Wizard vs cleric vs druid?

[Malaficus Shaikan]

1: dont say play just whatever you find most fun if i knew that i woudnt be posting this question.......

2: i dont care for multiclass.

Now i find myself drawn to these classes.
I want to play through all 3 campaigns with a one of these classes (race:moon elf)

I like the druid for shapeshifting, summoning, large selection of spells and all around adaptablility.
Downside of druids is nature worship, staying natural is a pain in the behind, and being considered a hippy.
Dont get me wrong i consider nature a valueable resourse that shoud be used responsbily.
But to worship it.......

Cleric:
In the campaigns cleric are overpowered as can be.
Full plate armor right from the get go, knows all spells, domain exploitation, and the ability to buff armies to invincibility status.
Downside of cleric's is there spells are most short to mid range and lack area of effect(execpt for the top spells) the feeling your a priest of beings unworthy of worship.

Wizard:
The wizard has a high inteligence.
This give him alot of options in skills(aka versatility).
He has a very large spell selection(aka versatility)
Downside of wizard is that he die the moment you look at him, unlike divine caster he cant cast in armor and needs to track down every spell rather then just get it.

I find roleplaying a cleric or druid quiet difficult due to my power hungry nature and lack of being a idiot(aka i wont scream give me more power!!! or sell my soul for the petty scraps godlike beings offer)
And wizards are to weak for my taste.

And given the fact reality warper isnt a class in neverwinter night 2......
What in your point of view is the best class to go through:
OC.
MoTB.
SoZ
In that order.

[jimbobslimbob]

You do need to get over your multi-classing issue. 99% of builds are made better with multiclassing. If you are looking for ideas, the nwn2db[nwn2db.com] character builder site is a great resource. The people will help you out with your own builds too.

As for the main question: They are all different in playstyle really, so it comes down to personal preference. Druid and Wizard are fairly similar, but Cleric is a different thing altogether.

Druid can actually do pretty well with the Dino pet - see here[nwn2db.com], but they can also do well as pure casters[nwn2db.com] or good all-rounders[nwn2db.com].

Cleric's are great party members because of their buffs and healing spells. You can build these in many different ways (so agian, depends on playstyle). Offensive casters, healers, ranged support[nwn2db.com] and strong melee[nwn2db.com] characters are some of the more prominent uses of Clerics.

Wizards are possibly the most powerful class in NWN (if built and used correctly), but also benefit greatly from multiclassing. I would stay clear of "spellsword" types with Wizards, since Clerics and Bards are better at fitting the role in most cases. Just go all out casting with high DC and some ASoC levels and you are golden. Example[nwn2db.com]. They are squishy to begin with and are "high maintenance", making them possibly the most difficult class to play for newbies.

Anyway, I hope this helps. There are probably many other builds on that site that are worth checking out, I just did some quick searches for you.

[jimbobslimbob]

...Oh, by the way, SoZ is meant for level 1 characters, so following on from MOTB (where you will be level 30) is not a good idea, you will want to start fresh.

EDIT: If it were me, I would go with a melee Cleric. I am smitten with them - but it does really all come down to personal preference. With 1 buff alone, they become as powerful as a Fighter of equal level. Add in a few more and you will wreck opponents and provide good party support with buffs and healing at the same time. The one I linked in the previous post is a good starting point.

[Malaficus Shaikan]

Originally posted by jimbobslimbob:

...Oh, by the way, SoZ is meant for level 1 characters, so following on from MOTB (where you will be level 30) is not a good idea, you will want to start fresh.

I know but i want to start SoZ as a level 30 dimigod.
I find it funny.

My preference isnt in any game i am afriad.
Unless you know a class that can destroy entire planets with but a thought(and even that rate low on my powerscale).

Do you know a class that feels like i am a god among mere mortals?

[jimbobslimbob]

Originally posted by Malaficus Shaikan:

Originally posted by jimbobslimbob:

...Oh, by the way, SoZ is meant for level 1 characters, so following on from MOTB (where you will be level 30) is not a good idea, you will want to start fresh.

I know but i want to start SoZ as a level 30 dimigod.
I find it funny.

Each to their own, I suppose. Will be a pretty boring play-through if you ask me.

Originally posted by Malaficus Shaikan:

My preference isnt in any game i am afriad.
Unless you know a class that can destroy entire planets with but a thought(and even that rate low on my powerscale).

Clerics and Bards are pretty strong in the campaigns. Here is a good example of a Bard[nwn2db.com] that will walk through them.

[jimbobslimbob]

Additionally, something like this[nwn2db.com] does really well in campaigns, if you don't mind playing a straight-up melee character (they do become a bit boring, but this particular one wrecks anything in sight very easily).

[__-__-__]

Not really sure what you mean by wizards being too weak, but there are a few variations. The sorcerer is the class you want if you want to play an arcane juggernaut. And the warlock is much tougher than either the wizard or the sorcerer and is able to cast in light and, depending on feat choices, medium armor with no penalty and can even mix it up a bit in melee.

[Malaficus Shaikan]

Originally posted by Sesh:

Not really sure what you mean by wizards being too weak, but there are a few variations. The sorcerer is the class you want if you want to play an arcane juggernaut. And the warlock is much tougher than either the wizard or the sorcerer and is able to cast in light and, depending on feat choices, medium armor with no penalty and can even mix it up a bit in melee.

With weak i mean that he dies the moment someone looks at him funny and the moment you hit him with a silence spell it is game over.
Sure there are counters to the silent spell but lets be honest here:
Both druid and cleric are still able to fight when silenced, get higher health, spontanous casting and the know all the spells of there class per level.
Compaire to that the wizard is weak.
Beings the lowest of the tier 1 does that.
Pity it would be a fun class but i hate weakness.

I dont care for the classes you mentioned.

[__-__-__]

Originally posted by Malaficus Shaikan:

Originally posted by Sesh:

Not really sure what you mean by wizards being too weak, but there are a few variations. The sorcerer is the class you want if you want to play an arcane juggernaut. And the warlock is much tougher than either the wizard or the sorcerer and is able to cast in light and, depending on feat choices, medium armor with no penalty and can even mix it up a bit in melee.

With weak i mean that he dies the moment someone looks at him funny and the moment you hit him with a silence spell it is game over.
Sure there are counters to the silent spell but lets be honest here:
Both druid and cleric are still able to fight when silenced, get higher health, spontanous casting and the know all the spells of there class per level.
Compaire to that the wizard is weak.
Beings the lowest of the tier 1 does that.
Pity it would be a fun class but i hate weakness.

I dont care for the classes you mentioned.

You do know that silence is an area curse in this game right? All you have to do is walk out of it and you can cast spells again. I've played many casters and silence has never even been an issue.

The Eldritch Knight PrC can counter many of the wizard's inherent weaknesses, so can picking up some Pale Master levels, or even pumping constitution and picking up the right spells, Stone Skin, Premonition, Tenser's Transformation and many others can address the weaknesses inherent in the class (Tenser's Transformation alone can put you're arcane caster on par with warriors of similar level).

[Malaficus Shaikan]

Originally posted by Sesh:

Originally posted by Malaficus Shaikan:

With weak i mean that he dies the moment someone looks at him funny and the moment you hit him with a silence spell it is game over.
Sure there are counters to the silent spell but lets be honest here:
Both druid and cleric are still able to fight when silenced, get higher health, spontanous casting and the know all the spells of there class per level.
Compaire to that the wizard is weak.
Beings the lowest of the tier 1 does that.
Pity it would be a fun class but i hate weakness.

I dont care for the classes you mentioned.

You do know that silence is an area curse in this game right? All you have to do is walk out of it and you can cast spells again. I've played many casters and silence has never even been an issue.

The Eldritch Knight PrC can counter many of the wizard's inherent weaknesses, so can picking up some Pale Master levels, or even pumping constitution and picking up the right spells, Stone Skin, Premonition, Tenser's Transformation and many others can address the weaknesses inherent in the class (Tenser's Transformation alone can put you're arcane caster on par with warriors of similar level).

No i didnt know that silence was an area of effect spell.
I thought it was a target spell(only used it during mask of the betrayer to silence the red wizards in the theater)

I know there are counters.
But:
1: I hate multiclassing.
2: The problem isnt that there arent counters.
The problem is that the other two get all kinds of goodies and the same level of spellcasting as the wizard.
Seriously what does the wizard have that cleric and druid dont have?

[[UA] Duckstep]

If you're to go divine caster i would go with druid. a lot of spells complement your animal companion. (especially if you download mods) and the druid is capable of taking some hits too. I personally dont focus on shapeshifting so i get feats like elephant skin and oaken resilience and not worry about getting killed instantly.

I agree with Jimbobslimbob about multiclassing. since you are playing a moon elf, just start the game with one level of wizard and from then on focus on druid. wizard is the moon elf favored class so you wont get an xp penalty.

having one level of wizard will allow you to cast 1st lvl spells(duh) but that means you get identify and true strike. you are able to use arcane scrolls and wands without needing points in UMD. (there are some good buffs you can find on an arcane scroll) also getting the beetle familiar will increase your total HP by 1 per level (thats + 30 hp) so long as you dont mind remembering to cast the familiar and leaving it at the start of the map since it will be weak af.

[Ray tracing is faster]

Best build for each campaign? I have clear picks.

OC - Cleric + Warpriest. Cleric/Favored Soul is just very useful in this game since undead make up much of the enemy encounters. Cleric + Warpriest is a wonderful all around simple logical build. That Bard listed above for example, with Cleric and Blackguard levels just doesn't seem logical lore-wise to me, but weird builds like that make for the most powerful builds. I avoid them myself.

MotB - Same as above.

SoZ - Okay this one is not so clear, especially since this is a create your own party game. So I will say a party should have at least a Rogue and a Druid or a Rogue and a Ranger, because those classes specialize in skills that are super duper helpful on the overhand map.

For those wondering, Mysteries of Westgate favors a specific build less than the others.

Also SoZ isn't meant for level 1. You are automatically given enough XP to advance to level... 4? 6? Something like that. None of the expansions are meant for level 1.

[jimbobslimbob]

Originally posted by GND Jester:

Best build for each campaign? I have clear picks.
OC - Cleric + Warpriest. Cleric/Favored Soul is just very useful in this game since undead make up much of the enemy encounters. Cleric + Warpriest is a wonderful all around simple logical build.

Warpriest is a wasted class on a Cleric. I will paste the "Stock Response" for this...

STOCK RESPONSE #1: Why warpriest levels are bad on clerics and favored souls.
There is a spell called divine power that raises a cleric's BAB to maximum for their level. This means that the warpriest's high-BAB irrelevant, but you still suffer the disadvantages of taking warpriest:
1. You have to waste a feat on combat casting. This is a useless feat.
2. You lose caster levels. This means weaker spell penetration, shorter durations on buffs and it may mean your build loses spells per day and/or becomes easier to dispel.
3. It used up a class slot meaning you can't take something else that could have offered real advantanges.
4. Pure clerics get bonus epic feats at class level 23, 26 and 29. Warpriest may be causing you to lose these.

Originally posted by GND Jester:

Also SoZ isn't meant for level 1. You are automatically given enough XP to advance to level... 4? 6? Something like that. None of the expansions are meant for level 1.

I think you are correct, level 3 seems to ring a bell. Either way, start with a L1 character and it will autolevel, as you say.

[Ray tracing is faster]

I don't think high BAB is totally wasted on a Cleric, in the event you run out of Divine Power and similar buffs and can't rest. But I guess that isn't common enough in NWN 2.

[jimbobslimbob]

True indeed, but in which case, you are always better off going with Stormlord.

EDIT: Examples: 1[nwn2db.com], 2[nwn2db.com].

[biogoo]

Originally posted by GND Jester:

Best build for each campaign? I have clear picks.
SoZ - Okay this one is not so clear, especially since this is a create your own party game. So I will say a party should have at least a Rogue and a Druid or a Rogue and a Ranger, because those classes specialize in skills that are super duper helpful on the overhand map.

No need for ranger/druid as you can get those as cohorts from almost the very begining (i.e. before you enter the overland map).