Just for the record, let me correct my previous comments on this thread.

My recent tests have indicated that Wild mage is, in principle (though perhaps not always in practice), even more powerful than sorcerer. The ability of casting as many 8th and 9th level spells as the number of first level spells you are allowed to memorize is a great advantage for Wild mages over sorcerers. Furthermore, Wild mage doesn't even need to have the spells memorized nor even needs to qualify the required level to cast them. Combining Improved Alacrity with time stop and then casting a huge number of high level spells beyond the number available even to sorcerers makes wild mage the most powerful class in the game. Sorcerer stands second to wild mages.

Of course the probability of an annoying wild surge in the heat of the fight still exists as a disadvantage, but the advantages are perhaps more than adequate to compensate it.

Furthermore, Sorcerer's limitation of the number of known spells in each spell level may turn to a disadvantage for novice or unexperienced players specially when we concentrate on 6th level spells. The number of important 6th level spells is more than the number of spells a sorcerer can pick from the pool of 6th level spells at medium or even at relatively high levels of experience. Even more important is the order of picking the 6th level spells which may cause problems for unexperienced players. The limitation of the number of known spells exists for other spell levels as well, but it is for the 6th level spells that it may turn to a serious disadvantage if the player doesn't pick them in the right order (unless of course a sorcerer decides to rely on other mage party members for some of those essential spells, which is again a disadvantage in its turn.)

Still, and despite all these points, sorcerer is my favourite class.

This post has been edited by Sikret: Jul 10 2006, 11:14 PM

Sorcerer for soloing. Dual/multi evil fighter/mage, fighter/thief. Paladin - if I'm good.

I alternate between a few favorites.

Clerics, because I like their versatility and power. They are decent in a fight, they have access to healing spells, and they have a few good offensive spells. I *love* exploding undead, too.

Undead Hunters, because paladins rock, and I like the special features of the undead hunter class. It isn't as if there aren't any in the game, after all. They can use any weapon in the game, have normal access to spells a paladin would be able to use, and do bonus damage agianst undead. And they are unmistakable good guys. What's not to like?

Rangers, straight class or Archer for a change of pace.

The answer to this question really depends on a lot of things like playing style and your personal view of what a good character should be. But since I've been through the game about 15 times, I guess I can at least say which classes I find it easiest to beat the game with, considering their advantages and disadvantages. You can even call it a SWOT analysis.

So, who's strongest:

1) level 9 kensai dualed to a thief - this guy can single the game and at the same time excel in a party. Hits everyting, can hide and backstab, etc.

2) Sorcerer - extremely powerful both working alone or in a party

3) Fighter/druid combinations - both multi and dual. Some people I've spoken with consider cleric/rangers to be a better class, but at the beginning of the game c/r are significantly weaker, because they're bad at hitting the target and still lack usefull spells.


My favourites are:

1) Kensai/Mage - provides verious challenges from the beginning to the end of the game. You start with a good fighter, then you crawl around until you get good spells and regain THAC0. Then you become better with your spells, but never improve your fighting, which means you have to adapt your style throughout the game. I love it, love it, love it.

2) Sorcerer

3) Swaschbuckler

4) Kensai\thief

5) Totemic druid - I like druids in particular, but don't want them to shift into animals. That's why I made the burning man (although he is a fighter, not a druid).

Here's something which isn't documented, but Nahal's Reckless Dweomer has Improved Alacrity built into it. You can cast a spell with Nahal's and as soon as it goes off, you can immediately fire off another Nahal's and start another spell. With the Robe of Vecna and Amulet of Power, you could conceivably get off six Dragon Breath spells in a round, for example. The higher the level (with Improved Chaos Shield up, naturally) the better the chances.

The standard ToB implementation allows for cheezy tactic that puts them over the top into godliness. Chain Contingency allows you to bypass the inability to stack Chaos Shield. Three Improved Chaos Shields on self, activated on sight of the enemy cast by a 20th level Wild Mage will give Nahal's a 99% success rate, and at 23rd level (Color Change at #98 would be the only failure), Nahal's is guaranteed to be successful (the effects at 99 and 100 have the intended spell go off). With this setup, it's safer to cast spells with Nahal's then starting a spell normally, because if you get a surge with a normal spell, your level is not added to the roll and there will be a chance of failure or detrimental effects.

Even without that cheese, a high level Wild Mage is definitely dangerous, double meaning intended.

Sorcerer
Fighter/Thief (Dwarf or Halfling)
Berserker > Cleric (or Cleric/Ranger if you're impatient)

I've enjoyed all of these classes a whole lot, and they're all very powerful together or by themselves. As a 3 person party, I think it's the most powergaming you can do, if that's your goal as well.

My favourite is the blade because his versality and hight casting level.

Either Kensai-Druid with Staff of Woodlands, until than Rhynn
(The Barkskin spell is very, very good) She is wel protected, and also deadly, and a good healer (I use Heals to lvl 6 spells)

or

Berserker-Druid with Impaler
He is Lethal.
As the Kensai-Druid has style and finesse, with her fighting, my Berserker-Druid (more likely the shaman would be better name) is Brutal. With buffing and Attacking Spells. Every Second charm person goes trough, and there is poison, dol.decay, insect plague, etc.

@trufa:
I'm glad to you like the Berserker->Druid.
I think that is a great class. The nymph summon is great for spare healing spell and summon cannon fodder. I like when my "shaman" fighting in the middle of the front and her three minion start heal her at once
I love that spell because in one spell you summon a very good healer in the first part of the game and she summon animals and with her teleport she distract the enemys.

Yes, I use it too, Because besides the 2-3 Defensive Harmony there are some slots left, and the Death Ward, and prot from Lightning are very special occasion spells, and Cure Ser. Wounds heals a few HP-s, and because there are much more free slots to lvl 1, and 3, especially to the Berserker one (which I imported from BGI, with 20 WIS) (s)he can memorize a lot of Light, and Medium wounds.

Pretty much all of classes/kits are nice, just some depent more on their equipment.. I like berserker/cleric dual a lot. rang/cler multi is also very fun to play. They are nothing in power compared to arcane casters, but I like holy men:)

Paladin Undead Hunter... or Paladin Undead Hunter

Since there is not much going on here today, thought I'd revisit this topic.

anyway the thief is the most interesting class, tho not truly delved into by BG

My favourite classes are dualclassed figter-Mages in the following order

1. Barbarian-mage
2. Berserker-Mage
3. Kensomage

My reasons are in the TS topics, in my reports, on the characerizaions.

After that dualled figher-druids.

In single class my favourie is swashbuckler, because in my hand (s)he acts like a multiclassed fighter-thief (I rarely use backstab, my thieves are stealthing, stealing, and rapping), and with dualwielded scimitar can reach 8 attack/round

dualwield 2 attack
Belm +1
Scarlet Ninja-to(before UAI Kundane) +1 attack
various items, and spells improved haste doubles the 4 atack/round