How many characters to avoid switching out for NPCs?

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MountainTock
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:58 pm

How many characters to avoid switching out for NPCs?

Post by MountainTock »

So I've been considering playing through the series, but I remembered something that irritated me when I transferred from I to II last time, and made me give up. One thing that I really hate in a game is when you have to switch out characters, and there was one point in II where I had to switch out several characters to make room for some plot-important NPCs.

So here's my question. Is it possible to make a minimum of characters in order that I can take them through from I to II, then III, without having to remove any characters? I realise that the party will be less powerful, but if I could do it with, say, five characters, I'd be fine with that. Four would probably be pushing it, mostly because I'd have no back row, if I remember correctly, but I'd consider it.
tpth
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:39 am

Post by tpth »

The bit you're referring to in BT2 only requires leaving the characters behind for a brief period to accommodate Paper, Scissors and Rock. As far as I recall, it's the only bit in the whole trilogy where you need to have more than one plot-critical NPC in the party. So apart from that one occasion, you could happily do the trilogy leaving a single NPC slot open, making for a party of six.

That said, you'll really want a rogue in BT3, and they're pretty much useless in BT1 and 2, so if you're *really* against the idea of ever removing any characters, I guess you might want to do BT1 and BT2 with a party of five and add a brand new rogue in BT3, or alternatively live with dragging a rogue as dead weight through the first two games.
MountainTock
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:58 pm

Post by MountainTock »

That sounds a little annoying, but if it's just a short period, I could tolerate it. What classes are needed through the entirety of the series? I need someone who can use a sword in the first game, I remember, though there is a workaround for the Bard requirement. And I've read that for 3 I need a Chronomancer, so someone who can change class from the mage classes. A Geomancer from a fighter class. And a Rogue. And I think I read that an Archmage is needed in 2. Does that cover everything? If I use that patch someone made that reduces the encounter rate in 3 to match other versions, does that mean that a Bard can be skipped?
MountainTock
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:58 pm

Post by MountainTock »

In the end, I decided on Monk, Bard, Rogue, 3 mages. Either the Monk or the Bard to go Geomancer depending on who turns out to be less useful in 3.

Hopefully that's not too weak in the melee department.
tpth
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:39 am

Post by tpth »

I'd prob go Warrior or Paladin - or even Hunter - over the Monk, because the Monk's melee ability tends to plateau circa the middle of BT2, and in BT3 the enemies have so many HP that it doesn't really matter how much damage you deal. In the meantime, the Warrior and Paladin will get access to weapons that increase their damage output way above that of the Monk, making them more useful in BT1 and BT2.

That party will be a struggle at the start of BT1, but once the mages start levelling up, it'll be powerful enough, I guess. As to requirements, you've got it pretty much spot-on: you need a sword-wielder in BT1 and also a bard, although you can work around the latter. An Archmage is indeed necessary in BT2, but that's no hassle - you'll want a couple anyway. And BT3 requires a Chronomancer and a Rogue. The Geomancer isn't strictly necessary, but they get some mighty nice spells.
tpth
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:39 am

Post by tpth »

You can skip a Bard in BT1, but the Fire Horn will pretty much keep you alive at the start of the game. And the Bard's songs are super-useful, as documented elsewhere on this forum, because they stack.
MountainTock
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:58 pm

Post by MountainTock »

Didn't know they stack, actually, that's really good to know. I've been finding that healing song really helpful when money is sparse, since it only costs a couple of gold to recover from.

I made a party which hasn't done anything of consequence, with a Paladin. But now I've been wondering about the Hunter, the Critical Hit thing seems like it might be really useful in the third game when things have massive amounts of hitpoints, and my party can be rerolled with no grief still. How useful are they in 3? Better/worse than Paladins? Do Criticals happen often on powerful enemies?

EDIT: Read that a Paladin or Warrior is needed to activate something called Ferofist's Helm in 3, and a Geomancer is required because of the WAWA spell, to get through certain walls. But the helm is used just before the conversion to Geomancer, so I'll probably take a Paladin and convert him to Geomancer, since he'll be useless by that stage. Hunter would have been nice.

EDIT: Never mind, found an item list, the Helm is Paladin, Warrior, Hunter, and the Geomancer can use it anyway, even though it's used after the conversion.
Mordred
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Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2014 8:51 pm
Location: Germany

Re: How many characters to avoid switching out for NPCs?

Post by Mordred »

as far as i remember you need a bard, too, in bt3.
there is one quest where you have to cast some spells to solve a riddle.
and i think one step was to play a bard song.
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