| The Deck is of little importance to a party, and I too don't like reloading in order to get the most of the deck(even with a solo). There are some places to achieve unlimited xp, although I will not give them away here. I don't use them either since it spoils the fun of the game.
The most important things here are the Spectral Brand and the scroll of Wish. Indeed, Wish can be learned by your mages, but in a spellcaster-heavy party, Wish is the rarest scroll available so one more is always essential. The Spectral Brand offers Negative Plane Protection, an essential thing to have especially if you run Ascension or some other tough mod. There are only five items granting permanent NPP - Spectral brand +5, Angurvadal +5, Runehammer +4/+5, Amulet of Power and Improved Mace of Disruption +2. If your protagonist is of Good alignment and you're running Ascension, then it is possible to protect all of your party from the Negative Energy plane only by assembling the collection above + completiing one of the Pocket Plane challenges.  |