Unlike
the Warrior and the Rogue, who rely on healing potions, mana is the
single most vital resource for Aldaen, the Sorcerer among us. Aldaen
came to his wizardly work with these stats: strength, 15; magic, 35;
dexterity, 15; and vitality, 20. Careful casting could see him peak
at strength, 45; magic, 250; dexterity, 85; and vitality, 80.
A well-armed Sorcerer should have his belt filled with many mana
potions. Even though the Sorcerer learns the Healing spell early in
the game, one or two healing potions are still more useful--and
faster--than the Sorcerer's ability to heal himself.
To utilize mana most effectively, the
Sorcerer should always attempt to line enemies up along a
north-south or east-west axis. Once the demons are in line, you
should lure the target into close range and then unleash a spell.
These steps will ensure you are scoring the highest number of hits
per spell cast. As you progress, you will attain spells that can
destroy whole rooms of creatures in an instant. Aim is less
important with Fire Wall, Chain Lightning, and Flame Wave spells,
but if your Sorcerer uses these spells in a multiplayer game, he
will quickly wear out his welcome.
The Sorcerer should also make full use of spell hot keys.
Pressing B or clicking the Spells button on the user interface will
bring up the Sorcerer's spell book. The book presents spell level,
damage information, and mana cost, allowing the Sorcerer to decide
which spells should be used in given situations.
Pressing S will bring up the speed book. Assign hot keys for your
four most commonly used spells by highlighting the icon of the
desired spell from the speed book and then pressing a function key
between F5 and F8. From then on, you can switch to the desired spell
at any time by pressing the assigned hot key.
In the beginning, an effective Sorcerer does not neglect staffs.
The high number of Charged Bolts contained in the Sorcerer's initial
staff make it an especially useful room sweeper, and with the
Sorcerer's ability to recharge staffs, it can be used multiple
times. Use this skill sparingly--as with the Warrior's ability to
repair weapons, recharging a staff will decrease its capacity. As
your Sorcerer advances, the two-hand requirement will probably force
you to abandon the staff in favor of a good one-handed magical
weapon and magical shield.
Early in the game when your Sorcerer levels up, you should invest
very few of your advancement points in vitality. Instead, invest
heavily in magic and quickly learn the Mana Shield spell. When using
Mana Shield, damage is subtracted from mana instead of health.
Therefore, vitality is of less concern to a magic user. Even though
Sorcerers generally refrain from fisticuffs, you should not neglect
raising your strength. With maximum strength and the right magical
items, magi can use any armor in the game. There are few creatures
that can match a high-level Sorcerer wearing full plate-mail.
For Aldaen's sake, fry those teleporting magi. They're
disgusting.
