1: Which level should I be at in order to visit the TOEE? I found it being my party lvl 3. 2: Right now I have 5 chars in my party and here and there I found people who wants to join, Do I need some of these npcs in order to complete any quest? What is the ideal party size for this game? I don't like too big parties tbh. 3: I have found some scrolls and I was wondering if my wizard can learn them (if available for his level) or they are just 1-cast use. Thanks!
You can visit it at any level, but don't go too deep or you will be seriously overwhelmed. The first level can be done at your level, but the following levels will easily kill your entire party. Most NPCs aren't necessary for anything, but some are added to your party in order to escort them out. It's not so much a question about party size, character levels, classes and equipment are much more important. The spell scrolls can be learnt by your wizard if the spell is on his classes' spell list. The learning of the spell also burns the scroll.
Thanks for your reply More questions coming to my mind: 4: Does xp gain depends on party size? I guess you gain more xp with smaller parties. 5: Does search skill work as a passive skill? I have my rogue with 10 points in Search and sometimes I use it to detect traps but never find one... except those traps or secret doors that suddenly pop (spot perhaps better that search?)
I would wait on the Temple until 5th level, especially if you are new to the game. There is still plenty to do outside the Temple to get you up in level. Visit Nulb and see what those people have to offer. Experience is based on the encounter's total EL rating vs your parties, the large your party 9and thus total levels) the higher your EL is. I think a 5 or 6 man party works best for newer players, that way you can try several different classes and see many different spells, while at the same time have enough people to counter large encounters.
Your party size is fine as long as you have the basic roles covered. What you want is: Tank - Fighter, Barbarian, or Paladin and possibly a Monk. This character's role is to rush headlong into battle to absorb or deflect enemy attacks. This Melee Specialist is the in-your-face killing machine and first line of defense for your group. Healer - Cleric or Druid and possibly, but not recommended, a Bard. This character is essential for keeping your party alive in tough situations. Clerics do best but Druids can manage if built properly. A bard has the potential but will have to rely on found/bought potions and scrolls and can easily make the early levels hell for you. Dwarf Cleric is what Id recommend for new players as that gives you a superb healer and a backup fighter type that can wear full plate without penalties. Leader - Bard or Rogue and possibly a Sorcerer. This character is the face of your party. This is who you want in your first character slot at the bottom of the screen and this is who will do most your talking and interacting with NPCs. Focus this character's skill set on Diplomacy, Gather Information, Bluff, Intimidate, and Sense Motive to give them the best advantage in dialogue. Bards are born to this role, and they can backup most any other role. Rogues do good here due to their high skill point bonus but can get over-taxed trying to level Theif skills also. Using a Sorc here is like sawing off your own toes to win a footrace but your Leader MUST have high Charisma so if Sorc is your only option then so be it. Nuker - Wizard, Sorcerer, or Druid and possibly a Bard. This is your magic attacker. Not all enemies are vulnerable to heavy melee poundings so arcane assistance will eventually be required. And there isnt much thats more satisfying then dropping a fat Fireball in the middle of a bunch of bugbears and listening to the screams. Wizards are the most versatile being they can learn pretty much all the arcane spells. Sorcerers can cast more time per day and dont need to pre-memorize spells but are limited in their spell selection. Druids are one of my favorite all around classes and get some really sick nukes available at mid levels. Bards dont get many spells to learn or cast but they work in a pinch, if you are going for a purely brute force party then at least bring a bard along in case arcane help is needed. Thief - Rogue or Bard and possibly Druid. This characters job is to find secret doors, locate and disarm traps, open locked doors and chests, sneak around scouting unfriendly territory, and even steal from NPCs. The Rogue is built for this role having Class skills of Disable Traps, Open Locks, Sleight of Hand (pick pockets), Search, Hide, and Move Silently. Just be careful not to burden your Rogue making them the leader and thief as that can get expensive where skill points are concerned. Bards do great here too and are second only to Rogues in their thievery abilities, though Bards too can be expensive since the thief skills are not Class skills for the Bard. If you dont mind skipping the pick pocketing and sneaking around a Druid can fill this role once they get Warp Wood (2nd lvl spell gained at Druid lvl 3). That little doozy will crack open any chest Ive found, just be sure to stand back far enough that the traps dont hit your party. DPSer - Ranger, Monk, Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue and possibly Bard. DPS stands for Damage Per Second, this characters job is deal out as much death as they can as quickly as they can. This role isnt "required" and can usually be performed by those in the above listed roles but I thought it important to note. Being able to fend off foes, survive attacks, interact with NPCs, navigate the game, and get into the secret places is all good but you wont get far without some reliable killing power. This character is different from your magical Nuker in that this is who you turn too when the spells have all run out. Rangers excel in this role as 2-hand melee killers or Archers. Monks are masters of high damage combat. Fighters can perform both in melee and at range and Barbarians, with their Rage, are always good for killing. Rogues do it easy with their sneak attacks and critical feats. Just make sure you have backup if the spells run dry and your tank is hurt, Arrow storms and rapid attacks cant be underestimated.
Most of this is more or less valid, but... What the heck is an 'arrow storm'? Isn't that an Arcane Archer ability? I've never heard of such a thing in TOEE. You mean firing lots of arrows or Rapid Shot/Rapid Reload?
^ Yeah, I wasnt referring to any special abilities. Meant high damage with multiple attacks per round type archers and 2 weapon/2-hand melee. Arrow Storm = a character firing many arrows such as a Ranger or Fighter with Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, etc, firing loads of arrows into melee. Point of that paragraph is that you cant always rely on your tanks and arcane casters to do the killing. So be sure to build at least one character as your go-to-killer. I prefer archers because they can get their full attacks without moving around or getting in the way of melee, but thats just me.
Thanks for the tips. By the way, what's the minimum level to get Greater Spell Focus? I just hitted 10th with my Wizard but can't drag the feat to the gold box (I already have Spell Focus: Evocation and Necro). Guess I have to wait?
You can choose a greater spell focus feat at first level as a human provided you have 'already' taken the corresponding spell focus feat. At 5th level, 10th level e.t.c... wizards get bonus feat slots (the yellow ones) that are reserved for creation and metamagic (e.g enlarge spell) feats. When a wizard is able to choose such a bonus feat all eligible feats are highlighted in yellow. All spell focus/greater spell focus/spell penetration are not highlighted.
