Xan... Best or Bust?

[Kyrvias]

Okay. Alot of polls I have seen have ranked Xan pretty low on the usefulness scale. I personally think Xan can be the *best* mage in the game (other than the PC, who in my case is a diviner)A couple reasons I have are:

Xan may not have evocation spells, but he can use any wand which makes him just as good IMHO. Plus, wands are faster than actually casting the spell, and are easy to come across. Sure money may be an issue, but that problem may or may not be easily solved.

Once again, no evocation spells; Xan being an enchanter. This opens up alot of possibilities, and new strategies. Instead of just spamming Magic Missle, you might cast a Greater Malison, then cast horror, or another incapacitating spell, like Web. Then you could just send your fighters in to mop up.

Xans low Hit Points. I have heard people complain about Xans hit points, and their argument, IMHO, is totally and completely moot. Mages aren't supposed to be in the thick of battle. If you are ambushed and Xan is in the fron lines, thats your fault for being careless. but if you have a party formation withwhich Xan is protected, odds are he won't die as easily.

That said, I would like to hear other peoples opinions on the matter.

[Midget Gems]

I like Xan, he has a lot going for him as a personality, but the problem is he should have been a Fighter/Mage. A few more HP and the ability to actually use his Moonblade would have made all the differance.

I love enchantment spells, since I hate Wands and Monster Summoning (except skeletons) then I quite often do whole sections of the Game just using Charm and other 'mental' type spells.

As for HP, I think I have already proved that you don't need any, so a Mage with low HP is never a concern for me either.

So Kyrvias, I can well appreciate your fondness for Xan, I say do your own thing.

[Neo the Warrior Cat]

Web is evocation, so no Web either. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Xan can really shine if you have multiple mages in your party. (Main character a fighter/mage, or just take along one of the other mages in the game) Then there's no pressure from the lack of Evocation spells and you can use him as your disabler mage.

[ister]

I've used him as my primary mage, and have been impressed. The lack of hp does hurt, because there are a few situations where it's extremely hard to avoid an area effect. But I find Xan to be more useful than Dynaheir - in the low to mid levels of BG1 saving throws of even quite tough enemies are pretty bad. This makes sleep, blindness and spells like that very useful. The fact that Xan gets neither web nor stinking cloud is a pain, but I really prefer horror as I can cast it into my party.

[Morgeruat]

I tend to play like an evoker, better to outright destroy than to disable and wait, or scare and then chase down the target spells like web, stinking cloud, magic missile, chromatic orb, fireball, etc are critical to this kind of game, Xan can be a powerful caster, but he doesn't fit anywhere in the strategies I use, so I don't. (btw I find Hold spells as generally useless as when you really need them the target or targets is going to make their saves, better to use a web or stinking cloud and disable the majority, clean up the rest, then take out the stragglers).

so yeah, he's not bad, but he doesn't fit my type of game.

[Kyrvias]

Neo: I had thought web was Alteration, my mistake.

Midget Gems: That is where Gatekeeper comes in; I think you can edit classes, or is that only for Shadowkeeper?

Morgeruat: Think of it this way. If your party is in an enclosed space, and you have a choice of web or hold person, what would you pick? Web also effects party members, so would be less useful than hold person which only effects enemies. It really depends on where you are. Though, each to his own [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Morgeruat]

In an enclosed space I would drop as many webs as possible and be glad Minsc has Spidersbane and the boots of haste. A good scout will prevent you from ever getting caught in an enclosed space without an out.

[Kyrvias]

Like I said, each to his own [img]smile.gif[/img]

[SixOfSpades]

Spell School: Obviously, BioWare has their collective head shoved somewhere it shouldn't have been when they were implementing the Specialist Mages, or the Conjurer wouldn't tromp the other Mage kits into the dust. What, a whopping TWO useful spells are off limits to them, both of which can be easily worked around or handed off to other classes? Sheesh. Easy win for Edwin here, even without his memento of Thay.

Stats: Xan and Xzar kick Edwin's butt in this arena. All Edwin has is 18 Intelligence (useless except for Lore, due to the availability of Potions) and 16 Constitution, while Xan and Xzar have 17 INT, 16 DEX, and at least 14 WIS, and Xan's 16 CHA can come in quite handy if you don't already have Imoen. So, Xzar has better Lore than Edwin, and he and Xan can both carry a lot more stuff--Edwin is relegated to hauling nothing but scrolls and gems. What about Xan and Xzar's low CON, you say? Here's a tip: ALL pure Wizards have low hitpoints, no matter what. Of far greater importance is that they simply not get hit--which is where their high DEX trumps Edwin. Of course, the real loser here is Xzar, since he can't cast Mirror Image.

Moonblade: On those occasions when you find yourself flowing through, say, a village of Xvarts, the Moonblade assures Xan's dominance of the field. In all situations where your people might actually get hit, however, the Moonblade automatically become irrelevant. Sure, it's neat, but you'd be a fool to use it--except to make Xan look super-badass. Wish it was a Sling.

Personality: I just love ALL the male Mages in this game. Xzar's homicidal rantings, Edwin's unbridled arrogance, Xan's despondency, Quayle's megalomania....it's ALL a hoot. Imoen I can take or leave, though, and Dynaheir....um, does she even HAVE a personality?

[Lavindathar]

Ok, my opinion.

Xan, as stated before, can be the best mage in the game. On my last game through, I used Xan.

Check here for my Xan's final stats/setup

I decided to take Xan and only Xan, as I wanted to try without Evocation spells. But, as was stated, by casting buffering spells, greater malison, horror etc, he can disable any group of enemies.

His Moonblade is the best mage weapon, due to the AC/fire resistance bonus.

His HP is low, but as was also stated, he shouldn't be at the front. Keep her near the back, and by the time he gets into battle, the enemies will have already chosen their target.

Maybe some defensive spells for him, and he can be a useful addition in battle!