Skip to content

Starting stats.

Okay, so I am starting out on this journey that is Baldurs Gate and I have run across a point in character creation where I can't find an answer to a question I have.

So of course looked up what is best for a person just starting out and fighter seemed to be the overwhelming choice. I was looking at the predetermined character and messing around with my own character and I got to this point where I thought, okay, if that preset fighter is good for newbies, then I will just mirror him with better stats. That is once I learned the intricacies of the rolling system.

So, when I was clicking reroll I noticed and missed a 90 roll. After that I kept rolling and rolling trying to get that again to no avail. I sat there for like 45 minutes doing that. So then I got a roll of 86 and thought, well I will tweak that and then save it and see what else is out there. So I tweak it and notice these numbers next to my strength.
So I get on the net to find out what they mean of course.
In my search I find that they are for warrior classes only and its their exceptional modifier of some sort.
What I can't find is an explanation of how that actually works in game.
So what I have run into is, I just rolled a 91. I immediately checked the exceptional number I got and its only 55.
So I have two choices currently:
Roll of 91 18/55
Roll of 86 18/97

With searching I found that the 97 modifier is indeed one tick off the best you can get.
I guess what I am trying to understand is how that actually plays out in game.
Does having a two steps up modifier with the roll of 86 make it better than the modifier of 55 that gets me 5 more points to put on my character?
I hope that makes sense.

On top of that, should I even be worried about this? Should I just pick one of those and they aren't even that far off? Or should I go the step further that my OCD wants me too and search for that elusive 00 I am reading about.
On one hand I wouldn't mind a character with peak power from the get go, on the other hand, I WANT TO PLAY THE GAME. lol

Thanks in advance guys.

Comments

  • joluvjoluv Member Posts: 2,137
    Grawbad said:

    should I even be worried about this?

    No.
    Grawbad said:

    Should I just pick one of those and they aren't even that far off?

    Yes.
    Grawbad said:

    I WANT TO PLAY THE GAME.

    PLAY THE GAME.
    HeindrichatcDave[Deleted User]JuliusBorisov
  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    Keep the 91.

    The difference between the 55 and 91 is two extra damage and 70 lbs carrying weight. 5 stat points will be more beneficial than this in the long run.
    HeindrichJarrakul[Deleted User]JuliusBorisov
  • GrawbadGrawbad Member Posts: 6
    Thanks deltago.
    So I am going with the 91.

    Here is how I arranged my stats for my fighter. Let me know what you think. I read a couple places I can ignore both int and wisdom but I am unsure about it.

    18/55 Strength
    18 Dexterity
    18 Constitution
    12 Int
    11 Wis
    14 Charisma

    I think I read that charisma needs to be up to be able to recruit some people that otherwise wouldn't hence why I had lower numbers on int and wis.
    Is that true? Think I should move anything around?
    JuliusBorisov
  • DaevelonDaevelon Member Posts: 605
    deltago said:

    Keep the 91.

    The difference between the 55 and 91 is two extra damage and 70 lbs carrying weight. 5 stat points will be more beneficial than this in the long run.

    Especially because of something that will put the strenght one point higher in the long run
    Jarrakul
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    @Grawbad If you were truly powergaming it, you might as well stat-dump Wisdow and max'out Charisma as well so that you have a natural party leader. It mostly just affects merchant prices.

    But honestly, you are over-worrying, BG is not so hard that you need to min/max to beat the core game. I personally prefer characters with weaknesses and stats that put them on par with the NPC companions you pick up along the way.

    I completed my last BG:EE game with a Kensai that had 15/17/15/18/12/12 for starting stats. Yes that 18 was in Intelligence, which was completely irrelevant for a fighter in BG1.

    Speaking of which, are you planning to carry the same character into BG2?
    JuliusBorisov
  • atcDaveatcDave Member Posts: 2,146
    @Grawbad the character you've chosen looks like an excellent first character. If you like the game enough to play more than once you may want to play around with more variations on your scores and see how much of a difference a few points make.
    But the scores you've chosen are outstanding, you will have no difficulties at all.
    JuliusBorisov
  • GrawbadGrawbad Member Posts: 6
    Heindrich said:

    @Grawbad If you were truly powergaming it, you might as well stat-dump Wisdow and max'out Charisma as well so that you have a natural party leader. It mostly just affects merchant prices.

    But honestly, you are over-worrying, BG is not so hard that you need to min/max to beat the core game. I personally prefer characters with weaknesses and stats that put them on par with the NPC companions you pick up along the way.

    I completed my last BG:EE game with a Kensai that had 15/17/15/18/12/12 for starting stats. Yes that 18 was in Intelligence, which was completely irrelevant for a fighter in BG1.

    Speaking of which, are you planning to carry the same character into BG2?

    I do very much intend to play part 2 but I have not thought about that yet really. I assume this means that I can create leveled up characters in part 2 or I can bring mine along. I also assume this means if I am a completionist, something I import to the second game would be loads better than what they allow you to create?

    In any event, I am getting my feet wet here and I think a second playthrough of this will be warranted. At least that is my thought at this time.

  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    Well I asked the question because it seems you are quite concerned about playing optimally and having powergamey stats... If that were the case, you should know that a pure Fighter loses its powerhouse status in BG2. (You may have heard of the RPG phenomenon called "Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards".
    Grawbad said:


    I do very much intend to play part 2 but I have not thought about that yet really. I assume this means that I can create leveled up characters in part 2 or I can bring mine along. I also assume this means if I am a completionist, something I import to the second game would be loads better than what they allow you to create?

    You can indeed import the BG1 final save into the start of BG2. Such a character is not significantly stronger than a newly created character, although the BG2 plot does carry on from the BG1 story, which might matter to you if you care about roleplaying continuity/completionism.

    Grawbad said:


    In any event, I am getting my feet wet here and I think a second playthrough of this will be warranted. At least that is my thought at this time.

    That is certainly not a bad idea! :smile: This game is good-enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
    JuliusBorisov
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    Ctrl-8 always works...
  • GrawbadGrawbad Member Posts: 6
    Heindrich, I think you are referring to the fact that the Wizards are much more powerful in BG2? I read that, but I didn't know the fighter gets toned down.

    In any event, for me I think my first playthrough of this is to learn. Experience the story, explore all avenues of the game as I can. Then when done and have a thorough knowledge restart with whatever I decide I want to be my main character and do a quality run of the game as I see fit. Then at that point I guess I will probably import that character.

    I am thinking I will end up with something like a Wizard/Cleric/Rogue type character, but we will see.
    I just want to make sure I don't hamstring myself on the first playthrough.

    I read things like, having 8 in stat x is the same as having 13 in stat x so anything 13 and below is a waste and you might as well have 8. That kind of thing.

    Tresset, I looked that up, and am not opposed to that kind of thing, but it is something I would probably use on a character after I have beaten the game and gotten all my entertainment out of it. Something I would just use for fun after the fact if you will.
  • JarrakulJarrakul Member Posts: 2,029
    You're in fine shape. Those are strong starting stats, and fighter is a good choice (although I'd probably only shy away from thief, monk, and sorcerer). My personal rule of thumb is that an 18/anything is good enough. Yeah, an 18/97 is nice, but if you're thorough, it won't matter by the end of the game.

    It's worth noting that, if you plan to continue into BG2, only your main character will carry over. So if you find anything that makes a character permanently stronger in some way, you should probably give it to your main character.

    Also, I kind of disagree with @Heindrich about fighters' long-term optimality. Kind of. Mages are stronger in the long run, but there's no compelling reason to have a party full of them (they don't really complement each other, and some of their best stuff boosts fighter-types, so a mix is usually better). Moreover, mages are much less reliant than fighters on good statlines and proficiency selections. The player character will generally be more optimal in those regards than an npc, and so fighter main characters tend to be significantly stronger than fighter npcs. The same is not true of mages, where npcs only lag a bit behind slightly, so in a mixed party, I would argue that a fighter main character offers more to the group than a mage main character (who can more easily be replaced by npc mages). All that is to say, I continue to think you're in good shape.
    atcDaveJuliusBorisov
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    @Jarrakul I was not saying that Charname ought to be a mage, I just meant that a pure fighter might not be great for a full saga playthrough, from a powergaming perspective, due to the plateauing effect of a Fighter power curve. I only mentioned it because if OP were to consider Dual-Classing, then he might want to maximise Intelligence or Wisdom if he were to go down the Mage or Cleric path.

    That said, I agree with the sentiment of "just go with it and have fun!" as expressed by others, especially if you are intending multiple runs.
  • GrawbadGrawbad Member Posts: 6
    edited March 2015
    Thank you all very much. I am immeasurably grateful. I have my character done.

    Now this question is going to be really dumb. Do I want to import or export this character?
    I am looking at import then I worry, is that going to bring up a list of characters to bring to this and screw up what I have? I am looking at export the same way, is that going to try to export my character I have built here for something else?

    I am assuming I want to import and that will import this character into this game?

    EDIT: Also, I went 2 points long sword and 2 points sword and shield style. I thought it seemed a logical thing for a tank no?
  • GrumGrum Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,100
    Export.

    Export saves your character so you can use him in BG2 (or in the blackpits!)

    Import brings up a saved character.
    JuliusBorisov
  • JarrakulJarrakul Member Posts: 2,029
    "Accept" is probably the option you want, unless you used the pre-generate character option. In which case you want "export". That'll allow you to select the character from a list when you go to start a new game.
  • GrawbadGrawbad Member Posts: 6
    Okay, thanks a ton guys. Really.

    I am about to start up the game. Thus begins my Baldurs Gate journey.
    I am looking forward to this.
    HeindrichJuliusBorisov
  • CaptRoryCaptRory Member Posts: 1,660
    Good luck! *Throws Confetti*
    JuliusBorisov
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    Heindrich said:

    You can indeed import the BG1 final save into the start of BG2. Such a character is not significantly stronger than a newly created character ...

    I disagree. Collecting 8 additional stat points from the Tomes during BG1 is the difference between "making a moderate effort at re-rolling to get fairly strong stats" and "stats so good that it's practically impossible to roll that well". Provided that you understand how best to allocate the stats for your particular character, that does indeed make for a significantly stronger character. Of course it isn't essential to have a particularly strong character to win in BG2, but it's distinctly easier.
    JuliusBorisov
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    @Gallowglass I suppose you are right. I have never rolled min/max'd characters anyway, so I guess I haven't tried to push the envelope in terms of ability stats.

    However, I made that statement with BG2 items in mind, which can pretty much mitigate any weaknesses you might have. My Charname only started with Str 15 (so 16 at start of BG2), but that major weakness (for a melee character) became irrelevant once I could afford the Str 19 belt from the Adventure Mart. Granted it does mean that somebody else in my party (Jaheira/Anomen) is missing out on on a Strength belt, but then there's a lot of competition for item slots in BG2 anyway, and as you said, it's not essential to be min/max'd to win. Oh yeah in BG1, there's so many Str potions that my entire party was on permanent 20+ Str for most of the endgame.
  • joluvjoluv Member Posts: 2,137
    The three extra wisdom points give a bunch of divine spell slots.
  • GreenWarlockGreenWarlock Member Posts: 1,354
    The last few posts seem a bit spoilerish for someone who is planning their first play through of the game...

    So probably a bit late for advice, hopefully you are well into that first play through and making the most of that awesome roll, but some observations on why a fighter makes a good first character.

    At the start of the game, lvl1, the PC is extremely fragile, and while you are learning your way around the game it can be most frustrating to spend the whole time either running away or dying. Fighters get the biggest hit die (d10, d12 for Barbarian), and they get extra HP bonus for a Constitution of 17 or 18 (or higher!) that is not available to other classes. They also get to wear the most armor (along with clerics) so right out the door, your character is durable enough to survive while you learn the ropes.

    Playing a fighter is relatively simple. There is less to learn in managing the character, no fiddly spells or thief skills/stealth/backstabs to manage, but still enough learning to know which enemies to challenge, which to prioritize, and which to run away from! There are also worthwhile boosts from potions and other kit, and learning to manage those is a great skill to master - I never did, and still spend all game hoarding them, and wondering why I have a pile of useless potions at the end of the game when they could have been SO useful at other times.

    One of the neat things you can do with a Human fighter, if you do seek more variety later in the game, is dual-classing. This means you stop being a fighter, but keep all those hit points you earned while fightering. You otherwise start over again at 1st level in a second class (you can do this only once). Eventually, when you pass your original fighter level in the second class, you get back all your fighter skills as well, the extra attacks (if you made 7th level), the extra pips in weapons (which can also grant extra attacks) and weapon styles, and the better THAC0 and (maybe) saves. This generally gives you a more powerful version of that second class than playing a 'pure' class, although you cannot use a kit on the second class, and the kit may be worth more than the fighter levels in the end. The problem you will have dual-classing is that you need a 17 in the primary stats of the class that you are dualing into, which means your only option would be a thief. Fighter->thief is certainly an interesting and useful way to go (if you like the idea) but thieves tend to max plateau even earlier than fighters in the second game, especially as more and more enemies start being immune to critical hits and backstabs.

    One thing to be aware of, especially if you consider dual classing, is the xp-cap in the game. This is mostly an issue only for the first game, unless you run a small party. In BG1 you can never earn more than 161,000 xp, and that is the sum of both classes if you dual. That sets a limit on when you should dual if you want to get your skills back in the first game. Possibly the most overpowered combo for BG1 is a 6th level fighter dual-classing to druid, as the druid XP table is odd, and can still reach its max level (10) after a fighter dual classes as late as 6th level, which is enough to get 4 pips in scimitar, and 2 in dual-weapon style. You will be able to add the 5th pip for grand master when you get your next weapon skill as a druid, something even a pure fighter cannot do in the first game! And you still have full access to the highest level druid spells in the game. However, you can do even better as a 7 fighter/9 druid as that extra fighter level will get you an extra attack every other round, and a 9th level druid still gets level 5 spells, including the important 'iron skin' which is most useful for a front line fighter (you will see when you get it). However, druids have a really odd power curve that will plateau early in the second game, before finally picking up just as you are getting towards the end of the first game, and then hit its second wind in the expansion. Probably not what you are looking for in a first play through :)

    The main point is to be aware that options remain open to you, even after your character sallies forth, when you start with such strong stats. And yes, taking a character from BG1 into BG2 has the potential for some significant bonuses that would not otherwise be available, although you will have to hunt them out.
    JuliusBorisovlunar
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    Am I the only one wondering how his playthrough is going? Just curious because it'd be interesting to hear it from somebody new that is just finding all of the pitfalls, etc...
  • IntoTheDarknessIntoTheDarkness Member Posts: 118
    edited April 2015
    srry wrong post.
Sign In or Register to comment.