Solo Swashbuckler/Mage

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Okay, in between finishing IWD2, and waiting for a new computer for NwN, I thought I'd grab back on BG2. I was thinking of soloing a Swashbuckler/Mage through SoA and ToB this time.

Swashbucklers get class bonusses every five levels. I thought of getting the thief class up to level 10 and then dualing. I guess level 15 is a bit high up, for then to go on with Mage.

What's the ToB experience cap again? Level 40?
Stats: (I will roll untill I have at least 30 )
STR 18
DEX 18
CON 18
INT 18
WIS 10
CHA 8

As for thieving abilities, I'm thinking detect traps and pickpocketing, because I can get Invisibility and Knock to replace Hide and Picklocks.

Proficiency in dualwielding and scimitars.

Any tips, hints or nits? (And please, no "you can pickpocket Kangaxx for a 2nd ring of Gaxx". I'm looking at you in specific Master of Nuhn )

[ February 24, 2003, 08:47: Message edited by: Faragon ]

 

Profiency in Scimitars?
The only good scimitar in early game is Belm in late game is Spectral Brand.
AFAIK Swashbuckler can't give profiency to Bastard Swords so i suggest using long swords or katanas.And i thought you can't dual a Swashbuckler for a mage but...

 

In fact you can dual a Swahie to a Mage, but that's a really boring discussion mentioned in hundreds of other threads. BTW Faragon you should go with longsword/katanas since you will want a +3 weapon before you'll leave to the Underdark. You should also try to get some points in shortbow, even if it doesn't make any sense with dualwielding, you will not regret. Elven chainmail for armor as soon as you get some, you might even use Bracer OAC 3, or the Robe of Vecna. You should get the Amulet of Power from Aran Linvail to counter level-drain and to be constantly vocalised. Boots of Speed are nescessary and ONE Ring of Gaxx plus perhaps a Ring of Wizardry... That will be a little, you should find out the rest by yourself...

 

I wouldn't put much points in picpocketing, the few situations it would come in handy you've got plenty of time to use potions of master thievery to boost that stat. You could put points in setting traps, but seeing as you will dualclass, you won't be able to set many traps making it a moot point. Detect illusion is an overlooked skill by many, but I've found it to be very handy to use while your invisible and don't want to give away your presence by spellcasting. You're correct about the absence of hiding skills, since the swashbuckler cannot backstab, but hiding sometimes is essential, especially in solo games.

My personal favorite weapons in solo games have to be celestial fury and of course the staff of the magi, both of them with some of the most usefull extra's in the game. Another 'must-have' in a solo game I would suggest the cloak of non-detection. It prevents your invicibility from being dispelled by True Seeing and other divination spells. I've never played a solo game without it (having played with either dualled mages or part thieves), it was a life saver!

 

As for Scimitars, there's a nice +4 one in the first level of Watcher's Keep iirc. I plan on getting that with Belm.

I know what items to get, that's not the point. I've been through with a solo F/M/T before, so...
My Wishlist so far:
- Scimitar from WK lvl1
- Belm
- Robe of Vecna
- Aran Linvail's Amulet
- Boots of Speed
- Ring of Gaxx
- STR boosting Belt.
The rest I'll see as I go through.

Now that I think of it, hide would indeed be more usefull than pickpocket.

 

That scimitar is Spectral Brand +4 and with Skull of the Lich in Sendai's Enclave you can upgrade it to +5.
Yep these two scimitars make profiency in scimitars worthwhile.Oh and there's Yamato +4 in Saradush,adds 1 to AC.

 

I am indeed powergaming. However I dislike powergaming to the point where my character is the most disgusting snivelling worm alive. I don't plan on using the ring. As for WIS for lore, I've got Identify for the important stuff, the random rubble I'll identify when I've got nothing better to ID.

I forgot about the Constitution for Nonfighterclasses. Indeed, 16 is all I'll need. Thanks for the nit.

I'm not going to lvl15 with the thief, I don't think the bonus is worth the effort of another 5 levels. (Which is also another 5 levels which I'll have to get around with the mage class.) 10 will do fine for my purposes.

And I'm playing vanilla ToB, so no Item Upgrade Mod for me.

 

Quote: OK. No ridiculous extremes for the powergamer (right).

Well, I'm powergaming, and yet I'm not. I take a powerfull classcombination, and bring up my stats accordingly. But I want to do it within a roleplaying picture. That means that if I'm going to get 8 levels of swashbuckler, I'd better have some STR to actually have gotten there in the first place.

I could forsake STR for WIS, but I really don't want to. Because, aside from previously mentioned reasons, that would tie me to one of the STR boosting belts, and I prefer keeping my options open.

I wanted to play through BG2 again, not BG1, so I'm definetely not going to do that.

I've got Identify to help me out on Lore, so I really don't feel like I need to boost WIS.

Quote: You can then use protective belts, you're not a misfigured tongue-tied social misfit, you've got your big wisdom, and everyone's happy.

I'm the only one that matters in this case. As long as I'm happy, it's good enough (I'm making him some kind of Chaotic alignment )

 

This is getting kinda Now it's about (non)powergaming or not. Why don't we get back to the subject?

 

I don't get it, why be swashbuckler when you can be an assassin? Guess what happens if you use misslead and backstab Assassin/Mage is far more powerfull than swashbuckler/mage.

 

Because Swashbucklers are way cooler

Seriously? I want to be able to dualwield scimitars to a good effect. And I don't care for backstabbing, or how powerfull it is. I want a fighterish rogue, with excellent magical abilities to kick a reasonable amount of @ss. I wanna roleplay that, and not an assasin.

 

Ninja-To. It's Usuno's Blade which you get from the 1st Level of Watcher's Keep, not the Spectral Brand (which you don't get until level 3 of WK). And it's a ninja-to, and that's why druids can't use it. It is indeed +4 with a chance of additional electrical damage, and that's nice to have especially early on in SoA. Although I would have Usuno's Blade handy especially when a +4 weapon is required to overwhelm a "Mantle," I think that nothing can beat the Belm +2 scimatar in the left and the Celestial Fury katana in the right for most of SoA.

[ March 02, 2003, 20:29: Message edited by: Riverwind ]

 

psst Riverwind, now that Tal has put stickies up at the top of every forum, as well as a welcome PM, there's really no excuse not to have read the rules. Sigs are not allowed.

Usuno's Blade, that's it. Thanks for the nit.