Paladin vs. Cleric/Ranger

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This is my second IWD question of the day. I am putting together the following party:

Dwarven Fighter, CN (self-explanatory frontline meatshield and general pain-dealer)

(?)

Half-Elven Bard, NG (you just CAN'T play IWD without a Bard)

Gnomish Fighter/Illusionist, NG (self-buffer with great saving throws)

Human Fighter, TN (dual to Druid at level 3, 7 or 9 for high-level Druid epicness)

Elven Fighter/Thief, NE (not a nasty guy, just selfish; bow specialist)

The (?) indicates where the problem lies. I need a divine spell-caster for the time before my Druid can take over the role, and I would like a secondary tank. A Cleric/Ranger multi-class would fit the spot perfectly, barring one resulting issue: nobody in that party could wield Pale Justice! But if I take a Paladin I have no healer for a large portion of the early game; ideally I want my Fighter to dual to Druid at level 9 to take Grand-Mastery in Scimitars (I rolled an incredible total point score of 90 for him--he's going to be a complete monster later).

I'm playing on Insane difficulty with the aim of moving to the HoW and TotLM expansions, as I've never actually completed this game (chronic restarter syndrome). I would love to hear any advice or thoughts anybody might have on the topic. Many thanks and best wishes.

 

Pale Justice is an awesome weapon, but not a necessity. R/C seems to fit your needs to me. You already have the Dwarven Fighter and a party full of warriors, no need for a Pally then. The only obstacle you will have is when you reach Pale Justice and you can't wield it, you will have to fight the feeling to restart and make a Pally. Believe me I feel your pain... Those evil devs do it to us on purpose!

 

R/C is really great, but I'm having a slight change of heart. I just realised the Druid's tanking abilities are nerfed compared to BG2 (no Iron Skins... ), so whilst I will keep the F>D I will simply dual at 3rd level just to give a fewextra HP and Mastery in Missile Weapons (making a great back-line summoner/buffer, who can stand up a little better in the melee with plate mail and shield). This frees up the other slot from needing to be a divine caster, so I can take the Paladin after all!

 

Straying from the topic a little, but I don't mind--always happy to discuss party composition/strategies.

Firstly, Gnomes are what awesome sauce is made of. Good choice, though I prefer them as F/I to F/T.

Secondly, whilst I understand it's down to personal preference, I have to say I would always take a single-classed Fighter, purely for the eventual GM (first kicks in at level 9, I think?). From a powergaming perspective, it's great having lots of spellslingers, but at least one very strong melee damage dealer is really handy. I seem to remember calculations having been done that show at nearly every stage in the game a single-class Fighter always outmatches a Paladin or R/C in terms of raw damage output (provided they're not being stupid and spreading all their proficiency points out). Pally and R/C are slightly better tanks, but even so a well-equipped Dwarven Fighter can last just as long as them, with his better HP and meaty saves.

 

There are Tons of undead in this game. R/C is much more capable than a Pally against them.

 

Chalk me up as another R/C fan for this particular party.

If what you're looking for is another divine caster who can also tank, then there's no contest - you want either the R/C or, as a compromise candidate, a fighter/cleric, who will have a smaller spell selection but will level much more quickly. A Paladin isn't a divine caster, it's a tank who can also cast a weak retinue of divine spells. I barely have my Paladin cast any spells at all.

Personally - I never, ever use Turn Undead in IE games. The way I see it, if the undead is weak enough to be turned or destroyed, you'll make short work of them when you get within flail range. Plus I hate having to chase them down. This goes double for ToEE.

 

R/C gets my vote, you already have enough dedicated fighter-types.

Druids in this game are like the prototype for druids in future D&D PC games, specializing in persistent spells (eg. entangle, spike growth), weapon spells (eg. beast claw, star metal cudgel) and situational spells (eg. mold touch, moonblade, their shapeshift forms). They are no longer the magekillers/tough casters that they were in BG2. Still, they are well implemented in IWD - druid persistent spells are great for splitting/softening up enemy mobs, beast claw is a very powerful spell for its level while star metal cudgel is one of the most damaging weapons in the game (thanks how to the majority of the enemies you'll be fighting count as "unnatural"), and mold touch can clear entire rooms under the right conditions (cast on a group of random summons, then send them in a room of hostiles while an invisible character watches).

 

Thanks for the input guys. Like I said, I've changed my mind on the development of my F>D, and I pretty much wanted a Paladin all along, just the extra divine healer was necessary before I decided to dual the Druid at a much lower level.

Just started the game last night. The party did pretty well on Insane against the Orc cave and the 4 Ogres at the end (one reload). Fighter dualled to Druid at 3rd level, so I'm pretty much set for the rest of the game now! We'll see how it continues.

And Death Rabbit, I think the only time I use Turn Undead is either for the instant obliteration or mind control effects, when you severely out-level the Undead being fought.

 

I'm slightly regretting going with the paladin now that i have my F/I with stoneskin and mirror image.

Everyone is more or less equal when it comes down to a 20 being rolled against you and auto hitting regardless of buffs/AC.


I've only play from scratch parties in fury mode and I had to keep talking myself into keeping the paladin the main tank since my f/i also happens to be one of my "webbers". Paly did a great job before i canned him, though. I especially liked to use sanctuary after he had eaten a lot of damage.

in retrospect i probably would have made him a fighter 9 --> cleric.