Benifits of new characters- what's good about each class

[Accord]

Since my protagonist in the past few games have always been a berserker/mage, here are couple of things:
1) Must have spells for each level (excluding spell triggers and sequencers):
level 1 - magic missiles
level 2 - knock, but if you have a good thief then go with web or detect invisibility
level 3 - melf's minute meteors
level 4 - spider spawn, stone skin, and improved invisibility
level 5 - lower resistance and breach
level 6 - mislead, true seeing, and power word silence
level 7 - ruby ray of reversal and prismatic spray
level 8 - abi-dalzim's horrid wilting, incendiary cloud, and simulacrum
level 9 (for those with exp cap removed) - spellstrike and time stop

Always have at least two mages (prefer to only have 1 pure mage) in party and all should have memorized a couple of lower resistance each so they can simutaneously cast the spell during tougher encounters (e.g. dragons). Also, ALWAYS take out enemy's mages first if you encounter a group of hostiles.
Lately I have invested sometime with a dualed class fighter/thief and I have found the importance of "boot of speed", simply hide in shadow, then backstab and run away.....once you are not in the line of sight of the chasing enemy, repeat the hide and stab procedure (although this seems to be more fun than practical).

So far, my favorite (That can be played legally anyways) is the Ranger/Cleric. When this character gets to a high enough level to start casting some really cool spells, he/she will be able to choose from BOTH the druidical AND the clerical. The game allows the character to have access to the higher level druidical spells too. I think it's a bug, don't know if they fixed it in the patch as I never installed it, but think that totally ROCKS. As for the stealth, well, I've always had a thief in the party, but it does help to be able to rush the Ranger into danger and let him get the first attack. I've just always loved playing a Ranger. Something about being in tune with nature and the wild is just so AWESOME. S'cool when I started playing one back in the 80's. Loved that they could track and hunt as a standard. I didn't have to worry about rations as much as the other characters.

Oh hey, for the fighter/thief, you gotta get Dust of Disappearance or Improved Invisibility. They both allow you to attack and stay invisible while you are doing it. Ie:Backstab over and over again. BWAAA HAAA HAAA HAAA. Only thing it won't work against (besides creatures that can't be backstabbed) is anything that can "see" invisible.

Oh hey, for the spell list above, I always keep at least one knock spell memorized, regardless if there is a thief or not. If the thief gets whacked or is unable to pick the lock (not very often), I can just cast knock on it and get it open.

[Accord]

COULD BE SPOILER:
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True, since for my "good aligned" party the only thief I use is Nalia (I know there is Jan and Yoshi, but other than Jaheria my party's alignment is always good), and we all know how GOOD Nalia is at picking locks......heehee

[Accord]

As for spell trigger and sequencers:
1) Minor Sequencer - magic missile x2
2) Spell Sequencer - magic missile x3, or any combination of magic missile, lighting bolt, fireball, and flame arrow
3) Spell Trigger - see #2, but also include chain lighting in the pool of spells for selection, you can also put 3x lower resistance together or add a breach along with lower resistance when tackling dragon and mages
4) Contingency - set at 25% of life, use improved invisibility
5) Chain Contingency - Set at 50% of life, use mislead, stoneskin, and fire shield (blue/red)

[Gnat]

I say the most important thing is to have fun and try different strategies and tactics. You can complete the game with any class, some just make for a tougher game than others. My first time through I use the Druid Avenger kit. With that kit the early game was extremely simple (just shapechanged into the sword spider and killed everything). I used Imoen in the beginning dungeon and then Aerie for awhile. I completed most every quest and sidequest that didn't have to fight a Lich or a Dragon (ouch). Then after max-ing out at 14th level and taking on some of the tougher quests I had to add a lot of NPC help. An improved hasted, double strength spells, 10 attacks per round sword spider is a great tank right up to where a mage confuses you, or you get level drained, or a dragon wing buffets you across the cavern...LOL. I guess the point is that every class has its strengths and weaknesses. Take those into account with your own playing style and there is a best class for you.

I ended up playing a Swashbuckler/Mage as the best class for me. I basically solo'd all the way through (picking up NPCs for quests and to win the Twisted Rune fight early in the game). I used the Staff of the Magi and the Cloak of Non-Detection as my main method of getting around and fighting. I also used the different good short bows in a become visible, shoot the target, become invisible again tactic....worked pretty well. And I agree with Tobbin, the Boots are Speed are invaluable. I found a new favorite spell for awhile too....Sunfire. Just walk right into the middle of a crowd of monsters and cast Sunfire...takes the guess work of where to place that Fireball and hits harder too.

Oh well, that's my two cents for now. Have fun storming the castle!!!!!

[Epona]

BARDS

You either love 'em or hate 'em. (I love 'em)
They don't specialise in any particular area. Stats need to be fairly evenly distributed as you do a bit of fighting, a bit of theiving and a bit of spellcasting (don't forget that Wisdom must be at least 13 to avoid the possibilities of spell failure, and intelligence is important for number of spells you can memorize and for learning higher level spells). Charisma must be at least 15. A really good roll is necessary to get the best from your bard, so reroll stats until you're happy - 90 plus at least. Dexterity is also important, since you can't cast spells with armour on (until you get Melodic Chain which is good Bard only armour) so you want a good base armour class.

Bards can only have one slot for weapon specialization except the BLADE kit which is an expert dual-wielder, (3 slots for this fighting style). The SKALD kit gets +1 to hit and damage.
Starting the game, I tend to go for proficiencies in a good ranged weapon such as crossbow, or sling if you want to use a shield, and a high-damage melee weapon. Maces are good - there are some great ones in the game, they are 1 handed so you can dual-wield or use a shield, and because you only have 2 quick weapon slots you will not have to fiddle around to change weapons should you run into a clay golem (and don't forget that slashing weapons only do limited damage to skeletal undead).
Bards can get up to level 6 spells with xp cap active. This is useful for support to your main spellcaster. I normally load up with Magic Missile at level 1, and good defensive spells to cast before you leap into melee combat for the other spell levels.
Bards can save you LOADS of cash - they are good pick-pockets, and a high lore rating will enable your party to identify everything you pick up right from the start (well pretty much). You don't have to carry round identify spells, so save those valuable slots in your scroll cases for something more useful, such as....
TENSERS TRANSFORMATION
I cannot stress enough, this is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT spell for Bards. It transforms you into a *wicked* fighting machine, who will slice through anything in his/her path. It's 6th level, so you have to wait a while to memorize it, but once you do, it is invaluable!
Oh, and while I remember, make sure that you get a familiar - for the extra hit-points if nothing else (but remember, petting an animal has been medically proven to lower stress levels).
If you get injured and have to withdraw from melee battle, bard song boosts your party's 'rolls'. I use bard song in this way, unless playing a JESTER, when the confusion given by his song is useful against a group right from the start.
The bard is great if you really want to think about tactics of your battles. You can have them lead your party from the front, but you may want to think about all those other lovely abilities before wading straight into a stand up fight.
Hope this is useful!! (and that no-one else has beaten me to it while I've been typing!)

MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! ARE THE BEST!!! BEST!!! BEST!!! BEST!!! BEST!!! BEST!!! BEST!!! YEP!!! YEP!!! YEP!!! YEP!!! YEP!!! (sorry im in a funny mood) but I like mages best incase you hadn't guessed. I can't be arsed to ramble on about spells but a pure class mage with the staff of the magi and robe of vecna , bracers AC3, ring og Gaxx and ring of wizardry is a MUST!!! and a formidable oponent. MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!! MAGES!!!!!

[el_kalkylus]

Let me just say, kensai/thief, kensai/mage, and (pure)ranger/cleric, these dualled classes are really powerful and very useful after they are done dualling.

My personal favourite right now is the kensai/mage. With robe of vecna, Dakon's zerth blade, Celestial fury, ring of gaxx, and some spells, it is extremely powerful in combat. Let it use stoneskin, protection from normal weapons etc, and it will never be hit. I once tried to cast every defensive spells I could on my kensai/mage, and got it's AC down to -16.

As hellfire already said, the kensai/thief is a great backstabber, and makes an, otherwise hard fight, real easy. It is great for killing mages, liches, trolls, greater wolfweres etc. The thief-skills is a great bonus, which makes the kensai/thief very useful in almost every situations. Give it the boot of speeds, and it will take care of most fights itself. I loved playing with this combo.

The ranger/cleric have a lot of spells to choose from. Blade-barrier (my favourite), summon fire elemental, sanctuary, heal, remove paralyzation, rightious magic, sunfire, call lightning, summon nymph, finger of death etc, are all great spells and the ranger/cleric have them ALL. The ranger/cleric can wear armor, get two proficiency points in two weaponstyle for free + 6 other in the beginning, it can specialize in weapons, has good THACO, and good hp, so it can make a good tank. (definition of tank??)

[Draggor]

This is much better. Thanks guys!! Oh no, more character types to try out.

More fighter tactics- With their high strength they are generally more effective in melee than with shooting so this is what you should capitilise on. Shooting can be useful sometimes though, particularly if it's your first game. If you want to use a bow or crossbow then you might as well have a double handed weapon, with double handed swords being the best choice. It's much better putting five slots in the one proficiency though. A shield is a valuable item to keep you alive longer. Keep the fighter at the head of the party so most monsters will attack them. Run ahead of the party to further attract attention. The fighter as most hitpoints, most armour and best fighting skills so it's to your advantage if everyone attacks him. You get to kill the monsters faster if they're standing next to you. A fun tactic can be standing you party in a long corridor then leading some monsters back to them with your fighter. The rest of your party then proceeds to fill selected monster with projectiles. Fighters need some sort of mind protection item so they don't get confused or charmed and attack the rest of your own party. My games usually end up with the fighter doing the vast majority of the fighting and everyone else just used missile weapons. cast enhancement or protective spells like holy might, spirit armour, improved haste etc to increase their destructive potential. Sure wizards can do fancy stuff but they need the big guy to defend them. This is how your fighter type should be used. Fighters are unsubtle, simple but dependable and will open a major can of whoop ass time after time.