Character build suggestion for OC + HotU

thief

Hi, long time no see!
I decided to give NWN another run after a few years break. Never was an expert, but thanks to BG/IWD experience I beat it some 3-5 times, a long time ago. Now I'd like to run it for two weeks tops, so I'm looking for a very efficient, fast character, perhaps you can call it a powergaming.

The thing is, the most recent playthrough featured a single class Wizard and I had a BLAST - but this time I'd love to go for something else, meaning: no arcane magic, at least not as a primary tool (buffing/debuffing/support spells are okay, so Bard and spellswords could be considered).

Most of the advanced builds I've found are meant for epic characters at level 40. If I remember correctly, my Wizard reached level ~19 at the end of OC and perhaps ~27 in HotU. My primary goal is to run OC again, maybe Hordes if there is enough time, so I'm looking for builds shining at lower levels.

Can you please help me with this one? The faster he/she runs the game and mops the floor with mobs, the better. I had some general ideas:

- Druid with some Shifter levels. I won't get Rakshasa form anytime soon, but perhaps he's good with minor shapes as well. The downside is lots of melee - I like smashing things, but is it really that fast?
- Cleric, possibly with Fighter/Weapon Master levels. WM has quite steep requirements, but Fighter gets so many feats it shouldn't be a problem. While safe and versatile, I'm not sure if I can shred everything with a single scimitar/warhammer/club etc. and most people suggest 1H weapon and a shield.
- Bard/RDD + something. I imagine it's quite similar to dual-wielding OP experience from BG2, no? Cast some protections, haste and start mincing with dozens attacks per round... ?
- any range character, maybe Arcane Archer. No chasing around, just spamming them 50 feet away.
- divine caster (again) but more spell-oriented. Druids traditionally get some nifty summons so maybe this approach is effective? IWD2 + HOF endorsed summons all the way. And iirc, divine casters are more offensive in D&D 3.x than 2nd edition.

As you can see there's plenty of ideas running through my head, but I'd like to narrow it down with your help. I don't have as much time for gaming as I used to so I'd love to finish it smoothly, but with a different class this time!

WarChiefZeke

- Shifter Druid, as cool as it is and as much as I love it, is terribly underpowered. If powergaming is your goal, stay far away.

- Cleric is a monster, and best taken pure class, or if multiclassed done so very minimally because spell levels need to be as high as possible to work well. A single monk level provides a lot of benefits, and a ton of AC if you skill point save and dump on tumble. Domains matter. Some of the ones I personally find useful are Magic, anything that provides Stoneskin, and Animal.

- RDD is powerful in multiple ways, I enjoy Sorcerer/Paladin/RDD. True Strike and Improved Power Attack can be done depending on your armor and is a powerful combo.

- Arcane Archer is a good powergamey choice.

- Druids are solid all the way, maybe not powergamed, but fun and strong enough to take on just about everything if played right.

ElysianEchoes

A cleric with knowledge domain can get by without rogue, can be played solo without losing xp to summons and henchmen, and has shown up top or near top of the list in similar threads I've read over the years. I have to agree with @WarChiefZeke .

thief

What about pairing Cleric and Monk - mostly to get multiple attacks with dual kamas* and faster movement rate? Would Cl 16 / Mo 4 mix work for OC, or perhaps should I thrown in some prestige class as well? This is a technical question so I'll be really grateful for tips.

* I just don't like sword+shield combo as much as Dual OR 2H weapons, and I imagine kamas are more efficient for this type of divine caster than, say, a scythe or dual scimitars. Maybe I'm wrong tho

WarChiefZeke

1 level of monk is just fine, but 4 won't kill you and will come with some decent upsides. It will definitely work for the OC. The Darkfire spell comes in handy here as elemental properties greatly expand your damage, since you are firing off so many attacks.

No reason to touch any prestige classes here, it would just hold this build back.

Kamas aren't necessarily the best route here, it's a more stat dependent build and elemental damage kamas are rare in the OC if I recall correctly, but it's perfectly viable and interesting enough to be worth a try. In Hordes of the Underdark, where you can custom enchant weapons, dual wielding kama builds can get insane.

The main benefits of monk levels is the heightened AC from not wearing armor and from Tumble. Since your WIS is already high you get the benefits of that, and coupled with the Magic domain for Mage Armor and the stat boosting spells for Wisdom and Dexterity you can have one of the best AC's of any build by going the Cleric/Monk route.Kama users need DEX so they benefit from this even more.

thief

I think I'll give it a go. One level in Monk in Ch1 to equip kamas and Cleric for the most part. Maybe if I feel strong enough to diversify, I'll take a prestige class somewhere.

When it comes to AC and DEX/WIS, I guess I'll start with 15 in both (to get Ambidexterity and hit WIS 19/20 at the end of OC). Hopefully it's gonna work with buffs. For domains, I thin I'll take Trickery (imp invis) and Strength for Stoneskin.

I think there were kamas with some add smg in OC, can't be sure though. Would you take Weapon Finesse and pump DEX or rather foxus on spellcaster side of things (better buffs, penetration etc)?

WarChiefZeke

I would certainly focus of Wisdom, because it powers the effectiveness of your spells and you need certain minimums to get spell levels. You can't cast 6th level spells unless you have a wisdom of 16, for example. 15 Dex is sufficient since it gives you all the Two-Weapon Fighting feats and will be sitting around 18 most of the time with Cat's Grace or more with later equipment.

If I was taking Trickery domain myself, i'd be tempted to take a single level of Assassin for Death Attack and because prestige classes don't give XP penalties. It would mostly be for fun and flavor and wouldn't add a whole lot to the build, but I like to experiment.

If taken at a higher level with some skill points saved, you could pump Use Magic Device up because of that single Assassin level and get access to a lot of Arcane Magic scrolls.