Powergaming Jaheira

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I'm starting a new run through the BG series. The goal is to take the canonical party from the start of SoA all the way from BG1 to ToB. I've always dumped Jaheria in SoA first chance I got in the past. But I've read she can be suprisingly good later on with Iron Skins and the right weapon scheme.

I'm not sure what the right weapon scheme is, though. I'll be using Weimer's ItemUpgrade. Should I have her master scimitars and dual-wielding? I know SoA has some nice clubs. I haven't played ToB in a few years, though, and am sketchy on what the end-game druid weapons look like.

 

She can be a godlike tank indeed.

Dualwield clubs/belm. That's about it for her.

 

So split her proficiency points between club, scimitar and dual-wielding?

 

In BG I allways do this:

Start:
Dual:+++
Club:+

The next pip I use for Clubs also, and the next again for scimitars.

 

Dual-wielding scimitars is nice with Belm (extra attack) at some point, but in ToB I've usually had Jaheira use shield with Yamato/ Spectral Brand. Certain staffs are also an option (if no one else uses them), Staff of Ryn for example. I don't know what kind of scimitars are available with that item mod, though. Clubs in vanilla game are almost useless IMO -don't bother, even daggers are more useful.

 

Thanks. That gives me a starting position, at least. Strange that you don't like clubs yet pick it as your first weapon choice, though.

 

Jaheira has a great potential. I prefer to give her the best shield available, with a low AC and Ironskins it works wonders (besides switching back and forth between ranged attacks and dual wielding is a pain).

 

I would go for a shield as well, better AC plus Iron skins works wonders like Caradhras said. As for weapons Belm is a good choice until +2 weapons become obsolete, after that there's bound to be a nice club nearby

 

Some things has to be said: In BG2 it's better to have two weapons, as it deals more damage. Belm is great as it yields another attack ie it should stay in the offhand. Imagine that with HLAs There're nice clubs in SoA, and they're not even difficult to get. There's no need to put pips in shields as it only adds to missile protection. In BG1 there's a belt and some boots which helps here if necessary. Thus I'd always prepare Jaheira for BG2 via BG1. BTW Jaheira as a fronter isn't the first one to die in my games.

 

if you make good use of the iron skins i feel that a shield becomes obsolete, and i dont recall her dying as one of the firsts in any of my games.

just give her a belt of x giant strength for the damage and thac0 increases, a decent full plate, and with iron skins she'll rarely get hit.

you mentionen improved items mod by Weimer, you can make a club +5 by combining a few clubs already in the game, Fulcrum IIRC and one you get in spell hold, there is bound to be a few more ingredients but i think it is available fairly early in the game, for powergaming i think that's your best bet

 

Thanks for all the replies. I've decided to start her on the path of dual-wielding scimitars. I like seeing a big name, non-Drizzt character who uses two of these bad boys!.

 

I prefer to use her with two-handed weapons -- she's deadly with the Impaler.

 

Well that is true but there's so many nice shields in BG2 you have to give them to someone

 

It's illusory to use Jaheira as a melee fighter until very late in the game (end of SoA).
She hasn't good STR, HP, ST nor decent THAC0 progression, and her choice of weapons is very bad: clubs! It takes ages to get a new *.
If that's your tank, good luck in the Underdark.
Contrary to others, I had her die all the time on the front.

When her THAC0 gets decent, you are far in the game and don't want to waste time with Belm (+2), her best weapon is Blackblood (club +3, +3 acid; very expensive). In the vanilla game, there's no better club, but good scimitars in ToB (=very late).

I've tried Jaheira many times in BG1 & BG2 and concluded she's a support for the real cleric with her healing spells, and somewhat a support for the real fighters with a sling, but she's not the real thing, keep her away from melees for a very long time, except the easy ones (goblins, etc.)

I advise to put a second * in sling for her level 9.
But maybe the mentioned mod changes everything...

Your Jaheira-basher.

 

I disagree with Massacre - She can be an AWESOME tank, if you know how to play her right.

 

I too disagree with Capt M- I've only recently started playing with Item Upgrade and even without it she is just fine. On the whole, I didn't put her against the most challenging enemies coming my way- the nastiest foe was always left to a dedicated fighter. But against anything lesser, Jaheria was great.

 

Once Jaheira gets Ironskin you just keep one on her at all times -- she can out-tank Korgan. She just needs intelligent choices for equipment to be powerful.

 

I always had her right up against the nastiest foes I could find - full plate, a shield and a ring of protection or two can give her obscenely low AC. Add an ironskin, the odd buff and a few potions for emergencies and she's arguably the best damage sink in the game.

 

She's always been great at the tank role in my parties as well. But that may be because I always tinker with her using Shadowkeeper at the start of any SoA game - basically modifying her HPs, weapon proficiencies and Widsom to what they would have been had she been ported over from BG1.

Then all she needs is a strength belt and iron skins and she's ready to roll whether dual-wielding, going all-out tank with shield or using the Impaler.