08-31-2003, 03:59 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-31-2003, 05:13 AM by Rhydderch Hael.)
I don't know anything about the strict variant rules. My muscle mage, if the variant purists would permit the label, is built around a playing style rather than a ruled variant. Practicality guides his wardrobe.
Things you need to know about Jewels: those Rings and Amulets will provide only one of three things through their prefixes: Resistances; ToHit%; or raw Mana. As a melee-oriented mage, that Mana boost is at the bottom of your list-- you've got plenty that comes by nature. Resistances are much more important in a defensive nature, but the ToHit% boosters will deliver that offensive crunch you might need-- especially if you can't find a half-decent weapon.
The name of the game is trying to get as much melee damage as possible-- accomplished by two means: pumped Strength and/or a really high damage weapon. Strength boosts are obvious: "of Giants" and "of Titans" represent the mother lode of magical boosters you'll be seeking. Forget Dexterity boosters to gain your ToHit%-- you'll never get enough to boost both Strength and Dexterity to feed your needs. Focus of Strength, and get your ToHit through equipment rather than a Dex boost.
ToHit% can be claimed on two fronts: a "King's" weapon or the like, and "Gold" jewelry. While the "Gold Ring of Titans" really does look tempting for a Muscle Mage, you have to consider a choice: choose "Gold" prefixes on your Rings and Amulet (at the cost of Resistances) or go for Resist-boosting jewels and opt for a King's weapon to make up your ToHit% needs.
It comes up to two equipment philosophies, best understood as to how they revolve around the mage's weapon.
Route#1: you can go for a sword or axe with pure damaging power (Merciless Sword of...) and attain your ToHit% boosts through your jewelry. This comes at the cost of either lower Resistances or Armor Class, as it is through your armor that these two forms of defense must be met. This route is the more offensive-minded of the options, as you can deliver marginally greater damage than what you get from a weapon that combines both Damage and ToHit%. Your ToHit% may be even better, too, since the ToHit% boosts of the rings/amulets contribute more numbers than a single King's weapon will bring.
Route#2: you can get a really nice King's Sword of Absolute Butt-Kickin' Destruction (model may vary from dealership to dealership) and hope that the weapon's ToHit% boost will be enough. Then, you can boost up your Resistances through jewlery while keeping your armor pieces focused on generating high AC numbers. The more defensible, survivable of the two options-- though your chance to hit a target may be lacking at the hardest levels.
Things you need to know about Jewels: those Rings and Amulets will provide only one of three things through their prefixes: Resistances; ToHit%; or raw Mana. As a melee-oriented mage, that Mana boost is at the bottom of your list-- you've got plenty that comes by nature. Resistances are much more important in a defensive nature, but the ToHit% boosters will deliver that offensive crunch you might need-- especially if you can't find a half-decent weapon.
The name of the game is trying to get as much melee damage as possible-- accomplished by two means: pumped Strength and/or a really high damage weapon. Strength boosts are obvious: "of Giants" and "of Titans" represent the mother lode of magical boosters you'll be seeking. Forget Dexterity boosters to gain your ToHit%-- you'll never get enough to boost both Strength and Dexterity to feed your needs. Focus of Strength, and get your ToHit through equipment rather than a Dex boost.
ToHit% can be claimed on two fronts: a "King's" weapon or the like, and "Gold" jewelry. While the "Gold Ring of Titans" really does look tempting for a Muscle Mage, you have to consider a choice: choose "Gold" prefixes on your Rings and Amulet (at the cost of Resistances) or go for Resist-boosting jewels and opt for a King's weapon to make up your ToHit% needs.
It comes up to two equipment philosophies, best understood as to how they revolve around the mage's weapon.
Route#1: you can go for a sword or axe with pure damaging power (Merciless Sword of...) and attain your ToHit% boosts through your jewelry. This comes at the cost of either lower Resistances or Armor Class, as it is through your armor that these two forms of defense must be met. This route is the more offensive-minded of the options, as you can deliver marginally greater damage than what you get from a weapon that combines both Damage and ToHit%. Your ToHit% may be even better, too, since the ToHit% boosts of the rings/amulets contribute more numbers than a single King's weapon will bring.
Route#2: you can get a really nice King's Sword of Absolute Butt-Kickin' Destruction (model may vary from dealership to dealership) and hope that the weapon's ToHit% boost will be enough. Then, you can boost up your Resistances through jewlery while keeping your armor pieces focused on generating high AC numbers. The more defensible, survivable of the two options-- though your chance to hit a target may be lacking at the hardest levels.
Political Correctness is the idea that you can foster tolerance in a diverse world through the intolerance of anything that strays from a clinical standard.