Just bought NWN, Newbie questions

Remove all ads!

Hi. I just installed NWN for the first time. I've played BG2 SOA for a while but I have no other D&D/RPG experience. What is the best/easiest character to start with including all creation decisions like points/feats etc.? Please don't say something like 'Barbarians cuz they rock'. I need to know, specifically, how to create a good character to start with that will be viable for the entire game. Any helpful advice is welcome.

 

First it would be good to know what kind of character do you prefer... Are you a fighter type and like only hack & slash through the whole game, or want to think a little bit and cast spells, find the weak points of the enemy, or you wana try some tricks as a rogue?

The problem is, that there is no best or easiest build...is there any in BG2?

On this web page you can find lots of character cretion hints and trick read all of them and make your own decision.

Personaly I like actions doing things all the time, and I dont like resting hours before the fight. So spellcasters are not my type. I prefer the rogue. Lots of skill points, quite good at ranged or melee combat. Sneak attacks are as powerful as a fireball, just you can do that 6x a turn at high level...if you combine with Fighter and/or Paladin.
Seting traps can kill the real big bosses and you can cast spells from scrolls and wands. As a rogue you can use ANY item. You can prepare for a battle, and dress up as you want!

My favourite build for the OC is a Human Rogue(15)/Figter(4)/Paladin(1)

In the order of
Rogue(4)
Rogue(4)/Fighter(4)
Rogue(15)/Fighter(4)
Rogue(15)/Fighter(4)/Paladin(1)

Feats:
Ambidexterity, Weapon Finesse, Power Attack, Cleave, 2H Weapon Style, Imp 2H Weapon Style, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Dodge, Mobility, Imp Critical(rapier), Crippling Strike(rogue13), Imp Evasion(rogue10)

But this is just the way I am doing. Others would use 2 level of Fighter and 2 level of Paladin, to get the 3rd rogue feat, and immunity to fear but I preffered an extra fighter feat instead.

 

I like sorcerers. They're easy enough to play, and gets quite powerful. If I were to build a sorcerer, it would look like this:

-----------
>Sorcerer build
-----------

-Race: Human
-Why? Because you get extra feat/skill points, and in addition one extra skill point pr./lvl

-----------
>Attributes
-----------

-Str: 8 Any more points would be a waste, you need to be strong enough to carry some of the items that you find. If you think eight is a bit low, then you can put 10 points in there, but no more! Remember that each point used inhere, means less points used in another stat.

-Dex: 15 point in dex. Your AC will still be ridiculous, but it's not to increase AC that we put 15 points inhere; but, its to increase your reflex' and saving throws. Besides, I like to give my sorc a crossbow so he will be capable of delivering physical attacks if he has to.

-Con: 12 You want good enough con to get decent HP. Though it's still bad considering that you're a sorcerer.

-Int: 10 is an appropriate number, others might put more points in it, but in the end I think that you can use your points better,

-Wis: 8 Wisdom doesn't have the great affect on your sorc.

-Cha: 18 Well doh. You want to have as many spells as possible. 18 straight out is the only acceptable option.

You won't need any more points in other stats, so whenever gaining an lvl, increase your cha.
If you find that you can't carry anything, then you could put some points into str, but make sure to have at least 19 cha.

-----------
>Skills
-----------

Concentration: Great skill. It lowers the chance that your spell will be interrupted whenever an opponent is hitting you. You want to max this one.

Spellcraft: Unlike concentration, you don't have to max this one immediately. It's good when casting counter spells, but just increase it slowly (not to slow though). In the end it will get maxed.

Well, besides these two, only persuade, search, and lore are worth spending time on, but they're not that important.

-----------
>Feats
-----------

I have here listed the feats that I find useful. '*' = Feats that I find it necessary to have


-Maximize Spell*: This feat does so that your spells will always give full dmg. whenever they hit. In addition it will also make your spells hit the maximum number of enemies... A must-have.

-Empower spell: Your spell gain 150% of its original dmg. and number of targets.

-Combat Casting: Removes the -4 penalty to concentration checks when within three meters of an enemy.

-Quicken Spell*: You cast spells immediately, making them invulnerable to counterspells or interruption.

-Spell Focus: +2 Bonus to your DC when casting a spell of your chosen school.

-Spell Penetration*: +2 Bonus to caster level checks in order to beat spell resistance.

-Silent Spell: allows a spell to be cast without making any noises or using any words (nice feat, but no a necessity).

As with spells, they kind of reflect your own temper and style, so you should choose spells fitting you the best...

I usually hook up with an companion, which will make the game easier for you, but you will also have to share any experience gained with him/her.
So, my suggestion would be to just use familiars and summoned creatures if you find everything too hard, although they'll also grab some of your experience, you can always unsummon 'em if you can handle yourself...
---------------------

There's various things you need to take under consideration when creating you character.

The most important thing when creating your character is balance! Balance is the key, and you need to make the different aspects of your character interact with each other.

Take the races, FX. You want to choose a race with ability adjustments fitting you character.
Like, you want to make a rogue? Well, in that case an Elf or a Halfling would be an excellent choice, since they get Special abilities, like: Good aim, bonus proficiencies(rapier, bow), skill affinity (move silently/listen/search/spot), and many more(different for the two classes, of course)... Besides, they get a +2 dexterity bonus!

Or, you want to be a spellcaster? Again, choose a Race fitting your needs! Also, you have to take things like bonus spells, number of spells, how hard your spells are to resist, kind of spellcaster, etc. Under consideration.

Want to Dual-Wield? Well, there's some penalties concerning dual-wielding you need to know, and figure out how to negate!
Like, your normal penalties are -6 main hand, -10 off-hand. But, if your off-hand weapon is light AND you have the two-weapon fighting feat, then your penalties will be: -2 main hand, -2 off hand!
This could be combined with the Weapon finesse feat, allowing you to use your dex score, instead of your strength score, on attack rolls..

These are just a few examples on things to consider when creating your own character, which I really think you should, instead of listening to our sample builds .

[ April 08, 2005, 13:37: Message edited by: olimikrig ]

 

I, too, prefer arcane casters (Wizards/Sorcerers). However, if you are new to the game and do not have a lot of D&D experience, your best bet is probably a Fighter. Rogues are nice, but they have real problems with certain enemies (ones you cannot sneak attack) and so require quite a bit of experience to master.

OTOH, Fighters are relatively easy to play throughout because their play style is so forthright -- get some good armor and a great big sword and kill things.

For a fighter, try stats of STR:16 DEX:12 CON:16 INT:10 WIS:12 CHA:8. I would recomend using a Greatsword. Even though you cannnot use a shield, you get 1.5xSTR bonus to damage allowing you to kill things faster. There are also some very sweet magic Greatswords to be found. Wear the best armor you can find/afford.

For feats, you will want Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Weapon Focus:Greatsword, Weapon Specialization:Greatsword, Improved Critical:Greatsword, and whatever others suit your fancy.

Since you are new to the game, play using a henchman. Choose either Tomi, a Rogue, to disarm traps for you or Linu, a Cleric, to heal you and turn undead.

Once you get some experience with the game, you could exchange the WIS stat with the CHA stat above and shoot for Red Dragon Disciple (assuming you have HotU installed). You would have to add some Bard levels, but RDD will give you a STR stat that is so high it is sickening.

Once you have become comfortable with the game and have studied the spells, then Olimikrig is correct that Sorcerer is the way to go. It is almost universally acknowledged that Sorcerers are the most powerful class in NWN.

 

A monk is very good for your first run through too. your only real concern is getting high stats, decrease intelligence and charisma in favor of the other four stats and then your character will have an easy time during the whole campaign. And you still have some interesting abilities to prevent it from becoming too boring.

 

Sorry but this isnt true. There's been a topic a little while back and most people agreed they're not anywhere near godlike as in BG series. They're strong enough if you play them right, but there are certainly classes that are more powerful if played correctly as well.

 

Thanks for the replies. I've started playing with a Half-Orc Barbarian (now level 2) using the 'recommend' button for all decisions so my stats are STR-18, DEX-15,CON-14,INT-8,WIS-10,CHA-8. Is this a decent character or should I start over? I am thinking some type of fighter because I don't know the spells/feats yet and will probably die many horrible deaths with a sorc as they require more knowledge of the game. So straight fighter, barbarian or maybe monk or Paladin to start I think. The first time through the game I'm looking to make a character that is hard to kill and doesn't require in-depth knowledge of the game. Since I'm uneducated about this game a hard headed, dim-witted Barb seemed like a good choice from a RP perspective as well. Is half-Orc a good race for a barb? Is the 'recommend' button for decisions any good? Which feats will I need and how many points in them? I know there is no single answer to my questions and no 'one way' to play the game but there are accepted norms and must have things as well. I want to avoid playing the game for 100 hours only to have to start over because my character design is flawed.

PS-I am running the game on Mac with no mods...only the latest patch.

[ April 08, 2005, 23:26: Message edited by: Isshy ]

 

My paladin with the following starting stats:

STR 14
DEX 10
CON 10
INT 14
WIS 14
CHA 15

...Was able to own it a big time solo.

What other class gets +30 to hit at level 15 or hits for 30 points without critical (undead up to 50) with a longsword? Not to forget AC in excess of 35 and untouchable saving throws.

 

That looks pretty convincing chevalier...

 

I think a Half Orc Barbarian would do reasonably well in the original campaign. Those stats seem OK. I would take either Linu or Tomi as your henchmen (no point in Daelen as he is pretty much the same as your character).

I'm also going through this game for the first time at the moment. I'm in Chapter Two with a Rogue 5 / Ranger 2 / Shadowdancer 1. Most of the game has been melee based so far so your Barbarian should be fine.

 

Well, Isshy, if he had had 10 INT and 14 CON instead, he would have been even more unstoppable, but I wanted him to be smart.

 

Smite has limited uses per day, and only works on evil creatures. Thus, neutral creatures are not affected - and some of the most powerful creatures in the game are neutral - death slaads, elementals, most constructs, etc. I prefer an arcane spellcaster myself, but divine spellcasters, played well, can be even more potent. However, when playing tanks, I prefer paladins with obscenely high charisma scores, as many of their special abilities are nigh-unstoppable with a CHA of 30+, especially with Champion of Torm levels. Divine Wrath, Divine Shield, Smite's bonus to hit, Turning Undead, Lay on Hands, Divine Grace, and social interactions are all governed by CHA, and undead won't stand a chance against a 200+ damage LoH as well as an unerringly accurate smite or uncannily powerful turning abilities. Most spellcasters will flounder before your incredible saving throws, and Divine Shield, along with a Paladin's ability to wear heavy armor, means an untouchable AC. Of course, this build is not easily pulled off at lower levels, as CHA doesn't factor in as much on lower levels, and one's INT and DEX may be shortchanged to pay for the extra Charisma. However, Divine Shield more than covers up for any dodge bonuses to AC later on, and your massive charisma will see you through any situations that require social skills.

 

Gothmog,

Do you visit the Bioware NWN boards? It is very clear that, in PvP games, the majority opinion is that Sorcerers are the most powerful class. The only character found able to effectively compete is a very strange creature called "Dragon Kin" which is a Wizard/Druid/Monk multiclass who relies upon Wizard spells and the ability to shift into Dragon form to defeat Sorcerers. The only other class deemed to have a slight chance against a Sorcerer is a Monk who put all his Epic Feats into increasing his SR.

As far as PvM games, as Taluntain says, any character can do just fine. However, given the limited number of useful spells at each level, combined with the Sorcerer's ability in NWN to change spells at level-up makes the Sorcerer the most powerful class in NWN (and I say this as one who personally prefers to play a Wizard).

Almost every fight in NWN, SoU or HotU can be finished quickly by a Sorcerer casting Time Stop and then as many Maximized and/or Empowered IGMS as are needed to kill the bad guys. A Wizard can do the same, but not nearly as often. I cannot think of a single encounter in all of the NWN games which would be easier for a non-Sorcerer than for a Sorcerer.

However, I will grant you that unless a player understands the spell system, and which spells and metamagic feats are optimized, then a Sorcerer may actually struggle more than some of the other classes.

 

The other consideration that seems to be ignored by the "Sorcerers Rule" brigade is that you actually have to play the game to get to a high enough level to be able to cast Time Stop etc. Sure, they may rock at the higher levels but I find it difficult to stay motivated during the constant resting required at the lower levels.

Each to their own, I guess.

 

Harbourboy,

I agree that having to go through that little resting sequence can become quite tedious. Whether it is worth it or not is up to each person, but for my part I like spellcasters so much that I do not mind. That is, by the by, one of the reasons some people prefer Sorcerers to Wizards -- they need to rest less often.

How you play your character can matter quite a bit as well. For example, by mid-levels my buff spells last quite a long time and combined with the right equipment my Wizard can buff himself into a fighting machine and go all day without resting by killing everything in melee without casting many (or any) direct damage spells. If someone plays their Sorcerer/Wizard as a blaster only, then they will have to rest *often*. If, however, they play as a buff and melee caster they do not have to rest very often at all.

 

while I agree with many posters with regards to the fun you can have playing certain builds, it does seem kinda strange that nobody has mentioned the possibility of playing a cleric - you get all the benefits of heavy armour, and, with the martial weapons feat, most of the weapons, as well as a range of useful healing, buffing and offensive spells

ok, so you won't get as many attacks per round as a warrior build, but choosing the right cleric domains at the outset will more than offset this, and will allow you to go toe to toe with the big bosses just as successfully

 

@Khemsa

It's true, i am not a frequent visitor of the bioware NwN boards. When i have been there i only researched Shifter builds.
My opinion was based off a few of "Arena" based servers and augmented by other SP people, who thought the same, judging from the topic not long ago.

I really find it strange them being the best PvP class when i havent seen a lot of them on the Arena servers i've been on. There's been a few, sure, but most of the characters were different.
Now that i think about it, it could've been the server handicaps for the sorcs. Also, high end magical items were aplenty, which should not bode well for the pure spellcasting classes like a sorcerer.

Any thoughts?

 

Gothmog,

It is true that a Sorcerer's relative power decreases in a high magic world. Fighter-types can have a better chance of surviving when they can pick up all sorts of powerful magic items that can grant them immunities and powerful protections, especially if the DM creates anti-Sorcerer items such as items that grant DR to magic damage (nerfs IGMS - the mainstay damage dealer for Sorcerers).

Other factors that can reduce the power of Sorcerers are a world that has limited resting or that has nerfed certain key spells. Any world which nerfs spells such as Time Stop and IGMS can really make life miserable for a Sorcerer.

As far as the areas you play in, I have no idea why Sorcerers are not more common. Are there rules which hurt the Sorcerer? High magic arenas will hurt alot. It could be that the other players either do not know the power of the Sorcerer, do not care, or think some of the other builds have more flavor or fun factor than a vanilla Sorcerer. I must admit, the thought of shifting into a Dragon is cool, as is the glowing eyes of a 20th level Monk, or the wings of a RDD. In comparison, a plain Sorcerer is rather bland, even if super powerful.