GameBanshee Forums

Told you guys it would not be long before I was back.

After 4 hrs of trying I rolled the PC I think will be OK.

Fighter
St. 18
Dex 17
Con 15
Intel 17
Wis 17
Char 15

So far that's as far as I' ve gotten. I started thinking about playing a Good party the 1st play through and a evil party 2nd time. And since I read there are new NPC's now available, I tried to read the threads with out looking at spoilers (hard to do if you're not paying close attention).

Here's what I learned. It seems that a lot of folks think Edwin is the best Mage in the game, but he's Lawful/Evil. Any way I can have him in my party, and if so What are the consequences?

If not who would be a good choice for Mage with Good alignment.

Thanks, Sonny

I am not sure about the new NPCs. As far as the original NPCs go, I think Nalia will be a good good-aligned Mage as you can get her quite early in the game and the fact that she is dual-classed helps her level up as a mage quickly. Aerie and Jan (Neutral-aligned) provide more versatility with their priest and thief classes resp. but being multiclassed, they dont level up as a mage as quickly as Nalia. Anyway, as the game progresses, i would prefer Aerie to Nalia as she starts packing quite a punch with her cleric AND mage spells enhanced by the Robe of Vecna.

Hi Sonny,
That is an awesome roll that you have got. But since you are playing a fighter, you should have 18 primarily on STR, DEX and CONS. INT is the last thing a fighter requires .
But it is a good roll if you want to dual class your fighter to a mage or cleric.

Elessar wrote:Hi Sonny,
That is an awesome roll that you have got. But since you are playing a fighter, you should have 18 primarily on STR, DEX and CONS. INT is the last thing a fighter requires .
But it is a good roll if you want to dual class your fighter to a mage or cleric.

Thanks, I was trying to get 18 in Con, I really didn't care that much about Intel or Char. but after about 4 1/2 hours, I felt like fingers were going to fall off, so I just took that roll and went to bed.

By new, I mean NPC's that were not in BG1. Is Nalia a true Mage or a dual classed character?

She is a dual classes character. A thief (innactive)/mage.

As far as I know, Edwin will not conflict with other characters, not to a vital point anyway. I suggest that you don't worry about party composition and take whoever you want. It's more fun that way.

Nalia is dual-classed.

Note that in BG2, "good" party NPCs will leave you if your reputation drops low enough, and "bad" party NPCs will leave you if it rises sufficiently. There are also some personal incompatibilities that can lead to party members attacking one another or simply abandoning you after a time. If you want to do without all this, there's a tweak in the Tweak Pack that will resolve it. If not, and you have any questions about a potential lineup, feel free to ask.

Remember that any party can basically win in BG2, though some are an easier win than others. As this is your first time through, you might want to go for a balanced party of 6 (including your PC), one that has two tanks, a thief, a mage, and cleric, plus whatever else you want. The conversations within your party are fun to hear, too.

yes this is a superb roll

okay lets break it down,

edwin is maybe the best mage, but just because he is got 2+ spells on every greade ( amulet and specialisation )

you can take him but it is not a "must"
i for my part prefer Arie plus she is of good alignment

okay i think you will intend to use a 6 man team ?

okay i will break the chars down

Good Alignment
Arie: is a Cleric / Mage, bit whiney but i like her and i think she is quite usefull
Anomen(human): Fighter /Cleric, some like him some hate him, for me he is Annoymen
Imoen(human): Thief / Mage, your sister pretty good mage with some additional thiefing skills
Keldorn (human): The only paladin NPC Inquisitor pretty strong dispel, and True sight
Mazzy: Fighter, never used her *shame on me*
Minsc( and boo ): Ranger, he is just Minsc
Nalia (human): also thief / mage but not lvl 7 like imoen just lvl 4 very similar to imoen
Valygar (human): also Ranger but he is a Stalker ( with backstab )

Neutral
Cernd: Druid shapeshifter, very powerfull in the beginning
Hear'Dalis: an Bard, thiefling this blade is one of the strongest NPCs, if microed properly and also funny banters, i for myself enjoy him more than Jan
Jaheira: Fighter/druid, you should know her
Yoshima: Thief he is a Bounty hunter ...

the bad guys
Edwin: an old face, some say the most powerfull NPC, i dont like his attitude ^^
Korgan: very potent Fighter, Berserk and quite fun sometimes
Viconia: also an old face, and the only pure Cleric also quite powerfull cuz her drow nature


Thats it all the Bioware NPCs

i will not say use this or that char.
1-2 fighter
1 thief
1 priest
2-3 mages

so a possible group would be

PC, Minsc, Jaheira, Yoshimo, Nalia, Arie
if you would stick to the first chars you are likely too meet

Did you really get this roll ? A total of 99 for a human fighter is incredible.
What's the second number at the 18/?? strength ?
Your roll might be the best roll ever obtained for a human fighter.


About your party I wouldn't plan ahead, just decide if you want to have the NPCs join when you meet them. Planning your your party ahead will only lead to heavy spoiler use in order to enforce to get what you want and might still lead to frustration since not everything will work as planned.
The only really reliable character is your PC, and since the game has been soloed with any class you don't have to be scared. Especially if you dual to thief at level 9 you'll soon have an extremely powerful character, no matter who the other 0-5 party members are.

Thanks everyone. The reason I asked about Mage, was that I seen in the threads that Dynaheir is not available in BG2, so I was looking for a replacement.

Is it just me, or do others also lean towards the NPC's you had and liked in BG1. That's why I was browsing the threads, to see if the NPC's from my party in BG1 were still around. (old habits are hard to break I guess).

I had planed to have a party of 2 tanks (my PC would be one) 1 NPC that's good with a bow, 1 priest, 1 Mage, 1 Thief.

I plan on getting Jaheria (I liked her in BG1 even though I didn't have her very long) but is a Druid the same as a Priest?

Getting ready to start the game, if it's as much fun as BG1 was then I'm really looking forward to this.

Thanks again.

it is not the same, but very similar you will have some different spells.

eg Ironskin, which is the "same" as the mage spell Stoneskin

you can meet tiax, neb and quale and quite some other known chars you encouterd in BGI

kmonster wrote:Did you really get this roll ? A total of 99 for a human fighter is incredible.
What's the second number at the 18/?? strength ?
Your roll might be the best roll ever obtained for a human fighter.


About your party I wouldn't plan ahead, just decide if you want to have the NPCs join when you meet them. Planning your your party ahead will only lead to heavy spoiler use in order to enforce to get what you want and might still lead to frustration since not everything will work as planned.
The only really reliable character is your PC, and since the game has been soloed with any class you don't have to be scared. Especially if you dual to thief at level 9 you'll soon have an extremely powerful character, no matter who the other 0-5 party members are.

18/05 Just luck I guess, never thought about it, was trying to get all 18's or all 17's , guess that's not possible? Did roll a 18, 15,15,15 15,16 stored it and then about an hour later got the this roll. Was going to keep trying, but I was to tired, so I took my old bones to bed.

Sonny, this might be a dumb question, but did you know that you can redistribute the points on every roll? You can subtract points from any stat (down to the appropriate limit) and use them to increase any of the other stats (up to the appropriate limits). The first time I played BG1, I didn't realize that at first until I became curious about the little +/- buttons next to each stat.

I recommend that you play with the following NPCs in your party. I don't want to to tell you what happens in the game, so just trust me--this group will kick butt and keep you entertained:

Minsc (the beloved, deranged Ranger)
Yoshimo
Jan Jansen
Anomen (his personality might grate on your nerves, but he's the most powerful Cleric--more powerful than Jaheira at lower experience totals because he is dual-classed and she is multi-classed--and he has an interesting personal quest that will test the goodness of your own character)
Imoen (she can become as powerful as any single-class Mage can be)

Alternatives:
Jaheira (she and your character have a long, colorful history together, and her presence has an interesting effect on how your party interacts with outsiders)
Keldorn (a powerful Paladin)
Aerie (a young Elf who provokes strong but mixed reactions from everyone who has ever played with her)

Play the game and meet them, and see what you think of them. The less said here, the better.

By the way, Druids get most of their spells from the same pool as Clerics, such as healing spells and buffing spells, but Clerics have some spells that Druids cannot use (Draw Upon Holy Might, Animate Dead, Holy Smite, etc.), and Druids have some spells that Clerics cannot use (Insect Plague, Ironskins, Summon Elemental, etc.). A Cleric/Ranger can actually cast all of the spells available to Druids and Clerics.

sonny wrote:After 4 hrs of trying I rolled the PC I think will be OK.

Fighter
St. 18
Dex 17
Con 15
Intel 17
Wis 17
Char 15

A fine character. If you decide to dual later into the game, you'll be able to dual to a thief, a mage, or a cleric, based on your 17 ability scores. Remember that a thief is not allowed to be alignment LG, so dualling to a thief will not be an option if your fighter is LG.

sonny wrote:I started thinking about playing a Good party the 1st play through and a evil party 2nd time. And since I read there are new NPC's now available, I tried to read the threads with out looking at spoilers (hard to do if you're not paying close attention).

A fine idea. You can NOT see everything in this game in just one trip, in part because you can only adventure with 5 NPC's at a time.

The NPC's in BG1 are cool, but the reality is that they only stood out by having a custom portrait, and a handful of exclamations when clicked. The NPC's in BG2, on the other hand, are MUCH more deeper and complex. Most have their own stories, quests, and plot twists, and will speak up during in-game events, and have several random banters with whoever else is currently in your party.

So, if you have a different roster of NPC's in your second trip, then you'll see more of the game's content that you didn't see in your first trip.

sonny wrote:Here's what I learned. It seems that a lot of folks think Edwin is the best Mage in the game, but he's Lawful/Evil. Any way I can have him in my party, and if so What are the consequences?

Edwin pros and cons:
- Because he is a 'specialist' mage (Conjurer), and he wears a 'personalized' amulet, he can memorize two more spells per *spell* level (not *character* level) than an 'average' mage normally could. In other words, he can cast two more 1st level spells, two more 2nd level spells, etc, per day, above what an 'average' mage normally could.
- His 18 Intelligence will allow him to have more spells copied into his spellbook, than a mage with a lesser score.
- Because he is LE, he will leave your party if your reputation score gets too high. And he may not play nice with one or more of the good guys...

sonny wrote:If not who would be a good choice for Mage with Good alignment.

Assuming they will all end up with millions of XP, and will be equipped with whatever you find during your adventures, ANY character is a good choice, because they ALL can become powerhouses. With that said, I recommend determining who's personality you like and dislike, as being the main factor in determining who would or wouldn't be a "good choice".

Another deteminer to consider is this: most of the NPC's have unique strengths, as well as unique weaknesses. These forums have described the same NPC as being anywhere from "the best" to "worthless", depending on how well the player has figured out how to use the character, exploiting their strengths, defending their weaknesses, etc. While the rewards for "figuring out" a character can help make him/her better than others, keep in mind that some characters may not fit your playing style.

sonny wrote:Is Nalia a true Mage or a dual classed character?

Nalia is a dual-classed thief/mage. The first 5000 XP made her a level 4 thief. Since the rest of her XP is and will be applied towards her Mage class, she is essentially a mage that can use a bow, with access to limited thief skills (which can be enhanced using potions and such). The fact that her mage class is short 5000 XP, compared to an 'average' mage, is inconsequential, considering she will end up with millions of XP.

VonDondu wrote:Sonny, this might be a dumb question, but did you know that you can redistribute the points on every roll? You can subtract points from any stat (down to the appropriate limit) and use them to increase any of the other stats (up to the appropriate limits). The first time I played BG1, I didn't realize that at first until I became curious about the little +/- buttons next to each stat.

I recommend that you play with the following NPCs in your party. I don't want to to tell you what happens in the game, so just trust me--this group will kick butt and keep you entertained:

Minsc (the beloved, deranged Ranger)
Yoshimo
Jan Jansen
Anomen (his personality might grate on your nerves, but he's the most powerful Cleric--more powerful than Jaheira at lower experience totals because he is dual-classed and she is multi-classed--and he has an interesting personal quest that will test the goodness of your own character)
Imoen (she can become as powerful as any single-class Mage can be)

Alternatives:
Jaheira (she and your character have a long, colorful history together, and her presence has an interesting effect on how your party interacts with outsiders)
Keldorn (a powerful Paladin)
Aerie (a young Elf who provokes strong but mixed reactions from everyone who has ever played with her)

Play the game and meet them, and see what you think of them. The less said here, the better.

By the way, Druids get most of their spells from the same pool as Clerics, such as healing spells and buffing spells, but Clerics have some spells that Druids cannot use (Draw Upon Holy Might, Animate Dead, Holy Smite, etc.), and Druids have some spells that Clerics cannot use (Insect Plague, Ironskins, Summon Elemental, etc.). A Cleric/Ranger can actually cast all of the spells available to Druids and Clerics.

No I did not know that. So you mean, I could have taken points away from one stat (say Charisma) and used those points to raise Constitution? Wish I had known that, could have went to bed a lot earlier. I had some good rolls I could have played with.

Thinking about starting over !!! I read that a human can not Multi Class. So if I wanted to be say F/M/T , with my current human Fighter I could not do that. Is it really worth it, or will dual class be OK?

I think my problem is I'm thinking to much. I just need to jump feet first into the game and have fun. You know I've read the game manual cover to cover twice to make sure I have not missed anything.

I'm glad you put Minsc on your list. I love that guy, he kept me laughing all the time in BG1

Thanks VonDondu.

In my opinion dual class is better, but I think you should wait a bit before toying with that. I remember when I dual classed one of my first characters and due to the experience that was already gained, he was unable to use his second class at all.

The F/M/T multiclass is very close to a bard but they're a bit harder to play as all your experience is divided by three and by the end of ToB you'll probably be around level 19-21 in each class, so you won't really see the benefits of each of three classes like that. Don't get me wrong, they're strong, it's just that they have a very slow development time.

CFM wrote:A fine character. If you decide to dual later into the game, you'll be able to dual to a thief, a mage, or a cleric, based on your 17 ability scores. Remember that a thief is not allowed to be alignment LG, so dualling to a thief will not be an option if your fighter is LG.


A fine idea. You can NOT see everything in this game in just one trip, in part because you can only adventure with 5 NPC's at a time.

The NPC's in BG1 are cool, but the reality is that they only stood out by having a custom portrait, and a handful of exclamations when clicked. The NPC's in BG2, on the other hand, are MUCH more deeper and complex. Most have their own stories, quests, and plot twists, and will speak up during in-game events, and have several random banters with whoever else is currently in your party.

So, if you have a different roster of NPC's in your second trip, then you'll see more of the game's content that you didn't see in your first trip.


Edwin pros and cons:
- Because he is a 'specialist' mage (Conjurer), and he wears a 'personalized' amulet, he can memorize two more spells per *spell* level (not *character* level) than an 'average' mage normally could. In other words, he can cast two more 1st level spells, two more 2nd level spells, etc, per day, above what an 'average' mage normally could.
- His 18 Intelligence will allow him to have more spells copied into his spellbook, than a mage with a lesser score.
- Because he is LE, he will leave your party if your reputation score gets too high. And he may not play nice with one or more of the good guys...


Assuming they will all end up with millions of XP, and will be equipped with whatever you find during your adventures... ANY character is a good choice, because they can ALL become miniature powerhouses. With that said, I recommend determining who's personality you like and dislike, as being the main factor in determining who would or wouldn't be a "good choice".

Nalia is a dual-classed thief/mage. The first 5000 XP made her a level 4 thief. Since the rest of her XP is and will be applied towards her Mage class, she is essentially a mage that can use a bow, with access to limited thief skills (which can be enhanced using potions and such). The fact that her mage class is short 5000 XP, compared to an 'average' mage, is inconsequential, considering she will end up with millions of XP.

Thanks CFM, appreciate the help. Like I just told VonDondu, I think, I'm thinking to much. Just need to turn down the lights, lean back and start playing. I guess at my age old habits are hard to break. I've always been a worrier.

sonny wrote:I plan on getting Jaheria (I liked her in BG1 even though I didn't have her very long) but is a Druid the same as a Priest?

Clerics and druids are both priest classes. There is a giant list of priest spells. Some of these priest spells are castable by clerics only, others by druids only, others castable by both. Druid-only spells are usually related to nature.

Jaheira is a GREAT choice for your first game. She seems to have the most to say on your current events...

sonny wrote:The reason I asked about Mage, was that I seen in the threads that Dynaheir is not available in BG2, so I was looking for a replacement.

Is it just me, or do others also lean towards the NPC's you had and liked in BG1. That's why I was browsing the threads, to see if the NPC's from my party in BG1 were still around. (old habits are hard to break I guess).

You will come across some of the BG1 characters in BG2, and some you will not. Most will not be joinable, but it's ok: you'll probably like the deeper more complex characters in BG2 better.

It's a bummer you found out about Dynaheir in this forum, and not in-game. I say jump in, pull the trigger, and take things as they come. Single-classed fighters are plenty fun, but dualling will always be an option. If character X isn't floating your boat, then dump them when the next character comes along. It won't take you long to get a set roster, and there's plenty of XP to go around.

Thinking too much is a sign of a great game presenting you with a plethora of choices and decisions. It's cool... it's not like we're talking about Donkey Kong or something. After you get the proper installation and patch, there are no wrong decisions, so chop-chop.

sonny wrote:I think, I'm thinking to much. Just need to turn down the lights, lean back and start playing.

The best statement in the whole thread in my opinion. Stop fretting and have FUN Sonny. If things turn out not as you like, simply start again.

galraen wrote:The best statement in the whole thread in my opinion. Stop fretting and have FUN Sonny. If things turn out not as you like, simply start again.

Thanks galraen, that's just what I'm going to do. Just started playing and was very surprised to see 3 old friends right at the start. Felt like a family reunion.lol

Thought that was nice touch to have Boo make noise when Minsc talks to him.

Have a great day. Sonny