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]

I think Nalia is enough for thief, but if you like better Imoen then a half-thief class is good choice for the 5. position.
The cleric thief is a useful character but she cannot do anything in battles, because you need too much buff to make her a decent fighter. I use a cleric/thief in my party, (see my walkthrough) but he is very boring character in the battles. I usually use him to heal and detec illusions, and sometimes he tries some prebuff and hold person. In the late game he will more usable (i hope).

There is a very annoying thing about the cleric/thief:
the thieving button is in the special ability group because the turn undead is in there playe so you must click two time to disarm a trap or lock a pick.
I think one-and-half o two arcane caster much better than the same amount divine casters.
Why the clerical spells better to tanking than the arcanes?

Not forget that viconia have 65% magic resistant so she can disract lots of enemy spell if she is alone. You have good melee power so you not need at all cost one more melee character. Some idea:

Viconia as Cleric/Thief:
the support character

Viconia as Cleric
change Anomen to Jaheira so you get a exotic cleric and a good fighter and a decent tank tank (if you change jahe to Ranger/Cleric).

Viconia as Fighter/Cleric:
Not as good as a Ranger/Cleric but you have the magic res and the ranger/cleric is not fit to Vicy.

Viconia as Fighter/Thief
Viconia forsoke Lolth, and he workship to Shar, but she never said that she is the cleric of Shar. Shar is the protector of thives and Viconia must fight lot in the surface so the fighter/thief fits well to her. She easily raise her magic resistant to 100% and she can use the grandfather of assasins too.

Viconia as Fighter/Mage/Thief
My choice with one of my party. I started with the last case but my PC was a Mage so i think he though Viconia a bit so it is logical. She lose 1-2 level from her classes but she get a mage class and she will be a very good tank.

Viconia as Fighter/Mage/Cleric
Not fit as well than the others but this is a very useful and strong character. You get HLA as a natur Fighter/Cleric but you can use arcene/divine combos like a Cleric/Mage. She is a very good fighter because the offensive divine buffs and she is very good fighter because her defensive arcane buffs.

Aerie
You don't necessary need one more melee char so she is a perfect support caster if you choose Nalia and not Imoen. Love triangle.

Jan Jansen
Specialist mage and a thief in one person. He has funny stories and good items. In the battle he is a decent mage and out the battle he is a very good thief.

Jaheira as Cleric/Ranger
Good quests and a romance. If she is in the party you get a Ring of Wizardry and some good item. She is decent tank and a good fighter.