IWD2: my newbie party

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It's my first time playing this game!

I do, however have some good experience with 3e D&D, so I'm trying to put together a power party here in my first shot at this game. I don't know how stats work here, but I'd guess that it's on a point buy system (I like that!). I also love the different orders for Clerics, Paladins, and Monks I'm reading about!

Please let me know what you think of my idea for a party (remember, this is a rough draft):

1) Aasamir Fighter 4/Paladin (of Helm) X
2) Dwarf Fighter 4/Barbarian X
3) Dwarf Cleric (Battleguard of Tempus) X
4) Human Rogue 3/Ranger 2/ Bard 11 (see below, not sure what to do yet)
5) Human Paladin (of Ilmater) 1/Monk 1 (Order of the Broken Ones) / Sorcerer X
6) Human Ranger 1/Barbarian 2/Druid X

Character 1 is my Tank and party leader. I don't think the ECL penalty will be too bad with a (mostly) non-spellcaster, and the 4 levels of Fighter are for Weapon Specialization (Long Sword or Greatsword, most likely). Edit: If there are any "paladin only" weapons, don't tell me what they do, but please do spoil what weapon type they are for me!

Character 2 is my other Tank. He'll use Greatswords and probably a flail or mace later on for blunt damage. Charge!!! (P.S.: I know Half-Orc might be better here, but I just love Dwarves!).

Character 3 is very similar to a P&P D&D character I had. I plan on making her pretty dumb, ugly and strong. A good backup Tank to the two above, and my only Cleric. I love Axes, and this appears to be the "most Tank-like" of the Clerics. (Would I be better off with two levels of Barbarian and playing as either a Ghostwise Halfling or a Half-Orc?)

Character 4 is my Jack-of-all-Trades, he'll cover the thieving (I just want to watch those Locks and Traps, and 3rd level grants Evasion). The Ranger will allow me to dual-weild short swords or daggers and Weapon Finesse them. I plan on gaining the first 3 levels as a Rogue and 2 as a Ranger before advancing to level 11 as a Bard. After that, I'll split levels between Ranger and Rogue, or maybe even add some Fighter levels in (this is a work in progress).

Character 5 is my spellcaster. My experience with spellcasters hasn't been very favorable in the past with Bioware games, but I know I need one. Based on past experience, I'm not too concerned about losing a level or two as a Sorcerer. The Monk and Paladin levels will keep this guy alive longer. I don't think the Orders really matter that I chose, but it's cool to have them be similar. (Would I be better off with a Wild Elf, and/or maybe dropping the Paladin level?)

Character 6 is my Wild One. I heard that TWF and Ambidexterity (thanks Ranger 1!) apply to the shapechanges. Druids have some cool spells, so this should be a fun character too (I love the idea of a Raging Wolf or Bear!).


If there are any better races or classes for me to choose, please give me your input! As I said, this is a rough draft, and I want to use some of the more interesting races if I can do it without an XP penalty!

[ October 31, 2005, 03:11: Message edited by: Klorox ]

 

Keep the paladin level for the sorcerer if you want GREAT saving throws but the monk level is useless as far as i can tell. If you dont mind getting rid of the saving throw bonus you could get a straight sorcerer which is drow which is good because drow is a fun race to play with magic resistance a boost to int dex and cha all important stats for a sorcerer. Also human is no matter what a better race for the sorcerer then wild elf because their stat boost isnt that great and sorcerers need all the skills and feats they can get plus which human u can minimise int and still get both concentration and spellcraft for elemental feats.

 

Cool, thanks Goon! I edited the thread at the same time you responded, and added two levels of Barbarian to my character #6.

I added the Monk levels with Character #5 for the Evasion ability. I figure he will have the lowest Hit Points of the group, and Evasion will help him out. I appreciate the input though, I might have to drop that part out.

 

Oh i forgot about evasion but i dont think the monks version works if you wear anything in the body slot i am unsure though(its pretty much a random guess infact ).

Also about you editing the post and adding bararian levels at the same time i posted i didnt think i remembered seeing that the first time i read through and was confused when i re read through after posting cause i couldnt remember it.

btw by Multiclassing away more then 1 level you lose some spell slots which is why i say only 1 level on the sorcerer but it might be worth it for evasion but mine has spell resistance which is better so i didnt need it . This also means losing 3 levels is the same as 2 so my characters all have odd level multiclass on the spell casters for this either 1 or 3 levels.(this stuff only applies if you reach level 30)

 

I actually ended up dropping the Monk from my build idea. I thought that I would be able to get a WIS of about 14 or 16 to help with AC, but I had my stats placed other places.

So Character 5 will be a Human Paladin 1/Sorcerer X.

 

Thats good evasion isnt that useful on a spellcaster at the back anyway. And yea its really hard to give a sorc wisdom mine had only 3 which is lyk -4.

Btw paladins get a stat boost through a quest just thought you might like to know hope it didnt ruin anything for you seeing as i didnt tell you much at all. Also since you wanted to know the paladin weapon is a longsword and very nice though it would be nicer if it was a greatsword

PS youve said nothing about alignment but try to make them all have the same one(cause it help) as in good nuetral or evil and i suggest good cause you need it for paladins anyway

 

Thanks for the advice!

Ok, here's my UPDATED PARTY:

#1: LG Aasamir Fighter 4/Paladin of Helm X
#2: CG Shield Dwarf Fighter 4/Barbarian X
#3: CG Shield Dwarf Cleric (Battleguard of Tempus) X
#4: NG Human Rogue 3/Ranger 2/ Bard 11 (don't know what to do after this)
#5: LG Human Paladin of Ilmater 1/Sorcerer X
#6: Human Ranger 1/Barbarian 2/Druid X

My only concerns are these:

1) With #4, I don't know if after reaching Bard level 11 if it's worth going all the rest of the way as a Bard (higher chance to identify stuff and more spells) or to split levels between Ranger and Rogue, or to start adding a few levels in of another class, like Barbarian or Fighter for more Hit Points.

2) With #6, would I be better off just going Ranger 1/Druid X, dropping the Barbarian levels? I would lose out on some Hit Points, the awesome Rage ability, a little BAB, and Uncanny Dodge, but in return I'd have a much better spellcaster.

[ October 31, 2005, 09:20: Message edited by: Klorox ]

 

1) It's common in this game to stop at 11 levels of Bard for the last song. If you want more spells you could add Sorcerer levels after that.

2) Ranger 1/Druid X is a very solid character. You don't lose too much focus in terms of skills and feats by adding Barbarian, but still I tend to think just those two classes are fine.

(Not to mention they make a lot more sense conceptually than Baldur's Gate's Fighter/Druid multiclass. I really do wish they would have had more playable multiclasses in the Baldur's Gate rules.)

 

Are you really improving spellcasting by adding Sorcerer levels after reaching Bard 11? I'd think you would be better off just advancing more as a Bard (but I could very well be wrong).

Anyway, since I plan on having this character as my Thief also (and have 2 levels of Ranger), I can't add a new class without incurring a heavy XP penalty.

[ November 01, 2005, 03:38: Message edited by: Klorox ]

 

Weapon specialisation is no longer what it used to be. For putting the 2 extra ** in a weapon all you get is a +1 to attack and +2 to damage. This is useful only in ranged weapons where the damage is minimal. Since your Paladin or Barbarian would melee, don't bother with taking Fighter[4] just for specialisation.
Fighter[2] on the other hand gets you 2 extra feats which can always come in use to anyone in the party regardless of their major class.

Don't make your Barb good. That will help later, around Chapter 5.

Since you Cleric is only backup tank, Dreadmaster may be better. Lorekeeper is my favourite however. Give him Fighter levels for access to all weapons.

Bard spell progression is pretty bad. As a spellcaster he might be the most useless class around.
Bard[11]/Sorcerer[19] are the most common combination.
Bard/Barb is worth a try. Bard[11]/Rogue[10]/~ can be your jack-of-all-trades.

Giving your Druid Monk levels will improve his AC while shapeshifted. Ranger enabled dual-weilding has nothing to do with shapeshifting.

 

Thanks a lot everybody! Your posts have all been very useful and informative. I have a new proposed party:

Char #1: Aasamir Ftr 4/Pal (of Helm) X
Char #2: Dwarf Ftr 4/Bbn X
Char #3: Dwarf Clr (Battleguard of Tempus) X
Char #4: Tiefling Rog 3/Brd X
Char #5: Human Pal 1/Sorc X
Char #6: Human Bbn 2/Drd X

Notes: I know specialization isn't what it once was, but I still like it. I plan on having #1 go with Large Swords, #2 with Greatswords, and #3 gets Axes for free.

I switched #4 to a Tiefling, they get some cool bonuses, and even though my CHA will be a little lower, this is my skill hound. I am considering changing him again (I do want at least 11 Bard levels, and I need a low level Rogue, so these seem like a good fit). The 20 INT will make this guy my skill hound, and I tink that even after going to Bard that he will be able to handle all of my traps and locks in this game. I had considered a regular Human here as well.

I dropped the Ranger from #6 and added 2 levels of Barbarian. I like the idea of Rage while shapeshifted, and it will also give this character a bow to use in the early game.

Keep checking back, I'm sure to change it up again before finally settling in!

 

If you want any suggestions for the current party build, I think you might well and probably should give up on paladin spellcasting with #1. It doesn't make much sense delayed by four levels. You could dump the stat points into CON, as there are no spells to increase CON or HP, at least directly, except some minor changes or restricted spells like Tenser's Transformation. STR is about the easiest to raise, although indeed, you do need it.

With #2, I would give up on his mental stats and DEX and pump up STR and CON. Unless you're interested in the barbarian skills. Hint: start as a barbarian to receive more skill points than you would as a fighter, whether or not you want the skills: after all, you will have to allocate the skill points you have, anyway. Forget DEX unless capped at 12.

With #3, I would forget DEX and CHA, perhaps even INT if you can afford not making him a skilled character. If you intend to use area spells with elemental damage and the like, you might want Spellcraft with him, but otherwise just Concentration, I guess, and I would concentrate on healing and buffs, anyway.

It doesn't look like #4 is going to be a great bard spells-wise, but you're most probably going to be able to reach level 11 as a bard, which gives you the access to all songs. Remember the Lingering Song feat.

With #5, some other kind of passive resistance to couple with untouchable saving throws would be good, either AC or lasting power (HP from CON). Thing is, you can't afford a crappy AC or a crappy sum of HP, but you'd better focus on just one. My general rule for sorcerers: Greater Spell Focus: Evocation, Greater Spell Penetration, Spirit of Flame. If you find yourself using damage spells relying on other kinds of elemental damage, there are different elemental feats with same requirements.

As for #6, I guess you should focus on whatever makes your raging wildform rule and own. But you may still wish to take the same kind of feats I suggested for sorcerers, as druids get a lot of fire-based spells.

 

Thanks Chev!

I'm not planning on #1 being a great spellcaster (I think I had him with a 12 or 13 starting WIS). In the Prologue I have already found a Ring that grants +1 WIS, so maybe I'll find more stuff to help that out. I view this guy as more of a Tank with great saving throws, not having to worry about Fear, and the spells are just a little bonus to help me out (extra healing, ect.).

#2 Has a 18 STR, 16 DEX, and 20 CON. I think his WIS was high (I know Will saves could be a problem), but he has a very low INT and CHA.

#3 has no CHA or INT to speak of. The only skill she will learn is concentration. I also really couldn't care less about Turn Undead, I'd rather just smash 'em.

I'm considering making #4 a Human or Halfling instead of a Tiefling so I can have a higher CHA. The Bard is in my party for the songs, with spells as an added bonus anyway (kinda like the Paladin, but a little more reliant on spellcasting). I also depend on my Bard to be my Loremaster, because I loathe spending money and spell slots on the Identify spell.

#5 will be in trouble if it comes to melee combat. The Paladin level is there for the saving throws only. He will otherwise just be a regular Sorcerer, but with a Longbow. The 18 DEX will help a little with AC, but it probably won't be much.

The jury is still way out on #6. I think I really want a Druid, but I don't know if I'll be into shapeshifting. I know I wasn't in the Baldur's Gate II game. I guess I need to focus on my Druid as being more of a spellcaster and less of what I'm used to (that being Jaheira, a Ftr/Druid in the Baldur's Gate series).

-----

EDITS!

I think #6 is going to be a pureclassed Drow Druid, and will concentrate the early feats on Archery related feats.

[ November 02, 2005, 08:33: Message edited by: Klorox ]

 

Icewind dale 2 have limited suply of skills to choose from, as such they have limited the amount of skillpoints you get bonus from inteligence.

Inteligence 12 gives you +1 skill point per level as usual.
Inteligence 16 gives you +2 skill points per level, instead of the usual 14 int required for +2.

I dont think you ever gain more skill points from anything higher than 16 int.

You may now power-roll 4 points back to constitution or charisma for your bard.

 

#3: I had A LOT of fun with a half-orc Battleguard of Tempus/Barbarian build -- he was as much a tank as my paladin/fighter. I didn't even try to turn undead -- SMASH DEAD THING TO DEAD AGAIN!

#4: A rogue/ranger build can be quite powerful. Weapon finesse with two-weapon skill is unbelievable when you get the dagger and short sword that ignore armor. Very fun. I'd go with human for any rogue -- this is the jack-of-all-trades spot and you want as many skill points as possible (the extra feat doesn't hurt either).

I also had three single class characters: Sorcerer (elf), Wizard (human), and Monk (tiefling).

 

OK, I think I've finally settled my party. I wanted a powerful party that would allow me to experience a lot of different classes, so here we go:

1) LG Aasamir Fighter 4/Paladin of Helm X First level as a Paladin, then 4 as a Fighter, then rest as a Paladin. Will concentrate on Diplomacy skill.

2) CN Shield Dwarf Fighter 4/Barbarian X First two levels as a Barbarian, then 4 as a Fighter, then rest as a Barbarian. Will have 4 ranks of Concentration (for Maximize Attack), and I really don't know where else to put points (does it matter?).

3) CG Shield Dwarf Cleric (Battleguard of Tempus) X She likes Concentration, since she'll be a Tank and need to cast spells from time to time.

4) CG Tiefling Rogue 2/Bard XFirst 2 as a Rogue, then 11 as a Bard, 1 more as a Rogue, then Bard X. I'll consider (mostly depending on how high I can get CHA and how much I like the spells) advancing more as a Rogue again after Bard 11. I've also read about something called "level squatting" which I might consider with this guy, again, after Bard 11. It sounds kinda cheesey, but I think this will depend on how tough I find the game. My strategy will be very different if I can figure out a way to change the Gnome Favored Race into Bard, as it is in D&D 3.5e (and is more appropriate, IMHO). Since he's the skill hound, I want to max out Knowledge (Arcana)(for ID), Alchemy (for ID), Search, Disable Device, Hide, Move Silently, and Pick Pockets.

5) LG Human Paladin of Mystra 1/Sorcerer XFirst level will be as a Paladin, then rest as a Sorcerer. Of note: I had considered making this character's race Aasamir, but I think Human is better because I'm already hurting Sorcerer advancement by adding the one level of Paladin. The extra ECL of an Aasamir will probably hurt more than the higher stats and special abilities will help. Will put skills in Concentration and Spellcraft.

6) LN Human Monk of the Old Order/Druid X First level will be as a Monk, then the rest will go into Druid. I like the idea of having a high DEX and using a crossbow whenever I'm not casting a spell with this one. This one's skills will be in Concentration (maxed out), Spellcraft and a sprinkling of Wilderness Lore.

I don't particularly like multiclassing spellcasters, but since this is a CRPG, not a P&P game, I think I can get away with it a little better. I think each spellcaster's "dip" into another class significantly improves their chances of survival (The Sorcerer gets a huge Saving Throw bonus, and the Druid gets an awesome AC bonus and the Evasion ability. I don't even count my Bard as a true spellcaster, and he can only start with a 16 CHA, but his buffs will be helpful, and he fills the role of Loremaster admirably). I think the multiclassing of the Tanks only improves their natural abilities, and plan on having the Paladin specialize in Longsword, and the Barbarian in Greatswords. The Cleric of Tempus is automatically specialized in Axes, and will IMHO be the most powerful among this crew.

[ November 03, 2005, 03:06: Message edited by: Klorox ]

 

Your monk/druid can be a gewat tank in giant form. Wis and Dex bonus to AC stays in shapeshifted form. You can lower your STR down, since the giant's form increases your STR. Just keep it high enough to carry your equipment and treasure.
Tank early in the game until your spellcasting come into its own. Then you can bomb with the best wizards and socerers, while not having to worry about getting killed in an ambush (that never happens, right). If jumped up close, you can alwaays shapeshift, kick butt, the return to human and cast again.
One note, go light on the Wilderness lore. 4 ranks plus your WIS bonus is more than enough to get through the ghost woods.

 

GG: Where can I see what forms a Druid gets (and the stats of each)? TIA

 

#4 You needn't level squat since your Tiefling ignores Rogue levels anyway.

#5 Aasimar or Human, by Chapter 3 it won't really make any difference. 4 stat point in exchange of an ECL+1 is quite a good deal so go for it.

 

Re: Shrikant:

The squatting idea stems from the fact that I'd be gaining XP faster for the other characters. I don't think I'll do it though, it seems so cheesey.

I also am up in the air about the Sorcerer character.

The Human offers more skills and feats (I can drop my INT to 3 and have better stats), but the Aasamir makes spells harder to resist (a 20 CHA).

I am just going to sleep on it. I'll decide tomorrow or the next day. I think I'm pretty close to being set with my party though!