Spellcaster solo (a bit spoilerish...)

[TaSSaDaR]

I've just completed the game, beaten the dust outta all the enemies And now I would like to do solo, and a spellcaster solo (i feel i didnt pay enough attention to spells in my first game). What advice can you give me on the matter? Should it be a mage, a spec. mage or a sorcerer?? What spells/eq are required? What would be the most used tactics etc? How would I master the fights on the streets of Athkala while having not enough money to buy a spellcasting license and such.

[Dundee Slaytern]

I reeeeally do not recommend soloing the game as a spellcaster if you, as you yourself admitted, did not pay enough attention to spells.

Unless you are planning on playing on Easy Difficulty and/or cheat a little.

Most people play the game several times before they attempt to solo, so as to gain an extensive knowledge of the game and what to expect.

[TaSSaDaR]

And still?? what would be the advice?

[Dundee Slaytern]

My advice will be to familiarise yourself with how magic works in the game first. You need to have a spellcaster mentality if you want to solo the game as a spellcaster.

[TaSSaDaR]

I played Planescape with a solo mage (it doesnt count, you may say). And i have casted a lot in the game, but i feel that putting the main stake in spellcasting is worth doing. Also, I am quite familiar with the game itself, as I have been in every corner, done nearly everything that was worth doing and tried to explore as many possibilities as i can.

Anyway I intend to do the solo, so WHAT whould be the advice?? No need to reassure me.

[Dundee Slaytern]

"It is as they say, your funeral"

Give me an hour or so to type it out on Notepad.

[TaSSaDaR]

Then mail it. OK?

mailto:k.bychik@compassplus.ru

[Deathmage]

I suggest a Sorcerer...

Items:
Robe of Vecna
Bracers of AC3 (unless you have 18 dex)
Amulet of POWER!
Boots o' Speed
Clck26 (cheater language...)

[Dundee Slaytern]

The following covers Jon Irenicus' dungeon, and assumes that you are playing on Insane Difficulty with no cheating. I will be using a good-aligned Generalist Mage in this example.

Recommended Optimal Statistics:
--------
STR: 12
DEX: 18
CON: 16
INT: 18
WIS: 10+( 18 if possible)
CHA: 08

I recommend Quarterstaff and Sling for your weapon proficiency.

Starting spells that you should choose include, Find Familiar, Magic Missile, Spook, Mirror Image, Melf's Acid Arrow, Web, Knock, Detect Invisibility, Resist Fear, Skull Trap, Melf's Minute Meteors, Monster Summoning I, Protection from Normal Missiles, Stoneskin, Greater Malison, Wizard Eye and Spider Spawn.

When you start the game, memorise the spells you want, but remember to include Find Familiar. After resting, immediately cast Find Familiar and keep the familiar in your inventory.

Melf's Minute Meteors are going to be your primary weapon in the beginning, with Stoneskin and Mirror Image as your bread and butter defence. Mephits will be a tad annoying, but just keep up your Mirror Image and you should be fine. To deal with the Ogre Mage, just summon some summons( Monster Summoning I) beforehand and pelt the Ogre Mage with Melf's Minute Meteors and other spells( Melf's Acid Arrow is a good choice, as are Magic Missiles).

Each time you encounter a new scroll, check to see whether it is in your spellbook. If it is not, scribe it( there are a few exceptions in the beginning, I will come to them later). Take note that if the game says you have reached the maximum number of spells for that spell level, you can overcome that obstacle. Keep the scroll for now. Later on, simply drink either a Potion of Genius or a Potion of Mind Focusing to temporarily boost your INT. You can now scribe the scrolls.

Goblin Archers can be annoying in that they remove your Mirror Images while the Goblin Warriors move in for the kill. Use Protection from Normal Missiles to protect yourself.

When you find the Lesser Clay Golems, use summons to tank for you while you quickly attack with Melf's Minute Meteors.

To handle the Otyugh in the center room, stay on the staircase and use a Quarterstaff to whack it. Your range is longer than the Otyugh's. Simply position your Mage correctly.

To handle the traps in Jon Irenicus' dungeon, just stick to Mirror Image and Stoneskin. Later on, use Spell Immunity to handle magical traps.

The Duergars are also easily defeated. Simply summon some summons to distract them while you fire off spells from the rear. Concentrate on the Mage first, then the warriors, then the archers, and live Ilyich for last.

At this point, it should be noted that you should collect as many magical items as you can out of the dungeon. This is to facilitate the quick purchase of the Robe of Vecna, at which point your survivability increases considerably.

The Cambion is easily defeated by just pelting him with Melf's Minute Meteors. You may fire off a few Magic Missiles, but the Cambion's magic resistance will negate half of them.

When you enter the Plane of Air where the Genie is held, you will find a level 6 scroll to summon an Air Elemental. Keep it for now, you will use it on the second level. To handle the Mephits, simply summon summons to tank for you.

When you reach the second level, cast your best summons and the Air Elemental from the scroll. Open the door and let them distract the Mephits while you concentrate on the Mephit Portals. Do not waste your time on the Mephits, they spawn infinitely, get rid of the portals as fast as possible.

When fighting the clone, do not use magic or Melf's Minute Meteors on her as she has Minor Spell Turning. Just stick to a sling and multiple summons.

Endevour to collect all six wands from the wand trap room. They will come in handy.

For the room that contains the vampire, use the Wand of Cloudkill and cast it on the Vampire. It will kill her and all the other people( the vampire gives a hefty 8000 EXP).

When you exit out of the dungeon, sell all the magical stuff that you collected. Proceed immediately to the Circus Tent to get the Ring of Human Influence. There is a scroll of Friends in the tent as well( scribe it). When you complete the quest, go to the Adventurer's Mart wearing the ring. Cast Friends and talk to Deidre to see if you can afford the Robe of Vecna now. If you still cannot afford the Robe of Vecna( highly unlikely), go to the top floor of the Den of the Seven Vales.

Out of Mebble Pebblecrusher's sight, cast several spiders and cast two Webs into the center of their room. When you are ready, hurl a fireball at Pooky and send in the spiders. Cast Greater Malison if you can and Emotion. Beyond that, just keep hurling Melf's Minute Meteors where appropriate and other spells. You might need to cast Draw Upon Holy Might( Bhaalspawn power) in order to be able to drag Mebble's Full Plate Mail out and sell it.

By now, you should be starting to get the hang of things. Use summons to tank for you while you cast your spells. If you encounter any further problems later in the game, feel free to ask the forum for help.

Dream SoA Equipment( all obtainable before Chapter 4 except one):
--------
Armour: Robe of Vecna
Gloves: Bracers of Defence AC 3
Helmet: Pale Green Ioun Stone
Amulet: Amulet of Power
Ring1: Ring of Acuity
Ring2: Ring of Wizardry
Cloak: Cloak of Protection +2
Boots: Boots of Speed
Belt: Belt of Inertial Barrier

Weapon1: Staff of Magi
Weapon2: Sling of Everand

Of course, there will be other equipment that I keep for future use. Too many to list out though, just use some random containers like the cupboards in Cernd's House in Waukeen's Promenade to store your extra stuff. Later on, use the Bag of Holding to carry them around.

Regarding the magic license, the easiest path of course is to pay the Cowled Wizards as soon as possible. Most people opt for this, as the alternative is considerably harder, especially since you are soloing. It is possible to not pay though, but you have to be extra careful. I usually lie low until I gain enough levels to challenge them.

One example are the pair of ruffians outside the Copper Coronet. I always take the long path to avoid them. I only confront them when I want to fight the Cowled Wizards.

On a side note, you may know that the first time you cast magic illegally, the Cowled Wizards just warn you. I use this chance to confront the Vampire that kills Mook( I always work for the Shadow Thieves).

Other things to note,

Stoneskin and Mirror Image will be your bread and butter defence throughout the entire game. I chose some spiffy colours for my Mages, but they all invariably turn out to be the same colour... gray. Stoneskin lasts for 12 hours, so I like to cast it before I rest, which means that I get a full rack of level 4 spells but still have Stoneskin on when I wake up. It is a little known fact that Mirror Image helps to protect against area-of-effect(AoE) spells such as Cloudkill and Fireball. It does not grant immunity, but it reduces the chances that the real you is struck as opposed to an image. Mirror Image also helps when you have to open trapped doors/chests or walk over trapped floors. Melf's Minute Meteors does not have a duration, and will last all the way until you either run out of meteors, or it gets dispelled away. Due to this, I like to cast them before I go to sleep as well. When you are at a low level, Chromatic Orb will stun enemies. This is extremely useful as Mages have lousy THACO, so you can pelt them to death with slings or Melf's Minute Meteors. This will also assist your summons if any, as stunned/held enemies are always automatic hits. Until you begin to have a healthy supply of summons, save all those summoning scrolls. They will come in handy by helping you tank while you cast away. During random encounters, cast Skull Trap on the Mage and walk away quickly after casting it. It should kill everybody save 1-2 thugs who will be badly injured and easily dispatched with some Magic Missiles.

[ 08-28-2002, 02:41 AM: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

[TaSSaDaR]

THANKS A LOT!! I wonder how much time did you spend typing all the stuff I will try it today.