HoF starting levels?

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What level do you reccomend staring HoF at? I tried starting with a level 1 party and even at level 10 i could just beat a goblin 1 on 1 with my fighter. So i was forced to export then import them into a game in insane mode which is around a 100 times easier.

Yet i dont think i will be able to play fully through the game twice. So i only want to play enough on insane mode so that i will be able to survive HoF. Yet from my experience before i dont even see a level 30 party being able to survive the final battle of the siege of targos without massive summoning(where i had to give up on HoF as i was out of summons).

And i dont want to just have to rely on summons with my melle fighters being useless and my damaging spells unaffective because the monsters have too much health.

However i really want to play through in HoF mode as i want to reach max level and to get those much stronger HoF weapons.

So what stage of the game or level of characters should i start HoF mode in? Currently my Aasimar paladin is level 13 and i am in the ice temple.

BTW the main reason i went out of HoF is for spell scrolls so that my mage would have some spells to cast this i hoped would then make HoF mode easier.

[ April 09, 2004, 13:29: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

 

I started with most of my party around level 13-15. Although I did also start with a level 1 paladin. HOF is not easy even when you get to level 25, though the early stages might be a bit easier. You already seem to have the right idea on one front: summon monster. These guys will get you through the game for the most part. The best I found is animate undead. They are the best shields you can get.
If you start HOf with all level 1 you are toast. No two ways about it. If you get to level 14, I'd say its do-able. its just not going to be easy.

 

Actually I heard someone suggest once that you *can* do HOF with a level 1 party providing you have enough summoning spells. Your summons will get the same kind of boost that enemies get in terms of HPs and fighting abilities so with a bit of luck you should be able to survive long enough to level up your party.

 

Yeah, it is possible to do HoF with level 1 chars but it does involve a lot of summoning, range weapons, and running and hiding so it is a little tedious. So from that we can infer that it is possible to do with any level party. A common trick in HoF is to start with your level 15 PCs but chuck in a level 1 PC to bring the average party level down. Then your other PCs will get to the higher levels more quickly.

My experience has been that melee is much less of an option in HoF. It is much more a case of judicious use of spells. As has been mentioned, summoning is easily the most effective option, but if you don't want to rely on that all the way through then it just requires you to pick your spells and tactics very carefully before each fight.

But it IS cool to get some of those advanced weapons and items.

 

Pfft..

Melee in HOF works just fine, just don't expect your average Joe the Paladin in his shiny Plate Mail being of any use.

AC is the keyword in HOF.. you just need a whole lot of it. Like in the order of 70 and above. Read the JUPP guide (available here at Sorcerer's) for full info on high AC tanks.

 

An AC of 70? How is that possible even in HOF mode?

 

David, you have 966 posts and didn't read Jukka's guide? Well, here is one small excerpt:

Deep Gnome Rogue(4)/Druid(4)/Bard(5)/Dreadmaster of Bane(5)/Illusionist(12)
Start statistics: STR10 DEX20 CON18 INT18 WIS7 CHA1
Stats with buffs: STR18 DEX28 CON18 INT22 WIS16 CHA4
AC:
10 (base)
+8 (Chain of Drakka’s Fury)
+5 (Ghost Armor)
+9 (DEX bonus)
+4 (Shield bonus)
+11 (Equipment)
+10 (Feats & race)
+7 (Haste, Barkskin at 4th level)
Total: 64, 69-72 with Tenser’s Transformation active


Btw, 72 is the key. Slayer Knights of Xvim have a BAB of like +52, so with an AC of 72 even they need to roll a 20 in order to hit you!

 

I have to admit, I've not really played IWD2 that much. Roleplaying has always been a favourite of mine instead of powergaming.

But an AC of 70+ *does* sounds pretty cool.

 

I know my Paladin may not be the strongest warrior but i like him for roleplaying reasons though i have changed my fighter into a Monk1/Rogue1/Paladin1/ClericX pretty much from the JUPP though i changed from bane to lathendar as i like the spells and instead of getting +2 WIS from the Banite quest i will get it from the paladin quest and going two times through the game. Then after reading another UPP guide i found that i could kick out my thief and add a WizardX/Rogue1 i had wanted to do this for ages but couldnt think of how to regain those lost skills.

So do you think my party(which has been changed a bit as well as these changes i started by kicking my old mage out and replacing her with a sorcerer) can make it through HoF it has:
Paladin
Monk1/Rogue1/Paladin1/ClericX(a decoy to stop people damaging my paladin who heals very well)
Druid
Cleric(tempus)
SorcererX/Paladin1
WizardX/Paladin1
All of them can cast up to level 6 spells and though only 2 of them a tanks they can all take this role(for the sorcerer and wizard mordenkainens sword and tensers transformation make them very powerful melee)

So will they make it i want to know now as i have been changing them a lot recently and want to do all the changes at once so i can return to getting through the ice temple.

 

That wizard x/pally 1 - what are that character's stats?

 

Whoops the Drow Wizard is actually WizardX/Rogue1 and maybe paladin1 just for the +2STR +2WIS from the kuldahar quest.
His stats are
STR:10
DEX:19
CON:16
WIS:10
INT:20
CHA:5

not the best to gain things from the paladin level with divine grace totaly useless yet i want the +2STR from the quest yet i aint sure if i am willing to lose spells for it thats why its only a maybe

 

You'll have to look up the difference between wizard 29 and wizard 28. If it's only one casting at level 4, you may easily take the paladin level. No idea where to look, though.