1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Wild Mage

Discussion in 'BG2: Throne of Bhaal (Classic)' started by christopher_c_pitzer, Jan 28, 2004.

  1. christopher_c_pitzer Gems: 5/31
    Latest gem: Andar


    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2002
    Messages:
    112
    Likes Received:
    0
    I have always played some type of melee character (mostly paladins) when I have played ToB. I have decided to play a straight mage and have choosen the Wild Mage. Has anyone played this type of mage before? What are your thoughts on the class. How good are the spells Reckless Dweomer and Choas Shield?
     
  2. Malovae Gems: 18/31
    Latest gem: Horn Coral


    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2002
    Messages:
    1,049
    Likes Received:
    1
    Don't use Reckless Dweomer without chaos shield - even at high levels. I have to admit that I used shadow keeper to give my fighter/mage the spells so I don't know what its like but I got both levels to 40 solo and I was still getting bad surges when trying to cast high level spells without the chaos shield and Impr. Definatly is fun though :)
     
  3. Meatdog Gems: 15/31
    Latest gem: Waterstar


    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2003
    Messages:
    788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Tried it once and it was the most fun class I've ever played. It's not really a powergaming class because of the wild surges, which means that they are not entirely reliable. On the other hand there are some very nifty effects. But they never really impacted me badly, the worst I ever got was that the spell fizzled in a fight against a Dragon. Most of them aren't that harmfull.

    As pointed out by Malovae, don't use the dweomer without the shield, preferably the higher variant (level 7). But it's one of the greates low level spells. At low levels you can use them to try to cast spells you shouldn't be able cast at that level. At higher levels keep some around to replace spells you've exhausted or call on some situational spells which you don't find it worth to constantly memorize. With shield at higher levels the odds are 50% the spell will work and 20-25% the spell will backfire. The rest of the cases just add some power to your spell.

    They have the advantages of being specialist without losing spell choices. They have to some small degree the versatility of a sorcerer. And they sometimes get better effects for their spells at the cost of sometimes lowering the effect. One of the things to keep in mind is that with every spell you cast, the caster level used for the spell is your level + or - 1 to 5. This is part of the statement getting more power or less for the spell .

    If you play for fun, I'd say go for it.
     
  4. CamDawg

    CamDawg The gaze of the Wolf reaches into our soul Veteran

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2003
    Messages:
    1,116
    Likes Received:
    11
    I concur with Malovae and Meatdog--wild mages are a lot of fun to play because they're always a bit unreliable. Even when casting normal spells you can get random effects, though this is more than made up for by the Reckless Dweomer spell. Have fun but be patient--you will get creamed occasionally because some spell fizzled, but you will also get the occasional triple-strength Horrid Wilting to make up for it. :)
     
  5. christopher_c_pitzer Gems: 5/31
    Latest gem: Andar


    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2002
    Messages:
    112
    Likes Received:
    0
    Quick followup question.

    Does casting the Chaos Shield help with getting better wild surges, or at least making sure that they are positive more that negative?
     
  6. CamDawg

    CamDawg The gaze of the Wolf reaches into our soul Veteran

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2003
    Messages:
    1,116
    Likes Received:
    11
    Yep, chaos shield gives you better odds of getting a beneficial wild surge, when one occurs.
     
  7. Laches Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2001
    Messages:
    1,128
    Likes Received:
    0
    I've soloed a wild mage (a half-orc at that) and it was a lot of fun. It is more of a roleplaying character imo so, I think you can have a lot of fun with rolling with the wild surge punches. Did you mean to cast stoneskin and end up destroying an inn full of peasants? Oh well, that's part of being a wild mage.

    The shields don't guarantee you a 'good' surge. They just increase the likelihood by adding a set number to your roll. Check the wild surge table in the back of the manual. Higher numbered surges tend to be, but are not always, positive.

    I only used the reckless dweomer as a last resort. Other than that, it is like playing any other mage - you just aren't ever really sure what to expect. Good luck.
     
  8. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    I didn't think much of the kit at first, but when I played it I found out it can be both overpowered and underpowered at the same time.
    It's also very fun to roleplay.

    Area Effect + No Save + Chromatic Orb was a shocker, and so was regaining all my lost spells while using Dweomer after having pushed the whole lot against Sendai.
    Bird magic or silence in the middle of the Demogorgon fight or when you're surrounded by level-draining wraiths didn't turn out too well, though.
     
  9. Meatdog Gems: 15/31
    Latest gem: Waterstar


    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2003
    Messages:
    788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Another positive thing about the shield is, that by increasing the roll, you have a better chance to get 100 on the roll, which means the wild surge does nothing and the spell is cast normally. That's what I meant with the 50% chance that the dweomer will simply give you the spell you want without drawback (and also without bonus) at higher levels with the shield active.
     
  10. christopher_c_pitzer Gems: 5/31
    Latest gem: Andar


    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2002
    Messages:
    112
    Likes Received:
    0
    Thanks for all the advice everyone. Image my surprise when I used the Dweomer to cast a Fireball and it ended up casting Globe of Invulnerability on the Otugh (sp). Can't wait to get her out in the open and see what happens.
     
  11. Crom the Powerfull Gems: 3/31
    Latest gem: Lynx Eye


    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2003
    Messages:
    73
    Likes Received:
    0
    In ToB I had lost my gold because the imps in Watchers keep did that on me with a lucky roll. I had 110.000 or so :( I thought there was also a roll you could destroy your own gold, pray you wont get those ;)
     
  12. Sarevok• Gems: 23/31
    Latest gem: Black Opal


    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2003
    Messages:
    1,666
    Likes Received:
    0
    Never tried the Wild Mage, there is not much to the wild mage apart from a random spell caster thingie that changes you into a squirel right? ;o
     
  13. Register Gems: 29/31
    Latest gem: Glittering Beljuril


    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2001
    Messages:
    3,146
    Likes Received:
    1
    Gender:
    Male
    Well, he is a special mage with all the extra spells but without any opposing school, making him the class with the most spells for any PC-
     
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.