Samurai

The Samurai (Japanese 侍, さむらい) is one of the character classes available to players in the Wizardry series of games. It is one of the advanced classes, and accessible to beginning characters with some amount of luck. This class is a blend of features between a Fighter and a Mage, capable of equipping all weapons and armor while using spells normally reserved to Mages. The Samurai is rare in which it intends to represent one thing while actually representing other: while the original intention was to represent a Samurai of Japanese culture, it most often resembles a magic knight, known in other places as a Swordmage, Magic Knight or by the gamer slang, gish.

Class Description
The Samurai is a hybrid between the Fighter and Mage classes, with some benefits that aren't normally available to characters that change from Fighter to Mage and viceversa. The Samurai begins its first three to five levels as a Fighter, using all weapons and equipment normally allowed to Fighters (including swords, shields, chain and plate armor, between others); upon reaching the third or fifth level (depending on the game), the Samurai begins learning spells of the Mage class. The Samurai usually gains increases in statistics that would normally grow as a Fighter or Mage, such as Strength, Vitality or Intelligence. At times, a Samurai may be capable of dealing a lethal critical hit which instantly slays the enemy.

In the case that a character passes from another class into a Samurai, the rules for changing class apply (as detailed in the Classes section), but with a few advantages:


 * If the character was once a Mage, the Samurai may recover some of the lost bonus spell points awarded to the class, as well as learn some of the spells that were not learned during the previous class. This applies to class changes done on games from the Llylgamyn saga.


 * Depending on the class, a Samurai may retain the skills learned from other classes. This applies to class changes done on games from the Dark Savant saga.

Llylgamyn Saga
In the group of games that compose the Llylgamyn saga (Wizardry I to V, excluding Wizardry IV), the Samurai cannot be normally accessed by beginning characters except if the character has a very large pool of bonus ability points. As a rule of thumb, any character that has a pool of around 15 bonus points may be eligible to become a Samurai, depending if the character does have the required alignment. Samurai can never be Evil, though they may be Neutral: there are ways to have Evil Samurai on the party, yet that does not mean the character may return to be if they decide to change.

To become a Samurai, the character must achieve the minimum stat requirements:


 * STR 15


 * IQ 11


 * Piety 10


 * VIT 14


 * AGI 10
 * LCK 6


 * Must be of Good or Neutral alignment.

Because of the requirements, a Dwarf has the best chance to change early into a Samurai, although their IQ growth leaves too much to be desired. Humans also become good Samurai, given that their "balanced" stats allow them to become one with little problems. Elves have a harder time becoming Samurai, but their IQ growth and high starting IQ compensate.

Dark Savant Saga


In the group of games that compose the Dark Savant Saga (Wizardry VI thru VIII), the Samurai becomes a bit more specialized than the Fighter or Lord, acquiring the rare skill of Kirijutsu, which allows a Samurai to deal an instant kill with a critical hit from a weapon. Samurai have a large set of unique equipment such as Katanas, Wakizashi and class-specific armor, but they are capable of using most armor that Fighters can use. They begin with the set of skills normally granted to a Fighter, but with some of the Mage skills (most notably Thaumaturgy)

To become a Samurai, the character must achieve the minimum stat requirements:


 * STR (Strength) 12


 * INT (Intellect) 11


 * VIT (Vitality) 9


 * DEX (Dexterity) 12


 * SPE (Speed) 14


 * PER (Personality) 8

Because of the similarity of racial stat standards, the Felpurr and the Faeries have the best chance to become a Samurai at the earliest point of the game. Faeries are even capable of becoming Samurai given they gain enough bonus stat points, but their inability to use heavy armor cripples their utility somewhat.

Duhan Saga (Tales of the Forsaken Land/Wizardry Alternative)
In Wizardry: Tales of the Forsaken Land (also known as Busin: Wizardry Alternative in Japan) and their sequels, the Samurai returns to its old roots. Since the spells in the game are not learned by level but by Magic Stones, the Samurai is capable of casting from the Sorcerer type of spells up to the sixth level. As well, they have a small chance of dealing instant-kill with critical hits, something only the Ninja can do. Because of the level requirement, a Samurai cannot be made early in the game, and must be instead accessed after some time playing.

To become a Samurai, the character must achieve the minimum requirements:


 * Level 8


 * Good or Neutral Attribute


 * 23 Power


 * 20 Life


 * 20 Agility

Virtually all races have equal chances to become Samurai, although Elves will provide a greater benefit from their high magical stats. Dwarves have high Power and Life so they make a great choice for Samurai.

The sequel to Wizardry: TOFL has the advanced version of the Samurai, called the Shogun.