Party advice: first time with this game in a long while

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Hey everybody. I'm going to give BGI a good shot here, and I've been thinking of a good party to play. Here's what I've got so far:

Protagonist: Dwarven Fighter/Thief. Why dwarf? Better saving throws, I'm not into elves, and they get bonuses to my favorite thieving abilities (Locks and Traps). I will eventually gain the ability to regenerate, as I plan on starting with a 19 CON.

Imoen: Heck, I was raised with her. She'll be with me in the sequel as well, and I just like her. I've read that a second thief (concentrating on different abilities) really makes things easier. I also plan on dual classing her into a Conjuror so that I'll have a backup mage.

Jaheira: Again, she'll be with me in the sequel, and she's Gorion's friend. I plan on having Khalid get killed in combat. Although not the most RP-friendly thing to do, he annoys me a little bit, and I need the space.

Minsc: He'll be with me in BGII, and he's a powerhouse here in BGI. Lots of fun with Minsc and Boo.

Dynaheir: I'm not a big fan of her soundset or of Invokers, but she's pretty good in the Lore area, and I need a mage.

Here's my dilema: filling slot #6. I kind of think I could use a Cleric, as I don't know if Jaheira will be enough. Here are my options:

Yeslick: He would be another dwarf in my party, and I like dwarves. I also like multiclassed characters, and he's a good combination.

Branwen: She's one of the better Clerics in the game, and I can get her quite quickly.

Viconia: She's a great Cleric too, but she is evil, which could be a problem. In BGII, I plan on taking her into my party, but it's a bit easier to control Reputation in BGII.

Ajantis: While not really a Cleric, he does provide another tank in the party, and he's got that "Lay on Hands" ability which is really useful.

So, tell me what you think of my party, and help me decide on a Cleric to bring along!

 

Since you're going with Jaheira, i'd pick Khalid as you also may need another tank, especially in the beginning stages of the game. His lousy strength could be fixed with the gauntlets of ogre might. IMO this depends on whether you're going to use your dwarven thief as a frontline attacker or a cross/bow user.

Another option is to grab Yeslick (fairly) early, as I see his only setback being the dex. But that too, could be fixed with gauntlets (and early too). Or you could just use Ajantis (who can use swords..) even though his strength/dex could be better..

The Viconia/Branwen option doesn't seem that great to me. I used Branwen before I got Yeslick (since I like to keep my party good) and she's just plain boring. I've replayed the game and actually finished it today (with my PC Paladin, Minsc,Yeslick,Imoen,Dynaheir and Kivan) and found it interesting that Yeslick really was an important part of the early Iron Thrones schemes. (I used the 'default' party and sometimes payed little attention to dialogues in my initial game..)

Another.. option would be to use Kivan. I think he´s the best archer (or ranged weapons user for that matter) in the game. But not that good of a tank. Which could perhaps result in you not getting enough healing through only Jaheira either.

 

I would take Branwen since you get her early on in the game and then swap her for Yeslick when you get to the cloakwood mines.

I would not take Ajantis because you already have three fighters (your protagonist, Minsc and Jaheira)

I would not take viconia since she is evil

 

Or you could take Coran, so you still have thief abilities (and a decent archer) when Imoen's dual-classing.

 

You reason that those who are "with you" in BG2 shall be in your party. Arguably that means Imoen, Minsc, Jaheira and Khalid.

Also the best reason to take Khalid is that he is the best non-evil fighter NPC in the game. Only Shar-Teel is better than Khalid. Think weapon specialization and Gauntlets of Ogre Power.

Yeslick is a great choice. IMO single class clerics and thieves never carry their own weight in a party. It's different with fighters and mages which are better as single class.

 

That is, Imoen, Minsc, Jaheira, Khalid, and Dynaheir, which gives you a full party, without the room to add Yeslick.

My suggestion: since your PC is a thief (and with potions you shouldn't have to bring along two specialized thieves), leave Imoen at an inn somewhere before picking up Yeslick at the Cloakwood mines.

 

BGII spoilers below
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I figured that since Khalid is dead at the beginning of BGII, it would be ok (although a bit of a stretch) to ditch him in BGI for a better party.

I don't know what I'm going to do now. In all honesty, the reason I wanted a MC Thief as a PC is because the look of the character is so freakin' cool in leather armor with that hood. Dwarven Fighter/Thieves unforutnately use the Fighter animation, and I can't figure out how to change this in SK.