Kensai/Thief??

[Bane111]

I am starting Baldurs Gate 2 for the second time, and want a Kensai/Thief in my group.

Therefore my evil multiplayer group would consist of.

Mage (me)
Kensai/Thief
Korgan
Viconia
Edwin

Can someone please explain how I create a Kensai/Thief and apparently Kensai/Thief can wear leather armour?

Thanks

[SP101]

To make a Kensai/Thief dual-class :

Race : Human

Stats : 15+ Str, 17+ Thief (Maxing out Str/Dex/Con is recommanded)

Alignement : I seem to remember that thieves may NOT be Lawful Good, but since you're going evil it isn't a problem.

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As for the equipement, if you have ToB installed, you'll receive a HLA wich will erease ANY restrictions for wearing weapons (So you can use Carsomyr even if you're not a paladin, you can use Staff of the Magi even if you're not a mage, etc.)

[JackOfClubs]

In case that wasn't clear, you can wear armor only once you get High Level Abilities (HLA) which occur about the 3,000,000 XP mark.

So if you dual your Kensai over at level 15 = 1,750,000 XP (which is a good place to do it when playing ToB) you will get your first HLA at the same time you regain your Kensai abilities (level 16 = 1,320,000 XP for a total of 3,070,000 XP). Other people recommend dualing at higher levels, but that means that you will also be playing a thief without armor (or bracers) and with no effective missile weapons for quite a while.

[Cuchulain82]

I would actually recommend dualing at 12th (extra prof) or 13th (extra 1/2 attack). I've done 15th, and imho it is too long a wait for too little payoff, especially because your first HLA becomes available at 3 mil XP in your Theif class only, not the both combined.

Bane, do a search in this forum about Kensai--> Theif. I know I've posted many dozens of posts about them. Look for posts by UserUnfriendly- he is the master of tricking out/cheesing out your PC.

[VonDondu]

Making a Kensai dualled to a Thief is not difficult at all, so I'm wondering what Bane111 meant when he asked how to make a Kensai/Thief. Does that mean a multi-class Kensai/Thief? If so, you need to use an editor like Shadowkeeper. Set the character's level and experience to 0, change the class to Fighter/Thief with the Kensai kit, remove all innate abilities, proficiency points, thieving skills, and effects, and then level him up in the game. You'll have to edit his hit points and change his avatar (if necessary) with Shadowkeeper afterwards. Armor restrictions always apply to a multi-class character, and proficiency points are limited to 2 points per weapon unless you install a mod.

I've made Yoshimo a 7th Level Kensai dualled to a Thief. It fit him perfectly--personality, stats, experience, proficiencies, etc. I changed his avatar to that of a Monk. When he was a dualled to a 10th Level Thief, he was a much better character than am 11th Level Bounty Hunter with the same amount of experience. However, I also had to edit his personal katana so that a Fighter/Thief could use it, but that's not a big deal since you can steal a bunch of gold and buy a better katana as soon as you leave Irenicus's dungeon.

[JackOfClubs]

@Cuchulain: I've only ever played a multi-classed Kensai Thief so I don't have much basis for comparison. However, I think the reason higher levels are suggested is that for ToB enemies, a 12th level Kensai doesn't offer too many benefits. Somewhere on this board, or perhaps in Dan Simpson's walkthrough, there is a discussion that a low level Kensai isn't much beter than a Berserker in terms of THAC0. But I don't necessarily disagree with you, since I tend to prefer the 12th level dual in other contexts, just never tried it in this one.

@VonDondu: An interesting fact about Yoshimo's sword is that if you take it from him before entering Spellhold, he appears with a duplicat copy later. I wonder if that means he uses a different CRE file when he appears. If so, changing the restrictions on his might hamper him in the latter context. I know dualing him to mage just prior to entering will disable him pretty severely.

EDIT: What was I thinking? Obviously if dualing him to mage persists when he returns, there is no problem with the CRE file in your scenario. Also, it occurs to me that you probably didn't change the restrictions on his sword, just loosened the original restrictions to allow KTs access. Don't mind me, I'm just babbling. (A mind is a terrible thing...)

[krunchyfrogg]

Yoshimo can't be dualled into a mage.

[Cuchulain82]

[QUOTE=krunchyfrogg]Yoshimo can't be dualled into a mage.[/QUOTE]
Did you read the whole post? They're talking about using Shadow Keeper, an editor. As I understand it, with SK anything is possible.

[QUOTE=JackOfClubs]@Cuchulain: I've only ever played a multi-classed Kensai Thief so I don't have much basis for comparison. However, I think the reason higher levels are suggested is that for ToB enemies, a 12th level Kensai doesn't offer too many benefits. Somewhere on this board, or perhaps in Dan Simpson's walkthrough, there is a discussion that a low level Kensai isn't much beter than a Berserker in terms of THAC0. But I don't necessarily disagree with you, since I tend to prefer the 12th level dual in other contexts, just never tried it in this one.[/QUOTE]
I think what you say about Dan Simpson is correct. The one thing he overlooks imo is that you have to rage for a berzerker to be truly effective. I personally don't buff very much (I just get impatient) and so having the constant effects works better for me.

Dualing at 15th (I even saw a reference once to 18th) is fine, but it does take a long time. As has been said before- you play this game so that you will be able to play your character, not so that you can wait for your character to work properly. Having UAI is really the best part about a K->T, and the longer you wait to dual, the later you get that as well as your Kensai levels back. In the end, it is not my character though!

As far as dualing vs. multiclassing goes... I guess it doesn't really make a huge difference. My human fighter that I use as a template went through BG I, so he has 19 str/con. So, that kind of cancels out the reason to use a half orc (statistically speaking). Again, I think it really comes down to personal decisions. My favorite was when I dualed, but that is because I was into the character more than some other's I've played.

[Fezachere]

Could somebody tell me how I can create a kensai/mage?

[krunchyfrogg]

RE: Chuch: My bad, I don't really fully understand SK.

RE: Fez: Same as detailed above, but replace DEX with INT.