Basic Templates for New Players (Part 2)

 In the first part of this guide we showed the Combat group, now we are going to show the Magic group.

Unlike the Combat group where two types of templates were shown (Melee and Range), in this Magic group I am only going to present one type of template.

• Magic

Although there are more magical abilities, I am going to focus exclusively on three combined ones that will be very useful for our adventure.

Magery 120

Evaluating Intelligence 100

Necromancy 100

Spirit Speak 100

Spellweaving 100

Resisting Spells 100

Meditation 100

Total: 720 points

Magery unlike combat skills, this skill has a great relevance, because it not only allows to hit when casting spells, but also influences the magic damage that the target will receive. Its level will influence both some of the offensive, defensive and neutral spells in the duration of time and its %, which calculated with the spell resistance of the target, will vary to a greater or lesser extent. This ability in particular is essential to be at 120, because there are fundamental spells such as Energy Vortex of the eighth circle, which in critical moments, failing could negatively affect the situation in which we find ourselves, such as being in a Champion Spawns with high levels (3 or 4) and this invocation is key as a distraction and blocking of being directly targeted by the enemies.

Evaluating Intelligence is one of the skills that affects the increase of magic damage that our target will receive as well as the duration and effect of some magic spells, among other factors that do not apply in our template, such as melee defensive aspects. This skill must be at 100, because at this level the damage is quadrupled (factor 4) with respect to the base.

Necromancy, unlike Magery, this ability is more oriented towards the success and in the summoning (Summon Familiar) and the life that our summoning of undead creatures will have, since the key to Necromancy spells is in the Spirit Speak ability. Necromancy will provide us with fundamental spells for our adventure, such as Wraith Form, Summon Familiar, Animate Dead or Wither among others.

Spirit Speak is like Evaluating Intelligence in Magery, the fundamental and key skill for Necromancy, this skill is the one that allows us to increase the damage of our Necromancy spells as well as their duration, it also allows us to absorb more mana when using Wraith Form and to use the skill to heal us in an additional way, which in critical moments when we are poisoned or affected by Mortal Strike, it can save our lives.

Spellweaving like Necromancy, this skill exclusively affects the success and duration of many spells in conjunction with Arcane Focus. This skill is essential, its powerful spells augmented by Arcane Focus can directly affect the fate of our adventure, a skill as or as important as Magery, whose powerful spells will be devastating for our enemies and a salvation for our allies.

Unlike Magery and Necromancy whose base spell damage increases with an additional ability such as Evaluating Intelligence or Spirit Speak, the damage in Spellweaving is based on the number of arcanists that together gather to create the Arcane Focus through the Arcane Circle spell.

Resisting Spells was explained its importance and necessity in this adventure in Part 1 of this guide.

Meditation is similar to Focus in a fighter, a fighter uses mana, but the key factor is stamina, in the magic discipline mana is everything, without mana, we will not be able to do anything and without mana, we will have no choice but to flee somehow if the situation is very complicated. This skill receives a mana regeneration bonus if the skill is 100 or higher, thus receiving a 10% bonus.

This combined template of magical disciplines will provide the adventurer with a set of powerful spells that will help both him and the group of adventurers accompanying him to face hordes of enemies and powerful creatures, diminishing their qualities and facilitating teamwork to emerge victorious together.

For this template we will need armor and magic books according to the enemies we are going to face.

The basic armor that we will need not using artifacts, will be a varied armor that includes LRC (Lower Reagent Cost) 100%, LMC 40%, CF (Casting Focus), IB (Intelligence Bonus), MR, Mage Armor (only in pieces of armor that do not allow meditating because of the type of material), MI (Mana Increase) and resistances to 70, combined between different pieces of equipment.

The acronyms that do not include brackets are because I explained them in the first part or they have been repeated.

When I refer to basic armor that we will need not using artifacts that I also say in the first part, I am not referring to the artifact equipment generated by loot, but to the artifacts that you get as a reward in Doom, Champion Spawn, Peerless, etc ... or Cooperative Collections or Craftable type, such as Hat of the Magi, Lieutenant of The Britannian Royal Guard, Mace and Shield Reading Glasses or Pendant of the Magi.

In the first part, I do not mention the Talismans that are part of the equipment, and that are very useful, as is for example the case of Totem of the Void, because the guide focuses on basic aspects that will help for a start and that this type of details will come in addition.

The jewelry should have as basic SDI (Spell Damage Increase), FCR (Faster Cast Recovery), FC (Faster Casting), and in the case of missing LMC or LRC, include them, in case of being covered by the armor these last two, that our jewelry has MR, MI or IB.

The equipment generated by loot, especially those of Legendary Artifact category can make it easier to get good properties that we need, sometimes they can even surpass by far the reward artifacts that I mentioned above.

Our mage's shield must have DCI, Stat Bonus (STR, DEX or INT), FC, MR, as well as properties that increase mana or life (Mana Increase, Hit Point Increase), but as a key factor, it must have the Spell Channeling property as basic. If the shield does not have the Spell Channeling property, when casting spells it will be removed from the equipment, because to be able to cast spells with a shield, it must have that property.

When I refer both in part one and in this part to certain equipment properties, it does not mean that you should reject armor, jewelry, etc ... that do not meet all the recommendations listed here, if you have part of them, stay with that equipment provisionally.

This game is progressive, little by little we get the equipment we need, this equipment is obtained through many ways, from the Crafting part, players that give us equipment, that we buy from other players, through loot, events, etc. but until then, we collect equipment that is close to those properties or that adapt to the needs that we have at that time.

An example of the needs of the moment we find ourselves would be if you get a Power Scrolls 120 Evaluating Intelligence and Spirit Speak, look for a ring and bracelet either by loot, Crafting or some artifact that existed, with Skill Bonus +10 Evaluating Intelligence and Spirit Speak in each jewel, making a total of 20 points per additional skill between the two, thus getting with the template described here, 120 Magery, Evaluating Intelligence and Spirit Speak.

There are artifacts such as the Crystalline Ring, which provide Magery +20 and Focus +20, this type of artifacts help to be able to leave skills at a lower level taking advantage of the Skill Bonus and raise others with those remaining points. In this example with the Crystalline Ring artifact, if you have Magery and Evaluating Intelligence Power Scrolls 120, you would simply have to raise Magery to 100 and Evaluating Intelligence to 120, and with the Crystalline Ring that provides Magery +20, you would have both Magery and Evaluating Intelligence to 120.

Therefore, one must be flexible and adapt to modifications that improve the original template, this is nothing more than a base from which to start and that depending on the needs or tastes of each one, modify to improve.

Regarding which magic book to take, it will be indicated in Part 3, where we will also explain basic concepts such as knowing the lowest resistances of our enemies and which group they belong to (Superslayer & Slayer).

 The mount that we will carry for our mage must be an Ethereal Mounts, this type of mounts are summoned when we need it and when we don't, it is in statue form in our backpack, they are necessary for our mage, the reason is because when we perform adventures such as Champion Spawns, we go transformed with the Wraith Form spell of Necromancy, we summon a Wisp with the Summon Familiar spell also from Necromancy and two Energy Vortex summons from the Magery skill or other summons that complete the 4 free slots that are left over according to the needs of the situation, making a total of 5, wisp + other summons, which is the total of available slots.

These types of mounts can be obtained through the Veteran Rewards system, through other players or by purchasing them in-game at the UO Store, as is the case of the Charger of the Fallen mount.

The race I recommend to be Elf for its advantages as I indicated in the other templates in Part 1.

The basic Stats will be 100 STR, 25 DEX and 100 INT, in the same way that DEX plays a crucial role for a fighter because it affects his healing speed with bandages and his attack speed or in Parrying his ability to parry successfully, among others, INT will determine the mana we will have as a base, the damage that will affect our enemy in certain spells, as it happens with Magery's Mind Blast spell, the mana regeneration we will receive for the Meditation skill and the ability to concentrate on meditating.

I recommend regarding DEX in a mage that is not less than 25, in fact, it would be ideal with some armor property to have a Dexterity Bonus of at least +5, being a total of 30, the reason for this comes because in particular in the facet of Felucca if we have a very low stamina and we receive a blow or achievement of offensive spells that leave us without stamina, we will stay still without being able to move, this situation would endanger our life, Although we could use Magery's Teleport spell to escape, it is still a risk and we must avoid this type of situation.

In the same way that I said in the first part that a fighter should carry potions, a mage is also recommended to carry potions even being a PvM game type (Player VS Monster), the reason is because although a mage can carry active the spell Protection de Magery, there may be emergency situations where a healing to remove large poison or regenerate stamina with a potion of Total Refreshment, can be key to survive in difficult situations.

How this template should be used in certain situations will be explained in Part 3 of this guide.

With this combined template of magical disciplines you will be a perfect help to be able to face both powerful enemies and hordes of enemies that can be found in Champion Spawns.

The figure of the mage is essential in any adventure, his role in teamwork can become offensive for the enemies as defensive for our allies, providing beneficial spells and healing at critical moments that can determine the fate of a battle, thus being a fundamental pillar in our adventure.

A mage skilled in the magical arts can be the most dangerous adversary that one can find on his way.

'I was in Scelestus Prison on the Athenaeum island of Ter Mur guarded by a demon and by an energy that enveloped me inhibiting my magical concentration, the noises of unclean creatures and putrid smells caused me a great desolation, a light shone in the distance, it was as if it were a star, with my gaze lost focused on that light came to my thoughts the words of Jaana when she taught me arcane magic 'Your eyes are limited, your ears are limited, your sense of smell is limited, do not focus all your attention to what a limited body can perceive, focus on what you feel inside, connect with that inner Energy', I closed my eyes and concentrating my energy I transformed into an Ethereal Voyage, I pronounced 'Ex Por' and the door was unlocked before me, I opened the door and as if it were a dream I walked next to the demon following the path without him perceiving me.'

Links of interest:

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/skills/magery/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/skills/magery/magery-spells/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/skills/necromancy/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/skills/resist-spells/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/skills/spellweaving/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/items/magic-item-properties/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/items/artifact-collections/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/items/loot-generation/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/items/scrolls-of-power/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/player/racial-abilities/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/player/stats/skills-stats-and-attributes/

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/skills/alchemy/alchemy-potions/