Advice from fellow masters of the arcane ..

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Hello, I was just thinking of starting over in BG2 again, but this time with a gnome illusionist. This is quite new to me as I am used to playing pure fighters, paladins, and the like. But now I want to try the mage. Now, there are some questions I'd like to ask:

1) How is resting handled? In NWN being a caster is quite easy, but in BG2 I feel that I do something really drastic everytime I rest to replenish my spells. I'm also afraid that I'm going to put my mage into melee because he rarely has spells, etc. Your input?

2) What are the most powerful items in the game (SoA) a mage can use?

3) What spells are the most useful?

Thank you for your time!

 

1)Normally, you rest for 8 hours to replenish all of your spells. However, if someone in the party is badly injured, and if you do not have a potent healer with healing spells memorized it will take too long to rest and heal. It does not cause any problem though.

2)Staff of Magi: This is just awesome! A mage DEFINITELY needs this baby to be effective. It is +5, dispels magic per hit, casts a Spelltrap that lasts 8 hours (soo handy), releases fireballs&lightning bolts simultaneously, protects from evil when equipped, and makes you invisible when you equip it or touch it(just click on the staff from quick item slot)

All wands:These are so powerful, sell them to a merchant and buy them back (expensive) elemental wands do crazy amount of damage, summoning wand is ever useful for enemy casters (liches!) to waste their precious spells on!

Amulet of Power:Makes you immune to lvl drain, and improves casting time. This is BEST for a mage!

I think you can not buy Robe Of Vecna as you only has SoA, that robe is just superb, greatly decreases casting time, makes your mage to cast spells so fast! Plus AC and MR is always nice to have.

Get bracers of AC 3, if you have good dex you will reach negative AC easily.

3) Nearly every spell is usful, though these are vital to have:

Magic Misle
Spook
Protection from Evil
Summon Familiar
Mirror Image
Web
Blur
Horror
Fireball
Flame Arrow
Skull trap
Remove Magic
Slow
Haste
Stoneskin
Greater Malison
Improved Invisibility
Breach
Lower Resistance
Animate Dead
Sunfire
Disintegrate or Flesh to Stone(if the victim has no inventory)
Pierce Magic
Mislead
Death
Finger of Death
Mordenkainen's Sword
Project Image
Abi Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
Maze
Pierce Shield
Incendiary Cloud

Too bad you can't cast 9th lvl spells in SoA. However, once you get 9th level scrolls, do NOT write them. Put them in quickslot, cast a Project Image, your image can use that sroll and will not waste it! It is the only way to cast such powerful spells in SoA:
Time Stop! FUN!

Also if you are an illusionist you can't use the most damaging spells in the game ie:Skulltrap, Abi Dalzim etc. Make him a conjurer instead, divination is no great loss, the only useful spell in combat is True Sight and clerics get it easily, also Inquisitors have it as innate ability.

 

Resting - Pay for a room at an inn or camp in outdoor areas. Be sure to check your mage's spellbook before hand, so he/she memorizes the spells you want to use.

Items - Robe of Vecna, Staff of Rynn, Bracers of AC 3 (Adventurer's Mart), Staff of the Magi (Twisted Rune), Ring of Wizardry (Harpers), Ring of Acuity (Planar Sphere), Cloak of Mirroring (Sauguin lair) and Amulet of Power (Arin Linvale).

Useful spells - Defensive: Stoneskin, Blur, Mirror Image, Spell Immunity, Remove Fear
Offensive: Magic Missile, Chromatic Orb, Fireball, Ice Storm, Prismatic Spray, Flame Arrow, Web, Cloudkill, Incendiary Cloud
Other (spells that enable a mage to do more casting or rip down defenses): Breach, Minor Spell Sequencer, Spell Sequencer, Time Stop, Remove Magic

Hope this helps you. I'm sure more ideas will be posted. Don't forget an illusionist can't cast/learn necromantic spells (Skull Trap and ADHW). Keep the fighter types in your party between you and whatever is coming after you.

 

you can buy the robe of vecna from one of the bonus merchants, there is a soa combitable version as well

 

Thank you all so much for your input! I really appriciate it. The problem is that BG2 forces my gnome to be an illusionist. And the whole point for me was to be a gnome, so I'm going to be that even if I miss out. Thank you all soo much. This really helps!

 

If you are taking a party of NPCs, then have another mage type (Imoen, Nalia, Edwin, Aerie) who can pick up those necromantic spells you can't cast. Illusionists do as well as conjurers, so don't believe 'em.

 

No one has mentioned the wand of cloudkill...maybe because it's overpowered cheese? The Ring of Ram can also be quite handy.

There are some spell suggestions above that cannot be obtained in SOA due to the Experience cap. You cannot learn level 9 or above spells in SOA (i.e-Time Stop). The only way to cast them is directly from the scroll which wastes it....unless you have a simulacrum cast it

My General Spell Recommendations/Opinions:
Dont be wary of resting...do it often. Dreams are a part of the game.
Mages should not get hit! Keep them safe and you wont need Armor, Shield, Ghost armor etc.
Some spells are better left to other characters. For example Clerics have remove fear, Animate Dead and True Seeing (Same as True Sight), and Inquisitor Paladins have the best Dispel Magic in the game as well as True Sight.
Illusionists can't cast Skull Trap, Animate Dead (clerics have this though), Death Spell, Finger of Death or Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting...all excellent spells. You might want to consider having a second mage in your party if your not soloing.
If you have a second mage in your party try to use the higher level mage for spells with saving throws like Remove Magic, Web, Chaos, etc. as well as spells like Lower Resistance or Chromatic Orb that have better/stronger effects at higher levels. The lower level mage can cast the no save spells like Greater Malison, Breach and Death Spell and mundane spells like strength, knock, identify, etc.
I tend avoid offensive touch spells as well spells with 'Saving throw=Neg' that have no minus to saving throw... especially if they are single target spells. Chromatic Orb excepted.
Cast Stoneskin before sleeping.
IMHO Magic Missile is the best level 1 spell, it's useful the whole game and works great in taking down protections like Mirror Image or for disrupting spellcasters. I like Spook at level 1 also.
Cast Mirror Image and Blur if you think your gonna get hit by something. These are pretty much essential protections.
Armor lasts 9 hours and is good early on.
Strength lasts a long time and is good for weak fighters and to use better equipement/carry more equipment. Especially useful before you get equipment that raises strength. Potions are better but they are limited in supply and cost gold.
Familiars are slightly useful but the exrta hitpoints they give are really nice. They take up a space in your pack though. If they die you permanently lose hitpoints and constitution which is very bad. (There is a way to drop them from your pack and retain your hitpoints but it might be a bug).
Slow works very well...especially against fighters.
Haste/Improved Haste for your fighters.
Improved Invisibility is an excellent spell protection.
Always use Greater Malison early in a Big Fight as well as before area of effect spells.
Cloudkill is a bit cheesy because it requires little skill to use and is quite strong...If you decide to use it go Greater Malison+Web(s)+cloudkill(s)....most things will die. Web and Cloudkill stack. The wand mentioned above will save you spellslots if you decide to use cloudkill...make sure you recharge wands before you use them.
Fireball is easy to use but stops gaining damage at level 10 and has a 1/2 damage saving throw. Skull Trap takes a little practice because it's harder to use, but it has no saving throw, a larger area of effect and does more damage progressively after level 10.
Spell Immunity is great if you know whats coming.
Enchanted Weapon is good until you get nice weapons.
Wizard Eye is a great scout and hard to kill. Attack spellcasters with it to deplete enemy spellbooks with no danger to the party. Summons work well with Wizard eye/farsight too.
You can have a maximum of 5 summons at one time.
Animate dead (once your level 15), and Mordenkainen's Sword (can only be killed by magic) are probably my favorite Summons. Level 15 Skeleton Warriors last all day long until killed or dispelled, have 90% Magic resistance and all the undead immunities too. Spider Spawn Spiders are immune to Web and work nicely with it. The 12th level sword spider gets 5 attacks per round...5 spiders on a web(s) is pretty nasty. Nishru is good against spellcasters. Invisible Stalkers are ok but there are many better level 6 spells. Pit fiends are real killers but they are a level 8 spell and I like other level 8 spells better.
Buff your summons with spells like Haste and Improved Invisibility. Use Cleric Spells on them too if you have a Cleric.
Death Spell kills all enemy summons instantly.
Breach is a must have. It takes down a ton of enemy defences/protections and has no saving throw.
If you've got to get out of a bad situation use Mislead.
Contingency can save your life. It can be cast while paused and not counted as a casting for the round.
Sequencers/Triggers make you much faster, therefore much stronger.
Lower resistance is a must have. Especially against enemies with high magic resistance like Dragons.
Simulacrum and especially Project Image are incredibly useful.
Incindiary Cloud is akin to Cloudkill because it is stationary and the damage happens over time. It's a good spell but I much prefer Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting.
My mages almost always have Melf's Minute Meteors in their hands. They punch through almost anything..even Golums. If you time it right you can throw them in between the casting of your spells.

Have fun! Some spells are just fun even though they aren't that useful. Polymorph into a Mustard Jelly (TOTALLY magic resistant) or cast protection from fire on a character untill his resistance is over 100% and fire attacks will heal him! (It's a bug). Teleport Field is great fun against melee creatures, just pick 'em off with ranged attacks. Improved Invisibility+Sunfire, then Mislead+sunfire for backstabbing type attacks. Shadow Door will work here also. (just don't be near your party when you let loose the sunfires).

This certainly doesn't cover everything, just the things that I've found useful.

[ October 13, 2005, 15:11: Message edited by: Isshy ]

 

You can learn 9th level spells, you just can't cast them from your spellbook. Save these spells for the really tough fights like Tree of Life and Hell.