15226 réponses à ce sujet

[Blackraven]

Alesia, good job @Sendai's. I found Improved Sendai very hard. Your current party seems well-prepared to deal with her, but what about your (weaker) solo characters? You said you were thinking of going with a Paladin in your next run.

[corey_russell]

@Alesia, Re: Jabberwork's mysterious death

 

I've never seen all 6 portraits go black on a death, but I don't have EE either. As others have said, there appears to be insufficient information. I would probably then let the player make the call, since he was there. Hasn't some one else playing EE mysteriously died? This sounds vaguely familiar...

 

Edit: I remember which run that was - Grond0/Gate70 were fighting Firkraag in EE, and the main character suddenly died, but Grond0/Gate70 had not the slightest idea how that could have happened - I wonder if this is the same bug.

 

Edit2: This is the post about the mysterious EE death I was thinking of.

 

Corey

[Grond0]

I do. Jabberwock's character had full HPs, death warded and petrification protected, so there's really no explanation as to what might have killed the character, taking into account the relatively harmless enemy he was fighting. And then suddenly the disappeared portraits. I'd be completely fine with a reload and to me it wouldn't discredit a possible no-reload trilogy succes for Jabberwock.

Whether I'd reload myself, which I said I probably wouldn't (if only because I hate the 'Your main character has been killed message' is irrelevant IMO.

 

I'd agree with that.  I wouldn't reload myself, but I see no reason why Jabberwock shouldn't do so if he wants.

[Iguanus]

First attempt at a:

No-reload (this thread premise)

Minimal Killing (will try to kill only those who CHARNAME needs to kill or would be extremelly anoyed not to - summons, Amellysan and Sendai's minions come to mind).

 

Here comes The Pacifier

 

Gnome Bounty Hunter

 

[Pacifier - Update 1]

 

Came out from the Dungeon hiding nearly all the time. Had a few tricky times trying to run from the a mephit on the golem room, but that was only XP-wise, as keys had been stolen from the big guy.

[Image coming]

 

Also had some trouble with traps (died on my first iteration - this is the second one! -, but little was lost, as I didn't even left the dungeon yet). That teached me to spend point on trap disarming, as they are a source of non-killing xp (albeit I have no idea on how much) and a way to be safer.

 

Mephit portals were slinged out from safety (out of sight or hiding!).

[Image coming]

 

Finally, on the outside!

 

 

[Aasim]

I'll quote myself:

 

, if you had Death Ward/Pro Petrify on your PC, I'd call this an EE bug. I wouldn't reload on it, but I wouldn't blame you if you did.

[Alesia_BH]

Alesia, good job @Sendai's. I found Improved Sendai very hard. Your current party seems well-prepared to deal with her, but what about your (weaker) solo characters? You said you were thinking of going with a Paladin in your next run.

 

Here's the plan. Two installs.

 

Solo: Non-Improved

 

Party: Improved

 

I think that makes sense.

 

The improved version is too hard if one lacks the DPS and or spell equivalent actions to take out the statues quickly.

 

The unimproved version is too easy if one has the DPS and spell equivalent actions to obliterate each of the statues and the real Sendai individually.

 

If the number of rounds it took for the statues to activate could be adjusted on a sliding scale, the Improved version could be used in all runs. Alas, Goldilocks Sendai does not yet exist.

 

Best,

 

A.

[Alesia_BH]

@Everyone: Noted. 

 

@Jabberwock. If you're out there, and if you're still convinced your character was gibbed by a bug, then please come back and resume posting: we'd love to have you and we trust your judgement.

 

Best,

 

A.

 

Btw. @Everyone. It would behoove us to learn more about EE mystery death so we can identify these situations in the future. We should understand the mechanism and know how to recognize it, else risk finding ourselves in the same icky sit repeatedly. 

[Alesia_BH]

Congrats, Grimjim!

 

Jim's run was outstanding! We'd love to see him continue, but I definitely understand sorcerer fatigue. (I've been feeling it too, truth be told.)

 

F/Ms and M/Ts are awesomely fun and awesomely good. They also have easier, or at least clearer routes to victory in the final battle, while offering greater gameplay variety throughout ToB. 

 

Sorcerer play can get repetitive- especially in the late game.

 

Best,

 

A.

[Alesia_BH]

Well, it seems my proposed spellbook changes aren't going to work after all. At least I went with the safe version for this game.

 

 

I wouldn't say that. I think they were all reasonable. I'm 100% with you on Malison. Had I not wished to reference Alicia with Fire Shield: Blue Aphril would have taken Malison. And for you, I think swapping LR and Breach makes perfect sense.

 

As for Spell Deflection, I'm just too fond of the Spell Shield/Spell Deflection Trigger- especially at the Throne.

 

For the sake of clarity, here's how I see the issue. With a well played solo sorcerer, it's ultimately going to come down to Throne: nothing else is going to stop you. As a consequence, I prefer to optimize my book for the final fight. And for the final fight I want my Spell Deflection Trigger. I'm willing to sacrifice a little convenience along the way.  

 

I'd still like to talk about Contingency.

 

Best,

 

A. 

[Alesia_BH]

 

The fact that others have reported EE characters spontaneously dying with no reasonable explanation would lead me to believe its a bug and a reload would be justified. I would genuinely love to know what would cause such a bug, though.

 

 

That's pretty much how I feel.

 

I was initially inclined to believe it was a bug. 

 

The fact that others have reported similar occurrences, has led me to conclude that the evidence standard has been satisfied, or nearly so.

 

Nonetheless, I'd still like to know what happened there, so we'll be better prepared to deal with analogous situations in the future.

 

Best,

 

A.

[Blackraven]

Congrats Jim! Nevermind Jon's pre-buffing issues, you've completed SoA!
Taking a break could be wise. I once continued with a Wizard Slayer whose Hardinesses and GWWs started to bore me, and she died quite needlessly in Gromnir's Castle. Hope your break isn't going to be too long

[Aasim]

Grats Jim. Btw, why the familiar whack?

I never knew Slayer can't see through invisibility.. that's one epic boss  ....

That can come in handy to avoid TS-melee whacking. 

There are some oddities when it comes to invis detection with SCS. Enemies which have it by default still use TSeeing & Oracle. In similar line, Beholders use 3x Lower MR trigger to destroy MR they created themselves (and which dissapears shortly by itself) with Anti-Magic Ray.

I'm quite inclined to revert to v21; that's probably my favourite version, at least when I don't use Revisions. It's stable, well-tested, and it has a fantastic option to prevent AI mages from using Simmy spell; so I can pretend they don't exist in the game.  Likwise, it gives the Tactics Irenicus in Hell option which is imo great.

[Alesia_BH]

This is a good point, and the reason I reconsidered is similar to the reason I took teleport field over greater malison: I know I can make it to the Throne without pierce magic, I don't know if I can beat it without spell deflection.
 

 

I think that's the right way to analyze it.

 

 

Both of those are a big part of it. What I find fun about RPGs in general is the gradual sense of your character getting stronger and adding new tricks to their arsenal. 

Of course that chain eventually comes to an end. 

 

Understood. For some time now I've been leaning heavily toward using a 50%-75% EXP progression nerf in solo games.

 

I think that would help rebalance SoA while also permitting gradual power accumulation in ToB. Have you considered that approach?

 

My favorite play through by far was my first Trilogy no reload: a party game where we rushed to rescue Imoen. We didn't get our first HLAs until after Gromnir. My sorcerer PC was at level 23 when she reached the Throne. Personally, I think that just about right, although I'd like HLAs a little bit earlier in solo games.

 

 I think the first 2 Pocket Plane challenges and the battles against the Five are quite good, especially the Ascension versions, but everything in between feels like filler.
 

 

Yeah. It's no secret that ToB was rushed out the door. I, for one, and infinitely grateful that Gaider created the Ascension mod. I probably would have abandoned ToB long ago without it.

 

M/T in particular is my overall favorite class just because they have so many ways to deal with enemies and I feel that their bag of tricks keeps growing for much longer than the sorcerer's does. It's just a shame that the weaknesses of the class really get exposed at the Throne.

 

I enjoy M/Ts too. 

 

I definitely wouldn't call them underpowered in ToB, however.

 

As you may be aware, one of my SCS/Ascension Trilogy No Reloads was with an M/T named Alyssa. She could be thrown off her game, but for the most part she was monstrous- outrageously overpowered in the majority of encounters. Improved Alacrity->Time Trap Stack->Mislead->Improved Haste->Black Blade of Disaster + Belm is one of the most devastating moves in the game. That grants you eons of time to backstab at 6APR dealing 150-350 damage per hit. It takes a fraction of a round to setup and you can be invulnerable via pre-buffs while you're arranging it. M/Ts have other devastating moves as well.

 

I'd rank the M/T as a top tier ToB power class without hesitation, and I consider M/Ts among the most bankable builds at the Throne in Ascension. For the hardest Core difficulty version of the fight, the version where you are opposed by Balthazar, a M/T (I/T, really) may be my top pick.

 

If I had to choose between Jan Jansen and a min-maxed Kensai->Mage, I'd take Jan Jansen hands down. Not even close. Seriously.

 

Anyhoo. We look forward to seeing you back in action, Grim Jim!

 

Best,

 

A.

[Alesia_BH]

Quick Note on Aphril's Game: Draconis- A Concise Summary

 

Aphril and Co. cast Protection from Acid, Spell Immunity:Abjuration and ProMW.

 

Draconis cast neither Protection from Arcane WhoopAss nor Protection from Imoen

 

We win. He loses. Next contestant.

 

 

Best,

 

A.

[Alesia_BH]

Quick Note on Aphril's Game: A Musical Interlude

 

Over on the Beamdog forums, there is a thread about theme songs for Baldur's Gate NPCs. I thought I'd share my chosen theme songs for my current crew. As an FYI, I'd be interested in hearing songs that others have chosen to represent their No Reload Challenge characters and or parties. It may help give them a bit of color.

 

Anyhoo. Here are mine.

 

Aerie

 

As readers here know, I play Aerie as a warrior, a melee fighter, a tank. Only one song fits my version of Aerie: Army of Me by Bjork

 

 

Imoen

 

I've gone back and forth on Imoen's theme song. I've finally settled on Disco Infiltrator by LCD Soundsystem. The other one I considered for her is Deceptacon by Le Tigre, but I think, in the end, BG2 Imoen is more hipster than riot grrrl.

 

 

Adara

 

Adara steps to a slightly different beat than the rest of the party. She's more more art rock than electro, and yet still uptempo. Kate Bush seems to fit her. Big Sky in particular.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV7w5TaYjRA

 

Aphril

 

Aphril is a light-speed blaster-caster with a touch of nostalgic referencing. Nothing could fit her better than Air War by Crystal Castles. I associate Grimes's music with her as well, though.

 

https://youtu.be/RSPcC5N5hZs

 

Apologies to those who find this a pointless aside. I've always enjoyed associating music with characters.

 

Best,

 

A. 

[Alesia_BH]

Aphril, Elven Sorcerer: Draconis (or Hide and Seek)

 

I've spent the last ten minutes looking over the screenshots from the Draconic fight, trying to figure out a way to weave a compelling narrative from them. Frankly, it's difficult. Not much happened in this fight. In human form, Draconis cast SI:D + II and hid. In dragon form, he used invisibility and hid. He spent most of the battle in hiding. Does that make sense? Yes, actually. Draconis's only chance at victory was to somehow remove the party's Protection from Acid. And there was only one way that he could realistically achieve that: time intersected with incredible good fortune. He didn't have the slots to unbuff any of the party's members, let alone all of them. All he could do was wait out two consecutive castings of SI:A and hope against hope that Aphril and Adara would be unable to refresh the party's books. That didn't happen, of course, and eventually, the fraidy cat was punked. It did take a while though: give him credit for that.

 

Here we see the opening. Aphril cast Projected Image. The Protected Image fires up Improved Alacrity. Draconis is invisible. What you're seeing there is his Mislead.

 

 

Imoen nixed his Mislead ASAP, but Draconis remained invisible. Aerie's True Sight could do little against SI:D. Aphril's Removes could do little against SI:A. We needed him to reveal himself.

 

 

Fortunately, he did. He summoned a Fallen Planetar. That's a sensible move. How did it work out? Not good. Newly revealed, Draconis lost his Spell Immunities within a fraction of a round.

 

 

Meanwhile, the ToD chunked his Fallen Planetar faster than Chiktikka Fastpaws.

 

 

A SI:D Trigger permitted Draconis to linger long enough to cast Time Stop. 

 

 

But unlike the Draconis in my earlier install, this one did not use the time to summon demons. In my old install, we'd be up to our ears in demons by now. In this one, we just had to suffer the disappointment of learning that Contingency: Hit- Spell Shield does not work correctly in v30. A Ruby Ray is treated as a hit, as one would expect. However, the Contigencied Spell Shield does not replace the old Spell Shield as it should. Instead, the new Spell Shield is immediately dispelled along with the prior one, causing the player to lose two Spell Shields to a single Ruby Ray. It's a jip. And a shame: Contingency: Hit- Spell Shield is, in theory, an excellent move in arcane battles since the first "hit" a caster typically takes is a Ruby Ray attack on their Spell Shield. It would be great to be able to automate replacement.

 

 

Whatever. With Draconis revealed again, by virtue of having tossed that Ruby Ray, his days were numbered. Aphril's PI finished him with a little help from the ToD (no screenshot).

 

Then it was just a matter of getting dragon form Draconis to reveal himself. Once he did, Aphril fired up Improved Alacrity and went to work on him at point-blank range under ProMW. Beyond the edge of the frame, Adara is casting Wilting, Aerie is prepping for a melee assault, and Imoen is casting Time Stop. Before long, Draconis was at Badly Injured. Time for the handoff.

 

 

Finish him Imoen! 

 

 

We'll face Abazgial tomorrow afternoon.

 

Best,

 

A.

 

 

Aerie the Avariel Tank of Doom, L20/17 C/M: Kills- 559; XP Value- 32%; Most Powerful Vanquished- Ogremoch; Favorite Spell- Holy Smite; Favorite Weapon- Flail of Ages;  Revivals: 0

 

Imoen the Quick, L7/21 T->M: Kills- 117; XP Value- 11%; Most Powerful Vanquished- Draconis; Favorite Spell- Stoneskins; Favorite Weapon- Melf's Minute Meteors; Revivals: 0

 

Adara the Bold, L24 Sorcerer: Kills- 458; XP Value- 25%; Most Powerful Vanquished- Bodhi; Favorite Spell- Invisibility; Favorite Weapon- Melf's Minute Meteors; Revivals: 1

 

Aphril the Almost Famous, L24 Sorcerer: Kills- 515; XP Value- 30%; Most Powerful Vanquished: Firkraag; Favorite Spell- Invisibility; Favorite Weapon- Melf's Minute Meteors

[Grond0]

There are some oddities when it comes to invis detection with SCS. Enemies which have it by default still use TSeeing & Oracle.

That's not necessarily wasted.  Even if an opponent can see through invisible it's still possible for invisible characters to get backstab bonuses when attacking from the rear.  Some enemies, like dragons, will also be immune to backstabs - but even they may use summons ...

[Alesia_BH]

That's not necessarily wasted. 

 

Agreed. Eliminating Mirror Images, Blur AC and save buffs, Improved Invisibility AC and save buffs, ETC is still very worthwhile.

 

Best,

 

A.

[Serg BlackStrider]

I'd be interested in hearing songs that others have chosen to represent their No Reload Challenge characters and or parties. It may help give them a bit of color.

.....

 

Apologies to those who find this a pointless aside. I've always enjoyed associating music with characters.

That is great idea! Myself is quite a meloman so always associates some music with any chars I play. For Impish Face (or even more for Ozzy, my Cleric/Illusionist) the best fitting theme is Nox Arcana's Theater of Illusion (the whole album as it's a conceptual thing and it fits right through the whole adventure).

[Alesia_BH]

 For Impish Face (or even more for Ozzy, my Cleric/Illusionist) the best fitting theme is Nox Arcana's Theater of Illusion (the whole album as it's a conceptual thing and it fits right through the whole adventure).

 

Got it. I can definitely see how that fits.

 

Where is Impish Face, btw?

 

Best,

 

A.

[Serg BlackStrider]

Got it. I can definitely see how that fits.

 

Where is Impish Face, btw?

He is digging through the Saradush' sewers at the moment. Quite a dirty work if you ask me...

[Alesia_BH]

The sewers, huh... You know, I've never gone that way. 

 

What's over there?

 

Best,

 

A.

[Serg BlackStrider]

The sewers, huh... You know, I've never gone that way. 

 

What's over there?

Experience, of course (I need it for the party of six)  .  And loot for sell (no major one but +2/+3 are plenty there and I need money to be spent in Arcana Archives). I always clean both the prison and the sewers (I'm a completionist, remember?  ).