Party Creation

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hello, i've been lurking this forum for some time, it was very productive, but i have a problem. hm, a mayor one...

last few months, i got interested in d&d rpg-s, mainly bg2 and iwd2... with bg2 i have no problems, nice character etc. but icewind dale 2... i started the game a milion times, a milion, everytime with a brand new party... i always lack some basic element... so, can you help me with my party? i have in mind a basic layout (fighter, healer, thief & mage) looking something like this (4 characters):

fighter (x)/ rogue (2,3 or 5? even more?)
wizard (x) - i love wizards... single classed ones (but a wizard + 1 level of barbarian iz amazing )
cleric or druid - whom should i take?
fourth char. - i dont know what to make out of this one...

so, can you help? also, i i have trouble with atributes... can you help? (i dont like "18, 18, 18, 3, 16, 3")

btw - i've read a lot of guides, but after reading i'm confused - in one guide one thing is good, in other thats bad...

 

A 4 character mix of tank, rogue, medic, and mage is a perfectly good one.

I'd suggest taking a sorceror over a wizard, and a cleric over a druid in a party of only 4. Also, I'd suggest having a cleric whose stats allow him or her to be a strong backup tank.

I'd probably suggest a multiclassed rogue. There are multiple perfectly viable rogue multiclasses. Ftr/rogue, Ranger/rogue, rogue/wizard are 3 of the best. if you choose to go the rogue MC route, I'd suggest taking a race that has one of the two classes as a favored class or human or half-elf, since they have no favored class.

Ftr/rogues are good if you want to maximize feats. Ranger/rogues are good since they have a nice symbiosis in their important stats (i.e. DEX and INT). Both ranger and rogue classes have access to important rogue skills. And the rogue/wizard MC are good for having more arcane firepower, and both classes share an important stat, INT.


As far as the lead tank, you can go in most any direction there. If you like paladins, they will be more resistant to magic than other tanks. A fighter may have a little more pure tanking firepower, due to their extra feats, but a pally's other abilities seem to make them more survivable. OTOH, fighters from certain races (drow and dwarves, are two examples) can be pretty darned good at surviving as well.


Just my 2 cents....

 

The sorcerer is definitely better than a wizard for a four man party because you will level up too fast for the available scrolls so your wizard will never be able to cast spells as high as his level.

 

Indeed. In fact, even a Wizzy X/Rogue 2 may be leveling up faster than the available scrolls.

 

If this is your first time through the game, I'd suggest taking all 6 characters. That way you get a better feel for different classes and races. Yes, you won't get as high in level ( maybe 15th) but this still gets you most special abilities, 8th level spells, and at least 6 feats to try. This way if you take a weak feat just to try it, you don't bog the character down. Try 6 pure classes or the rogue2/WizX varient so you can get a feel for who does what and who doesn't do things well. Also more characters=more total hit points, sp you can last in fights longer until you develop tactics that work for you. Also more total spells cast each fight.
I'd suggest one Wiz, Soc, Cleric, and Duid to get a feel for them. One fighting tank up front (your choice ftr, Ran, or Pal). Then one extra for fun char: bard or monk. Rog/wiz multi class makes sense for above notes on limited scrolls. Have everyone use different weapons to test their strengths and weaknesses.
Then try to go as far as you can with this party. Try to finish the game with them. Then your second, third, fourth time through go with what worked best or go solo!

 

I don't disagree with you, GGhoul, in your suggestion about using 6 characters on a first run thru, although I'd suggest having 2 tanks, not just one. If one is a bit unfamiliar with the game, a pair of good strong, steady tanks can be a real security blanket for any party.

Frankly, some of my favorite parties have been 2 tanks (often a pally and either a nasty, strong fighter or a barb), a rogue (sometimes pure, sometimes MC'd to ftr/rogue or ranger/rogue), a ranger-archer, a cleric, and a sorc. This would give me 2 pure tanks, and 3 backup tanks (the rogue, the ranger-archer, and the cleric), as well as 2 primary spellcasters, with a little supplimentary spellcasting in the pally and ranger. It's a nicely balanced party for normal mode, and does rather well in HOF as well. (You might be surprised at how useful ranger spellcasting can be in HOF for supplying cannon fodder summons.)

 

wow, tnx. i'll try the game with 6 char. maybe it'll go better...

 

Maktos, don't get us wrong. You can certainly beat the game and have plenty of fun with a 4 person party. But for a first time with the game, it often seems that more warm bodies is helpful and it does let you get a better feel for a wider variety of classes, particularly if you're unfamiliar with D&D and/or its 3rd ed rules.


Either way, enjoy.

 

no, i understand...


btw - 6 char. party is excellent. works great (http://www.ohiocitizen.org/campaigns/electric/2004/excellent.jpg)

 

crusis, you'd be surprised how well the cleric and druid can tank in the above 6 man party. A shape shifted druid makes a great tank mid game until his spells really develop into superior blaster. Using weimer mod, I like to go treant or verberg from say 5 to 9th level. I put a full plate cleric up front as well, all the better to heal your barbarian with!
Of course, I give everyone a missle weapon, even the tanks. With the aboundance of magic ammo, I always kill or at least weaken most foes from range. Save the tanking and heavy magic for the tough foes. Once my cleric hits 5th level,, undead serve as tank/cannon fodder.

 

GGhoul, I've heard some people say that the druid sub-mod in the EoU mod is rather overpowered.

Regardless, when I'm in normal mode, I don't go overboard with using summons as my tanks. I like to have my tanks be my tanks, and let any summons be cannon fodder/damage sponges.

I fully accept that clerics can be decent tanks. That said, I prefer to not have them be one of my primary tanks. I like having the enemy's tanks focused on either my oen tanks or my cannon fodder, and then let my cleric join in after the initial contact so that he/she isn't being all that heavily targetted.

As far as druids and tanking, I have no experience because for whatever reason, I always end up without room for a druid in any of my parties.

I also arm all of my characters with ranged weapons. My battle tactics are highly organized and generally focus on defense, rather than blindly charging into battle. I like to hold a strong formation and let the enemy come to me. And in the time that they are running towards my line, I have my party getting in a volley or 2 of ranged fire and arcane nuking, before having my tanks switch to their melee weapons.

Ranged combat is hardly the decisive weapon that it was in BG1, but it is useful. It may not be great for totally wiping out an enemy, but it can be useful for surpressing some spellcasters and finishing off nearly dead enemies when you notice them.

 

What it does is try to rebalance the fact that shapeshifting is underpowered in the normal game, but ends up going the other way by providing some overpowered shapes like the remhorazz.

 

Only because they had to use monsters in the game. Although I would love to see some dire animals.

 

ok, chapter one - x

my party:

shield dwarf - fighter lvl 7
aasimar - paladin lvl 6
half-elf - ranger lvl 7 (i know, i know )
drow - morninglord of lathander lvl 5
human - rogue lvl 2 / wizard lvl 5
wild elf - sorcerer lvl 7

 

Don't worry about it, maktos. I like rangers as well and have played them many times. That said, IMHO, rangers are most effective when they have max DEX's and decent INT's, so that they can build up and effectively use their stealth skills, as well as be excellent archers. And take advantage of thier virtual dual wielding.

 

ok, stupid game. all save games lost...

 

forget about a rogue in a 4 character party; go with a sorcerer and a mage who can have some theif levels, one tank (barbarian, fighter, paladin....i would choose paladin) and one tough dwarven cleric you can use as a tank. and dont worry about starting over a million times, i think everyone does.

 

nunsbane, i think that you can do just fine with a rogue 2/wizzy X who has a max INT. You'll probably have more than enough SP to have very decent thieving skills, along with having a potent wizzy.

 

agreed, crucis...personally, the last four of five parties i've played have not had a single rogue level in the bunch. the game does not require thieving skills. you can use a physically strong character to force open locks or the mage spell knock. mirror image works well for absorbing damage from sprung traps. and pickpocketing is of very little use.

 

I agree that you can get thru the game without a rogue, but I choose not to do so. Rogues are fun to play. I like using them regardless of the general weakness of existing traps, etc., for role playing reasons and I just happen to like having a nasty back stabber.