The cannon for overpowered builds is well known - ken-sage, beserker-mage, and sometimes fighter/thief duals (oh, and of course, the solo sorc). I'm looking for some of our favorite builds that don't quite elevate to the cannon, and an analysis of why this might be.
My own favorite, thanks to the EE releases, is a half-orc cleric/thief. This build assumes some time min-maxing a 90+ point roll![;)]( ";)")
This character is brutal at the start of BGEE, with a 19 Str, a 19 Con, and a wisdom that will boost to 21. 19 Str just out of Candlekeep is about as powerful as it gets, Sanctuary is the ultimate assist for a thief scouting for traps, and when you get the Con book, regen on traveling between maps is a huge assist (and there is a buckler at the Friendly Arm Inn to tide you over in the meantime).
As we look to the end of the series, the Cleric/Thief earns more HLAs than any other character, as both Cleric and Thief cap xp early for level 39, pushing out over a million xp for that final level 40. As you will earn HLAs from both classes, which has low xp requirements per level, and splitting xp will never hit that level 39 cap, this leads to more HLAs than any single class, or any other multi.
Looking ahead to BG2, you will probably be wielding the favorite weapon of cheese, the flail. While some now bemoan that haste no longer stack with the max power version, we are limited to one attack/round anyway so get minimal improvement from Improved Haste, so the haste issue is greatly mitigated, while keeping the upside.
So where does the class fall down?
Ultimately, 20 Str is not THAT much better than 19 Str (unlike 19 > 18). If we are looking at taking a front liner through BGEE, we know we are grabbing a Tome that will give 19 Str, so one big half-orc bonus is mitigated around the middle of the first game.
While it is nice to look forward to the flail, combat options for the cleric/thief are surprisingly compromised. While we have the full range of cleric weapons available, we can use only two with the thief backstab - staff and club. There are not that many great clubs for this class either, which probably means running a 2-handed staff, which feels odd. Especially if we want to switch from 1H/shield to sling/shield, which with this character's beastly STR is something we actually quite like.
One minor concern is that I don't know if that Sanctuary trick carries into BG2EE, or if enemies learn to see through it. Another of the really neat cleric spells that sets you up for combat is Draw Upon Holy Might, which really gets the stat bonuses pumping. However, not only do we start with significant stats that don't need pumping, for much of the game this is a standard Bhaalspawn power, so everyone gets to play.
Which brings us to the rub of the matter. The cleric is not a spell caster of great power, like the end of game mages. Nor do they get the many attacks necessary for a front line fighter at the end of the game. While we can wear full fighter armor, that compromises our thieving, so we are probably running around in light armor anyway - this character, for all his might, is not a true front liner. So if we're not a front liner, nor a spell slinger who can take an encounter or two on their own, we are essentially just a thief who can buff a little, and can't backstab with their favorite weapons. We can't even take a thief kit. So although unmistakably potent, ultimately not the game breaker I hoped it would be.
So what are your favorite near-miss builds, and why?
My own favorite, thanks to the EE releases, is a half-orc cleric/thief. This build assumes some time min-maxing a 90+ point roll
This character is brutal at the start of BGEE, with a 19 Str, a 19 Con, and a wisdom that will boost to 21. 19 Str just out of Candlekeep is about as powerful as it gets, Sanctuary is the ultimate assist for a thief scouting for traps, and when you get the Con book, regen on traveling between maps is a huge assist (and there is a buckler at the Friendly Arm Inn to tide you over in the meantime).
As we look to the end of the series, the Cleric/Thief earns more HLAs than any other character, as both Cleric and Thief cap xp early for level 39, pushing out over a million xp for that final level 40. As you will earn HLAs from both classes, which has low xp requirements per level, and splitting xp will never hit that level 39 cap, this leads to more HLAs than any single class, or any other multi.
Looking ahead to BG2, you will probably be wielding the favorite weapon of cheese, the flail. While some now bemoan that haste no longer stack with the max power version, we are limited to one attack/round anyway so get minimal improvement from Improved Haste, so the haste issue is greatly mitigated, while keeping the upside.
So where does the class fall down?
Ultimately, 20 Str is not THAT much better than 19 Str (unlike 19 > 18). If we are looking at taking a front liner through BGEE, we know we are grabbing a Tome that will give 19 Str, so one big half-orc bonus is mitigated around the middle of the first game.
While it is nice to look forward to the flail, combat options for the cleric/thief are surprisingly compromised. While we have the full range of cleric weapons available, we can use only two with the thief backstab - staff and club. There are not that many great clubs for this class either, which probably means running a 2-handed staff, which feels odd. Especially if we want to switch from 1H/shield to sling/shield, which with this character's beastly STR is something we actually quite like.
One minor concern is that I don't know if that Sanctuary trick carries into BG2EE, or if enemies learn to see through it. Another of the really neat cleric spells that sets you up for combat is Draw Upon Holy Might, which really gets the stat bonuses pumping. However, not only do we start with significant stats that don't need pumping, for much of the game this is a standard Bhaalspawn power, so everyone gets to play.
Which brings us to the rub of the matter. The cleric is not a spell caster of great power, like the end of game mages. Nor do they get the many attacks necessary for a front line fighter at the end of the game. While we can wear full fighter armor, that compromises our thieving, so we are probably running around in light armor anyway - this character, for all his might, is not a true front liner. So if we're not a front liner, nor a spell slinger who can take an encounter or two on their own, we are essentially just a thief who can buff a little, and can't backstab with their favorite weapons. We can't even take a thief kit. So although unmistakably potent, ultimately not the game breaker I hoped it would be.
So what are your favorite near-miss builds, and why?