avernum party makeup and size
| Author | Topic: avernum party makeup and size |
|---|---|
|
Apprentice
Member # 8755
|
written Saturday, May 19 2007 17:59
Profile
I used to play Exile a lot back in the day. When trying out Avernum, one change that I found kind of inexplicable is that max party sizes have been reduced from 6 to 4. In Exile I usually had a party something along the lines of: 1. human swordsman 2. slith with some kind of pole 3. nephil archer 4. thief + miscelanious skills 5. white mage (cleric) usually with low level black magic 6. black mage (sorceror) usually with low level white magic With 6 party members you have less of a party and more of an army, but that's something I got used to and tended to like, as I'd always have a char very specialized to handle a given situation. In Avernum, I'm having a hard time compacting my traditional party into 4 members. First, I'm curious what Jeff's reasons where for decreasing party size (I for one at least like the *option* of a big party), and second, I'm curious how others have composed their parties in the new system. I notice that there are a lot of classes like "hedge mage" that are somewhat good at a couple of different things, but not spectacular at anything. Oh! also, any idea when we'll finally be able to play as Vanathai? Posts: 4 | Registered: Saturday, May 19 2007 07:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 8699
|
written Saturday, May 19 2007 18:26
Profile
1. Vanathai unlikely to ever happen unless on joins you at some point. 2. The Best Party to go with is a (all custom characters along these lines) Slith Soldier, Nephil Rogoue, Slith Shaman, and Human Sorceror. Posts: 41 | Registered: Friday, May 11 2007 07:00 |
|
Law Bringer
Member # 6785
|
written Saturday, May 19 2007 19:47
Profile
You are just stirring up a debate. I use a party of 4 with a swordsman/archer/thief (nephil), pole arm (slith), two human mage/priests where one emphasizes mage and the other priest at the start. You can also play a single character once you know your way around the game. Mine tend to be fighter/mage/priest/thief with a strong priest at the end since the mage spells aren't worth it. Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00 |
|
Lifecrafter
Member # 6193
|
written Saturday, May 19 2007 20:20
Profile
Homepage
I used to go with two warriors, a warrior/thief and a mage/priest. It was kind of warrior heavy, but warriors can dish out a lot of damage in Avernum, so I never had any problems with it. Archery is another big difference between exile and avernum, it's actually useful in Avernum. I love using archery in BoA, and since it uses the same damage formula in the trilogy it would theoretically be just as useful (although I don't recall if Jeff gives out any good bows in the trilogy) Oh and singletons are always fun. -------------------- Guaranteed to blow your mind. Frostbite: Get It While It's...... Hot? Posts: 900 | Registered: Monday, August 8 2005 07:00 |
|
Law Bringer
Member # 335
|
written Saturday, May 19 2007 20:22
Profile
Homepage
I agree with DV on the last two. You'll want two priests frequently and two mages reasonably often. It's a good idea to have two characters who can do both. The first two characters have to be able to pummel foes and that's about it. Having one thief type is helpful. Archery is okay, but you probably won't do too much damage with it. Giving the fighters a bit of priest skill actually works out nicely, especially against certain enemies who like to pick on casters. —Alorael, who advises using only the berserker out of the premade classes. Custom is much better for everything but a swordsman and works just fine for that too. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
|
Shock Trooper
Member # 7662
|
written Saturday, May 19 2007 23:10
Profile
Why Jeff reduced the party size from six to four has never been spelled out, as far as I know. Looking at the Avernum screen suggests that it may be due to the problems of fitting another two PC spots on the screen without cutting into the automap any more. Posts: 292 | Registered: Monday, November 13 2006 08:00 |
|
Master
Member # 5977
|
written Saturday, May 19 2007 23:21
Profile
Homepage
I usually have a party along the lines of this: - human warrior: a lot of melee and strength. - Nephil archer/warrior/thief: a lot of archery, tool use and pole weapon skill. I have rthe feeling that pole weapons are a lot stronger than melee weapons are, and frankly, I'd rather have more bashing power and no shield. - Human priest: a lot of priest skill, some basic mage skill. - Human mage: a lot of mage, reasonable abount of priest skill: i wantr him to cast heal and cure effectively, and bless and such is also quite handy. -------------------- Play and rate my scenarios: Where the rivers meet View my upcoming scenario: The Nephil Search: Escape. Give us your drek! Posts: 3029 | Registered: Saturday, June 18 2005 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 7195
|
written Sunday, May 20 2007 09:01
Profile
Well, I know what you mean - it took me ages to find a nice party for the trilogy, but a couple of weeks ago there started reports of sightings of a mysterious quartet consisting of a slith couple; a warrior (pole weapons obviously) and a mage; that teamed up with a nephil sharpshooter, who also uses melee weapons decently, and is led (the party) by a renowned slith cleric Assotho, who specializes in priest spells, but has recently started to use pole weapons and mage magic, all over the known and less-known lands of Avernum. Merely months later, the Empire-Avernum war ended. Edit: Oh and sorry i should stick to the topic - all the sliths are around 2 meters tall, a nephil is a couple centimeters higher. And NO!!!!! THIS IS NOT MAKE-UP ON ASSOTHO'S NOSE, HIS NOSE IS PERFECTLY OK, OK?! DON'T EVER ASK ABOUT IT AGAIN! [ Sunday, May 20, 2007 09:39: Message edited by: 25AnarhIztok11 ] -------------------- I don't care what you say, I'm punk and Hardcore all the way! Posts: 185 | Registered: Sunday, June 4 2006 07:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 8406
|
written Monday, May 21 2007 05:41
Profile
i use a human warrior with swords, nephil archer/thief, slith priest with poles, and a human mage. Posts: 47 | Registered: Thursday, March 29 2007 07:00 |
|
Infiltrator
Member # 7488
|
written Monday, May 21 2007 10:00
Profile
Ah yes, yet another party makeup survey. In Avernum, I prefer a 4-PC party: a slith, a nephil, and 2 humans (except in A1, they're all human) All of them are combination priests/mages. To make things interesting, sometimes I'll give everybody the traits "Cursed at Birth" and "Completely Inept." -------------------- Either I'm crazy, or everybody else is nuts. And I know I'm not crazy because the little man who lives on my shoulder told me so. If people don't think there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with you. Posts: 558 | Registered: Friday, September 15 2006 07:00 |
|
Guardian
Member # 5360
|
written Monday, May 21 2007 11:43
Profile
Nalyd rarely plays Exile, and he usually has a party of three mages and three clerics. All Slith. In Avernum, Nalyd has a party of four Slithzerikai, Two warriors with Pole Weapons, and one mage and a cleric. [ Monday, May 21, 2007 11:43: Message edited by: Manifest Necromancy ] -------------------- May the fires of Undeath burn in your soul, and consume it. Posts: 1636 | Registered: Wednesday, January 5 2005 08:00 |
|
Canned
Member # 8014
|
written Monday, May 21 2007 14:56
Profile
-Human Warrior: High strength, relies on melee wepons, good endurance and dexterity, good cave/nature lore. -Slith Warrior: High strength, relies on pole wepons, good endurance and dexterity. -Nephil Archer: High dexterity, relies on archery, good endurance, not much strength, high tool use -Human mage/priest: High intelligence, relies on magic/buffing up others. My nephil is lovely in A2. Eventually I don't bother picking up any more steel arrows. -------------------- I can transform into almost anything, though not sanity. Muffins n' Hell. Note that revisions of the first part is down the list. quote: Posts: 1799 | Registered: Sunday, February 4 2007 08:00 |
|
Canned
Member # 7704
|
written Tuesday, May 22 2007 09:04
Profile
Oh Muffin why don't you make site and start you're own story it will be an new experience for you. -------------------- You can jump off a bridge, fire a gun in your mouth, drink poison,or going in to the tiger's pit but you will still end up dead it's a mater of time and how . Posts: 312 | Registered: Sunday, November 26 2006 08:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 6246
|
written Tuesday, May 22 2007 13:40
Profile
In A1, I started out with: 1. Pole-armed warrior with lots of armor 2. Sword person with shield, bow, tool skills 3. Priest 4. Mage But now that I think about it I could've combined mage with the lockpicking skillz, and then have had two main warriors. I rely on the melee, with spells to boost them :) -------------------- Vous etes saoul! Posts: 13 | Registered: Wednesday, August 24 2005 07:00 |