Favorite Single-Class Builds?

catsarekacamp

Hello forum,

I am just beginning my NWN journey. I detest multi-classing. What are some of your favorite single-class builds? I'm trying to decide what to play. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Calgacus

The fighter is easiest to play for newbs but I have a tendency to play rogues as I like the versatility of the class - trap use, use-magic-device, add in some weapon feats and enough buffing and they can still be a melee combat force, but then again i usually multi-class them. I usually do not bother with putting skill ranks into Hide as I can probably find enough magic items with the Invisibility spell. R u new to D&D or just to NWN? You might play the academy section of the first campaign with various classes till you get the feel for the game like the right-click-radial-menu use. For game references sites like http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page are very useful.

Nic_Mercy

catsarekacamp said:

Hello forum,

I am just beginning my NWN journey. I detest multi-classing. What are some of your favorite single-class builds? I'm trying to decide what to play. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Any single classed character can do well in the NWN original campaign, SoU, and HotU.

Single Classed Fighters are especially easy for a newbie but if you want something a little more involved, then Wizards, Sorcerers and Clerics can work really well too. Clerics are especially nice because you get the benefits of heavy armor/shields, on top of the ability to heal and buff yourself to kingdom come so gear is less of a factor.

As Calgacus mentioned, Mixing some Rogue with Fighter can be quite good, especially if you don't want to take npc companions with you, but still want to be able to handle traps and locked doors/chests.

BelgarathMTH

Clerics get some spells that make them an excellent choice. Besides all the stat buffs, you get the full line of protections (Protection from Evil, Protection from Elements, Negative Energy Protection, Freedom, Death Ward, Spell Resistance), and Darkfire adds 1d6+1/level fire damage to your weapon and your companion's weapon.

Take the Extended Spell feat, and all those buffs and protections last practically forever after you gain a few levels.

You also get Turn Undead, healing spells including Heal, and some nifty attack spells if you want to focus on more destructive divine magic - Searing Light, Hammer of the Gods, Inflict Wounds, Flame Strike, and Harm is so powerful it almost breaks the game.

But wait, there's more. You get the full line of Summon Creature spells, for a powerful extra party member that keeps getting stronger as you do, and they last from the time you summon them until you rest, if you keep them alive. (The progression is dire badger, dire boar, dire wolf, dire spider, dire bear, dire tiger, and then three levels of progressively more powerful elementals.)

All that and heavy armor and shields, too. Take the Martial Weapons feat or at least one level of fighter (I don't like to because I don't like to delay my spell power progression) and you can use any weapon, too. Start with dexterity 13 and you can take the full line of Dodge feats for even more defensive ability.

They don't call us "cleric-zillas" for nothing.

Meandre

In addition to what BelgarathMTH wrote, I find that clerics with the "knowledge" and "strength" domains tend to offer a very versatile and playable experience:
They can buff themselves up to be very capable warriors by using the "divine power" spell (in addition to any other buffing spells).
The "Strength" domain basically just gives them more uses of the spell by offering it a spell level earlier. You could easily replace it with any other that strikes your fancy.

Meanwhile, the "knowledge" domain gives clerics the always useful ability to identify magic items and the "knock" spell. Together with the "find traps" spell, a cleric can disarm any trap and open any lock that are not warded against spells (i.e. which are relevant to the plot), rendering those rogue skills in the official campaigns obsolete.

So, basically a cleric can handle most roles in the campaigns by themselves, be it spellcaster, healer, warrior or rogue.

Shadooow

it is not a build if you are single-class

Asturonethoriusaline

Clerics, Monks, Paladins, Rangers, Bards, Druids, are the most interesting, balanced, well rounded, powerful, Melee, spell casters, stealther's, summoners, animal conpanion handler's, monster, people handlers, trap, etc handlers, etc, in the game and in D&D.

Some of that is opinion, but some of that is numbers, number crunching, game mechanics, fact, things to do, roleplay, complexity, etc.

Rogues, Wizards, Sorcerers almost make the list, but are not good in Melee, and need the right NPC, companion.

Fighters, Barbarians, IMHO are too straightforward semi boring melee. And they need the help of a cleric, rogue, spellcaster, or they will die quickly to traps, spellcasters, ambushers, assassins, vast hordes, etc.

Also Prestige Classes are technically not a multi class, but can be a synergistic progressive upgrade of a single classed character.

For example if you play either a rogue, bard, monk, and then prestige class into either Assassin, Shadowdancer, or both, your technically still a single classed character, not multi class, and are basically just still a upgraded rogue

Instead of seeing prestige classes as other classes, see them as character class customization

Also altho a Lev 10 character class X/Level 2 Character Class X is still TECHNICALLY a multiclass, it can be more of a single class like concept.

Example: Suppose you want to make a Ultimate standard Sword/Axe and shield Barbarian, Tank, high DPS, semi high AC, semi high HP hit points, Full Plate melee Warrior.

So you take say either 14 barbarian levels, 6 fighter levels, or 14 fighter levels, 6 barbarian levels.

While that is technically a multi class, in CONCEPT its more of a single class melee warrior

I get why you dont like multi classing because of multiclassing 3,4 classes that dont have anything to do with each other concept wise, where you want your fighter to be able to do everything, anything, so you multiclass your fighter with almost every class. That kind of multiclassing is kind of silly IMHO. Why do that when you can just make a Bard, with the Skaldic Bard Subclass variant, with 1,2 levels of fighter, Some Red Dragon Disciple prestige class (RDD)levels, and the rest bard levels. Concept wise that is more of a single class concept, then a multiclass.

Basically if your single class character is 97% a single class concept character with 1 level of X class, and 39 levels of Z class, your still a single class character in my book IMHO.

Just some things to think about.

catsarekacamp

Shadooow said:

it is not a build if you are single-class

There can be alot of variation in a single class, worthy of posting a build.

jsaving

Most of the game's strongest builds are multiclassed characters. If going singleclass, though, you'd almost certainly be looking at a caster. Two especially solid options would be a sorcerer loaded with metamagic feats or a cleric with the earth and trickery domains.

Skatan

I'm not as experienced as others, but I agree with cleric. Also, bard and druid make for interesting single class characters. Bards can do much, part fighters, part arcane, part rogue(ish). Same with druid, their pets are actually really good and can be buffed to be almost as good as a second henchmen. You can have both a pet and summoned animals and I always liked running around with some company since it feels a bit lonely having just charname and one henchman. I did a runthrough with a monk/druid who had both the pet dire boar and the summoned boar so he was like a boar herder, hehe.. that and Grimgnaw made for a pretty good crowd. It would have worked just as good with a straight up druid as well though. Druids can use ranged in 3E, so you can ie spec towards more DEX and let your pets/summons/henchman do melee, or go with ie scimitars.

Fighter singles are ridiculously good. I've played them back in the hay day when NVN was first released, but not since then. I remember speccing them towards weapon master and going for crit builds. They aren't that much fun though and since you don't have many companions in NVN to micro, it gets a bit boring after a while compared to casters/hybrids.

Never played a singleclassed rogue, only once in a 3-man MP game 15 years ago. I remember that character was quite lackluster since my fighter and wizard friends had their henchmen (Tomi) and that sneak attack doesn't work on bosses and without sneakattack a rogue is rather weak(ish). I guess you could use ie traps etc, but I find the wands to be very weak in NVN, so pumping UDM to use wands I've never really felt use for (except buffing wands).

So, bard, cleric or druid would be my suggestion.