A few questions from one who just started playing this game

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I have recently gotten Icewind Dale II, and I'm playing through it for the first time. I have just reached the wandering village in Chapter 3, and my party is at about level 10 I think - (don't remember right now.)

My Party - (all are good or neutral):
Human, mostly fighter/2 levels barbar
Aasimov, pure paladin
Drow, pure ranger, ambidextrious
Tiefling, pure rogue
Moon elf, pure cleric
Moon elf, pure wizard

1. How many levels of barbar should I give my human fighter to give him the best benefits of both classes?

2. The wizard has extra points and specialization in evocation and fire magic. That's awesome. Does he fare best as a pure wizard, or would some levels of sourcerer or other fit in? Will there be fights against specific hard adversaries later, where it would be especially beneficial for him to also have extra points in another type magic - like ice or such? Which additional types specialization would be recommended?

3. I have given my tiefling rogue many points in hide and move silently and such things. How do I make him use sneak attack and backstab? There are no buttons for it, so how do I choose it? Does he do it automatically? Would he be better at it if he also had some ranger levels? Or is a pure Rogue best in these feats?

4. I wanted to have Drizzt in my party, so I made a Drow ranger and gave him ambidexterity and two-handed fighting. So far the longswords I've found seem to be better than the scimitars, so I guess he fights more like Zaknafein at the moment... Does the two-handed fighting work just as well with longswords as with scimitars or short swords? What other feats are fortunate to enhance two-handed fighting? Speed? Initiative? Or other?
Is a ranger Drow too weak to resemble Drizzt? Should I also give him some levels of fighter?

5. When I choose melee weapons for my melee fighters before a fight, they still suddenly use bows or crossbows when the fighting starts, even in close combat, so I have to stop the game and re-choose their weapons. Especially the paladin is notoriously doing that. Why?

6. I like the bags for various items like gems, scrolls and potions. But the arrows and bolts are REALLY filling up my inventory. Is there a bag or quiver for ammunition to be found somewhere? Or any other way to solve the problem?
I've found some everlasting arrows, but they only do normal damage - I prefer +2 arrows/bolts and other special ammunition, like flaming or piercing etc. Will there be +1 or +2 everlasting arrows?

7. I also love the practical bag of holding I found early on. (Too useful for heavy items to be filled with stupid things like arrows.) Will there be more bags of holding later, or is this the only one?

8. Are there things I could do that would make my paladin fall? (Be expelled as paladin?)

9. Will I meet the real Drizzt, Westminster or other Forgotten Realms characters somewhere, like I did in the Baldurs Gate games?

 

1: 50/50

2: Don't pick any levels of Sorcerer, it's just useless later on. Also, it can be good to spezialise in ice magic as well, you will come to a certain volcano later.

3: To pick ranger levels would only be powergaming unless you have a good excuse.

4: Two handed fighting works really well for other weapons than scimitars. Also, if you use weapon finesse and two short swords and have hig DEX you will really kick ass.

5: Check your AI script for the characters.

6: Yes, containers can be buyed of some merchants but I don't think any magical everlasting arrow exists.

7: I think so, not sure though. Think you can buy one in Kuldahar.

8: Not that I know of.

9: No, but he's called Elminster, not Westminster.

 

1. I would get to level fifteen with the barbarian for the greater rage and damage reduction, then go with fighter for the extra base attack bonus and feats.

2. Do NOT give him levels of sorcerer, you'll start with very few first level spells, and even if you pick things that might be usefull at high levels, like magic missle, it will only be one missle. As far as more specializing goes, I don't know so much about that; I would just specialize in them all.

3. The ranger class will pretty much just give him two weapon fighting, and if you take it just for that, its powergaming. Backstab is automatic, as long as they don't hear him as well. You can also backstab by flanking the enemy (have a fighter on one side and the rogue on the other, and as long as the moster attacks the fighter, you'll get backstab). Some feats, like artelial strike that do special things when backstabing have a special button under the special abilities bar.

4. Rangers automatically get the two-weapon fighting feat, and they might get improved two weapon fighting, I'm not sure. Other feats to take are weapon finess if you ahve a high dex and use short swords, but two weapon fighting isn't special to any particular weapon. As for drizzt's stats- acording to the 3e D&D Forgotten Realms campain setting, Drizzt is a Fighter level 10, barbarian level 1 (power gaming ) and and Ranger Level 5.

5. I know idea here.

6. I don't know this either, though I'm pretty sure that there aren't any magical bonus ever lasting arrows.

7. Don't know.

8. I don't think so.

9. I don't know...I'm only on chapter 4, though there is the black raven monostary, but its pretty isolated and I doubt they have the black raven's stats in the book.

 

2) You probably don't want Sorcerer levels as you mage is already rather high-leveled. As for the boss question, well, most monsters in the game are weak against Fire...

3) Have the rogue attack from behind an enemy, and they will automatically do a Sneak Attack. You don't need to hide in shadows.

4) Drizzt, eternal powergamer, probably has a few fighter levels thrown in, in addition to his ranger powress.

5) I've heard of this problem before, I think it's the scripts.

6) No, but there's a WeiDu mod out there that contains Ammo Bags.

7) I think that's the only one.

8) Don't think so.

9) I don't think so...

 

1. barb(20)/fighter(10) that way you get all the barb class has to offer (damage reduction, uncanny dodge, greater rage, etc) and the fighter class will compliment the build quite well (giving armor proficiency, extra feat, specialisation, and such)
2. why would you want to take levels of sorcerer ? it would have no use to you. the sorcerer will never be strong enough to be a significant. To me dual class arcane spellcaster are suicide
3. I think Rogue is best to multi/dual with a wizard. But if this is your attempt to make Drizzt, them i'm clueless. (Although Rogue(10)/Ranger(20) will make you strong enough to melee, with a few )
4. Who's Drizzt (kidding, i know him but haven't read the book, so i don't have clue)
5. Yup its the character's script, no question about it.
6. Nope. There a no bags for ammo. My solution (i never fired a single magical ammo, cause i think it's a waste of money. I only fire normal with masterwork at best) is put it in your weakest party member inventory, and for the really expensive one, put it in the bag of holding. the quiver slot in the character that never used ranged weapon inventory is also a good place
7. Yes there are. You only got 2 bag of holding throughout the game. And if importing bags of holding comes to mind, forget it cause can't import bag of holding
8. If you're talking about alignment shiftment like in sou, then the answer is no, but if your talking about no longer able to advance in paladin class, then yes. All you have to do is pick a class that is not approved by the Paladin's order
9. Nope. You only get to meet several Icewind I character.

 

You won't even be close to level 30 unless you play in HoF mode. Remember that.

For both Barbarian and Ranger I think four levels of Fighter is very good. You'd have Fighter-4/Barbarian and a Fighter-4/Ranger.