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All Mage Party

Hi everyone.

I seek to challenge myself a bit, and have done so on many playthroughs in the past. On the Original game (before EE) i made a poll on all the "worst" - in "weakest" Companions, and made a Beastmaster Playthrough with all the Underdogs.

Now i'm thinking on doing a Very Hard game with all Mages, and it would look like something like this:

1: Me (any mage, probably Sorceror OR F/M (only one wielding decent weaponry))
2: Jan Janssen (Thieving)
3: Aerie (Healing)
4: Neera (little experience with Wild Magic but have to try?)
5: Edwin (My MM and MMM Machine)
6: Nalia (since she is a mage too)

Replacing Nalia for Imoen or not taking Imoen. Thinking on Haerdalis for the extra dialouge with Edwin and Aerie, but unsure about him. I for sure would have more Oohmp! with his Weapons skills.....

I tried something like this a long time ago but never got past recruiting them (2,3,5 and 6) so i will have another go. I know this party will be Overkillers at very high levels, but i'm thinking that they are very Squishy at startup, and on the way forward. An enemy Spell Success can easily take'em all out in one blow.

Any thoughts ? Input, help and strategy advice would be much appreciated.

--Zotli--
Trauerweidegorgonzola

Comments

  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    It shouldnt be hard as long as you aknowledge your limitations , my tip for all mages in your party would be to always have an invisibility spell memorized. It may not be necessary when you in open terrain, but if you're suddenly cornered by enemies then invisibility is a quick to cast low level spell .
  • gorgonzolagorgonzola Member Posts: 3,864
    Aerie if correctly buffed and haer dalis can hold the first line pretty well, jan can stab and you can count on up to 6 spells each round.
    At high levels neera (her PI) is crazy strong as she can cast every spell she know as dwehomers, so ignoring the rounds.
    A bad surge on the clone has often little consequences.
    Dont pay for the licence, you can loot from the CW valuable and rare scrolls, with 6 mages you need them ;)
    Mages rule, you will have fun.
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    Neera and Edwin do NOT get along. Without some kind of mod it's not possible to have them in the same party (Lord knows I've tried).
    WarChiefZekegorgonzola
  • WarChiefZekeWarChiefZeke Member Posts: 2,651
    Web. Lots of it. Plus Hold Person, and summons. The point is to perform crowd control, keep em in one place and you can launch the nukes with impunity.

    Against the big bads just make sure to have lots of Lower Resistances, Breaches, etc. You can even get many of them down with an insta-death spell if you lower their resistances enough.

    gorgonzola
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    Death Spell rules for a very long time in SoA and is even useful in ToB. I highly recommend getting it as your sorcerer's first 6th level spell. You'll thank me for the advice as you watch your enemies vaporize!
    gorgonzola
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    Neera and Edwin are completely incompatible, because he's a Red Wizard and she has a bit of a problem with that organization. If you have one in the party and recruit the other, Neera gives an ultimatum - if you keep Edwin, she leaves.
    Eh, it's not like you needed two pure mages anyway.

    Haer'Dalis isn't just good at combat for this party; he also has a higher caster level than any of the mages, which means he's better at dispelling. Being able to clear out everything in one Dispel Magic or Remove Magic, even against bosses, is immensely valuable. Breach doesn't work if they've got a spell deflection/turning effect up, but Dispel does as long as you pass the level check.
  • gorgonzolagorgonzola Member Posts: 3,864
    Edwin is powerful, but because he has more spells memorized, in a 6 mages party you have already plenty of spells day and 3 more each level will be barely noticeable, while with only 1 mage are a huge advantage.
    Neera need care and finesse and only when she reaches high levels she becomes relatively safe to use.
    But i had her PI spamming ADHW, wish for the rest option and other high level spells way before an edwin or other mage can even dream to cast those levels of spells.
    If you know where to get the scrolls, WK, CW fights and amn guards, she do it even in chap2, without abusing the reload.

    To play with 6 mages is not about casting a little more MM, is to open a fight with 6 skull traps in the face of the enemies, or take down MR and ST then 3 or 4 feeblemind or flash to stone or finger of death. And off course stack some webs and wait, with 6 MMM ready, that the enemies get stuck so the meteors hit without a roll.
  • monicomonico Member Posts: 571
    edited October 2019
    Fun concept, me like.

    I'd suggest building Jan as a melee thief/illusionist. With the right gear and spells, it can become actually quite good (speed weapons + imp. Haste), although it basically makes it just a HaerDalis copycat. But it's fun.

    Your PC could have fun being a specialist enchanter that you dual as a cleric once he gets lvl5 spells (no enchantment spells after). He will benefit from the specialist saves malus upon enemies even from enchantment cleric spells (although they are mostly the same as the arcane ones).

    Not crazily powerful, but fun. Just my 2 cents of course
    gorgonzola
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    monico wrote: »
    Fun concept, me like.

    I'd suggest building Jan as a melee thief/illusionist. With the right gear and spells, it can become actually quite good (speed weapons + imp. Haste), although it basically makes it just a HaerDalis copycat. But it's fun.

    Your PC could have fun being a specialist enchanter that you dual as a cleric once he gets lvl5 spells (no enchantment spells after). He will benefit from the specialist saves malus upon enemies even from enchantment cleric spells (although they are mostly the same as the arcane ones).

    Not crazily powerful, but fun. Just my 2 cents of course

    Necromancer dual to cleric is powerful too. The only problem is that there are so many good Necromancy spells it's too tempting to take your mage to high levels (Abi-Dhalzim's Horrid Wilting won't be available until level 16!). The synergy with the cleric save or die spells is really good though. With your all mage group the down time might not be so glaring...
  • ZotliatlicorZotliatlicor Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for good advice y'all. I know from older playthrough that Aerie can be a devastating Powerhouse, one of the really cool things about her is that she can use both Mage & Priest Spells in her Sequencers. And HLA from 2 Schools is also very Useful. And all the Buff items i normally put on Viconia can mostly be used just as good by Aerie.

    I know that there is some in-party Romance possible between Aerie and Haerdalis, but i hve never played it out. The one time i had Aerie until the end i had my own Romance with her. Is it true that they can both leave the party permanently ? I wouldn't want that...

    I have played with Neera, but not until the end and not together with Edwin. Will it ruin my game to have them both ? i.e. infighting, one leaving etc... ? It is hard to leave Edwin out...he rocks!

    My normal BG2 style is to get all Companions, and play each of them until i have their individual quests maxed out. I then put them all in the Copper Coronet on standby, and take with me the most useful ones for each major mission. I figure i can do this now as well and have Haerdalis in the mix too, and swap one out if i need him for combat missions.

    What i need to plan for is which companions i bring along to Spellhold and the long road through Underdark. Once i emerge i should be safe right ?
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
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  • monicomonico Member Posts: 571
    I have played with Neera, but not until the end and not together with Edwin. Will it ruin my game to have them both ? i.e. infighting, one leaving etc... ? It is hard to leave Edwin out...he rocks!

    This has already been addressed by others, but I can confirm that you can't have both Neera and Edwin, they will fight each other at some point.
    Well, let me rephrase that : you SHOULD take both Neera and Edwin and look at them throwing their best spells at each other, let the winner become your wizard ^^.

    Balrog99
  • ilduderinoilduderino Member Posts: 773
    You cannot have Edwin and Neera, they refuse to be in the same party together. It won’t ruin your game, it’s just not possible without using a cheat or workaround
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    ilduderino wrote: »
    You cannot have Edwin and Neera, they refuse to be in the same party together. It won’t ruin your game, it’s just not possible without using a cheat or workaround

    You can't even ctrl-Q them into the same party. I've tried. They immediately make you choose one or the other.
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