As per topic. By fullest, I meant like weimer's soulaufein, which decimated so many parties before his tactics were cracked. Detailed info on how many contingencies to memorise, what to put into contingencies etc etc are appreciated!

F/M is a powerhorse, if you do lots of buffing.

Stoneskin+Mirror Image+PfMW makes you invulnerable for some time. Improved Haste is very powerful, use it with dual-wielding and you will have so many attacks that GWW is obsolete, so why don't you use more nasty things like Critical Strike?

Use Vampiric Touch to gain health when meleeing, and also do some serious damage to enemies.

Mislead offers new opportunites for a F/M/T. Mislead, improved haste, dual-wield, sneak to back of the unsuspecting victim, activate Critical Strike and start hacking: You will do x10 dmg per hit, and will have something like 7-8 attacks/round:nasty!

Memorise triggers and sequencers:Mirror Image+Stoneskin+Blur is nice when you need a quick defense, and Tenser's Trans+Improved Haste+PfMW when wounded renews you and makes you a much better warrior who is also invulnerable for 4 rounds .

Your simmy also can use your HLAs, so send him for GWWs, Greater Death blows and the like. Greater Death Blow is my favourite, it kills annoying critters instantly:No more Mind Flayers, Ulitharids, Gauths, Beholders, Elder Orbs etc. they all die in a single hit. Use arrow of detonation for area of effect:killing a bunch of improved mind flayers (gasp) in a tight room with a single shot is quite a feat indeed. :shake:

Whack the mage with your SoM to dispel his protections, switch to your favourite real weapon, activate GWW, and watch the mageling die as he is cut in to ribbons! :evil:

PfMW is invaluable for F/Ms. With enough of these they can survive any tough melee-fight. Improved haste is powerful. Mirror Image is neat as it also protects against energy blasts which can otherwise hurt you. Stoneskin should always be casted on yourself, you must forget the real colors of your outfit if you plan to be a succesful F/M.

Improved Haste, Mirror Image, Stoneskin, Protection from Magic Weapons, Timestop...its all your Fighter/Mage needs...

Just cast all of these on him, and go berserk...not even Improved Irenicus can stand up to you then. That is how I beat Ascension as well...Timestop rocks. A lot of baddies are immune to it, but who cares?? You take all the minions out of the fight effectively, and with stuff like Fallen Solars and what not wailing away at you...its definitely worth it.

Thnaks guys, but a multi class f/m takes AGES to get timestop

Not if you solo! :)

Solo is boring =(. Those party interactions, esp with minsc are a hoot!

Well...when you've played the game 50+ times and can speak along with the characters because you've MEMORISED their dialogs (not because you are nerd...just because you've played the game that many times :p ) Its the versatility and extreme strategic gameplay of BG2 that really pulls you in you know.

Besides, soloing gives you bragging rights! Especially if you beat it on Insane with Improved Irenicus and Ascension and other mods like that... :D

Besides, you don't have to solo. For instance, as you can see from my other thread, my party was PC, Aerie and Imoen...now in ToB I am picking up Sarevok just for the Death Bringer Assaults and the evil smile that brings to my face! :D Its flexible, and three characters get you XP twice as fast as a traditional 6 man party.

I'm playing with IA, and while f/m is good, I'm starting a new game with swashie15/mage. Detect illusion is priceless, esp at low levels when you dont have chain contingencies yet.

Soloing the game when you are playing the game with Improved Anvil mod is not a good choice. A solo character has no chance to survive IA's enhanced battles (unless you add cheating to your character's skills as well :) ). Hence, Mongerman is right to say that a multi-class F/M cannot count on casting 9th level spells.

If you're worried about it taking "ages" for higer level spells, dual class (berserker is my favorite). Personally, I prefer multiclassing though, Gnome Fighter/Illusionists specifically.

Heh, 19 intelligence is neat I suppose... Or did you get 20+?

19 INT is a neat bonus but nothing spectacular. What makes gnomes so special is their massive saving throw bonuses (+5 bonus to save vs spells&wands if you have 18 CON which you should!)

That is very very useful for any F/M!

Hmm, interesting... I never liked necromancy spells too much anyway. Still, I'm having this 3.x edition conception that gnomes shouldn't be that tough... so a gnome with 16+ strength looks like a freak of nature to me.

Then again, a gnome the son/daughter of the god of murder IS a freak of nature - and reason. Bhaal must have had some weird taste, I must say :D

Have you played TOB? A gnome is nothing compared to other creatures bhaal impregnated...

I did... and while there were weirder beasts (the guys in the Marching mountains were quite something) daddy Bhaal caused to wander around the world, a gnome is still... I played the game with an elven Fighter/Mage (only time I actually finished both SoA and ToB), and by the end he had no problems tackling whatever you threw at him. Incidentally, the only time I tried what I wanted to see - greater haste and BBoD - the target died too quickly. Shame :D

I mean come on, a gnome. At least psychotic halflings have something like... I don't know, style?

Accidentally, is there some mod or something that brings Monty in for the second part of the game? Unlike the first part, BG II has a serious shortage of fighter-thieves.

Elves are pansies. Gnomes and Dwarves rock!

I wonder how Abazigal's mum and Yagashura's mum got along...

Hmm...CATFIGHT!!! :cool:

Elves are pansies. Gnomes and Dwarves rock! Perhaps, but when was the last time you saw a dwarven F/M?

The F/M part does all the rocking so the elf can do what he wishes.

Even if that includes being a pansie.

Gnome vs. Elf:

Gnome:
+1 INT
+5 Saves vs. spells
+9 HP
+1 spell/level (no necromancy)

Elf:
+1 DEX (but there's no difference in AC between an 18 and 19)
+1 to hit with Swords and Bows


I'll take a Gnome any day of the week.

You have your short guys, I'm all in for taller races. Call me a racist, if you will :p

Elf:
+1 to hit with Swords and BowsPlease correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that those bonuses are even implemented in BG2. I'm unable to discern any visible THAC0 bonuses for elves using long swords / bows.

Which would only make the gnome even more superior. :D

No, I don't remember those bonuses being implemented.

@Klorox: So? Gnomes are superior to Elves in terms of in-game bonuses and are definitely the more powerful choice. I wasn't contesting this.

I simply happen to prefer Elves for RP reasons- who wants to be a Gnome, after all?

I prefer Gnomes to Elves for roleplaying reasons- who wants to be an Elf, after all?

I prefer Gnomes to Elves for roleplaying reasons- who wants to be an Elf, after all? /me watches thousands of hands go up

On a seriuous roleplaying note, how could ANYBODY roleplay someone who is hundreds of years old effectively.

There's a big freakin' love fest for these agile warriors, blah blah blah... I personally think they stink!

Number one, your PC is twenty years old if I remember correctly. Lets put aside the fact that in human years this is about five, it's still the fact.

Number two, gnomes aren't that much younger. So, your gnome would be like 75 years old, when my elf is 100. Not such a big deal.

And people like elves just becuase of that particular reason. They are agile, while gnomes are supposed to be clumsy. Elves are serious, gnomes are funny(not always good way funny). Elves are beatiful, gnomes are... well, lets just say not as beautiful :p

Gnomes are never portrayed as clumsy... a great number of them are Illusionists, and that means a 16 DEX at least!

Gnomes can be very crafty, certainly. I don't know where the clumsy comes from... Humans definitely find gnomes comical, at least before the gnomes get a pickaxe in the human's knee.

Incidentally, is there a way to substitute the -1 to wis with a -1 to strength, say with an editor or some such? As such a diminutive race, I don't know why gnomes should be as strong as dwarves or humans.

And people like elves just becuase of that particular reason. They are agile, while gnomes are supposed to be clumsy. Elves are serious, gnomes are funny(not always good way funny). Elves are beatiful, gnomes are... well, lets just say not as beautiful Bah. Elves are pretentious and self-righteous. Gnomes are gritty and down to earth. Elves are the race of choice for effete dandies, gnomes are the workingman's race. :)

Elves are for the Drizzt/Legolas crowd. The real men know better.

Incidentally, is there a way to substitute the -1 to wis with a -1 to strength, say with an editor or some such? As such a diminutive race, I don't know why gnomes should be as strong as dwarves or humans. Actually, you can just open up the ABRACADJ.2DA file in Notepad and screw with it. First, though, you'd need to export it from the game using Infinity Explorer (http://infexp.sourceforge.net).

As to the topic (or rather what it's devolved into), elves are not a one-note race like the shorter races. They're not all pansies, and some of my toughest characters (not to mention opponents) have been elves.