We always try to play the game through with multiple parties- try out different options. For RotR, we've used all the original 11 characters, plus a play-through with some custom-built characters, and are half-way through with some class-deck characters.
Now there are 28 Class-deck characters as well, playing everyone just isn't practical, but we still like to explore the options. Our latest group however, is failing miserably, and although there are various issues, it ultimately boils down to one thing:
some characters can't really fight.
Obviously, Valeros is meant to be better at fighting than some characters, but there's a difference between not being great at fighting, and being generally incapable.
Our party is Valeros (S&S), Siwar, Merisiel (S&S) and Valendron.
Siwar seems really interesting. But: she can't have any weapons (at least until card feat 1), her combat option is basically just spells, but as our only divine caster, one slot goes on cure, leaving only 2 combat spells (inflict and force missile). With a favoured card-type of "ally," even the odds of getting one of those two spells in your starting hard aren't great, and once you do, it's gone after a turn, not to be seen again for rounds and rounds.
We're currently getting destroyed by the scenario that requires everyone to fight the henchman each time it shows up - we could cluster together more to avoid that, but then you have characters at locations they have no hope of closing, and too many open spaces for the villain to escape to.
I guess my questions then are two-fold: Firstly, has anyone had any luck playing Siwar, and more generally, how do people deal with characters who can't fight? (this being a fairly broad term, stretching all the way from anyone who doesn't have "weapon" or "spell" as their favoured card-type, up to the completely incapable like Siwar.
If you're not playing OP, with Siwar I would:
1) Have all 3 spells as offensive spells until she gains more spell cards. You're a party of 4, should be OK without Cure.
2) Focus on upgrading her items to wands, to handle easy monsters. Considering the number of items you get in RoR, with a little bit of farming it shouldn't be that bad.
3) Have her focus on locations without monsters.
That's what I'd do anyway.
Some characters take awhile to build up into being independent. Some may need assistance early game, like Siwar. If you have someone in the party with an extra weapon slot, she can keep a Dexterity based weapon to lend to Siwar each scenario until Siwar can take care of herself.
Siwar has Dexterity of d8. That's pretty decent. Lend her a sling or even a Deathbane Light Crossbow +1.
Try to get Wand of Force Missile/Wand of Scorching Ray. Those also help.
Get Allies that assist combat efficiency.
Have someone who can assist in combat(if possible) to accompany her on low monster density locations.
Or.. she doesn't even have to do combat at all. Let her focus on support spells/scouting and leave the combat to the fighters.
With this particular party, we're playing S&S, using OP rules for deck upgrades (+ allowing loot).
We thought about always having her with Valeros, but that means one or the other is somewhere they haven't a hope of closing.
Scouting would be nice (and let her explore herself) but there just isn't enough available.
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Those characters just need to be able to help the group in some other way than direct combat. Our group completed Runelords with Kyra performing maybe a total of 20 explores of her own, but the ability to keep a clearly suicidal Seoni at full power or patch up Valeros and Amiri and still have blessings running out of her ears made her spot in the group roster definite. Likewise, our Merisiel player never fought anything if she didn't have more dice than difficulty, but her skill at assassinating barriers and running away from monsters let her find the targets for the rest of us.
Whilst I can certainly see the logic to that- it seems difficult to pull off in practice - location need divine? - that's got to be Siwar closing it. Location need Intelligence? same issue again.
Even with only 4 characters, we don't often have loads of time left in the blessings deck. Making up for losing all those extra explores seems to just add additional difficulty that isn't needed.
For your party, I do suggest just having Siwar just stick with Valeros. It works out because Valeros has power to assist in combat. Likewise, Siwar has a power that assists in any check. But both Valeros and Siwar's powers require them to be in the same location. Use them.
Not all characters are meant to be good in combat. In fact, its good that some are not. It makes party choices something to actually think about. It also creates more decision making on whether to split the party or group up.
If you expect everyone to be a solo character, there's no reason to have character powers that require another character in the same location. That's what those powers are for -> Co-op. You need to co-operate with the entire team and not expect everyone to just be by themselves all the time.
Let me point out again that there are several characters who require more assistance in the early game more than others. Siwar is one of them. Siwar is weak in combat to begin with, and now she is burdened with being the healer too. That lowers her combat ability even more. So to balance that, someone will need to assist her especially in combat. Who better to do so than Valeros.
Good luck on your adventures :)
I would also point out that if/when you reach the mid point of the campaign, Siwar becomes capable of evading any monster she meets and sending another party member to fight in her stead. So if you can survive the early scenarios teaming up with Valeros, the problem will take care of itself.
My fiance is in the same situation playing Siwar in RotR. Combat checks are impossible most of the time.
After seeing her struggle for the first few scenarios...
I first suggested ditching cure for combat. She'll otherwise end up using the cure on herself or losing the cure to damage. My fiance resisted but once I pointed out the life cycle of cure to her in the next scenario she understood. Let me re-iterate
GET RID OF CURE, Siwar will only use it on herself or lose it to damage. In which case a damage or evasion spell would have been far more preferable.
Get someone with weapons to help her out. Any decent wizard with a weapon in deck or characters with 3 or more weapons should help her out and lend her a crossbow or dagger. The necromancer in our party helps her out with a crossbow.
Stick her with someone who can help with combat. Valeros is good, another bard is decent too. In our case Damiel the alchemist travels with Siwar and can give her 2d6 on combats which makes combat a non issue even without a weapon or spell in hand.
Eventually with her supremely obvious role card choice she'll be able to avoid combat altogether in almost every instance and hand it off to damiel who can pump his own combat high enough to handle nearly everything as well.