This was a great post started by Necro and very interesting to read how other gamers create and use parties. One of the things I noticed was the lack of smaller parties. In my many adventures further south in the Forgotten Realms I always used full parties and did the same for my first IWD playthrough.

Here's my current party, still flying high from their recent slaughter of the Snake Queen Yxu...

Fem half-elf Cleric lev 7/ Ranger lev 7 Chao good
Fem dwarf Fighter lev 8 Neu evil
Fem halfling Fighter lev 7/ Thief lev 8 Neu evil
Fem gnome Fighter lev 7/ Illusionist lev 7 Neu evil

I'm interested in other gamers exp with smaller parties. I do not have HoW yet and have not yet ventured into the HoF mode. Would I be toast with the above party (or playing HoW)? I've come across BGII posts where the single mage smokes the red dragon with a single Chromatic Orb (wassup wit dat????), but I'm interested in some real experiences in the Dale.
We had Vassago, but alas he's left us for greener (make that whiter) pastures.

If I were you I would have done without these two and gone for some sort of Mage/Thief and tried to get a druid or fighter/druid into my party.

You'd probably be toast in HOF mode, just because your party seems to be concentrated on melee combat. In HOF you sling a lot of spells, or you die. Goblins will kill your fighters easily without lots of magic. The thing you learn is the power of hold spells, and summons, protection spells, and Chromatic Orb (I love that spell, it becomes very powerful at high levels).

I did the game w/ a party of 3 once on insane difficulty.
LG Human Paladin
TN Half-Elf Figher/Druid
CG? Half-Elf Magic User/Thief

This party hits everything you need. Tanks, MU, Theif, Druid.
I found it was very hard to start, and became very borring later on.

I persoanlly find playing HOF mode with less then 6 party members to be next to imposible. Just becasue I find I need 2 fighters, 2 Fighter/Prisests a MU/Thief, and a Bard. Anything less and a get killed.

[ 10-10-2002, 02:26 AM: Message edited by: Seraph ]

Didn't somebody solo HoF mode with a Cleric/Ranger? Was it you, Micah?

Man, that must be tough! I've tried soloing on Insane, and found it really difficult to get past the Yuan-ti prentenders in Dragon's Eye. Confusion or Hold spells meant my character's doom every time.