How are your RPG parties configured?

[purplemo]

Yes, I'm this bored studying for exams. Boy I come up with some stupid threads. Anyways, is there a pattern to how you set up your parties in RPGs? Here's a general trend I've noticed for me.

1) SPEED. Either the fast characters or I spend a lot of time boosting it, this is the most important attribute to me.

2) Staying power. Now, this does NOT mean the big bruiser meat shield, because that guy will fall sooner or later anyways. No, this means enough healing power to allow the main attackers non-stop fighting and allow the healers (almost always magic users) time here and there to lay down a magic barrage.

3) Magic overkill. I rarely use magic in a fight (other than tactical RPGs), but I like to have this strong ace in the hole around. This means that the damage I do per turn is usually low (due to using a magician's melee), but if needed, I can pound the enemy's ass. And I actually do not spend much time building up characters, so usually the stat boosting goes to the magic users first to protect them.

Examples of this mindset.

Final Fantasy X main party
Tidus (2nd fastest character)
Yuna (crazy doublecast/Ultima or summons and haste/protect caster/healer)
Rikku (FAST)

Shadow Hearts Covenant main party
Yuri (fast attacker)
Karen (faster attacker with strong combos with Yuri)
Gepetto (healer/magic user)
Anastasia (primary healer and secondary magic user)

Final Fantasy IX main party (with auto-regen and auto-haste of course)
Zidane (fast attacker)
Dagger (healer/summoner)
Eiko (healer/summoner)
Freya (next fastest attacker)

Final Fantasy VI Front line Kefka battle
Terra (magic)
Celes (magic)
Relm (FAST magic user)
Cyan (8 hit combo hell)

Phantom Brave

Vanguards
Archer, Ash, Owl Knight (fast, fast, fast. give them weapons and make them even faster and stronger. And I always try to confine them to something that boosts speed even more, even if attack goes down. My archer usually gets two turns in a row at least once a battle)

Magic support/Armageddon
Marona, Witch, Fusionist (holy crap are these overkill. Give Marona a tree for a weapon to up her defense since she is the king on this chessboard, and she can double as a backup attacker. Always confine to something that bumps up magic even more, or defense. Or I can confine them to Marona's tree and really have a walking nuclear weapon.)

2nd line fighter
Amazon (slower than Vanguards, but still fast. Junction to something to boost speed and/or attack)

Meat shields/backups/bait
Dungeon Monk, Merchant, Titleist, Soldier, Healer, Fighter, Blacksmith (junk guys that need experience to get me better stuff or just people used to take pressure off of the first two groups. Confine to leftover junk or rocks to boost meat shield ability)

[Drahken]

I tend to go primarily for heavy hitters. This includes magic users with powerful attack spells. I almost never bother with healers because I find them to be next to useless. 1) They always get killed off long before they have a chance to be of much use 2) their healing spells tend to restore less health than the enemy takes in a single attack 3) in turn based RPGs, it can take 3 or 4 rounds to heal all the characters, by which point the first one needs healed again & it starts all over and 4) when you actually manage to keep them alive for a while, they run out of healing magic. You're better off just buying a bunch of healing potions, and giving some to each character. Tough characters with healing potions can spend most of their time dealing serious damage, and can heal themselves any time it's their turn, no having to wait for the priest to get a turn.
Additionally, I find that having a team full of strong attackers can almost always finish off the enemy before suffering too much damage. In contrast, wasting one or more slots with healers just makes the battle drag on longer, and actually ends up with the team having recieved -more- damage than they would have without the healer.

[factualpuddle]

in ffxi, i LOVE to set up a black mage MB party. fun fun

[v16]

Fire team leader, RPG operator, assistant rifleman with reloads - how else?



But seriously I play Western RPG which you perhaps won't be able to relate to.

[seraphic]

close range speed heavy hitters (assasins thieves etc.)
heavy long range snipers or aoe
extreme healing at max rate.

mainly max damage. kill be4ore they have time to hit. magiv usage inconsequential cause battle is short.... so very quick fights but long recharge time

[Drahken]

"Western RPG" as in the old west, cowboys & indians & the like?


*Wonders why seraphic's 'currently watching' sig is blank.*

[zoelyn]

I sometimes do staying power, but overall I just try to balance, because if it's an RPG I haven't played before, then I don't always know what kind of enemy I'll be encountering next. Some are more vulnerable to magic than physical, and vice versa. And I always have a healing bitch.

[1010rikku]

tsk tsk tsk...healing BITCH...nice...*shakes her head in disapointment*

[zoelyn]

Originally Posted by 1010rikku

*smacks zoelyn with a rubber chicken for the healing bitch comment*

Ouch. A rubber chicken. (Sorry, but I've immortalized your comment).

[1010rikku]

I edited my comment because I found it a little harsh and didn't mean it to be. Sorry.

But I also am disapointed to hear a woman call a female character a bitch.

Sorry purplemo, I will stop derailling your thread