wild mage game - suggestions please

[Lemernis]

I'm considering playing a Wild Mage through the entire saga, using Tutu for BG1. Never played one before, seems like it'd be fun.

 

Haven't really thought through the character concept, but I suppose any wizard that wants to harness and play around with wild surges has to be into risktaking. So I think this is a character that will have a some sort of arcane (i.e., nutty) philosophy organized around taking risks. Perhaps believing that surrounding himself with such energy (including in the form of his companions) creates opportunity. I guess he'd worship Tymora. He'll be CN I reckon.

 

I'll use the Happy Patch so I don't have to worry about a mixture of alignments.

 

As such, at least for BG1, one thought I had was to assemble a party of the most unbalanced NPCs, eg Xzar, Minsc, Quayle, and Tiax. Not sure yet, but I may drop Imoen in BG city. Might add Xan, who although relatively stable would contribute to the overall whimsical feel. If I do use Xan in BG1, I may try the BG2 mod that adds him.

 

That's a party heavy on magic and very light on tankitude, but I kind of enjoy that sort of challenge.

 

I've yet to play the series where I drop Imoen in BG1 and drop her again after rescuing her in BG2. But perhaps for a character like this that'll fit. I think Jan and Haer 'Dalis should fit in pretty well into the BG2 party. I've never tired Edwin in BG2, but from what I understand he gets transformed into Edwina, and that would probably fit well with the overall theme.

 

Anyway, that's just one idea, I'd be interested to hear others.

 

I'd greatly appreciate suggestions for mods and party compositions. Especially an suggestions for NPC mods. I'll be using the Quest Pack and Unfinished Business, not sure what else...

 

The Wild Mage mod linked below looks like it should be ideal for such a game, anyone ever tried it?

 

http://home.tiscali.de/jo.ge/bg/shaper.htm

[ronin69hof]

That mod is great, I would suggest to anyone to use it that is going to use a wild mage. The author of the mod put alot of thought and effort into it and it shows.

 

ronin

[Lemernis]

Thanks for the feedback! I will defintiely use the first component, i.e., the 27 Wild Mage spells. This being the first time I've ever used a Wild Mage I think I'd prefer to try the standard kit versus the custom Spellshaper kit offered by the mod.

 

Alright, this is the tentative party lineup:

 

BG1

PC Wild Mage

Imoen - drop after completion of Nashkel Mines

Xzar

Minsc

Xan

Quayle

Tiax

 

BG2

PC Wild Mage

Minsc

Xan

Jan Jansen

Edwin

Haer'Dalis

 

One problem is I don't have a healer in the party for the first half of BG1 and all of BG2, and that might be a pain in the arse. I can probably manage without in chapter 1-4 of BG1 , but in SoA/ToB I'll really want one. Perhaps there's a NPC mod character that might fit in to this campaign?

 

As to mod installation, the Easy Tutu isntruction page says I should install the following mods (which I do want) in this order:

 

Easy Tutu Degreenifier

Easy Tutu NPC Kit Selection

Tutufix v.17

BG1 NPC Banter Pack

Ladejarl's TutuGUI

 

But I also want to include the following:

 

PP1 BG1 item graphics (non-WeiDu)

Sword Coast Strategems - http://www.gibberlings3.net/scs/

Unfinished Business

Quest Pack

BG2 Banter Pack

Flirt Pack

Song and Silence

Divine Remix

 

I'm a little confused about the order to install them all in... What would that order be?

 

And although I will probably save them for a future game, I'd appreciate feedback on the following Tutu mods if anyone's familiar with them:

 

The Vault - http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/azenmod/ReadMe-Vault.htm

Herbs & Potions Add-In - http://www.blackwyrmlair.net/Mods/Readme/r...e-herbaddin.htm

The Grey Clan Trilogy - http://greyclan.blackwyrmlair.net/ep1/index.html

 

***

 

Edit: Because of the lack of a healer I think I won't use Xan for this run through the saga after all. I'll try Finch in BG1 Tutu, and Hubelpot in SoA/ToB.

[Lemernis]

Is this the mod installation order I'd want to use?

 

Easy Tutu Degreenifier

Tutufix v.17

Easy Tutu NPC Kit Selection

PP1 BG1 item graphics (non-WeiDu)

Finch

Hubelpot

Xan for Tutu

Xan for BG2

any other NPCs I may want to add

BG1 NPC Banter Pack

BG2 Banter Pack

Flirt Pack

Ladejarl's TutuGUI

Sword Coast Strategems

Herbs and Potions Add-In

Unfinished Business

Quest Pack

Song and Silence

Divine Remix

Wild Mage Additions

[Lemernis]

Thanks to Berlinde on another forum I used the following order (some of it started before seeing her recommendations, hope it all works):

 

BG/ToSC

Patch

Baldurdash FixPack

EasyTutu

Easy Tutu Degreenifier

Tutu Fix v.17

Easy Tutu NPC Selection

PP1 (installed to BG2 folder, not BG Tutu, hope it works for the Tutu game)

Finch

Herbs & Potions Add-in

Grey Clan

Sword Coast Strategems

 

SoA/ToB

Patch

BG2 Fixpack

Quest pack

Unfinished Business

BG2 Banterpacks

Flirtpack

Wild Mage Additions

Song and Silence

BG2 Herbs & Potions Add-in (overlooked it until this point, oops)

BG2 Tweak Pack

Divine Remix

 

Now, with Wild Mage, will installing the 27 new spells and new Spellshaper kit into the BG2 directory get them into the BG1 Tutu game? Or do I need to install Wild Mage into the BG Tutu folder as well? And likewise for Divine Remix, I installed it into the Bg2 directory, but will the spells show up in BG1 Tutu? Will changes made in the BG2 engine to Bards and Thieves from Song and Silence show up in my BG1 Tutu game?

[berelinde]

Any mod you use with Tutu need to be installed in the Tutu directory. Don't worry about what the documentation or installation screens tell you. That material is being updated.

 

Your game uses the BG2 engine, and prior to Easy Tutu, you had to use your BG2 directory, so some of the documentation is still in need of revision.

 

So, if you installed something in your BG2 directory, you will need to install it in your Tutu directory to have it affect your Tutu game in any way.

[Lemernis]

Thanks, I don't entirely understand how Easy Tutu works, but I do get that I need to install in both BG2 and Easy Tutu for certain features that I want in BG1.

 

Apparently when you install the Spellshaper kit from Wild Mage Additions, it makes that custom kit the default for a Wild Mage. It looks darned interesting, and I do like the fact that it confers combat abilities. But I'm not sure I want to go without HLAs in ToB. And I do want to keep the gameplay consistent throughout the saga.

 

What would you choose? Standard Wild Mage (with 27 new spells added to the game) or the Spellshaper kit?

 

Spellshaper Kit

 

The spellshaper is a practitioner of wild magic who casts his spells by virtue of raw magical talent or gift, as

opposed to a wild mage's academic, systematic approach.

 

Spellshapers share the sorcerer's intuitive understanding for arcane magic. They memorize spells like a

wizard, yet have a second resource at their disposal: A Spellshaper has the ability to "weave" raw magic

energy into spell effects of his desire, without need of preparing those spells ahead of time. This talent is

anything but unfailing, and using it on a regular basis requires as much luck as recklessness. Persons who

use such a talent aren't very popular among conservative spellcasters.

 

Unlike the sorcerer, the spellshaper may learn spells from scrolls, and memorize and cast them like a

wizard. Being opportunists at heart, rarely a spellshaper renounces this relative reliable way of working

magic. It's usually reserved for those protective and last-resort spells that really need to work, though. The

spellshaper's talent to cast spells spontaneously is so convenient that he prefers to use it whenever possible.

Neglecting conventional spellcasting, and focussing on chaotic wild magic doesn't come without a price: A

spellshaper can't memorize as many spells as a true mage, and his progress in getting access to new spell

levels is much slower.

 

Persons of this profession also tend to be a bit eccentric: Their undisciplined nature was what led them to

their alternative way of spellcasting in the first place, and constant contact with chaotic wild magic affects

the spellshaper's personality even more. Similar to a bard, a spellshaper has a lot of interests: He intuitively

learns a bit of everything that crosses his path, but lacks the discipline to master these things to the same

extend as a more focused character.

 

Most spellshapers have the wisdom not to rely exclusively on their dangerous and unpredictable spell ability.

They hedge their bets by learning physical combat as well. They aren't warriors, but a spellshaper's abilities

in melee combat are close to those of a thief. As he gets more experienced, the spellshaper may learn special abilities that improve his combat techniques even more, these abilities include backstabbing, mastery in the dagger proficiency and the unique ability to fight with two weapons at once without facing any penalties.

 

One of the spellshaper's more eccentric character-traits is that he refuses any training in the use of missile

weapons; for ranged combat, a spellshaper uses magic, and if magic fails he prefers melee.

 

Many of the Spellshaper's special abilities have a high dexterity score as prerequisite, and like all mages, a

Spellshaper profits from a high intelligence score.

 

Abilities:

± Wild Magic (Casting level varies from 5 below to 5 above the spellshaper's own level)

+ 5 lore rating per level

+ THAC0 advancement close to rogue (THAC0 reduced by 1 every 6 levels)

+ “Weave Spell†ability

+ “Weaveshear†ability

+ “Shape Spell†ability

+ May learn combat-related character abilities ("feats")

 

Restrictions:

± Wild Magic (Casting level varies from 5 below to 5 above the spellshaper's own level)

- 5% Chance for Wild Surge

- Much slower spell progression (New spell levels at experience-level 4,6,8,10,13,16,19,22)

- Less wizard spell slots (-2 level 1 to 7 spells, -3 level 8 and 9 spells, compared to standard wild mage)

- â€ÂMetamagic†items that modify the number of wizard spell-slots have no effect at all.

- Gets no high level abilities

- Suffers -5 to hit and -2 to damage when using ranged weapons

- May wear only one ring (one ring slot permanently occupied)

- Alignment changes to chaotic

[berelinde]

To my mind, the biggest drawback of the modified class is the inability to use missile weapons. "Sling spells or engage in melee" sounds like suicide in my book, even with better combat abilities. You might hit more often than a regular mage, but you still can't wear armor.

 

The disabilities of this class seem to outweigh the abilities by far.

 

I imagine that this class would force you to powergame: massive reliance on items and stats to keep the character alive. That, and frequent saves, so when the character does die, you can reload and do it again.

 

That, and the HLA dragon breath is sweet.

 

But, let me be the first to admit that I do not know how to use arcane spellcasters to best advantage.

[berelinde]

Some comments on your party lineup:

 

BG1

PC Wild Mage

Imoen - drop after completion of Nashkel Mines

Xzar

Minsc

Xan

Quayle

Tiax

 

BG2

PC Wild Mage

Minsc

Xan

Jan Jansen

Edwin

Haer'Dalis

 

 

Montaron joins with Xzar. If you have Minsc, he will demand that you go after Dynaheir, and attack you if you do not do so very soon. Quayle and Tiax show up very late in an unmodified game. Also, unless you have a happy patch installed, there is the possibility that Minsc and Edwin will come to blows in SoA. If you want to split NPC pairs, you're going to have to kill one of them off or install SCS.

 

In both parties, you have 3 or more mages and only Minsc for melee brute force. All those non-melee people, and no cleric?

[Lemernis]

Thanks for the feedback, good observations all, as usual.

 

I have no problem breaking up any NPC pair other than Khalid and Jaheira. The bios of the other pairs suggest reasons why you could split them up.

 

Minsc is fiercely devoted to Dynaheir. But he has failed miserably in his charge to defend her, and she has "expressed concerns about the sanity of her bodyguard." Minsc talks to his pet hamster. It's not hard to see Dynaheir going her own way from Minsc after being rescued from the clutches of the gnolls.

 

Montaron "obviously despises" Xzar, and "the two would likely kill each other without a presence over their heads preventing it." Xzar rambles incoherently to himself. Again it's not hard to envision Monty parting company with Xzar.

 

I separate pairs by palcing one member on the second floor of an inn and the other one outside the building before reforming the party.

 

Lacking a healer, I decided not to use Xan for this run through the saga. Instead Finch will take his slot in BG1, and Hubelpot in BG2. That way I'll have a healer in the party. Plus I get to try out two new custom NPCs, both of which should fit fairly well into the general oddball theme.

 

So the parties will be

 

BG1

PC Wild Mage

Imoen - keep throughout BG1, do not dual to mage

Xzar - probably replace with Tiax (I'll see how I feel at that point)

Minsc

Finch

Quayle

Tiax (?)

 

BG2

PC Wild Mage

Minsc

Hubelpot

Jan Jansen

Edwin

Haer'Dalis

 

I don't mind the challenge of playing spellcaster-heavy parties. I kind of prefer it actually.

 

In the past I've been able to get decent use out of Tiax as a meleer, oddly enough. Suit him up in armor, give him a shield, put a mace or a flail in his hand, and he does okay. He can still cast his cleric spells. I never made use of his thieving skills anyway, which as I recall aren't very good. Until I add Tiax, it'll be Minsc and the PC meleeing. It's tough but doable.

 

As for BG2, Haer'Dalis is actually a formidable meleer. He and Minsc should be able to handle the frontline okay with the help of occasional summons. IIRC, Jan can also be used fairly effectively.

 

I've found it is surprisingly safe to have a mage melee with a stave. I kind of enjoy sending a mage or bard into the fray to slap Ghoul Touch (a spell that to my amazement remains effective against a wide variety of enemies well in ToB), and then have them finish off with Vampiric Touch and the quarterstaff.

 

On that basis, this PC is a physically powerful and charismatic type. In order for his risktaking philosophy to feel a little more plausible, I figured I'd have him be utterly fearless in battle, thereby potentially inspiring others to uncommon bravery. His stats are

 

Str 16

Dex 17

Con 15

Int 18

Wis 8

Cha 16

 

But with the Spellshaper kit and the ability to dual wield at *** this character could be a serious meleer--if only he had some decent weapons to choose from. The problem is that his one-handed weapons selection for a mage is limited to daggers (and clubs via Tutu Tweaks).

 

These are the feats granted by the Spellshaper kit:

 

Assassination

Avoid Death

Evasion

 

Two-Weapon-Fighting without penalties

** Dagger proficiency

x2 Backstab Multiplier

Hitpoints raised by 20%

x3 Backstab Multiplier

Critical hits at an Attack Roll of 19 or 20

x4 Backstab Multiplier

x5 Backstab Multiplier

+1 Attack per Round, +1 to Movement Rate

 

There is something appealing about the idea of a Wild Mage-Thief, which is basically what this is. But my guess is that, in the balance, the standard Wild Mage will be stronger overall.

[berelinde]

If you go with Ashes of Embers, you could hand that mage any weapon in the game, with those stats.

 

Righteous rolling, that.

[Lemernis]

Well, he is a Bhaalspawn, and the game figures to be difficult, heh! I admit I used Ctrl + 8 and worked down from all 18s. At least he only has one 18. The 16 Cha is really just for 'roleplaying' purposes.

[Lemernis]

As I study this over, the Spellshaper kit looks rather tempting for the melee benefits and yet a poor choice from the spellcasting aspect.

 

The backstab multiplier allows for backstabbing fun with the Staff of Rynn or Staff of the Ram. Both extremely powerful backstabbing weapons, even with just one prof in quarterstaff.

 

The *** in Two Weapon Style and ** in Dagger, plus the Tutu Tweak of Universal Clubs (all classes may wield a club), creates some interesting possible dual wielding combinations, where extra damage is done by the enchantment upon the weapon. Some of the weapons that may be combined:

 

Pixie Prick +3 (save vs. poison or fall asleep for 2 rounds)

Neb's Nasty Cutter (save vs. poison or incur 2 points poison damage each second up to 10 seconds)

Stilletto of Demarchess (20% chance victim must save vs. death or be held for 2 rounds)

Gnasher (slivers add 2 extra points damage each round for 4 rounds)

 

Nothing devastating there, but it still could be satisfying to dual wield Pixie Prick and the Stiletto of Demarchess, which should incapacitate a lot of enemies.

 

The spellcasting seems to be made more difficult by this kit.

 

As for the Weave Spell, it seems like a bad deal. You gain mostly priest spells. On the plus side, as a mage you do level much faster than a Cleric-Mage does. On the down side, to get those spells you have to swap memorized spells from the mage spellbook--and at a very costly exchange rate (2 for 1). I know that for me there do end up being a lot of spells I rarely use, but I typically want all of my highest level spells. The problem with this ability is that you always sacrifice from the highest spell levels first. And that is just too costly.

 

Weave Shear, because it affects friends as well as foes, seems like a poor ability as well.

 

Shape Spell does not look impressive, and doesn't seem an improvement over simply using a Spell Sequencer.

[berelinde]

All that sounds suspiciously like strategy, something I'm notoriously bad at. While my boyfriend will sit there an draw up an attack plan with listings of which spells each character will cast every round, I'm more inclined to just throw a lot of stuff at it and see what works, reloading as necessary.

 

Which is why I'm not going to give you any strategic advice, long or short term.

[Lemernis]

Lol, I fall somewhere between those two extremes. But in general I'm anything but methodical in my problemsolving for combat situations.

 

Anyway, I opted to save the Spellshaper kit for a future game. I'm playing a standard Wild Mage in this game.

 

Gotta say, there's something satisfying about this trying to survive at low level with a party like this--especially with Sword Coast Strategems installed, and the occasional wild surges. Low level fights are really hairy with this type of party. It's tough with just a Wild Mage, Imoen, Xzar, Monty, and Finch. I'm keeping Monty around until I make it to Nashkel, and add Minsc.