Introducing Zigana, the Half-Orc, Lawful Neutral, Cleric/Thief!
I had this idea a long time ago. I wanted to do a solo run with a VERY versitile character (as close to F/C/M/T as possible). I have done reload solos of BG & SoA with a barbarian and with a fighter/cleric/mage. I know that a fighter/mage/thief would be about as versitile as it gets, but I really wanted to have cleric spells. The first time I ever played Baldur's Gate I was a Ranger, and the 2nd & 3rd times I was a fighter dualed to a cleric and then a cleric dualed to a fighter. Also, I never did very well with mage characters, either PC or NPC. I don't know what it is, but I have always been partial to divine casters and fighters (especially rangers ... probably the LotR/Aragorn fan in me). (I even did that "What D&D character/class would you be?" survey thing and ended up a True Neutral Cleric with a lean towards good and lawful, with a fighter just behind cleric. I may try that character out some time if I can find the time!) So, anyway, the desire to keep cleric spells meant that thief was double good to get me thief skills and mage spells after the UAI HLA. So there you go, from the build standpoint: melee strength+cleric spells+trap removal+stealth+mage spells in BG2 where it matters most.
While being very metagamed, the build worked out well in my mind for role playing. A half-orc would be inclined to melee (high str/dex/con) but could also be a wise cleric (18 wis is possible). Being a half-orc, she is not beautiful or all that smart (low cha & medium int). A lawful neutral cleric could work as a wisdom-based strategic character who would see her rouge skills not for theft but for strategic advantage. (In fact, isn't there a minor god of battle strategy? Google says: The Red Knight, also known as "Lady of Strategy" ... nice!) Zigana is a lone-wolf type that uses her upbringing in Candlekeep along with her ongoing adventuring experience to gain the wisdom needs to find a way to survive. It fits in with the way I intend to play a no-reload solo game: avoiding risk as much as possible. I plan to have her dual-wield flails, cast cleric spells, use the versitile thief skills (especially stealth to scout around a lot!), and mostly avoid battles until she has had a chance to plan it out and get any helpful items, etc.
I am running BGtutu with BG1NPC and some BG2Tweaks such as bags of holding, maps/notes, and weapon styles for all.
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Zigana started out buying studded leather, 2 flails, and a helmet from the inn. She did the standard go-for and training tasks and said goodbye to everyone, though most she talked to did not like her all that much apparently. Hopefully, Firebead will be a good friend on the outside, since he was one that was nice to her!
She saw her father killed, then scurried carefully with Imoen to the FAI, avoiding all combat. She used Sanctuary to escape Tarnesh, who was almost killed by the guards. Imoen finished him with her wand after he ran into the temple, but he did get a Horror off, so Zigana and Imoen ran around in the Temple of Wisdom for a while.
Thank the gods that the neutral ground of the FAI was worth something! A couple times Tarnesh has killed the guards in my various games! Zigana and Imoen met Khalid and Jaheira, purchased basic equipment for everyone, but let all three companions go when they insisted on going south to Nashkel (... she did trade Imoen a bunch of spell scrolls for the Wand of Magic Missiles. Perhaps when they meet again, Imoen will be an accomplished mage!). Instead, I had Zigana travel north to Baldur's Gate using stealth. She found the farmer's son with Sanctuary, and then used ended up helping the young priestess just north of there. She leveled up after helping Tenya, but only added 4hp getting to Level 2/2. BG was closed, so she headed to Beregost by sneaking through the crossroads area. No need to pick up the FAI crew again, since she did not intend to go to Nashkel any time soon.
She met Firebead, got his book from Feldpost's and an un-welcoming from the locals. Selling the treasure she found in the cave got her up over 2,000 gold. She leveled up one more time talking with Firebead, netting 1hp for a thief level (but she did get to 75&50 for stealth). It was very early, so the smithy was not open. Instead, she went to the temple, then south of town. There she found lots of trouble (but stayed out of sight) and another smaller treasure cave. She kept going south, met a hermit with some interesting things to say, and then hit the jackpot with Lord Foreshadow (charisma ring IDed by Thalantyr). She also snuck around high hedge for a while. From a metagaming standpoint, she walked past a lot of potential experience that she noted for later!
At High Hedge, she had Thaly ID more treasure at from the first cave (wand and armor) and sold it. This put her over 5,000 gold, so she purchased 3 explosion bottles and a sleep wand. Then Zigana returned to Beregost to remove the threats just south of town. This pushed her up to Level 3/4 and 5 more hit points. She used fire on ghasts and sleep on the ogrillons.
She finally met Thunderhammer, sold some stuff, discovered that she had found some nice boots, but also discovered that the smithy did not have any magical flails! More Beregost quests/etc.: Thunderhammer's neighbor Mirianne, Marl & Dunkin, talked to some people in Feldpost's including a crazy gnome. With imporoved confidence and improved people skills, Zigana returned to the FAI to talk to more people: Joia, various commoners and noblemen, Surrey, Nessie, Unshey, and Landrin. Two noblemen of interest: man with gold pants, which Zigana did not take, and a guy who told an interesting tale (I don't know if I had ever noticed this before! Was this added with BGtutu? I know exactly what this refers to, but Zigana does not!).
I had Zigana donate 1,000 gold to the Temple of Wisdom as offerings for increased wisdom and a boost in local reputation. The Joia quest led to a Cleric level up for 3hp and one more pip in two-weapon style fighting (now Level 4/4). She did, in fact, finally get some significant practice with the two flails against the hobgoblins (as opposed to the use of fire and wands around Beregost). She returned to Beregost to kill some spiders for Landrin, storred some items in Landrin's house (this will be her home base), then decided to travel to Nashkel.
Buying the potion case netted her all 4 of the typed bags of holding. It also turned out that her companions never went to Nashkel themselves, as the mayor said the adventurers he had expected never showed up... Anyway, talked to Volo in the tavern, Edwin on the bridge (did not take him up on his offer), and Noober. Then went to the carnival. She made some trades but could not afford the necklace of missiles. She traveled west into the mountains based on what the folk of Nashkel said pertaining to their dishonored captain of the guards. Wandered into a Xvart village and used Sanctuary to explore the place. Found a Flail +1 in a cave! Zigana likes caves! Continued north to help an archiologist, but ended up killing a lot of possessed workers. Then met Brage and freed him from his madness. Sold a bunch of stuff in Nashkel, bought 2 stone-to-flesh scrolls, went to rest at the inn, but ran into a bounty hunter, Neira, so she Sanctuaryed it up and left to rest at the carnival. Had enough gold to buy two magical necklaces/amulets and a protection-from-petrification scroll. She freed the cleric Branwen, helped her heal, equip, and then sent her on her way, but not before giving Zeke a scare
. Used the necklace of missiles to kill a bunch of monsters and bandits on the road from Nashkel to Beregost including 2 vampriric wolves. Leveled up to 4/5 with 2 more hit points. Fire-blasted more wolves near the Song of the Morning Temple. Used probably 5-6 charges to get to Level 5/5 which provided the ability to summon skeletons and +5hp (now up to 28hp). Sold off some stuff around Beregost, rested, dreamed some werid dream, and then continued what she started near the temple eventually going east to fight some basilisks. Skeletons and a protection scroll made those fights easy. The mage was rather easy too, since the skeletons took care of him while she soloed his lizards. She also freed a stone woman.
Leveled up to 5/6 and almost 6/6. Traveled back to Beregost and then High Hedge to sell her spoils and recharge the necklace. At this point, I had still been keeping Zigana out of combat except where I felt totally safe to do so. South of High Hedge, she did fight a wolf who was chasing a chicken. But then she went back to her fire strategy against ghasts and hobgoblins. She luckly saved against poison from an elite hobgoblin before he was toasted (though she did have plenty of healing potions and antidotes handy). This got her to Level 6/6 and 34hp thanks to better roles (+2 then +4!). Went back to High Hedge to help Melicamp, but it was in vain. Zigana did have a relatively easy time with the enemy skeletons around HH, but I still had her avoid most monsters.
The plan then was to have her explore the coast and look for more caves!!!! An ambush of half-ogres was handled with a sleep wand blast took all 3 of them down. Traveling the coast should be safe enough at this point, as Zigana can summon skeletons, use Sanctuary and stealth, and play with fire magic. If anything looks too dangerous or she runs out of support items or spells, she can run away. Using that plan, she killed crawlers, ogres, sirines, and ghouls getting her to LeveL 6/7 with +1 hp. She used Sanctuary to explore around the lighthouse, where she selectively fought worgs (used one fire blast and, then meleed them, which worked well even in studded leather ... only a couple small hits against her), sirines (with skeletons), crawlers (fire only), and lured flesh golems out to her skeletons while landing some hits herself. Again, Zigana found herself enjoying cave crawling! Against a wild dog ambush, she finally broke a flail (the off-hand non-magical one, but replaced it quickly). Then, back at HH, she toughened up with a good book IDed by Thaly taking her form 35 up to 42hp! She purchased some mirrored eye potions, sold her spoils, and decided to finally see what the deal was with the mines in Nashkel.
In the mines, she used her sleep wand against kobolds. Easily had enought trap finding skill at this point (85). Used stealth to start battles in her favor with melee. Saw Mulahey before he saw her. Led Xan out of his prison, then retured to take care of business. A Command spell hit immediately, allowing Zigana to do 15 & 11 damage right away! She literally broke her 2nd flail over his head! Then he ran right into her skeleton friends, although he also got held at the same time.
After that it was just slugging it out with kobolds and skeletons who really did not hit her very much and/or focused on her skeletons instead of her. Cha-ching! Ring of Holiness IDed with inherent lore ability! Hero status with the mayor brought on Level 7/7, 3 more hit points, and Level 4 spells (Free Action). IDed, sold, and then ran into another bad looking dude. Zigana summoned the rest of her skeletons to take on Nimbul, who got held too! Nice boots! She lured Neria (who had been waiting in the inn for quite a while) into the skeletons too. A 3rd successful hold in a row!
Back to Nashkel. Fought 2 dread wolves melee mostly and took 3 hits before finishing them. I'm starting to get confident with her melee ability. Met E again, stopped by home base to store some stuff, talked with Firebead about bandits, sold and rested at Feldpost's, then confronted Tranzig with skeletons. He killed the last one just as Zigana landed the hit to make him want to run. He spilled his beans so she let him go. Silke fight was interesting: Command did not work, so Zigana ran. Silke went invisible, so Zigana went stealth. Used stealth, searched around, then summoned a skeleton out of sight to be her front line fighter. Back in battle, Zigana avoided a lightning bolt, but then Silke ran into a house. Zigana entered under stealth and landed a blow, then ran out. Silke followed, hit the skeleton with Magic Missiles, but 11, 6, and 10 in melee ended the battle quickly.
Zigana then returned for a reward. Karlat went down to a fourth successful hold in a row! Talk to Perdue, commoners, Raleo Windspear. Sold off some stuff, met Chole, Officer Vai, then headed to Ulcaster based on Releo's comment that adventure was to be had there. Snuck past a bunch of hobgoblins. Zigana had no serious trouble in melee vs. 6 zombies and 2 dread wolves (though she bypassed the 4 dire wolves). She cleared all traps, used fire on group of 4 dread wolves, tried melee in the middle but took too many hits, so she hid, healed, and returned to finish the dread wolves with more fire, then picked them off one by one in melee when they were nearly dead. She saw a vampiric wolf, so she buffed with Free Action and Shield. Hit the vamp wolf and 2 more dread wolves with a few fire blasts (in between planned retreats), then finished again with melee vs. almost dead vamp. wolf. Free action was inplace as a precaution, but she took no hits. Found book, fought spiders, then used fire on kobolds and Icharyd. When Icharyd landed 2 quick hits, Zigana ran and hid, drank a potion of absorbtion, landed one hit from shadows, then meleed it to death since Icharyd had a major penalty to hit with blunt weapons. This got Zignana another Flail +1!
She entered the other half of the dungeon, scouted around, added free action again, then faced the slimes. Retured to civilization at the FAI, considering going after the bandits, IDed and sold stuff. Fought some more monsters and bandits on the road. Got ogre belts. Skipped a BIG group of bandits nearby. Went to HH to sell and recharge magical items. South of Beregost, she blasted some monsters and bandits with sleep wand support, then returned to Landrin's house to store goods. Rest/dream/Perdue. Next up: Bandit Camp.
Obviously, Zigana is progressing well with high levels early in the main storyline. Also, I have not had any serious scares so far. However, I expect that to change as the game progresses. The bandit camp could be rough, and Cloakwood will be even harder, etc. Right now, she has almost everything I could want for her: 16 con, high stealth & trap finding, two pips in dual wield getting her nice main hand thac0 and ok off hand thac0, pretty good hit points, and plenty of spell access.
Modifié par SpiffyKeen, 17 octobre 2011 - 05:48 .
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