Disappointment of Imoen dual classing to Mage(spoiler)

Alexisisinneed

I wanted to try and keep it cannon by having Imoen dual class to mage at level seven, but I happen to find out that Imoen as a dual thief/mage can't use her bows...which is very odd because she can use a bow in BG2 even though she the same dual class. It upsets me because we all know how she's deadly with a bow and I want her to be the powerful spell caster she is in the later games.

Dee

Imoen will regain her use of the bow when her mage level exceeds her thief level, as normal for all dual-classed characters.

Alexisisinneed

Aosaw said:

Imoen will regain her use of the bow when her mage level exceeds her thief level, as normal for all dual-classed characters.

Oh I didn't know that. I don't really have much experience when it comes to dual classing.

Wanderon

You WILL Learn... ;-)

[Deleted User]

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WebShaman

^ Hehe...ol' scarface himself!

spacejaws

Dual her at a lower level than canon. I think she is a level 7 theif dualled In bg2 but you will not be able to get yer skills back in bg1. 4/5 is a good level depending on which thief skills you need and you won't be endgame by the time you get them back.

redline

spacejaws said:

Dual her at a lower level than canon. I think she is a level 7 theif dualled In bg2 but you will not be able to get yer skills back in bg1. 4/5 is a good level depending on which thief skills you need and you won't be endgame by the time you get them back.

This isn't correct -- the XP cap still allows Imoen to dual at 7 and get her thief skills back by the end of the game. Takes a while, though, so you'll need to plan your party accordingly, as she'll be "just a mage" for a good chunk of time.

Helias

redline said:

spacejaws said:

Dual her at a lower level than canon. I think she is a level 7 theif dualled In bg2 but you will not be able to get yer skills back in bg1. 4/5 is a good level depending on which thief skills you need and you won't be endgame by the time you get them back.

This isn't correct -- the XP cap still allows Imoen to dual at 7 and get her thief skills back by the end of the game. Takes a while, though, so you'll need to plan your party accordingly, as she'll be "just a mage" for a good chunk of time.

But still a bad idea. She'll be "just a thief" for a large part of the game and "just a lower level mage" for another large part, with only the bit at the end where she will be both.

Dual-classing should happen fairly early or not at all.

TJ_Hooker

Helias said:

redline said:

spacejaws said:

Dual her at a lower level than canon. I think she is a level 7 theif dualled In bg2 but you will not be able to get yer skills back in bg1. 4/5 is a good level depending on which thief skills you need and you won't be endgame by the time you get them back.

This isn't correct -- the XP cap still allows Imoen to dual at 7 and get her thief skills back by the end of the game. Takes a while, though, so you'll need to plan your party accordingly, as she'll be "just a mage" for a good chunk of time.

But still a bad idea. She'll be "just a thief" for a large part of the game and "just a lower level mage" for another large part, with only the bit at the end where she will be both.

Dual-classing should happen fairly early or not at all.

It doesn't take as long as you might think for dual class characters to become useful again in their second class. Because of the exponential XP progression, your newly low-level character will rapidly gain levels. It probably won't take very much time for Imoen to be only a level or 2 behind a single class mage in your party. Although it may take a while to to get the abilities of their first class back, they should be able to pull their own weight in the meantime.

Lemernis

I know this is unsolicited by the topic-starter, but I find that in BG1/EE I much prefer using Imoen as a pure Thief. I don't enjoy her nearly as much as a mage in BG1. It's a bit of a mystery to me why. Thief/Mage for her works fairly well in BG2, so it's weird to me that it just never seems to feels good to me to dual her in the first leg of the saga.

When I have changed her class to Bard via the Level 1 NPCs mod, I really liked that a lot however. It just seems a perfect fit for her personality. Then she can cast spells and she still has at least has as least one thief skill, i.e., pickpocketing. Identifying items seems to work well for her. And using her high Cha to purchase equipment for a good price is something I do regardless of class. As a Bard she can use a shortbow the entire time too, then. I have no idea how stably the game will run if you change her class using EEKeeper, though. I think I will try it soon and see how it goes.

Aasimar069

Alexisisinneed said:

I wanted to try and keep it cannon by having Imoen dual class to mage at level seven, but I happen to find out that Imoen as a dual thief/mage can't use her bows...which is very odd because she can use a bow in BG2 even though she the same dual class. It upsets me because we all know how she's deadly with a bow and I want her to be the powerful spell caster she is in the later games.

You can be sorry of the dual classing of Imoen in this BG:EE.

in vanilla BG, she can be dual classed to a specialist mage (for instance, a Conjurer).

Yes, she could be a thief/Conjurer, but BGEE devs were too lazy to adapt this since with BG2 engine, dual classing to a specialist mage (and this is not a kit like Cavalier or so on !!!) is not allowed.

Please devs, fix this.

Thanks very much by advance.

Fafnir

It's implemented as a kit, so it can't be dual classed into. You underestimate the effort required to separate the two systems.

bersbach

Aasimar069 said:

...but BGEE devs were too lazy to adapt this since with BG2 engine, dual classing to a specialist mage (and this is not a kit like Cavalier or so on !!!) is not allowed.

Please devs, fix this.

Calling the developers lazy, then asking for something as if it's a trifle, without any understanding of how much work it may actually be...

Interesting strategy.

Eudaemonium

If you really want, you can use NI or maybe even EE Keeper to dual into a kit/specialist mage. This is what I do.

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Starlily

I'm running two games going back and forth between the two. Second game my character is a fighter/thief. I don't really need Imoen as a thief (at first level). When we/she levels up can I dual class her to mage? This early? That way I can get her back to using bows that much earlier. Is this wise?

I'd like a mage early and not have to wait till I get to Nashkel or the N. mines to find a mage. (yes I could have taken the two evil dudes just out of Candlekeep but didn't want evil in the party especially after getting the paladin from north of Friendly Arms Inn.

atcDave

Yeah Starlily you can dual Imoen as soon as she reaches 2nd level thief. That actually sounds like an excellent plan in your case. Even better, once she reaches 3rd level Mage she'll be a Mage who can use a bow.

Aasimar069

Fafnir said:

It's implemented as a kit, so it can't be dual classed into. You underestimate the effort required to separate the two systems.

Mage speciaization is not a kit though ;-)

Dee

@Aasimar069
It is the way it's implemented in BG2 and BGEE.