Rate this party (again, after first session of play)...

[Mark Chance]

all level 1, Scarred Lands (Ghelspad), 3.5
LN Charduni Fighter
LG Human Paladin
TN Wood Elf Bard
CN Forsaken Elf Rogue
NG Human Sorcerer/Cleric of Syhana
CG Human Ranger (aberrations FE, TWF)

If these are what your players want to play, it is a wonderful party. Now, fearless GM, make it work!

 

[NiTessine]

Hmm... A charduni and a forsaken elf in the same party... Expect conflict.

I really wouldn't sweat the lack of cleric. In all the games of Scarred Lands I've played, I've observed a phenomenon known as the Cleric Curse. It's impossible to keep one of those alive. Thus far, of our nine PC deaths, five have been clerics. I've seen only two clerics survive for more than five sessions. So, it's safer not to play a cleric.

 

[Numion]

Hmm... A charduni and a forsaken elf in the same party... Expect conflict.

I really wouldn't sweat the lack of cleric. In all the games of Scarred Lands I've played, I've observed a phenomenon known as the Cleric Curse. It's impossible to keep one of those alive. Thus far, of our nine PC deaths, five have been clerics. I've seen only two clerics survive for more than five sessions. So, it's safer not to play a cleric.

Huh? Are we playing the same game? In two of our very combat heavy campaigns the clerics have been the hardest class to kill. We've mostly played them as tankmages, or frontline fighters who cast spells, rarely as combat medics.

We've noticed that it's not useful healing 3d8+7 points of damage in a round with spell when your side is taking in 50+ pts in a round.

 

[NiTessine]

Huh? Are we playing the same game? In two of our very combat heavy campaigns the clerics have been the hardest class to kill. We've mostly played them as tankmages, or frontline fighters who cast spells, rarely as combat medics.

We've noticed that it's not useful healing 3d8+7 points of damage in a round with spell when your side is taking in 50+ pts in a round.

Logic has nothing to do with it... It's like a curse... and some bad tactics... but mostly just a curse. Rolling ones on saving throws, rolling ones on attack rolls, rolling critical hits against undead, being on the receiving end of same... That sort of thing.

 

[iwatt]

Logic has nothing to do with it... It's like a curse... and some bad tactics... but mostly just a curse. Rolling ones on saving throws, rolling ones on attack rolls, rolling critical hits against undead, being on the receiving end of same... That sort of thing.

I had a campaign that went like that. The cleric was either drained, killed, etcc. We finally got a cleric to last all of 10 levels, until we ended it.

About playing without clerics, it's possible but it really slows you down. My current party lost both front line tanks (Dwarf fighter and Half-ogre Barbarian) to a Wyverns poison (both Con 18's dropped to Con 3s). No cleric (in a ECL 3 group) means no Lesser restoration, means anout a week of bed rest. We're supplementing th resting with healing salves (FR) 1d8, but it still doesn't cut the mustard. My rogue is gonna have to max out UMD, although my DM is pretty stingy with the CLW wands.

So yes it's possible, but it's a pain in the ....
It's easier to get by without a rogue, or a mage, or even a fighter, as long as you have a cleric.

And by the way, Tank clerics rock, even without persistent spell.

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

if this is what they want to play, great.

if i was to master plan them out, i would ditch the half-caster classes. load up a full-time cleric and a full-time arcanist. one good wind wall spell will stop missile attacks, walls can divide your characters, enchantmets can bog down the frontline tanks.

magic is the cure-all for d&d. get lots of it.

 

[Simplicity]

"Dude, this party blows."

"Yeah, let's get out of here..."

 

[The Cardinal]

oh boy - yesterday we had our first session: the charduni player couldn't make it, so a few last minute changes were made:

TN wood elf bard (point blank shot, Dex20)
LG wood elf paladin of Corean (proficiency bastard sword)
LN human (from Lake Repose) cleric of Hedrada (Str18, Wis19, Healer's Benediction, Spellcasting Prodigy)
TN forsaken elf rogue (weapon focus longbow)
LN human (from Albadia) ranger (twobladed sword fighter)

- it worked pretty well (except for the fact that the rest of the party almost had to beg the paladin to hunt down the bad guys with them...), and they received just enough XP to level to 2 but...
- a wizard or sorcerer would have improved their situation enormously, especially since there were two battles against a lot of opponents (mostly slitheren and human warrior or rogues)
- today the player of the forsaken elf will not be present - which is good, because the charduni will turn up, and the elf player seriously wants to multiclass into a specialist wizard... (not so good is the fact that they probably will encounter 1-3 serious traps tonight...)

...so tonight we will have:

TN wood elf bard L2 (point blank shot, Dex20)
LG wood elf paladin of Corean L2 (proficiency bastard sword)
LN human (from Lake Repose) cleric of Hedrada L2 (Str18, Wis19, Healer's Benediction, Spellcasting Prodigy)
LN charduni fighter/cleric of Chardun L1/1 (Str18,Con20,Wis17, spiked chain fighter)
LN human (from Albadia) ranger (twobladed sword fighter)

...they will encounter

a trapped mine
several cornered slitheren
a slarecian ghoul
several blood maiden
a *big* spider
certain environmental hazards (mostly water-related)
possibly more rogues and human warriors and fighters
possibly a half-crazed wizard
possibly a piscean

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

criminy,

that's a lot to throw at a level 2 party. a piscean? several blood maidens? plus normal stuff?

if that's what you're going to pit them against on a regular basis, i don't think any party would be balanced enough.

 

[Liquid Snake]

Yeah, the Charduni/Forsaken Elf thing can be a serious problem. Hmm, too bad you don't have strong arcane magic. The bard isn't exactly trying to fill in for a wizard. But all in all it looks like a nice party and Law seems to be the cohesive element or at least a common ground for the party members. So the Paladin houldn't have too much trouble fitting in, right?

Say, what's 'Healer's Benediction'?