Blade or F/M?
Jagged
Member Posts: 105
Im about to start a new game and damn am I torn on which class to play. I have pretty much narrowed it down to blade or F/M but I really cant decide. I have weighed the pros and cons of each and both seem great. I am looking for some input on which you think would be the best from candlekeep to the throne.
Thanks!
Thanks!
0
Comments
and a bit easier to utilize F/M =cast spells or fight
Blade = cast spells, fight, Offensive spin, defensive spin, sing - ohhh no I just can't decide...
F/M =more spellcasting ability -
F/M = weapon specialization and more pips available -
F/M = you can make it an elf and you get +1 to swords and bows (elf cannot be blade)
altho the Blade will of course level up much faster
In a very small party the Blade can be extremely good. Let it dual wield Drizzt's scimitars and mithril chain and it will become a lean mean killing machine, able to use wands. A strong frontliner with high armor, high damage and offensive/defensive spin that can spam fireballs, monster summons, fear and paralysis is a winner.
In a larger party however, the Blade would be too diverse in its use and the Fighter Mage multi would be better. An Elven fighter mage with high dex/intelligence and longbow proficiency is very powerful. Most of the time it will be one hit killing with the bow, and when necessary it can cast magic. Also you would have a mage/protagonist that can actually take a hit, which you will find very valuable.
Bards get a lot of stick they don't deserve. Read plenty of posts on the forum where people are rather critical of their use. Versatility is still a useful trait even in a big party and if you continue on into BGII and ToB I feel bards have the potential to become worthy of their murderous heritage in their own right (Use all items, high-level traps etc).
In BGI I feel a bard can compete with a F/M just on the grounds that it gains many more levels and a lot quicker. A F/M is level 2/2 at 5000 total exp whereas a Bard is level 4, meaning he'll also have access to higher level spells faster in BGI.
It's also worth noting that Bards have slowed spell progression, the early spell level access they gain over multiclass mages is minimal at best, and quickly outstripped by Real Fighter THAC0, attacks, proficiencies and bonus HP from Con.
The blade is great for a dual wielding melee character. Offensive Spin means you'll be dishing out more damage with many attacks per round while you can alternatively use defensive spin to get a very good AC. The blade will level faster, as was stated earlier, meaning the spells you do cast will be more powerful earlier (more magic missiles earlier, fireballs deal more damage earlier on) but you will have fewer spells to cast per day.
If you want your character to use ranged weapons or a weapon and a shield (F/M's can use shields and still cast spells) you can make use of having two pips in a ranged weapon (unlike a blade) and take the Sword and Shield proficiency increasing your AC even more vs. ranged attacks. The F/M will cast more spells in the long run but you'll be lagging behind in their power (scaling effects like more magic missiles or more damage dice with a fireball) and you wont be getting higher level spells as early as the blade would.
As for the hp issue. Since bards level faster in BG you will find that their HP, Max 8 per level, will progress faster than a F/M which gains something like max 11? (edit: 2nd fault, max 12 with 19 con). At for example 5000 exp the F/M will then have max 24 while the bard will have max 32.
Of course this is offset in BG2 where bards max out at level 6 spells and so forth.
Bards will lag slightly behind in Thac0 and eventually 1 attack in end game. F/M profs are still capped at 2 right? So that's not a massive disadvantage.
edited things pointed out to me several times!
They are approximately equivalent in a vacuum, but are sadly lacking in race options. They still are extremely powerful.
I know, it sucks. But they make great support characters in BG1. I love my un-kitted Bard named... Silke!
This is after applying the Con and Cha tomes. I use Potions of Genius to help with batch scroll-scribing sessions, so the low Int is not really a problem.
Level 7/7 F/M spells - 4 at lvl1, 3 at lvl2, 2 at lvl3, 1 at lvl4
Level 6/6/7 F/M/T spells - 4 at lvl1, 2 at lvl2, 2 at lvl3, 0 at lvl4
A Fighter/Illusionist Gnome would get 5/4/3/2 just for the record since that's also a legit option.
Blade vs F/M or F/M/T is a common debate but I think it's pretty straightforward....the multiclasses are simply better, power-wise, throughout the series. They're not better at everything at every point in time in every way possible (except later in the series) but they're always strong. Blade's relative power level fluctuates.
All in all, I'm really thrilled, and I'm looking forward to the day in BG2EE when I can do a time trap, Tenser's transformation and offensive whirlwind. That's what I call laying down the smack!
he's a much more powefull caster(with alot more potential-will have lvl 9 spells in ToB)
and he's a better fighter as he will have acces to Whirlwind and Critical Strike in SoA
only on some specific levels Blade is better
lore and pickpocket i do not even consider them as advantages, the bard song is not something a protagonist should spend his combat time on imo
use any item is important but definately not enough
the only real advantage Blade has lategame is traps,but you only need one party member to have them
Defensive spin's importance will fade in time and only offensive spin remains but high level fighter abilities are better imo
Geez, people. Planning ahead is cool and all but this is ridiculous.
A F/M may be a bit better on the whole, but I still enjoy a bard more. Both for gameplay and RP reasons
Later on, the F/M is better in almost every aspect.
Still, the Bard can steal, the F/M can't (well, he has a familiar who can...).
But even more fun is to empower your summons with the improved Bardsong HLA, another thing only a Bard can do.
And he is a walking identify machine, which isn't necessary but convenient.