SCS playthrough - composition

Truschka

Hello. Got some questions about party composition for an scs playthrough. Mage and clerics will be set to no pre buffs so it's not gonna be ultra difficult I hope. Have scs experience with bg1. Kits will be not strictly legal. Focus should be using the skald synergy. I will use item revisions / spell revisions and rogue rebalancing

Party will be:
Fighter / mage as protagonist - maybe berserker or kensai kit for fun
Jaheira as fighter / druid - maybe avenger?
Jan as fighter / illusionist / thief
Skald - probably nalia
Archer

I'm still torn about the last spot. Fighter / cleric, cavalier, Inquisitor. sorcerer or maybe cleric/mage.
I try to go without Inquisitor and tend to fighter/cleric. I'm unsure though whether cleric + druid is too much. I'm excited for the new spells though.

What do you guys think?

Humanoid_Taifun

A multiclass druid does not replace a single (or dual)-class cleric.

OrlonKronsteen

I would put a pure mage of some sort or a sorcerer in there.

Miss_Keta

General rules:

If you are not very experienced with SCS in bg2 do NOT skip an inquisitor. If you are experienced, do NOT skip an inquisitor.


Berserker 9>druid is a good combo if you autoroll high enough, alternative option is bers 7>druid for ultra fast regain. I played kensai>druid myself in BG but is too squishy for my taste.

Divine casting is not needed in BG2 at all, so it's either a cleric or a druid pick IMO. Cleric have better spells but Druid can achieve grandmastery in clubs or scimitars and mainly off hand belm, wich greatly increase damage, especially with a bard.

FMT Gnome: FMT is my favorite way to score the " scarlet ninja-to" problem. It's IMO the best UAI character of the game. You basically give up lvl 9 spells for 100% detect Illusion, scarlet ninja-to (plus all the cheesy of the UAI) wich are basically the 2 reasons to have a thief, plus you have 2APR given 13+fighter + still self buff due to a mage. After years of spamming multiple thieves for scarlet ninja to this is the char that I like the most of all possible configuration I tried. Gnome illusionist is just a power play version of a normal FMT elf and not game changing.

RR Skald: I do think that basic Bard in RR is much bettter since it basically gives +3 to saves and don't have +1speed to cast, even if you give up a BUNCH of damage. Plus the HLA bard song of the "true" bard is MUCH better then the skald one, at least IMO.

Kensai 9 or 13>mage just only one?

Archer: pure kensai dagger thrower can be interesting -IMO better- as well if you are picking this just for early/mid game power (throwing daggers are banana and fighter exp table > ranger). Slop to kensai is that you probably want your FMT to use boomerang dagger /firetooth until UAI, so rethinking about it archer is probably better.


Anyway I like your way of thinking, this set up is amazing with skald given the massive APR boost to all your chars:

Bers9>D GM+belm
K13>M GM + kundane
FMT Boomerang dagger/firet then whatever+ scarlet ninja to
Archer Tuigan

improved haste and a skald singing for a retarded DPS garanteed almost 40 atk rounds with +5hit/dmg on top of 3 arcane caster, 1 divine caster and 100 detect illusion utility. Geez, you almost make me want to try this set up

GL for your run anyway

Truschka

I havn´t really got the time to start yet and it´s funny cause my setup (in theory) really changed. Belm and kundane is not such a big deal, because with item and spell revisions they´re not as relevant compared to vanilla. With refinements there won´t be thief UAI so that´s out of question too.

My thought on the skald was more, that it enables me to try the triple classes. Where they would be mediocre Fighters at best, with a skald they´ll have better THAC0 and Dmg than a pure class Fighter of same XP.
I also considered your argument against divine casting and the druid spells didn´t seem to fit into the party composition that much. I´m unsure about the cavalier though. I have read good things about the mod and that´s why I´d consider it.
Alternative for Cavalier would be Fighter/Druid. I know FMC is not considered powerful in early game but I´ll think the skald song will quite compensate for lower fighter lvls. I think it´s way more important to increase THAC0 of someone who hits 50/50 compared to an Archer or Kensai thrower who obliterates anything, skald or not.
What do you think? I´ll plan to add some content mod in BG2 for some more XP. Custom Classes with NPCs though for a better game.

Current party consists of:

Fighter/Illusionist - Protagonist
Fighter/Mage/Cleric - Viconia
Fighter/Mage/Thief - Xan
Cavalier - Isra
Skald - Imoen / Nalia
Sorcerer - Edwin

Either everyone will start with a weapon + dual wield or with a weapon and a form of ranged combat. Seems more fitting for BG1 And they will start dual wielding by SOD.

Fiddler

Interesting how you change the classes. I assume you are doing it through EEKeeper. Do you just change the classes, or is there more? It seems like there would be more you have to do with it. I'm curious?

F/M, F/M/C, F/M/T - pretty powerful right there. Plus changing Edwin to a Sorcerer; very tough.

Truschka

I rolled them as custom party with rather godlike stats (ee autoroller) But I'd rather play with npcs for the banter. Alternative for Edwin is neera as wild mage but I don't know whether I like or hate the mechanics and a sorcerer fits nicely Since there are already 4 scroll learners. I'm just unsure about the cavalier. Whether she can hold her ground.

Fiddler

oh, got it!