Character Creation — Class Combinations
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Many interesting new types of characters can be created by combining two, or even three, classes in the same person. These "mixed" types will always be less skilled at X than a character (with a similar amount of total EXP) who has been dedicated to practicing X
for his entire existence, but they have the advantage of versatility: If it so happens that skill at X isn't going to be able to get the job done, the mixed character can switch tactics and see if Y will work instead. Here is the list of all possible class combinations—if you don't see it
here, it can't be done.
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1) Clerics and Druids may never use the types of weapons that their trueclass versions are prohibited from using (Fighter/Druids can, however, wear heavy steel armors and shields).
2) If one of your classes is Thief, you will not be able to use any of your Thief skills except Find Traps and Detect Illusions while wearing any armor that is unusable by a straight Thief. Cleric/Rangers, like all Rangers, also cannot Stealth while wearing Chain Mail armor or heavier.
3) If one of your classes is Mage, you will not be able to cast Wizard spells while wearing any armor except Mage Robes and Elven Chainmail. You can, however, read spells from scrolls and use Wands while in heavy armor.
Cleric/Rangers deserve a special mention for three things. First, they are the only build that is capable of casting from both sides of the Priest Scroll: Their Ranger half gives them access to Druid spells, and their Cleric half grants them Cleric spells as well as spellslots at all 7 levels of Priest spellcasting—so the only Priest spells that they cannot cast are those that you have to be either Evil or Neutral to get. Second, unlike regular Rangers, they cannot Fall, no matter how low you drive your Reputation. And third, if you have ToB installed, there is a bug in the Multiclassed Cleric/Ranger's HLAs: They get their first two HLAs a few levels too early, and then wrongly miss out on two HLAs later on. This bug is essentially hardcoded and unfixable, but at least it evens itself out. In the interests of maintaining game balance, however, you should probably avoid being cheesy and restrain yourself from actually using those HLAs until you're reached 3 million EXP.
Multi-classing
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Multiclassing is something that only non-Humans can do; Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, and Halflings can all choose at least one Multiclass. Multiclassing is a simple process that takes place during Character
Creation: When it's time to choose a class, just click "Multiclass," and all the Multiclass options open to a character of your Race will be available to you. Specify which two (or even three) classes you want to combine, and you're done. When you roll stats, you automatically get the
minimum requirements of both/all of your classes. Let's say that you chose to be a Fighter/Mage. Just as all Fighters are guaranteed to have at least 9 Strength, and Mages can't have less than 9 Intelligence, if you create a Fighter/Mage all of your rolls will have at least 9 points in STR
and INT. For the entire game, your character essentially has two halves: A Fighter half and a Mage half. Every time your character recieves any EXP, that EXP is divided equally between your halves, so that your Fighter half will gain levels only half as rapidly as a pureclass Fighter that's in your party, and likewise, your Mage half will take exactly twice as long to Level Up as a straight Mage. Whenever a stat is influenced by |  |
Your hitpoints are averaged between your two (or even three) classes: Continuing with the Fighter/Mage, every time you gain a Fighter level all the way up to Level 9, the game rolls 1D10, adds on any bonus from a high Constitution, and then awards you half of that number of hitpoints. Every time your Mage side levels up until Level 9, you get ( 1D4 + CON ) / 2 hitpoints from your Mage half. After any of your classes passes Level 9 (or Level 10, if the class is Thief), every time you Level Up in that class, you will recieve precisely one more hitpoint.
Q: "Can I Multiclass with a kit?"
A: No. All Multiclasses are just that: Multiple classes, not kits. The only exception is if you're playing a Gnome: All Gnomish Mages are Illusionists, even if they're Multiclassed, so where a Half-Elf would be a Cleric/Mage, a Gnome would be a Cleric/Illusionist. There is a very small bug with them, though: Regular Illusionists are guaranteed to always roll at least 16 Dexterity; Multiclassed Illusionists do not get this little cushion. This is hardcoded.
Q: "When my Mage half gets to Level 14, will he have the same spellslots as a pureclassed Level 14 Mage?"
A: Yes. Regardless of the classes you've taken or what levels you are, each half (or third) of your character will be either just as good as a straight member of that class at that level, or even better if it has stats that are favorably influenced by the other class. The only exception is Multiclassed Fighters and their weapon proficiencies: The rule is that only pureclassed and Dual-classed Fighters can achieve Mastery (***) and higher ranks of proficiency in any sort of weapon, Multiclassed Fighters must be content with Specialization (**).
Q: "When will I get my HLAs?"
A: When your combined EXP is at least 3 million. Take the EXP from your Fighter and Mage halves and add them together. As long as they total at least 3 million, every time you Level Up, you get to choose an HLA. You have access to the HLA pools of both your classes, and you can mix & match as well: When your Fighter half gains a level, you don't have to choose a Fighter HLA, you can pull a Mage one instead, and vice versa.
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Dualclassing is something that only Humans can do, and is the process of switching from one class to another. Apart from being Human, there are three requirements: You must have a score of at least 15 in the prime stat(s) of your first
class, you must have a score of at least 17 in the prime stat(s) of your second class, and your Alignment must be one that is allowed by your second class. The "prime stats" and alignment requirements of each class are listed here:
Fighter: Strength. Alignment: Any. Ranger: Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom. Alignment: Any Good. Cleric: Wisdom. Alignment: Any. Druid: Wisdom and Charisma. Alignment: True Neutral. Thief: Dexterity. Alignment: Any except Lawful Good. Mage: Intelligence. Alignment: Any. |
Stage 1. You are a Chaotic Good Human Cleric, with stats of 15 Strength, 18 Dexterity, 12 Constitution, 13 Intelligence, 16 Wisdom, and 13 Charisma. You are a pureclassed Cleric, you cast spells like a Cleric, wear Full Plate like a Cleric, swing a Mace like a Cleric, and you have a Cleric's Saving Throws, because that's what you are—a Cleric. You cannot Stealth, Pick Pockets, or Backstab, because those are Thief abilities and you are not a Thief—you are a Cleric. This goes on for a while, and you gain some Cleric levels; let's say you reach Level 8 as a Cleric. At this point, after (hopefully) much analysis and deliberation on your part, you choose to Dual-class. You cannot Dual to Fighter, because you would need 17 Strength in order to make the change, and you only have 15. You cannot Dual to Ranger: You meet the Dexterity requirement, and your Alignment fits, but your Strength and Wisdom are too low. You also cannot Dual to Mage, because you have less than 17 Intelligence. But your Dexterity does meet the requirements to Dual to Thief, and your alignment of Chaotic Good is one allowed by Thieves, so your Cleric->Thief Dual is permissible. You choose to Dual-class to Thief. You place 2 proficiency points in two weapons or Weapon Styles, allocate your starting Thieving Skills, and finalize the Dual.
Stage 2. BOOM! You are now a Level 1 Thief. You are a pureclassed Thief, you Pick Locks like a Thief, wear Leather Armor like a Thief, and you have a Thief's Saving Throws, because that's what you are—a Thief. You cannot cast spells or Turn Undead, because those are Cleric abilities, and you are not a Cleric—you are a Thief. You cannot wear Full Plate any more, because that armor is too heavy for Thieves; any equipment forbidden to Thieves that you were wearing when you performed the Dual-class instantly dropped off your body and into your backpack. (Now, because your first class was a Cleric, I have to put in this parenthetical section about weapon proficiencies. Clerics and Druids can never use any weapons forbidden to them, not even while their Cleric or Druid half is inactive. So while you're gaining levels as a Thief, you can put proficiency points into things like Dagger and Short Bow . . . but you cannot actually use Daggers or Short Bows.) This goes on for a while, and you gain some Thief levels; eight of them, in fact. During this time, you do not gain any hitpoints: Back when you chose to perform the Dual-class, you were a Level 8 Cleric with 8D8 hitpoints . . . let's say you had 57 hitpoints. Then you performed the Dual-class and became a Thief, but your hitpoints stayed the same: You were a Level 1 Thief with 57hp. All your other stats (THAC0, etc.,) progressed as normal for a trueclassed Thief, but your hitpoints remained locked at whatever they were when you performed the Dual. And then . . . you reached Thief Level 9.
Stage 3. BOOM! As soon as the level of your second class becomes one level higher than the maximum level you attained as your first class, your first class comes back to you. You are now a Cleric->Thief, you cast spells and Detect Traps like a Cleric->Thief, you go into Stealth and Backstab with your Club like a Cleric->Thief, you alternate between Full Plate and Studded Leather like a Cleric->Thief, because that's what you are—a Cleric->Thief. Because you can access your Cleric abilities again, you can return to putting proficiency points in weapons like Flails. (Another Cleric-prompted parenthetical aside: You still can't use Slashing or Piercing weapons, and now you can't place any more proficiency points in them either.) Now, you finally get the best of both worlds: The game engine compares your stats as a Level 9 Thief with the stats you had as a Level 8 Cleric, and awards you whichever stat is better: For instance, your Cleric side had a Save vs. Breath Weapon of 13, and your Thief has a Save vs. Breath of 14, so you use the better Save (from the Cleric) until you hit Thief Level 17 and your Save vs. Breath becomes 12, at which point it is more advantageous to use the Save given by your Thief side. Now, this is important: In Stage 3, you Level Up ONLY as your second class. You will NEVER AGAIN gain any levels or improve any abilities from your first class. Your Cleric->Thief may use items allowed by both classes, but from now on, he will Level Up only as a Thief. He gained 1D6 hitpoints at Level 9, and will gain another 1D6 at Level 10, because he's a Thief now and uses the Rogue Hit Dice. He will never gain access to any Priest spells from Spell Levels 5, 6, or 7. He will continue to gain levels as a pureclassed Thief until the very end of the game.
Q: "When should I Dual-class?"
A: Whenever your analysis and deliberation tell you is the best time. You cannot Dual before you hit Level 2 of your first class, and you must be careful not to let your first class advance too far before Dualing: You have to leave room for your second class's level to exceed your first class's level, while still remaining under the EXP cap. If you take your Thief to Level 23 (2,860,000 EXP) before Dualing to Mage, you've just shot yourself in the foot: To get all the way through Stage 2, you need to advance your Mage to Level 24, which will require 5,250,000 EXP . . . and there are only 5,140,000 EXP left in the game because you sank 2,860,000 (out of ToB's EXP cap of 8 million) into your Thief half, and so you can never regain your Thief abilities.
In general, it is advisable to Dual-class immediately after your first class gains some significant and permanent boost that will be valuable to the overall design you have for your character. Characters that Dual late in the game are overall more powerful in Stage 3, but they spend more time "buried" in Stage 2. Early Duals get less of a power-boost from their first class, but get that first class back more quickly. Very early Duals (like at Level 2) are performed mainly for the sake of item usability: A player who wants a Mage that can use Spears would do well to consider a Fighter(2)->Mage, especially since by the end of the game, the EXP spent in those two Fighter levels will make no difference at all to the Mage's level progression.
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Q: "I want to Dual to Fighter, but I only have 16 Strength. If I drink a Potion of Strength to raise my STR to 18, can I make the Dual?" A: No. When Dualing, the game only looks at your actual, permanent stats; effects from spells, potions and items are all ignored. Q: "Can I Dual-class with a kit?" A: Yes—if the kit is on your first class. Continuing in the Cleric->Thief vein, you can choose to be a Priest of Lathander->Thief, but you cannot be a Cleric->Bounty Hunter. This rule was not enforced in BG1, in which you could make Duals like Fighter->Enchanter. But even if you made a Fighter->Enchanter in BG1 and carried that same character over into BG2, his Enchanter kit would automatically be stripped from him; you would have the option of choosing a kit for his first class, his Fighter class, but BG2 will not let you Dual to a kit. |  |
Q: "My kit does not let me wear/use X, but the class I'm Dualing to does let me wear/use X. Will my final character be able to wear/use X?"
A: No. If an item is flagged as Unusable by your Class OR your kit, you cannot use it. Fighters can wear Plate, Clerics can wear Plate, and Fighter/Clerics can wear Plate, but a Kensai->Cleric cannot wear any armor at all, not even in Stage 2 while his Kensai half is inactive.
Q: "I'm Level 10, but I'm about to hit Level 11. Does my extra EXP get carried over to my second class?"
A: No. Any additional EXP you have over the amount required to reach your current level vanishes into the ether when you Dual-class. It does not transfer to your second class, or get re-awarded along with your first class when you emerge into Stage 3.
Q: "Can I Dual-class more than once?"
A: No. One Dual is all you get.
Q: "I had my Fighter put *** in Long Swords before I Dualed, and then my Thief put * in Long Swords. When I get my Fighter back, how many points in Long Swords will I have?"
A: Three (***). Just like any other stat, the game compares the two values and grants you the better one. After you regain your Fighter half, though, you can take your new proficiency points (which you will gain at the rate of a Thief) and add them on top of the proficiencies you built up as a Fighter.
Q: "When will I get my HLAs?"
A: When your active EXP is at least 3 million. The EXP in the class in which you are not gaining levels does not contribute to that 3 million, so if you took a Fighter to Level 20 (exactly 3,000,000 EXP), you would be allowed to choose one Fighter HLA, from the Fighter pool. If you then chose to Dual-class to Thief, you would first regain your Fighter half at Level 21, and then when you reached Thief Level 24 (3,080,000 EXP) you would be allowed to pick your second HLA. You are only gaining levels as a Thief now, so you only have access to the Thief's HLA pool, you will never again be allowed to select a Fighter HLA.
Q: "When I hit Stage 3 and get my first class back, do I regain all of the abilities I had before I Dualed?"
A: Yes. Unless, of course, you chose to Dual to Cleric or Druid, in which case you naturally lose the ability to use weapons not allowed for members of those classes. There is also a very unfortunate bug that can occur when Dualing from a Thief to another class: The game can "forget" all of the Thieving Points that you allocated into your various Skills. I've never heard of this happening in BG1, but it's happened to me personally once in BG2. This bug appears to be hardcoded and unfixable, but happily it occurs only rarely, and is easy to correct after it happens. Take precautions: Before you Dual-class your Thief, write down (in your Journal) what all of his base Thieving Skills are, and then when you get him back, make sure they match—if not, use Shadowkeeper to restore the lost skill points (see Chapter 12).
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