Is Edwin the best mage in the game?

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I replayed the game quite often during the last few years and it seems to me that Edwin is a better mage than even the most powerful PC mage.
He has +3 spells for every level(one from his mage kit and two from his amulet) and +1 to all saving throws after the nether scrolls quest.

The low number of HP and his str are imho unimportant because he is not fighter and he will have a number of defensive spells active most of the time anyway.

 

Best NPC mage, but a PC mage can have some seriously good stats if you start from BG1.

 

Agreed Felinoid, but no PC mage can ever get +3 to all casting levels like Edwin can. (Which means as soon as he has the ability to cast spells of a certain level, he starts with 4 slots.) It is this fact that makes him more powerful than even most sorcerers as his extra memorization ability allows much more diversification in his spell choices. As a nice little side bonus to the Nether Scroll quest, Edwin gets a significant boost to his Lore as well (somewhere around +30) meaning you don't even have to stop and rest to recharge the Glass of ID very often.

 

A Wild Mage is the only spellcaster who can be more powerful than Edwin.

@Felinoid: once you have 18 INT stats don't really matter for a wizard (potion of Genius can be used so 14 or even 15 would be enough to learn most spells).

 

Edwin is a powergamers wet dream.

First of all due to the conjurer class he can cast all but divination spells. Since there are hardly any good divination spells (other than True Sight) you don't miss much. Also a Cleric can cast those divination spells, so you don't really need to take another mage like you would have to do with other specialist mage classes.
Secondly his necklace gives him 2 spells per level more than any PC could ever manage.
He also has the maximum HP that a mage can get, making him last that much longer.

The only problem would be his Lore and the fact that he can't hit for **** with that sling he carries.

 

Well, yeah. Edwin is definitely the the most powerful mage in all of 'em CRPGs taken together not to mention the one with coolest voice, lines and attitude. Number one on the list of most favourite NPCs along with Korgan. Unlike Korgan however he is indeed useless in hand to hand, but hey, you do not really need EDWIN to do your fighting, do you? After all you can always hire some poor fools to do this for you, fighting is simply not something for a man of his stature.
Plus I really love his reaction when he scores his greatly lame critical once or twice in the game.

Critical hit!
Brown bear takes 15 damage from Edwin
Edwin: Even in hand to hand combat I am supreme!

PS Edwin and slings? I can hardly imagine that. Actualy I can hardly imagine him any other way than resting his hand on the staff of the magi.

 

That's very true. It might be unfortunate, because he's so rude, but if you can put up with that he's really good at what he does. At high levels the only thing he needs fear is the +1 Sword of Min/Maxed Character Slaying.

 

Best spellcaster is PC sorcerer with good stats.

 

Edwin is the most power mage in the game due to his extra spells per a level and his high intelligent. I just find him annoying but he does have a great character quest which to me is funny as hell.

 

@Undertaker: no way. Have you ever played a Wild Mage? Basically a high level Wild Mage can turn his first level spells into any other spells he/she knows. Even a Sorcerer can't compare.

 

Two good arguements here. Obviously, with any regular or specialist mage, Edwin is better due to having so many more spells. However, is that the sole criteria for the best mage? Maybe not, but it's certainly high on the list. That having been said, arguements can be made on the basis of versatility and power. A wild mage has access to all the spells (and two others that no other mage/sorcerer can cast) and still gets the +1 spells per level. So an argument can be made that wild mages can be more powerful and slightly more versatile than Edwin.

For sorcerers, the arguement is a bit different, as the one drawback to sorcerers is that you have an extremely limited spell book. It could be argued that sorcerers are among the least versatile spell casters in the game, especially when they first gain the ability to cast spells from a higher level, in that their choices are limited to one or two spells. A mage would have likely scribed numerous spells into his spell book so that upon attaining a new casting level, he can tailor his memorization to what he really needs. OTOH, if you are the type of player who only uses a limited number of spells for each level (like say 5 or less), but use them repeatedly, then the sorcerer suddenly becomes and EXTREMELY versatile character, in that you can use whichever from that list of spells you have any way you want.

I think it really comes down to how much you micromanage your spell book. If you find yourself frequently changing which spells your mage memorizes prior to resting, a sorcerer is probably not for you, as you aren't going to get the flexibility you need. In such a case, Edwin would be the best choice for your party. If however, you tend to keep memorizing the same set of spells every time you rest (especially if you're memorizing multiple copies of the same spell), and therefore aren't utilizing the versatility available to you, then a sorcerer is your man.

 

Wizards don't NEED any stats in BG2.

There's so many potions of Genius, Mind Focusing and what not, you can get 18-19 INT easy for scribing scrolls and after that its all good.

2nd Ed. DnD sucks that way.

However, to address the original question in the thread...yes, Edwin is an awesome Mage. However, he isn't the be all and end all, due to him being a Wizard and not a Sorcerer!

 

Compared to Wild Mages Sorcerers are PATHETIC!!!

If you don't believe me do this:
-create a Wild Mage and a Sorcerer with the same stats (although stats don't matter at all) for a new game in ToB.
-Remove any items they might be wearing.
-Open SK and edit both saves to give them the maximum XP, i.e. enough to get to level 31.
-Compare them.

The Sorcerer will know 5 spells per level (not including level 10 spells from HLAs), whereas the Wild Mage will know every spell in the game!

They both will be able to cast the SAME number of spells per level.

The Sorcerer can choose among five spells without any preparation agreed, but it's not such a big advantage when the Wild Mage can turn any level one spell (courtesy of Nahal's Reckless Dweomer) into any spell he'd like to cast, even level 10 spells!!!

Of course the Wild Mage may experience a Wild Surge but these can be beneficial as well to the caster so it's really not a drawback.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

 

Maybe 2nd Ed. D&D sucks(I play other systems in real life myself).

The problem for me is that the story of all 3ed D&D games is boring.

However I need a more or less good story to enjoy a game which means that BG series and Planscape Torment are the only D&D games which have replay value for me.

I never replayed Neverwinter Nights and ToEE because I found the story in bothe games incredible boring and IWD2 is not much better.
I replayed IWD2 once with a powergaming party after my other party got butched in HOF-mode.

Edit:How does a Wild Mage compare to a Sorcerer or Edwin in lower levels?

I do not really care about what they can do at high levels which they reach only near the end of the game, I prefer it when the mages in my party kick ass throughout the entire game.

 

After one fatal Wild Surge in one game I will NEVER have a wild mage in my party. Maybe WM is better than sorcerer but I prefer the second. And about Nahal's Reckless Dweomer-one must have a spell in his spellbook before casting it.

 

If you don't want to be a mage, but you want a lot of spell slots for your mage, then Edwin is your man.

 

@Undertaker: every Wild Mages get NRD and the Chaos Shields (3 spells).
Wild surges are fun, a Wild Mage lives on the edge.

@Luzifer's right hand: When you get a good result on your Wild Surge roll things become really good: you can cast several times the same spell, refresh your entire spellbook, summon a cow (lovely) ... there is a lot of options. Sometimes you can cast a spell as if you were many levels higher, it's just awesome.
Moreover you get bonuses with the shields and your actual level is going to modify these rolls which means that as you level up you are less likely to kill your party with a fireball or summon a demon.

@Kuemper: if you're evil of course. Getting him in your party implies that you accept to do his dirty work.

 

@Luzifer,

Actually, I'm the best mage in the game. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Caspian
The Liberated Celebrity

 

Edwin is a complete joke! My friend was willing to play as a mage but when he saw Edwin he said: 'WHOA, with him in the party my mage PC is NOT needed at all!'

O'course he then restarted as a sorcerer and did not take Edwin for pure jealousy.

 

Here is something I had posted a while back: http://www.sorcerers.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/2/7528.html

If you look at it really the only reason Edwin is superior to a PC mage is due to his necklace. The extra 2 spells per level really kill any competition. (Can anyone confirm if the extra spells work only upto L7 spells or all the way to L9 spells?)
A PC mage will always have better stats, a few cleric spells (atleast till spellhold), a familiar and a romance option. Edwin has none of these.

Just goes to show how unfair the world can be.