[krunchyfrogg]

GameFAQ

------------------------------- Character Class Pro's and Con's ------------------------------- The Triple Class Character -------------------------- Now that the experience cap in Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter has been raised to 8,000,000 points, there is a type of character which can really come into power: The Triple Class Character. There are two different types of Triple Class combinations in Icewind Dale: The Fighter/Mage/Cleric combo, and the Fighter/Mage/Thief combo. To earn the maximum 8,000,000 experience points that a character can gain could take a LONG time. But also added with the expansion pack is the "Heart of Fury" option, which can greatly increase the speed at which you earn experience. (Note: Don't even think of turning it on until you have beaten, or nearly beaten the game) A Triple Class character will never reach Level 30 in any one class. However, take a look at what they can accomplish: Fighter/Mage/Cleric Fighter/Mage/Thief ------------------- ------------------ Levels: 18 17 19 18 17 22 This may not mean much on the surface, but let's take a more in-depth look at what these character levels mean: NOTE: The Spell Progression table for Mages has been fixed in Patch 1.41. See the Things You Should Know section at the beginning of this document to learn what has been changed. This will affect all mages Level 21 and higher. Level 18 Fighter: A Fighter starts with 4 proficiency slots, and gains ----------------- an additional one every 3 levels. This means that at Level 18, the fighter will have a total of 9 Proficiency points. This is enough to reach Grand Mastery in one weapon, and almost reach it in another. His THAC0 also goes down by 1 per level, which not only makes it easier to hit with weapons, but also aids TREMENDOUSLY when it comes to spells which require touch. Level 17 Mage: Unfortunately, a Level 17 Mage is unable to use the -------------- Level 9 Spells. However, there are only a couple of them, so you are not going to miss much. You come with a large array of possible spells. Assuming (once again) that the spell chart in the manual is correct, you will have the following number of spells at Level 17: ----------------------------------------------------------------- | Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | 16 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | | 17 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | | 18 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Having said that, there two spells in particular that make any combination of a Fighter/Mage very potent: Iron Body and Tenser's Transformation. Below are the benefits and drawbacks to each of the two spells. Iron Body --------- 100% resistance to electricity. 50% resistance to fire. 25% resistance to crushing damage. Strength raised to 25. Can attack 2/round with iron fists (2d4) And the spell lasts for 2 full turns! Now for the downsides: Movement rate reduced to 25% of normal. Can't cast other spells during Iron Skin. Tenser's Transformation ----------------------- Double's the hit points of the caster. Gives the THAC0 of a Fighter of the same level. +4 bonus to AC. +2 bonus to all saving throws. So as you can see, those are tremendous benefits for two little spells. An even more potent combination is all of the above, plus equipping your character with a set of Elven Chainmail (found in Severed Hand Area). In case you don't know, Elven Chainmail, while not possessing the best AC of an armor in the game, DOES allow a Mage to still cast spells and ALSO allows a Thief to use their thieving skills. As you can see, this armor is VITAL to the Fighter/Mage/Thief combination if you want to fully employ all three classes.