A new HoF party for Auril's Bane

[Aerich]

So here we go yet again. I recently (2 two weeks ago) started another party and installed Auril's Bane for enhanced gameplay. I finished my previous game with F/Ill, R/Cl, F/D (multi), F/D (dual at 15), F/M/T, and M/Cl. Extremely heavy on spells, even for me, but it was fun.

The new party (currently hacking it's way through the Vale of Shadows, one skeleton at a time) is as follows:

Paladin
F/D
R/C
F/M/T
F (will dual to specialist mage - I'm leaning toward Invoker although it means no Conjuration/Summoning spells)

I am planning to add a bard permanently after I finish the Vale. I've been importing and exporting one, adding it for quest XP (e.g. Easthaven up to the first goblin fight), buying quality items (15 Cha + Friends), and being a pack mule. The real point of adding it later is to get the bard to lvl 11 for later on in Dragon's Eye but not take away too much XP in the early game.

In today's spell usage bulletin, I've actually found that Mold Touch is a viable AoE spell. If you pump up your paladin's AC and get surrounded by mediocre enemies (like skeletons), Mold Touch is effective. The pally is immune to diseases, including MT - so if you can get your druid there without being targeted and followed, the MT will systematically attrition melee attackers at no risk to yourself.

Any thoughts on the best school for my F dualclass? I know those in favour of versatility would say general mage, but I wouldn't mind making a bomber or spellsword (and leaving most of the summoning to the bard).

[ZFR]

Well, whatever you take, don't take an invoker. For the simple reason it has opposition schools of Divination and Conjuration/Summoning. A diviner has only Conjuration/Summoning as opposition school. So there is really no point of taking invoker.

If you want to make him a bomber you can make him an Abjurer (opposition Alteration, Illusion). Since I never (extremely rarely) use mirror image or self buffs for mages in a party, I played once a fighter -> abjurer and she was pretty good. But as a spell-sword you might want MI.

[ister]

I agree about the invoker. Another point about the diviner/invoker is that AFAIK the only level 9 spells are conjuration.

For a spellsword you want to have abjuration (protection normal missiles, mind blank etc.), alteration (Tenser's), necromancy or conjuration as a second rate alternative (armor spells), evocation (stoenskin, iron body) and illusion (mirror image). So the diviner would appear to be the way to go - all you miss is ghost armour and spirit armour is better.

My feeling is that the necromancer is the best bomber, but it depends what you mean by bomber. Enchantment is mostly disabling/killing spells vs damage dealers.

[Aerich]

Dang. I had a big long post ready to go, but it got rejected when I tried to post it.

Anyway, I'm using Grog's Alternate Opposition Schools (an optional part of the mod, for complete list, see here) where the opposition schools to Inv/Ev are actually Alteration and Enchantment/Charm, not Conj/Summ - I was working off of my memory on my first post, which proved to be faulty. All the really necessary spells from these two schools (Haste, Slow, Charm Person, Confusion, Chaos, Emotion: "x", Domination, Feeblemind) are of low enough level that a bard and a F/M/T can cover them - especially since I'm planning to dual at either lvl 18 or lvl 21. The higher level spells (all alteration, unless Auril's Bane adds some enchantment/charm spells over lvl 5) available are Disintegrate, Otiluke's Freezing Sphere, Tenser's and Suffocate - none of which will turn the tide. By the time Suffocate becomes available, most of the enemies are undead or elementals, and Disintegrate is never a sure-fire success (and Flesh to Stone is almost as good). I've never had a lot of luck with Otiluke's, either. The vital Alteration spells (e.g. Incendiary Cloud and especially Death Fog) are crossover spells with Evocation, so an Invoker would still have access to them.

I'm not sold on Tenser's as a general buffer for spellswords. To my mind, any spell that stops your mage from casting for rounds at a time defeats the purpose for having a mage. The same goes for Iron Body. Both are good for a "last spell before resting" or a desperation spell when attacked in melee, but in a pinch you can do without. Mirror Image and Stoneskin are the keys, so a spellsword specialist needs access to Illusion and Evocation.

[ 10-04-2006, 02:25 AM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Ultra Marine]

Hi ... I'm back ... You already have bard & FMT so pick a general mage for the fighter dual. Don't have to think so hard. Just play the game.

Btw, AB take your characters to level 40! Wow. Will your party hit max levels?

[Aerich]

Well, I want to avoid falling into a rut. One way to do that is to take specialist mages instead of the general mage. The point of taking a specialist with a F/M/T and a bard IS specialization. A well-planned bomber or spellsword is arguably more effective than a general mage because it gets more spells per level than a general mage, and the downside of specialization (loss of opposition schools) is offset by the other arcane spellcasters.

I doubt the party will max out at the lvl 40 cap. Maybe the sc Paladin might. I maxed out some multiclasses and a F/D dual on my last run through HoF, but I had made a mistake and so exported my characters from where I found out I made the mistake and re-started HoW. I had made the barbarian gatekeeper hostile through dialogue, stopped playing for a few weeks, stupidly forgot to reload to before the dialogue, and only re-discovered my mistake when I went back after Gloomfrost to talk to Wylfdene - therefore I had to go through Burial Isle and Gloomfrost again.

[ZFR]

Originally posted by Ultra Marine: You already have bard & FMT so pick a general mage for the fighter dual.

I thought having FMT and bard is a point in favor of taking a specialist. They can cast spells which specialist cant.

[Ultra Marine]

I know you are right. I have the problem of thinking too hard about making the best out of my party before playing the game.

Personally, I won't take a f/m dual because the thaco is less than f/c dual. But that's just me and my gnome f/i talking.

[Aerich]

Well, I got the party rolling but I have the stats to dual to most specialists, so I have some time to think about it. Playing HoF with beginner characters is a great way to cure yourself of the urge to start over.

If you dual a F/M at a high enough level, you hardly notice the drop-off in Thaco. After a certain point it doesn't really matter, especially when combined with the melee power of grandmastery.

[Ultra Marine]

A dc f/m can only get Grand Mastery in one weapon unless you're planning to dual in level 20 or so...

So, what's the best choice of weapon pick?