New character after playing multiple games

[Coot]

After giving it a rest for a few years I've decided to play through the entire series one more time. This is what I've played in my previous games:
- Fighter (BG1)->Barbarian (BG2)
- Ranger -> Stalker
- Thief -> Assassin
- Mage -> Wild Mage
- Bard -> Blade
- Cleric

Is there any (multi)class/kit left that´ll give me a different gaming and role playing experience?

[BlueSky]

Looks like you've covered most of the popular combos...
My own personal favorite of playing through the entire series was a fighter/thief.
But I've always been partial to tanks in BG... with the rest of the party rounding out the magic needed.

[Solusek]

Well, that depends. What alignments did you play in your previous games?
There are some people out there who only play good, so if you are one of those I would definitely recommend playing evil alignment this time. Same goes for the other way around.

Apart from that it's quite difficult, since you already played almost every branch of classes, so to speak. Maybe you'd like to try some kind of powergaming combo this time.

Here are some possibilities:

Dual-Class:

Ranger(13)/Cleric or if you don't have ToB installed Ranger(9)/Cleric
Kensai(13)/Mage // Kensai(9)/Mage
Kensai(13)/Thief // Kensai(9)/Thief

Multi-Class:

Fighter/Mage
Fighter/Thief
Ranger/Cleric



Those characters will not necessarily give you a whole new feeling of gameplay or role-playing, but you'll certainly experience a whole new level of power once you get to the higher levels. All of the combos I posted are capable of becoming extremely powerful, and all of them are capable of soloing SoA + ToB. Which leads to my next point.

Have you ever tried soloing the game?
Personally I have to admit that I prefer playing with a party, because of all the interaction between the party members, romance, etc. But you should have soloed the game at least once.
It can be really fun to figure out strategies to beat all the different kinds of bosses and encounters especially with one of the less powerful of the combos mentioned above, like fighter/thief for example.


Hope this helps a bit, though I'd need more specifics on your previous games to give you better advice.


So long,
Sol

[galraen]

All I can think of is a strictly role played Paladin, which would mean no Crom Fyr or whatever the Hammer of Thunder is called for example. I would also recommend using the Saerileth mod in BG2, it gives you a 'good' way to get to Spellhold.

[VonDondu]

I suggest an Archer, which might require new tactics for you. It might be even more interesting from a roleplaying perspective if you installed the Kivan NPC Mod and played a female Elf.

You could also try a Fighter/Mage if that's not too similar to the Blade you have already played.

I don't see a Druid on your list, but I hesitate to recommend that you roleplay one since I still don't understand the point of that class after all these years. (It only seems to be appropriate for grumpy, ideologically-conflicted NPCs who have a bad attitude.)

[dragon wench]

I don't generally like to play them myself, but as Galraen suggests, a Paladin would definitely offer a different RP experience.
Or, you could also RP a monk, me thinks, plus they can be a fun class to play.


You could also look at some of the kit mods:

[url="http://www.gibberlings3.net/sns/index.php"]Song and Silence[/url]

[url="http://www.gibberlings3.net/cleric/index.php"]Divine Remix[/url]

[url="http://www.gibberlings3.net/spc/index.php"]Sorcerer's Place Collection[/url]

[url="http://www.gibberlings3.net/swordandfist/"]Sword and Fist[/url]

[Crenshinibon]

You could try a Shapeshifter/Fighter. They are powerful and pretty fun to play.

As for Solusek's suggestion, I'd dual the Kensai to a Mage at level 21. (Battlemage)

An Assassin/Cleric (Demarch of Mask) perhaps. Maybe a Monk. A Kensai/Thief will bring your backstabs to a whole new level. A Kensai/Cleric is also a powerful character.

When playing a Kensai/Mage though, try not to play it as a mage but more of a fighter. Make use of Shapechange for example. It's one of the most powerful spells in the game if used correctly.

[Solusek]

As for Solusek's suggestion, I'd dual the Kensai to a Mage at level 21. (Battlemage)

Actually I think this would be a very, very, very,(...) bad idea. The reason why you dual at 13 is rather simple.

First of all 13 is a key level, where you get an additional 1/2 attacks per round.

Second, most of the levels that come afterwards will be "empty levels", meaning hitpoints only. Maybe some THAC0 improvements, but nothing you really need or want.

Third, dualing at 13 you will get you most of the important benefits from the Kensai class, everything you need basically, as explained above, while still being able to fully enjoy the benefits of both classes, since you need to get you mage to the same level before the Kensai abilities are reactivated.
(That is, btw., also the reason why people usually dual at lvl 9 if they don't have ToB installed, as the XP cap is lower.)

Which leads to the fourth and absolutely most important point. Dualing at 21 as Crenshinibon suggests, will result in playing 49% of the game as a pure Kensai, 49% as a pure mage, and maybe the last 2% actually having access to both of your classes. What good is the uber-pwnz0r dream character, if you get to play it for only one or two hours?

And finally, if you plan on playing with a full party(6 members), you won't even reach the level of experience where you actually get your Kensai abilities back.

To summarize I just have to emphasise again what an unbelievably bad idea it is to dual this combo at lvl 21, or to dual so late in general.



So long,
Sol

[Crenshinibon]

The reason i dual at twenty one is because I want a greater to hit and damage bonus as for the Kensai/Mage I tend to use Shapeshift/Tenser's/Improved Haste as well as anything else I need.

I usually get the full character by the time I pay either contact.

Also, if you get the Deck of Many Things early on, dual classing is no problem. Especially to a mage or a priest (as all their abilities can be chosen once).

From what I hear, most spell effects are capped at 20. All the extra mage levels give you are more spell slots.

[wise grimwald]

I would suggest playing with stats that you don't usually use. I played BG1 with a charisma of 3 and found it completely different. You could play with very low strength, dex or whatever and decide not to use items to boost them. That would make for a completely different game. Playing an Inquisitor with unbalanced stats could be interesting.

[VonDondu]

Although he didn't make it perfectly clear in this message thread, Coot has said before that he does not care for powergaming; he would rather roleplay. So all the advice on how to create the most powerful character will probably not be helpful to him.

[Crenshinibon]

True.

I'd suggest a Swashbuckler/Cleric. Dual him when you get UAI. I wanted to roleplay this because this would be my version of the "Paladin". An actual warrior of is god that strike with the holy power of his (or her) deity. Divine empowerment.

[Solusek]

Although he didn't make it perfectly clear in this message thread, Coot has said before that he does not care for powergaming; he would rather roleplay. So all the advice on how to create the most powerful character will probably not be helpful to him.

Well, actually he never mentioned that he's not interested in powergaming. He just said that he was searching for a different "gaming and role-playing experience"
A powergaming char certainly is a new gaming experience, and also affects role-playing in my opinion. When I'm playing a thief or a bard for example, I tend to be the coward-type, especially on the lower levels. But as a Fighter/Mage(multiclass) I'm usually very confident in my abilities, calm, and not really afraid of any situation.
Dual-Classing offers even more role-playing in my opinion. I mean, why does your Kensai suddenly decide to study the arts of magic? Playing a powergaming char does not necessarily lack role-playing.



So long,
Sol

[Thrifalas]

Which leads to the fourth and absolutely most important point. Dualing at 21 as Crenshinibon suggests, will result in playing 49% of the game as a pure Kensai, 49% as a pure mage, and maybe the last 2% actually having access to both of your classes. What good is the uber-pwnz0r dream character, if you get to play it for only one or two hours?

And finally, if you plan on playing with a full party(6 members), you won't even reach the level of experience where you actually get your Kensai abilities back.

To summarize I just have to emphasise again what an unbelievably bad idea it is to dual this combo at lvl 21, or to dual so late in general.

Obviously dualling at 21 - my personal favourite - is meant for a party of 2 or possibly 3 characters. You'll be max level around chapter 3, and ready to rumble.

And sure you will, just idle in Sendai's cave and kill a couple of hundred dwarves for 10k exp each. My parties always hits max level in there, even if they're 6.

Besides, dualling at 21 only makes you loose a few spells. One level 9 etc. You'll still hit max spell level and all those stuff. I generaly do it because I prefer those extra THAC0 and Damage over one or two spells, since you get those anyway.

[Coot]

@Solusek and VD: sorry if I created any confusion. I'm not very interested in power gaming but that doesn't mean suggestions along those lines are not appreciated persé.

WiseGrimwald brings up a nice point about the stats. I'm definitely taking that into consideration no matter what I'll play.

It's true that my pc has never been a druid and there's a reason for that: I don't mind that their abilities aren't too flashy but their whole balance philosophy is downright silly. And their attitude is bad. Jaheira is one of the nicer ones, which pretty much proves the point.

I might go for an Archer and not put too many points in con and dex. I'm still interested in other recommendations though!

[wise grimwald]

Ever thought of running a half-orc cleric with an intelligence of 1? You can't read scrolls, will have poor saving rolls against various spells, and I think that there are wands you cannot use either. That should make it a bit more difficult.

[galraen]

Ever thought of running a half-orc cleric with an intelligence of 1? You can't read scrolls, will have poor saving rolls against various spells, and I think that there are wands you cannot use either. That should make it a bit more difficult.

You just want him to find out if he can wrap his intelligence round to 25.:laugh:

[Crenshinibon]

XD Or see how he deals with Mindflayers.

Ooooh, try a Shapeshifter/Fighter. I made one and it was incredibly fun. Strong too. My rendition of a Berzerker.

[Coot]

My very first run through SoA was with a half-orc barbarian. IIRC his intelligence was around 4.
A fighter/shapeshifter might get a bit too powerful, especially in ToB and I really don't see myself roleplaying a druid. IMHO they're narrow minded zealots with an ideology that make some RL eco terrorists seem reasonable.

[galraen]

IMHO they're narrow minded zealots with an ideology that make some RL eco terrorists seem reasonable.

Surely you're confusing Druids with Paladins.:laugh:

One of the greatest 'sins' of TSR/WotC is the way they completely misrepresented Druids, almost as badly as those nutcases who flock to Stonehenge every June. Druids were NOT tree hugging eco-maniacs, neither were they 'True Neutral', far from it, they were, among other things, the keepers of the laws. Ah well, too OT really, I hope you'll forgive the rant.