Playing a FMT (or FIT) through SoD and BGII
alceryes
Member Posts: 380
Hey guys! I've been away for a while. (the 'real-life' monster had me locked away but I have recently escaped! 
)
I'm getting back into an old build and wanted to get some play-style opinions on my (slightly-hacked) Gnome Fighter/Illusionist/Thief. Pips are in quarterstaff, shortbow, and two-handed fighting. Stats are god-like (good roll plus all the 'manuals' thus far). OL and FT are at 100%, MS and HiS are at 75%. I'll start pumping DI and ST after another level or so in the stealthies. He's currently in SoD. So far he's been a beast but I'm having a bit of an identity crisis. How do you all play FITs (or FMTs)? Do you use the mage for buffs mostly and then turn 100% fighter? Always start with BS? Dance around, cast, and hit when their defenses are down/low? Is switching armor (between robes of the archmagi and some good plate) a must? I'm finding him a bit squishy in SoD with just the robes and feel like I'm trying to do too much in every battle because I don't want to 'waste' a third of my character. I'm currently playing on 'insane' difficulty but without the enemy damage bonus (I love the extra bestiary variety).
I'm eyeing BGII which I haven't played much of at all since I enjoy the early developmental levels of AD&D the most. BGII will literally be a new game to me. I'm looking for some BGII experience perspectives on how to play him in a full party.
TIA!
)I'm getting back into an old build and wanted to get some play-style opinions on my (slightly-hacked) Gnome Fighter/Illusionist/Thief. Pips are in quarterstaff, shortbow, and two-handed fighting. Stats are god-like (good roll plus all the 'manuals' thus far). OL and FT are at 100%, MS and HiS are at 75%. I'll start pumping DI and ST after another level or so in the stealthies. He's currently in SoD. So far he's been a beast but I'm having a bit of an identity crisis. How do you all play FITs (or FMTs)? Do you use the mage for buffs mostly and then turn 100% fighter? Always start with BS? Dance around, cast, and hit when their defenses are down/low? Is switching armor (between robes of the archmagi and some good plate) a must? I'm finding him a bit squishy in SoD with just the robes and feel like I'm trying to do too much in every battle because I don't want to 'waste' a third of my character. I'm currently playing on 'insane' difficulty but without the enemy damage bonus (I love the extra bestiary variety).
I'm eyeing BGII which I haven't played much of at all since I enjoy the early developmental levels of AD&D the most. BGII will literally be a new game to me. I'm looking for some BGII experience perspectives on how to play him in a full party.
TIA!
0
Comments
Well, the beauty of this class is that you can and should do all of that.
- While traveling/exploring, I'd play him as a stealthy scout (either with thief stealth or under invisibility spell) to look ahead of what I have to face
- In general, I'd have robes on so that I can access my spells if ambushed.
- Once I know what I'm about to face, depending on the situation, I would:
* backstab the lone enemy lurking and blocking my way
* prebuff a bit and then put some armor and make short work of that army of kobolds
* fire a cloudkill in that suspicious-looking room and close the door until everyone is suffocated in there (yeah, that's definitely psycho behaviour)
* those brutish-looking ogres seem frail against magic, a few debilitating spells should prevent them from reaching me and I can just kite them with my bow while they are controled by my webs/slow/hold/confusion spells
* as levels pile up, prebuffs and good robes make better defence than the best armor (or at least equal to), and if I want to face that tough group of adventurers I just spotted on the horizon, after casting my prebuffs, and maybe carefully laying a trap or two on my path of retreat, I would backstab their spellcaster, debuff or Sunfire the hell out of the group, and if I can't manage to finish them rapidly with my trusty swords and fast-casted spells (blindness is your best lvl1 friend as an illusionist, spook is second), I lure them back into my traps.
EDIT : as a mage who is also part fighter, and if you've never used it, I strongly recommand having some fun with the Polymorph Self spell, especially the Mustard Jelly form (immune to magic/piercing damage, does ranged crushing damage), the Spider form (high APR, great synergy with webs), or the Flind form (balanced form, good defense/offense, weapon strikes as +3 and does +1 fire damage).
See here for more details.