Those parties are all RP. My choices are limited to the culture in the first party (Skald the only way to go), and the pre-existing background of the characters for the second. I'll use a Druid in the future if or when I do a Welsh, Pict or Gaulish Celt run.
Oh I missed the skald in the first run, my bad. Single classes in that first group only?
Yes, single classes in first and inspired by historical Vikings. LOTR post TA 3020 for the second party. I have most of the sound sets/portraits for the latter to slot in. Though I think they probably need some compatibility work.
Yes, single classes in first and inspired by historical Vikings. LOTR post TA 3020 for the second party. I have most of the sound sets/portraits for the latter to slot in. Though I think they probably need some compatibility work.
Why the choice to do themed parties in HoF? I'd tend to feel you'd end up regretting the resulting tedium from a lack of optimisation. Not to say there's any issue just a few duals would definitely speed things up and wading through thousands of hp takes long enough anyway.
Off theme, as the Berserkers origin are from Viking culture (eat magic mushrooms + drink mead, froth, bite shield, go into battle, rinse/repeat). Axes (one and two handed), longswords + shields, and spears would be the usual weapons for them. Slings usually reserved for hunting or *really* insulting an enemy could be used if needed. The Priestess [of Thor] could give him the "ok' to use hammers "in this case as they seem to be needed to damage certain foes in this world," if doing the portal version. Or simply they use them if they are Forgotten Realms Vikings.
Im in dragons eye, playing on insane. It was a cakewalk up to dragons eye, then I had to start being careful. Now that im fighting yuan ti casters, its getting really hard. My lack of good arcane spells is making things difficult. I'm not to good with caster selection in this game, but my physical combat is rock-solid.
The party I found VERY powerful and, most importantly, fun to play:
Bard (vanilla) party leader, secondary caster, uses songs (War Chant of Sith!) half-elf, CN, longswords, axes (throwing axe for a large chunk of the game), single weapon style
Fighter (Berserker5)>Druid very versatile - frontline tank, summoner, melee&spell damage dealer, healer human, N, scimitars, slings, sword&shield style
Fighter/Thief ranged damage dealer, backstabber from time to time, doing thief job halfling (but elven, dwarven or orcish could be good as well), CE, longbows, shortswords, eventually quarterstaffs, single and two-handed styles
Alternatively, you can swap Archer for Black Guard, loosing some damage but gaining more tankiness and a nice debuff with his aura. ranged&melee damage dealer, tank human, NE, crossbows, halberds or two-handed swords, two-handed weapon style
Generally, you want all of your party members to use ranged weapons because they are crazy powerful in IWD, tanking with summons for as long as possible, then swapping druids and cleric weapon to melee if necessary. This tactic works for all of the game and should keep your party healthy and letting druid cast summons and offensive spells more often than healing spells. From bards lvl 11 it's even easier because of War Chant, you should find yourself resting only when you need your spells back.
[i]These elves have refused the call of the retreat. Young and impetuous, they have decided to ignore the warnings of their elders and instead have decided to travel the world so as to see what wonders there are before they 'retire' to evermeet. They decided to go north, to see the wonder that is the tree of Kuldahar. However, they now find themselves with no way out due to the frozen passes and with the great tree itself facing death. It appears that both problems have the same solution: to find what evil it is that threatens the land.[/i]
[color=red]I started at lvl 1 and am doing a 'heart of fury' playthrough. This means lots of reloads, and working really hard to fight only 1-3 enemies at a time. A few times I had to turn heart of fury off because the fights were just impossible. Still, it's a challenge, and the party is really growing in lvls.[/color]
[i]The 'leader' of the group. He is a swordmaster, an elf who has given himself to the mastery of the blade. He is a dour elf, pragmatic to a fault, known to be able to push himself to feats of heroism that others would find impossible. Where the rest of the party might be subjects to flights of fancy, it is Morovael who keeps them on the straight and narrow. Or at least from wandering off in search of the next great quest.[/i]
* Standard fighter. Sword, shield, goes berserk when needed. I plan to give him the Arden Shield when it becomes available. He's my front-line guy.
[i]Silvae has had 'misfortune' of being infected with lycanthropy while gathering medicinal herbs, an encounter that she was lucky to have survived. Rather than seek a cure, she has instead decided to master it, and to turn her curse into a blessing. This has led her from her previous profession as a practitioner of medicine to that of a druid, a change which she has taken to with ease.[/i]
* Knows nothing but healing spells. In combat she goes werewolf for Strength 19. She gets buffed with cats grace giving her Dexterity 18, which pushes her dexterity down into the far negatives. She is currently tied with the berserker on kills, even though she is only using a +1 dagger. After fights she turns back into an elf to cast healing spells.
[i]Havaer has often cursed his heritage. Growing up among the elves while carrying the blood of man has not been the most easy of experiences. Because of his overall good nature, warm smile and good looks, he has done alright for himself. However, he has grown tired of the looks of pity and disdain from his peers. While he was fortunate enough to be 'allowed' to go on the retreat, he has instead joined with Morovael's company to see more of the world, and perhaps to learn something of his human heritage as well.[/i]
* He sits back and sings. He casts cat's grace on the druid, identifies items, and gives the entire party a 'luck' bonus. He hasn't swung his weapon once in the entire adventure, and I still find him worthwhile.
[i]If you need a lock picked, a trap disarmed, or a back stabbed, then Tethlis is your elf. He is, what one could kindly say, addicted to danger. While a useful trait for an adventurer, it is less so for the stable and safe life of evermeet. He cares little about the people of Kuldahar, nothing for their tree, and truth be told, nothing much about the treasure he might find. He only feels alive when facing death in the face and laughing. Something he has certainly found in the Vale of Shadows.[/i]
[i]Alariel is not the smartest elf in the world, nor is she the most wise. However, what he is, is blessed by her birth to be naturally attuned to magic. It flows through her veins, and the power often struggles to get out, manifesting itself in destructive explosions. Rather than put her fellow elves at risk, she has instead decided to venture into the far north, where she can learn how to control her destructive potential with minimal risk to other elves.[/i]
[i]A true student of the path of archery, Eltharion is determined to become the greatest archer who has ever lived. A path which he knows is all but impossible, but goals are important. And, as he often says, it is better to reach for the stars and grab the moon than to reach for the moon and hold nothing but air. For him, this expedition is a way to put to use all that he has learned, and to pick up a new trick or two. Despite his frustration of firing arrows into skeletons, he still leads the party when it comes to kills[/i]
Double post...but I feel that this party needs to get up there as well. This is because I did a run without an arcane caster...which was actually really challenging. Not being able to identify anything was truly hard, as it meant that I found myself with a dwarf who had the braces of elven might (S18) and the girdle of stromnos (S19). Oops. It also made choosing weapons really hard. On the other hand, the sheer number of axes and hammers made for some interesting fights. I just beat Icewind Dale with them, but the lack of identifying makes me think twice on doing the expansion with them. All stats given are with item upgrades.
Axe and Shield (-10 AC) (Slashing Resistance: 80% before using defensive stance! Yes, he gets 100% immunity to slashing weapons, making him an amazing tank against some enemies. The bone marrow belt is awesome, as he still gets 10% crushing resistance even with the penalty)
The leader of the Clan Battlehammer Expedition. Thorek and his kinsmen came to Icewind Dale for one purpose and one purpose only: to find the shield "Stoutward." Indeed they succeeded in this goal, only to find the passes frozen by some evil. On trying to fight their way out, they found a sight that made their blood boil, and that was the desecration of Dorn's Deep. With gutteral warcries ringing through the ancient halls, they carved a bloody path to the demon which dared make such a mockery of their people. It fell
Hammer and Shield (-10AC) (Strength 20% resistance to everything before defensive stance. 70% with it, which makes her another great tank)
Thorek's wife, and the brains behind the outfit. Helga is an able tactician, and a fine example of everything it means to be dwarven. She is often the one who convinces the lads to not be 'brain addled goblin fondlers' when they wish to charge at the nearest enemies with weapons flying.
Dual Axes (-10 AC! Benorg's truth gives -1 and Defender gives -2)
Karaz is a battle rager, pure and simple. A gregarious dwarf who laughs louder and shouts a battle cry louder still. He lives for the glory of blood shed and for the screams of the fallen. Where Thorek and Helga lock shields and brace against the foe, he rushes in from the flank to hack them to bloody pieces. As he would say: "Ah, life is good, yah?"
Grimdul is an engineer by trade. A maker of traps and locks, which means that he is also more than able to defusing and picking said impediments. Unlike most 'thieves', Grimdul is honorable to a fault. He never steals from anyone he hasn't killed and he refuses to ever fight anyone in a less than honorable way. He would much rather step out from the shadows and challenge a foe to a duel than to strike someone who isn't looking. He cuts a rather sharp sight in his black dragon scale armor, with a flaming sword in one hand and the restored blade of Aihonen in the other.
A warpriest of Clangeddin, and the bearer of Stoutward, Durak is always in the fray. He knows not a single healing prayer, instead focusing on increasing his combat abilities, pushing his clansmen to ever greater heights of power, and for summoning etheral allies (summon dead) to his side.
Brunhilda Dwarf-Lawful Good
Cleric (pure class! No kits, because dwarfs don't worship human gods) Strength: 18 Dexterity: 17 Constitution: 16 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 20 (it was 18...she drank a potion that I couldn't identify and it jumped up to 20 while her dexterity went down to 16. With the deep red ioun stone, it went back up to 17 though) Charisma: 10
Flail, Shield (-5 AC)
A priestess of Moradin, Brunhilda has one goal: to keep her clansmen alive. She knows nothing but healing prayers, and she is often seen in the thick of battle, battering down her foes with a trusty flail and then patching up one of her clansmen after they had done something truly reckless...again.
-------------------------------------
No shooting. No arcane magic. No identifying. No haste. No fireballs. No cloudkill....but they are beasts in close combat. Everyone except Brunhilda is rocking Strength 19 and she is still at 18. Everyone has good armor classes, with the real front liners all sporting -10. My fighters commonly hit for 20ish damage, and the dwarven defenders can make themselves all but immune to any attacks for awhile. Dwarven defender #1 tanks a big bad. Dwarven defender #2 is there to tank anything else that needs tanking. Berserker and Swashbuckler go to work. Figher/Cleric buffs with bless, chant, and defensive harmony (giving everyone a +4 AC bonus. -14 AC is great to have, let me say). He also sports true sight, dispel, summon dead...armor of faith and dwarf upon holy might for himself. 23 strength is nothing to sneeze at. Meaning that enemy archers/mages get tied up with skeletons while the dwarfs hack their way to them. The pure cleric with her 20 wisdom has pure healing spells all the way up to lvl 6 spells. There, she rocks entropy shield for herself. That, along with defensive harmony makes her AC -15. She also sometimes casts Bolt of Glory for ranged damage. Otherwise she heals.
It's a pure dwarven party where HP is through the roof, AC is for everyone pretty much a steady -14ish, my tanks can become immune to pretty much anything in melee, and where everyone hits really hard. My only gripe is the lack of identify, which gets *really* old after awhile.
What I really wanted to have is a dwarven skald to replace my fighter/cleric. The cleric would then have a few less healing prayers and some buffs instead (no big loss), but the entire party could have their weakenesses shored up. Alas...it was not to be. =(
The first party I ever finished the old icewind with was a mutliplayer LAN party with my brother. The party was called Littlemen and was made up of two dwarves, two gnomes and two halflings. We created the entire party with full biographies while drinking a carton of Fosters....I don't know why we were drinking Fosters, as we always drink Coopers...so it was a strange day and some strange biographies were created. We thought them hilarious at the time and I wish I had saved the biography texts. The names are quite ridiculous and one character is named Rapid Fosters backwards...I don't remember why, maybe because you have to scull Fosters because it doesn't taste good...I've heard it actually tastes good in the UK? Anyway...he is lawful evil....pretty much like Fosters itself.
With the release of enhanced edition I have brought the little blokes out of exile and all can witness the grand rebirth of the saviours of the north....the Littlemen! Glorious.
Grundig Axehand is now a chaotic good dwarven defender specialising in axes. He hasn't really changed. His story was something like he was named because he defended some tunnel in a mountain somewhere using an axe with a small warparty against thousands of goblins and was the son of a king.....yeah sounds familiar...
Klamut Longbeard is now a dwarf barbarian, and this suits his original version of his biography. He was some type of maniac and spoke a language noone else could understand....he just communicated in grunts and yells and was an all round violence lusting lunatic...great bloke. Chaotic neutral, dual wielding hammers, flails.
Udints MacGraw is a gnome cleric of Tempus now. Udints' story was that he was an orphan gnome who lived in the sewers of a human town. People picked on him and threw stuff at him, so he ran away and lived in a sewerage pipe. One day this kind old codger holy man found him and helped him out, so he eventually became a priest himself....he lived in a church from then on...in case you wondered.
Nameless Unknown Vagrant is still a plain halfling fighter, he was always the ranged member of the group and still is specialising in slings and probably some points in longswords. He was a vagrant and no one knew his name....you could almost imagine him wearing a green poncho thingy and smoking a cigar and sling slinging his way through the American civil war trying to find a box of gold in a graveyard...he doesn't have blonde hair though. I forget most of his original story, but he never had a name, he wandered everywhere and when he had a chance to shoot, he shot....he didn't talk.
Dipar Sretsof is the Fosters idiot and is the rogue of the party. He is a halfling, I think he was originally a fighter thief, but now he is an assassin. He is lawful evil and uses shortswords...I have no recollection of his biography except that he escaped from jail and was on the run to the north for whatever reason.
Pineapple George is a gnome and a brain addled lunatic. He was originally a cleric illusionist, but is now a straight illusionist. His story was that he used to cart pumpkins around and sell them as pineapples using his illusions, but one day, his pineapple illusion was seen through by a local mage. During the riot that erupted over his false advertising, George was attempting a high speed escape in his donkey powered pineapple pumpkin cart. He was hit in the head by one of his pumpkins and knocked senseless from his cart...his donkeys leading the cart then ran over his head, then the wheels of the cart rolled right over his head permanently imprinting his head and face with wheel marks and donkey hoof marks. Word spread about the crazy pumpkin seller and poor George was never able to re-establish himself in the pineapple market. People already had easy access to pumpkins, so he could not turn a profit there either...so he went north. The name Pineapple George stuck....Pumpkin George just didn't have the same ring to it.
So that is it. This is the forth incarnation of the Littlemen. They were recreated in IWD2 and I also did a version of them in the original BG2 as well. But it is in Icewind Dale where they were born and it is where they belong. Fun times now with Enhanced ahead...but absolutely no Fosters drinking ahead at all.
Here was my first IWD:EE party. It wasn't made for roleplaying; I mainly just wanted to see what the enhanced edition was like. (note: I like to make up random names which I like the sound of for my characters, so they generally don't match up with how people in their cultures are usually named.)
Loved to read many of these posts. Some of the groups are very similar to my own or to groups I have created but not yet put to use (I suffer from the restartis syndrome, I sometimes metagame so much I don't ever actually play the game!).
My current team:
"Beauta" - Elf sorceress. Don't remember exact stats, but fairly "average", ie: 13:19:16:10:10:18. The face of the group when in town. Her elvish looks and graceful manners can sway even Pomab to lower his prices! Backstory is that she is a semi-spoiled elvish brat who has ventured out "to find herself".
"Wargnes Diefwulen" - human blackguard paladin. Good stats, something like 18:91+:18:18:10+:10+:15 Wargnes came across a beautyfull elven sorceress who managed to pierce through his frozen heart. He has pledged his life to her, to defend her in any situation. He does not even know why, but he feels utterly compelled to do her every bidding. He takes control of the team whenever there is danger close.
"Sepulta" - elven archer Good stats: 18:96 irrc:19:17:10+:10+:XX Assigned by Beauta's mother to follow her and act as her bodyguard, Sepulta does just that. She hides and scouts ahead, often killing anything dangerous long before Beauta has even noticed it.
"Oban Quartorc" - Halv-orc Cleric/thief MC 19:18:19:8:18:~3 Oban is uncommon, he's half orc and half dwarf! (I EEkeepered his avatar to a dwarfen cleric). Bullied his entire youth by both humans and orcs alike, he got used to fight for himself but also to steal to be able to eat. Dismissed by orcs as of puny stature, they just to tease him by claiming "you're not even a half-orc, your're no more than a quarter, haha". The nickname "Quarter-orc" stuck, sometimes shortened to "Quartorc".
"Crazy Joe de Vola" - Gnome cleric/illusionist Don't remember his stats but they are max for gnome and clas, with 18/19 in his prime attrbiutes and 17 in wisdom. Crazy Joe deserves his name. His chaotic neutral alignment shows all the time. He cannot be trusted to ever be serious but he can be trusted to keep his crew alive. His spellslinging helps the team alot, but the team had to steal a couple of rings of free action due to Joy ever so often webbing his own mates to ground while swamped by hordes of undead "by mistake", according to himself. His huge blue eyes looks innocent, but inside swirls pure madness. Noone really knows why he follows the others. Perhaps he feels slightly akin to Beauta's sorcery, himself weilding magic he cannot properly control.
"Slaizen Dize" halforc fighter/thief Slaizen is a pragmatic halforc. She does not speak much, but get the job done. She's the groups trap specialist but has also been trained by Sepulta in the art of stealth, slowly practi'z'ing on backstabbing opponents. Oban has a secret crush on her, but slaizen don't see it. She stands tall, almost twice his lenght, and his puny appearance makes little impression on her.
My team is almost done with dragons eye and are tearing it up on insane level. No real problems so far.
Skatan, I like the fluff behind that group. A spoiled noble with something of an enterogue. A group of heroes that few people in polite society would really miss, but who in the uncivilized north shine in a way that they couldn't in the south.
Restarted twice but am having a good time with this party, and it's the furthest I've gotten in the game yet. Am currently clearing out the yuan ti in level 4 of Dragon's Eye. Playing on Insane for the bonus experience and the general challenge (I played Dragon Age Origins and the Mass Effect series on Insane difficulties the first times too...games are just too easy these days).
She's a native of the region and hungry to make her mark on local lore. She became the group's guide on the road to Easthaven.
I wanted to experience the IWD songs. She just got War Chant of the Sith, but it's not really as powerful as I'd heard. I've only just stayed using it though. She rolled high enough for 18 Strength so she usually buffs the party with Haste and Invisibility then plinks away with a composite longbow. She also tosses out the occasional Fireball/Skull Trap when I need AoE damage since she's got the best levels for level-dependent nukes.
Tanner Strongheart, Human Berserker (7) > Cleric (8) Grand Mastery Flails/Morningstars with Dual Wield
Rugged and straightforward with little patience for maneuvering. Prefers to solve problems with the prickly ends of his morningstars.
My first ever dual class. Dualed at level one of Dragon's Eye and got it back surprisingly quickly. He's a beast with 4 attacks per round and Cleric buffs. Usually runs with Protection from Evil 10', a few Holy Smites, Dispel Magic/Silence for enemy casters, and DUHM to man mode. Will soon get the Righteous Wrath of the Faithful or whatever for my mostly neutral party.
The most mercenary of the group. More cynical and calculating than the others, but has mellowed out a bit after numerous travels with Tanner & Co.
Thieving duties and secondary tank. A little on the fragile side due to Elf and multiclass progression being slow. He's lately been on troll disposal duty with bastard swords that deal fire and acid damage, respectively.
Iwaki Swiftblade, Human Kensai > Mage Grand Mastery Longswords with Dual Wield
Focused primarily on martial mastery. Trains diligently and incessantly. Says little but is often well spoken when words do roll out in her slight accent.
Not sure if I want to go all the way to 13 to dual, might just go at 9. She usually gets Barkskin from the Druid before hard fights and usually edges out my Berserker/Cleric in damage/kills, but that could be because she's been dual wielding from the get go.
Native of Kuldahar and acolyte of Arundel. Longtime halfie friends with Kynra the Bard.
Man I love this kit. Main healer and great support with Webs, Barkskin, Pixie Dust, and summons. Multiple Walls of Moonlight are actually really fun to use against undead. She can toss out Webs then shapeshift Sword Spider to join the fray.
Althea Longeye, Elf Archer Kill things with arrows
Kindred spirit with Iwaki, though more childlike and less straight laced. Enjoys tales of yore and archery games.
Ridiculous THAC0 sharpshooter. Gets sad against enemies immune to normal weapons, but anything that's not is getting hit on any roll but a 1.
It's a very powergamey party, but I wanted that for my first run through before I attempt runs with more interesting but potentially more difficult characters like Dwarves, Half Orcs, Gnomes, Monks, Paladins, etc. Have some ideas for themed parties a la LOTR, Avengers, shorties only, etc.
I like the party. It looks like you really picked up what is powerful. Id highly recommend a dwarven defender for your next play through. With a few choice items they can become insane (I had one who could get 100% immunity to slashing weapons, which is pretty ridiculous).
-Lina: Chaotic Good female Half-Elf Bard(the hero) - Gourry: Lawful Good male Human Paladin(the lancer) - Chara: Chaotic Neutral female Human Barbarian( the big girl) - Judau: Chaotic Good male Human Thief (another lancer) - Bright: Lawful Good male elf cleric( the smart guy) - Elpeo Puru or Ple: Chaotic Neutral female gnome wild mage(tag along kid)
My first EE playthrough of IWD was an absurd party that would never work in a rpg. A crazy mix of a LE Blackguard, a CG Dwarven berserker, a NE Elf Assassin, a N Elf Fi/Ma, a CN Elf Wild Mage, and a NG Dw Cleric of Lathander. I got a laugh out of imagining the Cleric and Blackguard having to constantly justify each other's existence. It was a GREAT party btw. I got to explore all the non-bard dialogue options
Comments
What inspired each group?
Human Berserker
Dwarf Dwarven Defender
Human Wizard Slayer
Half-Elf Skald
Elf Fighter/Thief
Half-Elf Cleric/Mage
Current Party:
Half-Orc Barbarian
Dwarf Priest of Tempus
Human Bard
Half-Elf Avenger
Gnome Swashbuckler
Elf Sorcerer
Human Bard
16/18/12/18/10/18
Human Barbarian
18-82/18/18/13/12/10
Half-Orc Priest of Lathander
19/17/14/10/18/10
Half-Orc Assassin
19/18/19/10/10/10
Half-Elf Totemic Druid
17/14/12/10/18/15
Elf Red Dragon Disciple
18/19/15/10/10/15
CN Half-elf Bard - Str 12/Dex 18/Con 16/Int 18/Wis 10/Cha 18, main speaker, pickpocket, lore, ballad of three heroes/war chant of the sith
Undead Hunter Paladin, longswords & Shields
Half-elf Cleric/Ranger, warhammers, flails, dual wielding
Half-orc Beserker, axes, two-handed, dual-wielding (yes both)
-in IWD, there are one-handed, two-handed, and thrown axes; very versatile
CE elf fighter/mage, longswords, longbows, single weapon style
gnome fighter/thief, daggers, shortswords, shortbows, 18/9? str, wears the shorty helm
Im in dragons eye, playing on insane. It was a cakewalk up to dragons eye, then I had to start being careful. Now that im fighting yuan ti casters, its getting really hard. My lack of good arcane spells is making things difficult. I'm not to good with caster selection in this game, but my physical combat is rock-solid.
Bard (vanilla)
party leader, secondary caster, uses songs (War Chant of Sith!)
half-elf, CN, longswords, axes (throwing axe for a large chunk of the game), single weapon style
Fighter (Berserker5)>Druid
very versatile - frontline tank, summoner, melee&spell damage dealer, healer
human, N, scimitars, slings, sword&shield style
Fighter/Cleric
frontline tank, healer, buff spells
dwarf, CG, war hammers, slings, sword&shield style
Ranger (Archer)
ranged damage dealer
elf, CG, longbows, two-handed swords, two-handed weapon style
Fighter/Thief
ranged damage dealer, backstabber from time to time, doing thief job
halfling (but elven, dwarven or orcish could be good as well), CE, longbows, shortswords, eventually quarterstaffs, single and two-handed styles
Fighter3 (vanilla)>Mage
ranged&spell damage dealer, summoner
human, NE, longbows (because shortbows in IWD suck), two-handed style, daggers
Alternatively, you can swap Archer for Black Guard, loosing some damage but gaining more tankiness and a nice debuff with his aura.
ranged&melee damage dealer, tank
human, NE, crossbows, halberds or two-handed swords, two-handed weapon style
Generally, you want all of your party members to use ranged weapons because they are crazy powerful in IWD, tanking with summons for as long as possible, then swapping druids and cleric weapon to melee if necessary. This tactic works for all of the game and should keep your party healthy and letting druid cast summons and offensive spells more often than healing spells. From bards lvl 11 it's even easier because of War Chant, you should find yourself resting only when you need your spells back.
[i]These elves have refused the call of the retreat. Young and impetuous, they have decided to ignore the warnings of their elders and instead have decided to travel the world so as to see what wonders there are before they 'retire' to evermeet. They decided to go north, to see the wonder that is the tree of Kuldahar. However, they now find themselves with no way out due to the frozen passes and with the great tree itself facing death. It appears that both problems have the same solution: to find what evil it is that threatens the land.[/i]
[color=red]I started at lvl 1 and am doing a 'heart of fury' playthrough. This means lots of reloads, and working really hard to fight only 1-3 enemies at a time. A few times I had to turn heart of fury off because the fights were just impossible. Still, it's a challenge, and the party is really growing in lvls.[/color]
[u]Morovael[/u]
Neutral Good
Elven Swordmaster (Berserker)
Strength: 18/93
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 15
lvl 7, longsword and shield.
[i]The 'leader' of the group. He is a swordmaster, an elf who has given himself to the mastery of the blade. He is a dour elf, pragmatic to a fault, known to be able to push himself to feats of heroism that others would find impossible. Where the rest of the party might be subjects to flights of fancy, it is Morovael who keeps them on the straight and narrow. Or at least from wandering off in search of the next great quest.[/i]
* Standard fighter. Sword, shield, goes berserk when needed. I plan to give him the Arden Shield when it becomes available. He's my front-line guy.
[u]Silvae[/u]
True Neutral
Half-Elf Shapeshifter (half-elf, half-werewolf)
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 16
lvl 8, single dagger style
[i]Silvae has had 'misfortune' of being infected with lycanthropy while gathering medicinal herbs, an encounter that she was lucky to have survived. Rather than seek a cure, she has instead decided to master it, and to turn her curse into a blessing. This has led her from her previous profession as a practitioner of medicine to that of a druid, a change which she has taken to with ease.[/i]
* Knows nothing but healing spells. In combat she goes werewolf for Strength 19. She gets buffed with cats grace giving her Dexterity 18, which pushes her dexterity down into the far negatives. She is currently tied with the berserker on kills, even though she is only using a +1 dagger. After fights she turns back into an elf to cast healing spells.
[u]Havaer[/u]
Neutral Good
Half-Elf Bard (half-elf, half-human)
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 17
lvl 8, short sword
[i]Havaer has often cursed his heritage. Growing up among the elves while carrying the blood of man has not been the most easy of experiences. Because of his overall good nature, warm smile and good looks, he has done alright for himself. However, he has grown tired of the looks of pity and disdain from his peers. While he was fortunate enough to be 'allowed' to go on the retreat, he has instead joined with Morovael's company to see more of the world, and perhaps to learn something of his human heritage as well.[/i]
* He sits back and sings. He casts cat's grace on the druid, identifies items, and gives the entire party a 'luck' bonus. He hasn't swung his weapon once in the entire adventure, and I still find him worthwhile.
[u]Tethlis[/u]
Chaotic Good
Elven Fighter/Thief
Strength: 18/42
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 10
lvl 6/6, dual longswords
[i]If you need a lock picked, a trap disarmed, or a back stabbed, then Tethlis is your elf. He is, what one could kindly say, addicted to danger. While a useful trait for an adventurer, it is less so for the stable and safe life of evermeet. He cares little about the people of Kuldahar, nothing for their tree, and truth be told, nothing much about the treasure he might find. He only feels alive when facing death in the face and laughing. Something he has certainly found in the Vale of Shadows.[/i]
[u]Alariel[/u]
Lawful Good
Elven Sorceress
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 18
lvl 7, dagger, sling
[i]Alariel is not the smartest elf in the world, nor is she the most wise. However, what he is, is blessed by her birth to be naturally attuned to magic. It flows through her veins, and the power often struggles to get out, manifesting itself in destructive explosions. Rather than put her fellow elves at risk, she has instead decided to venture into the far north, where she can learn how to control her destructive potential with minimal risk to other elves.[/i]
[u]Eltharion[/u]
Neutral Good
Elven Archer
Strength: 18/94
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 10
lvl 7, longsword, Composite Bow
[i]A true student of the path of archery, Eltharion is determined to become the greatest archer who has ever lived. A path which he knows is all but impossible, but goals are important. And, as he often says, it is better to reach for the stars and grab the moon than to reach for the moon and hold nothing but air. For him, this expedition is a way to put to use all that he has learned, and to pick up a new trick or two. Despite his frustration of firing arrows into skeletons, he still leads the party when it comes to kills[/i]
Thorek
Dwarf-Lawful Neutral
Dwarven Defender-lvl 12
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 19
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 14
Axe and Shield (-10 AC)
(Slashing Resistance: 80% before using defensive stance! Yes, he gets 100% immunity to slashing weapons, making him an amazing tank against some enemies. The bone marrow belt is awesome, as he still gets 10% crushing resistance even with the penalty)
The leader of the Clan Battlehammer Expedition. Thorek and his kinsmen came to Icewind Dale for one purpose and one purpose only: to find the shield "Stoutward." Indeed they succeeded in this goal, only to find the passes frozen by some evil. On trying to fight their way out, they found a sight that made their blood boil, and that was the desecration of Dorn's Deep. With gutteral warcries ringing through the ancient halls, they carved a bloody path to the demon which dared make such a mockery of their people. It fell
Helga
Dwarf-Lawful Good
Dwarven Defender-lvl 12
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 19
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 12
Hammer and Shield (-10AC)
(Strength 20% resistance to everything before defensive stance. 70% with it, which makes her another great tank)
Thorek's wife, and the brains behind the outfit. Helga is an able tactician, and a fine example of everything it means to be dwarven. She is often the one who convinces the lads to not be 'brain addled goblin fondlers' when they wish to charge at the nearest enemies with weapons flying.
Karaz
Dwarf-Chaotic Good
Berserker
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 19
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 10
Dual Axes (-10 AC! Benorg's truth gives -1 and Defender gives -2)
Karaz is a battle rager, pure and simple. A gregarious dwarf who laughs louder and shouts a battle cry louder still. He lives for the glory of blood shed and for the screams of the fallen. Where Thorek and Helga lock shields and brace against the foe, he rushes in from the flank to hack them to bloody pieces. As he would say: "Ah, life is good, yah?"
Grimdul
Dwarf-Chaotic Good
Swashbuckler
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 12
Dual Longswords (-6AC)
Grimdul is an engineer by trade. A maker of traps and locks, which means that he is also more than able to defusing and picking said impediments. Unlike most 'thieves', Grimdul is honorable to a fault. He never steals from anyone he hasn't killed and he refuses to ever fight anyone in a less than honorable way. He would much rather step out from the shadows and challenge a foe to a duel than to strike someone who isn't looking. He cuts a rather sharp sight in his black dragon scale armor, with a flaming sword in one hand and the restored blade of Aihonen in the other.
Durak
Dwarf-Lawful neutral
Fighter/Cleric (Of Clangeddin)
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 19
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 10
Hammer, Shield (-7 AC)
A warpriest of Clangeddin, and the bearer of Stoutward, Durak is always in the fray. He knows not a single healing prayer, instead focusing on increasing his combat abilities, pushing his clansmen to ever greater heights of power, and for summoning etheral allies (summon dead) to his side.
Brunhilda
Dwarf-Lawful Good
Cleric (pure class! No kits, because dwarfs don't worship human gods)
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 20 (it was 18...she drank a potion that I couldn't identify and it jumped up to 20 while her dexterity went down to 16. With the deep red ioun stone, it went back up to 17 though)
Charisma: 10
Flail, Shield (-5 AC)
A priestess of Moradin, Brunhilda has one goal: to keep her clansmen alive. She knows nothing but healing prayers, and she is often seen in the thick of battle, battering down her foes with a trusty flail and then patching up one of her clansmen after they had done something truly reckless...again.
-------------------------------------
No shooting. No arcane magic. No identifying. No haste. No fireballs. No cloudkill....but they are beasts in close combat. Everyone except Brunhilda is rocking Strength 19 and she is still at 18. Everyone has good armor classes, with the real front liners all sporting -10. My fighters commonly hit for 20ish damage, and the dwarven defenders can make themselves all but immune to any attacks for awhile. Dwarven defender #1 tanks a big bad. Dwarven defender #2 is there to tank anything else that needs tanking. Berserker and Swashbuckler go to work. Figher/Cleric buffs with bless, chant, and defensive harmony (giving everyone a +4 AC bonus. -14 AC is great to have, let me say). He also sports true sight, dispel, summon dead...armor of faith and dwarf upon holy might for himself. 23 strength is nothing to sneeze at. Meaning that enemy archers/mages get tied up with skeletons while the dwarfs hack their way to them. The pure cleric with her 20 wisdom has pure healing spells all the way up to lvl 6 spells. There, she rocks entropy shield for herself. That, along with defensive harmony makes her AC -15. She also sometimes casts Bolt of Glory for ranged damage. Otherwise she heals.
It's a pure dwarven party where HP is through the roof, AC is for everyone pretty much a steady -14ish, my tanks can become immune to pretty much anything in melee, and where everyone hits really hard. My only gripe is the lack of identify, which gets *really* old after awhile.
What I really wanted to have is a dwarven skald to replace my fighter/cleric. The cleric would then have a few less healing prayers and some buffs instead (no big loss), but the entire party could have their weakenesses shored up. Alas...it was not to be. =(
With the release of enhanced edition I have brought the little blokes out of exile and all can witness the grand rebirth of the saviours of the north....the Littlemen! Glorious.
Grundig Axehand is now a chaotic good dwarven defender specialising in axes. He hasn't really changed. His story was something like he was named because he defended some tunnel in a mountain somewhere using an axe with a small warparty against thousands of goblins and was the son of a king.....yeah sounds familiar...
Klamut Longbeard is now a dwarf barbarian, and this suits his original version of his biography. He was some type of maniac and spoke a language noone else could understand....he just communicated in grunts and yells and was an all round violence lusting lunatic...great bloke. Chaotic neutral, dual wielding hammers, flails.
Udints MacGraw is a gnome cleric of Tempus now. Udints' story was that he was an orphan gnome who lived in the sewers of a human town. People picked on him and threw stuff at him, so he ran away and lived in a sewerage pipe. One day this kind old codger holy man found him and helped him out, so he eventually became a priest himself....he lived in a church from then on...in case you wondered.
Nameless Unknown Vagrant is still a plain halfling fighter, he was always the ranged member of the group and still is specialising in slings and probably some points in longswords. He was a vagrant and no one knew his name....you could almost imagine him wearing a green poncho thingy and smoking a cigar and sling slinging his way through the American civil war trying to find a box of gold in a graveyard...he doesn't have blonde hair though. I forget most of his original story, but he never had a name, he wandered everywhere and when he had a chance to shoot, he shot....he didn't talk.
Dipar Sretsof is the Fosters idiot and is the rogue of the party. He is a halfling, I think he was originally a fighter thief, but now he is an assassin. He is lawful evil and uses shortswords...I have no recollection of his biography except that he escaped from jail and was on the run to the north for whatever reason.
Pineapple George is a gnome and a brain addled lunatic. He was originally a cleric illusionist, but is now a straight illusionist. His story was that he used to cart pumpkins around and sell them as pineapples using his illusions, but one day, his pineapple illusion was seen through by a local mage. During the riot that erupted over his false advertising, George was attempting a high speed escape in his donkey powered pineapple pumpkin cart. He was hit in the head by one of his pumpkins and knocked senseless from his cart...his donkeys leading the cart then ran over his head, then the wheels of the cart rolled right over his head permanently imprinting his head and face with wheel marks and donkey hoof marks. Word spread about the crazy pumpkin seller and poor George was never able to re-establish himself in the pineapple market. People already had easy access to pumpkins, so he could not turn a profit there either...so he went north. The name Pineapple George stuck....Pumpkin George just didn't have the same ring to it.
So that is it. This is the forth incarnation of the Littlemen. They were recreated in IWD2 and I also did a version of them in the original BG2 as well. But it is in Icewind Dale where they were born and it is where they belong. Fun times now with Enhanced ahead...but absolutely no Fosters drinking ahead at all.
1. Asindor, Elf Sorcerer
2. Relgao, Half-Orc Cleric/Thief
3. Siduo, Half-Elf Fighter/Druid
4. Uldinyosh, Human Beast Master
5. Arnerfam, Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger
6. Ojula, Human Bard
My current team:
"Beauta" - Elf sorceress.
Don't remember exact stats, but fairly "average", ie: 13:19:16:10:10:18. The face of the group when in town. Her elvish looks and graceful manners can sway even Pomab to lower his prices! Backstory is that she is a semi-spoiled elvish brat who has ventured out "to find herself".
"Wargnes Diefwulen" - human blackguard paladin.
Good stats, something like 18:91+:18:18:10+:10+:15
Wargnes came across a beautyfull elven sorceress who managed to pierce through his frozen heart. He has pledged his life to her, to defend her in any situation. He does not even know why, but he feels utterly compelled to do her every bidding. He takes control of the team whenever there is danger close.
"Sepulta" - elven archer
Good stats: 18:96 irrc:19:17:10+:10+:XX
Assigned by Beauta's mother to follow her and act as her bodyguard, Sepulta does just that. She hides and scouts ahead, often killing anything dangerous long before Beauta has even noticed it.
"Oban Quartorc" - Halv-orc Cleric/thief MC
19:18:19:8:18:~3
Oban is uncommon, he's half orc and half dwarf! (I EEkeepered his avatar to a dwarfen cleric). Bullied his entire youth by both humans and orcs alike, he got used to fight for himself but also to steal to be able to eat. Dismissed by orcs as of puny stature, they just to tease him by claiming "you're not even a half-orc, your're no more than a quarter, haha". The nickname "Quarter-orc" stuck, sometimes shortened to "Quartorc".
"Crazy Joe de Vola" - Gnome cleric/illusionist
Don't remember his stats but they are max for gnome and clas, with 18/19 in his prime attrbiutes and 17 in wisdom.
Crazy Joe deserves his name. His chaotic neutral alignment shows all the time. He cannot be trusted to ever be serious but he can be trusted to keep his crew alive. His spellslinging helps the team alot, but the team had to steal a couple of rings of free action due to Joy ever so often webbing his own mates to ground while swamped by hordes of undead "by mistake", according to himself. His huge blue eyes looks innocent, but inside swirls pure madness. Noone really knows why he follows the others. Perhaps he feels slightly akin to Beauta's sorcery, himself weilding magic he cannot properly control.
"Slaizen Dize" halforc fighter/thief
Slaizen is a pragmatic halforc. She does not speak much, but get the job done. She's the groups trap specialist but has also been trained by Sepulta in the art of stealth, slowly practi'z'ing on backstabbing opponents. Oban has a secret crush on her, but slaizen don't see it. She stands tall, almost twice his lenght, and his puny appearance makes little impression on her.
My team is almost done with dragons eye and are tearing it up on insane level. No real problems so far.
Human Paladin
Dwarven Fighter/Cleric
Half Orc Barbarian
Half Elven Ranger
Elven Magic User/Thief
Half Elven Bard
They are Capital fellows, all of them.
Restarted twice but am having a good time with this party, and it's the furthest I've gotten in the game yet. Am currently clearing out the yuan ti in level 4 of Dragon's Eye. Playing on Insane for the bonus experience and the general challenge (I played Dragon Age Origins and the Mass Effect series on Insane difficulties the first times too...games are just too easy these days).
Kynra Hromthrar, Half-Elf Bard
Arcane Support/Songs/Longbows
She's a native of the region and hungry to make her mark on local lore. She became the group's guide on the road to Easthaven.
I wanted to experience the IWD songs. She just got War Chant of the Sith, but it's not really as powerful as I'd heard. I've only just stayed using it though. She rolled high enough for 18 Strength so she usually buffs the party with Haste and Invisibility then plinks away with a composite longbow. She also tosses out the occasional Fireball/Skull Trap when I need AoE damage since she's got the best levels for level-dependent nukes.
Tanner Strongheart, Human Berserker (7) > Cleric (8)
Grand Mastery Flails/Morningstars with Dual Wield
Rugged and straightforward with little patience for maneuvering. Prefers to solve problems with the prickly ends of his morningstars.
My first ever dual class. Dualed at level one of Dragon's Eye and got it back surprisingly quickly. He's a beast with 4 attacks per round and Cleric buffs. Usually runs with Protection from Evil 10', a few Holy Smites, Dispel Magic/Silence for enemy casters, and DUHM to man mode. Will soon get the Righteous Wrath of the Faithful or whatever for my mostly neutral party.
Raish Umbrael, Elven Fighter/Thief
Dual Wield Scimitars, Bastard Swords
The most mercenary of the group. More cynical and calculating than the others, but has mellowed out a bit after numerous travels with Tanner & Co.
Thieving duties and secondary tank. A little on the fragile side due to Elf and multiclass progression being slow. He's lately been on troll disposal duty with bastard swords that deal fire and acid damage, respectively.
Iwaki Swiftblade, Human Kensai > Mage
Grand Mastery Longswords with Dual Wield
Focused primarily on martial mastery. Trains diligently and incessantly. Says little but is often well spoken when words do roll out in her slight accent.
Not sure if I want to go all the way to 13 to dual, might just go at 9. She usually gets Barkskin from the Druid before hard fights and usually edges out my Berserker/Cleric in damage/kills, but that could be because she's been dual wielding from the get go.
Keldred Vengar, Half-Elf Avenger
Spell-Casting Support/Healer, Sling
Native of Kuldahar and acolyte of Arundel. Longtime halfie friends with Kynra the Bard.
Man I love this kit. Main healer and great support with Webs, Barkskin, Pixie Dust, and summons. Multiple Walls of Moonlight are actually really fun to use against undead. She can toss out Webs then shapeshift Sword Spider to join the fray.
Althea Longeye, Elf Archer
Kill things with arrows
Kindred spirit with Iwaki, though more childlike and less straight laced. Enjoys tales of yore and archery games.
Ridiculous THAC0 sharpshooter. Gets sad against enemies immune to normal weapons, but anything that's not is getting hit on any roll but a 1.
It's a very powergamey party, but I wanted that for my first run through before I attempt runs with more interesting but potentially more difficult characters like Dwarves, Half Orcs, Gnomes, Monks, Paladins, etc. Have some ideas for themed parties a la LOTR, Avengers, shorties only, etc.
- Gourry: Lawful Good male Human Paladin(the lancer)
- Chara: Chaotic Neutral female Human Barbarian( the big girl)
- Judau: Chaotic Good male Human Thief (another lancer)
- Bright: Lawful Good male elf cleric( the smart guy)
- Elpeo Puru or Ple: Chaotic Neutral female gnome wild mage(tag along kid)
MOONSOONG (Vanilla) Bard
Dual weapons, F Half-Elf. Arcane spells. Lead.
(ii)
LOCO (Tank) Fighter
Axe & Shield, M Dwarf.
(iii)
SENSEI "BladeDancer" Kensai
Dual Katanas, M Half-Orc.
(iv)
STORMEH Berserker (L9)---Druid
Dual Scimitars, Male dual classer, grandmastery. Nature (drudic) spells.
(v)
JEYRI Fighter (L3)---Cleric
Dual Hammers + Flails, grandmasteries, Lady dual classer. Divine powers.
(vi)
BLACKWIDOW Archer
Female Elven true shot grandmaster.
* for IWD EE XP capped campaign.