Table of Contents:

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To navigate quickly, double click the code, press CTRL-C, then CTRL-F,

CTRL-V and ENTER!

I. [NTRDCT] Introduction

II. [WHTSNW] What's New in Baldur's Gate II

III. [THRNFB] Throne of Bhaal Information

IV. [MDNFRM] Tweaking Baldur's Gate II

V. [CRTNGM] Creating a Main Character (or a Party)

VI. [CMPNNS] Companions

VII. [GMPLYS] Gameplay Strategies and Tricks

VIII. [GNRLMN] General Monster Fighting Strategies

VIII.1 [GLMSVI] Golems

VIII.2 [DMNSV2] Demons

VIII.3 [NDDSV3] Undead

VIII.4 [DRGNSS] Dragons

VIII.5 [NMYSPL] Enemy Spellcasters

VIII.6 [BHLDRS] Beholders

VIII.7 [MNDFLY] Mind Flayers

VIII.8 [WRWLVS] Werewolves

[FRQNTL] Frequently Asked Questions

[WLKTHR] Walkthrough

1. [RNCSDN] Chapter 1: Irenicus' Dungeon

1.1 [DNGLV2] Irenicus' Dungeon Level 2

2. [WKNSPR] Chapter 2: Waukeen's Promenade

2.1 [THSLMS] The Slums

2.2 [BTWNRS] Between Areas

2.3 [DRNSHL] De'Arnise Hold

2.4 [WNDSPR] Windspear Hills

2.5 [THPLNR] The Planar Sphere

2.6 [THGRVY] The Graveyard

2.7 [CTYGTE] City Gate

2.8 [THBRDG] The Bridge

2.9 [GVRNMN] Government District

2.10 [MRHLLS] Umar Hills

2.11 [TMPLRN] Temple Ruins

2.12 [TMPLDS] Temple District

2.13 [THSWRS] The Sewers

2.14 [THDCKS] The Docks

2.15 [TRDMTT] Trademeet

3. [THGLDW] Chapter 3: The Guild War

3.1 [WRKNGF] Working for the Shadow Thieves

3.2 [WKNGFB] Working for Bodhi

4. [BRNNLW] Chapter 4: Brynnlaw

4.1 [SPLLHL] Spellhold

4.2 [MZBNTH] Maze beneath Spellhold

4.3 [SCPFRS] Escape from Spellhold

4.4 [SHGNCT] Sahuagin City

5. [THNDRK] Chapter 5: The Underdark

5.1 [STNTHA] Ust Natha (Drow City)

5.2 [BHLDRC] Beholder City

5.3 [THLLTH] The Illithid Lair

5.4 [XTFRTU] Exit from the Underdark

6. [BCKTAT] Chapter 6: Back to Athkatla

6.1 [3NWARS] Three New Areas

7. [SLDNSS] Chapter 7: Suldanessellar

7.1 [TH9HLS] The Nine Hells

X1. [STRNGH] STRONGHOLD Walkthroughs

X2. [THLMTD] The Limited Wish Adventure

[THRNFB] Throne of Bhaal Walkthrough

1. [WTCHRK] Watcher's Keep

2. [GRVFTN] Grove of the Ancients

3. [SRDSHH] Saradush

4. [GRMNRR] Gromnir

5. [YGSHRA] Yaga Shura

6. [MKTHRN] Amkethran

6.1 [SNDFMN] Sendai

6.2 [BZGLAA] Abazigal

7. [BLTHZR] Balthazar

8. [THFBHL] Throne of Bhaal

[PPNDCS] Appendices

A. [CMPLTK] Complete Kit Descriptions

B. [CHRTSA] Charts & Analysis

> [THVNGM] Thieving Money Charts

> [DLWLDN] Dual Wielding Analysis

C. [CHTSSS] Cheats

D. [TRNRSN] Trainers and Editors

E. [MNLCRR] Manual Corrections & Addendums

F. [BGSZS1] Bugs

G. [STRNGT] Strange Things

[FNLWRD] Final Words....

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I. [NTRDCT] Introduction

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In Baldur's Gate, your character faced the harsh light of reality. Pushed

violently out of your home after the death of your foster father, you had to

discover the truth of his killing, and your own past. What you discovered

was that you were the offspring of the deceased Lord of Murder, the dark god

Bhaal. He had foreseen his own imminent demise and so had spread his seed

across the land. You were one of those children. So too was the evil

Sarevok, the murderer of Gorion. He sought to become the new Lord of Murder,

and sought to start a war between Baldur's Gate and Amn. It would not matter

who won this war... so long as people died by the thousands. Fortunately for

the world you were there to stop Sarevok and end his schemes.

But the world doesn't stop for one heroic deed. Soon after your adventures

around Baldur's Gate a mysterious force captures your adventuring party.

Could this be another spawn of Bhaal? Or perhaps something worse...

Baldur's Gate II: The Shadows of Amn takes place just a few months after the

events of Baldur's Gate. You have been captured and placed in a cage. All

your equipment and money is gone. Your companions have been scattered. Who

is behind this? And more importantly... why?

There are two "bonus" CD's out there, one people got with the Collector's

Edition and another for Preordering (either from EBworld or from the

Interplay Store). These add new shops and items. You can also download

these files from http://www.sorcerers.net/index.shtml (you can also check out

the Frequently Asked Questions for more information)

Collector's Disc: Aurora's Emporium in the Adventurer's Mart

Sells all manner of Torment related items, such as Dak'kon's Zerth Blade

and Vhailor's Helm. Best yet, it has the almighty Robe of Vecna. Talk

to Deidre in the back of the Adventurer's Mart.

Preorder Disc: Joluv in the Copper Coronet

Sells all manner of Icewind Dale related items, such as Hrothgar's Axe

and the Defender of Easthaven.

You can just use the cheats to create the merchants (see the Cheats section

if you don't know how to do it):

CLUAConsole:CreateCreature("wmart1")

CLUAConsole:CreateCreature("wmart2")

to make the two merchants appear in the current area. [from John Howard]

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II. [WHTSNW] What's New in Baldur's Gate II

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Here's a list of what's new in Baldur's Gate II (as compared to BG):

- Familiars. Mages can cast the first level spell "Find Familiar" to get

themselves a little intelligent creature called a Familiar. Not only

do you get a permanent little scout/thief/monster, but you get a bonus

to your Mage's HP as well. If your Familiar has 24 HP, then you get +12

HP.

- Strongholds. Each class gets their own specific stronghold to call their

own. A fighter gets a castle, a bard gets a playhouse and a thief gets

a thieves' guild.

- New Playable Race: Half-Orc. Half-orcs get a bonus to their strength

and constitution and a penalty to their intelligence and charisma.

- New Playable Classes: Monk, Barbarian and Sorcerer.

Monk. The Monk is one of the more interesting new classes. They are

very skilled at fighting without weaponry, and as they go up in levels

their fists grow in power. At the 14th level they start gaining Magic

Resistance. They also have other special abilities, such as Lay on Hands

faster movement and some thief skills. The drawback? They can't wear

armor or use two-handed weaponry.

Barbarian. The Barbarian is a brute compared to the fighter. More

vicious but less refined. He gets more HP, can berserk and moves faster.

Drawbacks? Can't wear Full Plate or Plate Mail, and cannot gain more

than Specialized in Proficiencies.

Sorcerer. Normal mages have to first learn a spell, then memorize it,

then spend time to cast the spell. The Sorcerer does none of these.

They simply get a set number of spells per level and can cast a number

of spells. This works more like "mana" systems of other games.

- New sub-classes, called Kits. These represent different philosophies

within each discipline. For example, the Wizard Slayer (Fighter) won't

wear magic items, but gains a bonus magic resistance and can disrupt

magic spells permanently. For more information see the Kits section in

the Appendix.

- More thief skills, such as Set Trap, Detect Illusion and more.

- More spells, including Delayed Blast Fireball and Time Stop.

- Gem bags to hold gems and necklaces, Scroll cases to hold spells and

parchments and Bags of Holding to hold everything else.

- Bigger, fiercer monsters, including Dragons, Beholders and Liches.

- Better resolution. The game officially supports up to 800x600, but

unofficially it can go up much, much higher.

- Higher experience cap, set at 2.95 million experience points allowing

your character to become as gods. (not quite, but that sure sounds good

doesn't it?)

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III. [THRNFB] Throne of Bhaal Information

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Throne of Bhaal is the official Expansion Pack to Baldur's Gate II: Shadows

of Amn. It has one area (Watcher's Keep) that can be reached in either game,

and many other areas that take place after the events in BG2. ToB can be

purchased in any store that sold BG2.

Once you enter the Expansion areas (with the exception of Watcher's Keep)

you cannot return to the original game areas.

What's New in Throne of Bhaal:

------------------------------

- TAB key will now highlight doors, containers and items for you. (use it

often!)

- Wild Mage kit. Just like a mage, but with one key difference, Wild Surges.

These are near unpredictable alterations of the magic. It might just make

you itchy (or your enemies itchy) or it could even change your gender. You

just never know.

- New areas.

- Completes the Baldur's Gate saga.

- Experience Cap set much higher at 8,000,000. This allows most characters

to get to level 40.

- Many new items, and more items that can be built from other items.

- More spells.

- You can now remove spells from your spellbook. This is intended to get rid

of unwanted spells when you can't learn any more.

Tip: If you have duplicate Spell Scrolls, learn the spell once, then

Erase it, then learn it again. This way you get the experience

twice!

- New high level abilities (HLA) for level 20+ characters. These abilities

are extremely strong and useful, such as Deathblow, Whirlwind attack and

Summon Planetar.

- Evil clerics can Turn Paladins along with Undead. (which adds an

interesting conflict when you have Viconia and Keldorn in the same party)

- Cloak of Mirroring no longer reflects spells back to their caster, merely

blocks the spells.

David Gaider (one of the senior designers of ToB) has released a few minor

additions to Throne of Bhaal, which you can find at Baldurdash:

http://www.baldurdash.org/ToB/TOBtweaksandcheats.html

They include new Bhaalspawn abilities, and tougher Demogorgon and Balthazar

battles.

Baldurdash: http://www.baldurdash.org/

The Wish Spell

--------------

The WISH Spell is much like its lesser brother, the Limited Wish, but a

whole lot more powerful. As such it is very tricky to use. The Djinn you

summon is pretty much out to get you, so having a good WISDOM is essential.

18 or more will get you the best responses, 9 or worse will get you some

pretty awful responses. However, which wishes you get is also partly random.

He then picks from a list of wishes that you can get (not all will be what

you want), and if you have really bad wisdom, you'll be picking from a list

of nothing but bad choices! Here is a list of all the wishes, sorted from

the really bad to the sorta awful to the surprisingly good:

'Improved Haste' on all enemies in the area.

Level Drain two levels from each party member.

Bring a 'Meteor Swarm' down upon the caster.

Temporarily remove half of the caster's HP.

Caster loses all memorized spells.

Party loses 10,000 gp.

Temporarily reduce the Strength of all party members to 3.

Temporarily reduce the Dexterity of all party members to 3.

Temporarily reduce the Constitution of all party members to 3.

Temporarily reduce the Wisdom of all party members to 3.

Temporarily reduce the Intelligence of all party members to 3.

Temporarily reduce the Charisma of all party members to 3.

Heal all enemies in the area.

Temporarily remove 15% of all party members' HPs.

Summon an extra hostile monster into the area.

Everyone in the area, both party members and enemies, become intoxicated.

'Breach' on everyone in the area, including the party.

Blow all people, including party members, away from the caster.

Heal everyone, party members and enemies included.

Temporarily set Strength to 18 for everyone in the area, including enemies.

'Miscast Magic' on everyone in the area, including party members.

'Magic Resistance' on everyone in the area, including enemies.

'Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting' on everyone in the area, including the party.

Incur bad luck on everyone in the area, including party members.

'Silence' on everyone in the area, including party members.

'Haste' everyone in the area, including enemies.

'Improved Haste' on all party members.

'Breach' on all enemies in the area.

'Restoration' on all party members.

Raise all party members' characteristics to 25 for 4 rounds.

'Resurrection' on all dead party members.

All party members gain the temporary ability 'Greater Deathblow'.

All party members gain the temporary ability 'Hardiness'.

Create a random wand in caster's inventory.

Create a random potion in the caster's inventory.

Make it as if the entire party has just rested a full night and

re-memorized all their spells.

Cast a double-length 'Time Stop' and 'Improved Alacrity' on the caster.

Upgraded Familiars:

-------------------

Familiars are upgraded when you complete the regular game by beating

Irenicus.

You can now "feed" the familiars to heal them. You can also ask them for

advice.

If you want to see the old BG2 familiar list, it is in the Gameplay

Strategies section below.

Alignment Familiar AC HP Abilities

--------------- ------------- -- -- ----------------------------------

Lawful Good Pseudo Dragon 0 48 35% magic resistance, renders

victims unconscious, casts Blur,

Ghost Armor, Detect Illusion, 2

attacks per round

Neutral Good Pseudo Dragon 0 48 (same as above)

Chaotic Good Fairy Dragon 0 24 45% magic res., casts Invisibility

10' Radius, Imp. Invisibility &

Mirror Image 1/day

Lawful Neutral Ferret -4 48 65% magic res., 95% Pickpocket,

60% Stealth, 60% Detect Traps

True Neutral Rabbit 1 48 85% Detect Traps, 60% Stealth,

65 magic res., 50% detect illusion

always haste

Chaotic Neutral Cat -4 48 Pickpocket, 99% Stealth,

65% magic res, 60% Find Traps.

Lawful Evil Imp -2 48 Polymorphs, 35% magic res., poison

attack, regenerates 1 HP/second

Neutral Evil Dust Mephit 3 48 Casts Glitterdust 2/day, 25% magic

res., Prismatic Spray, Stoneskin,

60% damage resistant, immune to

fire

Chaotic Evil Quasit -2 48 Casts Horror, 35% magic resist.,

immune to fire, cold and elec.,

regenerates 1 Hp/second, 3 attacks

per round, attack reduces target

DEX

Romances in Throne of Bhaal:

----------------------------

Yep, they all are continued, even if you ended them (such as Aerie saying at

the end that you should just be friends).

SPOILERS

Viconia > You can convince her to change her alignment (you simply have to

say "good" things, like killing is wrong, etc.)

Aerie > You can have a child with her

Anomen > Asks to marry you

Jaheira > n/a

Viconia's alignment switch: When she offers to sleep with you again, turn

her down because the "time isn't right", then

when she asks what you think of her, be very

very nice. When she asks you what it's like

having the blood of Bhaal in your veins, tell

her that you don't like the killing.

Between meeting her wraith-brother and the

destruction of Saradush (I told you there were

Spoilers in here), you need to have at least

ONE romance talk occur. If you skip this, you

can't get her to switch alignments.

When she sees the battle, tell her that you

don't like it. Then when she asks if you want

her to change, say yes.

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IV. [MDNFRM] Tweaking Baldur's Gate II

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Tired of always knowing how to do everything in the game? Want a new challenge?

Try a mod! All the significant Unofficial Add-On's (most of which are top-

notch) can be found here:

http://modlist.pocketplane.net/

http://www.gibberlings3.net/

http://www.spellholdstudios.com/

The first thing's that I would install are the Fixpack and the Tweak pack, both

of which can be found at Gibberlings 3. These fix the remaining annoying bugs,

as well as some ease of use enhancements. The tweak pack can do things like

unlimited arrow stacking, and remove the experience cap. Every component is

optional, so if you like one thing, but not another, you can just install what

you want.

If you have a widescreen monitor, be sure to pick up the widescreen mod from

Gibberlings 3.

Some of the Mods that I've tried:

Baldur's Gate Trilogy - Combines all the Baldur's Gate games into one

package. (The "third" game it refers to is Throne of Bhaal) Works really

well, although there are a few bugs. (Don't memorize any new spells

until you're sure that they work) It's really fun to play from Candlekeep

to the Throne of Bhaal in one game.

Banter Pack - Makes the NPCs more interesting.

Big Picture - combines several of the largest BG2 mods into one. Includes

The Darkest Day, Shadows Over Soubar, Never Ending Journey and Tortured

Souls. Combine this with BGT above for a really massive gaming experience.

Dark Side of the Sword Coast for BG-BGT - technically a BG1 mod, but played

in the BG2 engine through BGT.

David Gaider (one of the senior designers of ToB) has released a few minor

additions to Throne of Bhaal, which you can find at Baldurdash:

http://www.baldurdash.org/ToB/TOBtweaksandcheats.html

Freedom's Reign / Reign of Virtue

Gibberlings3 Tweak Pack - awesome, awesome mod. All of its components are

optional, so you can pick the ones you like. Some of which are:

Remove Helmet Animations

Imoen/Nalia Avatar Change (to a mage)

Disable Portrait Icons Added by Equipped Items

Change Avatar when Wearing Robes or Armor (to mage or fighter)

Add More Bags of Holding

Multiple Strongholds

Bonus Merchants (from the Pre-order & Collector's edition)

Remove Experience Cap

Allow thieving in armor (with appropriate penalties, of course)

Allow mage spellcasting in armor (with penalties, of course)

Infinite arrow stacking

Infinite potion stacking

And so very much more!

Imoen Romance

One Pixel Productions - Redoes the artwork in the game to be more like BG1.

I liked going back to the original "paper doll" look from the first game.

Secret of Bone Hill (BGT)

Unfinished Business - puts several quests and things back into the game that

were dropped by Bioware.

If you need a walkthrough for the Unofficial Add-On, the Darkest Day, you can

get Suburban Jub's fine walkthrough here:

http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/index.htm

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V. [CRTNGM] Creating a Main Character (or a Party)

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The hardest decision in the game is also the first decision, and the one that

has the farthest reaching effects as well. What you decide here will change

everything and affect how easy your game is.

What Class Do You Play??

Such a simple question, but no easy answers. A lot of which class you want

to play has to do with your individual style as a player. If you like just

rushing into the thick of battle without planning, maybe a Barbarian is the

way to go. Meticulous planner? Think mage. Finesse fighter? Kensai or

Monk.

Trick: When you are rolling the "Attributes" for your character, if you

press CTRL-8 the game will set all your stats to 18 (and 18/00 for

STR). This ONLY works if you already have the Debug Mode enabled

(see the Cheats section below).

Tip: If you're going to import from BG1, and you, like me, reloaded your

BG1 game everytime you gained a level to get maximum hit points,

you might be dismayed to learn that BG2 will AVERAGE OUT YOUR

HIT POINTS. That's right, my level 8 Fighter got nerfed from 120

hit points to 81! The only way I found to get around this is to,

when selecting a kit for your imported character, select BACK

instead of a kit. You keep your hit points but lose the ability

to take a kit.

Favorite Kits:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fighter -- > Kensai (great fighters, and when dualled to a mage become

extremely powerful, I've also heard good things about

Kensai/Thief combinations)

Mage -- > Conjurer (you lose some spells, but you can summon with the

best of them! This is more subjective than the others)

Druid -- > Shapeshifter (If you've played Cernd then you know that he

is one of the weakest HUMANS, but when he becomes a werewolf

he is very powerful)

Priest -- > Priest of Lathander (This is subjective, I just like the

Boon of Lathander spell)

Bard -- > Skald (this has a LOT of good effects, and only one bad effect

a low pickpocket score)

Thief -- > Swashbuckler (this guy is awesome, practically a fighter!)

Ranger -- > Archer (gives this guy a bow, and 5 proficiency in it and you

have the best sniper in the game)

Paladin -- > Inquisitor (used to be Cavalier, but I changed my mind. This

guy's major plus is his Dispel Magic ability, which he casts

at twice his level, plus with immunities to Hold and Charm)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep in mind that only the Protagonist (main character) can have a Familiar.

So if you aren't a Mage, and can't Dual to a Mage later, no one in your game

will have a Familiar.

Tip: When creating a character, one thing to consider is the desirability

of covering a niche that isn't handled by any of the recruitable

NPCs. For example, there's no point in creating an inquisitor or

ranger PC because the game already includes strong NPCs for these

classes. On the other hand, the game doesn't include any thieves

capable of standing toe-to-toe with enemies in melee combat, so a

fighter/thief would be a good choice to fill this niche. Or there's

always the versatile ranger/cleric, who is able to cast druidic as

well as clerical spells because of a quirk in the BG2 engine.

[from jsaving]

Multi-Class and Dual-Class options:

-----------------------------------

When you multi-class you are 2 or 3 classes simultaneously. Your experience

is divided among your classes, so you do level up slower, but you get the

abilities of all the classes at the same time. Keep in mind that you still

have to follow the rules of your class, that is, a fighter/mage still can't

cast spells in armor, and a thief can't sneak in armor greater than studded

leather. Then, when you get at high level, you get access to both of your

class's high level abilities (HLA) at the same time. The triple classes

only get some of the HLAs, for example the Fighter-Mage-Thief gets most of

the Fighter and Thief HLAs but almost none of the Mage's.

In dual classing, you switch from one class to another, and forevermore

will gain levels only in the new class. When the new class level is higher

than the old one, you gain the abilities of both again, but still only

level up in the new class. Thus, depending on what level you switch over,

you may only get 1 set of HLA.

Trick: When you dual your main character to the Mage Class, try this. Kick

everyone out of the party, then learn as many spells as you can.

You gain experience for each spell you learn. I was able to gain

MANY levels this way!

Dual Class Note: Can't get your character to dual class? You probably

don't have sufficient STATS for it. Dualling requires

your character have 15 of his current class's prime STAT

(i.e. STR for a Fighter) and 17 of your desired class's

prime STAT (i.e. INT for a Mage). See the Frequently

Asked Questions section for more details.

And again, only humans may dual class.

Here's the character I played through when I wrote the walkthrough:

Male --> To have the romance with Viconia

Half-Orc --> For the STR and CON bonuses

Barbarian -> A very powerful class, gets 2 extra HP per level (over what a

Fighter gets), can Rage, moves faster and at level 11 gains

various weapon resistances.

Lawful --> To get that high starting reputation.

Good

Dual Wield > Then I had him dual wield Katanas (the Celestial Fury is just

awesome) and Long Swords.

And here is the party I used when I wrote the walkthrough:

(slight SPOILER)

Me -- Barbarian, as a Half-Orc to get me 19 STR and CON, then dual

wielded long swords and katanas. Very strong.

Jaheira -- Fighter / Druid, The best Druid in the game since she is the only

one who can Raise Dead (with Harper's Call).

Viconia -- Cleric, she is an awesome cleric (much better than Anomen) plus

she has natural magic resistance.

Edwin -- Conjurer, the only true mage in the game, also gains a bonus to

the number of spells he can cast. Not only gains the +1 spell

per level as a Conjurer, but gains another +2 spells per level

from his Amulet (which can't be removed).

Mazzy -- Fighter, Her bow ability is her best feature, but she also has

a number of extra powers (such as Courage) that I found useful.

Yoshimo -- Bounty Hunter, oh sure he isn't a long term solution, but that is

exactly where Imoen returns.

Here's a straight-good aligned power-party:

Main Character -- play as a Kensai/Mage

Valygar -- Stalker dual wielding katanas, can also backstab really well. If

you aren't using his backstab, drop for Mazzy.

Keldorn -- The only Paladin in the game, thus the only person who can use

the Holy Avenger

Minsc -- The strongest character in SoA, fights well with the two handed

sword, or with two weapons.

Anomen -- Once you get past his bizarre personal issues, he's not that bad.

Yoshimo -- To be replaced later with Imoen (or use Jan if you prefer)

Note: There are several things any party should be able to do: disarm traps

(thief), remove level drain (lesser restoration), and remove combat

protections (breach). If the main character can't do any of these

things, then the player is restricting his NPC choice set to a

certain degree because he has to reserve party slots for characters

with these capabilities. Playing a character that has some of these

capabilities provides extra flexibility, which may be desirable if

the player wants to try out a wide variety of NPCs without being

"locked in" to a party composition he may not really want.

[from jsaving]

Attributes:

-----------

STRENGTH (STR) = Melee damage and ability to hit with melee weapons

DEXTERITY (DEX) = Ranged to hit, and increases Armor Class

CONSTITUTION (CON) = Increases hit points per level

WISDOM (WIS) = Gives bonus spells castable per day to clerics, adds

lore

INTELLIGENCE (INT) = Improves chance to learn spell for mages, increases

maximum number of spells known per level

CHARISMA (CHA) = Discounts at stores, and improved rewards for quests

So, you can see that a melee fighter would want STR, DEX and CON, and has

no real reason to get WIS or INT. Everyone benefits from DEX and CON.

On STR, the 18/xx scores go from 01 to 00. It's easier to think of the 00 as

100. So, 18/00 is the highest possible, and better than 18/99.

With CON, only warriors get use of the stat beyond 16. So, a mage with 16

CON gets just as many HP as a mage with 17 or 18 CON. But a Fighter, Ranger,

Paladin or Barbarian gain a benefit on every increase in CON.

Hit Points at Higher Levels:

----------------------------

For the first 9 (or 10) levels, you can gain either 4 (mage) 6 (rogue)

8 (priest) 10 (fighter) or 12 (barbarian) hit points per level. This is

randomized, so you can get less. You also gain bonus hit points based on your

CON (see above). However, at level 9 (or 10, depending on your class) you

start to gain fewer hit points per level. This is part of the AD&D rules.

So, when you gain 3 HP at level 11, this is why. No amount of reloading will

fix this. The game is balanced around this fact, so you won't be weaker

than your enemies.

Fighters / Rangers / Paladins - normal to level 9, then +3 hp per level

Priest / Druid / Monk - normal to level 9, then +2 hp per level

Rogues / Bards - normal to level 10, then +2 hp per level

Mages / Sorcerers - normal to level 10, then +1 hp per level

Weapon Proficiencies:

---------------------

Proficiencies give various bonuses, and you can place 1-5 points in each

weapon. The first point simply makes you proficient so you don't suffer any

penalties to hit with the weapon. You suffer a -4 to use any weapon that you

lack a proficiency.

points spent to hit bonus damage bonus attacks

1 (Proficient) 0 0 1

2 (Specialized) +1 +2 3/2

3 (Master) +2 +2 3/2

4 (High Master)* +2 +3 3/2

5 (Grand Master) +2 +4 3/2

* Improves weapon speed.

Note: Only fighters can get all 5 proficiency points. Most classes are

restricted to 1 point, while Rangers, Paladins and Barbarians can get

2 per weapon. Since there is an extra 1/2 attack at 2 points, it

has the greatest benefit.

There are nice weapons for each type, so choose whichever one you like, then

focus in it.

If you have a thief, mage or a character that cannot use a shield due to a

class restriction then allocating a point or two into single weapon style

will give an armour class as if equipped with a shield. Very useful but

obviously must have a one-handed weapon equipped. It also increases the odds

of getting a critical hit. (a roll of 19 or 20). [from Carl Wear]

Charisma is your friend:

------------------------

So what does Charisma really get you? Well if you have a low charisma you

may not be able to get NPC's to join you, if you pass a quest, the treasure

may not be as good as it normally would be, (or there may be no treasure at

all!) and shops WILL charge you more. So don't skimp out on the charisma.

On the other hand, you only need ONE PERSON with good charisma, and it

needn't be your main character.

SPOILER: Plus, just outside of the first dungeon you find a ring that sets

anyone's Charisma to 18. You will find this ring by finish the

circus tent quest in the Promenade area.

After maxing my reputation, I had my leader (with a charisma of 18) wear some

charisma-enhancing items (nymph cloak, sword of the roses, helm of glory) to

boost his charisma up to 23 before he talks to shop owners, and got a

significant further discount from the increased charisma above 18. Useful

for all those expensive items from the bonus CD's. [from RCL]

Creating all Six Characters:

----------------------------

It is quite beneficial to play every game as a multiplayer (although it does

create a bit of a hassle). It gives you the benefit of being able to create

all 6 players in your party rather than depending on NPC's, and you can also

Export and Import characters in and out at any time. Potentially, then,

you could have a party of as many people as you want, just import and export

as needed.

To create a Multiplayer game just click the Multi Player button. At the next

menu click "Connect". Now you have to set the type of Multi Player (the top

button), using Serial is fairly easy (although it requires that you have some

Networking installed...) Now click "Create Game" (whenever you are playing by

yourself in the Multiplayer always use "Create Game", never use "Join

Game"!). Name the session to whatever you want, and enter in your own name.

Finally click "New Game". Now you can create as many characters as you want.

Then once they are all created, click the little Check icon by each created

characters, and then click the "Done" button.

If I created six characters, this would be that party:

Human Monk -- These guys are just awesome at the higher levels.

Human Kensai -- To be dualled to a Mage at level 9 or 12, can be very

powerful

Human Skald -- Bards are fun, but this one is great. Useful for the

great Bard Song. At high levels gives everyone +4 to

hit, damage and AC!

Elf Archer -- The best ranged weapons expert in existence! This guy is

ridiculously powerful.

Human Swashbuckler -- A thief with great offensive abilities.

Human Sorcerer -- Great magical abilities, don't have to memorize or

learn spells.

Or I might replace the Monk with a Half-Orc Barbarian (or Kensai) -- A

hit point powerhouse.

But naturally in Baldur's Gate II, I prefer to have most of my party consist

of the pre-made NPC's that you find in the game. They're just more

interesting to me.

Warning: I don't recommend creating all SIX characters in the game. You

will miss out on character specific quests (and there are a lot of

these early in the game) as well as the fun interactions these

characters have with each other. At most I would create 5

characters, then bring in an NPC, do their quests, then go on to

the next NPC.

Trick: To play with your own characters, but avoid the hassles of

Multiplayer, simply copy the saved game out of the \MPSAVE\ directory

and into the \SAVE\ directory. You can then play with your own

party in the normal single player mode. [from Grack]

Thoughts on Kensai/Mages and other Combinations:

------------------------------------------------

[from RCL]

While I can imagine how high level Kensais can be killing machines, I do not

believe they are worth it if you dual them out at level 9. At that time,

compared to normal fighters they only have +3 to hit and +3 damage (plus 3

uses of the Kai ability and -2 speed factors) - which is, in other words,

about an additional 15%-20% bonus depending on your stats, skills and

weapons. However, this is at the expense of not being able to use missile

weapons and more importantly, not being able to use bracers, gauntlets,

helmets, shields and armors.

Even if you, for example, use the shield amulet to make up for the horrible

AC, you won't be able to utilize other abilities offered by the equipment

(such as super fire protection by wearing the whole set of dragon

helm/shield/armor; increased charisma with the Helm of Glory;

missile/beholder ray protection from the reflection/fortress/Balduran's

shields, etc.). After you dual the Kensai to a mage, the inability to use

bracers and missile weapons can make him a liability to the group for a long

while until he regains his Kensai abilities.

A Berserker warrior will be better mage-dualling material. First of all, he

is almost equivalent with a level-9 Kensai in melee abilities with his +2

Thac0/ +2 damage during his rage. In addition, during his rage he will gain

15 hp and have very important immunities (which alone IMO makes up for the

Kai ability); he can use ranged weapons if you want, and he has zero

limitation to his equipment - even if you don't feel like enabling/disabling

your magic casting abilities with heavy armors all the time, Bracers AC3 can

help a lot. Personally, I will take all these advantages and additional

flexibility over the Kai ability and -2 speed factors any day.

Currently I have my Berserker/mage dual wield the Celestial Fury and

Dak'kon's Zerth Blade, wearing the Bracer AC3. I used the editor just to

change his appearance to a mage, and wear the traveler's robe just for the

looks. Looks great (especially when he attacks), and is probably the best

member in my team.

Editor: http://www.mud-master.com/shadowkeeper/

Other People's Party Strategies:

--------------------------------

If Geoff Ulreich created all 6 characters, this is how it would look:

Paladin - Inquisitor (can't dual or would start as fighter for max weapon

prof.) Definitely the only worthwhile paladin kit, immunity to

hold and charm are PRICELESS, as is true seeing, and paladins are

typically worthless as spellcasters, healers and undead turners

next to clerics anyway (hence his disadvantages aren't really).

Spec. in two handed sword, style, and longbow or crossbow (or

both). He's a madman with the Avenger (a DMs worst nightmare).

Fighter - to be dualled to a Priest at 9th level. Grand Mastery in

Warhammer for the Crom Faeyr, the rest in sling (Priests can use

it). Invaluable for healing, turning, summoning fodder, and

dispelling.

Monk - (can't dual, wouldn't anyway) This class is even more unbalanced

than in the first edition AD&D rules, truly heinous by 15th

level, a dervish of destruction at 20th.

Thief - Bounty Hunter to be dualled to Mage (can't dual to specialist or

I would do Conjurer - Divination (their opp. sphere) spells suck)

at 11th, when his special traps have the Hold ability) - also

allows him to hit max level in mage. Give him longswords, two

wpn style (or one if you're gonna use a bow a lot), short bow

(and/or crossbow for the light crossbow of speed). This will

allow you to use most of the good long swords in the game. Get

set snares, F/R traps, and open locks to 100, 100, & 95

respectively, ignore the rest).

Bard - Skald (can't dual or would start as a fighter) Basically for his

kick-ass song, but makes a nice 3rd mage as well. Give him

longsword, 2 handed sword, 2 weapon style, 2 handed sword (for

the vorpal). Nice for Lore skill (saves hassle), cast Friends

before shopping.

Sorcerer - (can't dual or would start as a fighter) A VERY powerful mage.

All the characters should have 18/00 (fighters) or 18 strengths, 18 dexs,

16 cons (18 for the fighter and paladin). Mages get 18 intelligence (incl

bard and bounty), and one of them needs an 18 (or close) wis for limited

wishes. Priest needs 18 wis as well, and paladin and bard should be 18

charisma (save that ring slot for something better). Only took me 2 hrs to

get 6 characters with the above stats. I made them all Lawful or Neutral

Good to allow 20 rep. Have the Sorc. as your main character for the find

familiar spell (use a scroll), this will net a psuedodragon (the best

familiar). This party is a bit slow until the fighter duals to cleric

(lack of healing), but this doesn't take long at all, and soon after it is

unstoppable. Also, Archers are WAY overrated.

By the by, my first character (single player) was a kensai as well, but

used two longswords. Foregoing a second sword for a measly AC bonus is

silly, he was AC -6 by the end (using the shield amulet, which has more

than enough charges to carry you through the end of the game. Also, not

much lived long enough to swing more than once at him; he splattered

creatures faster than Keldorn and Jahiera combined. That's 9 (NINE)

attacks per round if improved hasted and using the dancing sword, 8 if you

think the sword doesn't count :), 4 normally (still obscene). The best

defense is, well, you get the picture...I was going to dual him to mage,

but was having far too much fun with him as it was, and already had 3 mages

by that point.

My sorcerer spell picks:

I have seen many people on the BBSs asking what spells their sorcerers

should learn, especially at the higher levels, and I have also seen some

truly awful replies. That said, here are my picks.

1st: -magic missile*

-identify (even with a bard, no other great picks)

-shield

2 others ( I did protection from petrification and charm person)

Editor's Note: I would take Chromatic Orb here. It has some awesome

powers and grows in strength as your sorcerer levels

up.

2nd: -melf's acid arrow

-mirror image

-knock(*)

-resist fear* (actually an area effect, contrary to what it says in the

manual)

-horror/web/stinking cloud (pick one - I chose horror since it allows you

to take enemies out of action without affecting your party)

3rd: -fireball* __

-dispel magic ]__*

-remove magic__]

-haste

4th: -ice storm

-minor sequencer*

-stone skin*

-minor globe of invulnerability

5th: -breach**********

-chaos*

-cloudkill*

-lower resistance

The above are not set in stone, but really are the best picks for a well

rounded sorcerer, to be used for heavy artillery, fighting enhancement,

and dispelling (with some defense set aside, mainly for the contingency

spells). The offense is balanced for single target and area attack

spells; the area attacks are balanced between damage-dealing and

disabling (the latter of which won't hurt your party, good for in-close

fighting. For the last three levels, I will list a small group of

possibilities, with the first 3 (6th), 3 (7th), and 2 (8th) spells listed

being the ones I chose. I found summoning spells to be fairly useless

later in the game, especially against mages (death fog and death spell),

with the possible exceptions of the nishruu and hakeashar.

6th: -contingency*

-improved haste

-pierce magic*

-(chain lightning)

-(death fog)

-(summon nishruu)

7th: -delayed blast fireball

-mass invisibility*

-spell sequencer*

-(limited wish (depending on your Wis))

-(ruby ray of reversal)

-(summon hakeashar)

-(khelben's warding whip)(great spell, but...no room:))

8th: -incendiary cloud

-spell trigger (I actually chose pierce shield, now regretting it)

-(pierce shield)

-(simulacrum)

Again, these are not set in stone; they are just the spells I found my

mages using over and over again the first time I played). The 2nd level

knock is essential, by the way, if you use the party I suggested (monk or

cleric detects traps, sorc knocks to unlock, paladin triggers traps until

your dualled thief/mage hits 750,000 exp and gets his thief skills back).

I marked with an * the spells I thought absolutely necessary.

Brian Camley has a spell recommendation:

I'd also like to add a suggestion for Sorcerer spell picks - I used

"protection from magical energy" - with this spell, I gave 100% protection

from magic energy to all my characters, making the first battle with

Irenicus a breeze... yes, it isn't as good as the scrolls of protection

from magic, but you can cast spells, while being protected from a lot of

damage that's coming your way.

Max Chen has some spell picks of his own:

1. Identify is a waste to learn cause you can use a scroll, pay a shop

or get identify glasses to do it for you and if your lore is high

enough than you won't need any of those.

I just stick with magic missile and chromatic orb(At lvl 10 it has

possibility turn victim into stone and at lvl 12 instantly kill victim)

2. Lvl 2 Blur and Vocalize (Must-have, because once silenced your mage is

useless)

3 Lvl 3 Lighting Bolt, bounce it off walls a couple time or reflect

lighting protection and you will see dead body every where. Good for

close combat. There is also another reason, coming up.

4. Greater Malison, no save throw and cause opponents under the influence

of this spell make all saving throws at a penalty of -4. Combine this

with lvl 5 lower resistance.

Otiluke's Resilient Sphere can be use both as offensive and defensive.

Offensive is to take 1 enemy out and Defensive protect your weak or

near death party member from getting kill.(Not that major but somewhat

useful)

Wizard eye is a very good spell for lvl 4. Heck it's better than all

other summon spell. Wizard eye can tank like no other, as long you get

the monster to attack it. As far I can tell wizard eye is unkillable.

Tried killing it myself and send it after lich and dragon, even with

cheat instant kill. Plus it is immune to most spell and unsummon

spells, I think only dispel works. Also it is good to explore with

wizard eye. HEH oh yeah demilich tried to imprison wizard eye many

times but fail miserably.

Editor's Note: ToB eliminates most of the Wizard Eye strategies

listed above. Now they die quite easily.

5. Oracle. 60' instead of 20'(book misprint?) Get rid of those invis

monster.

6. Death fog instantly kill all summoned creature, regardless of hit dice

or immunities(Haven't seen much computer summon monster) but hey they

sure use it on my summon creatures.

If P.K. created 6 characters, this is how he would do it:

Cleric/Ranger Half/Elf (I love those too)

Fighter Human (Dualled to Cleric at level 9)

Fighter Human (Dualled to Druid at level 9)

Fighter Human (Dualled to mage at level 10)

Fighter Human (Dualled to mage at level 9)

Thief Human (Dualled to mage at level 12)

This team is really cool, plenty of hit points for everybody, weapon

grandmastery for most of the characters and everyone of the team is a

spellcaster! (This is especially useful in BG2, since there are A LOT of

spells and one gains XP when learning them)

The (minor) drawbacks of this team is its (relative) weakness in the

transition period but if you look closer you will see that you will always

have at least 3 strong melee fighters in the team, and you can always live

without a trap disarming thief (especially in BG2) since you can do the

quests that do not imply dungeon crawling meanwhile.

If jayhc created all 6, he would do this:

I see that you have other people's full-party strategies on your FAQ, so I

thought - hey, I may as well send in my own. It may not have as much

damage-causing potential at the end of the game as, say, a bunch of

fighters dualled to mages and clerics, but I would bet that it can hold its

own just the same – and would be more easily pulled off, to boot.

1) Dwarfish Berserker with grand mastery in axes. He should have a

seventeen dexterity and a nineteen constitution; a high strength is

preferable, too, but not necessary for the sheer tanking power. Give

him a fortress shield, dexterity gauntlets, some variant of full plate,

a spell-bouncing cloak, a ring of regeneration … he could well have –11

or –12 ac by a fairly reasonable level, and have amazing saving throws

and hit points to go along (at level nineteen, his median amount of hp –

with a nineteen constitution – would near 125; and most people would

take steps to be certain that it's at least somewhat more than that).

Heh. He'll just sit there and soak up blows. For extra fun, let him

don that shape-changing cloak found in the sewers – and turn into a

troll for a moment or two when he seems near the brink of death.

2) Half-orc Kensai. I would either give him grand mastery in two-handed

sword, and specialization in two-handed weapon style; or grand mastery

in long sword, and mastery in two-weapon style. He would get an extra

attack per round with the latter, but the former would give him extra

damage and double the chance of scoring a critical hit – and a half-orc

with a nineteen strength and grand mastery in two-handed sword who

scores a critical hit with, say, Lilarcor – ouch.

The Berserker could soak up damage and lead enemies away, while the Kensai

demolished everything in sight.

3) An elven Stalker with specialization in long bow and long sword, and

mastery in two-weapon fighting. If possible, give him a nineteen

dexterity: this increases his ability to hide in the shadows by a

considerable amount; and that is crucial to any strategy involving him.

At level twelve he gains the ability to haste himself – so he can haste

up, hide in the shadows, and backstab any annoyingly difficult enemies

who don't have too many friends around. With a girdle of strength and a

successful backstab at level nine or ten, he does at least forty-five or

so damage - keep him perpetually hidden for extra backstabbing fun. His

main drawback – for which he is constantly being knocked - is a lack of

metallic armor, but plenty of magical leather-class protection is

available during the course of the game. His nineteen dexterity makes

him quite an arrow slinger, too.

4) A half-elven Ranger/Cleric, whose physical attributes I shall leave

open to suggestion. My choice of this no doubt explains itself: he has

access to both ranger and cleric spells; he offers a decent fighting

ability, in a pinch; he can hide in the shadows to avoid any unnecessary

conflict until he wants to reveal himself (so as to heal team-members

and not be killed himself beforehand). Add to this holy power, iron

skin, negative plane protection, draw upon holy might, and a disruptor

mace – you've got yourself an undead-killing machine.

A human ranger could dual to cleric if you don't want to end the game at

13/14. A Ranger dualled at nine, could still reach twenty in Cleric.

5) A gnome Illusionist/Thief. There is never any need, in BG2, to have a

straight thief: this alternative gives you hefty magical power in

addition to more than enough ability to perform necessary thieving tasks

(finding and disarming traps, and unlocking doors and chests). A thief

hidden in the shadows can't actively detect traps; but an invisible

thief can, and this power makes him ever so much more valuable than a

meandering normal thief.

6) A human Sorcerer, who can launch chromatic orb and magic missile all day

long. Give him breach and greater malison - and enemies are yours to

try practically any magical strategy you'd like.

You could replace the stalker with an inquisitor, to make mage-killing even

easier; or a cavalier, to have effective leadership and ridiculous

immunities. You could also try an archer, here – I've not tested the kit

myself; but I'm told it's ridiculously powerful, at any given level.

A monk would be nice, but is a veritable liability until level fifteen or

so.

Throne of Bhaal Notes:

----------------------

[from Duncan Clay]

The High-Level Class Abilities added in Throne of Bhaal gives many new

possibilities to character creation.

For example the Rogue High-Level Class Ability "Use Any Item" allows them

to use any weapon and shield, wear any armor and helmet, use wands and

cast spells from scrolls. But it goes beyond that, a dual class

Kensai/Thief can now wear Full Plate Armor, have a familiar and wield the

Paladin sword "Carsomyr".

Since THAC0 progression stops at level 22, there isn't much difference

between a Level 22 Fighter with THAC0 0 and a Level 40 Fighter with THAC0

0. A Level 40 Thief would have a THAC0 of 10 the same as a Level 22

Thief. This suggests Dual and Multiclass characters are the way to go.

Here are some outstanding high-level character abilities

Level 39 Kensai - THAC0 & Damage Bonus = 13 (Melee Weapons)

Level 33 Archer - THAC0 & Damage Bonus = 10 (Missile Weapons)

Level 40 Wizard Slayer - Magic Resistance = 84

Level 40 Monk - Base Armor Class = -6 (-19 vs. Missiles)

Level 40 Monk - Lay Hands heals 80 hit points

Level 40 Swashbuckler - Armor Class Bonus = 9

Level 40 Swashbuckler - THAC0 & Damage Bonus = 8

Level 21 Assassin - Backstab Multiplier = x7

Level 25 Bard - base Lore ability = 250

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VI. [CMPNNS] Companions

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some companions don't like each other. For example, Minsc and Edwin will

eventually come to blows. Anomen (if he fails his test) will try to hurt

Aerie.

Reputation Note: Good characters will leave your party if your reputation

is too low (1 or 2), and Evil characters will leave your

party if your reputation gets too high (19 or 20).

When they leave, they cannot be re-acquired.

Proficiencies Note: When I list the proficiencies the character has, that

is not a recommendation as to what I think they should

have, those are the profs the character starts with.

These are listed by the level you get the character at.

If you want to decide on your own proficiencies, it is

always better to get that character as soon as possible.

Irenicus' Dungeon Characters:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imoen S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

9 18 16 17 11 16 Human Thief/Mage Neutral Good

Imoen is your old childhood friend from Candlekeep. In the first game

she was a Thief, and now she has dual classed to become a Mage.

SPOILER: Don't let Imoen memorize any spells as she won't be with your

party for much longer.

Profs: [*] Dagger, Dart, Quarterstaff, Shortbow

Grade: B+ She is the third best thief you can get in the game and the

second best mage. This averages out well, especially since

this game doesn't require that much out of a thief. I list

her as "third best thief" because she can't level up in it

anymore.

Minsc S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

18/93 16 16 8 6 9 Human Ranger Chaotic Good

Minsc is a little loopier than last you saw him. This may be due to the

death of Dynaheir -- whom he was sworn to protect -- but he seems to

rely far too much on Boo, his pet hamster. Minsc will adopt Aerie as

his witch if they are in the party at the same time. Then when she is

injured or killed, Minsc has some... reactions.

If kicked out: You can find Minsc again in the Copper Coronet

Profs: Lvl 7 - [**] Long Bow, Mace, Two Handed Sword, Two Handed Style

Lvl 9 - [*] Axe

[**] Long Bow, Mace, Two Handed Sword, Two Handed Style

Lvl 12 - [**] Axe, Long Bow, Mace, Two Handed Sword, 2 Hand Style

Grade: A- Minsc is one of the best investments you can have in the

game. He is the strongest of the NPC's and has decent

abilities as well. Plus he soon begins learning Priest

spells which further his power.

His Berserker Rage ability also makes him immune to the nasty

spell Imprison.

Jaheira S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

15 17 17 10 14 15 Half-Elf Fighter/Druid True Neutral

Jaheira has some problems with authority, which in this case would be

you. She believes that she should be leader. She is also a member of

the Harper's, a "do-gooder" organization that also claims Elminster as a

member.

If kicked out: You can find Jaheira in the southwest of the Docks

district, near the Harper's secret base.

Profs: [*] Quarterstaff, Scimitar, Sling, Sword & Shield Style

[**] Club

Grade: B A good solid performer, but nothing to write home about.

There are better Priests out there, and better Fighters out

there as well. The best reason to keep her is her Druid

abilities as she is the best druid for some time. At the

moment you really have no choice but to take her.

Jaheira has a couple of advantages that aren't immediately

apparent. She's the only druid in the game who can raise dead

(Harper's call) and can also wear the full range of armor

(because of her fighter multiclass). She's also the only

druid in the game who can eventually select the fighter's

critical strike ability at high levels, which is incredibly

powerful when combined with touch-range spells like harm.

[from jsaving]

Yoshimo S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

17 18 16 13 10 14 Human Bounty Hunter True Neutral

Yoshimo, feared by all, somehow managed to get himself captured and

thrown into this dungeon with the rest of you. Why Irenicus would be

interested in him is beyond me.

If kicked out: You can find Yoshimo in the Copper Coronet.

Profs: Lvl 7 - [*] Dagger, Katana, Shortbow, Single Weapon Style

Lvl 12 - [*] Dagger, Dart, Katana, Shortbow, Single Weapon Style

Grade: B+ There are several reasons to like Yoshimo: First he is the

best thief in the game (he is the ONLY pure thief class and

has a good Dex score as well) and second he can Dual Class

to a Fighter later. If only he could dual to a mage as

well...

Athkatla Characters:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aerie S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 17 9 16 16 14 Elf Cleric/Mage Lawful Good

Aerie is a winged elf. Well former winged elf as her wings were removed

some time ago. She had been a slave before meeting up with Quayle and

joining the circus.

Found at: Waukeen Promenade Circus

Profs: Lvl 6 - [*] Mace, Quarterstaff, Sling

Lvl 7 - [*] Club, Mace, Quarterstaff, Sling

Grade: C+ A cleric/mage combines all magics into one (not Druid spells,

but nobody's perfect), which is an incredible bonus. Except

that she has rather weak stats. She doesn't excel anywhere,

no single one stat stands out. As such she isn't worth

keeping around for very long.

Anomen S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

18/52 10 16 10 12 13 Human Fighter/Cleric Lawful Neutral

Anomen may not be a Paladin but he is deeply involved with the Order of

the Radiant Heart. He believes in Law over all other concerns, making

him neither good nor evil.

Found at: Copper Coronet (Slums)

Profs: Lvl 6 - [*] Warhammer, Sword & Shield Style

[**] Mace, Sling

Lvl 10 - [*] Quarterstaff, Warhammer, Sword & Shield Style

[**] Mace, Sling

Grade: C+ At the point in the game when you run across this guy is just

won't fit into your party. As you can see by his wisdom

score he doesn't make for a good Cleric, and with his DEX

score, he doesn't make that great a Fighter either.

Anomen later gets a chance to "upgrade", when he can either

join the Knights or fail. If he joins he gains a +4 to his

Wisdom score, which improves him as a Cleric. If he fails,

he becomes emotionally unstable and may attack other party

members. (after a conversation, of course)

Upgrade: B-

Edwin S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 10 16 18 10 10 Human Mage Lawful Evil

Edwin was with you on your last adventures, and he and Minsc don't like

each other in the least. Edwin had wanted to kill Minsc's witch,

Dynaheir, and now that she is dead, Edwin won't leave Minsc alone about

it.

Edwin gets the most spells of any mage, +3 for every level (1 from his

Conjurer bonus, and 2 from his non-removable amulet).

Found at: Shadow Thieves Guild (Docks, talk to Renal Bloodscalp)

Profs: Lvl 7 - [*] Dagger, Quarterstaff

Lvl 12 - [*] Dagger, Quarterstaff, Sling

Grade: B+ What his stats don't tell you is that Edwin gets bonus spells

making him the best mage in the game. The downside is that

he is weak as a kitten and has so very little HP.

Haer'Dalis S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

17 17 9 15 13 16 Tiefling Blade Chaotic Neutral

Haer'Dalis is not from around here. In fact he isn't even from this

plane of existence! He is a Tiefling, born with part demon blood. It

gives him an odd appearance and an even stranger attitude about life.

Found at: Sewers (follow the Raelis Quest from the Five Flagons)

If kicked out: Haer'Dalis will go to the main floor of the Five Flagons.

Profs: Lvl 10 - [*] Dagger, Dart

[**] Short Sword, Two Weapon Style

Lvl 13 - [*] Dagger, Dart, Longsword

[**] Short Sword, Two Weapon Style

Lvl 15 - [*] Dagger, Dart

[**] Longsword, Short Sword, Two Weapon Style

Grade: D+ The ONLY Bard in the game, and he happens to be lacking the

one thing that makes Bards extra special, their Lore ability.

That said, he makes a great warrior, for a Bard. But if I

wanted a warrior, I'd take a warrior

Jan S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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9 17 15 16 14 10 Gnome Thief/Mage Chaotic Neutral

Jan loves turnips. Almost literally! And like most gnomes he is very

eccentric, and loves to ramble on with stories that never get to the

points. He wants to steal Boo from Minsc, and if he ever succeeded, one

would imagine he wouldn't live long after that.

Found at: Government District (near the Government offices)

Profs: [*] Crossbow, Dagger, Quarterstaff, Shortsword

Grade: B+ My favorite Thief/Illusionist in the game! The only Thief/

Illusionist in the game! Unlike the other thief/mages he is

a multi-class rather than a dual class, which is both a good

and a bad thing. He keeps improving his thief skills, but

gains levels slower. Plus he can make his own ammunition for

his crossbow. These "flashers" work like Skull Traps and

will stun enemies, but not party members.

Keldorn S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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17 9 17 12 16 18 Human Paladin Lawful Good

Keldorn is a dedicated man. So dedicated that he goes months without

seeing his family. This will lead to conflict, and may cause Keldorn to

leave your party forever.

Found at: Temple District Sewers (MUST start the Unseeing Eye quest

first)

Profs: Lvl 8 - [**] Crossbow, Longsword, Two Handed Sword

Lvl 9 - [*] Bastard Sword

[**] Crossbow, Longsword, Two Handed Sword

Lvl 12 - [**] Bastard Sword, Crossbow, Longsword, Two Handed

Sword

Grade: B+ The only Paladin in the game. If you want a Paladin this is

the way to go. He starts out with decent armor and an

interesting sword (if he is hit, it deals 5 damage to what

hit him). As an Inquisitor gets immunity to Charm and Hold,

which is very useful, and his Dispel Magic is very powerful.

Korgan S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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18/77 15 19 12 9 7 Dwarf Battlerager Chaotic Evil

Although his alignment is listed as Chaotic Evil, Korgan is more Neutral

Evil than anything (mercenary type that he is). Korgan is always on the

lookout to make a buck, no matter the cost (of lives).

Found at: Copper Coronet (Slums)

If kicked out: Will be at the Copper Coronet, but requires a Bribe to

rejoin you.

Profs: Lvl 8 - [*] Warhammer

[*****] Axe

Lvl 9 - [**] Warhammer

[*****] Axe

Lvl 12 - [***] Warhammer

[*****] Axe

Grade: A- The best fighter-type in the game. Good Strength, good

Constitution and adequate Dexterity. And unlike Minsc (the

other "strong" character), Korgan can be a Grand Master in

a weapon making him very lethal indeed. Would be an "A"

except that he is Evil, which makes it hard to keep him in a

Good aligned party. Doesn't get along with Aerie.

Nalia S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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14 18 16 17 9 13 Human Thief/Mage Chaotic Good

Raised as a Noble, Nalia fancies herself as a "compassionate" noble, out

there working for the good of the common man. She is incredibly naive

about the world to the point of almost being stupid. (not quite, though)

The way she is presented in-game is more Neutral Good than Chaotic Good.

Found at: Copper Coronet (Slums)

If she leaves: If you accept her quest, but don't do it right away, she

will leave on her own. You will then find her near the

De'Arnise Hold in a wooden palisade (SW of the Hold).

Profs: Lvl 8 - [*] Dagger, Quarterstaff, Shortbow, Shortsword

Lvl 13 - [*] Dagger, Dart, Quarterstaff, Shortbow, Shortsword

Grade: C+ Nalia has very puny thief skills (she dualled over to Mage at

level 4), making her primarily a Mage with SOME thief skills

thrown in for good measure. However, as a Mage she doesn't

have 18 INT (which helps) and doesn't gain Edwin's spell

bonuses.

Viconia S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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10 19 8 16 18 14 Drow Elf Cleric Neutral Evil

Viconia DeVir was forced out of the Underdark and has been living as an

exile on the surface ever since. She journeyed with you in your earlier

adventures.

Fount at: Government District (near the prison)

If kicked out: Viconia goes to the Graveyard

Profs: [*] Mace, Sling, Warhammer

Grade: B+ Personally I think she is the best Cleric in the game. Start

with a great Dexterity and Wisdom and you have a great

character. Give her the Gauntlets of Ogre Strength (or a

similar Strength enhancing item) and she moves up to an A

grade. Also, the Girdle of Fortitude can be used to improve

her lowly constitution for 8 hours a day. (The Gauntlets are

part of the Planar Sphere quest, and the Girdle can be found

in the Unseeing Eye quest)

Elsewhere:

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Cernd S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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13 9 13 12 18 13 Human Shapeshifter True Neutral

Cernd was investigating the strange occurrences around Trademeet when he

was brought in by the locals.

Found at: Trademeet (talk to the Mayor)

Profs: Lvl 10 - [*] Dagger, Quarterstaff, Scimitar, Sling

Lvl 13 - [*] Dagger, Quarterstaff, Scimitar, Sling, Single Weapon

Grade: C+ At first glance you might think Cernd is the worst character

in existence. Though not entirely true, it does have some

merit. He is a good Druid due to his high Wisdom. The

rest of his stats are abysmal, HOWEVER when he turns into a

Werewolf, his stats LEAP upwards to the point of superhuman

strength, dexterity and constitution.

Mazzy S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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15 18 16 10 13 14 Halfling Fighter Lawful Good

Mazzy is not your typical halfling. For starters, she's not a thief of

any sort. Plus she's lawful good, heroic and no-nonsense. Very atypical

for halflings.

Found at: Temple Ruins (follow the Umar Hills quest from Delon at the

Government District)

If kicked out: Mazzy will return home to Trademeet

Profs: Lvl 8 - [*] Shortsword

[*****] Shortbow

Lvl 9 - [***] Shortsword

[*****] Shortbow

Lvl 12 - [****] Shortsword

[*****] Shortbow

Grade: B- A good Halfling fighter, but... in all actuality she is

closer to a Halfling Paladin. She has several special

abilities such as Lay on Hands and Haste. She's still best

used as an archer.

Valygar S D C I W Ch Race Class Alignment

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17 18 16 10 14 10 Human Stalker Neutral Good

Valygar's family has long lived in the shadow of magic. His own mother

went mad with the power of it and was destroyed. Valygar escaped this

fate by becoming a Ranger, albeit the only Ranger with mage spells

(Stalker).

Found at: Valygar's Cabin (Umar Hills, NE of the town)

Profs: Lvl 8 - [**] Katana, Longbow, Spear, Two Weapon Style

Lvl 9 - [*] Dagger

[**] Katana, Longbow, Spear, Two Weapon Style

Lvl 12 - [**] Dagger, Katana, Longbow, Spear, Two Weapon Style

Grade: A- I would have preferred that Valygar had been an Elven Archer,

but this is almost as good. Valygar comes with several

magical items, such as his family Armor, that makes up for

his being a mere Stalker. Don't get me wrong, Stalkers are

neat, but to get the most out of them, you need to really

hide in shadows and backstab a lot. If you don't want to do

that, pass on Valygar and use Mazzy or someone else.