From Play It Hardcore

Contents [hide] 1 General Guidelines 2 Races 2.1 Human 2.2 Elf 2.3 Half-Elf 2.4 Gnome 2.5 Halfling 2.6 Dwarf 2.7 Half-Orc 3 "Shorty" Saving Throws 4 Prime Stats 4.1 Strength 4.1.1 Recommended Statistics by Class 4.2 Dexterity 4.2.1 Recommended Statistics by Class 4.3 Constitution 4.3.1 Recommended Statistics by Class 4.4 Intelligence 4.4.1 Recommended Statistics by Class 4.5 Wisdom 4.5.1 Recommended Statistics by Class 4.6 Charisma 4.6.1 Recommended Statistics by Class

General Guidelines

Baldur's Gate allows you unlimited rerolls. Because of that, the only reason to have a character with mediocre stats would be laziness on the part of the creator. You can ALWAYS reroll until you get something better, if you're willing to put the time into it.

For those who are planning to import into Baldur's Gate 2 (which this guide assumes), I would just like to make a quick note about two armors you can equip only if you have the right stats. Those would be the personal armors of Valygar and Keldorn. The first is more important, as it is one of the very, very few viable armors for a dual-classed fighter/mage. To use it, you must have at least 6 strength, 18 dexterity, and 11 Wisdom. You can cast spells while wearing that armor, making it rather effective early on. It has 2 AC (better than any Bracers of AC that you'll find in Shadows of Amn at the very least) as well as conferring some nice resistances. Keldorn's Firecam Family Plate is wearable if you have 15 strength, 17 constitution, 12 intelligence, and 18 Charisma. It is essentially a Full Plate +1 that also raises saving throws, so it isn't that noteworthy. Artificially raising your stats will NOT allow you to equip these armors.

Something else worth noting is that all 3 prime contributors to this Baldur's Gate Saga guide use a mod called BGTutu. Essentially, it runs Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast through the vastly improved Baldur's Gate 2 game engine. This also allows you to take kits at the very beginning of the saga rather than once you import into Shadows of Amn. This is fine in gameplay terms; Baldur's Gate 1 is not easily overbalanced and the game remains dangerous and challenging even with the use of kits. The use of BGTutu comes highly recommended for this and other reasons; it is simply a more seamless and less painful experience overall.

Races

There are 6 races to choose from in Baldur's Gate 1 proper, and Baldur's Gate 2 introduced Half-orcs, bringing the number up to 7. Each has their ups and downsides which will be discussed here. Special note: Gnomes, Halflings, and Dwarves get bonuses to their saving throws based on their Constitution. These bonuses are statically assigned at character creation! Raising your constitution later will NOT retroactively give you better saves! A table with a more in-depth analysis of this is forthcoming. In the meantime, max out the Constitution on your Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes!

Human

Racial Bonuses: Ability to Dual-Class
Stat Modifiers: None
Stat Minimum/Maximum: All 3/18
Class Accessibility: All
Recommended classes: Any, especially Paladin and Monk (as they are the only race able to be Paladins or Monks) or Dual-Class builds
Discouraged classes: Bard. Stalker and Archer Rangers.
Humans are the "standard race." They don't have any bonuses, but don't have any downsides. However, they do have a powerful tool: Dual-Classing. This allows you to give up what you were currently leveling up in, in order to go full-time down another class. It's effectively Multi-Classing with all the benefits and none of the downsides (except in rare cases.) It's also the only way to "multi-class" with kits. For more detailed information, go to the Dual-Classing Guideline listed above. Humans are also the only race that can become a paladin. While they are one of the two races that can go Bard, Half-Elves outclass them in every way for that class as there is no multi-class option for bard. Stalkers and Archers cannot dual-class to cleric, as well, meaning an elf would be better suited for those roles.

On the upside, Dual-classing is extremely powerful, in many ways more so than Multi-classing. Unlike Multi-classers, Dual-classed humans have almost no wasted experience anywhere. On the downside, Humans have the lowest minimum stats for just about every stat out of every race. This can be rather annoying when trying to make a character that has to have high stats in just about every area for your dual-class plan as you can get get really bad rolls in certain spots that negate really good rolls in others. Further, the demihuman races outclass humans in just about every single-class option there is. Apart from those classes that cannot dual-class, you'll see very few pure-classed humans. Their lack of real weaknesses allows them to excel in almost any area.

Elf

Racial Bonuses: +1 to hit with bows and swords. Infravision. 90% resistance to Charm and Sleep effects (but only with G3 BG2 Fixpack).
Stat Modifiers: +1 Dex, -1 Con
Stat Minimum/Maximum: Str: 3/18 Dex: 7/19 Con: 6/17 Int: 8/18 Wis: 3/18 Cha: 8/18
Class Accessibility: Fighter, Ranger, Cleric, Mage (Diviner, Enchanter, Wild Mage specializations), Thief, Sorcerer, Barbarian
Multi-Class Accessibility: Fighter/Thief, Fighter/Mage, Mage/Thief, Fighter/Mage/Thief
Recommended classes: Thief, Ranger (especially Archer and Stalker kits), Mage, Wizard Slayer.
Discouraged classes: Specialist mage. Fighter. Barbarian.
Elves are very popular with ranged characters. Their ability to get 19 Dex allows them to get an extra +1 ranged THAC0 at character creation, which stacks with their Bow bonus. They make great thieves, good mages, and the best rangers in the game. Their specialist mage kits, however, are sub-par. Diviners lose out on Summoning, which is critical for mages. You can use wands of monster summoning to band-aid this shortcoming, but it's just better to avoid it if you can. Enchanters lose out on Invocation, which is the bulk of mage offense. Wild mages can be a huge blast to play, but they're way too unpredictable to consider for hardcore. Also, they tend to make semi-weak tanking characters initially due to their constitution penalty. However, unless you are a dwarf or half-orc, this will not matter by the game's end if you are willing to stack both the Manual of Bodily Health in Baldur's Gate 1 and the +1 Constitution bonus from the Machine of Lum the Mad in Watcher's Keep on the same elf. If you also use the Manual of Quickness of Action and use the Dexterity upgrade from the Machine, you'll have 21 Dexterity. This provides -1 bonus AC and better ranged Thac0 than any other race (save for Halflings). The extra Thac0 bonus with Bows and Swords helps should you choose to use those weapons. The manual suggests these bonuses are only got with long bows and long swords, but in fact, they apply to all bows, and all swords.

Half-Elf

Racial Bonuses: Infravision. 30% Resistance to Charm and Sleep effects (but only with G3 BG2 Fixpack Installed).
Stat Modifiers: None
Stat Minimum/Maximum: Str: 3/18 Dex: 6/18 Con: 6/18 Int: 4/18 Wis: 3/18 Cha: 3/18
Class Accessibility: All EXCEPT Paladin and Abjurer, Illusionist, Invoker and Necromancer Specialist Mage kits.
Multi-Class Accessibility: All EXCEPT Cleric/Thief
Recommended classes: Any, especially Bard and Multi-Classing.
Discouraged classes: Single-Class Fighters (See below).
Half-Elves are ideally suited for multi-classing, since their lack of real weaknesses prevents any of their classes from suffering. They are also the best bards, being one of the two races that can be one, because bards do not multi-class and Half-Elves have some slight bonuses over Humans in terms of resistances, as well as a +10% bonus to pick-pocket. However, like humans, their lack of real strengths means that single-classed half-elves will be outclassed by other races such as Dwarves and Half-Orcs.

Gnome

Racial Bonuses: Infravision. Constitution-based Saving Throw bonuses to Wand and Spell throws (-5 bonus at 18 Con).
Stat Modifiers: +1 Int, -1 Wis.
Stat Minimum/Maximum: Str: 6/18 Dex: 3/18 Con: 8/18 Int: 7/19 Wis: 2/17 Cha: 3/18
Class Accessibility: Fighter, Cleric, Illusionist Mage (Cannot be vanilla mage!), Thief, Barbarian
Multi-Class Accessibility: Fighter/Thief, Fighter/Cleric, Illusionist/Thief, Fighter/Illusionist, Cleric/Illusionist, Cleric/Thief
Recommended classes: Illusionist, Fighter, Barbiarian, Thief. Illusionist/Thief.
Discouraged classes: Cleric.
Gnomes are a surprisingly awesome race. They can only be Illusionists, but this isn't a large burden as Illusion's barred school, Necromancy, does not have very many useful low-level spells (although you lose out on high level spells like Abi Dhalzim's Horrid Wilting and Wail of the Banshee), and in return you get 19 Intelligence right out the door. Also, because they are forced into being Illusionists, they are the only race that can multi-class a wizard kit. Their bonus to Wand and Spell saves are god-sends against two of the most damaging attack styles in the game. Their multi-classing options are just as good, if not better. A gnome Illusionist/Thief is one of the most dangerous characters in Baldur's Gate. The only thing Gnomes aren't suited for is being a single-class Cleric due to the hit against wisdom. Great race. Look them up whenever you can.

Halfling

Racial Bonuses: Infravision. +1 THAC0 with slings. Constitution-based Saving Throw bonus to Death, Wand, and Spell throws (-5 bonus at 18 Con).
Stat Modifiers: +1 Dex, -1 Str.
Stat Minimum/Maximim: Str: 6/17 Dex: 8/19 Con: 10/18 Int: 6/18 Wis: 3/17 Cha: 3/18
Class Accessibility: Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Barbarian
Multi-Class Accessibility: Fighter/Thief
Recommended classes: Cleric, Thief, Fighter/Thief.
Discouraged classes: None.
Halflings are another incredible race that get sadly overlooked. They make the best thieves in the game in terms of raw thieving abilities because of their 19 dex, huge thieving bonuses and the big bonus to saving throws. They are arguably the best single-class Clerics because of the extra saves, dexterity bonus and Thac0 bonus to slings. There's also a strong argument for halfling saves outweighting their Strength penalty for Fighters and Barbarians, but it's generally accepted that half-orcs and Dwarves do those classes better because they can attain 20 natural Constitution. The main failing of halflings is that they have such a shallow pool of allowed classes, you can't use them too often.

Dwarf

Racial Bonuses: Infravision. Constitution-based Saving Throw bonus to Death, Wand, and Spell throws (-5 bonus at 19 Con).
Stat Modifiers: +1 Con, -1 Cha.
Stat Minimum/Maximum: Str: 8/18 Dex: 3/17 Con: 12/19 Int: 3/18 Wis: 3/18 Cha: 2/16
Class Accessibility: Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Barbarian
Multi-Class Accessibility: Fighter/Thief, Fighter/Cleric
Recommended classes: Fighter, Barbarian, Fighter/Cleric.
Discouraged classes: Cleric. Thief.
Dwarves make excellent fighters because of their extremely high constitution. They don't have as much strength at Half-Orcs, but have ungodly high saving throws which more than makes up for it in the long run. While the 17 maximum in dexterity at character creation hurts their armor class, it's not the worst thing in the world because boosting it to 18 will put your AC on par with any other race outside of Halflings and Elves. Dwarves, while they have naturally high bonuses to thieving, don't make the best of thieves because of the dexterity restriction. The high constitution bonus ONLY applies to fighter classes, as well.

Half-Orc

Stat Modifiers: +1 Str, +1 Con, -2 Int.
Stat Minimum/Maximum: Str: 4/19 Dex: 3/18 Con: 4/19 Int: 1/16 Wis: 3/18 Cha: 3/18
Class Accessibility: Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Barbarian
Multi-Class Accessibility: Fighter/Thief, Fighter/Cleric, Cleric/Thief
Recommended classes: Any.
Discouraged classes: None.
Half-Orcs are the true powerhouses in the game with the huge +1 bonus to strength and constitution. They don't suffer the penalty to dexterity dwarves have, as well, putting them up a net +2 physical points over dwarves. They do not have the giant saving throw bonuses dwarves enjoy, however, making them more vulnerable to hazards such as fireballs, charms, and poisons. They make the best damage-inflicting Thieves (or better yet, Fighter/Thief). They'll have more HP and the extra strength lends itself to absolutely brutal backstabs.

"Shorty" Saving Throws

Huge props to e.t. faber for providing the data for this section
As noted above, Gnomes, Dwarves, and Halflings get bonuses to saving throws based on their constitution. Collectively known as the "shorty bonuses", these bonuses are re-calcuated on level-up. So, while you may qualify for an extra saving throw bonus by using the Manual of Bodily Health, you will not see the benefits until you level up.

CON Score	Save Bonus
3	0
4	1
5	1
6	1
7	2
8	2
9	2
10	2
11	3
12	3
13	3
14	4
15	4
16	4
17	4
18-25	5

Prime Stats

For those of you playing over the internet with friends, you will want somewhat higher stats than if you were playing alone. Low Strength (bad carrying weight), and low Intelligence and Wisdom (bad Lore) will be irritating to both you and everyone around you. Bad Lore, especially, will hurt, since it means you have to pass every minor magical item you find to a friend to get it identified. You should try to get high (15+) on both Wisdom and Intelligence for multiplayer characters even if they don't really need it just so you can Identify minor things without bugging your friends. If you have to short one of them, short Wisdom and hang onto Potions of Wisdom. They're cheap, drop pretty often, and pump up your Lore to a proper level.

Baldur's Gate determines each stat by rolling 3 dice that are all 6-sided, and summing these. It then applies race and class modifiers, and rerolls if the value falls outside the minimum or maximum for the race or class. After determining each of the six stats in this way, it checks to see if all six scores add up to at least 75. If not, it scraps the scores it has found, and begins over again.

Unfortunately, it's a pipe dream to think you're going to get all 18s. The exact odds of getting all 18s vary depending on race and class adjustments, but for human with a core class (Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Mage), the odds of getting all 18s are 1 in 5,431,084,533,885 (5 trillion, 431 billion, 084 million, 533 thousand 885). This is much worse than the odds of winning the jackpot in many government-run lotteries. The odds are considerably better for race/class combinations with high minimums and maximums. (The best odds are with an Elven Ranger, followed closely by human Paladins, with their 17 Charisma requirement.) This guide will help you decide what's essential and what isn't, and what, exactly, each stat does.

Also, note that stashed throughout the realm in Baldur's Gate 1 is at least a single tome for every stat point that will increase it by one. For Wisdom, there are actually 3 Tomes. All the books are easily accessible so there is no excuse for not finding them. If you are playing solo, by the time you export to BG2 you can have a character with superhuman stats, definitely a plus when playing alone. If you are in a multiplayer game, discuss with your teammates about where the books are best placed. For instance, it is better to have two clerics with 20 Wisdom each than to have one cleric with 18 and another with 22.

Most likely, you'll need a dump stat. The dump stat of choice is Charisma. It is not very necessary in Baldur's Gate 1 unless you are soloing the game, as you can simply use an NPC with high charisma for the few times in the game that it checks your stats. In Baldur's Gate 2, Charisma is completely ignorable because you can use the Ring of Human Influence, which is found shortly after the game's intro dungeon, before any Charisma checks ever need to be made. As a general rule, don't go below 7 in any given stat if you don't want to incur penalties.

Strength

Influences: Melee THAC0, melee damage, carrying weight, door and lock forcing.
Races with adjustments: Half-Orc (+1), Halfling (-1)

Strength	THAC0 Adjustment	Damage Adjustment	Carry Weight	Open Doors
3	-3	-1	5lbs	3
4	-2	-1	15lbs	4
5	-2	-1	15lbs	5
6	-1	0	30lbs	6
7	-1	0	30lbs	7
8	0	0	50lbs	8
9	0	0	50lbs	9
10	0	0	70lbs	10
11	0	0	70lbs	11
12	0	0	90lbs	12
13	0	0	90lbs	13
14	0	0	120lbs	14
15	0	0	120lbs	15
16	0	+1	150lbs	16
17	+1	+1	170lbs	18
18	+1	+2	200lbs	20
18/01-50	+1	+3	220lbs	25
18/51-75	+2	+3	250lbs	30
18/76-90	+2	+4	280lbs	35
18/91-99	+2	+5	320lbs	40
18/00	+3	+6	400lbs	45
19	+3	+7	500lbs	50
20	+3	+8	600lbs	55
21	+4	+9	700lbs	60
22	+4	+10	800lbs	65
23	+5	+11	1000lbs	70
24	+6	+12	1200lbs	75
25	+7	+14	1600lbs	80

Recommended Statistics by Class

Note: Generally speaking, if you are doing some sort of hybrid class, such as a multi-class or dual-class, you should try to get the recommended statistics for BOTH classes (or as close to it as you can manage without becoming a rabid maniac). BG2-only races and classes will be included for readers using BGTutu.

Fighter/Ranger/Paladin/Barbarian: 18/?? or 19 (if Half-Orc). Don't worry that much about the slash value. It's way too hard to get a good slash value AND decent rolls elsewhere, especially for Rangers and double especially for Paladins.
Cleric: This can vary wildly depending on the role of your cleric in your party. In situations where the cleric will also be the main tank, you will want 17+. In situations where the Cleric is largely support, there's no harm in as low as 15 (though weight capacities will become a pain in the ass). 15 is required for Full Plate Armor, however, so don't go any lower than that.
Druid: Strength isn't as useful for Druids as it is for Clerics because first and foremost, they can't wear heavier than studded leather armors and therefore should not be in melee. Secondly, if you really need to tank in a pinch, you can always shapeshift into another form, which simply sets your strength score to something else entirely. This is especially true for Avengers and Shapeshifters.
Mage/Sorcerer: Absolute minimum would be 10 or so just on the grounds of carrying weight. 14 would probably save a lot of headaches.
Thief: Damage bonuses are not factored into the multiplier for backstab bonuses, so Strength is a little superfluous. 17 is nice for the THAC0 bonus, though.
Bard: Because bards are so reliant on other statistics, strength tends to be gimped somewhat for Bards in order to be completely viable. However, it mostly depends on the type of weapon you want to use. It's perfectly acceptable to gimp strength to around 10 even if you plan on using heavier weapons as long as you know where to obtain strength-boosting items.

Dexterity

Influences: Ranged THAC0, AC, Reaction Adjustment, thief skills.
Races with adjustments: Elf (+1), Halfling (+1)
Special notes: Many races get special adjustments to theiving skills. In regular BG1 (without Tutu), only Hide in Shadows is used in stealth calculations, and Move Silently, Detect Illusion, and Set Traps do not exist. You will likely notice that a 9 Dex thief at Character Creation is given some negative skills. Apparantly these do not carry over into the actual game mechanics, though you are forced to work your way out of the negatives before putting positive points into a skill (much like Lore). Also, Reaction Adjustment should not be confused with Reaction (see Charisma). Reaction Adjustment influences who moves and attacks first in a round while Reaction is the bonus or penalty you incur while speaking with NPCs.

Dexterity	AC Adjustment	Ranged THAC0 adjustment	Reaction Adjustment	Open Locks Adj	Find Traps Adj	Pickpocket Adj	Move Silently Adj	Hide in Shadows Adj	Detect Illusion Adj	Set Traps Adj
3	+4	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
4	+3	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
5	+2	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
6	+1	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
7	0	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
8	0	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
9	0	0	0	-10%	-10%	-15%	-20%	-10%	0%	-10%
10	0	0	0	-5%	-10%	-5%	-15%	-5%	0%	-10%
11	0	0	0	0%	-5%	0%	-10%	0%	0%	-5%
12	0	0	0	0%	0%	0%	-5%	0%	0%	0%
13	0	0	0	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
14	0	0	0	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
15	-1	0	0	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
16	-2	+1	+1	+5%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
17	-3	+2	+2	+10%	0%	+5%	+5%	+5%	0%	0%
18	-4	+2	+2	+15%	+5%	+10%	+10%	+10%	0%	+5%
19	-4	+3	+3	+20%	+10%	+15%	+15%	+15%	0%	+10%
20	-4	+3	+3	+25%	+15%	+20%	+18%	+18%	0%	+15%
21	-5	+4	+4	+30%	+20%	+25%	+20%	+20%	0%	+20%
22	-5	+4	+4	+35%	+25%	+30%	+23%	+23%	0%	+25%
23	-5	+4	+4	+40%	+30%	+35%	+25%	+25%	0%	+30%
24	-6	+5	+5	+45%	+35%	+40%	+30%	+30%	0%	+35%
25	-6	+5	+5	+50%	+40%	+45%	+35%	+35%	0%	+40%

Recommended Statistics by Class

Note: Generally speaking, if you are doing some sort of hybrid class, such as a multi-class or dual-class, you should try to get the recommended statistics for BOTH classes (or as close to it as you can manage without becoming a rabid maniac). BG2-only races and classes will be included for readers using BGTutu.

Thief: Dexterity is your prime requisite, so clearly you will want as much as you can get. Notice that there's a nice bonus in base thief skills and an extra +1 ranged THAC0 for going up to 19, making the Elf and Halfling options more attractive.
Everything Else: There's really no reason to not have 18 Dex unless you're a dwarf, in which case you want 17. All classes benefit from Dexterity's AC bonus regardless of the armor they wear. In the extreme case you are rolling something that requires extreme stats in every area (example being a dual-classed fighter into a druid), it's acceptable but very dangerous to lower dexterity to 7 and rely on the Gauntlets of Dexterity.

Constitution

Influences: Hit points gained per single-digit level.
Races with Adjustments: Dwarf (+1), Half-Orc (+1), Elf (-1).
Special Notes: "Fighter" classes include Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger, and all kits underneath those classes. If you are multi-classing, you will earn 1/2 or 1/3rd the listed bonus (rounded up), depending on if your multi-class has 2 classes (IE: Fighter/Thief and 18 Constitution implies +2 HP/level on Fighter levels and +1 HP/level on Thief) or 3 classes (Fighter/Thief/Mage and 18 Constitution implies +1 HP/Level on all levels). If you dual-class into Fighter, you will only earn the Constitution bonus until the SUM of your two classes' levels exceeds 9. You will then lose the bonus and start gaining 3 HP per level statically.

Constitution	HP/Level bonus (Non-Fighter)	HP/Level bonus (Fighter)
3	-1	-1
4	-1	-1
5	-1	-1
6	0	0
7	0	0
8	0	0
9	0	0
10	0	0
11	0	0
12	0	0
13	0	0
14	0	0
15	+1	+1
16	+2	+2
17	+2	+3
18	+2	+4
19	+2	+5
20	+2	+5
21	+2	+6
22	+2	+6
23	+2	+6
24	+2	+7
25	+2	+7

Recommended Statistics by Class

Note: Generally speaking, if you are doing some sort of hybrid class, such as a multi-class or dual-class, you should try to get the recommended statistics for BOTH classes (or as close to it as you can manage without becoming a rabid maniac). BG2-only races and classes will be included for readers using BGTutu.

Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, Barbarians, and kits of any of these classes: 19 if your race allows it. 18 otherwise. No excuses. You'll need every last hit point.
Anything else: You stop gaining any benefits from Constitution at 16. However, you may wish to go up to 18 if you intend to equip the Claw of Kazgaroth, which gives you -2 Constitution and a penalty to your Death save, but big bonuses to your AC and all other saves. If you're going to skip this, however, take 16 points.

Note: HP gains and actual HP represented are two different things. Theoretically, Thanatos the Elven Mage has 5 Constitution, therefore incurring a -1 HP penalty per level. With max HP rolls on, he'll be gaining 4 HP a level but only have 3 max HP to show for it. Raising his constitution artificially via a potion of fortitude would actually give a net increase of +3 HP per level instead of simply +2 because you're getting out of negatives. Because base HP and net HP are seperate, it's acceptable to begin a character with only 15 consitution instead of 16, as you will retroactively gain the HP you missed out on once consuming the Manual of Bodily Health.

Intelligence

Influences: Mage spell learning rate, Maximum Mage spells per spell level, Lore.
Races with Adjustments: Gnome (+1). Half-Orc (-2).
Special Notes: Negative Lore skills are simply expressed as 0 in game. Bards gain 10 lore per level, Thieves and Mages gain 3 lore per level, and everyone else gains 1 lore per level. Lore bonuses (and penalties) from Intelligence stack with those from Wisdom. Those importing into BG2 should be aware that strikes from the Illithids (AKA Mind Flayers) will drain your Intelligence. You will be killed if they reduce your Intelligence to 0. Mages cannot cast at all at less than 9 Intelligence. Normal Maximum Spell Level restrictions don't apply with Baldur's Gate; even a 9 Intelligence Mage can cast level 9 spells. Further, Intelligence does not give Mages more spells per day.

Intelligence	Spell Learning Rate	Spells Per Level	Lore (See Notes)
3	N/A	N/A	-20
4	N/A	N/A	-20
5	N/A	N/A	-20
6	N/A	N/A	-20
7	N/A	N/A	-10
8	N/A	N/A	-10
9	35%	6	-10
10	40%	7	0
11	45%	7	0
12	50%	7	0
13	55%	9	0
14	60%	9	0
15	65%	11	+5
16	70%	11	+5
17	75%	14	+7
18	85%	18	+10
19	95%	No limit	+12
20	96%	No limit	+15
21	97%	No limit	+20
22	98%	No limit	+25
23	99%	No limit	+30
24	100%	No limit	+35
25	100%	No limit	+40

Recommended Statistics by Class

Note: Generally speaking, if you are doing some sort of hybrid class, such as a multi-class or dual-class, you should try to get the recommended statistics for BOTH classes (or as close to it as you can manage without becoming a rabid maniac). BG2-only races and classes will be included for readers using BGTutu.

Mages and Bards: 19 if you're a Gnome Illusionist. Otherwise, 18, no exceptions. The more spells per level you have, the better. Notice that there really is no good reason to go over 19 Intelligence. The Tome of Clear Thought (+1 Intelligence book) should not go to a gnome with 19 Intelligence, nor should you use the Machine of Lum the Mad's Intelligence upgrade (+1 Intelligence, in Baldur's Gate 2) on anyone with 19 Intelligence. Spread the love around and make multiple 19 Intelligence Mages if possible.
Sorcerers: 9 as there is no significant bonus for going higher. The only exception is if you want to be able to use items which require higher intelligence to use.
Everyone else: The only thing you get out of Intelligence is greater Lore. If you're playing a multiplayer game with friends, you'll probably want 15 or higher so you can identify minor things without bothering others. Otherwise, you can safely use this as a dump stat. Just be very careful around Illithids if you have low Intelligence.

Wisdom

Influences: Priest spells per day. Priest spell failure rate. Lore.
Races with adjustments: Gnome (-1).
Special Notes: Negative Lore skills are simply expressed as 0 in game. Bards gain 10 lore per level, Thieves and Mages gain 3 lore per level, and everyone else gains 1 lore per level. Lore bonuses (and penalties) from Wisdom stack with Lore bonuses from Intelligence. Bonus Spells per day are cumulative; a priest with 18 Wisdom will get the bonuses from having 17 Wisdom and 16 Wisdom and so on. Rangers and Paladins, though they have Priest spells, do not get bonus spells per day due to Wisdom. Finally, despite what the manual says, spells do not fail because of low Wisdom, and Wisdom does not give you a magic defense adjustment (as it says in the manual errata section of readme.txt).

Wisdom	Bonus Spells	Lore (See Notes)
3	N/A	-20
4	N/A	-20
5	N/A	-20
6	N/A	-20
7	N/A	-10
8	N/A	-10
9	0	-10
10	0	0
11	0	0
12	0	0
13	+1 1st level	0
14	+1 1st level	0
15	+1 2nd level	+5
16	+1 2nd level	+5
17	+1 3rd level	+7
18	+1 4th level	+10
19	+1 1st level, +1 4th level	+12
20	+1 2nd level, +1 4th level	+15
21	+1 3rd level, +1 5th level	+20
22	+1 4th level, +1 5th level	+25
23	+2 5th level	+30
24	+2 6th level	+35
25	+1 6th level, +1 7th level	+40

Recommended Statistics by Class

Note: Generally speaking, if you are doing some sort of hybrid class, such as a multi-class or dual-class, you should try to get the recommended statistics for BOTH classes (or as close to it as you can manage without becoming a rabid maniac). BG2-only races and classes will be included for readers using BGTutu.

Priests and Druids: Maximize it. Notice halflings and gnomes have a -1 penalty, which is potentially losing out on one extra 3rd and 5th level spell after using 3 times of wisdom.
Mages and Sorcerers: If you want to use Wish routinely you may want to put 18 points into Wisdom since the Wish spell only guarantees at least one good option if Wisdom is at least 18. Potions can be used to compensate, but are limited in supply. You can subtract rewards from the machine of Lum the Mad and the BG1 tomes if you intend to use those.
Everyone Else: The only thing you get from Wisdom is Lore. It'd be worth it to sink 15 points into it if possible so you can ID minor stuff, but there's no serious loss in using this as a dump stat. Potions of Wisdom are common and set your Wisdom to 18 for a long time. It may also be worthwhile for certain multi-classed characters (namely Fighter/Druid) to skimp out a little bit on wisdom simply because they are so stat-reliant on so many things and the only thing you'll lose is a few extra spells.

Charisma

Races with adjustments: Dwarf (-1).
Influences: Buying prices. NPC reactions.
Special notes: Reaction is not to be confused with Reaction Adjustment (see Dexterity). Reaction Adjustment governs who moves and acts first in combat, while Reaction relates to NPCs. Discounts were calculated by examining the Full Plate Mail at Thunderhammer Smithy's buy price at 12 reputation at various Charisma ratings. 9000 was by far the most predominant price and is the base 100% rate.

Charisma	Reaction	Shop Prices
3	-8	100%
4	-7	100%
5	-6	100%
6	-5	100%
7	-4	100%
8	-2	100%
9	-1	100%
10	0	100%
11	0	100%
12	0	100%
13	+1	100%
14	+2	100%
15	+3	100%
16	+4	95%
17	+4	90%
18	+5	85%
19	+8	80%
20	+9	75%
21	+10	75%
22	+11	75%
23	+12	75%
24	+13	75%
25	+14	75%

Recommended Statistics by Class

Note: Generally speaking, if you are doing some sort of hybrid class, such as a multi-class or dual-class, you should try to get the recommended statistics for BOTH classes (or as close to it as you can manage without becoming a rabid maniac). BG2-only races and classes will be included for readers using BGTutu.

Everyone: Charisma is the traditional dump stat. There are no real downsides for having it at 3, so most player made characters will have that earmark. Notice that anything over 20 Charisma does not give you any better prices at shops; therefore, even a mage or bard with 14 Charisma can be your 'face' character for buying purposes so long as he or she knows Friends. However, 'face' characters really are a luxury. Money is not overly hard to come by in BG1, and you get a ring that allows you to set your Charisma to 18 pretty much from the get go in Baldur's Gate 2. Having a character with high Charisma is useful for buying commodities earlier and in greater quantities, but you'll only need 1 character with high Charisma, and it's a luxury you can easily do without.

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