Hi NWN community.

Just a quick bit of info before getting to the point.

I've just downloaded and installed NWN 2 and while I've played many RPG's, I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to general gaming ability. I’m prefer progress over epic-strategic battles and get easily frustrated if I’m struggling due to only being able to play in 30-45 minute bursts.

When it comes to character creation, I would like to build a dexterous, charismatic and reasonably strong elf. As I proceed, I focus on a ranger and bows, a little magic and an affiliation to nature.

With that in mind I’d like to know if: On the “easy” setting, is progress severely hindered by not having the right kind of character build? So, can I pretty much create a character that I want without having to allow for what is suitable to progress (relatively effortlessly)?

The reason I ask is because I've seen recommended character builds for rangers/paladins/wizards etc on various gaming sites.

Thanks for any feedback - it's much appreciated.

You certainly will be able to finish the game. Neverwinter Nights 2 has a well-rounded roster of recruitable NPC's, and they can win the game with or without you. That said, you may feel your own character is lagging behind and having a stronger character will make the game easier. It is entirely possible to end up as a dead weight being carried by the more competent party members.

The one thing to keep in mind is that you can't be good at everything. You only have a limited pool with which to select your starting stats, and when you multi-class it's a conscious choice to trade off some benefits to gain other benefits. Be very mindful when multi-classing with spellcasters, as this is one of the easiest ways to create a jack of all trades who is good at none of them.

The biggest difference with the lower difficulties in NWN is that spells don't cause any friendly-fire. Take full advantage of this and have your spellcasters use nasty spells in the middle of a frantic melee.

The NWN2 OC is pretty gentle and also provides you with plenty of companions who can hold their own just fine even if your character just sits back and does nothing. Also, from your proposed character build I'm guessing you're planning to go straight up Ranger, which will have decent killing power unless you really manage to screw it up. Pure classes in general are pretty difficult to screw up, it's mainly weird multiclassing combinations that don't go well together that will cause trouble, or choosing really lousy stat allocations.

I have written this:
http://www.gog.com/forum/neverwinter_nights_series/beginners_guide_for_character_creation_in_nwn2
but it does not contain bows.

Sounds like you want to use a ranger (ranged specialisation)/ arcane archer.
You need (at least, but more will limit your fighting ability)1 level of wizard to qualify for the arcene archer (I think wizard is the favoured class of elfs, I have not played this some time.

edit: always have a melee weapon with you in case you run out of ammo or the enemies come close to you.

Rangers do get spellcasting of their own, and their spell list is more nature-oriented than a wizard. I'd say sticking pure ranger is more in his interest. Arcane Archer is a little weird; it requires you to have the ability to cast spells to qualify, but its combat style and progression table means you'll be so incompetent at spellcasting that you may as well ignore that you even have the capability. Take 1 level of wizard to qualify, then never look back.

If he really wants wizard spellcasting ability, my suggestion would be to just play straight wizard, take the martial weapon proficiency feat, and then go for the eldritch knight prestige class. Don't even bother taking levels in ranger in that case. Yes, wizard is the favored class of elves. That said, it'd still be possible to qualify for AA as a Ranger 3 / Fighter 2 / Sorcerer 2 and you'd never trigger an XP penalty regardless of race.

I’m not particularly fussed about multi-classing. I thought the spells would be useful to heal/protect rather than combat. If I can fill the gaps in my ability with NPC’s then that works for me. Yes – I did want to be a ranger. As mentioned above, I am happy not to multi-class. Thanks for the guide – it never ceases to amaze me how much time and effort people put in to helping others make a decent build. Is it possible to have a ranger than specialises in both melee and ranged weapons? Sorry if it’s a stupid question! I'm getting a bit lost. If I'm an elf/ranger, is it multi-classing to be a wizard as well? Also, can you explain what qualifying for AA as a ranger means?

Finally, thanks so much for all your feedback and suggestions.

As someone else mentioned, Rangers get some spellcasting, with their spell list mostly containing buffs, debuffs, and some healing and summoning. They don't pick up their first spell slot until level 6 and only get up to level 4 spells (first level 4 slot and level 15), so spells aren't something they'll be making much use of aside from a little extra boost in the tougher fights. For the Ranger combat styles feats, no. At level 2 you'll be given a choice between ranged combat style or two-weapon combat style, then depending on which one you pick you'll gain specific feats at certain levels (also, these feats only work if you're wearing light or no armor- use medium or heavy armor and they don't work anymore). You can find more info on this here. That said, there's nothing stopping you from taking feats to improve both ranged and melee; it'll just mean you won't be able to focus as much in either one, so they'll both be less effective than if you'd focused purely on one or the other. You can also focus mainly on one (say, bows), then just pick up one or two feats to support melee so that you could, say, whip out a greatsword whenever an enemy gets too close. Stat allocation can also benefit both ranged and melee. Dex is necessary for ranged, since it affects your attack bonus, but also provides armor class which is useful for both ranged and melee. Strength is quite important for melee, since it affects both attack bonus and damage bonus, but it can also provide a damage bonus to ranged characters as long as you're using a bow with the Mighty property. Any character that takes more than one class is considered to be multi-classed (so a ranger/wizard would be multiclassed). Multiclassed characters can end up with an experience penalty if the levels of the two classes are more than one level apart. If one of the classes is the favored class of the race you chose then that class doesn't count when determining if an experience penalty applies (the bottom line is that if you multiclass you want to chose a race with one of the classes as their favored class). As for what "qualifying for Arcane Archer" means, Arcane Archer is what's known as a prestige class, and prestige classes have certain requirements that must be met before you can take any levels in them. One of the requirements for Arcane Archer is the ability to cast 1st level arcane spells; since Rangers never acquire the ability to cast arcane spells (their spells are divine spells) you'd need to take a level in a different class (such as wizard) in order to meet this requirement. Also, as a side note, prestige classes don't count towards the multiclass experience penalty I mentioned earlier, so if you do take any prestige classes you don't need to worry about that.

No – in both cases it’s not information overload. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m getting it!

So, having considered your points, I think I’d like to pursue the Arcane Archer route. It’s fulfils the kind of character I want rather than just choosing a strong build for the sake of beating the game.

In the example provided of Ranger 3/Fighter 2/Sorcerer 2, what happens when I level up as I’d predominately like my main character to be a ranger. So when/if I reach level 8 and choose Ranger, do I then suffer the experience penalty as it’ll be Ranger 4/Fighter 2/Sorcerer 2? I get the feeling I’m missing something blindingly obvious….

Also, do I get to choose how my NPC’s level up as well or is that outside my control? Again, my preference rather than choosing a “best build” would be for each NPC follow a single class.

I must be coming across as a complete numpty but want to make the most of the game rather than regretting an irreversible choice. Thanks for being so patient with me and I genuinely appreciate the time you’re putting in to explain this all in layman’s terms.

Yes, because your Ranger class is more than one level apart from your other base classes. You cannot choose the class of the NPCs (except in one specific case, but I'm not going to spoil it), but you can choose their skills, feats, and spells. Nothing wrong with asking lots of questions. It's better than having to constantly restart, because you're not satisfied with your choices.

Keep in mind that the Arcane Archer has very, very weak spellcasting abilities. The class is a bit weird that way; it requires you to be a spellcaster to qualify, but it doesn't do anything to improve your spellcasting abilities whatsoever. That said, it does give you some nice abilities that improve your arrows. I'd be remiss not to mention the Eldritch Knight prestige class. You will be a bit weaker in combat with this prestige class, and you won't get the special archery-specific abilities that the Arcane Archer gets, but you'll have exceptional spellcasting ability if you take this path.


If you want to be an Arcane Archer, I would recommend taking six levels of either Ranger or Fighter, and then one level of wizard. Ensure you take the point blank shot and weapon focus (longbow) feats, as those are necessary to qualify.

If you want to be an Eldritch Knight, I would recommend playing as a Wizard (I'd recommend an illusion specialist, personally) and take the "martial weapon proficiency" feat. With a decent dexterity score, your wizard will be a very competent archer even without having multi-classed. You will take 5 levels of wizard, and then you will begin progression as an eldritch knight.

Nothing wrong with just sticking with a straight Ranger either; as mentioned earlier they're great archers and have some simple spellcasting at their disposal at higher levels.

Another option is the Bard. He's very charismatic, he's got magical abilities, he's decent in combat, and all-around the most versatile class. An Elf Bard could be a good fit for you. Yes, the Ranger is 2 levels higher than both Fighter and Sorcerer, so he would suffer an experience penalty. If any of your classes are more than 1 level apart, and they are not your favored class or prestige class, you suffer an XP penalty.

Note that humans and half-elves treat their highest-level class as their favored class. In this combination, they would treat Ranger as their favored class, so they'd still be alright. Each NPC will choose their own class, but you get to pick everything else. So the Sorceress will always be a Sorceress, but you can choose which skills, spells and feats she learns.

Speaking of which: the most powerful weapon in the game is a warhammer that's only usable by dwarves. Make sure to specialize the dwarven fighter NPC in warhammers.

To toss out another build option, if you have the expansions installed you might consider going with a mix of Ranger and Favored Soul. Ranger with ranged combat style will give you some good feats for archery, while Favored Soul will give you divine spellcasting (plenty of buffs and healing). Also, if you choose the right deity for Favored Soul (Shevarash or Solonor Thelandira) then you'll automatically get Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in Longbow as you level up. And since Favored Soul spellcasting is Charisma based it would fit well with your desire to have a charismatic character.

Wow - thank you guys.

The "jack of all trades, master of none" is not a route I now want to take based on the excellent information provided throughout this thread. I know that's a shift from my original stance but with all feedback, it means that I still "want" this new build rather than a "should have" build - a factor that is important to me. It also means that I won't play for 10 hours before regretting a character choice along the way.

I think I'll ditch the spellcasting since it’s half-hearted (i.e pretty weak spells) when my priority is to have an Elf/Ranger. I hope I can have an NPC who will provide all the spells I’ll need.

Thanks for the advice regarding Dwarven warhammers. I don’t consider that a spoiler and again, it just means that I’ll progress by getting the best out of the game. Any other similar advice which is not quest-specific would be much appreciated.

Thanks for doing all you can to find a way to meet my original build request. As mentioned I will ditch the spellcasting and probably the charisma based character. To be a further pain, what if I decided I want to be a ranger who’s capable with both ranged and melee weapons? Would I be sacrificing my overall character strengths by choosing two abilities?

Finally, I’m so sorry if it seems that I’m throwing all advice back in your face. On the contrary, your suggestions have done quite the opposite and have really set me up to get the very most out of the game, in the way I want to play it.

You can. There is both a Wizard and Sorcerer NPC available in the game and they both are pretty decent spell chuckers. There's also a Bard, but they don't have the arsenal of the other two classes.
I played a Ranger through the original game and MotB. I took a level of FTR to add some oomph (and feats), which might be something to consider for your build. Of course, you'll be looking at an XP penalty unless you choose Wood Elf (favored class is Ranger).

Anyway, if you pick up a couple Fighter levels, you'll get a couple extra feats, which will help with your desire to go with both melee and ranged (you can choose melee-oriented feats as your bonus Fighter feats). Something to consider if you're going with a high DEX Ranger is to grab the Weapon Finesse feat and use a light weapon. This will add your DEX bonus to your AB with your melee weapon (although it does not augment damage).

It's been a while since I've played the game, so if I've missed something in my advice, I apologize in advance but I'm sure someone else can clear it up.

Dexterous, charismatic ranger elf. I've got a few ideas for that. Basically, a feint ranger with PTWF would make sense.

Rangers get a bonus to their bluff skill versus their favored enemies, so even if you're playing on non-Kaedrin's PrC pack you can get it to a decent level. Just make sure to get it really high, due to how feint works you need to specialize in it quite a bit for it to work reasonably well.

Race choice for such a build would have to either be wood elf or half elf(they get a feint boost).

Since rangers get the TWF feats for free, you could go strength based(many do). if you do though, you'll want at least 16 DEX at character creation since rangers can't use medium or heavy armor.

Particular class split wthat I would recommend looking into would be cleric 1 / shadowdancer 1 / warlock 1/ ranger rest of levels. The cleric levels give you two domains, trickery gives you the feint feat for cheap and the darkness domain can give you blindfight. The warlock level is incredibly useful in this case because of beguiling influence. Beguiling influence gives you +6 to bluff, diplomacy, and intimidate for 24h. Its twice more than any feat can give you in the game. Shadowdancer is simply for HiPS, which is probably the single most powerful feat in the game, esp in the OC.


Now, if you just want a archer character you already have some options, just wanted to put this one out.