Discussion: Party Tactics

Tancred · 05-10-2001, 06:03 PM

A lot of threads have talked about the composition of NPCs. A few have gone on to think about the party as a whole. I hope to think a little more basic than that...

Which 'type' of party do you prefer? Thinking hard about this, one can identify many different 'types' of parties, disregarding alignment or race. I shall give a few examples of parties I have thought of.

The 'Specialist' party

Basically, a Party in which each member holds dominance over a particular area. No multi-class characters, no strange kits, just good no-nonsense D&D party composition. To give you an example, my BG 'evil' party consisted of:

Malvolio, Fighter
Shar-Teel, Fighter
Kagain, Fighter
Viconia, Cleric
Montaron, Fighter/Thief
Edwin, Conjuror

There you have it. Three fighters, one thief, one cleric, one mage. Basic stuff. In a fight, the three fighters and the cleric fight, the thief uses a crossbow and the mage casts spells. Simple stuff. This party lends itself well to standard combat situations, and as each member grows more powerful, the party becomes more and more a team, as no character can fight every situation alone. Characters are given equipment to further their own speciality.

The 'Generalist' party

Basically, a party with very general abilities. Expect a few Dual-classers, some Multi-classers. Most of the shortcomings of the classes are supplemented by magic items; a mage gets a robe to augment his AC, a fighter recieves an item to increace his magic resistance. This parry tends toward individuals, allowing each member to function as a seperate entity. A perfect example - of which I am proud - is my BG2 party:

Tancred, Cavalier
Minsc, Ranger
Jahiera, Fighter/Druid
Anomen, Fighter/Cleric
Imoen, Thief/Mage
Nalia, Thief/Mage

A very adaptable party. Everyone can fight, a little or a lot; everyone can cast spells of some type; everyone can use a missile weapon, except for the Cavalier. On occasion, two members will work together - the two thief/mages will scout as a pair, the two priests will heal during combat. In effect, the whole party is geared to do anything, anytime.

The 'Themed' party

A party designed to do one thing, and one thing only. Every situation is met with the same answer, be it brute force, magic or a hail of arrows. Every character is from the same class, usually - some are multi or dual-classed, but only to something similar to the first class. An example might be this BG2 party:

Remillard, Sorceror
Cernd, Druid
Viconia, Cleric
Aerie, Cleric/Mage
Edwin, Conjuror
Nalia, Thief/Mage

You've got a few members that could defend the party in a fight, but basically every character casts spells. A very dangerous choice of party - a high-risk gamble that can decimate foes with strength or sorcery but can die very quickly if up against the wrong type of foe.

The 'Individualist' party

A party in which every member is designed to fight alone. To hell with teamwork - the party splits up, with each member carving its' way through whatever happens to be there. Party tactics tend towards misdirection, for it is in this party - usually - that you see the most creative and the more desperate plans. Of course, the party fights together against a single foe, but there is no concept of a united front. For example:

Hargan, Bezerker
Valygar, Stalker
Korgan, Beserker
Haer'Dalis, Blade
Jan, Illusionist/Thief
Yoshimo, Bounty Hunter

Here we have a party designed to split up. The two beserkers run riot, moving in seperate directions. Haer'Dalis and Valygar can do all kinds of things - Haer'Dalis is fast, and can move from place-to-place quickly, or defend well. Valygar can shoot and fight as well as two others. Yoshimo and Jan use guerilla tactics against their foes. When the encounter is over, the party forms back up and moves on.

Any other ideas? Post your parties here and try to understand the theory behind them, if there is one. If you can think of a different category, tell us.

Tancred

Of course, there's also the 'First NPCs I came across' party or the 'Mega-hard Multiplayer' party.

caleb · 05-10-2001, 07:13 PM

How about the begging to be bitch slapped party.

PC-Halfling bezerker
Haer dalis
Anomen
Aerie
Edwin
Nalia

------------------

Welcome to hell.

RudeDawg · 05-10-2001, 07:16 PM

I LIKE this thread. I'm going to work out my faves, and post later...
BTW, are we discussing NPC parties, or multiplayer? (all PC made parties)

------------------

The RudeDawg
Known in these Forgotten Realms as Perin LightEyes
and my girlfriends, Pamila and Pfil

Elhardo · 05-10-2001, 07:25 PM

I find the Generalist party the most usefull
I am currently playing this one...

PC (Blade)
Keldorn (Inquisitor)
Jeheira (Fighter/Druid)
Aerie (Mag/Cleric)
Yoshimo (Bounty Hunter)
Minsc (Ranger)

I find this is a well round party, because although Blade's are not excellent at anything, they can act as a backup to whatever they want...Keldorn and Minsc do the Fighting, with Yoshimo also lending a hand, while Jaheira casts Druid spells + heals, backed up by Aerie, who is also casting mage spells, while the PC does whatever is nescassary...

I would swap Imoen for Yoshi later on so I have a perfectly rounded party....

However does anyone feel that this game was designed that the PC was meant to be a Theif? The only good theif in the gam is Yoshi....And those who have played through will understand......Any one agree?

Halbred · 05-10-2001, 10:13 PM

im making the dragonlance party....

Tanis(half elf) - Ranger- prof in dual wield katanas long sword and long bow
Sturm (human)- Cavalier (knight of Solamnia) - two hand sword
Tasslehoff Burrfoot (wanted kender, but went with halfling)- Thief
Raistlin (human) sorceror
Flint (dwarf) bersekrer grand mastery in axes
Goldmoon (cleric of lathander human)

i wanted to use riverwind and Caramon but no room =[

Tancred · 05-11-2001, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Elhardo:
I find the Generalist party the most usefull
I am currently playing this one...

PC (Blade)
Keldorn (Inquisitor)
Jeheira (Fighter/Druid)
Aerie (Mag/Cleric)
Yoshimo (Bounty Hunter)
Minsc (Ranger)

I find this is a well round party, because although Blade's are not excellent at anything, they can act as a backup to whatever they want...Keldorn and Minsc do the Fighting, with Yoshimo also lending a hand, while Jaheira casts Druid spells + heals, backed up by Aerie, who is also casting mage spells, while the PC does whatever is nescassary...

I would swap Imoen for Yoshi later on so I have a perfectly rounded party....

However does anyone feel that this game was designed that the PC was meant to be a Theif? The only good theif in the gam is Yoshi....And those who have played through will understand......Any one agree?

Jan's alright. OK, he's not the stealthiest person around, but he's a dab hand with locks and traps, and a wicked crossbow marksman.

Tancred

Tancred · 05-11-2001, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by caleb:
How about the begging to be bitch slapped party.

PC-Halfling bezerker
Haer dalis
Anomen
Aerie
Edwin
Nalia

Oh dear, oh dear. Well... it'd be fun to WATCH, but not to play with. Unless you didn't like the NPCs. But how can you not like Edwin?

Tancred

caleb · 05-12-2001, 12:49 AM

I think hes funny but I cant stand him talking down to me even if i have 19 intelligence 18 wisdom and can kill him in 4 seconds.

------------------

Welcome to hell.

Bahamut · 05-13-2001, 06:24 AM

the missile launcher party:
Ranger PC
Jaheira
Mazzy
Aerie
Yoshimo
Edwin

all party members have at least one missile weapon equipped, and only the ranger does not(dual wielding katanas). all fire in all directions, and jaheira with superioir Ac and Weapons, she is one great tanker, so does Aerie, but her HP is a big factor. edwin can cast spells that dispells spell that render the missile weapons 'useless' at the moment. aerie, with a wode array of spells can have some comfort, so does edwin, with mazzy at the back acupucturing those idiots. ranger guy takes all melee if he wants to. he is the bait, he is the puching bag. but if a hard battle is about to ensue, take note that the PC has the only real capability of decapitating an opponent visciously. this empowers missile prowess but compromises the melee factor, but all in all, the ranger handles the melee section pretty good.

the super party:
Fighter-Beserker
Korgan
Viconia
Edwin
Yoshimo
jaheira

this party is both great in long range as well as melee(thanx to korgan). as per viconia and edwin getting the best of their professions, yoshi too can be a formiddable backstabber(and hence his critical miss statement,"Ah... embarassing" perfectly fits a missed backstab. jaheira is always the one-two guys, thw whatever you want her to be girl.

the comedy party
PC
Edwin
Minsc
Jan
Yoshi
whoever

this compromises everything. as usually the right comedic mixes are often the stupidest and outrageous party combinaitons... not really...

------------------

I am Bahamut... and this Chiharu.

white heron · 05-13-2001, 09:33 AM

I'm fairly convinced now that offensive magic is not REALLY needed to complete the game,and after completing the game twice now,i'm leaning towards a more 'hack and slash'party.Defensive magic and summoning critters has been very useful though but still not essential.Im happy using just one magic user (bard) for identifying items and using wands or Aerie(for a romance).

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05-10-2001, 06:03 PM	#1
Tancred White Dragon Join Date: April 1, 2001 Location: UK Age: 43 Posts: 1,893	A lot of threads have talked about the composition of NPCs. A few have gone on to think about the party as a whole. I hope to think a little more basic than that... Which 'type' of party do you prefer? Thinking hard about this, one can identify many different 'types' of parties, disregarding alignment or race. I shall give a few examples of parties I have thought of. The 'Specialist' party Basically, a Party in which each member holds dominance over a particular area. No multi-class characters, no strange kits, just good no-nonsense D&D party composition. To give you an example, my BG 'evil' party consisted of: Malvolio, Fighter Shar-Teel, Fighter Kagain, Fighter Viconia, Cleric Montaron, Fighter/Thief Edwin, Conjuror There you have it. Three fighters, one thief, one cleric, one mage. Basic stuff. In a fight, the three fighters and the cleric fight, the thief uses a crossbow and the mage casts spells. Simple stuff. This party lends itself well to standard combat situations, and as each member grows more powerful, the party becomes more and more a team, as no character can fight every situation alone. Characters are given equipment to further their own speciality. The 'Generalist' party Basically, a party with very general abilities. Expect a few Dual-classers, some Multi-classers. Most of the shortcomings of the classes are supplemented by magic items; a mage gets a robe to augment his AC, a fighter recieves an item to increace his magic resistance. This parry tends toward individuals, allowing each member to function as a seperate entity. A perfect example - of which I am proud - is my BG2 party: Tancred, Cavalier Minsc, Ranger Jahiera, Fighter/Druid Anomen, Fighter/Cleric Imoen, Thief/Mage Nalia, Thief/Mage A very adaptable party. Everyone can fight, a little or a lot; everyone can cast spells of some type; everyone can use a missile weapon, except for the Cavalier. On occasion, two members will work together - the two thief/mages will scout as a pair, the two priests will heal during combat. In effect, the whole party is geared to do anything, anytime. The 'Themed' party A party designed to do one thing, and one thing only. Every situation is met with the same answer, be it brute force, magic or a hail of arrows. Every character is from the same class, usually - some are multi or dual-classed, but only to something similar to the first class. An example might be this BG2 party: Remillard, Sorceror Cernd, Druid Viconia, Cleric Aerie, Cleric/Mage Edwin, Conjuror Nalia, Thief/Mage You've got a few members that could defend the party in a fight, but basically every character casts spells. A very dangerous choice of party - a high-risk gamble that can decimate foes with strength or sorcery but can die very quickly if up against the wrong type of foe. The 'Individualist' party A party in which every member is designed to fight alone. To hell with teamwork - the party splits up, with each member carving its' way through whatever happens to be there. Party tactics tend towards misdirection, for it is in this party - usually - that you see the most creative and the more desperate plans. Of course, the party fights together against a single foe, but there is no concept of a united front. For example: Hargan, Bezerker Valygar, Stalker Korgan, Beserker Haer'Dalis, Blade Jan, Illusionist/Thief Yoshimo, Bounty Hunter Here we have a party designed to split up. The two beserkers run riot, moving in seperate directions. Haer'Dalis and Valygar can do all kinds of things - Haer'Dalis is fast, and can move from place-to-place quickly, or defend well. Valygar can shoot and fight as well as two others. Yoshimo and Jan use guerilla tactics against their foes. When the encounter is over, the party forms back up and moves on. Any other ideas? Post your parties here and try to understand the theory behind them, if there is one. If you can think of a different category, tell us. Tancred Of course, there's also the 'First NPCs I came across' party or the 'Mega-hard Multiplayer' party.

05-10-2001, 07:13 PM	#2
caleb Horus - Egyptian Sky God Join Date: April 10, 2001 Location: Tacoma, WA, U.S.A. Age: 39 Posts: 2,615	How about the begging to be bitch slapped party. PC-Halfling bezerker Haer dalis Anomen Aerie Edwin Nalia ------------------ Welcome to hell.

05-10-2001, 07:16 PM	#3
RudeDawg 20th Level Warrior Join Date: April 9, 2001 Location: Dallas, Tx, USA Age: 55 Posts: 2,830	I LIKE this thread. I'm going to work out my faves, and post later... BTW, are we discussing NPC parties, or multiplayer? (all PC made parties) ------------------ The RudeDawg Known in these Forgotten Realms as Perin LightEyes and my girlfriends, Pamila and Pfil

05-10-2001, 07:25 PM	#4
Elhardo The Magister Join Date: March 11, 2001 Location: England Age: 39 Posts: 147	I find the Generalist party the most usefull I am currently playing this one... PC (Blade) Keldorn (Inquisitor) Jeheira (Fighter/Druid) Aerie (Mag/Cleric) Yoshimo (Bounty Hunter) Minsc (Ranger) I find this is a well round party, because although Blade's are not excellent at anything, they can act as a backup to whatever they want...Keldorn and Minsc do the Fighting, with Yoshimo also lending a hand, while Jaheira casts Druid spells + heals, backed up by Aerie, who is also casting mage spells, while the PC does whatever is nescassary... I would swap Imoen for Yoshi later on so I have a perfectly rounded party.... However does anyone feel that this game was designed that the PC was meant to be a Theif? The only good theif in the gam is Yoshi....And those who have played through will understand......Any one agree?

05-10-2001, 10:13 PM	#5
Halbred The Magister Join Date: March 15, 2001 Location: honolulu Posts: 136	im making the dragonlance party.... Tanis(half elf) - Ranger- prof in dual wield katanas long sword and long bow Sturm (human)- Cavalier (knight of Solamnia) - two hand sword Tasslehoff Burrfoot (wanted kender, but went with halfling)- Thief Raistlin (human) sorceror Flint (dwarf) bersekrer grand mastery in axes Goldmoon (cleric of lathander human) i wanted to use riverwind and Caramon but no room =[

05-12-2001, 12:49 AM	#8
caleb Horus - Egyptian Sky God Join Date: April 10, 2001 Location: Tacoma, WA, U.S.A. Age: 39 Posts: 2,615	I think hes funny but I cant stand him talking down to me even if i have 19 intelligence 18 wisdom and can kill him in 4 seconds. ------------------ Welcome to hell.

05-13-2001, 06:24 AM	#9
Bahamut Iron Throne Cult Join Date: March 12, 2001 Location: Manila, Philippines Age: 39 Posts: 4,864	the missile launcher party: Ranger PC Jaheira Mazzy Aerie Yoshimo Edwin all party members have at least one missile weapon equipped, and only the ranger does not(dual wielding katanas). all fire in all directions, and jaheira with superioir Ac and Weapons, she is one great tanker, so does Aerie, but her HP is a big factor. edwin can cast spells that dispells spell that render the missile weapons 'useless' at the moment. aerie, with a wode array of spells can have some comfort, so does edwin, with mazzy at the back acupucturing those idiots. ranger guy takes all melee if he wants to. he is the bait, he is the puching bag. but if a hard battle is about to ensue, take note that the PC has the only real capability of decapitating an opponent visciously. this empowers missile prowess but compromises the melee factor, but all in all, the ranger handles the melee section pretty good. the super party: Fighter-Beserker Korgan Viconia Edwin Yoshimo jaheira this party is both great in long range as well as melee(thanx to korgan). as per viconia and edwin getting the best of their professions, yoshi too can be a formiddable backstabber(and hence his critical miss statement,"Ah... embarassing" perfectly fits a missed backstab. jaheira is always the one-two guys, thw whatever you want her to be girl. the comedy party PC Edwin Minsc Jan Yoshi whoever this compromises everything. as usually the right comedic mixes are often the stupidest and outrageous party combinaitons... not really... ------------------ I am Bahamut... and this Chiharu.

05-13-2001, 09:33 AM	#10
white heron Manshoon Join Date: March 5, 2001 Location: Devon,UK Posts: 234	I'm fairly convinced now that offensive magic is not REALLY needed to complete the game,and after completing the game twice now,i'm leaning towards a more 'hack and slash'party.Defensive magic and summoning critters has been very useful though but still not essential.Im happy using just one magic user (bard) for identifying items and using wands or Aerie(for a romance).

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