Classes-

1. Bards
2. theives
3. rangers

everybody but me seems to say they play a kensai/mage, a monk, or a sorcerer. i love my fighter Dualed to a cleric.

races-
1. nobody plays gnomes
2. nobody plays halflings
3. few play dwarves
4. few play elves or half elves

everybody plays humans for their dual classing abilities and half orcs because they are good fighters, if a bit braindead.

anybody got good reasons why you dont play the "Less popular" races and classes?

Me, I play dwarf, and i love it.

Is there any reasons to play a gnome or a halfling????????????????????

I"m currently playing a half elf ranger at the mo. Perfectly good for me

I played a Ranger in BG1 and an Archer in BG2... Fantastic in my opinion.

Paladin is the character I usually start with.

I also like making an Elven Fighter/Mage/Thief. I made one for BG and he was pretty good! The only bad thing is that they are mediocre in everything.

In BG2, I want to try to make a dual Kensai/Mage, because they sound like they would be powerful...Considering everyone's posts.

Halflings make pretty good thieves...I made one for IWD and he was awesome!

I've never played a gnome...and Druids don't thrill me either...But Jaheira may have had something to do with that!

[This message has been edited by Sir Belisarius (edited December 01, 2000).]

In BG2, I like monks a lot, because I like that martial arts stuff. If they let a dwarf be a monk, I'd play that. I would also play a dwarf paladin if they allowed it(I love 3rd Edition)!

yeah yeah.

But gnome??? halfing??

Nothing wrong with gnomes. They can have 19 INT and have no penalties to STR, DEX or CON. Fighter/Illusionist for example. Isn't that where the term "munchkin" for powergamer comes from?

I play Monk who is now quite powerful, and he's nearly level 13. Druids are cool as well. I especially like shapechangers, they are rock hard as werewolves and greater werewolves. Avengers are also quite good, especially as sword spiders. I must say that Totemic Druids are the only naff druid kit.
That Sir Bellarius has no taste saying Druids aren't any good. I also quite like rangers, especially rock hard Minsc. To prove I like these classes, my main characters a monk, and I have Cernd, Jaheira and Minsc. I also have Mazzy and Jan. Jan is useful because he's a thief and mage in one, and Mazzy's good at long range and close combat, and has cool abilities. This party is unbalanced but cool(its tricky without a cleric) but I'm doing well. All these classes are cool in there own way, you just have to accept their strengths and weaknesses. Nearly all classes are good in their own ways. There is nothing wrong with gnomes or halflings either, and I think a gnome Barbarian sounds fun(but a little strange).

I think most people play with humans, elves, and half elves for the basic reason that we can identify with them. Having never played pnp, I don't know a lot about other races except what I've read in the books and storylines scattered through crpgs about them. The one and only reason people play orcs is the strength advantage. That's it. What fun is it to roll play a half bread, brain dead, least respected class. Hell, might as well play a half troll or half hobgoblin. How about a half gibberling.

For classes, druids are cool when dualed from fighters or multiclassed(though you can't cast seventh level spells). A fighter dual totemic druid is really nice as shapeshifting is worthless. I created a female half drow fighter/druid multi combo and she rocks. She is a great front line fighter and spell caster. Nice she can use frostbrand as well. (Note: anyone have any reason druids can't use defender?) For my next game, I'm playing a fighter D priest of Talos. A straight thief just isn't necessary. They just haven't been given an important role in the BG line of games. Bards are a jack of all trades-master of none type of charater. For parties that don't like to multi/dual, then it would be a good spot for a bard. I'd much rather have a fighter D mage. Rangers are cool and I will have one in any good party I make. Bg2 really realizes their potential as rangers and not just poor fighter cousins. The stealth and spells are really usefull(especially without a thief to scout). I'd much rather have one than a palidan.

Hafling thieves are sweet and mast of my charaters are not human they are of all the other races and I have created one of every type of class so I can have alot of fun in multiplayer

Elven rangers are deadly as Archers with a dexterity of 19. Gnomes make great mages or fighter/mages. I rarely use dwarves and halfings. But it's simply a lack of opportunity. I love rangers though.

I belive all of those are some pretty good reasons, but I personally think that the main reason is because all the other races are so restricted to certain classes. I loved being a dwarven fighter in BG1 because of the +1 bonus to CON; but, now in BG2, they have the half-orc which is better for fighting classes.

Gnomes are VERY limited to classes and halflings don't make a great fighters because of their -1 STR, +1 DEX; therefore, they are the best to be a rogue class.

Humans are so flexable that they can be any class in BG2. They are also the only class that can dual-class. Dual-classing, in my opinion, is better than multi-classing.

Elves/Half-Elves aren't very restricted to class either. They are probably the second favorite since they aren't very restricted and they can multi-class. (Not to mention, their resistance to charm is pretty nice.)

I vote half-elves. They are just as good as humans but gain some additional bonuses (if your not into dual classing, that is). I think Swashbucklers are better than fighter/theives.

Elverath - I fear I have to disagree with you: at least *I* play halflings and *I* play gnomes too (as mages - rarely - but I do). HALFLINGS ROCK! (and gnomes aren´t too bad either ... )

Halflings are a great race, they excell as ranged weapons fighters and especially, the are formidable thiefs. They are the most restricted race in the AD&D world and get dex-19 and are restricted to 17 strength and 17 wisdom, but you can get along with it. Their saving throws are excellent - equal to the dwarves.
I played a halfling cavalier in BG-2 and a halfling pally in BG; I played halfling mc fighter (w. bows), halfling pure thiefs and mc fighter-thiefs (I was amazed when I compared one with a dc-fighter-thief with grandmastery: mind that grandmastery, compared to **, just gives an additional bonus +2 damage, -1 weapon speed and +1 THACO - I actually feel seroiusly tempted to play one, at least as second PC)

Gnomes have the great advantage of having max wis-19, a great thing for a mage for it offers (a)unlimited learnable spells per level and (b) 95% chance to learn a spell and (c) a good lore bonus. Gnomes also have nbetter savingthrows than humans, beeing between them and halflings/ dwarves. An illusionist-thief can be a formidable support character and as a mage a great main char in BG-2.

[This message has been edited by Ragusa (edited June 09, 2001).]

ok..i have a male elven thief (Spudslicer) and a female halfling fighter/thief (Salencia)..and they rock! elves and halflings are great

[This message has been edited by Spudsquisher (edited June 09, 2001).]

Ragusa, I doubt he gives a damn right now. He posted the question in December last year.
That's what you get for resurrecting old posts. ;)

[This message has been edited by Taluntain (edited June 09, 2001).]

i love playing halfling thiefs and gnome illusionist/thiefs. there is nothing wrong with the little guys...thats what it is isnt it? just because their short...so halflings dont make the best fighters, gnomes dont either...but they excel in other classes...kinda worthless but my two cents...

Too bad I got a bit bored with BG2, that halfling berserker was nice :)

Crawl: Thats because non-good characters cant use Defender (But, of course you know this)
So i dont think i have anything intelligent to say here, cause i only play human, elf or half-elf. Jan's cool though.

Jan sux

i like to play an archer, an assasin, a priest of helm, an undead hunter, illusinist, and necromancer
i LUV playing half elves and elves so stop saying "few" play those classes!

[This message has been edited by shadow_thief (edited June 10, 2001).]

1) Jan does not suck.

2) Just....let....it.....die....

I have never played a human. Just a half elf and now an elf...

When I play I often use, Humans as Paladins and clerics. Halflings are great as thiefs. Dwarves as fighters or fighter/clerics. Half-elves or Elves, for druids, rangers and wizards. Half-orcs are great for one thing and that Barbarians. But they are boring, when my Half-orc barbarian slay a Tanari alone, without healing or drinking a potion. I swore to never play Half-orc again.

halflings make the best thieves! my halfling assasin is doing pretty well soloing the game

hm irene...did i hear SOLOING???? i thought you liked to play LEGITLY ;) and dudette and i have a problem...is the lilicor a 2-handed sword or a long sword???

[Lilarcor is two-handed - BTA]

[This message has been edited by Blackthorne TA (edited June 12, 2001).]

uh...can no one tell dudette this???

[This message has been edited by shadow_thief (edited June 12, 2001).]

HUman Druids rocks!

I mostly play as a half elf or elf! the nightvision is cool! And there almost immune to charm! I just hate to be charmed! Unless youre charmed by the most beautiful chick of the world ... no problems with that!

I´d like to play as a Dwarven fighter dualled to cleric - but I can only multiclass him. If you use the X-cap will the both classes advance to high-high classes or what happens?
thx.

Despite what Ragusa sais, I don't think many people play gnomes; but halflings are quite popular as a thief class.

Me, I play humans (for dual-classing) and then cheat to give them the elven avatar. When I don't dual-class, I usually play elf. :D

Gnomes rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As far as I can remember, I have never set out as a gnome, dwarf, or halfling. Maybe when I actually finish a game, with a romance. If you ask me though, all of the dwarf, halfling and gnome portraits suck. Come to think of it, I keep using the same 3 or so portraits over because I hate all the others.

Then why don't you download som new portraits?

:O

I was not aware that you could.

Where can you get portraits that actually look good?

Go to www.interplay.com (http://www.interplay.com) and keep pressing Random on the Baldur's Gate webring. There's a good site with tons of portraits that's index looks like the BG autorun thing so try to get there. Also, go to www.teambg.com (http://www.teambg.com) and click on Custom Portraits in the upper right. Surf thru the thing there(u have to download it first)

Go to Havak's Place. I don't know the actual adress but i always find it when i search for portraits.

Well it's good to know that the portraits from Lady Nightshade's were salvaged (the teambg link), a shame the site closed though. Lady Nightshade had a good selection even for "the lesser played races"

I didn't like Lady Nightshade's portraits. They seemed too... cartoonish for my tastes.

Especially since there weren't that many floating eyeballs... :rolleyes:

[This message has been edited by Elvadrielad (edited August 10, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Elvadrielad (edited August 10, 2001).]