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Help my ultimate evil party find its last member

AerichAerich Member Posts: 159
in Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
IWD is inherently biased from a RP and gameplay perspective toward neutral or good parties. How does an evil party even stay together and work as a team? Since when is Harm as helpful to a party as Heal? I'm trying to answer these questions. Oh, and this is going to be a lvl 1 HOF party.

Premise: A female dragon disciple convinces four of her suitors to join her on a quest for power and riches. Her faithful sidekick also comes along. The party leader's power, manipulation, and charisma keeps her suitors from combining to take over, and her sidekick gives additional insurance.

Party leader: Drakaina Ryu, Dragon Disciple. Fire and mind spells especially.
Sidekick: Robin Sharptooth, halfling F/T. I really thought about assassin here, but a F/T is better for HoF.
Suitor 1: Dalamar el'Sinistre, elven F/M. Son of rogue elves, he has focused from an early age on physical superiority and death/cold spells. He's a wannabe drow.
Suitor 2: Mephisto Malignus, human Blackguard. As evil a backstory as I can think up.
Suitor 3: (no name yet) avenger. Not evil, but so focused on nature and so little on humanity that it's hard to tell. I don't want to give up spike growth, animal summons, stalkers, and creeping doom.
Suitor 4: Here's the quandary - F/M/Cl, M/Cl, or dc Cl>M? I'm leaning to the last, for the Talos kit - storm shield + multiple lightning bolts fits the evil priest mold. I considered a Dark Moon Monk, but I didn't think it would be sufficiently powerful or evil, and I do want both priest and druid spells in the party.

Thoughts?

Comments

  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    i would go with the cleric/mage, although you will have 2 mages in the team and multiple copies of spell scrolls are so rare in IWD

    but anyway a cleric/mage can get animate dead which is going to be vital for a level 1 starting HoF run team, although you will need 26000 XP for that character before you can summon your skellies

    plus you can give that cleric/mage lightning bolt for its level 3 spells so it can still be a "multiple lightningbolt casting cleric"

    or you can just make a priest of talos and keep it that way the whole way through

    you dont HAVE to dual class to beat HoF, in fact back when i used to play it i would still just use single class characters with perhaps a fighter/thief
  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    Mind spells, death spells and cold spells in IWD?

    You are about to have a bad time, pal.

    I would trade the F/T for a F/C and go with C/T for the last slot.

    Sorcerer, F/C, F/M, Blackguard, Avenger, C/T.

    And I would hunt some kits for this rodeo!

    Palemaster/Imprisoned Soul, any evil from DoF or FnP, something from Might and Guile, Blackguard, Circle Enforcer or Lost Druid (instead of Avenger) - LD fits perfectly in this team, any evil from DoF or FnP.
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367
    A half-orc berserker or barbarian would be a good addition to this team. A bard or Skald would give them some extra umph also...
  • AerichAerich Member Posts: 159
    Thanks for the responses. I was leaning away from the FMC. A mc C/M doesn't bother me, it will get Animate Dead for Kuldahar Pass, and there are multiple ways to get through the caves without it.

    I want to avoid a sc cleric - been there, done that, and I tend to play those always the same way. They cast spells but don't otherwise add too much to the party. At least with a mage class thrown in, there's more spells so the character doubles down on its strength. I don't love dc for HoF, I generally prefer mc, but 1-2 is tolerable.

    @Raduziel - just because they focus on them doesn't mean that's all I'll cast. They obviously need other spell options for undead areas, but the spells noted have their place. I really don't want to have a C/T, as not fitting into my party concept. I'm playing on iOS, not sure if that works with the mods.

    @Balrog99 - agreed, but what gets taken out? My idea was to have the "4 Suitors" more or less equivalent by having at least some spellcasting capacity - especially if they are courting a dragon disciple. Blackguard isn't a major spellcaster, but fits too well in the party concept to take out - an evil party without a Blackguard? Blasphemy! I'm hesitant to drop a major spellcaster for a barbarian. In HoF, that means giving up stalkers, elementals, or aerial servants at higher levels for a barb's contributions, which I don't like. I mostly play with bards, but I decided against it for this run. I tend to play my bards as support only, which doesn't fit too well with the narcissistic, must-impress-the-leader style I have in mind.
  • ilduderinoilduderino Member Posts: 773
    Multi class mage cleric gets my vote - very powerful and rounds off the party nicely
  • AerichAerich Member Posts: 159
    Thanks everyone for the comments. I went with the multiclass M/C. I've rolled up the party and it's going into the BWT in the Vale. I swapped out the avenger for a shapeshifter.

    I went with axe and flail for the Blackguard (katana next); long sword, longbow, and mace for the F/M; short sword, dagger, and sling for the F/T (probably bow or xbow next).

    I gave the F/M the familiar - some funny dialogue there, not sure if it's because he's just evil, or chaotic evil.
  • mp9000mp9000 Member Posts: 2
    I would run with the priest/mage, in spite of the fact that you will have 2 mages in the group and different duplicates of spell scrolls are so uncommon in IWD

    yet anyway a priest/mage can get energize dead which will be imperative for a dimension 1 beginning HoF run group, in spite of the fact that you will require 26000 XP for that character before you can bring your skellies

    besides you can give that priest/mage lightning jolt for its dimension 3 spells so it can even now be a "various lightningbolt throwing priest"

    or on the other hand you can simply make a cleric of talos and keep it that way the entire route through

    you dont HAVE to double class to beat HoF, in actuality back when I used to play it I would in any case simply utilize single class characters with maybe a warrior/cheat
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