Hello all,

Sheesh! I thought that I chose an "interesting" party, but had no idea it was going to be this interesting. I am having a tough time making through a lot of the big battles (still in CH 1, just about to fight my way through the goblin warrens), at least one of my characters gets killed every time, no matter what I do (if not all of them). Here is what I have:

Fighter
Druid
Monk
Rogue--sneaky type
Sorceress
Lathander Priestess

They are all level 5. I think my problem is that I am using classes that I am not familiar with: Monk, Druid and a Sorceress. The monk in particular drives me crazy, he has the highest AC of the whole group (18 with no armor), a +17 to hit, and 5-12 damage, but he gets worked every time. He dies quicker than my 8-year-old niece would in the same situation. How long before he gets usable????

Do you have any strategies for me for the druid and sorceress? Right now I'm feeling a little constrained by the small variety of spells that the sorc can use.

I guess I chose classes that come to their full power only at later levels, but this is driving me caraaaaayyyyzeeeeee (crazy).

Thanks for listening to me complain, ;)

Rankor

errrr.......have patience with your monk, in time he will become unstoppable

Until he is imported into a HoF game at which point he will be n00b hamburger again. :(

I have the same problem, my party consists of;
Fighter
Paladin
Barbarian
Cleric
Rogue/Illusionist
Wizard

It is getting to be a drag having to rest after every single battle. Not something I can really rationalise. Am I just being a cack-handed fool or is this game just a lot tougher than the other BG games?

The problem could be your stats mixed w/ the skills and feats you have selected. Give us some more detail about your party (stats, races, skills & feats). What weapons and armor are they equipped with?

Ronan you have a good mix for your party you should get through ok. Check some tactics threads.

Rankor, My opinion only, I think you need another tank for your first time through the game. Your spell casters need to level up and you will be fine.

Also what kind of battle tactics are you using? I also think an extra tank could help alot, but overall your party choices are OK.

One tactic you can try using to reduce the damage you're taking is to summon a creature (although unless you have the latest patch installed, don't use the "summon undead" spell, use a "summon monster" spell). Have it walk in front of your party. It will get noticed and attacked first. Your party can then hit your opponents with ranged weapons/spells, and engage them in melee after they've been softened up a bit.

Also go after mages and archers first, especially mages!

well it's not a party i would of chosen...

the druid, monk, rogue, and cleric are slowing you down, they are not great melee types yet, nor have their spells really come into play...

i'd try and stiffen your rogue w/ some ftr type classes (rng, ftr, barb)

you may want to explore shapechange w/ the druid, and work on using it's spells, entangle, alicorns lance & and spike growth were mainstays of my spell combats.

the monk, i don't use them much, they always seem to be missing something and i tire of them rapidly.

w/ the sorc, focus on area effect damage. snowball, fireball, skull trap.

I have 2 fighters 2 rangers a mage and a sorceress
I remember where you are and it seems that your just approaching it wrong and i
suggest using auto pause very usefull whenever someone gets injured or someone casts a spell or end of round. I've had an interesting time talking to you goodbye if you have anymore q's email me at jasefacekhs@yahoo.com

This is a little cheesy, but here's what I did -

I was having a lot of trouble early on at the Goblin Fortress, too, so I decided to start a new game & import my characters. They re-did the prologue & the bridge & gained a little more XP (a level or two tops) & were much better prepared for the Goblin Fortress next time they arrived there.

- Imrahil

You seem a little light on tanks. Your only real tank is the fighter. The monk is a good damage dealer, but you need another bruiser in heavy armor for up front. Druids are interesting, but they're not tanks, so they shouldn't be in the second position. I'd get either a paladin or a barbarian (or another fighter) for that second position. Half-orcs make really good fighters. You can get their strength up to 20 at level 1, and if you drop their int and cha down a bit, you can pump their con up to 18 as well. Just don't put him in the first position. You don't want him talking for you party.

It depends also on stats. CON is really important. Lathander cleric and sorceror are ok. Multi-class your fighter with barbarian. Multi-class your rogue with ranger or barbarian/fighter. Drop druid or cleric and got a dwarven fighter/barbarian with 18 STR and 20 CON. Keep your monk they are interesting.
Keep all your CON's 18!

I wouldn't drop the Druid. They rock! Between heal spells, summoning spells and the ability to shape-shift, they are pretty tough. My advice would be to drop the cleric and pick up another tank (Fighter, Barb or Pally).

Rankor, sorcerors are awesome. The key is them is to have a good grasp of proper spell selection. Nearly every spell you select needs to be one that you'll use a lot. A great way to "safely" learn how to use a sorc is to play a party with a wizard and a sorc. This way, you can make some mistakes in sorceror spell selection without getting seriously hurt.

Like others have said, focus on area effect spells. But there are a few defense and buffing spells that are worth taking. It's also good to try to take spells that cover the various elements (fire, cold, acid, electrical, etc.) so that you may be able to exploit various weakness of various potential enemies.

Here are the spells that I like taking.

Special Note: I am fond of taking Charm Person initially. In chapter 1, it's more effective than magic missile. Normally taking a spell that loses its effectiveness later in the game is not a good idea. But I find that Charm Person is the exception that proves the rule. By the time that Charm is losing its effectiveness, MM is getting useful.

I don't pretend to call this a perfect list. It's simply MY preferences.

Level 1:
Magic Missile
Charm Person (really useful early, moreso than magic missile)

Level 2:
Web
Mirror Image
Melf's Acid Arrow
Snowball Swarm

Level 3:
Fireball
Skull Trap
Icelance

Level 4:
Stoneskin
Emotion: Hope

Level 5:
Animate Dead

Level 6:
Acid Storm
Chain Lightning
Mass Haste

Level 7:
Delayed Fireball
Modenkainen's Sword

Level 8:
Horrid Wilting