Servile Battle Mage

[Randomizer]

After the discussion here on a servile as a battle spell caster I decided to start running some numbers. Entering chapter 3 a typical single character will be about level 30 so 150 skill points. Out of that 71 skill points and a few items will give you enough battle, mental, and blessing magic plus healing craft to cast all spells that you can learn in chapter 3. The numbers are starting or what I think you need with skill points plus items in parentheses.

 

Strength 4 (+2)

Dexterity 3 (+3)

Intelligence 2 (+5)

Endurance 3 (-2)

Melee weapons 3

Missle weapons 2

Quick Action 3 (+4)

Parry 4 (+1)

Battle Magic 3 (+4)

Mental Magic 6 (+1)

Blessing Magic 4 (+3)

Spellcraft 3 (+1)

Fire shaping 1

Battle shaping 1

Magic shaping 0

Healing craft 6 (+1)

Leadership 6 (+2)

Mechanics 10 (+5)

Luck 2 (+1)

 

I assume that you buy spellcraft+2 in Chickweed Bridge and ask Shaper Danell the right choice to get spellcraft+1. Luck+1 from the mayor in Dillame. You have the following charms: luck, physician's, mental focus, gruesome, and skein of wisdom. Equipment includes ring of eye's purity (+3 battle magic), Captain's shiv (+2 blessing magic), nimble sandals (+2 dexterity), girdle of insight (+2 intelligence), agent's cloak (+1 battle magic, +1 mental magic, +1 blessing magic, +1 spellcraft), tinker's gloves (+2 mechanics), tinker's bauble (+1 mechanics), infiltrator's tunic (+1 leadership, +1 mechanics), infiltrator's cloak (+1 leadership, +1 mechanics), lodestone greaves (-1 dexterity), and guardian stone (+1 parry). You also need to make the gloves of savergy by sneaking into Turabi Gate to get the essence infused hide like Synergy did for +2 strength, +4 quick action.

 

This is a pretty pro-Shaper path but for the Rebels you can substitute Mindwarp Seal for Ring of Eye's Purity. Eliza pretty much has to die so you can get her agent's cloak and deep focus orb to make the Shapemaster boots.

 

There are plenty of skill points to raise intelligence and endurance plus strength for better armor. This is a nasty servile even at the half way point. You still can train for combat skills if you have the money after spells.

 

I'm going to try this out since it beats running a glass cannon infiltrator.

[Delicious Vlish]

I have one roaring right along, just met with Alwan and is on his way to find the safehouse. Mech 12, leadership 8, no points invested in melee skills or str or dex. I bought 2 points in spellcraft before killing Shalia. Got lucky and got a Thahdskin tunic in the docks area. Hitting for about 60 or so damage with a steel sword. Blessed, I can crack 100 damage on a really good shot.

 

Battle magic and mental magic are both at 4. No points in endurance just yet. Ice Bolt is doing about 80 damage a shot, a little more or a little less on some foes. Searer is leaving clawbugs at a sliver and killing them the next round.

 

Observation note on dedicated build. NOT AN AGENT. Hit and run not needed. I can safely stand in the thick of melee and just lay waste. I take a few hits, but parry seems to block enough.

 

Effective play style: Turtle Mage.

 

Is it just me or do Serviles have some sort of resistance? I don't remember my warriors being this sturdy.

 

Servile runs out of gas faster than an Agent though. I can only fire off four or five ice blasts before the green bar hits empty. And then I am forced to resort to stabbing stuff to death, which is not a problem.

[Randomizer]

I'm running several hours behind you since I just finished the Cairn Gates.

 

Level 14, health 127, essence 66, spell energy 128, strength 4, dexterity 3, intelligence 4 (+1 from girdle of intelligece), endurance 4, melee wpns. 3, missle wpns. 2, quick action 3, parry 4, battle magic 8 (+1 from carnelian gloves), mental magic 4, blessing magic 5, spellcraft 3 (I trained for 2), starting shaping, leadership 6, mechanics 10, luck 2 (+1 from lucky charm).

 

In Shardfield I tried 7 times with luck3 and no thahdskin tunic or fyoraskin cloak. I got the 2 cloaks later.

 

I still mostly using my stunning blade for the stun effect. Spell damage is moving up there. I prefer daze and burning spray since they usually don't get to fight back.

 

The main advantage over an infiltrator is the higher health allowed me to go and kill the drayk in Chickweed Bridge by forcing melee so I could kill it in the second round. I can survive undazed opponents that would kill an infiltrator.

 

I'm taking the Shaper path until I can get the rewards. The ring will give me +3 to battle magic and the thirsting knife seems to work with spell damage even with nondamaging ones.

[Slawbug]

Why pump Battle Magic, though? Why not just pump Mental and use your sword?

[Synergy]

I just finished my Servile game. He hit 11 points shy of Level 44 and cleaned out everything. The Southern Sentinel in the Titan's Lair took two attempts. I had three freshly-minted cryodrayks with me. Mostly, he traveled solo, using creations only very briefly for the fights absolutely necessary: Poryphra Ruin, Breeding Pits, Northforge Warrens, Sealed Catacombs, Matala's Workshop, and Titan's Lair.

 

I played Torment the whole way except fighting the Matala Golem, because it just became so freaking boring whittling away at it for a half hour to kill it. I wound up with lots of Torrent Gems (Madness Gems were weak compared to my own magic) and never used any of them. I tend to save up powerful stuff for a rainy day, but manage to survive fights hardly ever using any of them. I ran through Essence pods in the tough zones, but wound up with 40-50 of them by midgame.

 

I focused only on Fire Class creations and used an Ur-Drakon or two for a few things at the end, and a couple drayks added on in the Poryphra Ruin when I took out the camp there late in the game. i was able to kill all the Shapers in the Northforge Warren: Miranda first solo, then everything except Alwan, then back to fiinish off Alwan. This took a few attempts, due to those nasty pylons Alwan cowers behind and all the creations he pumps out.

 

Mental Magic was powerful, but I topped it at level 9. I think going higher with it would be even more effective. I had pumped up a bit of Healing (7-including Physician Charm +1) and Blessing Magic (8,) and could have done less on both of these.

 

I rarely used batons, except some some Acid in the middle and some Reapers for fun in the end. Spine Shield damage coupled with about three items worn at any one time with Steel Spine enhancement along with frequent second swings due to high Quick Action with the Oozing, then Frozen Blade made for three to four damage numbers going up per hit on a target. Spine Shield was amazing...often returning 100% damage to the attacker, over 100 HP at times.

 

Vampiric effect sounds cool, but blows in comparison. Better to use Ethereal Bindings on your sword for bigger draining effect (I think) and the Frozen Sword already drains. Spine Shield and spined armor make for a very damaging melee Servile. He could pretty much run through any mine or field pylon by late game.

 

I was surprised reading through the hint book to see a lot of options I've missed due to not having high enough Leadership at the right moment. I'm not sure how high it should be ideally. You can use gear to have it boosted five points by late game. Mechanics at 10 base bumps up to 12 through free boosts and gear boosted it to 19 by the end when necessary. I was left with 26 Living Tools extra at the end and I never once cast Unlock. You don't get XP for magically unlocking things. Mechanics could probably be left at 8-9 just as effectively, leaving one with a few more precious SP to distribute elsewhere.

 

Leadership I'd race up to 6 in Chapter One, and up to 9 or 10 by Chapter Three and see how that serves you the rest of the game. I noticed that If I had higher Leadership, I could do things like convince the cryodrayk in Gesselin Freehold to not require me to kill the offending drayk in Khima-Uss, and I got like 62 XP, if I recall, for having used that dialog option. However, I was still given that quest from my first run-through dialog, and when I killed the drayk and came back, I also got the XP and loot for killing the drayk, and more reward and XP when I reported back to the cryodrayk. I also fairly easily killed the whole party of Drakons and rotghroths you are to send or chase away. I had to chase down and kill the Drakon before he escaped. More kills means more XP. A Servile can make it to level 44, which I could have done if I had one more kill anywhere. I'm curious if anyone can make it to level 45.

 

You can get XP for having the Thads sent down "to clear out the road for you" next to Southforge Citadel, even after you've already killed everything in the zone. Leadership is good for extra XP, even if you're still planning on killing everything yourself. Stealth is a possible way to play the game, but you will get far less loot (and therefore money to spend) and less XP. You will be weaker. Being able to bludgeon everything to pieces as a Servile is fun and profitable.

 

I still need to play a game with the revised AP all the way through as a Lifecrafter and see how satisfying that is. I never played a whole game as one yet.

 

-S-

[Randomizer]

I've got a melee fighting servile at level 38 in Burwood. He can deal out decent damage but he's running up against the limit experience limit where he gets nothing for most monsters. Because of the choices I made for reputation he's being forced down the Shaper path to get quests.

 

I wanted to see if Delicious Vlish's idea for a servile with battle magic works out as well as the numbers show. It seems like this is the equivalent of the GF3 agent can be almost as good fighting as a guardian and still use spells. It doesn't take much in skill points and equipment to get decent fighting ability and you get to use all those damaging spells. The best part is that the health is always high enough that you can get into fights that an infiltrator wouldn't be able to survive.

[Slawbug]

I hate to sound like a broken record, but if the spells are going to be weaker than your sword anyway, why bother with them?

[Delicious Vlish]

Well, acid shower, aura of flames, both are really good for softening mobs or even outright killing of cannon fodder foes. Essence orbs or lances is a great opening volley to soften up a pack. The servile still has the primary weakness of any melee character, the ability to process mobs. By hamstringing all of his foes, the servile holds a better chance of sucess.

 

That, and there are some monsters that you just don't want to melee. Like spiny types. Batons kill one monster at a time, and still have their place. Some battle magic just makes crowd liquidation easer and less time consuming.

[Slawbug]

I just figured Daze and Strong Daze, and other mental magic, would be sufficient crowd control. Is it harder than in the past to keep Mental Magic strong enough to be effective against mobs? I'm used to Strong Daze letting you take out three creatures basically for free.

 

Also, I figured crystals and wands with a few points in Missiles would work for opening volleys/mob needs. Nope?

[Delicious Vlish]

One thing. The mobs are larger. Instead of a cryodryak and some cannon fodder, you face an army of cryos. And some cannon fodder. Eyebeasts with armies of rotterthingamajigs. It is a numbers game.

 

Wands, crystals, etc, not enough of them in this game. Not enough supplies. You run dry way to quickly. There is a comparable number of supplies I think to match G3, but the sheer number of enemies have changed the dynamic. What was almost enough for G3 is petty and insignificant now. No where near enough.

 

All of the higher level creations shrug off strong daze in a round or two. Strong daze does not feel as strong as it once was. Still good for slowing down the cannon fodder types to give you some breathing room. That, and strong daze comes way to late in the game. Regular daze starts wearing out entirely to quickly. Once you hit the Fens, daze is a dicey effort.

 

Acid shower and running like hell is the best way to deal with wingbolts, which hurt like hell, resist dazing entirely to much, and resist your hard hitting magic assaults. Even more effective if you can slow them so you can stay out of reach of their deadly breath attack. Some of those wingbolts can hit you for over 200 damage a shot. (Which is why the shaper/lifecrafter class has nightmares)

 

Also, some monsters regenerate way to fast. Magic, namely the lightning aura or acid damage, is the best way to wear stuff down.

[Drakefyre]

I found myself using the anvils to forge a lot of crystals and wands, which turned out pretty well in terms of supplies.

[Randomizer]

I burned through almost all my icy crystals taking out wingbolts since this actually will hurt them. To do the Western Morass, I used 2 torrent gems just to clear out the entrance area before going inside the buildings. I found it was easier to terrorize the guards and run past rather than waste time fighting them all and then facing an endless sea of vlish.

 

Battle magic allows for a different approach to mass battles. Strong daze doesn't work that well by the time you face tier 4 and 5 creations. Charm works better now so you can turn them on it other. I used up madness gems until I could get mass madness in chapter 5.

 

There are several specials in the last 2 chapters where melee attacks are the worst choice. Even Monarch in chapter 3 is better dealt with with missle attacks. Maybe specializing in mental magic and missle weapons will work, but they take time.

[Randomizer]

Finishing up chapter 2 with the following:

 

Level 29, health 135, essence 212, spell energy 421, strength 4, dexterity 3 (+4 from nimble sandals and gruesome charm), intelligence 5 (+4 from girdle of genius and gruesome charm), endurance 5 (-2 from gruesome charm), melee wpns. 3, missle wpns. 2, quick action 3, parry 4, battle magic 8 (+3 ring of eye's purity), mental magic 6 (+1 gloves of succor), blessing magic 6 (+4 from Captain's shiv and Captain's boots when needed), spellcraft 7 (I trained for 2), starting shaping, leadership 10 (+2 from infiltrator's cloak and tunic), mechanics 10 (+5 from infiltrator's cloak and tunic and tinker's gloves and bauble), luck 3 (+1 from lucky charm and from Dillame's mayor). Still have 6 skill points for later training.

 

Not doing as well as my melee servile in some fights, but way better than when I ran an infiltrator.

[Randomizer]

Finishing up chapter 3 with the following:

 

Level 34, health 213 (152 with gruesome charm), essence 193, spell energy 383, strength 7 (+4 from girdle of might and guardian claymore), dexterity 3 (+4 from nimble sandals and gruesome charm), intelligence 5 (+2 from gruesome charm), endurance 5 (-2 from gruesome charm), melee wpns. 5 (+5 from legs of the tyrant), missle wpns. 6, quick action 5 (+2 from guardian claymore), parry 6, battle magic 9 (+4 from ring of eye's purity and agent's cloak), mental magic 6 (+2 from gloves of succor and agent's cloak), blessing magic 6 (+3 from Captain's shiv and agent's cloak when needed), spellcraft 8 (+4 from 2 mental health charms. agent's cloak, and runed jaded necklace and I trained for 2), starting shaping, healing craft 5 (+2 from phsycian's charm and gloves of succor), leadership 10 (+2 from infiltrator's cloak and tunic), mechanics 10 (+5 from infiltrator's cloak and tunic and tinker's gloves and bauble), luck 3 (+1 from lucky charm and from Dillame's mayor).

 

Took a while to get enough money for spells and all of Captain Archibald's training before I could turn him in for the reward.

 

Starting to get nasty destroying things now that I'm in Burwood and I can kill a wingbolt with 2 icy spray's. Still running out of spell energy fairly quickly.

[Randomizer]

Finally got around to finishing up the game so this is an update before using the control panel. I created a drakon after chapter 4 using volcanic fetish, flameweaver greaves, shaper robe, and shapemaster boots for +6 fire shaping levels to make it level 40.

 

Level 43, health 376 (338 with gruesome charm), strength 9 (+5), dexterity 5 (+4), intelligence 9 (+5), endurance 8 (-2), melee wpns. 5 , missle wpns. 6, quick action 5 (+1), parry 6, battle magic 10 (+6), mental magic 8 (+1), blessing magic 6 (+1/3 when needed), spellcraft 10 (+9), starting shaping, healing craft 6 (+1), leadership 10 (+2), mechanics 11 (+1/+6 when needed), luck 3 (+1).

 

Equipment:

All the charms with 4 mental focus charms (3 made)

Ring of Eye's Purity

Reaper baton

Puresteel plate

Girdle of genius

Talisman of might

Agent cloak

Stability boots

Puresteel shield

Flameweaver's greaves

Lodestone gauntlets

 

Alternate equipment -

Tinker's gloves and bauble

Infiltrator's cloak and tunic

Clover boots

Captain's shiv

Frost blade

 

I wasn't really satisfied with the way I made the character. I should have put less into leadership, blessing magic, and melee weapons so I could have had more for spellcraft and battle magic. I tended to run out spell energy for the powerful spells. Still a servile can do pretty well as a spellcaster instead of as a fighter.

[John S]

Quote:

Originally written by Servile Synergy:
I'm curious if anyone can make it to level 45.

Surely you left someone alive to kill - what about your sect leader?

[Randomizer]

I got almost no experience in the expert area (~250 XP), The number of monsters left that give anything is almost nil.

[Lilith]

Sorry about the bump, but I've just confirmed that it's possible to get to level 45 with a singleton servile (playing as a Shaper loyalist through most of the game). Did it by going back to kill all the drakons in Grayghost Gates and Quessa-Uss Gate after doing pretty much everything else there was to do in the game. The drakons were still giving 25 XP a pop even once I was level 45, and while I didn't ever make any creations I did take Greenfang and Shotwell and some of the soldiers in the Monarch chapter, so it's possible that a dedicated singleton that very carefully managed the order in which it went through the game to maximise experience could even get to level 46.

[Slawbug]

I'm guessing you could get higher. Lots of friendly characters give experience.