Bishops and Spell Books?

[GrandMajora]

Which combination of spell books do you recommend for making a Bishop character? The game advises to focus one's attention on just 2 of them, and I'm hoping to avoid books which have too many overlapping spells, in order to get maximum diversity out of my spell casting abilities.

[Skleedle]

If Bishop is the main or only caster, you can get 3 schools going fairly well by starting with Divinity and Wizardry for the buffs and putting just enough effort into Alchemy to start mixing potions to develop it further.

[GrandMajora]

Originally posted by Skleedle:

If Bishop is the main or only caster, you can get 3 schools going fairly well by starting with Divinity and Wizardry for the buffs and putting just enough effort into Alchemy to start mixing potions to develop it further.

So they'll brew potions with skill in the Alchemy book? I thought only the Alchemists themselves get that?

At least, I've never noticed a ninja doing it.

[vysionier]

Anyone with alchemy can mix potions. Gotta have the skill for it though.

[redbeard]

While this is objective (ppl have different ideas about building bishops), this is what I do to develop a 4 book bishop. When creating a bishop, only pick Mind Stab, the reason for this, you can find or buy every 1st through 5th spell book, except Mind Stab (you can also find 1 6th level spell, Banish), as you gain levels DO NOT pick any spells, saving your spell picks until you get level 6 and 7 spells. As you gain levels, develop him with Divinity>Psionics>Alchemy>Wizardry. In the Monastery, you'll find 4 spell books (Light, Stamina, Bless, and Divine Traps), all the spells needed to develop Divinity first. Head to Anna in Arnika, buying Charm (to finish out Divinity), Mind Read (to work on Psionics after Divinity is done) and Knock (to work on Alchemy once Divinity and Psionics are done). Cast Charm and Mind Read on Anna, and Knock on the bank vault. Once I've gotten Alchemy up to about 50, I'll start tossing in Missile Shield and Enchanted Blade to get Wizardry going. By the time I'm ready to leave Arnika, all 4 books are either maxed out or close to it.

[vysionier]

The 4 spellbook bishop is all I ever use, but I’d never,never,never, ever recommend it for someone who doesn’t just love grinding.

[redbeard]

Originally posted by vysionier:

The 4 spellbook bishop is all I ever use, but I’d never,never,never, ever recommend it for someone who doesn’t just love grinding.

Yeah, there is that ........ my layout i mentioned above take several weeks (to almost a month) of grinding, but to make my bishop "Godlike" unstoppable, it is well worth it IMHO.

[vysionier]

Oh I totally agree, but it’s definately not for everyone

[GrandMajora]

Where are the other 3 books from the monastery? The only one I've ever found was Light. Don't know where Stamina, Bless or Divine Traps are located?

[vysionier]

Bless and divine trap are in the hall of meditation in the upper monastery(library) and stamina is in lower monastery next to the hallway bookshelf. You need search on to find them unless you have a ranger, which I highly recommend you have if you don’t know where things are.

[GrandMajora]

Originally posted by vysionier:

Bless and divine trap are in the hall of meditation in the upper monastery(library) and stamina is in lower monastery next to the hallway bookshelf. You need search on to find them unless you have a ranger, which I highly recommend you have if you don’t know where things are.

Ah, I almost never use Rangers. By the time I first found out about this game, I was used to the idea of them just being the generic Bow and Arrow character. And the fact that basic ammunition in this game does absolutely pathetic damage, I assumed they were a useless class.

Didn't find out until years later that the more advanced ammunition is much more powerful, and that items started appearing all over the place with Auto Search on!

[vysionier]

If you are really opposed to the idea of using a ranger, then grab a guide off of flamestryke’s wiz8 site. Just look it up, I’m typing on my cell phone and I don’t know how to insert a link :/

[redbeard]

Rangers in my opinion are probably one of the better classes in Wiz8 as opposed to how there were in the other Wizard games. Not only do they auto search (saving you from having to have your search icon turned on), but they also can do critical kills with bows. Having a Mook Ranger will also allow you to use the Giant Sword, an extended melee weapon that a ranger can use from the rear, doing a fair amount of damage.

[vysionier]

Exactly my feelings on ranger. I pick either gnome, mook, or human. With a dex/sen, str/vit build wielding dual maces plus bow. My reasoning there is that with such a high to hit and the initiative penalty from (mace/hammer) I can hit decently when I need to but If someone finishes off the enemy first, I’ll be able to switch right back to shooting. Also reflexion helps compensate for the mediocre armor options.

[GrandMajora]

I have a Mook Ranger and pretty much been dumping all their levels into Dexterity and Senses for now. Once those are maxed out, I'm planning to go for Strength and probably Speed or Vitality. I also just gave him a double shot crossbow!

For my Bishop (and other mental spell casters), I've found that the Divine Trap spell is a far better option than Charm or Mind Read. The spell cost much less mana (4 points for rank 1), and doesn't disarm the trap if it's successful. Which means you can cast it at its highest available power level, and not worry about losing your practice dummy.

It can also be spam casted MUCH faster than Charm / Mind Read, so you'll see your Mental Magic skill flying up in ranks.

At the time of writing this, I've got roughly 60 points in Psionics, and 80 points in Mental Magic using this trick on the chest at the top floor of the Arnika tavern.

[NullBurner]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Originally posted by Skleedle:

If Bishop is the main or only caster, you can get 3 schools going fairly well by starting with Divinity and Wizardry for the buffs and putting just enough effort into Alchemy to start mixing potions to develop it further.

So they'll brew potions with skill in the Alchemy book? I thought only the Alchemists themselves get that?

At least, I've never noticed a ninja doing it.

Not only that. Bishop also can cast alchemy spells while silenced (heal wounds for example)!