different type of duo--druid husband and bard wife

[Lemernis]

Just thought I'd share a new party idea that's turning out to be pretty fun so far.

I havent much played either a druid or a bard, so I decided I want to try those both classes together in a Dark Side game (DS makes some great items available to those two classes). I made them a married couple like Khalid and Jaheira. In this case a male druid and his wife, a bard. I'm regarding them as a team and will distribute the special abilities between them by alternating them in the lead spot for when the dreams come.

I'm using Cern's soundset from BG2 for the druid and a Scottish accented custom soundset called "Anna" for his bard wife. With the portraits I found for them they both happen to be redheads, and both are wearing dark red, actually. Sounds cutesy but they actually do look and sound pretty cool together.

To continue in the offbeat mode I think I will go for the following mostly Neutral party composition:

druid (male, TN)
bard (female, NG)
Imoen (NG)--may eventually replace her with Safana (CN)
Xan (LN)
Quayle (CN)
Yeslick (LG)

It's fine that the party is light on tankitude; one tank is enough, and I'm used to playing that way now anyway. No evil NPCs this time because the wife is a bard, and so they will want to do rep increasing stuff and bask in tales of their glorious deeds. (A shrewd bard would also want the 20 rep price breaks!)

[SixOfSpades]

Sounds like a well put together team--not to mention fun. Your Druid will actually turn out to be a very good Tank as well, once you get a certain suit of armor that Druids can wear in BG1, but for some reason not in BG2. Seems to me that your only worry is too many guys using Slings--personally, I MUCH prefer Bows. You might consider trading either Xan or Quayle for Skie; you've got more than enough Magery anyway. Good play with the husband/wife team, it's nice that they level up at about the same rate. Only problem is he likes the forest, she likes the city. Where do they live?

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: SixOfSpades ]

[Lavindathar]

I haven't played much of Druid's or Bard's either.

The only exp. I have had in these is Jaheira and Garrick.

I would agree in saying that your party seem's a bit light, and you are relying on slings. Your bard will be able to use a crossbow, and later in the game if you get a good magical one, they can be as useful as bows. Which way is your Druid going in terms of weapon's? Blunt weapons are ok, and you get Quaterstaff+1 early in the game.

I'm just curious as to how ur battle tactics are going to go!?!

[Lemernis]

I'm really liking this party. It's very satisfying to be doing something different.

I exchanged Immy for Safana almost immediately and left Immy at the house I use in Beregost. She's now chilling with Kivan in front of a roaring fire, heh. I used the Kivster to help with completing Safana's quest.

I just entered the Nashkel mines with the druid, bard, and Safana. This is the part of the game I like best. The party is fast becoming more capable with each day but they're still very vulnerable. The battles are nailbiters, even the fights with hobgoblins in the woods. And the magical item spoils of battle really matter--they're truly boons. (My love of this level of play is why I never got into BG2, I guess.)

I don't think slings will be overrepresented. The bard and Safana both are using bows (Safana earned a weapon prof on her first level up and I put it into the bow). The druid is meleeing with a scrimitar and Flame Blade. Eventually Yeslick will join him on the front line (I forget Yeslick's profs, but I'm holding on to Bassilus' hammer for him in case). Xan and Quayle will be firing spells as much as possible, but they'll be slinging bullets too of course. But anyway, that's two bows, two slings, two melee weapons--a pretty even distribution. I just gave the druid a prof in blunt weapons on a level up. As a druid he can only use staffs and clubs but Dark Side put some very nice ones into the game.

One of my projects with this party is to find a way for Xan to melee with that confounded Moonblade of his. I'm thinking that the combination of Haste, Chant, Defensive Harmony, Strength, Mirror Image or Army of One, and the Claw of Kazgaroth (sp?) might do it. And if Tenser's Transformation allows for Xan to use his Moonblade I will be trying that out for him too.

I'm really enjoying using the bard and druid, both. Whodathunk. It's a whole different approach. I often have the bard take off her chainmail, cast Armor, and then start singing her Bard Song--and if the going gets rough she'll then cast Sleep and start firing her bow. I expect her Bard Song to be powerful in tandem with the druid casting Chant and Fairie Fire (he just got his level 2 spells).

As for where the druid and bard couple live... hmm, I haven't thought up that part of the roleplay yet... Heh, I'll put that in another 'reply' as this is too long already. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: Lemernis ]

[Garnet FalconDance]

Geesh, peeps, they live in the suburbs, of course!

[Lemernis]

As for this couple's history, here is the roleplay. (I'm an avid online PnPer, so I couldn't resist doing this.):

Gondorel, the druid, is the protagonist, i.e., foster child of Gorion. As part of Gondorel's extensive education Gorion introduced him to a druid of Sylvanus whose philosophy struck a deep chord with him. Since about the age of twenty Gondorel began been spending many months a year in the wilderness under the tutelage of a very ancient order of Sylvanic druids. From this experience he has become well acquainted with the map areas to the south of Cloakwood. Although Gondorel is friendly with the many various sects of druids of Mielikki who tend toward greater activism in bringing about increased balance between Nature and civilization, as a follower of Sylvanus, Gondorel views the near obsession of some druidic orders to 'protect Nature' from mankind as inherently imbalanced and misguided. Man is simply part of Nature, he has concluded. He adheres to no dogma of any kind. Nature is his sole teacher, and he is guided by Nature alone. Human animalistic impulses are naturally balanced by intellect and reflection. So he is not at all a semi-wild creature of spontaneous impulses as some druids are.

Gondorel met his lovely wife, Elissyra (El' is ' ra) in the wilderness when her performing toupe was rescued from wolves attacking their camp by Gondorel. She is the daughter of a tavern owner in Berdusk who grew up listening to travelers tales and thirsted for the adventuring life from as early as she could remember. Possessing a singing voice of rare beauty she left home at the age of sixteen with a traveling band a troubadors, and became a performer with them for two years prior to meeting Gondorel. She learned the bard's profession from them and had only just begun her training in the magic arts when she met Gondorel and they fell in love at first sight. They were wed within days.

They are true soulmates, instantly realizing each provides strength in the weaker areas of the other. Gondorel understands that to live in the wild only would actually be unbalanced for man. They both agree that a life on the road suits them well, and they often take off and roam the wild countryside without a destination or plan for many weeks at a time. As such Gonderel then remains in contact with Nature and Elissyra keeps steady contact with civilization and constantly finds new adventure. Elissyra is immensely fond of Gorion, and Candlekeep is their home base. They stay there when they need to rest up from adventures. They have been married nearly a year when the story begins.

Because of their deep soulmate connection Elissyra shares some of the dreams in the story and Gondorel's 'better half' acquires a few of his Bhaalspawn special powers.

[SixOfSpades]

That's cool. I love it when people put some good backstory into what they like doing. The "Team Kickass" that I'm taking through the whole series (they're in early BG2 now) has an Neutral Good Assassin (going to Dual to Fighter) as the PC, and his romantic interest character is a cross between Imoen and Aerie: She's a Half-Elf Cleric/Mage who spent her childhood at Candlekeep, and the identity of her father is not revealed in her Biography. (One of the things I like about BG2: You can write your own chararacters' Biographies.)

[Lemernis]

If they ever do finally release Neverwinter Nights (Bioware's successor to the BG series) that sort of roleplaying will be commonplace. NWN will be 3rd edition PnP brought to life in a relatime CRPG, complete with the host playign the role of DM. I can't wait. I have as much fun creating and roleplaying characters in PnP games I'm in as I do playing CRPGs.

[Katherine]

I missed thispost the first time around. Very cool! I love the creativity you put into this stuff.

I made a husband/wife team once. They were an elven couple. The male was a fighter and the female was an enchantress. I forget the whole background stuff I did, though. It's been a while now and I sort of let that campaign drift...

Katherine

[Lemernis]

Thanks, I have really enjoyed using this team because those two classes give me something different to work with. I'm going to submit them to The Wizard's Cauldron character bank site, I think. (Not that anyone uses this site, lol--that's a shame because it really is a good idea; it is an excellent resource for soundsets at least) The soundsets, portraits, and even the colors, for these two clicked really well I thought.

I have them in the Cloakwood mines now, accompanied by Xan and Safana. They'll soon be able to round out the party I had planned from the outset by adding Yeslick and Quayle.

I've recently been thinking I might replace Xan. Having Xan use his Moonblade hasn't turned out to be as much fun as I'd hoped. And while some of Xan's lines elicited an occasional smile from me in the beginning, he really isn't a very appealing character over the long haul. I don't care what his stats say, no way does this character have 16 charisma, heh. Near as I can tell, Quayle should do just fine as mage.

Dropping Xan frees up a slot to give Tiax and Alora try-outs, although I doubt I'd keep either of them for long. Skills-wise, I have no use for Faldorn or Eldoth. (Eldoth and Skie I'll be trying out with my evil party.) If I drop Xan I'm still not sure who I would fill out the party for the long term as the sixth character. Maybe Kagain so I can be entertained by the dialogue between the two dwarves.