Couple "Dule-Classing Imoen" Questions

Carl_L

Hey,

So... I'm running with the "canon" party and Imoen is about 6,000 xp from hitting lvl 7. Apparently, around this point is when you want to duel class to Mage. I have a couple questions: If I understand the mechanic correctly I will essentially lose all of her thief skills until she reaches lvl 7 mage. Is this correct, and if so, how do I replace her thief skills without dropping somebody else in the party for another thief. Also: from what I gather, in BG2 Imoen starts as a duel class regardless of whether you decide to duel class her in BG1, is this true, and if so, how does this factor in what I should do with her in BG1? I will need another mage in my party at some point (playing a Cavalier, with Dyenheir as my one mage), but that seems more true in more "magic heavy" BG2 than BG1. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

abacus

It's true that at the start of BG2 Imoen is Thief7>Mage8 regardless of your earlier choices.
It's also true that if you dual-class anyone at level x, they lose their first class' abilities until the second class is level x+1.

A second Mage is actually not terribly necessary in BG1... whereas thieving skills are essential for certain places (Durlag's Tower being the main one).
So if you are determined to dual Imoen, you'll need to find someone to cover the trap-finding/lock-picking niche.

In BG2 you will require more arcane firepower, but there are plenty of candidates to help you out.

abacus

Who is in the rest of your party?

Cavalier
Imoen
Dynaheir
Minsc (presumably)
???
???

Carl_L

@abacus Khalid, Jaheria

abacus

Ah, the canon party!
You'll have a good time with those guys, and some events early in the next game will make more sense too.

As far as dualling Immy goes... There's no huge need to do so, but if you do, try to avoid indoor areas/dungeons until she regains her abilities.
There are workarounds... There's a level 2 Mage spell called Knock which can open doors/chests, and a cleric spell called Find Traps... it won't disable them... But you can always send a few summoned creatures across to take the hit...

Blackraven

I wouldn't dual Imoen in BG1 if you don't want to change your party composition. She'll be more useful as your only Thief in the last half of your game than as your second Mage. One Mage, Dynaheir, is (more than) enough to complete BG1 with.

FinaLfront

I think it's only worth it to dual Imoen at level 5 or 6. At 7 it's going to take a looooong time as a mage to surpass her Thief7. By that time, your backup Thief is so ingrained into your party you might as well keep them. It's better to just keep her as thief and RP the dual process happening during the year after you beat BG1 right before BGII starts.

Corvino

@FinaLfront is very right about dual-classing Imoen. I've dualled her at level 7 and it was very painful to get her thief levels back. Dualling at 5 or 6 (when you've maxed out open locks and find traps) makes it a lot more manageable. You don't need a second mage in BG1, even though Dynaheir does miss out on the ever-useful enchantment school.

If you do dual her, save up a few areas with easy XP (like the Basilisks, Sirines, Ankhegs etc) to blast through with 2 party members to get an early boost.