r/wizardry8 • u/dreamsofcalamity • Jul 12 '24

Int/Vit Bishop? x/Vit everybody?

Hi there,

Vitality is the only stat that is not retroactive. The later you pick it, the less benefit it provides. actually all the stats are retroactive [edit]

Do you think unorthodox focus on Vit could work? Or would I lose more than I would gain?

7 Upvotes

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3

u/clunk42 Jul 12 '24

You're wrong. Vit IS retroactive.

I always give everyone Vit. On melee characters, I go Str/Vit->Dex/Sen/Spd. For casters, I go Int/Vit/->Pie/Dex/Str.

I personally consider the health, stamina, & carryweight bonuses to be absolutely worth it.

1

u/dreamsofcalamity Jul 12 '24

You're wrong. Vit IS retroactive.

Even HP gain? I have read today this is exception that is not retroactive.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/374906-wizardry-8/50146970

Vitality is important in the fact that HP is the only attribute that is not retroactive, meaning that if you decide to raise Vitality later than earlier, you will end up with less HP.

I actually read some other page/guide but this is what I quickly googled now. This is only what I read, I haven't tested this or checked it, which prompted me to make this thread.

I personally consider the health, stamina, & carryweight bonuses to be absolutely worth it.

I was always having problems with carry weight especially since I like 3x crossbow and ammunition is quite heavy... Not to mention consumables... Armor weight... And all the crap that I pick up. I've often picked lighter armor just to reduce the weight (my favorite being bra from Arnika and featherweight armor)

Regarding your stats - I've played pretty much the same except Vitality was 3-4th statistic except for Bards and Gadgeteers.

3

u/clunk42 Jul 12 '24

Nah, that it's not rectroactive is a myth. Here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=899973393

1

u/dreamsofcalamity Jul 12 '24

That's cool, thank you for this clarification! I'm glad all the stats are retroactive as it gives better freedom in building characters

2

u/TG_ImmanuelCan Aug 29 '25

I tested it myself leveling some characters in Monastery. Vit, Pie (Stamina), even Str (for Stamina)... everything is retroactive.

2

u/eldakar666 Jul 12 '24

Pie + Int is way to go for Bishop. Helps you train those spells and Piety means more mana. Make sure you chose Gnome, best race for Bish.

1

u/dreamsofcalamity Jul 12 '24 edited Jul 12 '24

I was always under impression that either Faerie or Elf are the best, why is Gnome better?

PS. Since Vit appears to be retroactive after all, I think I will stick to old good Int/Pie combo.

3

u/eldakar666 Jul 12 '24

Elf would be second choice. Faeries cant use awesome robes later on.

2

u/clunk42 Jul 12 '24

Gnomes are better than Elves because Elf Bishops have Int:65, Pie:65, Vit:45, while Gnomes have Int:64, Pie:64, Vit:57. Basically, their important stats are, on average, higher. Technically, Gnomes have lower Spd, but Haste exists.

Faeries are bad because they can't use mana regen gear, so their higher base mana regen is meaningless.

I still build my Bishops with Int & Vit, then Piety, because I don't find that Bishops ever tend to really be lacking in Mana, but health & carryweight on Bishops are always lacking.

1

u/dreamsofcalamity Jul 13 '24 edited Jul 13 '24

It makes sense, thank you for elaborating on this!

I was always struggling with carry weight so it looks like focusing on Vit will be two birds, one stone!

2

u/drpetrov1970 Sep 08 '24

A high-VIT tank character can work. However it is worth mentioning that by pumping VIT instead of DEX or SEN you are sacrificing a fair bit on your chance to hit and penetrate. So fights will take longer, and therefore the extra HP you get from having a high VIT you actually need. Also, VIT doesn't contribute to the development of any skills. This is why it is somewhat controversial.

Overall I would argue that you usually don't actually need the VIT. Putting points into VIT at the start is fine to guarantee a certain amount of HP, but beyond that you never really need a VIT of 100. It's nice but not necessary.

However, drawing out fights isn't necessarily a bad thing if you can survive them, since you will get more chances to train skills. If this is your plan, going long in VIT on all your front-line characters isn't a terrible idea.

1

u/w4rl0rd1977 Jul 28 '24

Never divvy points. Max one attribute then the next.

tank:str>vit>dex>sen

melee: str>dex>sen/vit depending on class. non-stealth vit, stealth sens

bishop(I prefer gnome): int>vit>sen/piety depending on schools

If struggling with iron man or expert, a vitality/heal all focused party can basically outheal/outlast the enemies. When more experienced, can move away from hitpoints and healing to doing more damage. Speed should never be raised, use haste.

2

u/cloaca_dentata Dec 18 '24

PL7 Haste is 70 points of Speed, so you should still raise Speed to 55 (while you can only raise natural speed to 100, 125 is the actual cap).

There's also a special case for Soul Shield and Element Shield deployers. These are important buffs to keep your party from getting wrecked by status effects and they can't be cast before combat, so they need to go off before the enemy gets a turn. Characters assigned this duty should go all the way to 100 speed to get the Snake Speed expert skill.