All Melee Party

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Hello all! I have visited these boards for a while now and finally decided to get involved.
In the past I have seen some great ideas for themed parties. I've decided to try an all melee party to see if magic is a must or just a preference. I don't expect trouble until mid to late game, but we will see. The party consists of:
1) Human Rogue/Fighter - right now even split
2) Half-Orc Barbarian/Fighter - classic x/4
3) Drow Paladin
4) Elven Ranger
5) Aasimar Monk
6) Elven Fighter - archer

 

I guess that could work in the original game. Come HoF though, your party will DIE ... PAINFULLY

 

I know this party has no chance in HOF. I'm only attempting to complete Normal. Even then I suspect I will have trouble at certain points. Right now I'm about half way to Shaengarne. The party has handled the Orcs well, but when I rest I rest for days.

 

I think you won't survive the Chamber of Immolation in the Black Raven Monastery.
But you can slay the monks instead.

 

Do you intend to use the Ranger and Paladin's spells? If so, then surely there would be no problem with adding a couple of cleric levels to a character. Just a thought.

@ Tal Rasha:

He has a monk, so the Chambers are all do-able, albeit challenging.

 

An "all melee party" with an "Elven Fighter - archer"

Paladin and ranger can learn to cast spells, so you shouldn't take more than 3 levels if you want to do what you're planning.
Else spells like bull's strength and call lightning will help your party a lot.

1 bard level doesn't allow spellcasting either.

I would take a pure rogue. You'll get far more backstabbing damage that way.

Give rapid shot to everyone (maybe except your monk who can use a crossbow). It will make your game far easier.

 

Maybe "All Melee" is a misnomer. I meant No Pure Spellcasters. I haven't decided if I will use Ranger and Paladin spell casting abilities yet.

 

Even a mid-class ranger can go trough the eigth chambers, with the rigth kind of feats.
Personally, I will choose at least one of the party members a tiefling.The 5 points of fire resistance can make a difference in the eigth chamber.

 

The party just saved the Shaengarne! In some ways this party is much easier to manage. Simply target an enemy and let them go. I also find I am using more potions then I usually do, and not just healing potions. On normal runs, with a balanced party, I usually sell those small fire potions you find early, but now I use them and the lamp oil. I bought several fireball potions from Oswald, and they really help with the large crowds. I have decided to utilize the minor spell casting abilities of the Ranger and Paladin. Mainly for entagle and healing. I had already given everyone but the Monk rapid fire, and right now I love ranged combat.

 

The reason of the "easy" way is obvious, in the earliers stages of the game,the melee figth is easier just for the amount of HPs your character aquired by now.With a 6-7 level party, the difference between your PCs hit points an the enemie´s hit points can make the difference in any battle.
But around 11-12 level, you´re gonna miss all the pretty cool buff spells(stoneskin,mass aceleration,prayer,chant,emotion:hope,executioner´s eyes), not to mention the cappability of "healing" that any cleric-druid posses.
But ITOH, I think there´s a way to pull it off(remember to buy A LOT of healing potions), just don´t forget to give a high rank on "intimidation" to any of your fighters, in oreder to fulfill Neero´s quest in the Dragon´s eye area

 

If you wan't at least one melee-char that has some strength in late game I would exchange someone for a Deep Gnome monk with maxed str and wiz. This makes him almost unhittable and by the time he gets some HP (needs some levels for that) he makes a great decoy, making life easier for the other fighters.

 

Just cleared the Horde fortress. After clearing the Warrens and bursting out into the fortress, the party suffered its first casualty. The Ranger failed a will save and was held. He died before I could kill everyone around him. Since he only had 18 kills vs. everyone else being 50+ I decided not to revive him. Instead I recruited a Shield Dwarf Fighter to replace him. This was the first time I have used a Ranger in the party, and I must say I am disappointed with his performance.

 

You might not need this, but it might be wise to build up the rogue's "use magic device", so you can use a scroll if you are facing an ultrahard battle. An extra mass heal, emotion hope or boneguard helper can make some battles far easier.
This is another reason for not spoiling your rogue with many fighter levels.

 

I stopped adding fighter levels to the first character after 4. I added the levels for hp, feats, and bab. His Magic Use skill is at 9 right now. Its enough to use some wands and scrolls. The party is now working its way through the second level of the Ice Temple. I am saving the Battle Squares for the end of the level. I'll probably just do enough to get by and not try to beat all the levels. The brillant short sword would be very nice, however. Before starting this party I never really used archery much, but it is my primary style now and it is very effective. As the game progresses and enemies hp increase I am sure my reliance on bows will decrease.

 

My god this is insane!I use spells alot and I think IWD2 with no spells is like NFS with no cars.My opinion is that spell not only make the game a lot more complex but also add a sort of mistique to it.

 

Yep he's crazy

 

An all melee party? I wonder what will you do in the Severed Hand... No pure spellcasters? Then I guess you like staring at your party when they are poisoned or diseased. You may wanna recruit a Cleric at least...

 

Well, potions can get around various ailments, though I'm not sure if there's anything equivalent to Mind Blank or Chaotic Commands. Also, even taking a single Bard level might be worth it just for being able to use the instruments; you don't need to cast his spells at all, if that's not your thang.

 

Right you are!

 

Real life has been crazy for a while so I had to put the game on hold for a while. Got back into things two days ago. To be honest I'm not having the difficulty I thought I would with no pure spellcasters. As stated in an earlier post I am relying heavily on items and archery. The only enemies that cause alot of problems are those resistant to piercing damage. Most everything else falls very quickly. Potions of Explosions, Necklace of Missles, etc. allow me to damage large groups then finish them off in combat.
So far only two characters have died in battle, and I have just cleared Dragon's Eye. Remember, I am not saying this is the best party, or the easiest to beat the game with, I was just curious to see how far a party could make it in the game without pure spellcasters. Normally my parties are caster heavy, and having played the game several times I thought this might be a challenge.