Here's the deal: I'm building a multiplayer party of folks to take into BG2, in my neverending quest for the definitive "Team Kickass." This is the party I'm working with in my head:

Dwarven Fighter (Tank)
Paladin (substitute Tank, highest CHA)
Elven Mage/Thief
Thief -> Fighter
Fighter -> Cleric
Druid -> Fighter

This gives me: A Regenerating Tank, a Cavalier, a Fighter/Thief with the Backstab from Hell, both sets of Priest spells, a Mage with a bow (who also keeps my Thieving skills alive while my primary Thief is Dualing), and a Fighter/Cleric and Fighter/Druid with MUCH better hitpoints, THAC0, and weapon stars than a straight class would have.
The problem: I have only half a Mage. And I've heard that Mages end up becoming the most powerful members of the party.

So, I want to drop either the Paladin or the Dwarf, and fill their slot with a Fighter -> Mage. But which one? Do I want my best front-line brawler to be constantly regaining health, or do I want a Cavalier with more Special Abilities and advantages against 'classic' monsters? I need your opinions, as I don't have BG2 yet.

(Of course, there's also the option of building a Dwarven Cleric, and so having 20 CON and a Cavalier, but then I miss my chance of giving him better THAC0, etc. I'm still considering it, though.)

i say, drop the mage/thief. then, use that slot to make a SORCEROR!!!! sorceror's are EASILY the most powerful of ALL magic users, if not characters in general. if you have a fighter/thief, then your thieving skills are pretty much taken care of. two thieves are fun, but if you want magic, then a STRAIGHT mage or sorceror is the way to go. unless you dual him from another class at an early level to a mage. otherwise, it will be a sweet group. if i were you, i would make the paladin my main character as well. then you can get the paladin stronghold. that is just me though. its good cause you get good items and lots of experience when you do it. just my two gold pieces though.

Well for starters I assume by druid --> fighter you mean multiclass, since you can't dual from a druid.

Second it really won't take very long to get your thief skills back after dualling to a fighter, so I wouldn't have a multi mage/thief just for that, since you'll be slow levelling and won't get as powerful. Plus you've got heaps of firepower so one more bow for your mage isn't that important, and slings and darts are good. A better idea would be to dual a fighter to a mage if you want one that has good weapons and fighting ability.

If it were me, I'd get rid of the druid/fighter for your second mage, because the extra spells they have aren't that valuable. But if you're choosing between fighter and paladin, then keep the paladin, since you've got three fighters already. IMHO [img]smile.gif[/img]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Aelia Jusa:
Well for starters I assume by druid --> fighter you mean multiclass, since you can't dual from a druid.
<hr></blockquote>
You CAN'T? Well, snot! No, I meant Druid Dualed to Fighter, but if it can't be done....poopie. (I obviously need to learn more about Druids, huh? Not to mention getting my hands on a BG2 or SoA manual.) I don't know if you can go the other way (Fighter -> Druid), but even so, that's a maximum of 13/14 for BG2, which is really weak, compared to the rest of the party. Why am I telling you this? You know this.

So, POOF! goes my Druid, even though that Insect Plague spell sounded pretty cool. And *SHAZAM!* into the empty slot goes my Fighter -> Mage. And I'm definitely keeping my Elven Mage/Thief; one of the coolest combos there is, in my book, and having 2 Thieves means you can max out all your skills, and do it FAST, which I like. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I notice both of you suggested I keep the Cavalier; I also notice that Dwarves in general get short shrift on this board: Everyone seems to be playing either an Assassin, a Kensai->Mage, a Sorceror, or a cheesy I-ran-through-BG1-six-times-and-Tomed-myself-up-to-all-25s character.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by SixOfSpades:


I notice both of you suggested I keep the Cavalier; I also notice that Dwarves in general get short shrift on this board: Everyone seems to be playing either an Assassin, a Kensai->Mage, a Sorceror, or a cheesy I-ran-through-BG1-six-times-and-Tomed-myself-up-to-all-25s character.<hr></blockquote>

I would have suggested keeping the cavalier whether your fighter was a dwarf, or a human, or a bag of nails, I just thought that it would be better to have a paladin since your weapon choices could be better utilised and since almost all your other characters were fighters of some sort [img]smile.gif[/img] And don't worry, not many people think playing a character with 25 for all stats is particularly clever, or fun ;)

Yes, you CAN TOO Dual-class a Druid!

Or at least you can in BG1. I just tested it. Are you sure about not being able to in BG2? Now I just have to make sure there's at least one good Scimtar in BG2--and find out the level cap on Druids in ToB. So I'll keep my Druid, and my party is back to always having a competent healer.
And you're right about my party having enough half-Fighters, Aelia, so I'm dropping the Dwarf, cool though he was. I'd always liked the Cavalier-as-PC idea, as I like leading the party, and having high CHA. Guess I'll have to settle for 19 CON, as I don't foresee being able to build a Dwarven Paladin anytime soon. (Although I like the Bag-of-nails Fighter idea; everytime I take a hit in a melee, the enemy recieves damage too, right?)

P.S.: One thing I've always hated (or at least wanted to change) about Dwarves: Halflings get a THAC0/Damage bonus with the Sling. Elves get a THAC0/Damage bonus with the Bow and Long Sword. Do Dwarves get a THAC0/Damage bonus with the Axe and Warhammer? No sirree Bob, even though the Dwarven Axeman is every bit as classic as the Elven Archer! Arrrrrrrrgh.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by SixOfSpades:
Yes, you CAN TOO Dual-class a Druid!

Or at least you can in BG1. I just tested it. Are you sure about not being able to in BG2? Now I just have to make sure there's at least one good Scimtar in BG2--and find out the level cap on Druids in ToB. So I'll keep my Druid, and my party is back to always having a competent healer.
And you're right about my party having enough half-Fighters, Aelia, so I'm dropping the Dwarf, cool though he was. I'd always liked the Cavalier-as-PC idea, as I like leading the party, and having high CHA. Guess I'll have to settle for 19 CON, as I don't foresee being able to build a Dwarven Paladin anytime soon. (Although I like the Bag-of-nails Fighter idea; everytime I take a hit in a melee, the enemy recieves damage too, right?)
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LOL, especially if they're rusty nails [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] . Tetanus shots, Firkraag ;) ?

Well, the BGII manual says you can't dual class from paladins, rangers, or druids, so I don't think you can :(

You can dual a True Neutral Fighter with appropriate stats to a Druid, but you cannot dual from a Druid.

you can also dual a ranger to a cleric if im not mistaken.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Morgan_Corbesant:
you can also dual a ranger to a cleric if im not mistaken.<hr></blockquote>

That is correct.