn't have to have gazillion spellslots.
Personally though I don't think his extra access to spells is that a big deal until access to Improved Alacrity. Before that point its merely a matter of being an extra convenience, but since you are rarely ever attacked for resting in the game it doesn't do all that much until you can cast multiple spells per round. Especially given all the items you encounter that grant you extra mage spells anyways.
Still, the amulet remains the best caster amulet in the game
Edwin's amulet gives extra slots for ALL levels. Compare Edwin to a Charname Conjurer. At level 14? He has 4 level 7 spells; Charname has 2. At level 16? He has 4 level 8 spells; Charname has 2. At level 18? He has 4 level 9 spells; Charname has 2. In fact, Edwin has more slots than a sorcerer much of the time.
Also, extra lower-level spell slots also have some utility. They let you add in more situational spells, or toolkit spells, or escape options. The extra slots might not give you a whole lot of extra power, but they will give you a lot more versatility.