Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - IWD: Defensive Spells/Tactics, HoF Party, Druid Strengths

Dancing Virginia · 05-25-2007, 12:45 PM

So I'm in TotL right now and I've been noticing that I use offensive spells quite effectively. My favorite combination is to have my F/D cast entangle and spike stone and my F/M (Illusionist) death fog and fireball. These work like a charm on most undead esp. Drowned Dead and Barrow Wights. However I'm severely deficient in strategy for defensive spells and only moderately efficient with magical buffs (esp potions). I always look at the description of the spells/bottles and say to myself "well that looks useless when I could just power my way through". I'll admit that part of this has to do with the fact that I'm playing on Difficult (not Insane or HoF though at this point in the game I'm sincerely regretting it). However, I'm interested to hear your opinions so I can have some forethought as I move on to the tougher battles in the expansions as well as starting a HoF game (which I plan on doing!).

My party is as follows:

Human Paladin: 22
Human Fighter/Cleric: 9/(high teens)
Human Fighter/Thief: 6/(high teens)
Human Fighter/Druid: 13/(high teens)
Human Fighter/Illusionist: 9/(high teens)
Half Elf Bard: 25

I would be interested to hear how more experienced gamers would modify this party for a HoF run. I'll admit that the power gaming method makes the game a lot less challenging but I'm in love with the idea of taking full advantage of the strengths of any given edition of AD&D rules to maximize my party's potential. What about changing to a pure cleric, thief, druid, and illusionist for a HoF run? Or would my my characters simply keel over in the first fight due to the inherent weakness of only having one tank?

I have yet to get the shapeshifting water elemental feature for my druid. I was told that this was one of the main reasons for taking a druid and its rather late in the game so I feel like an aspect of my druids strengths has been completely lost on this running. At what point do I get this feature? I'll admit that I haven't used shape shifting AT ALL in this game preferring to use my druid as a spell caster and additional melee body due to her high HP and ability to wear armor as a DC.

05-25-2007, 12:45 PM	#1
Dancing Virginia The Magister Join Date: July 23, 2004 Location: Cairo, Egypt Age: 45 Posts: 100	So I'm in TotL right now and I've been noticing that I use offensive spells quite effectively. My favorite combination is to have my F/D cast entangle and spike stone and my F/M (Illusionist) death fog and fireball. These work like a charm on most undead esp. Drowned Dead and Barrow Wights. However I'm severely deficient in strategy for defensive spells and only moderately efficient with magical buffs (esp potions). I always look at the description of the spells/bottles and say to myself "well that looks useless when I could just power my way through". I'll admit that part of this has to do with the fact that I'm playing on Difficult (not Insane or HoF though at this point in the game I'm sincerely regretting it). However, I'm interested to hear your opinions so I can have some forethought as I move on to the tougher battles in the expansions as well as starting a HoF game (which I plan on doing!). My party is as follows: Human Paladin: 22 Human Fighter/Cleric: 9/(high teens) Human Fighter/Thief: 6/(high teens) Human Fighter/Druid: 13/(high teens) Human Fighter/Illusionist: 9/(high teens) Half Elf Bard: 25 I would be interested to hear how more experienced gamers would modify this party for a HoF run. I'll admit that the power gaming method makes the game a lot less challenging but I'm in love with the idea of taking full advantage of the strengths of any given edition of AD&D rules to maximize my party's potential. What about changing to a pure cleric, thief, druid, and illusionist for a HoF run? Or would my my characters simply keel over in the first fight due to the inherent weakness of only having one tank? I have yet to get the shapeshifting water elemental feature for my druid. I was told that this was one of the main reasons for taking a druid and its rather late in the game so I feel like an aspect of my druids strengths has been completely lost on this running. At what point do I get this feature? I'll admit that I haven't used shape shifting AT ALL in this game preferring to use my druid as a spell caster and additional melee body due to her high HP and ability to wear armor as a DC. __________________ Ya salaam!