Spell selection for Xan

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Since I'm planning on taking a rather non-conventional mage about with me, Xan (an ehcnahter)...

I'm thinking about spell picks.

At the moment in my Bg1 game, Edwin has lots of what I'd call "direct damage" spells - Magic Missile, Acid Arrow, Fire Arrow, A's scorcher etc, Fireball etc...

While Xan has more "pyschological spells" like Emotion, Horror, Dire Charm and also some defnesive or enhancement spells like Ghost armour and haste.

I'm planning to do a similar thing in BG2 with either Kelsey or Edwin as my "battlemage" and Xan doing the "soft-stuff".

What I'm looking for is suggestions for some complimentary spell sets all the way up to level 9 bearing Xan's specialist school limitations in mind.

 

A comparatively small program, called The Great Book of Baldur's Gate, available for download from SP BG1 section, contains a spell suggestion set for Enchanters as well. You might have to alter the setting to meet your concept's expectations.

 

Sure, you will need Greater Malison and Chaos. This combo is utterly powerful. With GM, enemies should make a save vs spell at -8 penalty to avoid confusion. NOT too many creatures can resist it. Even high level characterc can blow their saves and get in trouble. (Improved JonBon uses this tactic, and if you are not protected against confusion you are d-e-a-d! ) My, even a dragon will blow its save %60 of time. (they have a base save vs spells of 5 IIRC) And once they are confused their scripts will be blocked; no more distracting wing buffets or deadly breath weapons! Enchantment is high quality stuff!

Other than that, hold person is nice but clerics can cast it as a level 2 spell. Hold monster is decent, with -2 to save, you can hold all living monsters.

Dominate can work wonders if it succeeds.

It seems most of the best enchantment spells are 5th level though, a shame there is no higher. Miss the Mass Dominate spell in IWD2. Now that was FUN!

If you are facing humanoid enemies, do not use your enchantment spells on dwarves, halflings or gnomes, they tend to be spell-resistant and much likely to make their saves. Also a mage will be pretty much resistant to spells. Fighters tend to have great save vs spells at highest levels; but at low levels they suck. Suprisingly, clerics are fragile tp spells even when in high levels (they are immune to poison and most deadly things though, with a save vs death of 1!) so charm/dominate the cleric for a good ally! Aim for humans!

Umm, but I am not sure which spells to use against undead though. But an enchanter can cause great havoc and confusion when against living, breathing enemies. Also take debuffer spells like Breach, Pierce Magic, Pierce Shield, Ruby Ray of Reversal (a true classic, since it is alteration this is the ONLY way to penetrate SI:abjuration in my games) and let Edwin(a) kill the remainings quickly via destructive spells!

I like your idea about Edwin doing the dirty work and poor feeble Xan distracting the foes.

 

Remember that not all offensive spells are Evocation. Larloch's Minor Drain is Necromancy, Melf's Acid Arrow is Conjuration, as is Flame Arrow, Melf's Minute Meteors is also Alteration (though I don't remember how it's classed), Skull Trap is Necromancy, not to mention all the summoning spells...the list goes on and on. Xan doesn't have to be a distractor if you don't want him to.