Swashbuckler, Bounty Hunter or Fighter/ Thief solo!

[Armen]

people have talked a lot about backstabs so i'll mention archery - you can wear down groups using stealth - fire - retreat tactics quite effectively

it's also worth getting some early game summons before you can use wands (there's a sword, a spider, a 'genie' flask, and a elemental summoning staff that can all be useful and in chapter 3)

for power, consider a halfing or dwarf for the saving throw bonuses at the expense of strength or dexterity

[SixOfSpades]

Overall, I'd go for a Halfling Fighter/Thief with 18 CON right from the get-go. Add the Manual of Bodily Health from BG1 or use the MoLtM and *bam*, you've got the same Saving Throws as Korgan. Plus, as has already been mentioned, being Multiclassed means you get to pick & choose from both HLA pools. Slap on Boots of Speed and you can go from the perfect Tank to the perfect Backstabber as easily as changing your armor.

A utilitarian build: Generic Archer->Thief. The Archer's armor limitation is rendered practically irrelevant by your Thief half, and his ability to put (at least) ** in any weapon means your melee combat abilities are rougly equivalent to a Multiclassed Warrior (depending on when you Dualed, of course, and wearing light armor).

Also to be mentioned: the Swashbuckler->Fighter. Swashbuckler AC bonuses + Full Plate, and Swashbuckler THAC0 bonuses on a Fighter's base THAC0? Ouchie. Cheesy, certainly, but hey, you're soloing. No Backstab, though, which tends to suck, although certain mod items can increase even a Swashie's Backstab all the way up to x5, if you want to go that route.

I prefer to Dual my Warriors at Level 15, not 13. I think the extra weapon proficiency and +2 Saves bonus is worth the wait.

[Klorox]

Originally posted by True_Moose: The only reason I would disagree with you, Klorox, is the unbelievable value of HLAs. If you dualled the Wizard Slayer at a higher level, I would be inclined to agree. Since XP will not be a problem while soloing, I would suggest level 23 or 24 to be a more powerful combination. This would enable you to get Hardiness (combined with items and the WS's MR, a great tool,) as well as Greater Whirlwind attack, while still leaving you enough XP to get UAI and any other thief HLAs that you want. The problem is of course the extended time as single class thief. That's where proper quest management and use of WK comes in. 13 is more practical, but my personal belief is a higher dual will vastly increase the potency of the character in the long run.

While I agree that Fighter HLA's are very important, I think it's only because of GWW. Who uses "Hardiness"??

You can come close to GWW with a few items, and any combination of Belm, Kundane, or that one the bonus merchant sells in the Copper Coronet allows a very large number of ApR. I suggest just using one of these in your offhand, if you can.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Originally posted by Klorox: While I agree that Fighter HLA's are very important, I think it's only because of GWW. Who uses "Hardiness"?? ~~

People who would like their characters to heal from physical damage.

[ister]

I don't see how the halfling with 18 CON has a saving throw that isn't as good as Korgan's. Don't all halflings and dwarves simply get +5 for spells/wands/death?

[True_Moose]

Originally posted by Klorox: While I agree that Fighter HLA's are very important, I think it's only because of GWW. Who uses "Hardiness"??

http://tinyurl.com/76bof will give you a very convincing argument for the use of Hardiness.

[Kyrvias]

I seem to notice that the assassin wasn't mentioned...

*That* would be the class I would recomend, as Assassins get a x7 Backstab, instead of x5. That can make a huge difference. They can also poison their weapons, which is extremely useful. Couple the poison with the Tuigin Bow, and you're set.

Out of the three choices above, the one I would *not* recomend is the Bounty Hunter. Like what was said, his "Special Traps" become irrelevent once HLAs are reached.

Either way, Good Hunting!

[Babyseal]

Ok guys,

i was busy the whole weekend. My F/T is lvl 11/14 now and he starts rolling. Intensive use of potions and archery won me most of my battles. I found out that with the right potion combination a F/T is able to to stay in melee combat like a real tank.
Thx again for the informations.

Kind regards.

[True_Moose]

Sounds like its going well. Remember, Tuigan Bow is your friend.

[Kyrvias]

As is Ilbratha