I dare say you should try an Avenger druid. You want to take Dorn who is a force of evil and in the same time much more goody Rasaad and Neera. A true neutral character can be one of the best to deal with them all in one party.
I'm on my playthrough as an Avenger druid myself and he's powerful, versatile and fun. He's like a mage+druid really. Ironskins + Improved Invisibility + spider form + DUHM innate ability is a cool combination. Insect Plague means you'll likely win this or that nasty fight. But the most badass thing for me is casting Doom at first and Chromatic Orb in the next round. More often than not it means instant death of your enemy. I can't express how good it feels to see his soul is taken away. The experience of dealing with Faldorn in several seconds before she even became moving is SO fun. And there's a great variaty of weapons for a druid in this game.
From my perspective, this character is very solid and reliable. And he'll be good in a party of Dorn, Rasaad, Neera, Viconia and Haer-Dalis. I also advise you to take Viconia and Haer-Dalis with you - they're very interesting personalities, the whole Underdark feels differently with Viconia in the party.
BTW, Haer-Dalis can give you an experience of trying a blade. With his special weapons he'll be fine. But there's no Avenger NPC in the game - so it's your chance to try this kit.
If all that is not enough, take a note: our beloved @Quartz and @elminster also voted for an Avenger.
I was the one to report this bug as soon as I had a chance to play BG2:EE the first time. But afterwards I've managed to live with it. My cleric just has a Free Action spell and I try to buy potions of Free Action when I have a chance. It's absolutely ok to overcome the bug this way. Moreover, I've managed to get some profit from the current implementation. The spider has poison now. So with a Free Action effect on my CHARNAME he not only frequently attacks held enemies but also poisons them to death. It's fun in its own way and doesn't spoil anything. I recommend not to wait.
BTW, are you @booinyoureyes sure you don't want to try Viconia romance if you haven't romanced her before? It's a very interesting story that makes you understand her way better then simply the "drow is hot" thing. And a vanilla romance is longer than any new one - the thing I find important.
@bengoshi I have to say... that was a convincing argument, and you are in very good company with Quartz and Elminster! I've decided: Two parties... play both! If I prefer one I'll play it then come back and finish the other
1. Male or Female NG Blade (Still must decide on Rasaad or Neera) Rasaad, Neera, Imoen/Nalia/Imoen, Jan Jansen and then a rotating spot to do quests (will take Keldorn ro Minsc, and give Keldorn some time with his family) eventually for the TOB NPC
2. Female TN Half-Elf Avenger (Romancing Dorn) Dorn, Hexxat, Edwin, Imoen and Korgan (will replace with the TOB NPC of course)
Yet now I still want to do Viconia romance.... too many options (a GOOD problem to have)
wait @Bengoshi Are the new romances really short? I may make a male Avenger and take Viconia for Imoen or Hexxat. I always wanted to do the Viconia romance.
If I'm not wrong, the final SoA LoveTalk for Neera is 31 or very close to that. There are also non-Timer talks that give CHARNAME the option to resolve romantic conflicts (between Neera+Aerie/Jaheira/Viconia/Dorn) without being offensive either to her or to the other interest, as well as the plot-related talks that all characters have.
Ranger/Cleric is an incredibly fun and powerful combo. You can specialize in cleric weapons, wield two of them competently, cast cleric and druid spells and turn undead. As for the romances, Viconia's is both challenging and rewarding.
thanks @anteros I always wanted to play a ranger-->cleric or a cleric/ranger. It would probably be cool even as a low level dual class, just for dual-wield proficiencies.
I hear that the cleric would also get access to druid spells? Is this true? If so is it capped, as in if at the time when I dual I can only cast level 1 ranger spells, would only this level of the druid book be available to the cleric?
Anyway...according to what you have described...I would vote for: - a Neutral/Chaotic Neutral or a Lawful Evil Sorceror/specialist Mage. - try to play him/her as an ambitious, arrogant magnificent bastard with a dry wit. Not above helping others, but ultimately looking after himself. Try to exploit, subvert and see through all the plots and talks the other NPCs do. - bonus points for having him RolePlay thru some mischief and/or self-serving pranks. Think Loki from the recent Marvel movies. Or shades of Joker from the Dark Knight movie. - do not hesitate to show your own strength. Choose to relish in your godhood and struggle with your heritage. After all, you are not the naive goody-goody idiot savant like at the start of BG to be afraid of true power and letting a simple serial homicide stop you. - aim for enlisting only fighter or cleric NPCs into your group to leave the world-shattering magic solely to you (it makes a difference, to be the only mage in the group. and adds to a feeling of power). Works better with a specialist mage, as Sorcerors have fewer spells to choose from.
- as for romance...romance Vicky. A power-hungry and proud outcast of her own race and there's an option to actually turn her neutral...like you. Possibly. If you don't fall from grace first.
thanks @anteros I always wanted to play a ranger-->cleric or a cleric/ranger. It would probably be cool even as a low level dual class, just for dual-wield proficiencies.
I hear that the cleric would also get access to druid spells? Is this true? If so is it capped, as in if at the time when I dual I can only cast level 1 ranger spells, would only this level of the druid book be available to the cleric?
I haven't played the dual classed ranger->cleric, but the multiclass ranger/cleric get druid spells from the start.
Blade is an extremely fun class. You get to be a high powered offensive machine but combat involves a lot more than just point and click. There is strategy in buffing and use of your spins. You get to be charismatic and from a role-playing standpoint, it's nice not to just use charisma as a dump stat. It is assumed that you'll be wielding two weapons, which is fun because you get so much flexibility in what weapons you use.
Another spellcasting option you didn't list: I'm currently playing through with a swashbuckler dualled to cleric. Maybe the most fun I've had as a character since my first playthrough. Extremely powerful character who is perfect for BG2 when Imoen disappears for the majority of the game: I don't need a thief, and can use that slot for other characters! I dualled at 5 because I started in BG1 and didn't want to wait all that long, but you can dual at 10 for the +3 bonus and the skill points to make your find traps, open locks, and detect illusion scores high enough for the rest of the game. Specialize in clubs and max out two weapon fighting, and by the time you reach the Underdark you're swinging the Flail of Ages in your main hand and Blackblood the club in your offhand, doing tons of damage with the ability to heal and buff and summon and disarm traps and pick locks.
Being able to cast sanctuary and then walk around the map disarming potential traps is so great.
A Ranger/Cleric (Dual Class has no real benefits over multiclass, and several downsides) is a basically just a mega-cleric, you gear them up in full plate, buff up and go to town.
They're flat out superior to any Multiclass Fighter/Cleric, better fighters than any pure class Cleric or Druid (and, in the long run, better spellcasters too), and whilst definitely magical, they actually have a lot of things to do when their spells are all gone, unlike pure mages.
Second choice out of your list would be the Cleric/Illusionist, which is both powerful and definitely magically oriented, whilst still a Cleric, should it come to combat.
My personal recommendation however, is to EE:Keeper yourself a Stalker/Cleric multiclass.
A Stalker/Cleric is a completely different beast. You can backstab, you can't grab heavy armour, so you can always stealth, and you're at the same time one of the most magically powerful characters in the game and an extremely solid combatant that it's hard to go wrong with.
Scout, backstabber (with either Clubs or Staves), general bruiser, and absolute magical powerhouse with all the Druid and Cleric spells available, there isn't a better Divine Caster out there.
Concerning party composition, if you're planning on running with Dorn, Rasaad and Neera, a Stalker/Cleric will mesh nicely, with Neera supplying the Mage spells, Dorn and Rasaad frontlining, and CHARNAME providing both anti-caster spells, combat spells and healing mojo.
For extra bodies, if you haven't played with Jan, he's an excellent addition to the group as well as having amazing banters (and nicely filling your thief role better than anyone except Hexxat). Since stealth is covered by you, he can focus on picking pockets and disarming traps before moving into Detect Illusions, because True Sight for free is worth it.
This gives you five people and covers pretty much every role, leaving an extra spot to experiment with, to pull in each NPC for their quest, or to fill with Viconia or Cernd for a second divine caster.
Frankly, if you're thinking Blade, try F/M/T. You actually get full benefits for specialisation, you get full benefit from Con over 16, and your thief skills are better in every way. Only downside is.... No Offensive/Defensive Spin (not a big loss), slightly lower HP (if you don't tome up a nice Con through BG), and Caster Level (and spell access is slightly, but not hugely, slower than the Bard, if I recall).
I voted Blade. It's one of my favourite classes. You progress rather quickly, and have a wide range of different abilities. Many of the HLAs are great (UAI = blade wielding Carsomyr). And bards have the best stronghold in SoA.
I'm also a fan of the Avenger. I was going to play one in BG2EE (after having completed BGEE with one), but the bug mentioned earlier (Avengers getting caught in Webs) dampened my enthusiasm for doing so. Still, the best druid kit overall (Totemic Druid would be second).
A mage or Illusionist/cleric also would be fun. Mages probably are my favourite class overall.
Thanks guys! So.... I'm all done and starting up now! I made three characters: 1. Female Half-Elf NG Blade that will romance Rasaad 2. Female Human TN Avenger that will romance Dorn 3. Male CN Halfling Barbarian that will romance Neera (i plan on building an... absolutely absurd party with this game and just do everything in the most ridiculous over the top way ever. Minsc, Boo, Jan and Anomen will join for the giggles, gonna rescue Imoen and keep Yoshi until then... I can never go without Yoshimo or Imoen) He's gonna dual wield clubs cuz it looks amusing.
And thanks everyone for the advice! I'm using your characters for my Black Pits 2 first run through Will have a ranger/cleric multiclass thanks to @Pantalion and @Anteros Gonna have an Avenger Druid thanks to my boy @bengoshi A Blade thanks to @KidCarnival and @JackJack and... pretty much everybody! Also gonna try out a Sorcerer, a Blackguard and a Dark Moon Monk
I eventually want to play through the game with a Dark Moon Monk since I think it would be a good way to roleplay the Viconia romance with the whole Shar guides my hand angle
While everything I've read says the Ranger/Cleric is powerful, and from what I've seen I don't dispute that. I think a Dwarven Fighter/Cleric with a similar role, is just as dangerous simply due to the amazing save bonuses that dwarves get.
Also by the end of BG1: your stats look as follows for the each
Ranger/Cleric (mandatory half-elf): 19, 19, 19, x, 21, x
Dwarven Fighter/Cleric: 19, 18, 20, x, 21, x
Not only does the dwarf gain shorty saves, you gain regeneration without needing DuHM up.
That said, Ranger/Cleric allows for a better early game offense with the free points in DW, where as the fighter cleric style would (at least how I roll them), support a shield for most of BG1.
Both characters are armed and extremely dangerous, its whether you want Dual Wield/Druidic Spells or Shorty Saves/Regen.
While everything I've read says the Ranger/Cleric is powerful, and from what I've seen I don't dispute that. I think a Dwarven Fighter/Cleric with a similar role, is just as dangerous simply due to the amazing save bonuses that dwarves get.
Also by the end of BG1: your stats look as follows for the each
Ranger/Cleric (mandatory half-elf): 19, 19, 19, x, 21, x
Dwarven Fighter/Cleric: 19, 18, 20, x, 21, x
Not only does the dwarf gain shorty saves, you gain regeneration without needing DuHM up.
That said, Ranger/Cleric allows for a better early game offense with the free points in DW, where as the fighter cleric style would (at least how I roll them), support a shield for most of BG1.
Both characters are armed and extremely dangerous, its whether you want Dual Wield/Druidic Spells or Shorty Saves/Regen.
That character...........sounds amazingly fun. The Swashy/Cleric.
I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen more people talk about trying it when these kinds of threads come up. I don't know what makes it such a surprising combo... A smuggler with a heart of gold turns to faith to help those in need. The character is a serious badass with a ton of tools. The fact that the swashy loses backstab is a perfect downside when you're dualing to a class that can't use most of the good backstab weapons anyway.
I agree that dwarf Fighter/Cleric is great, however I'd still go for the Ranger/Cleric for a few reasons.
Long term, 2 free pips in TWF isn't so much a boost to offence as it is for versatility. There's nothing stopping the Ranger/Cleric from wielding a shield, they just never need to put any pips into TWF (3 pips is a trap), so they're free to sink it into other things. In the end, the Ranger/Cleric will always have one more pip than the Fighter/Cleric.
For BG, remember that there's a certain +1 Con Buckler introduced in EE which makes 20 Con whenever travelling/resting (the only real times that Con regen is particularly beneficial), and in SoA, 20 Con is available as soon as you run Watcher's Keep.
In the end, shorty saves are great, but when it comes down to a party role, a Ranger/Cleric's spells in BG2 seriously bring something extra. Summon Nature's Ally is a mobile Mass Cure spell, along with a range of enchantment spells "for free", including confusion spells which for a Cleric would be level 7 spells. Iron Skins is almighty for the tanking Ranger/Cleric, whilst Insect Plague combines a horror spell, a damage spell, and an anti-mage spell all at once. At level 14 they pick up Nature's Beauty, a death spell that also happens to be a permanent AOE blindness spell with no save. Those four spells justify Druids as a class, and Ranger/Clerics get them for free.
Overall, the R/C has more ways to deal with others (which ultimately means fewer saves, and less damage for the whole party) as well as superior tanking capacity. What they give up are a few points of HP, a slightly faster level progression, and dwarf saves.
Comments
I dare say you should try an Avenger druid. You want to take Dorn who is a force of evil and in the same time much more goody Rasaad and Neera. A true neutral character can be one of the best to deal with them all in one party.
I'm on my playthrough as an Avenger druid myself and he's powerful, versatile and fun. He's like a mage+druid really. Ironskins + Improved Invisibility + spider form + DUHM innate ability is a cool combination. Insect Plague means you'll likely win this or that nasty fight. But the most badass thing for me is casting Doom at first and Chromatic Orb in the next round. More often than not it means instant death of your enemy. I can't express how good it feels to see his soul is taken away. The experience of dealing with Faldorn in several seconds before she even became moving is SO fun. And there's a great variaty of weapons for a druid in this game.
From my perspective, this character is very solid and reliable. And he'll be good in a party of Dorn, Rasaad, Neera, Viconia and Haer-Dalis. I also advise you to take Viconia and Haer-Dalis with you - they're very interesting personalities, the whole Underdark feels differently with Viconia in the party.
BTW, Haer-Dalis can give you an experience of trying a blade. With his special weapons he'll be fine. But there's no Avenger NPC in the game - so it's your chance to try this kit.
If all that is not enough, take a note: our beloved @Quartz and @elminster also voted for an Avenger.
I was the one to report this bug as soon as I had a chance to play BG2:EE the first time. But afterwards I've managed to live with it. My cleric just has a Free Action spell and I try to buy potions of Free Action when I have a chance. It's absolutely ok to overcome the bug this way. Moreover, I've managed to get some profit from the current implementation. The spider has poison now. So with a Free Action effect on my CHARNAME he not only frequently attacks held enemies but also poisons them to death. It's fun in its own way and doesn't spoil anything. I recommend not to wait.
BTW, are you @booinyoureyes sure you don't want to try Viconia romance if you haven't romanced her before? It's a very interesting story that makes you understand her way better then simply the "drow is hot" thing. And a vanilla romance is longer than any new one - the thing I find important.
1. Male or Female NG Blade (Still must decide on Rasaad or Neera)
Rasaad, Neera, Imoen/Nalia/Imoen, Jan Jansen and then a rotating spot to do quests (will take Keldorn ro Minsc, and give Keldorn some time with his family) eventually for the TOB NPC
2. Female TN Half-Elf Avenger (Romancing Dorn)
Dorn, Hexxat, Edwin, Imoen and Korgan (will replace with the TOB NPC of course)
Yet now I still want to do Viconia romance.... too many options (a GOOD problem to have)
Yes, the new romances are MUCH shorter than the BioWare romances, but the talks are more spaced out.
For i.e., here're the final LoveTalk ratings for SoA:
Aerie = 48
Jaheira = 70
Anomen = 36
Viconia = 76 (!)
Hexxat = 25
Dorn = 13 ...
Although I don't know ratings for Rasaad and Neera, I guess they're far behind 30
As for the romances, Viconia's is both challenging and rewarding.
I always wanted to play a ranger-->cleric or a cleric/ranger. It would probably be cool even as a low level dual class, just for dual-wield proficiencies.
I hear that the cleric would also get access to druid spells? Is this true? If so is it capped, as in if at the time when I dual I can only cast level 1 ranger spells, would only this level of the druid book be available to the cleric?
- a Neutral/Chaotic Neutral or a Lawful Evil Sorceror/specialist Mage.
- try to play him/her as an ambitious, arrogant magnificent bastard with a dry wit. Not above helping others, but ultimately looking after himself. Try to exploit, subvert and see through all the plots and talks the other NPCs do.
- bonus points for having him RolePlay thru some mischief and/or self-serving pranks. Think Loki from the recent Marvel movies. Or shades of Joker from the Dark Knight movie.
- do not hesitate to show your own strength. Choose to relish in your godhood and struggle with your heritage. After all, you are not the naive goody-goody idiot savant like at the start of BG to be afraid of true power and letting a simple serial homicide stop you.
- aim for enlisting only fighter or cleric NPCs into your group to leave the world-shattering magic solely to you (it makes a difference, to be the only mage in the group. and adds to a feeling of power). Works better with a specialist mage, as Sorcerors have fewer spells to choose from.
- as for romance...romance Vicky. A power-hungry and proud outcast of her own race and there's an option to actually turn her neutral...like you. Possibly. If you don't fall from grace first.
Another spellcasting option you didn't list: I'm currently playing through with a swashbuckler dualled to cleric. Maybe the most fun I've had as a character since my first playthrough. Extremely powerful character who is perfect for BG2 when Imoen disappears for the majority of the game: I don't need a thief, and can use that slot for other characters! I dualled at 5 because I started in BG1 and didn't want to wait all that long, but you can dual at 10 for the +3 bonus and the skill points to make your find traps, open locks, and detect illusion scores high enough for the rest of the game. Specialize in clubs and max out two weapon fighting, and by the time you reach the Underdark you're swinging the Flail of Ages in your main hand and Blackblood the club in your offhand, doing tons of damage with the ability to heal and buff and summon and disarm traps and pick locks.
Being able to cast sanctuary and then walk around the map disarming potential traps is so great.
As for whether or not that is possible, I do not know
They're flat out superior to any Multiclass Fighter/Cleric, better fighters than any pure class Cleric or Druid (and, in the long run, better spellcasters too), and whilst definitely magical, they actually have a lot of things to do when their spells are all gone, unlike pure mages.
Second choice out of your list would be the Cleric/Illusionist, which is both powerful and definitely magically oriented, whilst still a Cleric, should it come to combat.
My personal recommendation however, is to EE:Keeper yourself a Stalker/Cleric multiclass.
A Stalker/Cleric is a completely different beast. You can backstab, you can't grab heavy armour, so you can always stealth, and you're at the same time one of the most magically powerful characters in the game and an extremely solid combatant that it's hard to go wrong with.
Scout, backstabber (with either Clubs or Staves), general bruiser, and absolute magical powerhouse with all the Druid and Cleric spells available, there isn't a better Divine Caster out there.
Concerning party composition, if you're planning on running with Dorn, Rasaad and Neera, a Stalker/Cleric will mesh nicely, with Neera supplying the Mage spells, Dorn and Rasaad frontlining, and CHARNAME providing both anti-caster spells, combat spells and healing mojo.
For extra bodies, if you haven't played with Jan, he's an excellent addition to the group as well as having amazing banters (and nicely filling your thief role better than anyone except Hexxat). Since stealth is covered by you, he can focus on picking pockets and disarming traps before moving into Detect Illusions, because True Sight for free is worth it.
This gives you five people and covers pretty much every role, leaving an extra spot to experiment with, to pull in each NPC for their quest, or to fill with Viconia or Cernd for a second divine caster.
Frankly, if you're thinking Blade, try F/M/T. You actually get full benefits for specialisation, you get full benefit from Con over 16, and your thief skills are better in every way.
Only downside is.... No Offensive/Defensive Spin (not a big loss), slightly lower HP (if you don't tome up a nice Con through BG), and Caster Level (and spell access is slightly, but not hugely, slower than the Bard, if I recall).
I'm also a fan of the Avenger. I was going to play one in BG2EE (after having completed BGEE with one), but the bug mentioned earlier (Avengers getting caught in Webs) dampened my enthusiasm for doing so. Still, the best druid kit overall (Totemic Druid would be second).
A mage or Illusionist/cleric also would be fun. Mages probably are my favourite class overall.
So.... I'm all done and starting up now!
I made three characters:
1. Female Half-Elf NG Blade that will romance Rasaad
2. Female Human TN Avenger that will romance Dorn
3. Male CN Halfling Barbarian that will romance Neera (i plan on building an... absolutely absurd party with this game and just do everything in the most ridiculous over the top way ever. Minsc, Boo, Jan and Anomen will join for the giggles, gonna rescue Imoen and keep Yoshi until then... I can never go without Yoshimo or Imoen) He's gonna dual wield clubs cuz it looks amusing.
Will have a ranger/cleric multiclass thanks to @Pantalion and @Anteros
Gonna have an Avenger Druid thanks to my boy @bengoshi
A Blade thanks to @KidCarnival and @JackJack and... pretty much everybody!
Also gonna try out a Sorcerer, a Blackguard and a Dark Moon Monk
I eventually want to play through the game with a Dark Moon Monk since I think it would be a good way to roleplay the Viconia romance with the whole Shar guides my hand angle
Thanks for the good advice everyone!
While everything I've read says the Ranger/Cleric is powerful, and from what I've seen I don't dispute that. I think a Dwarven Fighter/Cleric with a similar role, is just as dangerous simply due to the amazing save bonuses that dwarves get.
Also by the end of BG1: your stats look as follows for the each
Ranger/Cleric (mandatory half-elf):
19, 19, 19, x, 21, x
Dwarven Fighter/Cleric:
19, 18, 20, x, 21, x
Not only does the dwarf gain shorty saves, you gain regeneration without needing DuHM up.
That said, Ranger/Cleric allows for a better early game offense with the free points in DW, where as the fighter cleric style would (at least how I roll them), support a shield for most of BG1.
Both characters are armed and extremely dangerous, its whether you want Dual Wield/Druidic Spells or Shorty Saves/Regen.
@Dux89
That character...........sounds amazingly fun. The Swashy/Cleric.
I agree that dwarf Fighter/Cleric is great, however I'd still go for the Ranger/Cleric for a few reasons.
Long term, 2 free pips in TWF isn't so much a boost to offence as it is for versatility. There's nothing stopping the Ranger/Cleric from wielding a shield, they just never need to put any pips into TWF (3 pips is a trap), so they're free to sink it into other things. In the end, the Ranger/Cleric will always have one more pip than the Fighter/Cleric.
For BG, remember that there's a certain +1 Con Buckler introduced in EE which makes 20 Con whenever travelling/resting (the only real times that Con regen is particularly beneficial), and in SoA, 20 Con is available as soon as you run Watcher's Keep.
In the end, shorty saves are great, but when it comes down to a party role, a Ranger/Cleric's spells in BG2 seriously bring something extra. Summon Nature's Ally is a mobile Mass Cure spell, along with a range of enchantment spells "for free", including confusion spells which for a Cleric would be level 7 spells. Iron Skins is almighty for the tanking Ranger/Cleric, whilst Insect Plague combines a horror spell, a damage spell, and an anti-mage spell all at once. At level 14 they pick up Nature's Beauty, a death spell that also happens to be a permanent AOE blindness spell with no save. Those four spells justify Druids as a class, and Ranger/Clerics get them for free.
Overall, the R/C has more ways to deal with others (which ultimately means fewer saves, and less damage for the whole party) as well as superior tanking capacity. What they give up are a few points of HP, a slightly faster level progression, and dwarf saves.