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I wanted to try a game with a four (or even three) person party and I figured I need a thief, a mage, a cleric and a fighter at the minimum so I thought

1. Jan because he gives me a good enough thief and a mage
2. Korgan because he is a tank
3. Viconia as the best cleric

and that would leave me. I kind of figured that a multi class would be best because it would give me more flexibility and I need another fighter. What does the board think?

Would a multi class fighter be more of a benefit than a true fighter? Would one of the specialty fighter types be more helpful? Or would a totally differant arrangement work better?

Thanks

I'd say make a fighter/mage dual class (either berserker/mage or kensai/mage) or a sorceror. Jan alone won't give you the offensive magic power needed IMO, since he's multi class he'll have no high level spells until later in the game and he has no access to some good spells because he is a illusionist (Horrid Wilting for example).
A bard (especially blade) would work well, too, if you're looking for more of a challenge, but I know some people don't like that class

You'll miss out on some nice drudic spells with the proposed party. I'd say switch Korgan for Jaheira. Then switch Viccy for Anomen, who will hold his ground much better in combat. As you play with only four characters, you'll level up pretty fast so I don't agree with Numinor saying Jan won't be enough. Then play a Blade yourself, Numinor is correct there! The party would then be:

You - Blade (dual for example Long Swords or Katanas and alternate with a Short Bow, make sure to memorize Tenser's)

Jaheira - Fighter/Druid (I recommend a Club with a shield and Ironskin for tougher battles - she'll be untouchable)

Anomen - Fighter/Cleric (your main tank, use him with Flail or Hammer, dual or with a shield, use lots of buff spells)

Jan - Thief/Illusionist (X-Bow and Staff/Short Sword will do fine, keep him in the back)

You will miss out on exactly nothing with this party, good luck!

Here are some suggestions:

Swashbuckler or Fighter/Thief (multi-class if you're playing Throne of Bhaal, dual-class if you aren't)
Mage (Edwin or Imoen)
Cleric or Fighter/Cleric (Viconia, Anomen, or Jaheira)
(optional) an extra "Tank" (Korgan, Minsc, etc.)

Fighter/Cleric or Cleric/Ranger
Thief dualled to a Mage (Imoen)
an extra "Tank" (Korgan, Minsc, etc.)

You will need one more melee character to finish your party off. It depends on how YOU want to appoach the game.

If melee is more your choice then go with some type of fighter. I would suggest a Paladin (Imagine that) or just a straight fighter.

If you want to get more into spell casting then I would suggest a Fighter/Mage or a Half Elf F/C/MU if Baulders Gate allows this class.

I would also suggest adding either Jaheria or Aerie to allow for the romance storyline to play out with your PC.


What doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

Try out having
Haer Dalis- Normally i wouldn't suggest him but i guess he's pretty good.
Jan-Pretty powerful and those 2 can be the mages
Sarevok- Very good with Silver Sword
Your P.C could be a dualed beserker to a cleric


You would have :
2 Great front liners (Sarevok, P.C)
1 Backup (Haer-Dalis)
1 Thief and backup mage (Jan)
1 Beserker/Cleric ( P.C )

All suggestions do ofcourse work. I like Zoot's team. With just one change. If you have ToB, and you need it to use sarevok, then PC as a halfelven ranger/cleric, haerdalis and jan. Tough but fairly fast levelling makes for a capable party. And for ToB you add in Sarevok.
I had lots of fun with the foursome of PC, romance, Imoen, Sarevok. That way you dont miss out on any of the storyline either. Then depending on what romance you go for you have different options for your PC. If you dont play a thief yourself then pick up yosh or jan until you get imoen back. Basically you can't go wrong whatever choice you make.
For a challenge perhaps go with: PC Wizardslayer, Nalia, Cernd and aerie. Aerie would love to romance a wizardslayer dont you think?

Hmmm...

I think we could give you more useful advice if we knew a bit more about your play style - do you usually go melee heavy, caster heavy, or what? I'd probably field two melees. preferably at least one of them being a priest dual/multi-class, an arcane caster (my taste would run to a sorceror) and a rogue.

NPCs for those roles
Rogue: Jan - you can go Yoshimo/Imoen in a pinch, she has the rogue skills you REALLY need, possibly HD. Take Valen if you want mega-cheese.
Arcane caster: Edwin, Tashia, Kelsey - I'd take Edwin hacked to a sorceror, myself
Priestly melee - Jaheira or Anomen
Other melee - Keldorn, Korgan, Mazzy, Minsc, Sarevok, Solaufein, Valygar. Flavour to taste.

This lets out Viconia (just too fragile for a small party, IMAO), Aerie, Nalia (go Imoen if you must have a thief dualed to mage) and poor old Cernd.

Or just please yourself.

try this make a thief-assassin is th best in my opinion
edwin-mage
viconia-cleric
korgan-figher

or(multiplayer)
kensai/mage
barbarian
cleric/thief
sorceror

or

figher/mage
aerie
keldorn
jan


but why don't you solo?it's far better and funnier than make a party..........

Originally posted by FilipeTeles
but why don't you solo?it's far better and funnier than make a party..........

That may be your opinion....
personally I find soloing booooring, tried it once, never finished that game

At TOB i have a party which is different to the 1 i suggested.
P.C- Archer
Haer-Dalis
Aerie
Korgan

BTW i started this party right at TOB, so can i romance Aerie now or do i have 2 import from SOA game to romance

Romances only work if you imported them from SoA,.

Originally posted by G$$
I wanted to try a game with a four (or even three) person party and I figured I need a thief, a mage, a cleric and a fighter at the minimum so I thought

1. Jan because he gives me a good enough thief and a mage
2. Korgan because he is a tank
3. Viconia as the best cleric

and that would leave me. I kind of figured that a multi class would be best because it would give me more flexibility and I need another fighter. What does the board think?

Would a multi class fighter be more of a benefit than a true fighter? Would one of the specialty fighter types be more helpful? Or would a totally differant arrangement work better?

Thanks

Actually that sounds like a very nice party. You can romance Viccy, and Viccy, Jan and Korgy feed on each other for a lot of very funny dialog. If you make your PC either neutral or evil and keep the party rep down to about 14 you will all get along just fine. Korgy is not only a superb tank but his berserker ability makes him a mage killing machine. Viccy's Turn Undead abilities should be really interesting as well, as instead of fleeing the undead will become your zombie army. Jan is fantastic in a small party as he levels up quickly. If you have TOB installed he will eventually get the spike traps, UAI ability, etc that lets him rock. He would do even better in a party of only 3. You really don't need another fighter but it would be okay if your PC was a dualed fighter/cleric or fighter/thief. If you intend to keep Immy in the party once you rescue her she would be your second mage (In that case I wouldn't start with a party of 4).

I'd recommend adding to the party in increments if you are dualing your PC. Jan should be sufficient to protect you once you dual class and until you regain your old fighter abilities. Then pick up the other two party members. You might really enjoy the early part of the game with just Jan for backup - he is actually a pretty efficient killer with the right group distrupting spells (cloudkill, web, chaos, horror, etc). Make it a priority to buy him the belt in the Adventurer's Mart that gives the wearer 18 STR. This way both your PC and Jan will level up the quickest and become extremely effective. You will want Jan's trap skills maxed out as soon as possible. Don't worry about detect invisibility and stealth skills. Of course his find traps and pick lock skills will be of high priority as well. For really awesome thief fun make your PC a fighter/thief so he gets the traps as well. Have fun and try to fight the urge to keep adding more NPCs to the party. Personally I would go with a 3 member party - a PC and two NPCs then pick up Immy mid-game.

You can still get all the NPC side quests by temporarily picking them up in the party and then almost immediately letting them go. This starts their quest clocks running and you can just pick them up again from time to time to see if their quests are ready. Pick up Valygar only long enough to open the planar sphere and then leave him at the entrance. Pick up Nalia at her keep, drop her again, finish the keep up to the last troll battle and pick her up again to complete the quest and get the stronghold. If you play a fighter/mage or fighter/thief you can actually get two strongholds if you play the dialogs correctly.

I tried 3 and 4 members, ToB installed - my impressions:

4 members: PC halfling F/T, Edwin, Korgan, Viconia (added another evil NPC in ToB)
This party was awfully good, my F/T halfling, using weapons of adequate size (short swords and daggers) easily outmatched Korgan in bodycount stats and Korgan wielded Crom ... Short Sword of Mask is a major killer. Thieves are fun to play btw, because the PC is in the main role a lot, scouting, backstabbing, trap detecting, lock picking.

3 members: PC half-orc C/T, Edwin, Korgan
My HDD crashed in Underdark, but at that point all members had HLA. C/T is not a powergaming class, but with UAI the PC got pretty scary anyway.

A word of warning: Don't go below level three of Watcher's Keep if you have ToB installed and a small party. You spoil SoA because you get so damn powerful that every single character can deal with almost every situation alone. Planetars in Underdark lay waste, UAI makes your PC a monster and so on, get the container items in WK and save the rest and the XP for the ToB part ...

So did you actually start a 4-person party?
3 or 4 is ideal really. Many dungeon hallways are to narrow for 6 anyway...
Would be interesting to hear what you decided.

right now

Actually right now I am vainly trying to kill Kangaxx with a six person party but I have read up on the strategies and perhaps I can get him this time. I didn't know protection from undead would keep him from imprisoning me.

For some reason, Keldorn and the +5 sword won't damage him but Aerie's +4 staff will. I am going to try to just have Aerie cast a bunch of spell immunities (I have 4) and Jaheira cast summoning while everyone else takes a smoke break.

Anyway, I have played several good parties and i have a hankering to play a bad one so I wand Korgan and Jan and in that party Viconia just kind of fits. That leaves me I have never played a blade or a kensai so I think I will try one of those multi classed with a mage.

Re: right now

Originally posted by G$$
Actually right now I am vainly trying to kill Kangaxx with a six person party but I have read up on the strategies and perhaps I can get him this time. I didn't know protection from undead would keep him from imprisoning me.

For some reason, Keldorn and the +5 sword won't damage him but Aerie's +4 staff will. I am going to try to just have Aerie cast a bunch of spell immunities (I have 4) and Jaheira cast summoning while everyone else takes a smoke break.

Anyway, I have played several good parties and i have a hankering to play a bad one so I wand Korgan and Jan and in that party Viconia just kind of fits. That leaves me I have never played a blade or a kensai so I think I will try one of those multi classed with a mage.

You can't multiclass a Blade or a Kensai. You can't Dual a Blade either but a Kensai/Mage is possible, and one of the more popular combos.

Elven Stalker PC
Aerie
Yoshimo
Anomen

Aerie and Yoshimo in the back, both ranged.
Anomen the frontman and the Stalker will be the one man army hidden in the shadows of amn...

Actually you can play a multi-class Kensai/Mage or Kensai/Thief if you use ShadowKeeper. I consider this a very low level of cheating since it gets around a programming limitation rather than a game rules one.

Use the mace+1 againsy undead you find in bodhi lair and upgrade it to mace +2 with the ilhitium.............I killed kangaax demi lich in one strike with viconia just use the protection fom unded scroll when you kill him in the lich form.............