Neverwinter Nights 2 Online Walkthrough by David Milward
CASAVIR, M LG HUMAN PALADIN 10
Casavir is my main tank and damage dealer, and on a sentimental level plays the role of Valeria's protector. The selling point of Fighters is their feat selection, and indeed many Fighter builds revolve around increasing damage output with a specific weapon of choice. My problem with Fighters is that they still suffer from chronically weak Reflex and Will saving throws. A Paladin always enjoys bonuses to all of his saving throws in proportion to his Charisma.
The Paladin also has plenty of powers that improve damage output against evil foes, which are plentiful in the OC. Divine Might in particular allows Casavir to add divine damage equal to his Charisma bonus, and for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma bonus. The divine damage will also stack with the +2d6 magic damage vs. evil when I add a Holy Weapon enchantment to Casavir's hammer.
Divine Shield allows Casavir to add a dodge bonus to armor class equal to his Charisma bonus and for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma bonus. This ability really comes in handy when things get intense around Casavir. Casavir is my easy choice for main tank in the party.
Stats
- Str 16
- Dex 12
- Con 14
- Int 11
- Wis 14
- Cha 18
- 12th level: +1 Int - Casavir only has three attribute increases left by the time he joins my party, which means raising his Charisma more than +2 is kind of pointless. His Intelligence is at 11, so I raise that first so that he has an extra skill point that I can add each level-up.
- 16th level: +1 Cha - After that, I want to add another +2 to Casavir's Charisma as Charisma is one of the most fundamental attributes for a Paladin.
- 20th level: +1 Cha - Casavir's Charisma, boosted by the Nymph Cloak +8, reaches 28 after this addition.
Skills
Casavir starts off emphasizing Concentration, Heal and Parry, which is pretty much a useless skill distribution. Casavir only casts pre-buffs, but never casts spells in the thick of combat. He never uses Heal either. Also, Parry is a useless skill for a Fighter using both Full Plate and a Shield, since both items will impose hefty penalties on the use of the skill. For details on how to make an effective Warrior build that centers around the Parry skill, refer to Shandra's profile page.
I begin by getting seven or more points in the Use Magic Device skill for Casavir. Add Casavir's own innate Charisma bonus, and the Charisma bonus from the Nymph Cloak +8 that he will eventually wear, and his Use Magic Device skill rank will be enough to allow him to don items like the Ironfist item set and the Greater Storm Armor of the Earth's Children.
One thing to keep in mind is that at a Use Magic Device skill rank of 10 to 14, he can equip a restricted item but then that item will unequip after reloading the savegame or after entering a new area, forcing you to re-equip it every time. A minimum Use Magic Device skill rank of 15 will make that little problem go away, and the character can keep the class-restricted item equipped without any 'falling off' so to speak. So Casavir should invest at least 7 skill points in Use Magic Device. Strangely enough, I did not find it necessary to go as high as 15 for Valeria, who only needed a skill rank of 12 to transfer Boots of the Sun Soul +5 to Mask of the Betrayer. Maybe it has something to do with her having Rogue levels?
Another thing to note is that Casavir would have to spend 2 skill points on one skill point in Use Magic Device, at least until he gets the Able Learner feat at 12th level. I therefore made a point of saving to the maximum of 5 skill points during the 11th and 12th level-ups until the Able Learner feat is required, and then those skill points can be effortlessly spent getting the Use Magic Device skill points needed.
After that, I add 10 points in Spellcraft and 10 points in Tumble with the help of the Able Learner feat. The 10 points in Spellcraft will give him a +2 bonus to saving throws. The 10 points in Tumble will give him a +1 dodge bonus to armor class.
Feats
Starting Feats:
- Power Attack
- Cleave
- Weapon Focus (Warhammer)
- Divine Might
- Divine Shield
12th level: Able Learner - As I previously mentioned, Casavir's skill points distribution is useless. So I take this feat with the intention of having him acquire 7 skill points in Use Magic Device, 10 skill points in Spellcraft and 10 skill points in Tumble. The resulting benefits are the ability to use items that have racial or class restrictions, a +1 dodge bonus to armor class and a +2 bonus to all saving throws. One way to think of it is getting a few feats (Dodge, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude) for the price of one.
15th level: Proficiency (Tower Shield) - One of the advantages of Fighters over Paladins is that Fighters start off with proficient with Tower Shields, whereas Paladins won't. Nonetheless, I still find the larger boost to armor class worth taking this feat for Casavir. There is one particular Tower Shield that Casavir will have his sights set on.
18th level: Practiced Spellcaster - If Casavir casts a Holy Sword spell on his Hammer of Ironfist, the spell will last 14 rounds instead of 10 with this feat. That can be pretty significant in some battles.
Spells
Casavir's role should really be duking it out on the front line, and letting other characters worry about casting spells in the heat of battle. Casavir's use of spells should be limited to the use of pre-buffs or spells that will enhance his fighting ability:
- Bless Weapon - A long-lasting buff which, when cast on any character's weapon, will add +2d6 damage vs. undead. That bonus damage will not stack with +2d6 damage bonuses based on alignment (e.g. vs. evil). It becomes very useful during the later stages of the game that are saturated with undead. It also makes the weapon good-aligned for puposes of overcoming damage reduction, which can be very useful when the party is fighting against demons and devils.
- Magic Circle against Alignment - A long-lasting buff that effects the whole party. The +2 deflection bonus to armor class won't stack with Ring of Protection and other such items that party members will likely be wearing. So the net effect really becomes a +2 bonus to saving throws for the entire party.
- Holy Sword - Adds +2d6 damage vs. evil to any hand-held weapon, even if the weapon already has three or more enchantments. Casavir, more so than any other character, can take advantage of a weapon like the Hammer of Ironfist.
Inventory
- Weapon: Weapon: Hammer of Ironfist (Alchemical Silver Warhammer +4, +1d8 electrical damage, +6 Strength, +10 electrical resistance, 5% chance of knocking down target for 9 seconds unless Fortitude save DC=20 is made, Call Lightning 8d6 electrical damage 10' plus stun targets for 9 seconds and deafen them for 3 rounds unless a Fortitude save DC=25 is made, Call Lightning cause the loss of the Hammer's knockdown ability and bonus electrical damage until the wielder recharges it by successfully landing 15 + 1d15 blows, Dwarves only) - Obtained in the Ironfist Hold during Act III after a Dwarf (typically Khelgar) lifts the Hammer while wearing the Gauntlets of Ironfist and the Belt of Ironfist at the same time. Casavir can use his Use Magic Device skill to equip all three of the Ironfist items together. The Hammer itself confers numerous welcome benefits, like a +6 Strength bonus, bonus electrical damage, and a chance of knocking down its target on contact. The Call Lightning power also gives Casavir an alternative power to call on if he wants to damage and stun his targets at once, although opporunities to do this are rare since it will harm party members as well. Casavir, even more so than Khelgar, is well-suited to wielding the Hammer since he can use the Holy Sword spell to add +2d6 damage vs. evil to the Hammer for 14 rounds.
- Shield: Forgotten Shield (Tower Shield +4, +2 to Will saving throws, +25% resistance to slashing damage) - Purchased from Edario in Crossroad Keep. A tower shield that offers worthwhile benefits that cannot be obtained by any enchantments I could do myself. The +2 bonus to Will saving throws is always welcome. The resistance to slashing damage is germaine to Casavir's role as a front-line warrior and tank.
- Helmet: Helm of Gram the Mouse (damage reduction 2, Piercing damage reduction 5/-, Paladins only) - Purchased from Haljal Throndor's special stock in Port Llast. A natural choice for Casavir.
- Amulet: Greater Scarab of Protection (20 spell resistance, immunity to death magic, immunity to ability / level draining) - Looted from one of the chests underneath the scarecrow at Shandra Jerro's Farm during Act III. Consistent with my plan of immunizing everybody from level / ability drain. The spell resistance and immunity to death magic will also enhance his occasional role as a Mage killer.
- Armor: Greater Storm Armor of the Earth's Children (Full Plate +7, +15 electrical resistance, +15 fire resistance, Dwarves or Gnomes or Halflings only) - Purchased from Revorax in the Ironfist Stronghold during Act III. He can use his Use Magic Device skill to don the armor despite the racial restrictions. It doesn't get any better for a high Strength and low Dexterity warrior than to don a +7 Full Plate with elemental resistances to boot.
- Cloak: Nymph Cloak +8 (+8 Charisma) - Custom made. This is a no-brainer, as it provides a large boost to Charisma that improves Casavir's power on so many levels.
- Gloves: Gauntlets of Ironfist (attack bonus +4, +1d8 bludgeoning damage vs. giants, +1d6 bludgeoning damage, Strength +4, Blindness DC=24 10% / 3 rounds, Daze DC=22 10% / 2 rounds, Sleep DC=22 5% / 2 rounds) - Initially found in the Ironfist Hold during Act I. The Gauntlets would be meaningful in the hands of a Monk, especially with all their special powers that trigger on striking their target. Problem is, by the time I get them, the OC then becomes saturated with undead that are immune to all of those powers except the Blindness one. And even then, the Blindness power only activates 10% of the time. So I have Casavir wear them in combination with the Belt of Ironfist because it will allow him to wield the Hammer of Ironfist.
- Commander's Ring (+2 deflection bonus to armor class, +2 saving throws, light, Knock (3) 1 / day) - Purchased from Pap in the Merchant Quarter. A deflection bonus to armor class is always a good thing for any front line warrior. The saving throw bonus from the ring will stack with the saving throw provided by his Saving Grace power.
- 2nd Ring: Ring of Regeneration (+4 regeneration) - Looted from Lord Temar during the Disturbing Connections quest. Casavir, being my main warrior, is obviously the prime candidate for this ring.
- Belt: Belt of Ironfist (damage reduction 5 / Mithral, +4 Constitution, +2 saving throws, 10 spell resistance) - Looted from the Fire Giant King after killing him in the Seat of the Mountain. It serves as Casavir's source of a Constitution bonus. Damage reduction is an additional perk, although not a crucial one. The +2 saving throws is always welcome as well. The other key point is that the Belt, in conjunction with the Gauntlets of Ironfist, allow Casavir to wield the Hammer of Ironfist.
- Sturdy Feet of Pim (+15 hit points, immunity to Knockdown, Fighters only) - Purchased from Dayne Lenneth's stock in the Blacklake District. One perk is bonus hit points in addition to the Constitution bonus provided by the Belt of Ironfist that he'll acquire during Act III. The other perk is immunity to Knockdown, which can really come in handy when Casavir fights up close and personal against the Shadow Reavers. His Use Magic Device skill allows him to wear the boots despite the Fighter class restriction.
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