Help a newbie!

[AK]

Hi!

Can someone help me with Icewind Dale plz?

1. I have a party of 5, all of them paladins. Can I still use magic scrolls?
2. If yes - how? I have a whole collection of them now.
3.How to increase characteristics such as strength, dextery and others? So far I never had an ability to do so! When I have a level up, sometimes I can change some skills, but most of the time I can't change a thing.
4. How come sometimes I can't continue to increase my skills when I have a level up? For instance, initially one of my paladin has two points for the long sword, and when I have ability to increase some of my skill, I can't to continue to increase the "long sword" skill. I can do others such as an axe, but not the long sword.

[Aerich]

Hi AK, welcome to the forums [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img]

Re: your party of paladins

1) You cannot use mage scrolls. I'd seriously consider dumping a paladin for a mage, or just adding one in to your open 6th character spot. I can't remember for sure if paladins can use priest scrolls, but somehow I don't think so. You may be stuck in that regard - if you don't add a party member that can use scrolls, you might as well sell them.

2) If you can indeed use priest scrolls, you put them in your quick inventory slots and click on them regularly, as you would with a potion. If you can't use a scroll, the game won't let you put it into a quickslot.

3) You can't increase Str, Dex, etc except through the use of items. There's a rare few potions, one tome (in the downloadable expansion) and several Str increasing items. It isn't like IWD 2, which gives you a stat point every few levels. You're stuck with what you've got, unless you use Dalekeeper.

4) Only single classed or dual classed fighters can take up to 5 proficiency points in a weapon. Paladins, rangers, and multiclassed fighters have a limit of 2 PP, and every other class has a limit of 1.

[ 02-18-2005, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[AK]

Thank you very much!

Man, don't want have a mage - too weak! One skeleton can kick his butt.

[Marty4]

Originally posted by AK: Thank you very much! Man, don't want have a mage - too weak! One skeleton can kick his butt.

:coughs up blood:

Okay, so a mage can't melee for beans. However, once you get them leveled up (5+) they make extremely powerful, durable, butt-kicking characters. Bear with one for the beginning of the game, and you will get some great payback.

Generally, parties of only 1 class aren't good, since you have zero versatility (however, some exceptions exist. see Aerich's priestly party thread). Only one paladin is needed. The other characters should be a mix of fighters, rogues, clerics, and mages. Be sure to also mix around your proficiencies, I have made the mistake of having 5 characters using longswords before.

Good luck, and be sure to post more if you need help!

[AK]

Thanks guys!

Man, I created a mage, but its tough to get him to the next level

I have some more question:

1. How to tell which armour is better? There are some classes, so is class 1 the best or the worst?
2.With weapons, how to read damage ? So for example 2D6 - what does it mean?
3. Both mage and priest can use the "rise dead"?

[ 02-19-2005, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: AK ]

[AK]

2Marty4: Oh, initially I made 4 paladins and one fighter. But now I have one paladin, one fighter and 3 archers! Works really good (at least on the level I am now - temple of forgoten god). Fighter and paladin beat up some monster, and give space for archers.

[ZFR]

1. The lower the AC of armor the better.
2. for example. d4 is a 4 sided dice. so if a damage is 1d4, then it's 1 4-sided dice. So a number between 1 and 4 is rolled.
2d6 mean 2 6-sided dice. So 2 numbers between 1 and 6 are rolled and their sum is the damage.
3. Raise dead is a cleric spell..

If I may add something: have you considered reading the manual? Especially since it seems you're new to AD&D (and RPGs in general?).
Everyone on this forum will be very happy to help you if you're still unclear about something.

And by the way, you have no thiefs?? How did you manage the locked chests and traps?
Like Marty said, especially on your first run of the game try a party of as many classes as pssible.

[Marty4]

To expand on what ZFR has said, your character's THAC0 is the "to hit Armor Class zero". To find your to hit number, subtract the enemies armor class from your THAC0.

With a 20 THAC0:

AC 10- 20-10=10 to hit
AC 0- 20-0=20 to hit
AC -10- 20-(-10)=30 to hit

A roll of 20 always hits, and 1 always misses.

Rangers are always fun, but I'd only take one since you will be at a shortage of magic weapons later. From your interests and from what I think you need, here would be a good party:

Paladin (human, longswords)
Fighter (dwarf, axes)
Ranger (elf, longbows and swords. remember that they can get an extra attack by wielding a single one-handed weapon!)
fighter/thief (halfling, shortswords and bows)
Mage (human or gnome)(I'd recomend general, though Illusionist and Necromancer are also competant)
Cleric (human, hammers)

This gives you a very versatile party. You have four solid warriors, a thief, a mage (keep with it, trust me, it WILL be worth it), and a cleric (same as mages, these guys get nice spells later. They can also fight!)

For the mage and cleric, be sure to max their respective attributes- 18 INT for the mage, 18 WIS for the Cleric.

Good luck!

[Magness]

AK, Initially, you'll think that a party full of fighters seems strong. But as you progress thru the game, you will eventually learn that balance in a party is a very strong thing indeed.

IMHO, the best party mix is along this line:

(BTW, the term "tank" refers to a melee warrior.)

2 Tanks
1 Cleric
1 Thief or Thief multiclass (thiving skills are very useful)
1 Wizard
1 optional

You need a couple of tanks to hold the line and protect your weaker characters. Tanks should focus on skiil in melee weapons, but it doesn't hurt to have at least some proficiency in a ranged weapon. A human paladin and a dwarven fighter always make for a good pair of tanks.

You need a cleric for healing, some clerical spellcasting, and dealing with undead. While they're not great melee characters in IWD1, they are decent enough as 3rd or 4th backup tanks and as a bodyguard to the Wizard.

You need a thief to open locks and disable traps. However, a pure thief can be a bit overkill. A multiclassed fighter/thief or thief/wizard is a good option. The fighter-thief will be a nice backup warrior. And the thief-wizard is a nice secondary spellcaster.

The wizard is important because you will want to have access to the library of useful spells that they can cast. They can be great "nukers", casting big area effect attack spells. They can be great summoners, casting spells to summon monster allies to help your party. They can be great at casting spells that "buff" your party, i.e. spells that strengthen and improve your party's protections. They can do so many things.

The "optional" slot is mostly a reflection of your playing style. Given that you seem to have a preference for "fighting" over magic, I think that another tank would be a good idea. I'd suggest tanking an elven fighter or elven ranger and focus on having this character have good archery skills.


A mixed party is always more effective than a non-mixed one because they'll always be able to deal with just about any situation thrown at them, whereas non-mixed parties are great in some situations, but sometimes a situation will come up where the non-mixed party has no answer, no way to deal with the problem.

[Dancing Virginia]

Take a BARD! She will *suck* at first, but just wait until you get the Bardic Horn of Valhalla. Sa-weet.

Cary