After a fairly prolonged period of figuring out the game mechanics and how I wanted to construct my party, it is now well and truly done.

The characters have saved the Shaengarne Bridge and are moving on to the goblin fortress.

Here's how they stack up:

1) Fighter - Shield Dwarf - specialization in Axe, huge Str and Con, good Wis. Tank, tank, and more tank. Has Cleave, Power Attack, and Lightning Reflexes. Using a 1-handed battle axe and the shield with a bonus to Con instead of a greataxe; with this party's makeup, he's focused (for now) on a good balance between causing damage and avoiding it. Takes the brunt of the damage but deals a fair bit in return.

2) Cleric (Oghma) - Human - healer, summoner and talker. Good Int and Cha, excellent Wis. Stays out of melee and uses a crossbow. Pretty much a "buffing and healing" cleric of the 2nd Ed type. Has Combat Casting, Luck of Heroes, Discipline, and Subvocal Casting. Does all the identifying and has all the talking skills.

3) Ranger[1]/Druid - Human - main archer, soon-to-be offensive caster, occasional scout. Great Dex and Wis, not bad Str and Con. Not used much for melee, although not terrible in that respect. Combat Casting, WF Bows, Rapid Shot, Luck of Heroes.

4) Monk - Svirneblin - secondary archer (slinger), main scout, main decoy, not really a tank, but a killer of archers and spellcasters. Great Dex and Wis, good Str, nerfed Cha. Rapid Shot, Dirty Fighting. Only level 3 because of the ECL penalty, but my most versatile "fighter". The best AC and saves by a country mile, especially when using the svirfnebli abilities. Great AC, but not enough HP that I'm comfortable using her as a regular tank; doesn't do an enormous amount of damage, either.

5) Sorceress - Human - secondary talker, occasional archer and resident killer-at-range. Great Cha, good Dex, Con and Int, poor Str. Luck of Heroes, Subvocal Casting, Greater Spell Focus Evocation. Does the buying, when buffed by the Eagle's Splendour domain spell of the cleric. Saves the spells for when the party is possibly overmatched. Uses Web and Sleep to cut the odds, Ice Dagger to disrupt spellcasters or finish up targets, Chromatic Orb against tough targets or spellcasters, and Agannazar's Scorcher when off to the side or with the monk as decoy/tank.

6) Paladin of Ilmater - Aasimar - talker, secondary tank, secondary archer. Great Str and Cha, good Wis, decent Con. Power Attack, Combat Casting, Heroic Inspiration - will take WF Long swords ASAP. Always the second character into melee behind the dwarf (unless the monk started the melee).

I set it up so that I could multiclass the paladin into a Painbearer of Ilmater (Wis 16), but now I'm not sure I want to. I'm thinking that I should stay with the class with better melee potential. The paladin/aasimar abilities allows this character to function as a minor cleric anyway.

Thoughts?

1. Suit yourself with no greataxe, I was only showing you the best way possible, its your decision ;) After 4 levels of fighter, you could give your dwarf barb levels to make him a better tank.

2. A good choice with no wizard for identify, though I'd have gone with Lathander. 4 levels of fighter is a possibility. I don't give clerics too much charisma, as it only affects Turn Undead, which is next to useless.

3. Goody [img]smile.gif[/img] Though I don't use druids often, this guy will be nice. 2 priests will be a nice asset.

4. Double goody [img]smile.gif[/img]

5. As your only arcane caster, I'd go with a wizard for all spells.

6. I'd have gone with Helm so as to add 4 levels of fighter later if wanted.

Edit:
If you are going for only the normal game, then disregard all of my advice except for your dwarf. If you plan on HoF, then you really should consider this. A sorceror is very powerful, but I gurantee that you will be missing spells in HoF. With a wizard you will have slightly less spells, though you said you only use them in emergencies. The wizard will allow you to have spells for all occasions, including identify, allowing you to replace your priest with Lathander for just as much healing and fire spells(making losing the sorceror not to bad)

Option 1 :(

priest- identifier, healer, buffer
sorceror- heavy artillery

Option 2 [img]smile.gif[/img]

priest- back up tank, healer, artillery, buffer
wizard- artillery, buffer, tank (true!), anything-er

Your choice ;)

[ 11-29-2004, 05:53 AM: Message edited by: Marty4 ]

Aerich,
What's the STR of your Monk? I'm playing a solo Deep Gnome Monk now. Started him out with greataxe until level 7 now he just uses his fists. With his saves, he's hard to hit. Going through Targos up until the goblin waves, I only took one hit out of all the fights and that was from the doppleganger. Even though your Monk has not so great HP, he's still an effective tank because of his saves.

Str is 14, iirc. I got spooked out of tanking her because I took some hits from orc archers and warriors at the fortress gate. Dex and Wis are maxed, or nearly so.

I have two conventional tanks, so it affords me the luxury to use my monk as a rogue/decoy. Once she gets a few more levels and HP on her, she will take up more tanking duties.

This party is just for my first run through the game. I'll switch it up a little for a second game + HoF.

The shield is nice in the early game to prevent some damage. I'm trying not to rest too much, so a better AC on my tanks saves my priests some spells. I cleared the first level of the goblin warrens (Edit: without resting). I do sometimes switch to greataxe against larger enemies, but it's a waste to do so against goblins and orcs.

What about the paladin? Should I take a few (maybe 3 or 4?) levels of cleric to get more spells?

[ 11-29-2004, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

<font face="Verdana" size="3" color="#00FF00">You have a great party there Aerich.

Ranger[1]/Druid - This is one of my favorite class combos. I love the druid, but this one can hold her one in a fight as well. I love druids so much that one game I took two of these in my parties.

The rest of the party is nice too. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I like the monk as well, a decent tank, and a really good scout.

Clerics are nice as well.

Another class I like is the bard, do to the songs but try this class in another game.

Well you have a cleric, and a druid so for the paladin I think I would just stick to his class or a class that will improve upon melee or tanking. I don't think you will need to give him extra cleric levels, at least I wouldn't. I would just let him advance in his current class.</font>

[ 11-29-2004, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

I suppose a greataxe is a bit overkill on goblins [img]smile.gif[/img]

since its just "axe profiecency" for both weapons, switch to greataxe later in the game if it suits you. I never found good enough shields in this game to not either dual wield or take a 2 hander.

with axe profiecency you are also good with throwing axes. If you ever find a good returning throwing axe, it may be a useful first strike weapon for your tank.

Hows the party goin?

The party's going ok. I haven't played much in the last few days because I have exams coming up. I'm almost done the second level of the goblin warrens/fortress.

I'm using that strange bludgeoning axe as my ranged weapon with the tank - not much range on it, though. I do intend to switch to Greataxe at some point, just as soon as I find a greataxe worth using - no magical ones yet. There's quite a few weapon resistant creatures in the early going, isn't there? Those were-monsters came pretty close to whopping me the first time I encountered them.

I took the predictable Fireball for my sorceress' first 3rd lvl spell - worked well with the monk decoy, except for that one time when the monk failed a magic resistance check and saving throw to a sleep spell just before the sorceress cast it. Evasion doesn't work when you're down and out. ;)

No problems, really. This party is going to kick some ass in a couple levels - the ECL penalty on the monk is somewhat of an issue at this point.

Ah, the Dullcobble's Axe, funny thing. Anyways, take Skull Trap as soon as you can, while it has a smaller radius of damage than the fireball, it gives out more damage on later levels as it has no damage cap. The ECL penalty won't be important from level 13, and that's when most partis get really strong with stuff.

I am planning to take Skull Trap ASAP, but I figured the bigger radius and fire damage of Fireball was more important in the early game. My sorceress is only lvl 6, so there's plenty of time.

For other third level spells, what do you recommend?

In addition to Skull Trap, I'm thinking of Dispel Magic, Icelance, and Haste. My "maybe" spells are Stinking Cloud, Melf's Minute Meteors, Ghost Armor and Dire Charm. Not sure what order to take them in, or if I'm missing any "awesome" spells. I may move Stinking Cloud and/or Dire Charm up to the "take quickly" category.

warning! Haste in IWD2 only affects one person! you want mass haste, the spell that gets everyone.

Dispel is taken care of by the cleric, and I've never liked the Armors. Icelance, flame arrows, stinking cloud are the way to go. I'm sure someone else will have a godly spell that I'm missing.

Oops. Yeah, I was going to list Flame Arrow. I won't take it next, because I already have plenty of fire spells. The next choice will probably be Icelance, because, as you pointed out Marty, Dispel can be covered by the clerical caster. I'm not ruling it out entirely, because it would be useful to have with more than one character.

Is Haste really that bad a choice? I'm aware it only affects single characters, but I kinda like the idea of pumping up a tank and shredding something.

Haste on a greataxe-wielding dwarf tank with power attack and cleave? Isn't it worth it? Maybe not in the top 3 for choices, but probably in the top 5. I suppose it's not that useful over the long term, but it sure would be at this stage of the game.

Oooh, hasting that dwarf is definetly worth it. But the thing is, you're a sorcerer and must be very picky about your spells, choosing spells that become more powerfull as you level. Icelance is not one such shepp, but it's after-effects are always handy. And Melf's Minute Meteors are one of the most usefull spells in the game, as it's really really handy against trolls and very nice damage delivered fast.

I'm pretty sure that paladins get dispel one way or another :D You may not get that, but others will.

Like Bozos said, you can't afford to get spells that aren't good in the long run (I told you to get a wizard!) so you should get mass haste instead. You will LOVE that dwarf!

MMM is awesome, like Bozos said.

Oh, I get the dispel reference. ;) Every paladin must have a sword - maybe it makes up for not getting a steed.

I went with a sorceress, and now I'll stick with it; it's not too bad, because I have two other spellcasters, one of which is a druid that's shaping up nicely. I don't really miss the lack of choice (yet), and I really like the option of choosing the best spell for the situation.

I've narrowed down my next 3rd lvl choice to Stinking Cloud v. MMM. Crowd control v. multiple ranged attack.

I imagine Melf's is darn good for kicking the fanny of opposing spellcasters, right? And I do have Web already...

If you don't intend to go HoF, then sorceror is equal or better.

Go for Melf's. Great troll and mage killer.

I just levelled up, and I decided to focus my sorceress on taking out opposition spellcasters. Went with the double-barrelled Melf - Acid Arrow and Minute Meteors. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I'm at the crash site, and I managed to draw the Fomorians and Frost Spiders at the same time, attacking opposite ends of my party. :(

I left my dwarf fighter and mirror-imaged svirfneblin monk to occupy the giants, and focused the other four on the spiders. I did fire off a chromatic orb and managed to stun the verbeeg (leaving him easy meat) before turning back to go after the spiders with double Scorchers. Good thing I had plenty of antidotes, because my pally just couldn't seem to make a save.

How are you liking the dwarven fighter, and what level is he at? The big advantages of being a fighter are weapon specialization and extra feats. I assume that you've got the specialization in axes. If you are having trouble picking feats then I have 2 suggestions:

1. Take specialization in hammers or maces and get 4 concentration. This unlocks the powerful feat Maximized Attacks. If you've played BG2, this is like giving your guy Kai [img]smile.gif[/img]

2. Start leveling as a barbarian. Fighter is the favored class of dwarves, so there will be no penalty, and you will enhance your tank with extra hp and the barbarian rage ability.

Note: Even while leveling as a barbarian, your 4 fighter levels will allow you to take specialization.

Oh, I'm liking the dwarven fighter. He's level 7, nearly at level 8 now, and sitting at 112 HP. A great meat shield, and he deals good damage. Still using the one-handed battleaxe, as I haven't found a magical greataxe yet.

I've been thinking of levelling as a barbarian, but I want to get a few more feats first (improved crit, weapons, saves). I put my starting skill points into concentration, so I'm ready to get maximized attacks as soon as I get the second specialization.

Does taking a level of barbarian early in the game mess up the fighter table for getting the increased number of feats?

I doubt it. However, I'd start being a full-time barbarian soon to get Greater Rage, damage reduction, and nice barb abilities.

Since this crew won't go into HoF, I doubt that I'll get damage reduction or Great Rage. I'll still take a few barb levels, for Rage, movement, and even better HP.

Sorceress just went up a level, and took Stoneskin for her first 4th lvl spell. Tough choices between it and Emotion: Hope, Confusion, and M's Force Missiles. But Stoneskin is a great spell to put on the tanks - it probably doubles their durability on core difficulty. I now have the ability to put either Stoneskin or Mirror Image on every single party member. Not a bad deal. :D

I've noticed that I use Chromatic Orb much more than I did in IWD 1. Maybe I just have more of them available.

Chromatic Orb is a great spell. I havn't played either of the IWDs in a while, although I'm thinking I'll start again, but I remember using it quite a bit in both.

Mord's Force Missiles though, I don't think I really ever used that spell. I remember hearing that the save DC was off so hardly anything ever failed their saves on it, although I don't think I ever tested it myself. Does anybody know if there is actually a problem with it, or was I just missing out on a great spell?

Not sure about the whole saves thing, but I think the spell is only really useful at higher levels. You only get 1 missile at 7th level, and one for every 3 levels above that - the catch is that each missile has +1/dmg per caster level, and the number of missiles tops out at 7, not 5. There's also a small AoE as well.

I really only use Magic Missile to take down Mirror Image or to disrupt spellcasters, so I can't really see the point of using MFM until I get my level high enough that they do some serious damage. I'd rather use my 4th level slots for party buffing and some of the enchantment-type spells. Lvl 1-3 spells are perfectly fine for single-target direct damagers.

Part of the reason Chromatic Orb is so good in IWD 2 is because of the feats - with SF: E and SP it is easier to affect things with spells (it seems), and the value of a stunned enemy is higher because Power Attack and Maximized Attacks allow you to take it down quicker than you would in IWD/HoW. It's much more of a tactical decision now.

I also always wait to take MFM as a second lv 4 spell, but when it gets kicking it really kicks serious butt. What bothers me, that in IWD2, they didn't incorporate many usefull attack spells at levels 5,6 and 7, and that's a shame. Thre are some great spells for those levels, but these really are the only choice for a damage-dealer mage. There is not bu with MFM, deals tremendous damage later on.