14 replies to this topic

[Enuhal]

Hey everyone;

 

I have a goal when it comes to my no-reload games: Never die to the same thing twice. So far, I've done well - I've lost many PCs, but never quite for the same reason. Now, remembering previous losses is what keeps me sharp - if I know that a specific encounter has cost me a character before, I will be extra careful. In a way, the more I fail, the better I get - so why not profit from everyones failures?

 

Here are some memorable sources of death that I'm always trying to avoid:

 

BG1

Lightning bolts in the Firewine Dungeon and the Cloakwood Mines

Blocking your own exit route due to poor positioning when facing hasted opponents

Failing to remember traps, for example in the Firewine Dungeon, the Ice Island or Durlag's Tower

Confusion spells

Kiling Marek during your last encounter with him before he gets to speak, thus making it impossible to cure the party from poison

Early bandit ambushes

 

BG2:

Traps in the lower crypts

Forgetting to cast death ward against high level mages

Failing at performing the WK level 1 ritual with a low hp character (very embarassing)

Draconis' breath weapon

Fighting demi-liches without a protection from magic scroll

The spirit warrior maze - this one was really frustrating. In a run I was too lazy to post about here, my party (lead by an elven stalker) made it all the way to ToB, killed Sendai and almost completed WK - until the spirit warrior maze, were a series of bad rolls meant instant pc death; I think this was mostly just bad luck (I've never failed the maze before), but I wonder if there's a really safe way to complete this part of the game, maybe by skipping some optional fights?

 

Now I'd like to hear from you - are there encounters that have cost you multiple characters? Which of your deaths do you remember and try to avoid repeating? Any lessons you've learned through failure?

 

Enuhal

 

[corey_russell]

I too, pay careful attention when I die - not many times have I died to the same thing twice, but there are a handful of things that got me twice or more:

 

BG 1

1) Vanilla BG 1 - The 12 archer/4 worg ambush when level 1. If I get this with a non-fighter type character, it's time to re-roll my character.

2) Sarevok Battle

3) Duchal Palace Battle

 

BG 2

1) Failing to mitigate FoD threat with whatever options that might be available when facing high level mages

2) Solo: Failing to mitigate, or if impossible to mitigate, avoid encounter all together for enemies that maze

3) Failing to always have fire resistance equipment on my main character

4) Failing to have my main character gulp gallons of genius potions (there tons you can buy in BG 2 Temples) to avoid having my brains sucked out by mind flayers

5) Melissan battles

6) Draconis Battle

[Jianson]

Under SCS, triple Flame Arrow sequencers. Any mage level 14 or higher may have one of these. They can be fired instantly. My second no-reloads run where I reached BG2 ended to one from Irenicus in Spellhold. In that same run, Valeria or one of her goons killed Anomen from full health with one.

 

Bad-mouthing Fael in Imnesvale once he knows the deal and thus understands that you are an imposter - battle with 3 nasty mages. I lost my very first no-reloads character (an Undead Hunter) this way. This was without SCS so all three mages used the exact same sequence, and caught (with a few mm margin) my character in a triple Abi-Dalzim. Not fun.

[Grond0]

I think I could contribute more than anyone would like to read - and dying to the same cause is common for me .  A few highlights include:

- forgetting to apply (or reapply) PfP against basilisks

- letting Shoal within talking range of a solo character

- stumbling into traps just to check (and recheck, and check again) what they are

- scripted deaths such as telling the guard at the palace you don't need an invitation, accusing Sarevok at the palace without evidence, annoying the Flaming Fist commander, talking back to Mae'Var

- hold/charm spells against a solo character

- backstabs from SCS thieves

- walking into the halflings in the Planar Sphere unprepared

- forgetting it can be difficult to run clay and stone golems around due to haste/slow effects

- getting poisoned (nearly all my characters are prohibited from using antidotes and healing potions)

- taking on aTweaks mephits and finding they greatly multiply themselves

- getting stunned by illithids to offer them lunch on a plate

- deciding to fight the Cowled Wizards rather than pay them and not executing strategy perfectly

[ussnorway]

The unseen eye quest... walking out the exit with that dam rod still in my gear bag!

[Aasim]

Planetars & Liches together

SCS Irenicus Time Stop melee bashing

aTweaks demons 

Drasus & company in front of Cloakwood mine

SCS 3x Skull Trap sequencer

 

The lesson I learned for no-reload games: If something can go wrong, it will. It's just a matter of time.

[Gate70]

Dialogue haste often gets me. Why, just yesterday I selected option 2 instead of 3 then hammered out 1's.

 

Eltan: I am glad to have you back. So, what have you learned so far?

Me: We came here to tell you that we no longer wish to work for you.

Eltan: I'm sorry to hear that.

Eltan: Don't force me to do something that I'll regret. You already know too much for me to just let you go. You WILL die if you do not tell me what I want to know. You have no option here.

Me: Stuff it up your butt, old man.

 

Which leads to action: Kill(Player1)

[Grimwald the Wise]

Not in the original game, but in EE, killing Firebead makes everyone hostile.

 

I thought that change to be a shame. Killing him was quite a challenge for a level 1 character!!

[Jianson]

Not in the original game, but in EE, killing Firebead makes everyone hostile.

 

 

Will that be the case in Beregost as well?

[Grimwald the Wise]

Will that be the case in Beregost as well?

 

No

[corey_russell]

I had forgotten one of the more amusing ways that we (Paja and I) died - she tried to pick-pocket a tutor and failed - this makes everyone hostile even Gorion - Gorion himself used some magic and blasted me (I was the protagonist) to oblivion - that was the quickest no-reload run I ever had!

[Grimwald the Wise]

I had forgotten one of the more amusing ways that we (Paja and I) died - she tried to pick-pocket a tutor and failed - this makes everyone hostile even Gorion - Gorion himself used some magic and blasted me (I was the protagonist) to oblivion - that was the quickest no-reload run I ever had!

 

Gorion goes hostile if you kill Firebead or Phlydia too. (Probably anyone but the assassins). At least you survive if the pick-pockets are successful.

[corey_russell]

Gorion goes hostile if you kill Firebead or Phlydia too. (Probably anyone but the assassins). At least you survive if the pick-pockets are successful.

Depends on install. On my EasyTutu, at Candlekeep I can make Firebead mad/dead and he (Gorion) isn't hostile. Does make people in the inn hostile though.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Not in the original game, but in EE, killing Firebead makes everyone hostile.

 

I thought that change to be a shame. Killing him was quite a challenge for a level 1 character!!

 

 

I had forgotten one of the more amusing ways that we (Paja and I) died - she tried to pick-pocket a tutor and failed - this makes everyone hostile even Gorion - Gorion himself used some magic and blasted me (I was the protagonist) to oblivion - that was the quickest no-reload run I ever had!

 

I thought that I had made it clear that my recent posts were about EE. It was not knowing that things had changed that caused my deaths. I much prefer your Tutu set-up If it is like mine, In Tutu you have to be careful not to kill Firebead too early as you won't be able to trade or sleep afterwards.

[Jianson]

"If your main character is a thief and likes to use traps, do NOT (unless you're protected from the effect) lay projectile traps (uh, that's almost every kind of trap...) against an enemy that has Physical Mirror up. "

 

                                                                /Yoshimo (speaking from experience)