@CrevsDaak Have a strong front line, with the amount of enemys in this game without proper tanks and healers your squishy mages are gonna get railed before they can even cast anything. Also if your gonna have a backline thief you might as well make it something like a mage/thief. you get to a high enough level that even with the split exp you will have more than enough points by the time it even matters. Finally, Bow users are godlike in this game.
*My idea of an ideal party* Paladin Cleric Mage Mage/Thief Ranger OR Fighter (bow wielder) Druid for more support OR Barbarian for straight tank. Do as ye like. Im not saying that this is the absolute best thing you can do but its what has worked for me in the past.
My party? i don't know yet, but I know that my party will be built for surviving HoF. In HoF enemies hit hard and have loads of hp, but IIRC they don't have better saving throws. My mages wil be focused in buff, debuff and chaos-like spells. I'll need a cleric for turn undead. And finally I want to use properly the weird level cap of IWD. I'll have many multi or dusl clasd. I dream a fighter 29 dualled to mage I won't have a Paladin, instead I'll have a multi fighter-thief (or a berserker dualled to thief) eith UAI wielding the pale justice. I'll definitely have a sorcerer to bypass the lack of wizard scrolls. So basically my first party will look like:
Fighter-mage (multi or dual?) Fighter-thief (multi or dual?) Fighter-druid (dual maybe) Cleric Sorcerer Bard
As with every other well-designed game there is no such thing as "the best party". You definitely want a bard, though--for some reason bards are far more useful in IWD as compared to bards in any other game I have seen.
@Dazzu, does that elf shield user need any sort of specific class? Or rather, would it be good or bad on my half-elf fighter/druid? Regardless of your answer, my party won't change, but I am curious to know.
@Elrandir I'm pretty sure the shield he's talking about is called "the argent protector." It's a large shield so make sure you have and elf with a class that can wield it and 15 strength.
25 Magic Resistance is nothing to sneeze at. Anyone who can use medium shields can wield it... which I'm guessing will mean 12 strength rather than 15. There are some decent shields, few that compare to 25 MR which you can slap on anyone you need to fight a mage.
As with every other well-designed game there is no such thing as "the best party". You definitely want a bard, though--for some reason bards are far more useful in IWD as compared to bards in any other game I have seen.
You are making these characters rummage around in cold, desolate areas full of hostile monsters. The least the game could do is give you an incentive to provide your characters with someone who can provide entertainment
Is it better to go with one handed axes or two handed? (since those exist in IWD) I assume they'll fall under the two different weapon styles, although I guess my dwarven F/T can learn to wield both kinds well.
Drake Morrigan, Lawful Evil, human Blackguard Omin Bromm, Chaotic Neutral, human Fighter Quinn Lirrit, Lawful Neutral, human Bard Alabaster the Ivory, Chaotic Neutral, gnome Illusionist Serrick, Chaotic Neutral, halfling Assassin Sandro, True Neutral, human Druid
This is a theme party, an "all-star" team of some of my gaming group's characters. I'm roleplaying that it's a crack team Drake and his usual partner-in-crime Omin have assembled from among everybody they know in the adventuring world after hearing about Hrothgar's call for adventurers. Of course, half of these guys are crazy weirdos, so hilarity will naturally ensue.
So far, I'm thinking a big part of their game plan will be Quinn singing Tymora's Melody for that +1 luck. Combined with Drake's Two-Handed Weapon Style and Serrick's Single Weapon Style, those two can roll critical hits on 18-20 for wicked damage. Omin tanks, Serrick and Drake spank, and Quinn sings while Sandro and Alabaster provide AoE damage, support, and crowd control.
For my first run: *Name - M/F Class (Alignment)* Sid - F Human Bard (Chaotic Good) ? - F Half-Orc Barbarian (Chaotic Neutral) Stonebeard - M Dwarven Fighter/Cleric Defender (Lawful Neutral) Jerrol - M Halfling Fighter/Assassin (Lawful Evil) ? - M Elven Cleric/Mage Ranger/Cleric (Neutral Good) Anduina - F Gnomish Wild Mage (Chaotic Evil)
I'll have to edit the race to Gnome. Which reminds me… @Troodon80 , is there any word on EEKeeper's potential compatibility with IWDEE?
As for the Dwarven Defender, I was on the fence, but I think you've swayed me. The Elf may need changing to Ranger/Cleric to pump up the Divine. Screw it. Lawful Neutral Dwarven Defender it is He'll probably get my usual name for Dwarves: Stonebeard
Yahiko, a Totemic Druid, an elf, a male Petunia Jansen, an Illusionist/Thief, a gnome, a female Valthur Blackrock, a Scald, a dwarf, a male Bart, a barbarian, a halfling, a male Hisoka, a fighter/cleric, a human, a male Arthissurr, a dragon disciple, a half-elf, a female
Troodon80, is there any word on EEKeeper's potential compatibility with IWDEE?
Short answer: no word right now. :-)
Realistically, to gauge compatibility I need two things: first is to have access to it, second is to have the time. Under the assumption that little has changed with the file structures, there's no reason to think Keeper won't work.
I'm looking at replacing a couple things so that I don't need to create new buttons on the toolbar, work out the user saved data, get rid of the one-language-selection-for-two-games (really poor design on my part), and mainly make it so that the user can create profiles in Keeper rather than be told 'enter the location of BG:EE or BG2:EE' (more so because it still works with the original BG2—so if people are still playing the original and want to take advantage of the new options available, they can). I note my current plan here (and further down the same page).
@CrevsDaak Put those hints down before you hurt yourself Crev. Just imagine how it feels like not being able to play BG from the start again fresh. Don't listen any of us , just go @ your please.
"Someone shot by a spoiler bleeds the adrenaline for it."
I like the concept of mostly every class represented in party. I think I would use a monk or a barbarian in the last slot, depending on the availability of monk items in IWDEE.
I'm planning to do my first run with Rich Burlew's Order of the Stick:
1) Roy Greenhilt, human fighter, two-handed swords and two-handed style 2) Durkon Thundershield, dwarf cleric, hammer and flail 3) Belkar Bitterleaf - halfling ranger>barbarian, dual wielding daggers 4) Haley Starshine - human fighter-thief (probably via Tweaks), longbow specialist and shortsword 5) Elan - human bard 6) Vaarsuvius - elf mage (I need to figure out the differences in IWD for specialists. I made V a conjurer in my BG OotS run, but that might not be the best in IWD.)
As many dwarfs as possible. If it can be a dwarf it will be a dwarf. Sadly the bard cant be a dwarf as dwarfs lack the ability to sing, play instruments and tell stories, they tried for generations to learn it but alas it did not work and they went back to mining ore.
DD- dwarf cleric -dwarf swash or f/t - dwarf bard - non dwarf. sorc/wildmage/mage whatever works - something short. barbarian- dwarf
All dwarfs will be evil and are keeping the others as slaves. When the adventure is over its going to be cloakwood mines 2.0
@BelgarathMTH Elan will probably be far too effective unless you gimp him. A suggestion: Limit him to Illusion spells Str 10 Dex 14 Con 11 Int 9 Wis 13 Cha 18
Comments
Have a strong front line, with the amount of enemys in this game without proper tanks and healers your squishy mages are gonna get railed before they can even cast anything. Also if your gonna have a backline thief you might as well make it something like a mage/thief. you get to a high enough level that even with the split exp you will have more than enough points by the time it even matters. Finally, Bow users are godlike in this game.
*My idea of an ideal party*
Paladin
Cleric
Mage
Mage/Thief
Ranger OR Fighter (bow wielder)
Druid for more support OR Barbarian for straight tank. Do as ye like. Im not saying that this is the absolute best thing you can do but its what has worked for me in the past.
In HoF enemies hit hard and have loads of hp, but IIRC they don't have better saving throws.
My mages wil be focused in buff, debuff and chaos-like spells.
I'll need a cleric for turn undead.
And finally I want to use properly the weird level cap of IWD.
I'll have many multi or dusl clasd. I dream a fighter 29 dualled to mage
I won't have a Paladin, instead I'll have a multi fighter-thief (or a berserker dualled to thief) eith UAI wielding the pale justice.
I'll definitely have a sorcerer to bypass the lack of wizard scrolls.
So basically my first party will look like:
Fighter-mage (multi or dual?)
Fighter-thief (multi or dual?)
Fighter-druid (dual maybe)
Cleric
Sorcerer
Bard
Paladin: Likely Cavalier or Undead Hunter
Ranger: Archer
Bard: True, Skald or Blade
Druid: Avenger or Totemic
Last two will either be Invoker and Cleric/Thief or Mage/Thief (Illusionist) and Fighter/Cleric
Omin Bromm, Chaotic Neutral, human Fighter
Quinn Lirrit, Lawful Neutral, human Bard
Alabaster the Ivory, Chaotic Neutral, gnome Illusionist
Serrick, Chaotic Neutral, halfling Assassin
Sandro, True Neutral, human Druid
This is a theme party, an "all-star" team of some of my gaming group's characters. I'm roleplaying that it's a crack team Drake and his usual partner-in-crime Omin have assembled from among everybody they know in the adventuring world after hearing about Hrothgar's call for adventurers. Of course, half of these guys are crazy weirdos, so hilarity will naturally ensue.
So far, I'm thinking a big part of their game plan will be Quinn singing Tymora's Melody for that +1 luck. Combined with Drake's Two-Handed Weapon Style and Serrick's Single Weapon Style, those two can roll critical hits on 18-20 for wicked damage. Omin tanks, Serrick and Drake spank, and Quinn sings while Sandro and Alabaster provide AoE damage, support, and crowd control.
*Name - M/F Class (Alignment)*
Sid - F Human Bard (Chaotic Good)
? - F Half-Orc Barbarian (Chaotic Neutral)
Stonebeard - M Dwarven Fighter/Cleric Defender (Lawful Neutral)
Jerrol - M Halfling Fighter/Assassin (Lawful Evil)
? - M Elven Cleric/Mage Ranger/Cleric (Neutral Good)
Anduina - F Gnomish Wild Mage (Chaotic Evil)
Names to follow.
Also, I don't think gnomes can be Wild Mages. They couldn't in BG2EE, IIRC.
As for the Dwarven Defender, I was on the fence, but I think you've swayed me. The Elf may need changing to Ranger/Cleric to pump up the Divine.
Screw it. Lawful Neutral Dwarven Defender it is
He'll probably get my usual name for Dwarves: Stonebeard
Petunia Jansen, an Illusionist/Thief, a gnome, a female
Valthur Blackrock, a Scald, a dwarf, a male
Bart, a barbarian, a halfling, a male
Hisoka, a fighter/cleric, a human, a male
Arthissurr, a dragon disciple, a half-elf, a female
P.S. I lay hopes on our panda too;)
Realistically, to gauge compatibility I need two things: first is to have access to it, second is to have the time. Under the assumption that little has changed with the file structures, there's no reason to think Keeper won't work.
I'm looking at replacing a couple things so that I don't need to create new buttons on the toolbar, work out the user saved data, get rid of the one-language-selection-for-two-games (really poor design on my part), and mainly make it so that the user can create profiles in Keeper rather than be told 'enter the location of BG:EE or BG2:EE' (more so because it still works with the original BG2—so if people are still playing the original and want to take advantage of the new options available, they can). I note my current plan here (and further down the same page).
"Someone shot by a spoiler bleeds the adrenaline for it."
Paladin
Bard
Ranger/Cleric
Fighter/Druid
Thief/Mage
It even leaves you with a sixth slot, for a specialist mage or whatever you like. Great party for those who can't decide (like me).
Nob - half-orc Cook
Jipp - halfling Accountant
Meada - dwarf Model
Spitz - gnome Firefighter
Plump - elf Tinsmith
No one shall stand between six commoners and their thrist for vacation!
1) Roy Greenhilt, human fighter, two-handed swords and two-handed style
2) Durkon Thundershield, dwarf cleric, hammer and flail
3) Belkar Bitterleaf - halfling ranger>barbarian, dual wielding daggers
4) Haley Starshine - human fighter-thief (probably via Tweaks), longbow specialist and shortsword
5) Elan - human bard
6) Vaarsuvius - elf mage (I need to figure out the differences in IWD for specialists. I made V a conjurer in my BG OotS run, but that might not be the best in IWD.)
Sadly the bard cant be a dwarf as dwarfs lack the ability to sing, play instruments and tell stories, they tried for generations to learn it but alas it did not work and they went back to mining ore.
DD- dwarf
cleric -dwarf
swash or f/t - dwarf
bard - non dwarf.
sorc/wildmage/mage whatever works - something short.
barbarian- dwarf
All dwarfs will be evil and are keeping the others as slaves. When the adventure is over its going to be cloakwood mines 2.0
Limit him to Illusion spells
Str 10
Dex 14
Con 11
Int 9
Wis 13
Cha 18