I need a good warrior, please help me choose

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I'm in the middle of a no reloads game, so I'm not pulling any punches here. I need some meatshields to help keep my little Gnome Cleric/Illusionist alive!

Here's who is in the party so far:

Gnick O'Thyme Cleric/Illusionist
Jaheria (tank/druid)
Yoshimo -> Imoen (thief/wiz)
Keldorn (tank, wiz killer)
Korgan (tank, I love this guy. It's worth watching your Rep to keep him).

Now, I want to add one more meatshield here. I was thinking of the following:

Minsc (I'd rather not add him, but he qualifies if anybody gets chunked... no reloads!)
Mazzy (decent option as she becomes good in melee later on)
Anomen (He can fight pretty darn good, and I'd have a lot of spellcasting which would help)
Valygar (another decent option, he makes a good scout too, opening up a lot of options for my party)

I suppose another option for me could be to recruit Valygar and Mazzy, dropping Korgan. I wouldn't have to worry about Reputation in a game like that.

Please give me some suggestions or ideas. TIA!

 

Don't drop Korgan. If you are fine with keeping an eye on your Rep, then he is superior to Valygar and Mazzy as a tank (and has Grandmastery). My opnion is split between Anomen and Valygar for another addition. Valygar is very effective- dual katanas and backstabbing goodness is nice to have. On the other hand, Anomen can turn undead and cast Mass Heal (which may be life-saving if your PC runs into more than he bargained for).

IMO, it comes down to how much Divine spellcasting you like to play with. From personal preference, I'd be inclined to take Anomen- a good tank and more healing is of high importance in a no-reload game. Though it must be said, I'd rather take him than Jaheria.

 

If you have GM fix, go for Korgan, his combat prowess as a tank is spectecular. He also has excellent saving throws vs death, wands, and spells, which is very important in a no-reolad game:if you fail a save vs spells against a disintegrate spell, you are gone for good!

Mazzy also has neat saving throws as she is a halfling, but she is not GM in a melee-weapon which will eventually limit her effectiveness as a tank:she is great as a ranged attacker with true GM fix, though.

 

If you're willing to put up with his ego, and constant boasting, then sure, go for it. Me, I'd rather squish him in jello God, I hate that wannabe paladin.

Of those listed, I would take Valygar. Dual wileding katanas, and two points in spears(Impaler) make him a nice choice. Give him two points in two handed style, and he's a solid secondary tank.

 

Odd as it may sound, I quite like his ego (well, 'like' in a loose way). It makes him seem more realistic- he isn't boasting because he is massively arrogant, but because he lacks self-confidence and, unsuprisingly considering his dreams, wishes to appear the opposite. He's just craving acceptance. I guess I've never found him as irritating as most people do. Jaheria is at least as bad as him though- constanly nagging the PC.

Anyway, I'll leave my thoughts at that as I don't wish to derail Klorox's topic.

 

As noted elsewhere, Minsc, like Dakkon from Planescape Torment, has a bad habit of getting himself slaughtered while not really making as much of a difference in fights as a more-focused tank like Korgan.

If you're trying some kind of ironman run, Annoy-man is the obvious choice (just make sure you get the Gauntlets of Dex ASAP). He's more than an adequate tank, can sub as an archer with a sling in a pinch, and his healing spells will add to the party's survivability a great deal.

 

If you know how to play with a stalker, then Valygar is your best choice. If played properly, he is even more powerful than Korgan. I also think that you should keep Korgan in the party. He is a powerful tank. Korgan-Valygar combo is the best fighting combination in the game provided that you keep an eye on your reputation not to lose one of them.

 

Obviously you're holding out till you can get Sarevok. It sounds odd but Cernd and Haer'delis (sp?) can work as good tanks also. Haer'delis in defensive stance is pretty much invulnerable to physical attacks and Cernd's regeneration while in wolf forms make him something spectacular and having spells while out of wolf form can make him a nice healer after battles or a great buffer before.

 

Cernd's werewolf forms, GWW in particular, combined with Iron Skins can be as devestating as Jaheira wading into battle in the same way. No instant healing out of the character but it makes a pretty strong tank and out of combat healer. And if situations change you can always pull them back and have himm sling spells instead of being another fighter for you.

 

WHAT?

1)I don't want Sarevok
2)Even if Cernd or HD were that good, I find them both extremely annoying and I don't have the patience to buff up my tanks every time they want to make a difference.

 

Take Minsc. In a no-reloads game, you need to have a strategy for dealing with Chaos/Confusion, which gets used against you constantly. One of the easiest quests to complete is the Slaver's quest, from which you'll obtain Lilarcor. Stick it the big fella's hands, and at least one member of your party is now immune. You could plan on giving it to Keldorn, I suppose, but I prefer to keep him using Hallowed Redeemer.

 

A note about Hallowed Redeemer: its Fireshield effect counts as an illegal magic spell if triggered in public, which will call in the wizardly authorities. For that reason, unless you're looking to rumble with the Amnish magic police, that sword is inferior to both Lilarcor and, in most cases, Sword of Chaos +2.

 

There's a patch that changes that, Killjoy.

 

The Baldurdash Fixes prevent the Hallowed Redeemer from triggering the Cowled Wizards.

 

You don't want Sarevok? What? He's awesome! Massive walking nightmare to anything squishy and deathbringer assault is just plain nasty.

As for not wanting to buff people: why not? Buffs are made for tanks, turning them into something spectacular. You want no reloads? Make sure you get death ward on some of your tanks then otherwise some nasty non-resserectable spells will come into play sooner or later.

 

Armour of Faith becomes more useful at higher levels as well. Something to consider for buffing your divine types.

 

Keep Korgan and I probably don't need to tell you why

Take Minsc for the reasons Truper stated and then just change to Sarevok IF you feel like taking him

 

Well, I think pre-buffing is very important in a no-reloads game. If you all rush to all combats, sooner of later your luck will run out, your NPCs or you will fail a saving throw, etc. and bang...sorry for scaring you, maybe I am too paranoid thanks to my tons of mods, but you should really learn the value of pre-buffing! Personally, if I ever attempt a no-reload game, I would not send my warriors without buffing them with:Barkskin, Spirit Armor (for neat saving throws), Chaotic Commands, Death Ward, Improved Haste or Free Action.