Okay, I know this one is a little weird, but read on through and LMK what I can do to make it better.

NOTE: I will be playing on insane mode to get these dual-classers going!!

1)Human Paladin

(tank from start to finish, nice to have a single classer to just leave alone. Will eventually use longsword and axe at range)

2)1/2 Elf Bard

(starts off as the only spellcaster, eventually becomes the 3rd stringer in that department. The good thing is that he will probably be singing all the time when the two mages are in the party. Although he is single classed, a Bard does develop and makes for an interesting character. Weapons don't really matter here, but he will use a longbow or crossbow when in combat. I might switch to darts or sling if I find a good instrument that takes a weapon slot)

3)Human Thief 7->Mage

(main blaster, will snipe with a shortbow and use a longsword if ever called into combat. If I find any mage daggers, he will use them and a buckler shield)

4)Human Fighter 13->Illusionist

(Spellsword. GM in greatswords probably, and mastery in bows. This is probably my most powerful character. Spells will make him better in combat)

5)Human Fighter 9->Cleric

(While not quite as good in combat as character #4, he will eventually have more HP and will still be a grandmaster in either maces or warhammers. I want to have a cleric sooner than I want a backup mage)

6)Half-Elf Fighter/Druid

(I need a healer from the beginning, and I like the higher THAC0 for when I shapeshift here. I also need a character to step in as a tank when characters 4 and 5 are gaining levels in their second class, but haven't made it past their original fighter levels)


I've never really tried 3 dual-classed characters in a party, but I think having them switch at different times will lighten the weakness usually felt when switching over. I do fear my lack of power after switching the fighter 13 into a mage, though. it will hurt!

LMK what you think of this party!

It's not way out there, even considering the dual classing. I'm not a huge fan of dualling, as you should know by now. ;) It's well-balanced, and a slight change in tactics and use of more summons should allow you to get over the melee weaknesses caused by dualling with minimal difficulty. I'd highlight two key areas - thieving skills in Dragon's Eye lvl 5 (hopefully you gain them back by that time, don't be shy about "camping" on DE lvl 3 if you have to), and spell allocation between the three arcane casters.

Paladin - Fine. Surely you don't need any advice on this one? ;) Let me know how the axe-wielding works out. I generally prefer to split up my axe and longsword proficiencies between two characters because these are two of the most numerous weapon types in the game. I definitely understand why you're doing it though, as switching out the shield for a bow is a huge pain.

Bard - fine. With eventually three casters, make sure you plan out who gets what. You don't want to get exuberant and give your bard 3/5 of the spells. Mirror Image is great for this character, but I can't recall if you get three scrolls of it in the game - you may want to hold off giving your bard even this critical defensive spell. Chromatic Orb and Web are the early keys, and the bard's spells should be used solely to increase the efficacy of the party's fighting capacity, not for damage-dealing. Also give the bard various minor spells and/or buff spells that you won't use much (Sleep, Horror, Protection from Petrification, Knock, Protection from Normal Missiles).

Thief/Mage - fine. Honestly, under no circumstances allow this character to go into melee, especially against double-damage dealing monsters on Insane. Even relatively minor enemies such as lizardmen can rip a party to shreds in the early going, and a T/M is ridiculously vulnerable without protection. If you must melee, have Mirror Image going. It might be better just to run and shoot.

Fighter/Illusionist - good. It's a long road, but it's a powerful character. I cannot recall off the top of my head if illusionists can cast Tenser's Transformation, but if they can, have fun. [img]smile.gif[/img] Cast it as the last buff before a fight (because you can't cast again until the duration runs out), and you have a 300 HP raging machine. :D This guy is also the logical choice to take Cone of Cold and touch attack spells - he will have the HP (and Mirror Image) to cast these as a frontline character where these spells can be most effective, then mop up with a greatsword (also consider a tag-team attack with a fire-protected pally or F/C and Sunfire). It's fun...


Fighter/Cleric - good, although I'd still prefer a multiclass F/C or R/C in here - just my preference. Take grandmastery in maces - it'll make this character a slayer of undead in HoW. Warhammer would be a good blunt weapon for the paladin if the pally doesn't take flail. Once the bard hits lvl 11, this character should use most of its lvl 2 slots on Draw Upon Holy Might, even if you only anticipate firing off your sling in comparatively minor battles.

Fighter/Druid - good. Much of the tanking duties while the F/I and F/C are getting up to speed can be performed by this character's summons. If tanking while shapeshifted, make sure you have multiple Static Charges going for full effect - a shapeshifted druid's AC typically suffers (the slashing damage-resistant water elemental is a special case), so your strategy has to be "best defence is a good offence". You won't need much healing after your bard hits lvl 11 (other than in critical battlefield situations), at which point you can go full-time into summons and offensive spells. The Web/Entangle/multiple Spike Growth combo is golden, and can be used very early on. If you're having trouble rolling up this character, max out Wis, then Dex, the Con before Str (put the class minimum of 15 in Cha, and Int can be lowered to minimum if you wish to powergame). There are plenty of Str-increasing items in the game (Gauntlets of Ogre Power, Girdle of Stromnos), so your druid doesn't have to be a melee monster right away. It's a lot harder to get extra Dex or Con, except on a temporary, potion-induced basis.

Happy now? [img]smile.gif[/img]

But you have 3 mage in a party. Not enough scrolls is therE?

Slightly Spoilerish on spell availablity
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
If you play your cards right (and that means taking all of Orrick's inventory before it changes) you can get 5 mirror image scrolls.

Good spells where scroll availability is limited (AFAIK):
Grease 1
Horror 1
Invisibility 2
Dispel Magic (!) 1
And lots of spells above level 3. However you'll have the first dual complete by the time you start getting lots of level 4 spells (I think), so those issues are easier to handle as they come up.

And of course a lot of the extra copies of scrolls aren't available until HOW.

Also won't the F[9]-C have his fighter levels back well before the F[13]-Ill duals out? As such I don't think you need to worry too much about the F/D having to do much melee. Of course I still the F/D is a great character.

Ah, I hadn't realized Orrick reloaded his lower level spells between Chapters if you bought them out. Mirror Image is the critical one, anyway.

I do recall that the second copy of Stoneskin is only available in HoW, which is a pain.

I think you might be right in that the F9/Cl regains its fighter levels before the F13 duals. I'd have to check - I think it's under 1 million XP, maybe significantly under for the F/Cl, and lvl 13 fighter is somewhere around 1.5 mil. Don't quote me on that, I'll check later if no one else gets around to it.

Yes, I did the math. A F>C will regain his Fighter abilities before the F>M dual-classes.