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    Default Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Introduction

    Welcome to my solo run of Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition! I will be playing through the entire game with a lone Cavalier on Core Rules difficulty, taking max HP on level up. My goal is to clear the entire map of monsters and villains, with minimal-to-no NPC assistance.

    I will try to update multiple times a week, with screenshots and a brief summation of the action. This isn’t a thorough Let’s Play, (already done quite recently on this forum,) just a chronicle of my successes and failures overcoming this challenge. I’m sure I’ll still be guilty of some color commentary and badly-written fluff.

    This is NOT a no-death run. I’ve only played the game once, years ago, with a full party on easy difficulty, so powering through with a solo hero is quite enough challenge for me! I will, however, keep a running tally of my deaths – it’s for posterity, so I’ll be honest.

    Occasionally, for a certain quest it might be necessary (or just make sense) to partner up with an NPC – for example, going with Minsc to rescue Dynaheir. In such cases I might make the RP decision to allow a brief team-up. The forum can weigh in on when this is appropriate.


    Forum Input

    Speaking of the forum weighing in, I will be regularly asking for advice – how to level the character, where to go next, who to kill, how not to die. I can certainly fumble my way through the game on my own, but I thought it would be fun and friendly for series veterans to wave their beneficent hands and impart their wisdom every now and then. I won't need hand-holding to get through the game - if nobody has an opinion on a given subject, I’ll just make it up as I go.

    General discussion of the game is welcome and encouraged!


    Our Hero

    Lady Gerd, Knight of Candlekeep, Lawful Good Human Paladin, Cavalier Kit. Think of her as a young, blonde Don Quixote, with slightly more training and better equipment.

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    Convinced by her extensive study of chivalric literature that a true knight errant wanders alone in search of adventure, she scorns all assistance in her quest to cleanse the Sword Coast of evil. Smarting from guilt after fleeing the combat that resulted in the death of her mentor Gorion, she dedicates herself to facing every foe with stalwart honor. Now if only her swords weren’t so flimsy…


    Question to the Forum:

    How should Lady Gerd best prepare for her (probably suicidal) one-woman quest for great justice?

    Specifically, I’m looking for opinions about how best to allocate abilities and skills, and what should be accomplished or acquired before leaving Candlekeep.
    Last edited by Lector87; 2017-09-23 at 07:05 PM.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Awesome! I'm looking forward to reading (well, perusing the screenshots) this.

    I remember in BG2 Cavalier was the best Pally kit. I seem to recall them all being good, but Cavalier the best.

    As for your question... I dunno. I've never tried to solo any of the BG's, and know even less about the EE. I'm quite curious.
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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    I will speak frankly: my knowledge of the Enhanced Edition addendums is not up to speed as I am not a fan of it, but most of my tips should apply (I used to play BG1 with the mods that bring the original to the 2nd game's setup, and that's 99% of the same thing, sans a few items).

    The good thing about the Paladin is that you only can put ** points into any weapon. On one hand it sucks, because you can't be a Grandmaster (and EE, AFAIK, fixes Grandmastery to work as intended), on the other it means you can be much more versatile with your weapon choices without feeling stupid about yourself. (No, don't worry, Grandmastery in a weapon is firmly in the "nice bonus" territory. You compensate well for it.)

    You can't specialize in ranged weapons, but an easy workaround is to use either daggers or axes as one of your weapon tags. Someone in a previous thread raised a concern that this is not very chivalrous to use ranged attacks at all; while self-restrictions are fun, I think a martial having more options than "going to melee and thwacking" is more fun, and those thrown axes that come back to your hand are too much fun. Generally, BG1 isn't too rife with amazing Axes, but they're a passable weapon choice; Daggers might be a very nice, flavorful addendum, because:
    1) Not many people use daggers for melee (understandably enough), so that's a cool outlier;
    2) Daggers were a common side-arm for knights, or at least were romanticized as such; Henryk Sienkiewicz's The Teutonic Knights describes a duel on the battlefield between two adversaries wherein the defeated knight was finished off with a misericordia.
    3) There's a super-handy dagger +2 that applies poison that you can loot in BG1, and that thing is really under-used and too fun to use - poison debilitates mages (damage interrupts spellcasting and poison gives you repeating chip damage) and can be useful for hit'n'run tactics.
    4) And, of course, thrown daggers.
    5) There's a few BG2 daggers that have surprising utility use.

    Thrown daggers and axes use the Strength bonus to apply more damage, BTW, so neither is as wimpy as you'd think and you're likely to max out damage.

    I also reckon you're a fan of Swords. I would recommend Long Swords because it's the most common weapon in the Forgotten Realms and it's the easiest to find a magical one. A staple martial artist weapon in BG1 can be found very early in the game and has a +2 enhancement plus cold damage. Generally, Long Swords are always solid in Baldur's Gate; sometimes they're the best possible choice, and even if they're not (late-game ToB), they're still competitive. Two-handed swords are also fantastic; on your journey to the paladin-only sword Carsomyr in BG2, you get goodies like Spider's Bane (which makes you immune to Hold spells) and Lilarcor (immunity to Charm spells). Bastard swords have a few interesting choices and a very good weapon for a Paladin dual-wielder in BG2, the Purifier.

    As for weapon styles, for pure damage output your best option is either dual-wielding or two-handing. Dual-wielding gives you a bonus attack per round; in your second hand you should generally put in an item that gives you a ton of utility (example: Crom Faeyr for many martials is basically a "stat stick", because it grants you permanent 25 Strength; Arbane's Short Sword, an otherwise unassuming weapon, is a great help for martials as it grants immunity to many movement-debilitating spells). Generally, you should have enough points to spare that you can experiment, but if you want to dual wield, you better invest in it early!

    If you really want to go sword & board, it's not a bad choice, but AC is not the best way of protecting one-self in Baldur's Gate. It's still nice and thematic, and there's plenty of good shields, but they're not as raw-badass-DPS-output. I certainly wouldn't put any points into the Sword & Shield mastery, as it's simply underwhelming for being too situational. If you go dual-wielding, *** in the weapon style is an utmost priority. Two-handed mastery is pretty solid all around.

    Stats

    Paladins like pretty much every stat except Intelligence, and you shouldn't neglect Intelligence either because of how its tied to the usage of green scrolls (get 9 INT at least) and how helpful it is as defense against Mind Flayers in BG2. Unless you're going to spend a lot of time getting that perfect array, I would generally eschew points from Wisdom (bonus spellslots aren't that big of a deal here). 18 Charisma is nice because it grants you a positive enough reaction from NPCs from the start, so you can get stuff like the all-important Dagger +1 from Fuller and an actual reward from Hull. (That's sarcasm, but yeah, the difference betwween 17 and 18 Charisma is just one stat point and 18 Charisma people are just liked more nevertheless). Assuming you don't want to make your character superoptimal, you can decrease points from either:
    STR
    I know having 18/xx Strength is awesome - because it really is and feels good to have - but if you are willing enough to survive on elixirs, items and your own personal Cleric buffs, it might be not too bad to play with less than 18 STR. I've played a Halfling martial a few times and it wasn't so bad. However you aren't going to be heavily ranged because of cavalier restrictions and presumedly your playstyle, so that's probably the worst suggestion.
    DEX
    Dexterity is awesome as hell because early on that AC will actually matter and ranged ability is also really good in BG1, where you're afraid of getting close to anybody and ranged attacks grant you more attacks than melee. However, it can be dumped a bit because you can just band-aid this stat with Gauntlets of Dexterity. However, if you don't wear Gauntlets of Dexterity, you can pick up some better gauntlets that give bonus THAC0 and Damage.
    CON
    The "con" here is that you're soloing, so you will be tanking everything and having HP definitely counts to your survival. On the other hand, you have good saves as a Paladin and an instant self-heal and you can eschew a few HPs if your playstyle is stellar.

    In the end you can keep yourself buffed for all important fights with potions, so all I'm saying is that you shouldn't feel sad that your character sheet isn't 18/18/18/9/13/18, because even on Insane with Sword Coast Stratagems mod (which you might actually consider if you want to really get challenged by battles but without the cheese wrought upon by some of the more "gotcha" challenge mods like Tactics) a more reasonable character is gonna work out.

    Also: When you get to BG2, get the Ascension mod. Ascension mod makes Throne of Bhaal what it was supposed to be all along.
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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Oh man *really* looking forwards to this. Such an epic game!

    Btw will you be using any mods? 2nd the recommendation to use Ascension for BG2

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by Winthur View Post

    ...I would recommend Long Swords because it's the most common weapon in the Forgotten Realms and it's the easiest to find a magical one. A staple martial artist weapon in BG1 can be found very early in the game and has a +2 enhancement plus cold damage. Generally, Long Swords are always solid in Baldur's Gate; sometimes they're the best possible choice, and even if they're not (late-game ToB), they're still competitive. Two-handed swords are also fantastic; on your journey to the paladin-only sword Carsomyr in BG2, you get goodies like Spider's Bane (which makes you immune to Hold spells) and Lilarcor (immunity to Charm spells). Bastard swords have a few interesting choices and a very good weapon for a Paladin dual-wielder in BG2, the Purifier.

    As for weapon styles, for pure damage output your best option is either dual-wielding or two-handing. Dual-wielding gives you a bonus attack per round; in your second hand you should generally put in an item that gives you a ton of utility (example: Crom Faeyr for many martials is basically a "stat stick", because it grants you permanent 25 Strength; Arbane's Short Sword, an otherwise unassuming weapon, is a great help for martials as it grants immunity to many movement-debilitating spells). Generally, you should have enough points to spare that you can experiment, but if you want to dual wield, you better invest in it early!

    If you really want to go sword & board, it's not a bad choice, but AC is not the best way of protecting one-self in Baldur's Gate. It's still nice and thematic, and there's plenty of good shields, but they're not as raw-badass-DPS-output. I certainly wouldn't put any points into the Sword & Shield mastery, as it's simply underwhelming for being too situational. If you go dual-wielding, *** in the weapon style is an utmost priority. Two-handed mastery is pretty solid all around...
    Excellent, thanks for the rundown!

    I think I'll start by pumping points into long swords and dual-wielding. Given the scope of her vendetta against all that is vile, I want our good lady knight to have plenty of options, so focusing on the most common weapon, and allowing her to use two at a time for the passive buffs and the special procs, seems like a good idea.

    I'll do my best to roll-roll-roll my way to a point pool of 90 or more, but we'll see whether my patience holds out.
    Last edited by Lector87; 2017-08-15 at 10:00 PM.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by Swizzler View Post
    Oh man *really* looking forwards to this. Such an epic game!

    Btw will you be using any mods? 2nd the recommendation to use Ascension for BG2
    I hope Lady Gerd's heroics live up to expectations!

    I wasn't planning on using any mods, but if this Ascension thing is really indispensable, I'll throw it in the mix - that is, if my resolution holds out long enough to dive into BG2.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    To "quick-start" this game, I recommend heading straight for the Friendly Arm (picking up the two magic rings on the way; one for your finger, the other for sale). Before actually going in (that dude that confronts you on the steps is gnarly for a solo; you're only here for the Ring of Wizardry), make a bee-line for Nashkel to grab the Ankheg Plate and Frostbrand (or whatever that +2 magic longsword is called). Kill whatever you need to on the way, to get some XP, but avoid the Ogre(s) until you're geared up. With decent armour, a sword that won't break on you and a heap of cash, you can buy as many potions as you need and head out to do whatever you wish. The Carnival is a good place to get some easy xp IIRC, allowing you to do some of the radiant quests in the area (rescue Dynaheir, find the cursed Guard Captain etc.), which should beef you up sufficiently to tackle the mines.
    I apologise if I come across daft. I'm a bit like that. I also like a good argument, so please don't take offence if I'm somewhat...forthright.

    Please be aware; when it comes to 5ed D&D, I own Core (1st printing) and SCAG only. All my opinions and rulings are based solely on those, unless otherwise stated. I reserve the right of ignorance of errata or any other source.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by danzibr View Post
    I remember in BG2 Cavalier was the best Pally kit. I seem to recall them all being good, but Cavalier the best.
    Given the number of enemy wizards that like to drop Horror or similar on you in BG1 cavalier is a great kit there as well, to save you a bunch of scampering around waiting for it to wear off.

    It's also helpful to put a pip into Bastard Sword if you plan to do ToSC's content because of the Sword of Balduran, which is highly situationally useful and also a bastard sword.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    You've got time, but as you get into BG2, put a couple points in axes. There's an undead slaying one that's extremely useful early on, before you get the mace.
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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by JellyPooga View Post
    To "quick-start" this game, I recommend heading straight for the Friendly Arm (picking up the two magic rings on the way; one for your finger, the other for sale). Before actually going in (that dude that confronts you on the steps is gnarly for a solo; you're only here for the Ring of Wizardry), make a bee-line for Nashkel to grab the Ankheg Plate and Frostbrand (or whatever that +2 magic longsword is called). Kill whatever you need to on the way, to get some XP, but avoid the Ogre(s) until you're geared up. With decent armour, a sword that won't break on you and a heap of cash, you can buy as many potions as you need and head out to do whatever you wish. The Carnival is a good place to get some easy xp IIRC, allowing you to do some of the radiant quests in the area (rescue Dynaheir, find the cursed Guard Captain etc.), which should beef you up sufficiently to tackle the mines.
    Thanks!

    Getting an unbreakable sword is definitely priority no. 1 until the Mines quest is complete. However, I don't see such a sword in Nashkel in any of the guides I'm looking at. Frostbrand is one of Drizzt's scimitars, so it wouldn't be that. Do you remember where this +2 sword is located exactly?

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by GloatingSwine View Post
    Given the number of enemy wizards that like to drop Horror or similar on you in BG1 cavalier is a great kit there as well, to save you a bunch of scampering around waiting for it to wear off.

    It's also helpful to put a pip into Bastard Sword if you plan to do ToSC's content because of the Sword of Balduran, which is highly situationally useful and also a bastard sword.
    I'll definitely drop a * into several different weapon types to keep my options open. Lady Gerd loves her some sharp objects.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Also, found in an online guide for the Candlekeep tutorial sequence:

    "If you talk to Firebead 30 times he will give you some gold."

    Who the heck discovered this through experiment, I'd like to know.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lector87 View Post
    Thanks!

    Getting an unbreakable sword is definitely priority no. 1 until the Mines quest is complete. However, I don't see such a sword in Nashkel in any of the guides I'm looking at. Frostbrand is one of Drizzt's scimitars, so it wouldn't be that. Do you remember where this +2 sword is located exactly?
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    It's actually on the Nashkel Mines (surface) map, as part of the quest to bring the artist Prism to justice. Talk to the bounty-guy in Nashkel (looks like a merchant, standing just outside the Temple of Helm) and he'll tell you about the quest. Head south to the mines, but go around the big pit; there's a face carved into the rock and a nobby looking fop standing nearby; that's Prism. Talk to him and a (famous!) bounty hunter (that you may or may not be impersonating...) turns up to collect. Pick a fight in whatever way you prefer and take the sword from his cold, dead corpse. He doesn't use a ranged weapon, so kiting can work if you've got any kind of ranged attack (The Wand of Magic Missile you robbed from Imoen before removing her from your party will do in a pinch. You did rob her WoMM, right?). You won't find a finer blade until BGII!
    I apologise if I come across daft. I'm a bit like that. I also like a good argument, so please don't take offence if I'm somewhat...forthright.

    Please be aware; when it comes to 5ed D&D, I own Core (1st printing) and SCAG only. All my opinions and rulings are based solely on those, unless otherwise stated. I reserve the right of ignorance of errata or any other source.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    I assume you know how to lay your hands on the Ankheg plate? There's also a plus 1 bastard sword in the Smithy in Beregost, but you have to steal it which requires smashing open a chest.
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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by JellyPooga View Post
    Spoilered for spoilers.

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    It's actually on the Nashkel Mines (surface) map, as part of the quest to bring the artist Prism to justice. Talk to the bounty-guy in Nashkel (looks like a merchant, standing just outside the Temple of Helm) and he'll tell you about the quest. Head south to the mines, but go around the big pit; there's a face carved into the rock and a nobby looking fop standing nearby; that's Prism. Talk to him and a (famous!) bounty hunter (that you may or may not be impersonating...) turns up to collect. Pick a fight in whatever way you prefer and take the sword from his cold, dead corpse. He doesn't use a ranged weapon, so kiting can work if you've got any kind of ranged attack (The Wand of Magic Missile you robbed from Imoen before removing her from your party will do in a pinch. You did rob her WoMM, right?). You won't find a finer blade until BGII!
    Gotcha!

    And yes, I will definitely recruit/loot/kick anyone and everyone foolish enough to volunteer themselves, including poor, dear Imoen.

    Speaking of which, if I recruit/loot/kick Xzar and Montaron when I first encounter them...

    A. Could I then take them down easily, since I've taken their weapons and armor?
    B. Would my reputation/alignment suffer if I attack them unprovoked? They ARE evil...

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by Triaxx View Post
    I assume you know how to lay your hands on the Ankheg plate? There's also a plus 1 bastard sword in the Smithy in Beregost, but you have to steal it which requires smashing open a chest.
    Yep, I've got a guide I'm consulting, it gives me the exact location.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Since you are a looking at dual-wielding, I would also suggest you put at least a point in Axe, eventually. You can't use proper ranged weapons, but not only are there a lot of nice magical axes (like Frostreaver, an early +3 weapon for those pesky Iron Golems), but there are nice magical RETURNING axes, which allow you to have at least one ranged weapon.

    Personally, at character creation, I'd look at stats like these:

    Str 18/xx
    Dex ~16
    Con 18
    Int 9
    Wisdom 13
    Charisma 18

    This assumes a 92 point roll. While the 18/xx is great, the 19 you get from the Strength Tome is what really sells it... and Strength is going to be your damage output, so you want a lot of that. Likewise, you will want Con to soak up lots of hits. You don't really NEED Int, but I suggest a 9 so, when you get the Int Tome, you start getting at least basic Lore boosts, AND it lets you use scrolls (like protection scrolls) and wands (which you'll have a lot fewer of that are useful). Wisdom can stay at 13, since it doesn't do anything for you. Charisma is 18 because of course it is. That leaves Dex, which can frequently be dumped, but if you're going for 92 points, you might as well put it as high as you can manage keeping these other guidelines in mind.

    Proficiencies:
    Long Sword ++
    Two-Weapon ++
    3rd level: Two-weapon +++
    6th Level: Axes +

    (Personally, I would lean more towards a two-handed style, but I can see the argument for two-weapon)

    Consider what is going to be in your off-hand... specialization is less necessary for a weapon that will only be off-hand. While the +1 to hit and +2 to damage is nice, you don't benefit from the extra attacks, so you're less constrained by it.
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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Hall View Post
    Since you are a looking at dual-wielding, I would also suggest you put at least a point in Axe, eventually. You can't use proper ranged weapons, but not only are there a lot of nice magical axes (like Frostreaver, an early +3 weapon for those pesky Iron Golems), but there are nice magical RETURNING axes, which allow you to have at least one ranged weapon.

    Personally, at character creation, I'd look at stats like these:

    Str 18/xx
    Dex ~16
    Con 18
    Int 9
    Wisdom 13
    Charisma 18

    This assumes a 92 point roll. While the 18/xx is great, the 19 you get from the Strength Tome is what really sells it... and Strength is going to be your damage output, so you want a lot of that. Likewise, you will want Con to soak up lots of hits. You don't really NEED Int, but I suggest a 9 so, when you get the Int Tome, you start getting at least basic Lore boosts, AND it lets you use scrolls (like protection scrolls) and wands (which you'll have a lot fewer of that are useful). Wisdom can stay at 13, since it doesn't do anything for you. Charisma is 18 because of course it is. That leaves Dex, which can frequently be dumped, but if you're going for 92 points, you might as well put it as high as you can manage keeping these other guidelines in mind.

    Proficiencies:
    Long Sword ++
    Two-Weapon ++
    3rd level: Two-weapon +++
    6th Level: Axes +

    (Personally, I would lean more towards a two-handed style, but I can see the argument for two-weapon)

    Consider what is going to be in your off-hand... specialization is less necessary for a weapon that will only be off-hand. While the +1 to hit and +2 to damage is nice, you don't benefit from the extra attacks, so you're less constrained by it.
    Thanks very much! I'm hearing the Axe recommendation from several people, so I'll probably follow the progression you've suggested and put a pip in it at 6th level.

    Are Paladins allowed three levels in two-weapon style? I thought their max was 2 in anything.

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    Default Re: Baldur's Gate Solo Cavalier Run - Advice and Discussion Welcome!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lector87 View Post
    Are Paladins allowed three levels in two-weapon style? I thought their max was 2 in anything.
    Any martial is allowed *** in two-weapon style. It's probably just BG2's way to shoehorn in the 3rd edition rules for dual-wielding where you virtually needed three feats to not be utterly debilitated in two-weapon fighting.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Hall
    (Personally, I would lean more towards a two-handed style, but I can see the argument for two-weapon)
    For pure damage per round standpoint, two-handed style is only superior to two-weapon fighting when you have something like Greater Whirlwind or Improved Haste your disposal, which doesn't happen until you're maxed out in BG2 (Granted, martials will get there really fast). Until then, the bonus attack and possible utility from your offhand weapon is really good, especially if you mix it with items like Kundane short sword or Belm +2 Scimitar, which both give you a bonus Attack Per Round.

    Generally, for Paladins, there are two unique late-game options for weapons: either Paladin-only Purifier + Foebane, the dual combo of Bastard Swords, or Carsomyr +6. Whichever you pick is up to you. Note that two-hander users also get a ton of cool options in ToB, especially among Halberds, so there's plenty of weapons to switch to. Generally, Lady Gerd should have plenty of skill points to experiment with all weapon styles; all I'm saying is that BG1 is probably best enjoyed with one-handers due to Varscona being so good. The only BG1 two-hander I'm very impressed with is Spider's Bane; if we're going into EE items territory, there's also Chesley Crusher, but I find it a niche weapon primarily for Bards (who are locked to a single attack per round anyway).
    Last edited by Winthur; 2017-08-16 at 10:08 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winthur View Post
    Any martial is allowed *** in two-weapon style. It's probably just BG2's way to shoehorn in the 3rd edition rules for dual-wielding where you virtually needed three feats to not be utterly debilitated in two-weapon fighting.
    Understood, very good.

    My current thinking is that the main hand will be for long swords, because they're ubiquitous and there are lots of good unique ones, and the off-hand will be for whatever gives me the best passive buff or other utility, depending on the situation.

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    I find specialization more necessary for off-hand weapons to counteract the THAC0 penalty.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winthur View Post
    The only BG1 two-hander I'm very impressed with is Spider's Bane; if we're going into EE items territory, there's also Chesley Crusher, but I find it a niche weapon primarily for Bards (who are locked to a single attack per round anyway).
    Not all bards, even... I wouldn't go with the Chesley Crusher with a Blade. But, since I'm currently playing a blade, that's where some of my preference for just a single dot for off-hand weapons comes from... the off-hand weapon isn't THAT far behind the main hand once you get revved up, and you're better off with proficiency with the penalty than specialization with something you're not using.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winthur View Post
    ...Generally, for Paladins, there are two unique late-game options for weapons: either Paladin-only Purifier + Foebane, the dual combo of Bastard Swords, or Carsomyr +6. Whichever you pick is up to you. Note that two-hander users also get a ton of cool options in ToB, especially among Halberds, so there's plenty of weapons to switch to. Generally, Lady Gerd should have plenty of skill points to experiment with all weapon styles; all I'm saying is that BG1 is probably best enjoyed with one-handers due to Varscona being so good. The only BG1 two-hander I'm very impressed with is Spider's Bane; if we're going into EE items territory, there's also Chesley Crusher, but I find it a niche weapon primarily for Bards (who are locked to a single attack per round anyway).
    Purifier + Foebane sounds like a treat. The only thing better than a holy weapon of ancient lineage is TWO holy weapons of ancient lineage.

    Reckon I'll focus on longswords (with a side of axes) to start with, prioritize the two-weapon skill, then start putting points into bastard sword when (if) I get into the BG2 late game.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lector87 View Post
    Purifier + Foebane sounds like a treat. The only thing better than a holy weapon of ancient lineage is TWO holy weapons of ancient lineage.

    Reckon I'll focus on longswords (with a side of axes) to start with, prioritize the two-weapon skill, then start putting points into bastard sword when (if) I get into the BG2 late game.
    A note for BG: You will probably wind up with a Bastard Sword in your hand if you do some of the Ulgoth's Beard quests, especially the ones for Mendas. It can be useful to do the Merchant's League quests beforehand, to make sure you have two useful weapons.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Hall View Post
    A note for BG: You will probably wind up with a Bastard Sword in your hand if you do some of the Ulgoth's Beard quests, especially the ones for Mendas. It can be useful to do the Merchant's League quests beforehand, to make sure you have two useful weapons.
    Noted. Perhaps a point in bastard swords at level 9?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lector87 View Post
    Noted. Perhaps a point in bastard swords at level 9?
    You don't get to level 9 in BG. ;-)

    Eat the -2 to hit, IMO. Make up for it with a big potion of strength.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Hall View Post
    Since you are a looking at dual-wielding, I would also suggest you put at least a point in Axe, eventually. You can't use proper ranged weapons, but not only are there a lot of nice magical axes (like Frostreaver, an early +3 weapon for those pesky Iron Golems), but there are nice magical RETURNING axes, which allow you to have at least one ranged weapon.

    Personally, at character creation, I'd look at stats like these:

    Str 18/xx
    Dex ~16
    Con 18
    Int 9
    Wisdom 13
    Charisma 18

    This assumes a 92 point roll.

    I'd go for 18/18/18/9/11/18 instead. 13 wisdom isn't going to do you a big deal in BG1, Paladins don't get bonus spells from having it (and there are more tomes of wisdom), and having 18 dex frees up your hands for the Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise.

    It's really a question of whether to put that extra pip in Axe or Bastard Sword. The only axe to really worry about in BG1 is the +2 Throwing Axe, which as a Cavalier is the only ranged weapon you can equip, but then it's nice to have a pip in Bastard Sword for That Fight.
    Last edited by GloatingSwine; 2017-08-16 at 12:13 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GloatingSwine View Post
    I'd go for 18/18/18/9/11/18 instead. 13 wisdom isn't going to do you a big deal in BG1, Paladins don't get bonus spells from having it (and there are more tomes of wisdom), and having 18 dex frees up your hands for the Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise...
    Isn't 13 the minimum required score for Wisdom for a Paladin?

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