I have a few questions for you masters' of the Dale.
I was considering only playing w/ 5 char. I've played IWD, BG and BGII and I've always played with the max # of char. Is there ANY advantage to playing w/ less than the max?
I usually shy away from multi-classing, but should I consider it more having less char.? If so any good suggestions? I heard Monk/Rogue is good.
I literally just made my party, so I have no problems changing modifying it right now....Does anyone have any suggestions:

Human-Tiefling fighter
Wild Elf-monk ( chose 1st order option)
Ghostwise Hafling- Rogue
Human-Assimar Cleric (chose 3rd order option)
Drow-Sorcerer

Thanks for your help stalwart adventures'

PS I like to max or come close to maxing my classes' prerequisite....but if anyone has suggestions on secondary and tertiary stats to focus on for my party members, that'd be more than helpful

Thanx
K

was considering only playing w/ 5 char. I've played IWD, BG and BGII and I've always played with the max # of char. Is there ANY advantage to playing w/ less than the max?
Advantages:

1. Less traffic-jam on the screen
2. Still enough key-skills
3. Characters level up faster (TOB removes level-cap of SOA, god-like status is reached a lot sooner with a small group)

Disadvantages

1. Icewinddale yields not a "constant" number of experience-points pro enemy. Contrary to BG and IWD1. IWD2 experience points are given relative to the threat-level of the encounter. That's a little problematic, because you sooner or later, you reach a point in the game, where encounters yield 0-experience. That point is sooner reached with a small party. But in the IWD2 section on this site, there is a "fix" for the experience problem, if you'd like to fix it.

I usually shy away from multi-classing, but should I consider it more having less char.? If so any good suggestions? I heard Monk/Rogue is good.
Multiclassing is no big deal at all in the 3rd ed. It is very practical and needs no "big decision". There are some minimal (but important) restrictions, but that's a great improvment compared to the 2nd. ed. Multiclassing in IWD2 comes naturally.

Tip: Don't neglect wilderness lore.

Maybe you won't like this "advice", but i say just do whatever you like! I mean it's more fun when you do it you're own way and make your own mistakes and so on (i know i sound like a pre-school teacher :rolleyes: ) it makes the game more exciting if you do something "unusual" instead of the "normal" thing. So have fun with the gam, Good Luck!!

It all sounds good and yago makes yet another good point, but if you were planning on doing the monk/rogue deal don't. Keep it a full time monk right until you finish the game because even though he might not be that great at first, towards the end the monk will kick @$$ because of his special abilities.

Yago said:
Tip: Don't neglect wilderness lore. What do you mean? What does wilderness lore do?

(I'm still in the prologue, so I haven't figured out all the new feats yet.)

Wilderness lore help to "read in the sand".

It can tell you something about your environment. In IWDII is a part, where you can find a way through a forest - it's a miraculous maze. You can make you a map or use wilderness lore. You can play through this game without WL. But a ranger, druid or barbarian should be able to "read in the sand".