Good things about 2e
For your Norse priest, think about modifying the Specialty Priest of Shaundakul from Faiths and Avatars (the old, not new) into a Norse priest of Skadi (a jotunn adopted into the Aesir, goddess of travelers, wanderers, and skiing), or Helm/Torm (I forget which one is which) into a priest of Thor, or Tyr (who is already pretty close to the Norse version). All of these classes were very cool and not ill-balanced in my opinion.
Other things to like about 2nd edition:
1) Slower level advancement. By the time your character earns a new level, they've had the opportunity to practice all their skills. 3e is a bit frustrating that way from an RP perspective -- I feel like your character is 4th or 5th level already before you've had a chance to get to know them!
2) Spellcasters can multiclass and still throw high-level spells. MU/Thief is an awesome, if fragile combo. The elven F/MU is also classic, and just can't be done anymore in 3rd ed.
(Aside: 3e forces HP, BAB, saves to be on par with the rest of the party, while class powers are much lower. 2e has class powers only a little lower, but HP, BAB and saves lag behind as well.) I never saw this as a serious balance issue as some did, since multiclassers couldn't specialize in any way they never overshadowed the single-classers in campaigns that I played in.)
3) Dex bonus to AC not limited by armor, so you don't run into the 18-20 practical limit. I personally have never swallowed WotC's argument for this, although most people accept it. In the old 1st edition PH, Gary Gygax explicity states that the reason the difference between plate mail and chain mail (for example) is only 10% is that the heavier armor impedes your movement--so the flexibility penalty was already built into the slow AC progression for heavier armors. It still doesn't make sense to me that someone with dex 18 in plate mail is no better off than someone with dex 10 in plate mail.
4) Str bonus to hit is only about 1/2 the damage bonus, so you don't have fighters with close to 100% hit rate by 5th level, and power attacking creatures into oblivion before the second string arrives.
5) The complete handbooks are mostly very good. Psionics is much better than 3rd edition and I never found it to be a campaign-breaker. Fighters has a lot of cool options for group proficiencies and fighting styles, some of which are roughly equivalent to feats. And remember, NWP's can be used on weapon stuff too so there's a good reason to play high-INT fighters.
6) Kits, although many of them were horrible, at least give the DM and you a framework by which the basic classes can be tweaked.
7) Spells & Powers was a really, really cool supplement with well thought-out options for alternative specialists and magic systems. Recommend it to your DM and think about playing an alienist wizard from level 1. See how high you can get before turning into a glibbering maniac.
8) Skills, when you get them, work well pretty much right away--they're more like feats in that way but not all that bad.
9) Wishes, when you get them, can do things outside the bounds of normal magic and break the rules.
10) Arbitrary restrictions can actually enhance RP opportunities.
11) Interrupting spells with well-timed damage is always fun!
I had a halfling locksmith who really wanted to be a wizard, and was planning on wishing to dual-class into it if he ever got a wish. His spellcraft was very high and he was often able to interrupt enemy spells with his sling.
Hope this helps. There's a lot to enjoy in any edition of D&D and each has unique advantages.
--Ben
