Straight mage

[johnm]

I'm playing a straight mage no armor no weapons , what is the best spell to use . It takes me over 100 points to kill the miners in the mine !

[Turtle]

Compress Atmoshpere is a reliable all-purpose damage dealer, especially if you can get your enemies to cluster together. Other spells may do more individual damage, but the target may successfully save against elements, thus wasting your attack. Nothing can save against being compressed, apparently.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

I mostly dragged them to bunch together then used compress atmosphere. That way you damage several at a time. Ice Lance can be pretty effective, too. If you have a really high Perception, as you should to be a really effective mage, you gain back the mana from a level 6 Compress Atmosphere in 5 or 6 steps.

[Painted Lady]

You have hit upon the Mage dilemma. Early on you can cast a few spells, but they aren't killers (pardon the pun). I have always thought the Elemental spell Fire Dart to be far superior to Divination's Flesh Boil. Later on you find people who sell things like Compress Atmosphere and Ice Lance. Those are awesome, but until you get them you are going to be doing a lot of running away and resting up

[johnm]

I mostly dragged them to bunch together then used compress atmosphere. That way you damage several at a time. Ice Lance can be pretty effective, too. If you have a really high Perception, as you should to be a really effective mage, you gain back the mana from a level 6 Compress Atmosphere in 5 or 6 steps.

Hmmm I have 23 percep,Int 26 and after I cast comp atm, I can rest for 20 hrs to get back my mana !? What do you mean 5or6 steps ?

[Kreador Freeaxe]

For a good mage build, you want your Perception a LOT higher than that. By Hammerlorne, my mage's perception was in the 50s or 60s. By that point you're getting back about 4-5 mana every round, and your mana goes up 14 points per level. The 29 mana to cast a level 6 compress atmosphere is 6 rounds at that point.

I have the advantage of understanding the game engine better from playing Book I and hanging out in these forums for three years, though.