my character kind of sucks
doctordog
Member Posts: 44
Sorry, I'm basing this off (my not very reliable) memory, as I'm not at home currently, but my character is basically as follows:
neutral evil gnome fighter/illusionist .. currently around level 9, proficient in two-handed swords, flails, crossbows, two-handed weapon style
equipment: flail that poisons (forget name) + large shield; sword of chaos; heavy crossbow; traveler's robe; bracer's of defense A.C. 6
spells: mostly mirror image, haste, tiny fire meteors (whatever it's called), protection from normal weapons, minor globe of invulnerability, fireball, rebuff spells etc.
I'm currently investigating the Temple Ruins.. finishing up side-quests before I see Bodhi (to give you an idea where I am).
my party consists of Viconia, Edwin, Korgan, Jan and myself/aka Scruffy. I generally focus on using Viconia and Korgan and my character in melee, with Edwin providing backup spellcasting (Jan's a little redundant). because of the armor restrictions, Scruffy isn't really robust enough for melee, but he's kind of a boring spellcaster and as an illusionist lacks the decent buffs usually afforded to a cleric. I suppose I could outfit him with a better crossbow, bolts and spells and forget the hand-to-hand combat .. I'm just frustrated because this happened in my last BG1 playthrough as a Mage/Thief .. she always felt half-evolved
neutral evil gnome fighter/illusionist .. currently around level 9, proficient in two-handed swords, flails, crossbows, two-handed weapon style
equipment: flail that poisons (forget name) + large shield; sword of chaos; heavy crossbow; traveler's robe; bracer's of defense A.C. 6
spells: mostly mirror image, haste, tiny fire meteors (whatever it's called), protection from normal weapons, minor globe of invulnerability, fireball, rebuff spells etc.
I'm currently investigating the Temple Ruins.. finishing up side-quests before I see Bodhi (to give you an idea where I am).
my party consists of Viconia, Edwin, Korgan, Jan and myself/aka Scruffy. I generally focus on using Viconia and Korgan and my character in melee, with Edwin providing backup spellcasting (Jan's a little redundant). because of the armor restrictions, Scruffy isn't really robust enough for melee, but he's kind of a boring spellcaster and as an illusionist lacks the decent buffs usually afforded to a cleric. I suppose I could outfit him with a better crossbow, bolts and spells and forget the hand-to-hand combat .. I'm just frustrated because this happened in my last BG1 playthrough as a Mage/Thief .. she always felt half-evolved
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Comments
To this end, I'd recommend ignoring Protection from Normal Weapons, since any enemy serious enough to be a threat is almost certainly going to be using magical weapons. I'd trade the Minor Globe of Invulnerability for either a Stoneskin if you're going against a tough melee opponent or Improved Invisibility if you're up against a spellcaster (While Improved Invisibility is up no one can use single target spells on you). As an Illusionist you won't be able to cast Spirit Armor, but with two other Mages in the party you can delegate to someone else easily enough. Other than all that, focus on protection spells (fire, magic damage, magical weapons etc.), and Scruffy will be waltzing with dragons in no time.
As for weapon styles, you've gone in 2 different directions. You could either concentrate on your 2-handers and use Lilarcor from the sewers for the moment and then the Soul Reaver in the Underdark, or start putting points in 2-weapon style and dual-wield flails. There's a very nice flail from Joluv that adds 20% physical damage resist, which makes for a good offhand, and everyone loves the Flail of Ages.
ICN: where's the best place to obtain spells in the first city so I can pick up element buffs?
Corvino: thanks, I'll pick up the Bracers asap. Yeah, I started out focusing on 2-handed swords, but then once he started getting his ass kicked, I brought in a shield to boost his AC. And I made a mistake in my original post I think-- I didn't mean he's proficient in dual-wielding, I meant he's proficient in 2-handed weapons.
There is also a scroll vendor on one of the tiers in the north of the Promenade. Between him and Deidre you should get hold of most low and mid-level spells.
AC has a role for your Fighter/Illusionist, but Stoneskin and Mirror image should mean that even with an average AC he avoids a lot of hits. That said, +AC rings and helmets are useful. Mixing in Improved invisibility (which adds +4 AC against attacks IIRC) and a fireshield will make him even tougher. Spells will do enough for defense - he should be using a 2-hander or dual wielding to maximise his offensive damage.
Similarly, Dexterity and Constitution bonuses only kick in at 15. You get +1 AC for each point of dexterity between 15 and 18, and +1 hp/level for each point of constitution between 15 and 19 (only on your fighter half, but still). Both stats continue to scale up to 25, but at a slower rate past that point. But at 14 and under, the stats do next to nothing.
First, let me say that imo, any kind of multiclass fighter/mage is one of the potentially most poweful classes in the game, beaten only by dual class fighter->mages, full mages and sorcerers in the long run. Second, I think they are also often not played to their full pontential and thus seem weak. Many play them as a kind of support mage who can also whack stuff with a sword in a pinch, so they seem lacking in both departments. As a mage because they're always lagging behind in spell levels and as warriors since they're comparatively squishy. For them to really shine though, one should think of them not as mages first but as warriors who traded their ability to wear armor for the awsome ability to cast arcane spells and thus make themselves almost completely invulnerable exactly when they need to be. It has already been mentioned that they can be very good frontliners. I would go further and say that they are they are the single best frontliners in the game, but they need some preparation. They are not a break in the door and storm in blindly kind of class and if they are played in this way they'll have problems. If you're willing to scout ahead, prepare and buff though, they can become pretty much unstoppable.
So, a few general tips.
Scouting:
If you're not going to use metagame knowledge, this is really important. Since your character depends on preparation to come into her full potential, she should always make sure she knows what lies ahead. A fight with mainly melee monsters demands slightly different tactics than a mage fight. A thief with high stealth and non detection is best for this but you've also got spells for that. Wizard eye comes to mind.
Items:
You're actually less dependend on items than most other classes. You need a good weapon but for most of the rest you can let your spells do the work. Still, items are useful, of course.
For weapons, with your character, I'd go with FoA and a shield. FoA is one of the best weapons in the game anyway and has elemental damage which goes through stoneskin plus that lovely no-save slow effect. For a shield I'd use one not to maximize my AC but for some other nice boosts. Shield of Harmony is a good one because it protects against some of the most common and annoying disabling effects.
I've found the Robe of Vecna to be especially useful for fighter/mages because you'll often have to cast spells while in meele and the reduced casting time reduces the chance that your casting is interrupted dramatically. You may want to give the Robe to Edwin, though. I'd personally give it to your main char until Edwin can cast 9th level spells and can make use of time stop/improved alacrity cheese, if you want to abuse that.
Other than that, I'd mainly try to get my saving throws as low as possible. The 3AC bracers are sometimes useful but not really necessary. Still, they are probably the best item for that slot for a long while for your character, so you might as well get them. Oh yeah, there's also the amulet of power.
Spells:
That's the most important part. Don't forget, you're not a support mage but a warrior, so your spell selection should reflect that. Damaging spells are a low priority, so is summoning. That's Edwin's job. Protecting and buffing yourself should be highest on the list followed by spells that make sure that you can actually hit your target. I'll go through a couple of the spell levels and point out the must haves.
1st level
Nothing really important here. Memorize a shield maybe for when you're really desperate and fill the rest up with magic missiles and maybe blindness and spook.
2nd level
Mirror image is the most important one. Blur is also useful. Strength if you don't use a strength item or have 18/00 or more naturally. Vocalize before you get the Amulet of Power. Invisibility is sometimes useful to get out of a sticky situation.
3rd level
Ghost Armor is useful for some armor class, sets your AC to the level of plate armor for 5 turns. Two of those go a long way. Haste is always useful. Minute Meteors is really the only ragend attack you'll need. I'd memorize 1 or 2 of those.
4th level
Stoneskin is the obvious one and probably the most important spell in your arsenal. It alone makes you a better tank than any other warrior. Make sure you always have it up and if possible a second one to refresh. Spirit Armor lasts 10 turns, gives you the same AC as full plate and a slight bonus to saves vs spells. It's a useful spell for fighter/mages, shame you can't cast it because it's necromancy. It can be cast on others though so let Edwin memorize one or two. Fire shields are useful for you since you'll be in meele a lot. Improved Invisibility is also very useful.
5th level
Spell Immunity:Abjuration is absolutely a must since you depend on your buffs and a dispel magic or a breach can turn you from an unstoppable killing machine into a naked weakling in the middle of a fight. Make sure you always scout ahead and if there are spellcasters, use it. Breach is also one of the must haves. Sunfire can come in very useful from time to time when you're swarmed by enemies.
6th level
Improved Haste is a great spell for any meele character. Protection from Magic Weapons can be a life saver. It's abjuration, though, so it won't work when you have Spell Immunity up. True Sight is also a must have spell. I'll normally let clerics memorize it but it's useful to let the character with the Robe of Vecna have it too so you can almost instantly dispell illusions when needed.
Finally, make good use of spell sequencers and contingencies. I suggest to always have a Minor Sequencer with Mirror Image and Blur and, when you have enough levels, a Contingency with Stoneskin or Improved Invisibility on self and a Spell Sequencer with Stonekin and Fire Shields/Improved Invis/Ghost Armor. Once you've got 8th level spells, I've always found a Spell Trigger with Improved Haste, Protection from Magic Weapons and Tenser's Transformation to be really fun.
Other than all that you also have various protection from energy spells, spell protections and so on. And you'll still have some spell slots left for some save or suck/lose spells or some summons.
Ok, that was more than 2 cents, I guess. Sorry if it's too long but I hope it helps.
ETA: There's that dwarf? merchant named Cutpurse in the Bridge District (in front of the house of Neb the child killer; he's there only at night). He has some of the spells I've mentioned (Spell Immunity, Improved Haste, Protection from Magic Weapons for example) that you can't find in Waukeen's Promenade.
Go for high strength, constitution, wisdom and dexterity .
Forget spells first few levels and just wear armor.
I got to -7 without armor later on. Thaco -9
Go mace, scimitar and Sword and Shield style.
You can get all but one Saving Throw below 0 ( and up to -6 ) before game end.
Buffs , Stoneskin...start the battle with a few AOE spells and then run in to the middle of battle and blow stuff up !
My Gnome just steamrolled BG
You can make him an archer, but I like melee.