Please comment on my new party

[krunchyfrogg]

Hey there everybody. I have been playing and restarting this game for a little while now, never very seriously as I know my playing style and want to get used to the different characters and stuff before really trying to give this game a go.

So, I think I have settled on the following party. Please let me know what you think:

Character 1:
Shield Dwarf
Fighter 4/ Barbarian X
Role: Tank

Character 2:
Aasimar
Fighter 4/ Paladin of Helm X
Role: Tank, talker

Character 3:
Human, Tiefling or Halfling (haven't decided yet)
Rogue 2/ Bard X
Role: Thief-type, will sing and handle quest rewards. Archer in combat.

Character 4:
Human
Paladin 1/ Sorcerer X
Role: Spellcaster, artillery. I know the Paladin level takes away from the spellcasting, but Divine Grace is too good to ignore. The one level dip should hurt too bad in the end.

Character 5:
Shield Dwarf
Cleric; Battleguard of Tempus X
Role: Cleric! The free Weapon Focus feat will allow me to treat this character as a tank as well when needed. I like the Power Word spells on the higher levels a lot.

Character 6:
Wild Elf
Druid X
Role: Druid! I was going to go Drow originally here, but I think I'm better off being a more powerful spellcaster. I chose Elf because I like the idea of having this character double as an archer for my party.


Comments:

When I first started fiddling with ideas for characters in this game, I was coming up with some wild multiclasses, and ended up creating less powerful characters than I think I would ever have done normally. I want to be able to have all of my spellcasters advance very quickly, so I left out all of the ECL races with these guys. I took a dip into other classes with some spellcasters, but it was all with good reason. The Sorcerer would normally have the lowest hit points out of my party, but Divine Grace will save him from area effect spells somewhat. The Bard is in a similar boat, but with maxed out dexterity and the Evasion ability from the Rogue class, he should be able to avoid a lot of damage too. Since I view the Bard as the weakest spellcaster, but with many other abilities to make up for it, it isn't so bad that he is two levels behind as a spellcaster. My healing characters all will be the highest levels possible. The first two characters should make great tanks. I know the Fighter/Paladin will be a level behind the Fighter/Barbarian, but I don't think it matters very much when it comes to tanks. I'm not overly concerned with Paladin spellcasting either. I'll view it as a bonus when I get it, but I'm not building my character on it either.

Please let me know what you think of this party, as well as any suggestions on altering it. Also, I would love some advice on how to place stats for these guys, as I don't know what I really need in this game. I also need skills and feats advice. Please try not to spoil me too much, as it will be my first real run through of the game. This is really a rough outline of what I want my party to be, but nothing is set in stone yet. I'm not trying to powergame my way through this game, but I don't want weaklings either. I just want to have some fun with a good, balanced party.

[ 11-10-2005, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: krunchyfrogg ]

[Raffin]

Character 1:
Shield Dwarf
Fighter 4/ Barbarian X
Role: Tank

Character 2:
Aasimar
Fighter 4/ Paladin of Helm X
Role: Tank, talker

***Both good tanks

Character 3:
Human, Tiefling or Halfling (haven't decided yet)
Rogue 2/ Bard X
Role: Thief-type, will sing and handle quest rewards. Archer in combat.

***If you want a talked (which is good, with the bard skills), don't go tiefling-they get a penalty to charisma. Halfling won't be bad, though you can always go human too. Nothing wrong with humans, and they get the extra feat.

Character 4:
Human
Paladin 1/ Sorcerer X
Role: Spellcaster, artillery. I know the Paladin level takes away from the spellcasting, but Divine Grace is too good to ignore. The one level dip should hurt too bad in the end.

***No problem there.

Character 5:
Shield Dwarf
Cleric; Battleguard of Tempus X
Role: Cleric! The free Weapon Focus feat will allow me to treat this character as a tank as well when needed. I like the Power Word spells on the higher levels a lot.

***Good. There will be times when you need the extra tanks, especially when the enemy is numerous. A side note-I would put this character and character 6 in the 3 and 4 character slots. This is because the last two slots tend to get hit the least, overall, and, as you've probably noticed, clerics and druids make fair tanks.

Character 6:
Wild Elf
Druid X
Role: Druid! I was going to go Drow originally here, but I think I'm better off being a more powerful spellcaster. I chose Elf because I like the idea of having this character double as an archer for my party.

***Hmmm...wild elf is an odd choice, but feel free to run with it. The game is all about having fun, imho. Now if you want a stronger choice, you might go either drow (for the killer bonuses, including the bows proficiency) or human (for the extra feat, and extra skill points)

That said, you're party's fine. May you slay every orc you meet, and never fall victum to IRS (Infinite Restart Syndrome).

-Raffin

[Marty4]

Raffin has given good advice. My comments are in green.

Originally posted by Raffin: Character 1: Shield Dwarf Fighter 4/ Barbarian X Role: Tank Character 2: Aasimar Fighter 4/ Paladin of Helm X Role: Tank, talker ***Both good tanks - Both good offensive tanks. You will be lacking in the AC department with these guys, though you may not feel the heat until HoF mode. Consider switching one for a monk, as they have higher AC. Focus on STR and CON, with a mediocre DEX corresponding to the type of armor that you want to wear (12 for plate, 14 for chain, etc). INT is droppable, as is CHA for the dwarf. Character 3: Human, Tiefling or Halfling (haven't decided yet) Rogue 2/ Bard X Role: Thief-type, will sing and handle quest rewards. Archer in combat. ***If you want a talked (which is good, with the bard skills), don't go tiefling-they get a penalty to charisma. Halfling won't be bad, though you can always go human too. Nothing wrong with humans, and they get the extra feat. - As Raffin says, Tiefling is a poor choice for a diplomat, though it can be done. Human is probably best here without completely changing the character. Take lots of INT, DEX, and CHA, then get CON. Character 4: Human Paladin 1/ Sorcerer X Role: Spellcaster, artillery. I know the Paladin level takes away from the spellcasting, but Divine Grace is too good to ignore. The one level dip should hurt too bad in the end. ***No problem there. - I'd prefer two paladin levels, but one can be enough. One level dip, in fact, won't hurt at all! Two level dips will cost you one lvl 5 spell known and cast, a small price for an extra paladin level. Take plenty of CHA and 10 INT, then get good DEX and CON. 10 STR is good. Character 5: Shield Dwarf Cleric; Battleguard of Tempus X Role: Cleric! The free Weapon Focus feat will allow me to treat this character as a tank as well when needed. I like the Power Word spells on the higher levels a lot. ***Good. There will be times when you need the extra tanks, especially when the enemy is numerous. A side note-I would put this character and character 6 in the 3 and 4 character slots. This is because the last two slots tend to get hit the least, overall, and, as you've probably noticed, clerics and druids make fair tanks. - I'd still prefer a fighter4/Lathanderite, but Tempus is solid. Focus on STR, CON, and WIS, with a bit of DEX. INT and CHA are droppable. Character 6: Wild Elf Druid X Role: Druid! I was going to go Drow originally here, but I think I'm better off being a more powerful spellcaster. I chose Elf because I like the idea of having this character double as an archer for my party. ***Hmmm...wild elf is an odd choice, but feel free to run with it. The game is all about having fun, imho. Now if you want a stronger choice, you might go either drow (for the killer bonuses, including the bows proficiency) or human (for the extra feat, and extra skill points) - As Raffin has said, Wild Elf is an odd choice. If I were you, I'd take Aasimar for the WIS bonus. You may want to download the EoU mod that allows for better shapeshifting options, but some say it's unbalanced (half-dragon form, anyone? ). Take similar stats as your dwarven cleric. That said, you're party's fine. May you slay every orc you meet, and never fall victum to IRS (Infinite Restart Syndrome). -Or AIDBG (An Ignonimous Death By Goblin). -Raffin

Good luck with your first real run through the game!

[krunchyfrogg]

Why is Wild Elf an odd choice?

Aasimar and Human get me stuck with using slings for missile weapons.

[Marty4]

Originally posted by krunchyfrogg: Why is Wild Elf an odd choice? Aasimar and Human get me stuck with using slings for missile weapons.

Well, Wild Elf is kind of a roleplayer's choice, with no noticeable bonuses or drawbacks. It is somewhat of a lesser used race.

Why would being a human limit you to slings?

[krunchyfrogg]

Well, a druid starts without proficiency in any ranged weapon, except for "missile," and I dont want to waste a feat on bows or crossbows.

[Marty4]

Well, a solution to that would be to simply start with fighter levels, but barring that you have a point: an elf would be better for the character you have in mind.

[Klorox]

I have just posted a similar party. I prefer the Duergar Fighter 4/ Barbarian to the Shield Dwarf version for a few reasons:

1) I don't think the daylight penalities are too bad.

2) The ability to turn Invisible is a great ability for a Tank.

3) The fact that he has an ECL penalty is actually a bonus for the whole party. Since XP is calculated by using the average party level, ECL characters will net the party more XP over the long haul. Since this character is not a spellcaster, the difference will never be too much of a big deal, and will only really be noticable in the Prologue and Chapter 1.

Good luck!

[krunchyfrogg]

Thanks guys. I dont think I like the grey dwarf. I agree about not caring about the effective character level penalty, but the -2 to hit and damage is really tough for a tank.

Would a male drow fighter/wizard or barbarian/wizard or a female barbarian/cleric be a decent choice?