Hello everybody,
I was very surprised to find an active forum on such an old game, and such a usefull website too.
anyway, i'd like to say a few things first: i played BG1 when i was young, and really loved it, even if i probably only did 1/4 of the game before finishing it. Recently i noticed a deal on getting all BG games (compilation) for just £8 so i did, since i heard BG2 was tones better than the first. I can't be bothered with tale of a swordcoast to be honest, so i went straight to shadow of amn.
first lil question: i've got the ToB cd with the compilation, so do i install that and does it come afterwards in shadow of amn, or is it a seperate game? (ie, is it like the expansion pack for diablo 2, where you get loads more interesting stuff on top of a last level)
another thing, i love the mage class, throwing all kinds of death spells at my enemy, good fun, but from BG1 i felt that it was fairly hard to actually beat the end boss with a mage, and a fighter was best, so im leaning towards the fighter option. Looking through this website (which is soooo good for this sort of info), i think kensai would be my ideal option, but not too sure about no armor... i like weapon specialisation in fighters, but which one should i specialise in? can't predict what i may find in a chest...
and another thing, i started playing shadow of amn, made a right mess of it as i found myself doing all sorts of difference quests at different times, and for some reason never really progressing (played about 4 hours). I ended up fighting far too tough enemies (eg liche) for my level (8 lol)
another thing, i don't like druids, can i get rid of jaheira without affecting much of the game play? i've never found her usefull, although i noticed she had a nice healing spell. Also if she is actually usefull, please do enlighten me about how to use her well.
lasltly, on top of what race//class i should use, what party should i have? i like to keep my party the same from start to end, so also if i could be told who i should lookout for further on in the game (and so who i should ditch to take them).
sorry for rambling on on my first post, i look forward to all of your replies (if any), i will check this post tomorrow and see what suggestions you all come up with, and then get going with the game.
oh damnit i have more questions which will lead to you having to reveal a few things, which may make this a spoiler thread. first chapter (emarrassing) how do i kill that mage in that chamber not far from the genie, and where do i find his bottle (or does that fat prisonner have it and i just didnt notice).
also, installed some SoA bug fixes, the website issuing them stated i should uninstall them if i were to install ToB, and said "please download uninstaller above".... but theres no sign of one? (its the baldurdash website, or something like that)
oh btw, im a complete RPG newbie, well not quite but not far either.
Greetings, newbie here
ToB is mainly an addon which adds a few new areas to play afterwards, but it also improves the original game, so it's recommended to install it before starting the game. You should also install the latest official patch first before starting.
Unlike in BG2 mages are totally overpowered in BG2, they do get many cheesy powerful spells.
If you want to be even more powerful start in another class (fighter/cleric or thief kit) and dualclass to mage later.
This way you'll get far more HPs and other bonusses for hardly any XP.
If a quest or battle is too difficult just do another one instead.
You don't need Jaheira, no NPC is needed. She can be useful, both as tank and as caster if you like her. Any NPC can be useful, they are quite balanced.
As for which character to play, you can afford to play anything you want.
If you just want to be a mage create a conjurer with at least 10 str, 18 dex, 16 con and 18 int.
For more HP and physical power you can start as a human fighter/berserker/kensai and dual to mage after 9 levels.
You could also start as swashbuckler and dual after 10 levels, for better defense and being independent from NPC thieves. Starting with 11 levels as bounty hunter is also nice if you like setting traps.
Starting with 9 cleric kit levels will yield 36 extra HP the ability to raise dead party members without having to visit a temple.
Those 9-11 levels don't cost more than 250,000 XP while each additional mage level after 11 costs 375,000 XP.
The easiest character to play is probably a F/M/T multiclass since you don't have to rely on other party members except for healing. But you won't get high level mage spells this way. (but both a perfect fighter and thief with many powerful spells)
As for party members: Just take the characters you like most. Keldorn and Anomen are probably the most useful ones for an arcane character and you need a thief.
I recommend trying to play a good party with high reputation and avoiding evil characters who could leave.
Unlike in BG2 mages are totally overpowered in BG2, they do get many cheesy powerful spells.
If you want to be even more powerful start in another class (fighter/cleric or thief kit) and dualclass to mage later.
This way you'll get far more HPs and other bonusses for hardly any XP.
If a quest or battle is too difficult just do another one instead.
You don't need Jaheira, no NPC is needed. She can be useful, both as tank and as caster if you like her. Any NPC can be useful, they are quite balanced.
As for which character to play, you can afford to play anything you want.
If you just want to be a mage create a conjurer with at least 10 str, 18 dex, 16 con and 18 int.
For more HP and physical power you can start as a human fighter/berserker/kensai and dual to mage after 9 levels.
You could also start as swashbuckler and dual after 10 levels, for better defense and being independent from NPC thieves. Starting with 11 levels as bounty hunter is also nice if you like setting traps.
Starting with 9 cleric kit levels will yield 36 extra HP the ability to raise dead party members without having to visit a temple.
Those 9-11 levels don't cost more than 250,000 XP while each additional mage level after 11 costs 375,000 XP.
The easiest character to play is probably a F/M/T multiclass since you don't have to rely on other party members except for healing. But you won't get high level mage spells this way. (but both a perfect fighter and thief with many powerful spells)
As for party members: Just take the characters you like most. Keldorn and Anomen are probably the most useful ones for an arcane character and you need a thief.
I recommend trying to play a good party with high reputation and avoiding evil characters who could leave.
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limitedwhole
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It's worth noting that if you duelclass to mage you cannot specialise unless you took basic non-kit which means you lose allot of spells.
Any character is viable. Some are more tedious, some are easier, and some require allot of time. A thief who specialises in traps and backstabbing, could progress through the game very slowly as it takes longer than casting a single death cloud and entangle.
Mages are very powerful due to awesome spells and magic wands. If you like magic users I would recommend a wild mage. Contrary to what people say on the boards, wildmages dont have to reload allot. I have had 8-10 wildsurges and I am fairly far into the game, none of which required a reload. The dweomer spell can actually prevent reloads early by casting a very high level spell when all is lost.
Jaheira is a pretty good tank early if you give her good armour and a shield. She has summon insects which is really good against mages. She also has a summon spell that gets you another spell user with heal all, holds, etc. What a deal at level 4!
Any character is viable. Some are more tedious, some are easier, and some require allot of time. A thief who specialises in traps and backstabbing, could progress through the game very slowly as it takes longer than casting a single death cloud and entangle.
Mages are very powerful due to awesome spells and magic wands. If you like magic users I would recommend a wild mage. Contrary to what people say on the boards, wildmages dont have to reload allot. I have had 8-10 wildsurges and I am fairly far into the game, none of which required a reload. The dweomer spell can actually prevent reloads early by casting a very high level spell when all is lost.
Jaheira is a pretty good tank early if you give her good armour and a shield. She has summon insects which is really good against mages. She also has a summon spell that gets you another spell user with heal all, holds, etc. What a deal at level 4!
From a pure powergaming perspective, here are many advices:
1. A mage of any kind is one of the most powerful characters in SoA + ToB. A sorcerer by all means is considered the most powerful class. So, I advise you to pick for your main PC a sorcerer, and reading some topics about spell-picking with a sorcerer.
2. Install the game in such order - SoA - ToB - Bonus CD - Official ToB Patch latest version - Baldurdash OR G3 fixpack. If you're installing the fixpack, in its installation choose the answer to the question "Paws from Shapeshifting can't be dispelled" - NO. Don't install this because it gives a lot of bugs and crashes later.
3. The most powerful party IMO consists of these characters(in an unmodded game):
PC sorcerer
Aerie - elven cleric/mage, found in the Circus tent on the Promenade
Jan - gnomish thief/illusionist, in the Government District
Viconia - drow cleric, in the Government District
Edwin - human conjurer, to meet him go to the second floor of the Shadow's guild Hideout in the Docks District and talk to Renal Bloodscalp
The sixth character is optional. As is Viconia, by the way. Anyway, the best character for the sixth place is
Haer'dalis - half-elven Blade, found if you talk to Raelis Shai in the Bridge District(Five Flaggons Inn basement) and complete her quest.
4. When an NPC joins you, the game checks your lvl of xp and the NPC comes with appropriate xp lvl. If you have acquired 1 million xp with your main character, all of the new NPC's that are joined(and which you had never met before) come with 400 000 starting xp and appropriate lvl. If your PC is with 2 million or more, the NPC's come with 800 000 xp. If you have hit the SoA xp cap, which is 2 950 000 xp, then all of the new NPC's joining will be with 1 200 000 xp and appropriate lvl.
5. About xp - there are 2 types of xp. Normal xp is divided evenly between party members. There is also "Quest xp" given to you when you complete a quest. Quest xp means that each of your party members gets a certain amount of xp. Thus, if you complete a quest alone, you will receive 20 000 xp(for instance), and if you complete it with 6-person party, each of them will receive 20 000 xp(total of 120 000).
In conclusion - if you want to assemble the toughest and most experienced party, do this:
A. Play a solo until 3 million xp. Don't complete any quests. Don't join any NPC's you'll want to have in the party later
B. When your PC reaches 3 mln xp, assemble a party of six and complete as many quests as possible. Use your thief to loot all of the shops and read as many magic scrolls as you can with your wizard-type characters.
6. Liches and other tough undead are easily killed especially if you play solo. There are scrolls sold, green scrolls of Protection from Undead. Use them before a lich-battle and the lich will not retaliate.
7. You can loot all of the Athkatla shops(and any other shops for that matter) by using even a thief with 0% pickpocket. Drink enough potions of Master Thievery and start looting. A skill of 200% is more than enough for all shops, except Bernard in the Copper Coronet. Don't loot him. Use Yoshimo for looter, since he's useless anyway.
8. There are some mods which allow you to install new and powerful NPC's. However, try in the beginning with the regular ones.
1. A mage of any kind is one of the most powerful characters in SoA + ToB. A sorcerer by all means is considered the most powerful class. So, I advise you to pick for your main PC a sorcerer, and reading some topics about spell-picking with a sorcerer.
2. Install the game in such order - SoA - ToB - Bonus CD - Official ToB Patch latest version - Baldurdash OR G3 fixpack. If you're installing the fixpack, in its installation choose the answer to the question "Paws from Shapeshifting can't be dispelled" - NO. Don't install this because it gives a lot of bugs and crashes later.
3. The most powerful party IMO consists of these characters(in an unmodded game):
PC sorcerer
Aerie - elven cleric/mage, found in the Circus tent on the Promenade
Jan - gnomish thief/illusionist, in the Government District
Viconia - drow cleric, in the Government District
Edwin - human conjurer, to meet him go to the second floor of the Shadow's guild Hideout in the Docks District and talk to Renal Bloodscalp
The sixth character is optional. As is Viconia, by the way. Anyway, the best character for the sixth place is
Haer'dalis - half-elven Blade, found if you talk to Raelis Shai in the Bridge District(Five Flaggons Inn basement) and complete her quest.
4. When an NPC joins you, the game checks your lvl of xp and the NPC comes with appropriate xp lvl. If you have acquired 1 million xp with your main character, all of the new NPC's that are joined(and which you had never met before) come with 400 000 starting xp and appropriate lvl. If your PC is with 2 million or more, the NPC's come with 800 000 xp. If you have hit the SoA xp cap, which is 2 950 000 xp, then all of the new NPC's joining will be with 1 200 000 xp and appropriate lvl.
5. About xp - there are 2 types of xp. Normal xp is divided evenly between party members. There is also "Quest xp" given to you when you complete a quest. Quest xp means that each of your party members gets a certain amount of xp. Thus, if you complete a quest alone, you will receive 20 000 xp(for instance), and if you complete it with 6-person party, each of them will receive 20 000 xp(total of 120 000).
In conclusion - if you want to assemble the toughest and most experienced party, do this:
A. Play a solo until 3 million xp. Don't complete any quests. Don't join any NPC's you'll want to have in the party later
B. When your PC reaches 3 mln xp, assemble a party of six and complete as many quests as possible. Use your thief to loot all of the shops and read as many magic scrolls as you can with your wizard-type characters.
6. Liches and other tough undead are easily killed especially if you play solo. There are scrolls sold, green scrolls of Protection from Undead. Use them before a lich-battle and the lich will not retaliate.
7. You can loot all of the Athkatla shops(and any other shops for that matter) by using even a thief with 0% pickpocket. Drink enough potions of Master Thievery and start looting. A skill of 200% is more than enough for all shops, except Bernard in the Copper Coronet. Don't loot him. Use Yoshimo for looter, since he's useless anyway.
8. There are some mods which allow you to install new and powerful NPC's. However, try in the beginning with the regular ones.
wow thanks for all the info.
i think ill have a mix group.
ill start off as a fighter (general fighter or a kit fighter?) then perhaps later on as you suggested turn half mage. although this means i can't wear an armor and cast spells can i? so a kenshai might be the ideal option in that case?
does robe = armor?
yoshimo is useless? shame he unlocked all the chests i asked him to unlock, although he couldn't pick pocket to save his life (although i pickpocketed all the liches item before he attacked hehehe)
No one really answered the what is the best weapon question? since i'll specialise in that weapon.
i read somewhere that kenshai = rogue in some cases, and that a rogue might even be better. any comments on this?
lastly i'm about to install vista, can BG2 work with vista?
i think ill have a mix group.
ill start off as a fighter (general fighter or a kit fighter?) then perhaps later on as you suggested turn half mage. although this means i can't wear an armor and cast spells can i? so a kenshai might be the ideal option in that case?
does robe = armor?
yoshimo is useless? shame he unlocked all the chests i asked him to unlock, although he couldn't pick pocket to save his life (although i pickpocketed all the liches item before he attacked hehehe)
No one really answered the what is the best weapon question? since i'll specialise in that weapon.
i read somewhere that kenshai = rogue in some cases, and that a rogue might even be better. any comments on this?
lastly i'm about to install vista, can BG2 work with vista?
I'd suggest more experienced users to advice carefully, because you guys often don't really remember what "sorcerer is a most powerfull class" means. Sorcerer is really quite powerfull, but to use it in such a way a player must know all the spells, their characteristics, some glitches and gameplay specifics. To start a game as a sorceror is unwise, because you have to choose your spells and the choice is permament. I know, for I started as a sorc myself, and made "a 1001 way to devast your sorcerer" :laugh: .
Also, a lot of mage's power comes from using things that are quite close to exploits, or simply require too much combinations. After all, it's supposed to be fun, not some Faerun chess contest. And I do not want to start a fight here, and hear all the contrary oppinions. I know we have mage specialists here who can do anything with their casters. I just want to point out that the thread's title is "greetings, newbie here".
Also, a lot of mage's power comes from using things that are quite close to exploits, or simply require too much combinations. After all, it's supposed to be fun, not some Faerun chess contest. And I do not want to start a fight here, and hear all the contrary oppinions. I know we have mage specialists here who can do anything with their casters. I just want to point out that the thread's title is "greetings, newbie here".
Kitchen Witchcraft : Of Magic and Macaroni - a blog about, well, a witch in the kitchen.
The Pale Mansion : My e-published lovecraftian novella! You should totally check it out!
The Pale Mansion : My e-published lovecraftian novella! You should totally check it out!
thank you for that post, i had thought of that so i agree with you. I think perhaps ill keep the mage option for when i decide to play the game a second time.
i think what i'll do is be a half orc, bezerker (or perhaps kenshai if people can tell me how i can
so anyone know whether or not this game works with vista?
as for jaheira, i understand u dnt need NPCs in a party, but does she affect the story line much?
i think what i'll do is be a half orc, bezerker (or perhaps kenshai if people can tell me how i can
so anyone know whether or not this game works with vista?
as for jaheira, i understand u dnt need NPCs in a party, but does she affect the story line much?
Jaheira has her own sidequest, like so many characters. If you're concerned about the storyline, stick with her, since she's a "logical" choice for a companion, having stuck by you all this time...
You can't dualclass with anything else than a human, remember that. To do that you need a human with 15 in his current class primary score (STR for fighters, etc) and 17 in the class' primary score he's is switching to. I have turned around the 15 & 17. Anyway, you should have an 18 in both of them.
A straight dualwielding Half-Orc Kensai is very powerful. Just give him 19 STR, CON and 18 DEX. For weapons: the Katana is a very good choice for SoA and the longsword for ToB. So go for longsword. Or go for warhammers, put be prepared to wait a bit before getting the most powerful one. Put one point in longswords, than max dualwielding, than max longswords. Be sure to put a point in a piercing and a bludgeoning/slashing weapon (bludgeoning if selected longsword, slashing if selected warhammer), to deal with specific enemies. If you're really concerned about your AC, get an Amulet of Shielding or cast Barkskin on your Kensai.
One more thing to keep in mind: check your manual for the tables with the stats. Rolling untill you get 18/75 + STR is really worth it. With a Half-Orc, you'll get a straight 19, even better. Same goes for CON & DEX: maxing them does pay off.
For some very torough advice about character buildingn check this: GameFAQs: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC) FAQ/Walkthrough by DSimpson It has great advice and even statistics to prove it.
I hope this helped.
You can't dualclass with anything else than a human, remember that. To do that you need a human with 15 in his current class primary score (STR for fighters, etc) and 17 in the class' primary score he's is switching to. I have turned around the 15 & 17. Anyway, you should have an 18 in both of them.
A straight dualwielding Half-Orc Kensai is very powerful. Just give him 19 STR, CON and 18 DEX. For weapons: the Katana is a very good choice for SoA and the longsword for ToB. So go for longsword. Or go for warhammers, put be prepared to wait a bit before getting the most powerful one. Put one point in longswords, than max dualwielding, than max longswords. Be sure to put a point in a piercing and a bludgeoning/slashing weapon (bludgeoning if selected longsword, slashing if selected warhammer), to deal with specific enemies. If you're really concerned about your AC, get an Amulet of Shielding or cast Barkskin on your Kensai.
One more thing to keep in mind: check your manual for the tables with the stats. Rolling untill you get 18/75 + STR is really worth it. With a Half-Orc, you'll get a straight 19, even better. Same goes for CON & DEX: maxing them does pay off.
For some very torough advice about character buildingn check this: GameFAQs: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC) FAQ/Walkthrough by DSimpson It has great advice and even statistics to prove it.
I hope this helped.
yeah thanks, although, at what point do you start putting points into "piercing" and "duel wielding", i don't remember being able to do that at any point?
is it really worth being half fighter half mage? i think i may do that in that case.
shall i choose the kenshai class then? since i won't be needing armor when i become half mage?
also, i don't want to be evil. i find being lawfull much more rewarding even if you don't get as much xp or money by killing the innocent lol.
is it really worth being half fighter half mage? i think i may do that in that case.
shall i choose the kenshai class then? since i won't be needing armor when i become half mage?
also, i don't want to be evil. i find being lawfull much more rewarding even if you don't get as much xp or money by killing the innocent lol.
DomTom, "dual wielding" is a weapon style that you can select instead of a weapon proficiency. There are 4 weapon styles: Two Handed Weapon style, Sword and Shield style, One Handed Weapon style, and Two Weapon Fighting style.
Two Handed weapon style gives you speed and critical hit roll bonuses with two handed weapons, like two handed swords, quarterstaves, spears, and halberds.
Sword and Shield style is really a style for any one handed weapon with a shield and gives additional AC bonuses against missile weapons, IIRC.
One Handed Weapon style lets you wield a 1H weapon while having nothing in your offhand and get an AC bonus and a critical hit bonus.
And lastly, the Two Weapon Fighting style lets you fight with a weapon in both hands with reduced Thac0 penalties. With no points in TWF style, the to hit (Thac0) penalties are horrific. You can put up to 3 points into TWF (depending on class) and reduce these penalties down to no penalty for your main hand weapon and -2 penalty for your offhand weapon.
Two Handed weapon style gives you speed and critical hit roll bonuses with two handed weapons, like two handed swords, quarterstaves, spears, and halberds.
Sword and Shield style is really a style for any one handed weapon with a shield and gives additional AC bonuses against missile weapons, IIRC.
One Handed Weapon style lets you wield a 1H weapon while having nothing in your offhand and get an AC bonus and a critical hit bonus.
And lastly, the Two Weapon Fighting style lets you fight with a weapon in both hands with reduced Thac0 penalties. With no points in TWF style, the to hit (Thac0) penalties are horrific. You can put up to 3 points into TWF (depending on class) and reduce these penalties down to no penalty for your main hand weapon and -2 penalty for your offhand weapon.
Another thing to note: if you want to be "half fighter half mage", that's multiclassing and can only be done by non-humans. In this case: half-elves, elves and gnomes. This is a VERY powerful combination in BG2, but requires more than average knowledge of spells and the game mechanics in general.
All XP is divided over the two classes, so you will gain higher level abilities slower.
If you multiclass, you can't choose a "kit", like Kensai. You can only do that fi you choose a "pure" class.
Putting points in to weapons & weaponstyles occurs at the beginning, during character creation and every 3 levels after the first for warriors (Ranger, Fighter, Paladin, and their kits and multiclasses) and every 4 levels for other classes. Warriors can put up to 2 points in a style, as can multiclass fighters. Only "pure" fighters (and their kits) can put more than 2 points in a single weapon.
In my suggestion above, you would put points in the styles and weapon untill they were maxed, maybe before that one point to be proficient in another type of weapon.
Example: A Kensai. His first level grants him 4 points. At lvl 3 and lvl 6 he get another, so at lvl 7, when you start SoA, you would have 6 points. Put three points in "Two Weapon Style/Dual Wield" (They're the same, not sure which name is used. If you now put a weapon in your main hand and one in your offhand ( = shieldhand), you suffer only a slight penalty to ThAC0. Put 2 points in longsword and one in warhammer. At level 9, put a point in short swords. At level 12, put the point in longswords, untill you get 5 points in it. Then work on shortswords or warhammers.
This is only an example, so it's not necessarily "ub4r" or some such nonsense.
I really suggest you read through the manual, because of this is amply illustrated and discussed there.
BTW, look for a download called "BG2 Grandmastery fix". It lets "putting 5 points in a weapon" ( = Grandmastery) work like it should in the Pen & Paper game BG2 is based on.
BTW2, you can never cast in any armour, with a few specific exceptions: there are two, maybe three, Chainmails that allow you to use your spells while wearing them.
All XP is divided over the two classes, so you will gain higher level abilities slower.
If you multiclass, you can't choose a "kit", like Kensai. You can only do that fi you choose a "pure" class.
Putting points in to weapons & weaponstyles occurs at the beginning, during character creation and every 3 levels after the first for warriors (Ranger, Fighter, Paladin, and their kits and multiclasses) and every 4 levels for other classes. Warriors can put up to 2 points in a style, as can multiclass fighters. Only "pure" fighters (and their kits) can put more than 2 points in a single weapon.
In my suggestion above, you would put points in the styles and weapon untill they were maxed, maybe before that one point to be proficient in another type of weapon.
Example: A Kensai. His first level grants him 4 points. At lvl 3 and lvl 6 he get another, so at lvl 7, when you start SoA, you would have 6 points. Put three points in "Two Weapon Style/Dual Wield" (They're the same, not sure which name is used. If you now put a weapon in your main hand and one in your offhand ( = shieldhand), you suffer only a slight penalty to ThAC0. Put 2 points in longsword and one in warhammer. At level 9, put a point in short swords. At level 12, put the point in longswords, untill you get 5 points in it. Then work on shortswords or warhammers.
This is only an example, so it's not necessarily "ub4r" or some such nonsense.
I really suggest you read through the manual, because of this is amply illustrated and discussed there.
BTW, look for a download called "BG2 Grandmastery fix". It lets "putting 5 points in a weapon" ( = Grandmastery) work like it should in the Pen & Paper game BG2 is based on.
BTW2, you can never cast in any armour, with a few specific exceptions: there are two, maybe three, Chainmails that allow you to use your spells while wearing them.
Dualclassing from fighter9 to mage doesn't mean becoming half fighter and half mage, it means getting both 100 percent of the mage advantadges and 70 percent of the fighter advantadges.
If you take 9 fighter levels first you can still become a perfect mage with the highest possible casting level and access to all spells a pure mage has. From the 9 fighter levels (which cost less XP than a single additional mage level) you get:
- 72 extra HP which will make survival much easier
- 1 extra attack per round
- bonusses to the hit chance and damage
- the ability to use any weapons and and other equipment fighters can use
Starting with 9 priest or 10 swashbuckler levels yields other bonusses which are about as useful.
The easiest way to handle weapons is just using a quarterstaff, the typical mage weapon with great range. There are many powerful ones in the game and all monsters are vulnerable to blunt weapons.
Just put ***** into quarterstaves and ** into 2-handed weapon style at the beginning.
If you prefer 2-handed swords start with ***** in 2-handed swords and ** in 2-handed weapon style.
If you want a Kensai who uses ranged weapons regulary start with ***** in axes and ** in single weapon style.
Dualwielding yields the most attacks per round, but changing to a ranged weapon is annoying then.
But weapons are unimportant anyway. You are a mage capable of casting powerful destruction spells, for physical fighting you'll have other party members.
If you mainly want a deadly fighter capable of casting mage spells for support play a gnome fighter/illusionist or HE fighter/mager/thief.
For a dualclass kensai/mage get 18/whatever in str and 18 in dex, con and int. Wisdom can be set to 3 without serious consequences. High charisma is nice for dialogues an shop prices, but you can just have a more charismatic party member take the lead or wear the ring of human influence which sets cha to 18.
If you take 9 fighter levels first you can still become a perfect mage with the highest possible casting level and access to all spells a pure mage has. From the 9 fighter levels (which cost less XP than a single additional mage level) you get:
- 72 extra HP which will make survival much easier
- 1 extra attack per round
- bonusses to the hit chance and damage
- the ability to use any weapons and and other equipment fighters can use
Starting with 9 priest or 10 swashbuckler levels yields other bonusses which are about as useful.
The easiest way to handle weapons is just using a quarterstaff, the typical mage weapon with great range. There are many powerful ones in the game and all monsters are vulnerable to blunt weapons.
Just put ***** into quarterstaves and ** into 2-handed weapon style at the beginning.
If you prefer 2-handed swords start with ***** in 2-handed swords and ** in 2-handed weapon style.
If you want a Kensai who uses ranged weapons regulary start with ***** in axes and ** in single weapon style.
Dualwielding yields the most attacks per round, but changing to a ranged weapon is annoying then.
But weapons are unimportant anyway. You are a mage capable of casting powerful destruction spells, for physical fighting you'll have other party members.
If you mainly want a deadly fighter capable of casting mage spells for support play a gnome fighter/illusionist or HE fighter/mager/thief.
For a dualclass kensai/mage get 18/whatever in str and 18 in dex, con and int. Wisdom can be set to 3 without serious consequences. High charisma is nice for dialogues an shop prices, but you can just have a more charismatic party member take the lead or wear the ring of human influence which sets cha to 18.
"18/whatever" isn't exactly great. 18/01 will give you +1 to hit and +3 damage, while 18/00 will give you +3 to hit and +6 to damage. A huge difference, especially in early game. 18/51 gives +2 to hit and +3 to damage, and doesn't require an insane amount of rerolling.kmonster wrote:For a dualclass kensai/mage get 18/whatever in str and 18 in dex, con and int. Wisdom can be set to 3 without serious consequences. High charisma is nice for dialogues an shop prices, but you can just have a more charismatic party member take the lead or wear the ring of human influence which sets cha to 18.
Otherwise, the thing about the quarterstaffs is sound advice.
Not sure, but can't a Kensai/Mage use Bracers of Armour? That would be another advantage of Dualclassing from Kensai. However, like I said before, playing a mage requires knowledge about what spells exactly do.
thanks again guys, god theres so much more to BG than i thought!
ill go kensai/mage, and for that you say i should choose a Half elf? '(dont like gnomes/little people)
ill listen to you about the quaterstaff, i quite like the look of mages in their robes and with a quarterstaff, even if that'll only happen later in the game.
i won't choose to become a theif third class, i'll just have a theif in my party.
iv just installed the two top fixes from Baldurdash - ToB Bugfixes
decided to leave out the third
having a look at the tweaks as i type.
edit: someone said i should install the thing that makes ***** actually grandmastery, but this is only for SoA, and the website says i shouldnt install it on top of ToB?
ill go kensai/mage, and for that you say i should choose a Half elf? '(dont like gnomes/little people)
ill listen to you about the quaterstaff, i quite like the look of mages in their robes and with a quarterstaff, even if that'll only happen later in the game.
i won't choose to become a theif third class, i'll just have a theif in my party.
iv just installed the two top fixes from Baldurdash - ToB Bugfixes
decided to leave out the third
having a look at the tweaks as i type.
edit: someone said i should install the thing that makes ***** actually grandmastery, but this is only for SoA, and the website says i shouldnt install it on top of ToB?
The ***** Grandmastery fix won't pose any problem. Actually used it myself in ToB. It simply puts a file in the override folder. Check out Sorcerer's Place - Neverwinter Nights 2, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, Dragon Age News
I always played an Elf Fighter/Mage. They have better DEX but worse CON, while also having a +1 to hit with longswords and bows. Half-Elves have normal DEX and CON. Gnomes get better INT and worse WIS.
But those don't concern you since you're going to play as a human, since you're going for a Kensai/Mage.
Oh, one more thing... You may think of this as cheating, but seeing as your character is supposed to have been through BG, you might think of giving yourself +1 STR, DEX, CON, WIS, INT and CHA, since you can find books that do this in the original game.
P.S.: if you're going for the robes/staff look, you're going to be disappointed. When you dualclass from Kensai -> Mage, you keep the paperdoll of the Kensai. So no robes for you. (I may have BG and BG2 messed up in this matter).
I always played an Elf Fighter/Mage. They have better DEX but worse CON, while also having a +1 to hit with longswords and bows. Half-Elves have normal DEX and CON. Gnomes get better INT and worse WIS.
But those don't concern you since you're going to play as a human, since you're going for a Kensai/Mage.
Oh, one more thing... You may think of this as cheating, but seeing as your character is supposed to have been through BG, you might think of giving yourself +1 STR, DEX, CON, WIS, INT and CHA, since you can find books that do this in the original game.
P.S.: if you're going for the robes/staff look, you're going to be disappointed. When you dualclass from Kensai -> Mage, you keep the paperdoll of the Kensai. So no robes for you.
(I may have BG and BG2 messed up in this matter).Personally I think your first run through the game might be disappointing as a Kensai or kensai/mage.
There are lots of weapons and armour that you will find and most of it you won't be able to use as a kensai and even less as a kensai/mage.
You may get more out of your first run through as a fighter class: fighter, ranger or paladin.
The two best weapons are a katana and a hammer, I won't spoil you any further.
BG2 is probably best played with a party first time through, if you are a fighter you will need a cleric or a druid: jahiera, viconia or aerie will do though Aerie is probably a better all rounder being a cleric/mage, jahiera makes a decent fighter with armour etc. Fighters abound as npcs: minsc, anomen, korgan, keldorn will do. I think Keldorn is more popular, his paladin abilites are very handy. Yoshimo is good and useful if you are trying to RP the story arc. No npc is necessary in your party for the story to continue.
I don't agree with the whole hogging XP and not doing quests etc, especially if this is your first time. Pick up a party and enjoy yourself. There are enough combinations that you can afford to start as any class though I think you will get more satisfaction out of a fighter type first time through instead of supporting npc's from the back as a mage or cleric.
There are lots of weapons and armour that you will find and most of it you won't be able to use as a kensai and even less as a kensai/mage.
You may get more out of your first run through as a fighter class: fighter, ranger or paladin.
The two best weapons are a katana and a hammer, I won't spoil you any further.
BG2 is probably best played with a party first time through, if you are a fighter you will need a cleric or a druid: jahiera, viconia or aerie will do though Aerie is probably a better all rounder being a cleric/mage, jahiera makes a decent fighter with armour etc. Fighters abound as npcs: minsc, anomen, korgan, keldorn will do. I think Keldorn is more popular, his paladin abilites are very handy. Yoshimo is good and useful if you are trying to RP the story arc. No npc is necessary in your party for the story to continue.
I don't agree with the whole hogging XP and not doing quests etc, especially if this is your first time. Pick up a party and enjoy yourself. There are enough combinations that you can afford to start as any class though I think you will get more satisfaction out of a fighter type first time through instead of supporting npc's from the back as a mage or cleric.
i am seeing my first run as a "enjoy myself run", ill probably miss a lot of things, but i dont mind. in BG1 i liked the dwarf, kelgorn? although in BG2, i found him annoying, i dont know why, so ill ditch him.
a bit late since iv already started as a kenshai, its really a shame i cant wear armors, i think i may start again as a bezerker, although i hardly ever use their bezerker ability. iv only played up to the point where i should leave the donjon so i wont have lost a lot of time. ill start again tomorrow morning.
decided to ditch jaheira from the start. some might see her as tough etc, but even in BG1 i ditched her, wished i could have kept kahlid thought... he was alright.
kenshai's a really good class, although it may just be due to me having maxed out the quarter staff...
reason why id restart mainly is due to the robe too, could you expand on that point? can i really not use robes as kenshai/mage?
also im confused, a fighter cannot cast spells, but a fighter mage can.... so a kensai mage should be able to cast spells right? so the original restriction does not apply, so why would the original no armor restriction apply too?
ok so if i am to start again, and you say katana and hammers are best, that means i should probably specialise in one handed weapons + shield,along with either katana or hammer?
what about long swords, do they get any decent? i remember in BG1 finding a longsword that was truely amazing, although it did bare a curse
a bit late since iv already started as a kenshai, its really a shame i cant wear armors, i think i may start again as a bezerker, although i hardly ever use their bezerker ability. iv only played up to the point where i should leave the donjon so i wont have lost a lot of time. ill start again tomorrow morning.
decided to ditch jaheira from the start. some might see her as tough etc, but even in BG1 i ditched her, wished i could have kept kahlid thought... he was alright.
kenshai's a really good class, although it may just be due to me having maxed out the quarter staff...
reason why id restart mainly is due to the robe too, could you expand on that point? can i really not use robes as kenshai/mage?
also im confused, a fighter cannot cast spells, but a fighter mage can.... so a kensai mage should be able to cast spells right? so the original restriction does not apply, so why would the original no armor restriction apply too?
ok so if i am to start again, and you say katana and hammers are best, that means i should probably specialise in one handed weapons + shield,along with either katana or hammer?
what about long swords, do they get any decent? i remember in BG1 finding a longsword that was truely amazing, although it did bare a curse
just having a look at the guide (btw no manuel provided in the compilation so cant look at that)
ranger without specilisation looks good, i used them in BG1 but i didn't find them the most fun.
what about paladin? in BG1 i found them boring, but the cavalier and the inquisitor look quite good, its a shame about the max 2 star weapon specialisation, i would have prefered at least 3 or 4. maintain good alignment = ok for me too.
ranger without specilisation looks good, i used them in BG1 but i didn't find them the most fun.
what about paladin? in BG1 i found them boring, but the cavalier and the inquisitor look quite good, its a shame about the max 2 star weapon specialisation, i would have prefered at least 3 or 4. maintain good alignment = ok for me too.