Hi, my Aerie just got access to HLAs. I am undecided whether to take extra level 6 slot or Energy Blades? Ultimately I want to get the planetar but that won't be for a few levels still. I've got the majority of wizard level 6 spells, my currently memorised ones are: contingency, fire elemental, invisible stalker. I like summoning lol.
Anyways, just wondering how good the energy blades are, or is there is a good lvl 6 spell I am overlooking?
Don't feel the need to use pro against normal/missle weapons, or spells like spell deflection on Aerie, as I position her back and try to make sure she is not hit in the first place. Improved Haste is amazing but I got it memorised on Imoen and Jan.
I guess my question is: are energy blades very good? I know that taking extra lvl 6 allows me to then take extra lvl 7 & 8 spells. Just idk which is better.
I'd grab the extra spell slots first. Energy Blades isn't too bad, but grab it after the others, having more spell slots is more valuable, imho.
Level 6 is Improved Haste, and I never have enough Improved Hastes.
And death spell. And pfmw. And pfme. And true sight. And contingency. And pierce magic. And mislead. And power word silence. Level 6 might be the level with the most op stuff for mages. Can never have too many lv6 slots.
Death spell for de'arnise is overkill but so comfy
No wait-for-troll-to-fall-before-burning-acid
Energy blades are not that amazing (definitely not compared to the planetar) but they are OK and fun to throw at enemies.
Extra L6 is only good if you run out of L6 spells, and that depends more on how often you are willing to rest than anything else.
Can never go wrong with an extra 6… hopefully you have another mage casting imp hastes on your martials
Energy Blades are a useful part of the Cast & Attack process, like a souped-up Melf's Meteors. 17 Dex and Cleric Thac0 mean she's not going to be awful at it.
I never used them much, which TIL was dumb on my part, when I read the Energy Blades priest version wiki: https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Energy_Blades_(priest) Holy F##ing S#*t, I had no idea the caster was under I. Haste the entire duration of the spell! Thac0 drops by 10, and each Blade does 1d4 +5, and 1d10 Electrical. (I wonder if Righteous Magic applies to both, re always doing the max?) Attacks are set to 9/rd, and you get a Blade per level.
This is just busted. No wonder every SCS Lich breaks these out at the drop of a hat. I still might have her grab Deva Summoning first, but this is nuts. I never thought about sticking a Regeneration on her with Blades. 6 hp/sec. Giggle... I wonder how this would synergize with Tenser's, speaking of other nifty 6th level spells...?
And it's the least worrisome thing liches do. Compare a little bit of damage they do with that to some nasty time stop, dragon breath, comet, adhw that basically kill your whole party if your protection from fire/magic energy are gone, or mass demons/fallen planetars summoning.
Am I the only one they break this out on during their Time Stops? In addition to the Dragon's Breath, et al you mention. Cast, zing/zing/zing End of Round. Cast, zing... Rinse/Repeat.
At least it's a novel change from the Aurumach just beating on my face during the Time Stop with that stupid staff he (?) has.
Energy Blades is a good spell. The question is: When will she use them and then only auto attack?
Aerie has plenty of other things to do.
True. I currently roll with 3 mages - Imoen, Aerie, Jan. Jaheira has spells too. Not complaining, but Aerie/Imoen are my key two mages, Aerie especially, cause it took me 120 hours to get Imoen, so Aerie naturally has way more spells learned. In the end went for extra 6 lvl slot - not particularly useful, but the extra 7th/8th slots will be.
Anyway, I'm a bit puzzled by no Protection from Magical Weapons or Pro Magic Energy in your list of Mage 6s. Personally, I make a beeline for PFMW, and being able to give the finger to ADHW, MM, Skull Traps, etc with Pro Magic Energy is fantastic. Doesn't it also work on the Cause Serious Wound spam from like Gaunts and Beholders?
Mislead is awesome on M/Ts, which isn't Aerie, tbf. And Pierce Magic is helpful sometimes in Mage Chess.
I usually leave elementals to staves or Druids, but everyone plays these games differently.
Well, I've just not had the need for protection from magical weapons or magic energy. I play carefully, scum save a bit too cause I just don't believe in using spells/rods of resurrection - even though it's fantasy and d'n'd, I feel like that's cheating.
Sure, same can be said about reloading, but I reload till I can beat an encounter withoud anyone dying, so in a way that's actually a bit harder even imo. My roleplay at least.
My mages usually cast horrors/confusions etc vs enemy, unless it's mages, then breaches/pierce magic etc. They rarely get attacked - if they do, its usually by invisible enemies, so I quickly attack them with whole party to nuke them.
I MIGHT BE WRONG, but at least my spell description of PFMW only applies to the caster - the mage itself. It would be more useful/versatile and maybe I'd find use for it if I could cast it on any party member.
My party consists of PC paladin, Minsc, Jaheira, Imoen, Aerie, Jan. The first three are the frontline [with Minsc 99% of the time dying first despite AC-11, like even Jaheira as frontline doesn't die this fast, despite lower AC, I just can't understand this], while the mages hang back and cast spells and then attack from range.
I love summons so they take up my slots - Aerial Servant sometimes hits harder than my PC Paladin with -5 THAC0, 18-29 dmg and lvl 17. It's absolutely broken, even a few levels back sometimes the Aerial Servant would crit for like 50+ and oneshot otherwise tough enemies.
You're right---PFMW just covers the caster---but for a lot of foes (Flayers, SCS Vampires that ignore Mirror Image) that's just fine. My fighters have a decent AC and can shrug off a lot of melee foes. (ToB is different, ofc. Everybody gets hit.)
The Mages, don't. And w/o PFMW, every one of those Vamps, in places like the first Brynnlaw ambush, make a beeline for poor Aerie/Nalia/Neera, ignoring Mirror Image and slamming level drain right through their Stoneskins. Yay! Power Word: Reload!
EDIT: Give Minsc Ilbratha. The initial Mirror Image will help. Jaheira usually has IronSkins to help out, and can pop off Armor of Faith to defray some of the damage. Minsc can get AoF, but it's a later treat. (I think? I usually just Keeper him to the Berserker/Barbarian he should've been already, so he won't have the L1 spells Rangers get whenever, in my runs with him.)