My BG party, tell mme what you think (contains spoilers, for BGI and II)

Klorox · Post by **Klorox** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:39 pm

Hey everybody. I tried out BG a while ago, got into the city of Baldur's Gate, and haven't picked the game up since then. I have TotSC installed, and no mods besides the Baldurdash Fixpack.

I want to start a new game, and eventually send the character into BGII, and all the way to the end of the saga.

I'm thinking of playing a half-elven Cleric/Ranger. I like this multiclass in tabletop D&D, and I've heard many good things about it making an awesome tanking class in BGII.

Here's my final party idea:

Me
Imoen (dual to Conjuror at level 5)
Minsc
Dynaheir
Jaheira
Coran

I plan on taking many other NPCs along the way until I get Coran, because I actually want to be of a fairly low level, so that I can mold his thief skills the way I'd like them to be.

Since Khalid dies in the opening of BGII, this makes me not feel so bad be sending him to an untimely demise soon after picking him up. It also makes me feel a little better about romancing Jaheira in BGII, since she'll have a little more time to mourn his loss (even if she doesn't express this during the game

).

To keep my experience lower, I'll take along Monteron and Xzar at the beginning for a short time. Besides, that first wizard can be tough, and Monty can go soak up some attacks for me. Then, I'll be able to get Jaheira and Khalid into the party. I will then take a trip one screen north on my map, where Khalid will die a valiant death at the hands of a Ankheg, and Ajantis will (convieniently enough) be there to take his place. I'll ditch Monteron and Xzar for Garrick on my journey south, and quickly pick up Minsc (this is all to keep the party full at 6 members, minimizing XP). I'll ditch Garrick in the Gnoll stronghold after getting Dynaheir back, and then I'll be set until Coran comes along. His arrival into my party should be close to the time that Imoen dual classed into Mage, which should work out well. When I do meet up with Coran, it will be time for Ajantis to take a hike.

My final party will be as follows:

Cleric/Ranger protagonist
Imoen (level 5 thief; rest Conjuror)
Jaheira
Minsc
Dynaheir
Coran

I like it, and the party seems pretty balanced to me. What do you think? Any and all advice is welcome.

Stilgar · Post by **Stilgar** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 5:20 pm

Nice party, although i never understood why people want to multiclass imoen. She makes a good thied (on the otherhand so does Coran).

A downside could be that you have 6partymembers and 3 multiclass characters.This reduces your experience.

Why not use gatekeeper to alter Corans stat, that saves you alot of hassle, and its not realy cheating, it's "not agreeing with the developers"

Klorox · Post by **Klorox** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 9:39 pm

Well, if ya wanna get technical, I'm dual classing Imoen, not multiclassing her.

I want to do this because it makes her more versatile. It makes her more powerful. It makes her more valuable to my party.

I like multiclassed characters. They're more versatile, powerful, and therefore more valuable to me. I'd much rather have multiclassed characters in just about any situation I can think of (the exception, aside from classes that can't do it, is the wizard. I prefer to have one of those casting powerful offensive spells ASAP). Multiclassed characters are, in the lower levels, just one level behind a single classed character of the same experience (for the most part).

Thanks for the input, though. I really appreciate it. Perhaps I'll begin tonight!

LotharBot · Post by **LotharBot** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 3:32 am

If you just play just BG1, mutli characters are better than dualed.

But if you play through BG2, dualed characters are a ton more powerful.

This is especially true for druids and mages, who have some levels that take *forever* if you're multi'd. If you dual, the character levels a lot faster in BG2, and spellcasters end up with a lot more high-level spells.

I'm a big fan of the dual fighter (bg2 berserker) / cleric. Take the fighter to level 7 or level 13 (depending on whether it's more important to you to get the extra attack, or to have only a short time dualling) and then dual-class. You basically end up with a high-level cleric with better strength, much higher hitpoints, more weapons proficiencies, and a ton of attacks per round.

Granted, the fighter isn't as fun as a cleric/ranger as a BG1 protagonist.

Do you plan to take those NPC's through BG2 as well, or just your protagonist?

Curry · Post by **Curry** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:44 am

Why would you want to keep your exp low on purpose ? And you really don't need 6 characters in your party.

Galuf the Dwarf · Post by **Galuf the Dwarf** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:29 am

[QUOTE=Klorox]Well, if ya wanna get technical, I'm dual classing Imoen, not multiclassing her.

[/QUOTE]

As you may know, Stilgar and I are a bit more prone* to play D&D games that are 3rd Edition and higher. Since 3rd Edition, all character races multi-class by selecting a level in an applicable class of choice (which may mean no Paladins w/ levels of Barbarian or Bard) upon level-up. In many ways, having a levels in more than one class is quite simplified.

Note: * = more likely to play, but which D&D/Forgotten Realms game Stilgar plays the most is for Stilgar himself to determine

Klorox · Post by **Klorox** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 1:16 pm

[QUOTE=LotharBot]If you just play just BG1, mutli characters are better than dualed.

.....
Do you plan to take those NPC's through BG2 as well, or just your protagonist?[/QUOTE]

1) I like multiclassed characters, because you get to pick HLA's from two pools. Pretty cool!

2)I plan on having Imoen, Jaheira, Minsc (and eventually *S*) in my party. I'm thinking Jan will help a lot (I find him quite funny, he'll be the only mage in Chapters 2 and 3, and I like the Thief HLA's too) as the last member of my team. Going through SoA with only 5 characters will allow me to do a ton more sidequests, and I'll gain XP faster too from the smaller sized party.

[QUOTE=Curry]Why would you want to keep your exp low on purpose ? And you really don't need 6 characters in your party.[/QUOTE]

I was trying to keep my XP low so that I'd get Coran on as low a level as possible. The lower I can get him (he was 3/3 when I picked him up), the more influence I have on his thief skills.

Now he's a great lockpicker for me, and Imoen has a 75 in Trap Detection/Removal (I hope this is enough for the game!).

[QUOTE=Galuf the Dwarf]As you may know, Stilgar and I are a bit more prone* to play D&D games that are 3rd Edition and higher. Since 3rd Edition, all character races multi-class by selecting a level in an applicable class of choice (which may mean no Paladins w/ levels of Barbarian or Bard) upon level-up. In many ways, having a levels in more than one class is quite simplified.

Note: * = more likely to play, but which D&D/Forgotten Realms game Stilgar plays the most is for Stilgar himself to determine[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I know how to play 3e and 3.5, but BG is 2.0, and I don't know anything about your PnP preferences.

Stilgar · Post by **Stilgar** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:54 pm

[QUOTE=Klorox]and I don't know anything about your PnP preferences.[/QUOTE]
Trust me, you dont want to know.

sorry couldnt resist

Galuf the Dwarf · Post by **Galuf the Dwarf** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:33 pm

[QUOTE=Klorox]Yeah, I know how to play 3e and 3.5, but BG is 2.0, and I don't know anything about your PnP preferences.[/QUOTE]

Me, PnP? Unfortunately, I actually don't do that.

If I had more time in life, perhaps I would. I do read & collect the accessories and rulebooks, but that's partly so I can apply my knowledge by them to here.