Optimal races/selections for a newbie

[Dafin]

Can anyone please give some advice about races and primary stat selection for the pair warrior/cleric?
I am quite sure I won't reach high levels, will mostly play solo and occasionally. Because I like to play with the gear and spells I pop by myself, my weapon selection will probably be limited by the affordable zones.

As I see it warrior should be  kagonesti/CON to get more hitpoints and average dexterity or hylar with primary STR for better damage and great hitpoints. How will low DEX affect the ability to bash for non-superb basher?
For cleric I can't choose between qualinesti/INT with low constitution and hill dwarf/INT with low dexterity. I am not sure if INT is important for cleric and how it will affect learn rate.

I do not only look not for the simple answer but more for the reasoning behind it. I also would like to hear about other classes/races/primary stat selections if anyone wants to share.

[el conquistador]

kagonesti is my favorite starting race for warrior because of the high str + dex.  strength allows you to use heavier weapons and also can make you hit harder.  dex increases your chances of landing bashes and helps with some other warrior skills too.  con is ok but +1 con is probably only worth about 10 hps at level 30.  i always take primary strength or dex.

i dont know as much about clerics but i like high int on casters.  it helps you mem faster.  at 23? int or so you can memorize a heal in 1 tick standing!  i am not sure if it helps your learn chance.  i used to believe dexterity helped with losing concentration on casters but i no longer think that is true.  i dont think a caster should worry about dexterity.

[Jorquin]

Theres pros and cons to most races, pick one to match your desired niche. A few things to consider:

Different races get more or less HP in general, regardless of their constitution. Some races are just hardier. As a general rule the order is (roughly) along these lines, from lowest to highest:

• gnome / kender
• qualinesti / silvanesti
• theiwar / dargonesti / goblin / half-elf / minotaur
• human / kagonesti
• hill dwarf / hylar / half-ogre
• gully

That should be roughly about right, but don't quote me!

For clerics, wisdom gives you slots. There are also specific thresholds for wisdom to give +6th, which is the heal spell slot. I can remember what they are exactly... 22 and 26 wis maybe? Anyway, more wisdom = more spells. Intelligence does help for memming, but having more spells is far better than recovering them slightly faster. Intelligence is a secondary stat unless you have a dragon orb item, which if you're a newish player is hideously unlikely. A good, balanced  "cookie cutter" race for cleric is hill dwarf. They have pretty staunch HP and good wisdom. Qualinesti has its plusses, but you'll give up a bit of HP for them. 

For warrior things are more varied. It depends what you're going for.


• If you want high HP and strength at the price of dexterity, hylar and half-ogre are your go to.
• If you want to be able to bash and parry well dexterity may be of higher value. If thats the case then goblin, kagonesti, half-elf or dargonesti are your likely choices.
• If you just want monster strength at the expense of basically everything else, minotaur is the go.
• If you just want raw HP and are prepared to be as dumb as a post, gully dwarf is your best bet. You'll need either a legendary character or to reincarnate to access this race though.
• Human is average at everything.

The only other thing to remember is most races get infravision (can see enemies in the dark) while humans, minotaur and I think half-ogre do not. Work out how you want your character to function and then pick the logical choice!

Hope this helps.

[Dafin]

Thank you guys. I suppose I will pick kagonesti/str and hill/wis then.

[Caine]

As a general rule the order is (roughly) along these lines, from lowest to highest:

• gnome / kender
• qualinesti / silvanesti
• theiwar / dargonesti / goblin / half-elf / minotaur
• human / kagonesti
• hill dwarf / hylar / half-ogre
• gully

Those pesky kenders! Last again...

[Malthros]

As a general rule the order is (roughly) along these lines, from lowest to highest:

• gnome / kender
• qualinesti / silvanesti
• theiwar / dargonesti / goblin / half-elf / minotaur
• human / kagonesti
• hill dwarf / hylar / half-ogre
• gully

Those pesky kenders! Last again...

Rip days past when you could roll kenders with 18str 24dex 19con

E: maybe it was 23dex. Point stands