Custom Party Composition, New player making sure he's going in the right direction. Options

[Graves]

Hello all,

It's a funny set of circumstances that led me to this mod. With Dragon Age coming out soon I became nostalgic for BG2 and decided to play through the game again. As most veterans know, this doesn't take long when you know all of its secrets! Searching for a challenge after that refreshing experience, I started downloading mod after mod that augmented the game's difficulty, but I was consistently bothered by two things: 1) most of these (SCS2) were not really very hard at all; 2) many of them (Tactics) were only difficult because of AI scripts that broke the rules of the game.

I actually stumbled across Improved Anvil by finding a thread on the G3 forums flaming the mod--most of the bad things they said about it actually sounded pretty good to me! So I made my way here, and needless to say, I am pretty hooked. It is a completely different experience compared to the core BG2 game, and this is awesome. Too many players are too hung up on Bioware's vision (which I liked, but have played 1000 times) to try a creative modder's. To me, what Improved Anvil is trying to do is a "real" challenge as opposed to the artificial challenge of most other tactical mods. I have tried many areas and been destroyed by powerful enemies, but I can tell they will be beatable with more levels and tactical experience.

I've yet to progress past becoming the Hero of Trademeet (following the suggested quest order) but I can already tell great things are coming. Trying to get Lilarcor was a real eye-opener...

So the mod is looking great so far. What is not so great is that I keep starting over to find a more ideal group composition! I was hoping that a veteran IA player would look over my thoughts on a slightly non-standard group that I think will work better with my playing style.

1) Vagrant. A very interesting kit and, since it's my first playthrough, I want to see as much content as possible. This needs no further explanation.
2) Sorcerer. Obviously needed. I think I have my spell selection down to a science, focusing on spells that bypass resistance and buff the party's defenses.
3) Berserker->Cleric.
4) Berserker->Mage. 3 and 4 need to be explained together. By making my main healer a Berserker, I gain the ability to become immune to most effects that can shut him down from keeping the others alive. It is for this reason that I'm choosing it over Anomen. The Berserker->Mage can likewise use Berserk to stay in the field when my Sorcerer gets disabled. Together I anticipate saving many reloads. Both will also be formidable fighters.
5) Auramaster. His primary purpose is to be my healer until the Cleric is fully up to speed, since I plan on dualing at 9. After that he has a great role as a general support character.
6) Fighter/Mage/Thief. Can't be beat for all-around utility. His ability to gain backstabs on things vulnerable to them is unsurpassed.

My general strategy once my duals are activated will be to use my Sorcerer as my primary buffer and debuffer while both dual class characters engage in melee until their backup spells are required; the Berserker->Mage will be particularly useful for throwing out random interrupts when my Sorcerer is distracted. I am used to playing on Insane and so I dislike using high HP pools and AC to "tank" enemies, hence every member of my party except the Vagrant and Cleric are able to use Stoneskin and Multi Image. I feel that I will be able to stay in the fray with minimal retreating or reloading with this group composition, but I would be interested in having any flaws in it pointed out to me.

Following advice I've read and some general BG2 knowledge, each character has at least Proficiency in one of each weapon type by ~level 12, except the Cleric of course. Both Berserkers start with Grandmastery and pick up additional profs while leveling up as a Mage and a Cleric. The FMT is starting with ** in Shortswords and *** in TWF, moving to Clubs and then Katanas.

Thanks in advance for any helpful insight.

[darkjeshush]

Strong party, overall. It's actually a good preparation for v6 imo. In v5 Gnome Fighter/Illusionist will outshine a berserker->mage anyday, but in v6 their usefulness might converge. Auramasters will be even better in v6 but are good in v5 as well. F/T is very strong but can be annoying to babysit early on. Alot of enemies will swing at it by default so make sure you jam pack your other close range fighters in as close as possible to avoid focused F/T gibbings at lower-mid levels.

My two cents about your party:
1. Vagrant is full of win. Can't go wrong in tactics or content.
2. You already know what you're doing in the tanking department, so you're good to go.
3. Insane difficulty might not be a good idea lol. Everything going peachy 10 minutes into a long calculated fight, and then randomly chunks of meat are flying everywhere and you're missing a portrait.
4. Backstab isn't that useful in this mod. Tons of enemies later on are immune or will just detect you with zero effort.
5. You might want to consider Ranger/Cleric instead of B-C, because you have a druid that can help heal and don't really need 11 greater resto. Grandmastery isn't that big a tradeoff either. Enrage and 1/2 an attack will not outweigh the 13 extra ranger level-up bonuses, hardiness, ironskins, contact with nature, and offensive HLA's you get with multi R/C.