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themed party issues

Every time I find some cool portraits on-line I start a new themed party. My problem is there are certain classes that I just can't be without. For example: I wanted to do a barbarian party then thought to myself but you need a thief, also what about healing? get a bard, oh and you want a diviner don't you? That seems to happened all the time. I try to do smaller parties but want someone who can hold a bow, or need a healer, or an item identifier etc... I guess I am not hardcore enough to do without some things.

Comments

  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,371
    edited August 2019
    All divine - every member has to have divine spellpowers - clerics, druids, rangers, paladins, and multi-classes allow thief, fighter and mage types

    All rogue party - every member must have rogue skills of some sort - thieves, bards, thief multi's - rangers or monks might even be allowed if stealth is enough to fulfill the requirement (monks are a 'stretch' as a rogue though)

    All arcane party - all members must have access to arcane spells of some sort - mages, sorcerers, bards, mage-multi's and even Darkmoon monks and stalkers would fit the bill.

    All fighter types - can be even more specialized as melee or ranged specialists - fighters, barbarians, paladins, rangers, blades, swashbucklers, monks and fighter/ranger multi's.
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 6,002
    even barbarians have casters, usually shamans, so that could work for your healing, for your "thief type" you could use a fighter/thief who is built as the party scout, im sure that smart barbarian parties always have at least one "scout" type of member

    and for arcane, a bard works perfect, they get those arcane spells all the way to level 8, and it fits a barbarian team very well because barbarians love to hear the stories and epics of their adventures and they themselves want to become legends, and you need a bard to do so

    to be perfectly honest, it is actually possible to beat the game with 6 barbarians, but at the same time, if you want to swap up a barbarian or two for something else, that is perfectly viable, its always possible to RP the reason why that sort of party member is in that group; for example: it may be hard to RP why a paladin is in a barbarian group but no so much for say a ranger or druid, a swashbuckler might not make much sense in a barbarian group ( since i look at them to be more like pirates ) but i think a bounty hunter works well, since barbarians no doubt do lots of hunting for food, and a bounty hunter is a master trapsman, so no doubt the bounty hunter would be the trapper for the group/scout
  • InsultionInsultion Member Posts: 179
    Thieves can also just flavor as scouts. I almost always have some headcanon for a new party I make. Also Bards with the Skald and Blade variations really help sell the feeling of something other than a minstrel, if those are a consideration for you.

    Sometimes it's fun to deprive yourself of some utility, though. It can really change encounters that are otherwise a cakewalk, like
    the Yuan-Ti 5th floor without a thief or cleric.
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  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 951
    The restartitis is huge factor.
    I love themed parties, like
    barbarian clan: barb, barb, shaman, fighter/thief, skald

    Drow: cleric, fighter/mage, fighter, blackguard(edited to elf), fighter/thief

    Dwarf: cleric, fighter/cleric, fighter, fighter/thief

    Adventurer: fighter, cleric, mage, thief, bard

    Dirty dozen: blackguard, cleric of talos, bounty hunter, necromancer, shapeshifter

    Holy power: paladin, cleric of lathander, mage/thief, fighter/cleric, bard

    All fighter: paladin, archer, fighter/thief, fighter
  • ElysianEchoesElysianEchoes Member Posts: 475
    Traps? Dwarf barbarian with 19 con sand d12 hit points raging can tank traps. Good luck, trap, getting through all those hp and super saves.

    Locks? Orc barbarian with 19 strength, raging, which pumps strength can bash locks.

    Healing? Rage before resting, pumping Constitution, gaining Regen for the rest. Or before traveling. (Never tried it... Does it work?)

    Anyway, definitely not impossible.
  • artificial_sunlightartificial_sunlight Member Posts: 601
    I play a themed party this play through ( hopefully my first full). It's themed by The Moonshea books:

    We have Princess Alicia Kendrick, she is a warrior turned to Druid in the books. I play Avenger druid in IWD, because she is tutored by arcane spellcaster Keane.

    Then we have Keane, he is the mentor of Alicia and an arcane spellcaster, the books suggest he is a Mage (the books are true to D&D so he reads spells to learn them) but IWD lacks scrolls so I play Sorcerer.

    My Leader is Tavish the bard, and she is a kitless bard because I want to play with the different songs.

    I have an Elf Paladin Brigit Cu’Lyrran, She is the Captain of the sister knights of Synnoria and just fought a Demon. So I thought it was appropriate to make her a Cavalier.

    Than we have Pawldo of Lowhill, a Halfling Fighter/Thief. In the timeline this play through he should be dead, but in this alternate timeline he is alive and kicking.

    And on the last place we have the Northmen Prince Brandon. I play him as A half-orc Barbarian, he is a Huge human barbarian in the books so I thought it was fitting.

    The story is that they drifted off when the where sailing to find Evermeet, and broke down on Easthaven.


    Another suggestion is a Songs and Swords series group.

    Arilyn Moonblade fighter/thief or stalker or assassin
    Danilo Thann a bard highly skilled in magic
    Elaith Craulnober Evil Fighter/Wizard
    Bran Skorlsun Ranger
    Bronwyn Rogue
    Foxfire Elf (Lythari) shapeshifter

  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    Iamdorf wrote: »
    I wanted to do a barbarian party then thought to myself but you need a thief,
    Conan started out as a thief and he was as barbarian as they come.

  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,371
    Iamdorf wrote: »
    I wanted to do a barbarian party then thought to myself but you need a thief,
    Conan started out as a thief and he was as barbarian as they come.

    Can't legally do that dual in 2nd edition though. It's a shame, really. You can dual thief to berserker but Conan doesn't seem very berserkerish to me.
  • kalekale Member Posts: 53
    edited August 2019
    I have way too much fun just planning and rolling themed groups, it's a problem... (I guess it's also one particular way to play the game). I'm currently planning an elven hunting party (some sort of band of very angry environmentalists). Each character should therefore have a thief or "nature" background. The plan so far:


    Half-Elf Thief/Fighter
    Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger
    Elf Avenger
    Elf Archer
    Elf Stalker
    Elf Bounty Hunter


    Cleric/Ranger and Thief/Fighter can tank, if needed. There's no proper mage/sorcerer, which I'm a bit afraid of (I've always had one caster at least) and quite a lot of dual wield and backstabbing going on. There's also nobody to identify items - I guess the thief, if given high wis/int could identify things? But I'm not sure how well that would work.
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,371
    kale wrote: »
    I have way too much fun just planning and rolling themed groups, it's a problem... (I guess it's also one particular way to play the game). I'm currently planning an elven hunting party (some sort of band of very angry environmentalists). Each character should therefore have a thief or "nature" background. The plan so far:


    Half-Elf Thief/Fighter
    Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger
    Elf Avenger
    Elf Archer
    Elf Stalker
    Elf Bounty Hunter


    Cleric/Ranger and Thief/Fighter can tank, if needed. There's no proper mage/sorcerer, which I'm a bit afraid of (I've always had one caster at least) and quite a lot of dual wield and backstabbing going on. There's also nobody to identify items - I guess the thief, if given high wis/int could identify things? But I'm not sure how well that would work.

    Do an elf Fighter/Mage/Thief instead of fighter thief. You don't even have to gimp him/her with no-armour if you don't want to. He/she can take off armour to pre-buff or cast utility spells and then put it back on. Later when you find or can afford to buy good mage robes or bracers, you can use the mage spells to full potential. Also you can summon a familiar to offset some of the hit-points you'll lose.
  • kalekale Member Posts: 53
    Balrog99 wrote: »
    Do an elf Fighter/Mage/Thief instead of fighter thief. You don't even have to gimp him/her with no-armour if you don't want to. He/she can take off armour to pre-buff or cast utility spells and then put it back on. Later when you find or can afford to buy good mage robes or bracers, you can use the mage spells to full potential. Also you can summon a familiar to offset some of the hit-points you'll lose.

    Thanks, that's an excellent suggestion. I've never played a F/M/T, because my parties are usually quite balanced (see lamdorf's conundrum). F/M/T and Cleric/Ranger are essentially compromises on the theme, because I feel I always need someone to deal with traps and buff/heal (and, again, identify items, but this is just a comfort function, I guess). Hence, there's sadly no space for a beast master (I really like the idea, I really hate its implementation, especially if you have an elven "I-will-mow-you-down" archer in your group) and a barbarian...

  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,371
    kale wrote: »
    Balrog99 wrote: »
    Do an elf Fighter/Mage/Thief instead of fighter thief. You don't even have to gimp him/her with no-armour if you don't want to. He/she can take off armour to pre-buff or cast utility spells and then put it back on. Later when you find or can afford to buy good mage robes or bracers, you can use the mage spells to full potential. Also you can summon a familiar to offset some of the hit-points you'll lose.

    Thanks, that's an excellent suggestion. I've never played a F/M/T, because my parties are usually quite balanced (see lamdorf's conundrum). F/M/T and Cleric/Ranger are essentially compromises on the theme, because I feel I always need someone to deal with traps and buff/heal (and, again, identify items, but this is just a comfort function, I guess). Hence, there's sadly no space for a beast master (I really like the idea, I really hate its implementation, especially if you have an elven "I-will-mow-you-down" archer in your group) and a barbarian...

    If your compromise is the half-elf, you could go with an elf Fighter/Druid instead. The pure cleric spells aren't all that necessary if it's going to affect your enjoyment...
  • BuffaloSolider95BuffaloSolider95 Member Posts: 25
    I love this post. I've restarted way too many times because I want to have a theme that doesn't work with an optimal party build. I think I realized that it's more interesting, but also more challenging, to come up with a backstory that explains why a bunch of 1st-level characters with completely different backgrounds would be in the same party. Its much easier to explain a typical themed party as people who just grew up together or are part of the same clan/tribe/house/etc..






  • IamdorfIamdorf Member Posts: 60
    chimaera wrote: »
    Iamdorf wrote: »
    Every time I find some cool portraits on-line I start a new themed party. My problem is there are certain classes that I just can't be without. For example: I wanted to do a barbarian party then thought to myself but you need a thief, also what about healing?

    You don't need a thief or a cleric in IWD. A party without them will have a noticeably harder time, but it's not impossible.

    I could see myself without a thief easily enough and I could do without a cleric as long as I have some healing. The main problem is Bards. I love war chant of the sith so much that's it's hard to do without a vanilla bard. I wish the race requirements weren't so strict.
  • VallmyrVallmyr Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,459
    I've actually been wanting to RP a traveling performance troupe.

    Skald
    Blade
    Jester
    True Bard
    Shadowdancer
    Shaman

    Idea is they are a theater troupe that gets dragged into adventuring. I haven't actually tried it yet but really want to.
  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 951
    Vallmyr wrote: »
    I've actually been wanting to RP a traveling performance troupe.

    Skald
    Blade
    Jester
    True Bard
    Shadowdancer
    Shaman

    Idea is they are a theater troupe that gets dragged into adventuring. I haven't actually tried it yet but really want to.

    I had a party like that. A theatre company.

    Bard the singer
    blade the knife thrower
    skald the poet
    swashbuckler the acrobat
    illusionist/cleric the illusionist


    The blade and swashbuckler go frontline, supported by skald, bard songs, and summons.
    The early game was not great, or easy but later the party got stronger, but never become invincible.
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