Wizardry VIII RPC Guide ----------------------- 1/16/2002 Version 1.2 by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com) For reference for the PC game Wizardry VIII Introduction ------------ Wizardry VIII spices up the tried and true Wizardry formula by allowing you to recruit certain NPCs, termed 'RPCs' (Recruitable Player Characters) into your party. Up to two RPCs can join your party at a time, but each of them have their tastes and distastes; some will hang on dearly to specific items if you try to take them away, and others will protest when you attempt to enter a certain area. WARNING! There are spoilers for the game included within. This guide covers: - The available RPCs in the game, and where they will or will not go. This guide does not cover: - RPCs' items they will not part with. You can figure this out for yourself. If you really want them you can just get them killed, and then take it (not recommended if you don't have easy access to Ressurection to throw around). Version History --------------- - 1.2 Fixed some dumb mistakes. I changed the legend and forgot to make the same adjustment for the RPCs (1/17/2002) - 1.1 Adjusted travel locations for certain RPCs; more of them will go to Rapax Rift than initially stated (1/16/2002) - 1.0 First Release (1/07/2002) The RPCs -------- - If you Dismiss an RPC while they are able to gain a level, they will disappear forever. - If you're playing an all-female PC party, and you have male RPCs for when you meet Al-Sedexus, you must Dismiss the male RPCs first before proceeding, then reinvite them again. This includes RFS-81. - Be sure you're playing the latest patch; the out-of-box game will sometimes stick Vi in the Phoonzang statue after you Dismiss her, and you will be unable to recruit her again. The patch will fix this, however. - 'Returning Location' is the area where the RPC will appear if you release them, then decide to recruit them back later. For most characters this is the same as the 'Starting Location.' - 'Will Not Go' lists the areas the RPC will refuse to go, and will leave the party if you decide to go ahead. If you somehow got them there anyway they will complain until you leave the area; the RPC will not be Dismissable and will suffer a massive drop in their stats (Example: take Madras to Ascension Peak and he will be unable to use the more advanced Gadgets due to skills dropping). The areas are divided as follows: - Sea Caves: Sea Caves - Umpani: Umpani Base Camp, Mt. Gigas (all sections) - T'rang: Marten's Bluff, Lower Marten's Bluff, Old Mines - Rapax: Rapax Rift, Rapax Castle (all sections) - Peak: Ascension Peak, Cosmic Circle None of the NPCs will enter the following areas except: - Bayjin: RFS-81, Glumph, Rodan, Drazic - Rapax Away Camp: Rodan, Drazic -------------------------------------------------- Name: Vi Race: Human Affiliation: Higardi Starting Class: Valkyrie Starting Level: 6 Starting Location: Arnika (crashed ship) Returning Location: Arnika (He'Li's bar) Will Not Go: Sea Caves, Rapax Condition: None For most of the game Vi will follow your party, and you may learn of interesting things about Dominus from her. She is also a good choice for her ability to enter Ascension Peak, but you will have problems getting her anywhere if the Rapax block the entrance, as she will refuse to enter the Rapax Castle, where the other entrance to the Peak is located. If this situation occurs your best bet is to use a Portal spell set at the Peak past the rockslide. Equip her with a Shock or Stun Rod if you have one (pickpocket a Stun Rod off Z'Ant); both are very useful weapons and benefit from the Valkyrie Polearm bonus. Advantages: - Early recruit if you started at the Monestary - One of few characters who will go to the Peak - Sticks with you for most of the game Disadvantages: - Will not go to critical areas such as the Sea Caves or Rapax Castle Overall Rating: **** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Myles Race: Human Affiliation: Higardi Starting Class: Rogue Starting Level: 5 Starting Location: Arnika (entrance) Returning Location: Arnika (entrance) Will Not Go: Umpani, T'rang, Peak Condition: None The only things keeping Myles from being completely worthless are the facts that you can recruit him early, and he has decent Rogue abilities if you haven't developed any of your own. He helps a bit early on, but I wouldn't plan on using him long, as there are so many better RPCs around. Believe it or not, Myles will go to the Rapax Rift willingly. Whether that in of itself is of any use is up to you to decide. Note: It has come to my attention that Myles might actually be able to go to the Sea Caves without problems, but considering what you have to go through just to get him there, that just isn't a good way to spend your time. Advantages: - Early recruit if you started at the Monestary - Fills in as a decent Rogue if you don't have one, or your abilities are too low Disadvantages: - Won't go to most areas when you want him to Overall Rating: ** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Madras Race: Trynnie Affiliation: Trynnie Starting Class: Gadgeteer Starting Level: 8 Starting Location: Trynton Upper Branches Returning Location: Trynton Upper Branches Will Not Go: Rapax, Peak Condition: Kill the Rattkin Breeders If you didn't start with a Gadgeteer, but want to know what's so great about them, this guy is your best friend. Although he won't go to many of the late game locations Madras' Omnigun and gadgets more than make up for this in the early-to-mid game. If you have a Gadgeteer, you can pickpocket Madras for an Omnigun Mk.V if you don't already have one. Advantages: - Starts with a good Omnigun - Good for experimenting with Gadgets Disadvantages: - Only useful through mid-game. After that the diminished abilities penalty hurts him a lot more than some other RPCs - Annoying to go back and get him all the time Overall Rating: **** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Sparkle Race: Trynnie Affiliation: Umpani Starting Class: Ranger Starting Level: 6 Starting Location: Umpani Base Camp Returning Location: Umpani Base Camp Will Not Go: T'rang, Sea Caves, Rapax, Peak Condition: Must be aligned with Umpani Her Search ability isn't that important. Overall Sparkle is not very special, but neither is she particularly bad. Advantages: - Early recruit if you started with the Umpani - Fills in the spot of a Ranger if you don't have one Disadvantages: - Ineffective in late game Overall Rating: *** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Saxx Race: Umpani Affiliation: Umpani Starting Class: Bard Starting Level: 8 Starting Location: Umpani Base Camp Returning Location: Umpani Base Camp Will Not Go: T'rang, Sea Caves, Rapax Condition: Must be aligned with Umpani If you don't have a Bard, and like Umpani, this guy is your best friend. The downside, being Umpani, is he won't go to any of the T'rang areas (and you must go to Marten's Bluff eventually) or the Rapax areas willingly. This is, however, offset by the fact that he will not suffer any penalties from going to Ascension Peak, but, like Vi, you will have a problem getting him there if the Rapax block the entrance. Advantages: - Early recruit if you started with the Umpani - Fills in the role of Bard if you don't have one - Saxx will go to Ascension Peak Disadvantages: - Since you must go to Marten's Bluff at least once in the game, you will have problems with him when you try to go there for business Overall Rating: **** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Urq Race: Mook Affiliation: Mook Starting Class: Psionic Starting Level: 9 Starting Location: Arnika (Mook building) Returning Location: Arnika (Mook building) Will Not Go: Umpani, Sea Caves, Rapax, Peak Condition: Must be aligned with Mook If you're recruiting him for the money, you have better chances killing monsters on the road. Urq is a decent Psionic, but this will matter little if you hardly use Psionic spells or already have a character that can do so. Still, he is a decent supplemental character for mid-game use. Advantages: - He pays you 500 gold for every new area you show him Disadvantages: - 500 Gold per area won't make you rich quick Overall Rating: *** -------------------------------------------------- Name: RFS-81 Race: Android Affiliation: None Starting Class: Monk Starting Level: 10 Starting Location: Old Mines (lower area) Returning Location: Wherever you Dismissed him Will Not Go: None (Rapax Away Camp) Condition: None, or fix him with NAS-81 Even though you can't change his class, once you fix him RFS-81 becomes a killing machine. Unlike most RPCs RFS-81 will loyally follow you anywhere save the Rapax Away Camp (when it appears). If anything plan on having this guy with you for most of the game; he is with you for the long haul. If you don't have the NAS-81 by the time you get him you can find one in Arnika near the Savant Tower. When Dismissing RFS-81 don't do it in a place that is not easily accessable to you for when you want to recruit him again. You also don't want to leave him somewhere to get clobbered by monsters if you get in a fight while near him. Advantages: - Early recruit if you started with the T'rang - Gets very powerful quickly - One of few characters who will go to the Peak - Stays put where you Dismissed him - Will go everywhere except the Rapax Away Camp Disadvantages: - You're better off fixing him with the NAS-81 - Cannot change class - Cannot use magic Overall Rating: ***** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Tantris Race: T'rang Affiliation: T'rang Starting Class: Samurai Starting Level: 6 Starting Location: Old Mines (outpost) Returning Location: Old Mines (outpost) Will Not Go: Umpani, Sea Caves, Peak Condition: Must be aligned with T'rang Unlike his Umpani counterpart, if you started with the T'rang Tantris is not so easy to get; you must wade through the Swamp, through the Old Mines, and then you can recruit him (while you're there you may as well get RFS-81 on the way). And unlike most RPCs Tantris starts weak for the amount of work needed just to get to him. However, if you stick it out he does prove to be a very good fighter on your team. Advantages: - Early recruit if you started with the T'rang - Excellent fighter once you level him up - Unlike Saxx Tantris is good for the entire mid-game, since you don't have to go to Mt. Gigas to complete the game Disadvantages: - Rather weak when you first get him otherwise - Major pain to get to the T'rang outpost Overall Rating: *** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Glumph Race: Umpani Affiliation: Umpani Starting Class: Fighter Starting Level: 11 Starting Location: Bayjin Returning Location: None Will Not Go: T'rang, Rapax, Peak Condition: Must be aligned with Umpani Glumph is a quest RPC; once you take him to General Yamir he is gone for good. He is one of the few RPCs who will go to Bayjin, however, making him at least useful to an extent. Advantages: - One of the few RPCs who doesn't mind Bayjin - Unlike Saxx, by the time you get him you likely won't need to go to Marten's Bluff anymore Disadvantages: - You can't recruit him once he leaves the party - He may attack you if you attempt to enter an area he doesn't like (in that case you may as well give him to Yamir) Overall Rating: *** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Rodan Race: Umpani Affiliation: Umpani Starting Class: Lord Starting Level: 14 Starting Location: Rapax Away Camp Returning Location: None Will Not Go: None Condition: You must have Drazic in your party; the T'rang and Umpani must still be active in-game Rodan is a quest RPC; once you complete the events that will bring about the Umpani/T'rang alliance he is gone for good. He will, however, go anywhere you like, and I do mean EVERYWHERE. Simply do the quest up to destroying the Black Ship, and he'll stick with you forever (in other words don't talk to Yamir after you destroy the ship). If for some reason Drazic is no longer in the party Rodan will leave as well. His level does not reflect the massive amount of experience points you'll be receiving once you destroy the Black Ship. Advantages: - One of few RPCs who will go to the Peak - One of a handful of carry-over characters from Wizardry 7/Gold, which is a definite plus Disadvantages: - You can't recruit him once he leaves the party - You must have Drazic in your party as well - Only available after you retrieve two of the three artifacts Overall Rating: ***** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Drazic Race: T'rang Affiliation: T'rang Starting Class: Ninja Starting Level: 14 Starting Location: Rapax Away Camp Returning Location: None Will Not Go: None Condition: You must have Rodan in your party; the T'rang and Umpani must still be active in-game Drazic is a quest RPC; once you complete the events that will bring about the Umpani/T'rang alliance he is gone for good. He will, however, go anywhere you like, and I do mean EVERYWHERE. Simply do the quest up to destroying the Black Ship, and he'll stick with you forever (in other words don't talk to Yamir after you destroy the ship). If for some reason Rodan is no longer in the party Drazic will leave as well. His level does not reflect the massive amount of experience points you'll be receiving once you destroy the Black Ship. Advantages: - One of few RPCs who will go to the Peak - Starts with maxed-out Speed Disadvantages: - You can't recruit him once he leaves the party - You must have Rodan in your party as well - Only available after you retrieve two of the three artifacts Overall Rating: ***** -------------------------------------------------- Name: Sexus Race: Rapax Affiliation: Rapax Templar Starting Class: Mage Starting Level: 18 Starting Location: Rapax Castle Returning Location: Rapax Castle Will Not Go: None (Arnika and Trynton, maybe?) Condition: You must be aligned with Rapax Templar Although he is very powerful on paper Sexus is almost completely worthless. For one, if you become a Templar, once you leave the Rapax areas one of your characters will be Hexed indefinitely, and you have to kill Al-Sedexus to recover. That also means Sexus will leave, as killing Al-Sedexus almost certainly means you'll be killing Templar as well (there is a way around that, but it's not worth it for Sexus-- it IS if you don't want to be hammered by the Templar all the time while you're at the Castle). Basically it's like this: would you rather have a Level 18 Mage and have one of your PCs Hexed for the rest of the game, or can you do without this guy and remain un-Hexed? On the other hand, if you intend to ally with the Rapax for the rest of the game, you can't go wrong with this guy backing you up. Advantages: - Very powerful in level and in spellcasting; an excellent supplement to your already- powerful skills (at least, by the time you get him you should be able to deal with the Rapax....) Disadvantages: - The price to recruit him is incredibly steep (and I don't mean the amount to hire him) - He won't follow you if you lose your standing with the Templar (say, kill Al-Sedexus or the King at the Away Camp) Overall Rating: ** -------------------------------------------------- How to Get RPCs where you want them to go ----------------------------------------- - Use Set/Return Portal at places where they won't go ahead of time - Use Run to make the RPC unconscious, then enter the area. This is not recommended if you haven't cleared out the entrance to the Rapax Rift already. - Use the T'rang teleporter to get into the Rapax Rift. For the Umpani loyalist RPCs you can make use of Kunar's teleporter to Marten's Bluff (kill him or pickpocket him for a key), then use the T'rang teleporter from there (it helps if you set up the teleporter by opening the access hatch in back of the fortress). General Tips ------------ - Vi, RFS-81, Saxx, Rodan, and Drazic (possibly Sexus) are the RPCs who will willingly travel with you to Ascension Peak. Any of the other RPCs you bring will be penalized in stats and abilities. Although Rodan and Drazic will complain wherever you go they will not suffer any penalties whatsoever. - The longer you keep an RPC around, the more powerful they become, and the more useful they will be in your quest. So basically find who you want and try to stick with them as long as possible. - Keep in mind you cannot enter the Rapax Away Camp (when it appears at the Wilderness Clearing) with any RPCs beside Rodan and Drazic. This side quest is not necessary to complete, but yields a huge experience reward (although Drazic and Rodan will be the ones who end up with it and not your chosen RPCs). - Even if you forge the Umpani/T'rang alliance the Umpani and T'rang RPCs that wouldn't go to their opposing areas still won't go there. Sucks, doesn't it? - Vi and RFS-81 are the earliest RPCs you can recruit that will go to both the Umpani and T'rang areas willingly (Rodan and Drazic will as well, but you get them rather late in the game). If you plan on going back and forth between the camps a lot think about using them. Disclaimer ---------- Wizardry 8, etc, belong to Sir-Tech. This FAQ is copyrighted by the author and may be freely distributed so long as it appears in its complete, unaltered, and unplagarized form. This FAQ may not be sold for monetary gain or be republished/ reproduced, in part or in whole, for any reason whatsoever, without the express permission of the author. Copyright 2002 Razorclaw X -- Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com) http://www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/index.html