The perfect character

[mrdeluxe]

While I don't consider myself a powergamer, I do think I'm somewhat of a perfectionist. I'm constantly thinking about what's the perfect character I should play the game with.

One thing I keep considering is what character (mostly what class) complements best the NPCs in the game. If Baldur's Gate is best played with a full party, so one can experience all the interactions, it's logical that the PC should be a class that doesn't get redundant with his companions.

I also look at the game as a whole Saga, from BG1, TotSC, BG2 and ToB, so the PC should complement his companions throughout the complete story.

The canonical story tells us that BG1 was finished with Imoen, Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc and Dynaheir. So I will base my thoughts on that party.

It also encourages to play though BG2 with Imoen, Misnc and Jaheira (and I still haven't found a good reason not to, if you play a Good-Align PC).

Finally, let's also assume that the same base party transitions to ToB and picks up the new NPC there, that, without spoiling much, is a Fighter.

That means that through BG1 the party will have:

A Thief (Imoen), a Fighter/Druid (Jaheira), a Fighter (Khalid), a Ranger (Minsc) and a Mage (Dynaheir).

Or: 3 Fighters, 1 Thief, 1 Cleric and 1 Mage.

Through BG2 and ToB (which takes much longer than BG1), the party will have, at least:

A Ranger, a Fighter/Druid, a Mage (with some thieving abilities) and, eventually, a Fighter.

Or: 3 Fighters, 1 (weak) Thief, 1 Cleric and 1 Mage.

What's missing, then? What class could perfectly balance this party and even mix well with some NPCs that you could pick up on the way?

In BG1 we have a surplus of thieves (Imoen, Coran, Safana, Alora), while in BG2 we loose really early the one straight thief NPC and only have one choice for a Thief that can go up in levels in that class. Maybe, for BG2, at least, the Bhaalspawn should be a thief? Perhaps play though BG1 as another class and then dual to thief at the start of BG2?

And what about a Bard? You have two of them in BG1 (neither that good, actually), but only one in BG2.

Or maybe a Monk, of which there are none. But isn't a Monk a different kind of Fighter? Same as a Sorceror, which is a different kind of Mage.


Sorry for the rant, but I do wish to hear your opinions! What is the one class that you think is best suited for the PC and that is lacking on the Saga?

[Schugger]

I am currently running a game with a full six-pack hero group consisting of Minsk, Keldorn, Jan, Aerie, Jaheira and a dual-classed Fighter(lvl.13)-Thief.
I think that you can make it trough the game with about any party you fancy, leaving aside those NPC animosities.
Considering your group and without giving away any spoilers; you'll really need a thief in the beginning of BG2. Jan fits nicely in this role and Yoshimo as a single class thief does so anyway. Later in the game, you will find enough equipment to even turn Nalia into a decent thief. Alternatively you should consider playing a multiclassed Fighter/Thief right away or a dual classed Fighter-Thief.
For bards I can not say much. I had never one in my group in BG1 or BG2, but I will certainly give Hear Daelis a try in my next run.

[jouke1988]

Responce, major spoilers!!!!!

At first I would like to state that I like your way of thinking about the party idea.

I agree with you on the fact that you want to take Imoen, Minsc and Jaheira threw both of the games and I agree on your party in BG1

The base party you wish to take threw BG2 is Imoen Minsc and Jaheira. Since there is a split up between you and Imoen you will need a stand in for
her --> Nalia.

Second you will need a stand in for khalid, I've got a double opinion on that one: you could take either anomen or keldorn. In wich case I say take keldorn, a really good character with a lot of good dialogue modes.

third you will need a replacement for dynaheir. Only one good answer for that --> Aerie. The best Npc in the game.

What you need then is very simple: nothing, you can take what you want. An easy option is to make a fighter in BG 1 and dual him to mage in BG2. It will be harder if you take a plain druid in BG1 and keep him a single Druid. That would make the game a challenge and, since there is no good single class druid available in either of the games, you would have a hell of a character. If you want an hard option multiclass, I would make a halfling fighter/cleric. because of the minus on strength you will have some problems with that. The final option is a wild mage, with one mod you can make the character choices for bg2 available in bg1, it is very important then that you protect yourself because it ain't easy to play bg1 with an mage.

the final result would be this:

BG1:

Jaheira, Khalid, You, Dynaheir, Minsc, Imoen

BG2:

Keldorn/Anomen, Jaheira, You, Aerie, Minsc, Imoen/Nalia

Ofcourse the only wright answer to your question is: there is no best character option, it is possible to finish with every character in every mix with NPC's

[Da_venom]

if your using mods
then i suggest installing bgtutu

and use a kensai/mage

best character there is ^^
it almost has no penalties for dualclassing ^^

if you play vanilla

then i would suggest a thief or a mage

[Stworca]

In my opinion :

The perfect character story-wise would be one that has no NPCs representing it. Therefore Sorcerer or Monk.
But, it has to have its unique uses, and this allows us to scratch the monk.

Sorcerer is the 'perfect' character, for its more of a mobile SAM launcher than a person. Yes, sorcerer has many similarities with mage, except you know less spells, but have much better flexibility in combat. Sorcerers gain more HP than mages too. The way i see it, cause Sorcs are stuck with their spells forever, you focus on damage dealing (and self-defensive spells) while mage (Imoen obviously) can take the role of a buffer

To be honest Sorcerer is also the most powerfull class in the game, or at least the easiest one to make it overpowered. What other character can effordlesly solo Nalmissra party at lvl 16? (yes, you could do it even as a commoner i guess, but as sorcerer you just stand there and yawn in their ugly faces while wiping them out)

However The perfect character would be the one YOU feel like playing. There is absolutely no place that is impossible to beat with any six (or one) character. Note however, that there is absolutely no need for thief skills higher than Imoen posseses during the game. Since You'll have a goody-two-shoes party, and don't consider taking Coran, why not play a ranger, and set the archer place yourself?

@ jouke1988 i agree with you on most part, except for "Nalia". Yoshimo will fit a good aligned party, and surely will make your BG2 experience richer.

Regards

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Bard or Monk would be the logical choice.

If it helps, in the books the PC was a male human fighter, but then Minsc was a redheaded bartender so it's probably better to ignore them.

Yoshimo over Nalia all the way.

The trouble with Keldorn is that the 'good' way to complete his personal quest is by sending him back to his family, he's one of the few NPCs who doesn't actually want to continue adventuring with the PC. It's a good party so that's probably what the good PC will do...Mazzy and Valygar both express a desire to keep adventuring with the PC, as does Anomen, so if you really feel the need to replace Khalid with another fighter type one of the three would be the natural choice - probably Anomen since Mazzy and Valygar sort of form a pair if you have them in the same party. Personally I'd keep it as a core party of 5 (PC, Imoen, Jaheira, Minsc, Aerie) with quest NPCs, and a spare slot for Mr ToB.
I'd also include Aerie as part of the 'core' story party in BG2 - Minsc needs a witch after all. From a gaming POV she provides a backup mage/cleric (Jaheira really doesn't cut it as the sole divine caster IMO) and frees Imoen to take over the thieving reins rather than being the sole mage-type (i.e. you can deck her out as needs be). This leaves your choice of PC to be whatever you want while maintaining party balance - with this party setup it doesn't matter if your PC is redundant since it's already a fully functional party without them. It helps if said PC has decent fighting skills to be sure, and it being a good-aligned party the PC probably won't be an assassin or necromancer, but that still leaves a lot of leeway.

On the other hand...Paladins require extensive training so it seems unlikely due to the PCs remote upbringing out of any order (excluding them finding a copy of Being a Paladin for Dummies), same goes for Druids, Ranger is possible but not totally probable since they spent their lives inside Candlekeep, Barbarian seems a little out of character for the ward of Gorion from civilized Candlekeep, and Cleric seems a little iffy IMO - it's hard to imagine many deities wanting a Bhaalspawn for a follower, not to mention the lack of established temples in Candlekeep.

So after all that, my first picks would be either bard (all-rounder, can boost the other characters, grew up in a library, foster-father was a magic-user, high CHA for party leadership, pickpocketing skills which Immy lacks) or monk (fighting skills to round out the SoA crew, raised in a monastery, stealth skills which Immy lacks). Failing that, IIRC Bhaal was an assassin so some sort of thief would be a reasonable choice too, as would mage due to Gorion's influence - maybe a fighter/mage/thief multi but at that point you might as well just do a bard.

[mrdeluxe]

Thank you very much of all your answers.

This is mostly an hypothetical question that came up while I was planning my next couple of plays. And, after soloing BG1 with a Bard, I know that it's possible to finish the games with any character and any party composition . This was more of an exercise of what character fits best the settings and the probable party.

When I decided that my current Fighter/Thief, fresh from BG1, was going to have the probable canonical good-aligned party that's been discussed here (Imoen, Jaheira, Minsc and Aerie — I agree that Aerie seems fit to be the perfect replacement for Dynaheir in the party and as Minsc's witch—), I realized that the whole BG2 provided a lot more good-aligned Fighters NPCs than bad-aligned: Minsc, Keldorn, Anomen, Mazzy, Valygar, all almost zealots about doing Good.

On the other hand, the coolest Evil characters, with the exception of Korgan, are too frail to be front-line fighters: Edwin, Viconia (the evil ones), and Yoshimo, Haer'Dalis, Jan Jansen (the neutral ones).

So, in BG2 at least, we have 5, maybe 6 (if you count Jaheira) Good-aligned NPCs capable of standing ground on a sword-fight. On the dark side, we have 1, possibly 2 Fighters, if you don't mind micro-managing Haer'Dalis (and he's not really evil).

This, and the bonus we get in Hell according to the path we choose, makes me feel that BG2 was made for a possible Good PC Spellcaster, or a possible Evil PC Fighter.

And I agree with Ode to a Grasshoper: a Paladin, a Barbarian, a Ranger, a Druid — all these choices seem strange for your PC and his Candlekeep upbringing. It's also strange to justify a Wizard Slayer if you're not evil, since Gorion was himself a wizard.

[Da_venom]

In my opinion :

The perfect character story-wise would be one that has no NPCs representing it. Therefore Sorcerer or Monk.
But, it has to have its unique uses, and this allows us to scratch the monk.

Sorcerer is the 'perfect' character, for its more of a mobile SAM launcher than a person. Yes, sorcerer has many similarities with mage, except you know less spells, but have much better flexibility in combat. Sorcerers gain more HP than mages too. The way i see it, cause Sorcs are stuck with their spells forever, you focus on damage dealing (and self-defensive spells) while mage (Imoen obviously) can take the role of a buffer

To be honest Sorcerer is also the most powerfull class in the game, or at least the easiest one to make it overpowered. What other character can effordlesly solo Nalmissra party at lvl 16? (yes, you could do it even as a commoner i guess, but as sorcerer you just stand there and yawn in their ugly faces while wiping them out)

However The perfect character would be the one YOU feel like playing. There is absolutely no place that is impossible to beat with any six (or one) character. Note however, that there is absolutely no need for thief skills higher than Imoen posseses during the game. Since You'll have a goody-two-shoes party, and don't consider taking Coran, why not play a ranger, and set the archer place yourself?

@ jouke1988 i agree with you on most part, except for "Nalia". Yoshimo will fit a good aligned party, and surely will make your BG2 experience richer.

Regards

every fight against a kensai/mage?

if you are talking about overpowered

i see that your not very familair with the Dnd rules

a kensai/mage has more HP than sorcs does
more thaco
and kensai changing to mage hardly has any down effects
since a kensai can't wear any armor anyway
and with a mage u can wear robes

you could also specialise in daggers or something to be even more power ^^

and buffing one up as kensai/mage with offensive spells is just pure ownage;-)

kensai alone is aklready best fighter in game
combined with buffs or offensive spells

it's gonna be slaughter ^^

[Crenshinibon]

To be fair, any mage class is powerful and easy to play. The way I play them, as self-buffers rather than spell-flingers, they are all the same. The few bonus points of THAC0 or AC hardly matter (when you're at the end of the level cap). The only way that a Kensai/Mage could come out a bit on top is through the Kensai's high level abilities, which would require you to dual class after level twenty, at which point you have a long downtime.

Also, the sorcerer, with proper spell selection can adapt to any situation, which the Kensai/Mage cannot do without resting.

Also, to comment on the "Evil Aligned Fragile Fighters":

Edwin, as a mage can protect himself against physical assault. Combined with Tensor's Transformation and Shapechange among other buffs, Edwin can best any fighter and almost any fight.

Jan, who can do the same thing as Edwin, is a bit more flexible due to his thieving skills and is able to achieve the highest damage of ANY NPC by backstabbing as an Iron Golem. Also, keep in mind that after three million experience, Jan can gain the ability called "Use Any Item". This lets him, with the aid of spells and proper items, become a great tank and front line fighter. Don't forget his armor! It gives you 25% physical resistance, which is AMAZING. I personally use it throughout the entire game, even on solo runs.

Haer' Dalis, is a Blade, which is also my favorite class. Blades boast fast level gain as well as incredible flexibility. The two class abilities, Offensive Spin and Defensive Spin hint that the class can be used as a front-line fighter. Like with the other mages, I like to have the Blades buff themselves and go on fighting. Note that if you use Defensive Spin while under the effects of "Free Action", you no longer suffer from being rooted in place. Fully buffed, with the right equipment choices, your Blade could have about eight attacks per round, with a decent THAC0, around -24 AC and 45% physical resistance, all the while being able to cast spells through wands.

Viconia, just like all the other characters I talked about, can hold her ground using the same methods. In fact, ANY spell caster can serve as the tank or attacker. Since she is a pure cleric, she does not get the bonus attacks per round that Watchers of Helm and Morninglords of Lathender are entitled to through their special abilities, so she is only able to do at most, four attacks per round with 45% physical resistance, maximum damage each hit, -24 AC and pretty good damage. Don't forget her Blade Barrier and Globe of Blades spells as they provide very nice damage and are affected by Improved Haste.

Yoshimo, as a Bounty Hunter, isn't meant to be a front line fighter, but rather a tactical asset. Like any rogue, most of his damage should come from backstabs and this should be a hit and run fighter. His Special Snares can be thrown at enemies, and their effects vary from area of effect damage to an area of effect Maze spell, which lets you either recuperate or set up an ambush. Best of all, the duration of the Maze spell is based on the trapped characters' intelligence: the higher it is, the shorter the duration. This means that after tossing a trap at a group of enemies, the mages would come back first, without any fighters to defend them.

[Da_venom]

the spell wish can adapt anything for kensai/mage xD

furthermore the sorcs got a long pick for spells(you have to scroll for the decent ones

while a mage can just memorize and such which i my opinion is better

and to be honest any def or buf spell a sorc cast can be debuffed by kensai/mage in the end it will matter the thaco and armor etc

note that a kensai/mage can use better weapons

soloing is fun

but i liked the kenai/mage the most easy to play and hardly dies

sorc/mage also easy to play but u gotta be more cautious with hp

assasin/mage also quite fun ^^

i think rangers and bards suck the most ^^
i hardly pick them

[Crenshinibon]

The spell Wish doesn't always give you what you need and it also requires you to have high Wisdom and Intelligence scores. More importantly, it causes you to lose a level nine slot which you could use for something else, like Shapechange, Imprisonment or some other spell. Don't get me wrong, it's a great spell, but in my opinnion, its main use is in replenishing all of your other spells.

I don't really have a problem with a second point. I'm sure that most of us abuse the pause key anyway. It's a small price to pay for flexibility. Not only can the sorcerer use all these spells at any given moment, but he can also cast them more times than a mage, which does count for something.

You can prevent your spell protection being dispelled by using Spell Immunity: Alteration and Spell Immunity: Abjuration. Also, the sorcerer can keep recasting his or her protections for much longer than a Kensai/Mage can dispell then, but that hardly matters since they should be sufficiently protected in the first place.

The weapons hardly matter since you're at your strongest when you fight while under the effects of Shapechange. Hardly dieing isn't really a point since that depends on the skill of the player. A good amount of people on this forum have done "No Reloads" games with mages.

I think that Assassin/Mages aren't that good and that the Mage/Thief multiclass is much better. The Assassin has poison, yes, which is good, but then again, it's hardly worth the down time. In order to hit the septuple multiplier upon a backstab, the Assassin needs to be at least level twenty one. If you want "Use Any Item", you need to go even further than that.

Bards and Rangers don't suck. Bards are a strong and powerful class, very flexible too, and definately the most powerful in the original Baldur's Gate. In terms of power, for the second game, they are third in power only to Mages and Ranger/Clerics.

Archers are a very powerful class as well, since early on you can kill very powerful enemies just by draining their strength with your arrows. Also, a high level archer can immobilize his enemies through Smite AND when using Arrows of Detonation, the arrow's effects (such as Called Shot, Smite, Deathblow and so forth) are applied to anyone that is hit.

Stalkers on the other hand are less powered fighter/thieves with a bit of divine backup. They do about the same backstab damage due to higher damage rolls and forced critical hits, but they are more resilient in combat than the multiclass. The reason for this is: while both classes can reach 85% physical resistance, the fighter/thief can't keep his armor class without the use spells.

In general, the best way to use a Ranger is in a Ranger/Cleric multiclass, which is on par with the Mage as the best tank and attacker.

[Stworca]

the spell wish can adapt anything for kensai/mage xD

furthermore the sorcs got a long pick for spells(you have to scroll for the decent ones

while a mage can just memorize and such which i my opinion is better

and to be honest any def or buf spell a sorc cast can be debuffed by kensai/mage in the end it will matter the thaco and armor etc

note that a kensai/mage can use better weapons

soloing is fun

but i liked the kenai/mage the most easy to play and hardly dies

sorc/mage also easy to play but u gotta be more cautious with hp

assasin/mage also quite fun ^^

i think rangers and bards suck the most ^^
i hardly pick them

Its not the right place for a kensai/mage vs sorcerer discussion, but there are some errors here that have to be corrected. First of all, mages can cast >less< spells than sorcerers, as seen [url="http://www.planetbaldursgate.com/bg2/character/classes/tables/wizardcast.shtml#wizards"]here[/url] (unless You have a specialist mage, then its tied after some point, point unreachable without xp capp remover.. And you cannot be a specialist mage while beign kensai)
Furthermore mage has to plan what spells he will use in incoming combat (and memorise them) while sorcerer can cast any spell that he knows.

The problem with sorcerers, which is unability to use unknown spells without scrolls, is marginal in Baldurs Gate, cause there are only few usefull spells per level anyway, and as long as you pick the right ones, Your sorcerer is just a better version of mage. (Trust me on that one, my lack of life allowed me to finish BG2 far too many times)

You speak of wish spell, that would add Kensai/Mage flexibility.. You do know that sorcerers have the spell too right? Which they can cast as many times, as they have lvl 9 spells avaliable, while K/M will be limited to the ones memorised. + Remember that you don't always get the option to re-memorise spells from the tricky djinn? Let's take wish out of discussion then.

Now the last part. Kensai/mage vs Sorcerer in combat. Obviously the one whom player choses wins with the NPC, cause AI is limited, but what about fight of two players? Who would win a mage vs mage fight, when both sides know exactly what to do? The one with more spells obviously. How big of a threat is a warrior against brain using mage in BG2? No threat at all...
So how would the fight go? Well.. As Kensai/Mage, Would you rather swing your silly sword, or cast 3 spells per round with Improved Alacrity? If you would cast spells, then the one with more avaliable spells wins. If you would swing the sword... "Weapon Ineffective". Taking down spell protection of a well prepared mage is pain, and requires well prepared tactic (Swordcoast Stratagems shows what im talking about, to a point, because as i said above AI is limited) there is no time for weapon swings, just to recast IA and continue the deadly duel, which... mage with more spells wins.

Ofcourse Kensai/mage would win with a protection from magic spell -and- a ranged weapon to force the sorcerer to use his spells while waiting till scroll effect ends (i assume that both characters would be equipped as well as possible, so this includes boots of speed. Which make any melee attacks impossible as long as there is kiting space)

And with XP capp removed kensai/mage, as every dual class, WOULD be more powerfull than a sorcerer... But with XP capp removed there are also F/M/Clerics. Remember BG2 does not support level progression beyond 8000000xp / class.

Uff...

Sorcerers are MORE overpowered

[Da_venom]

forget me if i am wrong but


a sorceror can cast more spells per level of spell yes

but a mage can select which spell

if u got like 10 level 1 spells
a sorcs would use of thing for every spell cast by level

so that can be 10 magic missiles
or 1 magic missles and 9 color sprays

a mage however can select more specific spells

and not entirely using up your spell level progress

and furthermore if both players are properly equiped then the kensai/mage got better items IIRC

and more spells doesn't always mean that u win xD
now u got me tempted trying a wizard/slayer mage
xD
if that is even possible xD

[Crenshinibon]

It's more like this:

A sorcerer can cast ANY spell he knows a certain amount of times. For example, a mage and a sorcerer know these level one spells:

Magic Missle, Color Spray, Burning Hands, Spook and Protection From Evil.

A sorcerer can cast six (just a random number I pulled) level one spells a day, meaning that he can cast any of these spells without needing to memorize them. He just needs to know them. So he casts Magic Missle, which leaves him five more "casts" of ANY of these same spells.

A mage on the other hand would be able to know more spells, yes, but he would need to memorize them. So, if you wanted to use all over them and you had six spell slots (which would actually be less than six within the game), you'd be able to use each spell only once.

Yes, the mages can know more spells, but that doesn't really matter since there are only a handful of useful spells within each level which both characters would undoubtedly use without fail.

Again, when it comes to mages, equipment hardly matters.

Wizard Slayer/Mages are pointless in my opinion as mages can achieve something even better than resistance: Immunity. As such, giving up certain gear for some resistance and small chance to make mages fail casting a spell is not a fair trade-off.

[RPGguy]

In general, the best way to use a Ranger is in a Ranger/Cleric multiclass, which is on par with the Mage as the best tank and attacker.

Cren, can you elaborate on this comment please?

I assume you are referring to dual wielding attacks per round, the turn undead and how the 2 classes both benefit from STR/DEX/WIS. But I know you have some sort of spell buffering or HLA in mind. Was wondering if you could spec it out for me.

Contemplating my first BG1 --> BG2 --> TOB run through with a single character and this sounds like a good suggestion. It's been a few years since I played it.

Thanks in advance.

[mrdeluxe]

The big thing about the Cleric/Ranger is that you have access to all Cleric spells AND to all Druid Spells, that means: Turn Undead, Animate Dead, Summon Fire Elementals, Insect Plague, Ironskins, not to mention two free points in dual-wielding and a racial enemy.

The high level Cleric/Ranger is truly like a god: He can fight, wear full metal plate, summon creatures to do his biding, summon the power of the gods or the power of the elements.

Not to mention that you can Hide in Shadows and scout ahead. Don't want to take your big armor off? No problem, cast Sanctuary and parade freely around your enemies.

It's a great character if you want to play with a small party, all you need is a thief and an arcane caster at your side, so a dueled Imoen is enough! Maybe pick up Jan during the first 3 Chapters of SOA. But doing it Solo is perfectly feasible: you can protect yourself from most harm a trap might do and you can Draw Upon Holy Might to bash open locks. But a thief will make things easier for you.

[RPGguy]

The high level Cleric/Ranger is truly like a god: He can fight, wear full metal plate, summon creatures to do his biding, summon the power of the gods or the power of the elements.

Thanks for the response deluxe.

But won't the ranger lose his spells if he puts on anything better than light armor? I can't remember which, but I know one these games has that bug specifically. Can't recall which one.

[mrdeluxe]

I can't really confirm that now (don't have the game with me at the moment) but I'm almost sure that the Cleric/Ranger can cast with any armor on, just like Jaheira, Viconia or Anomen! The only thing he can't do is Hide in Shadows with anything heavier then a Studded Leather.

Also you're limited to the Cleric weapon selection, but with Crom Faeyr and Flail of Ages available that's hardly a limitation!

[Crenshinibon]

mrdeluxe has gotten my point. The Cleric/Ranger is a great character because he/she has access to Iron Skins AND can easily achieve 85% physical resistance while still having strong offensive powers and good flexibility. This character is strong even without being buffed with your conventional item abilities and clerical spells such as Armor of Faith, Draw Upon Holy Might, Holy Power, Champion's Strength, Righteous Magic, Iron Skins, Regeneration, Aura of Flaming Death (optional) and Hardiness.

Rangers do not lose access to spells if they wear armor.

As for weapon choice, I strongly suggest the Flail of Ages (which you will be using for the majority of the game, as it later becomes a +5 weapon) and the Defender of Easthaven (which grants one to AC as well as 20% physical resistance).

I don't think that the Ranger/Cleric really needs any HLAs except for Hardiness (top priority) and maybe Summon Deva, though it's definitely possible to play without it. Globe of Blades (or Blade Barrier) can be fun if you use it in combination with Sanctuary to stealthily kill your opponents.

[RPGguy]

As for weapon choice, I strongly suggest the Flail of Ages (which you will be using for the majority of the game, as it later becomes a +5 weapon) and the Defender of Easthaven (which grants one to AC as well as 20% physical resistance).

Thanks Cren. Kind of surprised to hear you say that, given that it doesn't become +5 until almost the TOB end game iirc. And I always recall you being a big advocate of maxing attacks per round with dual-weilders...so I figured one of the weapons that add an attack per round would have been something to pair up with Crom Faeyr.

Can't remember if any of those weapons are ideal for your primary weapon. I remember a short sword being one of them.

And back to the armor topic quickly, I could have sworn that Rangers can become fallen like Paladins. No? Maybe I am thinking of NWN. I played so many rpgs in the last 3 years that everything is just one giant blur.