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Starting a new game w/ some variety of mage

Either a mage/cleric or a pure mage or a mage specialist.

I'm hung up on analysis paralysis: Which mage spells should I pick to start?

I've played Baldur's Gate before but only with rangers and fighters and NPC party members as mages.

Comments

  • JumboWheat01JumboWheat01 Member Posts: 1,028
    Magic Missile and Armor scrolls seem to be common enough to find, so I wouldn't waste one of your starter spells on them. Sleep, on the other hand, is a combat winner at lower levels, and worth using one of your starting spells. I'm also fond of Spook, even if fear isn't the best effect. If you feel you absolutely need a damage spell, Chromatic Orb is an interesting spell with the way it scales.

    Also, even though their scrolls are fairly common, Identify is a great spell to have. Saves you some coin in the long run when you can just load up your mage with Identify spells, rest, identify all magical items, reset your spell memorization and then rest again.
    justfeelinathomeBelleSorciereznancekivell
  • MerinaMerina Member Posts: 303
    For specialist mages you need to look up the spell lists, of course ... so you know which spells you can learn and which spells you are unable to learn. Remember that you only need scrolls to scribe the spells from in order to learn them, if not playing a sorcerer/dragon disciple.

    The initial choice is only to give you some spells immediately without the need to scribe from scrolls first.

    For wizard spells, personal taste plays a big role. I assume you will accept companions soon, so building a party based wizard may differ from building a solo wizard (such as a solo sorcerer).

    Blindness, Chromatic Orb (or Magic Missile if you cannot live without this low-level damage spell), Shield (to protect against magic missiles if you want that), Invisibility, Grease, Sleep (against weak enemy groups, such as goblins), and Spook are helpful level 1 spells.
    BelleSorciereznancekivell
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    Cool, thanks much.

    I am thinking Sleep and Identify. I usually have one mage with identify at the start in IWD, so yeah.
  • justfeelinathomejustfeelinathome Member Posts: 353
    Also, you might think about picking Find Familiar. It has one (only the one) fixed drop point in the game, early in chapter three, but I find the extra HP really valuable just out of candle keep. Since it's a spell you hopefully won't cast more often than once, I DO NOT recommend it for sorcerers.

    I'm torn on sleep on sorcerers. Is giving up on a level 1 slot worth it since it makes portions of the beginning a breeze to play? Probably.

    On level one strictly speaking Larlochs Minor Health Drain is probably the most potent damage spell, but it fizzles out of relevancy soon thereafter, because of its lack of scaling. (again, no recommendation for sorcerers)

    Since you should find scrolls reasonably quickly (as loot or for sale), I'd recommend for mages:
    1. Find Familiar
    2. Sleep
    (3. If your a specialist: The most useful spell of your school, since you'll have to pick at least one)

    This is just my two cents.
    BelleSorciereznancekivell
  • justfeelinathomejustfeelinathome Member Posts: 353
    @BelleSorciere You could just use the Identify Scroll from Firebead, right in Candlekeep. It's worth passing up on 50xp and a potion, IMHO.
    BelleSorciere
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    Good point.

    So: Find Familiar, Sleep, possible third spell due to specialty, and get Identify from Firebead's quest.

    That sounds like a fairly strong start.
  • MerinaMerina Member Posts: 303
    Keep in mind ... you need Find Familiar only once if you keep your familiar in your inventory where it is safe. A scroll for that spell is found early enough ...
    when returning to Nashkel from Nashkel Mines.
    BelleSorciere
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    I like the idea of having more hit points right off the bat when combat encounters are pretty deadly - I mean the guy coming out of the Friendly Arms Inn has wiped my party more than once after sending the PCs running around randomly and uncontrollably.
  • MerinaMerina Member Posts: 303
    More HP does not protect against that ...
    but getting the nearby guards involved does. ;););)
    [Deleted User]znancekivell
  • JumboWheat01JumboWheat01 Member Posts: 1,028
    Merina said:

    More HP does not protect against that ...

    but getting the nearby guards involved does. ;););)
    Command (Cleric of some type,) is also a great way of dealing with that fight. "Oh, you're casting a spell? Take a nap!"
    znancekivell
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    Turned out I was worried over pretty much nothing. He got gibbed almost instantly.

    I usually do get the guards involved but he nearly always gets his spell off at which point I get to watch him kill my character while the guards attack nearly ineffectually.
  • OlteronOlteron Member Posts: 67
    edited April 2016
    Check your difficulty. If he was to easy you got lucky or its on storymode. I've killed him easy many times but check to make sure. I love my elf invoker. Cromatic orb hits more and blinded him instantly and the guards and imoen finished him off.
    Plus as invoker your evocation spells hit with -2 penalties. So Web has a total of -4 to resist. I can tell you I've beaten many hard caster fights by webbing and letting my party range them down like fish in a barrel. Web and summon spiders ftw!
    znancekivell
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    I don't think I was on story mode at the time as I was fighting wildlife on my way to the inn and taking damage. When I loaded up the save game, though, it turned story mode on automatically, which is so very very bad. Or at least very very annoying. So I don't think story mode was on, but I can't be sure now.

    And thanks. Invokers are definitely something I want to try sometime.
  • magisenseimagisensei Member Posts: 316
    If you decide on a mage (specialist or vanilla) - the best spells for first level is sleep (AOE)- followed by spook (sadly it only affects 1 creature) but they work beautifully at the start of the game.

    If you are a specialist and get that extra spell slot then something offensive like magic missile or chromatic orb - but they do so little damage at the first couple of level - so chromatic orb might be a better choice as it does damage + has effects.

    If you are a cleric/mage - then the spells for a mage is the same but you add command (for battle), cure light wounds or bless as your cleric choices. But cleric spells can be easily changed unlike mage spells at first level.

    If you want some randomness thrown into your casting as a specialist mage - then a wild mage is something to try although there is Neera in the game for you to try if you haven't decided on your NPCs.

    Remember to hit and run as a low level mage or have some companions to help.




    BelleSorciereznancekivell
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    Yeah, I have five companions now. I went for Cleric/Mage, with Find Familiar and Sleep as my starting spells. I've picked up several more spell scrolls, and have been doing great. :smile:

    Thanks much for advice, too.
  • AmmarAmmar Member Posts: 1,295
    Blindness would also have been a good choice. Still works against opponents who can resist sleep.
    BelleSorciereznancekivell
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    Oh cool. I did not know that.
  • shawneshawne Member Posts: 3,239
    edited April 2016
  • BelleSorciereBelleSorciere Member Posts: 2,108
    Nice!
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