On roleplaying evil...

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I have never played through even SoA as an evil character and will be doing so. I have a few questions. I have downloaded the pocketplane Quest Pack, and am wondering whether it adds sufficient options and potential for evil character quests (outside of simply having evil NPC's like Valen, which I don't have, nor necessarily desire). I won't necessarily be purely soloing, but I will likely only be using other characters as the need arises, and would like to have a self-sustaining character, as well as enough roleplaying and quest content to feel fulfilled in that more evil experience. If pocketplane is not enough, is there any specific things I should look for mod-wise, or quests in-game that I should be sure I take part in in order to get the experience (and power and such) that I am looking for in this go-round?

Also, given the powerful single character idea I'll likely employ, can you all give me some perspective on the benefits and preferences you guys have as far as class goes? I would feel kind of corny/bored going the kensage route, and so was thinking about a Swahbuckler dualed to a mage for thief versatility, some fighting capacity, and mage power. Is there any case to be made for a fighter/mage, or thief/mage multiclass, or some other combination similar to these that I should consider?

Thanks.

 

You could always go F/M/T. It is a bit slower start and a bit harder depending on mods (if solo)but after all the free xp quests you're right back in the game as far as levels go. Eventually you just become almost unstoppable.

Imp haste (or haste) --> SI: divination (or cloak of non-detection) --> Mislead and then start "backsmacking" with near impunity.

 

Why backsmack, specifically? You could just as well use swords. And the cloak of non-detection does not work with Mislead. While it's still helpful since you are part thief, it won't be of use in that repeated backstabbing combination. SI: Divination, however, works fine.

As far as roleplaying evil is concerned, I suggest the Virtue mod above all as it will allow you to keep a decent reputation (all within the bounds of logic) while still being evil as you may wish. The evil options for quests usually present themselves in a rather straight-forward manner. I won't give any specifics since you did not ask for them but I will at least say that it's not terribly difficult to be evil.

As for your last question, I either advocate a F/M/T or a F/M since you seem to be interested in something of a fighter. Without the experience cap removed, I prefer a F/M. Timestop + GWW can solve a lot of your problems. The buffs are, of course, indispensable. While a case could be made for a M/T, I am not the person to make it, having never played one. You might consider the F/M/C (or the M/C without the experience cap lifted). He's quite an amazing fellow with clerical buffs and heals within contingencies, making for a monstrous fighter or caster in either character. The combinations are near limitless but a few of my favorites include Timestop + Harm with FoA, Magic Resistance (the clerical spell), Lower Resistance, and Greater Malison in a spell trigger, or Heal, Improved Invisibility, Aura of Flaming Death in a Chain Contingency set to hitpoints at 50%. Plenty of fun to be had. Generally, combine a mage with anything else and you won't be wrong.

 

If I were to go the F/M route, how does the gnome fare? It gets the INT bonus, but has to be an illusionist. What necessary spells do I miss out on there? Also, is the -1 penalty to WIS going to be any kind of hindrance later, or should I not worry?

 

I would definitely suggest the gnome. Necromancy isn't a big problem for a F/M. You miss out on Ghost/Spirit Armor (normal Armor works fine), ADHW, and Death Spell. The latter two would be a big loss for a normal caster but you're a fighter. Chances are you won't be casting too many bombing spells anyway. If you need a bomber, get another caster. The Wisdom is also not a problem as you likely won't need to use Wish. Mages aren't very good with Wish anyway since you have to take a guess at how many you're going to need.

Edit: obviously, those three spells aren't the only ones you miss but they're the big ones, in my opinion.

 

Death spell is a bit of a loss, though death fog should suffice for taking care of summoned creatures, at least.

Oh, and animate dead is the other big one if you're playing a lone wolf. Mordenkainen's sword is technically better, but also more expensive, and skeleton warriors are convenient summons because they stick around for eight hours. But there are certainly worse specialist mage kits to use than the illusionist, if you don't mind missing out on skull trap/horrid wilting.

F/M/T is a very fun, capable solo character, but F/M is also good. Aahz is right, combine arcane spellcasting with any class and you'll learn to love it.

 

Ah, I forgot about those skeletons and that is largely the greatest loss, in my opinion. But then Mordenkainen's Sword isn't too far off and in the beginning your own fighting skills should be enough to handle the muscle requirements. Either way, gnome or otherwise, you can't really go wrong.

 

Gnomes are very durable as they get massive saving throw bonuses based on their CON score. If your gnome has 18 CON, he will get +5 bonus to save vs spells and wands, (+1 bonus per 3½ CON)which is a very good thing. They don'T get a save vs death bonus though, so be careful against poisons, paralyzing attacks, and ever dreadful Wails of the Banshees' (either spell or actual)

Missing necromancy hurts, BUT you don'T need ABDHW really. Best usage of a F/M is, bufiing himself to the max, and go kill things. Dual-wield two excellent weapons, cast Stoneskin, Mirror Image, ProfromElementals, Imp. Haste, Pfrom MagicWeapons, Imp. Invisiblity, SIivination and Abjuration, Fshield:Red and Blue, ShapeChange, THEN Tenser's Transformation: You will be freakingly powerful, totally invulnerable, use Critical Hit HLAs, and well...

 

Why Tenser's? You basically become a fighter equal to your mage level but your own fighter level will be higher than that. All that for the loss of spell casting? Meh, you can do without Tenser's. And, in my opinion, you can do without Shapechange too. The only useful one is the Mindflayer and only in situations where you can't just melee things to death. In 99% of all situations, you'd be better served with a Timestop + Improved Haste + Critical Strike.

 

^OK I was just trying to make the biggest baddest tank available with spells.

Better: You are illusionist right? Wanna use the true power of your illusions? Cast Project Imege, have him cast SSkin, Mirror Image, Imp. Haste, Fshields, Shape Change, Pfrom Magic wapons THEN Tenser's trans. Shapechange into a MindFlayer and attack. PI will be able to attack thanks to shape-change, and will quickly kill evrything and is practically invulnerable!

Try this with 4 PIs via Chain Contingency. An Mind Flayer army consisted of illusions, but deadly as real!

THis will really make up for the lack of nasty necromancy.

 

Though I still disagree with using Tenser's, a Shapechanged image, if you don't consider it cheese, works fine. Ditto on the multiple images. If you don't consider it cheese, go for it.

I think, at the very least, this thread has illustrated that there are plenty of things you can do with a F/M, even without necromancy.

 

^Oops yes I realised I was getting 'a little' off-topic. Sorry. Yes, Aahz is right afterall, there are still neat combos of magic for an illusionist. Though they may smell like cheese.

If you intend to be evil, be creative. There are very cunning evil solutions for some quests. Evil is not killing people randomly, it is just stupid.

And definitely get Virtue Mod! Please! being evil is fun with that, hopefully!

 

Thank you all for your elaboration of F/Illusionist strategy. I guess, however, that I am a bit too uncomfortable with the idea of having spells restricted from me... call it a neurosis if you will, I simply like being infinitely adaptable . So, I picked an elf F/M, for the extra dex and the extra damage with swords. I put have dual wield, put two points in scimitars (thought it would be new and interesting), 1 in long sword, and one in katana. I'll likely put my next one in katana. Once I get enough money, I guess I'll be getting Dak'kon's Zerth blade... I feel super cheesy going for Celestial Fury... should I go for something else for my main hand (perhaps to utilize my scimitar random choice?), or use shadowkeeper and change some of my proficiency points over to to something else (flails maybe?). Any interesting weapon combo ideas that you all think would most benefit my character?

Also, I downloaded Virtue. I had a virtue of 1 within the first 20 minutes of the game, lol... yet I'm not being hunted down like a dog... it's pretty nice .

 

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the elven race bonuses only apply to long swords rather than swords in general. In which case, I would suggest moving away from scimitars and go for either long swords or flails. The Flail of Ages is, in my opinion, the best weapon of the game but if you wish to take advantage of your racial bonuses, long swords are not a bad choice. There are many specialized long swords to give you an edge when fighting various types of enemies. And, of course, as you are playing evil, you will get the lovely Blackrazor at the end of SoA.

Personally, I never much liked Katanas, despite their power. I used the Celestial Fury on a blade once and, while it was powerful, I did not enjoy the weapon -- I have no idea why. That coupled with the fact that Celestial Fury is one of the few good Katanas in the game and I do not choose Katanas anymore. As a F/M, you really can't go wrong with staves. The Staff of the Magi is obviously an excellent choice and there is the Staff of Rynn for an early +4 weapon. The Staff of the Ram in ToB will grant you all the damage you need. Ultimately, however, there are good enough weapons in most categories that you'll be fine regardless of your choice.

 

Doh... you are correct, sir. I feel a tad silly now. Well, thanks for the thoughts, and I'll tweak my guy and see what I come up with. I'm not far into the game, so I can always reroll of need be.

 

Oh just move the points with Shadowkeeper and I won't tell anyone.

 

Long swords and short swords, by 2e rules. But for one, I don't know if they implemented it correctly or just made it a blanket effect for all swords, and for another, it doesn't matter. +1 to THAC0 is diddly in BG2, especially if you've got ToB.

 

This is true and on that note I say go with whatever weapon you want. The bonus isn't important.