Tradeoff: AC, saving throws or resistances?

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Which one of the three is most important?

AC is pretty self-explanatory, but since I've gone the way of dual-wielding and maximum offense, I'm only reaching single-digit minuses. Is this worth anything against most of the monsters?

Or should I concentrate more on resistances and saving throws?

 

I would say concentratre on resistances and saving throws. AC is not that important becuase youi can buff to gills. Now Gnomes get the best saving throwes bonuses. (So do Dwarves)

 

For which stage of the game are you planning?

From my experience, AC is very important at the beginning, because no matter how much you improve your saves things like Chaos and Dire Charm will work against you anyway.

By chapter 6, or once you get to the higher levels, your saves will be so good anyway (just because of level up) that almost no spell that allows saves will worry you anyway. AC on the other hand can only be improved with equipment, and some melee enemies hit hard (drows can be pretty nasty).

I'd go for the resistances, because they are the one thing that is important at the beginning and at the end. I always take Viconia because her magic resistance can get to 80% with the right items, and when it does she's practically immune to 4/5th of the spells that get cast at her.

 

Just use a monk and you are immune to almost everything by the time you are through the game.

 

Going the way of upping resistances produced a nice tank - Jaheira has currently over 100% resistance to both fire and electricity.

This also opened up a totally new method of monster removal.. I had her equip Boots of Speed and run about a screenlength ahead of the rest of the party. When I see monsters approaching, Jaheira charges in and gathers a nice clump of enemies around her.

Finish off with a triple fireball in a spell sequencer. Nice'n'crisp monsters while Jaheira heals a couple of hit points.

 

Saving Throws are very important later on. Being able to save against many of the incapacitating spells is crucial.

Resistances are very useful, but depend largely on who you are fighting at the time. You need different equipment setups to make this work best.

AC can be good. I had Korgan with -13AC and -17AC with the Bard song, but he would still take a hell of a beating. Anything that can reduce physical damage would be very nice indeed.

 

Getting your enemies down is more important than trying to avoid their attacks.
Once I have -5AC on my front-line meleers and -1AC on the rest I stop bothering about it and conentrate on the killing part.

IIRC the short races get a Con bonus to their saves. Too bad this game does not allow you to make dwarven paladins. I often end up sending Keldron to fight the elder-orbs with the others provideing ranged and spell support. Saving throws become far more important as compared to AC in such fights.

You already have found out how to use elemental resistances to your benefit

 

Resistances, then saving throws.

A save will stop you getting killed or reduce the damage. Resistances will prevent you from having to make a save or taking damage in the first instance.

AC is not as important, but hey, I've said my piece on this enough times. The only time AC is truly paramount is against Illithids, and even then, it's secondary to saves and resistances/immunity to psionics.

 

Xen: Dwarves get better saving throws than Gnomes.

1) both saving throw bonuses are based off of CON, which the Dwarf gets +1 to during character creation.

2) Dwarves get a bonus vs. magic and poison, it's only vs. magic for Gnomes.

 

I'm a bit torn between Vhailor's Helm and Helm of Defence for Minsc/Keldorn..

I haven't been able to get that Vhailor's Simulacrum to work properly, probably due to having Minsc on a script that makes him attack before that special effect gets completed.

Ideas?

 

Helm of Defence I would say. or another helm that protects against taking damage.

Vhailor's is best used on some type of spell caster (F/M, F/C, C/M, etc, etc).