Creating your Character (Choosing a race)

Chapter 3: Creating your Character (Choosing a race)

Humans aren't the only intelligent race in Faerun: They're simply the most numerous. And Baldur's Gate wouldn't be much of a game if it didn't present a staggering array of decisions to make when designing your character: The more choices you have, the better able you are to create exactly the type of character you want, and the less likely it is that your character will be just like everyone else's. The races available to choose for your main character are: Human, Half-Elf, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome, and Half-Orc. The table that shows which classes are available to what races may be found here.

Humans are best known for their versatility: They are the only race that can take every class and kit (if you don't know what classes and kits are, you should probably read Chapter 4, and then come back here). Humans can put up to 18 points (the standard amount) into each of their stats at Character Creation. Humans recieve no bonuses to their Saving Throws, or Thieving skills. Humans' biggest benefit is that they are the only race that can Dual-class, which is discussed in Chapter 5.

Half-Elves are very like Humans in that they can take almost every class, and can also go as high as 18 in each of their stats. They do, however, have better Thieving skills and slightly better Saving Throws (the game says they're a bit more resistant to Sleep & Charm spells).

Elves are a very popular race to play; they're allowed to put as many as 19 points into Dexterity, which augments their formidable Thieving skills, and also improves their aim with ranged weapons. Elves enjoy bonuses with the Bow and Long Sword: They get -1 to their THAC0 and +1 to damage when using these weapons. The drawback to being an Elf is that you can only put 17 points into Constitution, which could have a negative impact on your hitpoints.

Dwarves are the exact opposite of Elves: They get a +1 bonus to their Constitution, which means a Dwarven Fighter could get as many as 15 hp per level, excellent for Tank on the front lines. The downside is that they can only go as high as 17 Dexterity, which hurts their Armor Class (a bit), their Thieving abilities, and their aim. Dwarves get excellent Saving Throws, especially Death and Spells (the 2 most important ones). Dwarves also take a -1 penalty to their Charisma. Oddly enough, they do not get combat bonuses with the Axe and Warhammer, the way Elves do with Bows and Long Swords, even though there's nothing more stereotypical than a Dwarf with his Axe. A note of warning: Don't play a Female Dwarf or Gnome in BG1. According to Forgotten Realms lore, the women of these races can grow beards just as well as the men, and the BG designers took this into account by making the "paper

doll" in the Inventory screen and the sprite set look exactly the same�beard, mustache, codpiece and all. And the last thing you need is to be marching up & down the Sword Coast with gender issues.

Halflings are most commonly used as Thieves: Their ceiling of 19 Dexterity means a boost to their Thieving skills, which were already the best in the game. They enjoy +1 to hit and damage bonuses when using a Sling, so they make good Clerics as well, even with the -1 penalty to their Wisdom. They take a -1 to their Strength as well, but to a Thief or Cleric, the difference between 17 and 18 Strength is negligible.

Gnomes are the most overlooked race: Pretty much the only things special about them is that they're the only race that can be a Multiclassed Cleric/Thief in BG1, and the only race that can be a Multiclassed Specialist Mage. (Gnomes cannot be a straight Mage; they all become Illusionists by default, even when Multiclassed. So, where an Elf or Half-Elf would be a Fighter/Mage, a Gnome would be a Fighter/Illusionist.) Gnomes can get 18's in Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, and they also have good Saving Throws, so a pure Gnomish Fighter is not a bad choice, and they make good Thieves, to boot. Gnomes get a +1 bonus to their Intelligence, but -1 to their Wisdom.

Half-Orcs are arguably the best race for a Tank: They can get the same 19 Constitution that a Dwarf can, but they also get a +1 bonus to their Strength, which can be brutal on a Tank, and they don't have the Dwarf's -1 Dexterity penalty which weakens their AC. However, a Dwarf has much better Saving Throws (Half-Orcs get the same Saving Throw and Thieving bonuses that Humans do�none at all). So which is better? You make the call. Half-Orcs take a -1 penalty to their Intelligence (who cares, they can't be Wizards or Bards anyway), and -2 to their Charisma.

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