Perfect Party #7
Can't claim this to be THE best party - there are so many possibilities and permutations and individual gaming styles that there surely cannot be one perfect party. Still, I found this party capable of dealing with each and every situation without having to resort to spoiling tactics (like setting obscene numbers of traps under spawn points - what a dull way to win).

My party:
1. Human Inquisitor
2. Beserker (to lvl 15) then dual to Cleric
3. Wizard-Slayer (to lvl 15) then dual to Thief
4. Kensai (to lvl 15) then dual to Mage

And my reasons: Only 4 characters so as to gain experience quicker. Warriors can walk through the early stages and the hits help later when you dual-class. By the time you dual-class you will have reached a stage where the experience comes quick and fast, so it won't take long to reactivate. The main weakness is traps early on because you can't disarm them without a thief. To be honest though, with most traps the only reason to waste time detecting and disarming them is to pick up the experience! These classes are capable of utilising all the main items and providing all the main skills required to complete the game within the rules and the spirit of the game. I hate the idea of resorting to trapping pre-spawn, I dislike continual re-loading, I hate having to resurrect characters when I could keep them alive instead and I prefer to rest only when fatigued rather than to replenish my life/traps etc. Not a criticism of those who do - it's just my style.

1. Human Inquisitor: Has to carry the party for a while after they spawn. He'll have Carsomyr by then and there's no-one better to do that. In the early stages you can do without a mage by using his True Sight and Dispel Magic. His Deva can be handy too. Obviously max out Str, Dex and Con, but also keep Cha high - then you can forget the Ring of Human Influence; use the slot for something more fun and don't bother with changing rings all the time. Points in Two Handed and 2-H Sword obviously. An alternative would be to use a monk. He has the advantage later of magic resistance (well over 100 by the end, including items) and pretty much only has to worry about the Imprisonment spell. He also can detect traps early in the game. The Wizard-Slayer-Thief can then use Carsomyr, if you're determined!

2. Beserker-Cleric: Just a barrel of laughs. Will use Crom Faeyr and whatever else he fancies (Flail of Ages, Runehammer, Mace of Disruption). Specialist for dealing with Demi-liches (beserkers are immune to Imprisonment). Keeps a good AC even after dualling, so acts as secondary fighter for a short while. Ignore healing spells - they're not much use. I use his spells only as a secondary function - esp. Chaotic Commands and the fighting buffs (the 2nd level Draw Upon Holy Might is fabulous pre-Com Faeyr). Once he gets Crom Faeyr and reactivates as a beserker he's the biggest hitter. Max out the usual options, specialise in dual wielding, warhammer and other blunt weapons.

3. Wizard-Slayer-Thief: Once you get the Use Any Items high level option, this chap is a ripper. He can use Carsomyr if you use a monk instead of a paladin, but the better option is to dual wield long-swords and bastard-swords (there are some good ones in ToB, but not really before). Wears Shadow Dragon mail, can still use stealth, ambushes at x5 with Angurvadal and Answerer (good sword for a Wiz Slayer) or Purifier. He is good for dealing with mages and bosses because he causes cumulative spell failure and reduces magic resistance with each hit (esp. with the Answerer). Can also use bows if you like that sort of thing.

4. Kensai-Mage: Fairly well documented character type. Good once you've done the Twisted Rune and got the Staff. Good for dealing with Mind Flayers because of his intelligence and the invisibility option on the staff. Most people would say this isn't enough casting strength. I disagree, mainly because spells are of limited use against the really hard opponents, especially later in the game. Mostly he is used for removing opponents' protections so that you can whack them properly. If you do Watchers Keep early on, you get enough wands to keep up a steady supply of Breach and Pierce Magic. Use whatever spells suit your style - it is very rare for me to need to use high level spells, although the planetar is pretty nifty!

As with all these "Perfect Parties", they only really come into their own towards the end of the game, when you have all your target items and have reactivated your primary class, but with this group you can get there and still have some game left to play. My acid test is being able to decide how it will deal with each of the main difficult parts of the game: Demi-liches (beserker and mage), dragons (disappointingly easy in BG2), Flayers (Cleric and Mage plus Stealth), Mages (Ambush/Wiz Slayer/Carsomyr/Staff of Magi), Golems (new technique for the really tough ones - attack for 3-4 rounds with Wiz Slayer then Magic Missile/Cloudkill because Wiz Slayer demolishes their magic resistance) and so forth.

Submitted By: Anonymous