Fighter/thief party composition
mashedtaters
Member Posts: 2,266
Hi, just looking for some feedback on party composition. I am currently a chaotic good, multiclass half-orc fighter/thief. So far I have the following members of my party in mind for the game.
Neera (haven't had her in my party yet)
Minsc (I am a sucker for boo and buttkicking)
Jaheira (I ee keepered her to a ranger/cleric because I despise druids with a passion bordering on fanatic hatred, otherwise I can't stand playing with her)
Wondering if I should replace khalid (he keeps dying) and with whom.
Wondering if I should replace dynahier as I already have neera.
I was originally thinking replacing khalid with Isra mod, which I downloaded, but I realized she is a cavalier, which can't use ranged weapons...a major downer for me, at least early game. Might have to use her on another playthrough...?
Also thinking of Viconia, as command is awesome, and last playthrough I used branwen. Having two command users (jahiera ranger cleric and viconia) could be cool. And now that jahiera is a ranger/cleric, she is not a bad tank.
Not sure if I will replace dynahier or not...
I am using the BG1NPC project mod and the g3 tweaks to change the proficiencies back to original baldur's gate style.
Neera (haven't had her in my party yet)
Minsc (I am a sucker for boo and buttkicking)
Jaheira (I ee keepered her to a ranger/cleric because I despise druids with a passion bordering on fanatic hatred, otherwise I can't stand playing with her)
Wondering if I should replace khalid (he keeps dying) and with whom.
Wondering if I should replace dynahier as I already have neera.
I was originally thinking replacing khalid with Isra mod, which I downloaded, but I realized she is a cavalier, which can't use ranged weapons...a major downer for me, at least early game. Might have to use her on another playthrough...?
Also thinking of Viconia, as command is awesome, and last playthrough I used branwen. Having two command users (jahiera ranger cleric and viconia) could be cool. And now that jahiera is a ranger/cleric, she is not a bad tank.
Not sure if I will replace dynahier or not...
I am using the BG1NPC project mod and the g3 tweaks to change the proficiencies back to original baldur's gate style.
0
Comments
You might wanna try Dorn or Rasaad: they are quite fun characters if you haven't tried them.
P.S. I just started a game using a MC half-elf fighter/thief too. Check out my post: http://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/639463#Comment_639463
Thinking of having Jaheira, Neera, Branwen, Imonen (dual-class to mage), and either Dorn or Rasaad as the last member.
My experience is; in BG1 you never need more than one mage and one tank. Two, three guys with bow/xbow/darts/daggers take care of 90% of the encounters with ease. Hell, even a mediocre bard (*cough Garrick cough*) with the army scythe will get more kills than a mediocre tank :P
Ajantis makes for a pretty good tank. He has a good Con score, so he should have a decent amount of hit points, a very good strength score (especially when compared to Coran or Khalid) and can cast Protection from Evil a number of times per day equal to his level. In BG Protection from Evil doesn't actually check alignment, the spell just gives you a -2 to your AC, which is great whether you're fighting Aec'letec or a Flaming Fist mercenary. Ajantis also has 17 Charisma (the highest among NPC's) so he makes a good party leader, since he will increase your NPC reaction score and give you shop discounts. The down side with Ajantis is his low dexterity but this can be easily solved by giving him the Guantlets of Dexterity and with your currently team he's really the only one who would need them.
Kivan is great at range or in melee. Kivan is the best NPC candidate for ursing Composite Longbows since they require at least 18 strength which means only he, Minsc, Shar-Teel, and Dorn can use them. However, only Kivan and Minsc start with any proficiencies in Longbows (Kivan has 2 while Minsc has 1) but Kivan has a better dex score and the Elven racial bonus to attacks with Bows meaning he will hit far more reliably. Kivan's downside is his Constitution, which is 14. It may not seem low at 14, but 14 actually gives no bonus to hit points. In effect a Con score between 9-14 does the same thing. For this reason Kivan wont be able to take a hit as well as many other frontliners but with proficiency in Longbows and Halberds (which can be used from reach) he works better as a second line fighter letting someone else take the attacks anyways. Being a ranger he can cast Charm Animal but this is pretty situational. Additionally he can be used in a scouting role since he gains free points into hide/move silently but in order to use this he is restricted to studded leather armor at best.
Coran is a fairly good character aswell. I personally am not a huge Fan of Coran but he has his merits and many people do like bringing him along. He has the highest dexterity score in the game, an illegal whopping 20! This, coupled with his also illegal for a multi-class, 3 proficiency pips in Longbows, and his Elven racial bonus will make him the best archer the game. However, he has a low natural strength score or 14 which grants no bonus to melee attacks or damage, use of a strength increasing item like the Big Fisted Belt or Guantlets of Ogre Power is highly recommended. Like Kivan, Coran suffers from a low Constitution score, with it being 12. He recieves no bonus hit points at level up so don't expect him to be much of a frontline pressence. He starts with 2 pips in Longswords and 2 pips in Longbows, both weapons the he gains his Elf racial bonus in, which is good. However using Longswords in melee means he will be in the thick of it, unlike Kivan, and if you wish to make use of his Thief abilities he needs to be wearing studded leather which means his AC wont be great. Fighter/Thief is a very good multiclass, it lets you cover the sometimes essential thief skills while still giving you someone very good in combat. Coran suffers though from being a "late game thief," this means you cannot pick him up until later in the game and his Thief skills might not necessarily be distributed the way you want them.
Yeslick is one of my favorite NPC's in BG1, let me tell you why. Fighter/Cleric is an awesome multiclass, if you want to bring along a cleric, you might as well add a Fighter/ onto it (also a good way to get some more of those Commands you enjoy). Yeslick has a very good Con score which means he will have a high amount of hit points, it also means that he will have good bonuses to his saving throws since he is a Dwarf and that is one of their racial abilities. He does have a fairly bad strength score and a bad dexterity score though, which means if you really want him to shine you need to give him the Big Fisted Belt and the Guantlets of Dexterity, but when you do he turns into a beast with 19 Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 17 Constitution, wowza! He comes stock with 2 pips in slings (one of the better ranged weapons in BG since you add your strength bonus to damage) and Warhammers which are represented with a few pretty good ones in BG1. I'd also suggest giving him pips in Maces as he levels (he infact gets a pip in maces if you pick up the higher level version of him) and give him the Stupifier mace. My first playthrough I steamrolled Sarevok because Yeslick stunned him with the Stupifier on his first attack! Yeslick also has the innate ability to cast Dispel Magic 1/day. This is easily one of the best NPC innate abilities and Dispel Magic is a useful spell throughout most of the game. While you have to wait to pick up Yeslick later on in the game, he is totally worth the wait.
Montaron makes for a pretty good frontliner aswell. He is good at range with Slings which he adds his stength bonus to damage and gets a +1 to Thac0 for being a Halfling. Montaron has a good Strength score (the Halfling is actually stronger than both Coran, Khalid, and Yeslick... embarrassing) a very good Dexterity, and an ok Constitution. Unlike most frontliners he is pretty great in all his physical stats without requiring any stat boosting items. For natural backstabbing potential Montaron ranks #1 for NPC's (unless you dual class Shar-Teel) and you can get him at level 1 so you can distribute his ability scores as you see fit. He comes stock with 2 pips in Slings (a great ranged weapon in his hands) and 2 pips in Short Swords. Shortswords are a fairly common weapon, so you'll find magic ones early in the game, and the Short Sword of Backstabbing late in the game, meaning he will always have a decent weapon to use at any level. I'd suggest giving him either Quarterstaff proficiency or Dagger proficiency to use the Staff of the Ram (making people explode frequently with backstabs) or the Dagger of Venom (if someone survive the backstab they wont be standing for long after and it really screws over spellcasters.)
Kagain is the best NPC tank in the entire saga. Period. He has a good Strength with 16, but an unmatched Constitution of 20! 20 Con gives him 5 extra hit points per level, and lets him regenerate health over time. The regen isn't very fast, but it means that if you're traveling to another map, he will be fully healed by the time you get there. Additionally, being a Dwarf, means he gets shorty bonuses to all his saves and he gets the max bonuses since his Con is so insanely high. Con is the one physical score you cannot improve by using items in BG1, which means having a high Con score isn't replicated by just giving a character an item. No one can match Kagain's Constitution, but with the help of items Kagain can basically meet or surpass the strengths of all other NPC tanks. With the Big Fisted Belt and the Guantlets of Dexterity Kagain's physical stats are: 19 Strength, 18 Dexterity, 20 Constitution. You can get him to Mastery in Axes and with the Battle Axe +2 and Bala's Axe as options in BG1, you have some pretty decent options. He also comes stock with a pip in Crossbows which is a fairly under used option for NPC's so he can use the Army Scythe while the rest of the team focuses on using bows and slings.
Shar-Teel is a pretty good and adaptable character. She can Dual into Thief and become the best backstabber in the game. She has a great strength score, only beaten out by Minsc and Dorn, and a very good Dexterity to boot at 17. She lacks, like so many others, in the Constitution department. She gets no bonus to her hit points, but at 9 she doesn't get a penalty either, but she's not the best person to be up front taking hits. What is good about her is that she is one of few NPC's to have pips in Two-Weapon Style (and actually be proficienct in a one-handed weapon... looking at you Kivan.) Which means you can have her with 3 pips in Two-Weapon Style and 2 pips in either Dagger or Longswords, both of which are good choices since you can get Varscona early and the Dagger of Venom is one of the best weapons in the game. She also makes a great backstabber Thief and if you Dual Class you can actually have more weapon proficiency pips and end up with 3 in Two-Weapon Style with 3 in a melee weapon of your choice.
Dorn is a lawnmower of death. Highest natural strength on an NPC and he comes with a +1 Two-Handed Sword which effectively becomes a +2 Two-Handed Sword for 24 hours after killing someone... which will be always. He has a good Dexterity too, but like so many of his role suffers from a low Con score of 14, which grants him no bonus to hit points. Full Plate and a Greatsword keeping him to the second line in melee will typically see him fairly well protected though. The Blackguard kit gives him some good bonuses and resistances. His Absorb Health ability is great for interrupting enemy spell casters since it casts so quickly, and it heals him to boot. The ability to poison his weapon is also amazing for interrupting enemy spell casters and effectively taking them out of the fight, it also works on ranged attacks! Aura of Despair is great for debuffing a large group of enemies and lands some fairly substantial penalties as he levels up. All in all Dorn is a pretty badass NPC but with an evil alignment, and an automatic -2 reputation hit might not be the best choice for a good aligned group.
Personally, for your group, I think Yeslick or Ajantis are the best options for you. Both are sturdy tanky types that also offer something else besides another sword in the fray, whether it be Paladin abilities or more priest spells.
A good replacement for Dynaheir could be Quayle. Manny people overlook Quayle because you get him so late in the game but he gets more spells-per-day than any other NPC, and has access to both arcane and divine. He makes an awesome backup character when you already have a priest and a mage (which you do) by bolstering the power of both spell lists.