Party Composition Feedback
Jonatius
Member Posts: 3
Hi everyone! I've played BG and BG2 but never IWD so I could really use some feedback on creating a party.
What I've put together based on some research is sort of powergamery but also meant to be fun and diverse.
- Undead Hunter. Assuming there is a lot of undead in the game, Inquisitor is a possible alternative. I was thinking of going with a halfling for the trusted defender helmet
- Berserker/Mage. (human, dual wielding) powerful combination on paper but not really sure at which lvl to switch to mage. Does the IWD main game support enough leveling for this to viable?
-Bard. Because everybody says bards are awesome in IWD and I've never used them. Should I maybe dual it?
- Spellcaster, either (specialized) Mage, Sorcerer (to save scrolls) or thief/mage. The latter is somewhat mandatory unless I dual my bard to take care of traps. But then I'll be without a pure caster...
-Priest of Tempus. As my main healer and combat support. I would like to dual this from fighter for some extra oomph but I'm not sure that is possible.
-Totemic Druid. Extra healing and support, I like using summons. Would also like to add some fighter lvls if possible...
What do you guys think? Any thoughts on my concerns?
What I've put together based on some research is sort of powergamery but also meant to be fun and diverse.
- Undead Hunter. Assuming there is a lot of undead in the game, Inquisitor is a possible alternative. I was thinking of going with a halfling for the trusted defender helmet
- Berserker/Mage. (human, dual wielding) powerful combination on paper but not really sure at which lvl to switch to mage. Does the IWD main game support enough leveling for this to viable?
-Bard. Because everybody says bards are awesome in IWD and I've never used them. Should I maybe dual it?
- Spellcaster, either (specialized) Mage, Sorcerer (to save scrolls) or thief/mage. The latter is somewhat mandatory unless I dual my bard to take care of traps. But then I'll be without a pure caster...
-Priest of Tempus. As my main healer and combat support. I would like to dual this from fighter for some extra oomph but I'm not sure that is possible.
-Totemic Druid. Extra healing and support, I like using summons. Would also like to add some fighter lvls if possible...
What do you guys think? Any thoughts on my concerns?
0
Comments
Bard: cannot duel class.
No technical reason you can't duel your priest to fighter, but not something I would do. You need to duel around level 9 in order to get your original class back before the end of the game if not playing HoF. You could make your priest a half orc instead, with 19 str.
Totemic Druid looses out on improved shapeshifting in IWD.
IWDEE uses the BGEE engine, so some things you mentioned are not possible without mods.
An Undead Hunter is a paladin. A very good choice for IWDEE because there're many undead enemies in that game. But only a human can become a paladin. You should use http://www.gibberlings3.net/bg2tweaks/ for a component "Remove Racial Restrictions for Classes" if you wand to make a halfling paladin. According to the author of the mod, it's IWDEE-compatible. Or wait for the Dale-Keeper by @Troodon80 .
A halfling undead hunter is a fine option, I should say: nearly Mazzy
A Berserker/Mage is always a strong character. You'll be able to make this combo in IWDEE. I would dual at the 6th level (after you get another proficiency) in order to get your Berserker part earlier or at the 7th level, not later (taking into account you play with the whole party) - after getting +0.5 APR.
A Bard is essential for IWD from RP point of view, I think. You'll finally get good songs. Bards cannot be dual-classed.
For a Mage, I can say that either a vanilla mage (for every spell in the game, which is important because they're adding new, previously unseen spells) or a wild mage.
A Priest of Tempus is appealing to me too, especially taking into account they made subtle but important content changes for players who wish to play Battleguards. You won't be able to dual-class into a kit without a mod, though.
A Totemic Druid. Well, I like this character. I'm on a no-reload solo SCS BG run with a totemic druid now and I like it. I think the spirit summons will be very handy in IWDEE and starting from the 10th level you can go through many locations using majorly only those summons. Also, it's interesting to see new druid spells in IWD.
This way there's no place for a thief in your party. There're traps in the game and although you can complete IWDEE without a thief I strongly recommend taking one. Make him a multiclass , for example. You can change a Priest of Tempus with a Cleric/Thief. Or maybe - and better - you can take a multiclass Mage/Thief instead of the full Mage - you'll have a Berserker/Mage and a Bard as your arcane magic users.
For a pure class mage I would go with a sorcerer, since you have your berserker/mage already. There aren't that many scrolls in IWD, so keeping your bard, dual class mage and another mage on top of that happy will be very hard. I would actually suggest doing a multiclass fighter/thief, or berserker--> dual to thief and go with the bard and sorcerer only.
A single class priest, or a dual fighter--> cleric is a very solid choice.
So is a dual fighter-->druid
IWD is a lot more melee heavy than BG games, and remember that bards can cast up to 8th lvl spells in IWD. You'll want those extra APR's and proficiency points for melee action that dual/multi offers
However, combos like fighter/mage with stoneskin/mirror image, or a fighter/druid with Ironskins are awesome tanks
I initially had this as an idea. Of course I am not an expert as some of you wonderful are so please be kind
1-Inquisitor as the party leader with the dispel magic aiding fighting against mages. Sword and shield too for this guy.
2-Wizardslayer as killing machine and the character I see as the damage dealer. Will get twohanded weapon mstry. I know that this class is not as good but I really want to play as one.
3-?
4-?
From here I know diddly squat about mages and spellcasters only that I need some healing and spellcasting. Should I pick up a druid and sorcerer? Or something else.
Wizardslayer is also not a great choice, not only is it a fairly weak class to begin with, the lack of enemy spellcasters in the game means that the bonuses they do get are even less useful than in the BG series. If you really ant to play a Wizardslayer I'd suggest being a Half-Orc for the 19 strength and constitution, or a Dwarf for the good saving throw bonuses (those coupled with your magic resistance would make you very hardy vs. spells) and high Con. Personally, I think a Berserker or a Dwarven Defender would be a better choice in this slot.
If you're only going for a 4 person party, I'd suggest a Gnome Illusionist/Cleric. You can cover two very important roles and get those nice shorty saves yet again. This game seems to have a lot of fights that pit you against hordes of monsters, and with that many attacks coming your way, healing and crowd control are very important so you don't have to stop and rest after every 1-2 fights. This character will keep you healed, buffed, and is great at handling hordes of foes.
For the fourth character, I'd suggest a Cleric/Thief (Gnome perferably, or Half-Orc if you want to focus more on backstabs) or a Mage/Thief multiclass. Thieves are typically important in any party, and there does seem to be a high number of traps in this game, while not a necessary role to fill, combing a thief with another class seems like a good idea to me just to keep your bases covered. Whether you want extra healing and buffing or extra damage and crowd control will be the deciding factor on which multi to use.
But keep the Undead Hunter too. This would get you a strong and balanced front line
Priest of Tempus or Druid Avenger
multi class Cleric/Thief
vanilla Bard
vanilla Sorcerer
Footnote: Fall From Heaven is an awesome, lore rich, Civilization 4 mod