I never tried a gnome before, so I was wondering a I/T. Is it worth a try? Are they weak compared to other classes(dual/multi)? Or is it better than the rest? I really need some advice here...

A gnome F/I can be quite a whirlwind. If you want an I/T, just grab Jan. :p

Gnome thief/illusionist is one of the strongest combos in ToB.
They are a bit low on HP but they get both the thief and mage HLAs.

There is a gnome thief/illusionist NPC in the game.

Yes I forgot about Jan for a second, but a F/I would perhaps be a good choice.
Gnomes get a +1 to int and -1 to wis right? Do I miss anything special with the illusionist class? is it the necromancer spells?

Pretty much the only thing you'll miss is ADHW. But Incendiary Cloud is five times better :p (providing you have the SotM by that time so that your casting can go unnoticed :evil: ). And yes, you've got the racial ability modifiers right.

You can still have fun playing the game as gnome thief/illusionist even if there is a NPC with the same class in the game.

If you don't play a thief yourself , Jan is the only regular NPC who can use the high level thief skills.

A gnomish F/I is probably the strongest class in ToB. You get the gnomish saving throw bonus, access to mage and fighter HLAs and one extra spell/level for being a specialist.
You can use the mage spells to turn your gnome into an invulnerable fighter.

You loose the necromancy spells, but ADHW is the only one of those spells which is really useful. Animate dead can be cast by clerics as well.

Then I must say thank you very much guys, I've just returned from work, so I will start a gnome F/I. If I rember correct I can get both strongholds also :)

Just make sure you get the Planar Sphere before you head to de'Arnise Keep. Nalia's not as picky as the rest. :shake:

Yup, that's for sure. Is the Planar Sphere too tough shortly after you come out of the beginner dungeon?

Well...it's not the EASIEST stronghold to get. You'll need some decent weapons, but the game gives you a lot of what you need to beat it. It IS tailored to your level somewhat, so you should do okay.

You can do a few short and easy quests in the city first, like the circus tent and the back rooms of the copper coronet.
You can also have Jan test his pickpocket skill with the scroll merchant in the adventurer's mart and gain spells and XP for scribing scrolls.

It's not that bad. I always hit the Circus Tent and the CC slavers before doing anything else, and I've never had any problems getting the Planar Sphere right after that. The only thing I have to watch out for is getting a magical blunt weapon before entering, because it's needed for a couple clay golems on the inside; one of them very close to the beginning. Most of the spawns scale to your level (so you won't see any Adamantium Golems unless you get there really late), but getting to the engine could be a chore. Tolgerias and his apprentice might give you some small amount of trouble, and the "hot" and "cold" rooms past him don't scale, IIRC. Fortunately, you only have to do one, so you could just Fireball the cold room into oblivion and move on. :evil:

I'll go straight for the Sphere after the Circus then. Thanks again.

A Gnome Fighter/Illusionist can do a lot of damage all alone. If you order his stats right he is as good as any fighter but has the bonus of using Mage items while armored. :cool:

No self-respecting F/I should wander around armored, thus hampering his spell casting abilities IMHO. :roll: Under normal circumstances of course.

There is one suit of armor worth wearing, but the Robe of Vecna is best until then (and this is debateable).