<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Zoltan:
So there's nice mages and thieves around? Ranger/Cleric sounds good but but not fighter/cleric? what makes ranger/cleric better than fighter/cleric? and for grandmastery it sets thaco +3 damage +5 and additional attack or it justs sets thaco +2 damage +3 like in bg2? dont misunderstood me I'M not a powerplayer I'm just wondering..<hr></blockquote>
If you take your ranger-cleric to BGII, you can use both cleric and druid spells.

thanks.. and for weapon choice? which is more enjoyable and better? I mean you know there's lots of warriors npc's and if all of them are specialized in 2-handed it's better for your player character to specialize in a different type of weapon. I'm thinking about Imoen as a thief but if there's a fighter/thief it will be much better, as a mage dynaheir sounds interesting there's two fighters in my mind; minsc (with gaunlets of dex) and khalid (gaunlets of str) as a cleric I dont think that there's any like that I want so it looks like I'll play a cleric..

If you really want a cleric NPC then go with Branwen.

Khalid and Jaheira are part of an NPC duo that the game does not want split up. There is a trick however to splitting NPC pairs, if you don't mind fudging a roleplayed approach to the game. You can split them by putting Jaheira inside a building that you don't have to go inside of again, and then remove her from the party (you may want to move well down the street before you do this as insurance). From a roleplaying perspective it is hard to imagine those two splitting up. Jaheira is a ballbuster but she wouldn't leave Khalid, nor abandon her mission. Up to you though, obviously, players do split NPC pairs in BG1 all the time. If you want Khalid as a fighter in your party and do decide to strictly roleplay the game, then the fighter-druid Jaheira would be your healer. Of course that doesn't mean your main character can't be a cleric or fighter-cleric.

My fav class has to be the paladin (Cavalier in BG2) because they get a really good healing spell, and turn undead which gets ridiculosly powerful at high level.
somebody said earlier that the thought invoker was the best mage class and i have to argue, cos invokers dont get any conjuring spells like acid arrow, flame arrow, monster summoning etc. The miss out on even better stuff in bg2

My party was:
Me (paladin)
Minsc (ranger)
Branwen (Cleric)
Imoen
Dynaheir
Xan

I know xan is useless, but he's is a mage, and i like having two mages :-P

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Zoltan:
thanks.. and for weapon choice? which is more enjoyable and better? ...it looks like I'll play a cleric..<hr></blockquote>

If you're going to play a cleric definitely choose blunt and missile weapons and equip initially with a mace and sling. An enchanted quarterstaff soon becomes available. And there's also a great enchanted hammer you can pick up early very in the game. If you nose about for quests in Beregost perhaps you may stumble onto it. (Or if you want the spoiler for the hammer let me know and I'll post it).

If you decide to play a fighter type, then bow and large sword are the most practical choices, given their abundance in the game and the number of them that have enchantments.

If you want try something a little more offbeat I think axe or blunt is probably your next best bets re: both effectiveness and availability of enchanted weapons.

If you have a high strength/dex character it can be kind of fun to have him or her using throwing axes (although these are heavy and reduce the character's carrying capacity for loot) and a battle axe.

Spear and spiked are the most poorly represented, although there is eventually a halberd +2 and spear +3. The best you're going to get for spiked weapons is a flail +1.

Dark Side is another story, however. In that add-on you get a great selection of all weapons types. Some of the new weapons are overpowered, but still it's nice to be able to get a kickass flail for a cleric or club for a druid, etc.

Thanks for your advices I'll play a cleric (hammer&mace proficiencies) will have 2 fighters, one in 2-handed other one in longswords, the rest is Dynaheir,Minsc and Imoen.

Khalid&Jaheira OR Minsc&Dynaheir?

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Zoltan:
Khalid&Jaheira OR Minsc&Dynaheir?<hr></blockquote>

Do Minsc & Dynaheir. You need at least one mage (though you could always dual class Imoen over to mage, since she has a high enough Intelligence).

Minsc and Dynaheir would be my choice.