Help me pick a canon run class

Nexus

Okay folks, I finally did it. I started with BG1 somewhere around 1999 and finally finished it with EE last year.
Because of the D&D2ed ruleset and unforgiveness of the lower levels I've almost always played human warrior/fighter. I want to start a character to import through to BG2EE but I'm struggling here, just can't decide.

I know the classic powergame class is kensai+mage, dualing somewhere around level 13(?) in BG2. But kensai just seems so...squishy...to make a run through BG1.

I guess Im wondering if classic warrior then dual to mage in BG2 is setting myself up for hardship.


Notes: I've never played BG2, I have the some 300 page ring bound manual sitting here on my desk, but couldn't bring myself to play until finishing BG1.

I have a tendency to switch things around with the party but ultimately will probably finish with canon characters. I usually dual imoen so she's usually with me throughout picking up a spare thief for awhile until her mage cherry pops. Probably finish with minsc/imoen/jaheira/maybe khalid/maybe dynahier(I have the sweets for neera, but probably wont take her to the end)

I know the games fairly balanced and just about any build will work, hell you could do a shepherd build (wait that's ultima) and get through fine. But I also like the appeal of the Role play perspective of starting warrior and picking up the mantel of gorion and finishing off as a mage.

I like the ranger class, but I usually roll with minsc and the other one for a bit (kivan?coran?) so it seems so redundant. Though I never really treat minsc as a ranger, more like a battering ram.

The thief kits, blade and swashbuckler look appealing, but torn on them due to initial power and RP reasons, but I could make something up in my head to justify roleplay if it makes for a fun build to dual to mage.

Anyways sorry for the rambling, just having a bout of indecision. *sigh*

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TwoWayFinesse

Try a fighter/cleric. 'Canon' party is short of a cleric. Lots of good buffs! (and HLA's in BG2)

Mitchfork

Kensai 13 -> Mage is definitely a tried-and-true power build, but you can sub in a Berserker instead for more defensive perks. Berserkers have no armor restrictions and Rage is just killer against Mages who rely mostly on disabling spells. Your only disadvantage is that you can't be great at ranged combat, but this isn't such a big deal. You can also play with the level you dual at (7 gets you 1/2 extra APR and allows you to regain Fighter levels in BG1, 9 gets you another proficiency point and maxes your Fighter HP) if you're not comfortable waiting all the way to 13.

Swashbuckler is also a nice class to dual into Mage but I'm not sure what the optimal dual levels are for it. You won't be as good in combat as a Fighter/Mage but you still get some nice bonuses. Blades are really fun but you can't dual them at all, so that might affect your decision.

meagloth

A sorcerer would be different and fits well with the bg1 canon party.

BelgarathMTH

If ability to fight well in BG1, and then become more and more powerful in arcane magic in BG2 is your concern, why not just play a fighter-mage multiclass? You'll get the character arc you're suggesting that you want, and you'll have great fighting ability and magic through the whole trilogy.

During BG1, you don't even have to use any of the mage spells - you can keep wearing armor, and maybe only take it off to use Identify. Plus, you'll be able to use wands, even while wearing armor, for that "spellsword", "jedi knight" feel.

In BG2, you can finally take off the armor, and use magic for your defense, while having access to all the high level mage spell goodies to use as you please.

Depending on your party size through the game, you might not get access to ninth level spells, but you can use another mage for those, and in the meantime, you'll have been a power player through the whole game, and you still will be in Throne of Bhaal.

I'm not a believer in "Be a useless, squishy weakling for 90 percent of the game so you can be the most powerful character ever during the last two hours of play" kinds of builds.

I like builds that are formidably powerful through all stages of the game, and the fighter-mage multiclass seems like the best of all worlds for what you seem to be asking for.

Musigny

A Kensai13-Mage (or any fighter lvl 13 dualed to Mage) is not nice for a new BG2 player.
It really takes long before you get your Kensai power back.
I suggest using a mono class for your first BG2 run, especially if you want to play a 6 member team or rotate too many npcs.

Nexus

thespace said:

As you already dig rangers, I suggest a Stalker kit, which has consistently been the most fun character I've used as Charname (both in BG1&2),

I re-read the stalker kit, does look interesting, but I'm leaning more chivalric/good. I mean, you could still play that way, but I'm looking more for a stand up and fight kinda guy to start.

Mitchfork said:

Berserker instead for more defensive perks. Berserkers have no armor restrictions and Rage is just killer against Mages who rely mostly on disabling spells.

I almost dismissed this because, again, trying to play NG. But I AM bhaalspawn after all, so being a fighter with a dark streak appeals to the roleplay side. I mean, I'm still good, BUT lose it every once in awhile bashing in/dismembering those that murdered Gorion. :P

meagloth said:

A sorcerer would be different

One of these days I am going to do a pure mage run and completely obliterate everything that steps in front of me.

EDIT: I think I might go beserk then dual in BG2 to mage.

Musigny

Nexus said:

One of these days I am going to do a pure mage run and completely obliterate everything that steps in front of me.

hmm...
Also known as the Tiax syndrome. Beware !

Nexus

Hey, Tiax rules!

Nexus

BelgarathMTH said:

If ability to fight well in BG1, and then become more and more powerful in arcane magic in BG2 is your concern, why not just play a fighter-mage multiclass? You'll get the character arc you're suggesting that you want, and you'll have great fighting ability and magic through the whole trilogy.

During BG1, you don't even have to use any of the mage spells - you can keep wearing armor, and maybe only take it off to use Identify. Plus, you'll be able to use wands, even while wearing armor, for that "spellsword", "jedi knight" feel.

In BG2, you can finally take off the armor, and use magic for your defense, while having access to all the high level mage spell goodies to use as you please.

Depending on your party size through the game, you might not get access to ninth level spells, but you can use another mage for those, and in the meantime, you'll have been a power player through the whole game, and you still will be in Throne of Bhaal.

I'm not a believer in "Be a useless, squishy weakling for 90 percent of the game so you can be the most powerful character ever during the last two hours of play" kinds of builds.

I like builds that are formidably powerful through all stages of the game, and the fighter-mage multiclass seems like the best of all worlds for what you seem to be asking for.

Your speaking my language and I've have had the inclination ever since D&D basic (red box set!) towards elves (no classes back then they were just fighter/mages). A half elf or elf fighter/mage has a strong appeal to me both in game mechanics and role-play.

I was just rolling a berserker too, GAAHHHH! indecision!

Heindrich

I second @BelgarathMTH's recommendation to just use a F/M multi-class. I think it's perfect for what you've imagine for your Charname, and is great for a beginner cos u don't have to worry about managing a dual-class process.

In fact I recently finished my first full-saga playthrough with a F/M.

In BG 1 I used him mostly as a warrior, a bowman to be more precise. Sure he had some spells, but it was mostly not worth it to take off his armour until near the end of BG 1.

In BG 2 I pretty much stopped wearing armour after Chapter 1, since Mage protection spells makes physical armour obsolete anyway.

I never got to lv9 Arcane spells, but my F/M was still a powerhouse for all of BG 2, even though I messed up his weapon proficiencies. (Playing blind, didn't plan out weapons).

I was also playing BG 2 Vanilla, so no BG 2:EE content, and roleplay meant that I missed a lot of quests. A more completionist player would easily reach lv9 spells with a multi-class mage, albeit not until Throne of Bhaal.

F/M near the level cap is actually stronger than a Dual-Classed F=>M or even K=>M, due to access to Fighter HLAs as well as Mage HLAs.

bob_veng

you could just take a pure berserker or a barbarian. you could also try a monk.

fighter/mage multi is probably your best shot though if you want great power.

booinyoureyes

Sorcerer!

Archaos

I dislike the Kensai->Mage dual as it stinks of rotten cheese, makes absolutely no sense RP-wise (yeah I decided to be a mage after becoming a grandmaster of a weapon) and is horrible to play with through the BG saga until you get the Kensai levels back.

I would strongly suggest a Cavalier, though it might be too restrictive RP-wise and gameplay-wise.
Stalker is LOTS of fun. I know I had fun with Valygar. Dual-katana backstabs? Lovely.
Fighter/Mage multi is fun also. Though in BG2 you will start lagging with your Mage levels compared to others.
Why not Half-Elf Blade? Similar to Fighter/Mage, not as powerful but levels up faster and you get bonuses to Pick-Pocket and Lore.
Sorcerer is fun but is trickier to play since you need to know what spells you'll need throughout the saga, you cannot change those spells after you get them.

KidCarnival

I'll throw in a cleric/mage. Cleric gets you the survivability you seem to want from the warrior class. The canon party is short of a cleric (not neccessarily a healer), so you can go through BG1 as cleric, enjoy having no armor restrictions and buffs and then dual for BG2. That's where you need to restructure the party either way. While Imoen is gone, you have yourself as caster and can pick up a cleric powerhouse like Anomen until you get her (and your levels) back.

Blucher

Nexus said:

Hey, Tiax rules!

...all! Just ask him and you shall see.

abacus

If you dual to Mage first thing in BG2, you can regain your first class fairly quickly through reading scrolls.. they give improved XP in the 2nd game. Just make sure you read them as only member of party (park Minsc, J-dog et al somewhere safe for a while and hit the books).

abacus

Although I feel moved to pimp my favourite class the Bard - kitted to Blade it's pretty badass and very powerful. Also, a Bard is very believable canon-wise... Listening to stories around Candlekeep, singing in the Tavern, picking up a bit of swordplay from the guards, a few spells from Gorion, a bit of roguery from Imoen... It also makes you rely on your party rather than being a one-man-army...

Corvino

I'll repeat a couple of classes that have already been thrown into the mix. Fighter/Mage and Fighter/Cleric both work well throughout the saga and fit perfectly into the canon party. Cavaliers are also an interesting one, and might fit with your "chivalric/good" ideas.

F/Ms are brilliant due to mage buffs that make them unhittable while still able to deal damage. F/Cs can exploit any number of cleric buffs to hit like trains.

Cavaliers are more straightforward but still benefit from immunities that are nice throughout (charm & poison), as well as having free remove fears, protection from evil (hugely underrated in BG1) and later cleric casting.

Belanos

Nexus said:

Probably finish with minsc/imoen/jaheira/maybe khalid/maybe dynahier(I have the sweets for neera, but probably wont take her to the end)

If you're referring to BG2 here, you can forget about Khalid and Dynahier. As for a class, a Half-Elf multi-class
Cleric/Ranger would be a good way to go. They get all of the divine spells, Cleric and Druid, and are pretty good at melee combat as well.

Edit: @Heindrich added spoiler-tags.

abacus

Belanos said:

Nexus said:

Probably finish with minsc/imoen/jaheira/maybe khalid/maybe dynahier(I have the sweets for neera, but probably wont take her to the end)

[spoiler]
If you're referring to BG2 here, you can forget about Khalid and Dynahier. As for a class, a Half-Elf multi-class
Cleric/Ranger would be a good way to go. They get all of the divine spells, Cleric and Druid, and are pretty good at melee combat as well.

[/spoiler]

**SPOILERS!!!!**

Edit: @Heindrich added spoiler tags around quote of same spoiler. :P

Heindrich

And the above is why beginners really should post in the "New Players (NO SPOILERS!)" section. Technically the above users have done nothing wrong, but I tagged the spoiler because the user has mentioned that he/she has not played BG 2 before.

Nexus

I don't mind, I understand some might, but I find theres a statute of limitations for games spoilers.
Anyrate, I rolled a human beserker and a half-elf F/M. I try and narrow it down after some playtime.
Thanks for the advice folks.

Belanos

abacus said:

**SPOILERS!!!!**

Oops, sorry. But this is a General Discussion thread that has a spoiler warning attached to the title after all.