I like being a paladin and I like being a thief. I don't like being anything else, though I do keep promising myself that one day I will give being a magic user a proper go.
Paladin/Thief would make a fantastic multiclass, RP-wise. I envision a utilitarian agent of social justice, a knight among the downtrodden, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
You can do it in NWN. I've tried it but it didn't feel right to me - mainly because I think of paladins as knights in shining armour and I just couldn't square that with being able to do sneak attacks and pick locks. Perhaps if I had thought of the paladin more as the kind of Robin Hood-style character you are describing it would have worked better for me.
I only do characters with fighter levels now a days. Single-, dual- and multiclass fighter types.
I strongly prefer the fighter HLA, so duals are not my favourite - and I have a unbuffed 200 HP at level 40 minimum requirement as well... So no monks either.
I dislike resting as well, so I go for the regeneration options where I can find them (20 con in BG1 and ring of regeneration in BG2). So I have even learned to appreciate dwarves with their nice constitution.
Arcane Magic spells is not a favourite, but wands are just fine and the spells that I can pick up at the forced rests.
Some 15 years ago I played clerics mostly - actually unkitted in BG2. And I soloed the trilogy with a monk the first time I did that.
But sometimes people grow into the fighter types and not the other way around. So people can go that way as well.
Paladin/Thief? That's a bit like Mage/Wizard Slayer, don't you think?
Funnily enough, 3.5th edition actually does have a mage/wizard slayer prestige class known as Wizard Killer. Pretty forthcoming too: basically an arcane spellcaster that specializes in hunting down other spellcasters. It was part of the Magic of Faerun supplement book.
Paladin/Thieves would probably closest be akin to the Van Helsing stereotype: hunting witches, vampires and other supernatural enemies of the faith. Should be pretty close to Pathfinder's take on the Inquisitor, actually. There's also D&D's Avenger PrC for thoe Paladins that want to be a non-evil, non-chaotic Assassin.
Poor guy. Looks like he's holding it in now for a while. May he find a restroom soon.
He'll have to hold it until he defeats Sarevok then because there are no restrooms in BG1. Fortunately, Irenicus provides plenty in his dungeon in BG2. Plus a Sewage Golem to clean up after accidents.
He'll have to hold it until he defeats Sarevok then because there are no restrooms in BG1. Fortunately, Irenicus provides plenty in his dungeon in BG2. Plus a Sewage Golem to clean up after accidents.
Who needs a restroom though? Just pee into a drain in Baldur's Gate like everybody else does. What, you're not one of those uppity noble-types, are ya? ;P
He'll have to hold it until he defeats Sarevok then because there are no restrooms in BG1. Fortunately, Irenicus provides plenty in his dungeon in BG2. Plus a Sewage Golem to clean up after accidents.
Who needs a restroom though? Just pee into a drain in Baldur's Gate like everybody else does. What, you're not one of those uppity noble-types, are ya? ;P
We all pee in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars, dear boy (spoken in my best Eldoth accent).
Someone that uses halberds. I know it is not a class per se, but I always found that whenever I found a cool halberd I never have any character that can wield it (I know Kivan now in the EE has halberd proficiency, but still)
Someone that uses halberds. I know it is not a class per se, but I always found that whenever I found a cool halberd I never have any character that can wield it (I know Kivan now in the EE has halberd proficiency, but still)
Poor guy. Looks like he's holding it in now for a while. May he find a restroom soon.
He'll have to hold it until he defeats Sarevok then because there are no restrooms in BG1. Fortunately, Irenicus provides plenty in his dungeon in BG2. Plus a Sewage Golem to clean up after accidents.
Unfortunately, there's SoD in between, so he will have to hold it for a while longer...
Someone that uses halberds. I know it is not a class per se, but I always found that whenever I found a cool halberd I never have any character that can wield it (I know Kivan now in the EE has halberd proficiency, but still)
yeah, and any warrior type can use them, but none of those came with the proficiences required (unless you pick them at very high level, I suppose. Not in the case of Garrick) and usually I have better weapons for the party so I never have a character that can use ravager, dragon´s breath, harmonium halberd or something like that XD. Maybe next run.
Someone that uses halberds. I know it is not a class per se, but I always found that whenever I found a cool halberd I never have any character that can wield it (I know Kivan now in the EE has halberd proficiency, but still)
yeah, and any warrior type can use them, but none of those came with the proficiences required (unless you pick them at very high level, I suppose. Not in the case of Garrick) and usually I have better weapons for the party so I never have a character that can use ravager, dragon´s breath, harmonium halberd or something like that XD. Maybe next run.
There's a very nice halberd made to order for bards in BG though (Chelsea Crusher). The drawback of 1 apr is meaningless for a bard and it does really good damage.
Calling them thieves in a good party has never seemed right to me. I was glad when they changed it to rogue. Still non-lawful by default. They could be lawful as locksmiths or investigators etc... Having knowledge isn't good or evil, lawful or chaotic. It's all about If and how you use it. So a pally/rogue would be quite possible once the alignment restrictions of either are removed.
Poor guy. Looks like he's holding it in now for a while. May he find a restroom soon.
He'll have to hold it until he defeats Sarevok then because there are no restrooms in BG1. Fortunately, Irenicus provides plenty in his dungeon in BG2. Plus a Sewage Golem to clean up after accidents.
Unfortunately, there's SoD in between, so he will have to hold it for a while longer...
It's quite interesting. I've been playing BG since 2000 (or so) and yet there are classes or kits I haven't touched indeed.
Fighters - never played wizard slayer. If not multi or dualled I find fighters boring for MC. There are others who can do this monkey work. When mixed with another class they're no more fighters gameplay wise.
Though they're was a time when I've soloed BG1 on insane with a kensai (unmodded) and a monk (with SCS) just to prove myself it's possible.
Barbarian - isn't berserker just overall better?
Clerics - never played it pure or kitted. Though one of my favourite is cleric-thief multi for his Righteous Magic backstabs.
Definitely soloed the game with a cleric-ranger.
Rangers - not even an archer. Don't get the point of a beast master; Valygar is a stalker with good gear so no reason for getting this one as MC.
Though thieves are my favourites, I've never taken bounty hunter. Don't understand the tactics: you scout, find an enemy, fall back, set traps, lure enemy...That's so long comparing to: scout, find an enemy, backstab... go find another one. Though I'd probably try some time.
Druid - avenger and totemic are my favourites - soloed BG1 + SoA with each of them (and a shaman too), but never tried shapeshifter because I believe its broken either modded or not.
I've only once played triple class. When I discovered that he cannot cast even a single 9th level spell at a level cap - I rapidly forgot about this multi's existence.
There weren't any single-class mage specialists, I think, and any wild mage too.
Thanks to my recent take on random class rolls + solo no-reload challenge, I've started to play classes I did not play before:
- Wizard slayer: it was surprisingly interesting, despite the drawbacks (or more accurately, thanks to the drawbacks, you need to rethink your use of gear/potions)
- Dwarven Defender: getting 95% damage resistance against Belhifet was fun and interesting. The DD has awesome survivability from scratch (saving throws, damage reduction, big HP pool), although lacks a bit in the thac0/damage department compared to other fighters. Still very interesting.
- Blackguard: for some reason, I never played one (I did try Dorn when EE first came out). I'm currently running one, finished BG1 and am in the middle of SoD. Darts are awesome, so are the BG special abilities (poison takes care of spellcasters, Aura of Despair covers the physical attackers).
- Priest of Helm: I was not convinced by his Seeking Sword special ability. Turns out it is very very powerful (at least in BG1, I died early in SoD because of lack of attention against webs), and it counterbalances the lack of APR from Clerics
- Priest of Lathander: I didn't play this class solo nor single class, but dualed it into a fighter (at lvl10 IIRC) in a custom-party focused on ranged and under LoB. I loved the class, but that was a very specific run/playstyle.
- druids (all kit): they are awesome, I've tried them all and though very different playstyles, they are all powerful in their own way. Special mention to the Totemic Druid with which I managed to solo BG1 & BG2 (before SoD came out) relying only on summons/buffs/debuffs (no direct damage ever came from my character).
- specialist mages: enchanter = awesome crowd control/save or else spells, the lack of high level enchantment spells is not really problematic, except that sequencers are from his opposing school (on top of most damaging spells).
Transmuter is interesting too, but to me, a transmuter should go melee (like a spellsword of sorts), but the lack of protections from abjuration school is a big problem.
Evoker is a powerful nuker, no surprises there off course.
- bounty hunter: the special snares are very nice, especially since you can "throw" them (although that's a bit cheesy, i guess).
- bard (all kits and unkitted): one of the easiest solo class, for unkitted/blade/jester. Skald is awesome in a melee or summon oriented party, especially on LoB difficulty.
- Dark Moon Monk: interesting, easier to solo in early levels than the other monks (unkitted/SSM), gets a bit boring at high levels though. But still, managed to solo the whole saga with one (that was before i started playing no-reload though)
- Shaman: highly unconvinced by this class at first, because I only saw his dancing ability. If wanting to rely on this ability, I suggest actually taking 2 shamans (one dances, the other moves, then dances while the other moves, so that the spirits keep following without disappearing... gets boring really fast). But their spontaneous spellcasting and special spells are in fact their real appeal, plus their weapon selection is also a quite nice (axes & bows FTW).
So far, there are still a few rare classes/kits I have never played:
- Beastmaster: I did run a BM/Cleric dual in IWD, Heart of Fury mode, but that was just me cheesing my way with lots of improved summons, so I don't think it counts.
- some Clerics variants (unkitted, Tyr and Tempus): I'd like to try the Tempus kit sometime (I did create a "chaotic" party once, with a Priest of Tempus, a Barbarian, a Wild Mage and a Jester, but never got around actually playing that group). The Priest of Tyr doesn't appeal to me at all though (Acclamation seems nice, but Divine Favor lasts only 2 rounds, so very underwhelming)
- Diviner specialist mage: now that would be a real challenge, especially the way I play my specialist mages (only allowed 1 school out of their specialist school, and 80 to 90% of their spellbook must be filled with spells from their chosen school)...
- Wild Mage: Strangely, I never really played one (except Neera). I play mostly solo, and now with the added difficulty of no-reloads, I don't see a Wild Mage run getting far. Could be funny to try it though.
- Shadowdancer: I really really want to try one, I have many ideas revolving around this class (solo or with a group), but for some reasons, those plans have always been postponed.
- Sun Soul Monk: I hate Rasaad. 'Nuff said.
EDIT: the good thing about playing solo with classes I am unfamiliar with is that I really get to use the most out of each class I try. This makes those runs feel always different and interesting.
Bards. Never played one, never will. Well, I did roll one for a tabletop game. He was a comedian with a penchant for one liners and insults. Only got through a couple of game sessions before I was missing my BFA.
Bards. Never played one, never will. Well, I did roll one for a tabletop game. He was a comedian with a penchant for one liners and insults. Only got through a couple of game sessions before I was missing my BFA.
I don't understand the hate against bards, they are, in fact, a very intersting and useful class, that can be very powerful too.
Comments
You can do it in NWN. I've tried it but it didn't feel right to me - mainly because I think of paladins as knights in shining armour and I just couldn't square that with being able to do sneak attacks and pick locks. Perhaps if I had thought of the paladin more as the kind of Robin Hood-style character you are describing it would have worked better for me.
Really nice.
I had to suffice with pressing like to the screen shot. The right response should have been drooling... but I couldn’t find that button?
With one exception. For reasons I never been able to fathom bards are incapable of using the . . .
'Use Any Item' will fix that!
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Of course not for a very, very long time...
Although it's true, in NWN you could do it. A paladin with rogue levels would probably just have undergone something like secret service training.
A real paladin/thief sounds like an oxymoron to me.
Or are there rules editions where a paladin can be of another alignment than lawful good?
After all these years has no one made a mod that let's you pull on the pantaloons?
Paladin/Thieves would probably closest be akin to the Van Helsing stereotype: hunting witches, vampires and other supernatural enemies of the faith. Should be pretty close to Pathfinder's take on the Inquisitor, actually. There's also D&D's Avenger PrC for thoe Paladins that want to be a non-evil, non-chaotic Assassin.
I'm afraid not. Two decades later and still no one is wearing undergarments.... *sigh*
Come to think of it: I never played a dual-classed character. Like, ever. Probably comes from the fact that I adamantly refuse to play humans either.
Undergarments? If I ever get myself a pair of gold pantaloons I'm wearing them on the outside for all the world to enjoy!
Poor guy. Looks like he's holding it in now for a while. May he find a restroom soon.
He'll have to hold it until he defeats Sarevok then because there are no restrooms in BG1. Fortunately, Irenicus provides plenty in his dungeon in BG2. Plus a Sewage Golem to clean up after accidents.
Who needs a restroom though? Just pee into a drain in Baldur's Gate like everybody else does. What, you're not one of those uppity noble-types, are ya? ;P
We all pee in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars, dear boy (spoken in my best Eldoth accent).
"Cough", Eldoth, "Cough", Garick, "Cough", Kivan. "Cough", Haer'Dalis/Keldorn with strategic pips (BG2EE)...
Unfortunately, there's SoD in between, so he will have to hold it for a while longer...
There's a very nice halberd made to order for bards in BG though (Chelsea Crusher). The drawback of 1 apr is meaningless for a bard and it does really good damage.
Back in the day I ran a poll concerning the provision of comfort stations in SoD (which was known as Adventure Y back then). Sadly the devs decided to ignore the wishes of the masses: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/41537/provision-of-toilets-in-adventure-y/p1
Skalds and shamans because Im not fond of class abilities that require concentration.
Avenger , vanilla and totemic druid because I love shapeshifters so I play woth them instead s2
Berserker aint my cuppatea either because barbarians are more fun .
Other than that I think I've tried most of other classes, apart from multiclasses which I rarely play .
Paladins because I find the idea of playing one highly offensive.
Fighters - never played wizard slayer. If not multi or dualled I find fighters boring for MC. There are others who can do this monkey work. When mixed with another class they're no more fighters gameplay wise.
Though they're was a time when I've soloed BG1 on insane with a kensai (unmodded) and a monk (with SCS) just to prove myself it's possible.
Barbarian - isn't berserker just overall better?
Clerics - never played it pure or kitted. Though one of my favourite is cleric-thief multi for his Righteous Magic backstabs.
Definitely soloed the game with a cleric-ranger.
Rangers - not even an archer. Don't get the point of a beast master; Valygar is a stalker with good gear so no reason for getting this one as MC.
Though thieves are my favourites, I've never taken bounty hunter. Don't understand the tactics: you scout, find an enemy, fall back, set traps, lure enemy...That's so long comparing to: scout, find an enemy, backstab... go find another one. Though I'd probably try some time.
Druid - avenger and totemic are my favourites - soloed BG1 + SoA with each of them (and a shaman too), but never tried shapeshifter because I believe its broken either modded or not.
I've only once played triple class. When I discovered that he cannot cast even a single 9th level spell at a level cap - I rapidly forgot about this multi's existence.
There weren't any single-class mage specialists, I think, and any wild mage too.
- Wizard slayer: it was surprisingly interesting, despite the drawbacks (or more accurately, thanks to the drawbacks, you need to rethink your use of gear/potions)
- Dwarven Defender: getting 95% damage resistance against Belhifet was fun and interesting. The DD has awesome survivability from scratch (saving throws, damage reduction, big HP pool), although lacks a bit in the thac0/damage department compared to other fighters. Still very interesting.
- Blackguard: for some reason, I never played one (I did try Dorn when EE first came out). I'm currently running one, finished BG1 and am in the middle of SoD. Darts are awesome, so are the BG special abilities (poison takes care of spellcasters, Aura of Despair covers the physical attackers).
- Priest of Helm: I was not convinced by his Seeking Sword special ability. Turns out it is very very powerful (at least in BG1, I died early in SoD because of lack of attention against webs), and it counterbalances the lack of APR from Clerics
- Priest of Lathander: I didn't play this class solo nor single class, but dualed it into a fighter (at lvl10 IIRC) in a custom-party focused on ranged and under LoB. I loved the class, but that was a very specific run/playstyle.
- druids (all kit): they are awesome, I've tried them all and though very different playstyles, they are all powerful in their own way. Special mention to the Totemic Druid with which I managed to solo BG1 & BG2 (before SoD came out) relying only on summons/buffs/debuffs (no direct damage ever came from my character).
- specialist mages: enchanter = awesome crowd control/save or else spells, the lack of high level enchantment spells is not really problematic, except that sequencers are from his opposing school (on top of most damaging spells).
Transmuter is interesting too, but to me, a transmuter should go melee (like a spellsword of sorts), but the lack of protections from abjuration school is a big problem.
Evoker is a powerful nuker, no surprises there off course.
- bounty hunter: the special snares are very nice, especially since you can "throw" them (although that's a bit cheesy, i guess).
- bard (all kits and unkitted): one of the easiest solo class, for unkitted/blade/jester. Skald is awesome in a melee or summon oriented party, especially on LoB difficulty.
- Dark Moon Monk: interesting, easier to solo in early levels than the other monks (unkitted/SSM), gets a bit boring at high levels though. But still, managed to solo the whole saga with one (that was before i started playing no-reload though)
- Shaman: highly unconvinced by this class at first, because I only saw his dancing ability. If wanting to rely on this ability, I suggest actually taking 2 shamans (one dances, the other moves, then dances while the other moves, so that the spirits keep following without disappearing... gets boring really fast). But their spontaneous spellcasting and special spells are in fact their real appeal, plus their weapon selection is also a quite nice (axes & bows FTW).
So far, there are still a few rare classes/kits I have never played:
- Beastmaster: I did run a BM/Cleric dual in IWD, Heart of Fury mode, but that was just me cheesing my way with lots of improved summons, so I don't think it counts.
- some Clerics variants (unkitted, Tyr and Tempus): I'd like to try the Tempus kit sometime (I did create a "chaotic" party once, with a Priest of Tempus, a Barbarian, a Wild Mage and a Jester, but never got around actually playing that group). The Priest of Tyr doesn't appeal to me at all though (Acclamation seems nice, but Divine Favor lasts only 2 rounds, so very underwhelming)
- Diviner specialist mage: now that would be a real challenge, especially the way I play my specialist mages (only allowed 1 school out of their specialist school, and 80 to 90% of their spellbook must be filled with spells from their chosen school)...
- Wild Mage: Strangely, I never really played one (except Neera). I play mostly solo, and now with the added difficulty of no-reloads, I don't see a Wild Mage run getting far. Could be funny to try it though.
- Shadowdancer: I really really want to try one, I have many ideas revolving around this class (solo or with a group), but for some reasons, those plans have always been postponed.
- Sun Soul Monk: I hate Rasaad. 'Nuff said.
EDIT: the good thing about playing solo with classes I am unfamiliar with is that I really get to use the most out of each class I try. This makes those runs feel always different and interesting.
I don't understand the hate against bards, they are, in fact, a very intersting and useful class, that can be very powerful too.