What class to play
Danacm
Member Posts: 951
I want to play an rp motivated run in bg2, but i really dont know which class to play. I thinking about 2-3 weeks to choose the class but i cant. I want a single class class, no mc, dual, and i want it as a leader, charismatic leader who build a party to defeat his/her enemies. But there are too many great options for that and i cant choose between. Priest of helm, blade, maybe archer or undead hunter. I want it to a social member of the party who take care the other members. Any ideas how to decide ?
1
Comments
Archer is good as a secondary fighter (not really a melee fighter -meaning hacking away with a sword - but you will probably get the first hit usually); like any fighter kit it makes a good leader if you roll something good - having high CHA (16) should not be a problem; give him grandmastery in bows and most battles will end quiet fast.
Clerics have a bit more difficult front lining as a fighter (assuming you think that leaders means you are also the first in battle) otherwise they make a good tank - lots of defensive spells and you can wear the heaviest armor and shields (assuming you have the str to wear them) - you are not the first in battle but your buff spells will have an enormous impact on your team; and there are a lot of great blunt weapons in the game.
Blade (bard) - a jack of all trades with some unique offensive and defensive abilities; as a bard you have high CHA and you can identify everything for your team (which is always nice); spells, song and sword makes him a viable leader; the ability to use spells and wands is a lot of fun.
OT:
The Undead Hunter is strong against undead, especially so against creatures like ghasts or vampires (both of which have annoying spells). However, Undead Hunter does NOT have Lay on Hands as a clutch heal.
Archer is basically the BEST ranged kit in the whole game. If you give an Archer high str and high dex, he'll kill most monsters quick. Make sure to give your archer magic arrows for situations where monsters are immune to normal weapons, however.
A Priest of Helm with decent CON (don't need high dex, because heavy armor), good str, and good wis wil be more than able to wade into the thick of combat. (Yes, you may need to prebuff, but you should do that anyway.) If you make sure to put a pip in sword and shield style, then you make a good tank, as said. Also, Flail of Ages; that is all.
Blade is the all around character. Weapons (recommend 2 weapons with slashing damage, personally, and pips in 2 weapon fighting), spells (prebuff with spells that increase defense), and bard songs? What's not to like?! Also, offensive spin and defensive spin, aka "I kill you all!" vs. "Can't touch this!". Give your bard Dark Elven Chain or Elven Chain or Melodic Chain, and then you have good armor AND can cast spells. The only downside to Blades is "stat spread", meaning you need good Dex, good Str, good Int, and good Cha.
As for the topic, I would choose a Paladin or a sorcerer.
If you know some stuff about the gods in the realms you can generally rp any class but those are the ones that suited your criteria for protecting your friends/being a heavy hitter. Unless theres a specific reason your not thinking about duel classing/mc idid suggest giving it some thought. It makes rping kinda easier for some stories.
My current run is a fig to mage who decided that swords ( or a long bow/dagger ) wasn't going to be enough to kill Irenicus so I decided (rp wise) that charname would need to learn magic. He almost turned out to be a fig/cler to protect my allies instead but I think the mage route made for a better play.
Sorry but i thinking rp reasons, and senses
Seriously, you get so much gold in SoA that it's ridiculous. It makes me wish that there was a mod which allowed you to sink gold into your stronghold for improvements, a la improving Crossroad Keep in NWN2 ( http://nwn2.wikia.com/wiki/Crossroad_Keep ). I can only buy so many items, after all...
Sidenote: Of course, the difference is, NWN2 only gives a single stronghold, which can be customized for flavor. SoA gives several class stronghold options, which means there'd be more work involved.
When I roleplay a combat leader, I usually pick an archer or a fighter specializing in some ranged weapon. Cleric and mage/sorc are my second choices.
As for Legolas, he's totally an archer. It's just that he's so much higher-level than the orcs that they can't threaten him even in melee.
Archer - Great sustained damage. Improved haste turns them into real killers. Great scout that can can damage mobs as you kite them back to the group.
Inquisitor - They chunk spell casters and that makes most fights easier. Holy Avenger goodness.
Monk - Weak at the start but great in late SoA and ToB. They do not compete with other fighter types for gear.
Dwarven Defender - Great meat shields. Can get 4 pips to use Axe of the Unyielding or Crom Faeyr. Can use Defender of Easthaven for more defense.
Swashbuckler : Natural charismatic leader type rogue (Not my personal cup of tea, because I'm fond of Backstabbing)
Bounty Hunter : The expert planner and ambush specialist. (Good hero for the planner rogue leader, setting up the battle field to lure their enemies into a trap)
Assassin : The deadly and efficient leader. ( Master tactician, believes in applying extreme violence at the exact time of their choosing, my favorite!)
True Class Thief : Roguish adventurer and dungeoneer. ( I like this idea for a backseat party leader. The professional/technician adventurer, loads up on skill points, the versatile thief!)
The thief who leads a party shouldn't care about his personal stats within the party. The Mage and the Fighter NPCs will dominate in number of kills. The thief leader takes pride in their stats, because they know they are the force directing the Mage and the Fighter. It's the team they've assembled and it's how the team operates tactically and strategically that really matters.
*As a player I tend to enjoy the NPCs a little more as a thief main character, who has to rely on the NPCs for combat, rather than when I play a Fighter/Mage son of murder who really doesn't need sidekicks to slaughter every enemy in game.
No armor and god mode with weapons! I haven't seen him do much ranger stuff anyways.
Check out my two essays on Rangers viability both from a mechanics and as rp value here.
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/766962/#Comment_766962
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/767595/#Comment_767595
With that said, reading your OP, I think a paladin or ranger fits your description the best. Both can be RP'd as honorable, charismatic leaders whom it would feel natural for others to rally around and follow. Ofc you can RP that using pretty much any other class as well, but you gotta choose one sooner and later so you might as well restrict it down to a short list.
I've just recently fallen in love, RP-wise, with rangers (I've used my fair share of archers, my newfound love is for vanilla rangers and stalkers) so I'm gonna cast my 'vote' on that.
Good luck! I hope you find a charname you love!