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2-member parties

This forum is to be used for all discussions pertaining to Black Isle Studios' Icewind Dale II.
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marc-arc
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2-member parties

Post by marc-arc »

Moving from Baldur's Gate II (ToB) on to Icewind Dale II was just like advancing from Heroes of Might and Magic III to IV. That is, very strange...
Once you got the 2E rules straight, there was no stopping you in BG2. and i had it all covered, the THAC0, the saving throw system, the AC and so on. Just like i had in HOMM3. However, things changed a lot with the 3E rules. This gigantic number of options that i get managed to confuse the BG2 player in me.
I tried thinking up a way to solo IWD2, but i couldn't come up with a viable solution. because either you like it or not, this game is a lot more about firepower than BG. So, i decided to come up with a 2-member party so as to actually differentiate the spell-casting ranged somewhat tank from the... uhm... cannon fodder. You see, during BG you could easily advance through enemy ranks because you had the possibility of taking them out one at a time. no such tactic here, 'cause once you attack one enemy the whole bunch attacks. so this means i have to web or stink cloud or something them, and leave the rest to "meet my axe", while the spellcaster spellblasts the webbed ones as best he can.
the main problem that i find is that, with the THAC0 modified, i don't know the mechanics of actually getting my characters to deliver MORE blows than the opposition. can you tell me what i should do to actually hit my targets? and what about the number of attacks per round? does that change? how?
so these are my two fiends:
1. human (so i get access to all classes) barbarian 3 fighter 3 weilding an axe and a shield (i've only started and i'm still in the first chapter), and occasionally a crossbow. 14 str 15 dex 16 con 12 int. should i go for two weapon fighting or not? it might increase damage but it certainly lowers my AC... don't know if i can afford that...
2. half-elf (access to all classes) druid 3 conjurer 3. want her to eventually grab that shapechange at lvl 5. 18 dex 12 con 13 int 14 wis. she's got the bow. i would go for the rogue class just so i get the skill points and pour them into knowledge and concentration and others. i don't think you need a rogue anyway in this game...
so that's them. think you could gimme some hints as to what feats i should take? or what lvls i should go for next?
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silverdragon72
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Post by silverdragon72 »

.

welcome to the forum!

for game mechanics have a look at my powergaming guide (sticky on top of the forum) additional you will find a link to the JUPP-guide there - reading especially JUPP will help to understand game mechanics much!

concerning a 2 PC party I would suggest the combination PC2 and PC4 or PC1 and PC3 from my guide...

...but better go with more then 2 especially if you are new to the game and/or want to go for HOF!

.
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marc-arc
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Post by marc-arc »

i don't actually want to powergame. i just want to see if a 2 PC party can finish the game. and i think i'm gonna mix in some rogue levels in there after all... it might be useful. anyways, i had no major problems until now and i'm halfway through the 1st chapter. i'll see how things are going and tell you about my progress. and also thanks for the JUPP guide!
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Dedigan
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Post by Dedigan »

The biggest problem with running a two (or one or three) person party is that after you get past the prelude, it becomes almost absurdly easy, especially if you have a decent sorcerer. The game was well designed so that certain spells are attained at certain points, so that you don't gain fireball, for example, before a certain battle. With a six person party, your wizard gets to that point at almost exactly the time you gain the scroll. With a two person party, you are almost (or past, for all I know) at that point now where a pure wizard would be able to cast fireball if he had the scroll.

Anyhow, your two person party is either planned differently than I suspect it is, or it's fatally flawed. Your spell caster currently has wisdom 14, intelligence 13. As time goes by, then she will only be able to cast 4th level druid spells and 3rd level wizard spells. Even with modifications for level and item gains, it might not be enough to give you all the spells you want or need at the time you need the spells. In order to get all possible spells for druid and wizard, you would need 32 levels out of a possible 30. On the other hand, the right item could get you all the spells when you have access. That build, however, is flawed enough that I would seriously suggest starting over with a druid/sorcerer with higher wisdom and charisma, medium intelligence and dexterity and maybe a few extra points in constitution. That way, you'll get all the spells when it's possible to cast them (scrolls not needed) and you have the stats to cast them.

Anyhow, BAB for a fighter is easy, you gain a point a level, and an extra attack for every 5 points you gain after the first. That means that a 6th level fighter has a BAB of +5/+1, or +5 to hit for the first attack, and +1 for the second attack. Magical gains (except for haste and tensers) don't give you bonus attacks.

Or like SD said, read the powergaming guide.
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