I already know I'd be taking levels of Rogue and Bard for the "Ultimate Diplomat" (a character best suited for any dialogue, aside from race-specific ones), but what should his stats look like?

I assume certain dialogues are only opened if a character has a certain INT, WIS, or CHA. Does anybody know what I should be assigning?

An idea came my way for a Drow Rogue2/Bard 3/Wizard X, but I don't know if I really want to persue it. Race and Class selection could very well change (I've heard of the Bard 11/Druid X with maximized mental stats and minimized physical stats that change when shapeshifted).

Iirc you will need 14Int 14Wis and 16Char to get all the good dialogues options. Race and Class restrictions permitting.

Shrikant's right. You need those stats to have a really good diplomat.

Using a Paladin with super high charisma works well, as he is good and has a high wisdom score usually as well, but i tend to use a Bard 11/Sorcerer 19 ... not only is this a good diplomat, it is an extrememly powerful character!!! Super high Charisma, high intelligence and you can make wisdom up for the ultimate talking machine! :D

I thought skill levels are more important than abilities, can a 10 CHA person with max (and I mean MAX) Diplomacy, Bluff etc choose best dialogue options?

If those are the stat minimums, I could go with either a Halfling or Tiefling Rogue 2/Bard X, but might be better off in the long run with a Human Rogue 2/Fighter 2/Bard X (hey, adding a level or 3 or Cleric of Ohgma both fits the character and adds an Identify spell!). Hmmmm....

Silverstar, skill level DO matter on most dialogue options; the higher the skill, the more or better options open up. However, sometimes a pure stat like INT does matter, giving you an extra option. Only example I can think of now is the drunk soldier at the Paliasades. With at least a 16 WIS, you tell him to shape up and stop drinking. Otherwise, you just offer him the bottle of wine.

Also, having a paladin as spokeman can suck, no cash for completing some quests, refusing quests from evil monsters, or realizing NPCs are evil and ruining your options from the start.

I'm not sure my wisdom was 16 when I told him to stop drinking, although I'm sure it wasn't below 14, either. Then again, the fact I was playing an LG paladin might have played a role. INT matters and sometimes even a really high INT, such as when you discover the fake Nathaniel (apart from wizards, perhaps only some rogues from ECL races with INT bonuses are going to have it so high).

Dialogue choices are somewhat realistic, so getting all the options is a matter of having the right classes and races talk to the right people. The ending result looks pretty much random. I suppose this encourages having more than just party member talk to people or rewards players who play the game realistically and don't have one designated speaker who's the master of all talking skills and five people who had better not open their mouth. ;) If you're interested, the list of dialogue checks for IWD2 is somewhere in SP's IWD2 section.

Silverstar makes a great point (and I'll expand). If the stats listed are needed for dialogues, then what does Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate actually do?

EDIT: would I be best off creating a Wizard or Sorcerer with those stats (at least) and just let him do the talking for the party? What's the point of these skills?

[ November 26, 2005, 23:41: Message edited by: Klorox ]

A few conversations require minimum stats. Few others will check the skill ratings.
The skills are most often used to decide if the responce you have choosen is accepted by the opposite party. If you have the stats but have not invested in the skills, your responce might fail leading to less XP or an attack.

Think of it this way, a STAT like INT 14 might let you think of an alternative ansver. but a skill like Bluff or dilomacy will affect how well another person takes to that sugestion or accepts it.