Guide to the Races of Icewind Dale

This is a guide to creating characters in Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. This guide is geared toward relatively new players, and is intended to provide some insight into the options available to every race.

Introduction

This guide covers the various playable races in Icewind Dale. I've tried to detail their strengths and weaknesses and some of the more interesting or effective class choices available to them.

This guide is not comprehensive, but it is intended to be a readable and even-handed analysis.

A skilled player can make any combination of race, class, stats and party size work. A skilled player can probably beat Icewind Dale with a solo sorcerer or six bards. Therefore, please don't take anything I say as a statement of absolute fact--these are merely observations. Furthermore, I strongly encourage you to experiment, and build the kind of character you enjoy.

Just because halflings don't make great Berserkers doesn't mean you shouldn't harvest the kneecaps of every orc in Kuldahar Pass.

Race - Humans

Humans

"You are more individualistic than any other species I've encountered. Put three humans in a room; there will be six opinions." -Samara, Mass Effect 2

Humans have two things going for them: they can play (nearly) every single class kit and class, and they can dual-class. Humans are the only race capable of dual classing--stopping progression in one class and starting in an entirely new one. Dual classing is potentially incredibly powerful, and this feature alone easily recompenses the lack of any racial bonuses to stats.

● Humans are the only race capable of playing a paladin or a monk. Both of these classes are significantly improved in Icewind Dale. If you want to play a paladin or a monk, and you aren't willing to mod your game, then you're stuck with a human.

● Humans are the only other race, along with Half-Elf, that can be a bard. Generally speaking, Half-Elves tend to be slightly better bards: half-elves enjoy a modest bonus to their pickpocketing skill, and have some small natural resistance to sleep and charm spells.

● Humans have no skill or stat bonuses. Likewise, they suffer no penalties to any skills or stats. They're perfectly suited to absolutely every class, and unless you're trying to squeeze every last bit of optimization out of your character, a human is always a fine choice.

● Dual-Classing opens ridiculous options exclusive to humans. Humans can, for example, take a few levels in Swashbuckler or Kensai, and then immediately Dual Class into a mage while retaining all the bonuses of their previous class. Dual classing is its own topic, which I will cover later.

Race - Elves

Fingolfin like a shooting light
beneath a cloud, a stab of white,
sprang then aside, and Ringil drew
like ice that gleameth cold and blue,
his sword devised of elvish skill
to pierce the flesh with deadly chill.
-The Fall of Fingolfin

Elves enjoy a higher dexterity and suffer from a lower constitution than the other races. This means they're usually more fragile in combat, but their high dexterity means they're usually harder to hit. They also enjoy a natural +1 bonus with all bows, short swords and longswords. Consequently, elves tend to make absolutely deadly archers. They're also very effective in melee--they tend to be hard to hit and quite accurate.

● Elves have a +1 to Dexterity. This means they can roll as high as a 19 Dexterity during character generation. A 19 Dexterity is fantastic; compared to a Dexterity score of 18, that means an additional +1 bonus to hit at range, and an additional +5% on all your thief skills.

● Elves suffer a -1 to Constitution. This means they can roll as high as a 17 Con during character generation. The penalty to Constitution is actually not that severe, and tends to only manifest if you play a Fighter of some kind. Because clerics, thieves and mages do not gain bonuses to their HP beyond 16 Constitution, elven fragility is really not problematic unless you play a fighter. Elven fighters will see, over time, a smaller HP pool than, say, a human.

● Elven fighters should try to max out longbows, shortbows, longswords or short swords, depending on your preference. An elven fighter with a 19 Dexterity and Grandmastery in Longbow is absolutely deadly. If you play a fighter, try to take advantage of your higher armor class. Protect your smaller HP pool by equipping a shield or taking points in Single Weapon Style. Conversely, if you want to dual wield, use short swords/long swords. Your racial bonus helps eliminate accuracy penalties.

● Elven clerics and mages also benefit from a high dexterity. Equip a sling and make good use of your 19 Dex. An elven cleric with full plate, or an elven mage with Armor, can reach excellent AC levels. This is also one reason why elves make fantastic fighter/mages.

● Elven Rangers with the Archer kit are probably the most dangerous ranged attacker in the game. Your naturally high dexterity will also nicely complement your limited armor options.

Race - Dwarves

"All dwarfs are by nature dutiful, serious, literate, obedient and thoughtful people whose only minor failing is a tendency, after one drink, to rush at enemies screaming "Arrrrrrgh!" and axing their legs off at the knee." -Terry Pratchett, Discworld

Tough, taciturn, truncular. Dwarves are everything elves are not. Elves are graceful, but fragile. Dwarves, on the other hand, are solid and sturdy like good steel, but tend to lack grace--physical or social. Their high constitution means Dwarven fighters can reach exceptionally high HP pools, and they are the only race (naturally) capable of being Dwarven Defenders. Their Dexterity penalty is not as severe as you might think, but means that Dwarves cannot roll higher than a 17 on character creation. A Dexterity of 17 is still high, but generally speaking, Dwarves tend not to excel staying at range. They are very much built to survive in the middle of the fray.

● Dwarves have a +1 to Constitution, which means they can roll a Constitution score as high as 19 at character generation. At 19 Constitution, Dwarves earn an additional +5 HP every level. Dwarven Defenders can therefore start off with an HP pool as high as 17 at Level 1, and can gain up to another 17 HP every level until level 9. However, please note, this Constitution bonus ONLY applies to Warrior classes--which, for Dwarves, means Fighters. Non-warrior classes do not benefit from a Constitution higher than 16. This means pure-class Dwarven thieves and clerics cannot take advantage of a 19 Constitution. Multiclass Fighter/Thieves and Fighter/Clerics, however, certainly do benefit, but at a reduced rate.

● Dwarves have a -2 to Charisma and a -1 to Dexterity. The charisma penalty is mostly meaningless. Dwarves can't be bards, druids or paladins anyway--at least not legally. Your charisma really only matters to your party leader, so having a dwarf as a party leader is probably a bad idea. The -1 to Dexterity doesn't hurt so much. Most dwarves will be Fighters after all, and a 17 Dexterity is still quite high, conferring a -3 bonus to Armor Class and a +2 to bonus to hit with a ranged weapon.

● Dwarves enjoy fantastic bonuses to all saves vs Death, Wands and Spells. All dwarves have an innate -2 bonus to save against these effects. However, Dwarves with a high Constitution gain an additional save bonus that stacks with their racial bonus--as high as -5 at 19 Constitution. This means Dwarves will usually shrug off the effects of most spells. If you're struggling against a spellcasting enemy, point your dwarf toward it.

● If you play a pure-class Dwarf, consider the Barbarian or the Dwarven Defender. Both classes have the highest HP pools in the game. With a Dwarf's already high stamina, a Dwarven Barbarian or Dwarven Defender could be your party's ideal meatshield, nigh unstoppable with the right buffs.

● If you decide to play a Dwarven Cleric or Thief, consider multi-classing with Fighter to take advantage of your high Constitution, and to account for all the time you'll spend in melee.

Race - Half-Elves

VICONIA: "Tell me, Harper, who was who with your parentage? Father the darthir, mother the rivvil? Or father human, mother elven? It's always confusing with crossbred mongrels."
JAHEIRA: "Two people in love, swine. A rain not likely to soak your parade of scabbed obscenity any time soon."
-Baldur's Gate 2


Half-Elves, like humans, have very few meaningful racial bonuses, and they tend to be characterized by their flexibility. Half-elves can access nearly every class and multiclass combination in the game, except for paladin, monk, or cleric/thief. Like humans, half-elves are rarely ever a bad choice. They may not be the optimal choice (with the sole exception of bards), but they can fulfill nearly ever role.

Half-Elves also enjoy exclusive access to a few unique multiclass combinations, including Ranger/Cleric, Fighter/Druid and Fighter/Mage/Cleric.

● Half-Elf bards are fantastic. A bard's fast leveling curve and high pickpocket skill work wonderfully with the half-elf's natural bonus to pickpocket. They're also your only other choice for a bard if you'd rather not play a human.

● Along with their usual repertoire of Divine spells, Cleric/Rangers will have access to a broad selection of Druid spells as soon as the character reaches Ranger Level 6. Because Rangers also begin the game with two free points in Two Weapon Fighting, half-elves might fit the perfect niche in your team.

Race - Gnome

"I've had this little problem ever since I was a wee gnome. When it gets dark, everybody glows red. Frightens a child something fierce..." - Jan Jansen

Gnomes. Why would anyone ever play a gnome? Well, for one, a gnome is the only class in the game that can roll a 19 Intelligence, making them potentially the best mages in the game. Unfortunately, gnomes are also limited to the Illusionist specialist class. In Icewind Dale, Illusionists are prohibited from casting Necromantic or Abjuration spells. Gnomes also enjoy solid bonuses on saving throws vs. Spells, which open up some interesting class options that might otherwise go unnoticed.

● 19 Intelligence is effectively the highest Intelligence score you'll ever need. 19 Intelligence means you have no limit to the number of spells you can learn, and you're almost guaranteed to memorize a spell if you try.

● 19 Int isn't really that useful to any class other than Mage. And, yes, Gnomes are limited to the Illusionist Specialist if they do decide to play a Mage, but they're also the only race who can multi-class with an Illusionist. This means Gnomes can be Illusionist/Thief, Illusionist/Fighter, and so on.

● Illusionists make outstanding support mages. The additional spell slot is very useful, and Illusion spells tend to be incredibly useful, level-per-level. The tactical shenanigans enabled by Invisibility, a humble Level 2 spell, could justify a guide of its own. Just remember that you won't be casting Necromancy or Abjuration spells. The penalty is not so severe; good Necromancy spells are rare, and your Cleric will often cover for the lost Abjuration spells (many of which are Protection spells and Dispels).

● Gnomes are, for some bizarre reason, the only race capable of playing a Cleric/Thief. Despite their Wisdom penalty, Cleric/Thieves are excellent utilitarians, capable of covering all your party's supplementary needs: heals, buffs, dispels, lock-and-pocket-picking and trap management.

● Gnomes make kick-ass fighters. Really! With one more point of Dexterity than Dwarves and comparable Save vs. Spell bonuses, a Gnome with a high Constitution and high Dexterity can make an effective frontline tank as well as mid-line guard for your spellcasters, capable of soaking in hits as well as shrugging off spells.

Race - Halfling

"'You have very nice manners, for a thief and a liar,' said the Dragon." -The Hobbit

Halflings win my vote for the most underappreciated race. (There's a pun in there and I'm not apologizing for it.) They have the dexterity bonus of an elf without the constitution penalty. They enjoy a bonus to hit with the most common ranged weapon in the game. Their thief skill bonuses are outstanding, and they share the same Save vs. Spell bonuses enjoyed by Dwarves and Gnomes.

In Icewind Dale, unfortunately, Halflings suffer from a -1 penalty to their Strength as well as their Wisdom. This means that Halfling warriors are somewhat less effective in Icewind Dale than they were in Baldur's Gate, but Halflings still contend for among the best defensive warriors in the game.

● The Halfling bonus to Dexterity and racial bonus to hit with Slings allow them to compete with elves for the most dangerous ranged attackers in the game. If only Halflings could play Archer Rangers. A halfling fighter with grandmastery in slings is an excellent sniper; at 19 Dex and 18 Con, they're also excellent melee tanks.

● The -1 Penalty to Strength will hurt a halfling's accuracy in melee, at least compared to dwarven or elven fighters and thieves. But they're more nimble and harder to hit than dwarves, and hardier and tougher than elves. Halfling Clerics can double as highly effective sling snipers, giving them a useful and dependable role in the early levels, when spell slots are scarce and spell casters tend to be pretty ineffective when attacking.

● Halflings make outstanding thieves. Their thieving skill bonuses are superior to elves almost across the board which, coupled with their naturally high dexterity, means they'll hit their skill cap in traps and lockpicking much earlier--especially useful if you've multiclassed as a Fighter.

Race - Half-Orc

"I am not angry; I am anger. I am not dangerous; I am danger." - Amir Sulaiman

There's something viscerally satisfying about playing a half-orc. -2 Penalties to Intelligence tells me that this is not a cerebral class. But who cares? Half-orcs can't play mages anyway. The one major statistical penalty of this race is wholly neutralized by their class selection: why worry about a stat that never applies to you? In its absence, we're left with arguably the most physically powerful race in the game.

● +1 to Str. +1 to Con. And no Dexterity penalty. This means Half-Orcs are just as tough as Dwarves, but with more strength and, if you roll high enough, a higher armor class.

● The difference between 18 STR and 19 STR, for any class, is astronomical. For comparison, 18/01 Strength translates to +1 to Hit, and +3 to damage. 19 Strength, conversely, translates to +3 to hit, and +7 to damage. The value of +1 Strength is staggering.

● 19 Constitution means half-orcs tend to gravitate toward Fighter or Barbarian classes. However, even a pure-class Cleric or Thief can make use of the half-orc's abnormally high strength. Half-orc swashbucklers can be particularly nasty; their high strength makes up for a pure-class Thief's somewhat lower THAC0, and dovetails beautifully with a Swashbuckler's innate bonuses.

● A high Strength translates to better accuracy along with better damage. This means that half-orcs tend to dual wield with relative ease. The high bonuses of a 19 STR will offset much of the penalty for wielding two weapons, while applying a damage bonus to both weapons. Consider this if you're playing in melee.

● Likewise, a high Strength translates to a much higher damage ceiling on crits. A half-orc with 19 STR, a two handed sword and two handed weapon style will hit ridiculously hard on a crit.

Understanding Stats

Stats are randomly determined by the roll of the die. Fortunately, you aren't stuck with your rolls, and you can add or subtract stat points however you please. If you want to maximize your character's efficacy, then try to maximize their primary stats, which I will detail below. However, remember that it isn't necessary to have perfect stats, or even ideal stats. If you feel like you want to play a very charismatic mage, or a highly intelligent barbarian, go for it. In the long run, your own skill in this game will trump any bonuses conferred to you by high stats.

STRENGTH

● High strength improves melee damage and accuracy, and also improves carrying capacity.
● Strength can be as low as 8 before penalties, and does not start giving bonuses until 16.
● Characters with high strength can also force locks open, but not reliably. At Strength 19, your skill at forcing a lock open is 50.
● Characters that fight exclusively with ranged weapons do not require a high strength. Clerics may require a modest strength score in order to wear heavier armor.
● All melee classes benefit from a high strength.
● At 18 strength, all Warrior classes (and only Warrior classes) also roll 1-100 to determine an additional tier of strength. These tiers are divided as follows: 01-50 < 51-75 < 76-90 < 91-99 < 0. This is why Strength 19 is so much better than Strength 18.

DEXTERITY

● Dexterity determines agility, manual dexterity and coordination. High dexterity gives bonuses to thief skills, armor class and improves accuracy with all ranged weapons.
● Dexterity can be as low as 7 before impairing your armor class, presumably by making you too clumsy in battle. Dexterity must be at least 15 before giving any bonuses.
● Thieves require as much Dexterity as possible. High Dexterity grants flat bonuses to all Thief skills except Detect Illusion.
● At 18 Dexterity, the character receives a -4 bonus to Armor Class (the lower, the better) and +2 to hit with all ranged attacks. The armor class bonus drops to -3 at 17 Dex. At 19 Dex, you receive no additional Armor Class bonus, but your bonus to hit with ranged attacks goes up to +3.
● All classes benefit from a high dexterity, because all classes benefit from a low Armor Class. The lower your armor class, the less often you are hit.

CONSTITUTION

● Constitution improves your total HP per level. At very high Constitution scores, you will also automatically begin regenerating health.
● Only Warrior classes (Paladin/Ranger/Fighter) benefit from a Constitution higher than 16.
● A Con as low as 7 and as high as 14 is neutral, and gives no bonuses or penalties.
● At Con 20 and higher, a character begins regenerating health automatically, with 1 HP every turn at Con 20, 2 HP at Con 21, 3 HP at Con 22, and so forth.

INTELLIGENCE

● Intelligence is important to Mages and Bards. It also improves Lore at high levels.
● Mages require an 18 Intelligence in order to learn Level 9 spells. A mage with an Intelligence of 18 can cast 18 spells a day. The spell limit disappears at 19 Intelligence. An Intelligence higher than 19 provides no meaningful bonuses, other than small, incremental improvements in Lore.
● At 18 Intelligence, a character gains a +10 bonus to Lore, permanently. Bards therefore benefit from a high Intelligence, owing to their need to memorize spells, and their dependence on Lore to identify items.
● Intelligence has no utility for any other class, but may open up certain dialogue options in the game.

WISDOM

● Wisdom is important to Priests and Druids, and any Multiclass that includes Priest or Druid.
● Wisdom determines bonus Priest spells per day, and also gives a small bonus to lore for all classes.
● Characters with a Wisdom of 9 or lower receive a penalty to Lore. Be careful if you decide to take away too many points from a Bard's Wisdom.
● Priests and Druids gain bonus spells as early as 13 Wisdom. An 18 Wisdom is required in order to get a bonus 4th level spell.

CHARISMA

● The Charisma of the party leader is used to calculate all item prices at shops.
● Charisma also determines Reaction rolls, which are invisible internal rolls that may influence the way some NPCs respond to you. Some dialogue options also open up with high Charisma.
● Charisma is the primary stat of Paladins, Bards and Druids; therefore, these classes make good party leaders.
● Reaction penalties begin at Charisma 9. Reaction bonuses begin at Charisma 13. At Charisma 18, a character has a +5 to reaction, and shops at 85% full price. Price discounts cap at 75%, at Charisma 20.

Alignment

Alignment reflects the sum of your character's attitudes, philosophies and general sense of right and wrong. Alignment is defined by an axis, with Good and Evil on one side, and Law and Chaos on another. Generally speaking, your character can be any Alignment you choose, and your Alignment will affect your starting Reputation. Some classes include Alignment restrictions.

● Note that Paladins and Rangers will permanently lose their abilities and "fall," if their reputation drops too low. If you play a Paladin or a Ranger, don't do evil things.

Dual Classing Options

In an unmodded game, humans are the only race capable of Dual Classing. Dual Classing is a risky strategy and requires a fair bit of planning and literacy in the game. It's easy to mess up Dual Classing if you don't know what you're doing. So in case you don't, this is how it works:

A human can dual class by stopping all progression in a current class and picking up a second one. You start over at level 1 with your second class, and your original class is inactive until the level of your second class exceeds the level of your first class.

Example: You reach level 6 as a Kensai, and you decide to dual class into a Thief. You are now a Level 1 Thief, with none of your original Kensai abilities. When you hit Level 7 as a thief, your Kensai abilities return, and you become a Kensai 6/Thief 7. At this point, you do not split your XP, but continue on as a thief.

This means that if you decide to Dual Class too late into the game, you may never earn enough XP to exceed your original class. That said, here are a few popular and effective Dual Class combinations:

Kensai/Mage: Combines the AC bonuses, to-hit bonuses and damage bonuses of the Kensai with the spellcasting of a mage. Mages don't wear armor anyway, and simple Mage spells like Armor and Haste can dramatically reduce--even eliminate--the penalties of going unarmored as a Kensai.

Kensai/Thief: Similar in concept to Kensai/Mage, Kensai/Thief is a little easier to Dual Class, because you don't need an INT of 17. Having a high DEX is enough. Kensai/Thief also cannot wear armor, but they trade the armor for much higher backstab damage and excellent combat prowess.

Beast Master/Cleric: At Level 12, a Beast Master has a broad selection of Druid Spells, as well as all three Animal Summoning spells. Dual class to Cleric and boast a huge selection of Divine spells--both Cleric and Druid. Specialize in Sling or Club or Staff.

Swashbuckler/Mage or Swashbuckler/Cleric: Similar in concept to Kensai/Mage, but with a Swashbuckler's shorter XP curve. Swashbucklers gain fighter-like bonuses to hit and damage, as well as an innate bonus to their AC. Swashbuckler to-hit bonuses also apply to Shortbows, Slings and Crossbows if you choose to go that route.

Berserker/Cleric or Berserker/Druid: A beefier version of a Cleric with a few levels of Berserker, mostly to pick up the Rage ability. Here, Rage is used defensively for its immunity effects, rendering you immune to mind control, charm, sleep, stun, confusion and similar debilitations. Dual Class at Level 7 for the additional 1/2 attack, or at Level 9.

TIP

If you want to screw around with Dual Classing, start a new game with 2-4 humans. Play all the way through Easthaven. You should hit level 3 or 4 by the end of it. Dual Class, then export your characters and start over with the same team. Play through Easthaven again until you reach a level higher than your original class. This should allow you to at least get a sense of how Dual Classing works.

Additional Reading

Beamdog has published a complete and comprehensive manual of all things Icewind Dale. The PDF is available HERE.

[Moons Mountain]

beat the game with one sorceror, what on helplessly easy mode? My disparaging decreases in difficulty level didn't match my original fevor. In fact damn that band of sorcerors underground and their distance rampard

[daledoin1977]

i only wish they added all the 3e races and classes!!!

[Katalmach]

Dude, you rock!! I started playing D&D when I was about 12 years old, in 2004, a few years after 3.5 edition came out. I've never ever been able to get my hands on a 2nd Ed. rule book and this game as well as the old Baldur's Gate series has always made me struggle, not understanding how the ability points worked in those additions. Please write more guides!

[ElderSoul]

Thank you so much, I have been struggling with getting into this game. I never got to play older classics like this and I miss the depth they have compared to much newer games. Again thank you.

[Murder]

Wow, this is great. I've played through every game from Baldur's Gate to Neverwinter Nights 2 (and the more recent Sword Coast Legends if you can count that) and some of this is new to me. I didn't realize the stat bonuses/negatives were so different in IWD. I think I've been on 3.5 rules for too long haha.

[RoboGerbil]

Half-Orc can also be a cleric/thief, not just gnome. With a 19 strength that cleric/thief becomes a powerhouse in melee. Also in Icewind dale, consider building a cleric/mage, as you will get some +2 elven chain around lv 6 making her become fairly tanky for a caster.

[어제먹은상한빵]

Thank you so much.

[Quarterblack]

Thanks for the awesome guide!

[jojobe]

Awesome!!!

[Ancient Toaster]

Nice read