Does SR make enchanters any good?

[Guest Dirty Uncle Bertie]

My only experience of having an enchanter in the party was way back in the day when I played BG1. I wasn't too keen on Xan because he couldn't cast Magic Missile and Fireball, so I didn't keep him around for long ("Damn right you're doomed!").

 

With the changes that SR makes, will Xan be able to do a good job as the only mage in the party (for BG1 and BG2)? I know a lot of people like using him, so I suppose he can't be all that bad. What are some good spells for him to use, considering the lack of MM and Fireball?

 

I'm also considering having a F/M multi in the group at some point, and will want them to fight melee (as a sort of secondary/flank attacker), using their spells primarily to buff themselves rather than damage the enemy. What sort of spells should my low-level BG1 F/M be casting to help him stay alive and be more effective in melee combat?

[Demivrgvs]

Enchanters can't use Magic Missile yes, but though they are less straightforward I'd say Chromatic Orb and Minor Drain are the most similar spells (the latter is much more effective in the long run since V2.9). If I had to roleplay such a character I'd combine enchantments with a few alterations, using Hold Person and Slow instead of Fireball, Dire Charm instead of Flame Arrow, and so on. If you need a damage dealing spell I'm sure you'll be fine with Disintegrate. Let's not forget that Sleep with SR is extremely more reliable and can be used at higher levels too, Chaos is even more powerful than before, and with Sphere of Chaos you can cause havoc in an area with a sort of cloud-like effect, which is party-friendly as the entire Enchanter's arsenal of spells. In V3 I'll probably add Mass Charm too.

 

I may say that if SR doesn't enhance enough the Enchantment school itself (which it does imo if you look at spells like Sleep and Sphere of Chaos), it does improve Enchanters because they have much more useful spells to choose from compared to vanilla (transmutations, conjurations,...) even without being able to cast invocations.

 

Regarding a low level Fighter/Mage, if you need buffs it's easy to say that Armor, Shield, Blur and Mirror Image are the spell you're looking for. Mirror Image is imo the defensive spell par excellence (if coupled with Stoneskin and Fireshields can make many melee fights a walk in the park). Especially in BG1 Haste is a huge boost for any character fighting in the first line, but being a 3rd level spell it's probably not going to be part of your arsenal anytime soon.