Party Composition, Here we go again... Options

[Zarathustra]

For a new game (having messed up my first, highly educational one), I'd like to form a very strong party composed of Bioware NPCs (with minor or appropriate tweaks, e.g. Anomen -> Priest of Helm or Minsc -> Berserker). In the hope that I'm not bothering anyone, I'd like to submit the following for the resident experts' 'approval'.

PC Vagrant - axe, long sword, flail, club
Minsc (SK'ed to Berserker) - greatsword, halberd, spear
Anomen - hammer, mace, flail
Haer'Dalis - short sword, scimitar, dagger, long sword
Cernd - staff, spear
Nalia -> Imoen - staff, dagger

Now, I have two problems with this party: first, it contains two characters who will never be able to do anything much in melee, and one who will shine defensively but not do much damage. (In my last game, two straight warriors and two semi-warriors seemed barely enough, even when buffed to the rim.) Secondly, while I would like a sorceress at least from Chapter 4 onwards, that would mean wasting much experience on Nalia.


So my questions are:

(1) Is a Berserker (with Minsc's stats and two-handed weapon focus) preferable to Valygar (with his powerful equipment in late SoA) or even Keldorn (I am quite wary of him in IA)?

(2) Is the party as a whole capable of enough melee havoc, in your opinion?

(3) Is Nalia preferable to Imoen in the long run? I'd have them both again, but that seemed like overkill (then again, I didn't make it all that far...).


Of course, any quite unrelated or unorthodox advice on party composition is welcome!

This post has been edited by Zarathustra: Feb 3 2008, 08:28 PM

[Ryel ril Ers]

Seems a good party. In the first part of game haer'dalis can do good damage with minute meteor + offensive spin combination. His thaco lowered very good if you cast on him 2 strength spell (make him 18/00 strength). I suggest to put the first prof to katana and buy the dak'kon blade to him because he get one more magic missile, mirror image, minute meteor and stoneskin, and his armor class lowered. His dexterity good so he have very good armor class with a spirit armor and the dak'kon blade (if you by it always equip in the left hand because after he casted a meteor the bonus slots missing). With defensive spin and some protection item he can reach -24 ac. Once he get a level 6 slot he can transform a real slayer with tenser transformation.

Shadan always say the auramaster is shine in the early and middle game but sucks in the late game. You write you will change Anomen to Helm priest. Do you think single class priest? If you think you will sucks because the single class priest cannot able to fight well. If you not think the single class than Anomen will be good character and i suggest to change cernd to aerie. You get a second arcane and a second divine caster, and you can combine the two magic with seqencers, and contigencies. She is a very good support caster.

Jaheira as ranger/cleric is very good fighter and a decent tank. So if you want druidic spells i suggest her.

Don't change Nalia because you won't have thief so you lose lots of xp, and she is very good caster with her enchanted ring.

If you like the sorcerers do a custom instead cernd or create a custom wild mage instead it. I think the wild mage the best caster in the early game and if you cannot like it you can change it to Imoen.

I think Minsc better choice than Valygar. But i better like the barbarian because the barbarian rage adds better bonuses than the berserkers (+4 strength and cons). They loses the grand mastery but if you like 3 type weapon you cannot reach it only high level, and that time the barbarian get 20% weapon immunity so with a warblade +5 and hardiness you can reach 70% physical immunity. You will be fast and you have better hp 1.2x.