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Hi all!

I recently got IWD2 and haven't started playing yet, but i was wondering what characters to make up my party? i have read JUPP but i'm not familiar with 3rd Ed and the nuances baffled me. Is 4 members better than 6? Just how good is the deep gnome monk? Are their any classes i should avoid?

I'm not looking for a powergame party, but would like to avoid getting 1/2 way in and finding my party is hopeless or i've forgotten something vital. any help would be appreciated!! ( no spoilers please)

 

Well, first time through I´d play with 6 characters. IMO it´s more fun. It´s when you know the game you start mixin´ it up.

As for the Deep Gnome Monks... Yes, they are probably the most powerful singleclass characters if built right.

 

Okay, I'd say do a search on this forum for "favourite party" or "perfect party". This'll probably get you a good idea of what a basic allround party is.

 

The JUPP has loads of good advice about building a powergaming party but the number one best thing about Icewind Dale II is the variety of characters and parties you can use. Everyone has a different opinion on this but my 2c worth is:
1) Six characters provide the most options and variety when learning the game but I don't think they make the most fun or effective party.
2) You will probably get annoyed if you don't have a cleric because this is mostly a hack n slash game you need loads of healing. With no cleric, you have to rest of 100s of days to recover from each fight
3) There is a special quest late in the game that a Paladin would get the most benefit from
4) There are no mission critical situations that require a Rogue
5) If you play Heart of Fury mode, magic is more powerful then melee
6) The races that have an Effective Character Level penalty tend to be much more powerful in the long run

Any other more specific questions, let us know.

 

My suggestion? Get out of here and play the game for a while , then come back and ask questions. Never read a manual before playing a game , it's boring. Get into the game first then search for help if needed!

 

As a general rule, to avoid hopelessness in the middle of the game, you need someone with thieving skills, someone with good divine and with good arcane spells and a meatshield. Good players will still survive without any divine magic, arcane magic or maybe even magic at all, or without a rogue. Depends how you play. Choose what you like, bearing in mind you will have to deal with traps, heal your wounds and will appreciate area damage.

My six member party consisted of a paladin talker and tank, pure fighter tank, rogue(2)/ranger(x) scout/archer/semifrontliner, morninglord priest with evocation focus(2) and spirit of flame to max out damage and chance of dealing it, and two sorceresses. One artillery, one trickery. Just not be a powergamer Would be better off with two identical artillery sorcs, but that would be no fun.

 

As Hellheart says, you have to play the game first to work out your playing style. THEN you can get tips on how to get the best team to suit yout style. For example, I'm lazy and can't be bothered picking locks and searching / disabling traps. So I don't use Rogues but then need characters who can 'Knock' important locks, or evade / survive the effects of dangerous traps that they might blunder through. Other people find Rogues to be indispensable.

 

There is no such thing as a "perfect party". Just play through the game for a bit and make characters you feel are interesting and that you want to have. Don't listen to the powergaming walkthroughs. Just get a feel for the game yourself. After you develop your own personal style of play the you can start worrying about developing uber characters.
Yeah the deep gnome monk is a powerful build, but by no means is it interesting or realistic. You'll probably find that playing through the game yourself you might discover that you like spell casting or sneak attacking. It's all about how you play the game, not how someone else thinks you should.

 

Playing the game with a six member party is best. Since this is your first time you get to know what approximately each class can do. Afterall, there is so much variety in charecter creation that you cant say exactly which is the best for you.

Try a mix and match party with
a high AC meatsheild and a high damage melee specialist
divine and arcane spell casters
Dont be afraid of ECL races, they are powerful enough to offset those penalties.
Get into the Horde Fortress