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Neverwinter Nights seriesNewbie Qs about stats and classes (mostly ranger-rogue)(10 posts)solved(10 posts)solved
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Posted November 20, 2012
Starting my first playthrough of NWN and, coming from Baldur's Gate, am needing a little advice. I've only messed about on the training level so far so restarting based on advice is no problem.

I'm familiar with D&D in general but BG uses 2nd edition rules and NWN uses 3rd and the rolling of stats in BG is replaced with choosing stats with points so:

1) If I start with a ranger and take "recommended" , I get the following:
STR 14
DEX 16
CON 13
WIS 13
INT 10
CHA 10

whereas in BG, a good roll could net me 2 to 3 '18's in primary stats and 9s-10s in others. So is this a good starting 'roll' or should I try to max a stat at 18 at the expense of another?

2) I've gone with ranger over fighter so that the DEX stat is useful there as well as with multiclassing with some Rogue levels - does that sound like a good plan or would choosing fighter-rogue be more fun/easier in your opinion (I may play ranger anyway as I like the idea but giving me some pros/cons of ranger v. fighter with rogue would be helpful)

3) Just to check I'm not going daft: AC in NWN is 'higher=better' right? (In BG, low AC was better)

4) Any recommendations for 'must have' starting skills/feats with a Ranger?

Thanks for your time :)
This question / problem has been solved by DarrkPhoeniximage
Posted November 21, 2012
1) Two things to note about the "point buy" system used in NWN. First, as you increase a stat at character creation it requires more points to increase it further. Taking a stat beyond 16 at character creation tends to be more expensive than it's worth. Second, unlike 2e rules, under 3e your initial stats can be increased further as your character progresses; every 4 levels you'll be allowed to increase a stat by 1, and when increases stats this way there is no penalty for a stat already being high. For those recommended stats, STR and DEX are good for a ranger/rogue combo, although I'd decrease wisdom to 12 and boost CON to 14. Also, note that you only see a benefit from stats every 2 points, at each even number. The only reason to have an odd numbered stat is if the stat is required for a feat you want (stat requirements for feats are always odd numbers).

2) Going for a dex-based ranger/rogue would allow for a better synergy between ranger and rogue abilities. Just be sure to take Weapon Finesse (and use finessible weapons) if you go a high-dex route. Ranger also gives you two-weapon fighting feats for free as long as you use light armor, which pairs very nicely with a dex-based melee character.

3) Correct.

4) If you're going high-dex be sure to grab Weapon Finesse (otherwise you'll have a hard time hitting things). Since you're multi-classing to Rogue you'll also want to grab Improved Evasion once it becomes available (great for avoiding damage on anything that allows for a reflex save).
Posted November 21, 2012
One more thing about point buy. There's a bunch of items out there that give odd number of bonus points to a stat. Like Gauntlets of Ogre Power giving +3 to strength. So it's not always that bad to not have "natural" even numbers.

Most stats are ambivalent of when you raise them, but as INT gives you skill points, you dont get the extra points later if you raise int later. So if you're about to want more, it's best to get the points to begin with.

4) I wouldn't bother with weapon finesse, 1 point difference is not worth the bother, especially if you later find something to boost the strength with.
Posted November 21, 2012
Thanks for the replies (+rep to you both)
Sounds like I've started with the right idea - I'll probably go with weapon finesse as it applies to a few weapons I can dual-wield. Maybe won't end up that way by the endgame but I needn't have a 'perfect build' to beat it (or so I assume, lol)

Will be making my way through the OC as a ranger/rogue then :)
Posted November 21, 2012
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TrollumThinks: Maybe won't end up that way by the endgame but I needn't have a 'perfect build' to beat it (or so I assume, lol)
You don't. I finished the game on my first well botched up character just fine. Some sort of dual wield ranger/rogue/fighter with feats all over the place. I ended up using sword + shield I had no feats for and wearing some heavy armor that tossed most rogue and ranger feats out of the window. But it was fun.
Posted November 21, 2012
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Jarmo: 4) I wouldn't bother with weapon finesse, 1 point difference is not worth the bother, especially if you later find something to boost the strength with.
With the starting stats I'd agree with you, but I'd also assume that with a dex build he'd be increasing dex as his character progressed, as well as using some dex-boosting equipment. Of course that also depends on armor choice, as there wouldn't be much of a point boosting dex much further if his armor only allows for a dex bonus of 3 or 4. In that case it would be easy hit that dex bonus just by keeping the starting dex and using equipment to boost it up to 18, while allocating stat points into str and further boosting it with equipment. Now that I've written that out, that actually sounds like the better way to go. So to the OP, I'll second Jarmo's suggestion. Skip weapon finesse, leave dex at 16 (plus item bonuses if your armor allows for a dex bonus of 4 or 5), then use the stat increase to boost str, as that will provide you with extra damage in addition to the increased chance to hit, while dex will only provide you with increased chance to hit (and the AC bonus, which will already be maxed).
Posted November 22, 2012
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DarrkPhoenix: ...So to the OP, I'll second Jarmo's suggestion. Skip weapon finesse, leave dex at 16 (plus item bonuses if your armor allows for a dex bonus of 4 or 5), then use the stat increase to boost str, as that will provide you with extra damage in addition to the increased chance to hit, while dex will only provide you with increased chance to hit (and the AC bonus, which will already be maxed).
sounds sensible, thanks :)
What about things like 'dodge' feats? Will that dex be fine for those too? (or are they worth investing in at all?)

Side Q while I'm here and musing over things: Is there a particular henchman you'd recommend for a ranger-rogue? I've got to the prison area and don't have one yet but I'm getting ganged up on a bit and need to do a bit of run'n'hide (which is fine when I've got room to run). A cleric might be handy for healing but what about the bard for support? Or would another melee fighter be better?
Posted November 22, 2012
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DarrkPhoenix: ...So to the OP, I'll second Jarmo's suggestion. Skip weapon finesse, leave dex at 16 (plus item bonuses if your armor allows for a dex bonus of 4 or 5), then use the stat increase to boost str, as that will provide you with extra damage in addition to the increased chance to hit, while dex will only provide you with increased chance to hit (and the AC bonus, which will already be maxed).
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TrollumThinks: sounds sensible, thanks :)
What about things like 'dodge' feats? Will that dex be fine for those too? (or are they worth investing in at all?)

Side Q while I'm here and musing over things: Is there a particular henchman you'd recommend for a ranger-rogue? I've got to the prison area and don't have one yet but I'm getting ganged up on a bit and need to do a bit of run'n'hide (which is fine when I've got room to run). A cleric might be handy for healing but what about the bard for support? Or would another melee fighter be better?
The thing to know about henchmen, is they all have some unique quest or thing to do you'll find when you talk with them. You also can do all their quests one after another on the same playthrough if that's your thing. And unless you do someones quest in chapter 1, he/she won't have anything for you in the following chapters. There's rewards, minor but still.

I'd recommend picking one or two and talking with them and doing their thing and ignoring the others.

I pretty much just used the cleric chick or that monk dwarf. The monk is least annoying, being quick to follow up and generally holding his own. The cleric is awesome in undead infested areas and ok everywhere. The barbarian orc is usually decent but scares real easy and fails just about every saving throw possible, and takes a lot of damage quickly. Don't remember about the bard.
Posted November 22, 2012
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TrollumThinks: sounds sensible, thanks :)
What about things like 'dodge' feats? Will that dex be fine for those too? (or are they worth investing in at all?)
Dodge only requires 13 dex to take the feat (and is a good pick since you'll want all the AC you can get). Also, regarding dex requirements, I think a base dex of 16 will allow you access to all feats outside of some epic feats (such as Epic Dodge), but you won't be hitting epic levels during the OC, so that's not a concern.
Posted November 22, 2012
Great, thanks again to you both :)
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Neverwinter Nights seriesNewbie Qs about stats and classes (mostly ranger-rogue)(10 posts)solved(10 posts)solved
(10 posts)solved