Good Party

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I love all the classes that's why I play a party of them all. I think Bard are good at everything but that's just it they are OK at everything and not great at anything. Jack of all trade, master of none. They can cast mage spells, have some thieving abilities, and can fight OK. I like a Bard because they are a good backup for everyone and they can ID all the loot I get. No paying for that or wasting ID spells.
I also like Druids because they have great special abilities. (not all included in IWD) They have some different spells that Clerics don't get, they can use some different weapons, and can shape change. Nothing like a Winter Wolf or Polar Bear in the party! The only draw back is that they can only wear studded leather. Later on they get crazy powers (shape change at will into anything natural, change age, exist on elemental plains at will) but that's at 15th and again not in the game.

 

In BG I played Jeheira through the first game...I liked the dual Fighter/Druid...you gain the armor, but lose the weapon specialization. I did like the scimitar option for her! Other than that, she was kind of annoying...But maybe is was just her complaining attitude & voice clips.

I think I might give the bard a try in the next go round of IWD...At the very least, to see what I'm missing. I think I will always have a Paladin in my group, mostly because it was the first character I played in the old paper D & D...I get sentimental I guess.

 

Here's my party:
--Human Male Fighter
Great Swords and Bow Thinking about giving him a 1/4staff. Also has a good (16) charisma to interact with people.
--Dwarf Male Fighter/Cleric
Maces and Slings the flails and hammers. Also serves as a good back-up source of healing to the cleric.
--Human Female Cleric
Maces and slings. I perfer my main cleric not to be slowed in advancement my other classes.
--Elf Female Fighter
Bows and Longsword. My archer.
--Gnome Thief/Illusionist
Bows and Swords. I remembered this character class when I was rolling up a replacement character for an elven fighter I lost in a pen and paper game in Myth Drannor. I was wondering why it is so rare I see one, so I just had to put one in my parrty.
--Human Female Invoker
Slings. More fun than a barrel of monkeys.
She also has an 18 charisma to do most of the talking when I don't feel immediatley threatened.

Another idea:
"We're on a mission from God"
2 Paladins
4 Clerics (some multi/dual classing)

 

I believe that you should have 2 fighters, one huge human fighter, and a supporting fighter which would be a paladin. Human fighters are good because they can have a very low AC and good HP. An elven fighter/thief is one of my favorites. You can use a composite or long bow, and use thieving abilities(he can use all his abilities with a chain mail armor). A cleric is always needed, because of their healing and perhaps ressurrect. Two mages are always good because then you don't have to bother with giving one mage all the spells and deciding which ones he can or cannot use.

 

Two things:

1st, I don't agree with the idea that a party is incomplete without a mage. Mages are nice when they get to higher levels, where they can unleash some devastating magic.. but the magic wears out quickly, so since you don't want to waste those precious spells until things get really nasty, the mage still spends alot of his/her time standing idle (or using a sling, and never hitting much of anything), while everyone else does all the work.

This can be fixed in one of three ways. You can dual class, which is the powergamer's choice, but not mine. You can multi-class, which is cool because you can either increase the mage's fighting power or make him useful in other ways (depending on the other class you pick), or... and this is the best way in my most humble opinion....

You can recruit the most highly useful character in the game, a bard. Below are the many useful things a bard can do for your party:

1) They can use *any* weapon.

2) They get mage spells, and in fact, their power is almost comparible to a real mage, due to the fact that a bard gains levels much faster! (and they have more hitpoints than a mage)

3) Pickpockets. This is a fun skill, which can get you some nice magical items if you use it on the right people. When you have a bard, your thief can focus on important things, like being able to find those TRAPS!

4) Magic items. There are some magic items out there that are bard specific, and you'd miss out on them if you didn't have a bard to use them!

5) Lore. Give your bard high intelligence, and you'll almost never have to pay or waste spell slots to get those goodies you lifted from the monsters' coffers identified.

6) Musical ability. Even when not in combat directly, a bard can play his battle tune, which inspires the rest of your party to fight better!


So who wouldn't want a bard, I ask ya? Out with the mage, and in with our kick-ass musical friend!



[This message has been edited by The Wretched (edited July 08, 2000).]

 

Don't forget there is no harm, if you are human, starting out as a fighter and then dual classing to thief or mage later. Dualing to cleric is great too, but do the experience point calculations and you see that you won't max out your level with cleric as you still can with wizard and thief.

My party is:

Dwarven tank, straight up fighter with the plus 3 axe that raises constitution one point so he gets to regenerate now. Being a straight up fighter as opposed to fighter thief allows max hit points and level later on.

I got a human fighter who will dual class to cleric at 9th level, or maybe 8th. Still thinking about that.

Another human fighter who will dual to mage at 9th level.

An elven mage thief, very weak in hit points but good to keep in the rear and peg 'em with arrows.

A halfling thief, just cause I like the hobbit and have always had a sentimental partiality to halflings since that was my first character ever.

And a human paladin.

Course there is no one right party and many different variations will do the trick just as well. Best is to choose the combination that is most fun.

 

My group is made up of (alot of fire power 2 fighters, 2 mages, a ranger and a thief. I do just fine without clerics or bards. Thief is just to sneak around and do espionage kinda stuff, attack ranged and very close up. (I've had her die about 30, 40 times ranged! geeze, reloading is a pain.) I do rest alot, up to 600... I think in days and only in the 2nd chapter. (3 years, wow.)

 

er... 2 years, sorry

 

I'd say go with a Cleic. Healing spells are your best friend. Even a few cure lights wound have cut your deaths and resting time by 75%

 

Well, just to add my party into the discussion.

1) Female Paladin
2) Dwarven Male Fighter
3) Human Male Fighter (will dual to mage at 9th level)
4) Elven Male Mage
5) Human Female Cleric
6) Elven Female Fighter/Thief

I've found that this is a good party mix with plenty of firepower.

 

My party, which has worked decently is:

Ranger/Fighter - Tank that can charm animals
Fighter - Classic Tank, that uses Greatswords, and Hammers to kill undead foes
Theif/fighter - Cant go wrong with a fighter.
Cleric - good ol healer
Mage - good mage!

 

In my extensive table-top experience I've found there is no substitute for a cleric (or druid). None. I've played every class, in most concievable parties and found that one can improvise around laking everything but a cleric. It's too difficult to keep a party on its feet if there is no cleric. Fighters are nice, paladins and rangers can serve in that role as easily, mages can be helpful, but are not vital, thieves can be useful, but they all do much better when there is a cleric to back them up and cover for the damage that will inevitably be sustained in the course of adventuring.
Of course, this is just the opinion of someone who started playing clerics fifteen years ago.

 

Wow, ive seen alot of great parties here... so why not throw in mine here it goes...

1 Human male Paladin, great swords, he is very good at keeping himself alive!

1 dwarven male fighter uses large swords (found a sword better than faithkiller....) basically a tank.

1 halfling male thief uses bow, (100% open locks/detect traps) quite useful.

1 human female cleric maces/morning stars, she helps fighters plus conjures skeletons to soften the blow of brutal fights (lots of those in IWD)

1 human male invoker quarterstaff, offensive spells (blows the shit outta baddies)

1 elven male mage quarterstaff, mostly offensive with useful effect spells, double magic missile with invoker (both get 5 missiles per casting) i really tear into stuff that way.

i find this party quite useful was thinking of using a bard in a later game.
ALSO a quick question, if you delete one of the chars later in the game and start a new one will the new char start at level 1 or at an average with the other characters in the party? also, if a fighter will you get all the weap prof slots you would at the level if you start at the average of existing members? and if a mage or thief would you get all the spells/points for the level you are? or will you hav to in the mages case, buy all the spells you need?

 

Kindillin: IF you start a new character in an existing game, they start at level one with zero experience. So you definitely don't want to do this too far into the game. Here's an idea, though, that I used. It works because there are quests in Easthaven you can do with hardly any combat:

I decided to replace my conjurer with another fighter. Problem was, most of my chars were on level 5, and I was in the Vale of Shadows, the last tomb, which is a bad place to bring a newbie character into.

I made sure I had my game saved (not a quicksave), then started a new game.
I created my fighter (a dwarf), then a Bard with max CHA and 15 INT (will explain in a sec). Started in Easthaven with these two (Bard in front). Talk to the Barkeep at the inn where you start, kill the critters (not too hard even for two lv1 chars). Talk to 3 townspeople, using each "extra" option (have your bard play a song for them, have your dwarf get insulted, and have your dwarf ask about old cities and allow as how he/she is treasure hunting). That gets you a nice little stash an some exp.
Then go to the house with the drunk fisherman (Old Jed). If your bard has INT > 15 and CHA > 14, then you can say "maybe just not drink?" and then pick the option to set him on the road to the clean and sober (I think it's opt 3). Trust me, you get more exp from this than you do from getting him some wine.

Ok, now head over to Jhonen (the guy mumbling to himself near the boats on the shore). Keep picking conversation option 1 the whole way through (you will agree to help him). Now, have the fighter stay near Jhonen, and have your Bard walk South to where Eisia is. Talk to her, respond to her song with one of your own. Then when she's done talking, tell her you want her to teach you her song, then say you don't trust her and want proof. She'll give you a sword and a gem. Now, select your other char. He/she should already be standing near Jhonen, so just click Jhonen, and talk to him. (it doesn't matter that the sword is on the bard, who's nowhere near him). Don't tell him to leave town or you will get fewer exp. When he's done, click on the bard and talk to Eisia again, and she will give you some more exp.
You can complete this quest without a bard, but you will get less exp, and since there's a cuple other bard specific bonuses, I create a bard to help me out.

Now go kill the wolf at the scrimshander's house on the docks and get exp from that.
If you feel up to it, go do the little boy's quest near the fishing hole (better buy some bows first). Just quicksave, and if your fighter dies, restart and skip the quest. If you are building another char besides a fighter type, you should probably skip this one.

Finally, when you're done milking Easthaven for exp, select the character record and export the fighter. Since you only have 2 (or 3) characters to split the exp with, they should have enough to go up to lv 3 or so. You can start a new game, and import the char if they need to go up a little more. (when you are done with the second one, export to a different folder (create a new one), just to be safe.

Ok, now go back to your "good" game, then select "modify character", then delete whoever you don't want, then import your "not so newbie" in (along with any goodies you picked up in Easthaven). It's a little work, but it's worth it.

I know someone is going to reply to this and say I'm min/maxing instead of following the game, but, hey you can't go through the game with one guy way behind everyone else. Well, you could but it would suck

 

well Lord B., I just want to say I did the same thing. I got my party to where I needed another character, and then did easthaven with them, only difference was I only used one character both times.

and now my thoughts on parties.

I see no need to have all six spots full, use oine or 2 characters, and try it that way for the challenge. If you try this I suggest just a fighter, or a fighter and a cleric

 

My party is on average 9th level right now... so that wont work too well. Thanks for the tip though if i start a new game and wanna do that i will

 

I always wanted to play a bard in PnP, and never recruited the one in BG, so I figured I'd make one this time around. I have a Female Paladin, a Male Dwarven Fighter, a Male Elven Fighter/Thief, a Female Elven Cleric, a Male Elven Mage, and a Male Half-Elven Bard. I'm very happy with my party, there's not a single thing I would change. I didn't dual class anyone, just kept them straight the whole time. Next time around though I think I'll have a little fun with an all Paladin party. First I need to download the official patch before I go adventuring anymore though.

 

Here is the most powerful party in the game. However, they have to rest quite a bit.
Elf male fighter
Elf mage/theif
Half-elf mage/cleric
Human specialist mage
Human specialist mage
Gnome cleric/specialist

And, there you go. One bad mother party, but they are weak, very weak, in the beginning. But, toward the middle of the game, they kick some ass.

 

Sound like your nice and magic heavy with that group. But have you found that if monsters get in close during the early levels that you get ripped up? I like to play a party like that for a real challenge. In the later levels stoneskins plus 4 fireballs and 4 lighting bolts much rock!

 

Orangeteacup, you know, that when you arrive at a group of enemies that are powerful and all have magic resistance, what are you going to do?