It's been a while since I made a real powergaming character, and my best bet is to start a character in BGi using BGTuTu and take him through the entire saga. Obviously, I'm going to make a half-orc. By the end of BG1, he'll have a strength and constitution of 20 with the books. In fact, the mere fact that he will start with both those stats at 19 makes a big difference, especially in terms of strength. A 20 in constitution was possible with a dwarf, but the highest strength previously attainable was 18(00). I don't know about the rest of the board, but I was never patient enough to keep rolling to get an 18(00). Generally I was satisfied with anything over 50, as 51-99 all give a +2 to hit.

The question really comes down to, what class to play? If I'm powergaming, I really only have a few choices. As I see it, I must choose between a fighter, one of the fighter kits, or a barbarian. I'm leaning towards barbarian because it will be fun to play not only a race I've never played before through BG1, but also a class I've never played before.

So first question: Barbarian, beserker or kensai? (I don't particularly like wizard slayers.)

The only thing that worries me somewhat is that as a barbarian, I won't be able to wear plate mail or full plate mail armor. As I reacall, there aren't many good armor options of scale male and lower. The best I can recall in the game is +1 scale mail, and +2 chain mail, both of which would get me a base AC of 3. Either way, I'm still better off going for regular scale mail and throwing on a +2 ring or cloak of protection. Am I missing something obvious? For example does the ankheg armor could as plate mail (I imagine it would since it's called "ankheg plate armor")?

Second question: What type of armor is this guy wearing?

The next question is proficiencies. This is a half-orc barbarian or fighter. He is NOT going to be walking around with some fru-fru long sword, short sword, dagger, scimiar or katana (although AFAIK, unless they changed item coding, there are no katanas in BG1). We need a manly-man weapon on this guy. I figure my options are: two-handed sword, halberd, possibly a spear (very Neanderthal like) and maybe an axe, flail, or war hammer. I would get six total proficiency slots through BG1, so I suppose I can get two points in three different proficiency styles. It would help if I concentrated on either one-handed or two handed weapons. Therefore, which of these options would you recommend:

Third question:

Proficiency placement: Halberds and Two-handed swords initially, and then place proficiency points into two-handed fighting style

OR

Warhammers and axes initially, later placing points into two weapon fighting style?

OR

Other - suggest your own.

Half Orc - Barbarian sounds pretty neat allright.
The most fun thing with tutu is to take classes you couldn´t play earlier through the game I think. And to be honest, it´s pretty easy with most classes.
And with 20 in Str and Con it´ll be a walk in the park.
Also, if you dont have any problems with it, killing Drizzt would give you a great armor that you can wear. That would solve that problem.
Dont think you could wear the ankheg plate, because as you said, it IS called plate.

As for proficencies...
I´d spend them on Two-Handed Swords, Spears and Two-Handed style.
The Impaler spear in BG2 is very nice I think.
Although, there aint any good spears in BG1, so this is where you´d use two-handed swords. Spiders Bane is pretty good. There´s a +3 2h sword in Durlags Tower which you might rather use, it´s up to you really.

Excellent idea! How could I have overlooked Drizzit's Armor - only the best in the game. Ahhh... and evil barbarian. That would work.

Also, I agree with your proficiency choices, although I probably would wait until BG2 to start developing spears. AFAIK, there's only a crappy +1 spear in BG1.

Man, I gotta start my own game now with an evil barbarian halforc.
To bad you cant side with Sarevok and Tazok.
Would fit really cool to have Tazok in your party :D

Exactly, no good spears, but since you only need 4 of your 6 profpoints you might aswell spend the last two on spears so you´ll be set for BG2 right away.

How on earth does a young child under the tutelage of a sage in a large library become an evil barbarian? I think this is an issue with plenty of classes, but especially barbarians coming out of a very civilized and intellectual environment. . .

Well, seeing your father being killed can do lots of stuff to a man...

@Space

Well, first of all, I'm powergaming here, so there really is no NEED to have to explain how I became a barbarian. By that rationale, who taught Imoen to be a thief? AFAIK, there's no other thieves in Candlekeep. Don't worry so much about the beginning of the story. Just like those two second-rate assassins who attack you in Candlekeep - how did they find a "tome of great value" to get inside? Why does killing 5 rats earn you an extra 50 xp in the beginning of the game? Or returning Hull's sword? Or getting the antitode for Ol' Nessie. Or Phylidia's book? Or Firebeard's scroll? There are dozens of unexplained stuff in the prologue, so there's no need to worry about starting character classes. To answer your question though, I'm a half-orc. Maybe I just had it in me to be a barbarian all the time, and the recent string of events brought that ability to the surface... There's always ways to justify it.

I know you're powergaming, I just always thought that lots of classes were silly. To really answer your question, I'd play a human kensai to level 13, then dual over to a thief. As a kensai you should be fine in BG, and once you transfer to BG2, you'll have 19 str and dex. The reason I think this has the best powergaming potential is that a lvl 13 fighter already has max attacks/round, plus the kensai's to hit and damgae bonuses, importantly, the kai. Then, once your thief gets assassinate and use any item, you can really reak havok. Use belm in your offhand, and the scarlet ninja-to in your main hand. With 3 slots in two weapon fighting, and grandmastery in scimitars, you'll be able to kai then assassinate for an astounding 5(backstab) x 5.5(# of attacks) = 27.5 attacks, all at full damage! This should be roughly 406 damage, plus the poison damage from the scarlet ninja-to!

And all of it is useless since we´re in the BG1 forum right now :)

What´s the status on your Barbarian, Aldeth?
Started playing yet?

Indeed I have. I am currently in Chapter 5 (Baldur's Gate), although I haven't actually entered the city yet. I took a detour to kill some basilisks for the extra XP, and Drizzit is next on the hitlist after that. I currently have somewhere around 70,000 XP, so I doubt I will actually do all the TotSC quests as I will already have come close to maxing out my XP.

I did the first two chapters solo, so I already had about 20,000 XP at that point, and then I added Imoen (I know she's good - but powergaming remember), Shar-Teel, Kagain, Edwin, and Viconia. I took Imoen because my original plan of Xzar and Montoron didn't work so well. I got Monty as a level 5/5 character, and he had put all of his thieving points into move silently and hide in shadows, and had lockpicks at 25 and find traps at 10 - not acceptable. So I booted both of them and got Imoen back and took Edwin.

As far as how the game is going - it's been pretty easy. I haven't been challanged much recently. The only problem I have encountered up to this point is that my characters walk extremely slowly on two map screens - specifically the one with the lighthouse, and the one on the coast directly south of the lighthouse. Everything is fine on the other maps - it's just those two. Is this a known bug?

Anyway, I plan on getting what books I can in Baldur's Gate, then finishing the chapter. By the time I get out of the catacombs, I'll probably head directly to Durlag's Tower, and by the time I get done there, I'll go to BG and finish the game.

I like that party of yours, probably one of the best there is.
Don´t think you´d have any trouble in any case though, whatever works, really :)

Anyway, about walking slow, never happened to me and I haven´t heard of it before. So I dont think it´s a known bug. Let´s hope it wont appear again on some place you´ll have to spend more time, like in all BG or in Durlags Tower...

Happy huniting mate, let me know if Sarevok was as easy as I think he´ll be ;)

Duke - I know it's useless in BG1, but he said he was bringing the char through the whole saga. . . :p

[ March 10, 2004, 04:13: Message edited by: SpaceKungFuMan ]

Just finished. To say the battle with Sarevok was easy would be unfair. It was ridiculously easy. I drew Tazok down first. Since he was invisible, he did get the first hit in on my PC, but after that died in two rounds. I went up again, and this time the mage (I can never remember his name) and Sarevok came down. I don't know why Angelo didn't show up - I guess I didn't go far enough to activate him.

Anyway, Edwin cast Monster Summoning I do hold off Sarevok while I dealt with the mage. After that, everyone except my PC switched to missile weapons and started to hit Sarevok. Amazingly, five worgs were able to hold off Sarevok for quite some time. When the last one was finally slain, me PC hit Sarevok twice, and killed him. Given the fact that Sarevok gets multiple attacks per round, the fact that 5 worgs held him off for about 10 rounds is utterly amazing. Unless they have just enough hitpoints to survive a hit from him...

It was probably the easiest time I ever had with Sarevok, excepting the pre-BGTuTu days when all I would do is summon a few dozen monsters and pelt him with missile weapons...

Sounds like a great party. The mage's name is Semaj, btw. "James" backwards. I don't suppose anyone would know why?

I haven't played BG1 in so long, but now I'm tempted.

So Aldeth, what items did you end up finishing the game with?

Isn't James one of the game designers?

I'll stick to armor and weapons, as most other stuff I just put where it fits, so I don't remember exactly. The perfect part about this party is all of the main equipment is acquired, not bought!

PC (Grom):

Weapons: Two proficiency points each in Halberd, Two-Handed Sword, and Two-Handed Weapon. Typically wielded Spider's Bane. Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise.

Armor: AC: -5 Drizzit's Chain mail, Helm of Balduran, Cloak of Balduran.

Kaigan:

Weapons: Four proficiency points in axe, Two in two weapon style, dual wielding battle axe +2 and battle axe +1. Gauntlets of Dexterity.

Armor: AC: -5 Full Plate Mail, Helmet of Defense, Cloak of Protection +2.

Shar-Teel:

Weapons: Four proficiency points in Long Sword, 2 in Two weapon style. Typically dual-wielded the +2 long sword from Graywolf (can't remember the name) and long sword +1. Gauntlets of Ogre Strength.

Armor: AC: -5 Full Plate Mail, Helmet of Infrvision, Ring of Protection +2

Viconia:

Weapon: One proficiency point in Slings, War Hammers and Maces. Wileded typically sling +1, but also had War Hammer +2 +1 electricity damage

Armor: AC: -2 Studded Leather Armor +2 (for some reason I never got her Ankeg armor, even though she probably could have worn it), small shield +1 (too weak for a medium or large variety), Illych's Helmet (just because it looks cool).

Imoen (Now a swashbuckler): Two proficiency points in daggers, one in short swords, one in short bows. Typically wielded short bow +1, then short bow +2. Gauntlets that give +2 to hit with missile weapon (forget name).

Armor: AC: -1 Shadow Armor, Cloak of Non-Detection.

Edwin: Proficency point in quarterstaffs and darts. Typically wielded darts (usually of wounding or stunning).

Armor: AC: 4 Robe of the Evil Arch-Magi, Ring of Protection +1.

EDIT: Considering James is one of the most common male names in the U.S., I'd say there's a good chance one of the designers was named James.