1) I'd say the attack is more valuable than the AC, although you can easily swap between these two styles if you feel otherwise later. Most monsters have good attack scores and will hit you petty reliably no matter what.

2) For favored enemies, I'd probably have to say trolls. The different categories are chopped up too finely, so you get to benefit from it maybe once or twice. Trolls, though, are a fairly common enemy from start to finish.


Also, it's worthwhile to specify whether you mean Icewind Dale 1 or Icewind Dale 2. I can tell from context that you're talking about the first game, but it might not always be obvious.

I'd recommend a greatsword, actually. The extra attack with some of the good greatswords you can find is pretty sweet. Undead (skeletal) are a decent choice. Trolls are frequently encountered as well in the mid game.

*edit* Something else to consider as well, believe it or not, is goblins or orcs (although goblins are, IMO, more annoying). You meet some pretty tough gobbos and orcs in one section of the mid game, which may make that a decent choice, especially considering you're wading through them in the early game as well. But overall I think the skeletal undead or trolls would be a better choice for later game FEs.

1. I would go with either a Two Handed Sword or Two Swords - Attacks are nice and if I remember correctly carrying a shield is a pain when also using a Bow

2. Some type of undead - spectral has been mentioned.

Yeah, that's one of my pet peeves, and one of the reasons I use slings with the vast majority of my characters. If you have anything in the off hand, you must unequip it before you can equip a bow/crossbow. Pain in the ass.