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For the...13thish time, maybe? The compulsion just strikes every once in a while. There are some parts of SOA that I've gotten entirely sick of by now, but somehow it always seems worth it to get to the good parts again.

I'm just looking for a little party advice and some help remembering a couple of minor details.

How much INT does a character need to use green scrolls e.g. protection from magic?

Does WIS at least give paladins extra spells per level, or is it useless even to them?

Finally, the character I'm wondering about sticking in the party: a totemic druid. In the Icewind Dale series, they are one of my favorite classes, but I'm not nearly as happy with their spell selection in BGII. The only things they have that interest me are on-demand fire elementals, a wannabe Stoneskin spell, the insect plague duo of spells which are heavily nerfed by SCSII, and the elemental princes. Having never taken a druid much farther than the Underdark, I'm not sure just how much these spells or the totemic's spirit animals will really help in the end-game of SOA, much less TOB.

I'm not looking for all-out powergaming advice. I've played BG2 enough that it's not necessary. If I really wanted to be as powerful as possible, I'd take a bunch of sorcerers and some flavor of fighter/mage to throw Azuredge. However, a completely useless character is not very fun, so if the druid is hopeless post-Underdark, let me know and suggest a flavorful but useful companion to a cavalier, an undead hunter, a kensai, a blade, and (of course) a sorcerer.

Heck, I could just take 5 characters. The sorcerer alone can and often does blow through the entirety of SOA without help if I let him.

Blomdor wrote:For the...13thish time, maybe? The compulsion just strikes every once in a while. There are some parts of SOA that I've gotten entirely sick of by now, but somehow it always seems worth it to get to the good parts again.

Heh, I know that feeling

Druids are quite powerful in IWD, that's one of the best parts of that game. Not so in BG, I'm afraid, but I'm sure you'll find some use for that character. And it's not like your party will have any trouble waltzing through the game as it is.
I find I often take characters of certain classes along just to use some restricted items, or those who make sense on roleplaying level. So if you feel like a druid, go for it.

I've no idea if intelligence has any bearing on use of protective scrolls at all - never come across the subject. Aren't they just usable by all, period?

You need 9 INT minimum to use scrolls.
Not sure about the WIS for paladins. I seem to remember rangers not getting any bonus spells(see Minsc, Valygar) but that might be due to their scores not being high enough.

Thanks both for answering. The WIS detail is very minor such that even if the paladins gain a couple of extra spells for it, I will still dump it in favor of physical stats. I could load up TOB and create a couple of paladins there to see how different stats affect their abilities.

I've decided against the druid and am now trying to decide between having an empty character slot for NPC quests and more XP, and just taking more melee muscle. The primary divine casters in BG2 are both very boring IMO. I could also take a thief, but the blade can already pickpocket as well as set traps and UAI once he reaches high levels. Thieves can be frustrating to play between all the (sometimes arbitrary) resistances to backstab and poison, and SCSII's "you can't hide from a mage" nonsense.

Neither Rangers nor Paladins gain any extra spells from WIS.