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Magness · 01-23-2003, 12:10 PM

1. I find nothing weird about clerics being able to use edged weapons. I always felt that it was weird that they could not! As Luvian said, roleplaying, not rules.

2. IMHO 76 points total is too low. I wish that it had been in the 80-85 point range. Heck, I wish that the point total had been configurable in the IWD2 config program or buried in one of the 2DA files.

That said, you can make very serviceable and capable characters with only 76 points and without ridiculous min-maxing.

3. Multiclassing:
Always pay attention to your multiclassing combos so that you can avoid taking XP penalties. Always be aware of the favored class of your characters.

Multiclassing in IWD2 can be a very potent tool. Taking 4 levels of fighter in combination with a Barbarian or a Paladin (of Helm) make a great multiclass combo. A) It gets you access to the 3rd feat point in all weapons (think "mastery". 3rd rules use some really bogus term. "Weapon Focus: Specialization" or some such nonsense) and B) it gets you a couple extra Feats.

There are some great multiclass combos and there are some bad ones. What makes a good MC combo?

The synergy of stats and skills. What do I mean by this? Here are some examples:

Ranger/Rogue: Say that you want to build a good archer-thief that has a bit more punch than a pure rogue. Try Ranger/Rogue. Synergy of stats? Rogues' primary stat is DEX. The primary stat for any archer (regardless of class) is DEX. Skills? The stealthy skills (Hide and Move Silently) as well as Search are in-class skills for both rangers and rogues. Ranger/rogue is an AWESOME build.

Rogue/Wizard: Not my favorite build, but there is a good synergy. What's the primary stat for a wizard? INT. INT is also a secondarily important stat for rogues (i.e. higher INT == more skill points). Skills? With a high INT, the rogue/wizard will have tons of skill points to spread around. And a decently high DEX is good for ranged combat for when the R/W isn't spellcasting.

Barbarian/Fighter and Paladin (of Helm)/Fighter: Basically, all tanks have roughly the same basic stat requirements. (Pally's have slightly higher stat requirements.) Besides, any decent barbarian or paladin can't be hurt by taking 4 levels of fighter, besides perhaps the slowed progress of paladin spellcasting growth (if that matters to you).

4. Bards:
Bards in 3rd ed rules are apparantly not meant to be mini-mages. However, they to make good enchanter/healers.

5. Skills and Feats
The number of skill points a character gets at level up is determined by his/her class and by the character's INT bonus. The number of feat points are not impacted by any stat bonuses.

Skills are worthwhile for certain classes. Rogues depend on their skills. Skills (Alchemy, Concentration, Knowledge (Arcana), and Spellcraft) are very useful for wizards and sorcerors. Heck, concentration is useful for all spellcasters. Spellcraft can be very useful for certain clerics, Lathander and Talos, in particular, because they have some potent elemental attack spells that can be improved by taking the appropriate Feat after you've built up 10 points in spellcraft.

01-23-2003, 12:10 PM	#14
Magness Quintesson Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Manchester, NH, USA Posts: 1,025	1. I find nothing weird about clerics being able to use edged weapons. I always felt that it was weird that they could not! As Luvian said, roleplaying, not rules. 2. IMHO 76 points total is too low. I wish that it had been in the 80-85 point range. Heck, I wish that the point total had been configurable in the IWD2 config program or buried in one of the 2DA files. That said, you can make very serviceable and capable characters with only 76 points and without ridiculous min-maxing. 3. Multiclassing: Always pay attention to your multiclassing combos so that you can avoid taking XP penalties. Always be aware of the favored class of your characters. Multiclassing in IWD2 can be a very potent tool. Taking 4 levels of fighter in combination with a Barbarian or a Paladin (of Helm) make a great multiclass combo. A) It gets you access to the 3rd feat point in all weapons (think "mastery". 3rd rules use some really bogus term. "Weapon Focus: Specialization" or some such nonsense) and B) it gets you a couple extra Feats. There are some great multiclass combos and there are some bad ones. What makes a good MC combo? The synergy of stats and skills. What do I mean by this? Here are some examples: Ranger/Rogue: Say that you want to build a good archer-thief that has a bit more punch than a pure rogue. Try Ranger/Rogue. Synergy of stats? Rogues' primary stat is DEX. The primary stat for any archer (regardless of class) is DEX. Skills? The stealthy skills (Hide and Move Silently) as well as Search are in-class skills for both rangers and rogues. Ranger/rogue is an AWESOME build. Rogue/Wizard: Not my favorite build, but there is a good synergy. What's the primary stat for a wizard? INT. INT is also a secondarily important stat for rogues (i.e. higher INT == more skill points). Skills? With a high INT, the rogue/wizard will have tons of skill points to spread around. And a decently high DEX is good for ranged combat for when the R/W isn't spellcasting. Barbarian/Fighter and Paladin (of Helm)/Fighter: Basically, all tanks have roughly the same basic stat requirements. (Pally's have slightly higher stat requirements.) Besides, any decent barbarian or paladin can't be hurt by taking 4 levels of fighter, besides perhaps the slowed progress of paladin spellcasting growth (if that matters to you). 4. Bards: Bards in 3rd ed rules are apparantly not meant to be mini-mages. However, they to make good enchanter/healers. 5. Skills and Feats The number of skill points a character gets at level up is determined by his/her class and by the character's INT bonus. The number of feat points are not impacted by any stat bonuses. Skills are worthwhile for certain classes. Rogues depend on their skills. Skills (Alchemy, Concentration, Knowledge (Arcana), and Spellcraft) are very useful for wizards and sorcerors. Heck, concentration is useful for all spellcasters. Spellcraft can be very useful for certain clerics, Lathander and Talos, in particular, because they have some potent elemental attack spells that can be improved by taking the appropriate Feat after you've built up 10 points in spellcraft.