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Help with 4 people party

knight1337knight1337 Member Posts: 32
in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
I want to play the game with a 4 people neutral/good party (3 NPCs + charname).

Maybe i'll bring Neera and Rasaad(I read that monks are powerful in a small party).

My main will be a tank (don't know which class is best). I need a thief and a Cleric.

I'm taking suggestions

Comments

  • MadhaxMadhax Member Posts: 1,416
    If you make your main a fighter/cleric or cleric/ranger, you can go full-plate tank-mode and still get clerical spells. Multiclassed clerics don't progress much slower than full-blown clerics, especially in a 4-person party.

    That plus Rasaad on the front lines, with Neera and Imoen in the rear, could be solid.
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    edited January 2014
    Have u played BG EE or BG 1? The story will make more sense if u have...

    BG 2 NPCs have loads of character, and most of their own questlines, so if it's ur first game, I'd recommend a full party to experience as much of it as possible.

    Arcane magic is critical in BG 2, so u can't go wrong with Neera, Imoen would be a very useful 2nd mage, and also satisfies thief requirements.

    I agree with Madhax regarding your own class if u insist on a party of 4. In a full party u can be a bit more flexible, but with just 4, ur charname needs to satisfy the divine magic role.

    "Multiclassed clerics don't progress much slower than full-blown clerics, especially in a 4-person party."
    @Madhax I gotta disagree with this though. Anomen is lv29 in my ToB game, Aerie is lv17, even though I've substituted Anomen quite a lot for some quests, whereas Aerie's always been around cos she's charname's romance.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    If you're going with a small party anyway then I'd recommend a fighter multiclass for your main. Fighter/Mage or Fighter/Cleric are both powerhouses and Fighter/Thieves have enough punch and utility to be very useful. Having a multi means that your last party spot is a bit more flexible too.
  • foolstonefoolstone Member Posts: 37
    Actually don't worry about divine spells, you don't even need them.
  • tennisgolfbolltennisgolfboll Member Posts: 457
    Multi class are more difficult to play than a normal fighter tank. If you are new i strongly recommend this:

    Main berserker fighter
    aerie or anomen for cleric. If you play male (not dwarf or half orc) you can romance aerie, if female you can romance anomen
    Imoen or jan jansen for thief/mage (i think jan is very funny)
    Last slot whatever you want. If you are a first timer keldorn is simple and powerful
  • tennisgolfbolltennisgolfboll Member Posts: 457
    Let me us know if you are a beginner etc what kind of experience you want and so on. I have used many small parties and enjoy it alot.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    Multiclass Fighters are pretty forgiving really, and having a bit of casting means you learn a lot about the game. A Fighter/Cleric is pretty much just a fighter with a load of buffs and healing spells. All the gear you use is very similar, you're just restricted to blunt weapons.

    Fighter/Mages are incredibly easy to play once you get mirror image and stoneskin. Even if you just use those two spells, slap on a suit of plate and wade into melee you're good for 90% of the game. Mix in Improved Haste and Protection from Magical Weapons and they're damn near invincible.
  • tennisgolfbolltennisgolfboll Member Posts: 457
    From melee yes but berserkers rage is simple for a beginner and is great against magic.
    For a beginner that wants easy and power i recommend berserker.

    For powergaming with knowledge dual with berserker/ cleric and many many more combos.
  • JLeeJLee Member Posts: 650
    edited January 2014
    Bringing Neera and Rasaad doesn't leave too many options if you want both divine casting and a thief, but here are some I would find enjoyable:

    C/T charname
    Keldorn
    Rasaad
    Neera

    F/T charname
    Jaheira/Anomen
    Rasaad
    Neera

    R/C or F/C charname
    Yoshimo/Jan
    Rasaad
    Neera

    Of course if you don't need both Neera and Rasaad, it opens up considerably.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    Couple suggestions
    Cleric/Ranger
    Yoshimo-Imoen
    Rasaad
    Neera

    Theif dualed to Fighter
    Jaheira
    Rasaad
    Neera
  • knight1337knight1337 Member Posts: 32
    I'm not new to bg, but I want to make a 4 people party so its less micromanaging and the terrible pathfinding just drives me crazy with 6 people

    I think i'll drop Rasaad and bring another tank, like Keldorn, I don't think Rasaad can stand in frontline witout dying in 5 seconds

    So

    Cleric/Ranger
    Keldorn
    Yoshimo-Imoen
    Neera
  • ReadingRamboReadingRambo Member Posts: 598
    edited January 2014
    Korgan, Edwin, and Viconia are so awesome together, though! Charname could be anything wih thief and you're set
    Post edited by ReadingRambo on
  • Stasis_SwordStasis_Sword Member Posts: 91
    If you're bringing Rasaad and Neera this is the most logical choice:
    Fighter/Thief
    Jaheria/Anomen
    Rasaad
    Neera

    Gives you a thief, mage, healer, melee power and the ability to use any weapon in the game.
  • mumumomomumumomo Member Posts: 635
    In a group of 4, i am assuming that you want a little bit of each class (divine, arcane, fighter, thief)

    Let's look at what the neutral/good NPC can bring :

    fighters : Anyone with a girdle of strength and gauntlets of dex i good. Keldorn is the best because of his kits. Jaheira can also be very strong. Anomen can help for the early game (not so much at the end). Therefore having your main as a pure tank does not seem the best choice IMO.
    As for rasaad, monks are quite good at very high level but keldorn is in my opinion much stronger an flexible.

    Cleric : Jaheira is not bad but far from anomen/aerie for healing magic (no greater restoration)

    Mage : neera is the only specialist. Imoen, and Jan are Ok. Imoen is far superior to Nalia.

    Thief : imoen covers the bare minimum while jan gives you everything you would ever need.


    Based on that, i see 2 main options (while keeping a fighter component for your main):

    Option 1:
    - fighter/thief
    - Keldorn
    - Anomen
    - Neera

    Melee : very strong (2 powerhouses, 1 backup)
    Magic : Strong (1 divine, 1 arcane specialist)
    Thieving : very strong (huge backstab of fighterthief, enough skill point to do everything you need and more)
    This party is easy to play and characters develop quickly (single class)
    Using jaheira on anomen is even stronger for melee but weaker for divine casting (multi class)


    Option 2 :
    - ranger/cleric
    - keldorn
    - Neera
    - Jan Jansen

    Melee : strong (2 powerhouses)
    Magic : very strong (1 divine (access to all cleric and druid spells), 1 arcane specialist, 1 secondary mage)
    Thieving : strong (enough skill point to do everything you need and more)
    You can replace Jan Jansen by imoen, for less theiving but easier access to arcane spells


    Anyway, any combination of charname and NPC can work. You can just pick the ones which appeal you the most.






  • nanonano Member Posts: 1,632
    @mumumomo I agree with most of your suggestions but I beg to differ about Nalia. Imoen isn't far superior as a mage; they're virtually identical. And depending on how quickly you reach Spellhold Nalia can actually be better. It's only as a thief that Imoen comes out ahead.

    I like JLee and boo's parties. Especially the C/T party, it's very tactical.
  • Stasis_SwordStasis_Sword Member Posts: 91
    knight1337 said:


    So

    Cleric/Ranger
    Keldorn
    Yoshimo-Imoen
    Neera

    Party looks much better without Rasaad.

    Cleric/Ranger is a great tank so that fits well.

    I presume Imoen is for sentimental reasons? Otherwise Jan might be better choice for some thief HLAs.
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    Theres no sense making a Fighter/Cleric over a Ranger/Cleric I'd say unless you wanted to keeper a dwarven defender or berserker Cleric maybe...

    The other three will be:

    Neera
    Rasaad (Can hold his own quickly even in SOA if you have a small party)
    Jan/Nalia/Imoen

    For the hard stuff just drink thief skill potions, Jan does get UAI though which is very nice for a mage. Carsomyr and Tenser Transformation!

    By the way, Viconia gets along with Neera and Rasaad so you can use her and go Fighter/Thief too.

    Having only 1 arcane caster can be a big issue if you play with SCS though.
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    Stasis_Sword said:


    I presume Imoen is for sentimental reasons? Otherwise Jan might be better choice for some thief HLAs.

    @Stasis_Sword
    Imoen is amazing! Her stats are nearly perfect for a Thief => Mage and she's got all her points assigned ideally to cover the requirements for a party thief (Find Traps and Open Locks), without sacrificing much arcane firepower. She even has good hp for a mage!

    Her stealth could be better, but she's a mage, so she can easily cast invisibility spells, and I stopped bothering with actual stealth somewhere in Chapter 4. Later on in the game u also end up finding so many invisibility potions that u can pretty drink them whenever u wanna go scouting with Immy.
    nano said:

    Imoen isn't far superior as a mage; they're virtually identical. And depending on how quickly you reach Spellhold Nalia can actually be better. It's only as a thief that Imoen comes out ahead.

    @nano
    Yes, in fact it's arguable that Nalia is better for the very fact that she's around quite a bit (or maybe a lot) longer.

    In Tord's Lilly Black LP for BG 2, his Nalia was way stronger than Imoen cos he spent ages in Chapter 2 before going to save Imoen.

    When I got Nalia in ToB, I was amazed to see that her Find Traps was actually pretty good. Whatever Imoen can do, she can do as well, maybe with a little help with Potion of Perception/Master Thievery for the odd tough case, but otherwise she's just as capable.
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    I boost Imoen's Int to 19 with deck of many things and Lum the Mad (Int really doesn't help anyone else since Charname already has 20 from BG1 and Gnome. With that, she doesn't need potions any more to scribe spells! Also, as a mage there's really not much to gain after you have all of the HLAs, which can happen with Imoen towards the end of SOA if you do WK...
  • beingmarkhbeingmarkh Member Posts: 42
    knight1337 said:



    I think i'll drop Rasaad and bring another tank, like Keldorn, I don't think Rasaad can stand in frontline witout dying in 5 seconds

    If you kit him out with the AC 3 bracers and a STR amplifier, both available at Ribald's, Rasaad (or any other monk for that matter) will chew up and spit out whatever you throw at him. You might have to manage his health in the earlier game, but mid- to late-game monks are so powerful they start to actually make the game boring.

    But I'm not sure how you're hoping to have a 4-man party with two tanks anyway, assuming you want a mage, thief, and cleric along.
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    Ranger/Cleric and Rasaad will both make good tanks later on in the game, early on you will probably have to use summons and ranged damage.
  • TwoWayFinesseTwoWayFinesse Member Posts: 128
    Your first run through? I would suggest
    Fighter/Cleric or Beserker duelled to cleric, you can even do this straight away in the first dungeon at 7th level (waiting to level 9 is slightly better, any higher and you'll be waiting to resume fighter skills and not necessary unless powergaming). Just remember to pick all cleric proficiencies when creating the character and don't pick them when a cleric until you resume fighter.
    Joshimo - thief
    Nalia - Mage
    Any of Jaheira, Minsc, Valygar or Keldorn (plus you) can tank. Jaheira and Keldorn probably offer most potential. Valygar not absolute typical front line but effective and Minsc is, well, Minsc.

    Can replace any of these later if necessary :)
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    TwoWayFinesse said:

    Your first run through? I would suggest
    Fighter/Cleric or Beserker duelled to cleric, you can even do this straight away in the first dungeon at 7th level (waiting to level 9 is slightly better, any higher and you'll be waiting to resume fighter skills and not necessary unless powergaming). Just remember to pick all cleric proficiencies when creating the character and don't pick them when a cleric until you resume fighter.
    Joshimo - thief
    Nalia - Mage
    Any of Jaheira, Minsc, Valygar or Keldorn (plus you) can tank. Jaheira and Keldorn probably offer most potential. Valygar not absolute typical front line but effective and Minsc is, well, Minsc.

    Can replace any of these later if necessary :)

    Ranger/Cleric gets all of the benefits of Fighter/Cleric but also gets all of the Druid spells so I think its superior to Fighter/Cleric. Berserker/Cleric is nice though to be able to lazily deal with annoying effects.

    Mazzy is a better fighter than anyone but Korgan if your playing good. Jaheira is the best tank though because of AOF and Iron Skins.

    I don't use Yoshimo except to bring him to spellhold for his heart, I actually kick him out once I'm on the docks so he doesn't take my Brynnlaw exp :).
  • TheZodiakTheZodiak Member Posts: 33
    I would go with Jaheira. She is a very versatile character as she is a fighter and healer in one. You can also romance her if you like to.

    As a another NPC i would go with Valygar. He's a good scout and scouting is very benificial when you play with only 4 chars.

    Of course Imoen will be in this party aswell! She will be your 2nd mage and thief. At the start take Yoshimo.

    You should be a Fighter type dualed to mage e.g. Kensai/Mage, Berserker/Mage, Fighter/Mage

    This is possible:

    3 melee (jaheira, valygar, PC),
    3 ranged(valygar, imoen, PC)
    2 mage (imoen, PC),
    1 thief (imoen),
    1 healer (jaheira),
    1 utility (valygar)

    I think this is a pretty solid group.

  • Stasis_SwordStasis_Sword Member Posts: 91
    Heindrich1988 said:

    Stasis_Sword said:


    I presume Imoen is for sentimental reasons? Otherwise Jan might be better choice for some thief HLAs.

    @Stasis_Sword
    Imoen is amazing! Her stats are nearly perfect for a Thief => Mage and she's got all her points assigned ideally to cover the requirements for a party thief (Find Traps and Open Locks), without sacrificing much arcane firepower. She even has good hp for a mage!

    Her stealth could be better, but she's a mage, so she can easily cast invisibility spells, and I stopped bothering with actual stealth somewhere in Chapter 4. Later on in the game u also end up finding so many invisibility potions that u can pretty drink them whenever u wanna go scouting with Immy.
    @Heindrich1988 just to be clear I'd never bad mouth Imoen. I was just saying with a 4 person party that already has a single class mage (Neera) I might prefer Jan's flexibility. 10 points in detect illusion gives him true sight, pick pockets, use any items, invisible backstabs, and don't forget spike traps.
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    Once you get into the late teens and especially HLAs are one of the most survivable classes.
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