I've been trying to play BG2 again but for the life of me I just can't play the game without getting bored of the characters I create. I don't know why or what, but it seems the most of the classes have lost their draw.
So instead of powerful charcters I'm looking for suggestions of strange classes that were very different and harder to use.
The wizardslayer/mage I think is an example. The Wild Mage is also fun but I'm really looking for something quirky that I can try in a party.
Most Interesting Experiences with Classes
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Deadalready
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Most Interesting Experiences with Classes
Warning: logic and sense is replaced by typos and errors after 11pm
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, it has yet to return
I have thought about making my next character an "average joe". Making him with minimal and averaged out scores to try and make him more realistic. Maybe a fighter who isn't that strong or tough but is just a normal dude out adventuring. May sound dumb but its just a thought... 
"Korax thinks you look very tasty today...
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dragon wench
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You might try a bard. Even better, head to the Gibberlings 3 site and download their [url="http://www.gibberlings3.net/sns/index.php"]Song and Silence[/url] mod which adds new bard kits to the game, amongst other things.
Here are the new kits, as you can see, they are quite balanced:
Install Acrobat bard kit
ACROBAT: As entertainers, most Acrobats are typically found accompanying carnivals or circuses, although a troupe of Acrobats can put on a remarkable show all by themselves. The often perform in large taverns or in clubs, using their arts to draw in the crowd and captivate them long enough for the proprietor to drain their purses. Acrobats are flashy and love to show off their skills; whatever they do, they like to do with a sense of style and a flair for the dramatic. Acrobats sometimes become cat burglars extraordinaire, and they are also useful adventuring allies, as they can squeeze into places where others cannot go without the aid of magic. Their skill at avoiding traps and other dangers also makes them excellent scouts.
Advantages:
- +1 bonus to Armor Class
- +1 bonus to Armor Class vs. missiles every 8 levels
- May place up to 2 proficiency points in slings, darts and daggers
Disadvantages:
- May only place proficiency points in weapons a Thief can use
- May not wear armor heavier than Studded Leather
- Only has one-half normal lore value
Install Chorister bard kit
CHORISTER: Music, whether hymn, symphony or dark chanting intonation, plays an important part in the services of most deities. For aiding in performing rituals or just leading the faithful in worship, most holy places have at least one bard, known as a Chorister.
Choristers are not only to be found within temple walls, however; many faiths use them as missionaries, helping to bring new worshippers into the fold. Many an adventuring bard with a religious bent can also end up as a Chorister, finding their prayers answered by the deity they venerate.
Advantages:
- Knows a small selection of divine spells. These are accessed and memorized as Mage spells:
Level 1: Armor of Faith, Cure Light Wounds, Doom
Level 2: Chant, Draw Upon Holy Might, Slow Poison
Level 3: Cure Medium Wounds, Glyph of Warding
Level 4: Defensive Harmony, Holy Power
Level 5: Mass Cure
Level 6: Bolt of Glory
Disadvantages:
- Only has one-half normal Lore value
- Only has one-half Pick Pockets percentage
Install Dirgesinger bard kit
DIRGESINGER: Dirgesingers voice melodies not of celebration and joy, but of sorrow and grief. They seek to spread this melancholy outlook far and wide, believing that only those who give in to their sadness can truly understand the world.
These sad wanderers seek to express their grief through songs that teach the hearts of their listeners the meaning of true sorrow. Some of these fallen bards want nothing more than for others to understand the depths of their loss. A few are sinister creatures who believe that, since joy has been extinguished for them, they must in turn extinguish the joy of others by using their powers to teach the folly of love, the futility of hope, and the finality of the grave. Dirgesingers of this last sort often associate themselves with powerful undead; serving in the courts of vampire lords or lich-kings.
Dirgesingers are limited to non-good alignments.
Advantages:
- Song Curses enemies, giving them a -1 penalty to saves and THAC0
- From level 5 may use a Song of Horror 1/day. This has the same effects as the level 2 Wizard spell, Horror
- From level 7 may use a Song of Grief 1/day. This has the same effects as the level 4 Wizard spell, Confusion
- From level 9 may use a Song of Awakening 1/day. This has the same effects as the level 5 Wizard spell, Animate Dead
Disadvantages:
- Song does not improve with level
- Only has one-half normal Lore value
Install Gypsy bard kit
GYPSY: Gypsies are often called "traveling people" or "forest nomads," typically wandering the lands in caravans comprising of brightly painted carts or wagons. These people are well-known for their strange music and dances, typically surviving in their wandering lifestyle by entertaining villagers and folk in the places they roam. Gypsies wander the land, experiencing life as they go. They travel until they find something of interest, where they establish a temporary camp and remain until the urge to see more of the world overpowers their desire to stay. Adventuring gypsies may be on a personal quest to locate some unique place or thing or may simply be out to experience the great wonders that appear along the adventuring path.
Gypsies are often misunderstood by others, who classify them as thieves, beggars, carnival people, nomads, or any number of other erroneous names. They are also very open and welcoming to those who seek to learn their ways and join them in their wandering, garnering for them a reputation for stealing children in the night and then spiriting them off into the wilderness. It should be noted that not all Gypsies are bards or have bardic abilities; Gypsy bards, known among Gypsy clans as "rawuns," function as the chief storytellers, lore-keepers, fortune tellers, and spiritual advisers of their Gypsy clans.
Advantages:
- Song charms enemies unless they save vs. spells with a -1 penalty per 10 levels of the bard
- Has a +1 bonus to saves vs. spells per 8 levels
- Can cast Curse once per day. The opposite of a Bless spell, this gives foes a -1 penalty to THAC0 and saves
Disadvantages:
- Cannot learn mage spells from the schools of Conjuration, Invocation or Transmutation
Install Adventurer thief kit
ADVENTURER: The adventurer is a jack-of-all-trades, not so much a thief as a character who takes advantage of general thiefly skills on adventures. An Adventurer is preferred by many adventuring parties, because he is much less likely than other thieves to betray or steal from his own companions. The successful Adventurer knows the value of trust and cooperation, while many a "street thief" has been raised on duplicity and (sometimes literal) backstabbing.
Advantages:
- +5% to Open Locks and Find/Remove Traps every other level
Disadvantages:
- No backstab multiplier
Install Burglar thief kit
BURGLAR: This sort of thief is the consummate Burglar. He is an expert at breaking and entering the most difficult buildings, bypassing walls, locks, traps and guardians, grabbing the best loot, and escaping unnoticed as stealthily as he arrived.
Advantages:
- +10% to Find Traps, Hide In Shadows, Move Silently and Open Locks
- Can Specialize in Daggers, Darts, and Slings
Disadvantages:
- -20% to Pick Pockets and Set Traps
- Gains trap usage at half the rate of a normal thief
Install Soulknife thief kit
SOULKNIFE: This sort of thief, a being possessed of potent psionic power, recognizes his or her own mind as the most beautiful and deadly thing in all creation. With practice, they have learned to forge their mental strength into a semisolid blade of pure psychic energy. This weapon, known as a mind blade, means that even when unarmed the soulknife is but a thought away from a deadly strike.
Advantages:
- Can achieve Mastery in short swords
- Can manifest a Mind Blade once per day per 10 levels. This short sword is a psionic weapon that lasts for 1 round/level, and counts as being of enchantment 1 higher than it is when determining what it can hit, to a maximum of +5. Each hit heals the Soulknife 1 Hit Point. THAC0 bonus and damage improve by 1 per 5 levels, to a maximum of +5 at level 25. Range improves by 10 every 5 levels to a maximum of 50 at level 25.
Disadvantages:
- Cannot set traps
- Only gets 15 skill points per level
Install Sharpshooter thief kit
SHARPSHOOTER: This sort of thief tends to be a stealthy character, preferring to engage their target from afar with bolt or arrow rather than face them in dangerous melee combat. Unlike the ranger, they use their skills to aid their dubious activities involving the property and lives of others rather than the protection of the great outdoors.
Although well - versed in the use of many missile weapons, the sharpshooter is not as resilient as a true warrior and the propensity for missile attacks over melee means that they lack the opportunism of other thieves when it comes to backstabbing. They tend not to see this as a disadvantage, instead striking from the shadows with a well - aimed projectile, or setting a deadly trap for those who would follow, when necessary.
Advantages:
- Can attain Mastery in any missile weapon a Thief can use
- May coat his missile weapon in poison once per day per 4 levels. Attacks made with the weapon in the next round will inject the poison into the target, dealing out 1 damage per second for 24 seconds (3 damage for the first 6 seconds). A saving throw vs. poison limits damage to 12 total.
Disadvantages:
- No backstab multiplier
Here are the new kits, as you can see, they are quite balanced:
Install Acrobat bard kit
ACROBAT: As entertainers, most Acrobats are typically found accompanying carnivals or circuses, although a troupe of Acrobats can put on a remarkable show all by themselves. The often perform in large taverns or in clubs, using their arts to draw in the crowd and captivate them long enough for the proprietor to drain their purses. Acrobats are flashy and love to show off their skills; whatever they do, they like to do with a sense of style and a flair for the dramatic. Acrobats sometimes become cat burglars extraordinaire, and they are also useful adventuring allies, as they can squeeze into places where others cannot go without the aid of magic. Their skill at avoiding traps and other dangers also makes them excellent scouts.
Advantages:
- +1 bonus to Armor Class
- +1 bonus to Armor Class vs. missiles every 8 levels
- May place up to 2 proficiency points in slings, darts and daggers
Disadvantages:
- May only place proficiency points in weapons a Thief can use
- May not wear armor heavier than Studded Leather
- Only has one-half normal lore value
Install Chorister bard kit
CHORISTER: Music, whether hymn, symphony or dark chanting intonation, plays an important part in the services of most deities. For aiding in performing rituals or just leading the faithful in worship, most holy places have at least one bard, known as a Chorister.
Choristers are not only to be found within temple walls, however; many faiths use them as missionaries, helping to bring new worshippers into the fold. Many an adventuring bard with a religious bent can also end up as a Chorister, finding their prayers answered by the deity they venerate.
Advantages:
- Knows a small selection of divine spells. These are accessed and memorized as Mage spells:
Level 1: Armor of Faith, Cure Light Wounds, Doom
Level 2: Chant, Draw Upon Holy Might, Slow Poison
Level 3: Cure Medium Wounds, Glyph of Warding
Level 4: Defensive Harmony, Holy Power
Level 5: Mass Cure
Level 6: Bolt of Glory
Disadvantages:
- Only has one-half normal Lore value
- Only has one-half Pick Pockets percentage
Install Dirgesinger bard kit
DIRGESINGER: Dirgesingers voice melodies not of celebration and joy, but of sorrow and grief. They seek to spread this melancholy outlook far and wide, believing that only those who give in to their sadness can truly understand the world.
These sad wanderers seek to express their grief through songs that teach the hearts of their listeners the meaning of true sorrow. Some of these fallen bards want nothing more than for others to understand the depths of their loss. A few are sinister creatures who believe that, since joy has been extinguished for them, they must in turn extinguish the joy of others by using their powers to teach the folly of love, the futility of hope, and the finality of the grave. Dirgesingers of this last sort often associate themselves with powerful undead; serving in the courts of vampire lords or lich-kings.
Dirgesingers are limited to non-good alignments.
Advantages:
- Song Curses enemies, giving them a -1 penalty to saves and THAC0
- From level 5 may use a Song of Horror 1/day. This has the same effects as the level 2 Wizard spell, Horror
- From level 7 may use a Song of Grief 1/day. This has the same effects as the level 4 Wizard spell, Confusion
- From level 9 may use a Song of Awakening 1/day. This has the same effects as the level 5 Wizard spell, Animate Dead
Disadvantages:
- Song does not improve with level
- Only has one-half normal Lore value
Install Gypsy bard kit
GYPSY: Gypsies are often called "traveling people" or "forest nomads," typically wandering the lands in caravans comprising of brightly painted carts or wagons. These people are well-known for their strange music and dances, typically surviving in their wandering lifestyle by entertaining villagers and folk in the places they roam. Gypsies wander the land, experiencing life as they go. They travel until they find something of interest, where they establish a temporary camp and remain until the urge to see more of the world overpowers their desire to stay. Adventuring gypsies may be on a personal quest to locate some unique place or thing or may simply be out to experience the great wonders that appear along the adventuring path.
Gypsies are often misunderstood by others, who classify them as thieves, beggars, carnival people, nomads, or any number of other erroneous names. They are also very open and welcoming to those who seek to learn their ways and join them in their wandering, garnering for them a reputation for stealing children in the night and then spiriting them off into the wilderness. It should be noted that not all Gypsies are bards or have bardic abilities; Gypsy bards, known among Gypsy clans as "rawuns," function as the chief storytellers, lore-keepers, fortune tellers, and spiritual advisers of their Gypsy clans.
Advantages:
- Song charms enemies unless they save vs. spells with a -1 penalty per 10 levels of the bard
- Has a +1 bonus to saves vs. spells per 8 levels
- Can cast Curse once per day. The opposite of a Bless spell, this gives foes a -1 penalty to THAC0 and saves
Disadvantages:
- Cannot learn mage spells from the schools of Conjuration, Invocation or Transmutation
Install Adventurer thief kit
ADVENTURER: The adventurer is a jack-of-all-trades, not so much a thief as a character who takes advantage of general thiefly skills on adventures. An Adventurer is preferred by many adventuring parties, because he is much less likely than other thieves to betray or steal from his own companions. The successful Adventurer knows the value of trust and cooperation, while many a "street thief" has been raised on duplicity and (sometimes literal) backstabbing.
Advantages:
- +5% to Open Locks and Find/Remove Traps every other level
Disadvantages:
- No backstab multiplier
Install Burglar thief kit
BURGLAR: This sort of thief is the consummate Burglar. He is an expert at breaking and entering the most difficult buildings, bypassing walls, locks, traps and guardians, grabbing the best loot, and escaping unnoticed as stealthily as he arrived.
Advantages:
- +10% to Find Traps, Hide In Shadows, Move Silently and Open Locks
- Can Specialize in Daggers, Darts, and Slings
Disadvantages:
- -20% to Pick Pockets and Set Traps
- Gains trap usage at half the rate of a normal thief
Install Soulknife thief kit
SOULKNIFE: This sort of thief, a being possessed of potent psionic power, recognizes his or her own mind as the most beautiful and deadly thing in all creation. With practice, they have learned to forge their mental strength into a semisolid blade of pure psychic energy. This weapon, known as a mind blade, means that even when unarmed the soulknife is but a thought away from a deadly strike.
Advantages:
- Can achieve Mastery in short swords
- Can manifest a Mind Blade once per day per 10 levels. This short sword is a psionic weapon that lasts for 1 round/level, and counts as being of enchantment 1 higher than it is when determining what it can hit, to a maximum of +5. Each hit heals the Soulknife 1 Hit Point. THAC0 bonus and damage improve by 1 per 5 levels, to a maximum of +5 at level 25. Range improves by 10 every 5 levels to a maximum of 50 at level 25.
Disadvantages:
- Cannot set traps
- Only gets 15 skill points per level
Install Sharpshooter thief kit
SHARPSHOOTER: This sort of thief tends to be a stealthy character, preferring to engage their target from afar with bolt or arrow rather than face them in dangerous melee combat. Unlike the ranger, they use their skills to aid their dubious activities involving the property and lives of others rather than the protection of the great outdoors.
Although well - versed in the use of many missile weapons, the sharpshooter is not as resilient as a true warrior and the propensity for missile attacks over melee means that they lack the opportunism of other thieves when it comes to backstabbing. They tend not to see this as a disadvantage, instead striking from the shadows with a well - aimed projectile, or setting a deadly trap for those who would follow, when necessary.
Advantages:
- Can attain Mastery in any missile weapon a Thief can use
- May coat his missile weapon in poison once per day per 4 levels. Attacks made with the weapon in the next round will inject the poison into the target, dealing out 1 damage per second for 24 seconds (3 damage for the first 6 seconds). A saving throw vs. poison limits damage to 12 total.
Disadvantages:
- No backstab multiplier
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testingtest12
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fable
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I've always felt bards were underpowered in the rules set used for the BG games, and druids were only somewhat better. I wish they'd addressed the first in making those kits. The advantages are great, but the disadvantages merely put them back as a very "special" profession.
On the other hand--and arguing against myself--there's nothing wrong with making the game harder for a veteran by taking on some of the more challenging classes and NPCs. In which case, those bard classes would merit more than just a glance.
On the other hand--and arguing against myself--there's nothing wrong with making the game harder for a veteran by taking on some of the more challenging classes and NPCs. In which case, those bard classes would merit more than just a glance.
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe.
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Raven_Song
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If you're going with a bard you might also want to consider the Rogue Rebalancing pack (i thinks its at Spellhold Studios) which vastly improves a bards HLA's - the jester kit in paricular is considerably improved.
However I'd also agree with the Wild Mage, they're blast to play - sometimes quite literally.
However I'd also agree with the Wild Mage, they're blast to play - sometimes quite literally.
Oh yes. You haven't lived until you've dropped a cow on your head. :laugh:Raven_Song wrote: However I'd also agree with the Wild Mage, they're blast to play - sometimes quite literally.
IMHO Bards are great characters who can become quite powerful but not too much. The same goes for Shapeshifters.
She says: Lou, it's the Beginning of a Great Adventure
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dragon wench
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Funny, I was also thinking of suggesting a druidfable wrote:I've always felt bards were underpowered in the rules set used for the BG games, and druids were only somewhat better. I wish they'd addressed the first in making those kits. The advantages are great, but the disadvantages merely put them back as a very "special" profession.
On the other hand--and arguing against myself--there's nothing wrong with making the game harder for a veteran by taking on some of the more challenging classes and NPCs. In which case, those bard classes would merit more than just a glance.
I mentioned bards though because from a totally subjective point of view I find them much more fun to play, the bard stronghold quests are more interesting too (IMO anyway).For some reason I get bored trying to play a druid, I'm not sure why. I don't power play, so that's not the problem. Maybe I'm just not hippie enough in personality
Though, a ranger I can do.lol yes! Those bard classes would make the game *much* more challenging, I would think. I haven't tried them yet, but I likely will next time since I prefer balancing out the game with weaker characters rather than with mods such as Ascension. At least, unlike in certain other RPGs, BG2 doesn't require you to go to extremes in order make the game more difficult. Again though, that's wholly subjective.
Spoiler
testingtest12
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I enjoy using my imagination to "write my own dialogue" for the game, and that is the main thing that makes them quirky. I ask questions like how do they feel about their quests and their enemies? Do they have any conflicts with NPCs or any of their fellow party members? I don't know if you enjoy playing that way, but it works for me.Deadalready wrote:I've been trying to play BG2 again but for the life of me I just can't play the game without getting bored of the characters I create. I don't know why or what, but it seems the most of the classes have lost their draw.
So instead of powerful charcters I'm looking for suggestions of strange classes that were very different and harder to use.
The wizardslayer/mage I think is an example. The Wild Mage is also fun but I'm really looking for something quirky that I can try in a party.
One of my most interesting adventures revolved around three siblings (all children of Bhaal) who had formed their own band. Have you ever heard of a family act that could get along with each other?
Each of them was a different Bard kit (Blade, Jester, Skald) and they had different alignments (Lawful Good, Chaotic Neutral, and Chaotic Good). I took the decision-making process seriously, and it wasn't easy to please all of them. I'm not a musician, but it was fun to imagine being a musician and figuring out how a musician is supposed to cope with the challenges of BG2. I originally wanted to play a party of six Bards, but I compromised and created a party with my three Bards and Haer'Dalis, Aerie (a wannabe thespian), and Imoen (whom I couldn't bring myself to leave behind). If you don't care so much about roleplaying, you could still play a party of six Bards for the tactical challenges.I also feel that Thieves are a bit out of their element in a game like BG2, where there isn't much for them to do besides basic thieving while the spellcasters and melee warriors mop the floor. So you could try a party of six Thieves. If you allow multi-class Thieves, there would be a lot less challenge, and you could use Yoshimo, Imoen, Nalia, and Jan.
A few months ago, a couple of people said they wanted to play a Halfling Barbarian who dual-wields daggers. That must have been fun.
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Deadalready
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