New Party

[Gholam]

Hi guys.

I was thinking of going through the game with a CN dwarf berserker. I made the char and have played for a while now. I'm going for a powergaming party with the following setup :

Udo - Berserker
Edwin
Viconia
Yoshimo/Imoen
?
?

I was thinking full party so I have some empty space. I took Jan along but I will probably get tired of him as he don't really have any real function in this party. I will probably pick up Sarevok in ToB and I guess I will go for Cernd to fill up a space.

But other than that I'm clueless. I guess I need another tank but I don't want Korgan, Minsc or Jaheira. I don't want to be all that good so I can't bring Keldorn (he kind of bores me aswell) and I can't stand Anomen. I might pick Mazzy, she's descent isnt she? I don't really know what kind of weapon I would give her though. I guess shortsword is the primary one?

[spetznaz]

Too bad you don't want to bring along Korgan. My favourite, the best tank in the game IMO.

If you want pure casting power, take Aerie. Since she's a Cleric/Mage she can combine both divine and arcane spells in spell sequencers and the likes. Personally I hate her though.

Valygar is really good and often looked passed by people. He can do a good job both as a tank or as a archer. His backstabbing, albeit minor, abilities can also be put to some good use. Give him the Celestial Fury or Heartseeker.

Mazzy's pretty much the same deal. She's a fighter which means she can put on some serious gear and tank, or just as well grab a bow and be just as useful there. Short Sword and/or Short Bow. She has a few stars in 'em both IIRC. Never liked her though.

Haer'Dalis is another favourite of mine. First of all he's a Bard. Second, he's a Blade If you can get over his 9 Constitution, and appriciate his somewhat metaphorical, clockwork orange speech, he's a joy to have along. Don't combine him and Aerie though, one will leave unless you have the "best friends forever" mod. Don't combine Keldorn and Viconia either.

My pick would be:

Udo - Berserker
Edwin
Viconia
Yoshimo/Imoen
Valygar, mix between Long Bow/Katana -or Mazzy, mix between Short Bow/Short Sword, personal choice-
Haer'Dalis, dual-wield Short Swords, boost or buff his Con some.

[Caradhras]

If you like Fighter/Mage (DC) try Angelo, it's a good mod, I haven't completed my game with him but what I've seen was really excellent. If you want to powergame you will most certainly prefer Solaufein but Angelo can be recruted in Athkatla so you might consider taking him along.

[NOG (No Other Gods)]

For pure powergaming, Aerie truely rocks. The combination of divine and arcane casting is increadibly powerful, plus she can use things like shields and helmets (and elven chain once you get there).

Let's see:
Udo - Berserker - melee
Edwin - arcane
Viconia - divine
Yoshimo/Imoen - thief/arcane-thief

The filler is your choice, but if you want added magic power, go for Aerie. For added melee take Valygar and give him the Celestial Katana. Haer'Dalis is nice, and a blade is powerful, but his CON means you'll want to spend many of his spells on combat protections (mirror image, stoneskins, Prot. from Mag. Weap.) and his specialty is shortswords, which aren't that great for a damage dealer. Cutthroat and Shortsword of Mask are the only really good ones, and their both late game.

I'd say:
Udo - Berserker
Edwin
Viconia
Yoshimo/Imoen
Valygar
Aerie/Mazzy (maybe Cernd if you really want a druid)

[Gholam]

Thx for the input guys.

I can't pick up Aerie as I killed that weird ogre in the circus.
I decided to pick up Cernd as I went out in the wilds, gotta get him up a bit in level to challenge Faldorn.
I got rid of Jan as he was just waste of space in my party at the moment.
I think I will pick up Mazzy but I don't know, maybe Valygar can tank as good as she, though I doubt it.

I will probably get rid of Cernd later on 'cause he kind of bores me and really doesnt complete the party just yet. He might get a spot if I like his greater werewolf.

Does Angelo have any good sidequests? He was in BG as Sarevoks right hand huh? He got any banters with Sarevok?

[Taluntain]

Check the Angelo review in our Mod Reviews forum.

[Deathmage]

...you killed Aerie?
Aerie is definitely the most unstoppably powerful character at higher levels. Healing and doing damage at mega speeds with the Robe of Vecna, oh yes. But too late for that now, I guess...

Cernd is absolutely unstoppable with the Improved Werewolf mod (Tweak Pack), which makes him pretty much overpowered. Otherwise, he's a good solid spellcaster who gets HLAs extremly early because the Druid cap in SoA is 14. In my game, he had more kill counts than Minsc, numbering in around 300. Mazzy is a deadly archer and great with the Gesen bow, and her powerful Paladin abilities make her even more useful. Valygar is nice if you don't mind strategizing a little, as he's best when backstabbing. Incidentally, having Mazzy and Valygar in the same party gets you some interesting relationships between the two.

Jan is truly a support character, and probably not what you want if you're going powergaming.

[Balle]

just a note: you can shortsword of the mask as early/late in the game as you want to, it can be bought of the old guy beren or something at the Watchers Keep