Wich henchmen ? SoU

[Legacy_Varlak]

                Made a paladin (pal/fighter/CoT) and now I'm wondering about wich henchmen should I use. Whats you guys did on your paladin like character ? having that femal dwarf going rogue, cleric, half rogue/cleric ?

Using deekin or maybe that orc ? As for now I just wich I could have one that wouldn't die everytimes but I have no idea about what I'll need later on.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Mystery X]

               If your main character has no rogue skills, Dorna is your only option unless you think you can live without rogue skills.  Dorna can also tank pretty well, but I assume your PC will handle the tanking.  I find NPC spellcasters frustrating, so I don't think I would recommend Xanos for anyone (though maybe he gets better if you use one of those AI modification haks).  Deekin has the most personality, provides a link between SoU and HotU if you play it next, he's a very useful complement to a melee-fighting type.  He is not immediately available, however;  but by the time you find him, you ought to be in a position to decide whether your first companion is indispensable or whether you want to give Deekin a shot.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_HSeldon]

               I agree with Dorna then Deekin.  Change Dorna to level up as a rogue only.  Every paladin needs an enthusiastic bard following him to chronicle his exploits!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_HipMaestro]

               In general, casters pose a headache to control them even though they would, in theory, best complement a fighter.

Actually, I've found Xanos particularly annoying when my PC was trying to recover traps for later use.  He is always casting Find Traps as soon as his Search check succeeds... but you'll need to allow him to progress in sorcerer a bit farther to gain enough slots.

...which bring one to the key factor when using the campaign henchies... TRAINING.  A player can sculpt vastly different henchies by controlling the training schedule.  Even Dorna's cleric powers can be improved to the point where she can buff your fighter well enough that it can easily survive traps by saves or elevated HPs.  Whatever your choice, it is better to have them focus in a single class since level 14 is about the max achieveable level and splitting that will dilute their effectiveness... A LOT!.

Don't forget Mischa either, though she would not complement your current character but rather serve as a useful tank. But you will need the custom fix to access her.  IIRC it is loaded to the Vault.

IMO, if you control Deekin's spellcasting (and there are techniques available to achieve this), he is possibly the most useful of all SoU henchies and perhaps even in HotU.  Unless I play a bard myself, he is my own henchie of choice and will replace any of the Chapter 1 henchies as soon as available.

Still, if you are in the experimental stage, I would play around with each for a while to determine which one(s) fit your play style.  As a confirmed XP hog, I tend to use henchies for identifying & hauling loot, pre-combat buffing and then dispatch them until the combat is completed to gain access to their cute RP value.  Occasionally, they are useful as decoy, but like I said, one of my goals is to advance in levels as quickly as possible so they will drain XP as a constant combat ally.

Later on, in HotU, there will be opportunities to furnish them with equipment that is designed for their focus so that may also enter your decision on which is best for you.  IMO, it takes at least one run-through of each campaign until a definite henchie bias is revealed to you.

Also, you may want to install Tony K's Hench & AI utility to make whatever henchie choice more manageable for you.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par HipMaestro, 03 mai 2012 - 06:28 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Varlak]

               How can I use the rogue like tools of my henchmen ? If I click on a loked door dorna will then try to unlock it but I can,t seems to figure how to tell her to disable a trap, how to manualy unlock a door or anything.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_HipMaestro]

               

Varlak wrote...
How can I use the rogue like tools of my henchmen ? If I click on a loked door dorna will then try to unlock it but I can,t seems to figure how to tell her to disable a trap, how to manualy unlock a door or anything.

She should do it automatically but needs to succeed the Search check first so equip her with anything that increases Search skill and/or INT.  Also, if you suspect there may be lots of traps around, drop a potion of Fox's Cunning on her.  Just because you can spot a trap doesn't necessarily mean she can unless she gets close enough (there is a better chance to succeed within a certain distance).

The unlocking she will do if you try to open a locked container or door, though this response can be toggled on/off through a convo menu with her.  If she says she can't do it, drop a potion of Cat's Grace on her and/or equip her with anything that increases DEX and it may make the difference (check your combat log to see what the DCs are that she is rolling against).  Armor & shield check penalty will not affect lockpicking so can stay equipped while she attempts unlocking action.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par HipMaestro, 03 mai 2012 - 10:23 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_MrZork]

               As HipMaestro notes, your henchies might need to be buffed a bit before they can unlock something or disable a trap. If you tell them to do it and they say that that's not something they can do (e.g. "I cannot."), then you know the henchman's appropriate skill isn't high enough.

To tell a henchman to unlock or disable in the first place (I wasn't quite sure from the wording of your question if you had gotten that far), use the radial menu that comes up when you right-click on the henchman. In the upper-left, there is a "More Actions" sub-menu and that menu has options to handle traps and open locks.

BTW, the radial menu approach is nice when you don't have the henchies set to automatically disable traps or open locked things.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Varlak]

                Thanks a lot everyones, now I just got deekin as an available teamate so I gave him a shot but I'm wondering if he can do the rogue job as a bard ? (bard do get trap disarm and pick lock ?). if not I'll tell him to train as a rogue. 
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_HipMaestro]

               

Varlak wrote...
Thanks a lot everyones, now I just got deekin as an available teamate so I gave him a shot but I'm wondering if he can do the rogue job as a bard ? (bard do get trap disarm and pick lock ?). if not I'll tell him to train as a rogue. 

It's your choice of course, but Deekin is set up better for bard than rogue.  In NWN, neither locks nor traps are bard class skills so the standard AI will not allocate points there for you. Besides, neither Deekin's Dex (for locks) nor his Int (for Search & Disable Traps) is very high, though he can self-buff his abilities with enough bard levels.  However, if you take a single rogue level, I believe he will train in both those skills which can be increased by items & buffs. His charisma level is ideal for a great support bard.  Some of the key spells he can offer are Find Traps (no rogue skills needed) at bard 7 & Imp Invis at bard 10 along with several ability buffs along the way.  Though his bard song doesn't last all that long, it cannot be dispelled and he has many songs available each day when his level gets higher.  This is all just plain bard information, nothing earth-shattering, of course.

Deekin's training is secondary anyway.  He is just fun to have around no matter what skills he has. Keep his pen filled with ink and he is a happy kobold companion. '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Mystery X]

               Beware that there is a bug in the game where Dorna will, at some point, stop using her rogue skills.  (Starts at the Interlude, I think.)  If it happens, there is a fix posted in the SoU forum in the Dorna Trapspringer broken thread.