[Aerich]

Ah, the everlasting question of dual vs multi. Here goes. I'm taking it from the top and trying to organize my thoughts coherently (not easy at this time of night), so forgive me if I tell you things you already know.

Dual class characters, once they dual over, lose all the abilities of their first class until their second class exceeds the level of their first class. So a fighter[9] dualed to mage won't be able to wear armor or use a longbow until mage level reaches 10.

There are differences between what you are allowed to do as a dual-class mage and as a dual-class druid. A dual class mage gets all the abilities of their former class when their mage level exceeds the level of their first class. They can wear armor (but not cast spells in it, o' course) and use all weapons, although new weapon proficiencies I believe are limited to what a mage can naturally learn. So if you want mastery in great swords, you'd better get it before you dual.

For druids, it's different. Anything that duals over to a priest must still abide by the tenets of the faith. That means they cannot use weapons not normally allowed. No bows, even if the former fighter allotted proficiency points to them. D/C druids can wear any armor, though. AFAIK, D/C druids can also cast their priest spells in any armor, even if normal druids couldn't wear it.

Differences between a dual and multi fighter/mage? Quite a few. The biggest one is that a dual class F/M can reach grandmastery in melee weapons (5 stars) and/or master in bows (3 stars), while a multi class cannot get more than specialization (2 stars) in either. So in terms of fighting effectiveness, a dual class will eventually be better.

The second difference is quite simple, and I'm sure you've thought about it. You will not have that character available to cast spells or to melee for a significant length of game time. If you can put up with that (e.g. you have other spellcasters/fighters that can cover those duties), then dual is ok.

Another advantage of dual classing, if you have fighter as your first class, is that you will gain massive HP. Dual class characters, unless they start as a mage or a thief, will always have more HP than their M/C counterparts. Then once you dual over (say at lvl 9), you should have anywhere from 90-126 HP with your starting mage.

Your D/C beginner mage will have to be carried for a little while, but your stronger counterparts + higher XP enemies means that you mage will soon gain a respectable level. D/C eventually ends up being more efficient, because the XP is only going toward one level at a time.

The big bonus for M/C is that all skills are available at all times. You want a mage, you got it. You want a fighter, you got it. Your weakling mage starts out tougher, and can rely on the fighter side to do something useful in battle instead of casting one spell and getting out of the way. M/C is the way to go for versatility, D/C is the way to go for end-game power.

One of the drawbacks of D/C is the scores needed to get a "good" character. Prime requisites of the first class must be at least 15, and must be at least 17 for the second class. That means a D/C druid needs minimum 15 Str, 17 Wis, and 17 Cha. Doesn't look hard, right? But if you want a decent Dex and Con, all of a sudden it looks like you need a monster roll just to be fairly adequate in the abilities that aren't prime requisites. This isn't as bad for a mage, though, as Wisdom and Charisma can be bled a bit to increase the other scores.

In sum, all of the options you contemplate are good. The fighter/druid and fighter/mage dual or multi-class characters are all extremely powerful. Take a good look at the pros and cons, and decide which one you want.

[ 08-20-2004, 04:32 AM: Message edited by: Aerich ]