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A Druid and a Dagger (+ Glass Canon tank and DD discussion)

SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
Greetings.

Disposition:

1. Fighter/Druid multi (tank, close combat warrior).
2. Fighter with bow (damage dealer).
3. Bard.
4. Skald.

EE, Heart of Fury, ~ Dragon's Eye
Fighter/Druid, let's say, about 12lvl fighter and have:
** in daggers;
** in scimitars;
** in two-weapon fighting.

His off-hand weapon is lucky scimitar.
What will be the main?

Please, choose from this list and tell me why:

Ol' Withery
Presio's Dagger
Life Dagger +2
Post edited by SorrowSeer on
Skatan

Comments

  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    Presio's Dagger

    for HoF mode, dealing damage is top priority, and with this dagger EVERY time you hit you force the enemy to make a save or be poisoned, and even with HoF mode save bonuses, enemies will still fail, and the sooner enemies die the better

    now, if you fighter/druid is taking some serious damage all the time, then perhaps life dagger could be a good substitute instead, but if you are acting like the bee gees and staying alive is pretty easy then you don't need to worry

    as for ol' withery, that 2% chance of casting finger of death and plus them getting a save? not even remotely worth it, plus im pretty sure in IWD finger of death chunks baddies, so if a baddie is holding an item you want and you finger of death 'em, then that item be gone

    also, i would suggest if you can, with that fighter using bow to switch over to axes, that throwing axe +2 is a god send on HoF mode, being a +2 ranged weapon that is infinite ammo and benefits from a STR bonus is absolutely top notch
    Grond0SorrowSeerStummvonBordwehrSkatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    edited March 2021
    @sarevok57

    Greetings.

    Thank You for Your answer!

    How do You think will look other weapons that fighter/druid can use in same conditions (with two stars)?

    Phase Dagger
    Static Dagger +1
    Fire Dagger +2
    Dazer
    Peacekeeper (vs skeletal undead may be?)


    About fighter
    (gnome for trusted defender with druid's timeless body)

    Throwing axe +2 is magnificent weapon.
    But, from what I understand, it's rate of fire will be "1".
    And Messenger of Sseth (as an example) rate of fire will be "3".

    And again, from my understanding, more APR = more damage.
    Isn't that right?
    Post edited by SorrowSeer on
    Skatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
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    Grond0Skatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    out of those 5 weapons, realistically fire dagger +2 will probably be the best, with its +1 AC bonus, and the fact that its % is higher for dealing extra fire damage, just based on probability alone, it would deal more damage than the phasing dagger

    as for the rest of the weapons, up to you, compared to fire dagger +2 they are kind of crap, dazer's chance to stun is so damn low, and if you want i suppose you could keep peacekeeper for skeletal undead, since in theory it would be dealing "double" the damage of fire dagger +2 with its crushing damage

    as for the throwing axe +2 the reason why i suggest it is because yes, even though the messenger of whats-it-ma-jig does set your APR to 3, that also means you are going to run out of arrows super fast, which means stocking up on crap ton of arrows ( unless you have some mods for higher arrow stacks or infinite arrows ) plus even with that being said you are no doubt shooting +0 arrows, which will not be able to hit every baddie, while the +2 throwing axe, counts as a +2 weapon, so it can hit those baddies that require magical weapons

    and damage wise, lets see... messenger at x5 APR at level 7 dealing 1d6+5 ( 4 from proficiency, 1 from bow ) equals 5d6+25 which can be up to 55 damage a round

    throwing axe at x3 APR at level 7 dealing 1d6+11 ( 4 from proficiency, 2 from weapon, 5 from strength ) equals 3d6+33 which can be up to 51 damage a round

    so if your STR is pretty good, then its not that much worse, and again, dont need to stock up on crap loads of arrows, and can hit baddies that require magical weapons ( perfect for the marileth fight for example, although i suppose they do supply +2 arrows there probably for that reason ) in fact if you increase your STR to 19 with one of many STR increasing items you can find in IWD you will actually on average deal more damage with the throwing axe +2 than messenger of sseth

    level 13 fighter->
    sseth; x6 APR ( with haste ) 1d6+6 ( 5 from proficiency, 1 from bow ) 6d6+36 = 42-72 dam/round
    axe: x4 APR ( with haste ) 1d6+14 ( 5 from proficiency, 2 from axe, 7 from STR ) 4d6+56= 60-80 dam/round
    AND
    if you find the ring of recklessness ( or some other item that can give you an extra APR, but i believe only thief types can use it...) so you can have x5 APR, then that is just a no brainer there - 5d6+70= 75-100 dam/round

    to make the messenger of sseth a real killer would have been if you made your fighter an archer aka the ranger class kit instead, then the bonus to damage every 3 levels would help it catch up much better, to bad in IWD kensai's can't use throwing weapons like they can in the BG games...

    although i guess in the end its up to you, i just prefer the axe so then i dont have to stock up on mindless amounts of arrows and having to go back to town every 10 fights because im out of ammunition
    SorrowSeerStummvonBordwehrSkatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    @sarevok57

    Many thanks!
    That was very detailed answer!

    I suppose, elven ranger-archer with bow/repeater-crossbow will be a better damage dealer than gnomish fighter with throwing axe +2?
    (but no trusted defender and a question about to cast or not to cast haste spell?...)
    Skatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    well lets do some comparisons;
    level 13 archer;

    heavy crossbow of speed+2; 5 APR ( with haste ) 1d8+13 ( 4 crossbow, 5 proficiency, 4 archer levels )
    5d8+65= 70-105 dam/round

    repeater longbow; 6 APR ( with haste ) 1d6+12 ( 3 bow, 5 proficiency, 4 archer levels )
    6d6+72= 78-108 dam/round

    level 13 gnome berserker with 19 STR

    throwing axe +2; 4 APR ( with haste ) 1d6+16 ( 2 axe, 5 proficiency, 7 strength, 2 berserk )
    4d6+64= 68-88 dam/round

    if find an extra APR item;

    5d6+80= 85-110 dam/round

    now with that being said, if you can get your STR to go pass 19 then you will continue to deal even more damage with the throwing axe, but also for every 3 levels up to level 18 an archer gets +1 to hit/damage

    at the end of the day, i just prefer using the throwing axe +2 because of ammunition convenience, i hate having bajillions of arrows in my inventories, but as the math shows, in theory repeater longbow probably will out pace all 3 weapons, although just barely

    and as for the trusted defender helmet, if you were going to go the route of having an archer instead of a fighter/berserker, its kind of irrelevant because your archer should never be in melee, and even if your archer gets fatigued their thac0 will be so extreme that it probably won't matter much anyway

    but to be honest, at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what you equip your guys with, hell its probably possible to beat the game on HoF mode with everyone using quarterstaves, so if you are happy with your weapon choice, i say stick with it :)
    SorrowSeerStummvonBordwehrSkatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    @sarevok57

    As always, thank You for such detailed comparison!

    Are there such items as... in actual IWD EE game (without mods) ?

    Long Bow +3: Repeater
    Long Bow +4: Hammer
    Repeating Light Crossbow
    Repeating Heavy Crossbow

    And, in Your point of view, what alignment should be chosen for a fighter with throwing axe +2?
    Skatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    long bow repeater can be found here;
    in chapter 6 when you are in the mines, there is that mini tower that has a bunch of archers in there, the main dude has a 33% chance i believe of having repeater, so if you want repeater, you will have to save your game before going in to the tower, and keep killing them baddies and reloading until the main dude drops it

    hammer can be found here;
    the only way to get hammer is in loneywood in HoW, and you have to kill the ammunition merchant who also does the "werewolf" quest, i forget his name, but it starts with an "E", worse off, if you do kill him your REP will drop which will mean everything will also be more expensive, so its a hard toss up, plus if you are not careful, your rangers or paladins if you have any will become fallen if your REP gets too low meaning that they lose all of their special abilities and become gimped fighters instead

    repeating light/heavy crossbow can be found here;
    the repeating heavy and light crossbow are on the same treasure table, and there is only a 33% chance of getting one of them, the options are;
    repeating light crossbow
    repeating heavy crossbow
    reinforced heavy crossbow

    with repeating heavy crossbow being the best of the bunch

    where this can be found is the area that has all the fire giants in the mine area in chapter 6, the place where you kill that elf woman for her badge ( maiden illadia ) infact the crossbow is in the wardrobe that is behind her from where she starts, this is the only place where you can get it, so either luck be on your side, and get a runner to run over there and keep reloading until you find what you are looking for

    when it comes to alignment what i usually do is thus;

    one person is good alignment ( usually lawful good and up front ) and human or half-orc type, so then they can use the shimmering sash ( only usable by good ) and i believe the glory of suffering can also only be used by good and then i have that same character use that cloak that the blind witch lady drops in HoW ( which can only be used by humans, half orc and perhaps only half elves....? im certain no shorties allowed, not sure about elves though )

    other than that, if i can i try and make everyone else true neutral, or neutral something, because some items are alignment dependent and true neutral gives you the best exposure to said items
    SorrowSeerStummvonBordwehrSkatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    @sarevok57

    I really thank You for information about items placement. That was most generous of You.

    Can't find any info about "the glory of suffering".
    Maybe, by any chance, screenshot with this armor?
    Skatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    here is a screenshot
    pxvbpvyfv2ue.png

    and here is how to get it;
    in chapter 6 you will notice that as soon as you enter the mines area this big piece of animated armor will attack you and can never be killed ( just knocked unconscious ) and every time you rest a bell will ring and any new area you enter, it will be there and attack you and rinse lather repeat

    now, what happens is when you hit the temple area and speak with one of the priests, this is where he finally dies after you kill the altar i believe, but this is not the ending you want

    this is what you want to do before you hit the temple area;

    - grab the sack of potatoes from merkrath's palace
    - go down the mining well ( which is a bit north of the entrance of where you fight this guy the first time )
    - give the potatoes to the gnomes in that area, then go east and take out some umberhulks and enter the "secret city" i suppose i shall call it
    - then there will be a merchant named Nym, speak to him, and ask him where he has been, and make sure to get the dialogue that says he was the one that caused all the gerfuffle of the dwarves and elves back in the day ( although be careful when this part comes up because one of your answers will make him hostile and you probably dont want to do that because he is a pretty decent merchant, and besides he doesn't need to die for the quest to complete )
    - after you are done with nym, now you can go to the temple area, and speak with the holmes inside one of those crystal ball shield thingies and when you do, the animated armor guy will come back, but this time you will have an option to say; Wait! bleh bleb blah.... so choose that answer and then he will die and leave a pile of bones
    - pick up the bones and head back to kuldahar and go to the underground temple area and speak with the female priest in the back

    now at this point, i don't know if its based on either who your main character is or who talks to her, but lets go with main character

    if your main character is a warrior you will get the platemail +6
    if your main character is some type of divine caster you will get a cloak of wisdom +1 that weighs like 80 lbs
    and if your main character is some kind of thief you get some type of leather armor that also weighs a million lbs ( although don't quote me on the class here, but i know there is a leather armor option )

    only good aligned characters can use any of these items, and in my opinion the +6 platemail is the best of the bunch, so make sure a warrior ( preferably a fighter, and have them in the top spot when they speak to the priest ) to get the armor

    oh, and also you get an insane amount of XP for bringing those bones in, i believe it is somewhere around 600 000XP
    SorrowSeerStummvonBordwehrSkatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    @sarevok57

    Much appreciate.

    Armor is a piece of art.

    That's a disappointment that fighter/druid can't use it.

    A good choice for a ranger.
    But ranger will get his Iron Skins not near from end of the game, even with HOF pace of getting exp.
    Maybe o ranger/cleric?
    (with some additions to game files, that'll give a character druid spells with cleric's ones)
    Skatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    as long as you have a fighter to talk to the priest first or else you will only get the wisdom cloak with a ranger or cleric/ranger

    also if you make an archer they will not be able to wear it

    and yeah, if you have a ranger or ranger/cleric going into melee nothing wrong with wearing it

    for a ranger/cleric to get iron skins with the game option turned on for ranger/clerics to know all spells, you will only have to hit the 450 000 xp mark for your first level 5 spell, which you will probably hit some time in chapter 5

    oh wait, HoF mode?

    no doubt waaaaay sooner ( its been a long LONG time since i played HoF mode, so i dont remember what the XP allocation is like )

    just the thing to note is your first level 5 spell for a ranger/cleric comes at the 450 000 xp mark and your second level 5 spell comes at the 900 000 xp mark, and if you get your WIS high enough, you can start getting bonus level 5 cleric spells once your WIS hits 21
    SorrowSeerSkatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    If main tank/close combat warrior will be good-alignt ranger/cleric, then a damage dealer must be a fighter (with throwing axe +2, for example).
    Half-orc (str19) or gnome (trusted defender)?
    Same good-alignt (for Righteous Wrath of the Faithful) or neutral (for ring of dwarven bone)?
    Skatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    well if you are really trying to push out as much damage as possible, you will want to make a half-orc berserker ( 19 STR, +2 to damage with berserk )

    if you want you can make the same alignment as your cleric for righteous wrath since it will give more combat bonuses than the ring of dwarven bone will ( and that is even IF you get that ring, i believe its either 25% or 33% chance of even getting it in the severed hand )

    once you have 19 STR, getting one more STR from the dwarven bone ring will only make your damage go up by 1, while righteous wrath will make it go up more

    but if you do go gnome if you REALLY want that helmet ( to be honest its not game breakingly good ) then it's a bit of a toss up, because A ) righteous wrath fatigues when its done, so it wouldn't affect a gnome, or B ) if you use a gnome and your STR is less than 18/91+ then the bone ring can be a close candidate for use, again IF you get it

    if it were me, i would go with half orc berserker, same alignment as your cleric if you plan to use righteous wrath, if dont plan to use that spell, then i would just go with true neutral ( or whatever the most neutral a berserker can go )
    SorrowSeerSkatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    @sarevok57

    Disadvantages:

    Becomes winded after berserking: -2 penalty to Armor Class, to-hit rolls, and damage rolls.

    I believe, it worse than fatigue is?
    Skatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    from what i recall in IWD when you get fatigued your "luck" stat goes down, which means you will critical miss more often

    ( it was really apparent in the vanilla IWD, i dont remember if its as adamant in the EEs )
    Skatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    @sarevok57

    No matter what, it was very informative!

    Please, accept my most sincere gratitude!
    sarevok57StummvonBordwehrSkatan
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    no worries good buddy, glad to be of help :)
    Skatan
  • SorrowSeerSorrowSeer Member Posts: 144
    @sarevok57

    Greetings.

    I forgot about ranger ability "racial enemy".

    What racial enemy for ranger/cleric (close combat tank/warrior) would be wise to choose in IWD EE full game with heart of fury?
    Skeletal undead?
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