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Class FAQ - Guide for Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn

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Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC)
Class FAQ
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May 16, 2001
Version 1.9

Written by: Dan Simpson
Email: [email protected]

______________________________________Notes____________________________________
You will find the most up to date version of this FAQ at:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/

I also have a FAQ/Walkthrough and an Items List for Baldur's Gate II. Both of
which can be found at the above address.

This guide is intended to help the player decide which character(s) to create
and why. Each class and kit will be rated with both a Pro and a Con, as well
as an overall grade. If you disagree with any of my ratings, email me! If
you have a good argument as to why the Wizard Slayer is really the ultimate
class, then send it in. Or, if you think that Kensai are better left unused,
email that in as well.

This FAQ looks best in a fixed-width font, such as Courier New.

I am not affiliated with Bioware, Black Isle, Interplay or anyone who had
anything to do with the creation of this game. This FAQ may be posted on any
site so long as NOTHING IS CHANGED and you EMAIL ME telling me that you are
posting it. You may not charge for, or in any way profit from this FAQ.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents:

Quick Reference

Barbarian

Bard
··Skald
··Jester
··Blade

Cleric
··Lathander
··Helm
··Talos

Druid
··Totemic Druid
··Shapeshifter
··Avenger

Fighter
··Kensai
··Berserker
··Wizardslayer

Mage

Monk

Paladin
··Cavalier
··Undead Slayer
··Inquisitor

Ranger
··Archer
··Beastmaster
··Stalker

Sorcerer

Thief
··Bounty Hunter
··Assassin
··Swashbuckler

Other Arguments
··Fighter/Mage/Thief
··Single Player Party Strategies

Final Words...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quick Reference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best classes for Protagonist/Single Player (in order of preference):

Fighter/Mage -- this can be either a human Kensai/Mage, Berserker/Mage or a
multiclass Fighter/Mage. Combines good offense, with good
magical abilities, which are very important to have in BG2.
Fighter/Cleric -- or Fighter/Druid. Same idea as above, but with curative
spells instead.
Swashbuckler/Mage -- must be a human swashbuckler dualled to a Mage. Gets
some very good bonuses from the swashbuckler side
(who is already practically a fighter/thief) and can
cast spells.
Inquisitor -- can't cast priest spells, but can cast a cool version of
Dispel Magic that casts at twice his ACTUAL level. You can
dispel almost anything with it. Plus he is immune to charm
and hold and can use the best weapon in the game, Carsomyr.
Kensai -- if you aren't going to dual him to another class later, go with
a Half-Orc Kensai and get 19 STR and CON. Then you not only get
the Kensai bonuses, you also get higher STR bonuses and lots more
HP.
Monk -- not that great at the start of the game, so probably won't appeal
to newbies. Can't wear armor, but by level 18, you don't need
armor. Faster than others, needs no weapon to be deadly, and with
great extra abilities.
Barbarian -- a much more "newbie friendly" character. Only worthwhile as a
Half-Orc for the extra STR and CON. Moves faster, and has
lots more HP than anyone.
Cleric/Ranger -- can cast both Druidic and Cleric spells. Automatically
has 2 points in 2 weapon style, allowing points to be
spent on other things. More offensive minded than a mere
Cleric, and can cast more varieties of spells.

Racial Bonuses:

Dwarves -- +1 CON
-1 CHA
Resistant to Magic & Poison

Elf -- +1 attack with swords and bows
+1 DEX
-1 CON
Resistant to Charm & Sleep

Gnomes -- +1 INT
-1 WIS
Resistant to Magic

Half-Elf -- Lightly resistant to Charm & Sleep

Halfling -- Bonus to thieving abilities*
+1 DEX
-1 STR
Resistant to Poison & Magic

Half-Orc -- +1 STR
+1 CON
-2 INT

* all non-human (except Half-Orc) races get a bonus to thieving abilities,
but halflings get the best bonuses:

Skill Dwarf Elf Gnome Half-Elf Halfling
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick Pockets -- +5 -- +10 +5
Open Locks +10 -5 +5 -- +5
Find/Remove Traps +15 -- +10 -- +5
Move Silently -- +5 +5 -- +10
Hide in Shadows -- +10 +5 +5 +15
Detect Illusion +5 -- +10 -- --
Set Traps +10 -- +5 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total ==> +40 +15 +40 +15 +40

Note: Since Halflings and Elves can get 19 DEX, they get further bonuses
to thieving skills (roughly +5 per skill over what you get at
18 DEX).

Grades are based on this question: Should this character be the Single-
Player Protagonist? A+ being the best grade possible, F being the lowest.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barbarian
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: B ... Solid frontline warrior, but not at all versatile.

Best Races: Half-Orc (19 STR and 19 CON, who needs INT and CHA for a
Barbarian anyway? He's a tank!)
Dwarf (19 CON... penalty to DEX makes this less preferable)

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Any. May want to go for a Shield (rather than 2 Weapon or
2 Handed) to make up for the poor armor choices.

Max. Level w/
Experience Cap: 19

General Information:

A barbarian can be an excellent warrior. While not as disciplined or as
skilled as a normal fighter, the barbarian can willingly throw himself into
a berserker rage, becoming a tougher and stronger opponent. The barbarian
uses the fighter avatar.

Advantages:
- They move at 2 points faster than the usual character.
- Barbarians are immune to backstab.
- Can Rage once per day for every 4 levels (starts at 1st level with one
use). Rage gives them +4 to constitution and strength for 5 rounds.
Gives a -2 armor class penalty and +2 to saves vs. magic (for 5
rounds). Rage also gives immunity to all charm, hold, fear, maze,
confusion and level-drain spells.
- At 11th level, the barbarian gains 10% resistance to slashing,
piercing, crushing and missile damage. He gains +5% to this every 4
levels thereafter.
- The barbarian rolls d12 for hit points instead of a fighter's d10.

Disadvantages:
- A barbarian cannot wear full plate or plate mail.
- A barbarian cannot specialize past normal specialization.

Pro: There are two primary things that makes the Barbarian an attractive
class. First he gains d12 HP per level, which is the highest of any
class. By level 10 he could have 20 more HP than a Fighter. Second,
his Rage ability is every bit as useful as the Berserker's, giving him
extra muscle. A Half-Orc Barbarian who rages could get 23 STR, which
is very strong. This guy is a Tank! Send him into any battle and
watch the fun.

Another useful point in his favor is the fact that he moves at 2 ticks
faster than other characters. This might not sound like much, but it
allows your character to do better hit-and-fade attacks, as well as
better scouting. Run in a room, see the enemies, and run out. This
makes for an interesting Archer as well, as you can probably outrun
most enemies, you can easily keep shooting at almost anything and never
get hit. Also, unlike the Monk, the Barbarian CAN be Hasted.

The other benefits are good (immune to backstab & the weapon
resistances), but not the feature attraction. They just add spice to
this class.

Con: The Barbarian also has significant problems. First, he cannot multi or
dual class. Meaning he is stuck as a plain warrior. This can be very
bad if you are fighting extended series of mages and need more magical
power in your group.

Second, he cannot wear the better armors in the game. Plate Mail,
Full Plate are all forbidden to him. That means you are left with
Chainmail and Leather armors. Interestingly, the best armor you can
get for him is the Shadow Dragon Scale (AC 1), which counts as a
Leather Armor. So, although he has more HP, he is also going to get
hit more often.

Third, he cannot go beyond "specialized" in any Proficiency. That
gives the Barbarian less power attacking than a Fighter would get with
5 stars. Although the proficiency system isn't quite as powerful as it
was in BG or IWD, your Barbarian is still missing out on +1 to hit and
+1 to damage and some extra speed to attack.

Pro Rebuttal: The "Rage" +4 STR more than makes up that difference.
If a Half-Orc Barbarian has 19 STR, and Rages, his new
STR of 23 gives him an extra +2 to Hit and +4 to
Damage. And going from 18/00 is almost as good with
+1 to Hit and +4 to Damage. (total STR bonus at 23 STR
is +5, +11, at 22 STR +4, +10)

Finally, the "other" benefits of being a Barbarian: Immunity to
backstab and weapon resistances. First, how many times in the game
are you even backstabbed? I can't recall many instances of it. Plus,
they never go for the person with the most HP, always for the person
with the least, meaning this ability is completely USELESS. The weapon
immunities are nice, but at best you'll complete the game with 20%
resistance to slashing/piercing/crushing/missile. So, 1 in 5 damage
inflicted on you by one of those types is dropped. (i.e. if an arrow
would have done 10 damage, it instead does 8) This is neat, but comes
into play way too late in the game to truly be of use. By that point,
most enemies just kill you instantly (Mind Flayers).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bard
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: C+ ... good niche character that needs a solid group

Best Races: Human or Half-Elf (you HAVE to be Human or Half-Elf)

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Go with Short Bows (for the Tansheron and Gesen bows),
Katanas (for Dak'kon's Zerth Blade) and Single Weapon Style.
This way you can switch back and forth between weapons
without having to add an extra weapon/shield to your second
hand. Single Weapon Style also gives an AC bonus.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

The Bard is also a rogue, but he is very different from the thief. His
strength is his pleasant and charming personality. With it and his wits he
makes his way through the world. A Bard is a talented musician and a
walking storehouse of gossip, tall tales and lore. He learns a little bit
about everything that crosses his path; he is a jack-of-all-trades but
master of none. While many bards are scoundrels, their stories and songs
are welcome almost everywhere.

Advantages:
- Picks Pockets
- Bard Song (improves party morale and luck). Morale determines when
characters "run away." Each character has a set morale, and when it
drops, they flee, or go berserk. Luck simply improves all rolls.
- Mage Spells up to 6th level
- High Lore ability. The Bard gets 10 Lore points per level.

Disadvantages:
- Must be human or half-elf
- Must have "neutral" somewhere in the alignment.
- Can't wear armor heavier than chainmail.
- Can't use shields larger than a buckler.

Pro: The Bard really is a little bit of everything. Part thief, as he can
pick pockets. Part mage as he can cast some spells (up to 6th spell
level). The Bard is unique.

The best thing about the plain Bard is his Lore. Lore allows you to
identify items without having to cast the spell, or spend money in a
shop. The bard can simply look at the item to tell what it is and what
it does. (right click on the item, if it is described, your Lore was
high enough) A good Bard can identify most items at the start of the
game, and by the end can identify anything. This allows you to
memorize other spells than Identify, such as Chromatic Orb or Magic
Missile.

Since the Bard can pickpockets (+10 per level), this frees up your
thief's skill points to the other skills. A Thief doesn't need to
pick pockets if your Bard can do it!

Mage spells are an awesome bonus for this class. Run out of arrows?
Shoot a magic missile! Plus you can cast protective spells on yourself
(Haste, Stoneskin, etc.) and get a much more useful character. True,
the Bard never gets more than 5 spells to cast per level, and can only
get up to level 6, but the Bard isn't there to REPLACE your Mage, only
to back him up.

Although the plain Bard song isn't as useful in combat as the Skald's
song, it does have the nice effect of improving Luck, that odd stat
that the game uses all over the place. It improves nearly every throw
by +1. It has the same effect of casting the spell "Luck" on everyone
in the party at once.

A Bard is not really a great individual, but he makes a great member of
a group.

Con: The Bard is a very weak fighter, near useless thief and can barely be
called a mage.

Bards only get 1 proficiency point per skill. Meaning that they never
even get a bonus in anything, all they can do is avoid the penalty.
Also they cannot wear anything better than Chainmail, and until you get
one of the Elven Chainmails, you can't wear armor and cast spells at
the same time. The Bard will get hit more than anyone in your party
(who isn't a mage). Combine this with a STR no higher than 18 (+1 to
hit, +2 dmg) and the Bard should avoid the frontlines at all cost.

Pro Rebuttal: This is why you give the Bard proficiency in Short
Bows (or other missile weapons) to avoid putting him
on the frontline. Then he can damage the enemies with
only a minimal risk to his own life. If the arrows
aren't doing anything, switch over to Bardsong to
help out the party.

Pick pockets is the LEAST useful Thieving skill in the game. There are
just not that many opportunities to use it for anything. There are far
more traps and locked doors than there are people with things to steal.

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, but when you find a Ring of Regeneration on the
owner of the Adventurer's Mart (or similar situations)
it makes it all worth while.

One major problem with the Bard's song is that the Bard can't do
anything but stand there and play it. No spells, no attacking. If
you want to give everyone that +1 to luck, you have to stop shooting
arrows at people, stand there and play your song. All you can do is
walk around, anything else cancels the song.

··Skald
-------

Grade: B ... Better than a Bard in many ways

Best Races: Human or Half-Elf (you HAVE to be Human or Half-Elf)

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Same as Bard. Go with Short Bows (for the Tansheron and
Gesen bows), Katanas (for Dak'kon's Zerth Blade) and Single
Weapon Style. This way you can switch back and forth between
weapons without having to add an extra weapon/shield to your
second hand. Single Weapon Style also gives an AC bonus.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

This Nordic bard is also a warrior of great strength, skill and virtue. His
songs are inspiring sagas of battle and valor, and the skald devotes his
life to those pursuits.

Advantages:
- +1 to hit and +1 damage with all weapons.
- The skald's song is different from the typical bard and varies with
level:
- 1st: Gives allies +2 to hit, +2 to damage and -2 to AC.
- 15th: Gives allies +4 to hit, +4 to damage, -4 to AC, and immunity
to fear.
- 20th: Gives allies +4 to hit, +4 to damage, -4 to AC, and immunity
to fear, stun and confusion.

Disadvantages:
- Pick Pockets ability one-quarter normal.

Pro: The Skald is a Bard who has more Fighter and less Thief in him. Skalds
work ideally for anyone who doesn't use the pickpocket ability, or has
another character with that ability.

Since he is +1 to hit and damage with all weapons, that is nearly the
same as being Specialized in any weapon that he is already proficient.
It also makes the penalty for not being proficient less severe.

The Skald song is also considerably beefier (from a fighting
standpoint) and by level 20, it gives out some substantial bonuses to
hit, AC and various good immunities. Much better than luck.

Con: The Skald is MORE fighter, but still isn't a Fighter. Anyone trying to
use him on the frontline will quickly learn that. For starters, he
still can't wear more than chainmail. He still can't specialize in
any weapon. The +1 to hit and damage is nice, but that doesn't give
you more attacks.

The Skald song is more useful, but you still have to keep the Skald
from joining the battle.

If you don't like Bards, you won't like Skalds.

··Jester
--------

Grade: B- ... Nearly the same as a Bard, with one difference

Best Races: Human or Half-Elf (you HAVE to be Human or Half-Elf)

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

This bard is well versed in the arts of ridicule and hilarity, and uses his
abilities to distract and confuse his enemies, cavorting madly during
combat.

Advantages:
- Jester's song does not help allies. Instead, it affects every opponent
within 30 feet, and they must save vs. magic at +4 once per round or be
confused.

Disadvantages:
- None

Pro: Only one difference here between Bards and Jesters, instead of the Bard
song helping your party with +1 luck, it attempts to Confuse the enemy.
It's a more useful Bard song as you can use it as much as you would
like (making it more useful than the spell confusion as it works on
groups and is unlimited).

Con: Confused enemies can still attack you (though they are just as likely
to attack each other) and all the other Con's of the Bard still apply.

··Blade
-------

Grade: C ... One step forward, two steps back

Best Races: Human or Half-Elf (you HAVE to be Human or Half-Elf)

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

The blade is an expert fighter and adventurer, whose bardic acting
abilities make him appear more intimidating and fearsome. His fighting
style is flashy and entertaining, but is also quite deadly.

Advantages:
- May use Offensive Spin and Defensive Spin abilities once per day per 4
levels. Offensive Spin lasts 24 seconds, granting the blade +2 to hit,
+2 to damage, and an extra attack. As well, all of his attacks do
maximum damage for the duration. Defensive Spin lasts 24 seconds, roots
him to the spot, but gives -1 AC per level of experience. This armor
class bonus does not go over -10.
- May place three slots into two-weapon fighting style.

Disadvantages:
- Only has one-half normal Lore value.
- Only has one-half Pick Pockets percentage.
- Bard Song does not become better with levels.

Pro: Similar to the Skald, the Blade is a more fighterish type of Bard. His
offensive spin gives +2 to hit and damage (more than a Skald!) as well
as giving an extra attack and maxing out the damage. (if you weapon
is a 1d10 Katana, then it will always do 10 dmg.) The extra attack
is the best part of the "Offensive Spin", but the whole thing is
awesome making your Bard into a offensive dynamo.

Secondly, the Blade can put three points into two weapon fighting.
This reduces the penalty for using an offhanded weapon to a mere -2
THAC0, and finally solves what to do with the Bard's near-useless
second hand.

Randy Gaw has more Pro-Blade things to say: Blades can both cast
spells and fight when in defensive spin. That is an awesome ability
because it basically means that the blade becomes a spellcaster that
can't have his spells interrupted due to the really low AC. He can
also be placed in the middle of a melee without taking too much damage,
freeing up the rest of your characters to pound away. The spin is
activated instantaneously so you never have to worry about getting
interrupted. Offensive spin shouldn't be underestimated either IMO
(maximum damage + extra attack -- assuming you dual wield your Blade,
you get 3 attacks per round at max damage).

Con: The problem with the two Spins is that they are mutually exclusive.
That is, you can only do one at a time. So, yes the offensive spin is
cool and does lots of damage. However, you still have the same cruddy
AC as any Bard since you are still just in chainmail (or perhaps
Bracers). And, if you were a Fighter you'd get more than +2 to hit and
damage anyway. (Fighters can have 18/00 STR, which is +2, +4 better
than 18 STR) Not to mention the "Mastery" bonuses fighters get from
4-5 proficiency points.

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, fighters are better warriors, but they can't do
what Blades can do, namely spells, lore and
pickpocket.

Con Response: True, but Blades don't do Lore or Pickpocket very well
at all. You might get 40 pickpocket... who can you
steal from like that? And 50 Lore? Beyond +1 and +2
items what can you identify? As for spells, make a
Fighter, dual later to Mage and you have more spells,
and once your Fighter abilities return, a much better
warrior too.

Finally the Defensive Spin is completely useless. Why would you ever
use this? It PLANTS your Blade in place for 24 seconds. His AC can
go to -10, but he can't move. That is a very passive way to fight a
battle, and won't help much. The best defense is a good offense
anyway. Further, back to my Fighter/Mage, with the proper armors you
can get -10 AC easy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleric
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: C+ ... The healer, but get a Priest Kit

Best Races: Any

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Get points in Maces, Flails and War Hammers. Then you
probably want either 2 weapon style or Sword and Shield
style.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 20

General Information:

The cleric is a generic priest (of any mythos) who tends to the spiritual
needs of a community. He is both protector and healer. He is not purely
defensive, however. When evil threatens, the cleric is well suited to
seek it out on its own ground and destroy it.

Advantages:
- Can cast Priest spells (not Druidic)
- Can Turn Undead

Disadvantages:
- Cannot used Bladed or Piercing weapons

Pro: The only serious healing class. Has all the major Priest spells,
including Raise Dead and Resurrect (which Druids don't get). Unlike
Mages can wear any armor they please. Being limited to just Blunt
weaponry isn't as bad as you might think, since the best weapon in the
game, the Crom Faeyr is a Hammer. Turn Undead has two major functions,
either controlling/repelling undead or destroying them. Useful in
vampire swarms, no doubt.

Con: Druids have better offensive spells, such as Summon Fire Elementals,
and if you want a plain cleric, you should probably take a Kit
(Cleric of Lathander, Helm or Talos) to get their special ability.
There are no downsides to taking a Kit here, so avoid the plain ole
Cleric.

Useful Multiclasses:

Fighter/Cleric -- I prefer to do this one Dual classed, rather than multi
B+ classed. Start with a plain fighter (or Kensai/Berserker
/Wizard Slayer) and dual immediately to a Cleric. That
way you can pick up 5 * in a weapon proficiency. Better
at fighting and just as good at healing... eventually.
Ranger/Cleric -- Starts with two points in Two Weapon fighting, so you can
A spend all your points on weaponry. Even better, can
cast both Cleric AND Druid spells.
Cleric/Mage -- Your one stop magic shop. Has all spells, except Druid
B+ spells. Unlike normal mages, can still wear a helmet
and cast spells. Still can't wear armor and cast magic
(though you could cast Cleric spells).

··Lathander
-----------

Grade: B- ... The "good" healer

Best Races: Any

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Same as Cleric. Get points in Maces, Flails and War Hammers.
Then you probably want either 2 weapon style or Sword
and Shield style.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 20

General Information:

Lathander is the good god of renewal, creativity and youth, and is
celebrated nearly everywhere. His followers are very popular throughout the
Realms, and there are numerous wealthy temples devoted to him.

Advantages:
- May cast Hold Undead once per day for every 5 levels of the caster
(starts at 1st level with one use).
- May cast Boon of Lathander once per day per 10 levels of the caster
(starts at 1st level with one use). This spell lasts for 6 seconds per
level of the caster. It gives the caster +1 to hit, +1 to damage, +1 to
all saving throws and gives the caster 1 extra attack per round. It
also protects the recipient from level drain.

Disadvantages:
- None.

Pro: Casting Hold Undead may not sound that great, but there are a lot of
undead monsters in the game, many of whom you might wish couldn't move.
But the real Pro here is the Boon of Lathander which gives the caster
(the cleric) some serious bonuses, most significant is the extra attack
per round. This spell lasts 6 seconds * your level, so at level 20
it will last 2 minutes real time.

Con: Nifty yes, but hardly a "super" ability. +1 to Hit, damage and saving
throws plus an extra attack. The "Helm" ability "Seeking Sword"
provides your cleric with better offensive muscle and Talos has good
offensive AND defensive spells. The only convincing reason to be of
Lathander is to get the "good" alignment and the "good" reputation.

··Helm
------

Grade: B- ... The "neutral" healer

Best Races: Any

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Same as Cleric. Get points in Maces, Flails and War Hammers.
Then you probably want either 2 weapon style or Sword
and Shield style.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 20

General Information:

Followers of the neutral God of Watchers and Protectors are warriors in
their own right and are often seen as defenders of the innocent.

Advantages:
- May cast True Sight once per day per 5 levels (starts at 1st level with
one use).
- May cast Seeking Sword once per day per 10 levels (starts at 1st level
with on use). This spell creates a sword in the player's hand (that
cannot be dropped or unequipped). The sword is +4 for purposes of
determining what it can hit (but this bonus does not apply to damage),
and it deals out 2-8 damage to any target it hits. The weapon sets the
number of attacks of the cleric to 3. It lasts for 1 round per level of
the caster. When equipped, the wielder cannot cast further spells.

Disadvantages:
- None.

Pro: Can cast True Sight to dispel nasty illusions in the area (invisibility
and Shadow Door come to mind). But even better is the Seeking Sword,
which although only does 2-8 dmg (2d4, the same as a Bastard Sword)
it gets 3 attacks per round and hits as a +4 (though it doesn't affect
the THAC0 any). +4 weapons are hard to come by, there just aren't that
many of them, and to START THE GAME with one (in effect) is powerful.
You could take on Kangaxx from the very start!

Con: Yes, Seeking Sword is neat, however, it lasts 1 round per level of the
caster. PLUS you cannot cast spells while the sword is in your hand!
So, a level 10 cleric would be silent for an entire MINUTE with a 2d4
weapon.

Pro Rebuttal: A 2d4 weapon that improves THAC0 by +4, however.
(Even if it doesn't do +4 damage) Further, there are
times when you might want a more "warrior" type of
character and this spell fits that bill.

··Talos
-------

Grade: A- ... The "evil" healer

Best Races: Any

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Same as Cleric. Get points in Maces, Flails and War Hammers.
Then you probably want either 2 weapon style or Sword
and Shield style.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 20

General Information:

Talos is the evil god of storms, destruction and rebellion. Clerics of the
Stormlord warn that Talos must be appeased or he will rain destruction upon
the land.

Advantages:
- May cast Lightning Bolt once per day per 5 levels of the caster (starts
at 1st level with one use).
- May cast Storm Shield once per day per 10 levels of the caster (starts
at 1st level with one use). This spell lasts 6 seconds per level of the
caster. It protects the caster from lightning, fire, cold and normal
missiles.

Disadvantages:
- None

Pro: Yes, it is nice to cast Lightning Bolt while as a Priest (assuming you
learn where to aim those pesky things), but the real attraction here is
the Storm Shield spell. It works like 4 simultaneous spells:
Protection from Normal Missiles, Protection from Fire, Protection from
Electricity and Protection from Cold. So walk into that cone of cold,
or that fireball, it won't hurt you in the least. The spell also lasts
a VERY long time, 6 seconds per level, so by the end of the game it
could last 2 real time minutes. And, since Storm Shield is a special
ability, it casts really fast.

Con: If only you could cast Storm Shield on other people...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Druid
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: D ... Not very good at all

Best Races: Must be human or half-elf

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Go for Scimitars and Quarterstaff. Sword and Shield Style if
you go with Scimitars, Two Handed style if you go for
Quarterstaff. The best staff in the game is one that only
Druids can use.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 14

General Information:

The druid serves the cause of nature and neutrality; the wilderness is his
community. He uses his special powers to protect it and to preserve the
balance in the world.

Advantages:
- Can cast "Druidic" spells
- Can Shapechange

Disadvantages:
- Must be human or half-elf
- Can only wear leather armor or bucklers
- Can only use darts, clubs, spears, daggers, slings and staffs

Pro: The druid is a more offensive oriented type of priest. They have some
nasty spells, such as Summon Fire Elemental that is even more powerful
than the mage version (as you don't have to spend time "controlling"
the elemental). Druids also get the highly useful spell Iron Skins,
the variant on the Mage Stoneskin. Summon Woodland Creatures nets you
a Nymph, who can heal your party, or Dominate the enemy. Insect Swarm
is great against enemy spellcasters.

Shapechange isn't as useful as the spells, but still provides your
Druid an offensive set of abilities. The "Bear" change, for example,
ups your Strength, Dexterity and Constitution and its attack counts as
a +3 weapon. This makes up for many of his fighting shortfalls.

Con: Yes, the Druid has nice spells, but misses the most important healing
spell of Raise Dead and Resurrect. Which means that if anyone dies,
you may have to reload from your last save. Also, most of the Druid
spells are at the higher levels, there are fewer at the first few
levels. Meaning that with all those nifty spells, you can cast few of
them. They get 7 spells on the first level, 8 on the second, 11 on
third, 12 on fourth, 10 on fifth, 9 on sixth and 8 on seventh.

Shapechange is far less useful when you realize that you cannot cast
spells while changed. Further your "weapon" while shapechanged never
ever improves. Fighting something that requires a +4 weapon? Out of
luck. There are only 3 shapechanges, 2 bears and one wolf. The wolf
is very weak, acting as a +1 weapon and affecting the stats very
little. That leaves you with the 2 bears to rely on for offensive
power, and neither improves STR beyond 18/00. (The wolf mainly improves
your DEX) Essentially what the shapechange does is turn your Druid
into a Fighter. However, your THAC0 in this state only improves
slightly (+3) and your DEX is SET to 12, which may in fact be lower
than your natural DEX. A similar level fighter would get many more
bonuses to his THAC0 and could hit many more times. Any armor your
Druid is wearing is not counted (except for bucklers) which means you
have a ludicrously high AC. So, imagine a fighter using a Long
Sword +3, wearing NO armor, and a buckler. Would you want that person
on the frontline where he would get killed?

The Druid outside of the shapechange is very weak offensively. He can
only use a small variety of weapons, and can only wear leather armor.
The Druid, like its cleric counterpart, can only be proficient in a
weapon. And the Druid will never get more than 1 attack per round.
Even at the very end of the game, your THAC0 will be no better than 5
or 6. (even with a +4 weapon and the Girdle of Hill Giant STR)

Pro Rebuttal: Why would you use a Druid as a Fighter anyway? Use
him as a backup character, casting spells at the
enemy.

Con Response: The Druid just doesn't have that many offensive
spells. Yes, Fire Elementals are neat, as are the
other summoned creatures, but there aren't many
straight out Attack spells. At level 3 there is
"Call Lightning", but it can only be cast OUTDOORS,
where most of the game takes place INDOORS. Cause
Serious Wounds or Harm type spells put your Druid
back on the frontline, where he will suffer damage.
It takes until level SIX before you get some good
offensive type spells (Fire Seed 6, and Fire Storm 7).
Fire Seed is a weaker version of Melf's Minute Meteors
(with the bonus that they can be given to anyone, on
the penalty that it creates only a handful) and Fire
Storm is close to Meteor Swarm. Nice, yes, but you
won't get them until far into the game, and you won't
be able to cast many anyway.

Finally the Druid's final level is 14. They get to level 14 at 1.5
million experience, and the experience cap is set at 2.95 million.
Therefore, any experience a druid gains past level 14 goes to waste.

If you simply MUST have a Druid, go with a multiclass, such as Fighter/
Druid.

Useful Multiclasses:

Fighter/Druid -- Solves many of the Druids basic melee problems. Can wear
B (multi) real armors and shields, although weaponry is still
B+ (dual) limited to Druid weapons. Can become "specialized" in a
weapon, resulting in an extra 1/2 attack per round. (The
Dual Class version is quite a bit better here, start with
a human fighter, true neutral, with 15 STR and 17 CHA.
Then at level 13 Fighter, dual to Druid. You can still
get level 14 at Druid, which is their highest level
anyway. Advantages? Can become a Grand Master in a
weapon.)

··Totemic Druid
---------------

Grade: B- ... Much better than a Druid

Best Races: Must be human or half-elf

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 14

General Information:

This druid closely identifies with a particular animal, an animal that he
feels represents his spirit. This grants him a special connection to the
animal kingdom, and he is able to call upon their spirits to aid him.

Advantages:
- May summon a special 'spirit' animal once per day per 5 levels of
experience. Spirit animal is randomly selected from 'Spirit Bear',
'Spirit Wolf', 'Spirit Lion' and 'Spirit Snake'.

Disadvantages:
- Cannot shapeshift.

Pro: At first glance, you might dismiss the Totemic Druid as a mild and not
very powerful variation of the normal druid. However, it is quite a
bit more powerful than the plain druid. The Totemic switches from
shapeshifting himself, to conjuring forth "spirit animals" to fight
for him. Your Totemic will start the game able to summon 2 animals
right away, and depending on what you get, you could have a find little
army. The Spirit Animals have decent stats:

HP AC THAC0 # of Attacks DMG STR DEX
Spirit Bear 96 2 10 3 1D10 18 14
Spirit Wolf 56 0 9 3 1D4* 16 20
Spirit Snake 45 -1 9 2 1D10 18 18
Spirit Lion 72 1 8 3 1D8+2 19 18

* The wolf does extra COLD damage.

All the Spirit animals have 100% resistance to Cold and Electricity.

And you can summon as many as you have spells for, for an eventual
maximum of 3 at a time, each randomly chosen. Each of these creatures
is more powerful than what a Druid would get as shapeshifted (look at
the AC of the Spirit Bear, 2, compared with a shapeshifted bear who
gets no armor bonus and probably gets an AC of 6). So, the Totemic can
summon forth three of these at a time, and they stick around for quite
a long time (or until killed). Unlike a shapechanged druid, the
totemic can still cast spells with his creatures running around.

Add to that the fact that you can still summon Fire Elementals, Nymphs,
etc. and your Totemic Druid is a wonderful Conjurer, able to throw
many bodies at any enemy. Thus he can stay back and avoid any conflict
while his creatures fight for him. This makes the Totemic more of a
general than a footsoldier.

Con: It isn't as though your Totemic can entirely avoid fighting himself,
however. And as such he is just as weak as any druid in that regard.
He still can only wear leather armors, and no shield larger than a
buckler. If he is attacked directly by archers, he has no real
recourse.

Secondly, although the Totem animals work great in the early portion
of the game, they never gain power, and so become much less useful when
attacking mightier foes (Beholders, Mind Flayers, Dragons).

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, but in those cases, you still have extra bodies
to throw at the enemy. Sure, the mind flayer can
quickly kill your Totem animals, but that was at
least one attack where he wasn't killing YOU.

··Shapeshifter
--------------

Grade: C+ ... Better than a Druid, but not by much

Best Races: Must be human or half-elf

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 14

General Information:

This druid is not called shapeshifter because he has access to a great
variety of forms, rather because of his complete dedication to a single
alternate form. This druid has willingly allowed himself to become infected
with lycanthropy, but due to intense study and training he has the ability
to control his affliction. The creature he becomes is that of the werewolf,
the most famous of the lycanthrope shape changers.

Advantages:
- May shapeshift into the form of a werewolf once per day for every 2
levels (starts at 1st level with one use).
- At 13th level, gains the ability to change into a greater werewolf once
per day.

Disadvantages:
- No other shapeshifting abilities due to the effort required maintaining
balance in his primary forms.
- Cannot wear any armor.

Pro: The werewolf is a powerful melee fighter and makes up the difference
between Druids and Fighters. It gains bonuses to STR, DEX and CON
(although these SET those stats to 19, 16 and 15, which could be a step
down). Furthermore its weapon is considered a +3 weapon, meaning
that you don't have to find a good weapon for your shapeshifter.
However, it is the Greater Werewolf ability (level 13) that makes this
class sparkle. As the Greater Werewolf your STR, DEX, CON are 21, 20
and 25, which are some great bonuses. The G. Werewolf hits as a +4,
has 3 attacks per round and the 25 CON allows him to automatically
regenerate.

Con: Except you still can't cast spells while hiding as a Werewolf, meaning
that you are either devoted ENTIRELY to melee, or ENTIRELY to
spellcasting, which is somewhat similar to a Fighter/Mage wearing
armor. In the middle of a battle you can't cast spells because you
are stuck with the armor. The same goes here, you can't cast spells
because you are stuck as a werewolf.

Second, you can't wear any armor at ALL. Which means that if you want
to survive any battle, you MUST turn yourself into a werewolf. Which
also has the effect that you will cast very few spells in battle. And
since Druids are more "battle" oriented than Clerics, that seems a
little odd to me.

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, but you can always cast Summoning spells BEFORE
the battle, turn yourself into a werewolf and leap
into the fray. Further, with spells like Iron Skins
you can beef up your defenses, THEN turn into a
Werewolf.

Finally even the Greater Werewolf has a pitiful AC. Reaching at best
-1 on its own.

Pro Rebuttal: True, but the werewolf can wear rings and cloaks. And
the Shapeshifter Druid can wear bracers. AC isn't
that big of a problem.

··Avenger
---------

Grade: B- ... Better than a Druid, but not by much

Best Races: Must be human or half-elf

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 14

General Information:

A member of a special sect within the Druidic order, a druid of this type
is dedicated to fighting those who would defile nature. Avengers have
powers the average druid does not; additional abilities that have been
earned through extensive rituals, a process that is very physically
draining.

Advantages:
- May shapechange into normal forms, as well as those of sword spider,
baby wyvern and fire salamander.
- 6 mage spells are added to his repertoire, all the way up to 6th level.
These are listed below:
- 1st: Chromatic Orb
- 2nd: Web
- 3rd: Lightning Bolt
- 4th: Improved Invisibility
- 5th: Chaos
- 6th: Chain Lightning

Disadvantages:
- May not wear better than leather armor.
- On character creation, he receives a -2 to strength and constitution.

Pro: Aside from the obvious benefits of getting new Froms to shapechange to,
the real benefit here are the 6 extra mage spells. These are all
available from the very beginning of the game, which is good for the
powerful spells of Chaos and Chain Lightning. True, these must be
memorized as normal Priest spells, but it does add a lot of variety
to the Druid spell set. Chromatic Orb gives the druid a good 1 enemy
attack spell.

As for the new Forms for the shapechanger in your druid, they are nice,
but nothing fabulous. The Fire Salamander can shoot out three small
"fireballs" (think Melf's Minute Meteors) and is naturally resistant
to fire. The Sword Spider gets you a 5 good attacks per round.

Con: Yes the new spells are nice. Chromatic Orb in particular is great to
have. But Web? The first level spell Entangle does the same thing.
Improved Invisibility? Nice, but when would you ever need to be
invisible (if you wanted to simply not get attacked, while you summon
forth monsters to fight for you, Sanctuary can do that just as well).
Chaos is neat, but is no better than Confusion, I.e. all it does is
make the enemies wander around.

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, and while the monsters wander around, your party
can move in and kill them.

Con Response: Assuming the spell works in the first place. Most
enemies you would most like to get this spell to work
on, manage to avoid its effects. And even if it does
work, confused monsters have a tendency to attack
back when they are hit.

Chain lightning is a dangerous spell to cast, just like Lightning Bolt.
When cast it goes from its first target, to whoever is standing closest
to that target. If the nearest person to the target is YOU, or someone
in your party, it will hit you.

Pro Rebuttal: That is why you cast it well away from your party.

Con Rebuttal: And when the monster runs right next to your party
before you finish casting? Then you manage to hit
one monster and many of your own party!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fighter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: B ... Still a good class, but better off with a kit or multiclass

Best Races: Human (to dual class later), Half-Orc (for the 19 STR, CON),
Dwarf (for the 19 CON), Elf (for the +1 with swords/bows)

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Long Swords or Katanas. Then take that all the way up to
5 points. Then probably want to get 2 Weapon style. If
not, go for Sword and Shield style for the missile defense.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 19

General Information:

The fighter is a champion, swordsman, solider and brawler. He lives or
dies by his knowledge of weapons and tactics. Fighters can be found at the
front of any battle, contesting toe-to-toe with monsters and villains. A
good fighter needs to be strong and healthy if he hopes to survive.

Advantages:
- Can use any weapon or armor
- Can become a Grand Master at any weapon

Disadvantages:
- none

Pro: Even with all the fancy kits around, the plain fighter is still an
excellent choice for both the newbie and the seasoned veteran alike.
Gets more HP's than most other classes, levels up faster than Rangers
or Paladins, the ONLY class that can achieve Grand Mastery (even though
that's not as powerful as it once was). Can also wear any armor, or
equip any weapon.

Con: Grand Mastery matters far less in BG2 than it did in IWD or BG. And
since G. Mastery was the main reason to take a fighter, the fighter is
significantly weaker without it. How is Grand Mastery weaker? Here is
the old proficiency chart from BG:

points spent to hit bonus damage bonus attacks
1 (Proficient) 0 0 1
2 (Specialized) +1 +2 3/2
3 (Master) +3 +3 3/2
4 (High Master) +3 +4 3/2
5 (Grand Master) +3 +5 2

Here is how things were changed in BG2:

points spent to hit bonus damage bonus attacks
1 (Proficient) 0 0 1
2 (Specialized) +1 +2 3/2
3 (Master) +2 +2 3/2
4 (High Master)* +2 +3 3/2
5 (Grand Master) +2 +4 3/2

* Improves Speed of weapon by 1, Grand Master by 3

Between "Specialized" and "Grand Master" there USED to be +2 to hit
and +3 damage, not to mention an extra 1/2 attack. Now there is only
+1 to hit, +2 damage and a little extra speed. So you spend 3 whole
points, and get very little. The result of this is that the
plain fighter is less useful than he used to be. This almost
necessitates going to one of the fighter kits, or even the barbarian,
rather than go through the normal fighter. At least the kits have
extra bonuses that make up for this loss. (Can you imagine the best
person in the world at something getting beat by someone who had only
some marginal skill? That is what this seems like to me.)

You're better off going for a Kit or a Multiclass. The game almost
seems designed to discourage a plain fighter.

Useful Multiclasses:
__
Fighter/Cleric |
Fighter/Thief |__ (these are discussed in the other class's section)
Fighter/Druid |
Fighter/Mage __|
Kensai/Mage -- Since neither Kensai nor Mages can wear armor this is a
natural fit. (Fighter/Mages CAN wear armor, but not cast
spells at the same time) This way you get all the bonuses
of a Kensai (+1 to hit and damage every 3 levels) and can
cast spells. ONLY available through Dual classing a human
with 15 STR and 17 INT.
Kensai/Thief -- Thieves work better without armor anyway. Also because
Kensai get bonuses to hit and damage, and have the kai
shot, their backstabs could be tremendous. Only available
through Dual classing a human with 15 STR and 17 DEX.

··Kensai
--------

Grade: A ... A great fighter

Best Races: Human (to dual class later), Half-Orc (for the 19 STR, CON),
Dwarf (for the 19 CON), Elf (for the +1 with swords/bows)

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Long Swords or Katanas. Then take that all the way up to
5 points. Then probably want to get 2 Weapon style. If
not, go for Single Weapon style for the extra defense.
If you are going for the Kensai/Mage, make sure to go for
Katanas for Dak'kon's Zerth blade.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 19

General Information:

This class is also known as the Sword Saint, and consists of a warrior who
has been specially trained to be one with his sword. They are deadly and
fast and trained to fight without encumbrance.

Advantages:
- +1 to hit and +1 damage for every three levels.
- -2 bonus to AC.
- -1 bonus to speed factor for every 4 levels.
- May use Kai ability one time per day for every 4 levels (starts at 1st
level with one use). This ability lasts 10 seconds and makes all the
attacks do maximum damage.

Disadvantages:
- May not use missile weapons.
- May not wear armor.
- May not wear gauntlets or bracers.

Pro: There are a lot of good things about the Kensai. First and foremost
we're starting from a Fighter, which leaves open the possibility of
Grand Mastery, which although isn't what it used to be, is still good.

Second, the Kensai gains +1 to hit and +1 damage every 3 levels. This
is huge. By level 18 you could have +6 to hit and +6 damage and this
is on TOP of what a Fighter would normally get. (At level 18 your
THAC0 would be 2 normally, add in the +3 for 18/00 STR, +2 for weapon
mastery and +6 for kensai bonus and your THAC0 would be -9... before
even adding in the weapon bonuses! If you're using a +4 sword, your
THAC0 could be -13!)

Speed factor also improves every 4 levels. What does this mean? That
your Kensai will almost always hit the enemy, before the enemy hits
him back. With the extra damage (and possible dual wield) it means
you may KILL the enemy before he ever hits you!

Kai ensures that for the next 10 seconds, all your hits do maximum
damage. If you are using a 1D10+2 Dak'kon's Katana, then all your
hits will do 12 damage (rather than randomly rolling between 3 and 12).

Finally, the Kensai makes for some of the best dual class combinations
in the game (see above).

Con: The Kensai cannot wear armor. The Kensai cannot wear bracers. Aside
from the -2 AC bonus you get at the start of the game, your AC never
ever improves. The Monk's AC improves every 2 levels. Even the
Swashbuckler's AC improves every 5 levels, but the poor Kensai is
stuck with cruddy AC.

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, but with good weaponry and high levels, your
Kensai can obliterate the enemy without putting his
life in danger. Also, the Kensai can wear rings and
robes. Finally there is the Shield Amulet that can
help protect the Kensai. It comes with 40 or so
charges, more than enough to last the entire game.

··Berserker
-----------

Grade: B+ ... A good fighter

Best Races: Human (to dual class later), Half-Orc (for the 19 STR, CON),
Dwarf (for the 19 CON), Elf (for the +1 with swords/bows)

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Long Swords or Katanas. Then take that all the way up to
5 points. Then probably want to get 2 Weapon style. If
not, go for Sword and Shield style for the missile defense.
If you are going for the Berserker/Mage, make sure to go for
Katanas for Dak'kon's Zerth blade.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 19

General Information:

This is a warrior who is in tune with his animalistic side and, during
combat, can achieve an ecstatic state of mind that will enable him to fight
longer, harder and more savagely than any human has a right to. Berserkers
tend to be barbarian-like in nature, but not always. Sometimes it is a
conscious choice that a warrior in training makes. Regardless, opponents on
the battlefield will be unsettled with they see the savage and inhuman
elements of the berserker's personality. This class is common amongst
dwarves, know to them as "battleragers."

Advantages:
- May use Enrage ability once per day per 4 levels. While enraged: +2 to
hit, +2 damage, -2 AC. The berserker at this time is immune to charm,
hold, fear, maze, imprisonment, stun and sleep. He also gains 15 hit
points while enraged. These hit points are temporary, and are taken
away at the end of his berserk spree, possibly killing the berserker.
Enrage also makes him immune to level drain.

Disadvantages:
- Becomes winded after berserking. While he's winded, he receives -2 to
hit, -2 to damage and a +2 penalty to AC.
- Cannot specialize in ranged weapons.

Pro: The berserker might at first seem like a poor imitation of the
Barbarian, but in reality it's more like a cross between that and the
Fighter. Like the fighter, the Berserker can wear any armor, and any
weapon. He also can get 5 proficiency points in weaponry. Further,
he can "Enrage" to become a much more effective fighter. Why is
enrage so useful? It is very comprehensive.

Read the list of its immunities: Charm, Hold, Fear, Maze, Imprisonment
(very useful if you are fighting Kangaxx the Lich!), Stun and Sleep.
In other words, your Berserker is immune to just about any negative
effect. Send him into any and all combat situations without worry.
He won't get scared and run away. Enrage also has the normal "neat
battle improvements" such as +2 to hit damage and AC. Your Berserker
also gets +15 HP. Sure, he loses those HP when the battlerage wears
off, but in the mean time it allows him to fight longer and harder.

Suppose that your Berserker had 100 HP and fought a battle without
being Enraged. Suppose that somewhere in the battle 101 damage is done
to him and he dies. At that point, the game is over. Now using the
Enrage you get 115 HP and can use that extra time to kill more enemies.

Con: But ask yourself, is Enrage really all that useful? +2 to hit, damage
and AC is nice, but the Kensai gets that NATURALLY, without having to
enrage first. Also Kensai get far past that later in the game (an 18th
level Kensai gets +6 to hit and damage). In fact, a level SIX Kensai
gets the same exact bonuses.

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, but Kensai can't wear armor, and Berserkers can.
Also, while Enraged a Berserker is immune to Charm,
Hold, Fear, Maze, etc., etc.!

Further, when the Enrage ends you not only lose the 15 "extra" HP
(possibly even killing you, which is quite devastating for a
protagonist since the game ENDS when he dies), but you also are
EXHAUSTED at the end of the rage. (results in a -1 to all their rolls,
such as THAC0 and damage) In battle going from +2, to -1, possibly
before the enemy is even defeated, could be the difference between
winning and losing.

Pro Rebuttal: Yes, but the Enrage lasts long enough to finish most
battles.

Con Response: Yes, but it only takes one instance of the Enrage
wearing off too early. Suppose it happens while
fighting a dragon.

··Wizardslayer
---------------

Grade: D+ ... Laughable bonuses

Best Races: Human (to dual class later), Half-Orc (for the 19 STR, CON),
Dwarf (for the 19 CON), Elf (for the +1 with swords/bows)

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 19

General Information:

This warrior has been specially trained by his sect to excel in hunting and
attacking spellcasters of all kinds.

Advantages:
- For each successful hit on an opponent, 10% cumulative spell failure
penalty is applied.
- 2% magic resistance per level.

Disadvantages:
- May not use any magic items except for weapons and armor.

Pro: Although the game itself says you only get 1% magic resistance per
level, you actually gain 2% as stated above. By the final level, 19,
you will get 38% magic resistance, great for avoiding spells like
magic missile and Abu Dalzim's Horrid Wilting. Also, every time you
hit a wizard, forevermore that wizard has a 10% chance that his next
spell will fail. Useful in this situation: You hit a wizard, and his
contingency spells activate giving him protection from your weapons.
However he still has difficulty casting spells due to the 10% casting
failure chance.

On a strange sidenote, you can dual a wizardslayer to a mage.

Con: This is a loser kit. First, the Monk gets more magic resistance. Sure
it doesn't kick in until the end, but by the end of the game you will
get more resistance than the wizardslayer. Second, even 38% resistance
won't protect you from much. A 5 point magic missile will do maybe 3
damage instead.

Secondly, if you can HIT a mage, his spell will fail anyway. The 10%
chance that his next spell will fail isn't going to help you much,
since you will probably be killing that mage soon (if you can hit him,
then his HP won't last long, will they?). Thus that ability is almost
completely wasted. For this you lose the ability to wear magical
items, such as Rings, Cloaks, Bracers, etc. Just not worth it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: C+ ... Very useful, but take a kit or multi-class

Best Races: Human (to dual class later), Half-Orc (for the 19 STR, CON),
Dwarf (for the 19 CON), Elf (for the +1 with swords/bows)

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Quarterstaffs or Slings. Stay away from daggers.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

The mage strives to be a master of magical energies, shaping them and
casting them as spells. To do so, he studies strange tongues and obscure
facts and devotes much of his time to magical research. A mage must rely
on knowledge and wit to survive. Mages are rarely seen adventuring without
a retinue of fighters and men-at-arms. Because there are different types
(or schools) of magic, there are different types of mages. The generalist
mage studies all types of magic and learns a wide variety of spells. His
broad range makes him well suited to the demands of adventuring.

Advantages:
- Can cast magic spells

Disadvantages:
- Cannot wear armor
- Cannot use most weapons

Pro: Mages are a flat-out necessity in Baldur's Gate II. You NEED a mage,
and who better to be your party's mage, than your main character? This
way you get every possible spell all throughout the game and become
as powerful as possible by the end of the game.

Why are mages necessary? To combat other mages, of course. There are
too many spells that can give a mage immunity to melee weapons, such
as Stoneskin, Protection from Normal/Magical Weapons, etc. And in
order to even damage these protected mages, you need a mage of your
own to remove their protections (via spells like Breach). Secondly,
mages help the party with protective spells of their own: Haste,
Protection fromm Magic, etc.

Con: Mages are nice, but plain mages are considerably weaker than Kit
mages (Conjurer especially) or multi-class or dual-class mages. A
fighter mage has far more HP than a normal mage. Mages, at best, can
get a mere 6 HP per level. Which means by the end of the game you
can only get about 70 HP. Since the game ends when the protagonist
dies, you want a LOT of HP for him, and the mage just doesn't cut it.

So, start with a human fighter (15 STR & 17 INT minimum) then dual
to a mage. Not only will you get lots more HP (a level 8 fighter could
have 112 HP or so) but when you regain your fighter abilities (or
Kensai/Berserker/Wizard Slayer) you can use better weapons, have full
proficiencies, etc. You still can't cast spells while wearing armor,
but that isn't a serious problem. Don't want a fighter? There are
also Thief/Mages and Cleric/Mages.

Or, start with a Kit: Abjurer, Conjurer, Diviner, Enchanter,
Illusionist, Invoker, Necromancer or Transmuter. They do lose the
ability to learn spells in their opposition school, however, they can
cast +1 spell per spell level. Oddly, dual classed mages gain this
ability as well. (not multiclass, but dual class)

Useful Multiclasses:

Fighter/Mage -- Everyone's favorite multiclass. Discussed in the Con
A above.
Cleric/Mage -- Can cast both Cleric and Mage spells. Must be a Half-Elf.
B+ Better warrior than a plain mage, and gets more HP as well,
but not as good as the fighter/mage. Can cast cleric spells
in armor, but not mage spells.
Thief/Mage -- One of the more interesting classes. I find it better to
B+ start with the human Swashbuckler (for the AC and to hit
bonuses), then dual at level 10 to mage (requires 15 DEX
and 17 INT).

Mage Kits:
----------

Mage specialists gain +1 spell per level, but can't cast spells in their
opposition school. Of all of these, I prefer Conjurer as Divination spells
just aren't that great. Examples of Divination would be Detect Invisibility,
Know Alignment, Clairvoyance, etc.

Races Stat Required

Abjurer Human 15 Wisdom
Conjurer Human, Half-Elf 15 Constitution
Diviner Any 16 Wisdom
Enchanter Human, Half-Elf, Elf 16 Charisma
Illusionist Human, Gnome 16 Dexterity
Invoker Human 16 Constitution
Necromancer Human 16 Wisdom
Transmuter Human, Half-Elf 15 Dexterity

Specialist School Opposition School(s)
Abjurer Abjuration Alteration
Conjurer Conjuration/Summoning Divination
Diviner Divination Conjuration/Summoning
Enchanter Enchantment/Charm Evocation
Illusionist Illusion Necromancy
Invoker Invocation/Evocation Enchantment/Charm, Conjuration
Necromancer Necromancy Illusion
Transmuter Alteration Abjuration, Necromancy

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: A ... The most interesting class in the game

Best Races: must be Human

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Scimitar and 1 weapon style. However, the Monk's best weapon
is his fists, which he uses only when you have no weapon
equipped. He is automatically considered "proficient" in
no-weapon fighting.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 21

General Information:

Monks are warriors who pursue perfection through contemplation as well as
action. They are versatile fighters, especially skilled in combat without
weapons or armor. Though monks cannot cast spells, they have a unique magic
of their own. They channel a subtle energy, called ki, which allows them to
perform amazing feats. The monk's best known feat is their ability to stun
an opponent with an unarmed blow.

Advantages:
- The monk can make one unarmed attack per round; he gains one additional
attack every 3 levels.
- As the monk increases in levels, the damage his fists inflict does as
well:
- Level 1-2: 1-6
- Level 3-5: 1-8
- Level 6-8: 1-10
- Level 9-14: 1-12
- Level 15+: 1-20
- A monk's natural armor class gets better as he goes up in levels. His
armor class starts off at 9, and then decreases by 1 for every 2
levels.
- Stunning blow, once per day for every 4 levels. All attacks in the next
6 seconds force the victim to save or be stunned. Note: This special
ability automatically modifies a monk's normal attack, no targeting
needs to be done.
- Monks have the Deflect Missiles ability. This gives them a -1 to their
AC vs missiles for every 3 levels.
- The monk gains a +2 to save vs. spells.
- A monk starts off moving at +2 move, then +1 move every 5 levels.
- 5th level: Immunity to all diseases, and cannot be Slowed or Hasted.
- 7th level: Lay on Hands to heal 2 hit points per level.
- 8th level: -1 to speed factor.
- 9th level: +1 to all saves. Immune to charm. The monk's fist is
considered a +1 weapon (+2 at 12th, +3 at 15th).
- 11th level: Immune to poison.
- 12th level: Another -1 to speed factor.
- 13th level: Quivering Palm spell once per day. This spell gives them
one hand attack. If they hit an opponent, the opponent must save or
die.
- 14th level: The monk gains 3% magic resistance per level (ie. 42% at
14th level).
- 20th level: Immune to non-magical weapons.

Disadvantages:
- The monk cannot wear armor.
- A monk can only uses weapons available to the thief class (except 2
handed).

Pro: Just one look at the massive "Advantages" list gives you an idea on how
powerful this class is. Let's go through the better abilities, in no
particular order.

First, although the Monk can wear no armor (actually, with the proper
stats, he CAN wear Keldorn's default armor), he has a natural AC that
improves 1 AC point every 2 levels. His AC starts at 9 and continues
to improve. At the beginning of the game (Level 7 or 8) you'll have
6 Base AC. By the 21st (and final) level his AC will be at -1. Then
add into that the DEX bonus (possibly +4 to AC) and you get -5, then
realize you can wear Cloaks, Rings and so forth and maybe you drop your
AC down to -7 or -8. As such, the only time you will worry about AC is
at the very beginning of the game, as soon as you start gaining levels,
your monk toughens up.

Secondly, the monk requires no weapon to be deadly. At the start of
the game, his fists are as efficient as a Katana (1d10), at level 9
they improve to Greatsword level (1d12 +1) and by the end of the game
it's up to the level of TWO katanas (1d20 +3). Not only that, but you
gain 1/2 attack every 3 levels. This means you start the game with 2
attacks, and by level 9 you get 2.5, 12 has 3 attacks, 15 3.5, and at
level 18 you get the final 4 attacks per round. (4 * (1*20 +3) = 92)
All this adds up to a possible maximum of 92 damage per 6 seconds of
combat, without even using any weapon at all.

The Monk runs on the Priest experience table, meaning two things, they
level up faster than the Fighter and can get up to a higher level as
well. (Fighters max out at level 19, Monks can get up to 21)

The Monk has a great many special abilities, immunities and so forth.
It has the Stunning Blow that stuns an enemy for the next 6 seconds.
Not the best of abilities, but a better one comes later at level 13
when he gains the Quivering Palm attack, which can automatically kill
any monster, including dragons. (the target can Save, of course)
Further, the Monk is immune to all sorts of things (at various levels):
Disease, Haste (not good), Slow, Charm and Poison. Monks can Lay On
Hands to heal themselves at 2 HP/level, for a Maximum of 42 HP at the
end of the game (and about 14 at the start). The best abilities come
at the end when the Monk gains Magic Resistance (14th level) and
immunity to all non-magical weapons (20th level).

These are just the most significant abilities. Don't forget that since
Monks are somewhat Priests, they can cast Priest spells, not from
memory but from Scrolls. Which means that if you buy the scroll ahead
of time, your Monk could Raise Dead, Heal, or any number of functions.
The monk can also: Find Traps (not disarm, just find), Hide in Shadows,
and moves faster.

Con: The only real problem with monks are how weak they are at the start of
the game. They start with an AC of about 5 (with the DEX bonus, of
course) and can wear no armor. This makes them weak as a kitten in any
battle. It won't be long before your Monk has to disengage from combat
and come hide.

Although it is nice to have such deadly weapons without having to
actually buy or equip anything, you must realize that at best, these
are +3 weapons, and there are several monsters that require +4 or more
to hit.

Pro Rebuttal: There are very few monsters that require a +4 to hit.
Kangaxx is one. And you should have other people in
your party who can use +4 and +5 weaponry. Remember,
at 1d20+3, the monk's DEFAULT weapon is the most
powerful weapon in the game. The next most powerful,
Carsomyr is a 1d12+5, meaning the monk does 6 more
damage.

The Monk cannot be Hasted, which can result in some odd problems when
you haste your entire party. While everyone else is running at twice
the speed and getting +1 attack/round, the Monk is now moving at 2/3
the speed of everyone else and getting behind.

Pro Rebuttal: A VERY small price to pay for all the Monk's wonderful
abilities.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paladin
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: B ... Very versatile

Best Races: must be Human

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Two Handed Sword and Two Handed Style. This is due to the
Holy Avenger Sword, the best weapon in the game, and one that
only Paladins can wield.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

A paladin is a warrior bold and pure, the exemplar of everything good and
true. Like the fighter, the paladin is a man of combat. However, the
paladin lives for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety and
chivalry. He strives to be a living example of these virtues so that
others might learn from him as well as gain by his actions.

Advantages:
- Can specialize in a weapon
- Can use any weapon, wear any armor
- Lay on Hands ability to heal quickly
- Can Turn Undead
- +2 to all saving throws
- Can instantly cast Protection from Evil and Detect Evil

Disadvantages:
- Must be human
- Must be Lawful Good
- If you do any "Evil" act, you lose your Paladin status

Pro: The Paladin is a great choice for your main character. Firstly because
the Paladin REQUIRES a high charisma (which is a good thing for the
main character to have) and secondly because he is a great warrior,
who can use the best weapon in the game, the Holy Avenger (1d12+5).
The fact that he cannot achive Grand Mastery is offset by the fact that
the proficiency chart was "nerfed" from BG to BG2, meaning that there
is only a difference of +1 to hit and +2 to damage between Specialized
and Grand Mastery. The Paladin makes this up when he uses two handed
weapon style as that gives +1 damage and doubles the chance of a
critical hit.

Paladins at level 9 can cast Priest spells. They only learn up to
level 4 spells and can only cast (at most) 3 per level. However, this
is more of a bonus than the feature. Lay On Hands allows you to
quickly heal ANYONE (unlike the Monk lay on hands, Paladins can heal
more than just themselves). And also unlike Monks (or Kensai) the
Paladin can wear any armor he pleases.

The +2 to saving throws is invaluable, as it helps keep the Paladin
from getting killed by Beholders and Mind Flayers. This bonus is
furthered along by the Paladin's Protection from Evil ability, which
gives another +2 to saving throws.

Con: First, the stats the Paladin must take are ludicrous. Paladins
require 12 STR, 9 CON, 13 WIS and 17 CHA. Paladins DO NOT gain extra
priest spells due to WIS, which makes that almost totally useless a
stat for them to have.

Pro Rebuttal: High WIS also results in good "magical defense"...
although I'm not entirely clear on how that helps you.

Due to the large number of stats that they MUST have, there are less
stats that can be stolen from to give to other stats. You can't drop
CHA down to 3 and give that to DEX, for example. You have to roll the
"dice" longer to get better rolls.

Pro Rebuttal: A point which doesn't really affect the Paladin's
performance in the game.

Yes, the Paladin can cast priest spells, but this is almost a wasted
ability. The paladin at best gets 3 spells per level to cast, which
won't allow you to do much of anything. Further, when a spell says
"does x damage/level", and your paladin is on level 15, it actually
considers you on level SIX for the purposes of spellcasting. The
Paladin doesn't gain spellcasting until level 9, at which point, he
is considered level ONE when casting spells. Very weak. A Paladin
will never ever replace a good Cleric.

Pro Rebuttal: He isn't there to REPLACE, he is there to SUPPORT.

Con Response: A high level cleric has more than enough spells per
level not to even need the support. If you have both
a high level cleric and paladin in your party, you
will almost NEVER use the paladin for the purposes of
spellcasting. At level 19, the cleric can cast 9
first level spells... does your party really need the
3 more your paladin could get you?

Also bear this in mind before becoming a Paladin, if at any time your
party's reputation dips below 10, your Paladin is considered "Fallen"
and loses all his special abilities.

Finally, if you want to become a Paladin, why not use one of the very
well done Kits? Inquisitor is a great kit, but you can also go for
the less "radical" Cavalier or Undead Slayer.

··Cavalier
----------

Grade: B+ ... Very versatile

Best Races: must be Human

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Two Handed Sword and Two Handed Style. This is due to the
Holy Avenger Sword, the best weapon in the game, and one that
only Paladins can wield.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

This class represents the most common picture of the knight: the gentleman
warrior who epitomizes honor, courage, and loyalty. He is specialized in
battling 'classical' evil monsters such as demons and dragons.

Advantages:
- Bonus +3 to hit and +3 damage against all demonic and draconic
creatures.
- May cast Remove Fear 1 time per day per level.
- Immune to fear and morale failure.
- Immune to poison.
- 20% resistance to fire.
- 20% resistance to acid.

Disadvantages:
- May not use missile weapons. (they CAN use throwing Axes, however)

Pro: First we'll start with the Cavalier's "disadvantage", that he cannot
use missile weapons. Why would you use a Paladin for missile attacks?
Paladins are frontline fighters! They have lots of HP, can wear the
best armors, and have the best melee weapon in the game, the Holy
Avenger. You want thieves, bards and mages stuck in the back throwing
objects at the enemy; you want the paladin up front smiting the foes
with his mighty greatsword.

The Cavalier is just like a Paladin, but with some very nice bonuses
to some of the most difficult enemies in the game: Demons and even more
so, Dragons. There are 3 evil dragons in the game to kill, and having
+3 to hit and damage against them is a great help. (There are more
demons, but they are quite a bit less difficult to defeat) Being
immune to fear is invaluable, as nothing is quite so annoying as
watching your party run around afraid (usually due to a spell),
dropping their weapons when they run. Cavalier's don't run, so they
won't drop their weapon. Further, if the rest of your party DOES get
"Feared", the Cavalier, who is immune to it, can cast Remove Fear to
restore the party to normal.

Con: Yes, the Cavalier is an overall improvement to the Paladin class.
However, as was stated above, there are only THREE dragons in the game.
Yes, dragons are somewhat difficult to defeat, but a +3 to hit and
damage bonus on ONE character probably won't make a deciding
difference. It will certainly help, but the rest of the party doesn't
get the bonus. Further, although there are more demons in the game,
they aren't that difficult to defeat (with the possible exception of
Pit Fiends). In the entire game, battles with Dragons and Demons
are about 3% of the total battles. Do you really want bonuses that
apply to only 3% of the game?

You're probably better off as an Undead Slayer or as an Inquisitor.

··Undead Slayer
---------------

Grade: A- ... Very versatile

Best Races: must be Human

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Two Handed Sword and Two Handed Style. This is due to the
Holy Avenger Sword, the best weapon in the game, and one that
only Paladins can wield.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

This holy avenger has honed his abilities towards the destruction of the
undead and other unnatural creatures, and is immune to many of their more
devastating abilities.

Advantages:
- +3 to hit and +3 damage vs. undead.
- Immune to hold.
- Immune to level drain.

Disadvantages:
- May not use Lay on Hands ability.

Pro: There are many more Undead in the game (especially Vampires) than there
are Dragons, which makes the Undead Slayer a more logical choice in
the game. He gains +3 to hit and damage vs. ALL undead, is immune
to Hold and Level Drain (one of the more annoying effects of vampires
and other undead, drops your character temporarily by a level or two).
Losing "Lay On Hands" is no great sacrifice as your party should still
have a good cleric, and losing one healing spell won't be that great of
a loss.

Con: Immunity to Hold and Level drain is good, but not great. Hold is one
of the easiest spells to dispel as it usually effects only one person
at a time. That makes it easy to have the mage quickly cast Dispel
Magic and remove the Hold. Level drain never really affected me all
that adversely in any of the games I played. Sometimes I lost many
levels (4 or 5) to vampires, but it didn't really affect my ability to
whack them mercilessly. Plus, Level Drain is easily reversible with
the Cleric spell Lesser Restoration.

Having +3 vs. undead is still too limiting since you won't just be
fighting undead, and when you are not, this character is even WEAKER
than a paladin. (no Lay on Hands)

··Inquisitor
------------

Grade: A ... Very versatile, the best paladin class

Best Races: must be Human

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Two Handed Sword and Two Handed Style. This is due to the
Holy Avenger Sword, the best weapon in the game, and one that
only Paladins can wield.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

The inquisitor has dedicated his life to finding and eliminating
practitioners of evil magic and defeating the forces of darkness, and his
god has provided him with special abilities towards that end.

Advantages:
- May use Dispel Magic ability once per day per 4 levels (starts at 1st
level with one use). The ability is used at a speed factor of 1 and
acts at twice his actual level.
- May cast True Sight once per day per 4 levels (starts at 1st level with
one use).
- Immune to Hold and Charm spells.

Disadvantages:
- May not use Lay on Hands ability.
- May not cast priest spells.
- May not turn undead.
- May not use Cure Disease ability.

Pro: At first glance you might not see how I justify the Inquisitor as the
best Paladin Kit. We'll start at the disadvantages and explain how
those aren't really. First, Cure Disease. There are not that many
times in the game that you will get diseased. Further, disease is not
that devastating an effect. It damages a character far less than
poison, so your character may take 5-10 HP damage. Plus, if you have
a Cleric, that should be able to cover it. Second, no priest spells.
Again having a good cleric means that you don't need the extra 3 spells
at all. A good high level cleric can cast 7-9 spells per level, and
having an extra 3 is nice, but not at all necessary. Even if you had
the extra spells, you might never even use them. Lay on Hands is just
a one-shot healing spell. Losing Turn Undead isn't good, but again a
Cleric does Turn Undead better. You don't need two people who can
Turn Undead, it isn't a cumulative effect.

So, since the disadvantages aren't really that bad, that leaves us with
the advantages. First you are immune to Hold and Charm, preventing
almost totally your paladin from being taken magically out of the
battle. But the best advantages are the other two, being able to cast
Dispel Magic at twice his ACTUAL level and True Sight. Since he can
cast Dispel Magic at twice his level, that makes him the best magic
dispeller in the game. He can dispel the most trickiest of
enchantments from the best of wizards. If everyone suddenly gets
Charmed or Held, he can quickly dispel it. Combine this with True
Sight, which dispels illusions (Invisibility, Shadow Door, Mirror
Image) and the Inquisitor is a great anti-mage warrior, freeing your
mage up to cast offensive spells instead.

Con: Admittedly, the disadvantages are not that big a deal. Yes, it is
nice to be able to cast Priest spells, but hardly necessary for this
character. However, the Dispel Magic ability, the cornerstone of what
makes the Inquisitor great, is a two-edged sword. Yes, it will remove
all negative enchantments on your party, and all positive enchantments
on the enemy. It will also remove all of your positive enchantments
as well. Did you haste the party? Well that's gone. Protection from
Evil? That's gone too. Using such a mighty Dispel Magic is like using
a Cloudkill, you must aim it right in order to avoid harming your own
party.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranger
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: C+ ... If you want a ranger, go with a Kit or multiclass

Best Races: Human, Elf or Half-Elf. I'd take an Elf if you want a plain
Ranger as they get bonuses to Swords and Bows, and also have
high DEX scores, which brings another bonus to bows.

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Since you already start with 2 points in 2 weapon style, use
the rest of your points on whichever weapon you want to dual
wield, such as Scimitars or Long Swords. Probably should
also take a few points in Short Bows.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

The ranger is a hunter and a woodsman. He is skilled with weapons and is
knowledgeable in tracking and woodcraft. The ranger often protects and
guides lost travelers and honest peasant-folk. A ranger needs to be strong
and wise in the ways of nature to live a full life.

Advantages:
- Racial Enemy (bonus to hit and damage when fighting that enemy)
- Weapon Specialization (2 points in proficiencies)
- Stealth (can hide in shadows)
- Can cast Charm Person/Mammal
- Can cast Druid spells at level 8

Disadvantages:
- Must be human or half-elven
- Must be of a Good alignment. If your reputation drops below 10, you
lose your special abilities.

Pro: The Ranger is sort of a cross between a fighter and a druid. He gets
the extra attacks and good THAC0 of a fighter, and gets the druid
spells at level 8. His fighting abilities may seem lesser than a
normal fighter, (can't get past 2 * in proficiency) however this is
slightly offset by two things: 1) automatically starts with 2 * in
2 weapon style, meaning you can spend your points elsewhere;
2) proficiencies are quite a bit weaker in BG2 than they were in BG.
(Between 2 * and 5 * in a weapon, you gain +1 to hit and +1 to damage,
that is it)

The Ranger also has the Racial Enemy, which is set by you at the
beginning. This bonus gives you a +4 bonus to your attack rolls
(essentially a +4 to hit and damage) whenever you fight that type of
monster. Say, you pick Vampires to be your racial enemy. Then
whenever you fight a vampire, you get that +4 bonus. By the way,
the best Racial Enemy to pick in the game is probably Vampire. This
is very similar (albeit better) to what the Cavalier and Undead Slayer
Paladin kits get as bonuses, except you get to pick what enemy you
want the bonus for. If you CHOSE Dragon, you would get a better bonus
than the Cavalier got for Dragons.

Since the Ranger can cast Druid spells at level 8 (very nearly the
level you start the game at) you can probably get away with not even
having a Druid in the party, and going for Clerics instead. The
Ranger's spellcasting is considerably weaker than a normal Druid (or
even a Paladin), but you won't need to cast that many Druid spells
anyway.

Con: The Racial Enemy is nice, but since you won't be using it that much it
hardly is a great decider in becoming this class. Typically you use
Racial Enemy on the monster that gives you the MOST trouble, of which
there are very few. And what would you choose, anyway? Dragons?
Liches? Vampires? Of those, Vampires are the most plentiful, but
they're hardly that great a threat. Liches would probably be the
wisest choice, but hitting a lich depends more on your mage getting
his defenses lowered, than on a +4 bonus to THAC0.

As for spellcasting, the Ranger is the weakest of all spellcasters.
He can cast only up to level 3 Druid spells, getting 3 spells to cast
a level. That is at the END of the game, for most of the game he'll
hardly have any spells to cast at all. And he misses ALL of the good
Druid spells, such as Summon Fire Elemental. Your Ranger will be
learning Cure Light Wounds, when your Cleric is learning Heal and
other spells that make the Ranger's abilities obsolete. Who needs to
heal 4 HP or so, when you can COMPLETELY heal a target? If you want
the Druid spells so badly, start with a True Neutral Human Kensai
(15 STR, 17 WIS & CHA) and dual to a Druid at level 9. At that point
you get +3 to hit and damage, which is considerably better than the
Racial Enemy bonus (it applies to ALL monsters, rather than specific
monsters). Since Druids level up very fast, you'll only need 125,000
experience to get to level 10 and reactivate the Kensai abilities.
You will then have a better warrior AND a better spellcaster. (by the
way, it takes 600,000 experience to reach level 10 as a Ranger)

Finally, if you really want a Ranger, go for the Ranger/Cleric. They
have MUCH better spellcasting, and still have all the good qualities
of the Ranger. (see below)

Useful Multiclasses:

Ranger/Cleric -- Gets all Druid AND Cleric spells, and is a better fighter
A than any Cleric. Much more powerful magically as well
since he is the only character that can cast ALL priest
spells. Use War Hammers for the Crom Faeyr at the end of
the game.

··Archer
--------

Grade: A- ... The best Ranger kit

Best Races: Human, Elf or Half-Elf. I'd take an Elf as they get bonuses to
Swords and Bows, and also have high DEX scores, which brings
another bonus to bows.

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Go for Grand Master in Short Bows (for the Tansheron's and
Gesen's short bows which require no ammunition), however you
could just as easily go for Long Bows, Crossbows or Slings.
As long as it is a missile type weapon, the Archer excels in
it. You probably will want to also learn a melee weapon
(Long Sword, Two Handed Sword, whatever) and either Single
Weapon Style or Two Handed style.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

The archer is the epitome of skill with the bow. He is the ultimate
marksman, able to make almost any shot, no matter how difficult. To become
so skilled with the bow, the archer has had to sacrifice some of his
proficiency with melee weapons and armor.

Advantages:
- +1 to hit and +1 to damage with any missile weapon for every 3 levels
of experience.
- Every 4 levels he gains the ability to make a called shot once per day.
When he activates this ability, any shot made within the next 10
seconds is augmented in the following manner (according to the level of
the archer):
- 4th level: -1 to THACO of target
- 8th level: -1 to save vs magic of target
- 12th: -1 to strength of target
- 16th: +2 bonus to damage

Disadvantages:
- An archer can only become proficient in melee weapons; he may never
specialize.
- An archer cannot wear any metal armor.

Pro: The Archer is THE missile weapons expert in the game. He gains +1 to
hit and damage every 3 levels, making him like the Kensai, but with
bows instead of swords. This works out to a +5 to hit and damage
bonus by the end of the game. Now, say you have an Elven Archer (+1
to hit and damage with bows) with 19 DEX (+3 to hit and damage with
bows) and you get a +9 to hit and damage bonus by the end of the game!
Even at the start you get the +6 to hit and damage bonus. Not only
will your archer be able to snipe off anything he pleases, but he'll
probably kill most things before they ever get to your party.

Further the Archer has the Called Shot, which has some pretty cool
cumulative effects. At 4th level it will drop the THAC0 of the target
when hit. Now that monster has a harder time hurting your party.
8th level you drop their save vs. magic, now your mages can affect
them with charms, or whatnot. Each effect is cumulative to the one
before, so at 16th level, you do ALL the effects (-1 to opponent
THAC0, save vs. magic, STR and +2 to your damage). Called Shots last
10 seconds, which is 1.66 rounds. If you have 3 attacks per round
you will get of 5 "called" shots in that time period.

Con: The Archer is limited to being JUST a ranged supporter of the party.
His melee abilities are not much better than a Thief, and so he will
never be anything but an Archer. What happens when he runs out of
arrows? What happens if the enemy starts attacking you point-blank?
You are in some serious trouble.

This problem is compounded by the lack of armor that an Archer can
wear: no metal armor! He can wear any LEATHER armor, but no chainmail
splintmail or platemail! Thusly the best armor he can wear is the
Shadow Dragon scale, which counts as a leather armor. Hope you have
no one else who needs the armor, as there is only one. Further, you
have to fight a Shadow Dragon to get it! Since your Archer is using
a bow, he can't wear a shield, meaning his AC is going to be high. If
there are enemy archers fighting you, your Archer is going to take a
hit.

Pro Rebuttal: Enemy archers tend to attack the person with the least
HP and/or your mage. The Archer should have plenty
of HP to avoid getting targetted. And having a bad
AC doesn't matter if you aren't on the frontline
getting attacked.

Con Response: And if the frontline collapses and the Archer is
attacked at melee? He is quite a bit worse off than
an actual fighter.

··Beastmaster
-------------

Grade: B- ... An odd conjurer-type of Ranger

Best Races: Human, Elf or Half-Elf. I'd take an Elf as they get bonuses to
Swords and Bows, and also have high DEX scores, which brings
another bonus to bows.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

This ranger is a wanderer, and is not comfortable in civilized lands. He
maintains a natural affinity for animals; they are his friends and
comrades-in-arms, and the Beast Master has a limited form of telepathic
communication with them.

Advantages:
- +15% to stealth ability
- Enhanced spell ability with regard to the following spells:
- May cast the 4th level druid spell Animal Summoning I at 8th level.
- May cast Animal Summoning II at 10th level.
- May cast Animal Summoning III at 12th level.
- May cast "Find Familiar" to get a familiar

Disadvantages:
- Cannot use metal weapons (such as swords, halberds, hammers or morning
stars).

Pro: One thing that wasn't mentioned in the manual or in the game's kit
information for the Beastmaster is the fact that the Beastmaster can
cast (from the Special Abilities menu) the spell Find Familiar. This
works just like the Mage version, giving your character a little friend
and the bonus HP as well. This spell is very useful, so it is
surprising that they don't mention it.

The Beastmaster, in addition to the normal first 3 levels of druid
spells, can also cast 3 higher level druid spells, the 3 animal
summoning spells. Using these you can increase your little force to
an army. Remember you can only have 5 summoned monsters at a time.

Con: Animal Summoning is among the weakest of the summoning spells, giving
you creatures with small AC, attacks and so forth. In other words,
don't expect a big offensive boost from having these creatures. Mostly
you can simply use them as extra bodies to throw at other monsters.
They won't help you kill the monster, but they will help keep the
monster from killing you. (He'll be too busy killing your animals)

More disturbingly, the Beastmaster cannot use metal weapons. That
limits him to using Clubs, Quarterstaffs, Bows, Darts and Slings. If
you plan to use the Beastmaster as an Archer, this isn't a problem,
but if you need a melee warrior, you are in trouble. There just aren't
that many good Clubs in the game, and most the Quarterstaffs are for
Clerics, Mages or Druids, very few for Rangers.

··Stalker
---------

Grade: B ... An odd mage-type of Ranger

Best Races: Human, Elf or Half-Elf. I'd take an Elf as they get bonuses to
Swords and Bows, and also have high DEX scores, which brings
another bonus to bows.

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Go for Grand Master in Short Bows (for the Tansheron's and
Gesen's short bows which require no ammunition), however you
could just as easily go for Long Bows, Crossbows or Slings.
Also you will want to also learn a melee weapon (Long Sword,
Two Handed Sword, whatever) and either Single Weapon Style or
Two Handed style.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

Stalkers serve as covert intelligence gatherers, comfortable in both
wilderness and urban settings. They are the spies, informants, and
interrogators, and their mastery of stealth makes them deadly opponents.

Advantages:
- +20% to stealth ability
- May backstab for a lesser amount than the thief class (level 1-8: x1,
level 9-16: x2, level 17+: x3)
- Has access to three mage spells at 12th level. They are Haste,
Protection from Normal Missiles and Minor Spell Deflection.

Disadvantages:
- May not wear armor greater than studded leather.

Pro: The Stalker is a Ranger with some thieving abilities thrown in (can
backstab) as well as a few mage spells as well. The result is strange.
The Stalker's main attack should probably be to hide in shadows, then
backstabe the enemy. At the later levels (12) when he gains his mage
spells, you can Haste yourself, and cast the other protections as well.

Con: The Stalker, due to his sneaky nature, must wear no armor greater than
leather armor. This would normally not be a problem, except that it
prohibits him from wearing any decent armor. Again, the best armor
to be worn is the Shadow Dragon Scale, that all-purpose AC 1 leather
armor.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorcerer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: B ... A strange version of the mage.

Best Races: I'd go with Elf, but that's just me.

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: Go for Quarterstaffs then Daggers and Slings.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 17

General Information:

Sorcerers are practitioners of magic who were born with the innate ability
to cast spells. It is thought that the blood of some powerful creature
flows through their veins; perhaps they are the spawn of the gods
themselves, or even dragons walking in humanoid form. Regardless the
Sorcerer's magic is intuitive rather than logical. They know fewer spells
than mages, and acquire spells more slowly, but they can cast spells more
often and have no need to select and prepare spells ahead of time.
Sorcerers cannot specialize in magic the way mages do.

Advantages:
- Spellcasting without memorization
- Automatically learn spells

Disadvantages:
- Cannot wear armor
- Knows fewer spells than the mage
- Cannot learn spells from scrolls

Pro: The strength of the Sorcerer (as opposed to the mage) is in his
versatility. Sorcerers do not need to memorize spells ahead of time,
they are simply given a set number of times they can cast spells.
For example, by the end of the game, you will get 6 castings per spell
level. In a battle, you might use all 6 level 1 castings on Magic
Missiles or Chromatic Orbs, or out of battle you could use 6
identifies. There is no need to re-memorize spells for different
tasks, as long as you know the spell, you can cast it.

Another benefit is that you don't have to learn spells from a scroll.
When you go up in level, and can learn new spells, you simply pick from
the ENTIRE list of spells on that level. This means that some rare
spells (Summon Hakeashar, etc.) are not at all rare for the Sorcerer
to get.

In comparison to a regular mage, the sorcerer can cast more spells per
spell level / character level. For example, right from the start a
sorcerer can cast 3 level 4 spells while a normal mage might just be
limited to one. (Chris Swartz)

Con: At best the Sorcerer can know (at most) FIVE spells per spell level.
What if there are 7 spells in a level you want? Then you must pick and
choose. This often leads to having a very specialized spell list.
Usually the sorcerer finds himself unable to get a lot of good spells,
and so focuses on a few great spells. So, you might end out with
nothing but protective and protection-removing spells, while a mage
gets 14+ spells per spell level to learn and can cast offensive and
summoning spells as well. In other words, the Sorcerer will not have
enough SPELLS in his spellbook to be powerful. Further, if you pick a
BAD spell, you are stuck with it!

Pro Rebuttal: Sorcerers can still cast directly from Scrolls. Most
times this will counter the fact that you have less
spells to choose from. Those rare spells that you
need to cast only once or twice can then be cast from
scroll, rather than wasting a full slot on it.
(Limited Wish comes to mind here)

As far as picking a BAD spell goes: 1) You might
learn how to use that spell effectively, and 2) With
a little planning, you will know what spells to take.

Also not being able to learn spells from scrolls has another negative
impact: the loss of experience from learning spells. (Chris Swartz)

Consider it another way: Almost no one playing BG2 will know the ins
and outs of every spell. Even if you have played the game before,
there are still probably many spells you never used. This goes up
exponentially at the higher levels where you have very little time to
learn how to use these very cool spells. At the end of the game, your
Sorcerer can pick a mere TWO level 8 spells to cast. TWO! There are
13 level 8 spells to pick from. Without intimate of these 13 spells,
how do you propose to choose which spells you want? I might recommend
one spell, say, Abi Dalzim, but you might not play well with area
effect spells (maybe your people keep wandering into it). If you
listened to a recommendation like that, you'd get a spell that while
useful, might not be useful to YOU.

Another factor weighing against the Sorcerer is the fact that they
cannot multi- or dual-class. This means that they will always have
fewer HP, STR and all the good stats of anyone else. A Fighter/Mage
is still a better choice. You get to learn more spells, and are a much
better offensive machine.

Pro Rebuttal: True the sorcerer cannot dual in BG II, but magic is
so important in this game that you are really not at
any disadvantage having one character soley devoted to
being a magic user. (Chris Swartz)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thief
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade: C- ... Useful in a variety of situations, but kits are better

Best Races: I'd go with a Halfling as they get better thieving abilities.
If you want to dual later to a mage, go with Human.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

To accomplish his goals, for good or ill, the thief is a skilled pilferer.
Cunning, nimbleness and stealth are his hallmarks. Whether he turns his
talent against innocent passers-by and wealthy merchants or oppressors and
monsters is a choice for the thief to make. There are seven thief
abilities in Baldur's Gate II. At first level a thief character will
receive 30 points to allocate among his abilities. Every level thereafter
he will gain an extra 25 points. Thieving abilities are also improved
by DEX and Race bonuses.

Advantages:
- Thieving Abilities: Open Locks, Find Traps, Pick Pockets, Move
Silently, Hide in Shadows, Detect Illusions and Set Traps.

Disadvantages:
- Cannot be Lawful Good
- Cannot wear armor greater than Studded Leather, or Bucklers
- Limited weaponry choices, can only be proficient

Pro: Thieves are 100% necessary in Baldur's Gate II. There are just too
many traps to be found out, doors to be unlocked, and so forth to be
able to go through the game without a good thief. Also, the game only
provides one pure thief NPC, so your best chance of getting the best
thieving abilities, is to create your own thief.

SPOILERS BELOW

Little Bear offers more Pro-Thief arguments: I found my imported
character from BG to be incredibly powerful. She's a fighter dual
classed over to a thief early in BG (didn't use any kits importing, so
my benefits were mostly higher HP, a better THAC0 and weapon mastery).
Maxing out thief abilities is not a bad thing. Backstab (Hide in
Shadows/Move Silently) is still very powerful in this game. Once I
found the boots of speed, my character was the ultimate strike and fade
assault team, typically cleaning out areas while the rest of the party
napped down the hall. Illithids, vampires, and mages all can be
backstabbed before defensive contingencies kick in, just watch out for
True Seeing. Setting traps is wonderful, as has already been noted, but
there are still fights after you lose Yoshimo (who I didn't keep in my
party anyway). Traps ended the fight with Irenicus in Suldanessellar
before it even started - he died before he had a chance to attack my
party. The final battle with the Slayer was a breeze after traps
knocked it down to Badly Injured. With Find/Remove Traps I never took
any trap damage unless I was not expecting to have to search for one.
I don't think I even need to mention the benefits of Open Locks.
Pickpocketing can usually net you some nice treasures. Detect Illusion
was the only skill I didn't use much, but I typically brought my other
skills up to 120+ to account for difficulty modifiers, so it never got
very high until the end of the game.

END SPOILER

Little Bear continues: My only "tough" battles were with things I
couldn't backstab (beholders and dragons mostly) or before I started
getting decent equipment (Kangaxx). Once your thief gets the boots of
speed, a damage booster (magic weapon, girdle of strength, etc.), and
some magic protection, you could almost play the game solo. In fact,
once I had the cloak of spell reflection and a scroll of magic
protection (Elder Orbs' Imprisonment spell bypasses the cloak), I
pretty much cleaned house in the beholder city by my lonesome.

Con: Yes, but a plain thief is not the way to do it. All the kits are
better, also a multi/dual class thief is better as well. After a
certain point you don't NEED any more thieving abilities, and
continuing to gain thieving levels does nothing but increase those.
After 100 open locks points, do you really need more? Not really. So,
start with a thief, then dual later to a mage, or fighter, once your
abilities have gotten as high as you'd like them.

Useful Multiclasses:
Fighter/Thief -- I'd start with a fighter, get Grand Mastery in Short Bows,
B+ and immediately dual to Thief (also works as
Kensai/Thief). Dualling is the ONLY way to get Grand
Mastery. We do it from Fighter to Thief as you level up
in thief faster than fighter, so you will regain your
abilities quicker.
Thief/Mage -- A very fun class, combines thieving abilities with mage
B+ abilities. I'd start with a human swashbuckler and dual
at level 10 to mage. Use bracers as your armor, and then
wear a Robe. Just make sure to get good thieving
abilities before dualling out. I would ignore Hide in
Shadows and Move Silently, but that's just me.
Thief/Cleric -- A more rare multiclass than the others as less races can
B do it. Try the Half-Orc Thief/Cleric for some fun. This
way you can still wear armor.

··Bounty Hunter
---------------

Grade: B ... A thief who likes to set snares

Best Races: I'd go with a Halfling as they get better thieving abilities.
If you want to dual later to a mage, go with Human.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

This is a hunter of men, skilled in tracking quarry and bringing them back
alive--whether for lawful authorities or underworld masters. Bounty Hunters
are specially trained at their task and make fearsome opponents. They have
honed their trap-making abilities well beyond that of the average thief.

Advantages:
- +15% to set traps.
- He can lay special traps (other than the ones that all thieves receive).
The traps are more powerful than the typical thief trap, and the effect
varies according to the level. The effects are listed below:
- 1st: The trap deals out damage and slows the target (if save is
failed).
- 11th: The trap holds the target if a save is failed.
- 16th: The trap erects an Otiluke's Resilient Sphere around the
target (if a save is failed).
- 21st: The trap Mazes the target.

Disadvantages:
- Gets only 20 to distribute between thief abilities each level.

Pro: One of the most useful tricks that the thief has in killing Mega-
Monsters (dragons and liches come to mind) is the set traps ability.
This ability is most useful because it is indefensible, i.e. it always
hits its target. The Bounty Hunter gets 2x the number of traps to
set, the normal traps and special traps. You can see what the bonus
traps do above.

Bounty Hunters also make for great dual-classed characters, after level
11 when you gain the special trap that Holds the target.

Con: Bounty Hunters lose 5 thieving points per level. There are 7 separate
thieving abilities, and you only start with 30 points (plus however
the abilities normally default). In other words, your Bounty Hunter
will HAVE to drop several abilities just to keep the important ones.
You will likely HAVE to focus on just: Find Traps, Open Locks and
Set Traps.

Secondly, the bonuses on the "special" traps are really lame. The
monsters that you really want to use the traps on (Dragons again)
probably won't be held by it. And getting 2x the number of traps is
near useless since you can just rest to restore your Set Traps ability,
and all your traps will still be there.

··Assassin
----------

Grade: C+ ... A thief who likes to poison his target

Best Races: I'd go with a Halfling as they get better thieving abilities.
If you want to dual later to a mage, go with Human.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

This is a killer trained in discrete and efficient murder, relying on
anonymity and surprise to perform his task. Assassins must be of Evil or
Chaotic Neutral alignment.

Advantages:
- May coat his weapon in poison once per day per 4 levels. The next hit
with that weapon will inject the poison into the target, dealing out 1
damage per second for 24 seconds (3 damage for the first 6 seconds).
A saving throw vs. poison limits damage to 12 total.
- Bonus +1 to hit and +1 damage.
- Gets a x7 max backstab (rather than the Thieves normal x5)

Disadvantages:
- Only 15 points per level to distribute on abilities.

Pro: The assassin's poison will kill anything that you can successfully hit,
whether his weapon can hurt the enemy or not. This can work
wonderfully when your weapon normally would not do you any good (say
you were fighting Kangaxx), and your poison would then do all your
work for you.

Unlike what the description says, the poison will work for the next 24
seconds, anything you hit in that time period is then poisoned, which
is quite a bit more useful.

Mike Lee adds this: Assassin Poison does not damage its target on the
next hit, it acts like the Kensai Kiai, while the Poison Weapon ability
is on all hits poison, including magical effects like Flame Blade,
Seeker Sword, or Melf's Minute Meteors. Poison works completely
differently than they describe as well. Each hit delivers a random
amount of poison status effects, generally from 1-4 from what I've
seen. Each status effect poisons, and you can save vs. each effect.
You can also activate your poison weapon ability multiple times to
double, triple, or quintiple your poison delivered per hit. Some of
this probably changed in the patch.

Con: Losing 10 thieving points per level makes the assassin a pretty poor
thief. Either you can focus on 2 or 3 abilities, or you have poor
ratings in all abilities. Either way, the assassin is not a very good
thief at all.

As for the poison ability, yes it is a useful way to add in some extra
damage, but it just isn't that useful. It doesn't improve in power
as you go up in level (unlike other abilities). Thieves (with the
exception of the Swashbuckler) make lousy frontline fighters, and
forcing him to the front is a bad decision, just for a few extra damage
points spread out over 24 seconds.

Pro Rebuttal: That would be when you hide in shadows, backstab the
target, and let the poison do your work for you.

From Chaoshunter: Assassins are a very good class,
despite what some people think. Assassins aren't meant
to be frontline fighters. They're made to be
mage/cleric killers. With poison and a x7 backstab
multiplier, you'll practically kill every mage and
cleric in 1 hit. I've done over 110 non-critical
backstab damage with a Celestial Fury multiple times.

Con Response: Because the Assassin only gets 15 thieving points
per level, if he has enough points to hide in the
shadows successfully, he won't have many points in
the more important Find Traps and Unlock Doors. You
cannot trade those NECESSARY skills for a little
better offense.

··Swashbuckler
--------------

Grade: B+ ... Almost a fighter/thief already

Best Races: I'd go with a Halfling as they get better thieving abilities.
If you want to dual later to a mage, go with Human. If you
think of the Swashbuckler as more of a fighter than a thief,
make him a Half-Orc.

Best Weapon
Proficiencies: I'd take as many points as possible in short bows, and
whatever melee weapon you like. Then go for Single Weapon
style. When you switch from your bow to your melee weapon
you get the AC bonus. Also you may want to devote 3 points
to Two Weapon style as the Swashbuckler is one of the few
classes that can get 3 points there.

Max Level w/
Experience Cap: 23

General Information:

This rogue is part acrobat, part swordsman, and part wit: the epitome of
charm and grace.

Advantages:
- Bonus +1 to AC.
- Another +1 to AC for every 5 levels.
- +1 to hit and damage every 5 levels.
- May specialize in any weapon that a thief can use
- May place three stars in two-weapon fighting style proficiency

Disadvantages:
- No backstab multiplier.

Pro: In several ways, the Swashbuckler is a better warrior than a fighter.
He gains +1 to AC every 5 levels, so while a fighter starts out with
10 AC (before DEX and armor), the Swashbuckler has 9. At level 10
this goes to 8, 15 goes to 7 and 20 goes to 6 (still before armor and
DEX). This AC bonus is coupled with a +1 to hit and damage, which
applied 4 times is +4 to hit and damage by the end of the game. Not
as good as the Kensai's bonus, but then again, the Swashbuckler isn't
a Fighter either.

Also, unlike a thief, the Swashbuckler can SPECIALIZE in a weapon
(2 * proficiency) to get an extra +1 to hit and +2 to damage. That is
a huge bonus. The difference between "Proficient" (what normal thieves
get) and "Specialized" (what Swashbucklers get) is greater than the
difference between the fighter's Grand Mastery and Specialized.
Combine this with the first bonuses, and over a normal thief, the
Swashbuckler gets +5 to hit and +6 damage by the end of the game. (If
he is using a weapon he can specialize in) Even at the start of the
game this bonus would be +2 and +3.

And the Swashbuckler can fight well two handed. He is one of the very
few classes (Fighters, Blades, Rangers, Paladins, Barbarians and
Swashbucklers) that CAN get 3 stars in Two Weapon style. This makes 2
weapon fighting very feasible and powerful, giving the Swashbuckler a
good extra attack.

If you want a Pure Thief, the Swashbuckler is the way to go. And if
you do it that way, be sure to take a Halfling Swashbuckler with 19
DEX.

Con: Anyone who likes to backstab will HATE the swashbuckler. Backstabbing
by the end of the game can get up to 5x damage, and you can backstab
as many times as you can hit the target before the Hide in Shadows
wears off (which takes 1 round, or 6 seconds to do). Imagine what you
could do with 5 attacks in one round... that is the same thing as a 5x
backstab.

An alternative to the Swashbuckler is to start with a Human Kensai and
dual at level 9 to a thief. This nets you +3 to hit and damage, can
get you Grand Mastery (+2 to hit and +3 to damage) and you could still
backstab for incredible damages.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Arguments
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
··Fighter/Mage/Thief (by Rolander)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fighter/Mage/Thief (preferably elf)

Pros:
The ultimate Swiss Army Knife of BG2:
All fighter mages can tank with the best of them, and then some. Using
spells he can reach AC -1 with Ghost Armor and Blur, AC -5 with Dex
18/19. This is before equipment modifiers (shields, rings of protection,
anything except armour). Then his tanking ability is enhanced with the
spells Mirror Image and Stoneskin. In fact against the harder hitting
monsters like Dragons, a fighter/mage will last longer than any of the
pure fighter classes, since each image/skin of Mirror Image/Stoneskin
absorbs 1 blow. Image how long it will take for a dragon to work through
all the images/skins, considering the fighter/mage can match the AC of
the pure fighters AND recast those protective spells on the fly 2-3
times.

One of the most effective backstabbers, losing only to the
Fighter/Kensai-dual-Thief or assassin. The F/M/T can reach thief level
14 at the end = x5 backstab damage. Then he also has weapon
specialization to boost his damage potential.

The true 1-man commando. The F/M/T combines the lesser abilities of 3
classes into 1 charactor, enabling him to backup any of the 3 classes as
the situation demands and, toward the later game, granting him with
enough self-reliance to blow through lesser situations alone. He can
remove traps, he can backstab, he can skirmish, he can cast mage spells.
About the only thing he lacks is priest spells. No other class has such
versatility.

Little point have a multi-class fighter/mage, fighter/thief or mage/thief
when you can have a fighter/mage/thief. Consider the skill levels at
start and end.

F/M : 6/6 to 13/13
F/T : 6/7 to 13/16
M/T : 6/7 to 13/16
F/M/T : 5/5/6 to 11/12/14

The lesser 1-2 levels per class is more than compensated by the
additional class's abilities. (the F/M/T loses out via -2 to THACO, 1
weapon proficency slot, 50 thief skill points and 1 lesser spell slot at
mage levels 1,2,3 & 6).

Cons:
Jack-Of-All-Trades, Master-Of-None:
He will never gain an outstanding THACO; fighter level 11 limits him to
base THACO of 10. He can only cast level 6 mage spells toward the end of
the game, and never touch level 7 and above. He has limited thief skill
points; early only he can only max out 2-3 skill areas, and toward the end
he'll have enough for only 4-5.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
··Single Player Party Strategies
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baldur's Gate II - Alternative Party Forming Strategy v1.0
By - Anthony Bevivino ([email protected]) 2/1/01

There are constant debates as to which single/kit/multi/dual class is the
'most powerful' or 'best' for beating BG2 in single player mode. None of
which is the reason for me writing this strategy guide. While it is true
that some character classes have more plusses than others, it is entirely
possible to whip BG2 with a Jester or a Totemic Druid, as easily as it is
with a dualled Kensai-Mage. When I thought about how to plan out my party
for my second time through the game, I thought about it from a pen & paper
role-playing gamer's point of view, and not just as a computer gamer. If you
really want to max out your numbers, then this is not for you. But, if you
are looking for a total party building strategy, then read on.

If we simplify, there are FOUR basic classes: Fighter (F), Cleric (C),
Magic-User (M), and Thief (T). Each of the sub-specialties, kits, and misc.
classes fall under these headings (i.e. a Barbarian is a F). Then there are
Multi and Dual class, which are just combinations of the four basics, with
Multi able to increase in all 2 or 3 of its classes, and Dual able to advance
in only one of its two.

There are 16 NPCs in the game, which I will sort by basic class. While it is
important to know that Keldorn is a Paladin and Cernd is a Shapeshifter, for
my purposes they are considered as a F and C, respectively.

Single - Class Multi - Class Dual - Class
Minsc - F Jaheira - F/C Imoen - T/M*
Keldorn - F Aerie - C/M Nalia - T/M*
Korgan - F Jan - T/M Anomen - F/C*
Valygar - F
Mazzy - F * = class that character
levels up in
Viconia - C
Cernd - C

Edwin - M

Yoshimo - T
Haer'Dalis - T

Editor's Note: Haer'Dalis can hardly be considered a thief: he has
access only to the pickpocket ability, and that is at 1/4
value.

Using this data I will attempt to explain how I think about a successful
single player party. The most important thing in an RPG is to be happy with
'your' character. I never enjoyed playing Fighters -- and I never will -- so
even if the game is 10 times easier to beat with a Fighter/Paladin/Ranger
type, I won't enjoy it as much if I play that character. Lucky for us the
makers of BG2 designed a lot of flexibility into the game!

In order to play the game in a balanced manner, you must have a variety of
classes. This is both for the abilities of that class (fighting, spells,
traps, etc.) and to use the magic items that you find. As you progress
further into the game, you will need better weapons, spells, armor, etc. in
order to win the battles. Having a party that contains 6 single classed
fighters will not get you very far, as traps will zap you, chests will stay
locked, mages will fry you, and no one will be around to heal you. In
addition, there are only so many top-of-the-line magic weapons and armor, so
you will have a tough time giving all your fighters great armor and weapons,
and you will also have to throw away some awesome magic items because you
don't have the appropriate class to use them. Note that the example with 6
fighters is extreme, but it illustrates my point.

There are 6 slots for your party, 1 for you, and 5 for NPCs. I feel that a 6
person party should have 2 F, 1 C, 1 T, 1 M, and 1 of your choice. Based on
my first experience through the game, and looking at the magic items
available, I think that you need two front-line Fighters to beat the game, if
you have 1 poor slob up front he will be dead before your arrows and spells
can kill your enemies. There are just too many great magic weapons to
not have two Fighter-types.

The real joy of playing comes from your choice of characters. When I
built my party, I thought about what class I wanted to play and then who I
wanted to finish the game with, and chose my party based on that. The
'players choice' slot was used for the NPC-of-the-day, as I like to do all
the quests before settling on my final party and leaving Athkatla.

SLIGHT SPOILER - the 'players choice' slot is left open for Imoen, who
functions as an M for my party. I think that Imoen is
integral to the storyline and is meant to be with your party
through the game. Again, play as you like.

If you are looking for pure high-level spells there is only one single class
Magic-User, Edwin, and one single class Cleric, Viconia. There are lots of
Fighter-types to choose from; and, between Yoshimo, Jan, and Imoen you will
always have a Thief around with enough abilities to Find & Remove Traps. I
will leave it to you to decide how useful Cernd is as a Druid spellcaster for
your party. I love having him around as a Greater Werewolf since he becomes
a great fighter to have for a while. With the EXP cap and the level 14 limit
for Druids, Jaheira can get up there in levels and swing a mean scimitar. I
like the increased offensive spells of Druids, and when I read that they
don't have the best healing spells and protective spells, I just remember
that a dead enemy can't hurt me. If you like Druids more than Clerics, then
go for it!

Editor's Note: As far as Jaheira is concerned, she is better than other
Druids as she can raise the dead (see Harper's Call).

When I think about spell caster requirements, I also think about using the
Multi or Dual NPCs. Keep in mind that Aerie will never cast high level
spells like Edwin or Viconia since she splits her EXP. You do not need to
cast the highest level spells to beat the game (see scrolls), so as long
as you choose a party wisely, using Multi or Dual class spellcasters will
work fine -- as long as you take advantage of their other abilities. For
example if all you want Anomen for is to hang in the back and cast spells,
ignoring his Fighter abilities, then take Viconia as your Cleric. If you
want to cast some support spells and then go swing your mace, then take
Anomen as your Cleric. The key is to have each class represented so that you
can use magic items as they come along, and also to be able to adapt to the
various battles you will face.

When I play, I love to skulk around the dungeon, find the monsters, disarm
the traps, and have my party come in and kick butt. Therefore I chose a
Thief (Swashbuckler). As much as I love backstabbing, I wanted to dual-
wield some longswords. Although, when I attack from behind I only do normal
damage not x5, but I like being a semi-fighter, without having to be a multi-
or dual-class. Sure a Kensai-Thief may have had better numbers, but I
*enjoy* my straight Swashbuckler more, which is ultimately more important.

My party will eventually be :
F - Keldorn
F - Mazzy
C - Viconia
M - Edwin
T - Me!
#6 - Jan -> Imoen

Why? Because I tried more Multi & Dual classes last time, and because I want
to mix up the alignments and hear them argue. The #6 slot will see every NPC
in the game as I do their quests, and then I will grab Jan and head to
Spellhold. I could just as easily fill the slots with Multi & Dual and get
my class requirements handled.

So that's my way of thinking about a BG2 party, and selection of my
character.

If you can think of other good party combinations, send them in and maybe
that will be someone else's next party!

Good luck and have fun!

===============================================================================
< < < < < Final Words.... > > > > >
===============================================================================

This FAQ was written entirely using the GWD Text Editor: (shareware)
http://www.gwdsoft.com/

Special Thanks to:

Chaoshunter
Randy Gaw
Raj Tripathy
David Ware
Little Bear
Rolander
Mike Lee
Joe Thompson
Chris Swartz
Anthony Bevivino

_________________________
Shameless Self Promotion:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
I have also written FAQs for:
NES: Disney Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
Final Fantasy -- Magic FAQ
The Legend of Zelda
SNES: Aerobiz
Aerobiz Supersonic
Utopia: Creation of a Nation
Genesis: StarFlight
PSX: Thousand Arms -- Walkthrough
-- Forging/Dating FAQ
PC: Baldur's Gate & Tales of the Sword Coast -- FAQ/Walkthrough
NPC List
Creature List
Baldur's Gate II -- FAQ/Walkthrough
-- Items List
Colonization -- the Single Colony Strategy Guide
-- the Cheat Guide
Drakan: Order of the Flame
Dungeon Hack
Icewind Dale -- FAQ/Walkthrough
Items List
Master of Magic (revision)
Messiah
Pharaoh (currently being edited by Red Phoenix)
Planescape: Torment -- FAQ/Walkthrough
Items Listing
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
The Sims
Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar
Ultima 7: The Black Gate
Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle
Ultima Underworld -- Keyboard Commands
Ultima Underworld II -- Keyboard Commands
-- Spell List
All of my FAQs can be found at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/2203.html
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

________________
Version History:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Version 0.75 December 4, 2000 95k

Not entirely finished, but I needed to release this now or risk not
releasing it at all.

Version 1.0 December 6, 2000 127k

Finished the document.

Version 1.1 December 7, 2000 128k

Added more information to the Quick Reference section. Corrected a
mistake. Corrected several more from Randy Gaw, as well as added a bit of
Pro-Blade information from him.

Version 1.2 December 8, 2000 128k

Corrected a mistake.

Version 1.3 December 12, 2000 131k

Added a Pro-Thief argument from Little Bear

Version 1.4 December 15, 2000 134k

Added the "Other Arguments" section with the first little argument for the
Fighter/Mage/Thief from Rolander.

Version 1.5 December 31, 2000 135k

Some small changes.

Version 1.6 January 9, 2001 135k

Corrected one small mistake.

Version 1.7 January 23, 2001 137k

Added some stuff from Chris Swartz about Sorcerers.

Version 1.8 February 1, 2001 145k

Created the new section dealing with Single Player Parties, which is the
work of Anthony Bevivino.

Version 1.9 May 16, 2001 146k

Chaoshunter disagreed with my assessment of the Assassin, so his rebuttal
was put in.

_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This Document is Copyright 2000-2001 by Dan Simpson
Baldur's Gate II is Copyright 2000 by Bioware/Black Isle/Interplay

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