496 réponses à ce sujet

[Grimwald the Wise]

Angus had no further problems. Irenicus and Bhodi were no problem other than the length of time needed to defeat Irenicus.

Took the good path and is now married to Saerileth.  It seems to be the only romance that is romantic!

Romantic encounters could be better labelled, sexual encounters.

We had a problem when trying to find an answer to the problems of Saradush. Due to confusion spell, a deva was attacked and became hostile.

The party spent a lot of time running around avoiding it to avoid killing it. I thought that killing the deva might lead to drop in rep, now at 20. Is that true?

Have rested in order to be able to summon more devas , the party will now go on the attack again.

A further question, what should the experience cap be in ToB. I think that it got removed and wish to stop levelling up upon reaching the cap.

I am now in completely uncharted territory as I have never got this far before, and I have no idea how much more that there is to do.

Modifié par Grimwald the Wise, 26 septembre 2012 - 11:05 .

[morbidest2]

Killing alienated Summons doesn't affect your party reputation.
ToB is maybe a third the length of SoA. On your pocket plane you can see there are 5 circles, which are each an end point (except the first one) for a saga on Toril. Then there is a grand, long, climatic battle. Also you can finish Watchers Keep after the second segment if you haven't already done so. So you have quite a ways to go. I believe the original character experience cap was 8 million. With a large party that won't be an issue; with a small one you would have an issue.

[Gate70]

XP cap is 8m, entry to a ToB only game is 2.5m XP and the SoA cap was about 2.95m XP before ToB was installed.

Each of Yaga Shura, Sendai and Abazigal take a similar time as taken from Illasera to Gromnir. Balthazar is a bit quicker. ToB is fairly linear and not much diversion while the final encounter is a series of battles (something like 3+3 unmodded with no resting between).

I hope you've packed both sets of pantaloons.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Gate70 wrote...

XP cap is 8m, entry to a ToB only game is 2.5m XP and the SoA cap was about 2.95m XP before ToB was installed.

Each of Yaga Shura, Sendai and Abazigal take a similar time as taken from Illasera to Gromnir. Balthazar is a bit quicker. ToB is fairly linear and not much diversion while the final encounter is a series of battles (something like 3+3 unmodded with no resting between).

I hope you've packed both sets of pantaloons.

Thanks for the replies both of you.

Sadly Imoen got chunked by giants arriving from behind from an area that I had cleared. I was able to replace her with Tashia. I now realise that I should have had as many NPCs in my party as possible, just in case I run out of party members.

People like Xan, Edwin etc. just in case.

The elite fire giants killed Anomen and had to use a charge of resurection rod to get him back. Fortunately I had a full spare set of equipment for him to put on before returning to finish them off.

It is SO much fun getting to areas where I have never been before, even if it is difficult.

I found another part for the flail of ages, but believe that there is another one somewhere.

A vague answer would be best. i.e." a level number in Watcher's Keep" would be more than explicit enough, if that is where it is.

Modifié par Grimwald the Wise, 28 septembre 2012 - 04:55 .

[Grimwald the Wise]

I have just finished Watcher's Keep and Saerileth was given two tomes by Tyr. One increases wisdom, the other, charisma, but I cannot put them in my quick slots. Being a paladin, I am of good alignment.

Does anyone know what to do with them?

Should I use Shadowkeeper to replace them with ordinary tomes?

[Grimwald the Wise]

I have checked on the forums and this is a bug, so used shadowkeeper to increase the stats and dropped the tomes.

Apparently the next version will be corrected, if there is a next version.

I hope there will be, So far I have loved the mod.

[Gate70]

Congratulations on completing Watchers Keep, it's almost a game in itself.

In the standard game the fourth part of the Flail is in the Keep. I assume that is the part you've found...and a quick grab in a current multiplayer run might be a good idea so thanks for indirectly suggesting it!

The fifth part is on one of the final two Bhaalspawn. They can be done in either order so you will either have the flail for one challenge and the final confrontation or for one Bhaalspawn map, one challenge and 1 confrontation (I think, can never remember the exact sequence). Vague enough?

At some stage (+5 I think) the flail grants free action. While this seems a good addition it has a potential downside - I won't say more unless you ask except that for the remaining battles the additional effects from +4 to +5 outweigh the disadvantage particularly if weapon switching is used between combats (in my opinion).

[Matuse]

I definitely do not upgrade the FoA to +5. What you lose is far more important than what you gain.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Gate70 wrote...

Congratulations on completing Watchers Keep, it's almost a game in itself.

In the standard game the fourth part of the Flail is in the Keep. I assume that is the part you've found...and a quick grab in a current multiplayer run might be a good idea so thanks for indirectly suggesting it!

The fifth part is on one of the final two Bhaalspawn. They can be done in either order so you will either have the flail for one challenge and the final confrontation or for one Bhaalspawn map, one challenge and 1 confrontation (I think, can never remember the exact sequence). Vague enough?

At some stage (+5 I think) the flail grants free action. While this seems a good addition it has a potential downside - I won't say more unless you ask except that for the remaining battles the additional effects from +4 to +5 outweigh the disadvantage particularly if weapon switching is used between combats (in my opinion).

Reading between the lines, I think that you are saying that the loss of speed might also be important?

[Gate70]

Something like that. It's so long since I had the +4/5 flail I can't remember why exactly but just felt a bit of a compromise.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Well I've beaten the drow and the dragon Bhaalspawn.

Sarevok says that I need to go to Saradush, but it is greyed out.

Any ideas as to where I should go next?

I've gone to where there is a monastry and got as far as the cave of the dead. Apparentl I need a key to go further there, but cannot find one. (I might have made a wrong choice with the smugglers I think. I didn't help them due to my belief that a paladin wouldn't help smugglers. Later found out that the leader of the monastry is worse!)

(edit)

Found that I hadn't finished a lair. Am currently looking to reverse a geas, but so far haven't found an eyestalk. Clearly have to find the right tunnel. I have found a dragon that has been cursed, and so far, it hasn't attacked.

Modifié par Grimwald the Wise, 03 octobre 2012 - 08:33 .

[Gate70]

Cave of the dead - speak to Marlowe in the inn then in his house then the monk outside the cave. There may be other options there.

Saradush is destroyed around the time when you kill Yaga Shura.

The eye stalk is obtained from the area with Eagle Eyes and Guardians. You need to speak to a mage at the northern part, and I would recommend sub-contracting the task if given the option.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Thanks for the advice Gate. However it came too late for me as I already got the stalk. I didn't subcontract with the result that Keldorn was imprisoned. However, Tashia cast freedom and everything worked well.

In the final battles before meetin melissa, I had massive problems fighting against myself. Six reloads before I found a tactic that worked. Planatars casting insect swarm was the key. That and using death blow. I'm not used to the HLAs yet! A sword that reduces magical resistance might also have helped. Only used Holy Avenger for the final assault.

I beat Melissa in the first battle easily. Devas were quite useful there. Have yet to try the last bit.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Melissa was finally defeated, though sadly Anomen was chunked.

Argus decided to spend the rest of his days as a human with his beloved wife Saerileth.<3:wub:<3

This is the first time I have got to the end of the game, and I must admit it was very satisfying.

From now on, I suppose that I will have to play no-reload games.

As I must have had at least ten re-loads this time, that is clearly going to be quite a challenge.

Modifié par Grimwald the Wise, 05 octobre 2012 - 11:34 .

[Satyricon331]

I keep trying to solo, only to succumb to party play, so I thought I'd start a run here.  Here he is after Imo lets him out of his cage:


(When I try to post the IMG thumb code, it posts the thumbnail but opens only as the thumbnail rather than the full size, for some reason.)

I picked the portrait after reading the Icewind Dale Trilogy (Drizzt books 3-6).  I realized that the early Wulfgar would have viewed my spellcaster-based playstyles as very un-manly, so I decided I'd use a portrait that was a bit androgynous.  Even his name "Tristyueld" is like "Tristan and Isolde".  I just took power-gamer stats (Jaheira's 88 + 6 from BG1 tomes - 1 for the lost familiar), and kept my usual neutral-good alignment.

My playstyle restriction is not to metagame battles or to make spell picks that use foreknowledge of what you face rather than the set of possible foes, and to have the character stand around a bit if he has to go into his pack for an item during battle.  (I metagame quest order, though.)  I'm not as strict as I used to be about scrolls and potions, but I try not to use them too heavily, and those green scrolls are dead to me.

His portrait looks chilly or coldly angry to me, so I view him as having a "fierce defender" personality, trying to protect the weak and innocent.  (Not taking Imo will be very OOC; I just have trouble thinking of a character I'd want to roleplay who'd ditch her.)  He'll donate 10% of the cash he makes to charity, or more if it's a big haul. (I installed the SCS2 component that ups Gailen Bayle's asking price to 40000 and the Aurora's components that tighten finances, but only the "lightest" options on each.  I've never restricted money before or had a donation rule.)  Also, I'm on Core difficulty.

My house rules are:
-Mislead is exactly like Improved Invisibility, except it keeps its original casting time of 1 and is 4 rounds longer than II (the duration was never a problem for II so I upped it by a bunch to keep from gimping Mislead too much).  The idea here is that the AI is bad with the clone and I thought the clone was harmful unless I cheesed it.

-Dimension Door has a 1-second Sanctuary effect on top of the 1-second invisibility effect (having experimented with some different DimDoor-based books, I found that some mod-added creatures can see through invis but not sanctuary, and w/o sanctuary, they miraculously know where you've DDed to.)

-Robe of Vecna improves casting time by 2 rather than 4, and the AoP grants no casting bonus or vocalize effect.

-My only perk is to make Resist Fear not break invisibility.

My Weidu abstract is: Tobex, Ascension (not Demogorgon), Fixpack (most important omissions: the Free Action vs Stun component and the Alignment fixes (which wrecked my last game, very weirdly)), 1ppv4 (yay), various NPC and banter mods, the item components from UB and Sorcerer's Place Pack, Dungeon-be-Gone, Streamlined Trolls (from Tactics, to avoid that troll bug), d0quest pack (only the "Burglary of the Bookkeeper" and "Reward Negotiation" components since I've played them w/o bugs, and I didn't want to risk this install after last time), Divine Remix, SCS2 (see below), BG2 Tweaks (no locks or traps!), atweaks (nearly everything, but not fiendish gating or the extra HD for elemental princes (I'm just not there yet)), and Aurora's Shoes and Boots.

Here's the SCS2 stuff:
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #1000 // Initialise mod (all other components require this): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2000 // Allow Spellstrike to take down a Protection from Magic scroll: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2010 // More consistent Breach spell (always affects liches and rakshasas; doesn't penetrate Spell Turning): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2019 // Antimagic attacks penetrate improved invisibility -> Antimagic spells remain single-target, but affect the target creature whether or not it is invisible (default option): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2030 // Iron Skins behaves like Stoneskin (can be brought down by Breach): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2050 // Make individual versions of Spell Immunity available, so that players can use them in Contingencies etc.: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2070 // Blade Barrier and Globe of Blades only affect hostile creatures: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2080 // Cap damage done by Skull Trap at 12d6: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2090 // Make Power-Word: Blind single-target: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2110 // Reduce the power of Inquisitors' Dispel Magic -> Inquisitors dispel at 1.5 x their level (not twice their level): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2120 // Slightly weaken insect plague spells, and let fire shields block them: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2140 // Slightly increase the power of Mantle, Improved Mantle, and Absolute Immunity: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2150 // Make spell sequencers, spell triggers, and contingencies learnable by all mages: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2160 // Add an extra copy of some hard-to-find spell scrolls: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2170 // True Sight/True Seeing spells protect from magical blindness: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #2180 // Prevent Simulacra and Projected Images from using magical items: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #3010 // Remove the invisibility power of the Staff of the Magi: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #3050 // Replace +1 magical weapons with Fine ones: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #3060 // Remove Arrows of Dispelling from stores: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #3080 // Change Carsomyr so that its Dispel on contact power grants a saving throw: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #3530 // Faster Bears: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #3540 // Grant large, flying, non-solid or similar creatures protection from Web and Entangle: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #3980 // Allow the Cowled Wizards to detect spellcasting in most indoor, above-ground areas in Athkatla: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #4000 // Increase the price asked by Gaelan Bayle -> Gaelan wants 40,000 gold pieces: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #4010 // Make Freedom scrolls available earlier: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #4050 // Make party members less likely to die irreversibly: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #4061 // Make the cleric stronghold available to all classes: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #5010 // Remove animation from the Cloak of Mirroring (leave it for other spells and effects that use the same graphic): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #5030 // Remove the blur graphic effect from the Displacer Cloak: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6000 // Smarter general AI: v21~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6010 // Better calls for help: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6015 // More sensible choices of weapon proficiencies and kits for fighters (also fixes some errors in fighter stats): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6020 // Potions for NPCs -> All of the potions dropped by slain enemies are recoverable: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6030 // Improved Spiders: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6061 // Smarter genies -> Genies cast spells like normal wizards: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6070 // Give Celestials slightly more staying power: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6081 // Smarter celestials -> Celestials cast spells like normal wizards: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6095 // Standardise dragon immunities: dragons in Shadows of Amn get the same immunities to vorpal attacks (etc) as their Throne of Bhaal cousins: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6100 // Smarter dragons -> Dragons have fast, uninterruptable innate magic: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6108 // Enemy mages (and Elder Orbs) use Simulacrum and Project Image spells (this component will have no effect unless you install Smarter Mages or Smarter Beholders): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6130 // Improved Vampires: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6151 // Smarter Mages -> Mages only cast short-duration spells instantly at start of combat if they are created in sight of the PC: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6181 // Smarter Priests -> Priests only cast short-duration spells instantly at start of combat if they are created in sight of the PC: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6210 // Smarter Illasera: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6220 // Smarter Yaga-Shura: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6230 // Smarter Abazigal: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6240 // Smarter Gromnir: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6250 // Smarter Melissan: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6270 // Give Ascension versions of Irenicus and Sendai SCSII scripts and abilities: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #6900 // Make the starting dungeon slightly harder: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #7040 // Improved Random Encounters: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #7075 // Party's items are taken from them in Spellhold -> Normal mode (recommended): v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #7100 // Prevent resting in the Illithid city: v21
~SCSII/SETUP-SCSII.TP2~ #0 #7110 // Slightly Improved Drow -> Upgrade Ust Natha's defences: v21

I have a big RL project due the 23rd, so I'm not sure I'll get far this week.  Right now, things look like they're going fine, though.

Modifié par Satyricon331, 17 octobre 2012 - 08:32 .

[Alesia_BH]

Best of luck Satyricon331! Should be an interesting run!

[Satyricon331]

Thanks, Alesia!  I'll try not to let the knowledge that the best player around is watching unnerve me too much.   And actually it's b/c of a comment of yours that I decided I'll try skipping Wish.

_____
Tristyueld starts with just 89000xp, but with Dungeon-be-Gone, he reaches level 9.  His spell picks are:

lvl1: Magic Missile, Sleep, Identify, Spook, PfEvil
lvl2: Invisibility, Mirror Image, Resist Fear, Vocalize
lvl3: MMM, Skull Trap, Haste
lvl4: Stoneskin, MGoI

After selling stuff, Tristyueld has abt 6300 gold pieces on hand, so he donates 630 at the Ilmater temple (not enough for a rep point, sadly), buys an invisibility potion, and rests.  He buys the +1 sling from Maheer, along with some bullets, and a small-item container added by the Gavin NPC mod (it holds 12 small items).  He runs into the boy waiting miserably outside the tent for the Cowled Wizards, and thinks the delay is really wrong when lives are at stake.  He decides to risk his life to help this kid's mom and the others in the tent, especially since at this point, the chance of rescuing Imoen from an organization that likely has some of the highest-level wizards in Faerun seems dim.

To conserve spells, he kills the peasants with just a sling, running to stay out of their ax range.  

He goes invisible and heads to the 2nd floor, where after scouting the floor, he "decloaks" to steal the scrolls from the vases.  He runs up the stairs, goes invisible again, buffs (even with MGoI, since he doesn't know Kalah is so weak), and wins.  He picks up Kalah's 648 gp, and makes another 222 selling loot, so he donates 87.  Afterward, he buys the Ivory Ioun stone (adds one level-1 casting) from "Deidre" (it's so annoying they misspelled that, "Dierdre" is a beautiful name!),  He finds out abt magical licenses from Lady Yuth, and rests again.

I decide to be merciful to myself and play as though Gailen Bayle tells Tristy that the Copper Coronet is a safe place to cast spells (I think his home is too, but I don't want to test it), so he goes there to cast Stoneskin, and heads to the Government District for a license... triggering an ambush:


He goes invisible, but is Slowed, so he waits for that to expire before buffing and decloaking with a Skull Trap, killing the mage.  After another Skull Trap casting, he goes north a bit to recast Mirror Image.  They drink a bunch of speed and healing potions, so my running around attracts only Suna Seni and some skeletons a priest summoned.  I go back and cast another 1 or 2 STs before runnign out of Stoneskins: 


Oddly, nobody followed him northward, so he rebuffs w/o invisibility.  He lets the MGoI expire since he has only one casting each of spell levels 3 and 4.  Rather than using it on MMMs, he decides to try to hit a remaining enemy with a ST (I thought there was another guy back there).  Disaster:


I tried Spooking Eldarin, with no luck.  I split them up by luring Eldarin north, using all my Magic Missiles on him, and finishing him off with a staff wack.  Here, I really pushed Tristy's luck by going back for the thief left.  Tristy recasts Mirror Image and casts DUHM for the first time.  I didn't quite catch a pick of it, but since the thief's using a bow, I come right up to him hoping he'll walk back to avoid the penalty to melee for having a ranged weapon equipped.  He does:


I forgot the trigger range is less than the damage range, so Tristy takes some damage but is ok.  He got a level up, and I added Sunfire.  (I'm a huge fan of these SCS2 ambushes.)  He heals, loots, cloaks in case of another bandit attack, and then goes to the Bridge District, where he gives the Ring of Influence to the halfling who's been stealing Friends scrolls to have people like him despite his physical ugliness (earning Tristy a rep point).  (I'm just going to pretend there's no indication yet that the authorities aren't actively trying to stop the bridge murders.)

That's it for now!  (PS, I think switching to the old photobucket has fixed the image thumbnails...)

Modifié par Satyricon331, 17 octobre 2012 - 09:19 .

[Jianson]

Nice write-up! I also think those ambushes are a very interesting part of the game. Well done getting through it.
Sunfire should provide a nice boost to your power.

I forgot the trigger range is less than the damage range, so Tristy takes some damage but is ok. 

In vanilla BG1, the casting range of Skull Trap was very short. In fact, it was so short that you usually had to take a step back while the skull was in the air to avoid getting blasted yourself!


Thumbnails and pics work fine, but I think it would be better if you would use the direct link URLs instead. I don't know if that makes it harder or not possible to get the thumbnails but that way we can see the full pictures without loading the rest of the Photobucket stuff.

Modifié par Jianson, 17 octobre 2012 - 12:04 .

[Satyricon331]

Thanks, Jianson!  I have a bit of guilt with Skull Trap, since I have the Tweaks component that removes the delay.  It makes a bit more design sense to have the trap take a moment to set, but it's more fun this way imo.

I like clicking through to select pics on other players' posts, so I'll try adding the direct links too.  (What do you mean when you say, loading the rest of the photobucket stuff?  Are the thumbnails slow to load when you click on them, or is it slowing down the loading of this page for you?)

_____
After resting, I sell stuff, but I forgot to keep track of what I made, so I donate 300 (out of abt 3500gp on hand - I think I made abt 2000?).  After wandering around a bit to get a feel of the city and scout out possible job opportunities, Tristyueld encounters the Mad Cleric of Cyric in the Docks District.  I go invisible, buff, and dispatch him fairly easily since none of the spells he manages to get off penetrate MGoI.  (When I've soloed without MGoI, I've had a much harder time with this battle).  

He rests again, and as it's late morning he's hoping to wipe out another bandit group for the xp and loot.  Perhaps clearing the streets can solve two problems at once?  Stopping the last group was both profitable and exercised his aura so much it strengthened his spells.  Maybe his powers can grow fast enough he can take on Spellhold after all?

Tristyueld bumps into the group that's slowly poisoning Renfeld, and engages pretty much like the last two battles: he cloaks, buffs, and attacks.  This time I open with Magic Missile+MMM throwing so I won't risk hurting Renfeld.  There isn't too much to report here: I just lure them north and use Sunfire, Magic Missile, and theSkull Trap+MGoI combo I love so much.  Tristy then lugs Renfeld away thanks to a Strength scroll he finds on the mage.  300gp reward + 775 from loot => 108 donation.  I trigger the Harper quest, which is OOC without the Quest Pack change, but I just reimagine it as if I still had that mod. 

Anyway, Tristy rests and then deals with the apprentices.  I buff while invisible, but decloak by MMMing the goblins rather than casting an area spell so their dialog and buffs trigger.  Unfortunately, Sanasha's MGoI buggily blocks Sunfire (a bug I've always had in my installs and couldn't figure out in NI), so I just have to wait for it to expire before killing her.  Otherwise it’s a standard battle.  I go in, get Monty but don’t steal anything, and finish the quest, bringing me frustratingly shy of level 12 (I didn’t want to kill the Spectral Harpists, so I’ll have to grub up something else).  I sell loot for 3612 gp, giving a donation of 361.  (I think I might stop reporting on donations in such detail). 
 

I get the OOC Mae'var quest started, and rest for night to arrive.  When setting out, Tristy goes invisible since he knows nights can be dangerous and wants to keep his spellbook full for the Talos temple (nothing will go wrong there, but he doesn't know that).  I ignore the first vampire vs. Shadow Thieves spawn since I'm nowhere near the point of taking on an SCS2 vampire, and Tristy knows it.  On the way to the Temple District, I trigger another ambush:


It's really weird that an ambush would trigger if you're invisible!  Anyway, a mage casts Oracle, but I'm out of their sight by the time it goes off.  I recast Invisibility, buff, and head back.  My opening Sunfire kills the mage, and I cast Skull Trap before heading north and recasting Mirror Image.  Some MMMs kill a priest, and some more Sunfires and Skull Traps kill off all but one, who takes a surprisingly large number of STs and Magic Missiles before dying. I'm done, except there's a surprise: 


I cast MGoI and a Skull Trap finishes the combat for real this time.  With locks and traps disabled, looting the Talos temple is a breeze, and it gets me to level 12 (edit: woah, excuse me, lvl11).  I take Blur, PfFire, Dimension Door, and and Spell Immunity.

Modifié par Satyricon331, 18 octobre 2012 - 11:29 .

[Satyricon331]

Just a quick update from my session last night.  I've had a reload! It was in the mephit room in Rayic's house. aTweaks gives steam mephits a 50% chance of stunning you on hit, no save (their creature attacks bypass spell protections, of course).  Since I don't have that Fixpack component for Free Action protecting vs. stun, my plan was to bypass this room altogether with invisibility.  Unfortunately, a mephit blocks the stairs, which was probably intentional.  Annoying!  So my packup plan was to buff (my PfFire was protecting from the magma mephits' passive heat damage) and to cast ST on the two steam mephits, and MMM any survivor before they could hit me (they have bad thac0).  It looked like it worked:


(The steam mephits are dead in that north corner.)  Unfortunately, the mephit gating doesn't gate in a mephit of the same type as the one doing the gating (which I didn't realize), so there were more steam mephits, which stunned me and killed me.

I'm just going to "retcon" my install by using NI to add immunity to stun to the Potions of Freedom and Ring of Free Action, since o/w a solo sorc just doesn't have any protection.  I'm kind of bummed since I'd like to keep it closer to p&p, but I don't see how...

Modifié par Satyricon331, 19 octobre 2012 - 11:54 .

[Satyricon331]

This time, Tristyueld bought some potions of freedom and a +1 ring of protection from Gorch, and then slaughtered those awful mephits.  He used MMMs to kill those golems on the 2nd floor, but ran out of level-3 spells, so rested before taking on Rayic Gethras.  It was pure cheese here (the whole quest is tacky level-grinding; mainly b/c I hate ignoring Nalia's pleas just so I can do the Copper Coronet quests): he recast invisibility after Rayic cast Oracle, and then just waited for Rayic's spells to expire,  Once that happened, it was a simple matter of buffing, and then decloaking with Sunfire (which also harmed his Skeleton Warriors), and using MMMs and Sunfire to kill Rayic and the Skeleton Warriors.  tacky, tacky, tacky.

Afterward, Tristy just breezed through the other tasks for the Mae'var quest, such as the doc retrieval for Edwin and whatnot.  Before Gorch is gone, Tristy buys a potion of insulation and a Gem Bag from him, and a medicine bag from an herbalist (it's equivalent to a potion bag).  When Bloodscalp asks Tristy to take out Mae'var, I decide to buff outside the building and then charge into the entrance.  I pay too much attention to offense, and the thieves manage to take down the stoneskin and most mirror images Tristy had up, but fortunately T was able to go invisible and rebuff.  Otherwise, taking out the 1st and 2nd floors was smooth sailing:


Those two floors used up too many of Tristy's spells, so he rests again (I imagine Bloodscalp has his assassins keep Mae'var's assassins from bothering me).  Tristy invisibly scouts Mae'var's position for RPing, and then buffs (including SI:Abj and PfFire, just in case), and attacks as normal:


From all the loot and rewards Tristy won from this quest, he made 20,844gp, prompting a donation of 2100, earning a rep point.  He buys some potions, Green-Laced Boots (+1 armor and +1 saves, a splurge I usually save for rep20 on non-min-reload runs), and a Knave's Robe:

I am Count Vlad of Mardi Gras!  (Thank goodness for the Avatar Morphing Script.)  

Tristy notices that the official Bridge-murders investigation is taking forever, and so, smart guy that he is, he solves them.  In that battle in the basement dock, he uses that small bridge so the Rune Assassins, which follow him through his invisibility, wind up crowding away the Ghasts, which with aTweaks are scary:


He recasts Mirror Image frequently, and just uses Skull Traps, Sunfires, and MMMs to win here.  Reporting on the murders gets him a rep point and brings him to within abt 20,000xp to level 12, so he decides (after resting) to hunt more bandit groups.  He triggers another ambush, and there isn't much to report here that was different than before, except that to my normal buffs, I added SI:Ench, just in case.  Actually, this group was unusually easy since there were only 5 or 6 enemies to deal with.  I attacked while their pre-buffs were still up, and I never even needed to recast Mirror Image.  Alas, still no level 12, so he saves the merchant in the Gate district from that thug (and buys 2 PfFire scrolls, and a Familiar scroll since he didn't know he'd be getting one free relatively soon).  He also buys Juzam's Crutch (a +2 staff w/ 2x Mirror Image and 2x Blindness/day) for nearly 2,000gp.  He's turning into a spendthrift, so I'll have to keep an eye on that.


Tisty next saved Viconia.  Single-target spells (MMs and MMMs) weren't enough, so he cast PfFire on Vicy and then used Sunfires to finish the battle.  An invisibility got him to an inn to rest, and then runs into some thieves on the roof of the Copper Coronet.  They're easy to dispatch, and another rest and some wandering later, Tristy runs into another ambush:

Noooooooooo!  I want more of these!  I love them.  They should love me.  (Is that change rep-based, or based on the number of ambushes I beat?)  Anyway, Tristy's damage output is too slow to kill any of them before they get away (which is sad, considering the defenseless mage).

Getting to level 12 requires Corhvale and Bregg to die.  The only interesting thing here is that a Skull Trap kills a cat, which prompts Tristy to change tactics for the sake of bystanders.  He casts Haste for the first time, and then kites them with MMMs.  Kiting's a bit cheesy imo, but at least Tristy "earned" it with the Haste spell.  For his spell pick, he takes PfMW.

Nalia recruits Tristy, and they hire Edwin temporarily two scribe Remove-Magic scrolls, and then enthusiastically discharge him.  Tristy gives Nalia a PfFire and an Invisibility scroll, and the de'Arnise keep is next.

[touch_of_the_void]

Satyricon331 wrote...

I'm just going to "retcon" my install by using NI to add immunity to stun to the Potions of Freedom and Ring of Free Action, since o/w a solo sorc just doesn't have any protection.  I'm kind of bummed since I'd like to keep it closer to p&p, but I don't see how...

The troll form from the Cloak of the Sewers grants several BG-troll immunities, including Sleep and Stun, which can be quite nice for a solo mage. Of course this is not by PnP rules, but these immunities are present on all the BG trolls you come across as well (presumably related to how the falling down / fire or acid to kill thing is implemented).

Given mephit attacks are either non-magic or magic you would also be able to protect yourself from the on-hit Stun effect with PfMW or PfNW, respectively.

[Satyricon331]

Thanks for the idea about the Cloak!

aTweaks mephits hit as +1 weapons, but with aTweaks creatures, PfNW/PfMW don't protect from on-hit effects, just from the damage.

Modifié par Satyricon331, 21 octobre 2012 - 06:19 .

[SapphireIce101]

Awesome progress everyone.

@Satyricon331 - Welcome back to the MRC! I hope that you're having fun.

[Satyricon331]

Hey, SapphireIce, great to see you again! Nice avatar I am indeed having fun. I got a bit impatient to try the SCS-Ascension Throne battle so I consoled a character up to that level and then consoled my way there. I've finished the 2nd demon battle, but I've also done the de'Arnise keep for my "real" playthrough. I will probably post a write-up of my notes later tonight.