I'm planning on taking my party through all three games, so I want to plan ahead a bit with this.

I noticed that all races other than Human are subject to level caps in pretty much any class available to them. I get that this is supposed to balance the choices, but I am wondering if taking this hit is worth it in some cases

My planned party is Paladin, Fighter/Thief, Cleric, Mage

I was going to use Human for Paladin and Cleric, and then Half Elf for the Fighter/Thief and Mage. But I see that the half elves are capped at 15 for Mage and Thief, and 17 for a Fighter.

This seems like totally not worth it, and I can't really find stats on exactly how much race specific advantage there is for things like Magic resistance.

Any advice?

Thanks

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Level 12-13 is pretty powerful in all classes. More so if you have a few teammates who are even stronger. And I'm not convinced you'll even reach the caps if you play casually. Even so, warriors cap their Saving Throws at 17 anyway. Thieves don't get much in this game besides lockpicking, though it is very rarely important.

The best fast deep dive into most 2nd Edition AD&D stats per race/class is in Baldur's Gate II Wikis out there.

Elves have 90% Sleep and Charm Resistance while Half-Elves have 30%. A complete non-factor. Their main advantages are their access to more multi-classes

The inability to cast Raise Dead on Elves will be a frequent source of reloads in the second game, other than that there's ways around it.

Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings have a large bonus to saving throws against magic. It's +1 for every 3.5 points of Constitution. Dwarves and Halflings have the same against Poison/Death. It's relevant in both I and II, though rarely.

Gnomes are the only class that gets Cleric/Thief, though that probably won't tempt you in a blind playthrough.

Thanks for the rundown!

I was a little worried about not being able to resurrect the Elves in Part II. That seemed annoying. You can gain the high level Cleric spell in part III, but only if your Mage can get to that high of a level, and it almost seems like most people won't even get to the top tier spells in a regular playthrough.

I have a Mage/Cleric in a EOB 1 party right now, and I realized that actually it might be better to have a full Mage so as to take advantage of higher level spells. I also often find that it's too time consuming and difficult to manage both Cleric and Mage spells in a single character during a fight

My solution is either going to be starting over, or picking up the Elf Mage NPC in level 11, but I'm worried about the hassle of no Elf resurrections in EOB2/3.

Would you say that's a big deal, or not so much?

Also, I do not have any theif at all in my party, but I understand you can pick up Amber in EOB2, and there's another NPC in 3. I'm somewhat of a completist, so I feel like I'll have to do that if I don't have a thief in my main party

lol you haven't met Amber yet, have you?

I would rate it a major inconvenience. Not a one bad roll and it's permadeath. III, maybe. Not I and II.

The Thief in 3 is behind a Thief check.
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You're good. I learned years later a Giant Strength potion works, too--don't use it up!

Thanks.

So, I basically decided to stick with my Cleric/Fighter, Fighter, Ranger, and then I am going to pick up Kirath the Mage as he's actually a Half Elf and not an Elf! Okay, I looked into this. I think that's 2 you're talking about? Amber is behind a door you have to pick, but you can get the other guy first and dump him before he steals from you. I have two strength potions still as well, so I can carry them over into EOB2 and use them instead of messing around with the other Thief.

In 3, from what I could gather, there is a Thief/Fighter that offers to join you after you catch him stealing from you on the third level. I was under the impression that this always occurs the first time you rest on that level, but maybe I'm wrong?

Oh, uh oh! 2's even worse! I guess I used the Insal trick, too. I started with a Thief, but I dropped him and brought one of the NPCs into II. My party into II was Paladin, Cleric/Ranger, Mage, Ranger. For [edit:] 1 I think I had the Cleric/Thief.

But no, I totally was talking about 3. You can't get to the level at all without getting past a stuck lever. You use the Strength potion in the level to force it or your thief skills and lockpicks to unjam it.

Aha! That makes sense. I also ran across a good forum post from a long time ago that talks about that whole dungeon in 3 where you can find the thief. The thought is that it's not even worth it to go into the dungeon because the only important or unique item in it is a wand that restores lost levels, but the only creatures in the whole game that steal your levels are in that dungeon anyway!

OTOH, it's also supposed to be the best level humping area in the game, so I guess maybe it's necessary if you want to even approach the level cap in 3.

I've stuck with my Mage/Cleric in 1 actually rather than going for the pure mage Half Elf. I figured it actually would not help me out all that much if I chose the Half Elf because his levels cap at 15, which means he doesn't ever get access to the top two spell tiers anyway, so it's pointless to go with him. It will take a lot more experience to hump the cleric/mage, but at least it will be possible if I really want to do it. It's too bad there isn't a Human Mage NPC

I think I'll give a few (well, a lot) impressions of the different classes mechanically in the EOB series. Although some of it is based on my experience in the Gold Box series and things I've read online. Mileage may vary depending on what you modify character stats to.

One major thing to note right away about warrior classes: contrary to the manuals they do NOT get faster melee attacks at high levels, at least not in II and III. I tested all the way up to Ranger 13, which in 2e AD&D is supposed to have the same #attacks as Fighter. Single-class Mages and Clerics attack just as often as high-level warriors. The only way to attack faster is with Haste. With that in mind:

Thief:

As a single-class: Worst class, single- or multi-, you can select in the game, but semi-viable at fighting. The difference in HP and accuracy between Thief and Cleric is slight (sometimes Thief is actually better) until Thief reaches the level cap and Cleric keeps gaining levels... which probably won't actually happen.

As a multi-class: Adding Thief weakens every class in the game and only gives more HP to Mages, but you probably want one in a blind playthrough. Any other class can fulfill its role well with a Thief multi-class on it. What Thief does in this series is give an alternate (as in optional) way to solve problems during dungeon exploration. Locked doors in I and II are behind keys that you might not find. I is very easy to get lost in, while one optional companion in II requires lockpicks to get. In III stuck levers (one in an optional area, one in a mandatory one) require either a Thief or use of a strength potion to bypass. Without the flexibility of a Thief you could be stuck for months trying to figure out what you missed.

Cleric:

As a single-class: I find them boring and awkward, but they're a contender for the strongest class in the game, less so if you're modifying stats to give your warriors exceptional Strength and 17+ Constitution. Flame Blade in I and Spiritual Hammer in III give them offensive versatility. They have very close to the same HP and accuracy as warrior multi-classes, in some situations more, while being major casters. What single-class Clerics get that stands out compared to multi-classed Clerics is spare casts per day you can spend on high-level attack spells and curatives or status blocks such as Neutralize Poison and Negative Plane Protection, better saving throws (less likely to be held so they can save the party with Remove Paralysis), and a Turn Undead powerful enough to trivialize some levels.

As a multi-class: Quite workable as the party healer and protector, you'll get the major spells (not to mention scrolls) when they're useful. You are probably giving up access to the highest level spell in the game you're in. Ranger/Cleric is probably the best class in the series, allowing for dual-wielding with Flame Blade for a potent offense, most of the time. Fighter/Cleric has the fourth best accuracy and HP for most of the game, but single-class Clerics are very competitive with them.

Mage: You need their artillery and support. They die a lot. They pull down Fighter HP massively in multi-classes but the latter pull up their HP and accuracy just as strongly, so it's kinda a wash. More is better in II. By III better middle and back row attacks give the party more basic offense. Do not count on NPC Mages having good HP at all.

Multi-class warriors: They're great at low to medium levels, but there will come a reckoning eventually.
I've not gotten to very high levels in III, but it's important to point out that eventually single-class warriors zoom past them in levels, getting much higher accuracy and Saving Throws. Does this actually matter? Well... if you're grinding, it does mean for example Fighters and Paladins get better accuracy when dual-wielding than Cleric/Rangers. The latter may not be able to catch up with even Elf Fighters.

The other thing to say about multi-class warriors is that, again Clerics have about the same or better hit points and accuracy than the double-classes, and Thieves have better hit points than the triple-classes.

Ranger: Dual-wielding (without penalty) can become a mainstay in your party offense in early to mid-levels, though it's sometimes hard to mash everyone's attacks in II fast enough to make a difference. In general, enemies that you're dodging around not letting attack don't give much benefit to dual-wielding until III gives you the All Attack button, enemies that can incapacitate you in one hit are a toss-up (you might want to tank with Plate and Shield), enemies that trap you you *really* want to dual wield against.

Elf Ranger and Dwarf Fighter: It's worth mentioning that the Level 18 cap in III for these two is where Rangers and Paladins will be at when Human Fighter reaches their Level 20 cap, and warrior Saving Throws cap out at 17. This means you can expect Elf Ranger to become the best dual-wielder in the entire series barring only Ranger 20 (Cleric/Ranger's Flame Blade is still fantastic early on), while Dwarf Fighter is always the most resilient.

Paladin: Paladins are great. Dwarf Fighters are probably better. Their Turn Undead kinda stinks, you're basically choosing them for Lay on Hands.

Elf Fighters: Assuming Long Swords, they're the most accurate characters through most of the series, certainly the most accurate sword-and-boarders (until the Elf hits their L15 cap). Mostly you use Elf to shore up the accuracy of a multi-class.

Don't forget that Create Food and Water exists in these games, allowing you to trivialize an entire mechanic. Also, you don't need to find scrolls for them, so it's feasible to have multiple in the party, whereas multiple Mages can lead to contention in terms of who gets each scroll, and each will be less useful.

(In Dungeon Hack, which appears to use a similar engine but gives you only 1 character and a randomly generated dungeon, these traits make Cleric the easiest class to win with in that game.)

One too many cursed items and instant deaths from using (I assume) the Book of Vile Darkness made me refuse to use any character in Dungeon Hack that doesn't have Improved Identify.

Oh, right, Clerics get Remove Curse.

Dungeon Hack Clerics don't need Improved Identify for a few reasons:
* You don't need weapons; just cast Spiritual Hammer a couple times and throw them as your primary attack.
* True Seeing will detect cursed items, giving them a red glow.
* If you really want Improved Identity, you can play a Cleric/Mage. (Not Fighter/Cleric/Mage, as you won't start with the spell, and will therefore be at the mercy of the dungeon generator for acquiring that spell's scroll, since the game annoyingly never lets you choose spells at level up.)

I only learned the awesomeness of Spiritual Hammer yesterday :( That thing's got some stupid range in the EOB3 engine, and that return hit.

I had a pretty good run with Vampiric Touch on a Mage once.

Vampiric Touch is a gamebreaker. When you use it, you get temporary hit points that:
* Stack over multiple castings
* Do not wear off

It's really gamebreaking.

Also, so many other games fail to implement this particular spell correctly:
* I believe the Dark Sun games simply heal you by the damage dealt, except that your HP is lowered to its max *before* the damage is dealt. (Other temporary HP works this way, as well.)
* Baldur's Gate and other IE games raise your current and max HP when cast, even if you target an inanimate object with it. When it wears off, your current HP is preserved (making the healing permanent), unless it exceeds your max.
* In Temple of Elemental Evil, damage is computed incorrectly (I believe it's weaker than it's supposed to be), and you get a stack of 0 temporary HP.

For whatever reason, they really seem to have trouble implementing this spell correctly.