More IWD2 spell discussion

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I find crits pretty important so physical keeps pace, improved criticals, executioner eyes, all the luck boosting which i'd be doing anyway since it rolls up all the damage and to hit rolls.

x3 crits is great as it sums up all sources of bonus damage and multiplies them all, gauntlets of weapon expertise (2) emotion hope (2) holy power (4) 30 strength (10) thats like 54 extra crit.

big black flying-death hits 69 (nice) 1.5x 2 hander str bonus

doesn't all have to be ranged weapons the 2d8 halberd of hate x3 crits does monster damage when you can force it to roll 16 base damage every time.

damage resistance isn't much of an issue, slashing, piercing, bludgeoning all have x3 crit weapons available to wield.

 

While it is true that fewer monsters resist blunt damage, I find that the greater number of attacks per round of bows will in general outdo the damage of slings and crossbows.
Yes, there are specific monsters that will resist, but you can have your back lines have a backup sling or just let somebody with a mace or hammer take care of those foes.
That said, I don't go out of my way to get feats/proficiencies for spellcasters. If the wizard or cleric is an elf I might give them a long bow, but otherwise I'll give them a crossbow or sling.
I like to try to have at least one character that can use each type of magical projectile you collect because they are so expensive and there are foes that need magic weapons to be hit.
I tend to default to bows because you get the most of both them and arrows, and because only some classes come with proficiency to use them while anybody can use a sling and most can use a crossbow (in IWD2). It is particularly true about finding TONS of normal arrows for free to the point where I don't think I've ever bought arrows in any Infinity Engine game save possibly my first run of BG1, although I have bought bullets and darts. Of course, I also use the ease-of-use/G3 Tweaks/Tweaks Anthology mod to allow me stack virtually infinite arrows of the same type.
I haven't run out of normal arrows in any of the Infinity Engine games despite never buying them and favoring them over magical ones unless an enemy is resistant.
Although that doesn't stop me from having one archer use the returning target arrow in IWD2. I just assign the normal arrows to other archers and give whoever tends to shoot the most the target arrow. (Also in BG2 I give the quiver of plenty with the magical arrows to whoever has the highest THAC0, usually the thief since all the NPC thieves (Nalia, Jan, Ioen, Yoshimo) use shortbows. Warriors like Minsc keep the 2,500-5,000 normal arrows I've picked up by then.)

I feel if I have all six party members use slings there wouldn't be enough magical bullets to go around, even if I do favor normal bullets when possible. So I tend to have as many bowmen as possible, and strive (though rarely achieve this) to have 1 crossbowman, 1 slinger, and four archers, with two party members using darts or axes as a backup weapon. Usually I wind up with 2 archers, a slinger, a crossbowman, somebody using darts, and my front-line tank using throwing axes (get rid of the normal 4lb ones first, and never buy axes, then switch to halft-over-head) as their rarely-used ranged option, and carry the party's worst bow as a backup for when more range is needed like when shooting the orcs behind the barrels in the first part of the Shangarne).

 

Bows don't especially get more attacks per round although they did in some I.E games.
Slings, Bows, Select magic crossbows, Throwing weapons. all can hit 5 APR.

Everlast arrows are pretty available, the Icewall and both floors of the Ice temple do have 1 fixed container so three are easy to get early.

Returning flame bullets +1 are a bit trickier, 2 from Lord Pyros gifts are the easy ones but quite deep into the game; Aruma Blane and Limha can drop them as random loot; White wyrm nest can save scum for them.

Returning throwing weapons show up consistently, chapter 1 bludgeoning axe, mage killer from Ennelia, Shocking burst from battlesquares, ice temple throwing darts (mediocre but do return) Lamia's Tongue in River caves, Throwing hammer of thunder from Underdark dwarf merchant. Flying-death two hander axe Kuldahar merchant, Poisonfang in Serpent temple.

My item break down is slings/throwing mixed onto clerics. wiz/sorc lean on bows or Hagnen's Folly from Andora village
save scum top of the war tower for Heavy Crossbow of Accuracy +4 , as a treat

Iyachtu Xvim, Isair, Madae all weak to electric and cold so a target for all those frost and sparkling crossbow bolts

 

I honestly only remember two everlast arrows, but it's been a while.

 

yeah been taking more notes on things

1 is west of the entrance to the temple ar4100
1 is in the hidden rooms right after entering the temple ar4101
1 is in a crate inside the locked room you need Oria's temple key on the second floor ar4102

Only upgrade to Everlast arrows is Returning poison arrows but they only seem to be random loot.

Can't believe i'd overlooked it for so long but Galloway trade depot (Targos) does sell a basic returning throwing hammer

Goblin warrens has the first returning throwing dart of frost, Nickademus cabinet has one too.