Tips for 1st BG playthrough and char build

After recovering from my summer burnout I feel it's time to begin working on the two most striking entries of my cRPG backlog.

I've had gog's BGs for a while now but, given the timing of this playthrough, I picked the Enhanced Edition to skip the whole process of bringing the games up to a modern and polished standard. In any case, I'm indifferent to the "new" content and the sort of advice I'm looking for is too general to be depended on which edition I play. For what it's worth I'll pick the "Core Rules" difficulty setting rather than EE's "Normal" difficulty.

I'm mostly looking for the same stuff I was interested in the very helpful analogous NWN2(+MotB) thread a few months back with some emphasis being placed on carrying over the same character to the more story-heavy BG2 (since I assume the protagonist is the same).

I've read (albeit not thoroughly) the two manuals provided and generally feel fairly comfortable with rules but not enough so as to feel confident in the battle effectiveness of my own build and more importantly on how "social" roleplaying is handled in both BG1 and BG2 (INT/WIS/CHA checks?).

I'm again aiming at playing a human magical user with a Chaotic Neutral alignment*. Since these are 2nd edition rules and both social skills and the Wizard class don't exist I need your advice on how to maximize my RP potential in dialogs (looking back to PS:T as I did in the other thread) and which class to pick. On the second point, I realise that mages are the equivalent of Wizards in AD&D but since resting is bound to play a larger part in the BG games than it did in NWN2 and with my current ignorance of how the social skill checks work (if they do at all) and how deep their integration is I wonder whether I should be considering a Sorcerer.

*One of the manuals refers to that being the alignment of lunatics and madmen, what gives?

Any other spoiler-free tips/hints are also appreciated


Thanks for reading!

It was long time ago… Just don't go druid on your 1st playthrough. And don't ask for a spoiler why!

By human magical user you mean mage I suppose. Mage of any school or dualclass mage will be more than fine.

Your assumption is correct, the protagonist is the same. But know that decisions from BG1 are not carried over to BG2. E.g. killing certain NPCs or who travels in your party. It's simply solved with dialog options in BG2 where you can say something like "Yes, of course I know you! Together we traveled along the Sword Coast some month ago!"

Here's a topic in Beamdog's BG forums about checks in dialogs.
In BG2 quite early in the game you get an item to raise your charisma to 18 btw.

As for the class you should think about a Fighter/Mage multi-class (must be non-human). It's considered to be one of the strongest classes. The main "strategy" is that you go melee and don't wear any armor but buff with defensive spells (Mirror Image, Blur, Ghost Armor, Stoneskin,…).
You need good attribute rolls for this, as you need stats for both melee (strength, dexterity, constitution) and for being a mage (intelligence). As you perhaps want to have decent wisdom and charisma as well, you'll perhaps spend a long time rerolling.

I'm not a great BG expert myself, so if you want to make sure to get best tips for BG, head over to Beamdog's BG forums (link above).

Playing a Sorcerer should be no problem at all, just keep in mind they don't actually get bonus spells from Charisma in BG1 or 2. That being said, they still get more spells than Wizards, so they do make overall stronger casters.

As for stats, it's not really all that important. A few dialogues use Charisma and two spells use both Wisdom and Intelligence, but other than that it's nothing like PS: T. The spell "Wish" is amazingly powerful if you have high Intelligence + Wisdom, but that's pretty much the biggest stat based bonus for a Sorcerer. Beyond that, be sure to get 16 Constitution and decent Charisma and you're good to go.

I recently played through both BG games (due to the release of BG2: EE), so it's all fairly fresh in my mind. If you want more specific info, just say so.

Originally Posted by Morrandir
Your assumption is correct, the protagonist is the same. But know that decisions from BG1 are not carried over to BG2. E.g. killing certain NPCs or who travels in your party. It's simply solved with dialog options in BG2 where you can say something like "Yes, of course I know you! Together we traveled along the Sword Coast some month ago!"

Here's a topic in Beamdog's BG forums about checks in dialogs.
In BG2 quite early in the game you get an item to raise your charisma to 18 btw.

Thanks for the clarification and the link!

It seems it's nothing like PS:T while BG2 is somewhat close to NWN2 OC in that respect. I'd still like a fairly decent INT/WIS if I go for a Sorcerer/Mage respectively but given that I'll (I assume) get enough points through level ups and items/permanent stat boosts I think 15 should be neither too high nor too low?

Originally Posted by Maylander
Playing a Sorcerer should be no problem at all, just keep in mind they don't actually get bonus spells from Charisma in BG1 or 2. That being said, they still get more spells than Wizards, so they do make overall stronger casters.

As for stats, it's not really all that important. A few dialogues use Charisma and two spells use both Wisdom and Intelligence, but other than that it's nothing like PS: T. The spell "Wish" is amazingly powerful if you have high Intelligence + Wisdom, but that's pretty much the biggest stat based bonus for a Sorcerer. Beyond that, be sure to get 16 Constitution and decent Charisma and you're good to go.

My main concern about sorcerers (besides having to turn INT into a dump stat) is their inability to scribe scrolls and how that may limit my high-lvl spell fun. They certainly seem closer to the fairly generic arcane damage dealer I'm going for but when compared to e.g. Wild Mages they appear rather monotonous.

As far as staying alive is concerned, should I be aiming for a high(=min 16 I guess) CON or DEX? Not sure how much min-maxing I should be going for since impairing STR would make inventory management a PITA while CON would limit my HP gains. DEX on the other hand would be important assuming that I'll be using slings/daggers for simple attacks, I'd definitely rather use staffs but with a low THAC0(and AC) getting physical would be suicidal and I'm not really into the idea of pursuing a fighter multi/dual class.

I'd generally love some suggested values for a roll of low or mid 90s, which I think I have the patience for.

I would recommend Elf or Half-Elf Figher/Mage as well. They are easy to play and also heaps fun too! I don't know Maylander, I wouldn't recommend Sorcerer for BG1… at low level Sorcerers really painful to play due to lack of ability to cast any spells.

Wrote a long post that was off, reading that thread it seems like there are more checks than I noticed. I knew that CHA affects rewards in BG1.

Second edition character building is extremely dull though. Everyone will want dex and con, and so many stats are pretty much useless to most classes.

I would suggest a human dual fighter 7 mage x. You play fighter for most of BG1 and gain beneficial extra HP (and saves?) as well as an extra attack per round (weapon proficiency plus an extra half attack from fighter 7) and you dont give up too much mage XP.

Pros: Much stronger mage than a fighter/mage

Cons: Weaker fighter. The build is more of a souped up mage. You'll have worse late-BG2 THAC0 than a fighter/mage (can be rectified with Tenser's transformation) and wont gain the fighter high level abilities in TOB.

I dont particularly care for playing mage types. My faves are inquisitor (paladin with souped up dispel and useful immunities), barbarian, fighter/thief (you dont need a full-time thief, and unless you want to abuse traps you dont need any thief at all sans Imoen), or fighter7/13/cleric x.

Firstly, don't be held by the illusion that Baldurs Gate contains the types of dynamic role-playing stat driven dialogs as featured in PS:T. It really doesn't compare and you'll find the majority of your choices are just your regular flavour text based options without any great deal of impact on the game itself.

Actions however in quests and attitudes towards other npcs, do matter (read about reputation to see what I mean) and depending on your play style, you'll spend more time weighing up party configuration options than anything else. This for me, is where much of the fun of Baldur's Gate lies. That and the odd little banters your party members have.

Mage types are fun in original BG, they just require more patience and diligence to protect and build through the early part of the game. If you're going to play a mage, you could always go for a specialist (evocation: the art of blowing stuff up) or some such.
Roll reasonable values in Intelligence (go 18 wherever possible) dexterity (to counteract low armour possibilities) and maybe an ounce of constitution for hitpoints and you're on your way for some jolly fun.

To be honest, my first class through the game all those years ago now was a dwarven fighter. I say keep it simple really and enjoy your first playthrough for what it is. I've never been able to stand the power-gaming nature of dual classing or multi-classing for the protagonist at any rate, but that's just me. Solo-ing is another deal completely.

It should be said that the BG series really can be played with any class when you take party members with you. Combat isn't that difficult on normal setting if you prepare for the battles.

Originally Posted by Kostas
My main concern about sorcerers (besides having to turn INT into a dump stat) is their inability to scribe scrolls and how that may limit my high-lvl spell fun. They certainly seem closer to the fairly generic arcane damage dealer I'm going for but when compared to e.g. Wild Mages they appear rather monotonous.

That's true to a certain extent. They certainly can't experiment as much with spells as mages can, but on the other hand they can cast a lot more spells at higher levels. Being able to cast 6 level 9 spells per day at level 20 feels very different from being able to cast 3. That being said, I suppose playing some sort of mage might be a better option the first time you play Baldur's Gate as you get to try out all the spells and can decide which ones to select when/if you ever play a Sorcerer.

Originally Posted by Kostas
As far as staying alive is concerned, should I be aiming for a high(=min 16 I guess) CON or DEX? Not sure how much min-maxing I should be going for since impairing STR would make inventory management a PITA while CON would limit my HP gains. DEX on the other hand would be important assuming that I'll be using slings/daggers for simple attacks, I'd definitely rather use staffs but with a low THAC0(and AC) getting physical would be suicidal and I'm not really into the idea of pursuing a fighter multi/dual class.

I see a lot of people suggest high dex for Sorcerers/Mages. I don't really agree, unless it's some sort of hybrid. Their armor class simply won't be good enough to avoid being hit anyway, so I suggest sticking with about 16 Con and then use protective spells as the main form of defense (mirror image, stoneskin, protection from normal weapons, protection from magical weapons, etc).

As for stats, with a roll of 90, I'd go with something like this:
Strength: 12
Dex: 14
Con: 16
Int: 18
Wis: 15
Charisma: 15

Originally Posted by purpleblob
I would recommend Elf or Half-Elf Figher/Mage as well. They are easy to play and also heaps fun too! I don't know Maylander, I wouldn't recommend Sorcerer for BG1… at low level Sorcerers really painful to play due to lack of ability to cast any spells.

Well yes, and I love Fighter/Mages + Blades myself (currently playing a Blade actually), but Kostas stated he wanted to use high level spells. In order to get level 9 spells, a Fighter/Mage must get 6 million XP, which usually happens near the final fight of ToB unless he intends to run with a fairly small party.

Originally Posted by Morrandir
It should be said that the BG series really can be played with any class when you take party members with you. Combat isn't that difficult on normal setting if you prepare for the battles.

True, it's probably more important to pick the right party than the right class.

"True, it's probably more important to pick the right party than the right class."

I am thinking of playing BG for the first time as a fighter, what is the part would you guys recommend?

Depends, will you be playing good or evil? Are you playing the enhanced edition, or regular one?

Generally you'll want another fighter like character + a thief, cleric and mage, making it a total of 5 characters. I prefer 5 because it makes it a bit easier to hit the XP cap before entering BG2, but it is possible to get to the cap with 6 as well.

For roleplaying the Baldur’s gate series is close to Dragon age then to Planescape: Torment, your stats don’t matter that much in dialogue but many quests have different outcomes depending on what you say.

As for what class to pick, don’t worry to much about it. With a 6 person party, you are going to experience all the classic classes types in a single play though. If you want to go for a spell caster I can highly recommend them, spell duals between mages are super fun.

General tips. The game is none linier, so if you run into hard enemies, you might want to come back later, that said with some cleave strategy you can turn a hard battle into an easy win, don’t run your head against the wall, explore the different spells, some have some really powerful niche effects.
The only other thing I can say without going into spoilers is, don’t save your cash. You are going to get plenty of gold, potions and other one shot items can be very useful.

Perhaps it should also be mentioned, that from the moment you pick up an NPC to your party, you have full control of further customization, including skills and spells, and of course you have full control in combat as well.

So even if your main char isn't a mage or sorcerer at all, you will get your high-level spell fun, when you pick up the right party members.

For what it's worth, the "canon" party consist of Imoen, Khalid, Jaheira, Minsc, and Dynaheir.

Originally Posted by Maylander
Depends, will you be playing good or evil? Are you playing the enhanced edition, or regular one?

Generally you'll want another fighter like character + a thief, cleric and mage, making it a total of 5 characters. I prefer 5 because it makes it a bit easier to hit the XP cap before entering BG2, but it is possible to get to the cap with 6 as well.

I normally play "good" with some silliness throw in so that makes me "chaotic good" in D&D? Certainly not evil. I will use the enhanced edition.

What is the max party size in BG? Is it harder to play with 5 rather than max party?

Originally Posted by lostforever
I normally play "good" with some silliness throw in so that makes me "chaotic good" in D&D? Certainly not evil. I will use the enhanced edition.

Then the new NPC Neera is a must for you. As you can read on the website, she's a non-evil Wild Mage.
Also Minc is a must-have then, a non-evil Ranger whose animal companion is a "miniature giant space hamster".
You'll have fun with them.

What is the max party size in BG?

You have the main char and a maximum of 5 additional party members.

Is it harder to play with 5 rather than max party?

Simple answer:
yes. more party members = more firepower

More complex answer:
There are 2 types of experience rewards in BG. 1st type: you get a fixed amount of XP for each character in your party (for solving quests).
2nd type: you get a fixed amount of XP for the whole party (for killing monsters) which means that the XPs are evenly divided among the party members. That means that if you have less party members, each one gets more XP, so they level up faster. So as the game proceeds, the chars get significantly stronger, which leads to a less harder game. That's a reason why it's possible to beat the game with solo runs (not taking any party members with you).
But there's an XP cap which you will probably reach when you have 1-3 party members. When this is the case every additional party member gives you a great advantage of course.

The more important thing is, that you have the main classes covered, so have Fighter (tank & melee damage), Cleric (tank & healing), Mage (remove enemy mage's buffs) and Thief (find & disarm traps) covered.
You can do this with a party of 2 when you go dual- or multi-class or you can just take enough NPC with you.

In any case I recommend to take a full party in the first playthrough as character interaction is one of the real fun things in BG. Most of the characters (if not all) are well thought through, show reactions to your actions, interact with each other (from verbal arguments to actual fights to death) and so add a lot to the game experience. The fact that you don't have a base camp or safe house (like in Dragon Age or Mass Effect where you can interact with all potential party/crew members) in BG, you only experience their actions when they're actually accompaning you.

Most likely you want to do a 2nd playthrough imediatley after your 1st to get to know the other characters.

Thanks a lot everyone for your advice.
I rolled a 93 with a Wild Mage yesterday and went for STR11/DEX17/CON16/INT18/WIS15/CHA16, as it's close to what Maylander suggested I intend to start with that.

Originally Posted by lostforever
I normally play "good" with some silliness throw in so that makes me "chaotic good" in D&D? Certainly not evil. I will use the enhanced edition.

What is the max party size in BG? Is it harder to play with 5 rather than max party?

Chaotic good or neutral good sounds about right. As for a party, I'd probably go with a party fairly close to the "canon" party that JDR linked, though I'd drop Minsc/Dynaheir for just Neera as I prefer 5 instead of 6 people. It doesn't really make it harder, as 3 vs 2 fighters generally doesn't make much difference, but it allows you to reach the XP cap more easily.

Originally Posted by Morrandir
Then the new NPC Neera is a must for you. As you can read on the website, she's a non-evil Wild Mage.
Also Minc is a must-have then, a non-evil Ranger whose animal companion is a "miniature giant space hamster".
You'll have fun with them.

Unless he wants to be very cheesy, he can't get Minsc without Dynaheir, and having both Dynaheir and Neera is overkill in my opinion. Magic just isn't that strong in BG1.

Originally Posted by Morrandir
You have the main char and a maximum of 5 additional party members.

Simple answer:
yes. more party members = more firepower

More complex answer:
There are 2 types of experience rewards in BG. 1st type: you get a fixed amount of XP for each character in your party (for solving quests).
2nd type: you get a fixed amount of XP for the whole party (for killing monsters) which means that the XPs are evenly divided among the party members. That means that if you have less party members, each one gets more XP, so they level up faster. So as the game proceeds, the chars get significantly stronger, which leads to a less harder game. That's a reason why it's possible to beat the game with solo runs (not taking any party members with you).
But there's an XP cap which you will probably reach when you have 1-3 party members. When this is the case every additional party member gives you a great advantage of course.

Actually, I think "quest experience" is a BG2 thing. In BG1 all experience is just general experience that gets evenly distributed among the party members.

Originally Posted by Morrandir
The more important thing is, that you have the main classes covered, so have Fighter (tank & melee damage), Cleric (tank & healing), Mage (remove enemy mage's buffs) and Thief (find & disarm traps) covered.
You can do this with a party of 2 when you go dual- or multi-class or you can just take enough NPC with you.

Completely agree.

Originally Posted by Kostas
Thanks a lot everyone for your advice.
I rolled a 93 with a Wild Mage yesterday and went for STR11/DEX17/CON16/INT18/WIS15/CHA16, as it's close to what Maylander suggested I intend to start with that.

Sounds good, hope you have fun!