Baldur’s Gate 2: Two More Party Slots?

After writing my previous commentary on party composition (which I did in the past from a different blog), I mourned the fact that the game did not allow for a slightly bigger party. While there are other issues in having such large parties, the thing about games like Baldur’s Gate is the fun factor in designing party compositions. You always face trade offs and you never truly get the ideal party. But I think that’s an intentional game design since you’re forced to figure out what you want in the game.

That said, it’s hard not to ask what you could do with an additional 1-2 slots. For argument’s sake, let’s say you’re given two more slots. What would you choose to fill in those slots? What is your ultimate party? How could a game like this be designed with two more party slots?

For myself, I would love to have seen a patch that would allow you to add two more slots to the party. I feel that the game should’ve been designed with 6 self created party members and 2 NPC slots. Other games like Might and Magic, Bard’s Tale and the Gold Box AD&D series allowed for parties like this. So why not another party driven game?

If the two slots were NPC focused, I definitely would keep Jaheira around. Class-wise, she’s just far too interesting and useful not to carry with you throughout the game. The last slot would end up becoming a revolving door slot. I would use that slot to handle all the remaining NPC classes. I suppose if I were desperate I could drag Imoen with me but by Throne of Bhaal, you probably will end up switching over to Sarevok, especially if you decide to take a 2nd mage in a 6 customized character party. But again that last slot is more for role playing and NPC quests than something useful and stable.

If you went with a completely customized party, the last two slots get really interesting. My first six would be the kensai/mage, undead hunter, wizard slayer/thief, berserker/cleric, ranger/cleric, elf fighter/mage combination. So at this point, I’ve pretty much covered all my bases and have some room for fun.

What the last two choices boil down to is almost sheer novelty. Do you want an exotic class? Do you want more utility? Do you want something that you probably cannot normally try? Do you want another tank? So I will go through a few ideas:

• Half-orc Barbarian – If you don’t cheat and use various tomes to boost your character’s attributes, the half-orc barbarian can be a pretty vicious, naturally high damage output fighter. Having high hit points, movement modifier and certain defenses, the barbarian can act as a wall that can go toe-to-toe against a lot of hard hitting monsters. I would probably never take a barbarian otherwise just because they end up lacking utility. But as a spare character, the barbarian has the potential to be interesting.
• Human Monk – When I first started working on the customized party idea, the human monk was one of my first choices. At low levels, monks are pretty useless. No armor, limited weapons, limited utility. At high levels, they are insane. But again taking a monk in a normal party means losing some utility for a while. In a large party, they can serve some boundary case utility such as dealing quivering palms to dragons.
• Half Elf Blade – I really did not want to sacrifice a regular spot just for a bard. You really lose a lot either in magic, defense or offense. The bard to me is the 5th wheel. But occasionally your two other tires get blown so maybe the 5th wheel can be useful for something. In this case, they are pure utility and novelty. Most likely, a blade would be good for lore, songs and scroll spellcasting.
• Human Sorcerer – I cannot conscientiously take a sorcerer in my normal party. They’re just so weak with low hit points, poor defense, etc. But I’ve always wanted to try one. Having the extra slots gives me the opportunity. I see the sorcerer as just a higher powered version of the bard with far more offensive spell casting.
• Half  Elf Fighter/Druid – Jaheira. Again, why choose anyone else? Pretty much I prefer Jaheira to just be a guaranteed spot in my party.
• Human Inquisitor – There is another holy type of blade in Throne of Bhaal called Purifier. Imagine two paladins with both holy weapons? You’re really getting the best of both worlds here.
• Half Elf Archer – I really wish that the archer could dual class. They have so much potential that ends up getting lost. Here, I’m using the archer to take out enemies when my tanks end up getting CC’d or are in severe trouble.
• Gnome Thief/Illusionist – There’s that little NPC guy who is annoying. But normally if you were a neutral/evil based party, that guy could serve as a reasonable substitute for Imoen or Nalia. I never tried him out beyond doing the NPC quest. However, the idea is interesting since the illusionist is the only school specialization that can be multi-classed (mostly from legacy reasons)

For myself, I think I would like to just take Jaheira and a monk. The other classes that I have not mentioned really are worthless in the game. But again, this is all about theoretical preferences.

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