Dual-Classing - how two faced can you get?

[Midget Gems]

In both BG1 & IWD I have used the dual-classing technique to good effect in creating characters with a good blend of skills. But the idea has always been WHEN to dual class, in order to get the best out of the character, never WHY should that character want to make the change. From a roleplaying point of view, it must require a pretty traumatic experience to cause someone to give up their chosen path and start again from the beginning. Just having the leader of the party say "Hey, you there, we found a better Thief so we want you to re-train as a Mage" is a pretty lame excuse if you ask me.

Anyway, my new BG1 party contains several NPCs who could do with a new outlook in life. I've played with all the NPCs before, so to freshen things up I thought I would dual-class a few and change their personalities around, just to see what happens. Could be interesting.

So finally my question is this, is Dual-Classing just a powergaming ploy or have you been able to use it for roleplaying reasons? All ideas welcome.

Ps. Why can't the small people dual-class, it's not fair, they have life changing experiences too you know! MG

[The Ozzman]

You know I've always thought the same thing. I think it's pretty silly that Humans cant multi-class and that non humans cant dual class.

[Lord]

Dual classing can be seen from a roleplaying view. Like in BG2, an NPC named Anomen is dual-classed because
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he wishes to become a knight, so he has some fighting in him, but then he is dualed to a cleric. It makes sense in his case.

[Midget Gems]

Of course in IWD2, with the new rules, the whole dual-class, multi-class idea is changed and you can mix & match as often as you like. But that's another matter altogether.

I guess anyone whole duals to a Cleric will have a reason for doing so - Fighter to Cleric is one of the more sensible. Also Fighter to Druid would be good roleplaying. But thinking of a good reason to dual from Thief to Mage, or from Cleric to Thief, might test your imagination.

The reason I started thinking about this subject is that my latest party is called 'Trading Places'
and I'm just about to re-distribute the skills within the part members by dual-classing. If it was a Hollywood movie then they would find some implausable way for everyone to swop identities.

[Firestormalpha]

Well let's take a hypothetical situation. For example you may want to duel/dual?(those two always get mixed up with me) Imoen a theif to a mage. You could see the theif as an irresponsible adolescent profession. She however grew up surrounded by books and spellcasters. So she finally matures (emotionally/mentally) and decides she want's to be more responsible. Whats the only truly responsible influence she's been exposed to so far? A whole bunch of mages. Being familiar with the wizardly ways she would naturally cling to that which is most familiar to her.

[Faceman]

And if you're playing BGT she'll bug you incredibly until you let her become a mage

[Armen]

i've never dualled in BG1 but if you include SoA i've dualled to a fighter because although i started as a generalist adventurer (swashbuckler) i ended up doing mainly fighting so it was kind of a natural transition

i've dualled to a thief (from fighter) after spending a lot of time with them in BG after the BG1 plot ends

i reckon you can always work a story into dual to cleric in terms of a conversion or enlightenment or similar (although a fighter -> cleric) who only puts fighter proficieny *'s into blunt weapons makes it a bit more tricky to 'claim' roleplaying

interesting one . . .

[Ash_Dundee]

My current character is a NE fighter who I dualled to an assasain using shadowkeeper. My justification for it was that when he found out about his lineage as it were he decided he wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps. Simple but it works.