Character Advice [AD&D 2e]

[Grey Paladin]

This is what I rolled, but I have no idea what to do with it. Help me pick a class/race.

Strength: 7
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 16

Books allowed: All Handbooks+Player's Guide
House Rules: You may pick a class even if you do not answer its statistical requirements, in which case you simply raise the statistics in question to the minimal required number. If your race gives a bonus or a penalty to the raised statistic, ignore it.

The rest of my party are a pair of Sky Knights (A Paladin kit that gets a flying creature as a mount) and a Wizard.

[snoopy13a]

Cleric, I guess.

[erikun]

You're all set for a kickbutt cleric. Your Dex is kind of low, but you can still be a decent thief... but you're limited to Gnome if you want a Thief/Cleric.

Another options is to use your large Con, and get those extra HP for being a warrior class. Dwarven Fighter/Cleric works very well, and levels up relatively quickly, but leaves the party thiefless. Not necessary to have, but depending on the DM, it could get you into trouble.

Unless you're a warrior (Fighter, Ranger, or Paladin) there isn't really any difference between Con 17 and Con 16, so no real penality for running an elf. I believe you could run an Elven Thief/Cleric/Mage, but it takes you forever to level that way... although that Int 9 is a problem. =/ Human is always a good choice, with Fighter, Ranger, and Cleric being some decent choices - I don't think you get a penality for Str 7.

[Grey Paladin]

7 STR nets me a -1 penalty to damage IIRC, while 8 has no modifiers.

My statistics really fit a Warrior best due to high Con (potentially +4/level if I go half-orc or dwarf), but my party already has a pair of amazing paladins and I doubt another dedicated meatgrinder is what we need.

[Premier]

Qualifies for a Druid. I won't read through the 2nd ed. spell lists now, but a 1E Druid can be a rather useful asset if the campaign involves a great enough deal of wilderness adventuring.

[erikun]

Well, +4/level for a cleric is pretty impressive - I like my clerics as unkillable as possible.

The biggest problems are that your highest stats - Constitution and Charisma - aren't really necessary for any class. Low Strength and low Intelligence prevent you from being a warrior or mage, limiting you to a priest, rogue, or some combination.

Elven Thief will give you Dex 12, which isn't enough for a bonus but still decent. A heavy-armor thief is rather odd, but I don't think your skills are penalized any for a poor Dex.

You have the Wisdom for an awesome Cleric, plus the survivability to last a few levels. Clerics are awesome. Unfortunately, you're basically another meatshield in combat. Human and Half-Elf opens the possibility for Druids, too.

Multiclassing in this case doesn't seem too great. The only priest/rogue combination I know of is the afore-mentioned Gnome, which gives you a Wisdom penality. Human is probably your best bet, since you can dual-class if you go insane.

[Haven]

Dwarven Fighter/Cleric is pretty workable, actually. Your 7 strength isn't that much of an obstacle if you can get your hands on Gauntlets of Ogre Strength or one of the strength-enhancing belts, since they don't care about what your strength was before. I'm pretty sure there are some spells that work the same way but I don't remember what they are.

[Premier]

Here's an addendum to my previous post: if a largely outdoorsy character would fit a campaign, and IF the DM allows the Complete Book of Humanoids, then you could be a Swanmay Druid.

+1 to Dex and Wis, the latter pushes you to Wis 16 for one more extra 3rd level spell.
- You can reach up to 12th level.
- Natural AC of 7, which is actually better then what a human druid would get from his crappy non-magical armour. Wear leather armour and a shield for a total AC of 5.
- Can turn into a magical swan as long as a special token is not lost (but if it is, she's trapped in her current form). The swan can only be hit with magical weapons, has magic resistance, and flies. This over and above your Druidic shapeshift ability.
- Plus all the Druid abilities, obviously.
- Drawback: you can only pick dagger as a weapon proficiency at character creation, since that's the singular overlap between the class and race restrictions.

[Chronos]

House Rules: You may pick a class even if you do not answer its statistical requirements, in which case you simply raise the statistics in question to the minimal required number. If your race gives a bonus or a penalty to the raised statistic, ignore it.This seems to me to be the key, here: Taking a class with high requirements will boost your scores for free. Ranger, for instance, would boost your Strength and Dex both to 13. Based on that, I'd recommend going with a half-elf (that being the only race this works for) cleric/ranger or druid/ranger. Paladin would also work well for the same reason, but you already have two of those (possibly precisely because of this).

[Set]

There's a Druid kit from Elves of Evermeet called 'Totem-Sister' that is flat out amazing. All druid spells, plus the ability to carve rune-items that allow healing, give bonuses to archery, etc.

Those stats, with an Elven Druid / Totem-Sister would rock.

[DMfromTheAbyss]

I'd say dwarven cleric/thief. Go priest of Dumathoin or Abbathor (I believe both priesthoods encourage thieves, though Dumathoin goes for more scout like ones)

Look into the dwarves handbook for a kit that might fit, off hand wayfinder might work.

Definately go more priest with your stats... the thief is for party convienience and backstab with cleric buffs... with a good set up you could out damage the palladins.

And yes gauntlets of ogre power (or at higher level girdle's of giant strength)are your friend if you want to try going for melee.

But I'd take this opportunity to play a sneaky conniving lovable trouble finding rogue to get your friends into more trouble, have fun and enjoy that high charisma.

PS this would also make a good trapmaker character between some of the lesser used cleric spells and having a good f/r traps.

Though the gnome could also work for the whole cleric thief thing. Just depends on personal preference.

[Matthew]

Almost certainly ranger, I would say. Otherwise some sort of multiclass would probably work out well. Strength is too low to go with cleric, I think, though fighter/cleric or cleric/thief would be a possibility. A strength of 9 is not too bad, depending on how much value your game master puts on tracking encumbrance.

[shadzar]

Screw the cleric you are jaunting around with Aerrow and Flynn as well as Master Cyclonus. (Wrong kind of Sky Knights? :smallbiggrin:)

Go for the full beatstick.

:smallfurious: CRAP! dropped the CD behind the desk. Gotta move the PC after shutting down to load up core rules.

BRB!

EDIT: OK...What level are we working with, and are those scores fixed in that order or can you just swap them around for the proper class/race requirements without actually adding more points to any of the scores?

[Kurald Galain]

This seems to me to be the key, here: Taking a class with high requirements will boost your scores for free. Ranger, for instance, would boost your Strength and Dex both to 13. Based on that, I'd recommend going with a half-elf (that being the only race this works for) cleric/ranger or druid/ranger. Paladin would also work well for the same reason, but you already have two of those (possibly precisely because of this).

Yes, that's a very novel houserule, given that some classes have very high prereqs. Based on that you can really play whatever you like - for instance, pick one of the specialist wizards that has an Int 15 requirement (e.g. Wild Mage), and you're all set.

[Grey Paladin]

Statistics are fixed in place, beside the requirement clause. Starting level is 4.

[potatocubed]

I'm still thinking cleric or druid.

Does 'all handbooks' include Faiths and Avatars, Power and Pantheons, and/or Deities and Demigods? If so, have a look through those for a specialty priest that plays to your strengths more.

[shadzar]

Statistics are fixed in place, beside the requirement clause. Starting level is 4.

:smallconfused: Well crap I was going to swap a few stats around but if that is how it is then you would have to have a INT9 and bump WIS to 16 just to be a necromancer.

:smallconfused:

[DeathQuaker]

I don't have my AD&D book in front of me, but the first thing I thought of is Bard. Then I remembered Bards need Int for spell casting in AD&D (I think) but maybe your DM would be kind enough to let your swap your Int score with another? Otherwise maybe the bard prereqs will raise it acceptably?

(I know when we played AD&D we just rolled six numbers and then assigned to each of our scores as we chose for this very reason.)

But it seems like you'd have some roguey skills and some good support abilities and a little extra magic, which is what's needed for an already front-loaded party. And that high cha puts you in a good position to be party face. There might be a kit from Complete Bard's Handbook that would especially go well with those stats. (Unfortunately my copy was stolen many years ago or I'd have specific suggestions.)

Apart from that, I second the suggestions for Dwarven Cleric/Thief, or Ranger as Matthew suggested (if Matthew offers advice for AD&D, I'd personally be inclined to take it).

[hamlet]

Yes, that's a very novel houserule, given that some classes have very high prereqs. Based on that you can really play whatever you like - for instance, pick one of the specialist wizards that has an Int 15 requirement (e.g. Wild Mage), and you're all set.

Actually, it's not entirely a house rule. In the DMG, there's provision for permitting such action, though it's not recommended as standard practice.


Given the house rule, I would really recommend going with a human ranger, or a half-elf ranger/druid combo. As somebody noted above, the ranger and house rule will bump up two of your stats nicely and give you a greater encumbrance rating, which is key if the DM actually tracks that, or useless if he doesn't. Throwing the druid into the mix will give you a lot of nice powers, especially if you're starting at level 4, that mesh very well with the ranger abilities if you don't mind being very limited in what weapons you can dual wield (probably scimitar and dagger is the best option there). You won't make a stellar front line combatant (though you'll be able to hang in for along time with that high CON), but a bow or sling combined with the entangle spell will really be your friend. Call Lightning, when you can plan around it, will also make you a terror on the battle field.

I won't recommend any kits here for two reasons. First, technically, multi-classed characters aren't supposed to have kits. Second, I find that kits are rather pointless in the grand scheme of things IMO. But, I will say that if keeping up with your flying paladin buddies will become an issue, there is the shapeshifter druid kit which would allow you to change into, say, a fly or moth, and keep up or at least hitch a ride with them so that you're not continually left behind. It'll also grant you some extra scouting and stealth abilities if that's the angle you go for.

Travel light, always on the move in combat, use spells that control the field of conflict rather than direct damage, enhance your compatriots and support rather than slogging it into melee. Learn the wonders of the prayer spell when you make it to 5th level as a druid. With all this, you don't even really need much in the way of magic items either, though a couple of choice items (like a magic weapons or the like) will definately be helpful.

There are some significant drawbacks here, though. First, your progression will be significantly slowed down by throwing druid into the combo. You'll probably start to lag in levels before long, though you'll still have the ability to effectively go "lone wolf" better than your meat shield friends. Second, and this is dependent on the DM, your neutrality will probably cut across grains with the paladins. Depending on how the DM interprets "druids must be neutral," it may not even be a viable combo in the first place, so ask before you put it together of course.

[Sebastian]

It is a while from the last time I've read AD&D but for some reason your stats tell 'specialist priest' to me. I'm just not sure which one, I don't have the book with me, Id think some social kind of priest, for the high charisma, maybe of a kinda pacifist, or at least not aggressive deity, maybe of some god of trade? or god of entertainers? I must check my faiths and avatar/deiteis and demigods/etc books I'm sure there is the potential for an interesting character there.

(Of course a lot depends on the kind of campaign your GM plan for.)

[Coplantor]

Cleric, a -1 to damage is not really that bad, you have good access to weapons, and you also have some nifty spells, that wisdom should grant you a couple of extra 1st level spells per day I think, but beware of bulk points, you dont have enough strength to go aorund on a full plate.