How can I improve my party?

Klorox

1) elf LE sorcerer
2) 1/2 elf N fighter/druid
3) human NG berserker 7 > cleric
4) human CN berserker 9 > cleric
5) 1/2 elf NE bard
6) elf CG F/M/T

Grum

3 and 4 will take *forever* to get fighter levels back. I'd dual class them asap so you can actually play them. The FMT also uses up a lot of experience. I recommend though...

1) Elven Sorcerer (no need for scrolls)
2) Human Bersker (3) Druid (x)
- Dual wield scimitars. Off hand the lucky scimitar
- Iron skin and party healing
3) Dwarven Defender
- Axe and shield (ultimate tank)
4) Half-Elf Bard or Skald
- Long Sword single weapon (eventually makes the dwarven defender even more of an invulberable tank and gives healing)
5) Halfling Fighter/Thief
- Best helm in the game
- I'd use the returning throwing axe for ease of use ranged.
- Or could dual wield to make use of +apr weapons in offhand
- Can disarm traps, open locks, do traps
6) Elven Archer
- Pure dps

There are a lot of narrow choke points to fight in. This gives you 2 great tanks to hold the line (ironskin and damage reduction).

You then have 2 ranged characters. One is a ft for party utility. The other is hands down the best ranged there is.

And finally 2 arcane support. Sorcerer for blasting and crowd control, bard/skald for party buffs.

You won't have party memebers falling over themselves to get into combat. Everyone has a role.

Raduziel

@Grum No Turn Undead in an IWD party? You have balls.

@Klorox 3, 4 and 6 are problems indeed.

You don't need a Sorcerer and a Mage. And if you have a Bard (who needs scrolls) you shouldn't have both. IWD has a large variety of scrolls, but with a low quantity.

Third slot: I would use a halfling or dwarf Priest of Lathander for those shorty saves: you can't have your cleric suffering hexes as it is the one that heals them. Hold Undead is a life saver too.

Fourth slot: @Grum 's suggestion number 1 or 2 would fit nicely here. I would go with the Dwarven Defender.

Sixth slot: F/T instead of F/M/T.

PS: Without a Paladin in your group you'll lose some opportunities to get some nice XP through dialogue. You can exchange the Priest of Lathander for my reviewed Undead Hunter - this way you won't lose TU-power.

mf2112

Raduziel said:

@Grum No Turn Undead in an IWD party? You have balls.
...

I never use turn undead. Or fear on the living. Trying to chase them down, getting led into a different fight, fewer apparent benefits to me than drawbacks. By the time you could turn them to dust instead of turning them, you are already facing higher level undead so you can't turn them to dust. I don't know if it still works like disintegration where you can lose the drops, but I am with Vader. "No disintegration."
I guess I could turn off the gore option, but I just don't use those tactics in the first place.

Wesboi

I would swap 3 for an avenger druid. 6 for a halfing fighter thief

Raduziel

Seriously?

I always use TU and it always was a lifesaver for me in IWD. Nice way to reduce undead pressure or to end a fight before it starts.

Wesboi

Clerics become less effective the harder the difficulty is having two seems a waste IMHO

jsaving

2) Druids are less effective in IWD than other IE games because their main melee weapons are ineffective against the huge percentage of IWD monsters that require blunt weapons to hit. It's true that there are numerous magical blunt weapons in IWD but they are mostly flails/morningstars and to a lesser extent maces rather than clubs. I'd suggest either a half-orc fighter/cleric with 19 strength or, alternatively, you could alternatively go with a ranger/cleric in this slot.

3 and 4) Dualclassing isn't as punitively bad in IWD as it is in BG2 because you don't have to worry about missing whirlwind attack at high levels. However, you might consider F/M/C for one of these characters even if you had them wearing full plate and only using the M for pre-battle stoneskin and post-battle utility spells. You obviously wouldn't advance as quickly as a cleric but, honestly, you don't really need to advance all that quickly as a cleric. (Haeveron's FAQ actually recommends five FMCs and one FMT for IWD.)

5) You might consider going with a sorcerer for this slot. There are a couple of places in the game where it's useful to have a bard, but they aren't enough to offset the sorcerer's spellcasting advantage.

6) Perfect as-is. F/M/T with stoneskin and mirror image is vastly better than F/T, though both are solid party members, plus F/M/T can cast invisibility which removes the need to put any points in stealth skills.

DreadKhan

Druids in IWD are pretty awesome, due to spell selection. Avengers are better in BGEE relatively speaking as they have handy picks for empty levels, but IWDEE I'd think about a Totemic druid.

Wesboi

Reason I prefer avenger druids for icewind dale is chromatic orb and web. Which are very good for starting HoF from level 1. Clerics drop off in HoF mode as TU is near useless unless your max level.

With a Bard, Mage and Avenger Druid all with chromatic orb means u can stun most things easily and in HoF stun is king.