Wyrdne wrote:How many hit points are needed before class change? Previously I tried levelling Paladins and Samurai, rather than Peasants, but even with better armour, they didn't seem to live long.
You do not need hit points to join a guild, only stats. Note, however, that if you level a peasant, he will not gain hits as fast as a Ranger. So if you level your peasant to level 10 and then convert him to a ranger, he will not be as powerful. Also note that the higher level your peasant, the more difficult it is to join a guild. Of course if you us temporal gems...
Wyrdne wrote:Also, after class change, does a character keep his old level, or does he start from level 1 again? Namely, will a level 9 peasant have to reach level 9 as a ranger or samurai to start gaining hit points again?
You keep your level when you join a guild. Note, however, that only peasants can join a guild. You cannot change any other class.
Wyrdne wrote:Is it necessary to have the party fight tougher monsters for him to continue to level? The hirebrands have now levelled to around 17 or 18, for comparison, and still seem to gain levels, if very slowly.
Yes, the chance of making a level is dependent on both the difference between your level and the monster's level AND the level on the dungeon you are on. This means that if you fight the same monster on level 2, you will have a better chance of making level than fighting it on level 1.
Wyrdne wrote:On still another tangent, oddly, among two mages and a sage, one mage has levelled to 4 or 5, while the other two are still stuck on level 1, at 1 and 2 hit points, respectively, (acolytes, or whatever they're called (they cast minat) are still dangerous: the mage with 1 max hp only survived thanks to a lucky resurrection).
Making levels works differently in this game than others you might have played. There is no 'experience' number that accumulates until you reach a certain value which advances you. Instead, each time you kill a monster (or get hit by one), you have a chance of making level. As I stated above, that chance depends on the difference between your level and the monsters. So identical characters will advance at seemingly different rates, but that is just the luck of the draw.
Wyrdne wrote:Do characters have to be among the first six in the party to level effectively? How else is it possible to improve the chances of mages and sages to level? This is unbearable.
Not exactly. If you are a melee fighter then you can only gain experience if you are one of the first two in the party (the ones that actually fight). If you have a ranged attack (i.e. spells), then you can gain experience from any position in the party (but you must use spells that kill or dispel the monsters). Thief types can also gain experience from successfully disarming trapped boxes. If you want mages that advance faster, I have 2 words for you 'Kobold Mage'!