CTRL/R or checking the state flags, effects and global variables in Shadowkeeper may also have helped. Good luck with the run anyway.
Baldur's Gate 2 No-Reload Challenge
Débuté par
corey_russell
, juil. 14 2010 01:45
Retour en haut
#5802
Posté 13 mars 2013 - 08:20
Grond0
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Bruce, shapeshifter (fighter)
Regrettably Bruce became another victim of my inability to leave treasure alone. He successfully cleared the circus, graveyard, top floor of Watcher's Keep, a pirate lair and Harper HQ.
He had just finished the Mae'Var quests and was stealing the treasure from the guild when one of the traps killed him. It was instant death and he had chaotic commands and death ward up, so I guess it was probably a flesh to stone trap, though that doesn't ring any bells.
Regrettably Bruce became another victim of my inability to leave treasure alone. He successfully cleared the circus, graveyard, top floor of Watcher's Keep, a pirate lair and Harper HQ.
He had just finished the Mae'Var quests and was stealing the treasure from the guild when one of the traps killed him. It was instant death and he had chaotic commands and death ward up, so I guess it was probably a flesh to stone trap, though that doesn't ring any bells.
#5803
Posté 13 mars 2013 - 08:51
corey_russell
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Grond0 - I can confirm, one of those Maevar traps are flesh to stone. In one of my runs a party member got petrified there..in fact I think it was my duo with my wife (she can't resist loot either). Unless I'm mistaken, traps sure seem to be the bane of your characters.
#5804
Posté 13 mars 2013 - 08:54
Gate70
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Traps on the far wall are lightning, repeating 1 damage, flamestrike, flames of sorts and: petrification. You're pretty good at working out what killed you...
#5805
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 03:47
Blind_Visionary
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Gate70 wrote...
You're pretty good at working out what killed you...
True. Grond0, I hate to think of how many times your avatars must have died in order for you to have become so skilled.... RIP Bruce.
#5806
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 08:41
Grond0
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Gate70/Grond0 Multiplayer attempt 15 (update 5 - 0 hr, 50 mins; total 11 hrs 40 mins)
Tyran, gnome berserker (Grond0), & Titas Adukaars, dwarf fighter/cleric (Gate70)
A short session was spent entirely in the Windspear Hills. Tyran cursed on arrival saying he would have to go back for the acorns, but Titas smugly produced them from an inner pocket allowing them to proceed.
No great problems so far. Titas wasn't quite able to turn the vampires (though other types of undead were sent running or exploded), but Azuredge made short work of them. The flying axe also did a lot of the work on the golems, though Titas swept in every now and then in between bouts of regeneration (ring of Gaxx varied occasionally by troll regeneration from the Cloak of the Sewers). The greater werewolves can be a problem for characters without high damage output, but that's not an issue for this duo.
Conster has just met his end, but Samia and the genies on one side of the dungeon and Firkraag on the other remain as targets for the next session.
Combat stats (continued from BG1):
Tyran, berserker 17, 110 HPs, 608 kills.
Titas, F 12 / Cl 13, 102 HPs, 660 kills, 1 death.
Tyran, gnome berserker (Grond0), & Titas Adukaars, dwarf fighter/cleric (Gate70)
A short session was spent entirely in the Windspear Hills. Tyran cursed on arrival saying he would have to go back for the acorns, but Titas smugly produced them from an inner pocket allowing them to proceed.
No great problems so far. Titas wasn't quite able to turn the vampires (though other types of undead were sent running or exploded), but Azuredge made short work of them. The flying axe also did a lot of the work on the golems, though Titas swept in every now and then in between bouts of regeneration (ring of Gaxx varied occasionally by troll regeneration from the Cloak of the Sewers). The greater werewolves can be a problem for characters without high damage output, but that's not an issue for this duo.
Conster has just met his end, but Samia and the genies on one side of the dungeon and Firkraag on the other remain as targets for the next session.
Combat stats (continued from BG1):
Tyran, berserker 17, 110 HPs, 608 kills.
Titas, F 12 / Cl 13, 102 HPs, 660 kills, 1 death.
#5807
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 01:17
Grond0
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Fael, dwarf barbarian
After being a bit lucky to get through BG1, I haven't taken any risks with Fael so far and he's never been in trouble in BG2.
Fael cleared everything in the dungeon. As normal he finished off Ulvaryl with the potion of firebreath. That tends to expire very quickly, but this time it lasted just long enough to take out the battle mage as well.
Fael then did the circus and Copper Coronet. At that point, with inventory already piling up I consoled in a bag of holding. For my previous run I posted that I had added a BG2_tweak component to add one in. However, I didn't spot it there during that run, so checked the read me. Slightly oddly the component does add a bag of holding in BG1, but in BG2 only adds potion cases and ammo containers - which I don't need for a solo character.
After seeing off the Suna Seni, Renfeld and Hareishan ambushes Fael has taken the mean course of lich hunting. In preparing the route to take Fael set off the traps in the Unseeing Eye area. Here you can see why shadow fiends don't like lightning!
A single scroll of protection from undead was all that was needed to kill the Elemental and Shade liches, then the City Gates one (needed for Daystar to be able to hit the demi-lich) then Kangaxx (Fael originally talked to him before going off to the first lich).
Fael has just used the Rod of Terror while hunting Prebek and Sanasha (to wrap his charisma round to 25) and then finished off Xzar's quest in the Harper HQ.
After being a bit lucky to get through BG1, I haven't taken any risks with Fael so far and he's never been in trouble in BG2.
Fael cleared everything in the dungeon. As normal he finished off Ulvaryl with the potion of firebreath. That tends to expire very quickly, but this time it lasted just long enough to take out the battle mage as well.
Fael then did the circus and Copper Coronet. At that point, with inventory already piling up I consoled in a bag of holding. For my previous run I posted that I had added a BG2_tweak component to add one in. However, I didn't spot it there during that run, so checked the read me. Slightly oddly the component does add a bag of holding in BG1, but in BG2 only adds potion cases and ammo containers - which I don't need for a solo character.
After seeing off the Suna Seni, Renfeld and Hareishan ambushes Fael has taken the mean course of lich hunting. In preparing the route to take Fael set off the traps in the Unseeing Eye area. Here you can see why shadow fiends don't like lightning!
A single scroll of protection from undead was all that was needed to kill the Elemental and Shade liches, then the City Gates one (needed for Daystar to be able to hit the demi-lich) then Kangaxx (Fael originally talked to him before going off to the first lich).
Fael has just used the Rod of Terror while hunting Prebek and Sanasha (to wrap his charisma round to 25) and then finished off Xzar's quest in the Harper HQ.
#5808
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 01:22
Alesia_BH
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Alicia, Elven Sorceress: Final Update
When Corey wrote to wish Alicia luck at The Throne, I initially responded with the following blurb:
"I'm sure there is a No Reload worthy stratgey for that battle, I just doubt I'll find it on the first try. In all likelihood, Alicia's run will end up like Alesia's: a near miss, followed by experimentation and a battle-that-should-have-been epilogue."
After submitting that post and re-reading it, I started feeling embarrased. Balthazar's words came to mind ("I shall not fail!") and -wanting to be more like dashing he than mousy level-headed me- I decided to delete it.
Unfortunately, those words (mine not his) ended up being prophetic. I was right, Balthazar was wrong: Alicia has fallen.
I don't have any screenshots from the failed attempt actually: It had become clear that Alicia was going to lose within a few seconds and I wasn't in the mood to snap pictures. Here's what happened though.
Impressed with the performance of the Spell Trigger: Sunfire x3, Chain Contingency: Hit- Sunfire X3 combo in the Irenicus fight, I decided to have Alicia use the same approach on the easterly foes (Gromnir, Abazgial, and Illasera) at The Throne. The plan had been to cast Improved Alacrity under ProMW, move east and then detonate near the oh-so-deadly Illasera.
Unfortunately, much like in the Illasera fight, Alicia's ProMW expired during the cutscene. Worse still, her Contingency: See Enemy- ProMW failed to fire leaving her exposed to Illasera's arrows. Things quickly went downhill from there. Unnerved, I had Alica move slightly west were she caught the attention of Yaga. Yaga, in turn, tossed a Lava Bomb which interupted Alicia's Improved Alacrity cast and also caused her Chain to fire harmlessly. Alicia never recovered from that setback: she was ultimately killed by Illasera's arrows.
An inglorious end for my little snow elf to be sure. But that passage I had written in response to Corey's wish had one last line.
"And like Alesia, Alicia will likely give rise to a successful protege who will follow in her footsteps."
I'll have more to say about those footsteps soon.
Best,
A.
When Corey wrote to wish Alicia luck at The Throne, I initially responded with the following blurb:
"I'm sure there is a No Reload worthy stratgey for that battle, I just doubt I'll find it on the first try. In all likelihood, Alicia's run will end up like Alesia's: a near miss, followed by experimentation and a battle-that-should-have-been epilogue."
After submitting that post and re-reading it, I started feeling embarrased. Balthazar's words came to mind ("I shall not fail!") and -wanting to be more like dashing he than mousy level-headed me- I decided to delete it.
Unfortunately, those words (mine not his) ended up being prophetic. I was right, Balthazar was wrong: Alicia has fallen.
I don't have any screenshots from the failed attempt actually: It had become clear that Alicia was going to lose within a few seconds and I wasn't in the mood to snap pictures. Here's what happened though.
Impressed with the performance of the Spell Trigger: Sunfire x3, Chain Contingency: Hit- Sunfire X3 combo in the Irenicus fight, I decided to have Alicia use the same approach on the easterly foes (Gromnir, Abazgial, and Illasera) at The Throne. The plan had been to cast Improved Alacrity under ProMW, move east and then detonate near the oh-so-deadly Illasera.
Unfortunately, much like in the Illasera fight, Alicia's ProMW expired during the cutscene. Worse still, her Contingency: See Enemy- ProMW failed to fire leaving her exposed to Illasera's arrows. Things quickly went downhill from there. Unnerved, I had Alica move slightly west were she caught the attention of Yaga. Yaga, in turn, tossed a Lava Bomb which interupted Alicia's Improved Alacrity cast and also caused her Chain to fire harmlessly. Alicia never recovered from that setback: she was ultimately killed by Illasera's arrows.
An inglorious end for my little snow elf to be sure. But that passage I had written in response to Corey's wish had one last line.
"And like Alesia, Alicia will likely give rise to a successful protege who will follow in her footsteps."
I'll have more to say about those footsteps soon.
Best,
A.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 04:31 .
#5809
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 01:57
Serg BlackStrider
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I'm really sad to hear that, Alesia... But nevertheless *the road to* is all that matters, not *the goal by itself* and *whether the goal is achieved in the end*. And even though Alicia failed her quest, no one would say she is inglorious, of that I'm sure. We will long remember her ... and there are many roads ahead.
But nevertheless *the road to* is all that matters, not *the goal by itself* and *whether the goal is achieved in the end*. And even though Alicia failed her quest, no one would say she is inglorious, of that I'm sure. We will long remember her ... and there are many roads ahead.
Modifié par Serg BlackStrider, 14 mars 2013 - 02:01 .
#5810
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 02:07
Grond0
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Sorry to hear Alicia failed at the final hurdle, but I'll look forward to hearing her alternative strategy.
#5811
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 02:15
Alesia_BH
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Alicia, Elven Sorceress: Epilogue- The Battle That Should Have Been
Alicia was unfortunate, in a sense. But even if her Contingency: See Enemy- ProMW had fired in a timely fashion, she likely would have run into trouble soon after. She had failed to execute her plan, but the plan itself was also flawed: between her resistances and Etherealness special ability, Illasera is more than capable of surviving nine Sunfires. Taking Illasera out of the action quick requires a different approach. Here's what did work.
Running her standard buffs -and with Contingency: Hit- ProMW, Chain Contingency: Helpless- ProMW, Teleport Field, Teleport Field in place- Alicia opened by moving slightly south and then casting Projected Image. That, in turn, caused her Helpess Chain to fire. The PI then cast Improved Alacrity.
After taking SI:D and ProMW, the PI moved east and trained her sights on Illasera.
One down.
Ranging west after Mel's arrival, Alicia's PI targetted Sendai next. Ruby Ray->Breach->Dragon's Breath x 4 did most of the work here.
Two down
At this point everyting was going well on Alicia's end. How about Balthazar's?
(Not quite so good...)
Forging on alone, Alicia took down Abazgial with her second PI. He fell to Ruby Ray->Breach->LRx3->Single Target Barrage->Dragon's Breath x3. I should note that the SCS scripts do an excellent job of dealing with PI based tactics: Timing PI casts in between True Sight pulses and preventing disruption is a challenge. Keeping Contingency: Hit- ProMW on the real caster is a must.
Wandering over to Alicia while Mel, Gromnir and Yaga battled a Planetar was not Sarevok's brightest move. (EDIT: And skipping Mordy Sword may not have been Alicia's brightest. When transitioning from one PI set to another, leaving a summon behind to run distraction is helpful. Alicia was forced to use Planetars where Alanis had been able to use chainable and cheaper Mordy Swords. Alicia had no need for Mordy Swords up till this point, but this application alone could possibly justify the pick.)
Yaga was PW:Bed and then died wandering aimlessly in a dense field of stationary AoE spells.
Gromnir caught a single target barrage from a fresh PI soon after.
Time for Mel. This phase was tricky for Alesia and to a lesser extent Alyssa, but it was pretty straightforward for Alicia.
Lower Resistance.
Power Word: Blind. Interestingly, unlike every other creature in SCS, Melissan will not wander around after losing her sight: she just stays put and takes a beating. She will, however, dispel her Blindness with Divine Cleansing after a while.
Once the PI had brought Mel down to Badly Injured, Alicia decided to finish on her own. The sequence, once again, was LR->PW:B->Icestorm x X->Death Fog x X->Dragon's Breath x X. This was essentially the end.
I'll provide some further notes on the final battle and comment on Alicia's spellbook relatively soon.
Best,
A.
Alicia was unfortunate, in a sense. But even if her Contingency: See Enemy- ProMW had fired in a timely fashion, she likely would have run into trouble soon after. She had failed to execute her plan, but the plan itself was also flawed: between her resistances and Etherealness special ability, Illasera is more than capable of surviving nine Sunfires. Taking Illasera out of the action quick requires a different approach. Here's what did work.
Running her standard buffs -and with Contingency: Hit- ProMW, Chain Contingency: Helpless- ProMW, Teleport Field, Teleport Field in place- Alicia opened by moving slightly south and then casting Projected Image. That, in turn, caused her Helpess Chain to fire. The PI then cast Improved Alacrity.
After taking SI:D and ProMW, the PI moved east and trained her sights on Illasera.
One down.
Ranging west after Mel's arrival, Alicia's PI targetted Sendai next. Ruby Ray->Breach->Dragon's Breath x 4 did most of the work here.
Two down
At this point everyting was going well on Alicia's end. How about Balthazar's?
(Not quite so good...)
Forging on alone, Alicia took down Abazgial with her second PI. He fell to Ruby Ray->Breach->LRx3->Single Target Barrage->Dragon's Breath x3. I should note that the SCS scripts do an excellent job of dealing with PI based tactics: Timing PI casts in between True Sight pulses and preventing disruption is a challenge. Keeping Contingency: Hit- ProMW on the real caster is a must.
Wandering over to Alicia while Mel, Gromnir and Yaga battled a Planetar was not Sarevok's brightest move. (EDIT: And skipping Mordy Sword may not have been Alicia's brightest. When transitioning from one PI set to another, leaving a summon behind to run distraction is helpful. Alicia was forced to use Planetars where Alanis had been able to use chainable and cheaper Mordy Swords. Alicia had no need for Mordy Swords up till this point, but this application alone could possibly justify the pick.)
Yaga was PW:Bed and then died wandering aimlessly in a dense field of stationary AoE spells.
Gromnir caught a single target barrage from a fresh PI soon after.
Time for Mel. This phase was tricky for Alesia and to a lesser extent Alyssa, but it was pretty straightforward for Alicia.
Lower Resistance.
Power Word: Blind. Interestingly, unlike every other creature in SCS, Melissan will not wander around after losing her sight: she just stays put and takes a beating. She will, however, dispel her Blindness with Divine Cleansing after a while.
Once the PI had brought Mel down to Badly Injured, Alicia decided to finish on her own. The sequence, once again, was LR->PW:B->Icestorm x X->Death Fog x X->Dragon's Breath x X. This was essentially the end.
I'll provide some further notes on the final battle and comment on Alicia's spellbook relatively soon.
Best,
A.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 04:58 .
#5812
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 02:33
Alesia_BH
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Serg BlackStrider wrote...
I'm really sad to hear that, Alesia...
Thanks Serg. And to be clear, I'm not dissappointed with the outcome.
Before starting this run, I was expecting Alicia to power through most of the encounters but ultimately run into trouble at the Throne. Alicia didn't fall short of my expectations: she met them and I enjoyed myself along the way. I'll remember her run fondly.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 02:56 .
#5813
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 02:37
Alesia_BH
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Grond0 wrote...
Sorry to hear Alicia failed at the final hurdle, but I'll look forward to hearing her alternative strategy.
Thanks Grond0.
I'm looking forward to hearing her alternative strategy as well...
Here's what I mean by that. I'm not content with the recently posted battle plan: It works, but it's not entirely reliable. I'm considering doing more experiments using variations on her spellbook.
(Edit: I may even cave and put Time Stop in one of the experimetal books. I'm un-fond of TS, but it likely can be put to excellent use in that battle.)
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 03:05 .
#5814
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 04:49
Grond0
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Fael, dwarf barbarian
In contrast to certain sorcerors on the thread Fael has been concentrating on a brute force strategy this afternoon.
He started off by following through the Mae'Var quests. There was a first use of sunray to finish off Rayic. Immunity to backstabs meant the final clearing of the guild was pretty straightforward.
After paying off Gaelan Bayle Fael beat Lassal off Mook's body and then went to the Bridge District. There he fought some muggers and saved Sansuki from Del (getting to level 13 with a standard -2 saving throw vs spell) before raging and collecting a magic horn. Then he dealt with the guild contacts and smiled gently at the Rune assassins that attempted to backstab him.
Next Fael went to the Graveyard. Clearing the top-level tombs and completing the quests there got him to level 14. Moving underground he cleared the lower areas as well. Pai'Na's spiders were no threat with a standard save vs death of -5, but a sunray got the lot of them in one go to sterilize the area quickly. Fael used Azuredge to good effect in vamp HQ, but just picked up the MoD for now and left Tanova.
Back at the Bridge District Parisa survived a couple of Azuredge attacks and got one drain in on Fael before he raged to finish her off. Then he tracked down some kidnappers and arranged a ransom (there was a first outing here for Kitthix and the berserk warrior to block the kidnappers exit).
He undertook the Sir Sarles quest. During that Tanova and 2 vampires tried an ambush. They were fast and I didn't want to try using Azuredge (it's rather bugged in melee). However, a single rage using Stonefire and Arbane was sufficient to finish them off (also helped by Gaxx improved haste). While waiting for the ore merchant Fael also went to chastise an obstreporous dwarf and his party in an inn. Fael was raging and hasted to make sure Brennan Riesling didn't run away.
With the fake illithium in hand Fael sought out Neb, who proved to be another frustrated backstabber. The experience for that got him to level 15. After causing Sir Sarles to have a tantrum and turning in Neb's head (getting reputation back up to 20) Fael forged the IMoD. He also went on a bit of a shopping spree, picking up a rod of resurrection, shields of reflection & Balduran and Vhailor's Helm as well as a few potions and scrolls.
He returned a ring to the Temple of Lathander and then took on the Fallen Paladins. Reynald tried to run away, but Kitthix wasn't allowing that! Belatedly Fael went back to the Slums to deal with the slavers there. Rather bizarrely, instead of getting Lilarcor solving the riddle there gave me a fresh copy of Quallo's blood - oh well, it's of no real use now anyway. The slavers themselves caused no problems.
It would have been sensible to go and upgrade equipment (such as flail of ages and Belm) before this, but I've quite enjoyed seeing how Fael would get on without leaving the city. He will probably look to take on a few more challenges there before travelling further afield.
In contrast to certain sorcerors on the thread Fael has been concentrating on a brute force strategy this afternoon.
He started off by following through the Mae'Var quests. There was a first use of sunray to finish off Rayic. Immunity to backstabs meant the final clearing of the guild was pretty straightforward.
After paying off Gaelan Bayle Fael beat Lassal off Mook's body and then went to the Bridge District. There he fought some muggers and saved Sansuki from Del (getting to level 13 with a standard -2 saving throw vs spell) before raging and collecting a magic horn. Then he dealt with the guild contacts and smiled gently at the Rune assassins that attempted to backstab him.
Next Fael went to the Graveyard. Clearing the top-level tombs and completing the quests there got him to level 14. Moving underground he cleared the lower areas as well. Pai'Na's spiders were no threat with a standard save vs death of -5, but a sunray got the lot of them in one go to sterilize the area quickly. Fael used Azuredge to good effect in vamp HQ, but just picked up the MoD for now and left Tanova.
Back at the Bridge District Parisa survived a couple of Azuredge attacks and got one drain in on Fael before he raged to finish her off. Then he tracked down some kidnappers and arranged a ransom (there was a first outing here for Kitthix and the berserk warrior to block the kidnappers exit).
He undertook the Sir Sarles quest. During that Tanova and 2 vampires tried an ambush. They were fast and I didn't want to try using Azuredge (it's rather bugged in melee). However, a single rage using Stonefire and Arbane was sufficient to finish them off (also helped by Gaxx improved haste). While waiting for the ore merchant Fael also went to chastise an obstreporous dwarf and his party in an inn. Fael was raging and hasted to make sure Brennan Riesling didn't run away.
With the fake illithium in hand Fael sought out Neb, who proved to be another frustrated backstabber. The experience for that got him to level 15. After causing Sir Sarles to have a tantrum and turning in Neb's head (getting reputation back up to 20) Fael forged the IMoD. He also went on a bit of a shopping spree, picking up a rod of resurrection, shields of reflection & Balduran and Vhailor's Helm as well as a few potions and scrolls.
He returned a ring to the Temple of Lathander and then took on the Fallen Paladins. Reynald tried to run away, but Kitthix wasn't allowing that! Belatedly Fael went back to the Slums to deal with the slavers there. Rather bizarrely, instead of getting Lilarcor solving the riddle there gave me a fresh copy of Quallo's blood - oh well, it's of no real use now anyway. The slavers themselves caused no problems.
It would have been sensible to go and upgrade equipment (such as flail of ages and Belm) before this, but I've quite enjoyed seeing how Fael would get on without leaving the city. He will probably look to take on a few more challenges there before travelling further afield.
#5815
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 04:58
Gate70
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Well done. No mention of the Praeses timestops from Melissan, assume they were in place and you countered with Focus or is there something about Alicia's approach that foils it.
I did consider teleporting away being an option but assume a) the contingency wouldn't work in timestop and
Melissan just uses teleport without error. I'm leaning towards Alicia using improved alacrity so the entire combat eliminated or minimised the Praeses and potentially a few of the 5 were down before Melissan arrived. The more I think about it the less I reckon I've sussed it.
I did consider teleporting away being an option but assume a) the contingency wouldn't work in timestop and
Melissan just uses teleport without error. I'm leaning towards Alicia using improved alacrity so the entire combat eliminated or minimised the Praeses and potentially a few of the 5 were down before Melissan arrived. The more I think about it the less I reckon I've sussed it.
#5816
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 05:30
Alesia_BH
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Gate70 wrote...
Well done. No mention of the Praeses timestops from Melissan, assume they were in place and you countered with Focus or is there something about Alicia's approach that foils it.
Mel's Time Stops were less of a problem than I had imagined. Basically, Alicia kept Contingency: Hit- ProMW in place at all times. That worked better than I thought it would.
Heading in, I had planned to use Contingency: HIt- ProMW but feared that Alicia could lose her Hit Contingency to a non damaging AoE effect -without being knocked out of PI stasis- and then get caught with Time Stop->Melee a few rounds later. That's plausible -and a risk to keep in mind to be sure- but based on my experiments it seems like a low probability scenario.
The thing that was trickier than I imagined was getting PIs up and running with Improved Alacrity. Part of the issue here is that Yaga seems to have the following script:
IF
See ([Bunny-Wunny])
THEN
Lava Bomb ([Bunny-Wunny- with extreme prejudice])
You end up with lots or screeching and burnt fur: It's awful...
I'm guessing Mordy Swords would not elicit the same response since they are immune to fire damage.
(EDIT: PW:Bing Yaga before conjuring up the bunnies may solve that problem. Something to try.)
Mel's constant use of True Sight is a bigger issue. Having the PIs go SI:D first and running denser Teleport Fields to mitigate melee risk may be a solution here. Again, something to try.
I did consider teleporting away being an option but assume a) the contingency wouldn't work in timestop and
Contingencies work in Time Stop, but Mel's Teleport Without Error does take the fun out of DDooring. When Alanis needed to get a new PI up and running, she'd Chain something like ProMW + ProEnergy + Mordy Sword and then Dimmension Door away. With her foes busy fiddling with the Mordy, she could easily get restablished on the otherside of the Throne. In the SCS version, Mel just Teleports to your Dimmension Door point (though admittedly, I haven't tried the Chained Mordy prior to Dooring and haven't consistently used Planetars to this end.).
Anyhoo. I have more to say, but my laptop battery is about dead: It'll have to wait till later...
Best,
A.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 08:49 .
#5817
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 08:48
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Alicia, Elven Sorceress: Epilogue- The Battle That Should Have Been II
Before fiddling with Alicia's spellbook, I decided to let her try the fight again as is. Her spellbook is fine: I just wasn't using it very well.
As much for my reference as anyone elses, I'll post a more authoritative take-down of Mel and The 5 here. Since I have a firmer command of the strategy now, I'll provide more detail this time.
Before proceeding, I'll note that since Alicia is for the purposes of the challenge dead, this is off-topic really. I suspect some might find it interesting nonetheless. Any subsequent posts on Alicia at The Throne (including the Insane run I'm contemplating) will be made elsewhere.
Anyhoo: Here goes.
The Plan: Set Spell Sequencer: Teleport Field x 3; Spell Trigger: ProMW, Spell Defection, Spell Shield; Contingency: Hit- ProMW; Chain Contingency: Helpess- ProMW, Teleport Field, Teleport Field. Buff with Spell Trap (SotM), Improved Alacrity-> Shield, Blur, Mirror Image, Resist Fear, Improved Invisibility, Spell Immunity: Abjuration, Spell Immunity: Divination, Spell Immunity: Conjuration, Spell Shield, Spell Deflection, Globe of Invulnerability, Protection from Energy. Summon a Planetar and place it near Sendai's arrival spot then touch the pool. During the waiting period, have the Planetar take a Globe of Blades and have Alicia drink a Potion of Magic Shielding. Await Mel's arrival.
When the battle begins, move south to the edge of the battlefield and then cast Projected Image, triggering the helpless Chain. Have the PI cast Improved Alacrity immediately and then obliterate Illasera- being sure to hit her with Power Word: Kill as soon as she reaches Near Death to insure that she won't Heal or go Ethereal.
Target Sendai next. The presence of the Planetar should cause her to DDoor just north of Illasera putting her in range of the first PI while IA is still active. Try to unload as much as possible before Mel intervenes.
When Mel arrives, don't ignore her this time: She can't be killed but that doesn't me she can't be hampered. Ruby Ray her, LR her, and Blind her to keep Bathazar safe -feed her Planetars to keep her busy- and above all else disrupt her whenever she tries to go Alteration or Divination.
Hampering Mel, taking care of Balthazar - and parking a Planetar in front of Mel when freed from PI stasis- should create space to safely summon PIs: Find that space- and remember to use that Teleport Field x 3 Spell Sequencer if the situation demands. Note that preserving PIs may eliminate the need for Wishes and -consequently- free up L9 for Dragon Breaths. That in turn, may further reduce the need for Wishes by ending the fight quicker. Try to go Wishless if possible.
With regards to The Five, feel free to employ the same strategy as earlier, but be a little less shy about using Power Word: Kill. It may seem wasteful when the opportunity cost is an HLA spell, but it foils all that miraculous Near Death healing that The Five are so fond of: It's worth it.
Finish Mel as before. Go ProMW->Improved Alacrity->Buff->Ruby Ray->LRx2->Power Word: Blind and then fade and hit her with Flame Arrows, Ice Storms, Death Fogs, and Dragon Breaths. Let the Planetar get into the action with Fire Storms as well. One PI and your own book should do it.
Execution: The battle went as planned. And while some further tweaks would undoutedly be required for an Insane run, I'm noticeably more confident with this approach on Core now.
Same opening as before: south and then Projected Image. Improved Alacrity for the Projected Image.
Down with Illasera.
Sendai! Fancy meeting you here!
Alicia was onto her second PI now.
I'd get out of there if I were you to Balthazar: There's a whole lot of hurt on the way...
Gromnir and Abazigal were both killed in PI IIs barrage. Note that she also found time to Blind both Yaga and Mel. Nice work PI II!
Mel was disrupted whenever she tried to cast.
Ok: Time to find some space for PI III. A little help here...
Alicia tried heading north but found a Fallen Deva. DDoored back while the Planetar and Balthy occupied Mel.
Only Sarevok and his unenchanted weapon here. (This didn't end well for Sarevok as you might imagine...)
As Alicia got started on Sarevok, she checked on Balthazar. How you doing this time Balthy?
That's what I like to see. :happy:
Now on to the previously Blinded Yaga. Fresh Planetar to occupy Mel and take the heat off of Balthy.
Once again, Balthazar wisely decided to dart away once the hurt started coming.
Looking good...
But Balthazar is in more trouble than it seems: He had been Stunned by the Fallen Deva. And even though Mel was Blind at that point, it isn't hard to smack a Stunned Monk with a 10m spear.
Balthazar and Yaga fell simultaneously. Sorry Balthy! I should have taken care of that Deva for you!
Just Alicia and Mel now. A nudge from Mel set off Alicia's Contingency: HIt-ProMW. Then it was Improved Alacrity.
Re-buff (using the trigger to take the non-zero casting time Spell Shield and Spell Deflection).
Ruby Ray->LRx2
PW:B.
Fade and blast- with the aid of a Planetar.
And the finish from Alicia's book (slight error here in allowing Mel to recover her sight and consequently evade some of the damage from the previously unloaded stationary AoEs).
No matter: Doom awaits thee Melissan....
Fin!
Best,
A.
Before fiddling with Alicia's spellbook, I decided to let her try the fight again as is. Her spellbook is fine: I just wasn't using it very well.
As much for my reference as anyone elses, I'll post a more authoritative take-down of Mel and The 5 here. Since I have a firmer command of the strategy now, I'll provide more detail this time.
Before proceeding, I'll note that since Alicia is for the purposes of the challenge dead, this is off-topic really. I suspect some might find it interesting nonetheless. Any subsequent posts on Alicia at The Throne (including the Insane run I'm contemplating) will be made elsewhere.
Anyhoo: Here goes.
The Plan: Set Spell Sequencer: Teleport Field x 3; Spell Trigger: ProMW, Spell Defection, Spell Shield; Contingency: Hit- ProMW; Chain Contingency: Helpess- ProMW, Teleport Field, Teleport Field. Buff with Spell Trap (SotM), Improved Alacrity-> Shield, Blur, Mirror Image, Resist Fear, Improved Invisibility, Spell Immunity: Abjuration, Spell Immunity: Divination, Spell Immunity: Conjuration, Spell Shield, Spell Deflection, Globe of Invulnerability, Protection from Energy. Summon a Planetar and place it near Sendai's arrival spot then touch the pool. During the waiting period, have the Planetar take a Globe of Blades and have Alicia drink a Potion of Magic Shielding. Await Mel's arrival.
When the battle begins, move south to the edge of the battlefield and then cast Projected Image, triggering the helpless Chain. Have the PI cast Improved Alacrity immediately and then obliterate Illasera- being sure to hit her with Power Word: Kill as soon as she reaches Near Death to insure that she won't Heal or go Ethereal.
Target Sendai next. The presence of the Planetar should cause her to DDoor just north of Illasera putting her in range of the first PI while IA is still active. Try to unload as much as possible before Mel intervenes.
When Mel arrives, don't ignore her this time: She can't be killed but that doesn't me she can't be hampered. Ruby Ray her, LR her, and Blind her to keep Bathazar safe -feed her Planetars to keep her busy- and above all else disrupt her whenever she tries to go Alteration or Divination.
Hampering Mel, taking care of Balthazar - and parking a Planetar in front of Mel when freed from PI stasis- should create space to safely summon PIs: Find that space- and remember to use that Teleport Field x 3 Spell Sequencer if the situation demands. Note that preserving PIs may eliminate the need for Wishes and -consequently- free up L9 for Dragon Breaths. That in turn, may further reduce the need for Wishes by ending the fight quicker. Try to go Wishless if possible.
With regards to The Five, feel free to employ the same strategy as earlier, but be a little less shy about using Power Word: Kill. It may seem wasteful when the opportunity cost is an HLA spell, but it foils all that miraculous Near Death healing that The Five are so fond of: It's worth it.
Finish Mel as before. Go ProMW->Improved Alacrity->Buff->Ruby Ray->LRx2->Power Word: Blind and then fade and hit her with Flame Arrows, Ice Storms, Death Fogs, and Dragon Breaths. Let the Planetar get into the action with Fire Storms as well. One PI and your own book should do it.
Execution: The battle went as planned. And while some further tweaks would undoutedly be required for an Insane run, I'm noticeably more confident with this approach on Core now.
Same opening as before: south and then Projected Image. Improved Alacrity for the Projected Image.
Down with Illasera.
Sendai! Fancy meeting you here!
Alicia was onto her second PI now.
I'd get out of there if I were you to Balthazar: There's a whole lot of hurt on the way...
Gromnir and Abazigal were both killed in PI IIs barrage. Note that she also found time to Blind both Yaga and Mel. Nice work PI II!
Mel was disrupted whenever she tried to cast.
Ok: Time to find some space for PI III. A little help here...
Alicia tried heading north but found a Fallen Deva. DDoored back while the Planetar and Balthy occupied Mel.
Only Sarevok and his unenchanted weapon here. (This didn't end well for Sarevok as you might imagine...)
As Alicia got started on Sarevok, she checked on Balthazar. How you doing this time Balthy?
That's what I like to see. :happy:
Now on to the previously Blinded Yaga. Fresh Planetar to occupy Mel and take the heat off of Balthy.
Once again, Balthazar wisely decided to dart away once the hurt started coming.
Looking good...
But Balthazar is in more trouble than it seems: He had been Stunned by the Fallen Deva. And even though Mel was Blind at that point, it isn't hard to smack a Stunned Monk with a 10m spear.
Balthazar and Yaga fell simultaneously. Sorry Balthy! I should have taken care of that Deva for you!
Just Alicia and Mel now. A nudge from Mel set off Alicia's Contingency: HIt-ProMW. Then it was Improved Alacrity.
Re-buff (using the trigger to take the non-zero casting time Spell Shield and Spell Deflection).
Ruby Ray->LRx2
PW:B.
Fade and blast- with the aid of a Planetar.
And the finish from Alicia's book (slight error here in allowing Mel to recover her sight and consequently evade some of the damage from the previously unloaded stationary AoEs).
No matter: Doom awaits thee Melissan....
Fin!
Best,
A.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 09:46 .
#5818
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 09:14
Xiz
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Wow Alesia! What I find most impressive is that you just gave a completely new defensive strategy...before Alanis came along, I didn't think there was a viable defense for casters, but now Alicia has presented a completely new method which doesn't rely on teleport field. Congratulations!
#5819
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 09:29
Alesia_BH
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Thanks Xiz. I think Alanis's success with the Telefield-Wish strategy hindered Alicia at The Throne in a sense since I found myself trying to shoe-horn Telefields and Bunnies into a battle where they really didn't belong. Alicia's PW:Bs allow her to achieve a similar end without complicating targeting- something which is all the more important in SCS given the Ruby Ray-Spell Thrust mechanic.
On Insane, Alicia's approach may end up looking a lot more like Alanis's (you can't tag every demon with LR-> PW:, but without the demons, PW:B seems preferable.
EDIT: I should emphasize that while the Epilogue I and Epilogue II fights may look the same, the second was far, far smoother and safer due to more systematic use of PW:Bs, aggressive spell disruption, and Planetars for distraction.
EDIT II: I should also emphasize that there is a huge difference between Core and Insane due to the infinite demons and the double Fallen Solars in particular. Even with SCS, I'm not at all inclined to compare Alicia's run with Alanis's. To my mind, all Alicia has done so far is reach par. Hopefully there is a birdie on the horizon.
On Insane, Alicia's approach may end up looking a lot more like Alanis's (you can't tag every demon with LR-> PW:
, but without the demons, PW:B seems preferable.EDIT: I should emphasize that while the Epilogue I and Epilogue II fights may look the same, the second was far, far smoother and safer due to more systematic use of PW:Bs, aggressive spell disruption, and Planetars for distraction.
EDIT II: I should also emphasize that there is a huge difference between Core and Insane due to the infinite demons and the double Fallen Solars in particular. Even with SCS, I'm not at all inclined to compare Alicia's run with Alanis's. To my mind, all Alicia has done so far is reach par. Hopefully there is a birdie on the horizon.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 10:00 .
#5820
Posté 14 mars 2013 - 10:44
Alesia_BH
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Any character suggestions for my next run?
EDIT: I'm thinking of running one of my old faves.
Alanis, Elven Sorceress (This would look a lot like Alicia's run but likely with a happier ending...)
Alastria, Human Melee Sorceress (This would look nothing like Alicia's run and would likely end with a thrashing...)
Alesia, Human Bounty Hunter
Alessandra, Human Undead Hunter
Alia, Elven Archer
Alisa, Half Elven Jester
Aliana, Human Avenger Druid
EDIT: I'm thinking of running one of my old faves.
Alanis, Elven Sorceress (This would look a lot like Alicia's run but likely with a happier ending...)
Alastria, Human Melee Sorceress (This would look nothing like Alicia's run and would likely end with a thrashing...)
Alesia, Human Bounty Hunter
Alessandra, Human Undead Hunter
Alia, Elven Archer
Alisa, Half Elven Jester
Aliana, Human Avenger Druid
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 14 mars 2013 - 11:03 .
#5821
Posté 15 mars 2013 - 12:24
Xiz
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I vote for Alesia (Bounty Hunter) -- I enjoyed her approach a lot, though I'm curious what she'd do about SCS pre-buffs. Either that or a pure class cleric: I don't the divine book that well, and it'd be interesting to see what you could get out of it. I suspect that your defence will be movement rate driven though, since you have no way to lock in the buffs right?
#5822
Posté 15 mars 2013 - 03:36
Grond0
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I'd be interested in seeing what you can do with a monk.
#5823
Posté 15 mars 2013 - 03:59
Alesia_BH
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Alicia, Elven Sorceress: Addendum
I know I promised to stop posting on Alicia here but again, I think there may be interest.
Alicia has gone Insane...
(And survived!) :happy:
I'll post a full battle report in a new thread soon. For now, just a few teaser screenshots.
Alicia executes her opening- taking down Illasera and Sendai.
Alicia enshrouded in bunny-wunnies as Mel attempts a Time Stop melee assault.
Balthazar's herioc stand against Melissan and two Fallen Solars in the midst of an Alicia AoE assault.
His miraculous escape.
Alicia's artful rescue of Balthazar using Power Words, Bhaalspawn Power Regeneration, and Wish- Restoration on All Party Members.
Balthazar defends as Alicia prepares to finish Yaga-Shura.
Mel calling her minions as the last of The Five falls.
The final showdown: Alicia, Balthazar, and her Planetar against Mel and her Army of Evil.
Fin!
Again, I'll post a full report in another thread soon (for now I need sleep...
)
Best,
A.
EDIT: I've chosen my next character: It's Alicia. Now that she is an Insane SCS-Ascenender, she needs a Triology No Reload on her resume: There won't be a better time than now.
I know I promised to stop posting on Alicia here but again, I think there may be interest.
Alicia has gone Insane...
(And survived!) :happy:
I'll post a full battle report in a new thread soon. For now, just a few teaser screenshots.
Alicia executes her opening- taking down Illasera and Sendai.
Alicia enshrouded in bunny-wunnies as Mel attempts a Time Stop melee assault.
Balthazar's herioc stand against Melissan and two Fallen Solars in the midst of an Alicia AoE assault.
His miraculous escape.
Alicia's artful rescue of Balthazar using Power Words, Bhaalspawn Power Regeneration, and Wish- Restoration on All Party Members.
Balthazar defends as Alicia prepares to finish Yaga-Shura.
Mel calling her minions as the last of The Five falls.
The final showdown: Alicia, Balthazar, and her Planetar against Mel and her Army of Evil.
Fin!
Again, I'll post a full report in another thread soon (for now I need sleep...
)Best,
A.
EDIT: I've chosen my next character: It's Alicia. Now that she is an Insane SCS-Ascenender, she needs a Triology No Reload on her resume: There won't be a better time than now.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 15 mars 2013 - 04:26 .
#5824
Posté 15 mars 2013 - 04:15
Alesia_BH
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Xiz wrote...
I vote for Alesia (Bounty Hunter) -- I enjoyed her approach a lot, though I'm curious what she'd do about SCS pre-buffs.
For a preview, you could check out Alesia's previous SCS-Ascension Triology No Reload attempt. Like Alicia, she fell in the final battle. Her epilogue post can be found here.
http://social.biowar...ndex/3120942/66
Either that or a pure class cleric: I don't the divine book that well, and it'd be interesting to see what you could get out of it. I suspect that your defence will be movement rate driven though, since you have no way to lock in the buffs right?
Exactly. I ran a dwarven single class Cleric named Abigail in the fleeting SCS-Ascension Solo Challenge. In the end game she was all movement- due to casting time issues as well as inability to lock in.
Abigail's final battle post can be found here (I'm semi-confident that I could do a Trilogy No Reload with her).
http://social.biowar...ndex/14285607/9
Grond0 wrote...
I'd be interested in seeing what you can do with a monk.
At best, I'd get a monk jacked by Fallen Solars...
I'd be reluctant to run a Reflection Shield-less warrior in my install.
Best,
A.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 15 mars 2013 - 04:19 .
#5825
Posté 15 mars 2013 - 04:16
Grond0
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Fael, dwarf barbarian
Fael started off by heading back to the vampire guild. The berserk warrior brought a Fledgling vampire out to be Azuredged. Kitthix then successfully web tangled Tanova allowing Fael to dash in under Gaxx haste and iMoD destroy her before turning to disupt and kill the simmy. Downstairs Fael would have had no problems in melee, but a sunray is so much more satisfying on the vampires. That encounter got Fael to level 16. Kitthix was still patiently waiting upstairs and was having a good day - Lassal also successfully webbed. A first outing for the simmy saw Bodhi rapidly on her way.
Reported back to Aran, but didn't set sail yet. Instead Fael went to the Bridge District to evict a couple of parties - Valeria & co and Captain Dennis & his merrie men.
Deciding he was on a roll Fael continued down the street a bit further for a confrontation with the Twisted Rune. For this, however, he took the precaution of using a protection from magic scroll as well as several potions. The buffs got dispelled pretty quickly by the beholder, but none of the original crew did much damage, though a pit fiend seemed pretty nasty. There may have been a lag effect there as a couple of times the fiend got 6 or 7 attacks in a row on Fael without him responding. Killing Shangalar got Fael up to level 17.
While the scroll was still up Fael headed for the Guarded Compound. I was expecting some opponents in the ground floor, but there were none there so Fael went on up. I knew there were traps there, but thought the scroll would protect against them - unfortunately not! Fortunately the hold effect of the acid trap is very short-lived. The simmy was stunned and quickly killed, so Fael switched tactics and ran round throwing Azuredge - keeping on the move to avoid backstabs. That tactic killed Koshi, Maferan, Olaf and Stalman before Fael switched to single weapon and shield (for the first time in BG2) to wait for Ketta to appear. He used a number of invisibility potions, but didn't have the power to cause much of a problem without his backstab and soon enough he and then Sion were dead.
Having finished his looting Fael was leaving when the ground floor opponents made a belated entry - and the scroll chose that second to expire. Fael quickly ducked into a side room and let the Glabrezu fight the other opponents. Once it was quiet Fael came out to kill the Glabrezu, while Kitthix made a late entrance to claim another victim when the efreeti showed itself.
In the temple sewers Fael walloped a rakshasa into submission to get a new cloak then moved on to Tarnor's party. No early victims were claimed, but the summons more than held their own, while Fael did plenty of damage with Azuredge from the rear.
On to Mekrath's lair where the mage was swiftly terminated. Twin sunrays helped finish off one of the yuan-ti mages and the others didn't last long.
Fael is not far short of 2.5m XP and I'm starting to wonder whether getting HLAs is possible without leaving the city. He's about to tackle the Unseeing Eye.
Fael started off by heading back to the vampire guild. The berserk warrior brought a Fledgling vampire out to be Azuredged. Kitthix then successfully web tangled Tanova allowing Fael to dash in under Gaxx haste and iMoD destroy her before turning to disupt and kill the simmy. Downstairs Fael would have had no problems in melee, but a sunray is so much more satisfying on the vampires. That encounter got Fael to level 16. Kitthix was still patiently waiting upstairs and was having a good day - Lassal also successfully webbed. A first outing for the simmy saw Bodhi rapidly on her way.
Reported back to Aran, but didn't set sail yet. Instead Fael went to the Bridge District to evict a couple of parties - Valeria & co and Captain Dennis & his merrie men.
Deciding he was on a roll Fael continued down the street a bit further for a confrontation with the Twisted Rune. For this, however, he took the precaution of using a protection from magic scroll as well as several potions. The buffs got dispelled pretty quickly by the beholder, but none of the original crew did much damage, though a pit fiend seemed pretty nasty. There may have been a lag effect there as a couple of times the fiend got 6 or 7 attacks in a row on Fael without him responding. Killing Shangalar got Fael up to level 17.
While the scroll was still up Fael headed for the Guarded Compound. I was expecting some opponents in the ground floor, but there were none there so Fael went on up. I knew there were traps there, but thought the scroll would protect against them - unfortunately not! Fortunately the hold effect of the acid trap is very short-lived. The simmy was stunned and quickly killed, so Fael switched tactics and ran round throwing Azuredge - keeping on the move to avoid backstabs. That tactic killed Koshi, Maferan, Olaf and Stalman before Fael switched to single weapon and shield (for the first time in BG2) to wait for Ketta to appear. He used a number of invisibility potions, but didn't have the power to cause much of a problem without his backstab and soon enough he and then Sion were dead.
Having finished his looting Fael was leaving when the ground floor opponents made a belated entry - and the scroll chose that second to expire. Fael quickly ducked into a side room and let the Glabrezu fight the other opponents. Once it was quiet Fael came out to kill the Glabrezu, while Kitthix made a late entrance to claim another victim when the efreeti showed itself.
In the temple sewers Fael walloped a rakshasa into submission to get a new cloak then moved on to Tarnor's party. No early victims were claimed, but the summons more than held their own, while Fael did plenty of damage with Azuredge from the rear.
On to Mekrath's lair where the mage was swiftly terminated. Twin sunrays helped finish off one of the yuan-ti mages and the others didn't last long.
Fael is not far short of 2.5m XP and I'm starting to wonder whether getting HLAs is possible without leaving the city. He's about to tackle the Unseeing Eye.
Modifié par Grond0, 15 mars 2013 - 05:12 .
