Being an Elementalist

I thought it might be an idea to explore the options for character development for my Elementalist wizard.

Take that

Starting Out
I made the decision to be an Elementalist because I just loved the idea of throwing fire balls around the board. Casting spells in your school has no negative modifiers so they should be the main spells in use. You personality, as it were.

Elemental Bolt is favourite spell. It has a 12 cast, needs LOS and is resolved as a +8 shooting attack. That is a really potent weapon and I have already vaporised some of my opposition. A wonderful feeling.

My 'go to' spell is Wall. It has a 10 cast value and allows me to erect a 6" wall that is 3" high within 6" of myself. I cast this a lot in every game.

My third chosen spell is Elemental Shield. This absorbs 3 points of damage and can only be cast on me. It makes me more survivable.

My aligned schools are Summoner, Chiromancer and Enchanter. These suffer a +2 modifier when casting spells. The starting Wizard must have one spell from each school. I went for movement oriented spells.

Summoner - I chose Leap which allows 10" of movement. This can be great to get to a piece of Treasure early and then later in the game it is good to move soldiers carrying loot.

Chromancer - I went for Fleet Feet, target receives +2 movement for the rest of the game. Handy to cast early on something like a Thief who already has 7" movement. Turns him into a speedy dude. It is good that it lasts for the whole game.

Enchanter - I like Telekinesis. It allows you to pull treasure 6" towards you. This is great for getting at that final piece of treasure that is in the middle of an open space. No-one wants to run out there so you pull the treasure towards you. I have used it to great effect.

Neutral schools are Necromancer and Thaumaturge. These receive a +4 modifier so will not be used much in the beginning.

I went for Necromancer - Steal Health which allows the caster to take 3 health from the target and add it to your own.

And finally Thaumaturge - Blinding Light - Stuns the target so they can't cast LOS spells, fight or shoot. I figure there might be a last ditch need for this at some point.

Summary - I have made a wizard that has good offence abilities, that throws fire balls around the board and then has the ability to protect the war band by putting up high walls to block line of sight. I have also added mobility to the war band through my aligned spell choices.

Development
I have gone up 8 levels so far and have decided to improve the cast levels of my spells. This will help make them easier to cast and more successful casts in a game the more XP is earned. The improvement also help the Apprentice. You can only improve a stat by one point after a game and the lowest cast value allowed is 5.

My 'go to' spell is Wall so I have spent 3 points improving its cast to 7. I spent 3 points on Elemental Bolt so that it is now 9 instead of 12. It is my main offence spell after all.

Then I have spent 2 points on Leap. It is now cast on 6. Because it is in an aligned school it suffers a +2 modifier. But 8 is still decent and I find it a very helpful spell.

I have also bought a new spell. I went for Elemental Ball because it has an Area Of Effect that extends 1.5" from the target. Very intimidating and prevents bunching up.

Future Options
I am keen to get Elemental Hammer. This puts a +5 damage modifier on a weapon, when it next does damage. Ouch. I can see that being painful.

Other than that I need to look toward my Aligned schools. I like the idea of bringing more characters to the war band. I have already added an Inn and Kennel to the team so that I can take an extra soldier and a war hound. Enchanter has Animate Construct with an 8 cast value. This is cast out of the game and can add a Construct to the team. I also like Summon Demon from Summoner. This has a 12 cast value and adds a Demon to the team. I will need to get appropriate models. But there is time.

Ba boom, and another soldier is vaporised :-)

Wizard Type review

We have had a few games of Frostgrave now and I feel like I have learned a few things so I thought I might share.

The first thing to say is that this game is all about the Wizard. There are different types and they do different things so it is really important to pick a wizard type that suits your style of play. This is key to enjoying each game.

Casting - its all about casting. You will need to be casting spells every single turn. This is true for both the wizard and the apprentice. This will give you bonus XP after each game. It is how you build your wizard and warband.

This means that you will need to choose a low cast value spell, from your wizard school, that can be cast on yourself or the environment. You can't always see the opposition or indeed members of your own team so this is important. This will be your 'go to' spell. It will have a big impact on how each game feels. Over time this can change but for the first few games it will be very influential.

Spells having a low casting value is important especially for your Apprentice who added +2 to the dice roll. If you are casting Aligned spells there is a further +2 penalty so review your Wizard type carefully. Low value environment spells are the ones you are most likely to be casting.

The lowest cast value is 8 so it would be really helpful to have at least one spell in your armoury with this value. Not all schools have that as an option though so then you are looking at 10 as the lowest cast value.

Elementalist

I choose to play an Elementalist. (I have no spell option with a cast value of 8.) I did this because I like the idea of casting balls of fire. I have managed to do this only occasionally during games. My most commonly used spell is Wall. This is because I can cast it on any turn. I don't need to see anyone else and it has a casting value of 10. Another option for the Elementalist is Shield, which has also a 10 cast value, as this is cast on self only.

My Elementalist has become all about putting up walls. I did not see this coming so it worth reviewing the options before making your starting choice. I have done some of the work below: -

Chromancer has a few low value spells. Fleet Feet at 10 is the spell most likely to be cast a lot. The other potential option is Fast Act which has a low cast value of 8 but you need to have LOS.

Chromancer

Enchanter has a few options. Enchant Weapon and Enchant Armour with a cast value of 8 will be the low value 'go to' spells.

Enchanter

Illusionist there are a number of choices here Monstrous Form has a low cast of 8 which would make it an easy option but there is also Teleport with 10, Glow with 10 and Beauty with 10. So there are options.

Signalist has Explosive Rune. This has a cast value of 10 and is cast on the environment. It is like planting a grenade that can be set off by the opposition. A good option but not a starting 8.

Soothsayer has Awareness. This has a cast value of 8 and cast on self only. It adds +1 to Initiative rolls for the Warband. It doesn't stack but could be cast multiple times to have a successful cast bonus. A bit dull though for your 'go to' option.

Summoner has Leap. Cast value of 8. Move a figure (including self) 10". Handy to have. I really like this option and it is great for moving models encumbered with Treasure which slows movement to half.

Thaumaturge has Heal. Again this has a low cast value of 8 and could be easily cast all the time even on self. Again its a bit dull as a 'go to' option.

Then we have Witch.  There is a good low value spell here which is Fog with an 8 cast value.

Witch

And finally we have Necromancer which is tough. There are no real environment spells with a low value that can be relied on. This could make it tough especially for the Apprentice. Choosing an Aligned spell with a cast value of 8 is probably the way go. Witch, Chomancer, Summoner are the aligned schools, Fast Act, Leap or Fog are your options.

Necromancer

So seven of the ten schools gives you a 'go to' spell with an 8 cast value. This will give them an advantage during the first few games. It will mean a 60% chance of success versus a 50% chance if using cast value of 10.

The other thing to consider is that you are likely to spend your first few improvement points on your 'go to' spell. So it becomes more reliable. Of course because its more reliable you will use it more etc etc. So make sure you like it. I am kind of locked into Wall now and it can be frustrating in games.

Hope this helps you make your decisions.

Most of all just pick the school that suits you and have some fun.

Building my Warband for Frostgrave

Yes folks,  Frostgrave is giving me lots to think about.


Spells
Spells are a big part of the game. Each Warband has 2 casters and they cast the same spells. The Apprentice is less good than the main wizard and suffers a +2 to the dice roll. I figure that it is important to choose low value spells in the beginning to increase the chances of being successful when casting.

I have decided to take an Elementalist as my Wizard. In my mind this is a proper wizard. He has lots of damage related spells which should be fun and a couple that provide cover in the form of a shield or wall. The down side is that all spells are starting level 10 / 12 to cast (on a D20). There are no level 8 spells.

I just like the idea of Elemental Bolt. You shoot a bolt of lightening at anybody in line of sight. No distance restriction. You get a +8 benefit to your dice roll. So it is my Shoot against the target Fight. We both roll a D20 and add the modifier. Most characters have a Fight of around +2 so my +8 is a major advantage. It is a level 12 starting spell so not great in the beginning but later in the campaign could be dominant.

Elemental Shield might be handy and is starting level 10. It absorbs 3 damage.

Wall is another level 10 spell and allows a 6" section of wall to appear on the board near the caster. Could be great for breaking LOS.

He is allied with Chronomancer where the spells are mainly to do with movement and the environment, Summoner who summons a lot and Enchanter who does what it says on the tin. In order to use spells from these disciplines you suffer a +2 to your dice roll. I thought I would go for level 8 spells to start with.

I like Leap from Summoner - you can move the target 10". If carrying treasure your move, typically 6" / 7", is halved, so a 10" move could be very handy indeed.

Enchant Weapon from Enchanter is also level 8 and bestows a benefit to a weapon that lasts for the entire game. Cool. Might be good on a bow.

Telekinesis from Enchanter is also a level 8 spell. Move any treasure within 24" unto 6".

I can start with two more spells but from the Neutral schools of magic. To cast these I have to add 4 to the dice so they will be pretty useless in the beginning.

I am thinking that I will only look to these spells in an emergency so I had better go for something dramatic.

Steal Health looks interesting. You gain 3 health and the opposing character loses 3 health. When its down to the wire and it is do or die I might just opt for using this level 10 spell.

Blinding Light also looks good in that you dazzle the opposing character and they can't use their Line of Sight abilities. Again this could be a last ditch action so I think I will go for it. Another level 10 spell though.

So there we have it. After much reading I am going for Baldric the Elementalist and his apprentice Ming. They will be using Leap and Telekinesis to enhance team movement, dropping walls and shields to protect the war band and ultimately they are a massive threat because of the ability to hurl bolts of lightening across the table. I am getting into character already! Kaboom!

Warband

I have decided to go with the following: -

Silas as a Ranger 100 gold, Clovis as a Man-at-Arms, 80 gold, Ann the Treasure Hunter, 80 gold, Samson as a Thug, 20 gold and Nelly as a Thief, 20 gold.

My Apprentice, Ming costs 200 gold so that is all my 500 spent.

My Warband is 7 members strong and looking forward to its first outing.