Wizard Slayer: Under-Appreciated But Not Under-powered.

A short guide to getting your wizard slayer character off the ground, and so that you can appreciate their main ability that no other class has available to it.

For long time on Baldur's Gate forums the Wizard Slayer has been considered weak and ineffectual, unable to even "slay" wizards. It is time to correct that and I want to show you how to do it, and how to have a lot of fun with the wizard slayer.

Introduction to the Slayer

I do love to kill wizards, clerics too! Druids I enjoy killing as much as harpers and that is very enjoyable for me. So I am determined to make spellcaster killing work. We have a guide here on getting the wizard slayer up and running, and in spite of their name they are also very effecting at offing clerics, druids and monster spellcasters.

If you know some of the long-running debates on classes and balance in the BG community, you will know that the wizard slayer (WS) is considered weak and ineffectual, and woefully inferior to a standard fighter because of their restrictions on magic items.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/54574903

The restrictions are real, but this class gets a very strong ability that is often overlooked in the comdemnation of the class.

"Wizard slayers have bonus to magic resistance of 1% for each level and in addition, starting from lvl 20, they gain 5% magical resistance every second lvl. For example: 22, 24, 26, etc. Every successful hit also lowers the chance by 10% to successfully cast spells."

The Stacking is Real
They get a very small amount of magic resistance (but we can improve that) that can come through to help you out surprisingly often, if you are lucky, but the second ability is the REAL POWER. 10% spell failure chance after every hit. Okay, but wizards especially can't take many hits and it is only 10%. That is 10% per hit, it stacks, it applies if both weapons hit and it keeps on applying. It also counts through stoneskin.

Yes, 10% per hit, there we go, through stoneskin. I was surprised to find this out, but if you get a two weapon wielding wizard slayer quickly up to a mage and start chipping at the stoneskin, every single hit, even if it doesn't do damage is adding +10% miscast. You can disrupt a caster very early on, you can also reduce to them to being unable to cast spells. 10 hits in, and it is over for that spellcaster, even if they are still alive the casting game show is at an end.

Here is my Wizard Slayer killing one of the first spellcasting imps in the very first dungeon:



This was my first wizard kill and this was when I first saw a spell failure from the Wizard Slayer special ability.



Yes, I could toy with her and walk around because she couldn't cast her spells!

Not that I keep them around for long, but this special ability is not magical and can't be dispelled. The game keeps a track of their failure chance and they are stuck with that.

Ha,
Ha,
Ha!

The End Goal

Your end goal is a fast moving melee focused fighter, with grand mastery in their chosen weapons with two weapon fighting or one handed fighting also at max.

Your magic resistance will be slightly improved by items, and you will always seek out the most dangerous spellcaster first. Your saves will be excellent and you will have some protections, and you will need the hit points to take damage while you neutralise the spellcasters. You are not the main hitter, you are the wizard slayer taking them out before they become a great threat.



Others have also followed the path of the Wizard Slayer and there are reports that the WS is perfect for defeating Irenicus. You will come to grips with him, and like so many wizards before him you will bring his miscast to 100%, then he will be nothing! Then, humiliated and helpless, he will fall.



Not only is the Wizard Slayer perfectly suited to kill Irenicus, it even fits with the story (perhaps it doesn't fit with being raised by a wizard, but ah well the main character's upbringing must have led to many conflicts with his guardian).

How To Get There

First, to character creation.

Pick a Dwarf. Mainly you are doing it for the saves and the con (and the con-boosted saves):

Racial Traits Edit

Racial Bonuses: Infravision. -2 bonus to Death, Wand, and Spell saving throws with additional Constitution-based bonuses (-5 bonus at 18+ Con, see "Shorty" Saving Throws).
Stat Modifiers: +1 Con, -1 Dex, -2 Cha.
Stat Minimum/Maximum:
Str: 8/18
Dex: 3/17 (2/17 in BG:EE)
Con: 12/19
Int: 3/18
Wis: 3/18
Cha: 2/16 (1/16 in BG:EE)

Dwarves are short and stocky, easily identifiable by their size and shape. They have ruddy cheeks, dark eyes, and dark hair. Dwarves tend to be dour and taciturn. They are given to hard work, and care little for most humor. They enjoy beer, ale, mead, but most of all, they love gold. There are four racial divisions of dwarves within the Realms: shield dwarves, gold dwarves, wild dwarves, and duergar.

Dwarves have the following traits:

-2 bonus to Saving Throws vs. Paralysis/Poison/Death, vs. Rod/Staff/Wand, and vs. Spell, with additional bonuses based on Constitution.
Infravision.
+20% Open Locks, +20% Find Traps, +15% Pick Pockets, +10% Move Silently, +5% Hide in Shadows, +5% Detect Illusion, +10% Set Traps.
+1 Constitution, -1 Dexterity, -2 Charisma.

Yes, their saves against spells are excellent. You are charging straight at wizards and the like, so that is necessary.

Let's look at a Dwarf.



No, that is John Hammond as a necromancer.

Here is my current Wizard Slayer, blitzing through the game on normal difficulty and leaving dead wizards in his wake:



His ability scores are not altered from the outset. You want high Con, for Dwarves with high Con get a bonus to saves. You want high str for damage, high int to take some hits from mind flayers. Charisma you can dump right to 2 if needed.

I'm also running the mental stats high because my WS isn't bad at identifying items for the party. His lore is decent, and he is also using a sword that gives him +10 to Lore.

With a dwarf similar to this you are almost ready to begin, but there remains the choice of weapons and proficiencies. As a WS is a fighter, they get plenty. I like longswords and they are abundant in BG & BG2, and some are very potent magical longswords. You don't want two handed weapons because you need the spell failure to rise quick, so you choose two-weapon or singe-weapon.

Why single weapon style? Well I went single weapon initially for the bonus crit chance. I chose longsword because you can find a +1 longsword within moments of starting, and by killing the crypt king once you get out of the jail, stuff around in the slums and then head to the graveyard, you can have Varscona very early on, and be able to do damage even through stoneskin.

Varscona, also known as Long Sword +2, is an enchanted longsword which deals +1 cold damage when hitting the target. It has a bonus to damage and thaco of +2 and speed factor of 3. It has a weight of 3 lbs.

You get it here. The fight is tough but doable straight out of Irenicus' dungeon:

Finishing Touches

The Wizard Slayer has many restrictions on their magic items, so you want to get just the right equipment.

Here is my setup:



I have magical armour and the helm of Balduran (also available very early on), but I have a range of longswords and one scimitar to get the job done. I am dual wielding after abandoning single handed style after a few quests (I do miss my additional crits).

What I have in my off-hand is "Adjatha the Drinker is an enchanted long sword +2. This weapon offers a bonus to speed factor, THAC0 and damage of +2 and on top of that, it can absorb 1 HP every time it hits an opponent, similar to the Sword of Chaos and it makes the wielder immune to charm and domination effects". I always keep that equipped to protect against charm and domination.

The weapon in my main hand cycles as need be, I have The Sword of Balduran, for the +10% magic resistance, the Burning Earth for trolls and wizards, Varscona because I feel an attachment to it and like to do cold damage against wizards. By having so many swords with different abilities I am getting around the WS restrictions on magic items.

What I have below is my emergency weapon, Belm. My character doesn't have much yet invested in scimitars, but Belm is perfect for the Wizard Slayer, and a scimitar WZ would work. Belm gives you an extra attack, and it is quick.



The more attacks you pour into a spellcaster, the higher the spell failure rises, so Belm is there as an emergency and if I am facing many spellcasters are once. My saves will protect me for a while, but when you need to get them to high spell failure, accept no substitutes.

Belm can be found in the Ogre's Tower in the northeast corner of the Druid Grove, near Adratha's Cottage.

The last thing a Wizard Slayer definitely needs is the Paws of the Cheetah. These boots double your run speed, so you run into battle faster, and you can get them from the Astral Prison and a bounty hunter there. When a battle against spellcaster start you pause it, choose a target and send your WS in. Easy. Just make sure you keep them alive.

Wrapping It Up

I find the fast Dwarven WS to be a joy to use, and BG2 has a lot of magic and spellcasters in it. Your spell failure chance will work against things like Yuan-ti wizards and I took out the Beholder very early.





The Wizard Slayer is not invincible or over-powered, and they shine after just a few seconds. Denying spellcasters the ability to cast spells is very enjoyable, and you can do it via melee (which will of course kill them if their defences are down) instead of trying to cast feeblemind or miscast magic and trying to pass the resistances and saves.

It will take a while to assemble all the items your WS needs, but there are a few loadout options. Avoid the two-handed swords, they are too slow. Once it falls into place the WZ proves they are not weak and their special ability is a truly dangerous one, but only to spellcasting enemies.

What To Pair With The WS?
You could solo the WS, and solo-ing Irenicus' dungeon as the WS isn't hard, but having other party members to cover areas is important. A WS obviously benefits from Keldorn and his dispel, and be sure to run in as it hits the enemies to exploit the opneing. Clerics can keep a WS up and boosted. Archers can cover the WS as they rush into battle and pick off the enemies. Wizards and Wizard Slayers (and Valygar) is an amusing combination. If you neutralise an enemy spellcaster your wizard has nothing to worry about from them.

I wish you good luck if you try the Wizard Slayer, may spells never beat your saves and may your magic resistance help you out at just the right time.

Good luck wizard slayer. Carve through those wizards and ruin their spells.

[𝔗𝔢𝔞 ❀]

If you can get the flail of ages and the wyvern's tail +2, a wizard slayer with flails could be quite beastly and do all sorts of element and poison damage.

[𝔗𝔢𝔞 ❀]

Enthusiastically so.

[Zyzyx]

Bible black enthusiast that also love killing harpers for fun, vibin bro

[𝔗𝔢𝔞 ❀]

Yes Tyler, he had it coming.
Then finish him slowly with poison throwing daggers.

[Tyler Durden]

Irenicus torturing you with his magic, then having it stripped away, leaving him utterly helpless, is hilarious, epic, and ironic, all in one.

[𝔗𝔢𝔞 ❀]

If you know, you know.

[Tony Broke Skater]

is that a bible black gif?

[𝔗𝔢𝔞 ❀]

That is nice to hear that, Mandy. Have fun!

[MandyLyn]

Hi! Thanks for this guide. I created a WS as a side-kick for Throne of Bhaal. She's pretty kick-a$$. I will check her out in light of your recommendations and make some tweaks. I also thought the WS sounded good, and picked long-sword and two-weapon style. Great minds, and all that...

[𝔗𝔢𝔞 ❀]

Really glad to read that.