Entering the BG1 no-reload challenge, Eydan a solo Elven Assassin:
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I went for what I think is my favorite archetype, along with the vigilante, i.e. the mercenary. Picked Assassin because I think it's not a very straightforward class to play what with the low skillpoints, and with the allegdly decreasing effectiveness of poison and backstabs later on (late SoA and ToB). I play on core difficulty, but maximize hit points. Installed Rogue Rebalancing (in addition to most of SCS) but not its revised Thief kits component. I did install the proper pnp dualwielding implementation component, which will allow Eydan to place 3 pips in TWF, and additional equipment for Thieves and Bards.
Got a good roll for pretty much optimal stats. Since Thac0 was likely to be an issue I went with Elf and spent proficiency pips in long swords and short bows as Elves get a +1 to hit bonus in those two (and in short swords), but not in other blades such as Scimitars in EE. The first 40 skill points went straight to Set Traps, a skill that would be developed a bit more in the course of the game, so that they would become a semi-reliable secret weapon.
Eydan, ever the loner, had no interest in traveling with Imoen or seeking out Khalid and Jaheira. He stubbornly decided to do the exact opposite of what was expected of him: he traveled southwest rather than northeast. He had first hostile encounter alone on the unforgiving Sword Coast when he faced Shoal, a Nereid whom he knew not to trust in the least. Rather than going for the kiss, he went for the kill. It allowed him to reach level 4(!). Skills developed were HiS/MS and Set Traps; a proficiency point was placed in single weapon style.
Further south Thalantyr failed to anti-chickenate his former apprentice Melicamp, but other relatively low-risk quests had Eydan grow steadily toward 20k XP and thus level 6. It mainly involved working as a hired hand for people he would meet in the inns and taverns of the Sword Coast smaller urbanizations. Feats included: bringing Mirianne a letter from her husband, fetching a book for his old acquaintance Firebead, pacifying Marl the mourning drunkard, killing Karlat the Bounty Hunter, bringing Perdue his lost Short Sword, and killing Huge Spiders in Beregost; slaying Ghasts and Hobgoblins south of Beregost (with the Boots of Stealth as a nice reward), dispatching Tarnesh the bounty hunting mage, bringing Landrin a number of possessions from her home in Beregost, killing more Hobgoblins to return a ring to Joia at the FAI; providing Charleston Nib protection against bandits and helping frenzied Brage on the South Coast; dispatching Greywolf the Bounty Hunter so that Prism could finish his sculpture of Ellessime, executing Zordral at the Nashkel Carnival for the murdring of an innocent woman; winning a duel against Meilum, bringing Samuel the injured Flaming Fist deserter into Gellana Mirrorshade's care, and surviving two Winter Wolf ambushes.
I call all these undertakings low-risk ventures because poison (and to a lesser extent traps) were generally very reliable.
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Meilum was the exception: failed poisonous backstab and ranged attempts and the intervention of Kobolds had Eydan leave the area and return to finish the job. Meilum's gauntlets were well-received (anything to improve Thac0...).
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With the gold received from Bentley Mirrorshade in exchange for Ankheg Armor, a Ring of Wizardry, two Rings of Protection +1, and other random loot, Eydan purchased the Shadow Armor at the Thunderhammer Smithy and the Red Ioun Stone (+1 DEX) from Thalantyr. At this stage of the game Eydan's reputation was very high thanks to the help he'd given to so many inhabitants of the Sword Coast.
Eydan's next victims were Mutamin the murderous Gnome and his Basilisks, a commission for Keldath Ormlyr, of the Lathander Temple in Beregost. Eydan's HiS failed suddenly when he was behind Mutamin, ready to strike. The two had a little chat, and after it Eydan managed to hit the Gnome with his poisoned Varscona. It didn't keep the devious little runt from blinding the Elf, but thankfully that was all Mutamin had to offer before he fell.
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I normally have my charnames tackle this area much earlier. Nevertheles clearing it helped Eydan gain another level (7) at roughly 45k XP. Find Traps, Set Traps and the Stealth skills were all reinforced.
Eydan then proceeded to rake together circa 25k more XP in order to reach level 8, before the Nashkel Mines were to be tackled. In the Lighthouse Area (where Sirines never saw Eydan sneak past them), Flesh Golems and the Tome of CON were Eydan's first quarry. He saved against spell to avoid any damage from an apparent Glyph of Warding trap and dismantled all other traps in the cave. The Golems fell to Eydan's non-multiplied backstabs.
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Further south, also on the coast he discovered a Gnoll Stronghold. He never received any commission for dealing with the vermin, so he left them to their business. He did pick up a tome that increased his CHA (to a mediocre 10). From there he traveled back toward Nashkel, via the Cloud Peak Mountains, running a number of minor errands for some of the curious inhabitants of that beautiful but generally desolate land. He reunited a dog named Rufie with its owner Albert (a demon), and Pixie the cat with a girl named Drienne. He also protected a Dryad's tree from the harm that two knuckleheads were about to cause it, and he slew some Gnoll named Ingot as well as two bandits, Vax and Zal, which yielded him a pair of Bracers of Archery.
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Up north Eydan lent a young girl named Tenya a hand against three thieving fishermen. Alas no reward was received yet. Not sure about her Thac0 and damage scores, but Tenya could have possibly slain the Elf had she followed him inside her 'land home' where her Hold Person took effect. She must have decided against entering the place, expecting Eydan to strike at her from the shadows should she get inside.
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Eydan further slew numerous Ankhegs, relying heavily on his poison weapon ability, and brought farmer Brun the heavy corpse of his son who had gone missing.
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Further north even, in Ulgoth's Beard, he met a gnomish lady, Dushai, a retired adventurer who showed him her Ring of Free Action. She wouldn't part with it when asked, so Eydan quaffed a single potion of master thievery and tried to pickpocket her for the ring. The plan worked; he acquired the ring, along with a couple of potions. She would become hostile soon after, because Eydan's first pickpocket attempt had failed, but the Assassin simply left the area with the goods.
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Then came the Nashkel Mines, an assignment he'd been given by Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor of Nashkel. Eydan discovered that the mines were infested with Kobolds. Having little interest in facing hordes of the critters (who generally haven't anything of worth with them anyway), he used stealth to venture deeper into the mines, undisturbed, until he found the mine operator (contaminator), a Half-Orc Cleric of Cyric. Eydan poisoned his arrows and with them the priest, who would fall soon after. The hardest part came after that: Eydan got surrounded by Mulahey's Skellies and Kobolds, and had to fight his way out. He was more than a little dismayed with his amateuristic work, and relieved to make his way out of the mines.
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Retour en haut
I might have to look into BBMorti's exploits in Amn... Best of luck to you and DogDancing as well, in your duo run!
) decided she deserved a further chance ...
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