Fighter / Druid is a multi-classing option available in the entire Baldur's Gate series. It is the only multi-class option for the druid, and only half-elves may select it.
Humans can dual-class this combination as well with the sufficient stats.
Introduction[]
The Fighter / Druid is a great option for divine casting with greater combat capabilities. Unlike most other multi-class combinations, both classes can freely use heavy armor without restricting any class abilities, making this character a naturally proficient tank.
As a fighter, the character benefits from high Hit Dice, low THAC0, multiple attacks per round, and advanced weapon proficiencies. This enables the character to act as a frontline melee character, though it will never be as good as a pure fighter in that respect.
As a druid, the character has access to divine spells and some late-game immunities and resistances. The progression is slower than that of a single-class druid of course, but not prohibitively so. This multi-class inherits the weapon restrictions of the druid, but not its armor restrictions.
Gameplay[]
Like the Fighter / Cleric, Fighter / Druids are straightforward to play. While they miss out on a number of great lower level cleric buffs, they gain Iron Skins which is a potent defensive tool.
The 4th level spell Call Woodland Beings can be used to summon a Nymph, which can perform the 5th level spell Mass Cure in addition to an artillery of mid-level disabling spells, making them better than F/C's at consistently keeping a group healthy, although they do miss Raise Dead and Resurrection (they can learn Mass Raise Dead as a HLA, though). Note that, due to the druid's extreme experience growth and spell slots table progression at level 15, the F/D will lag behind the F/C for the 3,000,000 XP - 6,000,000 XP level range, but eventually will have double the 7th level spell slots.
As an offensive spellcaster, they gain several spells with guaranteed disabling effects. Insect Plague is the most notable of these as it totally disables spellcasting without offering a saving throw. Dolorous Decay (slow, no save) and Nature's Beauty (blind, no save) are also highly effective, and the cleric has no substitutes for these. Their shapeshifting abilities are made largely useless by the multi-class, however, as they are already stronger fighters than the animals available.
Due to adding fighter abilities, Fighter/Druids do not suffer from any armor and shield restrictions and can effectively hold their own in melee fight. Shapeshifters and Avengers retain their armor restrictions however.
Finally, while their weapon selection is not necessarily better or worse, they can wield Belm to gain extra APR, which the F/C cannot do. This gives them a huge base damage increase that should be considered against the cleric's better buffing abilities.
As a Dual-Class[]
Humans can dual class if they meet the attribute requirements for doing so. As with other dual-class combinations, it is generally preferable to dual from fighter into druid, as your HP is better and druids will benefit much more from their uncapped progression than a fighter will. Note that the druid has Charisma as a prime attribute in addition to Wisdom, and that fighters must be true neutral to dual into the class.
Kit Comparisons for Dual-Classing:
- Totemic Druid: This druid can summon Spirit Animals which are arguably better than Fire Elementals and frees up level 6 spell slots. Since druids gain levels rapidly, it is easy to get to max level 10 spirit animals. The summons have +6 weapons, lots of status immunities (Free Action, Level drain, Death Ward, etc.), cold/electric/poison immunity, and may inflict disabling status on attack. They are cast instantly so the fighter can immediately engage in combat. There is no drawback versus a plain druid because the standard shapeshifting forms are mediocre. As a druid, they get key druid spells like Iron Skins and Insect Plague.
- Berserker: Enrage ability grants Level drain, imprisonment and other status immunities which can replace druid's protection spells such as Negative Plane Protection or Chaotic Commands. The damage and thac0 boosts help since druids have few combat boosts. There is no reason to take a plain fighter because berserkers don't have any disadvantage. The damage/thac0 lost by not being able to grand master slings is offset by the damage/thac0 boost of Enrage.
- Wizard Slayer: Each attack grants a 25% arcane spell failure which also applies to magical projectiles such as Fire Seeds and Energy Blades. Fire Seeds is noteworthy because the AOE attack goes through spell protections and magic resistance, which can quickly disable a group of mages. The magic resistance gained helps since priests have bad save vs spells. The wizard slayer's restriction on magical items can be compensated by the Druid's protection spells such as Protection from Fire or Armor of Faith. The Heartwood Ring is an exception to the ban on magical rings.
- Kensai: Thac0 and damage bonuses increase based on the level, and at level 9 kensai, a common breakpoint to get the maximum fighter Hit Dice, they get a +3 bonus to both which helps since druids have few combat boosts. The Kai ability makes weapons deal the maximum damage for a short period. Speed factor bonus helps to attack faster especially if wielding two handed weapons like spears. The kensai's armor restriction can be replaced by the druid's Barkskin and Iron Skins, and the kensai's -2AC bonus is added on top.
Common Level ranges for Dual-Classing:
- Level 3 F>D: At level 3, the fighter gains another proficiency point. The druid's level 4 and 8 proficiency points can be added to that, making this character able to attain grandmastery in the original, unexpanded Baldur's Gate.
- Level 7 F>D: At level 7, the fighter gains an extra +1/2 APR, and level 8 druid requires less experience than level 7 fighter. This is the latest dual-class that can reactivate its fighter levels within the Tales of the Sword Coast and Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition experience cap.
- Level 9 F>D: At level 9, the fighter is able to achieve grandmastery in a single weapon class and stops receiving its d10 Hit Dice, slowing its HP progression afterward. Level 10 druid requires only half the experience of level 9 fighter, so the fighter skills can still be regained fairly quickly at this point. This is the latest dual-class that can reactivate its fighter levels within the Siege of Dragonspear experience cap.
- Level 10 D>F: Totemic Druids get the max level of Summon Spirit Animal
- Level 11 D>F: Totemic Druids get 3 uses of Summon Spirit Animal
- Level 13 F>D: At level 13, the fighter gains another +1/2 APR (allowing the dual-class to have the maximum possible APR), but the additional experience required to complete the dual-class is significant. This is the latest that either starting class can dual and be reactivated within the Shadows of Amn experience cap.
- Level 20 F>D: The highest fighter level that can still get the maximum elemental resistance and spell slots as a druid. This allows grandmastery in two different weapon types and also has one fighter HLA, but requires a very long time to regain those class skills.
- Level 22 is the latest that either starting class can dual and be reactivated within the Throne of Bhaal experience cap.
Companions[]
Baldur's Gate[]
- Jaheira is a true neutral half-elf F/D.
Shadows of Amn[]
- Jaheira returns as a true neutral half-elf F/D.
Ability Scores Table[]
| Character Ability Score | Half-Elf |
|---|---|
| Strength^ | 9 -18 |
| Dexterity | 6 - 18 |
| Constitution | 6 - 18 |
| Intelligence | 4 - 18 |
| Wisdom | 12 - 18 |
| Charisma | 15 - 18 |
During character creation, rolls below the minimum value for the class will be increased to that value.
^ - Fighters have access to percentile Strength.
Special Abilities of the Fighter / Druid[]
Advanced Weapon Specialization[]
This class may Specialize in any weapon, allowing them to invest up to two points into a specific Weapon Proficiency. As a result, fighters may do more damage and hit more often with weapons from the specific proficiency. The F/D may still invest three points into Two-Weapon Style.
| Level of proficiency | Unskilled | Proficient | Specialized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points spent | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Change in THAC0 | +2 | 0 | -1 |
| Bonus to damage | 0 | 0 | +2 |
| Bonus to APR | 0 | 0 | +1/2 |
Shapeshifting[]
- Main article: Shapeshift
At level 7, the druid gains the ability to shapeshift into a black bear, brown bear, and wolf once each per day.
Poison Immunity[]
At level 15, druids become immune to poison.
Elemental Resistance[]
At level 18, druids gain a 10% resistance to fire, cold, electricity, and acid. This is increased to 20% at level 21 and 30% at level 24. However, please note that the F/D cannot reach level 24 within the level cap.
High-Level Class Abilities[]
High level class abilities are added in the expansion Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal and are in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. These abilities are available at level 14/14, reached at 3,000,000 XP.
This class gains all HLA's from the standard fighter and druid pools. Note that any HLA may be selected regardless of the class which is leveling up.
- Power Attack
- Critical Strike (Requires Power Attack)
- Smite1 (Requires Power Attack and Critical Strike)
- Deathblow
- Greater Deathblow (Requires Deathblow)
- Whirlwind
- Greater Whirlwind (Requires Whirlwind)
- War Cry
- Hardiness
- Resist Magic
- Aura of Flaming Death1
- Energy Blades1
- Globe of Blades1
- Implosion1
- Mass Raise Dead1
- Storm of Vengeance1
- Elemental Summoning1
- Greater Elemental Summoning1 (Requires Elemental Summoning)
- Summon Fallen Deva1 (Requires Neutral/Evil Alignment)
- Choosing this will prevent Summon Deva from being chosen.
- Summon Deva1 (Requires Good/Neutral Alignment)
- Choosing this will prevent Summon Fallen Deva from being chosen.
- Elemental Transformation (Fire)
- Elemental Transformation (Earth)
1 - May only be selected once
Spell Slots Progression[]
The F/D gains spell slots identical to those of the unkitted druid; however, because of their slightly slower progression, they will have less spell slots during the course of normal play. Druids also gain additional spell slots based on their Wisdom.
| Spell lvl /
Cleric lvl |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6^ | 7^^ | Total # of
spell slots | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |||||
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |||||
| 7 |  Baldur's Gate (1998)This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate campaign. |
3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||
| 8 |  Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999)This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast campaign.
|
3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | |||
| 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | |||
| 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | |||
| 11 |  Baldur's Gate:Siege of Dragonspear (2016) This icon indicates content from the Siege of Dragonspear campaign of the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition.
|
5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 | |
| 12 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 23 | ||
| 13 |  Baldur's Gate II:Shadows of Amn (2000) This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn campaign. |
6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 26 | |
| 14 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 29 | |
| 15 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 42 | |
| 16 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 45 | |
| 17 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 46 | |
| 18 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 50 | |
| 19 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 52 | |
| 20 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 54 | |
| 21 |  Baldur's Gate II:Throne of Bhaal (2001) This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal campaign.
|
9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 56 |
^ - Usable by priests whose WIS is 17 or higher (original Baldur's Gate and Shadows of Amn only; Throne of Bhaal removed this requirement.
^^ - Usable by priests whose WIS is 18 or higher (original Baldur's Gate and Shadows of Amn only; Throne of Bhaal removed this requirement.
Table for experience, weapon proficiency points and hitpoints[]
| Level F/D |
Level Cap | Experience required |
Hit Dice | APR | Weapon Prof. |
Base THAC0 |
Saving throws D/W/P/B/S |
# of HLAs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1 | 0 | ½×(1d10 + 1d8) | 1 | 4 | 20 | 10/14/13/16/15 | ||
| 2/2 | 4,000 | ½×(2d10 + 2d8) | 1 | 19 | 10/14/13/16/15 | |||
| 3/3 | 8,000 | ½×(3d10 + 3d8) | 1 | +1 | 18 | 10/14/13/16/15 | ||
| 3/4 | 15,000 | ½×(3d10 + 4d8) | 1 | 18 | 9/13/12/15/14 | |||
| 4/4 | 16,000 | ½×(4d10 + 4d8) | 1 | 17 | 9/13/12/15/14 | |||
| 4/5 | 25,000 | ½×(4d10 + 5d8) | 1 | 17 | 9/13/12/15/14 | |||
| 5/5 | 32,000 | ½×(5d10 + 5d8) | 1 | 16 | 9/13/12/13/14 | |||
| 5/6 | 40,000 | ½×(5d10 + 6d8) | 1 | 16 | 9/13/12/13/14 | |||
| 6/6 | 64,000 | ½×(6d10 + 6d8) | 1 | +1 | 15 | 9/13/12/13/14 | ||
| 6/7 | Baldur's Gate (1998) This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate campaign. |
70,000 | ½×(6d10 + 7d8) | 1 | 15 | 7/11/10/13/12 | ||
| 6/8 | 120,000 | ½×(6d10 + 8d8) | 1 | 15 | 7/11/10/13/12 | |||
| 7/8 | Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999) This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast campaign.
|
128,000 | ½×(7d10 + 8d8) | 1½ | 14 | 7/11/10/12/12 | ||
| 7/9 | 180,000 | ½×(7d10 + 9d8) | 1½ | 14 | 7/11/10/12/12 | |||
| 8/10 | 250,000 | ½×(8d10 + 9d8) + 1 | 1½ | 13 | 6/10/9/12/11 | |||
| 8/11 | 400,000 | ½×(8d10 + 9d8) + 2 | 1½ | 13 | 6/10/9/12/11 | |||
| 9/11 | Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear (2016) This icon indicates content from the Siege of Dragonspear campaign of the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition.
|
500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 2 | 1½ | +1 | 12 | 6/10/9/9/11 | |
| 9/12 | 600,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 3 | 1½ | 12 | 6/10/9/9/11 | |||
| 10/12 | 1,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 4 | 1½ | 11 | 6/10/9/9/11 | |||
| 11/13 | 1,500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 6 | 1½ | 10 | 5/9/8/8/10 | |||
| 12/13 | 2,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 7 | 1½ | +1 | 9 | 5/9/8/8/10 | ||
| 13/13 | Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn campaign. |
2,500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 8 | 2 | 8 | 5/7/6/5/8 | ||
| 14/14 | 3,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 10 | 2 | 7 | 5/7/6/5/8 | 2 | ||
| 15/14 | 3,500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 11 | 2 | +1 | 6 | 4/6/5/4/7 | 3 | |
| 16/14 | 4,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 12 | 2 | 5 | 4/6/5/4/7 | 4 | ||
| 17/14 | 4,500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 13 | 2 | 4 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 5 | ||
| 18/14 | 5,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 14 | 2 | +1 | 3 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 6 | |
| 19/14 | 5,500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 15 | 2 | 2 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 7 | ||
| 20/15 | 6,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 17 | 2 | 1 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 9 | ||
| 20/16 | 6,300,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 18 | 2 | 1 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 10 | ||
| 21/16 | 6,500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 19 | 2 | +1 | 0 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 11 | |
| 21/17 | 6,600,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 20 | 2 | 0 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 12 | ||
| 21/18 | 6,900,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 21 | 2 | 0 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 13 | ||
| 22/18 | 7,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 22 | 2 | 0 | 3/5/4/4/6 | 14 | ||
| 22/19 | 7,200,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 23 | 2 | 0 | 2/5/4/4/6 | 15 | ||
| 23/20 | 7,500,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 25 | 2 | 0 | 2/5/4/4/6 | 17 | ||
| 23/21 | 7,800,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 26 | 2 | 0 | 2/5/4/4/6 | 18 | ||
| 24/21 | Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001) This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal campaign.
|
8,000,000 | ½×(9d10 + 9d8) + 27 | 2 | +1 | 0 | 2/5/4/4/6 | 19 |
| Total | 12 | 19 |
Stronghold[]
In the Shadows of Amn campaign, F/D protagonists may choose between one of two strongholds. Upon accepting one, they will be unable to accept another.
- Fighters are able to rule the de'Arnise Keep after completing "The de'Arnise Keep has been Invaded" sidequest.
- Druids are able to heed the spirit's call after completing the "Animal trouble in Trademeet" sidequest.