Gimped Party?

[Kasura]

Well, maybe not the whole party but...

Levels 11-13
Hobbit Rogue (absolutely kicking ass. 3x kills of anyone else with BL and TD)
Hobbit Ninja (Martial Artist)
Faerie Monk (Martial Artist)
Hobbit Bard (Doing well, just no idea where to put points now)
Rawulf Priest (Doing well - needs a better extended weap)
Elf Bishop (Also doing well)

NPC: Vi and Madras

Running the 5-person front

I guess the main problems are really the Ninja and Monk. In retrospect I suppose I should not have made the monk a faerie - I don't know that I'll ever unlock Str and Dex, much less SPD since I had to put so much into Str to actually do damage. Crit Strike is almost as high as the Ninja's (60ish) and crits are RARE. Magic is coming along slowly as I expect for a Hybrid.

The Ninja is a big question mark as well - Crits are starting to happen now every now and again, but I probably gimped hard by choosing MA (currently high 60's). Luckily enough I just found a Bushido Blade on Raven Rapax along with Tosei-Do (U) and (L) so I thought about making it a Samurai instead - although going Bushido/Sai may be better. With a 5 in Sword and a 2 in Dagger will it be worth it now?

I also thought about switching the Bard (Reflexion unlocked) and Priest (W unlocked) to another class but not sure if it's too late now as I have just cleared Mt. Gigas unexplored regions and done some initial quests for both T'rang and Umpani. Also visited the Demon at the entrance to Ascension Peak - just not sure.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance [img]smile.gif[/img]

hi kasura - the basic party composition isnt too bad, really. the rogue, bard, and bishop are each strong enough on their own to be run as a three-man party and do well. the monk and ninja both tend to develop slowly, though i would agree that making the monk a faerie was not the best choice. however, my wife swears by the faerie monk she has in a 7-man party (including rfs), so in this size party it shouldnt be a problem. so, in all, what you may be struggling with is finding the right role for each. some thoughts

first the monk. i truly believe monks can be killing machines, dealing high amounts of damage and frequent criticals due to the sheer number of strikes they can get. but as a faerie, you have to expect this one wont do much damage at all. however, that shouldnt be a problem - your bard and rogue should be doing a lot of damage. so i would suggest running dex and spd for the monk, maximising their number of attacks so that you maximise the opportunities for criticals. once those are built, add to strength and senses, which will benefit your chances to hit and pentrate. furthermore, as a faerie, they have some natural benefits for spell casting (high starting int, natural mana regen), so you ought to be casting ego whip a couple times every fight, just to work up the skill. eventually, they'll make an excellent supporting caster (if they arent already). the way i build spellcasting for my monk is to have them do all the identifying, even if it means camping at a trader many times in a row to get points back.

next, the priest. personally, i feel the priest spellbook is one of the weakest in the game. (if not for the buffs, i would say it is the weakest). the best spells exist at level 3 (armourplate, magic screen, rest all), level 4 (superman), and level 5 (heal all). so there's not much reason to keep building a priest for access to high level spells. furthermore, in this party, if your bishop is covering this book, then the priest is wasted (more so, since your bard can do magic screen and heal all if you saved the instruments from marten's bluff). so, with this party composition, i'd switch the priest to a fighter, get some good armour, and put them out front bashing with that mace and shield, and consider the priest spells you do have a nice bonus. (alternately, you could consider switching to lord or valk, but why bother with a slower developing hybrid?)

as for the ninja, someone here (zig?) once made the observation that if you want to do martial arts, use a monk instead of a ninja. the key reason is that martial arts relies on skill level to determine damage, and since the monk gets a 25% bonus to MA skill, they will always do about 25% more damage than a ninja (especially important at the higher levels). however, for this party it's too late to be switching weapons, particularly for the ninja class which struggles so much with slow levelling and slow attribute development. keep pumping martial arts, and take advantage of throwing when you can (is the ninja in the middle of your five-man setup?). as with the monk, their role should be one of critical strike support, where those lucky shots will get you out of some jams - but you need to max their opportunities for that, with dex and spd. also, as a hybrid, the occasional fire bomb, noxious fumes, or whipping rocks can really add up with the monk, bard, and bishop's efforts.

for the bard, eew has done some excellent posts on how to build an awesome bard, so i wont duplicate that work here. suffice to say that she could be up there with your rogue in terms of front-line melee effictiveness (weapon choice aside). so if you are struggling on where to put points, str and spd are good choices (since you've maxed dex). strength will let her support the rogue with some solid damage in melee, and speed will help get her more swings with her sword and get in early with her music. with a shield on, she'll be hard to hit, so dont be afraid to put her out there.

regarding setup, you might consider how you have your five-across line-up currently arranged. since the rogue, ninja, and monk all get stealth, your priest and bard will be taking the lion's share of damage (another good reason to change the priest to a class with more armour, and to put shields on both the priest and the bard in this party). consider putting them together on one flank/wing, with the ninja in the middle, and the rogue and monk on the other side. this ensures flank attacks on one side to be split between the priest and bard, rather than each taking most of the damage on their own sides. it also has the added benefit of positioning the ninja to throw often.

you didnt mention your experience, but make sure your bishop keeps all the long-term buffs running at all times, at as high power levels as possible: enchant blade, missile shield, magic screen, and armourplate. x-ray and chameleon can be good to have going as well, helping you identify fights at a distance, so you can prepare for, or avoid, them as you choose.

finally, i'd recommend making the run for ferro's as soon as possible. the robes and boots alone are worth getting there earlier rather than later, and the mana regen will give your bishop more opportunities to cast without needing rest or nectars.

good luck, let us know how you go!

[Wereboar]

next, the priest. personally, i feel the priest spellbook is one of the weakest in the game. (if not for the buffs, i would say it is the weakest). the best spells exist at level 3 (armourplate, magic screen, rest all), level 4 (superman), and level 5 (heal all). so there's not much reason to keep building a priest for access to high level spells.

Well, i like restoration. Several people mentioned the Death Wings, with their heavy poisoning (IIRC up to 60 poison damage per turn). Well, a level 1 restoration cures the poison, heals up some HP, and restores the stamina.

as for the ninja, someone here (zig?) once made the observation that if you want to do martial arts, use a monk instead of a ninja. the key reason is that martial arts relies on skill level to determine damage, and since the monk gets a 25% bonus to MA skill, they will always do about 25% more damage than a ninja (especially important at the higher levels).

Its even more. At least at high levels, the 25% skill bonus grants a 50% damage bonus (at skill 123 vs skill 98). Maybe the difference is lower below skill 100.

[Kasura]

Thanks for the tips folks. I may hang onto the Priest a few more levels to see if I can get that Restoration spell.

Just finished up the Umpani area and have been sent on to Bayjin through the underwater cave. Managed to avoid Nessie and grab some tags, but the fights on the way to Bayjin were the toughest in the game so far. Cosmic Rays just plain suck.

Party level is now 12-14 and I am at Bayjin. I have a good feeling I am going to get whomped on - too early for me to be here?

Have no idea where the Rapax Castle is or I'd try for Ferro in the meantime.

your bard will also get access to the restoration spell once he acquires a certain instrument which is available in marten's cave, and has reached the appropriate music skill and bard experience level.

also, your bishop or ninja will be able to mix restorations once their alchemy skill 50, which can be much sooner than either the bard or priest will get it. of course, then your other characters need to take time out to heal when they could/should be doing other things, like attacking.

re: bayjin, if you can get your shields up (ie keep magic screen running, and cast element shield and soul shield at the start of every combat involving rynjin who spellcast) and you should be all right. it's tough that early, but not impossible.

you might consider putting the marten's helm on anyone who seems to be getting turned insane a lot, as it provides extra mental resistance.

[Kasura]

More good advice!

I haven't been to Marten's Cave yet nor do I know where it is! Yep - you can tell this is my first time through even though I've had the game since release. I always ended up restarting at Arnika or Trynton!

Maybe I should go looking for Ferro?

doh! i should be more careful with my spoilers! apologies if i said too much.

[Kasura]

Just an update...

Ninja (L16) is doing very well in the front ranks - holding his own and laying out enough KO and KIA barehanded to make the fight easier on others.

Monk (L16) is not as powerful as it could be, but is also doing well and perhaps only a tad better in Martial Arts primarily because stats are lagging behind.

Rogue (L18) is still kicking butt. Both Str and Dex are unlocked now and so often she hits for 60+ a swing (highest was 102 so far). More than double the next highest kill total using Bloodlust and Thieves Dagger

Bard (L18) Instruments are just amazing and have been quite the lifesaver a few times! It's like a better armored spellcaster with no spell points. Bow is at 75 and Ranged is at 70. I may switch over to Ranger at 19, but Senses are low (60)

Priest (L18) Doing well, but wil definitely class change at 19/20 to Fighter. Iron Will opened

Bishop (L16) Skills are rounding out nicely - building up Powercast/Iron Will now.

When I went to Bayjin I lost Vi and Madras and haven't picked them up again, and don't think I will. I am amazed at how well this party is doing as is! The only bummer is carrying capacity! My party is constantly blue now, and sometimes even green. Moshing through Rapax now - El Diablo was cake and am just moving to Rapax Courtyard. I am hoping to see what Ferro will sell me!

[Scatter]

If you keep your carry white you get much better combat results. Just quit dragging all the cheap loot around!

[Ziggurat]

Yeh, find a way to dump all those unneeded items. Of course, if you survive the Rapax Castle you can sell them there. One of the harder battles IMHO. Don't let him die.