dual axe fighter

[Berethor]

Belm is the weapon that adds an extra attack per round, right? I never really cared for that unless I was using Jaheira. This is because It is only +2 weapon and has a hard time doing damage to strong enemies and mages. I only said that I would put the weapon with the best Thac0 in the off-hand to try and keep your Thac0's even and low, making you hit more. I also don't like Belm because it only has one ability.

[VonDondu]

Each class has its advantages. For example, Fighters (including all Fighter kits) can put up to 5 proficiency points in each weapon type. No other class can do that. Neither can multi-class Fighters, although dual-classed Fighters can do it. Other classes, including Rangers, Paladins, Barbarians, and Swashbucklers (the thief kit) can only put up to two proficiency points in each weapon type. Archers (the Ranger kit) are limited to one proficiency point in each type of melee weapon, but they can put up to 5 proficiency points in Bows. If you want maximum attacks per round and maximum damage output with a melee weapon, you should play a Fighter or Fighter kit.

Rangers start out with two extra proficiency points in Two Weapon Style (dual-wielding), and they have stealth, a racial enemy bonus, and useful Druid spells, including Armor of Faith, Cure Light Wounds, Doom, Remove Fear, Call Lightning, and Summon Insects. Stalkers can backstab, but they are limited to studded leather armor. Archers aren't as bad as you might think in melee compared to other Rangers, because frankly, there isn't a huge difference between one proficiency point and two proficiency points.

Barbarians have a number of advantages: up to 12 HP per level, immunity to backstab, +2 movement rate, and resistance to damage (which means each hit does fewer points of damage). They also have Barbarian Rage. I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy playing a halfling Barbarian.

If you like Barbarians, you might also consider playing a Berserker (the Fighter kit). They can wear the best armor in the game and put five proficiency points in each weapon type, making them the best "tanks" around. Berserker Rage is a little bit better than Barbarian Rage, not least because it protects against a spell called Imprisonment. Berserkers cannot put more than one proficiency point in ranged weapons, but you can get around that limitation by using throwing axes, which enjoy the benefits of five proficiency points. Berserkers can be dual-classed.

It's interesting that you noticed that a Kensai wouldn't suffer any Armor Class penalty if you dualled him to a Mage. Are you aware that Kensai/Mages are considered the powerful class in the game? There's no end to the celebration.

If you want to play a halfling, you might consider playing a Swashbuckler (the Thief kit), since halflings are often Thieves. They have excellent combat bonuses, and their thieving skills come in handy. There aren't many Thief NPCs in the game, so it's something to consider, especially if you play an evil character and want to have an evil party. The three evil NPCs (Berserker, Conjurer, and Cleric) make a perfect party if your main character is a Thief.

If you're interested in playing a multi-class character, keep in mind that a multi-class character is not allowed to have a kit, and weapon proficiencies are limited to two points for each weapon type.

If you want to dual wield weapons, make sure you put three points in Two Weapon Style to avoid severe penalties. Put your best weapon in your main hand, and choose a good weapon for your "off hand" that gives your character special bonuses, if possible. For example, some offhand weapons can boost your stats or increase your damage resistance or give you special immunities. There aren't many axes that give such bonuses, but you could always put a sword or a flail in your off hand if you don't mind the fact it's not an axe.

Some enemies, especially Mages, can use protection spells that make them impossible to hit with a melee weapon. But if your weapon inflicts elemental damage (cold, fire, acid, electricity, poison, etc.) you can still break through their defenses and disrupt their spellcasting. So elemental damage is a desirable feature when you choose a weapon.

[VonDondu]

[QUOTE=Berethor]If you looked at tha manual, there are 5 female NPC's that can join you--you probably only know Jaheira...[/QUOTE]
Actually, there are six female NPCs in BG2, although it's understandable if you've forgotten one of them. Imoen and Jaheira are featured very prominently in both BG1 and BG2, and 13urek already knows Viconia. That leaves Aerie, Mazzy, and Nalia, the last of whom you can't avoid meeting, although the other two could be easily overlooked without a walkthrough.

[13urek]

tnx for the big replie vondondu, really explained alot think im gonna do dual-wielding (axe-short sword, or something ...) halfling fighter. doesnt matter the romance quest, i can do it with some other char later, once i figured out the game (i love replaying games :laugh: ). i still didnt give up the dagger idea (for the off-hand ofcourse ) but ill leave proficienty points for offhand for the last lvl, once i found some weapon that suits me.

how many point u guys suggest in two weapon fighting feat ? i was thinking 2-3 (5 is too much right ?). will also go for max str, dex and con. if i have some extra points ill put them in wisdom ...

also i like playing all kind of party (loved edwin-dyna-minsc relationship in BG1 ) so i dont think ill have trouble finding myself a party.

about the thief option, i never actually played a thief, because in BG1 imoen was good enough (even dualed), but i dont know for BG2, she probably wont be able to disable all the traps, but still, i dont like playing thief, so ill pick u some1 else

[VonDondu]

[QUOTE=13urek]how many point u guys suggest in two weapon fighting feat ? i was thinking 2-3 (5 is too much right ?). will also go for max str, dex and con. if i have some extra points ill put them in wisdom ...[/QUOTE]
Maximum Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are all a Fighter really needs. Wisdom doesn't make any difference (the manual says it affects saving throws, but the manual is wrong). If you have any stat points to spare, put them in Charisma, or put 9 points in Intelligence to make sure your Fighter can use all items available to a Fighter (such as a Wand of Magic Missiles or a Wand of Sleep).

Weapon "styles" are different from the rest of the weapon proficiencies. A Fighter can put 2 points in Two Handed Weapon Style, 2 points in Sword and Shield Style, 2 points in Single Weapon Style, and 3 points in Two Weapon Style.

If you look at the manual or the character creation screen, you'll see that 3 points in Two Weapon Style gives your character the fewest penalties for dual-wielding (-0 main hand, -2 off hand). That's the only way to go.

I think a new Fighter starts out with 6 proficiency points, so I would put 3 proficiency points in Axes and 3 points in Two Weapon Style and start dual-wielding right away. By the time you reach 13th Level, you can have 3 points in Daggers as well, and you should have some pretty good weapons. (Sadly, it won't get much better than that unless you play Throne of Bhaal.)

I recommend the Berserker kit if you're going to play a halfling Fighter. You'll be gaining a nice ability (Rage) with practically no penalties. The ranged weapon limitation is meaningless since there's a nice throwing dagger as well as several nice throwing axes. I think you would enjoy that.

[Berethor]

[QUOTE=VonDondu]Maximum Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are all a Fighter really needs. Wisdom doesn't make any difference (the manual says it affects saving throws, but the manual is wrong). If you have any stat points to spare, put them in Charisma, or put 9 points in Intelligence to make sure your Fighter can use all items available to a Fighter (such as a Wand of Magic Missiles or a Wand of Sleep).[/QUOTE]

VonDondu is right, you should concentrate mostly on STR, CON, and DEX, and CHA with spare points. Might I suggest rolling until you find one you see that you like (you can tweak with it to make it to your liking) and count the score. If it is 90 or above its a great roll. Might I suggest to put 10 or 11 points in INT, 9 or 10 in WIS? You will want higher INT than WIS because of a certain type of enemy (damn them!!) that drain your intellegence, and you die if it gets to 0.

[TonyMontana1638]

VonDondu and Berethor are right that that's the best way to play a fighter, but consider the actual role-playing element involved: do you really want to play a fighter with 9 intelligence? I'm not trying to push you one way or the other, but I always tried to keep my min/maxing to a manageable level, because I didn't like playing a hugely strong but near-illiterate fighter. Once again I'm not judging you, VD or Berethor, but just keep that in mind.

[Berethor]

[QUOTE=TonyMontana1638]VonDondu and Berethor are right that that's the best way to play a fighter, but consider the actual role-playing element involved: do you really want to play a fighter with 9 intelligence? I'm not trying to push you one way or the other, but I always tried to keep my min/maxing to a manageable level, because I didn't like playing a hugely strong but near-illiterate fighter. Once again I'm not judging you, VD or Berethor, but just keep that in mind.[/QUOTE]

You're right too; the more points in every stat the better. But good rolls are hard to come by, so i was just saying to put 10 or 11 points in INT because that is what I put in it on my average roll. I would like to put it higher because of those damned Mind Flayers, but I don't always get what I want

[VonDondu]

[QUOTE=TonyMontana1638]VonDondu and Berethor are right that that's the best way to play a fighter, but consider the actual role-playing element involved: do you really want to play a fighter with 9 intelligence? ...I always tried to keep my min/maxing to a manageable level, because I didn't like playing a hugely strong but near-illiterate fighter...[/QUOTE]
I know, I know. The strongest people in the real world--body builders and professional athletes--are well known for their intellectual accomplishments.

But seriously, Intelligence 9 does not mean "near-illiterate". Stat rolls form a bell curve, and depending on the distribution, something like one third to one half of the Faerun population is within 1 point of 9 or 10 Intelligence. That means 9 or 10 is average. In the real world, two thirds of the population have an IQ less than 115, but the adult illiteracy rate is under 40% even in developing countries (where illiteracy occurs not just because of IQ but also because of lack of public education).

If you want to play a Fighter who has exceptional mental faculties as well as highly exceptional physical attributes, that's not a bad choice. I personally think that looks are also important. But there's nothing unrealistic at all about a Fighter with average intelligence.

"Min-maxing" means giving your character maximum ("max") stats in one area and minimum ("min") stats for all the rest. 18,18,18,3,3,3 is a true example of min-maxing. 18,18,18,10,10,9 has too many average stats to be considered "min-maxing", although that is in fact what some people intend to do in principle. People who are min-maxing would put a lot more points in the first three stats if they could, but people who want a good character and have a lot of points to distribute would not necessarily go below 9 or 10 on those non-essential stats since, like you say, you don't want a character who's as dumb as a coffee table. At least, I wouldn't.

[Berethor]

My coffe table is smart!

NEVER put your intellegence at 3 unless you have a backup against Mind Flayers who drain 3 intellegence per hit. Even worse with upgraded Flayers (Ulithilid or something like that), they drain 5 or 6 per hit.

[kmonster]

Try to roll the following minimum stats for your halfing fighter: 17-19-18-11-3-18
It's a total of 86 so could easily get even better rolls.
Dex and con are the most important stats, with 11 int you can survive 2 mindflayer hits, wis is useless and cha is nice for shop prices.
With 16 int you could even survive 3 hits. Since mindflayers usually only hit with a critical unless your character is stunned it's not that important even if you have to fight them a few times (but not often enough to neglect other stats).




@ Luis Antonio: You are wrong. There is only the far weaker mace of disruption +1 in the catacombs.

[Luis Antonio]

[QUOTE=kmonster]
@ Luis Antonio: You are wrong. There is only the far weaker mace of disruption +1 in the catacombs.[/QUOTE]

Yes, but you need that mace of disruption to assemble the other in Cromwell's forge.

[kmonster]

I agree, but it's very unlikely for a first time player without spoilers to have the other needed component then.

[Thrifalas]

[QUOTE=kmonster]wis is useless[/QUOTE]

wis is, apart from the more obvious ones, probably the best stat a warrior can have. Charisma can be raised by the Ring of Human Influence, Int can be bypassed by having another character tanking the illithids (unless you play tactics or go solo), but wis grants you better saving throws against spells, which is really nice since fighters doesn't get any other defense to magic.

While many fighters doesn't have much wis, giving them 3 is nothing short of stupidity since that give you a -3 save vs spells, thus making your warrior an easy prey of anything able to cast finger of death or similar spells. ;p

So no, wis is not useless.

[Luis Antonio]

@Thrifalas, I think that is truth for Pen and Paper, not for the BG CRPG.

[VonDondu]

@Thrifalas, Wisdom-related saving throw bonuses were not actually implemented in the game. The manual says they were, but the manual is wrong. Therefore, Wisdom is practically useless for a Fighter. On those rare occasions when it might affect a dialogue option, I suppose you can use a Potion of Insight.

By the way, kmonster's suggestion for stat distribution is a true example of min-maxing. Essential stats are set to maximum, and the least important stat is set to absolute minimum so that other stats can be higher. Min-maxing is a lot more common in a game like IWD2 in which stat points are much more limited and tradeoffs are unavoidable.

[13urek]

tnx for some nice replies, still didnt start playing the game, since i have couple of RL problems, that kept me from foing so, but i intend as soon as i get some time ...

anyways, i like having max str, dex, and con, used to drop all the other points in wis, but wasnt aware of the fact that they arent implemented ingame, so ill skip that nxt time usually i go for 84+ roll because it gives me 18-18-18-10-10-10+ (human). i dont know if in BG2 u can get by without much CHA like u could in BG1 (trading), i used to do all the normal fighting with my fighter, but whenever in town, i would put imoen to be my leader (17 CHA if im not wrong), and also that cloak with +2 cha, and would get some really nice prices, since they are affected by leaders charisma, not by all teams ... can it still be done this way in BG2, or is it now affected by your chars charisma, no matter if he is leader or no ??

hope to get some nice roll soon, since i hate waiting but 84 will satisfy me ...

and guys can u pls stop talking about that mace and a quest, i asked for no spoiler (even though i cannt understand nothing still) but dont want a quest spoiled for me tnx

[kmonster]

Even 3 cha is enough to beat the game without bigger problems. You probably wouldn't experience a difference between 3 and 14 cha. Only 18 really helps. I'd take 11 int instead of 10.

[TonyMontana1638]

[QUOTE=VonDondu]I know, I know. The strongest people in the real world--body builders and professional athletes--are well known for their intellectual accomplishments.

But seriously, Intelligence 9 does not mean "near-illiterate". Stat rolls form a bell curve, and depending on the distribution, something like one third to one half of the Faerun population is within 1 point of 9 or 10 Intelligence. That means 9 or 10 is average. In the real world, two thirds of the population have an IQ less than 115, but the adult illiteracy rate is under 40% even in developing countries (where illiteracy occurs not just because of IQ but also because of lack of public education).

If you want to play a Fighter who has exceptional mental faculties as well as highly exceptional physical attributes, that's not a bad choice. I personally think that looks are also important. But there's nothing unrealistic at all about a Fighter with average intelligence.

"Min-maxing" means giving your character maximum ("max") stats in one area and minimum ("min") stats for all the rest. 18,18,18,3,3,3 is a true example of min-maxing. 18,18,18,10,10,9 has too many average stats to be considered "min-maxing", although that is in fact what some people intend to do in principle. People who are min-maxing would put a lot more points in the first three stats if they could, but people who want a good character and have a lot of points to distribute would not necessarily go below 9 or 10 on those non-essential stats since, like you say, you don't want a character who's as dumb as a coffee table. At least, I wouldn't.[/QUOTE]
But doesn't it say that if you havean intelligence of below 9 or something you can't speak properly? That's where I got my 'near-illiterate' judgement.

No, I agree with you that putting average stats isn't min/maxing per se, but it helped show my point.

[RBitG]

*sigh* Honestly, do you people never do the circus tent? Nobody needs Charisma! Set it as low as you can get it, and pick up that 18 CHA ring irght after leaving the dungeon.