AD&D 2e: what would you make with these stats?

[Klorox]

Hey guys. We rolled stats last night and my DM is cool with putting them in any order, and with using that old “2 for 1” rule, where you can lower one stat by 2 to increase another by 1.

WeÂ’re only using the PHB classes and races, minus gnomes and halflings.

The party has:

Bard, fighter, illusionist, and a thief. We also have another player who hasnÂ’t rolled yet.

Anyway, here are my stats:

16
15
12
11
10
8

I was originally thinking druid, and bumping myself up to two 16Â’s (for the XP bonus), but now IÂ’m thinking maybe I should go elf fighter/mage or dwarf fighter/cleric, I had also considered elf thief/mage or even a fighter/mage/thief.

IÂ’d love some advise!

[GameJerk75]

With that party composition I think a fighter/cleric would fit the bill nicely. A good healer cannot be underestimated; although you'll need to knock things around with your warhammer when not bolstering the comrades.

I have a weakness for the old Fighter/Mage/Thief; although, you might be better off just going F/M so you can get a decent Con score.

[Willie the Duck]

Dwarven fighter-cleric would work well. put the 16 in wis and 15 (+1 for dwarf) in con, and hope for a gauntlets of ogre power drop. A PHB Fighter-cleric doesn't get a lot out of being a fighter, though, unless you get 18/XX strength or the like. The PHB has some very brief primordial priest-of-specific-mythos rules (pretty much 'DM can decide to...') which might allow you grab better weapons. Do you know if that is one the table?

[LibraryOgre]

Bard, fighter, illusionist, and a thief. We also have another player who hasnÂ’t rolled yet.

Anyway, here are my stats:

16
15
12
11
10
8

I was originally thinking druid, and bumping myself up to two 16Â’s (for the XP bonus), but now IÂ’m thinking maybe I should go elf fighter/mage or dwarf fighter/cleric, I had also considered elf thief/mage or even a fighter/mage/thief.


Me, I'd lean towards Druid, too. If the DM allows it, you might go with a halfling druid... with adjustments, you might have

Str 10 (11-1; this keeps you on the 10-11 line for Strength, which is better than the 8-9 or 6-7 line)
Dex 9 (8+1; dex is identical from 8-14)
Con 10
Int 12
Wis 16
Charisma 15

Practically, the 10% XP bonus is seldom that important or useful. The intelligence goes to 12 to let you eke out a little bit more languages and/or proficiencies... the other stats aren't high enough to manage bonuses. As a halfling, you'll have superior stealth, plus a bonus with slings and thrown weapons, which is good synergy with a druid.

Dwarven straight cleric is also not bad, but I think you'd have a harder time doing well... with mods, you might go

Str 12
Dex 8
Con 16 (15+1)
Int 10
Wis 16
Cha 10 (11-1)

You're not a GREAT fighter, due to limited strength, but you're tougher than average, and you might be able to pull off a Thor Shot, with some luck on the treasure tables.

[JadedDM]

Two questions to consider: Is your DM using level limits, and if so, is this a one-shot or a full blown campaign? If the former, it won't matter, but otherwise you'll want to keep them in mind when deciding on race. A dwarf fighter/cleric, for instance, will be capped at 15/10. An elf fighter/mage would be capped at 12/15, and so on.

[Klorox]

Two questions to consider: Is your DM using level limits, and if so, is this a one-shot or a full blown campaign? If the former, it won't matter, but otherwise you'll want to keep them in mind when deciding on race. A dwarf fighter/cleric, for instance, will be capped at 15/10. An elf fighter/mage would be capped at 12/15, and so on.

Yes on the level limits, and it’s a campaign.

Apparently the last campaign ended with lost character levels 12 or 13. I’m new to the group.

[JadedDM]

Okay, that's not too bad then. Unlike 1E, 2E's level limits are a lot higher--between 8-15. And if you're multi-classing, that'll help slow down your development so you don't hit them too fast.

[gnomish dwelf]

If I had those stats and had to play somehing by the book I would choose a half-elven gray druid/ranger, of drow stock, however I would try to avoid similiarities with Drizzt. The druid/ranger combo (neutral good) is allowed to followers of... I think its Mielikki... Of course this depends on which deities your DM has available and if they dig the combo, if they do not like the gray druid/ranger combo it can be a gray druid/forester (fighter) combo or a gray druid (lost druid)/fighter combo or, if your DM allows 1 kit per class, gray druid (lost druid)/forester (fighter) combo... Specialized in both forests and their underground... To access the forester you need the green book "A mighty fortress", to access gray druids and lost druids you need the druid's handbook, with the "guide to hell" you can access great kits that make a kitless gray druid complemented by the hellblade thief or the devil slayer fighter... Whichever you prefer. Last but not least a single class gray druid could be a shinobi druid if you have the complete ninja's handbook... Gaining the ability to use one-handed bladed weapons as well as the theif skills of move silently, hide in shadows, and climb walls. At the end of the day it all boils down to which rules supplement you are using...

EDIT: A gray druid needs Wisdom 12 and Charisma 15, I would assign 16 to wisdom, 15 to charisma, 12, 11, 10 and 8 to the other abilities as required by the classes I would use, I havent checked their requirements 'though... A forester would need constitution 14, so i will make it constitution 14, and give 8 to intelligence and 6 to dexterity... ok, nope, that would suck... (to be a fighter strength would be 10)... Ok then, maybe no forester combos... Mmm... hellblades and devil slayers have no special requirements to have that kit, nor shinobi druids have them... a druid/ranger would need Strength 13 Dexterity 13 Constitution 14 and Wisdom 14... Ok nevermind, the ranger/druid isn't a good fit for your character...

Gray druid (lost druid)/fighter (devil slayer) or gray druid (lost druid)/thief (hellblade) are the best alternatives if your DM allows it... so, get yourself the guide to hell and the complete druid's handbook... because your best alternaties are there... wisdom 16, charisma 15, strength or dexterity 12, constitution 11, dexterity or strength 10 intelligence 8. And seek any quests that promises rising your lower scores. A shinobi druid, with your DM's permission is also cool.

2nd EDIT: As per the priest spell compendia and other sources Druids have access to the Druidic Spheres (animal, elemental, plant, sun and weather) and to the Sphere of All and Healing as well as, if the DM allows it, major access to the Time and to Wards spheres, and minor access to Travelers, lost druids have access to minor access to the Necromancy spell sphere and while they can only the reversed versions of heal or cure spells... They still access other healing spells like "fortify stew"...

[thorr-kan]

Is Monster Mythology on the table?

Cause with those stats, a gnome specialty priest/illusionist or thief is on the table. And I'll tell you, that's a bundle of hilarity to play.

[Zekestone]

No gnomes or halflings? Sadface. Rules out one of my favourite combos - the cleric/thief.

Looking at the group as it stands, some form of healing may be needed. 2e is a bit more deadly than later editions and non-magical healing much slower. Some form of priest might be an options, either cleric or druid. Both have their good sides. One problem is that it is easy to be sucked into the healing battery roll. If all you are doing is casting healing spells you can't be doing anything else. Multiclassing is a decent option to expand what you can do, though clerics and druids do have a reasonably wide selection of spells and can fight a bit as well if you want to stay pure.

Dwarf fighter/cleric is an obvious one if you want to get stuck into combat. A pure dwarf cleric isn't to shabby but this gets you a little bit extra oomf. Strength, oddly, isn't a requirement. The difference between 9 and 16 strength is 1 point of damage and some carrying capacity. And bonus xp if you were playing by those rules.

Half elves also have some decent options, like cleric/mage if you want even more spells - mage for attacking, cleric for healing/protection. The down side is of course how slow you would level. (Half-elves also, by the PHB, have the option to be ranger/druids but the state requirements are way higher than your rolls.)

[thorr-kan]

And, failing reading comprehension, I missed the "no gnomes or halflings" bit. Specialty priests limited to druids...

Half-elf Fighter/Magc-user/Cleric. That's the multiclass utility combo I always go to with decent stats. Maybe
S-12
D-11
C-15
I-10
W-16
Ch-8

Get yourself some armor (no duration!) and strength (1hr/lev) spells.

[gnomish dwelf]

Only player's handbook? I missed that, ok, I suggest a half-elven summoner/ranger... intelligence 16, constitution 15, 12, 11, 10, 8... oh sorry, you do not fit the bill for half-elven summoner/ranger... then a half-elven summoner/fighter... intelligence 16, constitution 15, strength 12, dexterity 11, wisdom 10, charisma 8. A summoner is a conjurer who uses more summoning spells than conjuring spells... you could summon monsters and fight alongside them... use an enchantment/charm spell of your own creation to doinate those you defeat so you can summon them after defeating them, or a necromancy spell if you defeat them by killing them not by subduing them, create your own alteration spell to merge with your summoned beings... Does it get cooler than that?