Help me choose a fighter/mage

velehal

I´m planning to play full revision insane SCS (with Spell Revisions and Item Revisions) and can´t decide which combination of fighter/mage (my favourite class) to choose.

Gnome F/I using hammers/flails and shield. (The easisest combination, best defence, best saves)

Elf F/M dual-wielding long swords. (With IR there are plenty of great long swords).

Half-elf using Staff of Magi.

Or it can be kensai 13/mage using the same weapons (long swords or Staff of Magi, obviously not shield).

I really can´t choose.

Skatan

I'm biased to shorties due to the saving throws and playing a F/M I usually don't rely on nuking with ADH etc so I don't mind having an Illusionist, so I would say Gnome.

When it comes to weapon choices and don't see your point. You will have enough pips to choose multiple weapon categories and/or dual wield/2-handed. I have to admit though that I have a tendency to prefer blades on F/M for some unknown reasons and flails etc for fighter and/or F/Cs. This is one of the very few times I don't meta/powergame.

If you play from BG1 and onwards my personal preference is scimitars for Drizz'ts +3 ones and then in BG2 move for Belm in offhand and add on whatever other category you want, ie Flails for mainhand, or go for katanas. But if you go Gnome the benefit from Dak'kons blade + CF is lower since you already have +1 spell slots from specialization.

Please take note, I tend to never play through ToB so I care less about end-game items and therefore kinda like the dakkon+CF combo for that reason (also, it looks really cool! And coolness should never be underestimated )

gorgonzola

The multi can, and should, use more weapons and weapon styles, for the dual, even at 13, GM is needed to remain competitive end game, so he has to focus on 1 weapon of choice.

Multi mean 2 hla pools, no down time, no armor restriction, better end game thac0, the dual is a more powerful end game caster, with more hp, kit (berseker is probably better then kensai, even if i like KM, still viable as frontliner, but weaker then the multi end game.

They seem similar, but are not so, imo the choice depend on the planned role in the party, for a charname always in the first line with his weapon with a strong main mage at his back go for the multi.
But if you plan a party with multi like jan or aerie as casters and charname more flanker and caster go for the KM.
Also your play style matters.

velehal

I´m going to role play good/neutral character from the BG1 to the Ascension finale (so no killing Drizzt, no provoking people to unnecessary fights) and with party from NPC. I will definitely take Imoen and Mazzy in BG2.
With IR Belm/Kundane don´t grant +1 attack to the main hand, but only 1/2 attack. Still very good, but not so overpowered. Generally IR is making overpowered items weaker and is boosting the weaker one. It makes Staff of Magi regular + 5 staff but it removes the invisibility.
I like kensai because he is not wearing any armor (and in IR can use braces!!) and personally I would not want to drag any armor but to be movable as much as possible. In the normal game kensai/mage can compensate the lack of GW by Improved Haste, but with SR Improved Haste gives only + 1 attack (and regular Haste + 1/2 attack). Kensai/Mage with grandmastery in staff will have only 3 attacks per round. Staff of Air is granting + 1 attack per round, but it is only +2 weapon and so unusable it the most difficult fights (and is in Astral Prison). But I like the idea of mage with grandmastery in staff.