Wizardry Gold
What is it?
enhancedremake of Wizardry VII (Crusaders of the Dark Savant) on CD for Macintosh and Windows, 1996.
The main enhancement were the high-resolution graphics (640×480). There were new character portraits in a more cartoony style. Backgrounds were just pixel-doubled.
An Amiga version was planned (at least you find credits for Amiga programming within the game) but obviously never finished. In Japan it was also available for PSX.
In the Wizardry Gold help file, some Crusaders playtesters present their favorite parties. Some just give a list of characters, others go into more detail, and then you will find this gem:
The perfect party should have lots of food and drinks. It should also have a Mage. The best offensive combat spells are Mage spells and a Mage learns them sooner than anyone else. In Bane, Dark Savant's prequel, many a fight ended on the first move when my Faerie Mage, Tinker, cast a Fireball. Faeries make good Mages as their speed means that they often get the first move in combat.
A Bard is also a necessity. Their ability to sing, play an instrument and tell bawdy tales livens any party. They are welcome anywhere and will get you past any closed door even if they have to pick the lock. In the early phases of the game, the ability to cast Sleep with a lute without limit was a party saver. Thieves are no substitute for a Bard as Thieves cannot perform this magic.
No party would be complete without an Alchemist. They know the most wonderful recipes for drinks and can make them from just about anything. For those who indulge too much, Alchemists can learn Heal Wounds immediately. When party poopers decide to bash the party, you will need all the healing you can muster. Priests can also learn Heal Wounds immediately but an Alchemist cannot be silenced like a Priest. The cloud spells of an Alchemist are also very useful. There were several battles in Bane where the entire party was rendered helpless but still won because of a Poison Gas spell the Alchemist managed to cast before becoming helpless.
The problem with Mages, Bards and Alchemists is they do not get lots of hit points and cannot wear heavy armor. Bards compensate somewhat with their Ninjutsu skill but you still need some brawny fighter types to stand between them and any party bashers. Samurai are good fighters. While they can cast Mage spells, their real value is their ability to attack many, many times and make critical hits. Samurai prefer to use traditional Japanese arms and armor, which tend to be scarce, but they will use many of the more common western arms and armor. There should be no problem finding something for one Samurai.
Another good fighter is the Valkyrie. Valkyries can also learn Priest spells, the most important of which is Heal Wounds. Valkyries can also use any arm and armor so there is no problem equipping them.
Lords are stern and authoritarian. They can deaden the liveliest party. Lords are not worth inviting to your party. A Valkyrie does almost everything a Lord does and needs less experience points to do it.
Rangers aren't invited to my party. The problem with Rangers is that they cannot use heavy armor and many of the better commonly found weapons. They are second-rate fighters and spell casters. The other fighter types are at least first-rate fighters.
Ninja and Monks are equivalent for all practical purposes. The weapons they can use and the armor they can wear is severely limited. This is partially compensated by their Ninjutsu skill and their ability to fight very well with their hands and feet at high levels. Ninja have thieving skills and can be used in place of a Bard. Ninja also make decent Alchemists, but should be regarded mainly as fighters and not spell casters. Monks have Psionic ability and can be used in place of a Psionic. Ninja tend to be secretive while a good Monk enjoys a little medicinal drink from time and are much preferred over Ninja in a good party.
The pure Fighter is a party animal. They can use any arm and wear any armor. They make good scouts, which can be useful in the beginning when Detect Secret is not available. They cannot cast spells, but gain levels very rapidly. Unlike some other fantasy games, Fighters remain very useful even after your spell casters have gained their awesome combat spells. Still, a Samurai or Valkyrie is more useful.
Psionics know lots of entertaining party tricks but are not very useful when it comes time to clean up. Pure Psionics are no substitute for a Mage or an Alchemist. They are like Priests in that a fighter type (a Monk in this case) makes a good substitute for them.
Bishops are pious and authoritarian. They are worse than Lords for spoiling a lively party. Bishops are awesome but take so long to develop that they are not very useful until much too late in the game.
The party that I really like is: Monk, Samurai, Valkyrie, Bard, Alchemist, Mage.
Good luck and remember that the successful party loots first and burns afterwards.
Danny Low
