Starting point for trying to understand how D&D works in BG:EE/BG2:EE

CybrSlydr

I've purchased BG:EE, BG2:EE, Planescape:EE. I've always read that they're amazing stories and I want to experience them.

However, I have no idea what I'm doing when I'm creating my character.

Yes, I understand what each stat does (Str, Dex, etc) but I have no real concept of what each of these numbers should be for classes.

For example, I did some reading and to me, it sounds like a Kensai Fighter is a simple, straight-forward class. No worries about what spells or any of that stuff and you run around hitting things with a sword. A class built around the idea of being incredibly proficient in doing one single thing - Awesome!

Then I get to the screen and I'm paralyzed - how much strength should a pure Kensai have? How much charisma and intelligence? etc. I have no reference by which to gauge what I should be selecting.

If I just push past and get to the next screen... Now I've got 6 stars to put into things against which I again have no reference. Longswords sound great - how many stars should I put into it?

Then I find out that you can import characters from previous games into the next one - so now I'm worried about a character that might not play as well in the next game and investing the time into something that won't work.

Ugh...

I guess what I'm saying is I'm paralyzed by choices I don't really understand and it's frustrating as hell.

lefreut

Hello @CybrSlydr !

First, you get 6 stars when you use BG2:EE. Since it's your first time playing, I think the best is to start with BG:EE. You will start at the beginning of the story and at level one so you will learn to use the capacities of your character as you level up.

Now for the stats, for a Fighter, the useful ones are Strength, Dexterity and Constitution. If you want to min/max, put 18 on these three stats and dump everything else.

Longswords are nice, as a Kensai is fragile, you may also want to put point on the Single-Weapon Style to get an armor bonus.

Do not worry too much about your choice, the great thing about Baldurs Gate is that there are a lot of ways to play the game and that you don't need the perfect character to beat the game.

CybrSlydr

In reading about the Kensai, I think I saw something about prioritizing finding an amulet that grants an armor bonus to make it a little less squishy.

The other thing I'm pondering is if I should go single weapon or dual wield. What I've read generally says that dual wield is great as it helps counter the lack of armor and associated buffs by giving a second weapon that can have enchantments on it - while also getting the added bonus of a second weapon doing damage.

Is it as simple as that or is there something else I should be considering?

lefreut

Other members will need to answer as to which one is better as I don't try to build the best character when I play.

All I have to say is that considering it is your first play-through, go for the style you like the most. Both single weapon or dual wield can easily beat the game. I think you should try to discover the game by yourself and only ask questions if you are blocked.

If you are worried that a Kensai might be too fragile, you can try a pure Fighter. You will do less damage but have a much better armor class. But again, a Kensai is perfectly fine to beat the game.

OlvynChuru

The easiest way to come to understand the details of ability scores is to play Planescape Torment. In that game, when you are allocating the stats for the Nameless One, you can see the bonuses that a certain value of the stat will give you. The bonuses given by stats are exactly the same numbers in Baldur's Gate as in Planescape Torment (for example, in both games, having 19 Strength gives you +3 to hit and +7 damage, and having 18 Dexterity gives you a +4 AC bonus).

ThacoBell

As a basic rule, any stat that is important for your class, you will want to max it out. So for a fighter STR, DEX, and CON are very important. Make them as high as you can. You can work with non-optimal scores, but for a new player, its easier that way.

Kensai are my favorite fighter class, but they are dangerous to play as at low levels. I recommend Single weapon style to start. It will give you an armor bonus so you won't die as easily. Once you get several levels under your belt (and some good magic items for protection), you can safely switch to dual wield to dish out lots of pain.

Long swords are a good standard choice. Plentiful weapon, with a lot of powerful artifacts. I also like daggers, but thats kind of an unpopular choice. Daggers are much weaker damage wise, but they often have very nice enchantments that add status problems and debuffs to enemies.

Kilivitz

Stats (Abilities) range from 3 to 18 (the lowest and highest possible roll on three six-sided dice - that's how people used to roll stats for characters in P&P D&D).

Stats between 8 and 14 are considered average and yield no modifiers of any kind (positive or negative). In practical terms, this means, for example, that two Thieves (whose most important stat is Dexterity) with stats of 8 and 14 will perform just the same.

This means you should always aim for primary stats of 15 or higher. Primary stats are the ones that interfere with the main skills of your character.

Fighters, Rangers and Paladins should have high STR because it gives them a bonus to hit (meaning lower THAC0) and damage with all melee weapons and that, of course, is their main function. Anyway, this bonus applies to characters of any class. High STR also increases your chances to successfully bash locked doors and containers and determines how much weight you can carry.

Also on STR: Fighters, Paladins and Rangers get access to exceptional Strength. This means that when you roll (or adjust your score to) 18, there's a secondary roll that gives you a number between 01 and 00 (the latter is 100, not zero) which yields higher bonuses.

Every character should have high DEX because it gives a bonus to Armor Class. 15, 16, 17 and 18 each yield a cumulative +1 bonus (which actually makes your AC lower because in AD&D, lower means better for THAC0, AC and Saving Throws). It also gives a bonus to THAC0 when using ranged weapons. Thieves also get a bonus to thieving skills when they have high Dexterity.

Every character should have high CON because it gives bonus HPs every time they level up. Each number over 14 gives you 1 extra hit point per level. However, non-warrior classes (every class except Fighter, Paladin and Ranger) only gets that bonus when they have 15 or 16. In other words, 17+ CON is useless for other classes (unless you're a Halfling, Dwarf or Gnome - those races may not get the bonus HPs but 17+ CON will give them a bonus to certain Saving Throws). Also, a character with 20+ CON will regenerate (heal HPs automatically).

Intelligence is the primary stat of (and pretty much only affects) Mages. Your INT score determines the highest level of which you can learn spells and also the chance a character has to successfully scribe a spell from a scroll to their spellbook. Warriors should probably not use it as a dump stat anyway, because in BG2 there are monsters who can temporarily drain your Intelligence and kill you (in AD&D, having any stat reduced to zero kills a character). Also, Clerics, Druids and Monks should avoid having INT lower than 9 because that prevents them from using wands and scrolls.

Wisdom is the primary stat of Clerics and Druids. The higher it is, the more spells they can cast between rests. A high WIS is also useful for Mages and Sorcerers casting the Wish spell (it gives you better wish options).

Charisma is useful for every type of character. A high CHA will make certain NPCs give out better rewards when completing quests, lower prices in stores (up to a 20% discount for CHA 20) and raise party morale (making NPCs less likely to have a morale failure and flee when they're too badly hurt). It will also make it less likely that NPCs who don't get along will fight each other. Bear in mind that all these benefits are dependent on the CHA score of the party leader (the top slot on the right sidebar), regardless if that's your character or an NPC.

When creating a character, certain races have different minimum and maximum values for certain stats. Dwarves can start with up to 19 CON (but no more than 16 CHA and 17 DEX), Elves go up to 19 DEX and 17 CON, Halflings go up to 19 DEX and 17 STR, Gnomes go up to 19 INT and 17 WIS and Half-Orcs go up to 19 STR but 17 INT and CHA.

Classes also have different minimums. However, when rolling for stats, the game always adjusts rolls to the minimum scores required by a class. This means that classes with higher minimums will yield higher total rolls in average. Rangers (high DEX, CON and WIS), Paladins (high STR, DEX, CON, WIS and CHA) and Bards (high DEX, INT and CHA) are specially easy to roll for.

Another reminder: if you intend to dual-class, remember that you're required to have a 15 on the primary stat(s) of your original class and 17 on the primary stat of the class you're dualing into. For example: a Fighter who wants to become a Mage needs 15 STR and 17 INT. Those are on top of any other minimums for that class.