1/07/2002 Version 1.0 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
---------------
- 1.0 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).
Note that none of them will enter the Rapax Away Camp when it
appears due to story/quest reasons (for when you recruit Drazic
and Rodan), and most of the RPCs will not go to Bayjin because
you can recruit Glumph there (again, for quest reasons; this is
particularly lame because the Bayjin -> Sea Caves section takes
a while).
--------------------------------------------------
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: Bayjin, 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
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.
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
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: Bayjin, 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, Bayjin, 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, Bayjin, Rapax, Peak
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).
Advantages:
- Early recruit if you started with the Umpani
- Fills in the role of Bard if you don't have one
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, Bayjin, 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: 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
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, Bayjin, Rapax, 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 (as far as I can tell)
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)
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, Rodan, and Drazic (possibly Sexus) are the only 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).
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
