Your opinion: what is the BEST class?

TheDude · Post by **TheDude** » Sun Sep 16, 2001 7:07 am

page 2 not bad for an old topic

1. Ranger/Cleric
2. Assassin
3. Bezerker/Mage (playing it now lot of fun)
4. Sorceror (better as mage as B/M but not as fun)

Draven · Post by **Draven** » Sun Sep 16, 2001 9:23 am

Hands down straight Mage is the best class with the right spells you can turn yourself into a supper tank.. or stealth through parts fo the game.. and it is posible but dificult towoards the end to solo a mage though the entire game..

Csadar · Post by **Csadar** » Sun Sep 16, 2001 5:58 pm

Hands down straight Mage is the best class with the right spells you can turn yourself into a supper tank..

I wonder what a "supper" tank is?

anyway I played a druid since BG1 (switched for a shapeshifter in BG2). I like their True neutral nature. Don't know why...Maybe I'm attached to Csadar (That's my druid).

And strangely... I don't feel comfortable playing any other class as my PC

Maybe I need a therapy...

[ 09-16-2001: Message edited by: Csadar ]

Shadowwarrior · Post by **Shadowwarrior** » Mon Sep 17, 2001 2:02 am

dual Kensai/Thief, Monk, Swashbuckler, Berserker and multi or dual Cleric/Ranger

Shadowwarrior · Post by **Shadowwarrior** » Mon Sep 17, 2001 2:04 am

And the stalker too I forgot (But i use Valygar for that)

Xyx · Post by **Xyx** » Mon Sep 17, 2001 11:19 am

I can't imagine anything being easier to solo than Berserker/Mage.

Aramant · Post by **Aramant** » Mon Sep 17, 2001 4:34 pm

I like thieves. Generally, it doesn't matter which kind. I made a thief with decent stats, cast haste on him, and just stealth/backstabbed my way through Irenicus' dungeon. It was a riot. I'd run circles around the dark dwarves, backstab them, run away, hide again, backstab again... Of course, the cambion wasn't fun, as he could see me anyway. So I just ran around hasted with a bow. It reminded me a lot of touch-and-go combat from Ultima Online.

THE JAKER · Post by **THE JAKER** » Mon Sep 17, 2001 4:53 pm

I really like the fighter/thief i'm playing now, especially he will be good with use any item to get scrolls of blur, mirror image, prot from magical weapons, and tensor's.

The berserker mage is great, but sort of an interesting image -

"The battle is tough, so I will tap into my berserker warrior spirit of battle rage!!!! RAAAGRGGRA!!!! and now I will cast spells!!!!"

But really, berserker/anything is great because a berserker has no disadvantages over fighters, but the advantage of rage, which gives a limited immunity every day to every annoying effect in the game (especially annoying to solo players)...so berserker/mage, berserker/thief berserker/cleric... is there a berserker/druid???

[ 09-17-2001: Message edited by: THE JAKER ]

NeKr0mAnCeR · Post by **NeKr0mAnCeR** » Mon Sep 17, 2001 5:18 pm

1 necromancer (didnt see that coming did ya)
2 monk
3 halfling berzerker
4 half orc assassin
5 gnome barbarian

[ 09-17-2001: Message edited by: NeKr0mAnCeR ]

Kovi · Post by **Kovi** » Tue Sep 18, 2001 5:34 am

I'm a bit magic oriented:
in SoA:
1. elven Sorcerer
2. human dual Conjurer/Cleric
in ToB:
1. elven Sorcerer
2. gnome multi Illusionist/Cleric

Xyx · Post by **Xyx** » Tue Sep 18, 2001 1:52 pm

Originally posted by THE JAKER:
The berserker mage is great, but sort of an interesting image -

"The battle is tough, so I will tap into my berserker warrior spirit of battle rage!!!! RAAAGRGGRA!!!! and now I will cast spells!!!!"

Heh, I figured it was some special sort of mental "combat state" I would enter into, much like the meditative states used by some martial artists. Who said every Berserker has to foam at the mouth when he Rages?

Originally posted by THE JAKER:
But really, berserker/anything is great because a berserker has no disadvantages over fighters

They do have a disadvantage, only a relatively minor one; they cannot Specialize in ranged weapons. Possible remedy if you're really bothered by this: choose axes and throw Azuredge.

Originally posted by THE JAKER:
is there a berserker/druid???

Certainly. That would kind of be a superior Jaheira. For SoA, at least.

Vinin · Post by **Vinin** » Tue Sep 18, 2001 2:01 pm

Cavalier all the way, suprisingly I don't feel comfertable playing any of the fighter classes, It jus never feels right. Always a druid or paladin/ranger or swash/ssassin. I just can t bring myself to play other races its strange really.

Disco Stew · Post by **Disco Stew** » Tue Sep 18, 2001 3:55 pm

Fighter/Mage multi is the best. Counters enemy magic and smashes melee monsters.

Protection from magical weapons+Improved Invisibility+Spell immunity Divination=Impervious to all attacks

Timestop+Tensor's Transformation+Greater Whirlwind=Carnage

Nuff said

THE JAKER · Post by **THE JAKER** » Tue Sep 18, 2001 5:28 pm

originally posted by Xyx:
I figured it was some sort of "combat state" I would enter into

That's pretty much what I picture too.

originally posted by Xyx:
They cannot specialize in ranged weapons

boo hoo. Like you said, axe is the best proficiency anyway.

I wanted to ask you, though, how you would handle a player in a pnp game you were dming who had a berserker/mage? I probably wouldn't be using imprisonment much because it is so unfair, so no player would need immunity, but I would have to figure out a way to challenge the berserker/mage - maybe I would have battles with enemies with stun that went on a long time? Or not let them rest so they ran out of rages eventually.

[ 09-18-2001: Message edited by: THE JAKER ]

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Tue Sep 18, 2001 10:59 pm

My favorite classes:

Assassin
Blade
Cavalier
Archer
Priest of Lathander
[/list=a]

I've tried sorceror and mage, but didn't like them as well. I haven't tried a druid yet, maybe on my next game.

[ 09-19-2001: Message edited by: Sojourner ]

Kovi · Post by **Kovi** » Wed Sep 19, 2001 8:54 am

A little offtopic:

F/M: Improved Invisibility + SI

ivination is the usual way to go. But it may not be enough as it can't protect from area effects (including Dispel Magic) and there are also creatures who can see the invisible.

About the Berserker/Mage: there are some effect which can cause trouble for most lonely mage (except a C/M). Blindness or Deafness (miscast effect) can be countered only with Dispel Magic, so it can totally disable a multi mage and cause serious trouble for a dual mage. Even if the mage has Dispel Magic memorized and he is lucky to dispel the effect of a potentially higher level cast, he might also dispel his own defenses.
The best spells to use on them: Power Word Blind (mage or sorcerer), Holy/Unholy word (cleric).

[ 09-19-2001: Message edited by: Kovi ]

Xyx · Post by **Xyx** » Wed Sep 19, 2001 12:53 pm

Originally posted by THE JAKER:
I wanted to ask you, though, how you would handle a player in a pnp game you were dming who had a berserker/mage?

I'm not sure how Rage works in PnP AD&D, so I can't really comment on that...

I always prefer to let the numbers tell the story instead of trying to deduce them from it (which would be the way most RPG rules come about...). If Berserker/Mages can cast while in Rage, I imagine one of two things is true:

Berserker/Mages retain a fair measure of self-control when they Rage.
Magic is intuitive and so instinctive that there is no need for total self-control.

Wag · Post by **Wag** » Wed Sep 19, 2001 1:12 pm

I go for straight fighter as protagonist. There is no really good fighter in BG2 except for Korgan - Mazzy is ok but short swords proficiency sucks for melee imo. Korgan has his own set of issues personality wise, and even souped up can't compare to a well-crafted protagonist because axe sucks as a weapons proficiency.

As a straight fighter you get:

- any proficiency as high as you like
- wield any weapon, use any armor
- great xp table
- best thac0
- use of most of the best items
- 4 quick weapons
- great HP count

I can play either BG1 or BG2 straight through as a fighter with pretty much minimal support from other characters I drag along for heals, anti-mage spells, and thief skills. Most of the time he's running around solo with his boots of speed, ac -10, regeneration, chaotic commands, saves all zero or lower, near immunity to fire, and a selection of weapons that makes it easy to defeat almost any enemy.

You get almost all the simplicity benefits of soloing while still getting NPCs to hang around for plot and support (i.e. hauling loot) purposes. There's also a bare minimum of resting involved so in game-time a fighter will progress very quickly.

Nearly done with my second go-around of BG2, and my fighter has: red dragon scale, bracers of blinding strike, helm of balduran, amulet of spell warding, boots of speed, cloak of mirroring, ring of gaxx, ring of prot +2, inertial barrier belt for armor. Weapons-wise he's got offhand crom faeyr and chooses with primary hand among equalizer, foa, mace of disruption +2, and agatha the drinker (with other weapons/armor available in bag of holding, and other rings in gem bag), giving primary hand THAC0 of -11 or so and offhand THAC0 of -7. The only thing that really stops him is protection from magic weapons which a simple breach spell from the support staff can handle.

He's totally legit. He kills pit fiends and tanarii in one round, and critical hits for 50+, walks through fireballs and cloudkill like they don't exist, and is nearly immune to spells short of imprisonment. I basically bring my party to an area, cast chaotic commands on him, and run rampant clearing areas solo. He carries a heartseeker as well, though he hasn't had any need of missile weapons since the starting dungeon and stopped carrying arrows.

I had similar success with a fighter in BG1.