Since this is one of the last forums that has an active BG discussion going on, and my interest in the series has been renewed with the release of the EE, there's a few issues I've never really gotten a chance to discuss in-depth. Maybe now is the time to pick up on them again!
First, a caveat: my main interest is power-gaming in a modded world. I believe that it's up to everyone individually to set the boundaries of what they do and what they aim for, and mine are at the higher end of the spectrum, i.e. Ascension and Tactics mod, on Insane difficulty. I do follow the game rules in most respects however, so no "cheats" like multi-class kits and the likes.
Issue #1 - Optimal Party Size
I've long pondered this one. After a few runs, I've ended up going with a party of four most of the time, meaning I reach VERY high levels at the end of ToB (no XP cap, of course). But this got me thinking: since enemies do not actually scale with larger parties, isn't it always the best to have a full party, assuming you want to maximize your damage? Or is there a certain point where the missing levels from having to spread XP around too much are actually detrimental to the overall equation?
Issue #2 - Thieves
I can't really find a good way to use thieves. You definitely want them for traps and backstabs (which help a lot on stuff like improved fire giants), but what class or what combination is best to bring for that? I used to go with Kensai 13 -> Thief for maximum backstabs, but lately I've been wondering whether you actually want a thief gaining levels in the end. The biggest issue there is of course traps - but on some of the hardest fights, I find using them is not very effective, meaning fighter HLAs combined with better THAC0/HP progression could win out. I am considering Assassin 13 -> Fighter, or even Assassin 17 -> Fighter, but I'm not sure if it's viable and/or worth losing the UAI HLA (do you even need that?).
Issue #3 - Mages
I'm also unsure about the number of mages to bring. Given that most of the difficult fights involve immunity to Time Stop as well as a lot of incidental damage, I am reluctant to bring pure casters (Sorcerers); that means dualing fighters (Kensais) to mages for the HP bonus and combat ability, but how many? There is only one Robe of Vecna and Amulet of Power after all... Then again, mages are very flexible and at high levels offer a LOT of damage potential, so you might want to bring many. But how many? Two? Three? Four even?
Issue #4 - Inquisitor (or Anti-Paladin)
The innate Dispel Magic ability brought by these kits is a lvl 0 spell - meaning it can bypass level-immunities on some of the toughest enemies (Liches, Demogorgon). Additionally, the dispel is cast at TWICE the caster level, meaning fairly high success rates. On the other hand, though, you can't dual-class an Inquisitor and it can't reach grandmaster proficiency. The Anti-Paladin can do both, but I'm thinking that it might be too cheesy and broken in its current form (Tactics mod). Still, dispelling protections is something that I've personally found to be one of the biggest issues in hard fights, so I'm not sure what to do about it exactly.
Issue #5 - Weapons
The best weapon combinations, in my opinion, are FoA+5/Crom Faeyr (on a Cleric/Ranger multi), CF+5/Belm (on a Kensai/Mage), and Sanchuudoku+4/Kundane (on another Kensai/Mage), as well as the Staff of the Ram/Staff of the Magi combo on a (backstabbing) Thief. That is four characters - so what to do about the others? The only other +APR melee weapon is Scarlet Ninja-to, but that would require a Rogue with UAI to use. There's also Carsomyr, but that requires a Paladin (or UAI) and can't benefit from a +APR offhand. So what to do about the other party members (if any, see #2)? What are the other really good weapon combinations? Daystar+4/The Answerer? Other longswords maybe (Angurvadal? The Equalizer?)?
There's also a plethora of other, minor issues, but I think we should see if there can be a discussion started first, and then we can expand. So, if you're an experienced ToB powergamer, I'd very much appreciate your input! Of course, also feel free to post YOUR issues here, so we can discuss them and help each other out!
First, a caveat: my main interest is power-gaming in a modded world. I believe that it's up to everyone individually to set the boundaries of what they do and what they aim for, and mine are at the higher end of the spectrum, i.e. Ascension and Tactics mod, on Insane difficulty. I do follow the game rules in most respects however, so no "cheats" like multi-class kits and the likes.
Issue #1 - Optimal Party Size
I've long pondered this one. After a few runs, I've ended up going with a party of four most of the time, meaning I reach VERY high levels at the end of ToB (no XP cap, of course). But this got me thinking: since enemies do not actually scale with larger parties, isn't it always the best to have a full party, assuming you want to maximize your damage? Or is there a certain point where the missing levels from having to spread XP around too much are actually detrimental to the overall equation?
Issue #2 - Thieves
I can't really find a good way to use thieves. You definitely want them for traps and backstabs (which help a lot on stuff like improved fire giants), but what class or what combination is best to bring for that? I used to go with Kensai 13 -> Thief for maximum backstabs, but lately I've been wondering whether you actually want a thief gaining levels in the end. The biggest issue there is of course traps - but on some of the hardest fights, I find using them is not very effective, meaning fighter HLAs combined with better THAC0/HP progression could win out. I am considering Assassin 13 -> Fighter, or even Assassin 17 -> Fighter, but I'm not sure if it's viable and/or worth losing the UAI HLA (do you even need that?).
Issue #3 - Mages
I'm also unsure about the number of mages to bring. Given that most of the difficult fights involve immunity to Time Stop as well as a lot of incidental damage, I am reluctant to bring pure casters (Sorcerers); that means dualing fighters (Kensais) to mages for the HP bonus and combat ability, but how many? There is only one Robe of Vecna and Amulet of Power after all... Then again, mages are very flexible and at high levels offer a LOT of damage potential, so you might want to bring many. But how many? Two? Three? Four even?
Issue #4 - Inquisitor (or Anti-Paladin)
The innate Dispel Magic ability brought by these kits is a lvl 0 spell - meaning it can bypass level-immunities on some of the toughest enemies (Liches, Demogorgon). Additionally, the dispel is cast at TWICE the caster level, meaning fairly high success rates. On the other hand, though, you can't dual-class an Inquisitor and it can't reach grandmaster proficiency. The Anti-Paladin can do both, but I'm thinking that it might be too cheesy and broken in its current form (Tactics mod). Still, dispelling protections is something that I've personally found to be one of the biggest issues in hard fights, so I'm not sure what to do about it exactly.
Issue #5 - Weapons
The best weapon combinations, in my opinion, are FoA+5/Crom Faeyr (on a Cleric/Ranger multi), CF+5/Belm (on a Kensai/Mage), and Sanchuudoku+4/Kundane (on another Kensai/Mage), as well as the Staff of the Ram/Staff of the Magi combo on a (backstabbing) Thief. That is four characters - so what to do about the others? The only other +APR melee weapon is Scarlet Ninja-to, but that would require a Rogue with UAI to use. There's also Carsomyr, but that requires a Paladin (or UAI) and can't benefit from a +APR offhand. So what to do about the other party members (if any, see #2)? What are the other really good weapon combinations? Daystar+4/The Answerer? Other longswords maybe (Angurvadal? The Equalizer?)?
There's also a plethora of other, minor issues, but I think we should see if there can be a discussion started first, and then we can expand. So, if you're an experienced ToB powergamer, I'd very much appreciate your input! Of course, also feel free to post YOUR issues here, so we can discuss them and help each other out!