GameBanshee Forums

This is the party I've just started a new game with:
Human Bard
Paladin
Fighter dualed to Druid at lvl 1
Cleric/Thief (multi)

I feel I've got the basics covered. Still, I'm worried that my party will be lacking, either in the magic or in melee dept. Are there any changes I should make? I'm pretty familiar with the gameplay, having played through the BGseries a few times, but I've never finished IWD and the last I tried was ages ago. If I collect all the magic scrolls I come across, will my Bard be able to handle the magic chores? Will my Paladin be able to handle the melee challenge?

You're bard won't have the same volume of spells that a mage would have but he should still manage magic fairly well. He won't be the greatest spellcaster but your druid should more than make up for that.

The fact that your paladin is your only tank concerns me somewhat. I usually play with a 6-person team and have at least two tanks. However, due to you smaller party size, you should level much faster. I've also found that clerics make fairly good tanks as well.

A few tips, once your bard reaches level 11 or so, which will likely be very quick, he gains a song that grants regeneration. This will cut down on your healing between battles and those open spell slots on your cleric and druid can be used on buffs.

Turn undead will save your life more than once to be sure. Even if you don't obliterate them, turning them can break up a fight into much more manageble battles.

You have a pretty solid party.

Your cleric is more than capable in serving as a tank. I assume it's a multiclass so that you wouldn't need to make a character to take on the thief role, so most of your skill points would probably go to pick locks and detect traps.

Your bard will also make a great tank, possibly a better one than the paladin. It has a powerful melee presence as well. To have him/her stand back and sing would be shameful. Instead just have the song running outside of battle, or for a round during battle, as after its termination, the effect stays for a few rounds.

I personally like to use the bard as a buffed up fighter, rather than a spellcaster, and akin to the BG series, they can cast only up to level six spells. For those spells, he would be better than a mage, because of the faster rise in levels, thus more power. In the end however, comparing a level thirty mage to a level thirty bard (if you have HoW installed), the power of the spells will even out, with the mage being able to cast up to level nine and thus being better suited.

The weakness is that you only have 4 characters, but else your party is fine. How difficult the game will be depends also on your characters' stats and weapon proficiencies.
I recommend taking 3 fighter levels before dualing to druid so you can either master your melee or ranged weapon.

It will be fine. You've got a dedicated warrior, two priestly casters, a thief, and enough mage spells to get by.