Alora v. PerthI'll post on the Perth battle since I uploaded the screenshots for that one earlier. Note well: The Mage script here is SCS 15. I also have an older version of G3 installed which will have implications at one stage of the battle. I'll also forewarn that this won't be a comprehensive tutorial Serg since I'm pressed for time.
For Alora, Mage battles are all about patience and timing. Patience allows her to leverage her Stealth abilities while minimizing the Mage's buff advantage. Timing permits her to counter opponent moves and therefore keep out of harms way.
This particular battle wasn't well executed really. Alora missed a number of opportunities and could have been more aggressive. Nonetheless, it was safe and that's the important thing for our purposes in this thread: having a method that is safe
even if you screw up.
The battle began when Alora tried to pickpocket the Wardstone off of Perth. She got the Book of Infinite Spells instead, so she had to fight. Her first move was to activate her Ring of Invisibility.
Perth's Pre-Buffs fired. They included a Chained Simulacrum. Alora made a minor error here- she could have Backstabbed the Simmy to death before it cast Stoneskins but she hesitated before approaching.
There was little Alora could do while Perth was running ProMW. Fortunately, there wasn't much Perth could do either since Alora was invisible. SCS mages will cast on themselves when facing invisible opponents. It is wise to keep your distance so you are out of the AoE. In this case, Perth used Emotion and ADHW amongst other. Alora was out of range however.
Simmy Perth cast Oracle. Since Alora was Invisible via the Ring of Invisibility, she was revealed. She countered with her Ring of Air Control.
Perth tried to reveal her again. This was worth trying. Each round that passes shifts the odds in favor of Alora. It didn't work for him however. In older versions of G3, the Cloak of Non-Detection works with Ring of Air Control Improved Invisibility.
Perth's buffs started running out. At that point, he attempted to use Invisibility to protect himself. Alora countered with Detect Illusions.
Up untill this point, the battle has been a stalemate. That is about to end.
Alora's prefered method for taking down Mages is Dispelling Arrow-> Poison (via Arrows of Biting or Darts of Wounding). She did not have her Poison Ammo with her however, since she trimmed her inventory before leaving for Spellhold. The Poison stuff was left behind because she knew she'd find more in the Asylum. It would have been nice to have here.
Summon Efreeti-> Arrow of Dispelling->Invisibility->Backstab can often be an effective way to finish a Stoneskinned mage. The Efreeti can draw out a cast for you. When the mage's Aura is clouded, you can Dispel and execute the Backstab. Note that Efreetis have 3 Invisibility Casts at their disposal which makes then especially valuable summons for Thieves.
The plan did not work at all this time though.
Oppsy...
Alora rushed to her Efreeti and caught an Invisibility cast however disrupting Perth's spell. Alora frequently uses invisibility to interupt spells.
Ok Mr. Efreet, let's try that again. I'll get closer this time as well. Um, Mr. Efreeti...Are you there?
Without the Efreeti, Alora opted to save her Dispelling Arrows and go with an inelegant but effective method: ranged fire and counters. Tuigan with Cold Arrows is her preferred means of taking out Stoneskins. Again, she left a lot of her ammo behind to make room in her inventory before leaving for Spellhold.
Fighting mages from a distance has a few advantages. First, you stay out of Maze range. Second, you have a wider window for spell countering. Here are some example's of counters.
After Alora took down Perth's Stoneskins, he tried his Flame Arrow(x3) Trigger. A Potion of Fire Resistance cushioned the blow. Alora just needed a Potion of Extra Healing to counter here. Note that Autopause: Hit gave her the opportunity to make other moves as well if she desired.
Perth tried Chaos next. Alora countered with a Potion of Clarity.
So long as you have a comprehensive tactical tool kit that covers all potential threats -
and keep your aura clear so that you can counter at the correct time- this is safe. If you screw up the timing though, you can quickly find yourself in trouble. That's where the Dispelling Arrows come in handy: they minimize your exposure time and therefore the reduce the risk of a timing error.
If you are worried about getting your timing wrong, then it would behoove you to apply buffs while invisibile- just be sure that you've drawn out the Remove Magics before layering in the expensive or rare stuff..
Once Perth was out of skins, it didn't take long for him to fall. At this stage, multiple hit weapons are prefereable since they increase the probability of disruption. Poison can be efficient as well.
In any event, this wasn't an especially well fought battle, but it should give you a sense of how solo single class thieves can handle Mages pre-UAI. Patience, timing, and effective item use. Dispelling Arrows and good execution can minimize risk, but the arrows aren't essential and there is margin for error.
Best,
A.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 11 octobre 2011 - 09:59 .
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