Only one fighter (and not too strong) - am I going to have hard time?

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I'm just finishing 1st chapter (horde fortess) and I think about getting rid of bard and adding maybe a paladin instead, as there were moments when I had a really hard time keeping party alive.

I find bard to be the least practical, as he is in singing mode all the time and sometimes fires a crossbow (though rather effectively)...what do you think - is the game going to be much harder later on? if not much, I might keep the party as it is. If I get paladin, are things going to be too easy?

my current party:
half-elf ranger(2) / fighter(4) (str16 dex16 con 15)
gold dwarf cleric (lathander)(6)
human druid (6)
human bard (6)
human sorcerer (6)
ghostwise halfling barbarian(1) / rogue(5)

 

Hmm, interesting. The basic idea in this game is that warrior types are more powerful and useful at the start of the game but that magic users come more to the fore as the game goes on.

You really only have two fragile characters in that party (Bard and Sorcerer) so they should be reasonably easy to protect, especially if and when they have access to spells like Mirror Image.

If you get the Lingering Song feat for your bard then he can do other things for a few rounds until his song wears off, which is usually long enough to cast a spell or shoot a fewe crossbow bolts.

Your Cleric should soon have access to a range of buffs that can make him a useful melee fighter as well.

As the game goes on, your pure sorcerer will almost be able to handle everything themselves (with the right spell selection) so I wouldn't worry too much.

If you really do find yourself overwhelmed in some of the big fights, just summon some help to give you some breathing room (e.g. Animate Dead).

 

Yeah Harbourboy is right, use a lot of summons, they're tougher than any fighter you'll ever make. Animate Dead and Shades are my personnal favorites (Shades can suck if used in tight places though since it usually summons huge creatures).

 

My current SP IWd2 adventure has no tanks. It's hard, but fun.

 

Your party is quite powerful, if your spellcasters have enough wis(cleric,druid) or cha(sorc,bard) to cast their spells you have a stronger than average party.
The bard is not your weak point.
He might seem weak because he doesn't do the damage himself.
He's a support character who increases the damage the others do and defensive power with his songs a lot more than it seems. A paladin wouldn't be that useful.

If the game is too hard for you, you can make it easier by level-squatting a bit. Just keep always one character one level lower than the others, so you'll get more XP and level up a bit faster. But this shouldn't be neccessary.

A few hints to get the best from your party:

A druid benefits most from GSF transmutation and scion of storms for "call lightning" and "static charge", later GSF necromancy for "finger of death".
Bards benefit most from "lingering song" and GSF enchantment.

Crossbows are nice at the beginning, but even level 16 fighters with rapid shot don't get more than 1 attack/round using them.
At higher levels everyone except your sorcerer should use a missile weapon which allows more attacks per round.(sling, dart, bow, throwing axe, ...)
Rapid shot is as good as ambidexterity and two-weapon fighting combined while wearing a shield.

Have your cleric always cast bull's strength at everyone after resting, cast eagle's splendor on your bard and sorcerer and cat's grace at everyone who needs it. Those spells last nearly for an eternity.
Other spells I always had cast on my party are "bless" and "magic circle against evil".
When your bard reaches level7 he can cast "emotion courage" which does make quite a difference, there are many other buffs to soften hard battles.
If you use a hidden scout you know when you have to prepare for a battle.
"Animate dead" is the most powerful spell in early stages of the game.
Don't multiclass your spellcasters.

 

atman, you have a nice diverse party that will supply you with all the resources you'll need to get through the game.

As you mentioned, you do have 1 fighter who should be able to tank, and your cleric will be good at it too. Just make sure to keep your sorc and your bard out of trouble, make good use of your spell arsenal, and you should be well on your way to saving the world!

 

Because of the utter lack of decent armor in IWD2, melee classes are more likely to slow you down then help you out. I was never able to find better then +2 armor and +1 shields pre HoF, so fighters and barbarians get beat up pretty badly if left in the fray too long.

 

If you have the ease of use mod and install the forgotten items option then this increases the amount of armour available in the game. Also you can change the AC properties of armour into damage resistance instead which can also sometime be of assistance.

Anyway, in IWD2 there are often better methods than armour to achieve high AC.

 

By the time I got to the ice temple, most party members gained level 9 (=good spells) and the game suddenly became easy.
I picked some transmutation/enchantment spells for my bard (slow, haste, emotion:despair, etc.) and he is more useful than ever. sorcerer and druid now do some massive damage with offensive spells...and my two-weapon fighter/ranger has already gained weapon mastery in two weapons(bastard sword/short sword), and while buffed (strength, barkskin) is almost unstoppable...now I am not even planning which spells to pick next, as I don't want the game to be too easy!

 

If the game is so easy, then I hope you have the difficulty cranked right up to Insane.

 

Not exactly...I play by the core rules, but I may crank it up a bit!

 

@atman
The Ice temple is considered to be one of the easier places in the game (except for the battle against Sherincal and battle square). A caster-heavy party will have a hard time only in the beginning, so you shouldn't have a hard time later on neither. They get almost too powerful by the end.
If the game becomes too easy you can either change difficulty or try to win the battles without resting much or without summons or maybe stop using some cheesy tactics if you use any. There are so many ways to make the fights more difficult without changing the setting.

 

Or give your characters quirky personalities that prevent them from using some of their powers (like a Druid who is scared of lightning etc).

 

@Harbourboy
That sounds like a fun idea. I've sometimes specialised characters in things that they aren't too good at but the thought of them having some sort of trauma at some place in the game and temporarly stop using some of their powers and start loving something else sounds really fun. There are a lot of good places to change characters.
I think I will make my druid prefer fire until he sees the power of lightning in 3 enemies (guess who) in fell wood.
Maybe also make something simular with my other party members.

 

You'll be fine...

 

will a pal(2)/cleric(x) work as a thank?

if yes, should he have high dex?

 

@matko5
a pal2/cleric should have high wis, con and strength in roughly that order depending on play style. What's left can be used in dex. He'll probably wear the heaviest armor so he'll get no dex-bonus to AC for dex over 12. 13 dex can be useful for rapid shot with thrown weapons if he's not a main tank.
Having cha and int as low as you'll allow it will make him a good tank. maximize concentration for castings in combat.

 

ok, tnx, i'll try

 

Matko, I would go with a cleric 20/ fighter 4/ sorceror 6. (Human, or preferably, a female drow)

Start as a cleric, add 1 fighter level during your first level up (for all the weapon proficiencies), and keep adding cleric levels after that until you hit 20 levels of cleric. Then alternate between fighter and sorceror lvls, adding the 6th level of sorc last to avoid multiclass penalties.

The reason for the fighter levels is so u can get weapon specialization and the sorceror levels are for mirror image, a Godsend in HoF.

Also note that 6 levels of sorcerors is not necessary for mirror image, you only need 4 levels for that critical spell. So an alternative is to have 5 levels of fighter and 5 levels of sorceror instead. This will grant you an extra feat but at the same time, you will get 1 less casting of mirror image then the fighter 4/ sorc 6 build. I prefer the extra casting.

Also, you might want to level squat your party to take full advantage of this build, or try a non 6-man party.

[ August 07, 2006, 04:55: Message edited by: KL ]