I think that it is more likely that Valiant killed Nalia and because Valiant was dominated, it was then end of game. Nalia's health was exceedingly low whilst Valiant's was OKish.
I always found it odd how Paladins which specialize at killing vampires get charmed by them. If you're solo (or others are dead), charm is quite worse than level drain....
Ok. After a lengthy derailment, I've made my peace with my current install. I'm still hoping for patches for the anomalies we've observed, but until then I'll proceed as is.
I'm not ready to post an update, but I think I've finally settled on Aphril and Adara's personal items. They're getting Ioun Stones that reflect my conception of them.
Aphril: Child of the Sun (Ioun Stone)- 25% Fire Resistance, +2 Save v Death, +5 HP Max
Adara: Thunderous Voice (Ioun Stone)- Vocalize while equipped, Sonic Wave (as per Horn of Blasting,
NW: The actual Horn of Blasting will be "destroyed" in the process of creating this item, making Thunderous Voice's Sonic Wave a convenience effect: it saves an inventory slot.
Aerie will just have to wait for her holy symbol: Being an Elven C/M is special enough. 
I probably won't be able to post an update until this evening, but hopefully we'll have some new content before then. We were on a roll, before the interruption. We had lots of great updates. Let's get that going again!
Good hunting, everyone!
Best,
A
I always found it odd how Paladins which specialize at killing vampires get charmed by them. If you're solo (or others are dead), charm is quite worse than level drain....
Some paladins are immune to charm - Inquisitor for one. Ironically, the paladin that specializes in killing undead, Undead Hunter, is not...
Dagny final update.
Dagny recruited Jan. The two did Wellyn and Tirdir, Umar Hills, Slaver Stockade, Sarles, Borinall, and most of the Thieves Guild. A backstab by MaeVar killed her though. Battle had been dragging on, and most buffs had expired. But the main problem was me playing when really it was time to go to work. This was why I went for offense (Maevar was at near death status) with MMMs when he quaffed an invisibility potion and landed a successful backstab. Bah another poor effort.
@Blackraven: Sorry to hear about Dagny. I think I remember Alesia going into jelly form, since it's quite useful against the thieves since most of their weapons are piercing, and with the jelly 100% piercing resistance...and try not to be too hard on yourself - we have all have our ups and downs in no-reload - I've had 3 runs end in the same day before, for example.
RIP Dagny BR.. GL with the next. ps: pls dont play when tired or having to work 
Cheers!
Condolences, Blackraven.
I was hoping for an update, but certainly not that. 
I'm sorry to see Dagny go.
Sleep deprivation and distraction are unforgiving.
Best,
A.
I always found it odd how Paladins which specialize at killing vampires get charmed by them. If you're solo (or others are dead), charm is quite worse than level drain....
The vampire hunter is actually a fighter kit, (Not quite the same as an undead hunter, but the same principle applies.
@Corey.
I always found it odd how Paladins which specialize at killing vampires get charmed by them. If you're solo (or others are dead), charm is quite worse than level drain....
Some paladins are immune to charm - Inquisitor for one. Ironically, the paladin that specializes in killing undead, Undead Hunter, is not..
Yes, and Cavaliers are also immune to charm..
Btw. Corey mentioned that I sometimes use Polymorph Self: Jelly against thieves for the 100% piercing resistance. I have. But I probably wouldn't have done so against Mae'Var.
In this case, I think one of my other tricks is more relevant: Frequent breaks. Its a good idea to have something else -anything else- to draw your attention when you're tired or not on your game. Walks are a big one for me. My rule is 40/20: 40 minutes of BG and 20 minutes of break time each hour. When I stick to it, it really helps.
Anyhoo. I'm really sorry to see Dagny go, Blackraven. I was looking forward to seeing more from her. I'd love to see you get a C/I deep into the adventure again. Scintilla was great.
Best,
A.
Any thoughts on giving Glory'dd another chance, Blackraven?
With the recent spate of character deaths, I've been thinking of her.
Best,
A.
Thanks Corey, Golden and Alesia for your sympathies and tips.
Anyhoo. I'm really sorry to see Dagny, Blackraven. I was looking forward to seeing more from her. I'd love to see you get a C/I deep into the adventure again. Scintilla was great.
I'd love that too. Dagny was slowly beginning to feel powerful. The only thing I noticed was that her buffs didn't last long enough yet (not only in MaeVar's guild hall, also in the slaver stockade). But that was probably due to my choosing a diverse palette of memorized spells. For example, I had one Stoneskin, a MGoI, a Teleport Field, and a Polymorph. Probably should have replaced the latter for another Stoneskin after a not so successful experiment with Poly Self against Rayic's Mephits.
Another thing is that I minimize resting for roleplaying purposes.
Any thoughts on giving Glory'dd another chance, Blackraven?
With the recent spate of character deaths, I've been thinking of her.
Best,
A.
She deserves another chance. She only died because I inadvertently unpaused the game in the middle of a battle and then left my computer.
Otoh, after avoiding casters for a long time, I've really come to like the Cleric/Illusionist class. At this point I probably find it the most enjoyable class. Will have to think about it.
The only thing I noticed was that her buffs didn't last long enough yet (not only in MaeVar's guild hall, also in the slaver stockade).
Another thing is that I minimize resting for roleplaying purposes.
I think I understand. In my run, Aerie only gets ~5 rounds before her short duration buffs start wearing off. And she needs multiple buffs stacked to be safe and effective, especialy when she'd Polymorphed, since can't easily refresh defensive buffs with her casting shutdown. If I were to polymorph her while trying to stretch out her spellbook due to rest restrictions, I could easily get her in trouble.
I think of C/M spekkbook setups as eithr being "heavy" or "light," with heavy refering to melee arrangments, and light referring to ranged casting/summoning setups. In longer battles -or with limitations on rest- light books tend to work better, at least for me. I use my heavy setup for focused attacks on powerful enemies or for specific tactical purposes.
What buffs did Dagny run while polymorphed?
Best,
A.
She deserves another chance. She only died because I inadvertently unpaused the game in the middle of a battle and then left my computer.
Yes. I remember it well. That's why I've been thinking about it.
By our rules regarding RL distraction/misclicks, we were inclined to view the event as a game ender. The terrible thing about that was that at Beamdog, where people were really enjoying her adventure, everyone considered her alive still. Sadly, though you didn't feel like continuing her there, given that she couldn't continue here, which I can understand.
Given our prescedents, for the purposes of our NR Challenge the misclick/distraction killed her. But I feel like we -or I- killed her Beamdog run. I still feel bad about that. And everytime you lose a character, I think about it. You put a lot of effort into Glory'dd's run.
I'd love to see Glory'dd in the Hall of Heroes. That would make me really happy.
Best,
A.
I think I understand. In my run, Aerie only gets ~5 rounds before her short duration buffs start wearing off. And she needs multiple buffs stacked to be safe and effective, especialy when she'd Polymorphed, since can't easily refresh defensive buffs with her casting shutdown. If I were to try to polymorph her while trying to stretch out her spellbook due to rest restrictions, I could easily get her in trouble.
I think of C/M spekkbook setups as eithr being "heavy" or "light," with heavy refering to melee arrangments, and light referring to ranged casting/summoning setups. In longer battles -or with limitations on rest- light books tend to work better, at least for me. I use my heavy setup for focused attacks on powerful enemies or for specific tactical purposes.
What buffs did Dagny run while polymorphed?
Best,
A.
Your heavy-light distinction makes sense. Scintilla was essentially a light character: minimal buffs, relying much on evasion, ranged and summons. With Dagny I waded into battle fairly successfully, a bit more Alesia-style. The Slaver Stockade was quite a success. She dealt with all the enemies, without fleeing, in a single battle.
Dagny was Polymorphed as a Flind for the extra APR. She had Remove Fear, Chaotic Commands, PfE 10' Radius, Haste, Blur, Stoneskin, and the three holy buffs up. She wasn't protected from fire because I thought there were only two fire (magma?) mephits, and that they would succumb readily to the Flind's halberd.
Yes. I remember it well. That's why I've been thinking about it.
By our rules regarding RL distraction/misclicks, we were inclined to view the event as a game ender. The terrible thing about that was that at Beamdog, where people were really enjoying her adventure, everyone considered her alive still. Sadly, though you didn't feel like continuing her there, given that she couldn't continue here, which I can understand.
Given our prescedents, for the purposes of our NR Challenge the misclick/distraction killed her. But I feel like we -or I- killed her Beamdog run. I still feel bad about that. And everytime you lose a character, I think about it. You put a lot of effort into Glory'dd's run.
I'd love to see Glory'dd in the Hall of Heroes. That would make me really happy.
Best,
A.
No worries. I killed the Beamdog run myself. I'm definitely not the most rigorous no-reloader, that honor would go to someone like Grond0, but I do find I apply a stricter no-reload criterion than other no-reloaders at the Beamdog forums, like semiticgod or bengoshi. I say this without meaning to discredit their efforts.
That forum's no-reload challenge hasn't really taken off yet. The main reason I'm still posting there is convenience (being able to upload images directly from my screenshots map rather than having Photobucket as a middle man).
Your heavy-light distinction makes sense. Scintilla was essentially a light character: minimal buffs, relying much on evasion, ranged and summons. With Dagny I waded into battle fairly successfully, a bit more Alesia-style. The Slaver Stockade was quite a success. She dealt with all the enemies, without fleeing, in a single battle.
I'm impressed that you handled the Slaver Stockade Polymorphed early in the adventure.
Heavy builds can be fun, satisfying, and effective, but they're labor intensive and spell intensive. You need to buff extensively, and make your peace with sleeping often to do it consistently.
Dagny was Polymorphed as a Flind for the extra APR. She had Remove Fear, Chaotic Commands, PfE 10' Radius, Haste, Blur, Stoneskin, and the three holy buffs up. She wasn't protected from fire because I thought there were only two fire (magma?) mephits, and that they would succumb readily to the Flind's halberd.
Got it. A number of runs have ended in Rayic's foyer over the years. There have been many close calls as well. Those mephitis do a surprising amount of damage and they have decent ACs. In our run, Aerie soloed them running Pro Fire/Pro Cold. She used Holy Smites for damage.
By Haste you mean innate Flind haste, I assume? Did Dagny use armor spells often?
Best,
A.
No Polymorphs at the Stockade, only at Rayic's home. At the Stockade I basically used everything I had except Polys: Teleport Fields, a Holy Smite, two Sunfires, Skellies, lots of MMMs (first set cast before resting), Magic Missiles, Jan's traps, Jan's backstabs, and only later HP/Duhm/RM to deal with surviving slavers.
Edit: I also had defensive stuff up of course (Stoneskin, MIs, Blurs, MSDs, MGoI, among others).
I had the AC3 Bracers, so no Armor spells (although I still found myself using Shield quite often, if only for protection against MMs).
Re: the Flind I think cast Haste before the battle, hoping it would stack with the Flind's extra APR.
No worries. I killed the Beamdog run myself. I'm definitely not the most rigorous no-reloader, that honor would go to someone like Grond0
Agreed. Grond0 is like the Zen Master of the No Reload. I think his approach embodies the spirit of no reload play more than anyone's. I love the Kipling quote he uses: If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same. That should be the mantra of the true no reloaders.
Gate and Corey are right there, too. I'm a bit too likely to bust out the legalize and talk about bug doctrine or whatever to be placed in the same category as them. They're more spiritually enlightened no reloaders than I am.
I apply a stricter no-reload criterion than other no-reloaders at the Beamdog forums, like semiticgod or bengoshi. I say this without meaning to discredit their efforts.
I've noticed the differences in standards across forums. That's why I backed away from the unification idea.
There has been some great content and great play there, nonetheless.
That forum's no-reload challenge hasn't really taken off yet.
It was on its way, but it seems to have stalled a bit, yes. I think it's good that you still post there. Their thread may come back: it may take off yet. Not too long ago, this thread was virtually dead, you know. Just before the Avatars runs we had gone three weeks without a single post. Grond0, Gate, Corey, USSNorway, Serg, and Potty1 got it going again with a little nudge from me. If it weren't for them, this thread wouldn't be active now, I'm sure. Maybe you can play a similar role at Beamdog.
Best,
A.
No Polymorphs at the Stockade, only at Rayic's home. At the Stockade I basically used everything I had except Polys: Teleport Fields, a Holy Smite, two Sunfires, Skellies, lots of MMMs (first set cast before resting), Magic Missiles, Jan's traps, Jan's backstabs, and only later HP/Duhm/RM to deal with surviving slavers. Edit: I also had defensive stuff up of course (Stoneskin, MIs, Blurs, MSDs, MGoI, among others).
Makes sense. I should re-read that post. I was picturing a straight-out-of the-Chateau Dagny chunking all the slavers in Flind form and I was like: damn, that's pretty awesome.
Best,
A.
Actually you could be a huge help, CKT, if you can spare the time. You are running SCS v30 with the Fixpack v10, correct?
We need someone to replicate the issues I've run into in order to determine whether it is a general problem, or something specific to my install.
Have one of your characters cast Spell Shield and GoI. Then, have another character cast Spell Thrust at the character who is running Spell Shield and GoI. Let us know what happens. In particular, does the Spell Thrust remove Spell Shield or do you get a Spell Ineffective message.
Best,
A.
Tell me what Gol is & I will take an saved game & go add an evil Mage to test it out for you. All the good/neutral Mages are dead so I'm running w/o one but I'll run it through for you anytime. I am running both of those in my setup, i.e., SCS (v) 30 & FP (v) 10. CKT
Tell me what Gol is & I will take an saved game & go add an evil Mage to test it out for you. All the good/neutral Mages are dead so I'm running w/o one but I'll run it through for you anytime. I am running both of those in my setup, i.e., SCS (v) 30 & FP (v) 10. CKT
Actually, Grond0 already ran the test for us so we're good.
Thanks for the offer though, CKT! Very cool of you!
Best,
A.
Btw. GoI means Globe of Invulnerability. Sorry. I should have spelled it out. I'm lazy sometimes.
I'm a bit too likely to bust out the legalize and talk about bug doctrine or whatever to be placed in the same category as them. They're more spiritually enlightened no reloaders than I am.
Me too. I reloaded with Scintilla after lagging.
I've noticed the differences in standards across forums. That's why I backed away from the unification idea.
There has been some great content and great play there, nonetheless.
Agree with you on both accounts.
Not too long ago, this thread was virtually dead, you know. Just before the Avatars runs we had gone three weeks without a single post. Grond0, Gate, Corey, USSNorway, Serg, and Potty1 got it going again with a little nudge from me. If it weren't for them, this thread wouldn't be active now, I'm sure.
I understand. This challenge has brought together a group of really nice people. The longevity despite setbacks is impressive.
Not sure if I could play a similar role at Beamdog. Maybe if I pulled off a really impressive run with some kind of challenging restriction or 'weak' class/kit,to make people wonder each time 'will he make it?'
Makes sense. I should re-read that post. I was picturing a straight-out-of the-Chateau Dagny chunking all the slavers in Flind form and I was like: damn, that's pretty awesome.
Best,
A.
It would. It also would require a different buffing routine and spell set than the one I handled the stockade with.
I understand. This challenge has brought together a group of really nice people.
Agreed. You're one of them. 
Not sure if I could play a similar role at Beamdog. Maybe if I pulled off a really impressive run with some kind of challenging restriction or 'weak' class/kit,to make people wonder each time 'will he make it?'
I don't think putting on a show is that important, actually. I'll acknowledge that daring solos and such garner attention, but that type of attention fades. You put you finger on why this challenge is still here: good, kind, and welcoming people, with a commitment to the game. If you keep posting, hopefully people will join you and stay around.
Best,
A.
Speaking of the thread, and its longevity, I feel like I'm killing it now with all this, bug talk and then chit-chat.
It's been great talking to you, Blackraven.
Let's post some updates, everyone!
Best,
A.
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