I just started re-playing IWD2, I never beat it the last time. Reading the posts here has me wanting to start a new party. I just finished the prologue so I don't have far to backtrack. I was wondering what a really good 3 or 4 person party would be, and most especially a fun party.

Thanks!

Fun is in the mind of the player. We can't tell you what you will find fun. Most of the recent posts on this Board are about party suggestions so check those out.

Generally speaking, it is usually good to make sure your party has characters to fill one or more of the following roles: Tank (fight hard, take hits), Healer / Buffer (often a divine spellcaster), Bombardier (often an arcane spellcaster). You may also find the following useful: Scout, Magekiller, Talker, Lock opener, Trap disarmer, Ranged attacker, Decoy etc etc

Thanks, I know the basics but I don't know the rules of DnD well enough to craft up an off-the wall party on my own. I'm thinking of trying solo or a 3 member or MAYBE 4 member party. Any suggestions at all are greatly appreciated.

A recommended 3 person party that could do OK might be:

Dwarf Fighter 4 / Barbarian (x) - give him STR and CON
Human Cleric - give him WIS, then STR and CON
Aasimar Paladin 2 / Sorcerer (x) - give him CHA

a 4th member might be:
Tiefling Rogue 2 / Wizard (x) - give him INT then DEX

Thanks, the party I had previously was an aasimar dreadmaster, a half orc fighter and a tiefling sorceror and I had hit Shaerngarne like a brick wall and haven't gotten any further. I definitely want something more powerful.

The party you described sounds powerful enough on the surface. Be sure to get the distribution of stats and feats right. Maybe take an extra character this time.

Plus, if you need specific tips for getting through Shaengarne, let us know (set up a new topic).

Yeah it looks like getting the distribution right is the hardest part. I might stick with the current party but who knows, I might have gimped them by accident.

BTW, can you recommend a kicking solo character that isn't a paladin hybrid? Not being able to accept rewards is irritating.

Try to create a party with a set theme in mind, that is the best way to have fun IMO (for example a party of 4 rogue, each specialized in different trade)

Hope this help.

These are some suggestions for a 3 or 4 player party:

Tank:
Dwarf or ½Orc Fighter 4 / Barbarian x
Stats: 18/20 16 20/18 3/1 18 1
Weapon: Great Sword
alt:
Aasimar Fighter 4 / Paladin x
Stats: 16 10 18 3 13 20
Weapon: Large Sword (for holy avenger later on)

Healer:
Dwarf Battleguard of Tempus
Stats: 18 16 20 3 18 1
Weapon:Great Axe
less tank oriented alt:
Human Morninglord of Lathander
Stats: 18 16 18 3 18 3
(Gets 2 skillpoint for Concentration and Spellcraft)

Bombardier:
Human Sorcerer Stats: 9 18 18 3 10 18
alt: Aasimar Sorcerer Stats: 8 12 18 12 10 20
Weapon: Ranged
Skillpoints Concentration & Spellcraft

If you want a 4th member these alternatives can be intresting:
Drow rogue 1 /wizard x Stats: 11 20 16 20 8 5 (backup bombardier)

Human Monk 1/ Druid x Stats: 16 18 18 3 18 3

Deep Gnome Monk Stats: 16 20 14 3 20 1 (almost impossible to hit early in the game and becomes almost imune to spells)

Thiefling Fighter 4 / Rogue x Stats: 14 20 14 18 11 1 (1:st level as Rogue then take the fighterlevels. Fun to play with)

Thanks Mudde. Couple more things, where can I find Jukkas guide and the solo information? I think I'm gonna try a solo character once though. I like the idea of monks or druids, I'm really not a good spell micromanager so any derivative/hybrid that makes it easier I'm all for it. I am trying a chevalier special right now (asimar paladin/wizard) and I'm actually getting owned so I must be doing something wrong.

Deep Gnomes and Drow can make nice solo characters due to their spell resistance. It's very annoying for a solo character to get incapacitated by a stray spell and you watch helplessly as he or she gets hacked to pieces with nobody to bail them out. Their natural resistance saves from having to micro-manage protection buffs before each encounter.

The JUPP can be found on this page. (http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/IWD2/index_tips.php)

Deep gnome Fighter4/illusionist on Deep Gnome Cleric should be quite good for a sologame

Cool, thanks. What about a deep gnome monk, or something kind of rogue cross-mix. Also, are druids viable for solo?

EDIT:
Whoops, just noticed that Mudde mentioned a deep gnome monk. Is it as good as another deep gnome character though? I'm leaning more towards drow, and more of a rogue-ish melee character. Again, thanks for the replies.

The Deep gnome monk will get good AC and excellent spell resistance but lacks spellcasting ability. It will take long for it to kill the enemy hordes.

EDIT.
And i think the Deep gnomes +4 to AC makes quite a difference in the normal game, making it superior to the drow in solo (in hof the AC must be either extreme or neglected)

BTW, can you recommend a kicking solo character that isn't a paladin hybrid? Not being able to accept rewards is irritating. I'm currently soloing with a human barbarian(1)/rogue(2), with all suceeding levels going into sorcerer. I don't know how "kicking" he's going to be, but he's holding his own right now in Prologue.

el timtor,
That's the thing about the Prologue, you can pretty much solo any character through it. It's after that that things start getting tough.

Mudde,
If you're going to multiclass a Rogue w/ a Wizard, it's advised to take two levels of Rogue because 2nd level Rogue gets Evasion for free and w/ a Wizard having a small amount of hit points it would be well worth it.

Memento Mori,
The key about Paladins and them not accepting rewards to not have them talk at keep points where you can get a reward. I've been against them for the same reason, but I have a Rogue 2/Wizard X that I use as my party talker every chance I get. With his high INT I have lots of skill points to distribute so it's no problem maxing out Bluff, Intimidate and Diplomacy. As far as creating a party, it's always good to post here for comments. I posted mine a couple of days ago and have gotten some really good feedback that's going to help me out in the long run.

Vassago, thanks for the advice. The trouble is if I'm going solo, I can't have anyone else talk. I'm going to look for your post to see if I can find a good solo character.

Memento,
You can do a search for solo and will probably find numerous threads on what others have used to solo the game. Since I haven't played IWD2 all the way through yet, I'm sticking with a party of 4.

You know, you have a point. I probably shouldn't try to solo until I've beaten the game at least once. In that case I want to start a 4 person party. Here's what I'm thinking.

1)cleric talker, clueless as to specifics
2)deep gnome druid
3)half orc fighter 4, barb x with greataxes
4)rogue/wizard, pure wizard or sorceror

Let me know how this sounds.

I would drop the druid and take a sorcerer instead.

What race? Also, anyone have any specific suggestions as to the other members? Thanks again.

Sorcerers benefit from Charisma so a Charisma race like Aasimar is reasonable idea.

Should I go pure sorceror or start as melee? Here's an idea, start a drow monk and then go for sorceror so he gets an AC boost.

And a quick edit, I think I'm gonna try the ultimate AC tank from the JUPP instead of the half orc, but if I'm a deep gnome I won't get to use the game's greataxes. Also, do I need a cleric talker or can the sorceror do all the talking? What's a better choice for the cleric?

Then after that I just need one more member.

[ August 13, 2004, 00:49: Message edited by: Memento Mori ]

The deep gnome can use greataxes, it just looks stupid and I seem to remember that the decoy in JUPP isn't really a good tank with high strength, so it may not be really effective.

Your sorcerer can do the talking if you give him high intelligence so he can take the talking skills.

You could make the cleric your tank and/or you could keep the fighter/barb.

No I was gonna use the deep gnome tank, not the decoy. Also what do you think of taking a level of monk for the sorceror, or does that complicate things too much. So here's what we have

1)sorceror talker (drow bard/sorceror?)
2)pure AC tank
3)drow morninglord of lathander or half-orc cleric of tempus
4)a paladin derivative so I can get the holy avenger, suggestions?

@ vassago
That's the thing about the Prologue, you can pretty much solo any character through it. It's after that that things start getting tough.
Sorry, I meant Undead Targos prologue. Bit tougher than OC prologue. On a previous solo run, I cleared Shaengarne Bridge with a monk1/pally2/sorcerer10.

@ memento mori
Also what do you think of taking a level of monk for the sorceror Not bad--gets your sorc evasion, and if you go monk(2) you get deflect arrows (+1AC vs. ranged). Downside is if your sorc is going to be the talker, you'll refuse rewards just like the paladin.

D'oh! I think I'll go with a bard/sorceror build. Now all I need to know is the cleric and the number 4 slot. Thanks as always.

Why are you going for the Bard option in your sorcerer? What are you going to use the Bard functionality for? Your sorcerer will be too busy casting spells to ever sing.

Absolutely, there's not much use of a bard song with a good sorcerer. Way to many spells begging for realease ;)

@ Menion Leah

I think he means the high AC tank in the melee party, not the decoy in the arcane party. The melee party tank has 16 strength and, as a high level cleric, he can boost that strength so high that he can keep pace with a half-orc tank. Throw in Holy Power and he can probably out-damage your standard fighter/barbarian tank. At worst, he won't be far behind.

Harbourboy, with "Lingering Song" feat the sorcerer won't have to sing all the time. Even better - with the current bug (?) you may pause the game, have the sorcerer sing and stop singing then unpause... the song will last for two rounds.

Bard/Sorcerer isn't such a good mix and the reason is because if you're Bard is singing and you want to cast a Sorcerer spell, he's going to have to stop singing first. Not to mention I don't think Bard levels is going to do anything useful for your Sorcerer. Now a Monk of the Dark Moon 2 or 3/Sorcerer X wouldn't be bad. Just give him high WIS, CHA & DEX. 2 levels of Monk will give you Deflect Arrows and 3 levels of Monk will give you Still Mind (+2 bonus to saving throws against spells and effects from the Enchantment school). Give him a bow or crossbow for a weapon and I'll think you'll be set.

Another good combo is Monk of the Broken Ones 2 or 3/Cleric Painbearer of Ilmater. Since Clerics need WIS for spells, this is a natural fit.

Cool, that sounds like it will work. Now wht about a Sorceror/Paladin to wield the holy avenger?

Well, sure, it's one of the most powerful builds, natural fit in statistics. Awsome saves because of sky high charisma needed, all the rest Paladin benefits (avenger, +1strenght&wisdom, disease,...)
So, whenever you want to you can just join the melee with a single spell that makes you an Uber fighter - Tenser's transformation. Easy as a pie.

If you'll have this guy to talk to people, though, you'll miss a lot of quest rewards, that's why i rather play fighter/sorcerer.

Can someone explain the need for Wisdom even if your a character is a Tank? My main talker is a Tank and he has extremely low Wisdom. I have yet to find an advantage to having good Wisdom even if your character is a Tank not to mention I've never gotten any different dialogue even with low Wisdom (I've got a character with good Wisdom and I've compared the dialogue, nothing different).

As for the fighter/barbarian, I'm sure you've heard many people mention this but it's recommended that you use a Shield Dwarf rather than the Half-Orc. My current party consists of the following (this is after playing through normal and past the Lost Followers on Heart of Fury):

Shield Dwarf Barbarian (x)/Fighter (4)
This is my main tank. I've had him take out several Hook Horrors and some Duergar by himself.

Aasimar Paladin of Ilmater (x)/Fighter (6)
My secondary tank. The only thing he's got over my Shield Dwarf is his Lay on Hands ability. My only complaint is that you can only use it once a day :( .

Tiefling Sorcerer (pure)
My primary bombardier. It's because of her, and only her, that I've taken out the Duergar outpost so many times and with relative ease. I could practically take it out with just her.

Drow Cleric (what type of cleric he is escapes me at the moment) (x)/Fighter (4)
Primary healer and secondary spellcaster. 'Nuff said.

Human Druid (x)/Fighter (4)
My primary buffer. I use her to cast Barkskin, Stoneskin, Aura of Vitality, and other such things.

My 6th character tends to change... right now he's a Human Stormlord of Talos (x)/Fighter (4) but I'm trying to find something more suitable... Too bad the maximum number of allowed characters is 6, otherwise I'd put in a Monk and a Wizard.

[ August 13, 2004, 20:43: Message edited by: Cryo Mantis ]

Most importantly is WILL saving throw. There's nothing like having one and only meat shield up front with high AC when a Hold Person catches him, he fails his saving throw and a matter of seconds he's lying on the floor, beaten to a pulp.

So, WILL saving throw. Every modifier (14-2, 16-3, 18-4) gives you the same amount to WILL save. There are items and spells to make up for this, of course, but they all take time&space, when having decent wisdom is free&neverending.

OK, I've started with the new party. One thing I don't like about my new talker is that he just doesn't have the tact that my old dreadmaster had. Meaning I don't get as many cool dialog choices, but oh well. Also if I take my paladin to sorceror that leaves me with 3 blasters and one melee, unless you're absolutely sure that the pal/sor is good in melee. I say 3 blasters because I chose a stormlord of talos for a cleric. Drow, by the way.

And before I forget, what should be the starting stats/skills for these characters?

1)aasimar sorceror
2)female drow cleric of talos
3)male drow paladin (and at what level switch to sorceror)
4)male deep gnome rogue1/monk1/dreadmaster 28

Come to think of it, do I even need 2 clerics? This needs to be re-thought I guess. So confusing!

[ August 13, 2004, 21:09: Message edited by: Memento Mori ]

You should use at least one cleric as a tank. If you dual your paladin to a sorcerer at a low level, he won't be a very good tank unless you cast tenser's transformation and that makes it impossible to cast other spells.
If you dual him at a higher level, you can benefit from the sorcerer's buff spells tremendously and be a great melee fighter.

It is pretty much a decision between constant and early meleeing and awsomly powerful melee fighting later on.
Truly, a lower level palading and higher sorc is definitely more powerful, no doubt about that, but still, it could be easier to run through the game with a frontliner at all times, without the need to cast a spell or two to make him a melee powerhouse.

Depends on what you want.

So my party is OK? It just depends on what I do with them. I get it. What level of paladin do I go to before I switch to sorc? I hope I picked good stats/skills, I'll post them later if I can.

OK here they are...

sorceror = 7 18 10 13 12 20
gnome = 16 20 14 3 20 1
cleric = 16 8 14 12 18 12
paladin = 16 10 14 12 12 16

The only characters I'm not sure about are the gnome and the paladin, I just need to know what to do with them.

[ August 13, 2004, 23:03: Message edited by: Memento Mori ]

From what I've been told, you should at least take 2 levels of Paladin for your Sorcerer. So, I created mine as a Paladin and then at level 3 I'll switch him to a Sorcerer.

You can also drop WIS lower than 12 and bump up your CON or INT. I have mine at 8. The only thing Paladins need Wisdom for is casting spells and you're not going to be getting any Paladin spells. Your Will save throws will be based off of your Charisma modifier.

Will I have enough death dealing power with a gnome that rarely hits and a paladin/sorceror?

Stormlord, Banist and a sorcerer.

You'd do well to specialise in Enchantment school with the banist, there'll be really small chance to resist it's WILL save then since you'll instantly get 10+1+4+4+1 = 20 on WILL DC and that's just for level 1 spells. Higher level spells and higher Wisdom will make them even better.

Stormlord is one of the two best offensive clerics, so this one will be able to take care of both protection and offence. Best to memorize only protection and offence spells and use spontaneus healing when needed, if you're not evil. IIRC you can be chaotic neutral with a Stormlord, so that'd be your prefered alignment power-wise.

Sorcerer offensive power reduced because of paladin levels?
A bit. Only a bit, really. Main point is not getting it, but rather getting those few levels slower since you have to take paladin levels together because of it's multiclass restrictions. Pure spellcasters dont really get all that much benefits after level 22. All there is to it is a very few spells and of course caster level for beating Spell Resistance, spell duration&spell power (depends on the spell).

So, yeah, you'll have some decent firecrackers up your sleeves :)

If I take the gnome from rogue 1/ monk 1 to banite cleric won't he get nailed with XP penalties?

And as a sub-topic are there any must buy weapons in Targos? And what should each member be carrying? Thanks.

I can't remember too many of the weapons sold in Targos but I do not honestly believe there are any must buy weapons. All the weapons you'll really need for the Prologue and perhaps most of Chapter One can be found scattered around Targos in barrels, on enemy corpses, and the like. Honestly though, I've never had a need for an archer. Any enchanted arrows I found throughout the game I sold for high amounts of money. The only time I ever needed archers was against Iyachtu Xvim my first time through because he's a pain in the ass since you can't do enough melee damage to him before he takes you out.

EDIT: For your Barbarian/Fighter my suggested weapon he carry throughout the game and all through Heart of Fury would be a Greataxe. My Shield Dwarf Barbarian/Fighter has no need for a shield because he absorbs so much damage and lives. He causes enough damage by himself (this isn't including my other tanks) that sometimes there aren't any enemies left to use Wail of the Banshee on. Right now he's wielding a Greataxe +5 (found in Ojaiha's Quarters in Heart of Fury). He's a crazy little midget!

Thanks for the tip. I have my little gnome equipped with a greataxe, but there's one for sale in Targis called the executioner's wife and I wondered if it was worth buying.

My sorceror is using a light crossbow, don't know if that's the best. My cleric uses shortswords, again I don't know if that is wise, and my paladin is being groomed for the holy avenger.

"male drow paladin (and at what level switch to sorceror)"

You should consider that the favourite class for a male Drow is wizard.
I'd recommend Aasimar instead, you would avoid XP penalties.

Hmm, drow pal/sor is recommended in the JUPP isn't it?

Darn, just noticed that it's aasimar. Would it be feasible to multi the drow pally into wizardry or should I start over? Thanks as always.

Also, my little gnome is set up to get crucified with XP penalties if he goes to dreadmaster. I need a new meatgrinder idea that's just as cool as he would be. Can Jukka comment on this?

[ August 14, 2004, 19:12: Message edited by: Memento Mori ]

The Executioner's Wife... it's an ok weapon. As I said, there aren't too many weapons to buy at the Galloway Trading Depot that are actually worth it (well, for the beginning they are but you'll wished you saved that money for later on). I've never really found a Greataxe that had any specials that went passed +2 or +3 (I know enchanted +5 Greataxes exist, but I cannot find them). Besides, the moment you find a Greataxe +3 or Greataxe +4 you'll be hitting enemies for around 25 - 40 hitpoints of damage every hit.

Greataxes are, if I was a glutton for pain and frustration, greatly overpowered. Since I do not enjoy pain or frustration I've found the Greataxes to be one of the best weapons in the game for a tank (second only to the "Cera Sumat," Holy Avenger).

Any thoughts on my gnome?

You should have started your gnome of as a Dreadmaster of Bane and you should then multiclass to monk when you notice that you are being hit even though you are buffed. So basically you should do this as late as possible, because you will get that 20% XP penalty.
I think that Jukka doesn't care about this too much in his guide, because the main purpose of leveling up would be getting more spells and the main purpose of this character is distracting the enemy while not being hit because of a high AC. In other words: for this character it doesn't matter too much if he doesn't level up very quickly.

You shouldn't multiclass to Rogue until chapter 4 of HoF, because you can buy some rogue-only AC-boosting item.

Edit:
I ust reread a part of JUPP and it appears that this character was meant to be a unhittable tank, so not just a decoy as I stated in this post. Anyway, this character is really good and the 20% XP penalty doesn't matter that much (you'll get enough XP anyway because you're in a 4 member party), although you should try to postpone getting it as long as possible.

[ August 15, 2004, 01:15: Message edited by: Menion Leah ]

Okay, looks like it's starting over time. Now about the male drow, can he be a pal/wizard or do I need an asimar sorceror? If it's the latter then I might need a new talker.

EDIT: So many choices... Do you really think I should bring along the gnome? I know for certain about these characters.

1)Aasimar sorceror (add rogue levels to get bluff and intimidate bonuses?)

2)Female drow stormlord

I just need to know if the gnome is the right butt kicker for the job, after all he starts as a cleric and who needs two clerics. And for the last slot I need a candidate for the holy avenger. Many thanks indeed.

[ August 15, 2004, 05:16: Message edited by: Memento Mori ]

If you choose the male drow you'll have to become a wizard to avoid XP penalties. If you prefer the sorceror type, then aasimar is the way to go.
The main difference between sorceror and wizard is that if you have a sorceror you'll need to know what you'll be doing when you select your spells... with the wizard you won't have to make these choices (you'll have to prepare beforehand to know which spell you will cast but basically you will be able to cast any spell).
So if you're not familiar with spellcasting use the wizard (you could also consider giving one level of wizard to another member of your party, he/she will be able to read arcane scrolls -even while wearing an armour).

Diplomacy and Bluff are class skills for a sorcerer. So you dont need to add any rouge levels for that. Plus why do you want to burden him with 20%XP penalty? As such this guy can be Drow if you intend to keep him as a single class Sorcerer.
The main idea of having an Aasimar is to include 3 levels of Paladin for the saving throw bonusus.

The Drow Stormlord of Talos is a good idea. As far as I'm concerned, Clerics dont need very high DCs. So you can mix-in a few levels in some other class after you have what you consider to be adequate Cleric levels.

The Drow Wizard/ Rouge[2] is a very useful charecter to have.

Alright I can make the male drow a paladin 3 / wizard X. And the gnome is already started as a rogue so he's screwed.

EDIT:

I think for the last slot I want to make a rogue hybrid that can dual wield and use a ranged weapon well. Any suggestions? This is the last thing I'm changing then I'm just going to play. Thanks.

[ August 16, 2004, 03:56: Message edited by: Memento Mori ]

The suggested level-up strategy for the Deep Gnome Rogue/Monk/Dreadmaster states that the Monk level most likely won't be needed until you get into HOF mode, and Rogue level is actually a total waste until you get that final AC boosting item in Chapter 4 in HOF mode.

So.. Don't worry about EXP penalties. They really won't strike upon you before you've already received a vast majority of the benefits from being a Dreadmaster. Leveling this character all the way to 30 isn't really needed - even level 24 (or so) will get you the needed tanking potential with maxed attacks per round, up to 9th level spells and so forth.

If you want your Rogue to dual wield, consider giving him at least one level of Ranger (or 4 although you won't want to go that far).
When wearing light or no armour (he should be as a Rogue ;) ) he would benefit from the ambidexterity and two weapons feats (for free!). Plus Rangers (even with one level) can choose a favourite enemy (a minor bonus but it's always nice).

You could also consider making a Monk 2/Ranger 1/Rogue X... He would have a better AC (if you are willing to max his WIS which may reduce his other abilities... it is not so interesting since the Rogue will have Evasion too, Monks level 2 get the deflect arrows feat which is not really worth the trouble either... nevertheless as a Ranger he would benefit from a higher WIS -that's if you want to make him more of a Ranger)

You could also consider making a Monk 2/Ranger 1/Rogue X... He would have a better AC (if you are willing to max his WIS which may reduce his other abilities... it is not so interesting since the Rogue will have Evasion too, Monks level 2 get the deflect arrows feat which is not really worth the trouble either... nevertheless as a Ranger he would benefit from a higher WIS -that's if you want to make him more of a Ranger)I like this. Just off the top of my head, I created this:

Lightfoot Halfling (Monk of the Old Order 2/Ranger 1/Rogue X)
8 20 10 14 18 6
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Dual-wield small blades

He gets this for being a Lightfoot Halfling:
+2 to Move Silently checks.
+1 to all saving throws.
+2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear.
+1 to hit with thrown weapons.

This for 2 levels of Monk:
Wisdom bonus to AC.
Stunning Attacks: When this ability is used, all of the monk's attacks in the next round force the victim to make a saving throw or be stunned. This special ability automatically modifies a monk's normal attack, no targeting needs to be done. A monk can make a stunning attack 1/day/level.
Evasion: Monks have the ability to evade damage from area affect spells. Whenever a monk makes a successful reflex save against an area effect spell that allows for a reflex save for half damage, he/she takes no damage.
2nd level: Defect Arrows. The monk gains the Deflect Arrows feat, which gives a +1 miscellanous bonus against missile attacks against them.

From Ranger level:
Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats.
Favorite enemy

I would consider starting with Rogue, then take Ranger, then Monk and finish out as Rogue

Cool ideas, now I don't know which to pick! :)

Deflect arrows needs that you be using a single-handed weapon with no secondary weapon or sheild. Not a very useful feat, so you may stop at Monk [1] if there are no other benefits.

8Str for a basically melee charecter just doesn't sit right with me.

Will you post the most likely party members and their stats here? There is whole lot of material in this thread.

1)Asimar sorceror
2)drow stormlord
3)svirfneblin dreadmaster
4)open

8 Str for a basically melee charecter just doesn't sit right with me.I'm not too found of it either. However, w/ dualing small blades and weapon finesse, your dex modify comes into play instead of brute strength. Although for a melee person, they should have a higher strength. Again, this was a just a "rough" draft of a proposed character.

I'm thinking of a tiefling monk1/ranger1/rogue x but I don't get weapon finesse available for first feat. Also, who else in my party besides this will be good for ranged?

I'm thinking of a tiefling monk1/ranger1/rogue x but I don't get weapon finesse available for first feat.Need BAB +1, Rogue doesn't get that until level 2, but Monk & Ranger get it at level 1. So the next time you get to take a feat, it will be available. I like Tieflings too. I used one for my current Fighter 4/Rogue X.

I'm not sure who else you are going to have in your party, could you post who you think you are going to take now?

Please explain why you have 2 Clerics and no Wizards in your current line-up.
And your only non-magic charecter will probably be a finessed charecter with lower than adequate BAB.

I heard wizards weren't that great in IWD2. I ended up going with a Tiefling monk/ranger/rogue. Oddly enough when I added the ranger level he didn't get the free feats for dual wielding...

@Vassago
Sorry, monks have middle-way BAB, just like the rogue, priests,...
They have more attacks, sure, but lower BAB.

In any case it's best if you start with rogue for skill points. You can manage till third level with ranged weapons.

Wizards are not all that powerful in IWDII, true. The cost of wizard scrolls amounts to a fortune if you wish to have a versatile spellcaster. Some are found, but they only suffice for one wizard. He does get spell levels at a level sooner than a sorcerer though. Also (i'm not sure if it's implemented) a wizard gets a extra feat every fifth level, which is very useful for spell focuses and spell augmenting feats (spirit of flame,...)

If he has 8 strenght and a cleric then the logical course is Bull's Strenght. From 2 to 5 strenght will at least negate his damage penality or even add +1 to damage on main hand (off hand gets 0.5 strenght bonus, rounded down, so 0 in this case).

Btw, i really dont think his Attack Bonus will be too low. With high dexterity (which he will most likely increase later on as well) and middle BAB it shouldnt be a problem. I played a fighter 4/sorcerer x to the ice temple and until then he had absolutely no trouble at all hitting the enemies, eventhough his BAB is actualy lowe than monk 1/ranger 1/ rogue x. Damage output is another story alltogether though.
You'll have plenty of sneak attack, so i shouldnt worry to much about that.

Another point is that if you intend to dish some damage with this char, you'll need to sneak attack the enemies. And that means this guy wont be the one enemies will attack first. So you'll need another char with high AC to stand up front. Clerics might do the trick, i dont know i havent played one yet :p

Oddly enough when I added the ranger level he didn't get the free feats for dual wielding...You don't actually get the feats for free, but they are enabled whenever your character has light armor on. If you were to select both of the feats, they would be enable regardless of what kind of armor you were wearing.

Also (i'm not sure if it's implemented) a wizard gets a extra feat every fifth levelAccording to websites and the manual, this is true, but my Wiz is only level 1, so I can't actually back this up.

Clerics might do the trick, i dont know i havent played one yetIn my current game, I am finally using a Cleric as a secondary tank instead of range character throwing the occasional heal spell. With the right stats, them seem to be able to hold their own in battle. Plus if you wade them into the thick of things and they need to heal your main tank, then they usually don't have to move towards them because they will probably be close enough from engaging in melee battle with the enemy.

Well, is there a dual wielding build that doesn't have to sneak attack?

Well, is there a dual wielding build that doesn't have to sneak attack?Just b/c your character dual wields doesn't mean he has to sneak attack. In IWD2, a sneak attack is counted when your character hits a monster who is focused on someone/something other than your character that is doing the hitting. There is an advantage to do a sneak attack. The sneak attack does your normal damage plus 1D6 extra damage and the extra damage value goes up as you increase in Rogue levels. I also thought that if you sneaked attacked an enemy that something of theirs was lowered for the attack roll, but I can't seem to find what it was or remember. Of course, I could always be wrong about that, wouldn't be the first time ;)

So anyway I've got a tiefling monk1/ranger1/and he just leveled up to rogue 1. I don't see where you can turn on the ambidexterity and dual wielding feat, are they just automatically on? What should I give him for skills/feats now that he's a rogue? Thanks for the tips as always.

They are automatically on when you wield two weapons. There is a table at the very back of the manual that shows the attack penalties for main hand and offhand depending on the size of weapon used and which of those two feats you have.

I dont think it shows it, but it's sure working. Best way to check is just to press R and see AB if you really have -2 penality for both hands.

I suppose hide&move silently is always useful since you'll be wanting to use your sneak attack. Talking skills are always useful as well. Also, alchemy is used for some sort of sneak attack feat you can take later on. But i heard it isnt that useful.

For feats i reckon nothing is a must-have. Roleplaying choices. Toughness, saving throw increasing feats and weapon focus if you dont know anywhere else to put it.

There are more than a few spells in IWD II which wont make the cut when considering the Sorcerers selection but are useful nonetheless. Summons come to mind.
So having a Wizard is a very good backup plan. And you needn't buy all the spells put up for sale before you can cast one. Wait untill a time when you have way too much money in your hands.
They also do get the extra feats at L1,5,10,15...

The cleric can be a main Tank/Decoy for a while but making a high AC build will eventually be easier with arcane spells.

A rouge who takes the Evenom weapon can do this:
The first successful attack with the weapon forces a Fortitude save (20 DC) or the target temporarily loses 1d6 points of Constitution. One round later, the target must make a second Fortitude save (20 DC) or lose an additional 1d6 points of Constitution. The Constitution loss lasts for 10 rounds. This ability can be used once per day.
Prerequisite: 1 level of rogue, Alchemy 8 or greater

The Hamstring feat allows a rogue character to sacrifice 2d6 points of sneak attack damage to reduce the target's movement by 50% for ten rounds.

The only offensive HLA for a Rouge is Crippling Strike.
Any time the character makes a successful sneak attack, the attack does its normal damage and also causes 1 point of temporary strength damage.

The character in question (tiefling monk1/ranger1/rogueX) is pretty weak so far, he keeps getting killed repeatedly in Shaengarne Ford.

Are you already using her as a Decoy? In that case what is her AC?
It may be prudent to use one of the priests as a tank for the time being. Let the rouge use bows for now.

Post stats and what equipment your Tiefling has. To get the Monk's AC bonus from Wis, you can't wear armor, which works to your advantage with dual-weilding. However, if your WIS and DEX are not high enough, you're going to be screwed on AC. If you made your Tiefling 20 DEX & 18 WIS and have one level of Monk, then your AC bonus should be +5 for 20 DEX and +4 for 18 WIS for a total of +9 giving you 19 AC for a level 2 character (not including the Ranger level). So the now the question I have is what levels does your Tiefling have? Did you start him/her out as a Rogue?