7 replies to this topic

[justthisguy]

Hi all,

I'm coming from BG2 (as I'm sure most of you are:)), and I'm considering building either a thief/mage or mage/cleric. My first thought was to simply create a mage, level him to a thief at second level and back to mage at thirth level, back to thief at fourth  etc, or do I pick a number of levels as a mage and postpone switching to thief after, say level ten?

[Dark-Mage]

The level pattern you described sounds like third edition to me, Gert Jan. BG uses the second edition rules, so you don't get to pick which class levels up when. Rather, the experiance your multiclass character gains is then divided between the two classes you have. They both level at the same time, however, your character will advance at a slower rate than a single class character.

If you wanted to duel class instead, with a human character, then it would be better to start with a rogue and then duel when you reached your desired level. Never really played around with builds that much so you will have to ask somebody else when the best time to switch from rogue to mage would be. Once you do switch though, you won't be able to gain any more levels with the rogue class and you wont regain your rogue abilities until your mage level reaches the point when you dueled. It could be one level higher, I'm not sure.

I hope that helped.

[justthisguy]

The level pattern you described sounds like third edition to me, Gert Jan. BG uses the second edition rules, so you don't get to pick which class levels up when. Rather, the experiance your multiclass character gains is then divided between the two classes you have. They both level at the same time, however, your character will advance at a slower rate than a single class character.

If you wanted to duel class instead, with a human character, then it would be better to start with a rogue and then duel when you reached your desired level. Never really played around with builds that much so you will have to ask somebody else when the best time to switch from rogue to mage would be. Once you do switch though, you won't be able to gain any more levels with the rogue class and you wont regain your rogue abilities until your mage level reaches the point when you dueled. It could be one level higher, I'm not sure.

I hope that helped.

I meant Neverwinter Nights 2's adoption of the rule set. Since I posted this topic in the NWN II area, I thought that was obvious

Edited by Gert Jan, 28 February 2009 - 07:57 PM.

[Dark-Mage]

haha yeah, sorry. I just clicked on the link on the main page and assumed you meant BG. My bad.
Mixing a spellcasting and non-spellcasting class isn't always a good idea though but I think there are some buold ideas out there to multiclass and still reach a decent spell casting level.

I wouldnt go as high as 10 levels in rogue, and a cleric/mage build simply wouldn't work too well as both your divine and arcane caster levels will be gimped. I tried in Neverwinter Nights in a PW and I just always felt underpowered. The rogue/mage concept might work though.

And again, sorry for the 2E rant :-P

[Kellen]

It's generally a better idea to keep them leveling at about the same rate, and you'll probably want to pick up a PrC that allows you to increase both Arcane Casting and Rogue abilities(aka Arcane Trickster). As a note, one can fall quickly behind if they spend too many levels in separate classes.

[justthisguy]

OK, first thanks for the suggestions!
Second, I'm thinking I'll keep leveling up my mage/thief at an equal rate untill I reach thief level 3 or 4, with a focus on the
find and disable skills.
Can anyone give me a indication of the skill level required to find and disable the traps and open most locks in the NWN II and MotB?
I'm still thinking about persuing the Arcane Trickster prestige class, but I'm not very interested in backstabbing and pick-pocketing, so I'm not sure about it's usefullness in the long run.

[Bluenose]

OK, first thanks for the suggestions!
Second, I'm thinking I'll keep leveling up my mage/thief at an equal rate untill I reach thief level 3 or 4, with a focus on the
find and disable skills.
Can anyone give me a indication of the skill level required to find and disable the traps and open most locks in the NWN II and MotB?
I'm still thinking about persuing the Arcane Trickster prestige class, but I'm not very interested in backstabbing and pick-pocketing, so I'm not sure about it's usefullness in the long run.

If you've get +10 or a little higher in your Search skill (ranks and Int bonus) you should be able to spot virtually any trap except for the most difficult. Disabling them will be harder. The toughest that I'm aware of had a DC to disable of 35, which is beyond anything but the most dedicated specialist Rogue. Fortunately most traps don't do huge amounts of damage, even if they are proclaimed as lethal.

I like the idea of the Arcane Trickster prestige class, though I tend to think of it as a way for a wizard or sorcerer to get some nifty tricks on top of their spellcasting. There are a few other PrCs that give full spellcasting, but this one has more benefits than most.

[Kellen]

Eh, I know next to nothing of the abilities. I just think it's good for it's combination of thief skills and full casting. The most important skills of Disable Device and Open Lock(with your companions constantly following you stealth isn't really an option.) Everything else is just kind of... alright, but skills and spells makes it quite excellent, imo. Just something to keep in mind.