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Ok so like many of the other folks who post here, I have recently returned to Gemstone after a very long layoff. I was never all that good at this game, and now I've forgotten almost everything.
I was wondering if I could get some detailed information regarding a pure casting wizard. I played two wizards throughout my 17 years playing gemstone, and that wasn't till around 2006 or so, and they were by far my favorite. The only problem is that I don't have any idea where to start.
Can anyone explain to me the best race and stats I should use? Also which circles to focus on till what levels? Thank you in advance and I appreciate you walking me through this. I remember halflings being the best "casting" wizards, but now I see gnomes and other races that weren't previously included when I used to play.
Thanks in advance.
I'll see what I can do to help. I'm going to divide my thoughts up into two general categories -- maximizing abilities and general wizard training.
General Profession
There are three primary sub-classes of wizard that can be planned for. Which of the sub-classes you choose lead to significant race discussions if you're concerned about maximizing abilities. Race selection in general wizard training is usually a roleplay choice, since abilities are fairly well rounded.
Pure spell casters -- for those wizards interested in slinging bolts and spells of great elemental power throughout their lives, usually the smaller and more dextrous races are sought. Gnomes, halflings and elves are favored here due to the benefits in stat bonus. The trade-off here is that these races are the more easily encumbered races, leading to the ability to carry less and face the loss of effectiveness in defensive and combat capabilities as the load increases. Humans and half-elves have a tendency to be favored when encumbrance is a greater concern, but the trade-off is that these races don't achieve the maximum bolting / attack strength capabilities.
War mages -- for those wizards interested in focusing on melee combat capabilities (sword and board, two hand weapons), usually, the bulkier and stronger races are sought. Dwarves, giantmen, half-krolvin, humans, half-elves and elves are often favored here. For speed, the half-elves and elves are favored, while for sheer battle power and ability to absorb damage, the other races are chosen. The trade-off here is that these races generally are not as strong a bolt slinger as the smaller races, but most war mages tend to favor disabling approaches with spells and finishing the enemy with physical attacks.
Archer mages -- a subset of the war mage, for those wizards interested in focusing on ranged combat capabilities (bow, crossbow and infrequently thrown weapons) the choice favors dextrous races with higher degrees of stamina and physical prowess. Elves, half-elves and sylphs tend to hold sway in these categories as a good balanced trade-off. These mages tend to favor the better dexterity because they benefit from a physical attack bonus and strong bolting capabilities.
Stats
Maximizing abilities -- the short term view holds that you generate your stats to capitalize on training points around 50 trainings. This is less than half the game (halfway point mechanically is about 66 or 67 trainings, and with the new ability to train beyond cap, you can consider the game now in thirds -- Start through 66, 66 through 99, and 99 through end-of-time). The long-term view holds that you should generate your stats to capitalize on training points through 85 plus trainings, and plan to use a fix-stat potion capability at or near cap to get the maximum value for your stats (all 100's except for one or two stats, as an example).
Sub-type of wizard profession plays a role here, as the pure caster is likely to favor significantly mental training point development, while the war / archer mage will sacrifice some mental training point generation capability in order to gain better physical training point possibilities.
Both of these approaches can use the same resources to plan stat advancement and training point generation. Those resources (and these resources are key in all training discussions in all professions, in my view) are:
1) Stat cruncher at http://home.mchsi.com/~cphillips73/StatCruncher/StatCruncher.html
2) Tsoran's trainer spreadsheet at http://kyaloria.com/archives/tsoran
General wizard training -- in terms of stats, not significantly differentiated from above. Probable that the wizard would tend to favor mental training points over physical for most of the training path and would likely use the stat cruncher to generate favorable stats over either the short or long term. However, the long term view of positioning for fix-stats is not generally a part of this approach.
Training
Two good summaries:
1) For the pure caster -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/Wizard
2) For the war mage -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/War_Mage
As a general rule of thumb, the 'maximizing abilities' path will generally trade off secondary and tertiary skill training suggestions to emphasize spell / bolt capabilities. The 'general wizard training' path will strike up a more balanced approach, including a mix of secondary and tertiary skill training in the plan.
Specifically the war-mage will strive to complete training to 24 ranks of Air Lore, and a strong Major Elemental Circle training to gain benefits in Haste (506), while working the Minor Elemental Circle to gain the benefits of Elemental Targgeting (425) and Elemental Barrier (430) as rapidly as possible. The Wizard Circle is usually not emphasized as strongly, and training generally amounts to 2x or 2.25x spell training per level.
The archer-mage sub-type will generally follow the war-mage training path, with a focus on ranged skill as opposed to a weapon skill.
The pure mage will strive to gain benefits across the spell base, with a stronger consideration for the Wizard Circle to pick up the better spell defenses of Melgohren's Aura (913), Enchant (925), and Familiar Gate (930). This should not be interpreted as not emphasizing the other two circles, however. All three circles are relevant to the pure mage training path -- but the course of training is more a matter of personal selection. Training generally amounts to 2.5x or greater spell training per level.
Starting Out
Maximizing abilities -- here this is usually interpreted as rapid gaining of levels to ease the frustrations of early game play. Since the pure mage generally is most severely limited at the very beginning of the game, most adherents to this approach will recommend the '30-day bash to advance, then trade up' method of starting out. What this means is, in the first 30 calendar days of the character's life, physical attacks (following 'war-mage' path) are easier to deal with than relying on mana or pure spell attacks. Followers of this path can usually accomplish 10 to 15 levels of advancement (sometimes as high as 20 levels) in this first 30 days. Then, using the capability of stat resetting and rapid skill migration, they convert the character over to a pure mage training path. This is an effective approach in the maximizing abilities arena.
General wizard training -- very often experienced players will use the same approach to begin their wizard character. There are some players who advocate starting life as it is intended to be lived, though. These players generally rely on gifts of wands and protective spells to get through the early levels without significant frustration. There are relatively few players in the lands who will try to approach the game from a 'centrist' viewpoint where they try to advance the character as much as possible without assistance. Frustration levels with lack of mana and staying power in the field are usually much higher here.
These thoughts hopefully will get you started in planning where you're going with your wizard. It is very superficial, and for that I apologize. But there's one great thing about the wizard profession that I enjoy -- it's very hard to 'mess up' a wizard in these lands, as long as you remember that no matter which sub-type or training concept is chosen that the wizard does best in training in general magic skills and spells. Any wizard that has 2x Spell Aiming, as much general magic training (Magic Item Use, Arcane Symbols, Elemental Mana Control, Harness Power and spell circles), and has a bit of assistance early in life is a viable wizard. Keeping that very thought in mind throughout the wizard's progression through levels makes it fairly simple to keep the wizard learning and advancing.
Doug
General Profession
There are three primary sub-classes of wizard that can be planned for. Which of the sub-classes you choose lead to significant race discussions if you're concerned about maximizing abilities. Race selection in general wizard training is usually a roleplay choice, since abilities are fairly well rounded.
Pure spell casters -- for those wizards interested in slinging bolts and spells of great elemental power throughout their lives, usually the smaller and more dextrous races are sought. Gnomes, halflings and elves are favored here due to the benefits in stat bonus. The trade-off here is that these races are the more easily encumbered races, leading to the ability to carry less and face the loss of effectiveness in defensive and combat capabilities as the load increases. Humans and half-elves have a tendency to be favored when encumbrance is a greater concern, but the trade-off is that these races don't achieve the maximum bolting / attack strength capabilities.
War mages -- for those wizards interested in focusing on melee combat capabilities (sword and board, two hand weapons), usually, the bulkier and stronger races are sought. Dwarves, giantmen, half-krolvin, humans, half-elves and elves are often favored here. For speed, the half-elves and elves are favored, while for sheer battle power and ability to absorb damage, the other races are chosen. The trade-off here is that these races generally are not as strong a bolt slinger as the smaller races, but most war mages tend to favor disabling approaches with spells and finishing the enemy with physical attacks.
Archer mages -- a subset of the war mage, for those wizards interested in focusing on ranged combat capabilities (bow, crossbow and infrequently thrown weapons) the choice favors dextrous races with higher degrees of stamina and physical prowess. Elves, half-elves and sylphs tend to hold sway in these categories as a good balanced trade-off. These mages tend to favor the better dexterity because they benefit from a physical attack bonus and strong bolting capabilities.
Stats
Maximizing abilities -- the short term view holds that you generate your stats to capitalize on training points around 50 trainings. This is less than half the game (halfway point mechanically is about 66 or 67 trainings, and with the new ability to train beyond cap, you can consider the game now in thirds -- Start through 66, 66 through 99, and 99 through end-of-time). The long-term view holds that you should generate your stats to capitalize on training points through 85 plus trainings, and plan to use a fix-stat potion capability at or near cap to get the maximum value for your stats (all 100's except for one or two stats, as an example).
Sub-type of wizard profession plays a role here, as the pure caster is likely to favor significantly mental training point development, while the war / archer mage will sacrifice some mental training point generation capability in order to gain better physical training point possibilities.
Both of these approaches can use the same resources to plan stat advancement and training point generation. Those resources (and these resources are key in all training discussions in all professions, in my view) are:
1) Stat cruncher at http://home.mchsi.com/~cphillips73/StatCruncher/StatCruncher.html
2) Tsoran's trainer spreadsheet at http://kyaloria.com/archives/tsoran
General wizard training -- in terms of stats, not significantly differentiated from above. Probable that the wizard would tend to favor mental training points over physical for most of the training path and would likely use the stat cruncher to generate favorable stats over either the short or long term. However, the long term view of positioning for fix-stats is not generally a part of this approach.
Training
Two good summaries:
1) For the pure caster -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/Wizard
2) For the war mage -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/War_Mage
As a general rule of thumb, the 'maximizing abilities' path will generally trade off secondary and tertiary skill training suggestions to emphasize spell / bolt capabilities. The 'general wizard training' path will strike up a more balanced approach, including a mix of secondary and tertiary skill training in the plan.
Specifically the war-mage will strive to complete training to 24 ranks of Air Lore, and a strong Major Elemental Circle training to gain benefits in Haste (506), while working the Minor Elemental Circle to gain the benefits of Elemental Targgeting (425) and Elemental Barrier (430) as rapidly as possible. The Wizard Circle is usually not emphasized as strongly, and training generally amounts to 2x or 2.25x spell training per level.
The archer-mage sub-type will generally follow the war-mage training path, with a focus on ranged skill as opposed to a weapon skill.
The pure mage will strive to gain benefits across the spell base, with a stronger consideration for the Wizard Circle to pick up the better spell defenses of Melgohren's Aura (913), Enchant (925), and Familiar Gate (930). This should not be interpreted as not emphasizing the other two circles, however. All three circles are relevant to the pure mage training path -- but the course of training is more a matter of personal selection. Training generally amounts to 2.5x or greater spell training per level.
Starting Out
Maximizing abilities -- here this is usually interpreted as rapid gaining of levels to ease the frustrations of early game play. Since the pure mage generally is most severely limited at the very beginning of the game, most adherents to this approach will recommend the '30-day bash to advance, then trade up' method of starting out. What this means is, in the first 30 calendar days of the character's life, physical attacks (following 'war-mage' path) are easier to deal with than relying on mana or pure spell attacks. Followers of this path can usually accomplish 10 to 15 levels of advancement (sometimes as high as 20 levels) in this first 30 days. Then, using the capability of stat resetting and rapid skill migration, they convert the character over to a pure mage training path. This is an effective approach in the maximizing abilities arena.
General wizard training -- very often experienced players will use the same approach to begin their wizard character. There are some players who advocate starting life as it is intended to be lived, though. These players generally rely on gifts of wands and protective spells to get through the early levels without significant frustration. There are relatively few players in the lands who will try to approach the game from a 'centrist' viewpoint where they try to advance the character as much as possible without assistance. Frustration levels with lack of mana and staying power in the field are usually much higher here.
These thoughts hopefully will get you started in planning where you're going with your wizard. It is very superficial, and for that I apologize. But there's one great thing about the wizard profession that I enjoy -- it's very hard to 'mess up' a wizard in these lands, as long as you remember that no matter which sub-type or training concept is chosen that the wizard does best in training in general magic skills and spells. Any wizard that has 2x Spell Aiming, as much general magic training (Magic Item Use, Arcane Symbols, Elemental Mana Control, Harness Power and spell circles), and has a bit of assistance early in life is a viable wizard. Keeping that very thought in mind throughout the wizard's progression through levels makes it fairly simple to keep the wizard learning and advancing.
Doug
The krakiipedia article on warmages is interesting, but with a few gaps and the occasional outright error. For example:
>>Their low AS compared to squares means that War Mages may find themselves falling back to using bolt spells more regularly as they gain levels. (However, there have been reports of War Mages who did not find this necessary until at least their late 60s.)<<
Hmm, Gwen never uses bolt spells except for rare occasions. Greater elementals, for example, don't go down reliably with e-wave, but a couple of hits with Tonis Bolt usually knocks them over, especially if they have gone into offensive stance. Other than that, I can e-wave anything in the bowels and then feint them into offensive stance.
| that War Mages may find themselves falling back to using bolt spells more regularly as they gain levels. |
and then
| but a couple of hits with Tonis Bolt usually knocks them over |
Thanks for confirming that the warmage article is actually right.
-Taakhooshi, and Me
For the Story of Taakhooshi:
http://www.gsguide.net/index.php?title=Taakhooshi
>>Thanks for confirming that the warmage article is actually right.<<
Thhhbbp! This was ONE special case; I don't use bolts vs minor elementals, jarls, elders or krynches. In fact, I wouldn't use Tonis bolt on greater elementals either, if it weren't for the gas filled rooms. 415 will knock them down as well (and with 76 ranks of MnE spells I can ward pretty well). Unfortunately if I cast 415 in there, and I get a fire/lightning flare, I am risking becoming toast; it already happened once. That's when i switched to tonis for greater elementals. I doubt I will use bolts when I migrate to OTF; flying War griffins again might be an exception. I'll have to see if 415 can knock them out of the air, or maybe I can sleep them.
In any event, the main part that I quoted as being erroneous was this:
>>(However, there have been reports of War Mages who did not find this necessary until at least their late 60s.)<<
Let's not take my meaning out of context; the bit about "reports" and "late 60s" is what I was referring to. This article must have been writen ages ago; I have posted logs of combat well after late 60s training. I spent something like 6-7 trainings in my 70s going through minotaurs and never once cast a bolt spell. I didn't start hunting the bowels till 80 or so.
Thhhbbp! This was ONE special case; I don't use bolts vs minor elementals, jarls, elders or krynches. In fact, I wouldn't use Tonis bolt on greater elementals either, if it weren't for the gas filled rooms. 415 will knock them down as well (and with 76 ranks of MnE spells I can ward pretty well). Unfortunately if I cast 415 in there, and I get a fire/lightning flare, I am risking becoming toast; it already happened once. That's when i switched to tonis for greater elementals. I doubt I will use bolts when I migrate to OTF; flying War griffins again might be an exception. I'll have to see if 415 can knock them out of the air, or maybe I can sleep them.
In any event, the main part that I quoted as being erroneous was this:
>>(However, there have been reports of War Mages who did not find this necessary until at least their late 60s.)<<
Let's not take my meaning out of context; the bit about "reports" and "late 60s" is what I was referring to. This article must have been writen ages ago; I have posted logs of combat well after late 60s training. I spent something like 6-7 trainings in my 70s going through minotaurs and never once cast a bolt spell. I didn't start hunting the bowels till 80 or so.
I'll agree mechanically it is possible.
I think it reasonable to assume a good bolting ability is a great thing to have, personally. Sure, one can use minor elemental spells like blast in their place -- solid spell. But not a spell for everything, for a couple reasons.
I might add that not every war mage trains sufficiently to feint all the time successfully. It's a great path, but especially those war mages who still want to try their hand at enchanting (earlier?) the wizard is much more likely to go after spells than CMANs.
Choice is a great thing, but 'right' or 'wrong'? That might be a bit strong. Else, it really isn't a 'choice'.
Doug
I think it reasonable to assume a good bolting ability is a great thing to have, personally. Sure, one can use minor elemental spells like blast in their place -- solid spell. But not a spell for everything, for a couple reasons.
I might add that not every war mage trains sufficiently to feint all the time successfully. It's a great path, but especially those war mages who still want to try their hand at enchanting (earlier?) the wizard is much more likely to go after spells than CMANs.
Choice is a great thing, but 'right' or 'wrong'? That might be a bit strong. Else, it really isn't a 'choice'.
Doug
Wheee! I finally got to cut lose with 415!
Well, ok, their TDs were pathetic but still, it was fun.
>>e
[Wehnimer's, South Ring Rd.]
A short distance to the east lies a broad intersection. To the west, the road narrows slightly as it is impinged on by closely-spaced shops, beyond which the western and southern city walls intersect. A few townsfolk mingle under the circles of lamplight in the cobbled street. You also see an angry halfling town scout, an angry dwarven town blacksmith, an angry erithian town warrior, the gemcutter's shop, a painted wooden sign that reads, "Mayor Walkar. Orc Lover!" and a painted wooden sign that reads, "If It Came From Jantalar, Burn It!".
Obvious paths: east, west
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +508 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +62 = -35
A clean miss.
>
Your disk arrives, following you dutifully.
>
An angry erithian town warrior swings a silk-wrapped moon axe at you!
In the nick of time, you interpose your vultite maul between yourself and the blow!
>
An angry giantman town fisherman just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +505 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +42 = -52
A clean miss.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry erithian town warrior.
CS: +469 - TD: +255 + CvA: -13 + d100: +32 == +233
Warding failed!
You blast an angry erithian town warrior for 38 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Powerful blast reduces the erithian town warrior to a smoldering pile of ash!
The erithian town warrior falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You gracefully avoid the attack!
>
An angry giantman town fisherman shifts his weight, stepping back a bit.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter just arrived.
>
An angry elven town militiaman just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
At the last moment, you parry the blow with your maul!
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You skillfully dodge the attack!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry elven town militiaman.
CS: +469 - TD: +285 + CvA: -21 + d100: +40 == +203
Warding failed!
You blast an angry elven town militiaman for 69 points of damage.
... 40 points of damage!
Blow to leg severs the Achilles tendon along with the rest of the leg!
An angry elven town militiaman falls to the ground grasping its mangled right leg!
The elven town militiaman is stunned!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry giantman town fisherman swings a salt-stained wooden hatchet at you!
With blinding speed, you parry the attack with your maul!
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter shifts his weight, stepping back a bit.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
In the nick of time, you interpose your vultite maul between yourself and the blow!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry elven town militiaman.
CS: +469 - TD: +285 + CvA: -21 + d100: +2 == +165
Warding failed!
You blast an angry elven town militiaman for 39 points of damage.
... 40 points of damage!
Flame engulfs foe's left eye, setting it ablaze. Mercifully, death follows quickly.
The elven town militiaman rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You evade the attack by inches!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry giantman town fisherman.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +9 == +422
Warding failed!
You blast an angry giantman town fisherman for 31 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Advanced case of frostbite and shield arm is history!
The fisherman's wooden buckler falls to the ground.
The giantman town fisherman is stunned!
The giantman town fisherman is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>incant 415
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith just arrived.
>
An angry erithian town warrior just arrived.
>
An angry human town lumberjack just arrived.
>
An angry human town lumberjack just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
With extreme effort, you beat back the attack with your maul!
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry giantman town fisherman.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +44 == +457
Warding failed!
You blast an angry giantman town fisherman for 67 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Strike to chest causes a large gaping hole!
The giantman town fisherman rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout snatches up a small wooden buckler!
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
You barely manage to fend off the attack with your maul!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry erithian town warrior.
CS: +469 - TD: +255 + CvA: -13 + d100: +89 == +290
Warding failed!
You blast an angry erithian town warrior for 68 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Horrifying bolt of electricity crystalizes abdominal area. Spiffy but unfortunately also quite deadly.
The erithian town warrior falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +494 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +69 = -14
A clean miss.
>
An angry human town lumberjack swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
You gracefully avoid the attack!
>
An angry human town lumberjack swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
By amazing chance, you evade the attack!
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
By amazing chance, you evade the attack!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town lumberjack.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +80 == +493
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town lumberjack for 81 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Blow to abdomen breaks the human town lumberjack almost in two!
The human town lumberjack falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You evade the attack with ease!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town lumberjack.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +45 == +458
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town lumberjack for 85 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Advanced case of frostbite removes right arm at the shoulder!
The lumberjack's woodman's axe falls to the ground.
The human town lumberjack is stunned!
The human town lumberjack is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +431 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +99 = -9
A clean miss.
>
An angry human town farmer just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +437 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +43 = +17
A clean miss.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +437 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +91 = +65
A clean miss.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town lumberjack.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +83 == +496
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town lumberjack for 99 points of damage.
The human town lumberjack rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout drops its red dagger and snatches up a notched woodman's axe!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry dwarven town blacksmith.
CS: +469 - TD: +225 + CvA: -10 + d100: +23 == +257
Warding failed!
You blast an angry dwarven town blacksmith for 68 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Eye bursts and decompression takes most of the dwarven town blacksmith's head with it!
The dwarven town blacksmith falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>incant 415
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +488 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +2 = -163
A clean miss.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +491 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +83 = +3
A clean miss.
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry half-elven town carpenter.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +58 == +403
Warding failed!
You blast an angry half-elven town carpenter for 46 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Neck is vaporized by decompression!
The half-elven town carpenter falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry human town farmer swings a dirt-stained dark steel sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +467 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +26 = -118
A clean miss.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
You dodge just in the nick of time!
>incant 415
You sense Rorschach looking in on you.
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town farmer.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +52 == +397
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town farmer for 40 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Frigid blast renders the human town farmer's left hand useless - missing even!
The farmer's wooden shield falls to the ground.
The human town farmer is stunned!
The human town farmer is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter just arrived.
>incant 415
...wait 1 seconds.
>
An angry elven town militiaman decays into compost.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith drops its granite club and snatches up an ornate red steel glaive!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town farmer.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +36 == +381
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town farmer for 59 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Advanced case of frostbite removes right arm at the shoulder!
The farmer's dark steel sword falls to the ground.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
AS: +190 vs DS: +478 with AvD: +29 + d100 roll: +60 = -199
A clean miss.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town farmer.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +51 == +396
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town farmer for 35 points of damage.
The human town farmer rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry giantman town fisherman decays into compost.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +508 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +32 = -153
A clean miss.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings an ornate red steel glaive at you!
You skillfully interpose your maul between yourself and the incoming strike, deflecting it harmlessly to the side!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry half-elven town carpenter.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +43 == +388
Warding failed!
You blast an angry half-elven town carpenter for 59 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Abdomen erupts, blood and bile splatter everything!
The half-elven town carpenter falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
A small whirlwind races past the area.
>
An angry halfling town scout heads east.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry dwarven town blacksmith.
CS: +469 - TD: +225 + CvA: -10 + d100: +94 == +328
Warding failed!
You blast an angry dwarven town blacksmith for 64 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Right arm explodes into thousands of pieces!
The blacksmith's red steel glaive falls to the ground.
The dwarven town blacksmith is stunned!
The dwarven town blacksmith is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry erithian town warrior decays into compost.
>incant 415
An angry human town lumberjack decays into compost.
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry dwarven town blacksmith.
CS: +469 - TD: +225 + CvA: -10 + d100: +44 == +278
Warding failed!
You blast an angry dwarven town blacksmith for 40 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Left arm incinerated. Unfortunate.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Well, ok, their TDs were pathetic but still, it was fun.
>>e
[Wehnimer's, South Ring Rd.]
A short distance to the east lies a broad intersection. To the west, the road narrows slightly as it is impinged on by closely-spaced shops, beyond which the western and southern city walls intersect. A few townsfolk mingle under the circles of lamplight in the cobbled street. You also see an angry halfling town scout, an angry dwarven town blacksmith, an angry erithian town warrior, the gemcutter's shop, a painted wooden sign that reads, "Mayor Walkar. Orc Lover!" and a painted wooden sign that reads, "If It Came From Jantalar, Burn It!".
Obvious paths: east, west
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +508 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +62 = -35
A clean miss.
>
Your disk arrives, following you dutifully.
>
An angry erithian town warrior swings a silk-wrapped moon axe at you!
In the nick of time, you interpose your vultite maul between yourself and the blow!
>
An angry giantman town fisherman just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +505 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +42 = -52
A clean miss.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry erithian town warrior.
CS: +469 - TD: +255 + CvA: -13 + d100: +32 == +233
Warding failed!
You blast an angry erithian town warrior for 38 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Powerful blast reduces the erithian town warrior to a smoldering pile of ash!
The erithian town warrior falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You gracefully avoid the attack!
>
An angry giantman town fisherman shifts his weight, stepping back a bit.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter just arrived.
>
An angry elven town militiaman just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
At the last moment, you parry the blow with your maul!
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You skillfully dodge the attack!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry elven town militiaman.
CS: +469 - TD: +285 + CvA: -21 + d100: +40 == +203
Warding failed!
You blast an angry elven town militiaman for 69 points of damage.
... 40 points of damage!
Blow to leg severs the Achilles tendon along with the rest of the leg!
An angry elven town militiaman falls to the ground grasping its mangled right leg!
The elven town militiaman is stunned!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry giantman town fisherman swings a salt-stained wooden hatchet at you!
With blinding speed, you parry the attack with your maul!
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter shifts his weight, stepping back a bit.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
In the nick of time, you interpose your vultite maul between yourself and the blow!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry elven town militiaman.
CS: +469 - TD: +285 + CvA: -21 + d100: +2 == +165
Warding failed!
You blast an angry elven town militiaman for 39 points of damage.
... 40 points of damage!
Flame engulfs foe's left eye, setting it ablaze. Mercifully, death follows quickly.
The elven town militiaman rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You evade the attack by inches!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry giantman town fisherman.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +9 == +422
Warding failed!
You blast an angry giantman town fisherman for 31 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Advanced case of frostbite and shield arm is history!
The fisherman's wooden buckler falls to the ground.
The giantman town fisherman is stunned!
The giantman town fisherman is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>incant 415
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith just arrived.
>
An angry erithian town warrior just arrived.
>
An angry human town lumberjack just arrived.
>
An angry human town lumberjack just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
With extreme effort, you beat back the attack with your maul!
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry giantman town fisherman.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +44 == +457
Warding failed!
You blast an angry giantman town fisherman for 67 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Strike to chest causes a large gaping hole!
The giantman town fisherman rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout snatches up a small wooden buckler!
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
You barely manage to fend off the attack with your maul!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry erithian town warrior.
CS: +469 - TD: +255 + CvA: -13 + d100: +89 == +290
Warding failed!
You blast an angry erithian town warrior for 68 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Horrifying bolt of electricity crystalizes abdominal area. Spiffy but unfortunately also quite deadly.
The erithian town warrior falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +494 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +69 = -14
A clean miss.
>
An angry human town lumberjack swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
You gracefully avoid the attack!
>
An angry human town lumberjack swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
By amazing chance, you evade the attack!
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
By amazing chance, you evade the attack!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town lumberjack.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +80 == +493
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town lumberjack for 81 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Blow to abdomen breaks the human town lumberjack almost in two!
The human town lumberjack falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a sharp red dagger at you!
You evade the attack with ease!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town lumberjack.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +45 == +458
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town lumberjack for 85 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Advanced case of frostbite removes right arm at the shoulder!
The lumberjack's woodman's axe falls to the ground.
The human town lumberjack is stunned!
The human town lumberjack is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +431 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +99 = -9
A clean miss.
>
An angry human town farmer just arrived.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +437 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +43 = +17
A clean miss.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +437 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +91 = +65
A clean miss.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town lumberjack.
CS: +469 - TD: +75 + CvA: +19 + d100: +83 == +496
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town lumberjack for 99 points of damage.
The human town lumberjack rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout drops its red dagger and snatches up a notched woodman's axe!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry dwarven town blacksmith.
CS: +469 - TD: +225 + CvA: -10 + d100: +23 == +257
Warding failed!
You blast an angry dwarven town blacksmith for 68 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Eye bursts and decompression takes most of the dwarven town blacksmith's head with it!
The dwarven town blacksmith falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>incant 415
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +488 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +2 = -163
A clean miss.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings a huge granite club at you!
AS: +377 vs DS: +491 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +83 = +3
A clean miss.
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry half-elven town carpenter.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +58 == +403
Warding failed!
You blast an angry half-elven town carpenter for 46 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Neck is vaporized by decompression!
The half-elven town carpenter falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry human town farmer swings a dirt-stained dark steel sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +467 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +26 = -118
A clean miss.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
You dodge just in the nick of time!
>incant 415
You sense Rorschach looking in on you.
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town farmer.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +52 == +397
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town farmer for 40 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Frigid blast renders the human town farmer's left hand useless - missing even!
The farmer's wooden shield falls to the ground.
The human town farmer is stunned!
The human town farmer is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter just arrived.
>incant 415
...wait 1 seconds.
>
An angry elven town militiaman decays into compost.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith drops its granite club and snatches up an ornate red steel glaive!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town farmer.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +36 == +381
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town farmer for 59 points of damage.
... 50 points of damage!
Advanced case of frostbite removes right arm at the shoulder!
The farmer's dark steel sword falls to the ground.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry halfling town scout swings a notched woodman's axe at you!
AS: +190 vs DS: +478 with AvD: +29 + d100 roll: +60 = -199
A clean miss.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry human town farmer.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +51 == +396
Warding failed!
You blast an angry human town farmer for 35 points of damage.
The human town farmer rolls over and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry giantman town fisherman decays into compost.
>
An angry half-elven town carpenter swings a sharp jagged sword at you!
AS: +288 vs DS: +508 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +32 = -153
A clean miss.
>
An angry dwarven town blacksmith swings an ornate red steel glaive at you!
You skillfully interpose your maul between yourself and the incoming strike, deflecting it harmlessly to the side!
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry half-elven town carpenter.
CS: +469 - TD: +135 + CvA: +11 + d100: +43 == +388
Warding failed!
You blast an angry half-elven town carpenter for 59 points of damage.
... 70 points of damage!
Abdomen erupts, blood and bile splatter everything!
The half-elven town carpenter falls to the ground and dies.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
A small whirlwind races past the area.
>
An angry halfling town scout heads east.
>incant 415
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry dwarven town blacksmith.
CS: +469 - TD: +225 + CvA: -10 + d100: +94 == +328
Warding failed!
You blast an angry dwarven town blacksmith for 64 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Right arm explodes into thousands of pieces!
The blacksmith's red steel glaive falls to the ground.
The dwarven town blacksmith is stunned!
The dwarven town blacksmith is knocked over by the blast!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
An angry erithian town warrior decays into compost.
>incant 415
An angry human town lumberjack decays into compost.
>
You trace a simple rune while intoning the mystical phrase for Elemental Strike...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at an angry dwarven town blacksmith.
CS: +469 - TD: +225 + CvA: -10 + d100: +44 == +278
Warding failed!
You blast an angry dwarven town blacksmith for 40 points of damage.
... 55 points of damage!
Left arm incinerated. Unfortunate.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Ooooh, I just found a nice basic summary of mage training courtesy of Doug that I had saved a while back; post 299 in this folder, if you want the original, but I am posting it again here as it quite helpful on the basic concept.
>>General Profession
There are three primary sub-classes of wizard that can be planned for. Which of the sub-classes you choose lead to significant race discussions if you're concerned about maximizing abilities. Race selection in general wizard training is usually a roleplay choice, since abilities are fairly well rounded.
Pure spell casters -- for those wizards interested in slinging bolts and spells of great elemental power throughout their lives, usually the smaller and more dextrous races are sought. Gnomes, halflings and elves are favored here due to the benefits in stat bonus. The trade-off here is that these races are the more easily encumbered races, leading to the ability to carry less and face the loss of effectiveness in defensive and combat capabilities as the load increases. Humans and half-elves have a tendency to be favored when encumbrance is a greater concern, but the trade-off is that these races don't achieve the maximum bolting / attack strength capabilities.
War mages -- for those wizards interested in focusing on melee combat capabilities (sword and board, two hand weapons), usually, the bulkier and stronger races are sought. Dwarves, giantmen, half-krolvin, humans, half-elves and elves are often favored here. For speed, the half-elves and elves are favored, while for sheer battle power and ability to absorb damage, the other races are chosen. The trade-off here is that these races generally are not as strong a bolt slinger as the smaller races, but most war mages tend to favor disabling approaches with spells and finishing the enemy with physical attacks.
Archer mages -- a subset of the war mage, for those wizards interested in focusing on ranged combat capabilities (bow, crossbow and infrequently thrown weapons) the choice favors dextrous races with higher degrees of stamina and physical prowess. Elves, half-elves and sylphs tend to hold sway in these categories as a good balanced trade-off. These mages tend to favor the better dexterity because they benefit from a physical attack bonus and strong bolting capabilities.
Stats
Maximizing abilities -- the short term view holds that you generate your stats to capitalize on training points around 50 trainings. This is less than half the game (halfway point mechanically is about 66 or 67 trainings, and with the new ability to train beyond cap, you can consider the game now in thirds -- Start through 66, 66 through 99, and 99 through end-of-time). The long-term view holds that you should generate your stats to capitalize on training points through 85 plus trainings, and plan to use a fix-stat potion capability at or near cap to get the maximum value for your stats (all 100's except for one or two stats, as an example).
Sub-type of wizard profession plays a role here, as the pure caster is likely to favor significantly mental training point development, while the war / archer mage will sacrifice some mental training point generation capability in order to gain better physical training point possibilities.
Both of these approaches can use the same resources to plan stat advancement and training point generation. Those resources (and these resources are key in all training discussions in all professions, in my view) are:
1) Stat cruncher at http://home.mchsi.com/~cphillips73/StatCruncher/StatCruncher.html
2) Tsoran's trainer spreadsheet at http://kyaloria.com/archives/tsoran
General wizard training -- in terms of stats, not significantly differentiated from above. Probable that the wizard would tend to favor mental training points over physical for most of the training path and would likely use the stat cruncher to generate favorable stats over either the short or long term. However, the long term view of positioning for fix-stats is not generally a part of this approach.
Training
Two good summaries:
1) For the pure caster -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/Wizard
2) For the war mage -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/War_Mage
As a general rule of thumb, the 'maximizing abilities' path will generally trade off secondary and tertiary skill training suggestions to emphasize spell / bolt capabilities. The 'general wizard training' path will strike up a more balanced approach, including a mix of secondary and tertiary skill training in the plan.
Specifically the war-mage will strive to complete training to 24 ranks of Air Lore, and a strong Major Elemental Circle training to gain benefits in Haste (506), while working the Minor Elemental Circle to gain the benefits of Elemental Targgeting (425) and Elemental Barrier (430) as rapidly as possible. The Wizard Circle is usually not emphasized as strongly, and training generally amounts to 2x or 2.25x spell training per level.
The archer-mage sub-type will generally follow the war-mage training path, with a focus on ranged skill as opposed to a weapon skill.
The pure mage will strive to gain benefits across the spell base, with a stronger consideration for the Wizard Circle to pick up the better spell defenses of Melgohren's Aura (913), Enchant (925), and Familiar Gate (930). This should not be interpreted as not emphasizing the other two circles, however. All three circles are relevant to the pure mage training path -- but the course of training is more a matter of personal selection. Training generally amounts to 2.5x or greater spell training per level.
Starting Out
Maximizing abilities -- here this is usually interpreted as rapid gaining of levels to ease the frustrations of early game play. Since the pure mage generally is most severely limited at the very beginning of the game, most adherents to this approach will recommend the '30-day bash to advance, then trade up' method of starting out. What this means is, in the first 30 calendar days of the character's life, physical attacks (following 'war-mage' path) are easier to deal with than relying on mana or pure spell attacks. Followers of this path can usually accomplish 10 to 15 levels of advancement (sometimes as high as 20 levels) in this first 30 days. Then, using the capability of stat resetting and rapid skill migration, they convert the character over to a pure mage training path. This is an effective approach in the maximizing abilities arena.
General wizard training -- very often experienced players will use the same approach to begin their wizard character. There are some players who advocate starting life as it is intended to be lived, though. These players generally rely on gifts of wands and protective spells to get through the early levels without significant frustration. There are relatively few players in the lands who will try to approach the game from a 'centrist' viewpoint where they try to advance the character as much as possible without assistance. Frustration levels with lack of mana and staying power in the field are usually much higher here.
These thoughts hopefully will get you started in planning where you're going with your wizard. It is very superficial, and for that I apologize. But there's one great thing about the wizard profession that I enjoy -- it's very hard to 'mess up' a wizard in these lands, as long as you remember that no matter which sub-type or training concept is chosen that the wizard does best in training in general magic skills and spells. Any wizard that has 2x Spell Aiming, as much general magic training (Magic Item Use, Arcane Symbols, Elemental Mana Control, Harness Power and spell circles), and has a bit of assistance early in life is a viable wizard. Keeping that very thought in mind throughout the wizard's progression through levels makes it fairly simple to keep the wizard learning and advancing.<<
A very nice basic concept post; thanks Doug!
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
>>General Profession
There are three primary sub-classes of wizard that can be planned for. Which of the sub-classes you choose lead to significant race discussions if you're concerned about maximizing abilities. Race selection in general wizard training is usually a roleplay choice, since abilities are fairly well rounded.
Pure spell casters -- for those wizards interested in slinging bolts and spells of great elemental power throughout their lives, usually the smaller and more dextrous races are sought. Gnomes, halflings and elves are favored here due to the benefits in stat bonus. The trade-off here is that these races are the more easily encumbered races, leading to the ability to carry less and face the loss of effectiveness in defensive and combat capabilities as the load increases. Humans and half-elves have a tendency to be favored when encumbrance is a greater concern, but the trade-off is that these races don't achieve the maximum bolting / attack strength capabilities.
War mages -- for those wizards interested in focusing on melee combat capabilities (sword and board, two hand weapons), usually, the bulkier and stronger races are sought. Dwarves, giantmen, half-krolvin, humans, half-elves and elves are often favored here. For speed, the half-elves and elves are favored, while for sheer battle power and ability to absorb damage, the other races are chosen. The trade-off here is that these races generally are not as strong a bolt slinger as the smaller races, but most war mages tend to favor disabling approaches with spells and finishing the enemy with physical attacks.
Archer mages -- a subset of the war mage, for those wizards interested in focusing on ranged combat capabilities (bow, crossbow and infrequently thrown weapons) the choice favors dextrous races with higher degrees of stamina and physical prowess. Elves, half-elves and sylphs tend to hold sway in these categories as a good balanced trade-off. These mages tend to favor the better dexterity because they benefit from a physical attack bonus and strong bolting capabilities.
Stats
Maximizing abilities -- the short term view holds that you generate your stats to capitalize on training points around 50 trainings. This is less than half the game (halfway point mechanically is about 66 or 67 trainings, and with the new ability to train beyond cap, you can consider the game now in thirds -- Start through 66, 66 through 99, and 99 through end-of-time). The long-term view holds that you should generate your stats to capitalize on training points through 85 plus trainings, and plan to use a fix-stat potion capability at or near cap to get the maximum value for your stats (all 100's except for one or two stats, as an example).
Sub-type of wizard profession plays a role here, as the pure caster is likely to favor significantly mental training point development, while the war / archer mage will sacrifice some mental training point generation capability in order to gain better physical training point possibilities.
Both of these approaches can use the same resources to plan stat advancement and training point generation. Those resources (and these resources are key in all training discussions in all professions, in my view) are:
1) Stat cruncher at http://home.mchsi.com/~cphillips73/StatCruncher/StatCruncher.html
2) Tsoran's trainer spreadsheet at http://kyaloria.com/archives/tsoran
General wizard training -- in terms of stats, not significantly differentiated from above. Probable that the wizard would tend to favor mental training points over physical for most of the training path and would likely use the stat cruncher to generate favorable stats over either the short or long term. However, the long term view of positioning for fix-stats is not generally a part of this approach.
Training
Two good summaries:
1) For the pure caster -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/Wizard
2) For the war mage -- http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/War_Mage
As a general rule of thumb, the 'maximizing abilities' path will generally trade off secondary and tertiary skill training suggestions to emphasize spell / bolt capabilities. The 'general wizard training' path will strike up a more balanced approach, including a mix of secondary and tertiary skill training in the plan.
Specifically the war-mage will strive to complete training to 24 ranks of Air Lore, and a strong Major Elemental Circle training to gain benefits in Haste (506), while working the Minor Elemental Circle to gain the benefits of Elemental Targgeting (425) and Elemental Barrier (430) as rapidly as possible. The Wizard Circle is usually not emphasized as strongly, and training generally amounts to 2x or 2.25x spell training per level.
The archer-mage sub-type will generally follow the war-mage training path, with a focus on ranged skill as opposed to a weapon skill.
The pure mage will strive to gain benefits across the spell base, with a stronger consideration for the Wizard Circle to pick up the better spell defenses of Melgohren's Aura (913), Enchant (925), and Familiar Gate (930). This should not be interpreted as not emphasizing the other two circles, however. All three circles are relevant to the pure mage training path -- but the course of training is more a matter of personal selection. Training generally amounts to 2.5x or greater spell training per level.
Starting Out
Maximizing abilities -- here this is usually interpreted as rapid gaining of levels to ease the frustrations of early game play. Since the pure mage generally is most severely limited at the very beginning of the game, most adherents to this approach will recommend the '30-day bash to advance, then trade up' method of starting out. What this means is, in the first 30 calendar days of the character's life, physical attacks (following 'war-mage' path) are easier to deal with than relying on mana or pure spell attacks. Followers of this path can usually accomplish 10 to 15 levels of advancement (sometimes as high as 20 levels) in this first 30 days. Then, using the capability of stat resetting and rapid skill migration, they convert the character over to a pure mage training path. This is an effective approach in the maximizing abilities arena.
General wizard training -- very often experienced players will use the same approach to begin their wizard character. There are some players who advocate starting life as it is intended to be lived, though. These players generally rely on gifts of wands and protective spells to get through the early levels without significant frustration. There are relatively few players in the lands who will try to approach the game from a 'centrist' viewpoint where they try to advance the character as much as possible without assistance. Frustration levels with lack of mana and staying power in the field are usually much higher here.
These thoughts hopefully will get you started in planning where you're going with your wizard. It is very superficial, and for that I apologize. But there's one great thing about the wizard profession that I enjoy -- it's very hard to 'mess up' a wizard in these lands, as long as you remember that no matter which sub-type or training concept is chosen that the wizard does best in training in general magic skills and spells. Any wizard that has 2x Spell Aiming, as much general magic training (Magic Item Use, Arcane Symbols, Elemental Mana Control, Harness Power and spell circles), and has a bit of assistance early in life is a viable wizard. Keeping that very thought in mind throughout the wizard's progression through levels makes it fairly simple to keep the wizard learning and advancing.<<
A very nice basic concept post; thanks Doug!
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
You bring up race, and now that has me thinking. I went with Aelotoi, and I'm rather attached to her history and race and whatnot. So would I be at a severe disadvantage as a warmage by being such? If so, how big of a disadvantage are we talking about? I suppose such a thing could be the deciding factor between sticking with caster versus going warmage. How often do you kill things on the first hit?
>>How often do you kill things on the first hit?<<
Hardly ever. Oddly enough, the exception is with 415, a CS based spell.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Hardly ever. Oddly enough, the exception is with 415, a CS based spell.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Hang on; you're Aletoi? What happened to that giantkin wizard?
Aletoi are pretty bland, almost like humans; no big stat bonuses or negatives. Mind you, the -5 strength isn't great for a weapon user, but it's not unworkable either.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Aletoi are pretty bland, almost like humans; no big stat bonuses or negatives. Mind you, the -5 strength isn't great for a weapon user, but it's not unworkable either.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
I picked Sylvankind as my race because I like the lore behind them. My path was decided before I killed my first monster.. Pure Wizard. However, I am pondering going the War Mage route just to try it out.
If I do make her a War Mage, than she will use a Katana (A girly weapon and for RP reasons) and she will also keep a maul handy when she needs more ummpphh! (And for undead)
Lady Nairena
Mage of Ta'Vaalor
Proud Member of the Eahnor Assembly
If I do make her a War Mage, than she will use a Katana (A girly weapon and for RP reasons) and she will also keep a maul handy when she needs more ummpphh! (And for undead)
Lady Nairena
Mage of Ta'Vaalor
Proud Member of the Eahnor Assembly
Nairena! Hey girl, when are you coming back to the Landing? I'll let Linn know; she and Guenn will have a hot tub ready for their sweetie.
And yes, katanas are pretty wimpy; slashing damage is weaker than crush or puncture and the crit weighting on them is not very heavy. Not to mention the fact that you can't bless them or enchant them up further because of the weighting. Just use it for RP; wave it around menacingly while taunting the enemy, then pull out a 7x maul or flail for the actual fight ;)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
And yes, katanas are pretty wimpy; slashing damage is weaker than crush or puncture and the crit weighting on them is not very heavy. Not to mention the fact that you can't bless them or enchant them up further because of the weighting. Just use it for RP; wave it around menacingly while taunting the enemy, then pull out a 7x maul or flail for the actual fight ;)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
>>I don't remember who the Giantkin was, that was someone else. I just jumped on the bandwagon<<
Ah. Don't play tricks like that, I am easily confused :)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Ah. Don't play tricks like that, I am easily confused :)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Oh, and do be careful on the return trip; there's a lot of nasty critters hanging about the Landing recently. If you see any Taladoran Knights, Crusaders, Crushers or Legionnaires, run like a bunny.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
