Sorcerer stats

[Marty4]

I am coming back to BGII after a long respite with IWD1 and 2, and I am considering playing my first sorcerer, possibly soloing or leading a small party. However, I know that the stats of an IWD2 sorcerer are different than a BGII sorcerer. What stats should a sorcerer have?

My idea for good stats for him would be:

STR 10-18
DEX 18
CON 16
INT 18
WIS 16
CHA 6 (up to 18 with a certain item)

I haven't dealt with 2nd ed rules in a while, so if you could refresh my memory on them:

1. +2 hp is the max for a spellcaster, right?
2. how much wisdom do I need for good lore and Wishing?

Also, any tips for a solo sorcerer would be nice, though I don't need a spell list. TIA!

[Riftmaker]

Str: Least useful attribute. It's the last one to get any bonus points.

Dex: 18

Con: 16 (max hp bonus)

Int: 18 (I'm still not sure what the prime requisite is for Sorcs, I always thought it was charisma, but maybe I'm wrong)

Wis: 18 Lore is pointless. Just get the identify spell. (possibly higher for Wish spells)

Cha: 3

Other people could provide Solo Sorc tips.

[Marty4]

Thanks.

I knew that cha was the prime casting for sorcerers in 3rd ed, but I thought it was INT in 2nd.

Assuming this guy is soloing, I would want to give him at least 10 str to carry loot.

[Ascendency-Down]

Elf seems the perfect race to choose, since they get higher dexterity and have slighly better saves than humans.

I'd choose the following stats:

STR 18
You won't engage in melee very often, but if so you'll need high strength to hit anything. You could use a strength-enhancing item, of course, but sometimes your party members will need it or you can make better use of the slot. Oh, and if you play solo, it's very convenient, when your PC can carry a lot of loot.

DEX 18 or 19, if you play an elf
Always handy, when it's harder to get hit.

CON 16
As a non-fighter-class the sorcerer won't get any noteworthy advantages if you choose a higher constitution. 16 is enough to get +2 HP per level.

INT 16 (or higher)
Since you don't have to scribe scrolls, your intelligence doesn't matter. Well, at least as long as you don't face mindflayers. Since they drain intelligence-points - I think 5 per hit -, 16 is enough to survive three hits.

WIS 18
Actually a high wisdom is mandatory if you want to put the "(Limited) Wish"-spell to good use.

CHA 9
If I'm not mistaken, that's the minimum you can choose as a sorcerer. You won't need more anyway, since you'll get the Ring of Human Influence very soon.


If you don't have the patience to wait for such a high roll, lower your strength or set intelligence to 11 (enough to survive two mindflayer-hits).


As a sorcerer your lore will remain rather low regardless of your stats. So choosing "Identify" as a level-1-spell seems like a good idea.

[Magness]

I don't think that I'd bother with an uber high STR, since you oughta be able to find a nice STR enhancing belt in your travels.

I agree with the comments on Lore. No matter how good your INT and WIS are, nobody but Bards really ever have a good enough Lore to be useful.

[Riftmaker]

If 9 is the minimum for CHA for a sorc, then you would think it would be the prime requisite. I believe that the prime requisite for all non-hybrids has a minimum of 9. So perhaps CHA is the prime requisite for Sorcs? I have to admit, I've never played with a Sorc that has had a CHA lower than 18, so I dunno.

[Xen]

Actually in BG2 a Sorcerer doesn't need any stats at all. You could give him every attribute 9 but he will still be a walking death machine.
But in NWN/IWD 2/AD&D his casting ability is based on CHR.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

::wrinkles nose:: A stat of three reeks of powergaming. How could someone with a Charisma of three get a room at an inn?

[Marty4]

Thanks for the clarification, Xen.

Illumina, I am going to start with around 6-8, possible 9 if that turns out to be the minimum.

Thanks all!

[Klutz]

Dundee has posted on this lots and used to have a webpage listing his solo/party sorcerer advice, but the link I had for it doesn't seem to be working. If I recall correctly, his recommended attributes were:

Str: 12
Dex: 18
Con: 16
Int: 12
Wis: 18
Cha: 8

for a modest total of 84. Note the "low" Int, since the size of a Sorcerer's spellbook is determined by level, not Int, and the high Wis, which facilitates (ab)use of the Wish spell. As Xen pointed out, virtually all of the Sorcerer's power is not tied to attributes.