New IWD party

[GawainBS]

Once again, despite having played a lot of RPG's these days, I'm thinking of restarting IWD, HoW and TotLM.
My party is going to be:
Half-Elf Bard.
Human Ftr 9 ---> Mage.
Dwarf Ftr/Thief.
Human Ftr 9 ---> Druid or Cleric.
Here's the question: Druid or Cleric? Didn't see that one coming, did you?
I'm wondering if the extra offensive punch makes up for the lack of buffing spells?

Thanks in advance!

[kmonster]

250,000 XP without a single healing spell is a long time.
Dualing to cleric should yield an easier game, but if it's more fun that way is another question.

[GawainBS]

I know it's a long time without healing, but I plan on buying a lot of healing at the temples in the beginning. The problem is: I want a four-man party, but I also want a bard, a mage, an some sort of thief that can hold his own in combat. Maybe I could go for a multiclass Cleric or Druid.

[Thrasher91604]

That's a lot of potion guzzling.. Could get expensive.

You can always save before resting and reloading if monsters spawn, but i find that cheesey and tedious...

[GawainBS]

I went with a multiclass Ftr/Clr. I think the added offensive of Druid spells doesn't benefit the group as much as the extra buffs do. Besides, as a multiclass, he can be a Dwarf.

[Aerich]

You could also go the R/Cl route, as it will eventually get some druid spells.

I personally wouldn't bother with a bard in a 4-character party. The less characters you have, the more you need them to do, and a bard is mostly a nice support character.

I'd go with a R/C, F/D, F/T, and F/M, with at least three of the four being multiclassed.

[GawainBS]

I'm one of those people that adamantly believe in the bard.
I already played a Ranger/Cleric, that's why I'm looking for something else.

[kmonster]

If you want to try a druid you can also drop your mage since a bard offers sufficient arcane power for a party.

[GawainBS]

Thanks for the suggestion. However, do you feel that the druid spells are any good?

[kmonster]

They were good enough to solo a fighter/druid through HoF mode without using potions.

[Aerich]

The druid spells are great. They've got some of the best damaging spells and summoning spells in the game. Add in the damage resistance of the high level shapechanges, and they're even better.

[GawainBS]

Originally Posted by kmonster

They were good enough to solo a fighter/druid through HoF mode without using potions.

This picked my intrest. How did you deal with traps? Did you start HoF with a 1st lvl character?

[kmonster]

She started as unequipped level 1 character. Traps are not really a problem in IWD, especially if you have a fast levelling character. You've enough HP to take the damage and your saving throws are so low that you nearly always succeed.

[Klorox]

IWD has a few very different levels of power as opposed to BG2.

In BG, Druids and Bards are kind of weak. In IWD, they're probably two of the most powerful classes.

I've had Static Charge active since I could cast it as a Druid, and it's very rare when I have my Bard do anything but sing! With the Bone Marrow Belt, my Druid is my best tank also.

[GawainBS]

I think bards in BGII are rather powerful as well, even in BGI.
But I agree on the fact that in IWD, they're even better.