New character, run-through.
scorpiova
Member Posts: 87
Hello ladies and gents,
With the new DLC inbound, I am starting an new full run in BG. I would like to make a female "samurai' ish type character. She would use either a katana and/or other orient type weapons.
Any suggestions on which class/kit to use to build this character?
With the new DLC inbound, I am starting an new full run in BG. I would like to make a female "samurai' ish type character. She would use either a katana and/or other orient type weapons.
Any suggestions on which class/kit to use to build this character?
0
Comments
If you want armor, then you'll need to go with Fighter, or perhaps even Wizard Slayer for a more exotic warrior (although the Wizard Slayer is considered to be lower tier due to item restrictions). The Kensai is "Oriental" flavored, but cannot wear any armor. However, a human Kensai may dual to Thief, so could eventually (in BG2) get the Use Any Item ability, overcoming that restriction (and the Wizard Slayer's restrictions for that matter).
You could even select a Paladin for a more mystical "Samurai," but you would be restricted to Lawful Good alignment. It's worth noting that the Inquisitor cannot cast any normal Paladin spells, but can dispel magic.
Another possible option would be a human Swashbuckler, dualed to Fighter at level 10, for some bonus to hit and AC, as well as some handy thieving abilities such as disabling traps and picking locks. You could even put your points into Detect Illusion (will dispel enemy mages illusion spells at will) if you don't like the other skills for RP reasons.
Would a Monk work out at all? I noticed that monks can use Katana's and focus on single-weapon proficiency. In DnD, I am not overly familiar with Monks, so not sure if it is a viable choice (class-wise), but Role-Playing wise would be reflective of the character I have in mind. (Concept wise she started as a Martial-Artist, not a "Monk" per say, then eventually learned to use the samurai sword). But sense, she was never a true "Monk" perhaps one of the other suggestions would be better.
So would Monk work at all, or are they too strange a class to play in BG?
You would lose out on heavy armor, and I thought that monks don't use weapons? I've never played as a monk (they lose out in hitpoints and THAC0). Monks are more Kung-fu martial arts, than samurai knight.
At higher lvls, a monk's unarmed attack becomes better as he gains extra attacks, but is forever locked to a 1 attack/round with a weapon. You won't use weapons unless you need a higher enchantment level weapon.
Kensai is excellent choice for an oriental fighter master of swords, however early bg1 can be a bit rough because no armor.
Yeah pretty much. For both a Kensai and a Monk, BG1 will be rough going for each one because they don't get to wear armor, but will be noticeably better by their later BG1 levels.
Unfortunately, the Monk suffers from the fact that the experience cap stops them one level short from their fists being considered magical weapons, meaning most of the game they can't contribute all that much to combat especially against certain enemies. They don't get some of the same benefits of stat allocation that a Fighter would get, and don't really get equipment to help them out. The draw of being a Monk in the first game aside from getting to experience the game itself with a full runthrough, is getting the tomes and raising your character's stats that way which will carry into the 2nd game. Most of their useful abilities you don't get until the 2nd game like their magic resistance and fists being magical weapons, though being a Sun Soul Monk kit does give you a few abilities to deal some damage with during the 1st game at least.
The Kensai won't be able to wear armor which hurts early on, but with a good enough Dexterity your AC can be decent, and there are some non armor equipments you can get to help aid your AC. Your offensive abilities overall will be much better than the Monk and dual wielding is a huge asset with their offensive bonuses, and you'll get more hit points to tank damage. In BG2 the Monk becomes really good when they finally get their useful abilites, but the Kensai is more of a slow and steady class in terms of improvement. It's one of the ideal kits for dual classing though, and if you think a Samurai type character would wield some Thief/stealth abilities similar to a ninja then a Kensai dual classed to Thief could be a legitimate option. I don't remember if you can backstab while dual wielding, but if you pick weapons that a Thief could use for backstabbing during your Kensai levels then you could have a Samurai/Ninja type character moving in and out of different situations to deal all sorts of damage.
I have decided to go with a Kensai, it seems to fit best with the character I have in mind. Concept wise she would not wear armor. The idea of her being a "vaguely eastern swordsman" would be pretty accurate, so a fighter type would be best.
Now to choose a portrait!
I have a portrait I made for myself which seems to fit with an unarmored samurai type you're envisioning. Hope it's alright for me to post it here, thought you might like it.
Source:
http://dsillustration.deviantart.com/art/Moon-Shadow-175567475
Also, keep in mind that a Thief, regardless of its name, isn't necessarily a thief; 3rd edition did right by renaming the class and allowing LG alignment. In fact, Van Richten (Van Helsing knock-off for those who might not be familiar with the character) from the Ravenloft setting used to be classed as a LG Thief with high INT and WIS, and otherwise mediocre stats, despite being a doctor by profession. Even in 2nd edition, the Thief can have a LN or LE alignment, so there is nothing inherent about the class that precludes a strict personal code. How about a LN Bounty Hunter that serves lawful authorities rather than the criminal underground?
But overall, I think that a pure, unkitted Fighter with grandmastery in katanas and longbows, and pips in single-weapon style, would be the most appropriate. The Paladin would be my second choice for a fantasy, mystical version, or perhaps even a Blackguard for an evil fantasy samurai. I personally wouldn't choose the Kensai because of the lack of armor, since as you say, they are essentially Eastern knights.
I have a portrait I made for myself which seems to fit with an unarmored samurai type you're envisioning. Hope it's alright for me to post it here, thought you might like it.
Source:
http://dsillustration.deviantart.com/art/Moon-Shadow-175567475
It's a nice portrait, looks very cool. I have selected the one I will use. A blonde female which is reflective of the character I have in mind. It's by Isandir. He/she also have a bunch of nice portraits, so I have set up an entire set for the entire npc cast. Here is a link to their work...
http://isandir.com/