I'd first like to say I'm so very impressed with the amount of work that has gone into this mod. I've been waiting for version 5 to finally give it a try and I've just finished the download.

I'm just looking for a little advice before I get started.

I'm a little unsure about what class I should play. Right now I'm leaning toward a Ranger/Cleric, Fighter/Thief or a Cleric/Thief. I'd like to try the expanded Ranger stronghold quests so that's one of the reasons I'm thinking R/C. Do you guys have any advice about these classes other suggestions for a new player?

Thanks in advance!

Sikret, the maker of this mod, would strongly recommend a "Vagrant" for your protagonist. There are several Vagrant specific quests and items, so if you're looking to go the ranger route, Vagrant will add quite a few nice perks.

In terms of overall party balance, you need to have a lot of melee power. Don't even bother rolling up an Archer, or similar class that focuses on missile attacks. Not when you're playing Improved Anvil, at least.

You probably want to include at least 1 single class fighter (I usually change Minsc to a berserker) to ensure you've got someone with the best armor, shield, and grandmastery in their chosen weapon. This person becomes your meat shield who forms the backbone of your party.

I recommend at least one other really strong melee member. You might consider Valygar for this role. It might seem like a lot of rangers, but rangers are rather godly in IA, so just roll with it . Valygar gets 2 *really great* item upgrades, and has access to other ranger specific perks in the game.

You should probably shoot for 2 strong healers, and clerics are preferable to druids largely due to their greater restoration spell. A multiclass ranger/cleric isn't a bad choice for one of those slots, and someone like Anomen makes a great primary healer (and a really good fourth tank).

You also should shoot for at least 2 characters capable of casting breach. You will be casting this spell A LOT, and one caster of the spell just isn't enough in my opinion. Nalia is great in IA due to her improved ring option, and her thieving skills are redistributed in IA to make her better at finding traps annd opening locks. You'll want to have someone with at least rudimentary theiving skills.

I hope that helps, it's a lot to fit in. Just to give you an idea, here's what my current party looks like:

Vagrant (Protagonist)
Berserker (Misnc)
Ranger/Cleric (Jaheira)
Stalker (Valygar)
Cleric/Mage (Aerie)
Swashbuckler10/Mage (Nalia)

It's got very strong melee. 1 good lead mage, with a decent backup mage. 2 decent healers (both will level slowly, but eventually will get very powerful). A decent, but not great thief. Just to give you an idea of what, I expect, will be a pretty strong party in IA.

Thanks for the advice. The Vagrant does seem like an interesting class so I think I will take your advice. My plan for my party is:

Vagrant
Keldorn
Valygar (Maybe Korgan)
Aerie
Cernd
Nalia


I'm going to be starting this up tomorrow so if anyone has any advice on how to improve the party please let me know.

Not a bad party. I know Cernd is pretty great as an Auramaster in IA, but I'd still trade him for Anomen if it were me. Anomen is an excellent tank (and you need a lot of those in IA), plus he gets the extremely powerful greater restoration spell.

Also, with Korgan, as long as you realize he's not going to get along well with Keldorn, and are comfortable dealing with that....

I think that looks fine. I personally wouldn't take Anomen over Cernd, but that's because I like the Auramaster kit. Having Keldorn in the party is a bit of a double-edged sword: on the one hand he is a powerful character who can eventually use the Holy Avenger sword. On the other you'll find he gets turned a lot by enemy clerics... but certainly I'd still take him in the party.

um a related Paladin question - what will the effects of turning be on a Cavalier ? , ie does their immunity to fear still apply ?

Good party combination , even if Keldon does get turned , his dispel ability is well worth it , as for Valygar / Korgan , id take Korgan - or better yet a neutral / good PC berserker or barbarian - the enrage / bezerk ability will save your skin in many a tight spot , and using a PC mean you can keep your rep at 20 without loosing Korgan in the process - IIRC you need 20 rep to get some of the new quests + forge Keldorns improved armour

When designing your group, realize that there are 2 big obstacles in IA, spell casters and golems. Spell casters are a handful. I'm just thankful that the shield bug is supposed to be less of a problem in IA 5. My best advice vs spell casters is to observe what they cast and from that concoct your plan to murder them. Metagaming makes things easier. Spells are a huge help when dealing with spell casters - ruby ray and spell strike are very important. As for golems, the kensai is easily the best solution in my experience. He works better than vampiric touch. I don't know about the new fragmentation spell though, but that spell won't work on the "monster" golems.

Yes, cavaliers are immune to turn undead; but enemy clerics are also aware of this fact and won't waste their time by trying to turn a cavalier.

Important note: If you want a cavalier, do NOT change Keldorn to a cavalier. Make a custom cavalier for yourself.

As for choosing between Cernd and Anomen, as I've mentioned before, it's a very difficult question to answer. If you can take both of them, do it. Comparison:

Cernd's advantages:
- Immunity to silence (very important in IA v5)
- +2 casting time bonus
- Access to some very important arcane spells (such as death spell and Ruby Ray of Reversal)
- Two personal item upgrades (rather than one which applies to Anomen)

Anomen's advantages:
- Access to Greater Restoration and Free Action spells
- Better AC and better melee usefulness
- Faster level progression

I was just wondering, which NPC's are able to take a class change, specifically which ones will there be no difference, which ones will result in item incompatibilities, and which ones will result in outright bugs/gamechanges?

1- Changing Keldorn's class or kit is the worst and the most problematic one. It will surely lead to bug (It's not just about Keldorn's personal items).

2- Changing any of the existent NPCs to a vagrant is not recommended. If you want a vagrant, make him your protagonist or make a custom NPC, but don't change the existent NPCs to vagrant.

3- Changing other NPCs who have personal items will cause them not to be able to use their items (Nalia is probably an exception; chaning her thieving kit will probably not lead to any problems).

If I change abilities of Nalia and Haer'Dalis, but I leave their class, will they still be able to use their personal items (short sword and ring)?

Do you mean changing their attributes such as strength, Intelligence, etc? If so, increasing them won't cause usability problems.

Yes, I meant attributes. Thanks for answer. If I make 5 man runs, I think I will take Nalia and Haer'Dalis instead of custom made, just I will change their stats to more optimal for my 5 man party. If I chose 6 man, then I let them as they are.