Baldur's Gate: Which classes make "sense"

[TWEWYFan]

I was playing Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition and I started thinking, which of playable classes makes the most sense given the main character's background. To me, the Mage or Bard seem to fit best since the PC was raised by a mage and grew up surrounded by books. By contrast I tend to think classes like Druid and Monk since he or she doesn't really receive any training or guidance for them. They're more just Monk/Druid fans.

So what are your thoughts?

 

[sextus the crazy]

I'd recommend playing mage. Not that I've played Baldur's Gate, but mages tend to be pretty useful in RPGs in general, given their range and DPS powers.

Granted, I'm just answering because your name is "TWEWYFan" and TWEWY is awesome.

 

[Frission]

Mage really. The Mages in Baldur's Gate are utter weaklings at the start of the game, but become obscenely powerful near the end. It's a good tie in to the character arc of the protagonist.

Not to mention that intelligent and wise MC's have the most interesting dialogue.

 

[Aris Khandr]

Mage and Bard, as you mentioned. There is a spoiler that I'll elect to not give away, but it could be argued that the strongest case is for Sorcerer or Cleric.

That said, there are clearly residents of Candlekeep who favour the martial arts, so fighters, rangers, and the like wouldn't be out of the question. I'd say Druid and Monk would be the least likely, though that might be my bias against Monks in western settings showing.

 

[BeeGeenie]

Gorion could have made it a point to have you trained in martial arts, perhaps by the capt. of the guard. You could also have received plenty of religious training in Candlekeep. So fighter, cleric, paladin are all reasonable options. And rogue just depends on how much trouble you got into while Gorion wasn't looking. I'd say the only ones that don't make much sense given the context are ranger or druid.

Mage and Bard do seem like the most obvious choices, though.

 

[The Madman]

If it's your first time playing Baldur's Gate and you aren't familiar with the DnD ruleset I always recommend starting with either a fighter or ranger, simply because those two classes stay consistently useful and don't begin with any major disadvantages, unlike... well, a mage or bard which both begin as exceptionally weak characters. Hell the ranger is unarguably the most deadly class in Baldur's Gate, though they become less overpowered in BG2 and ToB. The bard never does become spectacular in any way either, fun to play and useful in a number of areas but they're exactly as advertised; jack of all trades but master of none. A mage by contrast by the end of Throne of Bhall is near godly in terms of power even if in Baldur's Gate they're nigh useless.

Now if you want to approach from a story perspective keep in mind each class has a unique set of missions and possible 'base' in Baldur's Gate 2. Fighters gain control of a keep, Paladin can join a paladin order, Druids a druid circle, mages get a neat dimensional portal thingy, thieves control a thieves guild, etc. Every class has one except barbarians, sorcerers, and I think monks who get shoved in with another classes story. Anyway that's worth planning in advance for if you know you want to play one consistent character through the entire series.

As for which make the most 'sense' story wise? They all kinda do, but I imagine mage, fighter, and cleric make the best argument given later revealed plot points. An argument could also be made for bards given where you begin though, but those three tend to make the most sense in my mind.

 

[ultramarine486]

I always viewed any martial character being taught by the guards. A kind of run out the door as soon as the lessons were done and go train with the Candlekeep Watch. Really though any class can have justification as Candlekeep is in all respects one of the largest libraries in the land. I mean by the fact that the CHARNAME starts at level one its not too hard to imagine that any 'odd' classes were self taught using their depository of knowledge and he got better as he adventured.

 

[Confidingtripod]

if you explore candlekeep theres pulls towards a few callings, besides your leadership training, being asked to kill rats and the gaurds trusting your enough with weaponry to fetch a sword.

 

[CountArioch]

If it's D&D based, assume the monk is useless. I might be frighteningly wrong (Monks were decent in NWN due to special monk-only items that were illegal in tabletop D&D), but D&D has never produced a decent playable monk class.

 

[Slycne]

If it's D&D based, assume the monk is useless. I might be frighteningly wrong (Monks were decent in NWN due to special monk-only items that were illegal in tabletop D&D), but D&D has never produced a decent playable monk class.

Monks in Baldur's Gate are on a power scale similar to Mages. They are remarkably weak at earlier levels but grown quite powerful down the line. While not quite as devastating in combat as other fighter-types in terms of straight damage, a high level monk enjoys an immunity to a great number of effects (disease, poison, charm, etc), the fastest movement rate, a base 78% magic resistance, in addition to having some of the best saving throws and let's not forget Quivering Palm, which turns a monk into a Save vs Death on legs.

 

[CountArioch]

If it's D&D based, assume the monk is useless. I might be frighteningly wrong (Monks were decent in NWN due to special monk-only items that were illegal in tabletop D&D), but D&D has never produced a decent playable monk class.

Monks in Baldur's Gate are on a power scale similar to Mages. They are remarkably weak at earlier levels but grown quite powerful down the line. While not quite as devastating in combat as other fighter-types in terms of straight damage, a high level monk enjoys an immunity to a great number of effects (disease, poison, charm, etc), the fastest movement rate, a base 78% magic resistance, in addition to having some of the best saving throws and let's not forget Quivering Palm, which turns a monk into a Save vs Death on legs.

Ah, I looked it up, Baldur's gate uses 2E rules, not 1E. I don't actually know anything about 2E monks (only have the core three for 2E). 1E and 3E is where monks are blessed with suck then. My apologies for speaking where I have not understanding.

 

[Slycne]

Ah, I looked it up, Baldur's gate uses 2E rules, not 1E. I don't actually know anything about 2E monks (only have the core three for 2E). 1E and 3E is where monks are blessed with suck then. My apologies for speaking where I have not understanding.

No worries, though I would argue Monks were not even all that bad in 3e. They simply got the short-end of the stick since it was a class that only got better by advancing itself while everyone else was messing around with the multi-classing and prestige classes that broke 3e.

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

Keep in mind that the game doesn't really dictate how you lived your childhood at Candlekeep, which is why it has a character creation process in the first place.

Mage/Bard: Makes sense considering where you are. Lots of books, plenty of learning potential. And the Candlekeep Inn would provide a more than adequate stage for a bard to hone their songs and stories, heck maybe that's why Winthrop likes you so much.

Sorcerer: Sorcerers use innate magical talent, it wouldn't have been hard for a resident sage to realize your potential here and help you cultivate your abilities.

Cleric: There is a temple in Candlekeep, and combined with the library there's a wealth of knowledge for learning the healing arts.

Fighter/Ranger: There's a small legion of guards and soldiers in the town, not implausible that you trained in the yard with them.

Druid: A bit harder and definitely not the norm, but it's not impossible. Druids don't necessarily live in a grove and prance around with woodland creatures, in the Forgotten Realms lore they're also wise sages and it's not totally unheard of for them to live in small towns and villages. There they provide knowledge and teachings for the townsfolk as well as herbal remedies and using their magic to help the settlement with harvests. Candlekeep may not have had a resident druid per se, but certainly a wizened elder could have kindled the player's interest in the various nature based arts through his teachings. The wealth of knowledge in the library could have led the player the rest of the way.

 

[The Madman]

Thief also makes a fair bit of sense since it can easily be assumed you, like Imoen, were a complete rascal as a child. It also ties into the whole 'darker nature' thing.

Seems to me that monks, barbarians, and druid make the least sense. Every other class I can think up a decent excuse for the PC's childhood having led them down that path, but those three are a bit of a stretch.

 

[Abomination]

I've always considered the PC to be a Fighter/Thief, something along the lines of a hitman. A capable warrior but smart enough to handle a multilude of situations. Potentially a fighter/assassin to really tie into the

Spoiler

whole spawn of Bhaal - lord of murder - thing

.

It is also the most demanded class for Baldur's Gate II, since there are no dedicated theif NPCs available for the long term.

 

[StBishop]

I'd recommend playing mage. Not that I've played Baldur's Gate, but mages tend to be pretty useful in RPGs in general, given their range and DPS powers.

Granted, I'm just answering because your name is "TWEWYFan" and TWEWY is awesome.

That's horrible advice. Baldur's Gate as a mage is essentially unplayable for someone who doesn't know anything about 2nd Ed D&D.

 

[AuronFtw]

In most of my BG2 playthroughs I had a paladin/cavalier, since the best weapons and some of the best armor was available only to paladins, and the only NPC ones you got were annoying cunts. Holy Avenger had magic dispell on hit, removing fear as uses per day, and some pretty amazing base damage stats.

I honestly never got very far in BG1 though, and I expect it to have mostly different weapons/equipment, but typically mages are just utility bitches you want to avoid. They have the least interesting selection of equipment, and the sleeping to restore spells thing forces you to break often (and you can be attacked overnight if you aren't sleeping in a perfectly safe location). That whole mechanic just gets really annoying if you "main" a mage type.

Mages are still obviously something you want to have around - as are rogues - but you can do fine with relying on premade NPC mage characters instead of rolling one yourself. I'd suggest some kind of fighter or paladin, just for easiest soloing (if forced into that situation) and great combat ability at the front of the party.

 

[Jandau]

Wait, a BARD makes more sense to you than a MONK for a person who was raised in what is essentially a MONASTERY??? Really? For god's sake, the place is run by a group of MONKS. Ok, I can kinda see the Bard angle, with the main character growing up surrounded by books and therefore wanting to be a storyteller, but how is a Monk least likely?

Personally, I'd say Mage > Monk > Cleric > Bard. A Mage/Cleric multiclass might be a good fit too, but it would take a bit of rerolling to get enough stat points for a decent build (you don't want to end up shitty like Aerie)...

 

[Anachronism]

I'd recommend playing mage. Not that I've played Baldur's Gate, but mages tend to be pretty useful in RPGs in general, given their range and DPS powers.

Granted, I'm just answering because your name is "TWEWYFan" and TWEWY is awesome.

That's horrible advice. Baldur's Gate as a mage is essentially unplayable for someone who doesn't know anything about 2nd Ed D&D.

Seconded. Don't advise someone on how to play a game when you haven't played it yourself. Mages at the start of Baldur's Gate have one spell per day and four hit points. They can be killed quite easily by a common house cat. Unless you know what you're doing, you're better off playing a melee-focused class. That said, by the time you start hitting high levels in Baldur's Gate II, mages basically become demigods capable of summoning meteors and pulling people's souls out through their noses. If you're familiar with AD&D and are in it for the long haul they're great fun, but if you've not played Baldur's Gate before, avoid mages like the plague.

Admittedly, a mage makes quite a bit of sense given CHARNAME's upbringing, but none of the classes are implausible given the circumstances. Your foster father was a big name adventurer back in the day, so it's reasonable to assume he's given you some training.