Need help with NWN2 character.

[Dragunai]

So I got NWN2 a while ago and ended up with a serious case of "start again" syndrome.
I keep getting through the 1st part of the game, up to the harbour town and the castle near it really early on and then I get the urge to start again as a different class.

Thus far I have tried the Rogue, Ranger, Paladin and Wizard.
I like the functionality of the Rogue with the trap / lock side of the class, but they are a bit of a glass cannon.

Can someone recommend their favourite class and why they like it?

I keep thinking Rogue or a Ranger / Rogue multiclass but I'm not sure.

Thanks.

EDIT 1:

It's worth mentioning that while I have never given spellcasters a fair shot, I am interested in playing them. Only issue is that they seem very restricted in the number of spells they can wield in battle, using up a chunk of them in 1 fight is fairly lousy, specially in a hot zone.

They also seem a bit complicated. So if someone could shed some light on anything worth knowing or reading about them I would be grateful.

 

[oplinger]

There are a couple things to keep in mind.

1. Spell caster rest a lot. A. Lot. The versatility of a wizard though, gets a little better with meta magics, as it allows the same spells to be cast on different levels (with varying effects), but a sorcerer lacks utility, but gains the ability to cast certain spells a greater number of times.

Both will rest a bunch, sorcerers are easier to play. There's a sorcerer-like and wizard-like version of every spell casting type. And like all spell casters, they are extremely weak in th ebeginning.

As for my favorite? Discounting my special Asskicker class from NWN1 that can't exist in 2..

Monk. They are amazing, get circle kick, cleave, and a the ability to even dodge lightning, a stun, a small self heal (you won't need it..) and you have the magical ability to walk into a group, and flatten everyone as soon as you down one foe. They're immune to poison, and can tank very well. I love monks in NWN. And they're really easy to understand, and multiclassing them is generally not a good idea, so you have a single track to worry about.

 

[eimatshya]

There are a couple things to keep in mind.

Monk. They are amazing, get circle kick, cleave, and a the ability to even dodge lightning, a stun, a small self heal (you won't need it..) and you have the magical ability to walk into a group, and flatten everyone as soon as you down one foe. They're immune to poison, and can tank very well. I love monks in NWN. And they're really easy to understand, and multiclassing them is generally not a good idea, so you have a single track to worry about.

Yeah, Monks are my favorite class to play in NWN2 from a gameplay standpoint. RP wise, Monks always feel a bit incongruous in the Forgotten Realms (given the whole medieval Europe vibe), but if that doesn't bother you, then I'd recommend a monk.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

It's worth mentioning that while I have never given spellcasters a fair shot, I am interested in playing them. Only issue is that they seem very restricted in the number of spells they can wield in battle, using up a chunk of them in 1 fight is fairly lousy, specially in a hot zone.

Easiest way to play a spellcaster type in NWN2 is to go with a Warlock. Magic works differently for them, so you start with a basic magic attack which at later leverls you can add elemental effects to or change the range/width/etc of the attack... you also get a few more spell like things later, too. They're also less fragile than mages or sorcerors and can wear light armour.

Alignment restrictions can be a pain in the dick, though.

 

[darth.pixie]

Monks, from a gameplay perspective, are amazing. Especially if you don't dual class them.

Roleplaying-wise, I like warlocks, especially with the proper mods. They're pretty bad to play and the background is dodgy and somehow they don't fit with the story, but I still like them for some reason which isn't immediately clear to me. And level them up properly and you have a quite powerful character.

Wizards are my go-to on starter DnD games because with the proper spells, they can do everything. You also get enough meat-shields to survive pretty early in this game. For a beginner, I'd say just start as a sorcerer and go from there. Find your favourite spells and go wild. A sorc-rogue is pretty much good for everything with the right spells and perks.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Monks, from a gameplay perspective, are amazing. Especially if you don't dual class them.

Yeah there are no official classes or PrCs that make giving up monk levels worth it, IMO. All you end up doing is diluting the power of your monk with very little in return... then again, that's how they were designed as a class.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Rogue. Because I can have dual wielding rapiers, a cloak and that really nice swashbucklers hat.

I've always found the rogue to be very easy to play with, especially once you have a couple of NPCs. High dexterity and weapon finesse and dual wield with twin rapiers, 2 weapon defence, all the dodge feats. And the hat, mustn't forget the hat. The reason the rogue seems to be a glass cannon is that the rogue isn't a cannon, it's a dagger in the dark. Hide, get your party to engage the enemy and then stab them a lot in the back. Once you have the right skills you can prestige class into a shadowdancer and they can pretty much hide and backstab whenever the fuck they want. Hide, stab, stab, stab, hide.

I always had to start again because of all the bugs, but I recently got the full NWN2 package on GOG so I'm giving it another go.

 

[Dragunai]

Thanks for all the replies.
I'll give a monk a shot and line up a warlock as my 2nd play through.

Any advice on race and so on you think I should be aware of?

 

[Terrible Opinions]

It's been a long time since I last played NWN2, but I think anything medium sized that doesn't have a horrible Dex penalty works fine as a monk. I remember really liking the gray orc monk I made once.

Rogues are... not so great in the NWN2 original campaign, really. Just way too many god damn undead.

Also, you shouldn't worry about the limitations of casters. I don't know if any D&D-based CRPG actually managed to implement a rest system that wasn't broken as hell.

 

[sanquin]

The thing with spellcasters is that you need to get through the lower levels first. With D&D rules the problem has always been that at first physical damage classes are stronger. But as time goes on and levels go up, spellcasters start to overtake them. Eventually spellcasters will be far more powerful than physical damage classes. I believe the balance was around level...8~10, where the balance was about equal. Before that physical is better, after that, spellcaster is better.

 

[Dragunai]

The thing with spellcasters is that you need to get through the lower levels first. With D&D rules the problem has always been that at first physical damage classes are stronger. But as time goes on and levels go up, spellcasters start to overtake them. Eventually spellcasters will be far more powerful than physical damage classes. I believe the balance was around level...8~10, where the balance was about equal. Before that physical is better, after that, spellcaster is better.

I appreciate that info. Does the same rule of thumb apply to Warlocks?

 

[Eduku]

It's been ages since I last played NWN2, but from your description, cleric might be a good shout. They get a good amount of spellcasting complemented with decent fighting skills. Also, the main campaign features a lot of undead, which are something of a specialty for clerics.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Thanks for all the replies.
I'll give a monk a shot and line up a warlock as my 2nd play through.

Any advice on race and so on you think I should be aware of?

If you're playing the original NWN2 campaign and doing a monk run through, you should play as a dwarf. The Dwarf CON bonus is worth it and it makes some of the dialogues surreal.

Oh yeah, if you do a monk run for the original campaign, choose Lathander as your patron deity. The local priest gives you some extra goodies if memory serves.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

The thing with spellcasters is that you need to get through the lower levels first. With D&D rules the problem has always been that at first physical damage classes are stronger. But as time goes on and levels go up, spellcasters start to overtake them. Eventually spellcasters will be far more powerful than physical damage classes. I believe the balance was around level...8~10, where the balance was about equal. Before that physical is better, after that, spellcaster is better.

I appreciate that info. Does the same rule of thumb apply to Warlocks?

Naw, Warlocks aren't as fragile at the beginning, so conversely, they're not as powerful at high levels...

OTOH, no matter how powerful mages and sorcerors get, they're still glass cannons and need some meat shields to tank for them.

 

[Exocet]

Dual wielding halberds as a classic fighter is priceless.
The sheer lunacy of it is worth all the failed dexterity rolls!

 

[FrostyChick]

In the pen and paper version wizards are pretty broken. They can do pretty much everything the other guys can do, and in most cases they do it better.

For NWN2, I'm currently doing a warlock for my first run through. I guess I'm not doing too bad, though I think my race choice is hampering me somewhat.

 

[Dryk]

I found spellcasters to be more interesting when playing NWN2 as melee characters tended to degenerate into "Hit attack and wait for the end of the battle". I did have a lot of fun with a dual axe wielding... I forget what class he was but he had a few rudimentary spells and an animal companion to keep me busy.

First time out I rolled Swashbuckler though... that was a mistake

 

[Terrible Opinions]

OTOH, no matter how powerful mages and sorcerors get, they're still glass cannons and need some meat shields to tank for them.

Eh... you overstate it somewhat. Caster supremacy is a pretty marvelous thing.