Edwin isn't so great. Sure, he's the only NPC with maxed-out intelligence, but he has no other redeeming features. And here's a thing: surely "I am so SMART" Quayle should have 18 or 19 intelligence? With him on 17 he's even more pointless. The fact that he's multi'd out as a crap cleric would make up for the obscenely high intelligence.
Oh yeah, Imoen? She's grrrreat.
Dualing Imoen
First, ideally, one should not dual class Imoen. She is more effectice as a level 10 Thief. Second, I have dual classed her in my current game in order to feel closer to the overall plot that will continue in BG2. You should dual class her at 7th level, having pumped both Pickpocket and Open Locks to 50% and Find/Remove Traps to 100%. This is what will get you through Durlag's Tower. Dual classing Imoen should never be based on getting 5th level spells. They are not worth the effort. The Thief skills are more valuable.
-
Obike Fixx
- Posts: 722
- Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2002 1:58 pm
- Contact:
Assuming that you don't remove the level cap, it's best to dual Imoen at 5th Level. It would be nice for her to be a higher level Thief, but I'd rather not wait too long for her to get her thieving skills back. Besides, if I play with the level cap, I also play with a full party of six, and I usually have more than one Thief in my party, so one can specialize in Finding Traps and the other can specialize in Opening Locks. If I dual Imoen, I always dual her to a Conjurer because, if I have to make tradeoffs due to opposition schools, that's the tradeoff that's easiest for me to live with. (Boy, wouldn't you just love to play a Transmuter in BG2/ToB?) 
I usually dual Imoen to a Mage, but a strong case can be made for letting Imoen reach 9th or 10th Level as a Thief. If she can pickpocket Frostbrand from Drizzt or find another good backstabbing weapon, she can actually do a lot of damage in melee--hiding in shadows, striking, retreating, hiding in shadows again, and striking again, etc. I've let her kill Sarevok that way (although she used Potions of Invisibility instead of hiding in shadows during that fight), as well as a particularly nasty demon in Ulgoth's Beard, among others.
I have also played without the level cap before, and that changes everything. The number of members in your party also makes a difference. The last time I played, I had a Cleric/Ranger and Imoen in my party, and they reached 161,000 XP fairly quickly. When Imoen dualled to a Mage, I recruited Coran (temporarily)and went to Durlag's Tower. (Hiring help for specific quests--what a novel idea.) That was about the only time I really needed a substitute Thief. But of course, I already know where most of the traps are, and I didn't bother to open all of the locked chests (I went back to some of them later if I felt like it). If I didn't have such knowledge, playing without a Thief while Imoen levelled up as a Mage would have been a lot more difficult, and I acknowledge that.
I usually dual Imoen to a Mage, but a strong case can be made for letting Imoen reach 9th or 10th Level as a Thief. If she can pickpocket Frostbrand from Drizzt or find another good backstabbing weapon, she can actually do a lot of damage in melee--hiding in shadows, striking, retreating, hiding in shadows again, and striking again, etc. I've let her kill Sarevok that way (although she used Potions of Invisibility instead of hiding in shadows during that fight), as well as a particularly nasty demon in Ulgoth's Beard, among others.
I have also played without the level cap before, and that changes everything. The number of members in your party also makes a difference. The last time I played, I had a Cleric/Ranger and Imoen in my party, and they reached 161,000 XP fairly quickly. When Imoen dualled to a Mage, I recruited Coran (temporarily)and went to Durlag's Tower. (Hiring help for specific quests--what a novel idea.)
That was about the only time I really needed a substitute Thief. But of course, I already know where most of the traps are, and I didn't bother to open all of the locked chests (I went back to some of them later if I felt like it). If I didn't have such knowledge, playing without a Thief while Imoen levelled up as a Mage would have been a lot more difficult, and I acknowledge that.Her DEX is 17, which isn't bad, but it's not as good as Imoen's. The thing that hurts her is her CON 10. On the plus side, she has a nice sound set, if that's something that matters to you.Originally posted by Rav
Doesn't anyone think Safana makes for a good mage? (edit: Oh, forgot, need her to read a tome first... :sigh: )
But to be honest, I've never thought of dualling her to a Mage.I have dualled Shar Teel to a Thief before, though.
