Question about Invoker
Stormvessel
Member Posts: 654
I am a total noob to Baldur's Gate and D&D for that matter, but nonetheless have decided to start with an Invoker due to the offensive magic - even though I know it's the most restricted of the Wizard classes (don't care, it's simple).
I rolled a 95 and here is how I allocated my stats:
Strength 12
Dexterity 16
Constitution 16
Intelligence 18
Wisdom 18
Charisma 15
That is probably wrong but will it work? I would hate to reroll.
Lastly, and the purpose of this thread, is what is the deal with Constitution being the primary roll stat? I was under the impression that Intelligence was the primary stat, yet when rolling it's constitution that can't go below 16... Can someone clear this up?
I rolled a 95 and here is how I allocated my stats:
Strength 12
Dexterity 16
Constitution 16
Intelligence 18
Wisdom 18
Charisma 15
That is probably wrong but will it work? I would hate to reroll.
Lastly, and the purpose of this thread, is what is the deal with Constitution being the primary roll stat? I was under the impression that Intelligence was the primary stat, yet when rolling it's constitution that can't go below 16... Can someone clear this up?
1
Comments
Probably going to go with a plain old fighter until I understand the mechanics better. Fighter with high strength, dex, and constitution.
Having said that, melee types are probably the easiest entry points to the game. Ranged attacks are nice and nuking enemies with spells isn't always the best choice for early stage mages. Crowd control spells, like sleep and blindness, are bread and butter til at least mid-game.
Did I mention save often
Conjuration and Evocation require channeling higher concentrations of magical energy to truly master those spells, which is harder on the body, thus they require a stronger constitution then other types of mages.
Alteration and illusion require more finesse to help get the small details exactly correct which makes them more effective.
A enchanters require a natural talent for enforcing their will on others, represented by a high charisma.
Diviners, Necromancers, or Abjurers, require the greater insight or willpower/focus high wisdom brings.
Casting spells requires certain levels of conditioning to do which generalist mages learn enough to get by, which isn't directly to a stat value in most cases. However, specialists require a certain minimum to develop the required level of conditioning for mastery of a school, but as a cost they must sacrifice condition themselves to cast to spells on the other side of the chart making them unable to cast those spells.
Intelligence is of 2ndry concern to a specialist and only limits how complicated of spells they can prepare, based on spell level. It also makes it easier for them to successful scribe spells. (Int: 9= Up to 4th, 10-11 =5th, 12-13=6th, 14-15=7th, 16-17=8th, 18-19=9th, 20+=10th).
Int is only a prime stat in the parlance of that you need a minimum of 9 to be a mage, and 17 to dual-class into one, or 15 to dual-class out of one.
(technically 10th can be learned with 18 int, but suffers a massive penalty (doubles the prep-time required and has a flat 20% failure chance for 18, 10% for 19) to preparation success until 20+)
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The only problem though is that divination and conjuration seem to be on the wrong sides of the chart.
Conjuration is a high Con requirement, wedged between high Cha and Wisdom, while Divination is a high wis requirement wedged between Con and Dex.
Flipping them on the table would make a much more natural progression, though it would change Conjuration's opposed schools to Greater Div/Abjuration, and Evocation to Enchantment/Illusion.
(Evocation is next to necromancy which means it's complimentary to wisdom based schools, and thus cannot lose greater divination)
(Conjuration on the other hand has a deficiency in the area of willpower and insight and so would lose abjuration. Conjuration does require making pacts with the creatures they summon, rather then the ones they conjure, so at least some focus on personal charisma is required thus they can't lose enchantment. While the lack of Dismissal and Banishment seems a bit odd, Conjuration does include the ability to dismiss most kinds of summoned or conjured creatures, though their dismissal spells are more specific to type and less general purpose then Abjuration's are).
Wisdom isn't very useful unless you're a cleric or druid, and even then it's not the be-all-and-end-all. You can raise your wisdom by 3 points in BG1, so it becomes even less important to have a high starting value.
If you want a character with good survivability that is easy to play then fighter-types are good. Cavalier (a paladin kit) gives immunity to charm and poison which can be a headache in the early game but cannot use ranged weapons. Unkitted rangers are also a good beginner class, as they are easy to get good rolls for as well as having lots of nice extras like the ability to stealth and eventually spellcasting.
If you want to experiment with a caster then multiclass fighter/clerics or fighter/mages give you a degree of resilience as well as being pretty powerful.
17 dex isn't shabby. As a mage, you'll stay away from the frontline anyway (so the AC bonus isn't to worry about - there are items to improve your AC vs. missile attacks) and you won't be the main damage dealer with any ranged weapon either way. Darts or sling won't matter once you do damage by spells; until then, let the meatshield NPCs do the melee and support them with Sleep, Glitterdust, Blindness and Horror.
I do have one more question, so rather than create a new discussion I will post it here.
I chose Cavalier for my first time class, and lucked out on the roll. I rolled a 97 and here are my stats (I know the roll is excellent but it's my allocation of stats I worry about - particularly in regards to Con, Int, and Wis):
Str 18/94
Dx 18
Cn 18
Int 11 (gave it 1 point because I read that an enemy in BG2 can give low int problems)
Ws 14
Ch 18
I assume the allocation is right? I assume 11 Int and only 14 Wis will be okay or should I take stats from dx or con - does Pally benefit from over 16 Con (as well as Fighter)?
Lastly, I chose two handed weapons and two handed fighting style (two points in each).
Will this build work?
Two-Handed Sword/Two-Handed Weapon style are both solid options for a Paladin.
If you need a quick reference source, try these websites:
http://playithardcore.com/pihwiki/index.php?title=Baldur's_Gate
http://gamebanshee.com/baldursgate/ & http://gamebanshee.com/baldursgateii/
Playithardcore has a good rundown of tips, tricks, assessments of party members, classes, stats. Just about everything really.
Gamebanshee is a very useful reference for spells, items, areas, and has walkthroughs if you get stuck on stuff.
So glad to see it's going to work out. I am plum sick of rolling - spent so long doing it that when I close my eyes all I see are those three buttons and flashing numbers - I'm definitely sticking with this Pally, lol.
FYI, the game is perfectly playable and finishable with less than perfect stats rolled. Stat boosting items aside, it is more fun for some people to play a not-so-super stats character and make it through. Weaknesses and deficiencies make up for excellent characterisation and roleplaying as well. When I think about it, an all 18s fighter character looks like Rambo or Arnold Schw. in his old movies, all tough and muscle and near invincible. I much enjoy a more believable character like Bruce Willis in the first Die Hard movie, a few 16s and 17s here and there, he is no hulking warrior with biceps like melons and yet he still pulls through, with teeth and claw. Err, I tend to ramble-getting off topic.
If this is your first playthrough, perfect stats will make the game easier and much more enjoyable for you, that's for sure. Go for it! And have fun.
My only complaint so far is the party formation and moving. Everytime I click on the map they stop for a split sec - no big deal but annoying after a while. The pathfinding of NPCs is a little off, and it takes too long for my party to form up. These things could just be due to inexperience on my part, so I thought I would throw them out there in hopes of a possibly solution.