Back to IWD2 after two years, new party help

Remove all ads!

Yay, I haven't played IWD2 for two years, when my IWD2 CDs were used as a chew tool by my friend's cat. Now I had another friend borrow me his IWD2 CDs and I have started playing again!

Wow, despite the bugs, boring stages, unbalanced XPs, and 3e rules, I have missed this game, immensely!

This is the very first game which introduced me the Infinity Engine games, Dungeons&Dragons concept, everything. This is the game which encouraged me to learn more, so I looked for BG2 and IWD and learned a lot about D&D phenemonen. If I had never known this game my life would have been very different now, I would never play BG2, IWD, heck I would not know about D&D and even be a member of Sorcerer's Place.

So you understand how special this game is to me.

That being said, I fear I need your ideas to create a new party. I intend to play through normal and HoF mod also.

Here are general ideas, tell me if I did something wrong:

-Human Bard, 18 CHA, 18 INT, main talker, will focus on Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimadiate, and other useful magical skills. I have no idea about bard spells in 3e though. I chose Lingering Song and Heroe's Luck (+1 save) at lvl 1. I intend to make him pure class for WoB, but should I add sorcerer levels, are they effective, how?

-Moon Elven druid, offensive priest, druids have quite a lot of nice offensive spells IIRC, with Finger of Death particularly being hot. He will use shape change efficiently, what classes do you advice to add for effectiveness?

-Deep Gnome monk: I have heard so much about this build, and here he is, has 24 AC right at the start, quite impessive. Again, strategies for making him invincible will be appreicated, he has 20 WIS and DEX to begin with. I think he will be pure class?

-Tiefling Necromancer, evil, for RP purposes, I guess bard can cast all illusion and enchantment spells which necro misses, that was my plan, am I right?

-Halfling ranger, just for the fun of it, I plan to add a few rogue levels for sneak attacks, what do you suggest?

-Female Elven Painbearer of Ilmater-this will be the defensive priest, doing all healing, buffing and summoning, I trust Ilmater has the best defensive spells as domain spells? Plus that CON raising trick is sure neat. May add some fighter levels when she has maxed spell casting, or do you have something in mind?

Umm it has been long since I played the game so I think I forgot some of the rules, please enlighten me before I make tragic mistakes. Thank you very much!

 

Have you decided how you want to play the game yet ?
The ultra powergaming way is levelling only one spellcaster and keep the others as useless low level rubbish until you can level up your whole party to level 30.
Another option is to play totally without level squatting, you might only reach level 27 during HoF, but you should easily be able to beat the game without this cheese.

Many feats (like rapid shot which is as good as ambidexterity and 2-weapon fighting combined)require 13 dex, so I would give at least 13 dex to everyone.


1.Bard 11/sorcerer 19 is probably the most powerful mix. Most bard song benefits are already achieved at level 5, so I wouldn't take more than 5 bard levels before the sorcerer can cast level 9 spells.
The bard x will take far longer (if he ever will be able) to cast WoB than the bard5/sorc x and his spells are easier to save against.
But you can take a pure bard instead of a sorcerer with bard skills through the whole game, less powerful but still fun. Take GSF enchantment.

2. I wouldn't take other class levels at all.
If you make him lawful neutral you keep the option to take monk levels after level 20, barbarian levels are less useful.
For multiclassing without XP penalty you have the wrong race.
Important feats are GSF transmutation and scion of storms for very funny lightnings and static charges.
You need 10 spellcraft for this, 10 int gives enough skill points to raise it without neglecting concentration, a human could do with 3 int.
Take 15 dex, so you can drink the -1 dex/ +2 wis potions without loosing the abilities which require 13 dex (like rapid shot)

3. Keep him pure.

4. Your bard can cast mirror image, but will this help your necromancer ?
If you add another spellcaster level later, (I'd take Dreadmaster of Bane for the harder saves and special event in Kuldahar), you can cast all mage spells.
Transmuters can get extra HP if they have high enough alchemy skill.

5. Start with a rogue level for the skillpoints.
I'd add paladin levels (must be LG for this) for the aura, stat bonusses and weapons you get for this.
Paladin3-4/ranger3-4/fighter4/rogue x sounds fun.
If you want to cast "static charge" (requires level 22) or "call lightning" you should keep your ranger as pure as possible, take only 1 rogue level at the start.

6. Dwarf is better because of the extra con and you can add fighter levels without XP penalty. If she's lawful you can take monk levels later. But I'd keep her pure.

 

Silverstar :
Maybe you want to test my unfinished tactics mod. It is up to Chapter4 now.
Do you have any interest? If you do, tell me you e-mail address so that I can send the mod to you.

 

Ha ha I have really forgotten 3e rules, I think I have made a lot of mistakes.

I do not want to power game, or stack levels or do any other cheese for my very first run, thank you. Though I will get revised XP tables to avoid getting zero XP from critters which is damn annoying.

I could not save the Bridge as that damned mage Xuki tried to negotiate with me, my bard being eager to diplomacy talked talked and had the bridge destroyed. Xuki paid this by getting stunned by a Chromatic Orb from my bard and then she got sliced/diced. Har har.

My party progression so far:

My monk does not level up, thanks to level adjustment, but he is still untouchable except criticals. But those lucky criticals kill him as he has only 8 HP. Crap.

I gave three levels of rogue to my ranger for sneak attack. It is cool. Really, sneak attack works wonders, drops your avarage orc with one hit. But he has very low INT, which sucks as he gets so little skill points.

I decided that my necro and bard can focus on thief skills like open locks and traps with their spare skills, since they get so many skill points. One person with alchemy and knowledge arcana is enough, eh? My dumb ranger would focus on hiding and move silently only though as he gets so few points..

My druid and cleric proved to be useful indeed, their summons and healings are handy.

I plan to MC my bard to sorcerer like you described, right now he has 5 levels in bard, when should I add sorcerer levels and in what frequency? It is good that I have chosen human, right?

My necro will stay pure for uber spells like Horrid Wilting and WoB, I love the concept. Plus he already has level adjustment, being thiefling.

Umm I do not like dwarves in my party, they do not have that good bonuses like they did in 2e IMHO. I wish my elven priest was drow though, she is a female so she could MC to fighter without penalty, right? Umm, can game editor fix this?

Anyway,

@Tal Rasha,

I would like to try your mod, but I fear my skills in this game are still lacking, I should play the vanilla game more before adding mods. I understood this when those orcs gave me trouble. Don't worry, I can play through the whole summer and I will rise in skill and knowledge to be worthy of your mod, you just keep it going pal!

 

The most powerful choice for your bard is taking 19 sorcerer levels now.

Taking fighter levels for your cleric will only weaken your party and increase the game difficulty.

 

I have another plan about my bard, I doubt if it works. Instead of Sorc, I would choose Evoker. Why?

Because wizards do gain new spell levels earlier than sorcerers which is essential in MC characters.

I will put points into INT for bonus spells and DC, bard spells will be used for summoning and buffing, plus useful tricks like Malison etc, so their DC is not important I think.

What say you?

 

The problem with mixing Bard with Evoker is that you then need to focus on CHA and INT as spellcasting abilities, whereas with Bard and Sorcerer, you can just stick to CHA.

But good on you for not wanting to power game. In my opinion, this game is very well designed in that you can have a lot of fun trying to find the tactics to get through when you have a party that is deficient in some way. Most fun I had was my 'no arcane magic' party. Try getting past Sherincal with no arcane magic. You have to come up with all sorts of new tricks.

 

The mage will be easier to save against since you don't have an int raising spell like eagle's splendor.
Which specialist mage class you take doesn't matter, you'll be able to cast all mage spells because of the bard levels. I'd take transmuter because of the option only tranmuters skilled in alchemy have.
Keep in mind that you have to find scrolls for casting spells, you probably won't find a second WoB scroll before the end of HoF mode for example.

 

As a party i start again after i find a Bug(could not find and kill the 3th Priest.. so
An human fighter expert 3 in Exotic and large swords 2 level.. relay can stand alone to all attacks.. except a few magic spells... level 6(like all other 5 member party). his max damage was 45. but now i finish the Bridge expedition and i will give him a more good Exotic Swoard.
Secound it is a Druid.. good in HP, but not like the fighter, pure all the way... and with focus spells and aids.. cna make a good tanker an a healer.By the way all members ahve longbows in for the tactics when using the Rougue as bait. and the others to damage from the distance.
The thives good in all tyalking and good also in small blade , miss frecvently, but with a shield he can take a lot of enemy beside him ans use him as a FB target or Snow Ball... from my Wizard.
An Cleric also Human like the all before.. that runs wiht bows and spells.. and now can summon 3 undead that can hold all enemy in small places.
The wizard... with 3 FB and 4 Snow Ball.. can kill all enemy around the summoned undead.. this one is MOON elf.. the only one that it is not Human..
and the Last man with the most Kills is the ranger specail Orc Killer and after 5 level in undead killer.. he realy bow them... almost 30% from the kills are his.. also Human.. als o Pure..

Take this Party and form them well..keep the courage up and fight with many tactics.. raougue can kill stab back easy, but the fighter can kill the unwanted magic creature. wizard is the most stongest in damage with his spells and ..

NOW i go to the Ice land with the AIR CRAFT ,AFTER I SPENT MY 60K COINS. IN WEAPON AND aRMORS.... ANYWAY GOOD LUCK!
TRY TO GIVE GOOD POINT IN CONSTRUCTION OF EVERY CHARACTER... STRENGHT AND DESTERITY, CONSTITUTION AND iNTELIGENT, WISDOM AND cHARISMA.. ALL GOOD , BUT NOT GOOD GOR ALL THE MEMBER.

 

^That is the spirit, Druid Master!

It is suprising that my bard 5/evoker 1 can not scribe conjuration spells, but I thought (and you told) he could. Uh, I don't still have the patch, BTW,

I am willing to sacrifice 1-2 points in DC of spells for faster spell progression, I think.

I am aware of the rarity of scrolls. I can deal with it.

Thank you for your ideas and help.