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How good is this game with several mods?

Discussion in 'The Temple of Elemental Evil' started by Sloty, Jul 2, 2015.

  1. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    Again:

    What does a bard bring to the table except social skills?Which weapons should he use or does he never fight?Is it true that he can cast in light armor without the possibility to loose the spell?

    Is another arcane caster(specialist mage) a good addition to this party?
    Then which schools should I exclusive for him to use?

    What build do you think is the ultimate tank?

    How many different savegames can I use in this game?
     
  2. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Bards can cast Cure spells. Like Keneth stated above, I would save healing for after combat, but having a Bard does allow you to utilize Cleric and Priest spells in combat without worrying about using up spell slots for healing after battle. With spontaneous casting for Bards, it helps.

    Like most games where Bards are Jacks of All Trades but Masters of None, this saying holds true for Bards in ToEE. I usually go with either Fighter or Rogue mix-in levels. Barbarian mix-in isnt bad either.

    Wizards are good for crafting items. Enchantment school is an excellent choice.

    Any tank works as there are several feat trees to follow. I prefer Bastard Sword and Large Shield Fighter for Tanking and Barbarian for Damage Dealing with a high crit Greataxe. I'm sure others have their own opinions. But mostly anything will work for a Warrior.
     
  3. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    Thanks!

    So could someone give me an example of his party of 5 characters, perhaps with the most important feats?

    Would a bard be at least a decent archer with the right feats?

    How would you do a combat cleric?
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2015
  4. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    The game doesn't require a DPS anything, but combat is what you do in the game for the vast majority of time, and using ranged weapons on a rogue is a complete waste of their class abilities. Using ranged weapons in general is a complete waste of combat rounds since there are no flying creatures in the game (and even then they're a last resort).

    Bard is an arcane caster who's semi-decent in battle and can buff your party with bard songs and spells. They can also take healing spells to lessen the cleric's load post-combat. One option is to just keep them out of combat and focus on their spells, songs, consumables (wands, scrolls, potions, max out their UMD for maximum efficiency). If you want to use them in combat, you need to invest considerably into their physical ability scores and give them combat feats (Power Attack, Weapon Focus, the works) as well as combat spells (blur, mirror image, glitterdust, etc.) to make up for their lack of hp and armor. Two-handed weapons work best. They can cast in light armor without penalties.

    You don't really need another arcane caster, especially if you decide to take a bard. Between a cleric and a sorcerer (and potentially a bard), you'll cover just about all your needs. Adding another spellcaster won't harm you, but you'll get less XP and consequently level more slowly.

    There's no such thing as an "ultimate tank" in D&D. Not in 3E anyway. As mentioned above, tanking is an extremely inefficient use of a warrior because to be anywhere close to decent at it, you need to invest heavily into being able to take a punch (i.e. very high Con score, good armor and shield, feats that improve your defenses, etc.) which means you're wasting your ability to actually eliminate your enemy, giving them more time to put stress on your party and its resources. Focus on killing/disabling your enemies. Prolonged battles are bad for business.

    I'm fairly certain you can have any number of savegames, but you should probably avoid quicksaves in most cases because they have a tendency to get corrupted. Keep at least 3 separate saves that you cycle through regularly.
     
  5. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    Thanks!

    So could someone give me an example of his party of 5 characters, perhaps with the most important feats?

    (Would a bard be at least a decent archer with the right feats?)
    Or how can I make him at least a little useful in combat?

    How would you do a combat cleric? (Domains and feats)?

    I still have the question which are the best races for each build.Can you help me with that?

    If I have a bard,sorcerer and rogue, which one would be the best negotiator?

    Are druids really that bad or could I substitute one of my chars with it?
     
  6. ConjurerDragon

    ConjurerDragon Ich dien ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    Remember the alignment restrictions. Depending on what party alignment you chose your party members can only deviate by one step from that. That means with the wrong party alignment you might not be able to have a lawful good paladin or classes with similar restrictions... If you start the game and select your party alignment the possible character alignments are shown.

    Every class is *somewhat* useful in combat. Even a wizard using a crossbow does contribute :rolleyes:

    A bard is a jack-of-all-trades. That means he can do everything - but there is always another class that does it better (e.g. fighters fight better, wizards do magic better, rogues are better thieves...).

    http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/ToEE/cleric_domain_powers.php

    The one with the highest CHArisma and the highest skills for interacting with others.

    If you want a Druid in your party - get one. If you don´t want one - take another class.
     
  7. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    Thanks!

    So could you give me an example for a Neutral Good, 5 person party which is very powerful?

    So how can I make my Bard most efficient in combat?(feats and stats)?
     
  8. ConjurerDragon

    ConjurerDragon Ich dien ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 6, 2015
  9. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    Bard will be flat out better because sorcerer only has Bluff as a class skill and only 2+Int skill points.
     
  10. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    Yes, I already read this little FAQ.

    But I want to know your subjective meaning of a very strong party!

    Please dont be too lazy and tell me which party you prefer...

    Or comment on my prefered party:

    1.Pure Fighter,Dwarf or Human: lots of feats and weapon specialisation.
    Which weapon should I choose?
    Is it true that a dwarf can ALWAYS run 6 meters even if he has equiped a heavy armor?
    Also,which party alignment should I choose?

    2.Battle cleric,Dwarf or Human.Which God,Domains and feats should I choose to make him/her most efficient?
    Should really be able to deliver a punch in melee...

    3.Rogue with dual wield and finesse.Which race is best and should I add some mix-in classes?

    4.Bard.Dont even know which weapons,skills,feats and spells to use.Also need some tips on race(but I think I will go Gnome).

    5.Sorcerer.Race is not important I think.
    But which spells would you take?

    General question:
    Who should be the negotiator of this band?
    Which are the best weapons to use for everyone?
    And I dont want to hear Scather or Fragarath because I consider them as cheating...

    ---------- Added 1 hours, 15 minutes and 44 seconds later... ----------

    Can please someone answer to my questions?
    I really need some advice or else I am lost...
     
  11. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    I think there's only one lazy person in this thread. :p

    There's no point in us making your party. Where's the fun in that? Read through the posts again and make whatever party feels right. The game isn't really all that punishing, so whatever you decide to do will probably be enough and you can always recruit a few companions over the course of the game if you're having a tough time.
     
  12. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    Okay, so please answer 2 of my questions:

    1.What should I do with my bard in case of feats?

    2.Who should be the talker/negotiator in my party?
     
  13. ConjurerDragon

    ConjurerDragon Ich dien ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    The game has different starting scenes and quests for every party alignment. So pick any alignment you wish and for your next playthrough a different one. e.g. one game with a LG Paladin and a fitting party and the next one without a Paladin and a more neutral party for more options in the Temple.

    If you exclude the strongest weapons in the game as cheating then take whatever weapon you wish for your party. You can finish the game regardless of that choice and - if you take the crafting feats for your spellcasters - you can craft your own weapons.
     
  14. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    What??? Rogues inherently will have high Dex making them an obvious ranged combatant. When facing enemy spellcasters they can hold their attack waiting for the spellcaster to attempt a spell interrupting them in the process, possibly killing them. Try it....
     
  15. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    I've already answered both of those on the last page, you're just not paying attention.

    If you're going for melee, build up the bard's Str, Dex, and Cha. For feats, there are plenty of good options: Power Attack, (Greater) Weapon Focus, Weapon Proficiency (if you want a two-handed weapon, like a greatsword), Cleave, Combat Casting, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Extend Spell. If you're going for more of a caster bard, invest into Spell Focus and Spell Penetration, maybe Scribe Scroll (but it might be better to max out UMD and make scrolls with your sorcerer and/or cleric). That's just off the top of my head.

    There is no better face of the party than a bard. He's got plenty of skill points and all social skills are his class skills.

    There's no such thing as an "obvious ranged combatant" because ranged combat is crap. Why would I want to wait around for a spellcaster to cast something when I can stand next to them and stab 'em in the face, with a much greater chance of pulling off a sneak attack. Also, with the pitiful damage you do, they can just roll Concentration and cast anyway. No, there's literally no reason to use ranged attacks. You take Weapon Finesse to use Dex on melee and go from there if that's your shtick.
     
  16. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    So how can I make my Bard the most effective as he could ever be?

    Should I give him:
    1.Most of the Fighter feats to make him a good melee combatant
    or

    2.Make him a good ranfed fighter
    or

    3.Make him a good buffer /disabling spellcaster as good as possible?

    Which feats does he need then to be most effective?
     
  17. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Try New Glarus's Spotted Cow, it will make you a happy person.
     
  18. damedog Gems: 15/31
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    I would play the TOEE bard as an enchantment specialist and take feats related to that goal. Until you can get a certain sword combined with penalty-less power attacks bards shouldn't be doing much combat.
     
  19. Sloty Gems: 5/31
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    Would a rogue/bard be a good build with 1-2 rogue levels just for the skillpoints and traps/locks?

    Or is it better to use a bard AND a rogue?
     
  20. ConjurerDragon

    ConjurerDragon Ich dien ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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