Need party suggestions

[Gimli]

Well you want to avoid Exp penalties, so that limits the choices somewhat for the multiclass characters.

The Ranger/Rogue could be Human, Strongheart or Lightfoot Halfling, or 1/2 Elf - or if you level evenly it could be any race (just have to keep the 2 classes always within 1 level of each other to avoid an exp penalty with other races). But it sounded like you wanted more Ranger levels than Rogue. I would sort of lean towards the Human for the extra skill points they get since this guy will need them to do the talking + thieving.

For the Monk/Cleric, the only races that won't get an Exp penalty are human, 1/2 elf, or a Drow Elf female. The Drow might be a good choice because stat-wise this is a demanding character (needs good Wis and Dex, also a decent Str/Con) and the Drow get the most stat bonus points.

For the Sorcerer I think Aasimar is a great choice as they can start with a 20 in Cha; only the Drow can also do that. But almost any race (other than dwarf or 1/2 orc) would work.

I don't think you should shy away from ECL races like the Drow because you've only got 4 characters so they'll all get alot of exp points.

[Vassago]

Originally posted by Gimli: I don't think you should shy away from ECL races like the Drow because you've only got 4 characters so they'll all get alot of exp points.

I've been keeping that in the back of my head. One of the reasons why I wanted my barbarian to be just a plain human was so that I could have a good mixture of ECL races. I think I will go w/ a Drow for the Monk/Cleric. I had already decided that it was going to be a female, so no issues there. I haven't decided on how I was going to level the Ranger and Rogue. I was going to take a look at their advancement levels when I got home tonight to see what they get when. I might try to keep it at a 1-1 ratio so that I don't have to worry about race that way I can just pick a race based on what I need them to have.

[ 10-16-2002, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: Vassago ]

[Jack of Speed]

I would advise against a Monk/Cleric. A monk is only REALLY useful after lvl 20, up till then hes just the "guy with low hit points who cant hit much". IWD2 has actualy turned me off on the idea of the monk. When you finish the game he will be level 16 or in your case 8/8 and a monk gets his best bonuses at 9/11/17/20. The only way I could see it being useful is if you were soloing with the character and made a Female Drow Monk lvl 20/Cleric lvl 10 but again those are AFTER the first time through and a chapter or two into HoF. I wish looking back on my party now that I had made a Half-Orc Monk 20str/18dex/16con/1int/18wis/1chr and only put points into Strength for the rest of the game. BUT it also depends heavily on your playing style. I a big fan of Hack and Slash, and seeing a monk hit for 40 is a big deal for me. If you are going for a defensive cleric and are just going for the resistances and AC of the monk to protect a spell caster then that WOULD be quite useful. But I would fear a 50/50 split on that mix. I think you would be left with an OK Fighter and an OK Cleric but HoF would eat it alive.

[Vassago]

Jack,
That is excatly the point. I see the same problems w/ multi-ing a Monk w/ another class and still allowing him to gain levels. What I am planning on doing is taking one level of Monk for the AC bonus. Clerics need wisdom and that is what gives Monks their AC bonus. So if I create a Monk w/ a 18 in wisdom, her AC will be around 20 w/o armor. Then on my next level up, I start adding the Cleric and I get no penatilies from armor b/c she is not wearing any due to the Monk's AC Wis bonus. I am not looking for her to be a fighter w/o weapons. I am just looking for the AC bonus so that she doesn't have to wear any armor. I think of it as an easy way around the spell failure percentage that is added by wearing armor.

[Vassago]

DOH! Just remember that I maxed out my Monk's dex & wis to get his AC up to 20. Oh well, I always like to spend some points in dex. I still like the idea of a spellcaster not wearing any armor and receiving the Monk's AC benefits.

[Luvian]

Originally posted by Vassago: Jack, That is excatly the point. I see the same problems w/ multi-ing a Monk w/ another class and still allowing him to gain levels. What I am planning on doing is taking one level of Monk for the AC bonus. Clerics need wisdom and that is what gives Monks their AC bonus. So if I create a Monk w/ a 18 in wisdom, her AC will be around 20 w/o armor. Then on my next level up, I start adding the Cleric and I get no penatilies from armor b/c she is not wearing any due to the Monk's AC Wis bonus. I am not looking for her to be a fighter w/o weapons. I am just looking for the AC bonus so that she doesn't have to wear any armor. I think of it as an easy way around the spell failure percentage that is added by wearing armor.

Clerics can't fail spells, only arcane casters: Bard, Sorcerer and Mages.

Edit: I quoted the wrong post at first.

[ 10-17-2002, 06:59 AM: Message edited by: Luvian ]

[Gimli]

Still nothing wrong with having a dex-based Cleric; she'll also make one very potent archer with a Dex that high and the free long bow feat the Drow get.

[Luvian]

Yes, high dext is nice. My 20 dext elven sorceress was doing wonders with a longbow.

[Vassago]

My Monk/Cleric:

Narica
Female Drow Monk(1)/Cleric(29)
str = 14
dex = 18
con = 14
int = 8
wis = 18
cha = 8

[Luvian]

So you cheated?