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My Wizard Slayer

StorytellerStoryteller Member Posts: 38
So, a kit I've run from like I was being chased by a plague victim on fire my entire BG career is actually pretty good.

Suck on that, Tarnesh.

I created a Wizard Slayer that dual wields longswords, and she is pretty lethal. I haven't finished Baldur's Gate I yet, but for all the clerics casting Hold Person and Feeble Mind and all the wizards wrecking my day with even worse spells, I really felt the power in the Spell Disruption (25% per hit) ability. While I have not yet had a chance to test it in Baldur's Gate II, this ability is devastating at the lower levels.

But with all the liches and high level mages riddling Shadows of Amn, I can really see the utility potential here. It also made me realize that spell-casters with party disrupting spells are the single most dangerous foe you face in this entire game series: one confusion spell, one hold person, one rigid mind or chaos or instant death and you're going to be reloading the game.

Suck on that, Silke.

I found in my experience that the Wizard Slayer allows for a party to very quickly whittle down an enemy force's capability into simple melee and ranged weaponry. That is a gigantic advantage that pays dividends very quickly, silencing any infuriating clerics or druids or mages in four little hits. The Magic Resistance is a comforting security blanket, but an ancillary kit feature compared to the disruption.

The Wizard Slayer has one job in the party -- charge anyone who uses magic and hit them as many times per round as possible. After their work is done, they function as an otherwise perfectly strong Fighter. Sure you may not get the goodies like Potions of Speed or the Gauntlets of Weapon Specialization, and your Armor Class is going to suffer, but not as much as you think.

Suck on that, Seniyad.

Rings and Amulets of Protection don't overlap with magically enchanted armor. The Plate Mail +3 in Durlag's Tower is the equivalent of Full Plate +1, which for an ordinary Fighter is the same as a Full Plate suit and a Ring of Protection +1. Is it as good as a Fighter wearing Full Plate and a Ring of Protection +2 though? No. But it's not 'broken'. I now found myself wearing that magically enchanted armor rather than passing it to a cleric. Besides, I feel like if you're using a Wizard Slayer to be a front line tank, you're missing the point of the class.

I fully understand the complaining and trepidation with this class, because it was my own for years. People who play Baldur's Gate love love LOVE their magic goodies. There's a pleasure center in every RPG fan's brain that lights up when you put on a +1 to hit and +2 to damage pair of gauntlets, or see your Armor Class bump up one or two points when you put on your new magic ring of protection.

Suck on that, Kahrk.

Is it any wonder when you remove that pleasure from seeing the protagonist get visibly stronger with a ring, or belt, or boots that Baldur's Gate fans become as irritable as a smoker who is two days into cold turkey? But I did it, and hey, it's not at all as bad as you think it is. I felt like the benefits you surrender are fairly minor compared to the great advantage your party is availed of all throughout the game.

I think the Wizard Slayer is definitely legitimate. Give it a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Suck on that, Davaeorn.
JuliusBorisovLoldrupMathsorcererNoobaccalunardomagoj_zgDJKajuruLordVem

Comments

  • PK2748PK2748 Member Posts: 381
    Frankly it's even better when used from range. I love Wizard Slayers. I wish we had gotten one in SOD or as a NPC added to the EE
  • JumboWheat01JumboWheat01 Member Posts: 1,028
    All those clerics casting Hold Person or what-have you don't care for your spell disruption. It's WIZARD Slayer. It only works on those casting Wizard spells, so Mages, Sorcerers and Bards. Clerics, Paladin, Druids and Rangers could give a crap about you smacking them. Paladin and Rangers could easily return the favor too.

    And if you were just lucky with your Spell Resistance kicking in, that's it, you were lucky. At such low levels, as you play through the first game, your Spell Resistance leaves a lot to be desired.


    Though I have done a run-through the first game with a Gnomish unmodded Wizard Slayer, and have tried out some with a Dwarven modded Wizard Slayer. It is a fun class, I'm not going to deny that. It's something I kinda wish they re-worked for later editions, would be interesting to see how it would have worked.
  • PK2748PK2748 Member Posts: 381
    Spell failure is applied regardless of class. I recall attacking my own clerics and it working quite well to undermine their casting abilities
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    @PK2748 As noted in one of the previous threads, it works only towards arcane magic.
  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    edited September 2016
    I'm currently playing a Wizard Slayer.

    A Thief -> Wizard Slayer to be more specific.

    A 100% Detect Illusions Thief / x3 Backstab -> Wizard Slayer to be more accurate.

    Let's just say that he is very good at slaying wizards.

    Davaeorn failed against my Magic Resistance twice (Fireball and Lightning Bolt).

    The Red Wizards (from Neera and the friends of Edwin) couldn't cast any spells.

    He's a miscast-magic-true-sight-at-will beast.

    The only problem is that the game is becoming too easy. I've just soloed with him the "encounter" upstairs Sorcerous Sundries.

    The trick with the WS is look for the max of immunities, not the lowest AC or maxed damage. And elemental damage (suck it up, Stoneskin-users).

    So if you have to choose between a Long Sword +1, Free Action and a Long Sword +3, stick to the first.

    It's very nice to see all those Improved Invisibility, Mirror Images, Shadow Door, Invisibility, Mislead, all going down at once. Makes life much easier.

    As soon as I get a decent resistance to fire, no wizard will be safe (Fireshield).

    PS: Always carry a normal version of your weapon to use against the nasty "Protection From Magical Weapons".
    ArdulStoryteller
  • JumboWheat01JumboWheat01 Member Posts: 1,028
    PK2748 said:

    Spell failure is applied regardless of class. I recall attacking my own clerics and it working quite well to undermine their casting abilities

    That's just generic "smacking a spell caster causes them to lose concentration" that everyone has. It doesn't come with a misfire debuff that Wizard Slayers get, but it happens regardless.
  • PK2748PK2748 Member Posts: 381
    I'll test again, it came up with the miscast magic status icon when I had my wizard slayer attack my cleric/thief. I haven't tried it in awhile though
  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 951
    As i remember, in the vanilla game files it only applies to arcane magic only, but i never tested it ingame but in near infinity shows that. I think it add the status icon to warriors too. I used to play modded wizard slayer that applies clerical spells.
  • StorytellerStoryteller Member Posts: 38

    @PK2748 As noted in one of the previous threads, it works only towards arcane magic.

    This is not what I experienced. My Wizard Slayer applies her disruption to *all* spellcasters, I've seen it work with my own eyes several times.
  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    edited September 2016
    @JuliusBorisov is correct. I know there are mods that change/correct (?) it to apply to all spells, but without any mods the on-hit only affects wizard spells. It's misleading because the 'miscast magic' icon will apply to all characters regardless of class.
    JuliusBorisov
  • MathsorcererMathsorcerer Member Posts: 3,037
    My last playthrough was with a Wizard Slayer and she performed optimally, especially once I gave her The Answerer. Poor little spellcasters--two or three hits and they can't do anything except stand there looking foolish. *spell casting failure* *spell casting failure* *spell casting failure*
  • JumboWheat01JumboWheat01 Member Posts: 1,028

    @JuliusBorisov is correct. I know there are mods that change/correct (?) it to apply to all spells, but without any mods the on-hit only affects wizard spells. It's misleading because the 'miscast magic' icon will apply to all characters regardless of class.

    I would say change. Admittedly, I know squat about proper 2e D&D, but the title is WIZARD Slayer, not SPELL Slayer.
  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    There's no Wizard Slayer (or Kensai) in the Complete Fighter Handbook.
  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 951
    Wizard slayer is in the complete barbarian handbook and there isn any similarity with the bg one. Its a choosen barbarian who seek to slay evil wizards and priests. It has:
    protection from evil aura,
    known allignement at will ability,
    detetect illusion 2 per day,
    detect magic ability,
    attack magical creatures passive: she only can use non magical weapons, but can hit as enchanted weapon with the following, after level 4 is +1 weapon, level 6 is +2, level 8 is +3, level 10 is +4, level 12 is +5. Its only enchantment bonus not hit or damage.
    Must be good allignement,
    Xp bonus: if slay evil wizard or priest gain double xp,
    No magical items: cant use magical items of any kind, if allows a wizard to cast a benefical spell on her, she looses all abilities for 24 hours,
    Combat compulsion: in a battle she must attack the evil wizard or priest, and not defend allies etc.

    Thats it from adnd 2 complete barbarian.
    lunarRaduzielJuliusBorisov
  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 951
    So i just stated that the bg version is different from pnp, but i feel better :)
  • JumboWheat01JumboWheat01 Member Posts: 1,028
    Huh... that's actually a pretty cool kit. I can see the basis for where DDO got its "Occult Slayer" enhancements for Barbarians now.
  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 951
    @JumboWheat01 i think its an rp kit, and underpowered. But the difference in its description to not only hunt wizards but all evil magic user preiests etc.
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