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Wild Mage (Mage Kit)

Wild Mages specialize in the study of wild magic — extremely unpredictable energies that can produce miraculous results or catastrophic backfires.

Mechanics

  • Every time a Wild Mage casts a spell there is a 5% chance the spell explodes in a wild surge.
  • A wild surge produces an entirely random magical effect. A percentile roll determines the result; higher rolls are usually better than lower rolls.
  • A Wild Mage's effective casting level also varies whenever he casts a spell — anywhere between five levels lower and five levels higher than his true level.

The manual contains a table of potential wild-surge effects (good and bad).

Unique spells

Three spells are available only to the Wild Mage:

  • Chaos Shield
  • Improved Chaos Shield
  • Nahal's Reckless Dweomer — gambles a wild surge to produce any spell effect at random.

Except for Nahal's Reckless Dweomer, each is included in the Wild Mage's spellbook for free.

When to pick it

  • A high-variance, high-reward Mage — capable of casting spells far above their normal level.
  • The 5% backfire rate is rare enough to live with, but the catastrophic outcomes (death, polymorph, summon enemy) are real risks.

"The Wild Mages I have met exhibit a startling disregard for common sense, and are often meddling with powers far beyond their own control." — Volo

Source: bgee/original_manuals/baldurs_gate_1_ee_mastering_melee_and_magic.pdf — "Wild Mage (Mage Kit)".