Overview: (11)

Uncover Jaheira's true potential in Sword of the Sea! Learn why she's a valuable party member despite initial stats and how to maximize her effectiveness.

Alright, let's talk about Jaheira. When you first meet her in Sword of the Sea, you might look at her stats and think, 'Hmm, maybe not.' Her Strength and Dexterity aren't going to give you any big bonuses right off the bat, and while her Constitution is decent, it's not exactly game-breaking. She definitely gets a lot better in the sequel, but honestly, even in this first game, I find myself keeping her in my party pretty often. The trick is not to compare her to a pure Fighter or a Fighter/Cleric multiclass. Instead, think of her as a Cleric who's a bit more ready for a scrap.

When you stack her up against a single-classed Cleric, Jaheira actually holds her own. She'll end up with more Hit Points and a better THAC0 (that's your chance to hit, by the way), which helps offset that lower Dexterity. Plus, she gets access to 4th level spells just like any other Cleric, so you're not really missing out on any key divine magic. And here's a big one: she can get Specialized in weapons, meaning she can put two ranks into a weapon type. That's way better than a Cleric's single Proficiency rank. So, really, she pans out as a Cleric who's just a bit more capable in melee combat.

Now, in the sequel, things really open up for her. With access to awesome Scimitars and Girdles of Giant Strength, plus a massive boost to her spellcasting power, any initial gripes you had just melt away. It's also worth remembering to keep her neutral alignment in mind – she can slot into pretty much any party composition. Just a heads-up, though: you'll want to recruit her pretty early on. If you wait too long, her Hit Point progression can get a bit wonky. If you grab her at level one, she'll usually have max HP for that level. But if you somehow end up recruiting her at level two, it's a real shame to see her end up with only four Hit Points when she could have had up to 24. That's a tough break for a character who showed real promise not too long before that.