Fighters can become excellent archers already (I'm going to see just how good Mazzy is in a few days). My PC is an archer, and they're fantastic, but at some point the devs need to simply make sure they cover as many different playstyles as possible as opposed to as class kits. I want as many usable NPCs as possible, but only up to the point that extra NPCs don't reduce the available story/dialogue for the rest.
The one thing I don't think they need to seriously try and represent is any 3rd edition class crammed into this 2nd edition game. It's cool that they adjusted the rules as best they could to make those classes work, but I don't think they need to make a point of giving them sufficient representation until the base 2nd ed classes receive the same. To which end I would have said single-class thief had they not introduced Hexxat into BG2. Now I'd probably go with bard.
Do you think it would be beyond the limitations of beamdog to add in a monk stronghold into bg2?
Completely agree, high level monks provide an amazing challenge for a mid level party. At the end of ToB its kind of a joke since you're such a high level. However, at mid level your fighters can't just brunt the damage like 20+ level fighters and your mages have a hell of a time taking them out as well. Plus they represent a weakness to the Archer and Sorcerer kit.
I strongly dislike pure class clerics, they have to be able to do something other than buff, heal, and throw bullets at people. Granted I KNOW they have SOME offensive spells, but most people keep their offensive spells for their mages anyway.
Clerics' best buffs are more effective at higher levels, and only affect themselves. Dealing max damage with each hit and having 25 Strength sounds pretty good to me.
There is a surprising absence of NEUTRAL fighters (or barbarians) in both BG and BG2. A solid, neutral, preferably female (as there also are very few female warriors in both games) fighter/barbarian would be very helpful. Such a character could fit nicely into most parties.
This, more so than the lady fighters. I love women with plate armor, but there are a couple with Mazzy and Jaheira. It was always odd that there were zero female characters in BG2 who could level up as any rogue class (since Imoen and Nalia are dualed out of thief). Now we have Hexxat, and bards are unusual enough that you don't really need more than one, but a female jester would be a good counterbalance to Haer'dalis.
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I'm pretty sure they already have plenty of mage NPCs throughout the game. :P
The one thing I don't think they need to seriously try and represent is any 3rd edition class crammed into this 2nd edition game. It's cool that they adjusted the rules as best they could to make those classes work, but I don't think they need to make a point of giving them sufficient representation until the base 2nd ed classes receive the same. To which end I would have said single-class thief had they not introduced Hexxat into BG2. Now I'd probably go with bard.
My second choice is a good-aligned cleric, perhaps with a kit. No multiclassing.
Third choice is a neutral tank. I would also be OK with a neutral melee powerhouse with a glass jaw, but I'd prefer a tank.
Fourth choice would be more kitted rogues running around.
Fifth choice is filling out the specialist casters, and giving us some early sorcerer options.
I'd like a True Neutral female half-orc Barbarian or a female Dwarven Defender.