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|  1. General Character Creation Strategies  |
|  2. Racial Pro's and Con's                 |
|  3. Character Pro's and Con's:             |
|      a. The Triple-Class                   |
|      b. The Mage-Cleric                    |
|      c. The Bard                           |
|      d. The Druid                          |
|      e. The Ranger                         |
|  4. Miscellaneous                          |
                ----------------------------------------------


-----------------------------
Character Creation Strategies
-----------------------------

Naturally, you will want to create at least a couple of characters with which to play the game.  They do tend to make it more interesting.  Whatever type of character you choose to create, they all have some common factors.
Below I have compiled some useful information that you can easily have at your fingertips when creating a character.  This information applies to "Icewind
Dale: Heart of Winter", and may not be fully applicable to other games.


Race:  Maximum and Minimum Stats
--------------------------------

Looking to create the most effective thief?  The strongest fighter?  The most cunning mage?  Well, different classes excel in different areas.  Below is a chart showing what the minimum and maximum possible stats are when creating a character.  Note:  A character can end up with a higher score in one or more of these attributes due to magical items which may temporarily or permanently raise a score.  This chart only shows the minimum and maximum possible while  _creating_  a character.  Also note that a STR of 18/00 is stronger than a STR of 18.


Minimum and Maximum Stats by Race:
                      ==================================

   -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   | Race/Skill |    STR    |  DEX   |  CON   |  INT   |  WIS   |  CHA   |
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   |  Human     |  3-18/00  |  3-18  |  3-18  |  3-18  |  3-18  |  3-18  |
   |  Dwarf     |  9-18/00  |  3-17  | 12-19  |  3-18  |  3-18  |  2-16  |
   |  Elf       |  9-18/00  |  7-19  |  6-17  |  8-18  |  3-18  |  8-18  |
   |  Half-Elf  |  9-18/00  |  6-18  |  6-18  |  4-18  |  3-18  |  3-18  |
   |  Gnome     |  6-18     |  3-18  |  8-18  |  7-19  | 10-17  |  3-18  |
   |  Halfling  |  6-17     |  8-19  | 10-18  |  6-18  |  3-17  |  3-18  |
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------


Using this chart, you should be able to get a decent idea of which races make the best fighters, mages, etc.  For races with maximum possible scores of
19, be sure to try and get the maximum of 19.  These super-exceptional scores can make a big difference. Example:  A mage with INT of 18 has an 85% chance of successfully putting a spell in his spellbook.  With an INT of 19, the chance is increased to a whopping 95%!


Class:  Minimum Stats
---------------------

Once you have chosen a race, you will need to make what is probably the most important pre-game decision: what class will your character be?  Below is a table showing the minimum possible stat for each ability.  In addition, if you choose to create a mage, you can elect to make a Specialist Mage, who can cast more spells per level.  However, each Specialist area has a stat (in addition to Intelligence) that must also be met.  They are also listed below.
Finally, some of the Opposition Schools for Specialist Mages (the types of spells that they can not cast) have changed some since Icewind Dale.  Below I will also include the Opposition Schools from Icewind Dale, and show how they have changed in Heart of Winter.


Minimum Stats by Class:
                           =======================

             ---------------------------------------------------
             | Class/Skill | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
             ---------------------------------------------------
             |   Fighter   |  9  |  3  |  3  |  3  |  3  |  3  |
             |   Cleric    |  3  |  3  |  3  |  3  |  9  |  3  |
             |   Thief     |  3  |  9  |  3  |  3  |  3  |  3  |
             |   Mage      |  3  |  3  |  3  |  9  |  3  |  3  |
             |   Paladin   | 12  |  3  |  9  |  3  | 13  | 17  |
             |   Ranger    | 13  | 13  | 14  |  3  | 14  |  3  |
             |   Druid     |  3  |  3  |  3  |  3  | 12  | 15  |
             |   Bard      |  3  | 12  |  3  | 13  |  3  | 15  |
             ---------------------------------------------------


For Specialist Mages, see the stats above for a regular mage, and in addition, you will need the following:


Additional Stats for Specialist Mages:
                    ======================================

             ---------------------------------------------------
             | Class/Skill | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
             ---------------------------------------------------
             | Abjurer     |  3  |  3  |  3  |  9  | 15  |  3  |
             | Conjurer    |  3  |  3  | 15  |  9  |  3  |  3  |
             | Diviner     |  3  |  3  |  3  |  9  | 16  |  3  |
             | Enchanter   |  3  |  3  |  3  |  9  |  3  | 16  |
             | Illusionist |  3  | 16  |  3  |  9  |  3  |  3  |
             | Invoker     |  3  |  3  | 16  |  9  |  3  |  3  |
             | Necromancer |  3  |  3  |  3  |  9  | 16  |  3  |
             | Transmuter  |  3  | 15  |  3  |  9  |  3  |  3  |
             ---------------------------------------------------


Changes to Opposition Schools in Heart of Winter
               ================================================

   -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   |   School    |  Opposition School(s)  |     With Heart of Winter     |
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   | Abjurer     | Alteration             | Alteration, Illusion         |
   | Conjurer    | Divination             | Invocation                   |
   | Diviner     | Conjuration/Summoning  | Conjuration/Summoning        |
   | Enchanter   | Invocation             | Invocation                   |
   | Illusionist | Necromancy             | Necromancy, Abjuration       |
   | Invoker     | Enchantment/Charm      | Divination,                  |
   |             | Conjuration/Summoning  | Conjuration/Summoning        |
   | Necromancer | Illusion               | Illusion, Enchantment/Charm  |
   | Transmuter  | Abjuration, Necromancy | Abjuration, Necromancy       |
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------


----------------------
Racial Pro's and Con's
----------------------

The second choice that a player must make when creating a new character is that character's race.  Unlike gender, not all the races are the *same* in this game.  Each race has advantages and disadvantages that make it unique.
Often, these inherent advantages make that race particularly suited for one class or another (class being the next, and probably most important character choice).  An 18 is the highest natural score that you can make for any one particular attribute at the beginning of the game, with one exception.  Some races will allow a maximum of 19 in an attribute, which is super wonderful!
Here are the races that allow it, and with what stats:


                    -------------------------------------
                    |  Dwarf     | 19 in: Constitution  |
                    |  Elf       | 19 in: Dexterity     |
                    |  Gnome     | 19 in: Intelligence  |
                    |  Halfling  | 19 in: Dexterity     |
                    -------------------------------------


So, keeping this in mind, it appears that Gnomes would make the best Mages, while Dwarves would make the best front-line fighters, with Elves and
Halflings making good thieves, fighters, or mages.  But each race also has disadvantages as well, such as:


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Human     |  No maximum scores of 19, can't multi-class; dual-class only  |
|  Dwarf     |  Maximum of 17 for Dexterity and 16 for Charisma              |
|  Elf       |  Maximum of 17 for Constitution                               |
|  Half-Elf  |  No maximum scores of 19                                      |
|  Gnome     |  Maximum of 17 Wisdom                                         |
|  Halfling  |  Maximum of 17 Strength and 17 Wisdom                         |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


These are some tips to keep in mind when creating a character.  In addition, there are some other random benefits to consider, like:

Halflings can use the Helm of Unfailing Endurance.  Besides granting a tremendous AC bonus, it makes the wearer immune to fatigue.  Fatigue is a downside of the wonderful spell, Haste.  So therefore, a Halfling would make a pretty good front-line Fighter.  You can get around the maximum of 17 Strength handicap if you are patient.  Near the end of Heart of Winter are 3 Gauntlets of Ogre Power, which set the wearer's Strength to 18/00.

Gnomes are dumb, dumb, dumb.  At least, I think they are.  But you can't argue with an INT of 19.

Half-Elves have virtually the same disadvantages as humans, but have the benefit of infravision and partial immunity to sleep and charm.

Dwarves with a Constitution of 19 will have a lot of hit points.  Remember that Fighters get a further bonus to Constitution:  Every other class gets a maximum bonus of 2 hp/level with a CON of 16, but a Fighter's bonus keeps climbing to an astounding +7 hp/level at a CON of 24. (which is pretty much impossible to achieve without cheating)

Several magical items, weapons, and armor give a +1 or even +2 benefit to virtually any attribute.  So give them to those races with a maximum score under 18, and you won't even notice their weaknesses!


-------------------------------
Character Class Pro's and Con's
-------------------------------


The Triple Class Character
--------------------------

Now that the experience cap in Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter has been raised to 8,000,000 points, there is a type of character which can really come into power:  The Triple Class Character.  There are two different types of
Triple Class combinations in Icewind Dale:  The Fighter/Mage/Cleric combo, and the Fighter/Mage/Thief combo.  To earn the maximum 8,000,000 experience points that a character can gain could take a LONG time.  But also added with the expansion pack is the "Heart of Fury" option, which can greatly increase the speed at which you earn experience.  (Note: Don't even think of turning it on until you have beaten, or nearly beaten the game)  A Triple Class character will never reach Level 30 in any one class.  However, take a look at what they can accomplish:

Fighter/Mage/Cleric                  Fighter/Mage/Thief
           -------------------                  ------------------
Levels:   18    17    19                        18   17    22


This may not mean much on the surface, but let's take a more in-depth look at what these character levels mean:


NOTE: The Spell Progression table for Mages has been fixed in Patch 1.41.
See the Things You Should Know section at the beginning of this document to learn what has been changed.  This will affect all mages Level 21 and higher.


Level 18 Fighter:  A Fighter starts with 4 proficiency slots, and gains
-----------------  an additional one every 3 levels.  This means that at
Level 18, the fighter will have a total of 9
Proficiency points.  This is enough to reach Grand
Mastery in one weapon, and almost reach it in another.  His THAC0 also goes down by 1 per level, which not only makes it easier to hit with weapons, but also aids TREMENDOUSLY when it comes to spells which require touch.

Level 17 Mage:  Unfortunately, a Level 17 Mage is unable to use the
--------------  Level 9 Spells.  However, there are only a couple of them, so you are not going to miss much.  You come with a large array of possible spells.  Assuming (once again) that the spell chart in the manual is correct, you will have the following number of spells at Level 17: