16377 réponses à ce sujet

[corey_russell]

@Blackraven: Good to see you in action! Hope you don't run into any anomalies...

@Grond0, Gate70: Grats on your MP success - good to see Sarevok take yet another beating...

@Grond0 - sorry to hear about the monks.

[Grimwald the Wise]

 

Wise: The web claims this is a video related issue. Some things they suggested was running the game at a lower resolution. Another suggestion was to lower the hardware acceleration of your video card (if your video card offers this feature).

 

Now plating in windowed mode. It is fine, but a little on the small size. Will try reducing resolution next.

[corey_russell]

Remember, they mean the resolution of the GAME, not your computer resolution.  E.g., running BG like in 800 x 600 rather than the wide screen mod, etc.

[Blackraven]

Thanks Serg and Corey!   It's nice to be back in action... I still have less time at my disposal than I used to (until recently), but Belle made some solid progress today, thanks to some unexepected free time. 
Grond0, sorry about Monks v30 (and many earlier incarnations whose misadventures I must have missed). I admire your insistence and I hope to see the crew successful soon...

'Bawdy' Belle Hornswoggle, Halfling Swashbuckler, 2nd & final BG1 report

Belle's decision to look into the troubled Nashkel Mines for Berrun Ghastkill set in motion a chain of events that led to the Halfling learning about an evil plot to lead the Sword Coast to war, and about her own hitherto mysterious roots.

She didn't really understand the fuss about the Nashkel Mines. The evil there was just a bunch of Kobolds led by a Half-Orc priest. Belle slew the Kobolds that stood in her way, and stunned and then slew the priest with her darts. Nothing the Amnian military couldn't have accomplished themselves she reckoned.

Spoiler

Through an assassin named Nimbul (slain by Amnian soldiers) and a wizard she killed in self-defense in Beregost, Belle discovered that the iron crisis and the bandit epidemic were somehow related. As she searched for the bandits' base of operations, four amazons, and later a quartet of male brigands tried to stop her. The amazons were no match for the well-prepared duelist,

Spoiler

but the males had a Gnomish mage in their midst who did give her a run for her money. Belle used the wizard's magics against him and his friends, and she used a Sandthief's ring to go invisible and set two snares to debilitate her enemies.

Spoiler

She managed to finish the Gnome and then successfully dueled the other males.

Spoiler

A Greenstone Amulet she had bought in Ulgoth's Beard was invaluable in Belle's battles against wizards and priests such as the above-mentioned troublemakers.

Belle infiltrated the bandit camp via an unsuspecting bandit who seemed to have fallen for her charms. At the camp, her anti-missile gear (Cloak of Displacement, Boots of Avoidance, Elves' Bane girdle), a potion of defense, an oil of speed and a Greenstone Amulet charge helped Belle prevail against the leading bandits. One of them was a wizard. The Halfling neutralized this threat with darts of wounding before she struck him down.

Spoiler

The remainder of the fight was pretty straightforward, though it must be observed that Belle had to resort to drinking several healing potions and elixirs of health (to neutralize Black Talon and Hobgoblin Elite critical hits).

An Elven prisoner she released, pointed her to an Iron Throne base in Cloakwood, according to him the masterminds behind the iron crisis and the bandit plague. Belle cruised through the forest, killing a pedantic hunter who had slain a Druid, and eliminating all kinds of Spiders, before she indeed reached the Iron Throne base, a mine. By the entrance she defeated a hasted, potion of frost giant strength quaffing berserker, relying on the protection of a potion of absorption and her girdle of bluntness to stand up to the warrior.

Spoiler

She also felled a second warrior, but she left two wizards to their own devices after they went invisible, frustrated as they must have been by her use of a green PfMagic scroll.

Inside the mine Belle snuck through the many corridors while hidden in shadows, until deep down she found the master of the mine, a wizard named Davaeorn. Before she could touch him, she had to deal with two Battle Horrors though, and with a contingent of guards. The Battle Horrors fell in melee combat; the guards succumbed to the crafty Halfling's Necklace of Missiles.

Spoiler

Darts of wounding and Belle's returning frost dart then did the wizard in.

Spoiler

As the Iron Throne HQ were located in Baldur's Gate, Belle's logical next step was to visit that great city. Although she was more than eager to get rid of the Throne both for her own sake - she was getting tired of being followed by assassins and bounty hunters everywhere she went - and for that of the people of the Sword Coast, the Halfling didn't rush her dealings with them. Instead, she indulged in several lucrative side-quests, leading her to increase her dexterity, intelligence and wisdom, and to obtain more valuable items (mostly scrolls, potions, ammo).
She encountered the Iron Throne offices heavily guarded, but successfully snuck past the watchmen and learned from one of the employees, after he felt her cold blade against his throat, that the Throne board were in Candlekeep on business.

A potion of magic blocking helped her past five Charm Person casting Ogre Mages,

Spoiler

in front of the gates of Candlekeep, and into the ostensible safety of the citadel she had long known as her home. Belle's stay would be a short one though. Before she knew it, the Gatewarden arrested her for murdering the Iron Throne leaders. In reality she had done no such thing; Belle had been framed by a man named Sarevok who, as she would read in a letter Gorion had left for her, was her 'brother'. Apparently Sarevok and Belle had both been engendered by the dead Lord of Murder, Bhaal. Belle also understood that Sarevok had been the killer of her foster father. 

The Halfling was slightly shaken by these ill tidings, but still sensible enough to loot the catacombs below Candlekeep where Tethtoril had kindly teleported her, and to find her way past monsters and villains, back to the surface, and back to Baldur's Gate.
There, a meeting with two assassins, a male rogue and a female mage hired by Sarevok to kill the Grand Dukes in order for him to become a Grand Duke himself, turned into a very bloody affair that had Belle fear for her life more than once. She successfully shook off the wizard but had more than her hands full with the rogue. The two had very distinct fighting styles, with Belle being a flashy duelist and her opponent preferring painfully precise attacks from the shadows. Initially the latter style seemed more effective, not least because the rogue had several invisibility potions at his disposal.

Spoiler

The two took their fight outside where they continued their cat and mouse game until Belle successfully dispelled the last of her opponent's potion-induced invisibilities. The open duel that ensued was much more to Belle's liking, and she soon defeated her opponent.

Spoiler

On the man's corpse the Swashbuckler found two invitations for the inauguration of Sarevok as Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate the following night at the Ducal Palace.

Belle convinced the Palace guards to let her in before the festivities were to begin, in order to inspect the premises. She strategically placed no less than seven snares, a security measure she considered reasonable given Sarevok's plans to kill the city's Dukes. On the night of the event, Belle prepared as well as she could to prevent or quash a possible assault on the Grand Dukes, using a green PfMagic scroll and numerous potions (violet, fortitude, agility, mind focusing, defense, speed, power, regeneration).

Spoiler

With a phial of poison she had bought from Black Lily at the Thieves Guild, the Halfling poisoned several arrows. (She wasn't proficient in the use of bows. In fact she had only used her bow once, to kill a sewer-dwelling Ogre Mage with an arrow of slaying.) 

Belle's precautions proved warranted. Six nobles present at the event turned out to be Doppelgangers employed by Sarevok. Belle's snares instantly killed one or two of them (including one Mage), and her poisoned arrows of dispelling did a great job at slowing the remaining Doppelgangers down. Belle switched to dual wielding two short swords (taking a Short Sword of Backstabbing with its massive Thac0 bonus in her off-hand), and made short work of the shapeshifting creatures.

Spoiler

She nevertheless had to fear her efforts would be in vain, when Sarevok slew Duchess Liia Jannath and Belt, at near death status proceeded to attack the huge warrior. Belle stepped in and managed to draw Sarevok's attention away from Belt, to herself. She suffered a blow or two before a wizard teleported in and took Sarevok with him.

Spoiler

Duke Belt cast a Divination spell, and discovered Sarevok and the wizard had entered an underground maze from the Thieves Guild. Belle followed suit and found her nemesis and four henchmen in an old Bhaal temple. She had a batch of arrows of detonation, coated several of them in poison using another phial of poison, and inflicted a lot of pain with them.

Spoiler

(Interestingly, Tazok died when the expiration of his Berserker rage knocked him unconscious. The scripted Flamestrike seemed to kill him.)

Spoiler

Soon all four henchmen lay dead, but four Skeletal Warriors rose from their corpses. Belle dealt with the undead creatures in melee combat before she could finally focus on Sarevok.

The Halfling used her last phial of poison to debilitate her foe, and then challenged him to a dual. She used her movement speed advantage (having dispelled her opponent's haste), and her light blade for swift attacks and retreats.

Spoiler

The bulky warrior had no answer to Belle's celerity and dexterity. He managed to land one desperate blow but fell right after that.

Spoiler

[Dyara]

Great  ... see you in Amn then   ...

[Grimwald the Wise]

Thanks for the advice on resolution. Game working great now even in full screen mode.

 

Faelicia took a quick trip to Durlag's Tower where she gained experience, a tome for increasing wisdom and an oil of speed potion.

 

She used the latter to make the killing of Tazok straightforward. On his body was a replacement potion and some decent gauntlets.

 

She then collected the documents in Tazok's tents by using stealth. She was now in a quandary as to whether she should fight those at the camp, or just continue the quest by going to Cloakwood.

 

In the end she chose to take on the camp. She was highly successful only leaving those alive who were not worthwhile chasing.

 

She then went to High Hedge where she sold her wand of fire and bought one.

She then took Gurke's Cloak to him, but he spurned it. She sided with Aldeth before heading further into Cloakwood.

 

She returned Chelak to his brother and then returned to the spiders' nest to pick up armour that had to be left behind.

 

In transit she was attacked by wyvern/spider parties and wisely fled. However when it came to the wyverns' lair, she cleared it without problem having been able to prepare for battle ahead of time.

 

Drasus and co were next and were defeated by wand of fire together with improved invisibility.

 

Now level 7 mage, level 7 fighter.

 

Davaeorn was defeated far more easily than I thought he would be.

 

Various protections were used, but only the improved invisibility was important.

 

About three blasts of wand of fire were used after he had used up his teleportation spells.

 

Faelicea then finished him off in melee.

 

Now trying to decide if I should get a second member of the party. It seems criminal to leave all these goodies down here, and if I selected Coran I could trash Durlag's Tower as well.

[Grimwald the Wise]

In the end I decided to pick up Imoen. A difficult choice as I think that Faelicea is powerful enough to win on her own, having already reached the experience cap. Realised that I had made one big mistake in learning cloudkill as she will never be able to cast it in ToSC.

 

The pair of them wandered the streets of BG finishing most of the quests there.

 

There was one unusual occurence. Faelicea blinded Larze and killed him. She then left the inn and upon returning he was there again. Used different answers and left without fighting.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Final update.

 

In the end I did decide to pick up Imoen. Faelicea was already at the level cap. The two of them went tome hunting, but didn't bother with the charisma tome.

 

Having Imoen made Candlekeep more straightforward.

 

The Ducal Palace was straightforward due to summons, sleep and web. Faelicea did heal both dukes.

 

Was a bit concerned when they attacked Sarevok, but needlessly as it happens.

 

Imoen used backstabs to eliminate Sarevok. Tazok, Semaj et al are still alive somewhere.

 

Now for Amn.

 

I had forgotten what a pain the lack of containers is. I put down robe of the neutral archmage and forgot where I put it. Ouch!

 

Was a bit stupid just before the final battle.

 

A wand of fire ran out and I went for another one. It never got used.

 

I think that this is my first completed run with a neutral character. I feel much happier if they are chaotic good like myself, though lawful/neutral good are also acceptable.

 

Faelicea is quite happy with the fact that of late she has rarely succumbed to rage. Perhaps she will eventually subdue this aspect of her nature.

 

I had forgotten how straightforward the vanilla game is. I might play a few games with it, but it will not be my preferred set-up.

[Grond0]

Phantasmic 6 {32} - monks party (update 1)

 

Just to cover the highly improbable possibility that anyone wonders what happened to the 31st monks run - that was a brief one with Wraith being killed early on in Shoal's area just before the party got to level 2.

 

The 32nd one again started with a lot achieved before anyone took any damage.  They:

- went to Beregost where everyone got to level 2 by talking to Marl.

- moved on to Nashkel thanks to Brage where the last of them got to level 3 courtesy of some wise words from Noober.

- travelled up to the FAI on the back roads to help Joia.

- sneaked into the ankheg nest and looted it to help out a farmer.

- on the way to help another farmer with a zombie problem they returned some items to Tenya before taking them back rather abruptly.

Spoiler

- back in Beregost they ticked Karlat & Firebead off the list before going to successfully restore Melicamp.

- killing some worgs for Ardrouine at the Lighthouse provided level 4.

- after killing a clan of half-ogres the monks were on their way back to Beregost and stopped to loot Zargal's short sword.  That resulted in an attack on them when Phantom used a stealth shot on Malkax while he was neutral and I failed to account for the auto-pause enemy sighted when pausing immediately afterwards - fortunately the shot missed.

- back south where Greywolf was shot down.  Oublek took a single emerald for a reward as well as putting in a good word for the honesty of the party. 

- moving deeper into the mountains a dryad and a little girl took reputation up to 19.

 

The first damage taken by the party finally came following a slight lack of concentration at the Gnoll Stronghold.  Entering one of the xvart caves Spectre was initially hidden in shadows - meaning that the xvarts didn't focus on her as she moved forward and I didn't react quickly enough to move Phantom out of the way to avoid an attack.

Spoiler

 

Without the same incentive to be careful several other monks took damage while clearing the remainder of the Stronghold.  They then went to get Samuel and successfully risked the chance of a bandit ambush to take him back to the FAI.  With reputation now at 20 they will be heading to the out-of-town shopping centre at Ulgoth's Beard next.

 

Chimera - L4, 33 HPs, 65 kills

Spectre - L4, 31 HPs, 49 kills, 0 deaths

Phantom - L4, 26 HPs, 50 kills, 0 deaths

Wraith - L4, 30 HPs, 48 kills, 0 deaths

Spook - L4, 25 HPs, 54 kills, 0 deaths

Spirit - L4, 34 HPs, 49 kills, 0 deaths

[Blackraven]

Belle, my Swashbuckler, fell a few days ago when a real life distraction (girlfriend, so no hard feelings lol) took my focus from the game for a brief while, enough for Belle to be PW:Stunned by a Yuan-Ti Mage in the old tunnels below Athkatla.  
I'm still eager for a 'successfulish' playthrough. (I don't expect myself to complete a no-reload trilogy run but it would be nice to have another character reach ToB and make me feel like we're actually contenders for the throne). I rolled several new chars. The girlfriend liked a Human Invoker named Evangeline the best. Being a single-class wizard, she's not really a character I can see myself getting very far with, as I have much more affinity with rogues or rogue hybrids. One of the other chars I rolled, a pretty much min-maxed Gnome Illusionist/Thief, surely has better odds. On the plus side, it's good to leave one's comfort zone once in a while, and besides I really like Evangeline's portrait (by Magali Villeneuve). 

Here is Evangeline, Human Invoker:

Spoiler

As you can see she has a great (manually rolled) stat total of 93, but her stats aren't really min-maxed. Her starting proficiency was Darts and her starting spells were Find Familiar, Shield, and - since Sleep ain't available to Invokers - Grease. 
The former spell would prove a wise pick when Evangeline and Imoen found themselves in an early bandit ambush and Evangeline was succesfully targeted by some of the bandits before she could put up a Shield.

Spoiler

Btw Imoen convinced the wizard to travel together (against my original idea of having her embark on a solo adventure). A role-play element I came up with is that Evangeline is to become Imoen's mentor in the magical arts. 

Simply put, the early game consisted of mere survival, mostly in the wilds. Imoen's arrows and Evangeline's darts and Grease spells were slow but sure means of killing monsters and wild animals like larcenous Hobgoblins and Ogres, a Ghast, Wolves, Huge Spiders, etc.

Spoiler

During this early stage the ladies worked very hard on their reputation and refused to spend any gold except on bare necessities (basically ammo). The reputation quests they completed were: Firebead's book, Dudley necklace, Joia's ring, Charleston Nib's excavation, Captain Brage's disappearance, Tenya's bowl, Bjornin's Half-Ogres, the Dryad of the Cloudpeaks' tree, and Drienne's cat, while in Nashkel Minsc briefly joined the ladies to tell Oublek he wasn't Greywolf. They also got rid of twenty zombies up north, but discovered that this didn't increase their rep. 
Difficult fights, such as those in the Cloudpeaks areas, in the fisherman lake area, and with the bounty hunters in Beregost and Nashkel, were postponed.

The girls' parsimony paid off, because with Lord Foreshadow's Ring of Human Influence and Algernon's Cloak (obtained by Imoen with the help of a potion of master thievery from Erdane), the two could afford two ioun stones - Deep Red with +1 Dex for Imoen, and Purple with Infravision for Evangeline - and a variety of spell scrolls from Thalantyr. Evangeline quaffed one potion of genius and one of mind focusing. She still flunked a couple of scribing attempts but in the end her spell book was enriched with the following spells (obtained either from Thalantyr or during adventuring): Armor, Blindness, Burning Hands, Chill Touch, Identify, Larloch's Minor Drain, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Protection from Petrification, Shield, Detect Invisibility, Horror, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Resist Fear, Strength, Flame Arrow, Minor Spell Deflection, Protection from Fire, Skull Trap, and Vampiric Touch.

The diciest moment the two, especially Imoen, had to go through, was their encounter with Tarnesh. Imoen made a rather poor backstab attempt, dealing 4 damage, wasted a Wand of Missiles charge on a mirror image of the wizard, and was soon put to Sleep by the latter. Meanwhile Evangeline and the guards tried to stop Tarnesh from killing Imoen, but Evangeline had to cease her efforts when she got Horrored by her foe.

Spoiler

Thankfully the guards managed to slay the mage before he could beat away Imoen's last two HPs.

Spoiler

At the moment Evangeline (lvl 4) and Imoen (lvl 5) are relaxing at Feldepost's Inn. Imoen has been studying Tarnesh's spell book.

Spoiler

I intend to dual her at level 7, as per BG2 canon.

[Serg BlackStrider]

Safe travels to Evangeline! Nice portrait!

[Blackraven]

Not very safe I'm afraid Serg...

Quick final update on Evangeline:

Evangeline is gone. In the Basilisk area, she thought she was going to kill severely injured Peter with her Wand of Frost and further injure Lindin (the others were already dead), but apparently the wand works differently in BGEE, namely as a single target weapon. In the original game the wand inflicts AoE frost damage. It only hit Lindin, allowing Peter to Hold Evangeline, and later Imoen...

[Grond0]

Phantasmic 6 {32} - monks party (2nd and final update)

 

And another one gone ...

 

The monks spent all their funds to buy up the goodies at Ulgoth's Beard before going to shoot down Meilum for his bracers.  They used a giant strength potion to acquire another +1 sling at Gullykin.

 

Bringing the wolf pack under control at the Temple then got everyone to the threshold of level 5 and a bit more clearance work around Beregost achieved that mark before they went basilisk hunting.  After the monsters were all dead Kirian's group were quickly incapacitated and joined them.

 

Back in Beregost Silke was the last bit of business left in town before the monks moved on to Durlag's Tower.  They cleared the exterior and the first 3 upper levels there.  However, disaster struck as they were leaving the Tower.  Trying to rest to heal the last couple of HPs of trap damage suffered there they were ambushed 3 times in a row.  They had already dealt with probably around 20 ambushes like that while resting with no particular problems, but that was becoming tedious so I got them to run from the 3rd ambush.  They tried resting again further up the path, only to be ambushed again - meaning they now needed to fight, or at least be careful about micro-managing movement to get around the enemies.  Unfortunately, at that point I got involved in a conversation with my wife and obviously didn't pause the game properly as I turned round - that led to dismay when I turned back to find that Spook had been under attack by several gnolls and a critical had killed him moments before.

Spoiler

[Grimwald the Wise]

Hard luck Blackraven.

[ussnorway]

I’m re-entering the challenge with Sarah again… Sarah is a stock standard Gnome Fighter Illusionist & took the first (adjusted) dice roll… it was perhaps unwise to drop the wisdom so low but she needed better fighting stats.

(I need to thank Wise for the background village image)

Bitmap image for download- Sarl2

Spoiler

Mods: this is the same scs30 bgtutu game files that I used for puks last run... I made a basic moonblade item and armed Shank with it.

// Moonblade = immune to backstabs in place of any armour or element resistances but once equipped the sword is bound until death and will not suffer being wielded by anyone one else… I've also made some dialog edits to reflect this plot just for my own amusement.

Spoiler

// Log of Currently Installed WeiDU Mods

// The top of the file is the 'oldest' mod

// ~TP2_File~ #language_number #component_number // [Subcomponent Name -> ] Component Name [ : Version]

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #1000 // Initialise mod (all other components require this): v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #2010 // More consistent Breach spell (always affects liches and rakshasas; doesn't penetrate Spell Turning): v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #2030 // Iron Skins behaves like Stoneskin (can be brought down by Breach): v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #2150 // Make spell sequencers, spell triggers, and contingencies learnable by all mages: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #3000 // Replace BG1-style elemental arrows with BG2 versions: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #3041 // Reduce the number of Arrows of Dispelling in stores -> Stores sell a maximum of 5 Arrows of Dispelling: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4010 // Grant large, flying, non-solid or similar creatures protection from Web and Entangle: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5010 // Move Boo into Minsc's pack: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5900 // Initialise AI components (required for all tactical and AI components): v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6000 // Smarter general AI: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6010 // Better calls for help: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6031 // Smarter Mages -> Mages only cast short-duration spells instantly at start of combat if they are created in sight of the PC: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6041 // Smarter Priests -> Priests only cast short-duration spells instantly at start of combat if they are created in sight of the PC: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6103 // Potions for NPCs -> Two thirds of the potions dropped by slain enemies break and are lost: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6300 // Smarter sirines and dryads: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6320 // Smarter basilisks: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7020 // Improved deployment for parties of assassins: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7030 // Dark Side-based kobold upgrade: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7040 // Relocated bounty hunters: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7200 // Tougher chapter-two end battle: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7210 // Tougher chapter-three end battle: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7220 // Tougher chapter-four end battle: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7230 // Tougher chapter-five end battle: v30

~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7900 // Improved minor encounters: v30

[Jabberwock]

Question:

 

I'm in the final chapter playing a semi-blind run through SCS (I played through a decade or so ago, but don't remember everything that well and didn't have TOTSC at the time). How dangerous is the TOTSC SCS content (durlag's tower, werewolf island)? If I'm just playing for the BG2 import at this point, is it safer to just go for the ending (which will have the SCS upgraded fight with sarevok) or is it better to do the TOTSC content first? Thanks.

[ussnorway]

Question:

 

 How dangerous is the TOTSC SCS content (durlag's tower, werewolf island)?

About the same as final tob battle... with scs it can be insane hard!

[Grimwald the Wise]

Starting a new vanilla ToSC run with a male human evil fighter "Sword of the Dark".

 

Str 18/28, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 3.

 

Started with ** in bows and ** in large swords.

 

In Candlekeep I killed Fuller and a watcher. This gave me some good armour.

 

I used gold to keep rep up and then killed Firebead, again using gold for rep.

 

Firebead must have been resurrected as I met him in Beregost. I got a book for him and then calmed down Marl. This made me level 3.

 

I took news of her husband to Mirianne and then killed an ogre with a belt fetish.

 

Heading northwards, I helped a priestess of Umberlee called Tanya.

 

I then returned Joia's ring to her.

 

Used gold to up reputation before acquiring Algernon's Cloak from his dead body. Used what little gold I had to raise reputation, but couldn't raise it much as I am down to my last few gold.

 

Headed southwards to Nashkel where I found some ankheg armour. Oubliek was about to give me some gold which was for Greybeard. Rep got raised and upon sleeping gained the ability to heal.

 

Helped Rufie and a dryad before returning to Beregost where I killed Firebead for the experience.

 

Killed Firebead and am now about to enter the mines.

 

EDIT 1

 

Most of the mines were relatively easy despite the lack of equipment caused by a chronic shortage of gold. Mulahey was the only major problem. The plan had been to use poisoned arrows to stop Mulahey casting spells. The problem was that he kept saving and eventually a hold spell came. I was lucky. I saved also and then at last he got poisoned. After that it was plain sailing.

 

In Nashkel Oubliek helped me against Nimbul.

 

Oubliek took a lot of the damage and as a result I survived and Nimbul didn't.

 

At last I have gold. Over 8000gp.

 

I am level 5.

 

I acquired a ring of freedom of action in Ulgoth's Beard.

 

I need to reduce reputation before taking on the bandit camp as I would like the horror spell.

 

Trying to think where that would be available. (Preferably getting good equipment into the bargain)

 

EDIT 2

 

Visited the Coast and plundered a cave there. Charmed Arkishule who was a great help against the first set of sirene.

 

For some reason she attacked me so I had to kill her. (600 exp not bad)

 

The second set of sirene charmed and confused me. This meant that I lost out on 2000 exp when killing one of them whilst charmed.

 

Still got to level 6 whilst there.

 

Went to Beregost and got into conflict with Silke.

 

Charmed the ones she wanted killing. Silke killed all of them and herself into the bargain.

 

What a shame.

 

Killed Marl and Dunkin. Lost 5 rep points upon killing Dunkin.

[Aasim]

Question:

 

I'm in the final chapter playing a semi-blind run through SCS (I played through a decade or so ago, but don't remember everything that well and didn't have TOTSC at the time). How dangerous is the TOTSC SCS content (durlag's tower, werewolf island)? If I'm just playing for the BG2 import at this point, is it safer to just go for the ending (which will have the SCS upgraded fight with sarevok) or is it better to do the TOTSC content first? Thanks.

Durlag is fairly easy apart those Dwarf guardians (Pride, Fear etc.). That battle is (imo) far worse than Sarevok; and can lead to chunking deaths. Can be cheesed with pre-set Skull Traps however.

Werewolf island is easy.

When you return the Soultaker dagger to the village, the battles there are quite hard (a bunch of *very* high-leveled fighter-thieves; mages etc.)

I avoid all that; not worth the risk in a Trilogy run.

[Jabberwock]

Thanks Aasim and norway. I think I'll skip the TotSC content in this run. That sounds safer, and then I have an excuse for another playthrough at some point .

[Grimwald the Wise]

Sword of the Dark killed all the bandits who were not in tents, including Taughoz and Tazok.

 

Then Imoen helped him get the papers out of Tazok's tent.

 

Got ghoul touch and has now gone to Cloakwood.

[Jabberwock]

Do green slimes no longer chunk (SCS change?)? Carelessly exploring the sewers with Imoen when she bumped into the named kobold, who proceeded to rigid thinking her. Then while the party was jogging across the map to go rescue her (which they did not succeed in doing) I was watching Imoen and meanwhile a green slime that Imoen had not seen (maybe it spawned after she passed or something) snuck up on Edwin and tagged him. 

 

Googling suggested the worst was about to happen, but after a few ticks Edwin just died, and thankfully did not chunk (which probably would have ended the run - not because we wouldn't be able to win, but because I use him in BG2 and don't think I'd be OK with that even if the game would allow it).

 

[ussnorway]

There is an option to make it happen less often, also not every hit will auto-splat a npc so he may have just been lucky... well except for being dead in a sewer of course but if you over look that tinny little detail?

[Jabberwock]

I'll count my blessings then. Also that the slime didn't tag charname. 

 

I really need to be more careful about offscreen characters getting ambushed. Reminds me of the time an elder orb snuck up on charname while I was off doing something else with another party member. Fortunately I noticed the dispel in the status menu as once I paused there was already a stream of rays, including death and everything else, flying towards a naked charname (saved by magic shielding).

[ussnorway]

Sar-scs30 update 1.1, 

 

Safety in towns;

 

Hear text as mp3,

 

"I've never been very good at leading, O I can fight a bully or charm a storekeep but that doesn't require me to trust my instincts… I have issues with my drives and have come to rely on others for a right/ wrong compass".

 

Spoiler

 

Jaheira and Khalid agreed to join us traveling to Peldvale where a Drow named Viconia did the classic damsel in distress... J wanted to head south via Beregost and we had little money (can't even afford to resurrect Viconia) so agreed to hire ourselves out as muscle to her.

 

Spoiler

 

We arrived in Nashkel safely (more or less) via the back roads… Before hitting the shops, I plan to rest at the inn and ask J if she has any use for a magic dagger?