Interesting Dual Class Combinations
mylegbig
Member Posts: 292
Everyone knows about the tried and true combos such as Berserker->Cleric and Kensai->Mage. But I wonder if anyone has tried dual class combinations that may not be optimal but are interesting.
Maybe something like an Assassin dualed to Fighter at lower levels for the +1 to hit and damage and poison weapon. Emphasis on ranged weapons. Not much of a thief, but certainly a different take on the fighter. Could also be dualed to mage for Melf's Minute Meteors + poison.
Or has anyone tried dualing a spell casting class into one that isn't? Of course, it wouldn't be anywhere near as effective as going the other way around, but I wonder if anyone has tried it and made it work.
Anyways, I'm interesting in hearing people's ideas and experiences.
Edit: I'm also interested in hearing about Shadowkeeper only combinations as well.
Maybe something like an Assassin dualed to Fighter at lower levels for the +1 to hit and damage and poison weapon. Emphasis on ranged weapons. Not much of a thief, but certainly a different take on the fighter. Could also be dualed to mage for Melf's Minute Meteors + poison.
Or has anyone tried dualing a spell casting class into one that isn't? Of course, it wouldn't be anywhere near as effective as going the other way around, but I wonder if anyone has tried it and made it work.
Anyways, I'm interesting in hearing people's ideas and experiences.
Edit: I'm also interested in hearing about Shadowkeeper only combinations as well.
Post edited by mylegbig on
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One is a Diviner/Cleric, I was thinking it to be something along the lines of a Lorekeeper of Oghma. Which, considering the main character's background, is very fitting imo. Switched to Cleric at level 6 or 7 when I could cast Clairvoyance.
Another is a Fighter/Cleric, a Battleguard of Tempus concept. Nothing terribly exciting, just put 3 proficiency points in Mace and a couple in Sword and Shield Style. Also have a point each in Morningstar and Warhammer.
I've always liked Thief/Mage combinations though haven't really tried them pre-3rd edition. An Assassin/Mage could be fun maybe. Enough Hide in Shadows to make an escape if need be and the odd poisoned backstab fight opener.
I dualed Assassin 6/Mage in Black Pits and it's much fun to poison Melf's indeed. Haven't played it on higher levels though, but I imagine it could be a good caster killer, with debuffs, acid/poison weapon and Miscast Magic/Lower Resistance.
Usually, the roleplay behind dualing to cleric is "charname finds to (deity of choice)" and it bothers me that I can't dual into a cleric kit (legally, at least) or that there isn't even a kit to EEkeep (i.e. travelling with Viconia, charname learns about Shar --> duals to cleric serving Shar isn't possible). Dualing from necromancer to vanilla cleric makes so much more sense to me and I wouldn't want a kit even if it was possible/available. Like I said elsewhere, it's not so much Xzar finding to (a) god, it's a scientist studying the concept of faith and learning about religious rituals from various faiths. The anthropologist spending time with a tribe to study their shamans, meditation methods, use of herbs and so on, but ultimately remaining a non-believer who happens to be an expert on religion.
From the spells, the two classes fit together very well, too. The heal/cause wounds is an "evolution" of Larloch's or Vampiric Touch - the necromancer gains more insight and can now heal without harming, transfer the life force to others instead of only absorbing to himself. Summoning skeletons - which seems essential for a necromancer to me - is now a level 3 divine spell instead of arcane level 5. Various higher level divine spells fit necromancers perfectly (i.e. Finger of Death). It feels like cleric is the natural evolution of necromancers, and the downtime when changing the class makes sense, too. It's not "suddenly forgetting how to do X", it's not using previous (scientific) knowledge to approach the same subject - life and death - from a different angle.
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Mask
While that is the most straightforward, Shar also works (it is revealed before his death that she is his mother).
Shadow Dancers would particularly be relevant in this case.
I don't bother backstabbing with him, I just really prefer my PCs handling traps and scouting. I use the icewind dale dwarf voice set "easy as goblin pie".
I really wish he could romance mazzy but I'm going to settle for neera. I just bought the defender of east haven for him, and am about to storm de'arnise keep for the FoA, as well as Orc leather which will fit in my min-maxing of physical resistance.
Is there any other armor with phys resistance?
I also have a chaotic neutral cleric shadow dancer multiclass. Hide in plain sight is so fun. I need to find a cloak of non detection for ToB I think.
Im currently in the underdark with him, hes romancing viconia. I use the IWD 2 monk voice set for him.
A non-BG-Legal (though PnP legal) favourite is Fighter/Assassin. Not only is it completely beastly mechanically (Poison Weapon with Fighter THAC0, more HP, Grandmastery, ultimate 7x backstab), it works for me RP-wise because the Assassin is very-much a battle-focused Thief. When the Fighter duals she/he turns their warrior expertise to making precise and deadly strikes and compensates for it with a significant reduction in their thieving utility: the 15% per level helps to simulate a slower progression of the basic thief skills while the bonus damage and THAC0 serve as an innate bonus carried over from their Fighter training.
Ya I plan on making this run soon and playing it with greatswords for giggles.
I so wish that Monk/Wizard and Paladin/Wizard were legal like they are in 3rd etc =/
Mechanically, this is an awesome class. You can use all the weapons that a cleric normally can't. Offhand Scarlet Ninja-to and stack two Boons of Lathander and you have 5 attacks per round, the same as a warrior. Cleric buffs push you to 25 strength with maximum damage. You can cast mage spells from scrolls. Time trap and Harm. Amazing backstabs. Smack them with Carsomyr. Wear the Robe of Vecna for quick-casting cleric spells.
My old favorite was Assassin > Mage. An assassin of wizards, who realizes that the best way to kill a mage is to be a mage. She's a great anti-caster. 100% find illusions for passive true sight that bypasses spell defenses. Poisoned Improved Hasted MMMs, Energy Blades and backstabs to disrupt spells before they happen. Shortbows with arrows of dispelling to destroy mage buffs. Gesen bow with unenchanted arrows to pierce both Protection from Magical Weapons and Stoneskin and interrupt casting while she casts her own spells.
Both of those are amazing already but they would be even more amazing as EEkeepered multiclasses! I don't mind dualing though. Humans are cool.
edit: oh, merry Christmas, everyone!
I want a fighter/cleric/thief myself =/
*Although, why I should be at your click and call is beyond me...*
Note that you can pass them around between your party so you don't have to be a druid yourself... you can have Jaheira make them and give them to you and throw them yourself. I did that a bit with my assassin/mage.
They also work pretty well on Jaheira. She gets fighter HLAs so she can Smite with them and knock people back, or use (Greater) Deathblow and destroy things instantly.
It's a cute trick but they don't do much damage, the AoE is pretty small, you only get 4 per cast and you don't have 5 attacks per round like you do with MMM. I didn't find them very useful overall.
The only issue I'd see, is just how much mage do you want to get =/ I think it would be better as a EEkeepered multiclass than a dual.
(For extra fun, be a gnome so you can feel legit as an Illusionist/Assassin)