Hello Everyone,

In regards to IDW2, I am not too familiar with D&D mechanics so I would like some advice on party build. I am not trying to make anything too crazy, just a party capable of beating the game. After doing some reading, I am working with the below as my template. Can you please advise if this Is workable? What if anything needs to be adjusted?

Class: Barbarian
Race: shield Dwarf
Abilities: St 17 dex 14 con 17 int 10 wis 10 cha 8
Alignment: Neutral good
Weapon of choice: double handed great axe or sword
Feats: power attack and cleave
Name: Stonecutter
Initial Skills: intimidate 3 search 4

Class: Cleric of helm
Race: Human
Abilities: St 16 dex 10 con 16 int 9 wis 16 cha 9
Alignment: Lawful good
Weapon of choice: shield and mace or warhammer
Feats: power attack and cleave
Name: Disciple
Initial Skills: concentration 4 craft 2

Class: cleric of ilmater
Race: human
Abilities: st 12 dex 10 con 17 int 10 wis 17 cha
Weapon of Choice: shield and mace or warhammer
Initial Feats: lightning reflexes and discipline
Name: Healz
Initial Skills: Spell craft 2 and concentration 4
Alignment: Lawful Good

Class: Wizard Evocation
Race: Human
Abilities: st 8 dex 14 con 14 int 17 wis 12 cha 11
Weapon of Choice: unknown, sling? I assume a wand will be found at some point.
Initial Feats: greater spell focus evocation and discipline
Name: Magica
Initial Skills: alchemy 7, concentration 8, knowledge arcana 7, search 4, spell craft 7,
Multiclass: 1 level of sorcerer
Alignment: Chaotic good

Class: Bard
Race: Human
Abilities: st 8 dex 14 con 10 wis 10 int 17 cha 17
Weapon of Choice: unknown, will probably eventually get a musical instrument, until then shield and bow or other ranged weapon.
Initial Feats: lingering song and discipline
Name: Musica
Initial Skills: alchemy 4, bluff 2, diplomacy 4, knowledge arcana 4, pick pocket 2, spell craft 2 use magic device 2, open lock 1,
Multiclass: 3 levels of paladin any type for courage buff and remove disease
Alignment: neutral good

Class: Druid
Race: Human
Abilities: st 15 dex 13 con 15 int 8 wisdom 17 cha 7
Weapon of Choice: probably a quarterstaff or a mace. Maybe a polearm.
Initial Feats: Spell focus evocation and transmutation
Name: Shanna
Initial Skills: spell craft 3 concentration 3
Alignment: Neutral good
Multiclass: 1 level of monk for AC buff

Additionally, I am not quite clear on multi-classing levels. Can someone tell me when I should take a level in an alternate class? If my wizard is going to take a level in sorcerer, do I just take that level immediately upon availability and then do the rest in all wizard levels? Does the timing make a difference?

Thanks.

I don't think you can be both wizard and sorcerer. I don't really see the point anyway since caster levels don't stack.

Multiclassing a Bard into a Paladin might not be possible. Pala needs to be LG and I'm not sure Bards are allowed to be LG.

Monk needs to be any type of Lawful and the AC boost doesn't stack with regular armor

Glad I asked because I wouldn't want to hurt my party. Thanks for the help.

Regarding the wizard sorcerer, I was trying to get access to all spells of a level rather than just the evocation school. That wouldn't work it seems so no point to trying it.

Would it be worthwhile to multi-class the ilmater cleric into 2 levels of ilmater paladin for the courage buff?

Multiclassing in D&D3 is really easy: dont.

Especially not pure spellcasters - Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid. Also Shaman, Favored Soul, Psion, but those arent standard classes and IWD2 doesnt have those. D&D3 still operates like previous D&D editions - the high spell levels have the real goodies, so if you dont get them, you hurt your character a lot.

Especially not in IWD2 which implements D&D3 quite poorly. According to the original rules, if you take one level of Rogue, all Rogue skills are forever afterwards your class skills. Thats how people can for example play a "Cleric Rogue" in D&D Online, which uses D&D3 rules - they play them as Rogue(1)/Cleric(19), i.e. they start as Rogue and take all other levels as Cleric. But thats one of the many things that IWD2 has not implemented.

What you could try however is mixing Fighter or Ranger with some Rogue levels, thus giving you a still very capable Warrior who can also cover all your Trickery needs, i.e. locks and traps. Ideally of human race and high intelligence, so you have sufficient skill points to spent.

IMHO neither D&D3.x nor D&D5.x have ever gotten multiclassing as right as AD&D did. There you could really get the full package, easy. You made some sacrifices - low on hitpoints, slow on leveling, few weapon points, etc - but got a good reward.

And IWD2 doesnt even have the prestige classes that make some multiclassing combos work in D&D3 (namely Edritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, Mysthic Theurge, to mix a Wizard with Fighter, Rogue, or Cleric).