@reedmilfam If the party is being led by a relatively high Charisma character you may never see the fight erupt. Put the lowest Cha character in the top slot on the righthand side and the sparks should start flying before too long.
On the subject of Khalid's morale failures: I've rarely ever seen them. I only see morale failures when a character is hanging by a few HP. And then any of the NPCs might bolt.
I find Khalid to be endearing, and I think he is brilliantly voiced. He's actually one of my favorite NPCs.
That said, I do understand the hate on him for being force-paired with the best healer in the game, given the fact that we only have six slots for the party. And there are relatively few healers to choose from. And it just doesn't feel right from a RP vantage to break up that pair by leaving one of them behind at an inn. So I get that.
But as a character in his own right, there's a lot of things I like about Khalid. He's a loyal and devoted companion with a heart of gold. Yes, he seems unsure of himself (mainly an artifact of his stuttering), but yet he manages to overcome that to become a great warrior. Properly used, Khalid will end up with a very large percentage of the party's kills. I like his stutter and the fact that he's a 'people pleaser'. To me it's hilarious.
Yeslick is a better healer than jaheira IMO. Higher wisdom, priest spells typically cure more status effects, and to top it off he has a free dispel magic 1/day
viconia=single class branwen=single class faldorn=single class (with an extra summon) yeslick=dual ( but as @readingrambo highlights, with a dispel magic)
i think the only worse healer might be quayle and possibly tiax, though the summon ghast gives him a little advantage
viconia=single class branwen=single class faldorn=single class (with an extra summon) yeslick=dual ( but as @readingrambo highlights, with a dispel magic)
i think the only worse healer might be quayle and possibly tiax, though the summon ghast gives him a little advantage
Imho, Jaheira's the strongest NPC with healing abilities that is available early on. That's what I meant to say, I guess. In that as a Fighter- multi she can tank formidably as well as heal.
Yeslick is also a multi-class F/C and he is very strong as a tank as well. Unfortunately he doesn't become available until chapter 4. Branwen, Viconia, and Faldorn can melee but they can't deal as much damage as a Fighter because they are pure class clerics. And Quayle and Tiax are interesting and fun, but they aren't available until Chapter 5.
Well...in terms of fighter or not..Jaheria isn't really a poster child for anything. She has none of the good buffs and her str has no combat benefit, and by the end of the game, Branwen or Viconia can outfight her in straight melee using the same gear, just because of the superiority of cleric self only buffs (and lets not even get started on the crappy weapon choices...cleric's win that match hands down). She has a slight advantage right at the beginning, but since she levels slower, either of the others will surpass her quickly. Her only claim to fame is in BG2, she's the only druid that can raise dead..even if it's crappier then the normal version.
And ironskins is a horrible spell...sure..if that's all you've got, it's ok i guess since druids can't buff themselves invincible like clerics can...but it takes LITERALLY 10x longer to cast then stoneskin does making it a pre-battle only buff, and takes up slots that would be better spent on other things.
The fact most druids suck in melee means it's a pointless spell. You're better off acting the offensive caster/summoner, with a little back-up support like you're meant. It's kind of decent for an Avenger, since Sword spider form is ridiculously powerful, but you still can't rebuff in combat, So it ends up sub-standard at best.
I find that Khalid, if you add stars to Long Sword proficiency, becomes a beast.
The gauntlets of Ogre Power don't hurt!
Using him like that really changed my outlook on him, even if the stutter grates me. The only reason I didn't keep him (and Jaheira) in my party is the party size limit - I wanted to bring Neera along and needed Imoen, so the Minsc/Dynaheir group puts us at five. Added a Cleric to fill in the gaps and we gathered before venturing forth.
Jaheria... by the end of the game, Branwen or Viconia can outfight her in straight melee using the same gear, just because of the superiority of cleric self only buffs (and lets not even get started on the crappy weapon choices...cleric's win that match hands down)...
You know, I've never actually compared these NPCs side-by-side because I'm typically just using one or the other. Which buffs does a Cleric get that a Druid doesn't that would actually tip the scale?
I will note that one very nice thing about Viconia is that with her 19 Dex, wearing ankheg armor she becomes extremely tough for many enemies to even lay a finger on. So while Viconia doesn't successfully hit enemies that often in her own right (due to not-so-great THACO, low APR), she does however tie up enemy frontliners into making a lot of wasted swings.
Doesn't a Fighter-xxxxx (whatever, fill in the blank) have superior THACO and APR in comparison to a pure class cleric? With a substantially better chance of landing blows, and more attacks in a round, isn't the Fighter going to best the pure class Cleric? Even with Cleric buffs?
And then too, for what percentage of the game will a pure class cleric actually be superior in melee to Jaheira? Because that definitely matters to me. If we're only talking about the last 1-2 levels within the XP cap, then I don't think that would sway me...
Edit: Jaheira dual-wielding clubs gives her 2.5 attacks per round after her first Fighter level-up with a pip applied toward Two Weapon Style. Eventually you can get her to 3 attacks per round. And now in EE she can dual-wield with
Club +1 - Krum, area east of gnoll fortress. Night Club +1 (Thac0 +1, +2 at night) - in a chest in entar sivershield's garden in Baldur's gate [v1.1.2012] Might oak (Club +2) -Shadow druid leader, cloakwood 3, inside treehouse.
so she'll get some very respectable THACO (equip her also with a pair of bracers that improve THACO by 1).
I consider how things went with Ravayu to be canon nowadays, so he must always join my party early on, for the purpose of field-testing any new belts I acquire, and frequently any magical rings I happen upon in the Bandit Camp.
Since that generally means I'm stuck with the worthless little sod for awhile, I've taken to using Remove Fear. It's a level 1 spell that lasts pretty much as long you could possibly need it to last, and is usually worth using in any combat where mages are involved anyway.
Concerning Iron Skins, it's still a great spell, especially for a Ranger/Cleric who doesn't sacrifice the far more valuable cleric casting for it, but it's no longer quite so good as it takes a full round to cast. It's still worth the slot, since its effect is unchanged and, at least for me, generally lasts long enough for most battles even with a single casting - and if it doesn't is easily recast whilst the first is still active without much chance of losing the spell.
Ironskins is a bit of a moot point when discussing Khalid, as Jaheira doesn't get level 5 spells within the level cap. Agreed with Pantalion that even with a cast-time change it's still a very solid spell for a fighter-druid.
Seeing as we're discussing BG2 though - Jaheira gets much better. Seeing as once Khalid dies she becomes a more interesting, conflicted, complex character with a better spell and gear selection, why doesn't this happen in a lot of BG1 games after he dies?
Khalid is a great tank btw, I always use him an jaheira, as for Minsc.. Well he's a canon character but that does not mean him and dynheir didn't have other business along the way. Whereas jaheira and Khalid basically exist to support your journey because they also have a stake in your story
If I recall correctly, the skin spells last NINE HOURS! This means you can cast, rest, and still have it for a while.
Huh, I just checked and it actually lasts a whopping 12 hours (that's longest spell duration I can think of, besides enchanted weapon and anything with a permanent duration). So you could cast it, rest, and still have it for another 20 minutes real time.
Khalid is the second best archer in the game. Kit him out for that rather than as your tank and you will have no problems.
This. I never have Khalid tank or even put him in melee what so ever. From a roleplaying perspective, I would simply NEVER do that. He doesn't have the balls to wade into the thick of things. Better to keep him back with a bow and let his wife do the fighting. Regardless whether or not one likes her, she's got guts. Those are the companions I want around my charname (most playthroughs)
My last game that I played as good, I really wanted to keep Jaheira but substitute Ajantis for Khalid. Since I was good, I didn't want to kill him, so I left him naked in the gambling tent at the carnival.
Comments
On the subject of Khalid's morale failures: I've rarely ever seen them. I only see morale failures when a character is hanging by a few HP. And then any of the NPCs might bolt.
That said, I do understand the hate on him for being force-paired with the best healer in the game, given the fact that we only have six slots for the party. And there are relatively few healers to choose from. And it just doesn't feel right from a RP vantage to break up that pair by leaving one of them behind at an inn. So I get that.
But as a character in his own right, there's a lot of things I like about Khalid. He's a loyal and devoted companion with a heart of gold. Yes, he seems unsure of himself (mainly an artifact of his stuttering), but yet he manages to overcome that to become a great warrior. Properly used, Khalid will end up with a very large percentage of the party's kills. I like his stutter and the fact that he's a 'people pleaser'. To me it's hilarious.
isn't jahiera the worst healer?
viconia=single class
branwen=single class
faldorn=single class (with an extra summon)
yeslick=dual ( but as @readingrambo highlights, with a dispel magic)
i think the only worse healer might be quayle and possibly tiax, though the summon ghast gives him a little advantage
Yeslick is also a multi-class F/C and he is very strong as a tank as well. Unfortunately he doesn't become available until chapter 4. Branwen, Viconia, and Faldorn can melee but they can't deal as much damage as a Fighter because they are pure class clerics. And Quayle and Tiax are interesting and fun, but they aren't available until Chapter 5.
And ironskins is a horrible spell...sure..if that's all you've got, it's ok i guess since druids can't buff themselves invincible like clerics can...but it takes LITERALLY 10x longer to cast then stoneskin does making it a pre-battle only buff, and takes up slots that would be better spent on other things.
The fact most druids suck in melee means it's a pointless spell. You're better off acting the offensive caster/summoner, with a little back-up support like you're meant. It's kind of decent for an Avenger, since Sword spider form is ridiculously powerful, but you still can't rebuff in combat, So it ends up sub-standard at best.
I will note that one very nice thing about Viconia is that with her 19 Dex, wearing ankheg armor she becomes extremely tough for many enemies to even lay a finger on. So while Viconia doesn't successfully hit enemies that often in her own right (due to not-so-great THACO, low APR), she does however tie up enemy frontliners into making a lot of wasted swings.
Doesn't a Fighter-xxxxx (whatever, fill in the blank) have superior THACO and APR in comparison to a pure class cleric? With a substantially better chance of landing blows, and more attacks in a round, isn't the Fighter going to best the pure class Cleric? Even with Cleric buffs?
And then too, for what percentage of the game will a pure class cleric actually be superior in melee to Jaheira? Because that definitely matters to me. If we're only talking about the last 1-2 levels within the XP cap, then I don't think that would sway me...
Edit: Jaheira dual-wielding clubs gives her 2.5 attacks per round after her first Fighter level-up with a pip applied toward Two Weapon Style. Eventually you can get her to 3 attacks per round. And now in EE she can dual-wield with
Night Club +1 (Thac0 +1, +2 at night) - in a chest in entar sivershield's garden in Baldur's gate [v1.1.2012]
Might oak (Club +2) -Shadow druid leader, cloakwood 3, inside treehouse.
so she'll get some very respectable THACO (equip her also with a pair of bracers that improve THACO by 1).
Since that generally means I'm stuck with the worthless little sod for awhile, I've taken to using Remove Fear. It's a level 1 spell that lasts pretty much as long you could possibly need it to last, and is usually worth using in any combat where mages are involved anyway.
Concerning Iron Skins, it's still a great spell, especially for a Ranger/Cleric who doesn't sacrifice the far more valuable cleric casting for it, but it's no longer quite so good as it takes a full round to cast. It's still worth the slot, since its effect is unchanged and, at least for me, generally lasts long enough for most battles even with a single casting - and if it doesn't is easily recast whilst the first is still active without much chance of losing the spell.
Seeing as we're discussing BG2 though - Jaheira gets much better. Seeing as once Khalid dies she becomes a more interesting, conflicted, complex character with a better spell and gear selection, why doesn't this happen in a lot of BG1 games after he dies?