@----------------------------------------------------------------------------@
! A VERSATILE POWERGAMING PARTY GUIDE !
! with many tips for character creation and development. !
! for: !
! ICEWIND DALE II !
! and its mods !
! !
! by coineineagh !
! version 7.1 !
@----------------------------------------------------------------------------@
Table of Contents:
1, GENERAL
- Introduction
- First Things
- Selling items for gold
- Skill Point Squatting
- Level Squatting
- Modding
- CHA-bonus items
- My Priorities
- ECL
- Favoured Class
- Ability Modifiers
2. CHOOSING MAIN CLASSES
- About Mix-Ins
- Summary of Main Classes
- Battlecleric Summary
- Which Class
- Which Race
- Which Domain
- Effectiveness as Frontliners
3. MIX-INS, FEATS AND SKILLS
- Summary of Mix-ins
- Feats
4. SHORT TACTICAL DISCUSSION
- Chapter 0
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
5. THE PARTY, AND BATTLE TACTICS
- Starting Stats
- Heart of Fury Stats
- Battle Tactics
- JAHEIRA
- VICONIA
- JAN JANSEN
- BODHI
- IMOEN
- MINSC
- KORGAN
6. PARTY MEMBERS
- JAHEIRA in detail
- VICONIA in detail
- JAN JANSEN in detail
- BODHI in detail
- IMOEN in detail
- MINSC in detail
- KORGAN in detail
7. SPELLS
- JAHEIRA's Spellbook
- VICONIA's Spellbook
- JAN JANSEN's Spellbook
- BODHI's Spellbook
- IMOEN's Spellbook
- MINSC's Spellbook
- KORGAN's Spellbook
8. USE OF ITEMS AND BUFF SPELLS (item spoilers)
- JAHEIRA's Items & Buffs
- VICONIA's Items & Buffs
- JAN JANSEN's Items & Buffs
- BODHI's Items & Buffs
- IMOEN's Items & Buffs
- MINSC's Items & Buffs
- KORGAN's Items & Buffs
9. LIST OF SPOILERS
10. List of abbreviations, acknowledgements, version info
___________________________________________________________________________
DISCLAIMERS
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any website or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
website or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright. This document may not be bought or sold, or used in
any way for profitable gain.
This FAQ is authorized to be hosted on the following websites:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.gamespot.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.sorcerers.net
This guide is copyright 2015 by Thomas de Jong, e.g. coineineagh.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.
___________________________________________________________________________
<3 <3 <3
Dedicated to my wife Suby, my son Owen, and our new arrival Andy!
<3 <3 <3
*----------------------*
| Chapter 1: GENERAL |
*----------------------*
INTRODUCTION
------------
First of all, I should explain that this guide is a plain text format of the
original guide I wrote in Word. It has been available on Sorcerer's Place since
2008 under the name IWD2-4dummies. It was my very first guide, so it was time
to include it on GameFAQs with the half dozen or so other guides I wrote for
random games. I also felt that this format vastly helps improve the overview,
as do the new chapter indicators. Since the old version came with accompanying
files, there is still a passing mention of the mod link list, an excel file I
wrote with exact leveling instructions per level, and other files. They are all
included in a zipfile you will find in a link below.
I started this party creation guide to document and convey the effort I took in
creating my party, so that others may benefit as well. The party is balanced to
the other characters, so an individual character might not be a useful addition
to a totally different party. My guide should effectively inform you of
processes in the game, making you understand a lot more aspects of the game
without having to read all the guides. I sometimes state the obvious, though it
may not be so obvious for a novice. Still, it¡¯s worth reading even for an
experienced player. Clearly marked spoilers are included at the back explaining
bonuses you acquire in the game. They are incorporated into the development of
my party. You might not appreciate reading about them if you haven¡¯t played
through the game yet, so be warned. This guide comes with ¡®coineineagh¡¯s
versatile powergaming party¡¯, an excel sheet that explains character leveling
in detail. The contents of this plain text formatted guide should be clear
without the need of the accompanying excel sheet, but in case more detailed
information is needed on leveling choices, it can be found here:
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/IWD2-4dummies.zip
A few FIRST THINGS I should mention which I discovered were very useful:
------------
1) SELLING ITEMS FOR GOLD: To maximize the money you get from selling a single
type of item, do it in one go. If you unload a valuable item on a merchant
multiple times, he will offer you less and less each time. Unload the valuables
in one go: you can use the Bag of Holding to dump 40 items at once. If the
trader sells the item already, he¡¯ll also offer less for it. Selling +1 arrows
won¡¯t reduce the value of +2 arrows, only the exact item influences the price.
If you have a mod installed that makes your bag of holding bottomless, then
keep items stored until you need the gold. I¡¯m not sure about this, but I
think the game responds to the amount of gold currency you have, but not to
your items. After a while, many enemies *seem to* drop more gold.
2) MODDING: To get the most out of the game it¡¯s advisable to install the
patch, for repairing some bugs in the old game, and it¡¯s required for certain
mods. Many players don¡¯t want to let go of the high level Animate Dead
summons: Festering Drowned Dead and Apocalyptic Boneguard. This could be
considered exploiting a single cheese or cheat in the game; according to the
manual, Animate Dead was intended to be an evil-only spell, probably meant to
compensate for their inability to shift-click spell to convert them into
healing spells. If you don¡¯t want the patch, then some of the mods can¡¯t be
installed, like custom dll. Install Ease-of-use*; it applies optional tweaks to
the game, and fixes overlooked bugs. Adjust it to your liking, but *read my
'Install order' file for essential instructions! Select the tweak that makes
armour give you damage reduction (DR); it makes sense. If it makes the game
less challenging, just increase the difficulty. I played Heart of Fury (HoF) at
Insane difficulty, it¡¯s doable if your party is high enough level. Read this
thread for a mod list & links:
http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=46611
I also installed the Light of Selune mod, Level 40 XP Patcher, Level 40
Extended Tables, and many others. I altered the MONCRATE.2DA file to my liking,
because I found that the ¡®always get some XP per kill¡¯ file gave too much XP
for low-level kills, and I also wanted a table that incorporated level 40
leveling as well. There is a steep experience curve in the unmodified game, as
explained above. It¡¯s ridiculous: a large portion of opponents towards the end
of the game are too low level to gain XP from, while these are still very tough
battles! Don¡¯t get bogged down, just indulge yourself by installing these
rebalancing mods. A lot of fun is in the 2nd go (in HoF mode, same story, new
items!) with a mid-level party, since the amount and danger level of enemies is
increased to your level. The altered file (MONCRATE.2DA ¨C move to Override
folder) is in this zipfile. It allows you to always get some XP for kills (but
not too much), and still get XP at level 40. No other XP table does both.
In the light of Selune mod there is one component that has far more
disadvantages than bonuses: Upgraded Classes may screw up the ranger¡¯s Reflex
S.T., and reduces many class skills in the original game to non-class skills.
I advise against installing this part of the mod, but there is one redeeming
aspect of Upgraded Classes, and that is the new druid spells, especially Tremor
at level 8. If you want to get these spells without having to use the
component, then just drop my LISTSPLL.2DA file (included) into the Override
folder. It works with the IWG2 conversion mod. The Icewind Gate 2 mod is an
abandoned beta made by the creator of the WeiDU installer program, Westley
Weimer. It converts almost all of Baldur¡¯s Gate 2 into the Icewind Dale 2
engine, making it playable. Because it is unfinished, it has been largely
ignored by all but skilled enthusiasts. In this version of my IWD2_4dummies I
attempt to make the installation of this beta clear, easy and accessible for
'dummies'.
3) SKILL POINT SQUATTING: The Patch enables you to save 1 skill point to spend
at a higher level; this gives you a great opportunity to allocate your skills.
You can wait with a skill until you take a level in a class that only takes 1
point to increase that skill instead of 2. This is different from level
squatting (see below): The best example of this is my character Viconia, who
takes 4 fighter levels. She would be required to invest her skill points in
Intimidate, the only fighter class skill, however if she alternates fighter
levels with cleric levels, she will get 4 extra points to allocate in cleric
skills, like Spellcraft or Concentration. Unfortunately you can only keep 1
skill point stored to use in the next level, so its usefulness has limits. The
newest customdll fix allows you to store more than 1 skillpoint indefinitely.
4) LEVEL SQUATTING: To get the most out of your kills don¡¯t level up
immediately: Leveling one of your 6 characters up can mean the difference
between getting 162XP for slaying a Black Archer, or 81XP! When all your
characters are at level 11 give/take 1 level, you can go a long way with this
level squatting tactic. I checked carefully, and the game keeps track of all
abilities, skills and feats you are due, so don¡¯t worry about missing out in
the end. Not to mention: if you only get 1 skill point per level you can select
a skill that takes 2 points to level up. Then your fighters can do something
other than Intimidate! Also, if you¡¯re leveling up your INT ability scores,
you can get more skill points for previous levels! Example: If your wizard has
INT of 18 and you plan to increase the ability to 20, your effective score
increases from +4 to +5, giving you skill points of: 1 (base) +5 (bonus from
20INT) = 6 points per level instead of just 5. I found that squatting more than
4 levels (Levels 5-8, 13-16, 21-24, etc.) is impractical. The average party
level is calculated rounding up always, so if your party has 6 members, 5 are
level 10, and one is level 11, then the game recognizes your party as being
average level 11. But level squatting is a workaround mainly to compensate for
the steep experience adjustment curve; other workarounds involve a 4-member
party and/or introducing a level 1 character late in the game to keep the
average party level down. If you, like me, find this awkward, then install some
fan-built modules (mods) mentioned below.
Sir Rechet/Jukka, the resident maths specialist on ID2 forums, has determined
that you gain less XP if your *average* party level is a whole number, meaning
it's best to keep one party member a level below the average. For example: A
party with five members at level 8 and one still level 7, will be considered
level 7 average (despite the average being approximately 7.8), and will receive
the same amount of XP from kills as a party of six level 7 characters would.
5) CHA-BONUS ITEMS: There are three abilities that give spellcasters their
spells, INT (wizards), WIS (divine casters) and CHA (bards and sorcerers).
INT and WIS are stable, by which I mean that memorized spells stay even if you
unequip an item that gave the character bonus spells. CHA-bonus items should
be handled with more caution, since unequipping them causes the character to
temporarily lose bonus spells. Always check the info screen to see if you have
bonus spells that are at risk. For example: Your level 12 sorcerer has 21CHA
and a +3CHA bonus item, total 24, giving him an extra level 2 and 6 spell for
22CHA, and an extra level 3 spell for 24CHA. You want to unequip the item, but
you just rested, and haven¡¯t used up any spells yet (if you already used a
level 2, 3 and 6 spell, you can just unequip with no risk). You decide to
first equip a different item in a different item slot, which has +1CHA. This
will keep your level 2 and 6 spells safe. Your sorcerer can then cast a level
3 spell, like Magic Circle against Evil, and then unequip the +3CHA item. This
way, you haven¡¯t wasted any spells.
MY PRIORITIES by which I created my party, are as follows:
-------------
Originally I intended to make an Underdark party with all 11 classes included,
but this idea was soon ignored in favour of practicality.
Powergaming is the most important aspect. I wanted to create a party that is
useful in practice, not just in theory. It is geared to be effective when
using many kinds of tactics, from combat to spellcasting.
No XP penalties (read the Favoured Class paragraph on page 4). I don¡¯t
tolerate builds that get XP penalties at any point in the game, not even
temporarily, or at the 'final' level.
No high-AC decoy. In HoF, it is very difficult to get a high enough AC to make
much difference (Tactics4IWD2 mod remedies this, giving +20AC in HoF). But
with 72 AC, a character will become very hard to hit by most enemies.
Achieving this high AC often involves taking mix-ins that give an XP penalty,
using all the best items, and casting numerous short-lasting spells. You end
up with a character that is nearly useless at doing anything else, other than
running around as a decoy. Powerful monsters and bosses have a higher attack
bonus, so they¡¯ll hit regularly anyway, and if enemies roll a critical
(rolling 20 on a d20, 5% chance per attack), they will still hit, and hit
hard. Also, the decoy¡¯s spells wear off, meaning this tactic can only be used
a few times before resting. I dislike this type of character, because it is
designed for a singular purpose, and adds no versatility or strength to the
party. To learn more about high-AC decoys, read an Ultimate Powergaming Guide.
I minimize and delay mix-ins (read about mix-ins in chapter 3). It is important
to keep the main class of your character as high as possible (read why in
chapter 2), so taking mix-ins should be done only if it is worth it. Timing is
also of great importance. But speedleveling is of limited priority: I didn¡¯t
dismiss ECL races (read below) just because they put me at a disadvantage early
on. If the benefits later greatly outweigh the inconvenience, then the race is
chosen regardless.
I wanted to have a 6-member party from the start of the game all the way to the
end of HoF. This means I couldn¡¯t use party strategies to increase my XP gains
(small party, and muling), with the exception of level squatting.
Roleplaying concerns were not taken into account when creating the party. A
Lawful Good Drow Morninglord of Lathander was not dismissed for being an
unrealistic character. Significant creative leeway was applied when choosing
the BG2 NPC Jaheira as her name/identity. The only roleplaying features involve
cosmetic things, like names, biographies and pictures.
ECL: Certain races are at a 1, 2 or 3 level disadvantage, or ¡®Effective
----
Character Level¡¯. But if many in your party have an ECL, then the rest is
actually at a relative advantage. The level adjustment to XP will slightly
compensate for this disadvantage, as you will gain more XP for kills. I can¡¯t
accurately predict what this difference does to your total gained XP, because I
know the maps spawn more opponents depending on your level, and these opponents
give varying XP, also depending on your level. Spoiler1!
Some of the new races in the game are at an ECL disadvantage, so although your
Svirfneblin is at level 1, his/her ECL is at 4, meaning her total XP must
exceed 10000 to reach level 2 (effective level 5). ¡°High powered races¡±, this
refers to the many bonuses the races get at the start of the game, start with
given XP to compensate somewhat for their leveling disadvantage, so that they
need only 1000 XP to reach level 2. You start noticing the difference at level
3. Drow and Duergar/Gray Dwarves start with 5000 XP, so they need 1000 XP to
reach level 2 (=effective level 4), Aasimar and Tiefling get 2000 XP at the
start, but svirfneblin/Deep Gnomes are an exception to the rule: they get only
5000 XP at the start, and need 5000 more XP to reach level 2. It is an
overlooked glitch in the game (They were intended to start with 9000 XP). It is
fixed in the Ease-of-use mod.
FAVOURED CLASS: Races have a favoured class (their profession, like fighter or
---------------
wizard), which determines their speciality when multi-classing. The game gives
you complete freedom to choose between races, genders, and classes (with the
exception of a few alignment restrictions for classes, multiclassing limits for
monks and paladins, and the Drow¡¯s gender is also significant), but you will
be penalized 20% or more of a character¡¯s XP earned for having 2 classes which
are more than 1 level apart. The exception is the favoured class, which is not
considered in the determination of the XP penalty. So for example you can have
a Lightfoot Halfling with 15 levels of sorcerer, 14 levels bard and 1 level
rogue. The rogue level is disregarded because it¡¯s the Lightfoot Halfling¡¯s
favoured class. I wouldn¡¯t advise this combination though, since you¡¯ll have
a weak sorcerer, and the bard/rogue will have to cover both thieving and
diplomacy skills in the group. I have better suggestions later. Keep in mind
that a character¡¯s initial alignment limits their class choices, and as a
result, their multiclassing options (unless you tweaked the alignment
requirements in Ease-of-Use, I didn¡¯t because it makes the character creation
too easy, and less fun). So a paladin/bard is out of the question,
unfortunately.
ABILITY bonuses, or ¡®MODIFIERS¡¯ are given for even values rounded down, so 12
------- ---------
STR gets +1 Attack Bonus (AB), 13 as well, and 14 gets +2 AB. This is important
in considering abilities, and when leveling up. I first tried to plan my party
around the acquisition of ability enhancing items, but these become so numerous
in the game that it becomes pointless, since you will be switching items
constantly for your game tactics. Spoiler2!
But remember that ability enhancing items and spells are not cumulative ¨C you
can only apply one bonus per ability. So STR-, DEX-, and CON-enhancing items
can be used on the same character, but a second STR-enhancing item will give
no additional bonus (highest bonus counts, in the case of bonus vs. penalty
items, the last equipped item counts). Neither are item bonuses cumulative with
ability enhancing spells like Bull¡¯s Strength. Druid shapeshifts have a set
STR/DEX/CON, so these can still be boosted with spells and items. Spoiler3!
*------------------------------------*
| Chapter 2: CHOOSING MAIN CLASSES |
*------------------------------------*
ABOUT MIX-INS:
-------------
To create an effective party, it is important to start off with a varied team
with the right main classes. Unlike other games like Baldur¡¯s Gate 1 and 2,
and Icewind Dale 1, this game uses third edition (3E) Dungeons and Dragons
rules, including the leveling system. The 3E leveling system makes it very
costly to be ¡®multiclass¡¯. In BG2, when a single class mage would become
level 18, a multiclass cleric/mage would become roughly levels 14/14. So,
multiclass characters would be able to cast level 7 spells at the same time
that single class mages could cast level 9 spells. In IWD2 this works
differently: IWD2 doesn¡¯t take class level into account, but the total
character level. This means multiclass cleric/mages would be at level 9/9 at
the time a single class character would be level 18! The multiclass caster
would just be able to cast level 5 spells, while the single class mage could
cast level 9 spells already. This is too big of a difference, and makes
multiclassing far too inefficient. But the advantage of the 3rd edition
ruleset, is that it allows for multiple mix-in levels taken, enabling you to
gain bonuses from other classes. These mix-ins must be kept to a minimum and
timed well, because every level taken sets you back permanently in your main
classes¡¯ progression, and each subsequent mix-in level taken weighs more
heavily than the previous one. XP sacrifices are often underestimated early
on, since the XP cost of the mix-in continues to increase as you level up.
Mix-in options are discussed in the next chapter. They are in a way comparable
to an ECL penalty to your character, only you don¡¯t get a bonus to XP gains
for being lower level.
Single class units have their Base Attack Bonus maximized, and cast spells with
better hit die and duration. There can be tremendous advantages to mixing in a
single class, provided you choose the right combo and time it right.
The mathematics of mixin in classes can be deceptive: Each class you mixed in
gives you a cumulative penalty as you become higher level.
Let's say you mixed in 1 class at level 2: You may think it's no big deal,
because it was only 2000XP worth of delay. But by the time you are level
9Main/1Mix-in, it will cost you 11000XP to reach your 11th level, and be at
roughly the same competence in fighting/casting as a single class character
would. At your 15th level, this delay extends to 16000XP. For sure, a single
class character would have new spell levels ready for a whole dungeon's worth
of gameplay, while your Mix-in unit is still waiting for them.
That being said, the bonuses from mixing in the right class at the right time
are often worth this delay. But when you're talking about mixing in 2 levels
of another class, realize that you're more than doubling this delay: at level
10, it's not 11000 but 23000XP you'll need to catch up. at level 15, it's not
16000 but 33000XP you have to gain for your main class to be on par with a
single class.
Still, in this guide, I still advocate mixing in 2 classes at the right time,
because it can be worth it. But you need to really think carefully about what
you mix in. If you mix in 2 levels, it better be 2 *different* classes, to make
the bonuses worth the delay.
When we're talking about 4 Fighter levels mixed in, the delay is too much to
handle. 50000XP at level 10 (11000 + 12000 + 13000 + 14000 to become Main class
10 / Mix-in 4). 70000XP at level 15! The benefits of Weapon Specialization,
Maximized Attacks and 3 extra feats are not worth the price you will pay at the
start. The only instance I can think of when Fighter4 mix in is beneficial, is
for a very high level Cleric. I'm talking about caster level 19+, after you
have acquired level 9 spells already. This level will only happen if you replay
the game in Heart of Fury mode. Clerics have mostly healing, buffing and
no-saving-throw debuff spells in their repertoire. For Clerics, it may be more
beneficial to invest in Fighter levels *at high level*.
A 1-level mix in of Fighter brings a free feat and proficiency in shields,
heavy armour and martial weapons, which can be worth it for a caster. You can
always turn a 1-level mix-in into 4 levels later, if it serves your purposes.
From the above, it should be clear that you must aim towards getting a party
of near-single-class characters, to keep spellcasting and other class bonuses
up to speed.
A SUMMARY OF the usefulness of all classes as MAIN CLASSES:
---------- ------------
Barbarian: A barbarian is a formidable warrior in the frontlines, with
'staying power' like no other class has. They have more speed and HP, later
gaining damage reduction (DR). Barbarian rages improve as well, and serve as
their personal insta-casting buff ¨C no difficulties on the battlefield. Their
HP have the potential to go over 600 at level 30, and at level 40, with quest
bonuses and (mod) items equipped, can possibly even reach 1500+HP! Barbarians
are great frontliners, especially when accompanying a cleric who can buff them.
My original party contained a barbarian, but I¡¯ve replaced him with a bard
now. He remains in the guide as an alternative character. DR can be available
to everyone who uses armour and shields with the relevant Ease-of-use mod
component installed. Even the +2AC from the War Chant of Sith bard song gets
DR with it! DR is very useful, and even if you install the mod, the
barbarian's DR is still a significant advantage.
Bard: Bards are mediocre warriors, but this is not their best function. I
advise against having a bard in a party with less than 5 members. In a full
party, a bard offers a constant source of enhancing ¡®spells¡¯, as long as he
keeps singing. The Lingering Song feat allows him to cast a spell or briefly
fight in between, without the song wearing off immediately. Bards have a
limited spell book, but with some useful spells among them, greatly enhancing
your options. Spells must be picked from all available spells, and the bard is
limited to the chosen spells, like a sorcerer. Spell level progression is very
slow with bards; they are able to cast level 8 spells at bard level 26 (wizards
would reach spell level 8 at wizard level 15). Early on, the slow progression
is not severe, only the highest spell levels (7 and 8) become available very
late. The songs are the main ability of a bard, and this makes them a good
class for players who know how to use this.
Cleric: Clerics, it is widely agreed, are the most overpowered class in the
game. Being the only class with access to the Raise Dead and Resurrection
spells alone, makes them vital for any party. Next is the level 3 spell Animate
Dead, which gives long lasting summons that are very powerful at higher levels.
Most importantly, the selection of buffing spells available to the cleric is
unmatched by any other class. Their characteristics make them suitable to be
used on the frontlines, especially when their CON or STR is maximized when
leveling up, instead of WIS. The ¡®battlecleric¡¯, when properly buffed,
outcompetes any warrior build in melee (except the modded & shapeshifted high-
level druid, and the cleric-buffed barbarian). In overall power, usefulness and
versatility, the cleric is the best. I have 2 frontline battleclerics.Spoiler4!
Druid: The druid was short-changed in the original game, falling greatly behind
mages and clerics. Druids can be compared to both, since they have a mix of
offensive and healing spells, but few buffs. With a druid in the party, you
have access to the buff spell Barkskin, which is quite useful. Druids can
shapechange into various creatures, but the original shapes weren¡ät very
impressive. The Ease-of-use mod gives additional druid spells and alternate
shapeshift forms. The spell Stoneskin can now be cast among others, and the
Half-Dragon shapeshift forms at high levels are obscenely powerful.
Fighter: Fighters are rather uninteresting, since they gain no spells or
abilities at high level, just a lot of extra feats. This eventually becomes
less useful, when the best feats are taken. 4 levels enables you to choose 3
feat slots in any weapon, making them better at dealing damage. I don¡¯t advise
taking fighter as a main class, because all the frontliners, except the ranger,
outmatch it.
Monk: Monks gain many innate resistances, speed, immunities and abilities,
becoming deadly at high level, but they start off a bit weaker than other
warriors. They fight unarmed and unarmoured much better than with such gear. An
interesting class for a warrior, but I prefer the versatility and variation of
weapons over fists. There seems to be very little tactics involved in using a
monk, save a handful of innate castable abilities. For the rest, they plow
through most enemies the same way, with their enchanted fists. They can be weak
against powerful enemies, if their fists haven¡¯t reached the required
enchantment level to hit them. But I don¡¯t speak from experience. They are
proficient in axes. Monks are lawful and restricted to orders, so mix-in
options are limited: If you take (almost) anything else, you can¡¯t take monk
levels anymore. To reap all the rewards of this class, you must focus on
increasing your WIS. The Evasion feat will remain active even if you wear
armour or a shield.
Paladin: A full paladin gains a number of passive bonuses in the first 3
levels, and starting at level 4 they can cast spells. Their spellbook is
essentially a limited version of the cleric book, missing all the spells that
made clerics great, but still with a few useful spells. Paladins need WIS to
cast spells, and gain a Saving Throw (S.T.) bonus from CHA, meaning they need
many of their abilities to be high, for combat, spells, and usefulness.
Min-maxed paladins also end up with low DEX and mediocre abilities, and these
reasons together convince me that paladin is an inferior main class. A
well-buffed cleric can match a paladin in melee, and also cast all the same
spells, and more. Also be advised that besides refusing rewards for quests,
pure paladins also refuse to use subterfuge, meaning they can¡¯t use a certain
disguise in a quest. Paladins are restricted to orders, so mix-in options are
limited: If you take (almost) anything else, you can¡¯t take paladin levels
anymore. Spoiler5!
Ranger: A ranger main class is the least powerful character in the game. First
of all, they have the worst spellbook in the game. You get +1 Attack Bonus to
hit favoured enemies, and this AB increases when leveling. They start with an
equivalent of the feats Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Fighting, on the
condition that they wear light or no armour. In comparison, their bonuses
don't compare to the bonuses that other classes get. At high level, you hardly
notice that rangers even have spellbooks, that¡¯s how useless their spell
selection is. The Light of Selune component Upgraded Classes gives rangers an
'improved Reflex S.T. progression', but may also ruin the Reflexes of any
other character that takes a level ranger as mix-in, so be warned. I advise
against installing this subcomponent, as well as taking a ranger as main class.
Rogue: In IWD2 you don¡¯t need a full rogue, as rogue tasks (lockpicking,
disarming traps, etc.) are adequately performed with an intelligent, dexterous
wizard, preferably with 1 or 2 rogue levels mixed in. At level 2 you get
Evasion free, and at level 3 Uncanny Dodge. These rogue feats are reliable
passive bonuses, and cannot be disabled. After level 10, more rogue feats can
be chosen, which are very powerful. The most important ability a rogue gets,
is its sneak attack, which adds an extra 1d6 damage per 2 levels if it attacks
an unaware opponent, like when enemies are attacking another, or can¡¯t see or
react to the rogue. Rogues remain relatively weak.
Sorcerer: Sorcerers are the second strongest class in IWD2, after clerics.
They are a popular and useful main class, especially for players who enjoy
spellcasting. Many such players even take 2 sorcerers in their party! They have
more spells per level than wizards, and can choose from all spells when
leveling, instead of needing a scroll. These spells can be cast
interchangeably, instead of requiring specific memorization before resting.
Also, when leveling, new spells are immediately available, which can mean extra
spells in mid-battle (I advise against this, because this reduces the XP your
gain from kills. Level up just before entering a new map, so more enemies will
spawn, to compensate). The main disadvantage of a sorcerer, is that they are
stuck with the chosen spells, meaning they must choose wisely (read chapter 7
for tips). Also, their spell level progression is one level behind wizards, and
they don¡¯t get the extra feats that wizards do.
Wizard: A wizard main class is very useful, its arcane spellcasting and INT is
good to combine with rogue skills and intelligent dialogue options. Wizards get
an extra feat every 5 levels plus one at level 1. They must learn spells from
scrolls, which means that taking more than one wizard in your party would make
it necessary to buy some essential scrolls. They have a slight advantage over
sorcerers, since they can cast new spell levels at odd wizard levels (3, 5, 7,
9, etc.), whereas the sorcerer learns them at even levels one level later (4,
6, 8, 10, etc.). Wizards learn fewer spells per day than sorcerers, and must
memorize castings before resting, making it necessary to anticipate your needs
in advance. Specialist wizards get an extra spell per level, at the cost of
one or two forbidden spell schools. Spoiler6!
To form a good party in IWD2, you¡¯ll want a variety of (mainly) spellcasters
to get the most out of the game. Of course, melee is an important part of the
game, so you¡¯ll need melee warriors on the frontline too. To discover what
is the best frontliner, I need to answer some questions: What is the best
warrior main class? As explained above, this is a battlecleric. What is the
best race for a BATTLECLERIC? Which are the best cleric domains? My SUMMARY,
answering these questions, is below.
WHICH CLASS: It is widely accepted that the buffs in the cleric's spell book
-----------
offer unmatched combat prowess, so I don't think this needs *even more*
explaining. The second most powerful class, however, is a difficult matter.
Many say a paladin is the most powerful warrior, and this *might* be true. But
the paladin has a mediocre selection of cleric spells in his spellbook, so
there's hardly any difference - you¡¯re better off with another cleric.
Min-maxing the abilities of a paladin results in poor DEX and limited WIS to
accomodate for CHA. This means it¡¯s a poor ranged attacker and spellcaster.
Its only advantages over clerics are S.T. bonus, better BAB, and the Spoiler5!.
But the cleric's spell selection outmatches all of those bonuses.
I think the barbarian deserves to be in second place, because it's truly
different from a cleric, offering abilities like rage, DR, and loads of HP
(=staying power in melee). When min-maxing a barbarian, you can maximize DEX,
giving it better AC and ranged Attack Bonus (AB) than a paladin. Monks would
come next, since they become powerful at high level, but are hard to
multiclass. A fighter's many feats make them next in line, leaving rangers
last with their poor spell selection. I should make mention of the high-level
druid shapeshifts from the Ease-of-use mod, they are obscenely powerful, but
only available in the late game.
WHICH RACE: There are a number of effects to take into consideration, when
-----------
deciding which race to pick for a battlecleric. I'll list them in order of what
I think is decreasing importance, but opinions on this are very divided:
Spell Resistance (SR): I cannot emphasize enough how good it is to have a
frontline battlecleric that is spell resistant, so your mages can bombard the
battlefield more safely. Clerics have a somewhat poor Reflex S.T. progression,
so would take a lot of damage without SR, because they often fail S.T. from
evocation spells and the like.
Multi-classing options (MC): The ability to take mix-in levels of other classes
becomes very important later in the game. A pure single class character becomes
much less versatile than a character with a few mix-in levels. Also, races
which can't multi-class, are forced to use Simple Weapons, or pick
Martial/Exotic Weapon feats. Classes with mix-ins also have more options to use
class-specific items.
Martial Weapon Feats (MWF): Early in the game, most pure clerics are limited to
Simple Weapons, and most of these give less damage than Martial Weapons. The
Drow's proficiency in longswords and bows (all elves have this) is very
welcome: It avoids them having to take weapon feats or a warrior level early.
Constitution (CON): Constitution improves HP, Fortitude S.T. and Concentration.
So, it helps clerics both in melee and in spellcasting.
Elemental feats & diplomacy (EF&D): Basically, to get these you need 2
skillpoints per level, to divide between Spellcraft, Diplomacy and
Concentration. Humans can do this, all other races would need 10 or 12INT
(depending on the class), and this is an inefficient tradeoff for a powergamer.
Clerics, fighters, paladins and sorcerers are at the greatest disadvantage,
since they start gaining 2 skillpoints per level at 12INT. Rogues have the
greatest advantage, with 4 skillpoints/level at 10INT. All other classes get 2
skillpts/level at 10INT. Taking average INT, just to get 2 skillpoints per
level, is very wasteful. That¡¯s partly why many in my party are human.
Strength (STR): Strength is quite important for a battlecleric, but it only
helps them in combat, not when casting spells. For this reason, it is less
important than CON.
Wisdom (WIS): Wisdom seems like the most important ability of a cleric, but it
is actually less important for a battlecleric. Every 2 points in WIS gives the
cleric 1-3 extra spells (total, not per level). It also enhances the spell
Difficulty Class (DC) by 1, but this is only useful for offensive spells which
must overcome enemy S.T.. Clerics use healing and buffs mostly, so they don¡¯t
really need high DC. With 19WIS, you can cast level 9 spells. After achieving
20WIS (with bonus items), it's better to focus on CON or STR instead.
Dexterity (DEX): Battleclerics will frequently utilize their DEX bonus for
Reflex S.T. and ranged attacks, but heavy armours don¡¯t allow for a high DEX
bonus to AC.
Effective Character Level (ECL): Some races start at a 1, 2 or 3 level
disadvantage, and this makes leveling up slower. The dynamic experience system
of IWD2 slightly mitigates this disadvantage. In my humble opinion, it is the
least important of these points. There are other considerations, but these are
minor.
Now to choose a race for your cleric. I listed the races in what I think is
decreasing order, from best to worst race:
Female Drow: +SR, +MC, +MWF, -CON, +DEX, -2ECL
Human: +MC, +EF&D
Aasimar: +WIS, -MC* (paladin mix-in only, read Spoiler5!), -1ECL
Dwarf: +MC* (fighter mix-in only), +CON (Gray Dwarf -2ECL)
Deep Gnome: +SR, -MC, -MWF, +CON, -STR, +WIS, +DEX, -3ECL
Spoilers4&5!
WHICH CLERIC DOMAIN: This is a very complicated and interesting decision, and
-------------------
I eventually rank the most useful down to the least. And it doesn't hurt to
compare other casters as well.
The first consideration is the bonuses that the classes/cleric domains get.
Some interesting ones are paladin S.T. bonuses from CHA, ranger dual-wielding
in light or no armour, Bane cleric's Tyrant's Dictum (+1DC Will spells),
Weapon Focus: Axe for Tempus clerics, bard songs, druid shapeshifting, etc.
There are many more, but these aren't crucial for a frontline warrior. The
bonuses are too numerous and complicated to all categorize and evaluate, so
I must disregard these.
Another thing to consider, is that Dreadmasters of Bane, and lawful good
characters with a paladin level, have the potential to benefit from the
spoiler mentioned above. This puts Bane clerics and Paladins ahead, as well
as all classes with the opportunity (depends on multi-class options and
alignment) to take this as a mix-in. Classes that qualify are lawful good
rangers, Ilmater, Lathander and Helm clerics, all with paladin mix-ins.
Druids, bards and rangers with banite mix-in also benefit.
There are 3 types of feats that can be taken to improve your spellcasting:
Spell Penetration, Elemental feats and Spell Focus:[school].
1) SPELL PENETRATION feats have a major downside, because they will make your
spells also break through your party¡¯s own SR. A wizard with Spell
Penetration, casting a Fireball within range of a resistant ally, will then
have a higher chance of harming the ally. This doesn¡¯t mean Spell
Penetration feats should be dismissed outright, but it should be avoided if
you have party members that use Spell Resistance (3 or 4 of my party have it),
and you cast area damage spells with the caster in queston. Certain classes,
used wisely, run no risk of damaging your party with their spells. Clerics for
example, have very few spells which can harm the party, so taking Spell
Penetration might be worth considering. Spell penetration will improve
debuffing spells like Bane, Chant, Prayer, and even spells with no saving
throw will be improved, like Recitation and Holy Word. It will only improve
effects on enemies with SR, but these are arguably the most important to
affect. Generally all clerics and paladins may benefit from Spell Penetration,
improving their chances of affecting enemies with SR by 9% per feat, and
without risking harm to your party when used wisely.
2) ELEMENTAL FEATS give 20% bonus to damage dealt by spells of one type of
element, and also bestow a passive damage resistance of 5 to that element. If
you use a type of element often, then this feat is extremely helpful,
significantly improving the effectivity of your caster¡¯s damage spells.
Spirit of Flame enhances the numerous fire spells available to many casters,
so this feat is by far the best of the four kinds. Scion of Storms would come
second, since there are some good lightning damage spells, and then it¡¯s a
toss-up between Aqua Mortis and Aegis of Rime, since there are few acid and
cold damage spells. The main disadvantage of elemental feats, is that they
require 10 or more (mod or INT dependant) points to be spent in Spellcraft
skill, which can be difficult for non-wizards with low INT to achieve.
Casters with low intelligence also get few skill points per level, meaning
that for most casters it puts a strain on abilities (to aquire enough INT to
get 2 skillpoints/level). Humans, who always get at least 2 skillpoints per
level, are at a distinct advantage because of this. For other races, achieving
the prerequisite 10 Spellcraft may not be worth the effort, since it will cut
into their Concentration, or require them to get 10-12INT at the expense of
other abilities.
3) The most important consideration, is how to apply your SPELL FOCUS FEATS,
to benefit your spellcasting. Each SF feat gives you +2DC for spells of that
school. But this is only relevant if it is an offensive spell, because it is
meant to help you overcome enemy S.T.. This is all it does. It won't give
longer durations or better effects; it just makes their spells harder to save
against. Spell Focus influences the outcome of enemy saves positively in an
optimal situation, that means no enemy SR, their S.T. isn¡¯t too high (or low),
and they don¡¯t have immunity to the spell¡¯s effects. When all these
conditions are met (and mostly they are), then each Spell Focus feat gives a 9%
boost each, to results in its spell school. I checked each cleric domain's
spell selection, searching for spells of the types Enchantment, Evocation,
Necromancy and Transmutation, because these schools can be focused in.
So I searched for all the attack spells that utilize spell DC, in these four
schools, for all the classes and domains. The results should be interesting,
since it will also give tips for which SF feats to take. I wasn't sure if all
magic weapons and offensive barriers use spell DC in combat, so I included
them just in case.
* asterisks indicate if there is another spell on that spell level, of the
same school type. For example, if there are 2 Evocation attack spells on any
(domain) level, I just count one, and include an asterisk. So 6*** means there
are 9, but only 6 can be memorized at once.
Alignments are abbreviated between brackets. Enc=Enchantment, Evo=Evocation,
Nec=Necromancy, Tra=Transmutation.
Ilmater (LG, NG, LN): 3 Nec, 1 Enc.
Lathander (LG, NG, CG, TN): 6* Evo, 1 Nec. (5 are fire evocation)
Selune (NG, CG, CN): 5* Evo, 1 Enc.
Helm (LG, LN, TN, TE): 2 Enc, 2 Evo.
Oghma (NG, LN, TN, CN, NE): 3 Enc, 2 Evo, 1 Nec. (Wail o/t Banshee)
Tempus (CG, TN, CN, CE): 2 Tra, 1* Evo.
Bane (LN, LE, NE): 6*** Enc, 2 Nec, 1 Tra.
Mask (TN, LE, NE, CE): 2 Enc, 2 Evo, 1 Tra, 1 Nec.
Talos (CN, NE, CE): 5** Evo, 4* Nec, 3Tra, 1 Enc. (7 do electrical damage; 4*
Evo, 2 Tra) (Wail o/t Banshee)
Bard (NG, CG, TN, CN, NE, CE):12 Enc on 5 lvls, 5 Evo on 5 lvls, 4 Tra on 2
lvls, 2 Nec on 2 lvls. (Wail o/t Banshee)
Druid (NG, LN, TN, CN, NE): 19 Evo on 8 lvls, 12 Tra on 6 lvls, 4 Nec on 4
lvls, 3 Enc on 3 lvls. (6 fire, 3 electrical)
Paladin (LG): 2 Evo, 1 Tra.
Ranger (ALL): 5 Evo, 4 Tra, 3 Enc.
Sorcerer/Wizard (ALL): 16 Enc on 6 lvls, 33 Evo on 9 lvls, 22 Nec on 9 lvls, 21
Tra on 8 lvls. (many powerful offensive spells!) [available spells limited by
specialty school or sorcerer¡¯s spell picks]
Remember that I am evaluating these main classes' EFFECTIVENESS AS FRONTLINERS
----------------------------
primarily, but also as spellcasters. According to my analysis, the strongest to
weakest melee combatants would be:
* The Dreadmaster of Bane with GSF: Enchantment.
* The Morninglord of Lathander with GSF: Evocation (Unholy Blight is Evocation,
so why is Holy Smite Necromancy?). Spirit of Flame would improve damage.
* The Stormlord of Talos with GSF: Evocation, then GSF: Necromancy, later
Transmutation if possible. Scion of Storms would work very well.
* The Painbearer of Ilmater with GSF: Necromancy.
* The Watchknight of Helm with GSF: Enchantment.
* The Battleguard of Tempus has few attack spells, but a Deep Gnome could take
this for example, and take combat abilities and feats when leveling, instead
of SF. The Axe feats make it an interesting battlecleric build. I rank them
6th because they miss out on quest bonuses that casters above can get, due to
alignment limitations.
* The Silverstar of Selune with GSF: Evocation.
* The Lorekeeper of Oghma with GSF: Enchantment, then Necromancy.
* The Demarch of Mask, all SF is of limited use.
* The Druid offers loads of attack spells, many can be improved with SF.
Start with GSF: Transmutation, then Evocation. More focus isn¡¯t needed after
that, but Necromancy is slightly more useful than Enchantment. Spirit of Flame
and Scion of Storms feats work wonders too. Druids rank 10th because their
combat buffs are fewer than clerics, and it makes them average frontliners.
But as offensive spellcasters, or when modded & shapeshifted at high level,
they should be on top of the list! Spell Penetration would be bad for druids,
if you have party members with SR. They beat melee classes by virtue of the
Heal spell, and shapeshifting.
* The Paladin is like an inferior, combat oriented cleric. It offers few
offensive spells. Take GSF: Transmutation if you want your Lower Resistance
to work better. And Evocation aids 2 spells at level 6.
* The Ranger is almost like an inferior, combat oriented druid, like what the
paladin is to the cleric. But it has a few unique spells. Take similar SF
feats as the druid. But rangers have no Necromancy, and have little use for
elemental feats.
* The Wizard/Sorcerer: if you paid a little attention to CON, DEX & STR at the
start, the arcane specialists can pitch in with combat, maybe even melee. All
elemental and SF feats are useful, depending on your available spells, and
casting style.
* The Bard; the master of no trades. GSF:Enchantment suits them well, Evocation
is nice too, but you might want to improve their only 2 Necromancy spells
(Horror, Wail o/t Banshee). You probably won¡¯t get around to Transmutation;
those spells are OK too. Elemental feats aren¡¯t that useful, but Spell
Penetration may be handy, depending on your spells. I choose to give up on
melee with bards, partly because their spell feat requirements don¡¯t leave
room for combat feats.
The elemental feats mentioned are optional if you¡¯re human and have feats to
spare; don¡¯t adjust a character just to get them. Clerics without elemental
feats do fine, so don¡¯t increase INT for extra skills, and definitely don¡¯t
reduce Concentration! Spell Penetration should be seen as extra boost to
debuffing spells, but is of low priority.
*----------------------------------------*
| Chapter 3: MIX-INS, FEATS AND SKILLS |
*----------------------------------------*
I believe in the power of ¡®mix-in¡¯ levels of classes (read about Mix-In and
leveling issues in previous chapter), so you can concentrate mainly on your
most important class. Most of my characters are near-specialists, with only
a few levels of other classes mixed in. I have only 1-3 levels mixed-in in the
normal mode game, to avoid setting your main class back more than one spell
level. There is much criticism about 3rd edition rules for this reason, since
it allows the creation of ¡°¨¹ber-characters¡±. But it makes a single game more
inclusive and entertaining. You no longer have to worry if you¡¯re missing out
because you can¡¯t start a certain dialogue, or can¡¯t wear items. Neither do
you have to choose whether to take along a paladin or monk; now you can take a
bit of all of them with you. My party can wear and use all of the items.
A SUMMARY OF the usefulness of all classes as MIX-INS, in alphabetical order:
---------- -------
* Barbarian: A level barbarian will increase your HP, add a little movement
speed, give 1 rage/day, and martial weapon proficiencies. Requires a
non-lawful character.
* Bard: One level allows you to use bard items. At 2nd level a bard can cast
spells, but this requires 11CHA, one trick around this is that the 1st level
spell Identify can be used regardless of low CHA. The most useful bard mix-in
has 5 levels for access to Tymora¡¯s Melody song. Luck is a very powerful and
influential bonus, as it boosts the DICE ROLLS themselves. You strike a hit
more often and roll more damage, your spells have higher DC and hurt more/work</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
better. If you¡¯re ¡®lucky¡¯ and cast Bull's Strength for example, the 1d4+1
STR bonus will get better results. The spell Luck is limited to 10 rounds for
1 person, and there are few items in the game which influence luck. But the
Tymora's Melody song can be cast unlimited, and it gives luck and more bonuses
to the entire party! But a 5 level mix-in is very pricy, and should be delayed
until your main class is high enough. Requires a non-lawful character.
* Cleric: A cleric level bestows the abilities of that cleric order on the
character, which varies. These bonuses are mostly of limited value, and not
worth taking a mix-in for. Clerics are the most powerful class to have as main
class, though. As a mix-in they might boost S.T. and give heavy armour and
shield proficiency. See the sorcerer description below for a potential
bug-abuse. Spoiler4!
* Druid: I see little point in taking a druid mix-in, except some additional
Entangles.
Fighter: Gives extra feats, and 4 levels enables you to choose 3 feat slots in
any weapon, making them better at dealing damage. More than 4 levels just
delays your main class more. Again, this is a pricy mix-in, so best undertaken
in HoF mode.
* Monk: An interesting class for a warrior, but I prefer the versatility and
variation of weapons over fists. As a mix-in, they are potent for their
(unarmoured) AC bonus from WIS. That would require you don¡¯t wear any body
armour though. One level of monk also provides the Evasion feat, allowing you
to avoid reflex-spell damage entirely if you made your Reflex S.T.. They are
also proficient in axes. Monks are lawful and restricted to orders, so as a
mix-in most of the time you must take the levels consecutively: If you take
(almost) anything else, you can¡¯t choose monk levels anymore. To reap all
rewards of this mix-in class, you must focus on increasing your WIS, so
combine with a divine casting class preferably. But the Evasion feat alone can
be valuable enough to take a level late in the game. It¡¯s beneficial for a
high level sorcererX/paladin1, for example. The Evasion feat will remain
active in armour.
* Paladin: A full paladin is a reasonable build, but it¡¯s better as a mix-in.
One level gives full weapon proficiencies to a spellcaster, and S.T. bonuses
from CHA. Not to mention access to paladin items, highly advisable. Ideal to
mix in with sorcerers and high CHA characters. A second level gives you an
Aura of Courage, meaning better S.T. vs. fear/panic. Paladins are lawful good
and restricted to orders, so as a mix-in most of the time you must take the
levels consecutively: If you take (almost) anything else, you can¡¯t choose
paladin levels anymore. It¡¯s ideal to mix in with a sorcerer, to gain a huge
S.T. bonus, and martial weapon proficiencies. Spoiler5!
* Ranger: A full ranger is the least appealing character in the game, but just
one level gives you the feats Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Fighting free on
the condition that you wear light or no armour, arguably the most useful
bonuses a single level can offer. Not very useful to warriors, since you¡¯d
prefer to use heavy armour, and maybe a shield or a two-handed weapon, but
for arcane spellcasters it¡¯s superb: Arcane spellcasters won¡¯t want to use
armour or shields, since they give you a casting failure chance. They need
their assigned feats badly for enhancing their spells, and they really benefit
from using two weapons. You get +1 to hit a favoured enemy and all martial
weapon proficiencies to boot. Since spellcasters will be casting spells more
often than fighting in melee, the equipped bonuses from two weapons are
preferable over using a 2-handed weapon. The Light of Selune component
Upgraded Classes can make taking a level in this damage your Reflex S.T., so
don¡¯t install this. The ranger mix-in and the Armoured Arcana feat (see Feats
section below) both give spellcasters some equipment options, but it¡¯s best
to choose only one, depending on whether you can spare a feat or a mix-in
level...
* Rogue: In IWD2, you don¡¯t need a full rogue. Mixing in rogue levels with a
wizard is *ideal*, as they both use their INT modifier for spellcasting and
skill points. Starting a character as a rogue gives it much more skill points.
At level 2 you get Evasion free, and at level 3 Uncanny Dodge. These rogue
feats are reliable passive bonuses, and cannot be disabled. I recommend rogue
2 / wizard X. Bards can also use this mix-in.
* Wizard: One wizard level gives a free feat, which may become a useful mix-in
later in the game, like fighter. It also enables characters to use wands and
scrolls. Fighter is still 1st choice is you just want the feat. Spoiler6!
* Sorcerer: Sorcerers are useless as a mix-in besides a bug abuse: Add a level
sorcerer to a specialist mage, and you lose spell school restrictions for the
mage (but a level cleric does the same thing). So an Illusionist with a level
sorcerer can then also scribe, memorize and cast Necromancy and Abjuration
spells. It¡¯s pretty cheesy though, once I heard of it I went and tried, but
ended up reloading an old save. It just felt like breaking the spirit of the
game. I like the feeling of being ¡®forced¡¯ to use other spells due to school
restrictions, it gives your spellcasting more charm. I have used it after
entering IWG2, because in the past my druid couldn¡¯t cast Stoneskin in IWG2
(problem fixed). My illusionist now takes GSF:Necromancy at level 30, in IWG2.
FEATS are important choices during the game (Mike Marshall¡¯s feats list was a
-----
real eye-opener, though I didn¡¯t go along with ALL his recommendations).
Choose the right ones to make your characters more potent and resilient, don¡¯t
waste them. Fighters and wizards get bonus feats every 2 and 5 levels,
respectively, plus another feat at the first level (this is not mentioned in
the rules or manual)! Fighters get feats at levels 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, etc., wizards
get them at levels 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. Unless you¡¯re human or strongheart
halfling (they start with an extra feat) or have one of these classes in a
character, you can count on 1 feat every 3 levels + 1 at level 1. Be warned:
don¡¯t put off important feats too long: You¡¯ll be really pissed if you chose
Dash instead of SF: Necromancy for your sorcerer. I wanted to convey all the
useful feats, so you can judge for yourself which complement your game play and
which don¡¯t, and then take those first. For more info, check out Mike
Marshall¡¯s online guide to feats. Certain feats have ability requirements,
these abilities are measured by the character¡¯s base ability, so equipping a
+2DEX item on a 13DEX character won¡¯t enable it to pick Ambidexterity
(requires 15DEX), for example.
Unlike earlier versions of my guide, I now advise to take the Rapid Shot feat,
timed for its importance. It¡¯s more important for some characters, for whom it
will be their main attack, because their melee is below average. Still, melee
and/or spellcasting are more necessary for a character¡¯s development. A ranged
combat situation can¡¯t be continued for long when enemies have approached:
they get +4AB while you hold a ranged weapon, and you get ¨C8AB to hit them.
For my wizard and sorcerer, ranged attacks are their best weapon, so they try
to run away if targeted. My party isn¡¯t an ultimate ranged force, but they
range-attack very well because of high DEX. I hate wasting enchanted quiver,
because these are valuable items for selling off. Rapid Shot doesn¡¯t damage
you by lowering the Attack Bonus (AB) for the first attack, because subsequent
attacks get higher AB, which always results in an improved average AB. The
slightest form of enemy DR weakens the damage output of most ranged attacks
significantly. The Ease-of-use component ¡®Shields and Armour provide damage
reduction¡¯ makes this effect worse, because enemies also get it.
Another important feat not yet discussed, is Armoured Arcana. It¡¯s not a
popular strategy, but it has merit for protecting your weak mages, especially a
non-combat-oriented bard. It can be compared in usefulness to the Expertise
feat, where you get an AC bonus at the expense of AB. Armoured Arcana costs a
feat, but won¡¯t reduce AB. Mages can then use a shield with 5% less chance of
spell failure. Some small shields only have 5% failure, so they can then be
safely equipped. If a mage doesn¡¯t have shield proficiency from mix-ins, it
suffers a penalty to AB, Hide, Move Silently and Pick Pockets. Luckily there
are small shields out there that have a penalty of ¨C0, making them usable by
non-shield-proficient characters at no disadvantage.
Skills are acquired by allocating skill points when leveling up. The higher
your INT, the more skill points you get per level. A little-known fact about
this, is that certain classes get different amounts of skill points: Rogues get
4 skillpts/level at 10INT, this is well-known, making rogues the most skillful
class. Most other classes get 2 skillpts/lvl at 10INT, but there are
exceptions. The cleric, fighter, paladin and sorcerer start getting 2
skillpts/lvl at 12INT, not at 10. A great advantage of humans in this regard,
is that they gain an extra skill point each level, regardless of INT. This
allows your low-INT spellcasters to take another feat besides Concentration,
and I have taken 2 humans in my party, partly for this reason.
*----------------------------------------*
| Chapter 4: SHORT TACTICAL DISCUSSION |
*----------------------------------------*
This chapter of the guide discusses relevant spells and tactics to get your
party started in Normal mode (not HoF mode), as well as timing a few mix-ins
with relation to quest spoilers (check the spoilers list).
CHAPTER 0: This can seem like the most difficult level of the game; taking
---------
damage could result in quick death, and Raise Dead is a long way off. If you
have Undead Targos mod installed, also be prepared for difficult encounters
with skeletons. Since all classes are roughly similar in the beginning, you can
use all your characters in melee, to quickly take down the opponents before
they can damage you. The 1st level druid spell Entangle will be a lifesaver for
the early levels and will stay useful, allowing you to take down enemies with
ranged attacks. For significant opponents, the drow¡¯s Faerie Fire will make
you hit better, and it¡¯s surprising how well this little spell works (unlike
the druid version, the drow¡¯s innate Faerie Fire casts almost instantly), it
even bypasses SR. The Bless spell will perform a similar service, but due to
its long casting time, it is best cast before combat. Its counterpart Bane is a
bit less useful, since it must be cast during combat, but it is still viable in
combination with an Entangle spell (or any other spell that delays enemies
enough). Grease can be a boost to an entangled area, forcing enemies to stay in
longer. Grease still has effects if enemies make their save, so stays useful.
CHAPTER 1: Using the right spells in the right situations is part of the fun of
---------
playing. The Shaengarne Bridge is the most difficult part, since you¡¯re trying
to save the bridge before it gets destroyed. Tactics mod makes it even more
difficult. Spoiler7! The roof of the Horde fortress is also a challenge, and
pre-buffing is recommended before entering. Bull¡¯s Strength (on clerics and
druid) and Cat¡¯s Grace (on illusionist) can be cast. Illusionist, sorceror,
druid and bard benefit from a casting of Mage Armor each. The druid spell
Barkskin is a great AC booster for the weakest AC characters, so use all lvl2
spell slots for this. Bless is useful, as mentioned before. Mirror Image can be
a lifesaver, and is best kept in reserve, only cast before combat with
spearhead and decoy tactics. Magic Missile and Chromatic Orb will be limited in
the beginning, but gain strength up until level 9. From caster level 6 onwards,
Chromatic Orb is able to stun or hold an opponent, and because it targets the
reflex saving throw, it¡¯s even useful against enemy clerics!
The Dreadmaster of Bane, with Tyrant¡¯s Dictum and SF: Enchantment, will have a
number of enchantments that will prove useful, such as Bane, Command, Hold
Person and Dire Charm. The bard can pitch in with Charm Person and Dire Charm,
but don¡¯t harm charmed enemies. Area spells like Snilloc¡¯s Snowball Swarm,
Web, Spike Thorns and Fireball come into play too. Call Lightning takes a while
to cast, and is outdoors-only. Animate Dead summons are helpful and last long.
Spoilers8&9!
CHAPTER 2: In this chapter, a number of buff spells come into play: Blur,
---------
Protection from Arrows, Magic Circle against Evil, Emotion: Hope, Blink and
Stoneskin. Blur is perhaps less useful, but handy to combine with Blink for
even better protection. Blink is a costly spell for a short-lasting caster-only
buff, but can be worthwhile against powerful monsters, and in decoy tactics.
Protection from Arrows can only be cast by the sorceror, and is only useful
against heavy archers, or large groups or ranged attackers. Magic Circle
against Evil will be castable by many characters, the druid and clerics start
with it since their Animate Dead summons are poor early on anyway. Later, the
sorceror and bard can take over. Emotion: Hope is what makes the bard shine,
since she casts it at spell level 3 (bard level 7). So, it may have been
available in chapter 1 already. This spell gives enormously useful bonuses, and
lasts quite long, but undead are unaffected. Stoneskin is a great long-lasting
spell, fortunately castable by sorceror (and druid if mods are installed). Cast
Stoneskin on everyone before large battles. Fire damage spells are especially
useful in chapter 2. The bard song Tymora¡¯s Melody will become available, so
use it all the time.
CHAPTER 3: By this time you should have a mid-level party, and be able to cast
---------
some mid-level spells. Most of the best mid-level spells are not buffs, with
the notable exception of Mass Haste, which is an effective buff for a group of
summons as well. The clerics must focus their spells on healing, because Raise
Dead, Heal, etc. cannot be cast by shift-clicking, unlike healing at spell
levels 1-4 (shift-clicking higher level spells will cast the level 4 spell Cure
Critical Wounds). The bard will be behind in spell levels, but the War Chant of
Sith should make it worthwhile, at level 11. The druid can be both healing and
casting damaging spells, to suit playing style. 2 difficult battles are in this
chapter; with Limha the witch, and the Ghost Lights. The only way to tackle
Limha fairly (Tactics mod enhanced battle) is to dispel her successfully, to
get rid of her protections. An accidental trick I found was to leave the area,
and return later to fight her after her buffs wear out. As for the Ghost
Lights, don¡¯t try to face them in melee, or they¡¯ll overwhelm you with
electricity. Spread out, stay mobile, and shoot arrows at them whenever they
appear ¨C it¡¯s the only way I know of. Spoiler10!
CHAPTER 4: In this chapter, party levels can vary, and spells and playstyles
---------
can make a lot of difference. Most important buffs and spells have been covered
now, for the rest look in the chapter Spells. Be sure to get the Ring of Charm
(+2CHA, Charm Person 1/day) from the tiefling Dolon Daemba in the monastery,
either by combat or pickpocketing (reload until successful). 2 hard battles
here are worth mentioning, although they can be avoided. The Iron Golems are
deadly, and can only be taken down by +3 slashing/bludgeoning weapons, and
electricity slows them. A gang of summons will partly distract them from
attacking your party, so take advantage of this, because you need to meet them
in melee. A drow raiding party is also very deadly, and similarly, the summons
can block the path of the sneak attacking assassins. Take this chance to kill
the priestess first, and hope that you can then survive the onslaught.
Dispelling their invisibility will be of no use, since the assassins will
simply drink another invisibility potion, reducing the loot. Spoilers6&20!
CHAPTER 5: Like the previous and next chapter, I won¡¯t go into spellcasting
---------
details, because figuring out useful combos is a fun part of the game. Access
to a greater variety of items is gained, and many of your tactics may be
adjusted for this. The battle with the Lost Followers is perhaps the most
difficult battle in the game (especially with Tactics installed). I advise
patience when engaging in this battle ¨C the longer you delay it, the more high
level spells you¡¯ll have available; they aren¡¯t going anywhere, so there¡¯s
no rush. Perhaps delay it until chapter 6. Spoilers4, 5&21!
CHAPTER 6: The powerful enemies you face allow you to discover which of your
---------
spells stand up to the challenge. Don¡¯t forget to try out some spells you may
rarely use, like Holy Aura, which will often be more useful than Mass Heal.
Spoiler11!
*--------------------------------------------*
| Chapter 5: THE PARTY, AND BATTLE TACTICS |
*--------------------------------------------*
My party has 6 members, 4 are Underdark dwellers with level adjustments, the
others are human. All classes are incorporated in the most efficient manner I
think is possible. Unfortunately I couldn¡¯t have all classes as main class,
but their abilities serve well in their mix-in capacity. Female gender is
necessary for the drow (clerics).
SR is a great advantage against enemy spells, but your own spells will become
very high level, so it will still be roughly 50-50 to resist them. Still, your
chances depend on the spell itself, as it seems. Other guides write about fire
spells being the most resisted and cold spells the least, but upon performing
test-blasting (area damage spells) on my own party, I can¡¯t confirm that. All
I can say is that SR is no guarantee, but more like a chance to avoid damage
completely. Obviously it helps in the long run. Skull Trap (I prefer to call it
Precision Fireball) is a personal favourite, and it is completely resisted most
of the time, but can really sting when one gets through. Reflex S.T. is the
most important S.T. in my opinion; it can halve your damage taken for a lot of
Evocation blasting spells. Fortitude saves are made for Transmutation,
Necromancy and various other spells, and Will saves are obviously made for
Enchantments and other mental attacks. You should aim to get all S.T. high.
Benign area effect spells are: Horror, Confusion, Malison, Chaos, Symbol of
Hopelessness (possibly other symbols), Wail of the Banshee and Slow. If you
really don¡¯t want to damage your own, it would seem SF: Enchantment is the way
to go. But most of these don¡¯t damage enemies either, just buy you more time.
It¡¯s still a sound strategy against large groups, as you can take them on a
few at a time. Be prepared with a backup plan, though: Quite a few enemies,
such as demons and undead, are immune or resistant to Necromancy and
Enchantment.
I experienced the relative ease that a party has when it has few or no mix-in
levels early on, and in the new versions of the guide I wanted to emphasize
this importance, by listing two parties: First, the party in normal mode. Then
another list with the party as it multiclasses further in HoF mode. Read the
excel sheet for exact leveling instructions (available on sorcerers.net).
The abilities, or ¡®Stats¡¯, below are listed in this order.
STR=Strength
DEX=Dexterity
CON=Constitution
INT=Intelligence
WIS=Wisdom
CHA=Charisma
Normal mode party's STARTING STATS. Quick overview, stats aligned as above:
--------------
Name Alignment Stats Gender, Race Classes taken
Jaheira LG 18-18-16-5-18-5 F. Drow Morninglord of Lathander/Pal1*
Viconia LN 18-18-16-5-18-5 F. Drow Dreadmaster of Bane / Ftr 1*
Jan Jansen NE 12-20-18-18-5-1 M. Svirfneblin Illusionist / Rogue 2 / DoB1*
Bodhi NE 6-20-16-14-4-20 F. Drow Bard / DoB1*
Imoen LG 16-18-18-3-3-18 F. Human Sorcerer / Pal 1 / Rgr 1*
Minsc LN 18-16-18-3-18-3 M. Human Druid / Monk 1 / DoB 1*
Korgan CE 18-18-20-3-14-1 M. Duergar Barbarian / Ftr 1
The 1st class in line is the main class, the rest are mix-in classes.
After normal mode (at around level 16-20) other mix-ins become viable.
* DoB=Dreadmaster of Bane, Ftr=Fighter, Pal=Paladin, Rgr=Ranger.
Spoilers4,5&6!
HEART OF FURY STATS, at level 40. This assumes you travel through IWD2 and IWG2
-------------------
twice each: once in normal mode and once in Heart of Fury mode. Quick overview:
*spoiler* stats including vanilla game + IWG2's quest & potion bonuses.
Name Alignment Stats Classes
Jaheira LG 22-18-34-5-22-7 Morninglord of Lathander 36 / Pal 1 /
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ Conjurer 1 / Fighter 2*
Viconia LN 18-18-26-5-22-5 Dreadmaster of Bane 36 / Fighter 4*
Jan Jansen NE 12-20-18-28-9-1 Rogue 2 / Illusionist 35 / DoB 1 / Ranger 1 /
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ Fighter 1*
Bodhi NE 6-20-16-14-8-30 Bard 39 / Dreadmaster of Bane 1
Imoen LG 18-18-18-3-5-28 Sorcerer 33 / Paladin 1 / Ranger 1 / Monk 1 /
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ Fighter 2 / Rogue 1 / Necromancer 1*
Minsc LN 18-14-18-3-36-3 Druid 34 / Monk 1 / DoB 1 / Ranger 1 /
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ Fighter 2 / Transmuter 1*
Korgan CE 18-18-30-3-14-1 Barbarian 36 / Fighter 4*
The upgraded stats shown here reveal the end values at level 40, including
quest and potion bonuses/penalties, but not including item/equipment bonuses.
* These mix-in classes are NOT required for quest bonuses, and these
can be taken at any point, but preferably as late as possible. Read the party
members¡¯ summaries for more details.
After level 25, other mix-ins become viable, but these are not essential, such
as 2 fighter levels and a wizard level for 3 extra feats, a barbarian level
for speed; use your imagination.
In Tactics4IWD2 mod, a feature is added in HoF mode: Some bosses will drop
additional potions of permanent bonus. I haven¡¯t completed a run-through in
HoF with Tactics yet, so I can¡¯t report much about this. Spoilers22&23!
BATTLE TACTICS
--------------
More is explained in the chapter Items and Spells, but this section describes
general tactics with as few spoilers as possible.
In my experience, battles in IWD2 are pretty scrappy; you can¡¯t always exploit
the targeting of the AI and hope the monsters will keep attacking your
frontliners. If you get too close, they retarget and may go after your arcane
spellcasters. This makes it essential to have a robust party able to stand
their ground. My arcane spellcasters aren¡¯t complete pushovers in melee, and
that makes battles so much more survivable. So called ¡®ultimate powergaming
parties¡¯I¡¯ve read about seem to be too specialized, and have major
weaknesses. My party is built to reduce the weaknesses at a minimum of
sacrifice. At the end of a battle, your mages may be the only party members
with enough HP to finish off the enemy, while near-dead frontliners retreat.
Then you¡¯ll be very glad they can actually melee. I will explain the roles of
my party members in detail now, and the actions they take in a skirmish:
JAHEIRA
------- plays most of normal mode as a full cleric, until a paladin mix-in is
necessary. Before then, she is limited to using simple weapons, bows and
longswords, just like Viconia. She is a battlecleric with good starting WIS,
and utilizes her Evocation spells to attack the enemy.
In HoF, she will start to mix in other classes. As a Lathander Cleric with GSF:
Evocation feats, her Evocation spells have enough spell DC to hurt most
enemies. Upon seeing the first enemies, she casts an initial evocation spell
from her cleric spell book, and then buffs (some buffs are best to cast in
combat, or just before, because they also debuff enemies), attacks, and/or
heals. She leads many of the enemies to her, as she is one of the first to be
seen. The Holy Word spell gives her a powerful ability to quickly halt evil
and neutral characters, but since she¡¯s in a mixed-alignment party, it should
be used carefully. She is the most combat-oriented character, more even than
Viconia.
VICONIA
------- is a pure cleric for the majority of the normal mode game. She is
poised to go into melee at will, and there are numerous longswords, bows and
maces in the early game that she can use. Her initial action in combat should
be an enchantment, then she should go into melee, or continue spellcasting.
When enemies are near, she has the spells needed to disperse or weaken most
groups. As a Banite with Tyrant¡¯s Dictum (+1DC for Will S.T. spells), GSF:
Enchantment feats, bonus WIS from items, and Spoiler4!, her enchantment domain
spells have a similar spell DC to a powergamed cleric with maximized WIS. Only
against undead and other immune creatures are her enchantments useless. When
enemies approach, she should meet them in melee, either dual wielding or with
a shield. She can wield damaging weapons well, and with the right spells (Holy
Power, Champion¡¯s Strength) she is deadly. Viconia has many offensive
enchantments memorized, but these are easily converted into healing spells by
shift-clicking them.
Jaheira and Viconia are spell resistant battleclerics, so can engage in melee,
and be blasted by friend and foe with spells at reduced risk of suffering
damage. Your clerics are also important for summoning, especially in HoF mode,
where the enhanced enemies are best tackled with enhanced summons. Animate Dead
is the best, giving long lasting undead summons immune to cold, necromancy and
enchantments. Be careful using the Gate spell: All summons that require you to
be protected from evil are independent, so you can use them to kill blue-
circled characters (for example, you want a villager¡¯s loot, pick pocketing
doesn¡¯t work, and you don¡¯t want the village to go hostile on you).
JAN JANSEN
---------- is the third member of the party, primarily an Illusionist, but his
ample skill points make him an accomplished rogue as well. He can scout around
to prepare your attack, but don¡¯t try to Sneak Attack with him; his bonus
damage is too low. He begins as the parties¡¯ staple archer, since his high
DEX and low STR will allow him to do more damage with a bow than in melee. When
he gains the Armoured Arcana and Expertise feats, he will become a good decoy
too, preferably when *not* carrying a ranged weapon. Later, the Weapon Finesse
feat will allow him to be a competent melee combatant, but his ranged skill
will always outshine his melee. If he happens to break his hiding in shadows,
and be seen by the enemy, he is spell resistant, so pursuers can be blasted
with spells while he retreats and the battleclerics advance. This character
has many levels of defense against spells: High Reflex S.T. combined with the
rogue¡¯s Evasion ability make it most likely that he will get no damage from
Evocation spells, even if they manage to get through his SR. He can search for
and disable traps, hide, find hidden doors, and open locks. His high Spellcraft
is useful for seeing what spells your enemies are casting (so you can respond
when necessary). Extra feats from mage levels will eventually allow him to
focus (SF) in all spell schools, even in his originally forbidden schools.
While Imoen is a general offensive blaster, Jan Jansen can memorize those
spells that target a special weakness of your opponents. Jan Jansen is used for
fine-tuning your tactic against enemies, and he can do his share of the
blasting too. He¡¯s the most versatile team member of all. There was an issue
about the position of this character in my party: In my first game, I had him
in position 6, last in line. But this caused him to get significantly less XP
than the characters first in line. The cause of this, is that when XP gains
aren¡¯t dividable by 6, the first in line usually get the remaining points.
This can add up to a huge difference eventually. Since this character already
has a 3 level ECL disadvantage plus mix-in levels, it was important to place
him forward. He couldn¡¯t be on the frontline, so position 3 of 6 was the best
I could do.
BODHI
----- is fourth in line, and offers refreshing tactics to a battle. Her ability
to sing is unlimited, effectively giving the party a potentially constant and
infinite buff. All her songs serve different purposes, and even the level 3
song can occasionally be more useful than the later songs, in certain
situations.
-The Ballad of Three Heroes (Level 1): +1 AB +1 damage, this song later becomes
redundant, since Tymora¡¯s Melody also affects attack and damage rolls.
-The Tale of Curran Strongheart (Lvl3): Immunity to fear effects. This is
useful in specific situations.
-Tymora¡¯s Melody (Lvl5): +1 luck, +3 S.T. and +2 to some rogue and wizard
skills. This song is very powerful, and useful in many situations. It¡¯s the
staple bard song in HoF.
-The Song of Kaudies (Lvl7): 50% chance per round to remove sound-based effects
on allies; occasionally handy.
-The Siren¡¯s Yearning (Lvl9): Enemies are enthralled (immobile as long as
undamaged) for 10 rounds, if they fail their S.T.. It¡¯s unclear whether SF:
Enchantment feats affect this song¡¯s DC, but I can only hope so. This is the
bard¡¯s only offensive song, and is good against weak-willed monsters.
-The War Chant of Sith (Lvl11): +2AC, (+2DR w/Ease-of-use mod), and 3HP/round
regeneration during combat. This is the favourite of many players, but I
think it doesn¡¯t measure up to the level 5 song: The bonuses become less
significant at higher levels, especially in HoF, where enemies hit hard and do
huge damage.
Bodhi is the party spokesperson. Conversation skills are not essential to the
game, but I don¡¯t like going through the story wondering if I missed out on
interesting options. Some of the dialogue is forced on first encounter when
entering a map, so she won¡¯t be spoken to. I still wouldn¡¯t put her in 1st or
2nd place, since after such talks combat often starts. Conversation skills are
useless in force-talks anyway. For a lot of normal mode she will have limited
conversation skills, because she will be dividing skillpoints between Bluff,
Diplomacy and Intimidate. Still, it will be more than sufficient to meet all
dialogue requirements, along with the CHA modifier.
IMOEN
----- is a strong offensive spellcaster, with high level Evocation and
Necromancy spells to really hurt the enemy. It¡¯s not necessary to give her any
Diplomacy, since the bard is a much better diplomat. Continually casting spells
and/or attacking with ranged weapons is the best way to use her, unless he gets
attacked. Especially in melee, you might want to send another party member to
her aid. Her build is designed to be able to melee reasonably well, even in HoF
mode, when necessary. Arcane spellcasters will always be the weakest in a
party, but at least she¡¯s versatile enough to fight in melee. After mixing-in
paladin for a quest in chapter 1, mixing-in ranger is useful for Spoiler10!,
though this can be delayed until the very end of chapter 4. ¡®Ultimate¡¯
Powergamers will criticize the levels spent on mix-ins, but they never admit
results of actual combat encounters to you. Battles get scrappy quickly, and
you¡¯ll be glad you¡¯ve taken those few levels. Not to mention ¡°paladin + high
CHA = better S.T.¡±: She has the highest average ST in the party, which is a
good substitute for SR. A single paladin level is for using paladin items,
activating the CHA bonus to S.T., and enabling paladin dialogues (Paladins
don¡¯t accept rewards, so be warned). A mix-in of monk much later gives her
another protection from Evocation spell damage; monk Evasion works especially
well with the paladin-CHA-bonus to S.T., because the Reflex S.T. will be very
high. Later in HoF, mixing in fighter, rogue and wizard levels will give her
useful feats, when leveling as sorcerer is less crucial.
MINSC
----- is mainly a druid, and druids have a good amount of Evocation &
Transmutation attack spells. A varied amount of spells, especially with
Ease-of-use. Together, the clerics and druid will give the party plenty of
healing spells, probably all you need before resting, so feel free to load up
on attack spells with him. An advantage non-evil clerics have over druids is
the shift-click to convert any memorized spell to a corresponding
Cure ____ Wounds; for this reason it¡¯s best to leave healing to your clerics,
because it doesn¡¯t cost spell slots. The new customdll fix allows druids to
Shift-Click spells to convert them to a corresponding Summon Animal __ spell.
He can blast the enemies with spells as long as he can until it gets really
scrappy, or you can send him into melee sooner, to give you a larger
frontline. He can shapechange, and with the Ease-of-Use component Alternate
Druid Shapeshifting, you get really powerful, elemental resistant half-dragon
forms. The red half-dragon can stand in the middle of a sea of fire, fighting
safely while surrounding enemies are being burnt to a crisp. Be advised that
shapechanging sometimes dispels all spell effects, but only rarely. The druid
has an important level 2 spell: Barkskin. It gives a generic AC bonus for quite
a long duration. Cast them on the entire party to save you lots of combat
damage. You should have at least 6 level 2 spell slots invested in this. I
mix-in a level monk early on, because it gives him an AC bonus from WIS, which
carries over to shapeshift forms! The monk mix-in also gives proficiency in
axes.
KORGAN
Alternative party member ------ is fourth in line; he is meant to replace the
bard Bodhi, for more melee-oriented players, and those who don¡¯t want to play
with bards. He can also potentially replace Viconia, for those who think they
can manage with a single cleric, and don¡¯t care about having frontliners with
SR. He has no SR or Evasion, and he has a low Will S.T., so be aware of these
weaknesses. He sounds useless, does he? It¡¯s a pain when he gets charmed in
the beginning, but towards the end of the normal mode game you don¡¯t have any
more worries. There are items in the game he can use to cheesily be immune to
most every Enchantment spell in the game, he¡¯s unintentionally ideal for using
them. Spoiler12! You have the option to accept the risk of spell and combat
damage because he has DR as a barbarian, and he has the HP to survive it. He
serves as an excellent distraction/rescuer if an enemy tries to target your
arcane spellcasters. A mage killer-killer¡ He can also hide in shadows like a
thief, sneak past enemy lines, and go berserk on enemy mages from behind.
You¡¯ll enjoy pulling that off! Since the berserk is his only ¡®spell¡¯, you
can use him as a decoy: Make him the only character the enemies can see, so
they all target him, then in a mild situation a few enchantments cast upon the
enemies will give him an easier time. In HoF some groups of enemies will break
through even your strongest summons, so having him targeted, and then casting
Otiluke¡¯s Resilient Sphere on him, will give your spellcasters a free hand to
blast away (this doesn¡¯t work anymore with Tactics mod installed).
This team of 6 should be versatile enough to survive any encounter in IWD2,
even sailing through HoF with few difficulties.
*----------------------------*
| Chapter 6: PARTY MEMBERS |
*----------------------------*
Read the accompanying excel sheet for exact leveling details. Spoiler11!
* Mix-ins in ITALIC are suggestions for the late game, they are not critical
for the character, or for quest bonuses. It is often specified in the text at
what time I took those mix-ins, otherwise check the excel sheet.
Square brackets behind feats [ ] contain the level at which the feat is taken.
Sometimes a letter is included, and this indicates that the feat is special: W
for wizard, F for fighter, and H for human. For example, [F2] would mean that
the feat is from the second fighter level.
JAHEIRA in detail
-----------------
Jaheira is a lawful good female Drow, she starts as a Morninglord of Lathander
(an unlikely alignment and ridiculous deity for a Drow, but I made up a story
for her). A paladin level should be taken in anticipation of Spoiler5! In HoF
mode, she takes 2 fighter and 1 conjurer levels for some extra feats when
leveling in cleric is not crucial. This is an evoker-battlecleric, with some
party-friendly crowd control to use on slow-Reflex enemies. The conjurer level
is specialist, so 2 castings of Identify can potentially be used and memorized.
The choice of conjurer is purely cosmetic, to signify the cleric¡¯s role in
healing and buffing.
Jaheira is considered the party leader, because she was in position 1 at the
start of the game. This is important for Spoilers22&23!
LATHANDER X / PALADIN OF HELM 1 / FIGHTER 2 / CONJURER 1*
Why Morninglord of Lathander? They get some good fire damage spells, so she
can participate in blasting enemies with spells like a mage. This is a
straightforward character, there is little to explain. You might not like the
idea of having two or three Drow in the party, so you can always choose a
Half-Elf or Human¡ They would have higher HP and quicker leveling, but you¡¯d
miss out on SR. If you don¡¯t care for the warrior mix-ins, deep gnomes make
very good pure clerics; they are still spell resistant, but don¡¯t have
longsword or bow proficiency. On a positive note, a human Morninglord would
get 2 skillpoints per level, and would be free to acquire 10 Spellcraft, a
prerequisite for elemental feats like Spirit of Flame, which would improve her
fire spells. One of the mods improves the rules so her INT modifier won¡¯t make
her have to take more than 10 points in Spellcraft to get access to elemental
feats. Without it, you¡¯d need 13 spellcraft because of the ¨C3 INT modifier.
It¡¯s very tempting to give a Morninglord the Spirit of Flame feat, but she
functions fine without it, and it¡¯s too complicated to meet the prerequisite
10 Spellcraft, so I advise against it.
Jaheira¡¯s abilities: 18STR, 18DEX, 16CON, 5INT, 18WIS, 5CHA {improve CON}
Because she¡¯s in front she will often be force-talked to, but my bard (or
sorcerer if there is no bard - read on) will be my selected diplomat wherever
possible.
I strongly advise you to give some attention to her CON when leveling, because
it gives a bonus to concentration and increases HP. STR is a viable option, if
you think dealing damage quicker is better than having more HP. If choosing
STR, a two-handed weapon will help deal more damage. Also, I wouldn¡¯t improve
her INT or CHA abilities anymore: INT is useless (she only needs Concentration
skill), CHA is also unimportant; S.T. from the paladin mix-in doesn¡¯t compare
to the benefit of CON, STR or even WIS. DEX gives Reflex S.T., but clerics will
always have below average Reflexes, and her armour limits her DEX bonus for AC
anyway. 13DEX is a requirement for Dodge and Rapid Shot. You¡¯re able to select
Ambidexterity (15DEX required), but you should delay picking it. Leave dual
wielding as an option for the late game. Use a shield or 2-handed weapon until
you can dual-wield.
Her base skills at level 30 are: Concentration 33. I don¡¯t advise taking 10-14
points in Spellcraft to gain access to the elemental feat Spirit of Flame,
it¡¯s just too costly.
Chosen feats at level 30 were: First take Power Attack[1], Cleave[3],
GSF:Evocation[6&9], Improved Critical[12], Rapid Shot[15], Two-Weapon
Fighting[18], Ambidexterity[F1], Blind Fight[21], 1x Bastard Sword[F2], Heroic
Inspiration[24], Dodge[27], Discipline[30]. After level 30: Combat
Casting[33], 1x Spell Penetration[36], Heretic¡¯s Bane & 2x Spell
Penetration[39&W1].
Since Jaheira will only cast her offensive Evocation spells as first strike, or
in a killzone, the Spell Penetration feats can be taken safely. The main
disadvantage of these feats, is that they make her own spells break through her
and her party¡¯s SR as well. Jaheira¡¯s few offensive spells won¡¯t damage the
party unless she¡¯s careless.
I prefer never to take a first weapon slot in anything except Bastard Sword,
and this only for a warrior. Jaheira has very few weapon proficiency slots
(because early on she¡¯s a character without a level in a warrior class). But
she has proficiency in the martial weapons Bow and Long Sword, because of her
elven heritage. If you think you aren¡¯t dealing out enough damage with
longswords, bows and maces, be patient: There are powerful weapons of this type
(also added by mods), so you will regret it if you take a martial weapon feat.
You¡¯ll miss out on feats in the long run.
VICONIA in detail
-----------------
Viconia is a lawful neutral female Drow. She plays most of normal mode as a
pure Dreadmaster of Bane, taking one level fighter when the need for more
weapon proficiencies arises. She then levels up in HoF mode carefully as
fighter again, to avoid having to take non-class skills: Skip the fighter skill
points and allocate them later as cleric points, for this it¡¯s best to
alternate fighter and cleric (if you haven¡¯t got the latest customdll
installed), to increase your feats and cleric skills through ¡®skill point
squatting¡¯. Since leveling fast in cleric is important to get spells early, it
is advisable to at least take the last 3 levels fighter late in game (start no
sooner than level 18), when leveling cleric is less crucial.
BANE X / FIGHTER 4*
DON¡¯T make the mistake of having a MALE Drow cleric with another side class,
or you will get an XP penalty. Drow are a surprising race, since their gender
determines their favoured class. Male Drow are good wizards, not clerics.
Why a Dreadmaster of Bane? With all the WIS bonuses, cleric abilities, and
GSF:Enchantment, you can barely notice I haven't maximized WIS! She'll
eventually have an effective 26-27WIS with all rewards and items, and an
enchantment domain spell DC of +13! Together, the Banite¡¯s Tyrant¡¯s Dictum,
WIS-boosting equipment, Spoiler4!, and GSF: Enchantment makes her
Will-saving-throw spells work very well, especially enchantments.
Why not a monk mix-in later in the game? Because first of all her WIS isn¡¯t
maximized, so she¡¯s better off wearing armour than getting a WIS AC bonus.
And the Evasion feat works best with a high Reflex S.T., which is not the case
with clerics. And because of the 4 fighter levels (prerequisite for weapon
specialization), the 3 monk levels required to avoid an XP penalty is pricy.
Viconia¡¯s abilities: 18STR, 18DEX, 16CON, 5INT, 18WIS, 5CHA {improve CON}
When leveling up, CON or STR are the best options, WIS is not as good for a
battlecleric, as the only real bonuses are 1-3 extra spells (total, not per
level) per 2 points of WIS, and a slow increase in spell DC.
Her base skills at level 30 are: Concentration 33.
Chosen feats at level 30 were: First choose First take Power Attack[1],
Cleave[3], GSF:Enchantment[6&9], Improved Critical[12], Two-Weapon
Fighting[F1], Ambidexterity[15], 1x Bastard Sword[18], Blind Fight[F2], 2x&3x
Bastard Sword[21&F4], Rapid Shot[24], Discipline[27], Combat Casting[30]. After
level 30: 2x Axe[33], Maximized Attacks[36], 3x Axe [39].
It is important to note that the bastard swords mentioned in this guide are
significantly enhanced by Ease-of-use mod¡¯s ¡®Improved Bastard Swords¡¯
component: If you aren¡¯t going to install the component, then the available
bastard swords aren¡¯t worth the trouble, and you will be better off
specializing in longswords. Specializing in a 2-handed weapon and taking the
Two-Weapon Fighting and Ambidexterity feats sounds counterintuitive, but it
offers her a wide variety of combat options. She is a battlecleric after all.
In normal mode, enhancing her spellcasting is crucial for her enchantments to
be effective, since her enchantments will help the party through the early &
mid game. In HoF mode her combat skills are improved to include weapon
specialization.
JAN JANSEN in detail
--------------------
Jan Jansen is a neutral evil male Svirfneblin (=Deep Gnome), he starts as a
rogue, but he specializes in Illusionist mostly, taking another rogue level to
get more rogue skills and Evasion (No damage from Reflex-S.T.-spells if save is
successful. Without Evasion, saving against these spells would give half
damage. Failing a Reflex S.T. still gives full damage). The function of the
Dreadmaster of Bane mix-in is explained in a spoiler under the Minsc section
too, but see a spoiler below for more detail. He takes a level ranger
eventually (best to wait until after level 18 unless you really need
dual-wielding).
ROGUE 2 / ILLUSIONIST X / BANE 1 / RANGER 1 / FIGHTER 1*
Since the maximum level attainable is 30, or 40 with the level 40 patcher, it
is only worthwhile to take 1 mix-in level of fighter (wizards gain an extra
feat every 5 levels). If any mix-in level listed is not taken, then a second
fighter level does gain him a feat.
Why Svirfneblin? I love the Svirfneblin. They¡¯re like slippery little
leprechauns with their enhanced AC and SR. A non-detectable rogue, level
adjustment be damned, it¡¯s brilliant. If you choose any other possible race
for this character (Lightfoot or Strongheart Halfling, Tiefling, Human,
Half-Elf, Moon Elf or male Drow) you¡¯ll skip the disadvantage of the level
adjustment and can choose any type of wizard (though Halflings and Tieflings
can¡¯t take other mix-ins than rogue of course), but you¡¯ll be missing out on
some great defensive abilities.
Why rogue/illusionist/dreadmaster? The rogue levels not only enable the
valuable Evasion feat, they also combine perfectly with mage INT, allowing him
to take many rogue skills. Illusionist is the gnomish speciality, so I had to
choose that. It wouldn¡¯t be my first choice, since he can¡¯t cast Abjuration
(protections) or Necromancy spells (they are powerful at high level), but my
sorcerer covers those. The nice thing about this, is that I am now left to
choose from spells that I otherwise wouldn¡¯t choose, like Emotion: Hope,
Otiluke¡¯s Resilient Sphere and Fireshield instead of Stoneskin. Stoneskins
can be provided by my sorceror and druid (thanks to Ease-of-use and Light of
Selune mod). Spoiler13! The other mix-ins are optional, and best taken later
in the game. I intended him to be a weakling firing arrows at the back, but I
was pleasantly surprised by his defence skills despite his HP: He¡¯s not that
weak at all; he doesn¡¯t drop so quickly in melee, and actually serves as an
excellent decoy. I had him dual wield small blades in HoF, and it turns out he
can do his share of melee when it becomes necessary. Jan Jansen, Imoen and
Bodhi are all arcane spellcasters, so there is no shortage of powerful spells
at your disposal! It¡¯s handy to have Jan Jansen focus in Transmutation and
Enchantment; he has enough feats to afford it. Enchantment should not be
dismissed: They are party-friendly (except some ¡®Emotion:¡¯ spells) and
affect most of the targets. Ambushed by goblins? No problem; you¡¯ll be spoilt
for choice deciding which Enchantment to unleash upon them. You probably
won¡¯t get the leaders, but they will definitely disperse the group. Simply do
what the AI does to you so often: Hold, Confusion, Feeblemind and Dominate the
dumber critters. If these spells can take out 1 or 2 of your party, imagine
what they can do to enemy hordes¡who needs Wail of the Banshee?
If you feel really cheesy, take advantage of the unlocked spell schools caused
by the cleric mix-in, to allow him to cast Abjuration and Necromancy spells¡
I consider this a bug, so it would be cheating. Besides, you can fine-tune the
sorcerer and wizard in your party to cover all of your needs. By the time I
reach level 30, it becomes too tempting to cast necromancy, so I take
GSF:Necromancy feats. Intentionally avoiding necromancy despite being able to
use it seems too much like roleplaying, and this is a powergaming guide after
all.
Jan Jansen¡¯s abilities: 12STR, 20DEX, 18CON, 18INT, 5WIS, 1CHA {improve INT}
INT is what this character needs most, good for spells, identifying, getting
rogue skills, and he is necessary for quest options requiring high INT (I can
think of just one that Bodhi couldn¡¯t handle). He needs decent CON for HP and
Fortitude S.T.. S.T. are this character¡¯s weakness (below average Fortitude
and Will S.T.), if you can consider it a weakness. The rogue class complements
his wizardry with bow proficiency, but that¡¯s irrelevant after you take a
level ranger. His INT allows him to make the most of his rogue skills too.
Ranger allows dual-wielding and all warrior weapon proficiencies at the cost of
one level. But for the normal mode game, he will rely on a shield + Armoured
Arcana feat. If you are uncertain if the ranger level is worthwhile, wait as
long as you can with that. Once you¡¯ve figured out your tactics, you will know
if it¡¯s worthwhile.
His base skills at level 30 are: Alchemy 15, Concentration 32, Disable Device
16, Hide 15, Knowledge (Arcana) 13, Move Silently 17, Open Lock 15, Search 19,
and Spellcraft 32. Note that this is probably the minimum of points that you
can get out of leveling. If you installed Customdll component ¡°Save Skill
Points¡±, then you could delay an unlimited number of skill points, to allocate
later, when the relevant skills are class skills. A ranger has Hide, Move
Silently and Search as ¡®class skills¡¯ (cost 1 point instead of 2), so this
will boost rogue skills. Spoiler19! It is very important to get the priority of
all the skills right: Try to maximize Concentration (for casting) unless you
need rogue¡¯s skills more. Getting Open Lock to about 10 should come first,
then the same for Spellcraft (for feats and scribing scrolls), Search and
Disable Device, then Knowledge (Arcana) for identifying, and Alchemy for
quests. The rogue¡¯s Hide and Move Silently skill can easily be augmented with
items, so improving those skills is of the lowest priority, and best left until
after you are confident with all other skills.
Chosen feats at level 30: First take Rapid Shot[1], GSF:Evocation[3&W1],
Armoured Arcana & Expertise[6&W5], Spirit of Flame[9], Precise Shot &
Discipline[12&W10], Blind Fight[15], GSF:Transmutation[18&W15], Improved
Critical[21], GSF:Enchantment[24&W20], Scion of Storms[27], Aqua Mortis[W25],</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
GSF:Necromancy[30&F1]. Many reasonable choices after level 30: Dodge[33],
Combat Casting[W30], Aegis of Rime[36], Great Fortitude[39], Iron Will[W35].
The few offensive combat feats he takes, despite having the most feats, are
Rapid Shot, Precise Shot and Improved Critical, this is mainly to improve his
ranged combat. Spoiler15!
BODHI in detail
---------------
Bodhi is a neutral evil female drow. She starts as a bard, and remains pure
bard for quite some time. Before a certain point in the game, as discussed in
Spoiler4!, she takes a level Dreadmaster of Bane. This is the only mix-in she
acquires in the entire game. Other mix-ins can¡¯t be taken, because of her
race.
BARD X / BANE 1
Bodhi is a new character in my party, an experiment of sorts, and replaces my
barbarian, Korgan. Since she takes the place of my old barbarian, this
seriously alters the tactical balance of my party: A pure warrior is now
replaced by a character practically incapable of melee combat. Now there are
more weak arcane spellcasters who don¡¯t wear armour (4 out of 6 don¡¯t wear
regular armour now), and less combat-worthy frontliners. But the extra spells
added into the equation compensate for this, and create a new dimension of
singing and spellcasting. Bards have a unique spell selection, and are very
powerful when used properly.
Why a bard? When I still had a barbarian, one of my clerics had a 5 level
mix-in of bard, for the powerful Tymora¡¯s Melody song. This was an interesting
build theoretically, but in practice, a frontline battlecleric doesn¡¯t keep
singing. A full bard is a spellcasting/singing oriented build, and should be
kept in the back mostly, maybe occasionally used as a decoy. There is a song in
her repertoire for every situation, and her spellcasting greatly increases
options. Compared to a sorcerer or wizard, bardic spell progression is much
slower; the difference becomes greater at higher levels. The final spell level
for a bard (8) can be cast at bard level 26, while wizards and sorcerers get
level 8 spells at level 15 and 16, respectively. Their spell table progresses
so slowly, that they actually don¡¯t gain any new spells at some levels! It
seems like bards have a vastly inferior spellbook because of this delay, but
their repertoire of songs can be used unlimited, and this makes it hard to
compare. If you can use a bard properly, then she is a very good team member,
otherwise take the alternative, Korgan (below). As I explained before, a
mix-in of bard was not practical for a frontliner; you end up fighting instead
of singing.
You basically have 2 ways to go with Pick Pockets: Forget it completely and
give up on ever picking a villager¡¯s pockets, you then get lots more skill
points to allocate elsewhere. Another way to get a villager¡¯s possessions,
is to summon a monster that requires protection from evil (demons & elementals)
to kill villagers. Be careful that it doesn¡¯t kill off important merchants or
quest-related characters, though. Only high skill in Pick Pockets stands a
chance of picking a HoF mode villager¡¯s pocket, and some are even beyond the
possibility of pickpocketing.
Bodhi¡¯s abilities: 6STR, 20DEX, 16CON, 14INT, 4WIS, 20CHA {improve CHA}
Bodhi¡¯s base STR will stay at 6 throughout the game, and if you use her
correctly it will never come into play. The 14INT allows for the Expertise
feat, and opens up a lot of valuable dialogue options, making Bodhi the best
diplomat. Her 20DEX is most useful for her Reflexes and AC, but she shouldn¡¯t
be doing ranged attacks too often; using bows distracts from singing. CON is
also maxed at the start, to keep her alive, and improve her Fortitude. There is
little use for WIS, so don¡¯t choose this when leveling. CHA is the ability to
increase when leveling, because it improves her spellcasting and dialogue, and
hopefully the Siren¡¯s Yearning song too.
Her actual skills at level 30 are: Bluff 13, Concentration 33, Diplomacy 13,
Intimidate 13*, Pick Pocket 16, Spellcraft 29 and Use Magic Device 1. Always
maximize Concentration, and try to optimize conversation skills. For an
explanation about why conversation skills are left so low, read Spoiler18!
*Intimidate isn¡¯t a class skill, but there are situations requiring
intimidation, so it is useful to have all conversation skills. Use Magic Device
is a poor skill to use, because you always have a chance to take magic damage
if the attempt to cast fails. But taking one point in it activates it, and
since it works on CHA, the modifier brings it up a lot. Use Magic Device
becomes even less useful once you¡¯ve taken a level cleric later on, so I
advise against spending more than 1 point in it, unless there¡¯s nothing else
to improve. Don¡ät start taking points in Spellcraft until after you¡äve
optimized all conversation skills and pickpocketing.
Chosen feats at level 30 were: First take Lingering Song[1], Armoured
Arcana[3], Expertise[6], GSF:Enchantment[9&12], Dash[15], GSF:Evocation[18&21],
GSF:Necromancy[24&27], Discipline[30]. After level 30: Combat Casting[33],
Blind Fight[36], Subvocal Casting[39].
The bard¡¯s spellbook doesn¡¯t have many elemental damage spells, so there is
little need for such feats, or their 10 Spellcraft requirement, fortunately.
But the bard does need a lot of SF feats (only GSF:Transmutation is useless if
you don¡¯t pick Blindness or Slow, which I don¡¯t), so in the beginning she
can¡¯t get feats fast enough. I chose Enchantment before Evocation, but you
may prefer to enhance Evocation first, for better Chromatic Orbs. Necromancy
comes into play at high levels, when you can select Wail of the Banshee and
Horror. Combat feats are not useful for my bard, and besides the defensive
feats Expertise, Armoured Arcana and Blind Fight, none are taken. Dash makes
her a better, faster decoy, and the remaining feats are meant to improve her
casting chances in combat.
IMOEN in detail
---------------
Imoen is a lawful good female Human starting as a sorceress. Before you get to
a certain point in the game you should take a level paladin (Paladin type only
matters if you installed Customdll: Paladins of Mystra can then also advance
as sorcerers). I took one level around level 8, for Spoiler8!. If you value
the ability to dual wield weapons effectively, a level ranger enables this at
1 level sacrifice, take the level by chapter 4 at the latest for Spoiler10!. A
level monk can be taken in HoF mode to enable the Evasion feat. Three feats
can be gained by taking two levels fighter, and a level necromancer (again,
specialist wizard for 2 castings of Identify, necromancer is a cosmetic
choice). The rogue level is taken very late, solely to use rogue items.
SORCERER X / PALADIN ILMATER 1 / RANGER 1 / MONK o/t BROKEN ONES 1 / FIGHTER 2
/ ROGUE 1/ NECROMANCER 1*
Why sorcerer/paladin/ranger/monk/rogue? The level ranger is to make her more
versatile in combat; she can¡¯t effectively use armour or a shield due to spell
failure, so she¡¯s better off with a 2-handed weapon or dual wielding. Dual
wielding gives her an extra attack per round of almost equal AB as her first
attack with her main hand, not to mention you benefit from the bonuses of two
weapons, so she¡¯ll be more effective this way. She¡¯s not a melee fighter, but
you will need her to be able to hit things during the game (and you get a hold
of the HoF paladin sword later, the modded version from Ease-of-use has a
+10AB!). A level ranger makes her much more versatile in combat at the price of
only 1 level. She really needs those weapon feats, since she must allocate the
11 given feats to mostly spellcasting. She gets a 12th for being Human, a feat
she can use well. I did think of making her a Wild Elf, but she really needs
the feat and especially the skill points. The combination of the Evasion feat
from the monk level, with the high paladin¡¯s S.T. bonus from CHA, offers a
cheesy protection from spell damage. Be aware that the 2nd paladin level
enables her to radiate an Aura of Courage, giving a constant bonus against fear
effects, if you find that worthwhile. The rogue level is explained in chapter
8. Spoiler10!
Why not a rogue/bard/sorcerer? Too much on her plate. She¡¯ll need a lot of
skill points (meaning INT) to cover casting skills, diplomacy and thieving
skills. It¡¯s better to have a dedicated rogue/mage, and maybe a bard, like I
have in my party.
Imoen¡¯s abilities: 16STR, 18DEX, 18CON, 3INT, 3WIS, 18CHA {improve CHA}
Sorcerers rely on their CHA, so this is the advancement of choice. Don¡¯t
bother increasing any other stat; she is a professional spell slinger and must
advance in this. His overall S.T. will be the best of the group due to the
paladin levels and CHA, and no other ability offers anything that could compete
with CHA bonuses.
Her INT is minimal since she will only use the skill points given (just for
Concentration and Spellcraft). Even investing in Diplomacy is unnecessary
because of the bard in the team. Her DEX is important for AC and because
she¡¯ll be using ranged weapons often. He also needs good CON for HP or she¡¯ll
drop like a fly. Maximizing the initial stats should suffice her requirements.
She¡¯s a bit weakish due to low HP and AC, but her AB isn¡¯t bad. Try to keep
her out of heavy melee if possible, but if he is attacked you still have a
fighting chance; she¡¯s weakish, not weak. She has just as much HP as Jan
Jansen, higher saving throws, but a lower AC and no innate SR.
This character has a variety of weapons, armour and tactics she can employ to
adapt to the circumstances: She¡¯s strong with a bow, dual-wields in light or
no armour, and can cast powerful spells. She¡¯s also proficient with martial
weapons early on, which can be useful in conjunction with STR-enhancing spells.
Spoilers8&16!
Sorcerers don¡¯t get extra feats like wizards, so you¡¯ll need to choose feats
wisely. That¡¯s also why ranger dual-wielding comes in so handy. I decided
early on not to give her any weapon feats; it¡¯s just not worth it. Fortunately
the paladin¡¯s CHA bonus to S.T. also makes it less important to take feats
that enhance S.T..
Her actual skills at level 30 are: Concentration 33 and Spellcraft 31. She
doesn¡¯t need Diplomacy, since my bard will be doing most if not all of the
talking. Naturally, investing in Diplomacy is wise in absence of a bard.
Spellcraft gives another check for the party to identify enemy spells, so
improving it remains useful.
Chosen feats at level 30: First take GSF:Evocation[1&H1], Discipline[3], Rapid
Shot[6], Spirit of Flame[9], GSF: Necromancy[12&15], Improved Critical[18],
Combat Casting[21], GSF:Transmutation[24&F1], GSF:Enchantment[27&F2], Blind
Fight[30]. After level 30: Scion of Storms & Aqua Mortis[33&W1], Aegis of
Rime[36], Luck of Heroes[39]. {A single slot in Armoured Arcana would enable
him to use the powerful HoF shields with no spell failure chance, but by the
time it¡¯s worth taking, you¡¯re better off dual-wielding anyway. Save your
feats!} Spoiler11!
Like Jan Jansen, she takes the combat feats Improved Critical and Rapid Shot.
It¡¯s mainly for her ranged attacks, but it also improves her melee and magic
weapons. Discipline may seem like an odd feat to take early, but the extra will
and concentration serve the party¡¯s main nuker well.
MINSC in detail
---------------
Minsc is a lawful neutral male Human starting as druid, then taking a level
Monk of the Old Order, but concentrating on druid after that. This is an
excommunication from the monk¡¯s order (like paladin), so you must be certain
you won¡¯t decide to add another mix-in later of anything more than 2 levels.
He takes a level ranger when the need to dual wield arises. The Bane cleric
level can¡¯t be explained without Spoiler4!.
DRUID X / MONK o/t O.O. 1 / BANE 1/ RANGER 1 / FIGHTER 2 / TRANSMUTER 1*
Why a mix-in monk? Monks are powerful at high levels, but it takes a while to
nurture them. Also, I like to use the weapons I find anyway, and this character
is ideal for 2-handed weapons in the party. Besides the ability to use monk
items, the level gives Evasion and S.T. bonuses. Evasion allows a monk to take
no damage from spells that give ¡°half damage if save vs. Reflex¡±, if the monk
makes its reflex save. Obviously your WIS goes to your AC when you¡¯re not
wearing armour, so don¡¯t. When you use the druid¡¯s shapeshifting ability, you
still get the WIS AC bonuses! Customdll fix allows monks to wear robes, which
is great. Spoilers5&17!
A level Ranger gives this character the option to dual wield at a cost of 1
level, and all missing weapon proficiencies. It can be taken very late in the
game, if desirable. Similarly, 2 Fighter levels late in the game give 2 extra
feats, but this should also be done at such a late stage, that being 2 more
levels behind as a druid hardly matters.
You must choose a Monk of the Old Order, because you need neutral alignment to
be able to choose druid as well (another mistake I made first time around when
following Dave Milward¡¯s party tips ¨C forgot to make the ranger neutral, so
he couldn¡¯t become a druid. Stupid of me). In fact, lawful neutral is the only
alignment that allows for the combination of monk and druid.
Why a Human? There¡¯s no huge difference in abilities between Humans and
Half-Elves, so you¡¯re free to choose. Half-Elves get immunity to sleep spells
and bonus vs. Enchantment spells, while Humans get an extra feat at 1st level
and more skill points per level. There are no races that have monk or druid as
favoured race, so my choices were limited to Human or Half-Elf. The skill
points are not essential, but help you cover the 2 most important skills: The
first point per level goes to Concentration obviously, you also need 10-14
points in Spellcraft for elemental feats. Half-Elves would get sub-optimal
concentration, or no elemental feats. For this reason I¡¯d advise you to take
Human; you don¡¯t get immunity to sleep and S.T. vs. Enchantment ¨C but think
about it; your Will S.T. is through the roof already. So you decide: Are the
immunity and Enchantment S.T. worth that extra feat and skills? The answer is
definitely NO. Humans beat Half-Elves in any build.
Minsc¡¯s abilities: 18STR, 16DEX, 18CON, 3INT, 18WIS, 3CHA
WIS improves his AC, Will S.T., spell DC AND the druid¡¯s amount of spells.
Improve his WIS at every opportunity for this reason. It¡¯s not worthwhile to
improve any other ability. If you¡¯re not going to optimize his WIS, go for a
svirfneblin druid or female drow dreadmaster 1 / druid X, and wear armour
instead. In those cases, improving CON or STR is a viable alternative, but the
bonuses are inferior to those offered by WIS. Clerics are great frontline
divine casters, but druids need high WIS. Spoiler2!
This character serves as an effective warrior as well as a divine offensive
spellcaster. Since a shield would make him lose his AC bonuses, two handed
weapons and dual wielding are most practical here. Polearms, quarterstaves and
2-handed axes are good, but getting bonuses from two equipped weapons is a
great option. When he¡¯s shapeshifted at high level, he becomes the best melee
warrior, the half-dragons (from Ease-of-use mod) are so powerful, I hesitate
to use them, preferring to utilize his spellcasting for tactics and
enjoyability. Be warned that shapeshifting sometimes dispels all his buffs
(i.e. Bull¡¯s Strength, Cat¡¯s Grace, Barkskin, Stoneskin, Mage Armor), so I
use it most often when my buff spells have run out. Each shapeshift also heals
12HP, so it¡äs a handy little resource as well. On the plus side, the bonuses
from some-but-not-all equipment carry over in the shapeshifted form. The final
¡°Elemental Half-Dragon¡± form has a set STR of 40, allowing for a boost over
that! The additional STR-damage with a 2-handed weapon from a STR of 48 is 1.5
x 19 = 28!! And that¡¯s just the STR bonus, the sword also does 2d6+4 slashing
damage. Take into consideration that the final elemental sword (+4 enchanted)
does extra damage in all four elements, then you will agree that no fighter can
ever beat this. Use with caution, at the risk of spoiling your own fun. Even
Slayer Knights of Xvim would crap their demonic pants at the sight of this
terror! But it¡¯s the crowning achievement of the druid; the point where he
becomes more powerful than even the cleric or sorceror. So I wouldn¡¯t want to
miss it.
His actual skills at level 30 are Concentration 33 and Spellcraft 31. Because
the druid is unarmoured, he can make use of his innate Hide ability; you can
sneak in behind enemy lines and shapeshift ¨C deadly and funny! ¡°Hey, where
did that Half-Dragon come from?¡± The most useful skill for the leftover skill
points to be put into was Spellcraft, giving the party another chance to
identify enemy spells as they¡¯re being cast. By level 30, 4 party members will
have high Spellcraft.
Chosen feats at level 30: First take GSF:Transmutation[1&H1], Power Attack[3],
Cleave[6], Spirit of Flame[9], Improved Critical[12], Scion of Storms[15],
GSF:Evocation[18&21], Combat Casting[24], Rapid Shot[F1], Blind Fight & Aegis
of Rime[27&F2], Aqua Mortis[W1], Precise Shot[30]. After level 30: Heretic¡¯s
Bane[33], Dirty Fighting[36], Luck of Heroes[39]. Spoiler11!
This build is spellcasting oriented, but you may need fighting skills first,
so pick feats in the order befitting your play style. The improved druid spell
selection from the Ease-of-Use pack adds a number of acid and cold damage
spells, so the feats Aqua Mortis and Aegis of Rime are worthwhile, but not
urgent. The spell Tremor is much appreciated on level 8, so this is a good
reason to temporarily install the Upgraded Classes component from the Light of
Selune mod. Once you pick Tremor at level 8, save the game or export the
character, and uninstall Upgraded Classes, because it has severe penalties that
can be avoided by uninstalling it.
Alternative to a bard or 2nd cleric, for melee-oriented players:
KORGAN in detail
----------------
Korgan is a chaotic evil male Duergar (=Gray Dwarf). He is a pure Barbarian at
the start of normal mode, but he takes 1 level Fighter as soon as he wants to
wear heavy armour and gain a free feat. I advise waiting with more mix-ins
until after 20th level if possible, so that he has Tireless Rage. Towards the
start of HoF, he should take 3 more Fighter levels to gain weapon
specialization. BARBARIAN X/FIGHTER 4
Korgan has been removed from my old party, since he was the least powergaming-
efficient character, but I keep him in the guide to offer an alternative for
melee-focused players. He is the only character in the guide that has no quest
bonus to abilities, or any protection from spells (SR or Evasion).
Why a barbarian/fighter? His HP will be through the roof (can go over 600 at
level 30, and hypothetically reaches 1478HP at level 40 with enhancing (mod)
items and quest bonuses), so he can act as a better meat shield than any summon
in the game. Unfortunately there¡¯s only one way to be immune to damage, and
that¡¯s Otiluke¡¯s Resilient Sphere. The best way to protect from death is
having lots of HP. You might not like taking damage, even despite his getting
damage reduction (DR), since you¡¯ll want to heal it. So use him wisely: Before
you leave a map to travel for hours, you only need to equip him with
regenerating items and he¡¯ll heal en route. Not to mention you get good value
out of Heal spells when you use them on him. At medium level he starts getting
DR, which is like a weak but constant Iron Skins spell, sparing him heaps of
damage. The rage ability becomes deadly at high levels when he doesn¡¯t tire.
Sneak into enemy lines and go berserk. ¡°Great fun, heh heh! Right, Boo?¡±
Why not a Half-Orc? In my opinion the CON bonus is preferable over the STR
bonus of the Half-Orc. Dwarven racial abilities are also beneficial, but I
mainly chose Duergar because I wanted an evil Underdark character. If you
dislike the level penalty, you can take any other dwarf instead, of course. I
see the ECL as a bonus for a pure warrior in my party, because I wouldn¡¯t want
a non-spellcaster to bring the average party level up too fast, since this
lowers XP gained from kills to the detriment of my spellcasting builds. It¡¯s a
bit far-fetched I admit, but choosing an ECL race gives an x% bonus to the
average XP gained from kills, to the whole party. So even if I wanted to
maximize STR instead of CON, I¡¯d still make it this gray dwarf character.
Why not a paladinX/fighter4? Paladins need STR, CON, WIS and CHA to be decent,
ending up with low DEX to accommodate (meaning poor ranged attacks and AC). And
their spell book is a very poor replica of the cleric spellbook. They have
higher S.T., but this only helps them against spells. If you want more
spellcasting, take another cleric, or a sorcerer. At least a barbarian brings
other ¡®abilities¡¯ into the equation: Staying power from loads of HP and some
DR.
What you must try to avoid, is getting him charmed or even confused, since
he¡¯ll tip the scales in the enemies¡¯ favour. The rage ability slightly
improves his Will S.T., but what he really needs is spells/items which give
immunities or remove the mental state. Fortunately they can be found, the
divine casters can oblige with the spells until you find items. Spoiler12!
Korgan¡¯s abilities: 18STR, 18DEX, 20CON, 3INT, 14WIS, 1CHA {improve CON*}
The ability points are best put in his CON to improve his HP, alternatively
STR is useful, but HP is the best option I think. *If you choose to advance
STR, find a good 2-handed weapon like a greataxe, to get a 1.5x STR modifier to
damage.
His actual skills at level 30 are: Concentration 4 (to access the Maximized
Attacks feat), Hide 8 and Move Silently 4, and 1 skill point remains stored for
level 31. Unfortunately you can¡¯t ¡®skill point squat¡¯ with this build, and
all relevant skills will take 2 skill points for each point advancement.
Fortunately the patch makes it unnecessary to wait 2 levels before leveling up
for a skill, since you can store a skill point for the next level.
Chosen feats at level 30 were: First take 1x Bastard Sword[1], Power Attack[3],
Cleave[6], Improved Critical[9], Rapid Shot[12], Two-Weapon Fighting[F1],
Ambidexterity[15], 2x Bastard Sword[18], Blind Fight[21], 2x Axe[F2], 3x
Bastard Sword & MaximizedAttacks[F4&24], Heroic Inspiration[27], Dirty
Fighting[30]. After level 30: 3x Axe[33], 2x Extra Rage[36&39].
Vary the order to fit your needs. When you have Tireless Rage at high level,
you might prefer to take fighter levels to gain more weapon feats. But I¡¯d
stick with barbarian levels, as this improves your DR, amount of rages and HP.
With relation to Viconia: If you take Korgan in the party, and he has Bastard
Sword and Axe specializations, it might be better to give Viconia different
martial weapon specializations instead. Or give Korgan a greataxe, and Viconia
gets Bastard Swords and something else¡
*---------------------*
| Chapter 7: SPELLS |
*---------------------*
Useful spells on each spell level are listed in order of priority, the most
important spells are bold. For early game tactics with low level spells, see
chapter 4. Be advised that some spells increase or decrease in usefulness as
you progress.
JAHEIRA's Spellbook:
-------------------
Clerics do not require the ¡®Cure ____ Wounds¡¯ type conjuration spells on
levels 1-4, you can shift-click on any memorized spell to convert it to an
equal level cure. This doesn¡¯t convert to Healing Circle, Heal, or Mass Heal.
Cleric Level 1: Bless, Remove Fear, Armour of Faith, Sanctuary
C. L. 2: Bull¡¯s Strength (important buff spell, lasts 1 hour/level of caster,
`in HoF you can equip caster with luck bonus items to get better
casting results), Remove Paralysis (1 casting per cleric), Draw Upon
Holy Might (not before caster level 12), Chant (optional for big
battles, though the slow movement may be problematic)
C. L. 3: Animate Dead (best summon), Prayer, Magic Circle against Evil (when
Animate Dead becomes good, the bard and sorcerer take over duties),
Invisibility Purge (1 casting for emergencies, only if Imoen hasn¡¯t
picked See Invisibility), Remove Disease (optional, but unnecessary
after the bard takes it)
C. L. 4: Recitation (this spell is the best simultaneous buff/ debuff spell,
with NO save), Holy Power, Lesser Restoration
C. L. 5: Raise Dead, Iron Skins (very good to reduce damage, lasts long but
only on caster), Champion¡¯s Strength, Flame Strike, Healing Circle
C. L. 6: Heal, Divine Shell (only if you think it¡¯s better than another
casting of Heal)
C. L. 7: Holy Word (specific use for my party, must be cast out of range of
evil allies, stops everything evil for 1 round = 6 seconds),
Resurrection, Elemental Barrier
C. L. 8: Mass Heal, Fire Storm, Holy Aura
C. L. 9: Gate, Summon Monster IX
Lathander Level 1: Sunscorch (chance to blind shortly)
L. L. 2: Bull¡¯s Strength or Lesser Restoration
L. L. 3: Aganazzar¡¯s Scorcher
L. L. 4: Holy Smite
L. L. 5: Raise Dead or Flame Strike
L. L. 6: Heal or Fire Storm
L. L. 7: Sunbeam
L. L. 8: Aura of Vitality
L. L. 9: Mass Heal or Meteor Swarm (her best blasting spell)
Conjurer Level 1: Identify (can be cast with low INT)
VICONIA's Spellbook:
-------------------
Cleric Level 1: Bless, Command, Bane, Armor of Faith, Doom, Sanctuary
C. L. 2: Hold Person, Bull¡¯s Strength, Remove Paralysis (1 casting per
cleric), Draw Upon Holy Might
C. L. 3: Animate Dead (best summon), Prayer, Magic Circle vs. Evil
C. L. 4: Recitation, Holy Power, Lesser Restoration (optional against energy
draining from certain undead)
C. L. 5: Greater Command, Iron Skins (very good to reduce damage, lasts long
but only on caster. Not worthwhile before cleric level 12), Champion¡¯s
Strength, Raise Dead, Healing Circle (can heal Improved Invisible
allies, because it doesn¡¯t need to target them)
C. L. 6: Heal, Divine Shell (only if you think it¡¯s better than another
casting of Heal)
C. L. 7: Resurrection (doesn¡¯t cause the character to lose a level, contrary
to spell description), Greater Shield of Lathander (shortly buff a
decoy so it can be blasted by allies)
C. L. 8: Mass Heal, Symbol of Hopelessness, Holy Aura (mass SR and more against
dangerous enemy spellcasters)
C. L. 9: Gate (beware of their cold spells though), Summon Monster IX
The Dreadmaster¡¯s (Banite) domain spells get +1DC vs. will S.T..
Banite Level 1: Bane
B. L. 2: Silence or Horror
B. L. 3: Dire Charm
B. L. 4: Emotion: Despair
B. L. 5: Greater Command (the best spell to buy you time)
B. L. 6: Feeblemind
B. L. 7: Gate or Suffocate
B. L. 8: Power Word: Blind
B. L. 9: Mass Dominate ¨C the Banite¡¯s crowning achievement
JAN JANSEN's Spellbook:
----------------------
His spell selection depends on what you manage to scribe, and whether you took
a cleric level to negate the school restrictions. These recommendations are
partly dependant on which scrolls you encounter first, and assuming you don¡¯t
take advantage of Necromancy and Abjurations enabled by the cleric level.
Cleric Level 1: Cure Light Wounds (Jan Jansen is evil, so he can¡¯t shift-click
to cure)
Banite Level 1: Bane
Illusionist Level 1: Chromatic Orb, Grease, Mage Armor, Magic Missile
I. L. 2: Snilloc¡¯s Snowball Swarm, Mirror Image (purchase scroll), Melf¡¯s
Acid Arrow, Web (purchase scroll), Blur, Cat¡¯s Grace (may be worth
purchasing)
I. L. 3: Fireball, Flame Arrow, Icelance, Lance of Disruption, Lightning Bolt,
Slow (best with GSF:Transmutation at high level, but be aware it will
dispel Haste), Stinking Cloud (may be worth purchasing, the easiest way
to immobilize enemies with high will and reflexes)
I. L. 4: Emotion: Hope, Malison, Otiluke¡¯s Resilient Sphere (unhittable decoy
cheese without Tactics mod installed; still useful against bosses with
Tactics mod, worth purchasing early), Vitriolic Sphere, Fire Shield
(Blue & Red)
I. L. 5: Sunfire (be aware that it blinds drow & gray dwarves), Greater Shadow
Conjuration, Chaos, Shroud of Flame, Lower Resistance
I. L. 6: Mass Haste, Chain Lightning, Acid Fog, Disintegrate (may be worth
purchasing)
I. L. 7: Mass Invisibility, Mordenkainen¡¯s Sword (it¡¯s not a summon like in
BG2, it¡¯s an equipped ranged magic weapon, and is very damaging),
Suffocate, Delayed Blast Fireball, Malavon¡¯s Rage (mage killer in
normal mode, sneak up to mages while Jan Jansen is hidden, and cast.
It¡¯s too weak for HoF though)
I. L. 8: Great Shout, Fiery Cloud (when you have enemies trapped in a ¡®kill
zone¡¯ this is the most damaging spell: 6d6 for 10 rounds amounts to
60d6 ¨C see how many HoF monsters can survive that!), Iron Body
I. L. 9: Meteor Swarm, Mass Dominate (the best spell to tackle many dumb
enemies; have Jaheira go in as a decoy and cast Holy Word to pin them
down; then cast Emotion:Despair, Chant, Recitation and/or Malison; they
won¡¯t stand a chance! Let them mop up the Will-save survivors, then
turn them on each other one by one. A huge battle survived without a
scratch! But don¡¯t harm them, or they¡¯ll go hostile.), Executioner¡¯s
Eyes (some enemies aren¡¯t vulnerable to spells, this helps you kill
them before they kill you)
BODHI's Spellbook:
-----------------
Cleric Level 1: Cure Light Wounds (Bodhi is evil, so she can¡¯t shift-click to
cure)
Banite Level 1: Command
Bard spells are listed in the order in which I suggest they be picked. Bards
acquire their first 4 spell picks quickly, the other picks take longer. Behind
the words ¡°Maybe/Later¡± I mention other spell pick options, which may be
worth taking, and can be additional picks after level 30. Imoen has a similar
sorcerer spell book, so I¡¯ve done the same with her.
Bard Level 1: Charm Person, Chromatic Orb, Grease, Mage Armor, Colour Spray
(still works against high level enemies), Minor Mirror Image, Summon
Monster I. Later/Maybe: Protection From Evil, Cure Light Wounds.
B. L. 2: Mirror Image, Cat¡¯s Grace, Blur (with Blink for decoy tactics),
Eagle¡¯s Splendour (cast on Imoen for a bonus to trading, on self for
better dialogue, on both for higher spell DC), Dire Charm, Power Word:
Sleep, Horror. Maybe/Later: Hold Person & See Invisibility.
B. L. 3: Emotion: Hope, Invisibility Sphere, Confusion, Blink, Remove Disease,
Remove Curse, Magic Circle against Evil. Maybe/Later: Dispel Magic &
Cure Serious Wounds.
B. L. 4: Dismissal, Improved Invisibility, Cure Critical Wounds, Dominate
Person, Hold Monster, Shout, Neutralize Poison. Maybe/Later: Spirit
Armour & Summon Monster IV.
B. L. 5: Healing Circle, Shadow Conjuration, Power Word: Silence, Summon
Shadow, Summon Monster V, Phantom Blade
B. L. 6: Mass Haste, Shades, Great Shout, Greater Shadow Conjuration, Summon
Invisible Stalker, Summon Monster VI
B. L. 7: Summon Efreeti, Mass Invisibility, Prismatic Spray, Summon Djinni
B. L. 8: Mass Dominate, Wail of the Banshee, Power Word: Blind
IMOEN's Spellbook:
-----------------
The sorcerer spells are listed in the order in which I suggest they be picked.
For spell levels 1-6, the final two or three spells can only be picked after
level 20, which is too late to be accessed in normal mode. So take that into
consideration when devising your own spell picks. After level 30, a few more
spell picks become available. I make suggestions after the words
¡°Maybe/Later¡±, just like I did with Bodhi. Be advised that these spell picks
are geared towards the other party members as well; a sorceress should pick
Emotion:Hope sooner in the absence of a bard, for example.
Sorcerer Level 1: Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, Grease, Mage Armour (+4 AC
bonus from armour for 1 hour/level), Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield (like
Mage Armour, it acts as body armour or bracers, so it stacks with a
normal shield), Shocking Grasp. Maybe/Later: Colour Spray.
S. L. 2: Mirror Image, Web, See Invisibility (useful if you need to dispel your
own Improved Invisibility during combat, so you can target allies for
healing and buffs), Blur, Protection from Arrows (up to +4 arrow
protection at high level), Horror, Melf¡¯s Acid Arrow. Maybe/Later:
Cat¡¯s Grace (1d4+1DEX for 1 hour/level, take much earlier if there¡¯s
no bard). [Also take Eagle¡¯s Splendour if you don¡¯t have a bard]
S. L. 3: Fireball, Blink, Magic Circle Against Evil, Stinking Cloud, Skull Trap
(¡®Precision Fireball¡¯, my personal favourite), Slow, Flame Arrow.
Maybe/Later: Dispel Magic. [Take Invisibility Sphere if you have no
bard, for emergencies]
S. L. 4: Stoneskin (one of the best combat protections), Malison, Fireshield
(Blue), Otiluke¡¯s Resilient Sphere, Mordenkainen¡¯s Force Missiles,
Fireshield (Red). Maybe/Later: Emotion:Hope. If no bard is present,
replace the Fireshields with Emotion:Hope and Improved Invisibility,
respectively.
S. L. 5: Sunfire, Greater Shadow Conjuration (a non-hostile illusionary demon),
Lower Resistance, Chaos, Lesser Planar Binding: Fire Elemental (for
luring enemies into firey killzones, be careful not to damage it unless
it doesn¡¯t matter at that point), Animate Dead (when you¡¯ve run out
of the cleric version). Maybe/Later: Cone of Cold.
S. L. 6: Mass Haste (ideal to cast after summoning and/or important battles),
Shades (very powerful non-hostile demons), Disintegrate, Tenser¡¯s
Transformation, Chain Lightning, Acid Fog. Maybe/Later: Globe of
Invulnerability.
S. L. 7: Delayed Blast Fireball (1d8 fire/level, no limit - the ultimate
blasting spell!), Mordenkainen¡¯s Sword, Seven Eyes, Finger of Death,
Mass Invisibility. Maybe/Later: Summon Efreeti (immume to fire damage,
but handle with care).
S. L. 8: Fiery Cloud (6d6 fire damage per round for 10 rounds ¨C that¡¯s 60d6
over time! This is potentially the most damaging spell in the game),
Mind Blank (any level 8 spells left before resting? This one lasts 24
hours and will still be there when you wake), Horrid Wilting (harms
party members, unlike Abi-Dalzim¡¯s Horrid Wilting in BG2), Symbol of
Hopelessness. Maybe/Later: Iron Body.
S. L. 9: Executioner¡¯s Eyes (crucial for the final battles), Wail of the
Banshee (long casting time, area around caster, so move in behind a
decoy), Meteor Swarm, Aegis (inferior to lvl7 Seven Eyes, pales in
comparison to BG2¡¯s Absolute Immunity). Maybe/Later: Black Blade of
Disaster.
Necromancer Level 1: Identify (can be cast with low INT)
MINSC's Spellbook:
-----------------
Druid Level 1: Entangle (outside areas only), Burning Hands*, Frost Fingers,
Sunscorch, Ice Dagger*
D. L. 2: Barkskin (up to a +5 generic AC bonus, other spells barely compete),
Web*, Lesser Restoration
D. L. 3: Magic Circle against Evil*, Call Lightning (outside only), Spike
Growth (slows and harms), Icelance*, Storm Shell (may be handy when you
risk elemental damage), Neutralize Poison, Mold Touch and Snakebite
(both spells are strengthened by GSF:Transmutation)
D. L. 4: Stoneskin* (it¡¯s often best to pick mostly these at this level),
Dispel Magic (druid¡¯s high spell DC has best chance of dispelling
enemies), Spike Stones
D. L. 5: Insect Plague (makes spellcasting impossible by 100% disruption),
Shroud of Flame*, Sunfire* (blinds Drow and Duergar) [LoS mod¡¯s
Upgraded Classes adds Stoneskin, but it¡¯s already on level 4], Static
Charge (if you¡¯re too lazy to install mods)
D. L. 6: Acid Fog* (no saving throw), Chain Lightning* (best electric damage),
Acid Storm*, Healing Circle
D. L. 7: Heal, Aura of Vitality, Creeping Doom, Fire Storm, Sunbeam
D. L. 8: Tremor* (moved from 9 to 8 by Light of Selune¡¯s Upgraded Classes ¨C
it¡¯s well worth installing and uninstalling for memorizing this spell
alone! Read chapter 1 ¡®Three things I discovered¡¡¯ for details on
how to pull this off), Fiery Cloud* (if you¡¯re too lazy to get
Tremor), Whirlwind (if you haven¡¯t installed mods)
D. L. 9: Shambler (long lasting ally, fights well for you, especially if you
buff him. Less tough than a high level Animate Dead), Tremor (powerful
mass-disabler, it bypasses enemy SR), Mass Heal, Elemental Legion
(elementals turn hostile from eachother, so this spell is impractical
and bugged)
* The asterisk marks druid spells that were added by the mods Ease-of-use and
Light of Selune. You can also get them by dropping my LISTSPLL.2DA into the
Override folder.
Transmuter Level 1: Identify (can be cast with low INT)
Cleric Level 1: Armour of Faith, Command, Bless
Banite Level 1: Bane
KORGAN's Spellbook:
------------------
[No spell book]
Korgan can use items, innate race & class abilities, but has no spellbook.
*------------------------------------------------------*
| Chapter 8: USE OF ITEMS AND BUFF SPELLS (spoilers) |
*------------------------------------------------------*
The items you use and the spells you cast to buff up your characters are what
make them truly powerful, and figuring them out is one of the most enjoyable
parts of the game. I¡¯ll tell you what I used with my party. Be warned that
this chapter contains abundant item spoilers. Don¡¯t forget that much of the
character¡¯s tactics are already described in chapters 4 and 5, such as group
buff spells.
Important: When casting a buff spell that gives a dice roll value bonus, a
casting with luck gets better results. You could enhance the dice roll by
equipping a luck item on the caster to raise it. In normal mode you find a
Rabbit¡¯s Foot lying around in Targos, and the HoF item Young Ned¡¯s Knucky
gives a +2 luck bonus (you have to pick Jemeliah¡¯s pocket, quite a challenge
in HoF. You could also summon a demon next to him, but be sure to kill it off
before it kills any merchants). The Tymora¡¯s Loop ring even gives +3 luck, but
this is a rare item drop in chapter 6.
The most useful ability enhancing buff spells that involve dice rolls are:
Bull¡¯s Strength 1d4+1STR 1hr/lvl, Champion¡¯s Strength 1d4+4STR 10min/lvl,
Cat¡¯s Grace 1d4+1DEX 1hr/lvl, Eagle¡¯s Splendor 1d4+1CHA 10rounds/lvl, and
Tenser¡¯s Transformation 2d4STR 2d4DEX 1round/lvl.
JAHEIRA's Items & Buffs:
-----------------------
She hasn¡¯t got weapon specialization because she lacks the 4 fighter levels
needed. Fortunately, as a drow, she is proficient in Longswords, allowing her
to use some good weapons without needing to take a warrior level early. There
are many useful longswords and maces in the game, so she can use these. You
probably won¡¯t be able to purchase Angurvadal +5 from Ribald Barterman in
Targos yet (BG2 mod items, available again in Kuldahar), but there are many
interesting swords and maces you should try out in the meantime: The Flaming
Star +1, the Mountains of Selune and Moonblade of Selune are worthwhile, and
later she has nearly the whole range of proficiencies, so she can use almost
every weapon. The Cera Sumat paladin sword can be used to dispel enemies¡¯
buffs when necessary, but sometimes it isn¡¯t the best weapon at her disposal,
because she gets all martial weapon proficiencies.
Wear good plate armour; it¡¯s the overall AC, taking DEX bonus into account,
that matters. The Air Genesi Armour is available in the Wandering Village, and
gives a +2 boost to the cleric¡¯s mediocre reflexes (be sure to give the other
cleric the Dragon¡¯s Belt, so both clerics have better reflexes).
The Aasimar¡¯s Aura is also a good armour, the Protection from Evil when
equipped serves as a reliable +2 deflection bonus.
The Indomitable Bands is the HoF equivalent of the Brazen Bands, with the added
effect of giving 10/+2 Damage Reduction. The downside is that this DR would
supercede Stoneskin, rendering the spell ineffective, but it works in
conjunction with a cleric¡¯s Iron Skins. It¡¯s a handy protection device for
Jaheira or Viconia.
Equip a good shield in her off hand, since she can¡¯t dual wield (yet). A
two-handed weapon is an option, but she is only proficient in quarterstaves
early on, and the selection of these is poor. A shield available early in HoF
is worth mentioning: Mooncalf¡¯s Shield is the HoF upgrade of Tabard¡¯s Shield,
and offers Protection from Arrows while equipped.
As for ranged weapons: Slings and thrown weapons are the only ones that allow
STR bonus to damage. The only 2-handed version of these is Flying Death axe,
which is best used by Minsc because he can¡¯t use a shield in the off-hand.
For the clerics Jaheira and Viconia, try to get both +1 Returning Fire Bullets
as quest rewards from Lord Pyros.
When it becomes available in Kuldahar, the Every God Ring (+5WIS) should be
purchased and given to Minsc, not Jaheira. She uses WIS-bonus items when
they¡¯re found, potentially wearing a second Every God Ring, if found.
Jaheira can get as many or as few buff spells as you like: I¡¯d save Iron Skins
and Barkskin for tough battles. If you have more than one character able to
cast it, Cat¡¯s Grace improves her archery skill and Reflex S.T., but don¡¯t
bother if it¡¯s too troublesome. Bull¡¯s/Champion¡¯s Strength is always
worthwhile and recommended.
VICONIA's Items & Buffs:
-----------------------
In the beginning Viconia is limited to longswords, bows and simple weapons, but
when she takes a level fighter, her options increase. After 4 fighter levels,
she takes weapon specialization feats. She takes Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon
Fighting feats, and chooses specialization in Bastard Swords and Axes. Later
she should dual-wield the most powerful bastard swords to be found, and use an
axe if and when the need arises. There are a wide variety of axes in the game;
Viconia won¡¯t let them go to waste. The Axe of the Unyielding is an
interesting weapon, a simulation of the BG2: Throne of Bhaal weapon. Its
regeneration ability is far higher than any other item in the game. The damage
is not as high as some of the more powerful weapons in the game, but it makes
an excellent off-hand and/or traveling weapon.
As for Bastard Swords: By the end of normal mode you¡¯ll find Cold Fire, which
deals cold and fire damage, and gets really enhanced by Ease-of-Use. Bastard¡¯s
Son gives Executioner¡¯s Eyes spell effect while equipped (Executioner¡¯s Eyes
gives among other things +4AB, making it good for dual-wielding even without
the required weapon proficiency or dual-wielding feats, equip it in the
off-hand to enhance a powerful main hand weapon), and Bastard Sword of Heroism
is a 4d10+3 (+5 enchanted) slashing weapon! Bastard Swords mentioned are
greatly enhanced by Ease-of-use mod, but without the mod, Bastard Swords
aren¡¯t worthwhile.
The armour you wear requires some thought: she has +4 AC from DEX, +6 with
Cat¡¯s Grace, so sometimes light armour gives her a better AC. But don¡¯t
disregard the heavy armours you find; for example the Mithral Field Plate
Armour +2 gives a +10 AC, allowing a +2 DEX bonus. The total +12 AC is the same
as the best light armour you find + DEX bonus. And if you installed Ease-of-use
mod component ¡®Armors and Shields give Damage Reduction¡¯, this benefits heavy
armours more than light ones.
She is often used in combat, so you are posed with a dilemma of taking and
dealing damage. The Gauntlets of Weapon Skill/Specialization improve her weapon
AB (and damage), but often the fact that she risks death in combat can be more
important. A mod-merchant item called the Bands of the Master offers a 5/+1 or
15/+3 (HoF) Damage Reduction. This would supersede Stoneskin (10/+5), rendering
the spell useless, but works in conjunction with Iron Skins (10/-). This makes
it most useful for my clerics. She uses a +2WIS item until a 3rd Every God Ring
becomes available late in HoF, then her enchantment DC will be awesome.
Buff spells for Viconia are simple: She casts her own Iron Skins (otherwise she
needs a Stoneskin), and might get a Cat¡¯s Grace and Barkskin if available. And
Jaheira can best cast Bull¡¯s Strength early on, so Viconia can concentrate on
Hold Persons.
JAN JANSEN's Items & Buffs:
--------------------------
Hide Failed. When you see that in your screen, it means your scout needs to get
out of the area quickly. Sometimes he isn¡¯t spotted straight away (thanks to
innate Non-Detection) and can escape unharmed, but if he is, he¡¯ll have to run
ahead of the enemy mob while the party blasts them with spells, fights them, or
pelts them with ranged attacks. He can achieve the highest AC of my party, but
in HoF mode it¡¯s no guarantee.
An evil mage was bound to drop a Robe of the Evil Archmagi, so you get it for
free if you just wait. Swing from the Masts and the HoF version Crow¡¯s Nest
are rogue headbands that give +1 and +3 generic AC bonus, respectively. The
Circlet of Netheril (+4INT) also competes for the head slot, so choose the
headgear that fits the situation. Jaheira¡¯s Harper Pin is another mod merchant
item that¡¯s very powerful, with +5! to all S.T., and the effect of a Shield
spell when equipped (+7AC body armour). Jan Jansen can use this well, or the
mod item Amulet of Protection +3.
The Silent but Deadly bow can be found in a container in Targos, it gives a +3
boost to his Hide and Move Silently skills, and will be his weapon of choice
for the first half of normal mode. Depending on the situation, he uses Bracers
of Archery, Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise or Brazen Bands (not the HoF version;
the HoF Indomitable Bands doesn¡¯t allow Stoneskin to work, so don¡¯t use it on
a Stoneskinned character). Chimandrae¡¯s Slippers (+5DEX) are found in Chapter
6, great for boosting his AC, improving his rogue skills and good for his
archery.
He has freedom to choose what he wants for ranged attacks. Personally I would
give him a (cross)bow that allows multiple attacks per round (most crossbows
don¡¯t, those are useless. Hagnen¡¯s Folly and the Hell Bolter are the best
crossbows) and the Infinite Bolt (LoS mod item) or the Flasher Master Bruiser
Mate, a BG2 mod item purchased from Ribald Barterman: It¡¯s only a 1d2+1
returning ¡®bolt¡¯, but it casts a stun effect on the area after every hit,
doesn¡¯t affect allies, and damages nearby opponents. Its only drawback is that
it¡¯s extremely expensive: around 237,000 gold can¡¯t be afforded until
Kuldahar at the earliest.
His melee weapons of choice are short swords and daggers, to get AB from DEX
with the Weapon Finesse feat, but be aware that not all Small Blades are
Finesse-able, so check the AB. The Brilliant Short Sword +5 ignores armour
bonuses for hitting, and Tsuki no Ken is a BG2 mod item giving a large list of
bonuses. When using shields, be aware that he won¡¯t have shield proficiency
until he takes a cleric mix-in. Before you have shield proficiency, he can use
the Giant¡¯s Cap, which gives +4AC and ¨C0 penalty to AB and rogue skills. Just
one feat in Armoured Arcana is enough to nullify the shield¡¯s 5% spell failure
chance. When he eventually takes a ranger level, he can also dual wield. Making
him a short, evil ranger, dual-wielding daggers, not unlike Belkar from the
Order of the Stick:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0003.html
Buff spells: You may prefer to use the Little Giant belt (+4STR) instead of
casting Bull¡¯s Strength if you¡¯re afraid it might be dispelled, or you might
find it more practical to give that to a frontliner. This belt, and many
similar items can only be worn if and when he has taken a warrior level, i.e.
ranger. Cat¡¯s Grace is vital until you get Chimandrae¡¯s Slippers. Mage Armour
makes him even less hittable, but it¡¯s not cumulative with the Shield spell
bonus from Jaheira¡¯s Harper Pin. The only spells that remain useful to him are
Stoneskin and Barkskin. The advantage of having to rely on few buff spells, is
that he can scout around safely. If he springs a trap that dispels magic, or is
spotted by a mage and subsequently dispelled, there is little harm done.
Tenser¡¯s Transformation can later be used in extreme situations, where he is
needed in combat.
BODHI's Items & Buffs:
---------------------
Bodhi should never engage in combat. She will be standing in the back, casting
and singing, or perhaps running around as a decoy. So, her equipment is somewhat
less important than the rest of the team, especially weaponry. As a drow bard,
she is proficient in longswords, bows and simple weapons, but all she really
needs, is to hold a weapon for its bonus effect. I bought her a mod item
quarterstaff in Targos, which gave her some extra speed. So when she¡¯s
targeted, she can run like a decoy. She could use bows or crossbows without
the need for high STR, but I see combat with bards as a last resort only. She
could also use Angurvadal +5 to get her STR set to 22, becoming a good melee
combatant. In the late game, there may be times when she¡¯d be of more use in
melee than singing any kind of song. In those cases, she could be Mirror
Imaged, and sent in with the Angurvadal longsword. But I never felt the need
for this. She¡¯s last in line for weapon priority. I settle for the Wroth
bastard sword, since my lawful warriors can¡¯t use it anyway; +4STR +4CON
+2S.T. +20% move speed; enhanced by Ease-of-use¡¯s Improved Bastards Swords,
the HoF Bloody Wroth gets double those bonuses!
Her body armour slot can best be kept empty in the beginning, since there is a
shortage of robes, and armour gives casting failure chance. But you should be
able to acquire a second Robe of the Evil Archmagi before the end of normal
mode (first one is for Jan Jansen). You can give her a regular chainmail when
she¡¯s not casting spells.
The most important thing about Bodhi¡¯s equipment, is bard-only items. She¡¯s
the only one who can use the bard instruments that are encountered. They¡¯re
quite handy.
She can buff herself with Mage Armour. Depending on your tactics, she could use
Bull¡¯s Strength, but there¡¯s little point if you¡¯re not attacking with her.
Cat¡¯s Grace gives an AC and reflex S.T. bonus. And castings of Barkskins and
Stoneskins are welcome if available. Active songs serve as very good buffs,
especially Tymora¡¯s Melody and the War Chant of Sith.
IMOEN's Items & Buffs:
---------------------
Imoen is weak in melee, but an unrivalled spellcaster: She gets all the feats
needed to enhance her spellcasting damage. Her AC doesn¡¯t get as high as the
others¡¯, so she should be kept in the back mostly. Her S.T. are the highest on
average, and with no innate SR, she needs them. On the topic of SR, her best
weapon is the Cera Sumat paladin longsword, especially when she can dual-wield</pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
normal and HoF versions for 15+30=45SR. Cera Sumat and the Robe of the Good
Archmagi together give 15+9=24SR, such a SR value is not bad at mid-level, but
less useful later on. Unless there is a need to dispel enemies, Imoen can get
more out of the sword than Jaheira can. The HoF Light of Cera Sumat has +10AB,
which really brings her attacks on par with the rest. Earlier I mentioned that
Light of Selune mod restricts the paladin sword to 13WIS characters, for this
reason you should install the Ease-of-use component Improved Holy Avenger after
the Light of Selune mod, to replace this important item. You could buy the Robe
of Sorcere (+3 deflection, +1S.T., +3CHA) from Malavon Despana in the
Underdark, which is a LoS mod item. Towards the end of the game you find the
Master¡¯s Robe that gives +2INT +3CHA but no deflection bonus, and Imoen can
use this robe if you didn¡¯t buy the Robe of Sorcere earlier, otherwise let
Bodhi wear it; the higher INT improves her skills and dialogue. When CHA is an
even number, the Ring of Charm works just as well (+2CHA, Charm Person 1/day.
Kill or pickpocket Dolon Daemba in the monastery to get it).
A deflection bonus can alternatively be gained from another item, I prefer
Sulo¡¯s Hook in the off-hand, and buy the Dagger of Warding later on to replace
it. When you get the HoF version of the paladin sword, you¡¯ll want to
dual-wield both swords to get 45 SR, so then you should get your deflection
bonus from a ring, necklace or cloak.
Light of Selune adds a bowyer who sells a powerful bow, the Emerald Bow, which
gives high damage bonuses vs. evil creatures. You need a good ranger in the
party to even be able to buy it, but you can always travel back to the village
from the Underdark later. Also, the Falcon Arrow is a +1 (+5 enchanted)
returning arrow that only Imoen can use.
A variety of small shields are available in HoF mode, which give only 5%
casting failure chance, so you might consider getting a single feat in Armoured
Arcana at very high level, but I prefer dual wielding. The spells Shield and
Mage Armour work together with equipping a shield, but not with armour.
In HoF, the rogue-only headband Crow¡¯s Nest offers a valuable combination of
generic +3AC bonus, and +3CHA, making it worth taking a level rogue just for
this.
Buff spells: Mage Armour is a good idea to give her, and you can wear the
Brazen Bands in the gauntlets slot and get a generic AC bonus too (AC bonuses
from other bracers count as body armour, and they give DR with the appropriate
Ease-of-use mod component). Brazen Bands: +5 generic AC, to get this you must
release the djinn from the Avarine Decanter immediately without looking at his
store. Bull¡¯s Strength, Cat¡¯s Grace, Barkskin and Stoneskin are all great
boosts, reducing Imoen¡¯s relative weakness. Tenser¡¯s Transformation can be
used in extreme situations, where she needs to engage in combat. Seven Eyes is
a powerful defense, but costly.
MINSC's Items & Buffs:
---------------------
Druids in the unmodded game are a cross between arcane and divine spellcasters,
with a very limited selection of spells in both categories. The Light of Selune
mod changes this drastically, along with some parts of the Ease-of-Use pack,
increasing the druid¡¯s selection of arcane spells, and the shapeshift forms.
Minsc is now a fearsome and dangerous spellcaster, with damaging spells as well
as useful buffs. My focus has been on enhancing his spell power, this is what
most of his feats have gone to. He is an above average fighter as well, but
this is mainly due to the qualities of his classes: Druids are proficient in
longswords and polearms, the monk level gives proficiency in axes and
crossbows. His best selection of weapons are Polearms (spears and halberds) and
two-handed Greataxes. You can use the +2 Greataxe (random reward from Yquog),
the Ice Spear +4 (Battle Squares reward) and purchase the Halberd of the North.
You may be lucky to acquire the Massive Greataxe of Flame +5 by the end, which
does the most damage of any 2-handed weapon. Flying Death is a thrown
two-handed axe, best for when Minsc wants to keep his distance (clerics are
better off with a sling+shield). I advise against purchasing the Massive
Halberd of Hate +4: Although it gives very high damage even if you¡¯re not
fighting Good creatures, it¡¯s also vampiric, so besides healing you, it can
cost you XP from kills if the opponent dies from HP draining. After taking a
ranger level later on, dual wielding becomes worthwhile, and you¡¯re no longer
limited to axes, polearms and simple weapons ¨C then you have the whole range
of weapons to choose from, except Bastard Swords. Try the Greater Flail of the
Elements (1d8+5 +2d6 fire, cold & electricity), it has an unmentioned +5AB. The
bonuses from two equipped weapons are preferable over just one, but often
damage dealt by a two-handed weapon will be more. Remember to never use a
shield, because it disables the AC bonus from WIS, which is better than any
shield bonus.
The customdll fix allows him to wear robes and gain their deflection bonus, so
wear the best robe you can find. The Chain of Drakkas(¡¯ Fury) are coded as
robes, so he can wear them without losing WIS AC bonus, and then he can also
receive a DR bonus (with the Ease-of-use mod component)! The Every God Ring
+5WIS gives an AC bonus, as well as willpower, more spells and spell DC.
Restless Soles are shoes added by one of the mods, they enhance his Move
Silently skill as well as his ever-important Reflex S.T.. Thunder Clap bracers
and the HoF equivalent give an extra attack or two per round, which can make a
big difference. The Black Raven Sash belt is monks-only and gives +1AB, the HoF
version is very expensive but gives +2AB +2 damage. The book of leaves casts a
finite number of barkskins ¨C I bought it, but never used it.
The most powerful attack a druid gets, comes at high level, when you transform
into a half-dragon form (requires Ease-of-Use) that wields an elemental sword.
Transforming has dispelled buff spells for me before, so be prepared to re-cast
them when he transforms back. All weapons are locked in place during the
transformation (even arrows), but the item effects of the weapons you had
equipped don¡¯t take effect in the shapeshifted form.
Buff spells: Minsc benefits from all of them: Bull¡¯s Strength, Cat¡¯s Grace,
Mage Armor gives a long lasting +4AC, Minsc can get this bonus because he
isn¡¯t wearing armour (doesn¡¯t stack with the Chain of Drakkas). This bonus is
preferable over the Bracers of Defence, because you can use the gloves slot for
another item. But wearing Bracers of Defense would give DR, with the relevant
Ease-of-use mod component installed. Of course, Barkskin and Stoneskin keep him
strong in melee.
KORGAN's Items & Buffs:
----------------------
In the normal game, his melee power carries the weaker characters through
difficult situations, later his melee is still important. But in HoF, direct
melee is the most risky form of combat. Of course, he¡¯s very strong in a
forced combat situation, where you can¡¯t prepare beforehand, but as a
non-spellcaster, he¡¯s the least powerful character in HoF mode. He gets the
Gauntlets of Weapon Skill/Specialization for obvious reasons.
Korgan has specialized in both Axes and Bastard Swords, Bastard Swords offer by
far the most damaging one-handed weapons in the game, but only with the
Improved Bastard Swords component from the Ease-of-Use pack. Axes include the
most damaging 2-handed weapons, and the most damaging ranged weapon (Flying
Death) is an axe. The Axe of the Unyielding is an interesting weapon, a mod
simulation of the BG2: Throne of Bhaal weapon. Its regeneration ability is far
higher than any other item in the game, and the +1CON can give extra HP sooner
than normal. The damage is not as high as some of the more powerful weapons in
the game, but it makes an excellent off-hand and/or travelling weapon. Later
on, you¡¯re spoilt for choice in axes and bastard swords. There¡¯s a chance
that the Massive Greataxe of Flame will be dropped randomly in HoF; this is the
most damaging two-handed weapon.
He ends normal mode with bastard swords which make me very glad I took Bastard
Sword, Ambidexterity and the Two-Weapon Fighting feats: Cold Fire deals cold
and fire damage, and gets really enhanced by Ease-of-Use. The Rage of Chaos
gives the effects of Chaotic Commands while equipped, this is a good off-hand
weapon since his Will S.T. is the lowest of the lot (but casting a spell
instead will free up his off-hand). Bastard¡¯s Son gives Executioner¡¯s Eyes
while equipped (great off-hand weapon), Bloody Wroth gives +8STR +8CON +4S.T.!
(which is ideal in the off hand when you¡¯re NOT going to rage, and aren¡¯t at
risk of being charmed etc.), and the Bastard Sword of Heroism is a 4d10+3(+5)
slashing weapon! The most powerful combo is to have a mage cast Executioner¡¯s
Eyes, and have him equip the Bastard Sword of Heroism and Bloody Wroth in the
off-hand. When dual wielding, be aware that both hands suffer a ¨C2 AB, because
the off-hand weapon is not light. But this is barely a problem for a full
warrior class with high BAB.
Being evil has as main benefit that he can use a number of items not usable by
good or neutral characters, the major drawback is that he can¡¯t stand in the
radius of the cleric spells Holy Smite and Holy Word.
Buff spells are personal preference: You don¡¯t need Bull¡¯s Strength if you
equip (Bloody) Wroth later in the game. If an item only gives a STR bonus and
nothing else, I prefer to use Bull¡¯s Strength and equip a different item such
as Bastard¡¯s Son. Cat¡¯s Grace is recommended, hopefully your chosen armour
allows AC bonus from DEX, otherwise it only improves ranged attacks and
Reflexes. Stoneskin and Barkskin are very useful, since he¡¯ll be in melee
often. If you¡¯re not using the Houndstooth Collar and Rage of Chaos, then a
mental warding spell can protect you, when expecting to fight priests or mages.
Mind Blank is the best.
*-------------------------------*
| Chapter 9: LIST OF SPOILERS |
*-------------------------------*
*Spoiler1* The svirfneblin/deep gnome is worst off with 3 levels behind, so he
is the one to use the Adventuring Tome on when you reach the monastery.
*Spoiler2* Since there are some good WIS-improving items in the game, it¡¯s
useful to have more than one character with classes utilizing WIS. 1 item is
worth taking into account. The Every God Ring is a +5 WIS ring.
*Spoiler3* The ¨C2 DEX penalty of the Bracers of Icelandic Pearl can be
neutralized by wearing a DEX-enhancing item as well, just put it on after the
bracers. One item gives a STR-bonus that works differently, and in conjunction
with spells or other STR bonus items; Angurvadal +5 sets STR to 22, allowing
for another boost over that.
*Spoiler4* A Dreadmaster of Bane gets a valuable quest bonus (+2WIS), so if
you have mix-ins when you face Hiephierus, they get it too. This can also be
repeated in HoF mode for a total of +4WIS. If you don¡¯t take the cleric level
before entering the cave in Kuldahar¡¯s graveyard, it is largely useless.
Sometimes the bonus isn¡¯t applied, so check it before and after battle. Replay
until it works, or just edit in NearInfinity.
*Spoiler5* Taking a level paladin before fighting the Lost Followers in the
Kuldahar graveyard will give you a quest bonus of +1STR and +1WIS, which you
get again in HoF mode. This amounts to a great advantage. This is a viable
alternative to taking 4 fighter levels. In fact, taking a level paladin is
almost as good in combat as a fighter's Weapon Specialization (+1 AB, +2
damage), because +2STR gives +1 AB, and +1 damage (1.5 with a two-handed
weapon). So eventually, a paladin level does almost as much as 4 fighter
levels, but for all weapon types, and also gives more WIS! Not to mention,
mixing in 2 fighter levels later will still give 2 feats. Fighting the Lost
Followers is not easy, so unless you¡¯re desperate to get the bonus early, I
advise that you delay this encounter as long as you can. The XP bonus is fixed
by Tactics mod, so being higher level in this battle doesn¡¯t reduce your
reward.
*Spoiler6* One quest related mix-in level could be taken before the drider
area: In the Underdark, you encounter Imphraili¡¯s lab. A transmuter with 10
effective Alchemy (Minsc needs 14 due to the INT modifier) can create a potion
that gives +5HP, and again in HoF. If you have a level Transmuter before then,
you could take advantage of this slight bonus.
*Spoiler7* A scroll of Invisibility Sphere can be found before the Shaengarne
Bridge, but my party is unable to memorize it at this point. You may want to
cast Invisibility Sphere from this scroll before entering the Shaengarne Bridge
map, since you¡¯ll find another scroll later on. It is possible to save the
bridge without it, but not easy.
*Spoiler8* The Moonblade of Selune can be kept as a quest reward if you have a
level paladin already, and say the right things. You can complete the Moonblade
mission without returning it: A paladin can get the owner to give it back to
you as a reward instead of money, just do and say the right things. You could
just keep the sword and not talk to Emma Moonblade, but you will miss out on
XP. If you¡¯re not a paladin, and turn in the sword, you get very cheap healing
(1 gold for a Heal makes the rest of the mission easy). I¡¯d say it¡¯s a reason
to get a paladin level early, remember that you don¡¯t need to talk to Emma
Moonblade immediately ¨C you can delay the paladin mix-in until the end of
chapter 1, and talk to her then. The Moonblade of Selune is a magic damage
weapon that doesn¡¯t get a STR bonus to damage. When you need to gang up on an
enemy that is vulnerable to magic, it can be used by Imoen. As long as Imoen is
not the target of a big monster, you can use the Moonblade to let her inflict
quite some magic damage, handy when fighting a powerful and resistant monster.
Later on it stays a good off-hand weapon for Imoen, and can also be used by
Jaheira when tackling opponents most vulnerable to magic damage.
*Spoiler9* Near the end of chapter 1 there are points in the game where enemies
spawn indefinitely (Horde Fortress, Goblin Warrens), and this can be utilized
cleverly to level up characters before moving to chapter 2; I advise taking
them up until average party level 8 if you have the patience¡ After saving,
reloaded games don¡¯t spawn enemies anymore. You also get quest bonus XP for
stealthiness, meaning you should try to progress through the warrens leaving
as many drum posts intact as you can. Failing to rest in a map area will spawn
opponents that give XP too. You could ¡®pretend to rest¡¯ and reload if you
accidentally do rest, this way you can earn lots of XP, and maybe gold or
items.
*Spoiler10* By the end of this chapter, the sorceror can take a level ranger,
so that she is offered to buy a powerful bow, that allows for a STR bonus to
damage! The only bow with STR bonus to damage (from Light of Selune mod) in the
game can be bought in the Wandering Village. But the bowyer will only offer it
to a good ranger, and it¡¯s expensive (14000 in normal mode, 70000 in HoF).
There is also a +5 enchanted returning arrow you can purchase. Ultimately only
Imoen can use them, so be sure to get a level ranger and buy it before
departing for Kuldahar (you can travel back to the Wandering Village from the
Underdark), or the merchant won¡¯t even offer the bow to you. The merchant
gifts a necklace to you after purchase, that she can¡¯t use because it¡¯s only
usable by non-lawful. You can kill the bowyer, and he will drop the gold you
paid for his bow.
*Spoiler11* Near the end of the game you will get to choose a tattoo (Great
Fortitude, Iron Will, or Lightning Reflexes) to apply to a character. Be
friendly to the Thayvian enclave and do what they ask. And use your diplomat.
Make sure the character has need of it and hasn¡¯t already chosen the feat. I
chose to give Lightning Reflexes to Minsc before schedule, since his Reflex
S.T. was important (with Evasion). In fact, Lightning Reflexes is the best
tattoo, so I gave it to Imoen in HoF mode too.
*Spoiler12* The Houndstooth Collar and Rage of Chaos bastard sword together
cover all Enchantment spells I can think of.
*Spoiler13* Jan Jansen¡¯s Banite level allows him to gain WIS bonuses from a
quest, thus improving your Will S.T., and together with the +5WIS ring, even
allows you to cast level 1 cleric spells. The same is true for Bodhi. Taking
this cleric mix-in also improves their saving throws.
*Spoiler14* There is a bard item in normal mode that requires 13WIS, it casts
Heal 1/day, but Bodhi can only use it in late HoF while wearing an Every God
Ring.
*Spoiler15* There are many small blades in the game, some with high deflection
bonuses to defence. Dual wielding daggers/short swords is preferable over the
rather poor selection of quarterstaves in the game. Since Jan Jansen¡¯s a
spellcaster, he¡¯s better off dual wielding weapons with bonus effects.
*Spoiler16* Later on, the Paladin level really pays off with the wonderful +5
sword Cera Sumat. The worst things about the Light of Selune mod both relate
to Imoen: 1) The Paladin sword gets a requirement of 13WIS making it unusable
by my sorceress. This is unacceptable to me, and it¡¯s easily fixed by
installing Ease-of-use¡¯s component Improved Holy Avenger AFTER Light of
Selune. 2) The more irritating problem is that sorcerers have to pay 2 skill
points for Diplomacy. This problem is due to the Upgraded Classes part of the
mod, and is easily fixed by uninstalling that part.
*Spoiler17* Minsc drinks both normal mode and HoF Potions of Holy Transference
(+2WIS ¨C1DEX each) to gain even more WIS. Another potion that is dropped, is
the Potion of Clear Purpose (+1WIS ¨C2CON). This is a bad trade-off, so it¡¯s
best to just sell the potion. So eventually his WIS will be 36, with a bonus
item it can be 41, causing an enormous spell DC modifier of +15, +19 for
Evocation and Transmutation. There are only 3 druid Enchantments, and 4
offensive Necromancy spells, so these can wait. But compared to the +14DC
maximum that the arcane spellcasters get at level 40, the druid¡¯s spells
become far more reliable!
*Spoiler18* IWD2 Dialogue checks never exceed 20; 13+CHA-modifier is more than
enough.
*Spoiler19* Rogue skill checks, for the most part, don¡¯t exceed 20. I believe
that Search, Hide and Move Silently will work better with even higher values.
But for most rogue skills, 14 + INT/DEX modifier will cover all needs.
*Spoiler 20* A character with 13INT and 16CHA (the bard) can get an Underdark
trader to sell and buy items with a 20% discount/markup. Bluff Heggr Splitsteel
when first talking to him, and demand this trading bonus from him. If you
don¡¯t have the required abilities, he will fight you instead.
*Spoiler 21* When you meet Lord Pyros, you can gift him an Antidote for free to
get a reward. It¡¯s worth reloading until you are given the rare +1 Returning
Fire Bullet. You can offer a potion on 2 separate occasions, so you can get 2
rewards.
*Spoiler 22* The Tactics4IWD2 mod gives a special reward to the Iyachtu Xvim
quest. Dependent on your choice, it will reward +1WIS (good) or +1STR (evil)
to the party leader. The character in 1st position at the start of the game,
in my case Jaheira, determines the party leader. If you installed the mod
without adding my file to the Override folder, your party will also be subject
to alignment change, converting your good or evil party members to neutral.
The battle against Iyachtu Xvim is epic! I played the battle because I didn¡¯t
want to miss it, but reloaded to get the evil reward.
*Spoiler 23* Reaching the end of Shadows of Amn in the IWG2 conversion will
allow you to complete the highly rewarding quests in the ¡®Hell¡¯ plane. The
character in 1st position at the start of the game, in my case Jaheira, gets
these bonuses. These do not alter your alignment, and some rewards do not apply
correctly. Left to right:
Sarevok: Regardless of your choice, you are rewarded +1WIS, +1CHA.
Ctrl+Y kill Sarevok immediately after his dialogue, or the game crashes!
Greed: The evil choice gets you the Blackrazor sword (mediocre) and
+15HP. The good choice rewards +2 S.T., but check it works, because I
got ¨C1 once! Not good¡
Selfishness: The good path will reward you with SR, but the price is
high: -2DEX, -2HP, and the XP subtraction penalty is severely bugged.
The evil path is recommended, giving you a +2AC bonus which didn¡¯t
apply in my case.
Fear: Taking the good choice will reward you with 100/+1 damage
resistance, but this isn¡¯t much good against enemies of any
significance. The evil decision should be rewarded with +2CON, but I
got +4CON every time! I¡¯m not complaining.
Pride: The reward for taking the evil path is merely an XP bonus. I
prefer the good path, which rewards you with +4 resistance to fire,
cold and electricity.
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| Chapter 10: LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, VERSION INFO |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
AC: Armour Class; a defensive bonus against enemy hit rolls.
(B)AB: (Base) Attack Bonus; a bonus to attack rolls to hit an opponent.
BG2: Baldur¡¯s Gate 2; the most popular Infinity Engine RPG.
CHA: Charisma; ability used by bards, paladins and sorcerers.
CON: Constitution; ability that improves the overall sturdiness.
DC: Difficulty Class; defines how hard a spell is to save against for
opponents.
DEX: Dexterity; improves overall Reflexes and coordination.
DR: Damage Reduction; class, spell or item effect that reduces damage
taken.
ECL: Effective Character Level; refers to races with a level penalty.
(G)SF: (Greater) Spell Focus; feat(s) which enhance the DC of a single spell
school.
HoF: Heart of Fury; a more difficult gameplay mode, selectable in
Configuration.
HP: Hit Points; determines how much damage can be taken before death.
INT: Intelligence; ability used by wizards, also increases skill points.
IWD2: Icewind Dale 2; this game.
IWG2: Icewind Gate 2; conversion of BG2: Shadows of Amn to the IWD2 engine.
mod: Modification; a fan-made alteration to the game, to be installed
separately.
SR: Spell Resistance; ability that allows for a chance to resist most spell
effects.
S.T.: Saving Throw(s); a defensive bonus against dice rolls from offensive
spells.
WIS: Wisdom; ability that improves Willpower and divine spellcasting &
abilities.
XP: Experience Points; representation of gained experience from gameplay.
I should first thank the creators of guides I read:
Icewind Dale II Guide to Feats by Mike Marshall:
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/icewind_dale_ii_feat.rar
&download=yes
Icewind Dale 2 Walkthrough by Dave Milward:
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/IWD2Walkthrough.zip
&download=yes
Icewind Dale II Character Development Guide by Mike Malone:
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/iwd2char.zip&download=yes
Icewind Dale 2: Ultimate Powergaming Party FAQ by Ken J. Egervari:
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/icewind_dale_ii_upp.zip
&download=yes
Jukka's Ultimate Powergaming Party (JUPP) by Jukka Mikkonen:
http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/icewind_dale_ii_jupp.zip
&download=yes
And last but not least, the board members of Sorcerer¡¯s Place, who gave me
the inspiration and insight to create the updated second, third, fourth and
fifth versions of this guide. Thanks go to: Acrux, AjaX, akridian, Caradhras,
countduckula, crucis, JT, kmonster, MindChild, Mudde, Odd Hermit, Sir Rechet,
Tal Rasha, Taluntain, and all the other great people who debate with me here:
http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23
Version History:
> The main differences between version 1 and version 2 of this guide (version
1 was not designated 1), are the mix-ins of Dreadmaster of Bane and Monk of
Ilmater, switching my first cleric from Tempus to Bane and switching the
alignment to accommodate, a few minor insights added, and some layout
improvements.
> Version 3 was released after realizing that a lawful neutral bard/cleric is
not possible. My barbarian is replaced with a bard, but kept in as an
alternative character. Also in version 3, I attempt to make the party more
useful in normal mode, by emphasizing the need for delaying mix-ins and timing
them well. My two clerics change names, mix-ins and cleric orders. My clerics
gave up diplomacy and elemental feats in favour of maximized concentration.
Mix-ins of fighter and wizard are added in the very late game to nearly all my
party members, for 3 extra feats. A short tactical discussion and list of
spoilers, and abbreviations are added in new chapters, and there are some more
layout improvements.
> Version 4 significantly re-evaluates feats, which is the result of many
discussions on sorcerers.net. The feats which have improved in importance are
Rapid Shot, Armoured Arcana, Combat Casting, and Spell Penetration. Feats which
were put into to perspective, and slightly decreased in importance, are S.T.
and Spell Focus feats. In light of the Armoured Arcana feat, the ranger mix-in
is also re-evaluated, and my characters now take it even later, or not at all.
My bard character is changed from human into a drow, because of this race¡¯s
more useful abilities, and the practical uselessness of strength for bards.
Finally, the mistaken quest bonus for transmuters is corrected; they don¡¯t get
+1 to strength. An excel file is included in the download which details all the
leveling choices precisely.
> The changes in CharCreaTips versions 5 and 6 are minor. Most attention goes
to other included files, which are focused on making it easy to install, play
and troubleshoot the Icewind Gate 2 mod, which converts the Baldur¡¯s Gate 2:
Shadows of Amn game, and part of Throne of Bhaal, to the Icewind Dale 2
interface.
> The changes in CharCreaTips version 7 are partly of a cosmetic nature. I also
re-evaluated feats once again, as the important Blind Fight was completely
overlooked until now. Precise Shot is chosen for mainstay ranged attackers.
Saving throw feats are taken out, but Discipline is introduced, and given
higher importance than Combat Casting.
