Succeeding at IWD without min/maxing stats
SharGuidesMyHand
Member Posts: 2,580
In my own mind's canon, I've always viewed IWD as a sort of prequel to the BGs. For that reason, I try to "balance" out my party members' stats to be more consistent with the ones in BG1, rather than just maximize the most crucial stats. For example, if I have a warrior character with high str and con (i.e.: 18/55 and 17 respectively), I'll look to lower his or her dext (to somewhere between 10 and 15). However, the format of IWD is much different than in the BGs (especially BG1), with waves of endless enemies and dungeon crawling in place of atmospheric exploration and developing story.
So my question is, is it possible to succeed at IWD without min/maxing stats? For anyone else who plays this way, what advice might you have to offer, i.e.: what character classes and strategies do you use?
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Comments
- Insane difficulty
- Tick "No bonus XP for difficulty"
- Tick "No bonus damage for difficulty"
- Avoid OP classes or kits (sorcerer and archer are the main ones to avoid IMO)
- Avoid multiclass and dual class characters
- Reroll as many times as you like for stats
- Reroll stats of 91+
- No adjusting stats once rolled
- Don't phish for items
- Don't reload if you fail to scribe a scroll or similar
- Avoid reloading/don't reload
Game can become quite strategic under these circumstances. Certainly the caveat of not adjusting stats creates more organic characters and it provides some great opportunities to make up stories for them to explain their more peculiar stats.
Good luck
Here is an example of a party that I'm currently considering using:
A paladin, my party leader:
A dwarven fighter/cleric:
A dual-wielding ranger, to be dualed to a cleric at level 3:
An avenger druid:
An elven fighter/mage/thief, specialized in short swords and short bows:
A jester:
I tried something similar to that already - it did give the characters more of a "BG feel," but they also got their assess kicked on the first level of Dragon's Eye.
With my next party, I'm trying to find more of a happy medium between efficiency and RPing - characters that are notably strong, but not quite OP'd.
It's a good strategy to increase the challenge of the game by limiting your access to arcane spells but realise that clerics are the most powerful class (and you'll have 2) and Avenger Druids are half an arcane and incredibly powerful as well.
Good luck with your run
Certainly we can recommend that lower stats would be perfectly manageable if appropriate tactics are used though the only point that I wanted to make is that if you start adjusting and rerolling your stats it becomes very arbitrary and there's no real challenge involved. It's too easy to make stats that don't look powergamey but are in fact just as effective as a suite of 18s.
I particularly like a party that relies on DR rather than AC to tank via a Druid or dwarven defender as AC is just too easy to abuse with the available buffs.
Anyway, I'll reiterate my recommendation of trying characters without adjusted stats, maybe it'll capture your imagination, both strategically and character story wise, like it did mine.
In my opinion, no min-maxing or fancy builds are necessary, anyways, to beat the game just fine. Smart formations, use of the terrain, and well-aimed area spells get you through any danger that lurks in the vales and passes of the Spine of the World.
That's pretty much how I craft my IWD characters.
Viably useful in their key areas and believable as RP concepts.
None of the 18 for every stat but 3 for intelligence and charisma shenanigans.
Frankly, no magics or perfume would help. The guy is just rotting.
My party IIRC was an Archer, an Inquisidor, a Priest (can't remember the deity), a Bounty Hunter, a Skald and a Berserker.
Awesome.
My next run will be: Archer, Undead Hunter, Sorcerer, Shapeshifter, Blade, Cleric/Thief.
It's fun to still be playing D&D after all these years, and I even started a second session with my son using the multiplayer mode, which is more like real D&D from way back when due to the inter-player banter (but he's more of a power gamer, so the stats are not as "pure" as in my single player run: he always complains about my "weak" half of the party slowing him down!).
Thanks for posting the question, SharGuidesMyHand!
I once created a character in BG whose stats gave him no bonuses or penalties at all--everything was in the 9 to 15 range. He couldn't use composite long bows or the largest weapons (at least until he got items which enhanced his strength) but he performed nicely as a low- to mid-level solo fighter/mage/thief.
Mages can cast 9th level spells with any intelligence, just need to temporarily boost intelligence to 18 to scribe the scrolls.
Clerics can cast 7th level spells with any wisdom score.
Party
Human Swash/FTR NG
17
18
16
12
8
13
***Longsword
***Shortsword
***2wf
Human Blade N
10
18
16
16
8
17
***2wf
*Bastard sword
*Dagger
Human Shapeshifter N
12
16
16
8
17
15
*Scimitar
*Dagger
*Sword and shield
Human Blackguard NE
18/77
16
17
10
10
14
**Longsword
**Sword and shield
**Two handed sword
**Two handed style