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Creating the Perfect Party in Throne of Bhaal |
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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
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