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My Power Party (not HoF)

smoermsmoerm Member Posts: 9
Hello, I'd like to share a powergaming party I plan to use and see what you guys think. This is for insane difficulty. Since I want to play the game somewhat the way it was meant to be played, this is not for HoF.

#1 Halfling Berserker
Axe +++++
Shield Style ++
19 DEX for throwing axes
18 CHA for spokesman role
Role:Tank, Snipe, Spokesperson
Can use Helm of Trusted Defender and has berserker's immunity to stun. If this character gets attacked, he can change from throwing axes to a melee axe.

#2 Half-Elf Skald
Role: Arcane Utility and Off-tank (Bards can indeed tank with use of spells like Blur, Mirror Image and Shield-- even while singing).
The skald song seems to be more outright "powerful" to me, whereas the Vanilla Bard's Warchant seems to be more "convenient" with it's hp regen.

#3 Dwarf Berserker
Long Sword +++++
Shield Style ++
Crossbow+
CON 19
Role: Tank, Melee Damage
Has Berserker immunity to stun, has dwarf's CON and saving throw bonuses.

#4 Human Berserker 7 > Cleric X
Flail +++++
Shield Style ++
Sling +
Role: Off-Tank, Melee Damage, Off-Healer
Has Berserker immunity to stun.
In IWD, since Healers are prone to having their healing spells interrupted from being attacked, I do not like for my primary healer to be a melee character. Therefore, this character is only an off-healer and an off-tank.

#5 Human Berserker 5 > Druid X
Dagger/ Throwing Dagger ++++
Shield Style ++
Role: Primary Healer, Druid Spell Utility
Has Berserker immunity to stun.
This character would attack mostly with throwing daggers just to ensure that he stays in the back row and does not agro enemies. This will ensure that his spells are not interrupted.

#6 Human Swashbuckler 5 > Fighter X
Short Sword++
Single Hand Style+ (as swashbuckler)
Long Bow +++++
Single Hand Style ++ (as fighter)
Role: Snipe, Find/Disarm Traps, Open Locks
While this character is still a Swashbuckler, even though I have selected Short Sword proficiency, I will equip her with a crossbow simply to ensure that she stays in the back row and out of danger. The Short Sword and Single Hand proficiencies are only there for defence and in case this character gets attacked. I chose Short Sword, but I dont know if this is the best choice. I simply want a weapon that will activate the Single Handed defence bonus, and I believe there is a magical Short Sword that further increases defence?
Post edited by smoerm on

Comments

  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    the only thing i would change is your top guy from halfling to gnome

    gnomes can wear the same helmet and even though they dont get the shorty save vs death ( although they get the save vs spell one ) and they will only have 18 dex instead of 19

    they can actually have exceptional str aka 18/xx

    halflings max out at 17 which is only +1 to hit/ to damage with melee weapons ( or damage with thrown weapons )

    while a gnome can hit that 18/00 which is +3 to hit and + to damage with weapons ( or even 18/91-18/99 which is +2 to hit with melee and +5 to damage with weapons ) in my opinion makes up for that +1 to hit with ranged weapons

    and as i said, even though gnomes dont get the save vs death bonus for their race, at level 17 their default save vs death will still be 3 ( as apposed to 0 ) so thats not too bad at all either


    and also depending on how well you know IWD, for the swash-> to fighter combo you could even do swash 10 -> fighter

    usually for me my thief usually hits level 10 around the tail end of chapter 2 ( like literally when you finish the chapter 2 boss ) and after that i dont think there is even a single lock to pick, and trap wise, there is only a few in chapter 3, some in chapter 4, none in chapter 5, and so little in chapter 6, so if you manage to dual your thief at level 10 you should hit level 11 in your fighter class ( or at least this is usually when i hit it ) sometime in chapter 5 or early chapter 6*

    *this is done on insane difficulty with bonus XP from difficulty turned off, if you have that on, then i would highly suggest making your "divine" type characters both hit level 7, and for the swashbuckler definitely do level 10 ( or even 11 if you want 3 traps per day )
    smoerm
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    edited October 2019
    oh, and also to note:

    watch out for your alignments, the game usually favors neutral alignment because a lot of items you can use either because you are good or evil or chaotic or lawful

    but there are 2 really good items that require you to be good;
    the shimmering sash
    and the platemail +6 ( the glory of suffering )

    so it might be a good idea to have on character of good alignment and make sure the rest are true neutral so they have a higher chance of being able to wear all said items
    smoerm
  • smoermsmoerm Member Posts: 9
    edited October 2019
    You're definitely right about the gnome's STR over the halfling's DEX, thanks. I never noticed that.

    What would be the benefit of leveling the the Swashbuckler over level 5 though? I figured I would just want @90 in Find Traps and @90 in open locks for a powergaming party, and to then switch over to fighter ASAP. I dont plan to use the other thief skills in a powergaming party.
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367
    Too many berserkers. You need some diversity. Maybe throw in a Kensai or even a Wizardslayer for flavor.
  • smoermsmoerm Member Posts: 9
    LOL I don't disagree, but this is a powergaming party, Brah-- which means pure power.
    Balrog99sarevok57
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    smoerm wrote: »
    You're definitely right about the gnome's STR over the halfling's DEX, thanks. I never noticed that.

    What would be the benefit of leveling the the Swashbuckler over level 5 though? I figured I would just want @90 in Find Traps and @90 in open locks for a powergaming party, and to then switch over to fighter ASAP. I dont plan to use the other thief skills in a powergaming party.

    for that extra to hit/to damage/ AC if you want that true power game party, ya need to squeeze every ounce of horse power out of that party as possible, and since you can get your thief levels back for chapter 6, it makes it worth it, plus if you play HoW and TotLM, all the better
    ilduderino
  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    edited October 2019
    Berserkers are not as strong in IWD as they are in BG2 because berserker immunities don't come into play as often. Grandmastery is nice but emphasizing it to such a degree that you have no FMs, FMTs, FMCs or sorcerers? I'm not seeing how that makes for the strongest possible party even if it does give you something akin to the highest-THAC0 party.
    Balrog99smoerm
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367
    jsaving wrote: »
    Berserkers are not as strong in IWD as they are in BG2 because berserker immunities don't come into play as often. Grandmastery is nice but emphasizing it to such a degree that you have no FMs, FMTs, FMCs or sorcerers? I'm not seeing how that makes for the strongest possible party even if it does give you something akin to the highest-THAC0 party.

    Agreed. A Kensai or two with 2-handed weapons would be golden!
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    well, even if the immunity thing isnt a big part of it ( although there are some charm and sleep type enchantments that can affect characters quite a bit in IWD ) berserk still gives a nice +2 to hit/to damage/ ac bonus, which is nothing to snear at

    and there is no need for a sorcerer when you have a skald who can cast haste anyway or any of the buff spells you need, and at a higher caster level as well

    and with kensais their disadvantage is terrible AC, yes you can "put them in the back" but when your entire party is surrounded by hordes of enemies, it can be difficult to keep those squishy characters away from enemies

    there are many ways to make power game parties, and everyone will always have a different point of view on whats more powerful ( i used to be a power gamer extraordinaire and if i were to make the "most powerful iwd team" even i would do it a little bit different ) but even with that said, smoerm's team is pretty solid, and should be wiping the floor of bad guy filth like a boss with the team make up smoerm has
    smoerm
  • smoermsmoerm Member Posts: 9
    jsaving wrote: »
    Berserkers are not as strong in IWD as they are in BG2 because berserker immunities don't come into play as often. Grandmastery is nice but emphasizing it to such a degree that you have no FMs, FMTs, FMCs or sorcerers? I'm not seeing how that makes for the strongest possible party even if it does give you something akin to the highest-THAC0 party.

    Would you say it's just a matter of having more arcane magic? I think maybe I could substitute #3 the Dwarf Berserker for a FMC... Is a lone skald for arcane magic not enough?
  • smoermsmoerm Member Posts: 9
    Wait, I know, it could be a Berserker> Mage ?
  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    The mage's strong defensive buffs mesh well with melee combat, but mages on their own don't have enough attacks per round (or a high enough strength) to make very good use of that tank-ability. FM/FMT/FMC characters can. On normal I would lean pretty strongly toward maximal THAC0 because you wouldn't need much tank-ability, but on hard the benefits of mage buffs start to outweigh grandmastery (even more so on insane/HoF).

    Even though I suggested a multiclassed FM/FMT/FMC you are right that a dualed berserker/mage can fill that role in IWD. I wouldn't go that route in BG2 because the lack of fighter HLAs would make you much weaker than a multiclassed FM at high levels. But there are no HLAs in IWD, nor would you have even the remotest prospect of reaching 3 million XP on hard even if there were. So you could absolutely keep your berserker theme and dual from berserker to mage at 7th or 9th level if you wanted.

    Why a sorcerer rather than relying entirely on your skald for spells? 1) No need to worry about scrolls, 2) more spells per day, 3) able to cast the most summon spells per day (important because summoned creatures scale with difficulty level), 4) able to learn mage spells whose scrolls either don't exist in-game or are only around in the ultra-boring Heart of Winter part of the game, and 5) access to the highest level mage spells which skalds aren't ever going to be able to cast.

    But I will say the case for putting a sorcerer in your party is much stronger when you already have 2-3 party members gobbling up the game's scarce scrolls. Since you are pretty mage-light you probably don't need to worry too much about the lack of a sorcerer, though I'd still argue they are a solid addition to most parties.
    smoerm
  • TrauerweideTrauerweide Member Posts: 27
    Your party is powerful. For some diversity i would recommend an archer. Mine had about 50% of the kills in the last playthrough. She was a total beast with a lucky roll of 98 and Seths bow.

    Anyway - have fun with the party you like even if you decide against an archer.
    smoerm
  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 950
    Idk, i like to use diversed party that has no or minimal weakness or downtime.
    Undead hunter
    Fighter/druid multi
    Fighter-cleric dual at 7, or fc multi dwarf
    Berserker or archer
    Mage/thief
    Bard

    Basic and simple but powerful party.
    smoerm
  • smoermsmoerm Member Posts: 9
    I think maybe an archer could fit instead of the Dwarf, maybe with crossbows since I already have the SwashFighter with longbows.
  • ThundarrThundarr Member Posts: 2
    I went
    Dwarven Defender
    Fighter/Cleric
    Fighter/Cleric
    Fighter/Cleric
    Mage/Cleric
    Mage/Thief

    This party is absurdly strong. Cleric spells in IWD are pretty broken. The Mage/Thief is pretty weak compared to the others but you have to have a Thief.
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367
    Thundarr wrote: »
    I went
    Dwarven Defender
    Fighter/Cleric
    Fighter/Cleric
    Fighter/Cleric
    Mage/Cleric
    Mage/Thief

    This party is absurdly strong. Cleric spells in IWD are pretty broken. The Mage/Thief is pretty weak compared to the others but you have to have a Thief.

    You're missing out on druid spells and bards. Both of them add quite a bit of content/flavor to IWD. Personally, I'd swap out one F/C for a F/Druid and another for a Cleric/Ranger. You don't need a thief as much as you think so the M/T can be swapped for a Skald or a vanilla bard. Make him/her true neutral for the rabbit familiar and you have a pretty nifty little trap nullifier. It won't be able to disarm everything, but most of them won't be a problem (luck spell can add some points for tougher traps). Dragon's Eye had some nasty traps that the rabbit can't handle but almost all of the others were doable. Have the bard/Skald memorize some Knock spells and you're all set!
  • ilduderinoilduderino Member Posts: 773
    edited January 2020
    I have been thinking of:

    Paladin (probably cavalier)
    Fighter/Druid multi
    Kensai to dual to a druid or cleric
    Archer
    Cleric/mage (want to play with sequencers, sequencers and the wish spells)
    Swashbuckler to dual to a mage

    The first two are to tank, the next two to deal obscene damage and the last two are to cover arcane damage and utility.

    I would be interested to hear how a kencler works out, they lack iron skins so am leaning towards a kendru. I had one before and he was an absolute beast and had the highest kill count by miles at the end of HoW.

    I toyed with using a Dwarven defender as a tank but want to try the F/D as a tank with ironskins, boring beetle form and water elemental form. I imagine it will be a better tank but require more microing.

    Am also considering working in druid multis now I know about semiticgod’s druid multiclassing mod.

    I used to happily include a bard almost every run but the EE has massively improved the level 9 arcane spells, I have roleplayed them a lot and this party should work very well without the songs.
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