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Storm of Zehir 6th party member.

This topic is not about optimizing my 4 core characters it is about 6th party member (leadership). Please stay on topic and don't analyze my starting four.

My strategy of the core characters and Umoja the fifth is to use a high AC (super high) Deep gnome as the poiont man and the other characters as ranged. So my 6th character should be ranged build. I have thought of Quarrel or Septimund (with ranged zen archery). The melee sixth characters would be less appealing because they draw agro from the decoy and they get killed themselves.


Ok I've ground the map enough to get my endgame party of four. Umoja is the fifth with his Dino and Druid spells and I might give him Zen Archery.

Here is my team. Umoja and the 6th member will use the adventurer guild to get his last levels. Gold coming out my 'ears'.

• Wild elven Favored Soul level 18 (longbow favored weapon and no constitution hit are the reason for wild elf) (caster buffs, damage)
• Deep Gnome Bard level 15 (decoy high AC character with bard buffs AND high AC) Couldn't hit the broadside of a barn (improved Combat Expertise and low strength)
• Yuan-ti Rogue 13/Ranger 3 (Archer and Over land Map character)
• Yuan-ti Sorceror 9/ Arcane Scholar of Candle Keep7 (caster damage)
• Umoja level 18 Druid (caster buffs, damage)

I thought Quarrel, but I don't know if his invocations are any good or how to play a warlock though I found a nice guide. I thought Septimund as another caster with Zen archery. I thought of Insula and a Dino, but Insula has ranger style dual wield. Finch is good but for some reason a bard draws huge agro. The agro is awesome for my decoy, but sucky for Finch. I don't need Belueth for locks/traps, but he/she has 22 Dex and sneak attack. Also I already have 4 casters to micromanage, though Belueth would need positioning for sneak attack micro manage. Bows get sneak attack via positioning.

Here is a link to what Gamebanshee has about the companions http://www.gamebanshee.com/neverwintern ... anions.php

This is just brainstorming session no worries about how expert you are.

We need @scottg

Your playstyle is completely different from mine, I prefer more melee-oriented team that goes for endurance with magic used mostly for support over longer no-resting periods and in a party of 4- Favoured Soul/Warpriest, Cleric or Druid/Stormlord, Rogue/Assasin all melee decent to good fighters, and a Ranger with a bow I wanted to try some unorthodox spellcaster and tried Quarrel - he fit my party really well since I had enough buffs from FS and Cleric(Druid) and wanted some pure magical ranged damage.

Figuring Warlock out is pretty easy since he has a limited number of spells available and as such stands far away and queues his blots till kingdom come. Also not reliant on resting and does not requires a lot of micromanaging.

Having said that I'm not sure how he would fit your party neither how he would work in a 6-man group. But if you are not going for optimal performance, and like to not have your resources run out, having a Warlock is just plain fun as far as I'm concerned.

Claudius wrote:We need @scottg

I've never used any of the in-game characters for anything more than crafting. They are just "card-board" to me.

On the other hand as I mentioned in the XP post, there are advantages to using them and not having a party chock-full of your own characters.


About final battle strategy: Best practice in SOZ

Mob/Minnons first, "Boss" after (because he is melee-oriented).

Magic for the minion mobs (area effects), and

Fully enchanted bows AND arrows for your attackers (..with buffs for high attacks and added attacks), directed on the "boss". Make sure to use cold iron arrows or preferably adamantium arrows. Note that adamantium's added +2 damage does NOT take up one of the 3 enchantment slots. Both types of arrows can be purchased from sources in West Harbor AFTER you have taken care of their problems.

Note that just two well-crafted bow attackers with the proper enchantments and arrow-type can take-down the boss rather quickly.

If you do it right a decoy isn't needed.



Melee is an absolute waste at this final battle, and often get's in the way of a good strategy.

1st attack assuming poorly optimized spell-casting (..i.e. spell casters without spell penetration and high DC's to the large radius spells you need like Weird or Wail):

MKD from the Sorcerer or perhaps the Bard/Rogue with a scroll centered on tough caster opponents. Rogue is often the best choice here with a higher initiative assuming its UMD skill is high enough to cast the spell. It's also best to use a Rogue for this even if you have a caster capable of casting that spell from their "spellbook", instead that caster should be waiting 3 seconds for making their damage-casting attack. IF you have a Bard near them then also have the Bard use Curse Song (to lower saves) at the same time MKD is cast.

- wait half a round (3 seconds in-game) for your other characters and then use your area effect spells to "blanket" the entire "minion" area. Of course it was designed so that when doing this you'll have overlap on your toughest caster opponents (..i.e. they are standing in the middle). This provides that slight delay for MKD to work.

Usually hit them with as much power as possible.. Delayed Fireball Blast Empowered is always a good choice for one of the casters assuming Spell Resistance is lowered with MKD. Even with a reflex save a level 18 character firing this off should be able to do at least half of the damage necessary to kill any minion within the area effect. Horrid Wilting empowered is the alternative for a ASoCK.

Druids: Earthquake (..particularly if your foes have been cursed by your Bard). Clerics: Firestorm.

(..this is assuming non-Kaedrins.)


2nd: finish off all minions (including the "chanters") and slow the "boss" down with multiple grease castings (which have no save (to the slow effect) and no spell resistance). Consider casting Grease extended and always over-lap the area effects with a bit of offset to their radius's.

3rd: concentrate bow attacks on "boss".

Scottg wrote:

On the other hand as I mentioned in the XP post, there are advantages to using them and not having a party chock-full of your own characters.

Wait, are you telling there's a way to make a full party of 6 with characters created by you? I've always thought you could only go 1-4 PCs and 1-2 NPCs

No, Q, the sixth (and 5th) are cohorts. I used Umoja as the 5th and thinking of Belueth as a 6th.


Scottg, what is MKD? Mordenkainen's Disjunction? I'll have to use a rogue/scroll because my sorcerer doesn't have it! (only 16th level)

Claudius wrote:

Scottg, what is MKD? Mordenkainen's Disjunction? I'll have to use a rogue/scroll because my sorcerer doesn't have it! (only 16th level)

Yes. I'm not sure you'll have access to it though, IF you do then it will be from the Red Wizard Enclave in Neverwinter after doing most of their quests.

If not, stick to spells without a spell resistance component - i.e. multiple Earthquakes all at once. Simultaneously the Sorcerer, Bard, & Rogue using Greater Shout. (..which should be for sale at the Red Wizard Enclave).

I've always thought you could only go 1-4 PCs and 1-2 NPCs

Yes, that's correct.

What I was trying to comment on was using ONLY NPCs (with the exception of 1 PC), under the method mentioned here:

http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/threa ... st-1115115

Claudius wrote: I thought Quarrel, but I don't know if his invocations are any good or how to play a warlock though I found a nice guide.

Quarrel is a good option with Kaedrins installed and the right feats + the right invocations.