BlackIFlag: hey guys, just got this game. in bg 2 i played a swashie/wizard with scimitars. i want to do the same in this game, any builds/advice?
or is it better to play a warrior/wizard because of oversized two weapon fighting?
Two weapon fighting with Scimitars isn't recommendable in NWN2, and on a Wizard multi-class it borders on completely impossible. Scimitars use your strength modifier for attack and damage, so you need a good strength modifier. Two weapon fighting feats require a high dexterity modifier, so you'll need that too. You're a front-line character without armor, so constitution needs to be prioritized. And you're a wizard, so intelligence is a very high priority. You're simply spread too thin, needing three attributes in the 20's and one in the high teens. Without cheating, this is not doable. Even then, using a Scimitar in your off-hand will always incur a nasty penalty since the weapon is "too heavy" to be effective for two-weapon fighting (I have no idea what the designers of 3rd edition were thinking; they basically invalidated the fighting style of what is arguably their most iconic character, and there isn't even a balance reason for it since it's still a relatively underpowered fighting style even if you ignore the arbitrary penalty slapped on it) so in addition to requiring more effort to be good at it this fighting style is inferior.
Your first option is more or less what PeterScott suggests. This option dumps the Scimitar for weapons better-suited for two weapon fighting: the Dagger, Kukri, or Rapier. Thanks to weapon finesse you don't need a high strength modifier and can just leave that at 10. You're still stretched thin since you'll need high stats in both dexterity and intelligence as well as a good constitution, but it's much more realistic than juggling strength on top of that. However, this build is
very weak at low levels. Three levels of Swashbuckler is punishing to a Wizard build, and five levels of Wizard is very punishing to a Swashbuckler build, and Eldritch Knight really only patches up the issue. For the first few levels of your career you'll suck at pretty much everything, and even once you get going it's a long road to catch up to where you need to be.
Another option is to upsize from a Scimitar to a Falchion or Greatsword. This bigger weapon gets you a nice damage multiplier off your strength score and you don't need a high dexterity at all since you aren't two-weapon fighting. This approach makes it much easier to get good damage, but your AC will be a little more problematic with only passable dexterity. One level of Fighter, 5 levels of Wizard, 10 levels of Eldritch Knight, 3-6 more levels of Wizard, then whatever you want.
Eldritch Knight is a difficult, but rewarding, path. It doesn't work nearly as effectively as Fighter/Mage from Baldur's Gate so you need to be careful of gimping yourself. Also be mindful that shields interfere with spellcasting like armor, and equipping/unequipping them isn't instant.
