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I prefer to play spellcasters in RPGs, so I chose to play a wizard as my main character, but I'm feeling very underwhelmed by it. I can only cast one spell per day and then I have to use my sling for everything else. At this rate, I might as well have been an archer.

I don't play tabletop D&D myself, but I know a few things about it, and I've heard that wizards get very powerful later on. The thing is that you seem to level up very slowly in this game, and I'm not sure I have the patience for it.

So, does being a wizard get better? Will I eventually be able to win fights using nothing but magic, and maybe be able to get through more than one encounter without resting? Or is the system simply not designed for that?
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Praetorian815: I prefer to play spellcasters in RPGs, so I chose to play a wizard as my main character, but I'm feeling very underwhelmed by it. I can only cast one spell per day and then I have to use my sling for everything else. At this rate, I might as well have been an archer.

I don't play tabletop D&D myself, but I know a few things about it, and I've heard that wizards get very powerful later on. The thing is that you seem to level up very slowly in this game, and I'm not sure I have the patience for it.

So, does being a wizard get better? Will I eventually be able to win fights using nothing but magic, and maybe be able to get through more than one encounter without resting? Or is the system simply not designed for that?
If you hit the XP cap in BG1, you are able to cast 5th level spells and a crap ton of lower level ones; at that point, mages are very powerful, and by powerful, I mean "OH HOLY GOD ANOTHER FIREBALL" powerful. That said, BG does throw a lot of encounters your way in a given day, so you will need to still ration your spells to a degree or rest constantly.
Post edited July 08, 2014 by Jonesy89
So I have to wait until the very end of the game to actually be effective in combat? That's not very encouraging. Maybe I should just make a fighter instead, or maybe this game just isn't right for me.
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Praetorian815: I prefer to play spellcasters in RPGs, so I chose to play a wizard as my main character, but I'm feeling very underwhelmed by it. I can only cast one spell per day and then I have to use my sling for everything else. At this rate, I might as well have been an archer.

I don't play tabletop D&D myself, but I know a few things about it, and I've heard that wizards get very powerful later on. The thing is that you seem to level up very slowly in this game, and I'm not sure I have the patience for it.

So, does being a wizard get better? Will I eventually be able to win fights using nothing but magic, and maybe be able to get through more than one encounter without resting? Or is the system simply not designed for that?
You are obviously talking about BG1, so you have to understand that you are not Elminster; you have no experience, and no real training. You are basically a nobody, thrust out into the world that want's to eat you up. The story takes you from this very humble beginning, with virtually nothing but the shirt on your back, and you have to make your way. It's not a game that throws you into epic battles, with unlimited powers. You have hardly any spells because you know nothing; nothing about magic (or almost nothing); nothing about the world; and certainly nothing about what is about to happen to you. It's a low level oriented game, and that's one of it's most appealing features for most people who prefer this over the sequel. You do level up slowly, you won't reach epic levels, and you won't win the harder battles with nothing but magic, at least without experience and power gaming. It does get better, slowly. You will not, however, reach anything near the mighty power of wizards like Elminster, but many battles will feel epic purely because you have very little in your arsenel, and you have to deal with it. That is what BG1 is all about: the struggle for survival against all the odds.
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Praetorian815: So I have to wait until the very end of the game to actually be effective in combat? That's not very encouraging. Maybe I should just make a fighter instead, or maybe this game just isn't right for me.
You don't have to wait until the very end, but it isn't until you get access to some higher level spells that you can start laying waste to entire armies by sneezing. That said, if you want to make an effective caster, take non-damage spells early on. Buffs and debuffs (particularly sleep) go a long way in early levels, and they help out a lot more than a low level magic missile.
Post edited July 08, 2014 by Jonesy89
What you guys are describing doesn't sound like much fun to me, so I guess this game just isn't a good fit for me. At least I know that now. I appreciate the information.
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Praetorian815: What you guys are describing doesn't sound like much fun to me, so I guess this game just isn't a good fit for me. At least I know that now. I appreciate the information.
Totally understandable; low level D&D can be a more than a bit offputting in that regard.
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Praetorian815: What you guys are describing doesn't sound like much fun to me, so I guess this game just isn't a good fit for me. At least I know that now. I appreciate the information.
How do you feel about rolling a Fighter / Mage Dual Class Human? In Baldur's Gate 2, you can make him a Kensai and dual class him to Mage. You will have nearly all the mage levels.
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Praetorian815: What you guys are describing doesn't sound like much fun to me, so I guess this game just isn't a good fit for me. At least I know that now. I appreciate the information.
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KHHill91: How do you feel about rolling a Fighter / Mage Dual Class Human? In Baldur's Gate 2, you can make him a Kensai and dual class him to Mage. You will have nearly all the mage levels.
Managing two diametrically opposed classes seems like a pretty big headache, though I admit I might be wrong. Even if I could manage it, magic would still be weak, and I'd still end up using weapons to kill everything, so I might as well just go with a straight fighter rather than a fighter who can throw one magic missile once a day.

Apparently you can be a sorcerer in BG2, and I thought that class was fine in NWN, so maybe I should just skip to BG2 unless I'll miss a lot of stuff by not playing the first game.
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Praetorian815: Apparently you can be a sorcerer in BG2, and I thought that class was fine in NWN, so maybe I should just skip to BG2 unless I'll miss a lot of stuff by not playing the first game.
If playing a sorcerer does it for you, there is a mod that you can install that lets you use it as a kit in BG1.
You'll find some wands (Fireball, Summoning, Ice, Fear, Lightning) fairly quickly in BG1, and there's a hidden ring very early on that doubles your lvl 1 spell slots. You'll probably need a guide to find the latter though.

Sleep, Stinking Cloud, Horror and Web are all very effective early spells but If you want your character to be doing more direct damage early on you can go with a Fighter/Mage and make it proficient with bows, which are very strong in BG1. You can change the proficiencies in BG2 where bows are somewhat weaker.

Edwin's amulet gives him a big advantage (2 extra slots per level iirc), so if you don't mind having an evil character in your party you can have more fun using a mage early on by having him join you. The amulet can only be used by him.
Post edited July 09, 2014 by ResidentLeever
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Praetorian815: Apparently you can be a sorcerer in BG2, and I thought that class was fine in NWN, so maybe I should just skip to BG2 unless I'll miss a lot of stuff by not playing the first game.
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Jonesy89: If playing a sorcerer does it for you, there is a mod that you can install that lets you use it as a kit in BG1.
Do you know where I can find that mod?
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Praetorian815: Do you know where I can find that mod?
Here you go; just install the Tutu mod and you should be good to go. However, it does also require that you have BG2 installed as well.
As others have said mages are godawefully weak early on but ridiculously powerful in the end game. As a mage you are going to be dependent on your group to keep you alive. You'll start as a support caster then move on to offensive spells. Of all the classes in BG, the mage is the one that has the most distinct progression. So if you can stick with it, playing a mage can really tickle your power fantasy centers.

And mages are pretty much the be all and end all of BG2, mostly because the game's spell selection has been expanded drastically. And since you'll naturally begin the game at a higher level you'll have all of DnD's best toys to play with from the get-go.
Mage fghts are probably the strongest point in BG2. Dragons (which can be a pain in the ass) become very "easy" if you pick the correct spells (like Lower Resistance, every Dragon fight was like 20 seconds long for me after casting those).