Ultimate spell caster

marty29

Hi, so i know this discussion has probably been done numerous times. I fancy a play through of BG1 as the ultimate spell caster. I was thinking a cleric/mage. Question is im not sure if i should duel or multi? If i duel, when should i do it? Side question, if i multi or duel can i choose specialized class like a preist of loth/enchanter?
Thanks.

bret

Very subjective, and will depend on a lot of other factors like party composition, whether you intend to export to BG2, and your preferred play-style.

With a standard (unmodded) installation, multi-class characters cannot use any kits/specializations (with the notable exception of gnome cleric/illusionists). Dual class character can choose a kit for their initial class but not their second one. However, it's very easy to use EEKeeper to circumvent those restrictions if you wish.

If you do not plan to continue to BG2, then the BG1 experience cap (161k) is an important consideration. Under the cap, a pure-class cleric can reach level 8 and a pure-class mage can reach level 9.

Level 9 mage is a big deal: It unlocks 5th-tier arcane spells (e.g. cloudkill). If that's a priority for you, then you might consider a dual-class 5/9 cleric/mage. That's enough cleric levels to unlock 3rd-tier divine spells, plus the cleric kits all get an extra ability at level 5. It's a pretty good min/max powergamer combination, but keep in mind your cleric abilities will be unavailable until you attain mage level 6 (i.e. earn 40k exp as a mage.) That might take a while in a full party.

Alternatively, a multiclass gnome cleric/illusionist can reach levels 7/7 under the cap. That unlocks 4th-tier divine spells, but only 4th-tier mage spells. But you don't have any downtime with a multiclass, and the illusionist specialization confers some nice extra memorization slots and saving throw bonuses. Plus, gnomes get fantastic racial bonuses to saving throws vs spells and wands. Can't go wrong here.