Bit of a makeover.

lost prophet · 03-13-2005, 09:24 AM

Hey all,

I've had a bit of a break from Icewind Dale/BG2 etc. over the last couple of months but have decided to come back to it again, only this time ill try something different. Normally in IWD i would go for a relativly simple powergamers party. ie..

Paladin/2h and longswords
Dwarf fighter/ axes and hammers
Elf fighter/longswords
Elf ranger/ bow and crossbow
halfling thief/ bow
whatever mage/ sling

But after playing this for about 3 years it tends to geta bit monotonous(sp?). I want to try some of the things that everyone talks about on the forums, like bards,ranger/clerics,fighter/druids and most of all different tactics.

Anyway this is what im thinking about, ill leave it here over night in hopes that some veterens will have a squiz and give me some help.

human<>Paladin
gnome<>fighter/thief
human<>druid
human<>ranger/cleric
human<>Bard
human<>fighter[3]/mage

This is probably horribly wrong and will earn many a quite snigger but if i could anyone could give me their thoughts it would be apprieciated. *cough*Aerich*cough

If all goes well i might post how they go or anythings i find interesting.

Edit: multi ranger instead of dual, thinking bout having pure mage
Edit: The party changes yet again.

[ 03-14-2005, 03:18 AM: Message edited by: lost prophet ]

Marty4 · 03-13-2005, 12:31 PM

I don't see much wrong with this party, it's fairly solid. You probably want to replace the ranger->cleric with a MC R/C, as R/Cs get both cleric AND some druid spells, along with ranger tanking pwnage. Also, you only have half a mage (the bard will probably be singing too much to cast). I would try and replace one of your warrior-types for a fighter->thief or a fighter/thief, and take a pura mage. That, or dual class to mage.

lost prophet · 03-13-2005, 05:55 PM

I see, thanks.

In that case i might dual my gnome fighter to a thief, im not sure what level though, ill think about it over the course of the day and come back to it after school.

Marty4 · 03-13-2005, 06:26 PM

Gnomes can't dual [img]smile.gif[/img]

Aerich · 03-13-2005, 08:32 PM

Hey, lost prophet,

Thanks for the mention. Here's some thoughts.

Gnomes can't dual, nor can any other demihuman (e.g. non-human) race. In addition, elves cannot be bards. Bards can be human or half-elven.

Aside from those little points, the party looks fine.

The paladin and fighter combo for tanks is good. Gnomes are under-rated fighters, but excellent because of the Helm of the Defender. You could also go with the F/T multiclass combo - it is a little more high-maintenance with armour switching and attacking from the flanks (to get the best use out of sneak attack), but I have to say that I like the versatility of a F/T.

The F/D dualclass at 13 is a powerful combination, but it takes a while to mature. It's also hard to roll, and you will have to make some tough decisions on your stats unless you have the patience to roll until you get a total score of 94 or better. I wouldn't use it unless you have at least HoW, and preferably TotL, too. If you keep the R/C, I'd recommend possibly going with a straight druid for increased healing power. That way, you can also use your druid as a good mage-substitute, rather than succumb to the temptation to charge forward into combat all the time. A F/D multiclass is also fun.

I approve of the R/C and the bard. I prefer the multiclass R/C to the dual class.

For your final character, a pureclass mage is good, but so are some of the other options. Go with the T/M if you take a straight fighter, go with another option if you take the F/T. The pureclass mage is very versatile, but tends not to be durable. For increased HP, you could take a dual class F/M, with between 1 and 7 levels of fighter (specialize in bows, daggers, or both) without unduly hurting your mage levels; lvl 3, 6, and 7 are good times to dual.

Another option is a mage/cleric, dual class or multi. The M/C suffers a bit for weapons, but makes an excellent backup healer and all-round spellcaster. However, this option may be redundant (in terms of needing healing) if you opt for a pureclass druid. The bard (if you have HoW) will also take over much of the healing function once it hits lvl 11.

To summarize, you have plenty of choices. Just make your choices with a clear idea of what you want each character's role to be, and you should have a great party. [img]smile.gif[/img]

ister · 03-14-2005, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aerich:
Gnomes are under-rated fighters, but excellent because of the Helm of the Defender. You could also go with the F/T multiclass combo - it is a little more high-maintenance with armour switching and attacking from the flanks (to get the best use out of sneak attack), but I have to say that I like the versatility of a F/T.

Along with the nice saving throw bonus that gnomes (along with dwarves and halflings) get. And the gnome racial thief bonuses are in traps and locks which i find handy.

lost prophet · 03-15-2005, 03:24 AM

Right well ive made my party it's as detailed in my first post. Going good so far, im just off to the kuldahar pass but i had to get off and go to bed lol, the tortures of childhood eh?.

Any way, from what little ive seen of it the party is well balanced and can handle relitivly well the rigorous challanges faced in the "insane" setting. I had a couple of problems in the orc cave since i couldnt keep the enemies from swarming me due to the "call to arms" feature in HoW however, my druids entangle spell seemed to do the trick and a few sunstrike/magicstone(s) later the way was cleared enough for my fighters to mop up the rest.

This didnt work in the last battle (featuring the 4 ogres,4 archers, 5 warriors and 2 elite archers) as my fighters meagre 14 hitpoints couldnt withstand the regular 28's being hit on them. in the end i killed as many as i could,entangled, ran away,rested and killed the rest, which in the end worked out.

At first i thought the fact that there was 8 levels going up at the one time that this party wouldnt grow very fast and id be squished on "insane" but it turned out better than i thought the levels are as follows

Paladin 2
fighter/thief 2/2
cleric/ranger 2/1(but almost there)
fighter[3]/mage 3(inactive)/1
druid 3
bard 3

some might say that the mage was dualed to early but i really wanted him to start collecting experience in that class as mages power is tempered by there level more so than any of the other classes coupled with the fact that mages take a bit longer to level up than the normal
(2500 exp to the fighters 2000) which slows them down at the start

thanks for your advice, if anyone takes interest i might post more.

lost prophet · 03-16-2005, 06:09 AM

Kuldahar pass was relitivly easy, a had a bit of trouble in the battle just after you heel the ogre in the tower. an entanlge held up the fighters while my mage and bard dealt with the rest and then i got cleaned the place up and went to kuldahar.

Bit off thieving, some new scrolls for my mage and bard and then of to the vale of shadows.

Cleaned out 2 crypts and the yeti cave. Im finding that my lack of blugeoning wepons is making the battles with lots of skeletons rather tedious so i gave my paladin a prof point in hammers to help out.

I was a bit dissapointed when i found that my F/T couldnt specialixe behond 2* but oh well, the paladin and ranger have the same probs and they still rock so i guess all will be ok. Im kinda worried about the bigger battles in kresselaks tomb but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it i spose.

levels:
paladin.4
fighter/thief.3/4
ranger/cleric.3/3( she doesnt seem to be as awsome as everyone says...is this class a bit of a late starter?)
fighter/mage.3/3
druid.4
bard.5

prophet,

NobleNick · 03-25-2005, 01:25 PM

Lost Prophet,

Now that it is too late to affect anything, I'll chime in.

Your party looks good. If you were to take them into HoW and TotLM, then I would highly recommend DC Fighter to Mage at level 7 or 9, for the HP, or even 12 or 13 for a full "Battle Mage." (The full game, with expansions, gives ou plenty of time to enjoy the results of such a build.) However, even DC at Fighter 3, as you have done, is much better than a straight Mage. I hope you stacked your Proficiency Points.

--------------------
What's a party,
without a song?
Bards ROCK!
Party On!!

lost prophet · 03-26-2005, 10:15 AM

lol i was suprised when i saw a new post lol!.
Yeh he has 3 in missilse wepons and 1 in large sword and another in great swords. Currently just finished the vale, havnt been playing much at all.

paladin-5
F/T - 5/5
R/C - 4-5
M - 5
D - 7
B - 6

03-13-2005, 09:24 AM	#1
lost prophet Drow Warrior Join Date: October 23, 2004 Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia Age: 33 Posts: 297	Hey all, I've had a bit of a break from Icewind Dale/BG2 etc. over the last couple of months but have decided to come back to it again, only this time ill try something different. Normally in IWD i would go for a relativly simple powergamers party. ie.. Paladin/2h and longswords Dwarf fighter/ axes and hammers Elf fighter/longswords Elf ranger/ bow and crossbow halfling thief/ bow whatever mage/ sling But after playing this for about 3 years it tends to geta bit monotonous(sp?). I want to try some of the things that everyone talks about on the forums, like bards,ranger/clerics,fighter/druids and most of all different tactics. Anyway this is what im thinking about, ill leave it here over night in hopes that some veterens will have a squiz and give me some help. human<>Paladin gnome<>fighter/thief human<>druid human<>ranger/cleric human<>Bard human<>fighter[3]/mage This is probably horribly wrong and will earn many a quite snigger but if i could anyone could give me their thoughts it would be apprieciated. coughAerich*cough If all goes well i might post how they go or anythings i find interesting. Edit: multi ranger instead of dual, thinking bout having pure mage Edit: The party changes yet again. [ 03-14-2005, 03:18 AM: Message edited by: lost prophet ] __________________ I have a dream, we all have dreams.

03-13-2005, 05:55 PM	#3
lost prophet Drow Warrior Join Date: October 23, 2004 Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia Age: 33 Posts: 297	I see, thanks. In that case i might dual my gnome fighter to a thief, im not sure what level though, ill think about it over the course of the day and come back to it after school. __________________ I have a dream, we all have dreams.

03-13-2005, 08:32 PM	#5
Aerich Lord Ao Join Date: May 27, 2004 Location: Canada Age: 42 Posts: 2,061	Hey, lost prophet, Thanks for the mention. Here's some thoughts. Gnomes can't dual, nor can any other demihuman (e.g. non-human) race. In addition, elves cannot be bards. Bards can be human or half-elven. Aside from those little points, the party looks fine. The paladin and fighter combo for tanks is good. Gnomes are under-rated fighters, but excellent because of the Helm of the Defender. You could also go with the F/T multiclass combo - it is a little more high-maintenance with armour switching and attacking from the flanks (to get the best use out of sneak attack), but I have to say that I like the versatility of a F/T. The F/D dualclass at 13 is a powerful combination, but it takes a while to mature. It's also hard to roll, and you will have to make some tough decisions on your stats unless you have the patience to roll until you get a total score of 94 or better. I wouldn't use it unless you have at least HoW, and preferably TotL, too. If you keep the R/C, I'd recommend possibly going with a straight druid for increased healing power. That way, you can also use your druid as a good mage-substitute, rather than succumb to the temptation to charge forward into combat all the time. A F/D multiclass is also fun. I approve of the R/C and the bard. I prefer the multiclass R/C to the dual class. For your final character, a pureclass mage is good, but so are some of the other options. Go with the T/M if you take a straight fighter, go with another option if you take the F/T. The pureclass mage is very versatile, but tends not to be durable. For increased HP, you could take a dual class F/M, with between 1 and 7 levels of fighter (specialize in bows, daggers, or both) without unduly hurting your mage levels; lvl 3, 6, and 7 are good times to dual. Another option is a mage/cleric, dual class or multi. The M/C suffers a bit for weapons, but makes an excellent backup healer and all-round spellcaster. However, this option may be redundant (in terms of needing healing) if you opt for a pureclass druid. The bard (if you have HoW) will also take over much of the healing function once it hits lvl 11. To summarize, you have plenty of choices. Just make your choices with a clear idea of what you want each character's role to be, and you should have a great party. [img]smile.gif[/img] __________________ Where there is a great deal of free speech, there is always a certain amount of foolish speech. - Winston S. Churchill

03-15-2005, 03:24 AM	#7
lost prophet Drow Warrior Join Date: October 23, 2004 Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia Age: 33 Posts: 297	Right well ive made my party it's as detailed in my first post. Going good so far, im just off to the kuldahar pass but i had to get off and go to bed lol, the tortures of childhood eh?. Any way, from what little ive seen of it the party is well balanced and can handle relitivly well the rigorous challanges faced in the "insane" setting. I had a couple of problems in the orc cave since i couldnt keep the enemies from swarming me due to the "call to arms" feature in HoW however, my druids entangle spell seemed to do the trick and a few sunstrike/magicstone(s) later the way was cleared enough for my fighters to mop up the rest. This didnt work in the last battle (featuring the 4 ogres,4 archers, 5 warriors and 2 elite archers) as my fighters meagre 14 hitpoints couldnt withstand the regular 28's being hit on them. in the end i killed as many as i could,entangled, ran away,rested and killed the rest, which in the end worked out. At first i thought the fact that there was 8 levels going up at the one time that this party wouldnt grow very fast and id be squished on "insane" but it turned out better than i thought the levels are as follows Paladin 2 fighter/thief 2/2 cleric/ranger 2/1(but almost there) fighter[3]/mage 3(inactive)/1 druid 3 bard 3 some might say that the mage was dualed to early but i really wanted him to start collecting experience in that class as mages power is tempered by there level more so than any of the other classes coupled with the fact that mages take a bit longer to level up than the normal (2500 exp to the fighters 2000) which slows them down at the start thanks for your advice, if anyone takes interest i might post more. __________________ I have a dream, we all have dreams.

03-16-2005, 06:09 AM	#8
lost prophet Drow Warrior Join Date: October 23, 2004 Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia Age: 33 Posts: 297	Kuldahar pass was relitivly easy, a had a bit of trouble in the battle just after you heel the ogre in the tower. an entanlge held up the fighters while my mage and bard dealt with the rest and then i got cleaned the place up and went to kuldahar. Bit off thieving, some new scrolls for my mage and bard and then of to the vale of shadows. Cleaned out 2 crypts and the yeti cave. Im finding that my lack of blugeoning wepons is making the battles with lots of skeletons rather tedious so i gave my paladin a prof point in hammers to help out. I was a bit dissapointed when i found that my F/T couldnt specialixe behond 2* but oh well, the paladin and ranger have the same probs and they still rock so i guess all will be ok. Im kinda worried about the bigger battles in kresselaks tomb but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it i spose. levels: paladin.4 fighter/thief.3/4 ranger/cleric.3/3( she doesnt seem to be as awsome as everyone says...is this class a bit of a late starter?) fighter/mage.3/3 druid.4 bard.5 prophet, __________________ I have a dream, we all have dreams.

03-13-2005, 12:31 PM	#2
Marty4 Symbol of Cyric Join Date: August 31, 2004 Location: VA Age: 33 Posts: 1,127	I don't see much wrong with this party, it's fairly solid. You probably want to replace the ranger->cleric with a MC R/C, as R/Cs get both cleric AND some druid spells, along with ranger tanking pwnage. Also, you only have half a mage (the bard will probably be singing too much to cast). I would try and replace one of your warrior-types for a fighter->thief or a fighter/thief, and take a pura mage. That, or dual class to mage.

03-13-2005, 06:26 PM	#4
Marty4 Symbol of Cyric Join Date: August 31, 2004 Location: VA Age: 33 Posts: 1,127	Gnomes can't dual [img]smile.gif[/img]

03-25-2005, 01:25 PM	#9
NobleNick Quintesson Join Date: February 5, 2002 Location: Huntsville, AL, USA Age: 63 Posts: 1,045	Lost Prophet, Now that it is too late to affect anything, I'll chime in. Your party looks good. If you were to take them into HoW and TotLM, then I would highly recommend DC Fighter to Mage at level 7 or 9, for the HP, or even 12 or 13 for a full "Battle Mage." (The full game, with expansions, gives ou plenty of time to enjoy the results of such a build.) However, even DC at Fighter 3, as you have done, is much better than a straight Mage. I hope you stacked your Proficiency Points. -------------------- What's a party, without a song? Bards ROCK! Party On!!

03-26-2005, 10:15 AM	#10
lost prophet Drow Warrior Join Date: October 23, 2004 Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia Age: 33 Posts: 297	lol i was suprised when i saw a new post lol!. Yeh he has 3 in missilse wepons and 1 in large sword and another in great swords. Currently just finished the vale, havnt been playing much at all. paladin-5 F/T - 5/5 R/C - 4-5 M - 5 D - 7 B - 6 __________________ I have a dream, we all have dreams.

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