User:Cement Plant

All of the following concerns Enhanced Edition version of the game unless otherwise noted. Beware spoilers.

Links
Dudleyville A thorough walkthrough of Baldur's Gate, especially notable for maps with all traps and spawn points highlighted making Baldur's Gate's oldschool dungeons significantly less painful. Based off of vanilla game but still very relevant.

Play It Hardcore Absolutely packed with distilled information from both games, and fully up to date with EE.

BG:EE Walkthrough
This is basically my path through the entire Baldur's Gate with TotSC. My main goal when creating it was to be both completionist and compact. Completionist because when I play the game I want to visit every area and fully explore it, kill all enemies, disarm all traps, open all locks, and pickpocket what I can(see the note below) Compact, because I wanted the keep the amount of backtracking to a minimum. I also wanted the walkthrough itself to be concise, relying on the wiki links rather than me explaining everything.

While the walkthrough itself is written from the perspective of a solo female Elf F/M/T, there's of course no reason why you couldn't use it when playing with a party, and the path I take through the game is actually very canon party friendly. I still list locations of all the NPCs, and in case of Enhanced Edition NPCs, I make notes about their quests when they appear.

Take heed that the walkthrough tends to be powergamey in nature. It generally focuses on the most optimal results from the point of view of XP first and loot second, with actual roleplaying a distant third. For 99% of the game this doesn't matter as the most optimal way is the good way anyway. Hovewer you will see me killing random neutrals sometimes if there's no Reputation loss for it, and in few specific cases I kill neutrals even though there is a Reputation loss for it. Whether you actually follow through with it yourself is, of course, up to you.

Note about pickpocketing. Ever since EE 2.0 rolled out it's impossible to do a completionist pickpocket run, as Phlydia in Candlekeep Prologue requires 80 pickpocket to grab her Gold Necklace, and you cannot kill her for it. Even if you could get 80 Pick Pockets on character creation, you couldn't get 80 pickpocket and 60 Open Locks that is required for the Star Sapphire chest in Candlekeep Inn. Because of this, I had to downgrade the "completionist pickpocket run" to "completionist 50 pickpocket run". In other words, we'll get 50 pickpocket ASAP and get everything we can with that value.

Also note that if the pickpocket target has a Pickpocket score of his own, it seems there is some opposite pickpocket skill check involved. In that case, at least with Pickpocket 50, you will always fail the attempt.

Character Creation and Prologue
As a Mage pick Find Familiar, otherwise you won't get it until you kill Nimbul. Sleep is the best combat spell in Baldur's Gate so you probably want it too.

As a Thief you need 60 Open Locks to open the Star Sapphire Chest in Candlekeep Inn upstairs. Any Thief with maxed out Dexterity can reach that value. Only Halflings with 19 Dexterity can get both 60 Open Locks and 50 Pick Pocket hovewer. Other races will have to improvise with some murder.

AR2600 Candlekeep Prologue

Even though the game wants you to go clockwise it's actually more optimal to go counter-clockwise starting with the Candlekeep Inn. I recommend exploring areas counter-clockwise in general, from outside in. This is the order in which I list things in wilderness areas.

Talk to Firebead Elvenhair exactly thirty times(this includes his initial dialogue) to get the hidden 300 gold. Talk to the Nobleman in the room in the back and ask about the jewelry. If you manage a good Reaction - which at this point means having really high Charisma - it will add some extra loot to the Star Sapphire chest upstairs.

Upstairs, loot everything. To get the stuff from the chest watched by the Nobleman, either knock him out with your fist or steal then Hide in Shadows past the summoned guard. You'll not be coming back here so it doesn't matter(Even when you come back to Candlekeep in Chapter 6, it's actually a different area as far as game is concerned)

Now, after selling the gems and with the Firebead's 300 gold, you should have more money than you know what to do with. Buy all the gear you need and don't forget the bolts.

Bring bolts to Fuller, grab the Antidote and Long Sword from the chest. Kill Carbos(who does not even deserve a wiki link) in the Bunkhouse. In Infirmary, ask Priest of Oghma for the Potion and loot another from the locked desk. Give Hull his sword and turn to Inner Grounds. Catch Tethtoril who is running around the keep for the Identify scroll, clear Reevor's Storehouse from rats, grab Phlydia's book from the haystack and kill Shank in Priest's Quarters. Bring the book to Phlydia, the Identify scroll to Firebead, and make your final sales/purchases in the Inn. Finally, drop the Antidote to Dreppin.

The only valid target for our Pickpocket 50 completionist run here is the Priest of Oghma in the Infirmary. If you don't have the required 50 Pick Pockets and you probably don't, just kill him and take the potion, then buy your Reputation back up to 8 in the Temple.

Talk to Gorion and off we go.

Friendly Arm Inn and Beregost
Our first priority is to get XP and therefore Thief levels to get our Pick Pocket to 50 - so that we can stop murdering people for their pocket change - and our Open Locks to 65(required in Friendly Arm Inn) and then Open Locks to 85 and Find Traps to 20(both required in Beregost) Because there's not enough XP to reliably get F/M/T a Thief level by the time you're finished with FAI, for now we'll use the "XP now, loot later" strategy. We have to go back to FAI at least once to finish all the quests there anyway.

AR2700 Lion's Way

Imoen immediately hails you, and Xzar and Montaron are not far ahead. Loot the Ambush Site and grab the diamond in the tree. Not much to this area other than some Black Bears which give okay XP at this stage in the game.

AR2800 Coast Way

The Ogre who has two important items we need: Elves' Bane which is a quest item and Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity. Some things in BG can only be done by MALE characters, so if you're soloing a female character or run an all-female party keep the Girdle! Ring of the Princes can be found in one of the rocks.

In Enhanced Edition 2.5, the raided Caravan south-east from the center of the map has been touched up with some minor loot. Remember this one as we'll be coming back here with Kagain later.

AR2300 Friendly Arm Inn

Grab Joia's quest and kill the Hobgoblins first. Pick up Evermemory. Beware Tarnesh the Terrible, Slayer of Bhaalspawn. Joia is actually worth 900XP, though it's extremely hard to kill her without some kind of disabling spell(such as Charm Person) It's also kind of a waste as we just got a rep point from her.

In the Inn, talk to Dorn Il-Khan if you want to recruit him later, otherwise you can kill him for his sword which is worth quite a bit. Meet with Khalid and Jaheira, turn in the Elves' Bane to Unshey, grab the quest from Landrin and solve the Golden Pantaloons Decision hovewer you want(I'd just take the XP) As I said, we're not looting anything yet, so it's time to bug out.

AR3300 Beregost and AR3400 Temple

First things first: go south-east and find Neera standing in the shadow of House 23(Dudleyville map ) If you don't care about her you can skip the entire encounter with a backstab.

From here it's time to start grabbing quests and solving them in order from least dangerous. Hit on Mirianne, chat with Bjornin and Gurke in Jovial Juggler, get Firebead Elvenhair the book he wants and talk down Marl(1, 1, 3, 3, 1) You should have gone up a Thief level at this point, so get your Pickpocket to 50 and immediately use it on Marl for minor treasure and on Algernon for his cloak. You can also pickpocket quest rewards from Bjornin and Mirianne in advance. With extra Charisma given by the cloak, now is a good time to make your first purchases.

You might notice that title of this section mentions the Temple. While I don't recommend clearing the entire area right now - not impossible, but would require far more reloading than I'm comfortable with - you can pickpocket Kelddath Ormlyr and his Sirines, and more importantly there's two poor sods in the Vestibule that no one will miss worth a nice chunk of XP.

Lose 15 gold to Zhurlong in Burning Wizard - don't worry, he'll get what's coming to him later - then find Garrick and solve the "Silke's Dilemma" by killing her AND the Feldepost's "Thugs" for minor XP but nice loot. If you want to recruit Garrick for whatever reason, do so before killing them. Since we're standing next to it, enter Red Sheaf, dispose of Karlat and grab the quest from Perdue.

The encounter with Landrin's Spiders is made significantly easier in Enhanced Edition because you can now travel between areas without breaking your stealth. Hide in Shadows outside, enter, backstab one of the Spiders, then position yourself in the doorway to the room on the right and you'll only have to face one at a time. If you're playing with a party, take advantage of the fact that in EE enemies can travel through doors; lure them outside and let the arrows/bullets fly.

We're not looting yet, so grab Kagain and off we go.

AR2800 Coast Way

Stopping here on the way to Friendly Arm Inn to lead Kagain to the raided Caravan I mentioned before. Finally, after twenty years, we can finish his quest. Yeah, I know it's been a part of the Unfinished Business mod since forever, but now it's official. Get your "30 gold per head" as promised then leave him there to ponder the misery his mercenary ways have wrought.

AR2300 Friendly Arm Inn Revisited

Turn in Landrin's quest in and loot the place from top to bottom. You won't be coming back to any of the upper floors, so feel free to beat up whoever you need to steal in peace. Pickpocket Gellana Mirrorshade or don't, the potions are a quest reward anyway. Bentley Mirrorshade seems to be one of the targets that you're supposed to be able to pickpocket, but cannot because he's got a Pickpocket score.

AR3300 Beregost Revisited

Just as with Friendly Arm, it's time to loot everything since you should have your Thief level 3 by now. To safely get the Bastard Sword +1 from the chest in Thunderhammer Smithy you'll need to visit it at night(After hour 22) You can pickpocket Gerard Travenhurst for a gold ring.

Road to Nashkel and Chapter 2
Note about thieving skills: ultimately, you will want 100 Open Locks and 110 Find Traps(in Durlag's Tower, so very far away from now) If CHARNAME is your Thief, remember that the Manual of Quickness of Action will give you one point of Dexterity and therefore +5% to all thieving skills, so the actual values you should aim for now are 95 and 105 respectively.

AR3800 South Beregost Road

Mirianne's Letter and Zhurlong's Boots are the two quest-related items here. Talk to Bub Snikt then kill him as he tries to walk away just because you can. Raid the cave.

In Ehnanced Edition, the single Flaming Fist soldier that accuses you of banditry has been upgraded to three. I think Beamdog's intent was to make getting a free Plate Mail harder, but in practice you just get three Plate Mails instead of one. Nice.

AR4300 North Nashkel Road

A quest of sorts added in Enhanced Edition starts here. In the Hobgoblin camp at the bottom of the cliff you'll find the Colquetle's Family Amulet, to be turned into Reputation and some XP back at Beregost.

If your party size and levels are high enough it's possible to encounter a Vampiric Wolf here at night, your first enemy that can only be damaged with magic weapons.

AR4800 Nashkel

Rasaad cannot be killed without the entire town turning hostile, but unlike other BG:EE NPCs does not bother you. Taris, part of Dorn's questline, can be pickpocketed. Inside the Nashkel Inn, Neira will try to stop you from resting and getting your first dream/power. Pickpocket Berrun Ghastkill then use the Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity to get free Reputation from Oublek, also ask him about outstanding bounties. You can detransition at the temple. Obviously male characters can just talk to him normally.

Meet Minsc and enter the Garrison. Threaten the soldier then pickpocket him before he leaves. Pickpocket the other two soldiers too, then aggro and Sleep them to loot the chests. The patrol walking up and down the town can also be pickpocketed for minor loot, but you have to chase them around. Once you're done with Nashkel quests you can use Daer'Ragh's Phoenix Guard to kill them "remotely", saving you the trouble.

Loot the Manor House then grab the quest from Joseph's Wife. You can't loot the chest in her house... yet. Find Edwin Odesseiron on the bridge, then pester Noober until he coughs up the XP. Loot the remaining two houses and don't forget the Ankheg Plate Mail.

AR4900 Nashkel Carnival

The Great Gazib can be pickpocketed for some spells before you deal with The Amazing Oopah. The unnamed potion Merchant can be pickpocketed for his unique mixtures instead of buying them, and don't forget to raid his chests too. Kill Vitiare. Save Bentha(1, 1) but pickpocket her before talking to her for both rewards. Pickpocket Zeke for the Stone to Flesh scroll and unpetrify Branwen - or don't, you get nothing out of it and the scroll will be useful later. Loot the remaining chests and tents.

Journey to the Gnoll Stronghold
AR4700 Xvart Village

Do you hate Xvarts? You will. Nexlit the Xvart will hail you and summon a named Cave Bear... which has a tandency to attack the Xvarts themselves, so don't let it steal your XP. There's another Cave Bear and loot in the cave. Finally, you can provoke Borda into attacking you but watch out for his magic resistance.

AR4600 Bear River

Neville will spawn some archer Hobgoblins for you. The northern bridge is heavily guarded by Ogre Berserkers and Hobgoblin Elites, so proceed with caution. Laurel will spawn some Gibberlings for you. Watch out for her as she has no helmet so she can go down to crits. Bother the Hungry Hungry Ogre until he attacks. Kill bear at the southern bridge then talk to Jared. If he doesn't cough up Boots of the North, pickpocket them.

AR5100 Gnoll Stronghold

Gnarl and Hairtooth have Gauntlets of Dexterity - useless to solo players but always useful for NPCs. Rescue and recruit Dynaheir for 800XP(don't worry, it's party XP so you get it all even when soloing) then raid the three caves for XP and loot including the Tome of Leadership and Influence.

AR5200 Dryad Falls

Grab the Dead Cat from the bottom of the waterfall. Who knows when a dead cat will come in handy? Ludrug and his friends want your money - tell them you have no money, win the challenge then kill them anyway. Ingot will tell you about Dynaheir, which is useless advice and therefore you should kill him. Pickpocket Drienne for both rewards then give her the Dead Cat. There's a Dire Wolf guarding the loot in the cave. Pickpocket Dryad of the Cloud Peaks for both rewards then kill the rednecks.

AR5300 Fire Leaf Forest

The ancient reference of Larry, Darryl and Darryl will give you an autograph if you ask. Pull Sendai of Amn away from her archer goons, then melee the goons. Grab Chromatic Orb and Cloudkill just lying on the ground. Talk to Albert but kill Rufie instead. Pull Vax then sneak in to kill his buddy Zal in melee.

Nashkel Mines and Chapter 3
AR4800 Nashkel

Empty your inventory and off we go to Nashkel Mines.

AR5400 Nashkel Mines topside

Grab the Wand of Frost in the dead tree then raid the Warehouse. Prism was updated in Enhanced Edition 2.5 in several ways. First, Greywolf does not attack you immediately after the convo is over and if you move away he will attack Prism instead - this also gives you time to save the game before the combat begins. Second, Prism actually puts the Emeralds into the statue's eyes which even has its own graphics effect, but unlike the Unfinished Business mod you lose no Reputation for taking them out. Third, you can pickpocket the Emeralds before defending Prism in which case he lives! Unless you kill him as he leaves that is(35XP, no rep loss)

Galtok will summon some Kobolds for you, then you can kill him. Dandal can be pickpocketed for minor loot.

AR5401 Nashkel Mines Level 1

Refer to Dudleyville maps for Nashkel Mines, especially Level 3 as it's the one with traps. Be on the lookout for Contaminated Iron and a Vial of Mysterious Liquid, you'll need one of each. Dink gives you a dagger to take to Kylee.

AR5402 Nashkel Mines Level 2

You can save Beldin by retreating back into the entrance before he talks to you, so that the Kobolds he summons don't see him. Give Kylee his dagger.

AR5403 Nashkel Mines Level 3

Joseph's Greenstone Ring is right by the entrance.

AR5404 Nashkel Mines Level 4

Xan is here, as is Mulahey. He will spawn Kobolds and Skeletons when attacked, and again if you let him surrender. Kill everything and loot the chest, which starts Chapter 3. You can now rest here. Go back to the flooded cave and exit east. This is a one-way shortcut.

AR5000 Valley of the Tombs

We're skipping the area for now and going straight back to Nashkel.

Country Road to Beregost
AR4800 Nashkel

Give Joseph's Wife her husband's ring then immediately punch her until she loses consciousness and loot her house. Are we the bad guys? Turn in Mulahey's Holy Symbol to Berrun Ghastkill and Prism's Emeralds to Oublek. Nimbul awaits you on the way to the Inn. Rest to get your second dream/power if you haven't already.

AR4200 Fisherman's Lake

Kill the Half-Ogres for Bjornin.

The Gnolls will attack Drizzt if he's closer to them than you, but he won't attack them back until he speaks to you, and he won't speak to you until he enters your sight range. Keep Drizzt just out of your sight range killing all the Gnolls with ranged attacks while he tanks. Once you clear the area all around him, talk to him and offer your help. Don't talk to him again and just leave him there running around, as we'll want to kill him later.

The injured Hobgoblin that hails you can be intimidated into talking with 1, 3, 1. This gets you 200XP, then you can kill him anyway as walks away.

Pull Teyngan away from the group. Kill the mage at range then sneak in to melee the archer.

AR3700 Red Canyons

Say 1, 3, 1, 1 to Bassilus for all of his "family" to die instantly, making the fight significantly easier. Killing his family is worth more XP, of course, but I would only recommend it to parties with Turn Undead.

Pull Zargal then sneak in to kill his archer homies in melee.

Grab Melicamp.

AR3200 High Hedge

Visit the Thalantyr the Conjurer first, as carrying Melicamp is annoying. Save as the "Dechickeninator" can fail and you get nothing out of it. Don't forget to pickpocket him, and turn in the Vial of Mysterious Liquid. Kill Gnolls for Perdue's Short Sword, say hello to Kivan and loot the house. Permidion Stark is supposedly a pickpocket target, but he's got a Pickpocket score so you can't do anything to him.

AR3300 Beregost

Give Perdue his short sword, then kill him. Give Zhurlong his boots then kill him too. The letter goes to Mirianne, the amulet to Mr. Colquetle, good news to Bjornin, Contaminated Iron to Taerom Fuiruim and Bassilus's Holy Symbol to Kelddath Ormlyr in the Temple area.

Sword Coast Coast and Back to Nashkel
AR3100 Shipwreck's Coast

Rejoice solo players - Shoal the Nereid no longer instantly kills you! In Enhanced Edition 2.5 the kiss now drops you to 1HP, and you get a save roll against it too. The rest plays out the same: kill the Ogre-Mage then Shoal herself as she walks away for that sweet 5000XP. Bring Mad Arcand his cursed ring. The Surgeon will heal you for free, but you might want to leave it for after you battle the large Ogre femily just east of him. Either way, he can be killed without a reputation loss, or pickpocketed if you spare him.

AR3600 Lighthouse

Pallonia can be freely murdered. Make your way to Sil and into the Black Alaric's Cave. Flesh Golems are pretty brutal in melee and can only be damaged with magical weapons, so hope you have some Arrows +1 or Mirror Image memorized. Get your hard earned Manual of Bodily Health.

Solve Ardrouine's Worg problem. Safana only joins you if you're male but it doesn't get you anything. Keep pressing Arkushule for answers(2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1) and she attacks you.

AR4100 Archeological Site

Ba'ruk spawns some Kobolds for you. Ask Charleston Nib for extra pay(1, 1, 2, 3, 1) then pickpocket him anyway. Get inside, kill the diggers and grab the idol. Doomsayer is tough but does not have magic resitance, he is also susceptible to backstabs: backstab him, run into the tomb, hide in shadows, backstab him again when he enters, run outside, hide in shadows, backstab, etc. until he's dead.

Explore rest of this area. Antagonize Laryssa then kill her with ranged weapons. Loot her body quickly before Brage talks to you. Answer "Death" then teleport to Nashkel Temple.

The Long Road Back North
AR4800 Nashkel

Immediately after getting your reward for turning in Brage you can kill both him and Nalin as there's no reputation loss for either. Of course, that will lose you temple services in Nashkel but who really cares?

AR5000 Valley of the Tombs

Raid the Ghoul Tomb, then Ghast Tomb. Ghasts paralyze, so you might want to take the fight outside. Lamalha and her fellow assassins are waiting in the northern part of the map and work as a team so watch out. Take the dagger from Hentold and bring it to the Revenant in the tomb just to the east. Of course we're not going to part with the dagger, so kill him. The door-backstab strategy works well here, as does the Harrower you just picked up from Lamalha. Finally, ask Narcillicus Harwilliger Neen for a copy of his work and he will attack along with some Mustard Jellies.

AR5500 Gibberling Mountains

Part of Dorn Il-Khan's quest line is here. A Flaming First soldier will pester you about some guy you never heard about. There's Batalista's Passport stashed in the rock wall. Pickpocket Lena for her Jade Ring but don't talk to her yet. Hafiz can be talked into attacking you. Once the area is clear talk to Lena and agree to help Samuel. You now have 72 hours to get him to the Friendly Arm Inn.

AR4800 Nashkel

With Gift of Peace, Batalista's Passport and preferably some other gear such as Mage Robe of Fire Resistance and/or Potion of Fire Resistance - not to mention buffs - it is now a good time to start summoning the Phoenix Guard from Daer'Ragh and cleanse the town... if that's your thing.

AR3300 Beregost

Elminster will pester you again. Chloe will inform you about Officer Vai, the newly opened Bandit Scalp - Gold exchange. Kill Tranzig in Feldepost's Inn.

AR2300 Friendly Arm Inn

Hand over Samuel to Gellana Mirrorshade.

Running Around Wilderness Killing Bandits
AR2400 Peldvale

Kill Raiken and his bandits, then Ted. Viconia is here, and if you don't want her in your party the most optimal solution is to kill her and the Flaming Fist Officer. There's minor loot scattered in containers near the lakes.

AR3000 Spider Wood

There are Web traps in eastern part of this area so check Dudleyville. These traps "defend" a lair of various spiders, including a Wraith Spider which can only be damaged with magic weapons. Raid the Ettercap lair north of the spiders and bring the scroll to Fahrington. Kill Denak and his Thay cronies in the ruins in the center of the map.

AR2900 Larswood

Kill Osmadi then talk to Corsone and make him fess up(1, 2, 2, 2) then kill him as well. Baeloth Barrityl will appear near the ruined tower in the southern part of the map if your level is high enough, and it is. If you don't want to recruit him you should kill him. Kill Teven and his bandits.

AR3400 Temple

Fully exploring this time. As mentioned way earlier, there's a lair of wolves in the east-northeast part of the map, including a Vampiric Wolf. Cattack and his buddies make an excellent target for the Sleep spell. Galileus can be freely murdered.

Are We There Yet?
Rest and restock at Beregost, as this will be our longest(and hardest) road trip yet.

AR3900 Ulcaster

Furret triest to scam you so murder his face. The Hobgoblins in the center of the map are not relevant anymore. Get up on the plateau and kill Icharyd. Ghost of Ulcaster appears in the ruins, but only at night. Get down in the dungeon.

AR3901 Ulcaster Ruins

There's absolutely nothing to say about this area that Dudleyville doesn't already cover Once you kill and loot everything, return topside and give Ulcaster History of the Sisters of Light and Darkness. Some day...

AR4400 Lonely Peaks

Kill the Ogres guarding the container-corpse then turn in the quest to Sarhedra. Kill her as she walks away. Kill Arghain and his half-ogres. Raid the cave. Hulrik will ask you to protect his cow from Xvarts - if solo, use Sleep as otherwise you probably won't make it. Pull Ioin Gallchobhair away from his archer buddies then engage them in melee.

AR4500 Firewine Bridge

Pickpocket Bentan then Poe. Challenge Meilum for his Legacy of the Masters. Pressure Carsa(1, 1, 2, 2, 2) but be ready for a tough fight. When you're finished, it's time for everyone's favourite Firewine Ruins.

AR5201 Firewine Ruins

Again, rely on Dudleyville map to make the experience as painless as possible. There's a mini-quest here involving bringing the Undead Knight's armor to his fallen brethren. Be careful when fighting Lendarn and the Ogre Mage as Lightning Bolts in confined spaces can have hilariously disastrous results. Exit to Gullykin.

AR4000 Gullykin

Thievery Notes
In Enhanced Edition, it is now possible to move between areas when stealthed.

From patch 2.0 onwards, Pick Pocket now works on a threshold-based system in addition to die-roll system, just like Open Locks. This means that with low Pick Pocket you won't be able to steal some items period, no matter how many times you try. In BG the optimal value seems to be 50; that's how much you need to steal from the target's inventory and is enough for all the important things like Algernon's Cloak without wasting too much of your skill points. For detailed values check the Play It Hardcore site or below.

Because quicksaving and quickloading in EE is almost instantenous, it's much faster to reload on a failed Hide in Shadows rather than waiting full round(6 seconds) for the icon to reset. (Quick)loading resets your round timers and has high potential for abuse in general.

(Quick)loading also resets movements of wandering NPCs. For example, you might wait until the NPC wanders behind a pillar to break the line of sight, quicksave and quickload to stop their movement, and then steal from a container unnoticed.

In the world of Baldur's Gate thievery is a crime - but battery is not! If a container is in area you don't plan on revisiting again, and is watched only by a low-level NPC, you can simply unequip your weapon and punch them until they lose consciousness. Unconscious creatures have sight range of 0, so they won't see you stealing.

Not something new to EE, but the "Detect Illusions" skill will dispel any illusions of enemy mages when used. The chance of it happening is equal to the skill value in %. This means that with 100 Detect Illusion you only need to press that button for all the Blur, Mirror Images, (Greater) Invisibility, etc. to instantly disappear.

ThAC0 Notes
You need ThAC0 equal to enemy AC to hit them 95% of the time.

Most bosses or powerful creatures in BG2 and ToB have AC of around -10, often even less. For example Firkraag has base AC of -11, effective -12 with his 1 bonus from Dexterity. Mariliths have effective AC of -13. Kangaxx's second form has AC of -6. Even Drow Warriors have -7AC thanks to their ridiculous Full Plates +3 combined with 18 dexterity.

Martial classes' natural ThAC0 progression tops off at 0. So even after you get to that point, which in itself requires level 21, you're still hitting powerful enemies less than half the time. At this point you have three sources of ThAC0 left: strength bonus, weapon proficiency, and weapon enchantments.

Most characters will end up with Strength value of 19-20, which gives them -3 ThAC0 bonus. Grandmastery gives you another -3 bonus, Specialization only -1. And assuming a +5 weapon, that's another -5 bonus.

So the totals are, at level 21, given best case scenario: 0 -3 -3 -5 = -11 ThAC0. What is the not the best case scenario? Paladins, Rangers and multiclassed martial classes lose Granmastery bonus, meaning they get a total ThAC0 of -9. But the real losers here are dual classes.

Most people recommend dualing from Fighter at level 13, since that's when "Fighters stop gaining anything of importance anyway", and some radicals even go as low as level 7 to "not waste XP from your second class/get your Fighter abilities back faster". Well, if you dual at level 13, then your base ThAC0 will forever remain at big fat 8(unless you dualed to a Cleric who gets to 6 eventually) making your effective endgame ThAC0 -3. With that ThAC0 you're missing Mariliths 50% of the time, and Firkraag 40% of the time. Even the Drow Warrriors will avoid your attacks 20% of the time(before you consider Full Plate's innate AC bonuses against slashing/piercing damage)

While multiclasses miss out on Grandmastery, unless you're playing a F/M/T or F/M/C you will get to 0 base ThAC0, giving you -9 total ThAC0. The triple-class multiclasses will get to -6 total with the XP cap.

Weapon Notes
Weapon damage range matters little. Compare the lowly dagger(1d4 damage) with the two-handed sword(1d10 damage) The average damage per hit for the dagger is 2.5, the average damage per hit of the two-handed sword is 5.5, or over twice as much.

Hovewer once you add bonus damage from Strength(+7 at 19 Strength) and weapon proficiency(+2 damage at Specialized) then the average damage jumps to 11.5 and 14.5 for the dagger and two-handed sword respectively. The 120% damage advantage in the favour of the two-handed sword at "level 0" became only 26% damage advantage once you actually start adding the bonuses. And that's not even the best case scenario. If we assume the same 19 Strength(+7 damage) but with Grandmastery(+5 damage) and a +5 echanted weapon(+5 damage) then the totals for dagger and two-handed sword become 19.5 and 22.5 respectively, dropping the damage advantage of the two-handed sword down to measly 15.4%.

Speed factor is also mostly meaningless. It's supposed to decide how fast into your round you can attack, but is "overriden" by your APR(the game has to "squeeze in" your APR's worth of attacks into the 6-second round, making the first attack come earlier the more APR you have)

Damage type is of importance when you face enemies wearing any sort of armor, especially early in the saga. Generally speaking and from best to worst: crushing, piercing/missile, slashing.

Enchantment level is one of the most important features of a weapon, as it affects three things: damage, ThAC0, and the ability to damage an enemy at all. Baldur's Gate has its fair share of enemies immune to non-magical weapons, and in BG2/ToB some particularly tough cookies require +4 or better weapons to hit. That said, +3 is still enough to hit 99% of enemies in the saga.

Pickpocket Targets by Area
Legend: name, what, minimum skill needed, notes. "Killable" means the target is either hostile, will become hostile, or can be killed without repercussions(Reputation loss) "Quest Reward" means the item is given as reward for a quest.

Based on Play It Hardcore's Notable Pickpocket Targets list and this Wikia. Location names from Dudleyville.

AR0100 Baldur's Gate NW
 * Degrodel, Stone to Flesh Scroll x3, 10, given as part of his quest/killable
 * Degrodel, Stone to Flesh Scroll x3, 50, given as part of his quest/killable
 * Laerta, Protection from Evil, 50, quest reward
 * Voltine, Wand of Polymorphing, 50

AR0108 Ducal Palace
 * Duchess Liia Jannath, Ruby Ring, 50

AR0112 Undercellar
 * Krystin, Non-Detection/Protection from Normal Missiles/Skull Trap/Vampiric Touch, 10, killable
 * Krystin, Clairvoyance/Flame Arrow/Monster Summoning I, 50, killable
 * Krystin, Sling +1, 95, killable
 * Slythe, Potion of Master Thievery, 50, killable

AR0125 Temple of Bhaal
 * Semaj, Fireball/Vampiric Touch, 50, killable

AR0146 Thieves' Maze
 * Winski Perorate, Fireball/Vampiric Touch, 50, killable
 * Winski Perorate, Ring of Wizardry, 60, killable

AR0200 Baldur's Gate N
 * Duke Belt, Ruby Ring, 50
 * Bheren, Cloak of Protection +1, 50, possible quest reward
 * Drelik, Dire Charm, 50, killable
 * Jardak, Potion of Frost Giant Strength/Potion of Genius, 50, killable
 * Nantrin Bellowglyn, Star Diopside Gem, 50
 * Rinnie, Protection from Poison, 50, quest reward with good Reaction
 * Ramazith, Ring of Protection +2, 60, killable
 * Ramazith, Amulet of Metaspell Influence, 80, killable

AR0300 Baldur's Gate NE
 * Captain Tollar Kieres, Sea Charts, 10, quest reward
 * De'Tranion, De'Tranion Baalor Ale, 10, quest reward
 * Jacil, Potion of Healing, 50, killable
 * Marek, Potion of Freedom/Potion of Master Thievery/Marek's Portion of Antidote, 50, killable?/needs confirmation - likely version mismatch
 * Marek, Dagger +2, 95, killable?
 * Quenash, Cloak of Balduran, 50, quest reward
 * Brielbara, Gold Necklace, 80

AR0500 Durlag's Tower Exterior
 * Ike Cascadion Vendar, Dwarven Rune Wardstone, 50, requires you to buy his tour in Ulgoth's Beard and obtainable without pickpocketing when he is killed by the Demon Knight

AR0501 Durlag's Tower Basement
 * Bayard, Potion of Healing, 10

AR0504 Durlag's Tower Upper Level 3
 * Riggilo, Chrysoberyl Gem/Star Diopside Gem/Potion of Cloud Giant Strength, 50, killable?/The potion is a possible quest reward

AR0505 Durlag's Tower Upper Level 4
 * Kirinhale, Staff Spear +2/Lock of Hair from Kirinhale, 50, killable/Lock of hair given freely as part of quest

AR0513 Durlag's Tower Labyrinth L3
 * Meiala the Sirine, Pearl x2, 50, killable
 * Meiala the Sirine, Pearl Necklace, 80, killable

AR0600 Baldur's Gate W
 * Abela, Lock of Nymph's Hair, 50, possible quest reward
 * Be'land, Garnet Gem/Potion of Fire Resistance, 50
 * Brathlen, Potion of Healing, 50
 * Chanthalas Ulbright, Potion of Healing, Tome of Understanding, 50, latter is part of a quest
 * Ragefast, Wand of Paralyzation, 50, killable
 * Ragefast, Amulet of Protection +1, 80, killable
 * Varci Roaringhorn, Shield of the Falling Stars, 50, quest reward
 * Tremain Belde'ar, Flamedance Ring, 60

AR0613 Iron Throne Tower 3rd Floor
 * Nortuary, Ghoul Touch, 50, killable(say you're from Cormyr)

AR0615 Iron Throne Tower 5th Floor
 * Thaldorn, Potion of Agility, 50, killable

AR0700 Central Baldur's Gate
 * Delorna, Potion of Perception, 50, killable
 * Delorna, Necklace of Missiles, 80, killable
 * Glanmarie, Pearl, 50
 * Helshara, Garnet Gem/Protection from Fire, 50, killable
 * Lothander, Water Opal/Potion of Fire Resistance/Antidote, 50, killable?/needs confirmation - likely version mismatch
 * Lothander, Short Sword +1, 95, killable?
 * Nadine, The Protector/Necklace of Missiles, 50, former is a quest item given freely
 * Ithmeera, Angel Skin Ring, 60, killable
 * Dabron Sashenstar, Morning Star +1, 95, killable

AR0800 Baldur's Gate E
 * Arkion, Arkion's Bloodstone Amulet, 50
 * Brevlik, Wand of Lightning, Ring of Folly, 50
 * Halbazzer Drin, Nymph Cloak, 50, possible to obtain if you give him Lock of Nymph's Hair
 * Husam, Sphene Gem x2, 50, once in chapters 6 and 7
 * Narlen Darkwalk, Chrysoberyl Gem, 50
 * Niemain, Wand of Fire, 50, killable
 * Niklos, Potion of Master Thievery, 50
 * Oulam, Dart of Stunning, 50, killable
 * Rededge, Cloak of Protection +1, 50, he appears in the Thieves' Guild quest chain
 * Resar, Wand of Paralyzation, 50, killable
 * Wheber Ott, Luck/Identify, 50, killable
 * William Garst, Luck/Identify, 50, killable

AR1000 Ulgoth's Beard
 * Delsvirftanyon, Leather Armor +1/Dwarven Rune Wardstone/Wardstone Forgery, 10
 * Shandalar, Greater Malison/Otiluke's Resilient Sphere/Potion of Heroism x2, Feeblemind, 10
 * Shandalar, Robe of the Neutral Archmagi/Remove Curse/Shandalar's Wardstone/Emotion, 50
 * Calahan, Black Opal, 50
 * Dushai, Web, 50
 * Dushai, Ring of Free Action, 60
 * Hurgan Stoneblade, Diamond/The Kneecapper, 50, latter is a quest reward
 * Mendas, Sea Charts, 50, quest reward

AR1100 Baldur's Gate SW
 * Angelo Dosan, Arrows of Dispelling/Arrows of Detonation/Wand of Lightning x2, 50, confirmation needed - possible multiple versions mismatch
 * Brandilar, Bloodstone Ring, 50
 * Sunin, Fireball/Vampiric Touch, 50, killable
 * Sunin, Ring of Wizardry, 60, killable
 * Wiven, Potion of Master Thievery/Protection from Normal Missiles/Ghost Armor, 50, killable

AR1200 Baldur's Gate Docks
 * Vay-ya, Clairvoyance/Dispel Magic, 10, killable
 * Vay-ya, Wand of Fire, 50, killable
 * Cordyr, Haste/Flame Arrow, 50
 * Cythandria, Sarevok's Diary, 50, killable
 * Jalantha Mistmyr, Sphene Gem, 50, killable
 * Larriaz, Pearl, 50, killable or dies on her own
 * Noralee, Potion of Infravision x2, 50

AR1300 Baldur's Gate SE
 * Michael, Ziose Gem/Horn Coral Gem, 50, killable
 * Nadarin, Boots of Stealth, 50, needs confirmation if it's still a quest reward in EE
 * Nemphre, Vampiric Touch, 50
 * Taxek, Garnet Gem/Sphene Gem, 50, killable
 * Elkart, Composite Long Bow, 95

AR1400 Fishing Village
 * Nestor, Potion of Healing, 50, only appears if your reputation is below 4?
 * Nestor, Long Bow, 95, only appears if your reputation is below 4?
 * Sonner, Flail +1/Bowl of Water Elemental Control, 50, killable/former is a possible quest reward

AR1500 Isle of Balduran N
 * Dradeel, Wolfsbane Charm x2/Dradeel's Spell Book, 50, confirmation needed - multiple versions mismatch?
 * Dradeel, Wolfsbane Charm x2, 80, confirmation needed - multiple versions mismatch?
 * Karoug, Cloak of Protection +1, 50, killable
 * Karoug, Shield Amulet, 80, killable
 * Sirine Queen, Pearl, 50, killable
 * Sirine Queen, Pearl Necklace, 80, killable

AR1600 Cloakwood Druids
 * Laskal, Potion of Invulnerability, 50, killable or say you fight against the Iron Throne and he'll give it to you

AR1900 Bandit Camp
 * Venkt, Blindness/Friends, 10, killable
 * Venkt, Potion of Healing x2/Color Spray, 50, killable, also supposedly has Spell Thrust in EE, need to confirm
 * Taurgosz Khosann, Potion of Fortitude/Potion of Firebreath, 50, killable
 * Tazok, Potion of Strength/Oil of Speed/Black Opal, 50

AR2000 Isle of Balduran S
 * Evalt, Pearl, 50
 * Evalt, Jade Ring, 60

AR2200 Cloakwood Lodge
 * Aldeth Sashenstar, Diamond/Potion of Heroism/Kondar, 50, killable
 * Seniyad, Ring of Animal Friendship, 60, killable

AR2300 Friendly Arm Inn
 * Landrin, Antidote x3, 10, you'll get it when accepting her quest if you manage a good Reaction
 * Landrin, Antidote x3, 50, you'll get it when accepting her quest if you manage a good Reaction
 * Tarnesh the Terrible, Burning Hands, 10, killable
 * Tarnesh the Terrible, Armor/Magic Missile, 50, killable
 * Gellana Mirrorshade, Potion of Heroism/Elixir of Health, 50, quest reward

AR2600 Candlekeep Prologue
 * Arkanis, Long Bow, 10, Virtual Reality
 * Deder, Oil of Speed/Potion of Healing x3, 10, Virtual Reality
 * Mordaine, Wand of Magic Missiles, 10, Virtual Reality
 * Osprey, Wand of Heavens, 10, Virtual Reality
 * Fuller, Dagger +1, 50, quest reward if your Reaction is high enough
 * Tethtoril, Identify, 50, given to you as part of quest
 * Phlydia, Gold Necklace, 80

AR2605 Candlekeep Infirmary Prologue
 * Priest of Oghma, Potion of Healing, 50

AR2609 Candlekeep Library 2nd Floor
 * Koveras, Koveras' Ring of Protection, 50, gives it to you freely

AR2610 Candlekeep Library 3rd Floor
 * Rieltar Anchev, Potion of Genius/Potion of Clarity, 50, killable

AR2626 Candlekeep
 * Hull, Antidote, 50, you can just ask for it
 * Tethtoril, Identify, 50, might not be obtainable as he only appears when you're already in jail
 * Ulraunt, Wand of Sleep, 50
 * Phlydia, Gold Necklace, 80

AR2633 Candlekeep Infirmary
 * Priest of Oghma, Potion of Healing, 50

AR3000 Spider Wood
 * Brendan, Burning Hands/Armor, 50, killable
 * Denak, Potion of Healing x2, 50, killable
 * Diana, Blindness/Aganazzar's Scorcher, 50, killable
 * Lasala, Grease/Protection from Petrification, 50, killable
 * Denak, Ring of Energy, 60, killable

AR3100 Shipwreck's Coast
 * The Surgeon, Potion of Magic Protection, 10, can just ask him for it/killable
 * The Surgeon, Antidote/Elixir of Health/Potion of Healing, 50, killable
 * Mad Arcand, Oil of Fiery Burning, 50, quest reward
 * Shoal the Nereid, Pearl, 50, killable

AR3200 High Hedge
 * Permidion Stark, Chrysoberyl Gem, 50
 * Thalantyr the Conjurer, Potion of Mind Focusing/Potion of Fire Resistance, 50

AR3300 Beregost
 * Algernon, Algernon's Cloak, 50
 * Bjornin, Medium Shield +1, 50, quest reward
 * Faltis, Potion of Defense, 50, killable
 * Glayde, Potion of Defense, 50, killable
 * Mirianne, Ring of Protection +1, 50, quest reward
 * Silke Rosena, Potion of Invulnerability, 50, killable
 * Tessilan, Potion of Defense, 50, killable
 * Tranzig, Wand of Magic Missiles, 50, killable
 * Tranzig, Ring of Protection +1, 60, killable

AR3400 Temple
 * Kelddath Ormlyr, Elixir of Health/Potion of Healing, 50, killable
 * Sirine, Pearl, 50, killable, times four

AR3500 Mutamin's Garden
 * Mutamin, Stinking Cloud, 10, killable
 * Mutamin, Potion of Healing x2/Horror, 50, killable
 * Kirian, Charm Person/Infravision/Protection from Evil, 50, killable
 * Lindin, Potion of Absorbtion/Potion of Invisibility, 50, killable
 * Peter, Potion of Explosions/Oil of Fiery Burning, 50, killable

AR3600 Lighthouse
 * Arkushule, Burning Hands, 50, killable
 * Sil, Pearl, 50, killable

AR3700 Red Canyons
 * Zargal, Short Sword +2, 10, killable
 * Bassilus, Bloodstone Amulet, 80, killable

AR4000 Gullykin
 * Gandolar Luckyfoot, Elixir of Health, 50

AR4100 Archeological Site
 * Brage, Potion of Stone Giant Strength, Two-handed Sword, Cursed Berserking, 50, killable

AR4200 Fisherman's Lake
 * Jemby, Resist Fear/Larloch's Minor Drain/Chromatic Orb, 50, killable
 * Teyngan, Potion of Healing, 50, killable
 * Drizzt Do'Urden, Icingdeath, 80

AR4400 Lonely Peaks
 * Dribben, Aquamarine Gem, 50, killable
 * Ioin Gallchobhair, Star Diopside Gem/Waterstar Gem, 50, killable

AR4500 Firewine Bridge
 * Bentan, Protection from Magic/Potion of Heroism/Antidote, 50
 * Carsa, Protection from Fire, 50, dies on her own when freeing Kahrk
 * Poe, Star Diopside Gem, 50

AR4600 Bear River
 * Jared, Boots of the North, 50, quest reward if your Reaction is good enough
 * Neville, Dispel Magic, 50, killable

AR4700 Xvart Village
 * Borda, Potion of Healing, 10, killable
 * Borda, Web, Color Spray, 50, killable

AR4800 Nashkel
 * Berrun Ghastkill, Potion of Healing, 50
 * Volothamp Geddarm, Aquamarine Gem, 50
 * Nimbul, Ring of Infravision, 60, killable
 * Nimbul, Short Sword +1, 95, killable
 * Amnian Soldier, Long Bow, 95

AR4900 Nashkel Carnival
 * Bentha, Potion of Heroism, Antidote, 50
 * Bentha, Angel Skin Ring, 60
 * The Great Gazib, Blindness/Agannazar's Scorcher, 50
 * Vitiare, Potion of Healing/Potion of Master Thievery/Potion of Agility, 50, killable
 * Zeke, Stone to Flesh Scroll, 50
 * Zordral, Armor/Color Spray, 50, killable

AR5000 Valley of the Tombs
 * Hentold, Dagger +2, 50, there are two versions of this guy in the database?
 * Narcillicus Harwilliger Neen, Burning Hands/Web/Lightning Bolt, 50, killable

AR5100 Gnoll Stronghold
 * Gnarl, Potion of Hill Giant Strength/Potion of Cold Resistance, 50, killable

AR5200 Dryad Falls
 * Drienne, Protection from Undead, 50, quest reward
 * Dryad of the Cloud Peaks, Antidote/Potion of Healing, 50, killable
 * Krumm, Potion of Healing, 50, killable

AR5300 Fire Leaf Forest
 * Vax, Potion of Healing x2, 50, killable

AR5400 Nashkel Mines
 * Prism, Emerald, 50, quest related - needs confirmation

AR5404 Nashkel Mines Level 4
 * Mulahey, Ring of Holiness, 60, killable

AR5500 Gibberling Mountains
 * Hafiz, Protection from Magic/Color Spray, 50, killable
 * Lena, Jade Ring, 50, you can also bargain for it

ARXXXX Unknown Location
 * Alexander, Potion of Healing, 50
 * Brunos, Potion of Frost Giant Strength, 50
 * Cult Guard, Potion of Heroism, 50, Ulgoth's Beard ritual?
 * Cult Wizard, Wand of Sleep, 50, Ulgoth's Beard ritual?
 * Elminster, Cloak of Protection +2, 50, when? Checked: not first encounter
 * Elminster, Ring of Protection +2, 60, when? Checked: not first encounter
 * Elminster, Ring of Protection +1, 80, when? Checked: not first encounter
 * Entar Silvershield, Potion of Storm Giant Strength/Diamond, 50, cut from the game?
 * Merchant, Red Potion/Violet Potion, 50, likely the one in Nashkel Carnival - needs confirmation
 * Ogre Mage, Ruby Ring x2, 50, or two Ogre Mages with one ring each? Not the ones in Baldur's Gate docks
 * Statue, Potion of Healing, 50, times two
 * The Arch Druid, Potion of Mirrored Eyes/Potion of Regeneration/Potion of Strength, 50

Considering Canon Party and CHARNAME
The canon party for Baldur's Gate is obvious from the way Baldur's Gate 2 begins. CHARNAME was captured along with Imoen, Khalid, Jaheira, Minsc and Dynaheir. So this is the canon party for the first game in the seires, and pretty much set in stone.

The canon party for Baldur's Gate 2 is a bit more complicated. Obviously Imoen/Yoshimo, Minsc and Jaheira are in, as you gather them all in the Irenicus Dungeon. Yoshimo is an instant Thief replacement for Imoen and his "personal quest" requires him to follow you to Spellhold. So that's the core canon party in SoA.

A good case could be made for Aerie for several reasons. One, she joins in the Promenade, which is still technically before the game officially begins, and after what will likely be the first major quest in the game for most players. Two, she is an arcane caster replacement for Imoen. Three, she has a good chemistry with Minsc and bad chemistry with Jaheira(bad banter is good too). Four, she is a romance option that isn't like twenty years older than you are.

Or you could argue that taking what amounts to a naive teen for a deadly mission to rescue your sister(whom she has no reason to care about) from a mysterious, powerful mage is silly. It's your call. (All the other NPCs have a reason to follow you: Yoshimo is forced, Jaheira and Minsc are old friends and lost loved ones to Irenicus, Imoen... is Imoen)

If you take Aerie, that still leaves one slot open and various theories were created as to who should be filling it. Personally, I think sixth slot should remain open for two reasons: One, it will allow you to do every "personal" NPC quest in BG2 without changing your core party composition(take in Korgan, do his quest, kick him out; take in Keldorn, do his quest, kick him out; etc.) and you already have all bases covered class-wise. Second, that position will be filled by Sarevok in ToB. I consider Sarevok in ToB canon-ish as well, as he is the only one with a personal quest - if it can even be called that - in that game.

So at the end of ToB, the "canon" party would be CHARNAME, Imoen, Jaheira, Minsc, (Aerie, optional) and Sarevok.

Now for the other variable: who is CHARNAME most likely to be?

Race would be limited to Human, Half-Orc, Half-Elf or Halfling. This is because the Prologue narration estabilishes CHARNAME at about 20 years old, and these are the only races which reach maturity in that amount of time(Dwarves and Gnomes: 40, Elves: 110)

Alignment would be Good or at the very least Neutral. Obviously, the canon party in BG is Good, the projected "canon" party in BGII/ToB is also Good, and the games are heavily skewed towards being Good in general, with evil being almost an afterthought addition. Also the CHARNAME was brainwashed by Gorion to be a hero("raised on a thousand tales...")

Gender is open, though the "canon" BG2 party contains no romanceable males.

Class. Here's where it gets really interesting:
 * Sorcerer is probably top tier pick; the very description of the class mentions "powerful bloodlines"(hey, that's us), Candlekeep is a place full of scholars and your foster father himself is a sage.
 * Mage is another great pick, for the same reasons except bloodline.
 * Fighter is good because man, there sure is a lot of those plate-mail wearing Watchers around.
 * Berserker is Fighter + Bhaal bloodline, so even better.
 * Paladin/Cavalier is Fighter + Gorion's brainwashing.
 * Thief? Well... Imoen is a Thief so at least it's possible, though she seems to slave away for innkeeper Winthrop, not learn under the sage Gorion.
 * Cleric is also not completely out of the question, though basically only because "Candlekeep is a scholary place". Before EE Gorion could cast Cure Light Wounds, so he could be considered a dual Cleric/Mage himself.
 * All the multiclass combinations of the above.
 * Dual classing to just about anything is legit, with extra points for a Cleric(learning to control your divine essence after you learn about your heritage or something)

Finally, we have the canon party class compositions to consider. BG's canon party has one front liner(Khalid, yuck), three second liners(Minsc, Jaheira, Imoen) and one third liner(Dynaheir). BG2's canon party has one frontliner(Jaheira, promotion thanks to Iron Skins), two second liners(Minsc, Imoen/Yoshimo) and one optional third liner(Aerie). In ToB another second liner appears(Sarevok). In other words, the canon parties in general lack a solid "tank" which would point towards CHARNAME himself being a martial class.

Wisdom
Through the saga, you will get a lot of Wisdom points. There are three in Baldur's Gate/TotSC, one at the end of SoA(Good pick during Test of Wrath), and one/two in ToB(Machine of Lum the Mad, picking Star card from Deck of Many Things if you're a Cleric or Druid) That's +5-6 total in the games.

What good is high Wisdom score, hovewer?


 * Extra spell slots. Clerics and Druids get extra spell slots from high Wisdom score. 24 Wisdom(18 base + 6) will net you a total of three extra level 1 spells, three extra level 2 spells, two extra level 3 spells, four extra level 4 spells, four extra level 5 spells and two extra level 6 spells. Casting for days.
 * Wish spell. Mages need high Wisdom to get best results from Wish; specifically, they need 18 Wisdom to get all the good options. All these tomes will let you save a lot of rerolling during character creation - if you start with 13 Wisdom, you'll get 17 by the end of SoA and 18 in early ToB. It's not like you'll get to spell level 9 earlier anyways.
 * Ascension, the "semi-official" mod altering the ending of Throne of Bhaal. To convince Balthazar to join you, you'll need a combination of Alignment(good or neutral), Wisdom(at least 15), and Charisma(at least 15). Higher values help and make it easier to convince him. Evil characters can convince him to kill himself instead. It's kind of weak, but at least it's something for all the other classes to use their Wisdom for.

So to get the most out of all that extra Wisdom, do any of the following: play a Cleric/Druid or any derivative(i.e. Berskerer/Cleric dual); play a Mage or any derivative(i.e. Kensai/Mage dual); play with the Ascension mod as a non-evil character.