Wizardry 8 Character Planning Guide

[philipofmacedon]

Hey everyone, here is a guide on character planning in Wizardry 8.

I did not write this. It was sent to me by someone on the now defunct Underground Gamer. It was tragic that they were shut down.

He indicated in the document that he doesn't care anymore what happens to it.

I think it would be a shame if it were lost.

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Wizardry 8 Character Planning Guide



By "You Know Who" (Updated 11/16/09)...hahahaha...This was re-uploaded since people asked for it. My webpage is gone, and I have created a new identity with a new channel a new site and new followers. I am mildly surprised that people still come looking for this document. It's from an online life I no longer live, on a page I no longer use and an online persona I no longer wear the mask of. Now, let's return to the guide.





Introduction:

While there are a few good FAQs for this game, and also an excellently written strategy guide produced by Sybex (I highly recommend you look for it), most are filled with enough egotistical ranting to fill a normal FAQ ten times their size. Also, what the FAQs and the Sybex book fail to offer the player is a comprehensive planning guide for character creation. In the Wizardry games, character creation was by far the most important factor in deciding how far you made it through the game. Simply put, if you didn’t have a decent party of well balanced and well planned-out characters, you would eventually find yourself either too weak to deal with the ever increasing levels of the monsters, or too poor from buying so many resurrection items. This guide will steer new players (and probably some of you who think you are veterans) in the right direction.



I have gone through Wizardry 8 three and a half times, and I’m almost done my fourth. The “Half” comes from a party consisting of a bishop and a bard that I foolishly believed I could count on for magic. Courageous, but dumb.



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Part One: Picking an Expert Skill.



You might be asking yourself, why think about Expert skills at level one? Well, let me put it this way, if you don’t gain an expert skill for every character by at LEAST level 12, your party just won’t reach their full potential by end-game. I highly advise that you put enough points into the proper attribute in order to get it to 100 by the time your character hits levels 10 to 12. Or even sooner if possible.



To do this, you need to pick an “Expert Skill” you think your character would get the most benefit from. Each attribute is tied to a skill, and when that attribute hits 100, that skill is then opened up in your character sheet. Here is a list and an explanation of each Expert Skill:



100 Strength = Power Strike: Enables you to penetrate enemy armor and deal more damage then normal.



100 Intelligence = Power Cast: Allows the mage to break through high enemy spell resistances and can sometimes greatly increase the effectiveness and duration of a spell.



100 Piety = Iron Will: Increases the chance of resisting harmful status ailments and spells.



100 Vitality = Iron Skin: Enables you to absorb considerable amounts of damage, or even completely nullify a physical attack. (Does not work against magic attacks)



100 Dexterity = Reflection: In other words, you move so fast that a double image of yourself is created, usually fooling the enemy into hitting your after image instead of you.



100 Speed = Snake Speed: Your personal initiative soars through the roof with this skill. A high Snake Speed means it is rare to see an enemy strike before you do.



100 Senses = Eagle Eye: This is basically the “Ranged weapon” version of Power Strike. This skill allows you to penetrate high enemy armor classes with ranged attacks.



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Part Two: Point Allocation



Now that you know what each Expert Skill is, and what attribute it is tied to, you need to pump enough points into each character’s appropriate attribute so that, if you continue to put 3 points into it each level, it will reach 100 no later then level 12. (Which should be right before you leave for Bayjin)



As for the Normal starting skills, I recommend that you ignore what other FAQs tell you and devote points into them during each level up. Other FAQs will tell you to put points in the skills that you aren’t using (Like putting points into Dual weapons even though you have a sword and shield equipped) but that is just flat out wrong. You want your chosen weapon and combat skills to be 100 by end game. Period.



Another note to remember is that Piety is VERY IMPORTANT for ALL spell casters. Some other FAQs tell you otherwise, but they are wrong. Piety controls both stamina AND Spell points for ALL Classes. Having a low Piety means low Spell points. I didn’t realize that in my first trip through the game, and therefore ended up with a mage who only had about 180 in all his magic schools. When I started my second game and leveled Piety alongside Intelligence, my mage had 270-300 in his spell schools at the same level. BIG difference!



Here is a quick run down of each class, and what I’ve discovered works best. Please note, that if I do not list an attribute, then I am implying that you should leave it at its starting level during character creation and only raise it when your expert skills have been obtained around level 10. Also note that when an Expert level skill opens up to you, IMMEDIATELY ABANDON all your other skills at level up and start pouring as many points as possible into your expert level skills!!!





FIGHTERS:



The very best way to make an invincible fighter is to make a Lizardman Fighter. Not only can you start with amazing strength and Vitality, but you can max them both out at level 8! Here is what a Typical Lizardman Fighter should look like at character creation:



77 Strength (+3 every level up)

76 Vitality (+3 every level up)

Major in Close combat, Shield, and Sword



Another good fighter is a Dracon. There is no real advantage over picking a Dracon instead of a Lizard, but if you want two fighters in your party, it “looks better” if you try to keep some variety. You will max out their strength and get Power strike at level 9. A good Dracon Fighter should look like this:



75 Strength (+3 every level)

Major in Close Combat, Shield, and Sword



NOTE: When you first enter the game, set your Fighter on Berserk, and set the “Auto swap weapons” in the options menu on. This will keep your fighter in a CONSTANT state of berserk (Doubling damage!) yet will keep him switching to his bow when you are out of range. NEVER take him out of Berserk mode. This is why Fighters are the best pure melee class in Wizardry.





SAMURAI:



Although there has been a belief amongst hardcore Wizardry fans that Felpurrs make the best Samurais, it isn’t true in this chapter. The best race to pick for this class is now a Dracon. Although Felpurrs made a nice Samurai in the previous game, you will never max out their strength in this chapter in time to have a Power Strike of 80+ by the end game. Speed is nice, but its effects just aren’t all that noticeable. At least, not as noticeable as Power Strike. A Dracon Samurai will get power strike by level 14. It *is* a little late, but it is the best you can do. I advise not wasting time building up their magic, save that for the true spell casters. The best things about a Samurai are the lightning strike ability, Auto-kills, and their unique armor and weapons. Here is what a good Dracon Samurai looks like:



60 Strength (+3 every level)

60 Vitality, Dexterity, and Speed: (Take turns putting the other 3 points into them)

35 Senses

Major in Close Combat, Sword, and Shield (Give them the Ivory Blade and a shield!)



NOTE: Before putting ANY spare points into Vitality, Dexterity or Speed, take the first five levels and put 3 points into Senses. This will get your senses to the respectable level of 50. You CAN spend the next 4 levels getting it to 60 and then leaving it there for the remainder of the game if you feel brave enough. Anything under 60 would be too low for the disciplined Samurai.





RANGER:



There is no doubt, Mooks make the best Rangers. Not just because of the stats, but because Mook Rangers get a unique Two Handed, Extended Range sword halfway through the game. This sword does over 30 damage and is end-game quality. Since it reaches from the second row, you can put your ranger in the back and still enjoy both a strong ranged attack and a great close quarters attack from him. Mook Rangers will get Power strike by level 12. Or if you prefer, you can devote 3 entire points each level to Senses and get Eagle Eye by level 11.



64 Strength (+3 every level)

69 Senses (+3 every level)

Major in Ranged Combat, Bow, and Sword (Give them the Diamond Epee in Arnika)



NOTE: Keep the ranger in the front line until you get the Giants sword, either off the keeper of Marten’s Tomb or the Death Knights in the optional “Chapel” fight. (Where you also get the Fang Sword) Until that time, give the Ranger the Diamond Epee found in Arnika’s vault. The weapon is incredible, and will serve your Ranger well, even as late as Bayjin.





MONK:



The Monk is a very tricky, but rewarding class. Although you would THINK that fighting barehanded is the Monk’s best attack mode, it isn’t. One of the very best weapons in the game is the Zatoichi Bo Staff. I won’t give away the stats or spoil you, but you either get it in random loot in Marten’s Tomb, or you can get it via the constable’s deposit slips in the Rapax Castle. Until that point, your monk can use the formidable “Hayai Bo” Staff and sit in the second row flinging Shurikens and bashing enemies with his staffs. Speaking of Shurikens, the boomerang Shuriken in the optional “Chapel” fight makes a perfect Ranged weapon for a Monk. You can even employ this method with RFS-81, and by game’s end have him hitting 3 times for around 50 damage with a 15% KO effect. The only good monk (Unless you feel like making a damage resistant Dwarf) is a human. They will get Snake Speed by level 12.



64 Speed (+3 every level)

54 Strength (Get to 60 then work on Vitality, Dexterity, and Senses)

Major in Close Combat, Staff, and Stealth





LORD:



Your best bet is the Dwarf, who will get power strike by level 12 if you start him at his maximum of 64 during character creation. Plus he gets that nifty Damage Resistance. A Dwarven Lord with great armor, a sword like Excalibur and power strike is a force to be reckoned with. Also, practicing their Divine magic on others will help make them a great backup healer. Putting three points into both Vitality and Strength will open up both power strike and Iron Skin by level 12. With Iron Skin along with the heavy armor and Dwarven Damage Resistance, you will be a god!



64 Strength (+3 every level)

69 Vitality (+3 every level)

Major in Close Combat, Sword, and Shield





VALKYRIE:



The Valkyrie is my favorite class. Every good party should have one, even if it’s Vi Domina. Not only are they the only class that can really bring out the power of the Polearm weapons, but they have the ability to automatically resurrect themselves the first time they die during a combat. In my second game, my Valkyrie was the only character to have never died, while both my fighters had died twice. The Valkyrie makes a great backup healer, and can be placed in the middle row out of harms way if you keep a spear in her hand. Your best bet, if you want a raw, powerful Valkyrie, is to make a Lizard woman. You will get Power strike by level 11, and Iron Skin by level 8!!



67 Strength (+3 every level)

77 Vitality (+3 every level)

Major in Close Combat, Polearm and Shield



Although the power gamers out there might want the Lizard Valkyrie, I prefer the Dwarven one myself. Not only because she is much better suited for the role of a backup healer, but you get a heavily armored damage dealer who has Dwarven Damage Resistance…all from the back row. You just can’t beat that…especially when you add in the auto-resurrect. The Dwarven Valkyrie will get Power strike at level 12, and Iron Skin at level 11.



64 Strength (+3 every level)

69 Vitality (+3 every level)





NINJA:



Probably the most versatile and most valuable class in Wizardry, the Ninja is a great substitute for a Rogue. Although not as great at locks & Traps, their unique weaponry and Critical Strike more then makes up for it. When making a Ninja, there is only one Race that can give you what you need, the Hobbit. Ninja’s are best when you focus on getting Reflection by increasing their Dexterity. With their Critical strike and thrown criticals, Power strike isn’t necessarily needed. A hobbit Ninja can get Reflection by level 12.



65 Dexterity

65 Speed

60 Senses

Major In Stealth, Close Combat, and Mace & Flail



NOTE: Although a barehanded or Katana wielding Ninja may seem nice, it doesn’t beat two Nunchukas. You can buy Nunchukas at Arnika, but until then go to Burz in the Monastery and keep resting next to him until he says he has new items in stock, and buy your Ninja a flail or Bullwhip. Later Antone will offer you a Nunchuka in his shop, and if you sleep 24 hours (3 full camping periods) he will regain his current stock and offer you another one. Use those two weapons (Don’t waste points in Dual weapons) until you are able to enter Rapax Castle and have Antone’s brother “Ferro” make you the Vampire Chain whip. (Prisoner’s chain, vampire bat’s wing, and Sorceress Heart) Give that whip to your ninja, sit him in the middle row if you wish, and watch as he devastates the enemies. You can just keep the Nunchukas, since they do have a 15% chance of knockout, but I prefer the stamina draining and damage of the Vampire Chain.





ROGUE:



To be honest, there isn’t much of a difference between a Rogue and a Ninja. The only Difference is that the Rogue makes a better Lock & Trap specialist. The Rogue doesn’t have the Instant Kill ability of the Ninja, BUT he can still be a frontline fighter. My own Rogue in my second game was a fearsome warrior who did as much damage as my Berserker fighters. To make a Rogue like this, start with a Hobbit, and work towards both Snake Speed AND Reflection. Also, make sure to train your Rogue in sword and Dual weapons to some extent, since once his skills get his AC up around the mid 20’s, he will be able to wield a sword and a dagger in the frontline. A rogue is limited in Swords, but the Blade Cuisanart can be used by him, as well as Fang, Any Enchanted Longsword, and the Diamond Epee. Just place a Stiletto in his off hand, and you’ll be fine. Hobbit Rogues will get Reflection by level 9, and Snake Speed by level 10.



75 Dexterity (+3 every level)

70 Speed

70 Senses

Major in Lock & Traps, Stealth, and Bow



NOTE: Equip them with a Longsword and main gauche as soon as possible. Give them the Diamond Epee (Unless you have a ranger who needs it) when you get to it in Arnika, and use that until your fighter grows out of Fang and can then pass it on to your rogue.





GADGETEER:



I’m not a fan of the Gadgeteer, and don’t really recommend him. If you want a ranged combat character who can pick locks, you get a Rogue or maybe a Ninja. Though if you want to try a Gadgeteer, your best bet is once again a Hobbit. Intelligence is important to a Gadgeteer, but maxing it out is useless since you will have no use for Power Cast. Instead, it’s better to max out Senses and gain the Eagle Eye ability. This will help your modern weapons connect more often, and since that is all a Gadgeteer can do, it is your best option by default. Hobbit Gadgeteer’s will get Eagle Eye by level 12 if leveled correctly. You could make a Mook Engineer, but you won’t get quite the same bonus. (And Mooks will leave your party temporarily…)



65 Senses (+3 every level, then work on Intelligence and Vitality)

70 Dexterity

60 Speed

Major in Ranged Weapon, Engineering, Modern Weapon





BARD:



It takes a special type of gamer to play a Bard. The only problem with the Bard is that playing Musical instruments takes away a lot of Stamina. Since this is true, you have to play a female bard so you can get a Locket of Reflection and put it on her. There are other stamina regenerating items, but the Lockets come very early in the game. As far as Race goes, Human is your best bet here. Intelligence is somewhat important, but I never saw an improvement in my musical spell casting with Power cast. (If someone knows different, email me) The best Expert skill to grab for the Bard is difficult to say. You COULD go with Power Cast, and if so your human would get it at level 13. You could get Reflection at the same level, which might be better since it will make the Bard much harder to hit.



62 Intelligence (+3 every level if you want Power Cast)

61 Dexterity (+3 every level if you want Reflection)

57 Speed

60 Senses

Major in Music, Communication, Locks & Traps



NOTE: Don’t use a bard as a secondary Mage. Very bad idea. Instead, treat them as a Rogue with mage-like abilities you can call on if things get rough. Moving up your Bard’s Communication will make buying and selling easier and will rid you of demands for money when you ask for information.





PRIEST:



Every party needs a priest. I don’t care if you have 4 Lords and a Valkyrie, you need a Priest. Bishops cannot be the kind of specialized healer you need either. So with this out of the way, you should know that the best Priest is, and has always been the Rawulf. A priest only needs a high Piety and a high Vitality, and the Rawulf is by far the best in this department. A Rawulf Priest will get Iron Will by level 8, and Iron Skin level 11 if you devote points to only Piety and Vitality (And you should!). Iron Skin and Iron Will should help keep your healer alive in almost every situation. The Healer in my previous trip died only once in the entire game, thanks in part to those two expert skills.



77 Piety (+3 every level)

68 Vitality (+3 every level)

50 Dexterity

50 Speed

Major in Divinity, Spend all remaining points in magic schools where needed





ALCHEMIST:



Alchemists are an acquired taste. A Ninja or a Ranger can double as one, but if you want a REAL one, and like the idea of having tons of extra potions, the Elf is your best bet. There isn’t much difference between a mage and an Alchemist other then the special spells one gets that the other cannot. Still, Intelligence is very important. The Elf will gain Power Cast at level 10.



70 Intelligence (+3 every level)

65 Piety

60 Speed

Major in Alchemy, Spend all remaining points in magic schools where needed





BISHOP:



Playing a Bishop is hard work. You will be forced to learn spells at a slower rate, and have to divide points between a ton and a half of spell schools. If you DO pick a Bishop, back one up with a Priest. The race to choose for this class is, once again, an Elf. Since you have to have Power cast and a high Piety for Divine Spell Casting, you have a lot of level building to do. The Elf Bishop will get Power Cast by level 12 and also gain Iron Will by level 12…which might not be a bad idea since Bishops tend to be extremely fragile.



65 Intelligence (+3 every level)

65 Piety (+3 every level)

45 Vitality

Major in Every Spell School that lags behind the others!!!



PSIONIC:



A Psionic can be better then a mage. They get a lot of nice status ailment spells that mages can’t, including but not limited to Insanity and Cerebral Hemorrhage. What is really great about them is that they have a lot of their own “versions” of mage spells, making them more valuable then a plain vanilla mage. As far as race goes, you should go with a Mook here. You need Power Cast, and the Mook also has the Senses Bonus that will help you raise your Psionic spell casting. Expect to get Power Cast by level 10.



73 Intelligence (+3 every level)

40 Piety

53 Vitality

40 Dexterity

40 Speed

65 Senses

Major in Psionics, Spend all remaining points in magic schools where needed.





MAGE:



The Mage is the bread and Butter spell caster of the CRPG world. Every good party needs one, and in Wizardry, the best Race to become a Mage would be an Elf. Their starting Intelligence guarantees Power Casting at an Early level, which is all a good Mage needs. Expect to get the valuable skill at level 9.



75 Intelligence (+3 every level)

65 Piety (Raise to 70-75, then work solely on Vitality to keep him alive)

50 Vitality

Major in Wizardry, Spend all remaining points in magic schools where needed.





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Part Three: The Best Combinations



When making a six person party (If you are a veteran like myself who enjoys 2 man parties or solo runs, this isn’t for you) you need to take into account the formation before beginning your game. Formation is crucial, and picking a spot for each character is important. Depending on what weapon you will specialize them in, you might end up placing them in the second or side rows. Let us start by listing what weapons work with each of the classes, and where they should be placed:



Fighters, Samurai, and Lords: Swords only. Put them in the first row.



Valkyrie: Polearms, middle or Side rows. (Left or Right Side row is best)



Ninja: Front Row with Nunchucks. Or once they get the Vampire Chain, put them in the Middle.



Rogue: Front Row. Dual sword and Dagger.



Ranger: Middle Row w/Bow. Level his swords even before you get the Giant Sword. If you have space in the front row, consider putting him there with an enchanted Longsword or Diamond Epee until you get the Giants Sword.



Bard: Back row with staffs. The Bards are limited in the staffs they can have. There is the Bone basher, Staff of Ash, and the Staff of Doom, but you could just as well keep them as Ranged attackers only and major in Bow. The choice is yours.



Gadgeteer: Middle row with Modern weaponry.



Monk: Middle Row with staffs only.



All Spellcasters: Back Row with staffs and slings. (There are lots of good mage staffs)





Now with that out of the way, we move onto the final and most important part of party creation: The lineup. Now you have to choose what six characters to bring with you. Since you know what works best thanks to this FAQ, you now have to choose a party. There are basically two “Perfect” parties you can create, and they boil down to what type of damage you want to deal. You either want a heavy damage dealing party, or a party that can very quickly “Instant kill” your enemies. Let us take a look at both of these parties.



Party one: “The Powergamer’s Party”



Front Row: Two Fighters and a Rogue (All with swords)

Left Side Row: Valkyrie with a polearm

Right Side Row: Vi Domina with a Polearm & Modern Weapon (Mystery Ray)

Middle Row: RFS-81 with a Bo Staff

Back Row: Priest and Mage with Staffs and Slings



This party will coast through the game, since everyone can perform devastating melee attacks and the three people up front will absorb the most damage. RFS-81 will perform nicely with the Zatoichi Bo, and having two Fighters in constant berserk mode will mean that no enemy, even the Dark Savant himself, will last more then three rounds. Your fighters will be doing in upwards of 120 per hit, with 3-4 swings per round while your Valkyrie, Rogue, Vi and RFS-81 will get about 3 swings a round for about 50 damage. This team is a Melee fighter’s dream, and you will become a human blender that will chop enemies into meaty chunks in just a single round, guaranteed. Expect per round damage (Not including magic) to spiral into the upper 500’s.



Party two: “The Exotic Party”



Front Row: One Fighter, One Samurai, One Ninja. (Give the Ninja a Flail skill boost)

Left Side Row: Vi Domina with a Polearm & Modern Weapon (Mystery Ray)

Right Side Row: RFS-81 with a Bo Staff

Middle Row: Mook Ranger With the Giant Sword/Bows

Back Row: Priest and Psionic with Staffs and Slings



This party won’t deal anywhere near the damage of the previous party, but almost everyone will posses an instant kill ability. The Samurai, the Ninja, and RFS-81 can auto-kill with melee attacks while your Ranger can auto kill with his arrows. You can even move your Ninja to the middle row once he switches his Nunchukas for a Vampire Chain, though his high AC will probably make you keep him up front.



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There you have it. A comprehensive party planning guide without smiley faces, attitude, or grade school English. I hope this is useful to you, or gives you a few new party ideas of your own. There are a few neat parties you can toy with. Ever think of trying three lizard fighters, a Valkyrie, a ninja, and a bishop? Or a Samurai, Ninja, Monk frontline with a Ranger and two bishops in the middle row? Experiment using these race/class guide lines and you’ll find there is a lot of many different party combinations that work. Maybe some better then the two I listed.



Wizardry 8 is about experimentation.



Just save the End Game files for Wizardry 9…



This FAQ is owned, lock stock and barrel, by me. If it appears on any site OTHER then my own, it must be removed. I give no other site permission to use this FAQ. I go to many different game sites, and I will eventually perform google searches for this FAQ…if it appears on other game sites, expect me to email you and force you to remove it.

(Updated 11/16/09) Actually, I don't care. This guide was originally my big "Fuck you" to the Wizardry "club". those shit bricks who think you can't make a melee party and that direct damage magic is more useful than debuffs and stat effect spells. Sorry dickweeds...you were wrong.

[MildMonster74]

The only thing wrong with this is the Monk section. A monk with maxed out speed and martial arts is gonna achieve some of the highest damage in the game and perform far better then any staff Monk could

[Ack]

Interesting. Did Wizardry 8 allow party porting from 6 or 7?

[MrPopo]

It did, which is all the more impressive given the long gap between 7 and 8.

[Ack]

The thing is, I own Wizardry 8 on GOG, but not 6 or 7. I wonder if it's worth it to start a party from scratch or pick up previous entries to try and port.

[MrPopo]

I don't think it's a requirement, but the trilogy does tell a full story, so starting with 8 means you will miss out on plot points.