16377 réponses à ce sujet

[Blackraven]

@Aasim, well in my setup there's a pair of gnomish boots that give free action. I think it's part of Aurora's shoes and boots mod.
Am not sure if it's randomised, if not, Halacan (the gnome in Morvin's clique you already dispatched with gusto). Annoying to be changing gear all the time, but I think inevitable.

@Grond0, yes I'll be doing the first couple of levels myself, but will have 2 or 3 more characters team up with me. Good luck with your swashy, his performance has been outstanding so far!

***

A quick question: any advice on weapon proficiencies?
1) I opted for dualwielding because I took into account the need to get in as many hits as possible as fast as possible in order to neutralize enemy mages's spellcasting. I suppose that this is a very offensive way of thinking however. Defensively 2h sword might be the way to go, no? With Spiders' Bane, and in BG2 Lilarcor (which in my setup can be upgraded to a +5 enchantment with protection against charm, confusion and intelligence drain). I think I won't be able to rely on magic resistance against status effects until deeper into the game...
2) My weapon of choice is the battleaxe, simply because I almost never use them (it was a toss up between bastard sword & axe really). It looks pretty brutal, and it seems more natural to dualwield those rather than longswords for example. I also think that the more exotic curved blades (katanas, scimitars etc) don't really fit the character I have in mind. I would consider the trusty flail as another option.
3) Btw I've also placed a pip in shortbows, since the miscast magic effect in the mod I'm playing also work with ranged attacks.

[Aasim]

@Blackraven

Axes are fine imo. I usually prefer Long swords for the sheer power of having a weapon for each enemy or immunity needed, but it doesn't really matter in the long run.


Ayax the berserker, final update


My fast run ended abruptly, even tough I had great success and very little trouble against any foe we met. Unfortunately, Ajax, despite his 19 constitution, rolled miserable HP rolls. Having not used Pro Magic scroll vs Daveorn cost him his life. Grrrr.

[Blackraven]

Hey Aasim, my condolences.... You're amazingly fast every time.
Thanks for your input. I'm still thinking what to do. But will soon make up my mind.
Have fun inventing a new character

[Jianson]

Afaik no. I believe it's only needed for Xzar's quest with Dryad of Cloudpeaks. Get those 375 GP.

I started on that quest once, but Xzar eventually died too many times to be resurrectable so I never got to see the resulting magical ring (I presume a magical ring is the result). I am also pretty sure he can do something cool with goo remains from Schlumpsa the Sewer King.


Eileth, elven Beast Master, adventuring in chapter 6 with Imoen, Viconia, Shar-Teel and Edwin.

First off in the caves, I had Edwin make Shar-Teel invisible so she could remove the web traps. As usual, I was too impatient so I set off two of them. Oh well, that's only 80 xp.

She drank a Mirrored Eyes potion to take out the basilsks. Backstabbed the first and took it with crossbow from there. Killed all the phase spiders with bolts as well (if no other spider sees you, phase spiders can be attacked without them calling for help). Backstab + one melee hit vs. sword spider, lethal backstab on wraith spider and got some archery help from Eileth to take out the other sword spider. Cave now cleared from everything but Prat's gang. For this fight, I like to have my party members spread around a bit in the cave. This does increase the risk of suprise attacks but I think spreading the risk is still an advantage here.

Viconia buffed with Magic Protection potion, then I sent in some skeletons to trigger the enemies. Buffs going off like crazy. Prat wasted a Sunfire on some skellies. My mages made themselves invisible and my warriors hid in shadows. Viccy tried some disabling spell (I forgot which one) but despite her -12 AC vs. missiles, she got disrupted, then hit a few more times and went below half life. Not sure if that was arrows, MMMs or Prat's axe throws. Anyway, she drank an invisibility potion and moved to the lefhand spider subcave, hoping to get away from Prat and heal herself (I was vary of additional Sunfires...). Sakul (bard?) showed up next to my two mages in the upper right corner of the map. Decided to "box" him in in a narrow passage with my invisble characters. The plan was to wait out his short time buffs. Prat came after the invisible Viconia (this is one annoying aspect of the SCS version I am using here, that enemies can sense where you are even when they should not be able to. I read in the readme for the newer versions of SCS that this has been adressed now) and cast some detect invisibility spell that failed to reveal her (magic resistance? no message about it...). The two fighter types came over to Viconia as well. The two lesser air elementals had moved over to Eileth down near the basilisk subcave where she was in the shadows.

I now waited out some enemy buffs, like Haste, Mirror Image, etc.

Edwin moved back from Sakul a bit and threw Malison and Emotion at him. Sakul must have sensed something was up because he moved out and spotted Edwin just before the Emotion hit. He used a sequencer to turn invisble. Now I had a lone and helpless, but invisible enemy. "Viconia, a little help here!" She moved over and cast Invisibility Purge. Ah, there he is. Time to chew through his Stonskins. Imoen, Viccy and Shar-Teel all attacked:

Easy pickings. Shar-Teel spotted Prat quite centrally placed on the map, so I thought I could maybe fight the two warriors on the left side without him noticing. Viconia and Shar-Teel moved over. Ah, that archer is still holding his bow. That's tempting for my little death angel:

Another sword slash and he was done for. And then:

Probably lucky, as Bor looks like a dwarf (they have good saves, right?). OK, Viccy, even you can kill him now. Time for Shar-Teel to go down and help Eileth against the elementals. She had failed hiding once and moved around a corner so she could hide again, and now she was sandwiched between them (but still hidden):

Backstab and some more hits on the first, ran around the little block and backstabbed the other. Both women took some damage from the whirlwinds but an extra healer each fixed that. Still pretty easy 2x 3000 exp.

Only Prat left now. I know how dangerous he is, so I deemed him worthy of one or two of my rare and expensive dispelling arrows:

After that, he immediatley triggered an Invisbility + Mirror Image sequencer. Viconia answered with True Seeing and Eileth shot another dispelling arrow. Prat still managed to cast a Spook at Eileth and her response with the Greenstone Amulet was too slow. Viconia: "I've had it with you, Mister. SHUT UP with those spells!":

(Also note the results of Imoen's first Spider Spawn spell.)
I knew Viconia was safe from this spell, because she was still 100% magic resistant, but Eileth passed by and got silenced...
And of course Prat tried to cast Vocalize but Imoen would have none of that. Nice throw, sister!:

Then everyone just went medieval on Prat:

I must say Edwin was suprisingly effective with the MMMs.

Once outside, I tried to rest. Of course the watcher interrupted our sleep but I still managed to get my coveted Vampiric Touch ability. Went to Nashkel to sell some gunk and pay our reputation back up to 11. That was a relief because now Eileth will not become Fallen if we happen to kill an innocent.

Then back to our base camp in the south (that's Zordral's tent in the Carnival), sell some potions (the cocky merchant in the carnival is the only vendor in my game setup that buys potions) and rest.

Not sure where to go now, continuing with Chapter 7 or taking on the four warders battle in Durlag's Tower. I need to check out what's in my major stash of items also. I think it is in Shop of Silence in east part of BG.

[Blackraven]

.... Imoen was shocked when I told her the news about Gorion (and I hadn't even mentioned the assassins who tried to kill me in Candlekeep). She's a good girl, but not made for the hardships of the adventuring life, I fear. I went back with her to Candlekeep. We arranged Gorion's burial, and I begged her to stay in Candlekeep. She wouldn't let me leave without a promise that I'd return for her, so I made her this promise. I hope she'll have a quiet life in Candlekeep.
As much as I care for her, she's displayed an unnatural interest in the arcane arts, one that I would not want to foster in her while having her with me on the road.
...
On the Candlekeep Coastway I met a halfling and a tall human mage. They offered to help me, but I declined politely. They told me about some business they had in Nashkell, so I might just go that way as well, and see if there's anyone needing a hand with anything.
Thus I travelled south, passing by a round, colourful building that I'd heard mention of before, the High Hedge. Apparently a powerful mage holds residence here, one Thalantyr, so I was alert at any signs of unnatural phenomena going on. These signs came soon in the shape of skeletons roaming about. We might be dealing here with a necromancer for all I know. I downed two of the skeletons before proceeding my way southward. After a day's trek, I met a talking hen, who alleged that he'd been transformed into that shape by magical means, and his master Thalantyr would be able to help him regain his natural form. Though I'm reluctant to deal with the likes of Thalantyr, I promised the chicken to take her back to Thalantyr. At least it would give me a pretext for investigating the mage up close.
I first went to Beregost though, spoke with some of the townspeople, and did a few minor favors to some people who asked for my help. In of the inns I took on a third assassin, a dwarf that made me waste three healing potions. I don't understand where all these bounty hunters come from, or who wants me dead.
Then I took Melicamp the chicken to the High Hedge, to Thalantyr. I even went so far as to aid the latter in getting a necessary component for Melicamp's supposed transmutation, but to no avail. The chicken died. I don't know which is more disturbing, an incompetent mage risking other peoples' lives, or a competent one well in control of his power. Either way I left very dissatisfied.
The road south from Beregost made me face two ogrillons that fell to my axes, and three Flaming Fist mercenaries that falsely accused me of all manner of crimes. I guess that's the price of my orcish heritage. Even though I tried to be polite with them, they attacked. Their plate mail armour made them slightly harder to hurt than other opponents I've dealt with. But I prevailed, and I got myself three good suits of plate mail. Further down the road I had to deal with a number of hobgoblins and some bandits, but nothing that made me have to worry. I also met a friendly, but defensive half-orc named Uguth who was heading for Baldur's Gate. Who knows I might meet him there.
My stay in Nashkell was a short one. From a gnomish vendor I bought a pair of Stylish Boots of the Cheetah that increase my movement speed. I met with the mayor who promised me a reward if I were to investigate the Nashkell mines and cleanse them from any evil. Shortly thereafter I ran into a Rashemaan ranger who asked me to help him release his charge, a lady who was taken captive by gnolls. He seemed honest and his cause is honourable, so I agreed to accompany him. We travelled west through the Cloudpeak mountains. We had to defend ourselves when three arrogant Amnish roughnecks picked a fight with us, which they soon came to regret. One of them had a magic belt I hope to get identified soon. Nearby we ran into two bandits, who were eager to fight us as well. One of them, a dart-thrower, had a numbr of darts of stunning and managed to stun Minsc. He didn't survive the encounter. The other bandit was after me. I lured him away from the others so that it would be my axe against his. I was quite impressed by the ease and velocity with which he wielded his weapon. We both drank various healing potions, until I slew my opponent with two critical hits. I took his axe with me.



Being on my own again, and having no idea where the Gnoll Stronghold was, I returned to Nashkell to get the loot I'd found identified. Nalin, priest of Helm identified the belt as the Golden Girdle of Urnst, an item I can't use, but possibly valuable for any companions I might meet. He wasn't capable of identifying the axe I'd picked up from the bandit, so I decided to travel back to Beregost to see if Taerom the blacksmith could enlighten me. Unfortunately he couldn't, but Keldath Ormlyr of the Temple of Lathander was able to tell that I had in my hands a Minotaur axe, a potent weapon indeed.



In front of the Temple I spoke with Gavin [LG Fighter 3 -> Dawnbringer of Lathander 4], a lathandrite priest in the service of Keldath. He asked if he could join me, and I agreed. Not only have I need of a good healer, as previous battles have taught me, he also appears to be a trustworthy sort. We even spoke about arcane magic and although he seemed a bit naive where most schools of magic are concerned, he was quite outspoken in his rejection of necromancy. I told him that most mages, except illusionists as far as I know, dabble in necromancy. He also conceded that the dangers of magic aren't limited to necromancy after I spoke to him about the incident with Melicamp.
I guess it's not easy to find worthy companions with the exact same outlook on life. So taking that into account, Gavin may well be a fine addition to my cause.
... Gavin and I returned to Nashkell and inquired about the location of the gnoll stronghold where according to Minsc the ranger his protegée was being held captive. We understood that it was just one long trek to the west, through the Cloudpeaks, till the coast. So that's the way we travelled. Incidentally we stumbled upn the dart-throwing bandit who had felled Minsc, and exacted justice on him in close combat. We also protected a nymph's life against two men who were intent on cutting down a tree she was spiritually connected with. When we finally reached the Sword Coast, the gnoll settlement loomed before us. We had to pass a bridge guarded by two half-ogres who mistakenly thought they could take us on. Then slowly, but surely, we fought our way through the gnolls till we found Minsc's charge in a pit, clothed in little more than an underdress. We helped her out of the pit and made our way back to Nashkell. Along the way the woman talked about herself, told us that she was a mage from Rashaman, just as Minsc. I kept quiet about myself, and my views on magic as I didn't want to cause a fuss.
In the Helm Temple we raised Minsc and reunited the two lost companions. They were willing to lend their hand to our cause, but Gavin and I exchanged a look, and we told them that was really considerate of them, but he and I prefered to travel together. So we said them goodbye and wished them well.
We then decided to rest in the Nashkell inn, but were awaited by a bounty huntress, a priestess. After Gavin silenced her, we had no diificulty taking her down.



We finally rested after our long journey from the gnoll stronghold, and in the morning we returned to the Temple of Lathandar, after a messenger told us that Gavin's presence was expected in the temple. Keldath asked us to get an evil priest named Bassilus out of the way. We shall soon start looking for him.
[Not sure whether I'd like Grynne to take him on already, Bassilus is a dangerous foe for a not so experienced party of two.]

[Grond0]

A quick question: any advice on weapon proficiencies?
1) I opted for dualwielding because I took into account the need to get in as many hits as possible as fast as possible in order to neutralize enemy mages's spellcasting. I suppose that this is a very offensive way of thinking however. Defensively 2h sword might be the way to go, no? With Spiders' Bane, and in BG2 Lilarcor (which in my setup can be upgraded to a +5 enchantment with protection against charm, confusion and intelligence drain). I think I won't be able to rely on magic resistance against status effects until deeper into the game...
2) My weapon of choice is the battleaxe, simply because I almost never use them (it was a toss up between bastard sword & axe really). It looks pretty brutal, and it seems more natural to dualwield those rather than longswords for example. I also think that the more exotic curved blades (katanas, scimitars etc) don't really fit the character I have in mind. I would consider the trusty flail as another option.
3) Btw I've also placed a pip in shortbows, since the miscast magic effect in the mod I'm playing also work with ranged attacks.

In BG1 ranged weapons are the safe option for most characters and the WS can benefit from these with the tweak you've got.  Darts are an under-rated weapon for warriors in general (the proficiency bonus applying to higher APR means they do more damage than other missile weapons), but for a WS they're particularly effective.  If you're thinking ahead to BG2 ranged weapons are less effective for a soloer because so many mages will combine PFMW with protection from missiles, but that combination is easily countered if you're in a party.

[Serg BlackStrider]

The story of Impish Face & Co (Baldur's Gate City).

 

There are lots of tasks here so a quick medley of completed ones (with some notes on randomised loot):

 

- Alatos (Alone with Narlen Darkwalk's tests). (Wand of Fire from Resar);

- Arkion, Nemphre and Ordulinian: tried to pickpocket them but even buffed with potions of perception & master thievery failed both so was forced to fight (discovered that wand of paralyzation works right through all regular mage's pre-buffs - Shield, Pro vs Normal Missiles, Mirror Images, MGoI, Stoneskins. Great! Something I should remember  ). Got Large Shield +1, +4 vs. Missiles from Arkion and Studded Leather Armor +2 from Nemphre's house;

- Brevlik and the Hall of Wonders;

- Sewers Ogre Mage (Necklace of Missiles);

- Areana and Cyrdemac;

- Marek and Lothander (regular, non-randomised loot);

- Larze the assassin;

- Nadine and Euric (another Necklace of Missiles);

- Nadarin and the Basilisk;

- G'axir the Seer;

- Ghorak, Larriaz, Noralee;

- Scar and the Seven Suns (Wand of Frost);

- Fergus' Angel Skin Ring;

- Aldeth and the Merchant League (Manual of Quickness of Action + Helmet of Defense);

- Found Gauntlets of Ogre Power in Flaming Fist compound, second floor;

- Varci Roaringhorn (Ankheg Plate Mail. Didn't fought Jalantha as I'm already feel guilty about cheating her with the Tome of Understanding so just fled away...   );

- Ramazith and Ragefast. Spared Ragefast (as usual), got Manual of Bodily Health from Ramazith (Jaheira soloed his tower and fried him with a pair of Wand of Heaven blasts);

- Gorpel Hind, Gretek and his Maulers of Undermountain - smooth sailing here with stinking cloud+skellies+confusion. No one got even a scratch.  (Shadow Armor, Robe of the Neutral Archmagi, Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs. Shapeshifters);

- Quinn and Nester's Dagger;

- The Bogeyman;

- Degrodel, Quenash and Balduran's trappings (Golden Girdle, Ring of Holiness, Helm of Balduran, Cloak of Balduran);

- Rinnie and  History of the Unicorn Run;

- Petrine and Bheren;

 

Some more minor tasks to complete and we are ready for Iron Throne.

 

to be continued...

[Blackraven]

Grond0, good point. I think darts and short bows (Tuigan) are the most effective. Nevertheless I'm focusing mainly on axes.
If I make it into BG2 I think won't be solo'ing.

Serg: item-randomiseritis? Doing minor quests to get everything you're looking for...

***

Before we went after the purportedly dangerous Bassilus, I convinced Gavin that we'd do well in finding one or two more competent companions. Gavin agreed, so we travelled to the Friendly Arm Inn where two friends of Gorion were supposed to be found. (I'd read this in a letter I'd found on Gorion's corpse.) Given my history of being awaited by assassins and bounty hunters at inns, I asked Gavin to enter the Inn alone and take a look first. At the entrance he got into a fight with a mage who was after me but somehow knew that Gavin was with me. I was relieved to see that my companion has his own, pretty effective ways of dealing with magic users.





Gorion's friends proved to be well-disposed, but for some reason insisted on heading to Nashkel right away, while Gavin and I had committed ourselves to seeking out Bassilus.
Perhaps we'll meet up later, though I'm not sure. The woman seemed competent enough, though somewhat haughty (which I think is as dangerous as it is unpleasant). Her husband on the other hand seemed to have an unstable and insecure personality, which, combined with his profession of fighter/mage, would make him an unreliable companion in my opinion.
Around the Friendly Arm Inn we found no trace of Bassilus. What we did find was a great amount of ankhegs. We slew many of them, and took a few scales with us. Maybe the blacksmith in Beregost would be able to forge a nice suit of armor from them. So we returned to Beregost, and spoke with the blacksmith. Having a piece of ankheg armour made is quite expensive though.



We entered a shop to sell some of the loot we'd found on the ankhegs, and on the mage at the Friendly Arm Inn. However we were received by a dwarf who instead of buying up our loot, proposed that we aid him in tracing a caravan just north of Beregost. I said to Gavin that it might be wise to accompany the dwarf now, so that he might come with us to take on Bassilus. This dwarf was unmistakeably a robust fighter. And if he had some honour in him, he would aid us after having received our help.
[Kagain joined, I made him a Fighter (Battlerager)/Thief, who dual wields short swords. I swapped his STR & DEX stats, which fits him better as a F/T. He's level 4/5 at the moment of joining.]
...
It didnt take us long to find the bandits Kagain was after. Their achers managed to do Kagain some serious damage, before we dispatched the lot. I told Kagain to don his splint mail armour when he engages in battle. Kagain was thankful for my advice and for our help, and as I'd hoped, he offered to continue working with us. I accepted his offer.
We rested at Feldepost's and then set out to hunt for Bassilus. On our way we helped a drow woman, who was being pursued by a Flaming Fist mercenary. Without any criminal evidence against the woman, and knowing what it's like to be discriminated against because of one's race, I came to her aid. This Flaming Fist was not to be trifled with however. He was a cleric of some sort, and successfully cast a Hold Spell on both Kagain and Gavin, despite having been hit twice by me (32% spell failure) and once by Gavin while in the process of casting. In the end the drow and I took him down.



She was grateful to us. I told her it was nothing, and that maybe our paths will cross again sometime. Hopefully in more pleasant circumstances.
Gavin, Kagain and I headed southwest, still not really sure where to look for the mad cleric. It would have been nice if Keldath Ormlyr had been able to give us some specific directions. Nevertheless, at long last we found Bassilus in the area where I'd picked up Melicamp the chicken about a fortnight before. I remember the area because of it's red coloured rock masses. There were many undead and hobgoblins we dispatched first, so that we'd have different escape routes just in case things would get messy.
Gavin stepped up to Bassilus, partly because he's our group's spokesperson but also becase it was "his" quest... As it turned out the mad cleric had killed lots of people and raised them as undead "family members". A clever attempt by Gavin to play along with Bassilus, possibly allowing us to give the cleric over to the authorities in Beregost, did not succeed. Gavin then tried to silence the priest before he could do us any harm, but the spell didn't affect Bassilus in the slightest. In return, Bassilus did manage to hold poor Gavin. At that moment, Kagain, enraged in a way I hadn't seen him before, charged almost blindly forward to attack the priest. As I didn't see any other option, I followed suit. Some of the undead fell when we approached, others attacked us, but we had only target: Bassilus. Kagain's rage and my fast swinging axes prevented the priest from casting any more nast spells, and eventually a critical hit with my axe did him in.



As we waited for the hold spell on Gavin to expire, I gathered what loot we could find, including Bassilus's holy symbol. While I was at it, Kagain started acting funny:



What would he expect me to be? A Hillgnasher giant? Maybe his battlerage tends to strain the dwarf's otherwise keen intellect? Anyhow we packed and left for Beregost. Keldath was most thankful, and rewarded us with a generous sum of 5000 gold.
Time to rest, and to decide what will be our next step. I am not sure yet. We've got some money to spend, but there's also the job in Nashkel with the mines, plus a bounty on commander Brage's head, as I had been told in Nashkel.

[Grond0]

This Flaming Fist was not to be trifled with however. He was a cleric of some sort, and successfully cast a Hold Spell on both Kagain and Gavin, despite having been hit twice by me (32% spell failure) and once by Gavin while in the process of casting. In the end the drow and I took him down.

Unless you've got another mod in addition to the wizard slayer one then spell disruption only affects arcane users.  A major drawback with wizard slayers is that lots of dangerous magic attacks are not affected by their spell disruption (all divine magic, special abilities such as triggers and sequencers, contingencies, item use).  Getting a WS solo through BG1 is perfectly possible, but requires some cheese to do it safely (such as running out of areas to avoid spell attacks); I'm not sure that it's possible in BG2.

[Charlestonian Knight Templar]

I, Black Guard of Asmodeus, following what I sense to be my calling from Baator, crossed the Bear River after a short rest & resupply in Nashkel. But before I ever crossed the bridge I was approached by a foppish fellow who was shaking in his pantaloons about a Mountain Bear he said was across the river. I sent my Bard, Herald, and Sage across w/Poison Arrows in his Short Bow. Though he twice missed, he drew the bear across the river & my Conjurer popped him w/Larloch’s Minor Drain, my Illusionist w/Magic Missile & my Bard, Herald, Sage finally landed a poison arrow, then shifting to regular arrows w/the poison entrenched in the bears bloodstream. My Berserker Lieutenant charged in like a madman & was popped at least once for every blow he landed. He backed off & switched to Throwing Axes. I cast Doom @ the bear & charged in myself to go toe to toe w/the beast, finishing him off w/a swift Bastard Sword +1 across his neck & back.

 

I rested a few hours before crossing where I lead my party south toward the old Gnoll Stronghold before heading west parallel at somewhat of an angle to the Bear River. I quickly ran into two Ogre Berserkers & had to expend enough effort to beat them that I needed to ‘take a knee’ again for a few hours. Then I continued west before turning north again where I ran into three Ogres. My Conjurer cast Web & one of the others cast Sleep. Then I had the company unload on them w/spells, arrows & Sling Stones that would be effective @ range, especially @ first when my Berserker Lieutenant had gotten himself tangled in the Web. Once he freed himself, he switched to Throwing Axes & I finally finished the three of them. After yet another break, I headed north until I couldn’t travel anymore & headed back south east along some cliffs until I encountered three Ogrillons. My Berserker Lieutenant & I handled that w/little need for the others. Trying to keep my Bard, Herald, Sage from using his Short Bow since he was low on arrows. Two Brown Bears became hostile as I tried to guide us between them & a lake & battle ensued in which my Berserker Lieutenant took some hard hits & panicked before gathering his wits after I killed the last of the two. 

 

Onward from there, after another rest, we were attacked by a Paladin of the Order of the Radiant Heart. My company annihilated her w/o a scratch but it seems if you kill a Paladin so far off from anywhere that no one can see it happen, you still take a severe reputation blow. Here I am ridding these puny beings of monsters & filth like this Paladin & it is I who they demonize (note: to be a worshipper of Asmodeus & to be demonized is about the worse curse one could place upon you).

 

 

HOLIER THAN THOU PALADIN'S - ALL THAT'S WRONG WITH FAERUN!

 

I continued us north until we would have crossed Bear River again and then turned back east.   When we ran into the river again we headed parallel to it going south until we started to cross a bridge. There we were suddenly faced w/an Ogre Berserker who I and my company hammered. As I was going to search him for loot I was attacked by a Hobgoblin Elite from the Skull Smasher Tribe. It turned out there was another Ogre Berserker & two other Hobgoblin Elite’s on the other side of the bridge. B/c of the Short Bows the Hobgoblin Elite’s were using I rushed them to get the venomous arrows they were using out of play & get them to draw sword.  My Conjurer stuck a Grease spell under our feet so I was in melee w/an Ogre Berserker, a Hobgoblin Elite & being fired @ from close range by another. My company was out of the Grease but hitting them all w/whatever ranged weapon or spells they had & I beat my enemy in short order. We retreated north after crossing the bridge, rested & then moved east again until we hit the river again across from the Xvart Village. Turning south and then back west I encountered three Ogrillons. I & my Berserker Lieutenant tore into them while the remainder of my company attacked w/various defensive & offensive spells. They slugged my Berserker Lieutenant a time or two but I successfully defeated them & then retreated to rest @ the edge of the wood line where I could easily escape across the river if needed. Just as we got ready to head back to work I was attacked by a Brown Bear which we beat down, my Berserker Lieutenant once again taking some hard paw swipes.

 

As I was finishing up & fully ready to head back to Nashkel I was accosted by a bandit & six Chill Hobgoblins.  My Berserker Lieutenant assisted me in tearing him up one side & down the other. He was wailing away early & often while I popped the leader w/a Doom spell first. He was quickly out of the fight. The Chill Hobgoblins were huddled together so my Conjurer tangled them up w/a Web spell & then fired off a Melf’s Acid Arrow @ one of them. My Bard, Herald, Sage hit one them w/a Magic Missile & then fired arrows @ them from his Short Bow & my Illusionist cast Blindness @ one of them & then pelted them w/ Sling stones.

 

BANDIT & HIS CHILL HOBGOBLIN'S ATTACK!

 

BANDIT & HIS CHILL HOBGOBLIN'S DIE!

 

Key Event:   Upon returning from my successful efforts @ Bear River my company was accosted by Amnish Soldiers going into the Nashkel Store. Apparently they’d heard I’d destroyed that Holier than Thou Paladin. What gives? The wench attacked me. The Amnish Soldier hit my Illusionist twice w/arrows killing him. My Bard, Herald, Sage grabbed his gear & we headed north to get out of town for now to safety. Suddenly freakin’ Bounty Hunters joined in, By the time we left we’d killed an Amnish Soldier & a Bounty Hunter but my Bard, Herald, Sage had also fallen. Once again, we were attacked.  We had to circle around via the North Nashkel Road, the Nashkel Carnival & back to the North Nashkel Road to slip back into town & recover his gear, i.e. lots of gems, Bracers of Archery, Short Sword +1, etc. We pulled it off under fire from Bounty Hunters & more Amnish Soldiers & headed to the Temple of the Morning to get that hypocrite, Ormlyr, to raise my servants.  Luckily, I am still welcome in Beregost. 

 

ATTACKED BY AMNISH SOLDIER'S & BOUNTY HUNTERS!

 

Treasure of Note: Long sword +1 (sold); Gems especially Fire Opal, Pearl etc (sold)

 

 Current Disposition: Resting, recuperating, reconstituting in Beregost

 

Next Steps: I, Black Guard of Asmodeus, am led to travel to the Gnoll Stronghold south of Bear River

 

Level Up: My Berserker Lieutenant increased his skill markedly after one of the Ogrillon battles & is now a Fighter/Berserker//5 & can use his Enrage ability twice a day now.

 

Current Party: (Reputation: 3 – Despised)(-2: defeat of aggressive Paladin; -1 attacked by & killed an Amnish Soldier & a Bounty Hunter in Nashkel; Paid 1000gp to add +2 @ Temple of Morning)

Black Guard of Asmodeus:  Fighter (Blk Gd)/5; Plate Mail w/Lg Shld, +1 B/Swd**, Flail* (SSS**)             

Kagain: Fighter (Bkr)/5; Splint Mail w/B/Axe*** & T/Axe**

Eldoth: Bard/5; Chain Mail, Sh/Bow* & Brazers of Archery, Dgr* (Arm,Slp,MM,Mir Img)

Edwin: Mage(Cjr/4); Knaves Rove & Q/Staff* (Arm, Grease x2, Ch Per,Lar MD,MelfAA x2,PW Slp,Web)

Quayle: Mage(Ill/4); Mage Rove of FR, Slg* & Dgr (Ref Img, Blind x2,MM,Blur,Inv,Mir Img)

 

Mods Used: HardTimes-v2; BG1UB_v12; bg1npc-v20; X0black101 (Blackguard); MegaModKits v1.01L; level1npcs-v1.9; bg2_tweaks-v14; Randomizer-v68; scs-v21 (- Tactical Challenges)

 

Reloads: 0

 

** Self-imposed restriction: I require my mages to ALWAYS select spells from their school to learn & memorize in spell slots. They can use others, only one of each from other schools, but after writing all the spells they can for their intelligence, if they find one from their own school, they have to choose one to remove in deference to the spell from their school. Same w/memorization, they must learn spells from their school first before others which I only allow them to learn one of. Any extra memorized spell slots have to go to spells from their school.  Bards & plain vanilla Mages aren’t restricted in this way. 

 

Changes are in blue ink. Monsters are is bold, red ink. 

[Blackraven]

I consulted Kagain and Gavin for their opinions about our options: invest in better gear (I remember having seen a ring of free action for sale at Thalantyr's), investigate the mines or try to get the bounty on Brage's head. Kagain, ever more of a hoarder than a spender, suggested we seek out murderous Brage, wherever he were to be found, and take the bounty. As neither Gavin nor I had anything against the plan, we agreed and set out to Nashkel, where he was last seen.
We scouted the coastal area to the west of Nashkel, Kagain going before the rest of us, using the cover of the night to go unnoticed. He told us that he'd spotted a number of sirines, dangerous foes for those who come ill-prepared. A gypsy we met, Safana, told us however that if we'd make it past the sirines we'd find a cave with a hidden treasure. Kagain's eyes doubled in size, and he proposed we try and take on the sirines. His battlerage would protect him from their lures, he asserted. I was less certain. We all have our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities. While Kagain's a reliable companion, honest, and disciplined even in his battlerage, his weakness is clearly gold. Gold seems to blind him. He wasn't easily convinced, but Gavin came up with a solution: he would take my bag of holding, cast a sanctuary on himself, walk past the sirines unharmed and unmolested, get inside the cave, take the treasure and walk out, again under the protection of sanctuary. Since we were unsure of who or what was to be found inside the cave, I gave Gavin a potion of invisibility in case he'd need a quick and safe way out. I was quite restless while he was gone, but he made it back relatively unscathed. He told me the cave harboured three strong flesh golems. He'd tried to take one on, but it had been hitting him too hard. The loot wasn't all that impressive, though it included a number of potions, two cloaks and what appears to be a magical tome.
We gave Safana some gold for tipping us off and parted.
We then travelled southward, along the coast until we came upon a carnage scene (three dead bodies on the ground). A cleric and an apparent madman who turned out to be Brage approached us. The cleric told us that Brage seemed to be possessed by some grave evil, and begged us to keep a distance and prevent any further bloodshed. It was difficult to keep a distance though. Brage had already spotted us and came toward us, speaking in riddles about death and darkness. Kagain looked at me with both his swords already in the air, ready to attack, but I begged him to stay his hand. This Brage was no culprit. He was a victim. A victim of some form of dark, foul magic. I tried to reason with him, and played along with his riddles (which wasn't so hard because all he had on his corrupted mind was death and decay). He came willingly with us to Nashkel, to Nalin in the Temple of Helm. Nalin, like me, saw in Brage a victim, and not the grave sinner Brage considered himself to be. As it turned out, the cause of Brage's frenzy lay in the sword he'd been wielding. It had a curse placed on it. Nalin rewarded us with 1000 gold anyway, so even Kagain didn't have anything to complain in the end.
We all agreed that we deserved some time to relax, so I proposed that we visit the Carnival. There wasn't that much going on in terms of diversion, so we mainly looked at the wares of the many merchants. In one of the tents we witnessed a dramatic scene. One mage slew another before I had the time to blink my eyes, and then turned against us. Although he did manage to briefly blind Gavin and me with a Glitterdust spell, a typical treacherous mage trick, my axes, Kagain's blades and Gavin's flails were too much to handle for the fiendish wizard.



When we left the scene, we were approached by another messenger telling us that Keldath bade us once again to the Temple of Lathander. We went there right away. Keldath told us about yet another depraved wizard, one named Mutamin who'd been taming basilisks and having them petrify everything that would come near. Our reward would be a handsome one, Keldath promised. We bought three scrolls of Stone to Flesh, and we received three potions of Mirrored Eyes for free. I recalled one of the merchants at the Nashkel Carnival selling scrolls of Protection from Petrification. So we decided to first buy the scroll (which has a much longer duration than the potions), and then confront Mutamin.
At the Carnival we used one of the Stone to Flesh scrolls on a petrified woman (much to the dismay of a dwarven vendor who had tried to sell us such a scroll at an exorbitant price). The woman, a battlepriestess of Tempus, was very relieved. She told us that it had been an evil mage named Tranzig, who'd turned her into stone. I replied that we were on an important and dangerous mission, but that in the future I'd gladly help her find the perpetrator and put him to justice. We found the scroll of Protection from Petrification, and headed out east, to where according to Keldath Mutamin was to be found.
The area was indeed replete with basilisks. I counted ten. After using the protection scroll on myself, I took on 8 of them, one or two at a time. Without their petrifying gaze, they aren't really much of a threat. Kagain spied the remaining two standing next to a gnomish wizard, Mutamin without a doubt. He scouted the area for more beasts, and to my surprise returned with a tame ghoul that was apparently willing to help us. Maybe the ghoul, with his paralyzing touch and his immunity to petrification could be of use to us. Kagain, hidden in the shadows led the ghoul toward Mutamin. Unfortunately Mutamin spotted not only the ghoul but Kagain as well as he failed to hide himself well. However the ghoul was closing in on Mutamin, and after suffering a few hits of the mage's Melf's Minute Meteors, it engaged the mage in melee, and held him. I ran toward the mage and finished him off.



On Mutamin's body I found yet another magical tome, a mage robe, and some magic bracers. The remaining two basilisks presented no challenge, as I was still protected against petrification.



...

Keldath has rewarded us with 2000 GP for our efforts. He also identified the magical tomes and some other goods. Study of the tomes increased my bodily health and my wisdom and judgement, which will help me in my work. I think it may be time for us to do some smart purchases and then see what is going on in those Nashkel mines.

NOTE:

So far I don't think I've used Grynne's 'disrupt magic' passive ability much. Am not sure though, I don't think it's possible to see on screen whether a casting failure is the result of a normal hit or because of the spellcasting failure penalty of previous hits. Anyway, the stronger mages have yet to show up. Meanwhile Grynne can gain a few more levels and get better at disrupting I hope

[Blackraven]

@Grond0: nope, no other mod... kind of disappointing to be less powerful than I'd thought, but I fully subscribe to limiting the WS's powers to affect arcane spellcasting only. As to solo'ing, I wasn't thinking of trying that in BG1 (let alone BG2). Am insufficiently used to playing a plain fighter (at this point what I've missed the most is stealth/inivisibilty). I think that if I could pull it off, a BG2-solo, it would have to be with a cleric/thief, thief/mage, fighter/mage or one of the two triple multis.

@CKT, you're really making things difficult for yourself (reputation-wise), but it's good roleplaying and makes for interesting reads. And stillgoing strong. Keep it up!

[Blackraven]

I bought Gavin a ring of free action from Thalantyr, and a Greenstone Amulet in his hometown Ulgoth's Beard, where we went for a short visit. These two items should help him keep control of both his body and mind, so that he can support the party at all times with his divine magic.
From Ulgoth's Beard we travelled all the way south, to the Nashkel Mines area. There we met Prism, a famous sculptor, working on a rock carving. He told me there was a bounty on his head, for having stolen two emeralds he allegedly "needed" for his work. A paladin named Isra stood guard, protecting the thief... this wasn't your average paladin, so much is certain. Prism was almost done with his work and begged me to let him finish. I conceded, but we agreed that afterward I'd surrender him to the authorities in Nashkel so that justice would be served. However a bounty hunter named Greywolf came to claim the bounty on Prism. I tried to explain that Prism was coming with us as soon as he was done with his work. Greywolf wasn't too pleased with this arrangement. He attacked. I must admit that he was a formidable fighter, who managed to hurt his primary target Kagain more than once. But he stood no chance against the overwhelming power of the three of us plus Isra. Prism barely finished his work and then died, exhausted yet content. Isra inquired into our business in the area, so I explained that we had come to investigate the mines. She was pleased to hear someone was willing to do so, and even offered to join us. Not knowing exactly what to expect in the mines, I thought it wise to have her along. I may not share most paladins' holy crusader mentality, which in my view seems to be coloured all too often by prejudice and self-righteousness, at least they are trustworthy, honourable people.
We entered the mines, and though the first level was quiet without any signs of trouble except for the fear in the hearts of the miners, Kagain discerned the smell of kobolds. He was right. The lower levels were infested with kobolds. Their numbers were so overwhelming that we weren't able to avoid all damage. The archers in particular, who were difficult to reach, proved to be dangerous. Fortunately we had a good amount of healing potions with us, to restore our health. At several locations we found contaminated iron ore and poisonous liquids, whhich may or may not have something to do with the recent iron crisis I hadn't given much attention till now. At the bottom level we came upon a rounded, cave-like structure. Inside we found the chief of the operation, an orcish priest of Cyric, surrounded by kobolds and undead minions. He fell soon enough; we had again most difficulty with the kobold archers, especially Gavin.



We released an elven sorcerer, who'd been held captive by the priest. He wanted to join our party, but I politely refused. I reluctantly gave him a blade from the priest's chest he said belonged to him, and bade him farewell. We rested in a tunnel that sloped upwards. I had a dream about the priest we had just killed, Mulahey was his name (according to some letters we found among his belongings). I woke up with a healing power not unlike a paladin's ability to lay his hands on a wounded person and heal them. This is the second time I've experienced this, and I have no idea where these abilities come from. Some deity that has yet reveal himself or herself?
When we reached the surface we were ambushed by two assassins, with bows. They were no match for our well-rested party. We also dealth with a mage who had discovered how to create jellies and slimes, through some form of wicked sorcery. He became hostile when I asked him for the source of this discovery. We battled and he fell, taking his discovery with him to whatever after-world. I'm confident it's for the best.



We also cleansed the area of its undead presence, of which a revenant gave us, or at least Isra, the most difficulty.



Our trip to Nashkel was uneventful, and in Nashkel everyone seemed glad to see us, not in the least mayor Ghastkill, who rewarded us for our efforts with 900 GP. The only one who wasn't happy with us, was a skilled assassin named Nimbul. He was initially protected by a previously cast Stoneskin, so none of us were hitting him [although the spellcasting falilure penalty must have applied]. He also cast a Chromatic Orb at Kagain as well as stabbing him in the back, all of it inflicting only minor damage. Once his Stoneskin wore off our melee power proved devastating.



On the assassin's body we found a letter mentioning Tranzig, the same name the battlepriestess at the Carnival mentioned as the cause of her petrification. He is to be found in Beregost. However it is now time to identify and sell some loot, and to speak with Taerom the blacksmith about the contaminated iron we found in the mines and maybe with Thalantyr about the poisonous liquids.

[Serg BlackStrider]

The Story of Impish Face & Co.

 

Few tasks remained in the City. First one is to fetch a book of Yago for Brielbara. Desreta and Vay-ya fell pretty quick dropping a Full Plate Mail +1 which was backpacked as I prefer a regular Full Plate + Ring of Protection for the same AC and save bonuses. Yago was much more troublesome as he saved vs triple Wand of Paralyzation blast and Confused all but Viconia (magic resistance) and Impish Face (shorty's saves). Khalid shot down Dynaheir with our precious Arrows of Ice but then was held by Nymph and Impish Face brought some monsters for Yago to be busy with. He nearly killed Imoen but she regained her senses just in time to drink potion of invisibility. Eventually Jaheira was conscious again and fried Yago with Wand of Heavens.

 

Revived Dynaheir in the Temple of Helm and brought Brielbara good news. Next in the list was Sunin. A single Arrow of Dispelling brought down his protections and Arrows of Ice finished him. Joular and Maka were no match vs hasted Jaheira and Impish Face melee duo. Ring of Wizardry went to Dynaheir. Found Long Bow of Marksmanship in Sunin's wardrobe.

 

Iron Throne. We buffed over the top. Potions of Fire Resistance for all, Scroll of Protection vs Fire for Jaheira, Potions of Freedom for Impish Face and Jaheira, Potions of Invulnerability for Jaheira and Khalid, Potion of Absorption for Impish Face, Potion of Insulation for Jaheira (wearing Boots of Grounding), Potion of Magic Protection for Viconia (100% magic resistance), Bless, Haste, Pro Evil, Resist Fear. Impish Face and Viconia approached invisible from opposite stairs but Alai spotted something and cast Invisibility Purge revealing them so Impish Face retreated to the previous floor, Jaheira went up to replace him and together with  Viconia softened the opposition with Necklaces of Missiles. Viconia then ran towards back rooms luring most of opposition with her while Khalid joined the fray, shot down Naaman's protections with Arrow of Dispelling and switched to Arrows of Ice. Jaheira pressed on Doppelganger who eventually run scared to the previous floor to be killed there by Impish Face while Aasim cast Animate Dead on Viconia. Meanwhile Khalid shot down Naaman whilst Viconia gladly Turned enemies' skellies into the free *living* shield. She was pretty safe there so Impish Face joined the fray and together with Jaheira and Khalid continued pressing on Zhalimar Cloudwulfe and Aasim. Aasim hit with Unholy Blight but with our good saves the damage was minimal and he fell soon after followed by Zhalimar Cloudwulfe. Jaheira called for Nymph and concentrated on Diyab. Alai cast Domination on Khalid but fortunately he saved (surprise!) while Jaheira shot down Diyab. Alai hit Jaheira with double Melf's Acid Arrow sequencer but she drank Potion of Regeneration before so no troubles here. Looks like Alai is main threat remained (he paralyzed Khalid via Wand) so we shot with double Flamestrike and Frost Blast followed by melee strike to finish him quickly. Some more Frost blasts on Gardush and soon the fight was won. Got pretty nice scrolls and wands loot  here.

 

All in all that was far more smooth fight than my previous (with BlackStrider the Blade) one even though it was now improved with SCS Tactical challenges. I'm satisfied  .

 

After that we obtained Sea Charts and now intend to empty all City stores of valuable potions/scrolls before heading back to the Candlekeep.

 

Current state (inventory and record):

 

Impish Face, Fighter (7) / Illusionist (7), 652 kills (Greater Doppelganger);

Jaheira, Fighter (7) / Druid (8), 419 kills (Battle Horror);

Khalid, Fighter (8), 821 kills (Greater Basilisk);

Viconia, Cleric (8), 129 kills (Battle Horror);

Dynaheir, Invoker (8), 72 kills (Doomsayer); 1 revival.

Imoen, Thief (6) / Mage (8), 193 kills (Greater Basilisk). 3 revival.

 

to be continued...

[Grond0]

I'm continuing with my characters named after holes in the ground with a wild mage (his familiar is named Fissure to continue that theme).  Although bad luck with surges can certainly be fatal to a wild mage, I reckon the chances of that are actually extremely low if you're careful - which I will try to be to keep up my recent good run.

 

Khazm - elven wild mage (elegy for a wild mage - episode 1)

 

Khazm breathed deep and intoned the spell, 

finding a familiar (and not a death knell).

Fissure's spell kept them safe in their travel,

and his speed saw Shoal's defences unravel - 

the result of the conflict (12 HPs) was swell.

 

A ring in the ground was swapped for a wand,

as attacking sleepers makes Khazm fond.

An invisible Fissure is another good ploy

and 5 more HPs was the source of some joy

when Karlat found he had been conned.

 

[corey_russell]

Best of luck Grond0! By the way, you are on a pretty serious resolution, if you expect me to see anything in your screenshots you need to crop them. I had no idea what was happening in the Karlat screenshot, for example, the text was too tiny, but cropped I probably could have read it.

 

EDIT: If I got full screen on my 25 inch monitor, then I can read your battle text, so I guess you can never mind. Most of the screenshot is wasted though....

[Blackraven]

Isra told me that she approved of the course my party had taken, and proposed to stay on after having received instructions from her Order to do so. I accepted, as I have nothing against her. She's actually pretty modest for a paladin, which I kind of like in her. I am aware though, that unlike Gavin with his clerical skills and Kagain who's a great scout, Isra doesn't add anything special to this group beyond het fighting skills. She's also a bit vain to my taste, but many attractive women are.


[Nice crossmod banter! Unfortunately I find it more difficult to ditch NPCs after I've had nice banters with them or see them getting along with my party mmbers.]

We got a lot of loot identified by Thalantyr and sold most of it. I went over to Feldepost's to buy the dagger of venom, and returned to Thalantyr to get it fused with a +2 dagger that was sought by the revenant we put to rest at the mine exit. Thalantyr upgraded the dagger of venom to a +3 dagger which grants an extra attack, and poisons my enemies, making it a perfect weapon for interrupting spellcasters I hope.
[NOTE: Grynne has only one pip in daggers, so she isn't going to do much damage with it, but the extra APR is of course most welcome, and besides, from a roleplaying perspective the effect poison has on spellcasters, makes the dagger an appealing weapon of choice for Grynne.]
On the road we were ambushed by four hired killers, all ladies. We slew them one by one, first the spellcasters (there were two of them), and then two rogues. It all went extremely fast. The only spells they managed to cast were a DUHM (instantly triggered) and a slow on Kagain, who also suffered a few hits but nothing to worry over.


[NOTE: At this point the game is becoming almost too easy due to my party's impressive physical might. This makes me long for a replay of Teyl the Strifeleader/Thief, with whom I had to be much more strategical with the use of cleric spells, hiding and sneaking, deciding when to poison my weapon or spend money on traps. My current party is just hacking and slashing their way forward. Resisting a sudden restartitis infection I tell myself that I want to see how they deal with spellcasters, against whom my non-arcane party may struggle, and I that I really like Grynne as a character, which is actually true. I might reduce the size of my party though.]

On one of our opponents' corpses we found a suit of full plate mail, which I happily donned. I gave my ankheg armour to Gavin, as he has been suffering the severest beatings of us all in battle. In Beregost we embarked on another quest for Keldath. Apparently people have been disappearing, and according to a source in the Burining Wizard, the disappearances all took place just in front of Lady Valeria's house around the corner from the Burning Wizard, on the road that leads to the Friendly Arm Inn. None of us managed to open the door, not even Kagain who is a competent lockpicker. However when he took two keys I had in my pack to see if he could manipulate the lock, one of those keys fitted perfectly. Upon entering we encountered a heavily guarded ground floor, but no sign of the Lady herself. A short chat with the guards taught me that these people were up to no good, and when I confronted them, they turned hostile.



The four of us first attacked their spokesman, a heavily armoured warrior priest. He stood no chance of defending himself against the severe beating we gave him, although he did somehow manage to summon a skeleton. The other guards and the summoned skeleton were much easier to dispatch. On the priest we found another piece of full plate, a welcome upgrade for Isra (who had been wearing regular plate mail up till then).



We healed Isra, and proceeded our way upstairs. That's where we found Lady Valeria, who turned out to be yet another testament of the corrupting influence that sorcery exerts on people. Once an innocent young girl, scarred by loneliness and abuse by men who only lusted after her curves she'd turned into a sorceress of the wickedest category. She'd been working on a 'happiness elixir', and testing it on various townspeople who wouldn't survive her experiments. Her misery made me feel somewhat sorry for her, or for the innocent young girl she'd once been, but I saw no other option than to stop her there and then, and rid the world of the vile sorceress she had become.
She had a string of magical protections trigger as we engaged in battle: Ghost Armour, PfNM, PfE, Mirror Image, Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Improved Invisibility, Armour. These would have protected her pretty well against other practitioners of sorcery but not against the brutal physical force of my party. Besides I had already activated my Shatter Magic ability, which may have stripped some of her protections. Two hits from Isra's sword, and one from my axe, sufficed to take her down.



We stripped Valeria of her belongings, amongst which a Robe of the Evil Archmagi we burned so that it wouldn't ever fall into the wrong hands. After that we went to Feldepost's, rested and went upstairs where we faced Tranzig the wizard we found mentioned in Nimbul's correspondence. He threatened us, and when we showed no sign of admiration or fear, he attacked. We soon had him on his knees begging for his life. Isra said she'd have no problem with sparing the wizard's life, but the flicker of recognition we saw in his eyes when I mentioned Branwen, the Battlepriest of Tempus we'd encountered petrified at the Carnival, made Isra take his life with one final blow of her greatsword. I could be mistaken, but we seem to understand each other better than I would have expected.
I also had a talk with Gavin, who spoke about his "child" (a girl his former woman had with another man, while she was in a relationship with Gavin). He told me that the girl has certain magical talents, which explains his earlier reservations when it comes to rejecting magic, and that he hopes to give his girl the proper education to help her contain the taint. Well, he didn't use the word 'taint', but I've noticed though that Gavin himself is no lover of magic. Thus his confession has no implications for our working relationship. This morning Keldath released Gavin of his duties for the temple, and I'm glad to have him in my party.
[NOTE: the party's reputation has gone all the way up to 18. As such this isn't a problem to Grynne, who has merely brought justice upon the land (I think I've roleplayed her pretty true to her alignment). The problem is that this high reputation is bringing Kagain dangerously close to leaving the party.]

In Beregost we were tricked into an agreement with an evil bard, who said she needed protection against a number of thugs, hired by Feldepost. I readily agreed, but it turned out that these thugs were honest people with no intentions of doing the thespian any harm. I was very displeased with the woman, and told her that I was obviously not going to attack these innocent men. The bard had a number of nasty tricks up her sleeve, such as dire charming me and have me attack my comrades who quickly fled inside the Red Sheaf Inn. This left me defenseless again her magic missiles until the charm wore off. Luckily my health was sufficient to take the damage. When I had control of my senses again, I activated my Shatter Magic ability to get through her defenses (stoneskin, mirror image, and a spell triggered ghost armor), and tore her down. We decided to get back in, and rest up, after this exhausting fight.



[NOTE: This was actually a close call! I could have wrecked my companions, amongst whom Gavin, whose casting of a Dispel Magic I interrupted. And besides a more potent mage could have done me more damage. I know that hitting a charmed enemy makes them go hostile again; what I didn't know is that it doesn't work the other way around... To much solo'ing, I suppose.]

[corey_russell]

@Blackraven: I believe there's different kinds of domination. The low level charm person/animal, if you harm them the charm breaks. But I believe there's a 5th level spell version (domination) that does in fact allow you to harm the charmed subject without breaking the charm.

[Blackraven]

Thanks Corey, in this case it was a Dire Charm, which apparently worked in the same manner as you believe Domination works. If this is an intended effect of Dire Charm and of Domination, then a 'game over' after being charmed becomes much more tolerable.

[corey_russell]

Actually, Dire Charm is exactly same as charm person, except for the save penalty so if dire charmed and you get hurt by charmer it should break the charm. The charm spell domination does not allow release in that case.

[Blackraven]

@Corey, well that's curious... I have no explanation for what happened woth Silke then.

One quick update, before I'm going to take some time off. I just discovered a new game I just have to try out, it's called RL...

***

It occurred to us that after the events with the bounty hunters and assassins coming after us at the mine exit and later in Nashkel, and after the incidents in Beregost with Tranzig and with that wicked bard, that it would be a good idea to keep a low profile and distance ourselves somewhat from civilization. We headed for the coast again. We arrived at the area with the treasure cave, and the sirines, who were very hostile when they saw us again. This time we were somewhat better prepared to deal with them, if such a thing was going to be necessary. Unfortunately for them it was... Their claimed entitlement to the area and their outright hostility toward us gave me little reason to doubt as to how to deal with the creatures. Besides they're spellcasters who charm and lure innocents just for fun or for their pleasure.
When we had vanquished all six of them, we entered the cave, where as Gavin had told us before, a number of Flesh Golems, unnatural creatures, products of sorcery, roamed about. To make the world a better place we annihilated the hard-hitting creatures. As Isra was quite seriously injured from the golems' hits, we decided to rest inside the now safe cave, before leaving.
When we had fully recovered our strengths, and left the cave, we were confronted once again by a group of hired assssins, a man by the name of Molkar, and his band. There was no bargaining with this lot. They had come for one reason, and one reason only: to kill me, and probably my party as well.



I was most wary of their spellcaster, a gnomish fighter/mage. So I rushed toward him and eliminaed him quite quickly.



Then something incovenient happened. Another spellcaster, this one a cleric, managed to dominate me. My party members, who up till then had been busy with Molkar, fled inside the cave. Unlike Silke, these men didn't fight me while I was under the domination spell. Maybe they were frightened t break the spell. Instead they waited, hoping that my companions would come out of the cave. At one point they would have to anyway. I understood that my companions used the shelter of the cave to heal and buff themselves.



Alas for the assassins, the spell wore off, and I immediately went for the cleric who had charmed me. He was difficult to hit though, so I directed my attention to Molkar, who had the severest injuries of the three. One less foe slashing his swords at me, would surely make things easier I thought. My companions must have heard my battle cry, because they came outside just when I finished off Molkar.



So now it was three of us against their remaining two. Our joint effort to bring the cleric down paid off well. He wasn't able to cast anymore spells, and fell to our incessant beating.



Kagain while fighting the cleric, got quite severly injured by their dwarven fighter. But as all we focused on their last man standing, we quickly managed to turn the tide. The dwarf fell before he could kill "my" dwarf.



Exhausted but content we made our way back to Thalantyr to get their loot identified, as much of it appeared to be enchanted. Much to my satisfaction I now own a helm that protects against charm as well as an nice suit of armour that protects against certain elemental damage and a helm that offers elemental protection as well. From Faerom we bought another Helm of Charm Protection, so that three of us (Isra as a cavalier, Gavin, and I) are now protected against charm spells, one of the most annoying and potentially devastating manifestations of magic I ave been confronted with on my travels so far...

[Jianson]

Nice progress everyone.
Eileth has also made some progress, but I'll play a little longer before writing my next report.
 

All in all that was far more smooth fight than my previous (with BlackStrider the Blade) one even though it was now improved with SCS Tactical challenges. I'm satisfied

Did this fight work like it's supposed to for you? The last two times I have played this fight, the two backstabbing thieves (Shennara and K-something) that SCS adds have not showed up.

[Grond0]

Best of luck Grond0! By the way, you are on a pretty serious resolution, if you expect me to see anything in your screenshots you need to crop them. I had no idea what was happening in the Karlat screenshot, for example, the text was too tiny, but cropped I probably could have read it.

 

EDIT: If I got full screen on my 25 inch monitor, then I can read your battle text, so I guess you can never mind. Most of the screenshot is wasted though....

Screenshots here all cropped.  Remember though that you can use Ctrl+ to change the resolution on your browser (and ctrl- to reduce it again).

 

Khazm - elven wild mage (elegy for a wild mage - episode 2)

 

Arabelle got a helping (sleeping) hand.

Looted Ulcaster - aren't green scrolls grand?

Meilum died in a scorcher,

his end was quick - no need for torture.

To conserve wand charges, each use is planned.

 

The Valley of Tombs is empty of threat,

summoned monsters made that no sweat.

But Khazm still saw her life cut in half,

that was the gods having a laugh.

The moral to take is sleep when its wet!

 

The next level up came from Tarnesh,

Fissure found he had tasty flesh.

Mutamin's pets allowed level six,

Kirian's party was easy to fix -

with Korax around, no need for web mesh.

 

Most kobolds saw no-one in Nashkel mine,

as Khazm passed through without a sign.

Mulahey saw, but was unable to talk;

he did get scared and go for a walk,

but invisibility meant that was just fine.

 

Some Amazons were burnt from a distance,

they need to work on their fire resistance!

Nimbul gave more for Fissure to nibble -

I wish he would eat without all the dribble!

A scorcher ended Tranzig's existence.

[corey_russell]

@Grond0 - screenshots much better. I do know about the ctrl +/-, but then I might forget what my normal zoom is. And as I said in my edit, full screen I can see OK. Hope your wild mage makes it this time....would be pretty cool to say a wild mage did a no-reload trilogy, with or without a party.

[Charlestonian Knight Templar]

Mordred, a servant & Black Guard of Asmodeus, am drawn from below to lead my company to a stronghold south of Bear River, long since abandoned by its original owner, now inhabited by Gnolls & the Xvarts who serve them.  On the trip south west from Beregost I avoided a confrontation w/bears @ the risk of weakening my company. Once there I led us down a trail in the cliff below the stronghold itself. This was evidently where the Xvarts who serve the Gnolls.  I moved quickly but my company was tired so after we cleared a cave of about six, seven of them, I chose to rest a few hours. Took off from there & found a couple more caves, each w/five or six more Xvarts which I disposed myself of quickly. I also killed eight Gnoll Elites that were on the trails there.  Then it was time to keep moving & assault this fortress.

 

The ‘gate’ if you’d call it that was guarded by four Gnoll Slashers, which I made quick work of. I had my Berserker Lieutenant quaff a Potion of Healing b/c he was ‘slashed up’ & I need him kickin’ ass out front. Next I encountered four more Gnoll Elites a little further up the stairs and then on up four more Gnoll Slashers (it seems this place is patrolled by Gnolls in groups of four). I continued forward tearing up more Xvarts & four more Gnolls before heading up a long staircase & had to dispatch more Xvarts. I was racking up lots & lots of gems & letting my Conjurer carry the load now that he seems to know how the hierarchy works in this group. 

 

Key Event:   I directed my Berserker Lieutenant up a second long stairway, armed w/his Throwing Axe. Good thinking on my part as there were three Gnolls up there. He fired off a couple of axes before coming down to joining me @ the foot of the stairs to wait on them to come to us. They did. They died. Same tactic sent him up again to encounter three more Gnolls who lumbered down the stairs after us & died there (note: usually my better calls for help mod from SCS brings the whole horde).  Once my Berserker Lieutenant moved just a bit further, near a sunken pit, we found the Gnoll Chieftain & his bodyguard of some 20 Gnolls, Gnoll Elites, Gnoll Slashers led by Gnoll Veterans.  My Berserker Lieutenant went forward Enraged into a pack of a half dozen of them while I stayed back…the Gnoll Chieftain was mine! I led my company to victory & cleared the Gnoll Stronghold of Gnolls, having to go up one more flight of stairs where another half dozen were waiting to die. They did.

 

 

SMASHIN' THE GNOLL CHIEFTAIN & HIS LACKEY GNOLLS!

 

I found the witch Dynahier in one of the pits in the ground where she’d been captive of the Gnolls. She’s a captive no more, nor did she get away. My Conjurer was not nearly as appreciative as I thought he should be. I left that place & took the road around the other side & behind the stronghold & killed eight more Gnolls.

 

ASSASSINATING THE WITCH FOR MY CONJURER!

 

Treasure of Note: Shield Amulet (Me);

 

 Current Disposition: Camping @ the Nashkel Carnival

 

Next Steps: I, Black Guard of Asmodeus, am led now to the Nashkel Mines

 

Level Up: My Bard, Herald, Sage became more talented during this foray becoming a Troubadour (Bard/6) & memorized Knock as I have no true rogue w/those skills; Next my Conjurer moved up in the Red Wizards to a Thaumaturgist (Magic-user/5) & selected 3xFlame Arrows as his 3^rd Level Spell (the only one he knows & it is a Conjuration/Summoning Spell). Finally, my Illusionist also impressed his school & is now a Cabalist (Illusionist/5) but has no 3^rd Level Spells in his spellbook yet. He also tells me there is only one 3^rd Level Illusionist Spell Invisibility 10’ Radius. I’ll have to find that & get it into his spellbook & repertoire.

 

Current Party: (Reputation: 5 – Disliked) (1000GP donation to that fraud Ormlyr @ The Temple of the Morning)

Black Guard of Asmodeus:  Fighter (Blk Gd)/5; Plate Mail w/Lg Shld, +1 B/Swd**, Flail* (SSS**)             

Kagain: Fighter (Bkr)/5; Splint Mail w/B/Axe*** & T/Axe**

Eldoth: Bard/6; Chain Mail, Sh/Bow* & Brazers of Archery, Dgr* (Arm,Slp,MM,Mir Img)

Edwin: Mage(Cjr/5); Knaves Rove & Q/Staff* (Arm, Grease x2, Ch Per,Lar MD,MelfAA x2,PW Slp,Web)

Quayle: Mage(Ill/5); Mage Rove of FR, Slg* & Dgr (Ref Img, Blind x2,MM,Blur,Inv,Mir Img)

 

Mods Used: HardTimes-v2; BG1UB_v12; bg1npc-v20; X0black101 (Blackguard); MegaModKits v1.01L; level1npcs-v1.9; bg2_tweaks-v14; Randomizer-v68; scs-v21 (- Tactical Challenges)

 

Reloads: 0

 

** Self-imposed restriction: I require my mages to ALWAYS select spells from their school to learn & memorize in spell slots. They can use others, only one of each from other schools, but after writing all the spells they can for their intelligence, if they find one from their own school, they have to choose one to remove in deference to the spell from their school. Same w/memorization, they must learn spells from their school first before others which I only allow them to learn one of. Any extra memorized spell slots have to go to spells from their school.  Bards & plain vanilla Mages aren’t restricted in this way.