I have, for the last time...

[Aerich]

... restarted before finishing the game.

I've made a number of parties, even played up to lvl 2 of the Ice Temple, but none of them have really grabbed me - part of it is the short attention span/feelings of guilt I had when playing CRPGs over the last few months. I had SO much academic work to do that I didn't feel that I could really spare the time.

But now, I'm merely working, so I have 20-30 hours/week that weren't available last month. That time isn't ALL going to go to IWD and the like, but some of it will.

Seeing as it will be my first time all the way through, I feel no shame for powergaming my stats. It means that the party is low on talking skills but heavy on combat.

It goes as follows:

Fighter[4]/Barb - Gold Dwarf - Axes, sling, club - the power hitter

Monk - Aasimar - fists, sling - killer of mages and archers, 3rd melee fighter(max Str), decoy and scout

Paladin/Cleric of Ilmater[3?] - Aasimar - longsword, bow - melee character #2, main talker (except when it is reward time ) with just enough extra clerical skills to take the pressure off the main healer.

Ranger/Rogue - Tiefling - small blades, bow - scout #2, ranged option #1, fourth option for melee. Will have more rogue levels, about a 2/3 - 1/3 ratio.

Wizard - Human - staff, crossbow - only arcane caster, identifier.

Cleric of Lathander - Aasimar - crossbow, mace or staff or whatever - main healer and occasional bombardier.

This party has a slightly higher emphasis on physical combat than my past parties, in composition and in point allocation. It's done well so far, up to the Shaengarne Bridge.

[ 01-27-2005, 02:57 AM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Marty4]

Looking good. I have some suggestions, but before I say them I must say that this party is perfectly capable of taking on the Dale, and you don't need to start over just for what I say.

1. Good dwarf, though I prefer shield dwarves.
2. I usually would recomend a drow or deep gnome for even more magic resistance, but an aasimir will work. I wouldn't be too concerned about STR, however, because I view the monk as more of a defensive decoy. However, if you want him to be quick death instead, that is also a fitting role.
3. With only 3 levels of cleric, I wouldn't bother. I would suggest either keeping him as a paladin or switching at level 2 to cleric full-time.
4. Sounds like a kicker! Good choice of race and class.
5. I suggest a general mage, but that is your choice. Don't bother with more than 1 point in crossbow, this guy won't need a weapon
6. Good choice, though I would prefer a no-ECL class for my cleric. For his weapon, maces and hammers are always fun, and with sufficient strength handing him a greataxe or greatsword will make him an effective backline poker. Lathander is IMHO the best cleric class to act as the backup to your only arcane caster. Be sure to take the spirit of flame feat.

There's nothing wrong with starting the game over a lot, though you may want to come back to your old games later. Aren't I posting my new party here just about every other day?

Good luck with your party, and keep us posted!

[ 01-27-2005, 10:45 AM: Message edited by: Marty4 ]

[Aragorn1]

I hear you on the guilt front. i had a-level in january and had to ban myslef form playing the pc. Had many internal arguements between desires and concience, kind of like the litle dvel and angel in cartoons...

[Aerich]

Couple of questions and comments:

@ Marty - why do you prefer shield dwarves to gold dwarves? From what I can tell (although I'm going by the mistake filled manual), they are essentially the same. The only things different are; 1) the enemies you get +1 to hit against, and 2) -2 to Cha vs. -2 to Dex.
The only thing the racial adjustment does is prevent ultimate min/maxing. A gold dwarf can still have a decent Dex score and a lousy Cha score. You wouldn't want one as your thief, but it'll do just fine as your armour-wearing grunt.

Note that my wizard IS a general mage. I was quite careful with my only arcane caster.

I've considered switching my paladin over to cleric full time, and the door is still open for that (currently at paladin2/cleric1). That's partly the reason why I picked the high-Str Aasimar monk - for the extra points to put into Str. He's got excellent saves (Dex 18, Con 16, Wis 20) because of my unashamed stat min/maxing and some elemental resistances, so he'll do OK. I didn't want to take any harsh ECL penalties, although a penalty of 1 was acceptable to me.

I've conceptualized the Morninglord as a purely spelling and shooting machine. I hope he won't have to do too much melee, considering the amount of brawn and assassin potential up front. It hasn't been a problem so far - he uses a staff at the moment, on the rare occasions he gets threatened by melee troops.

[Marty4]

With min/maxing, a gold dwarf is about the same. I just like the shield dwarves better.

Good choice on the mage, though some may disagree

If the door is still open for the switcharoo, do it. In the long run, you will have a combat ready cleric with almost as much spells as your morninglord, MORE wisdom, and wielding the Sword. How much wisdom does this guy have? Some dalekeeping may be in order...

Also, the reason why I keep the cleric a good fighter is because in HoF it is vital to keep them in the middle line, because a half second delay on a Heal spell is the difference between life and death. However, if your paladin can take this role, then you can still be successful.

[Aerich]

I'd rather do this without Dalekeeper, but my poor paladin/cleric has a mere 12 wisdom. I will try to carry him forward as a cleric, putting all future point gains into wisdom. A little birdie also told me that paladins gain a bit of wisdom at a certain point in the game, and that there is a permanent potion that increases wisdom.

[shadowolf03]

I do beleive that is so...this potion adds +2 wisdom and also some magic resistance!

Another adds the same but takes away intelligence or something like that.

[Aragorn1]

1 potion takes 1 dex for 2 wis and another 2 int for 1 wis, i usually use the first and not the second. Take i paladin level for the sword and bonuses and then level as a cleric.

[Marty4]

Originally posted by Aerich: I'd rather do this without Dalekeeper, but my poor paladin/cleric has a mere 12 wisdom. I will try to carry him forward as a cleric, putting all future point gains into wisdom. A little birdie also told me that paladins gain a bit of wisdom at a certain point in the game, and that there is a permanent potion that increases wisdom.

You will probably be ok, though in the mid game you may have spells that cannot be cast due to low WIS. However, another little birdie says that there are nice WIS increasing items later in the game. You will be fine, but won't have quite as many spells or quite as high a spell DC.

[Aerich]

That's ok. If this paladin/cleric can take over the primary healing duties, the morninglord (with 20 Wis) can take over with the attacking spells.

The P/C has 2 paladin levels, which is ok by me. Immunity to fear and +4 vs. fear for the other members of the party is probably worth having.