Dual Classing: How high do you advance in your first class?

[krunchyfrogg]

I'm thinking about playing a dual classed character or to instead of a multiclassed character in my potential party. Just curious: If you're going to dual class a Fighter into a spellcaster (Cleric or Mage) how high a level is good to switch at?

I know you use HP to your advantage switcing at level 9, and I know you gain maximum attacks at level 13. But are these high levels too difficult for creating a decent character?

I would not be averse to playing Insane difficulty for some bonus EXP here, keep that in mind please.

[Aerich]

It depends on what you want in that character, your overall party composition, and what difficulty level you are playing.

Do you want the character to be a dominant melee force? Think F/M, F/C or F/D here. Play Insane and go to lvl 13 - it's not so much about the grandmastery (although that helps), but the Thaco. With Thaco 8 (as a lvl 13 fighter) and bonuses from spells and weapons, you can reliably hit just about anything. Do you want primarily a spellcaster with a formidable missile attack that can serve as a 3rd or 4th fighter in a pinch? Go to lvl 9.

Of course, if using a non-fighter as the first class, the levelling areas are different. Thief is ideally 7-10. With cleric, the higher you go, the better.

I'm not a huge fan of fighter dual classes, despite the GM benefits, but I've used a F[13]/M[x] before to great effect. It was a strong, if under-utilized character both as a single-class fighter (primary bowman and secondary melee option) and as a single-class mage (lower active level than the rest of the party), but became my go-to tank and most versatile character in the latter half of HoW and the entirety of TotL. It had GM in Axe, FYI, and was a pure spellbomber until it regained fighter levels.

Be warned that the disadvantage of dual classing at high levels is that your party may be missing some key components (e.g. a dominant arcane presence) for literally half the game. Plan the rest of your party accordingly and be prepared to fill in or change your tactics accordingly. For example, in the party with the dc F/M I mentioned above, I had a bard as primary (arcane) spellcaster until Lower Dorn's Deep, and I don't think I cast a single Fireball. Slow, Haste, Chromatic Orb, and especially Web were the major choices.