Who's your favorite Wizard?

[Acky]

Of the ones who appear in A6, that is.

 

I would have to say X, because flinging Anvils at foes is so damn awesome.

 

Edit: Ugh, I made a typo. I really wish UBB would let you edit polls.

[Øther]

I have to go with you on X. I love the dialogue when he squishes the demon. But then again, solberg turned himself into dust. Ah well, super anvils are much cooler then wizard dust.

[Dantius]

X has the best quote in the entire series, though.

 

"Truly glorious. Massive and stylish destruction."

[CritLockit]

If not for the whole anvil spell thing, then for the creation of everyone's favorite talking skull.

[Øther]

For those voting for Lark: What makes you think that she is better than X?

 

If I lined them up in most to least favorite, it would go like this:

X

Solberg

Gladwell(I don't actually like what he is trying to do, but I would put him above the others)

Lark

Kellner

 

For the last two, except for giving a few quest, they didn't do much at all. The other did much more.

[Student of Trinity]

Lark is not as cool as X, but she is pretty cool. Insofar as the utterly insane soup quests from A5 are cool. Which you have to admit, they kind of are. I mean, come on. Lots of people give you quests that involve slaying gruesome monstrosities. For Lark, you eat them.

[Matanbuchus]

X.

 

 

A strong favourite ever since I met him in Exile 1, really.

[cfgauss]

I like X. He reminds me of several crazy scientists I know in real life. Doing the real-life equivalent to dedicating their life to making anvils fall from the sky .

[The Mystic]

X. Definitely X. He's everything an insane wizard should be.

[VCH]

Hirickis

[Zummi]

Skunky Joe. Well, he WAS a wizard.

[PGLB]

X has also been my favourite since Exile 1.

 

You know what would be a nice idea for a BoA (or BoE) scenario? "X's Anvil-Tastic Adventurers in the Demonic Plane/Wherever he went"! I suppose the PC would either have to play as a premade X or a group of adventurers who just happen to be sucked into the same place as X through another demonic portal. It would be pretty awesome.

 

Except for the fact that it would have to contain demons.

 

Lots and lots of demons. *shudder*

[Slawbug]

I never liked X. He struck me the wrong way in Exile, where he seemed like a poorly-written cliche in a world full of wizards named Linda and Erika with full personalities instead of flashy names. The writing hasn't gotten any better, and having one of the most powerful wizards in the whole series have no character or personality beyond an obsession with anvils is not so great.

 

*ducks*

 

And as for the others, oh please. Lark is a pathetic nobody Bob with, again, no character; Gladwell is a slightly more interesting cliche with a ideologically-based drive that is rich enough in philosophy, and poor enough at fitting into the game context, that it could have come from a TM scenario; Kelner has yet to do anything other than whine, after six games; and Solberg went from a nuanced proto-Khyryk in X1 and X2, to a total nobody, to a cliche crackpot, and while the arc may be interesting he himself has become less and less so.

 

*ducks again*

[Dantius]

Originally Posted By: CRISIS on INFINITE SLARTIES

*ducks*

*ducks again*

Ducking won't prevent you from a falling anvil, son.

[Acky]

Well, someone doesn't trust wizards. Wonder why.

[VCH]

I'm changing my vote to The Lich Kavarus. He could easily destroy the other fools.

 

And Xs' lack of a personality was his personality.

[avvv]

Erika was pretty cool with her curse and how it finally ended her life.

[Student of Trinity]

Being cool is not the same as being a well-rounded character. One can like the Avernum wizards as cool things, without finding them believable or interesting as characters.

[Alorael at Large]

X is cool. I disagree about Solberg. He didn't stay the same, but he remains interesting in all the games. Maybe not A3, actually, when he just seems to be going to seed, but his bitter obsolescence and then his crackpot rise (and fall) are the best character drama Avernum has.

 

—Alorael, who gives Kelner kudos for consistent doormat characterization and Linda definite props for perseverance in the face of all rational thought.

[Monroe]

Originally Posted By: CRISIS on INFINITE SLARTIES

Gladwell is a slightly more interesting cliche with a ideologically-based drive that is rich enough in philosophy, and poor enough at fitting into the game context, that it could have come from a TM scenario

I thought he fit pretty well into the context. Avernum was falling into chaos, and he was looking to capitalize on that and gain power. He even made a point of not being cliche by attempting to draw as little attention to himself as possible and even went so far to say he wasn't interested in ruling over everything. I also thought it was great that you got to both work for him and get the option to kill him in the end. Every character should be like that. Gladwell gets my vote.

I also respect Solberg for making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

As for characters like X, being mysterious and having little face time with PCs leaves a lot of room for interpretation. They had as much personality as one assigned to them. I didn't assign too much. Not one of those overly creative types, I guess.

[Lilith]

Originally Posted By: Monroe

He even made a point of not being cliche by attempting to draw as little attention to himself as possible and even went so far to say he wasn't interested in ruling over everything.

You do realise he was lying about that, right? If you do all his quests and leave him alive, he takes over Avernum.

Also, X was pretty obviously one of his friends' D&D characters.

[Slawbug]

Actually, X pretty definitely derived from a persona on talk.bizarre, Mr. X of X Industries.

[DokEnkephalin]

Erika! She was and always will be the most awesome, even compared to everyone who outlived her.

 

I wonder what she'd do to Gladwell...

 

EDIT: Don't forget the Xian artifacts; they showed personality of their own, so X must have at least one other facet than anvil-dropping.

[Dantius]

Originally Posted By: Lilith

Also, X was pretty obviously one of his friends' D&D characters.

I thought that that was Rone.

[Telanos]

In A6? X. The one and only master of *stylish* destruction.

 

But I also like Solberg - less so after he got embittered and lich like, but all the same I am fond of Solberg.

 

The rest... meh. I wish they'd elaborated more on Aimee though (in one of the earlier games)

[Earth]

Erika (1st trilogy) and Solberg (2nd trilogy).

[Velzan]

X FTW! Always!

 

If you deny this Then i will seriously launch an anvil at you.

 

I am not kidding.

 

Solberg was kinda cool. well until he turned 200.

 

Erika had the sort of epic ending in a3.

 

Ya know spontaniously combusting when rentar somehow Blasts a hole a through a mile of solid rock and soil... and then the light from the pencil sized hole slays erika.

 

Then the entire place explodes -.-

[La paix]

Erika is my favorite. I have to appreciate someone with so much passion (both for magic, to get to her high state of power, and for revenge on the Empire). I also like Linda, but mainly because she's so hilariously insane and devoted to danger.

Originally Posted By: Monroe

They had as much personality as one assigned to them.

I recall a topic a couple years back where someone noted how they came up with strong personalities for the Pong paddles! I assign personalities to anything and everything. This makes it hard sometimes to remember whether a Spiderweb character actually was how I remembered it, or whether it was just my invention. So my perception of the wizards is warped by my own mind.

[Earth]

Linda would be good candidate for most insane wizard and Solberg too.

[MissSea]

I enjoy the cliche of X's mad scientist persona, so he gets my vote. But would Rentar count? I mean, she did manage to piss a TON of people off, as well as bedeviling them so much they had to send packs of adventurers after her to kill her, and then she came back (again and again) in various ways. I think she certainly should get some sort of honorable mention.

 

MissSea

[Earth]

she could be another good candidate on most insane wizard.

[Mukwa]

I wonder how powerful they would be with Shaping ..

 

I could just imagine some of the critters walking around with an Avernum wizard like X having some Geneforge ability ..lol

[GodRob]

X the Unknown (Roc Deathsinger) was my favorite character in the Swords and Sorcery boardgame so I really enjoyed meeting him again in Exile.

 

To be honest, my favorite wizard in any of the games was whichever one would teach me Dispel Barrier.

 

Robert

[Ironweed]

Solberg was great in A1-A3, but I didn't like the way he turned out in the later games. A5 really ruined him for me. He was somewhat better in A6 (having him go out in a blaze of glory was a good decision) but by then it was already too late. RIP Solberg. I'll always remember you as you were in A1.

 

Kelner's story is interesting enough. Also, he is not mentally unstable like 95 % of the mages in the game.

 

As for important mages who were not in A6, I always liked Aimee. Whatever happened to her? Maybe she still "wanders strange worlds by thought" as the game put it. I guess we will never know...

[Earth]

Aimee is prolly still at her house somewhere.

[EEAtheist]

I'm going to go with Shafrir. Anyone who sticks it to The Anama is cool in my book.

[Venom]

Erika was by far the most awesome wizard ever. I will never forget the epic battle at the end of Exile III. I loved her passion as well. I wish I could have found a way to get into her tower in A6.

 

Since she wasn't in A6, though, I'd have to go with Solberg. His dialog was interesting and how his character was viewed made sense. Not sure how he recovered from A5, but, whatever. X's description was interesting, but he wasn't very developed. Honestly, I thought the anvil dropping idea was completely retarded. Lark was nice and has the best/hardest quests, but she doesn't seem very powerful. More of a hoarder than anything.

 

Someone mentioned Linda, however. Curse the day she was born! No character have I hated more than her in all the Exile/Avernum series. Her absolute stupidity, insane arrogance, and recklessness combined to make a thoroughly putrific woman!

[Vicheron]

X is my favorite wizard but Gladwell is the only true wizard in this game. Most of the wizards in the new Avernum trilogy pale in comparison to the wizards who in the original trilogy. The original five archmages banished to Avernum helped build the nation, created much of the flora and fauna, tamed the eastern gallery and the great cave, held back the Slith Hordes, fought legions of demons, and banished the demon lord Grah-Hoth.

 

There were several wizards who could have been their successors like Linda/Aimee, Mahdavi, X, Sixus, Ostoth, Thompson, etc. However, the ones who didn't die seemed to have just disappeared, leaving Avernum in the hands of a bunch of amateurs.

[Slawbug]

Aimee _was_ one of the original banished wizards: Erika, Patrick, Rone, Aimee, and Solberg were all in that group. All available evidence points to Linda and X being later arrivals, although Linda was probably only a few years after them, based on some retcons Jeff made in Avernum 1.

 

And of course, in terms of the Triad of the Tower of Magi, Linda, X, and Mahdavi literally were their successors.

 

Also, Garzahd FTW.

[Harehunter]

Kelner has been there from the beginning. He has always been a subtle, but key element in each episode.

As for Gladwell, I try to kill him off every chance I get. Something about him always raises my hackles.

[Earth]

Originally Posted By: Harehunter

As for Gladwell, I try to kill him off every chance I get. Something about him always raises my hackles.

sadly he doesn't stay dead.

[Micawber]

Originally Posted By: Harehunter

As for Gladwell, I try to kill him off every chance I get. Something about him always raises my hackles.

Heh, my disapproval of Gladwell only extended as far as refusing to complete his quests (especially not betraying the GIFTS). I'm just not ruthless enough, I guess. Does anyone else remember those 'Damaged an innocent' popups you could get in the Exile trilogy? I was traumatized...

[Earth]

I some popups when I was gonna attack on innocent or non-hostile (like Empire patrols since at some point monsters fled from me and soldiers were only thing left to fight).

[Necris Omega]

Hm...

 

X was wacky, but as much as I enjoyed him, I could never take him seriously.

 

I did like Solberg, and love how he went out in the very end, but... the whole "cowering in a tower for two games" kinda knocks him down a few points. What, Avernum can't be buggered to arm, oh... say, some elite adventurers with a certain demonslaying blade and get him out of there? ...

 

Still, probably #2 on my list.

 

Linda... Ah, Linda. If at first you don't succeed, endanger even MORE innocent lives! ... She had a fitting end, though, so points to her.

 

Garzhad... Honestly, I loved the concept, and, while the Graphic kind of reminds me of one of the seven dwarfs, I always pictured him as kinda a Lo Pan type villain. #3.

 

Rentar-Ihrno... Bleh, I never liked this wench in any incarnation. Even her death was unsatisfying.

 

Mahdavi? I always thought she was underused and had potential that never got off the ground. Also, the whole "Empire teleporter" quest she gives in Avernum 2 really felt like the least significant of the three "big" quests in the game.

 

Aimee? ... the whole "astral planeswalker" thing really feels out of place in Avernum, so I never warmed to this character in her few scant appearances.

 

Silverlocke? I don't know if she qualifies, but god bless this lovable bartender of the gods...

 

My #1 favorite mage, however? Erika Redmark. Yeah, she's an archetype, but I love her all the same. She's the most badass mage on the list with pretty much the most impact of any of them. Vengeful, productive, has a few really neat towers (Avernum 2's tower seemed kinda lame, I thought honestly), and she can blast you into oblivion with a fiery stare. She went out in a literal blaze of glory (though it would have been nice if she could have taken Rentar with her) and allowed Avernum to finally have a place in the sun with her sacrifice. She is the ultimate mage.

[Trenton.]

Though thats if you ask for her health. And remember she could never go on the surface, if you fought rentar alone and saved the surface all by your self then she would just have to sulk in upper exile forever

[Necris Omega]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do not the later Avernum's go with the heroic sacrifice angle?

 

Also, she could technically go out at night, am I wrong? You know, going with the whole "vampirism" bit?

[Dikiyoba]

Yes, Erika's death at the hand of Rentar is canon.

 

Dikiyoba.

[Earth]

Erika might been able to go out during nights but since moonlight is sun's reflected light she might not been able go out.

[Necris Omega]

Could be, but usually that detail is omitted from most magical anti-sun like curses. Is the world aware of that detail, that lunar light is reflected sunlight? Heck, is it even a detail in the world of Avernum? When you've magic as literal and dominating as said world, who's to say? Maybe it's a geocentric cosmology...

[Earth]

Avernum didn't have sun and doubt Empires scientists were focusing on sun/moon. Those who knew answer if Erika could have gone outside during nights (which don't exist at Avernum) are dead long ago.