Well, I'm stopping Malakai's playthrough of IWD. Mostly because tomorrow I start my Anatomy and Physiology II class tomorrow, and sometimes I'm like @Belgarathmth where I need to restart anew. So, If I'm back tomorrow redoing Malakai or something, then yeah. lol
@Belgarathmth - I've never completed Jaemal's romance. I've only managed to complete Diriel's. Should try to do Rizdaer's and Jaemal's sometime.
I finished up the fetch-and-carry Targos stuff and the Battle on the Palisades with my new NPC Project party. It was fun, and had an appropriately dramatic challenge. For some reason, this time I did not find the scroll that would get Phaen of the Rags to attack me from his house, so I had to deal with him when he appeared in the finale battle of the Prologue. That was very "interesting", increasing the challenge over that of my last run, although, facing Phaen at 2nd level instead of 1st really helps with surviving his Burning Hands.
I also did not find the Ghost Bottle this time, so I couldn't get the magic dagger that Vera's ghost could have given us.
Next session, we will be exiting the north palisade of Targos and tackling the Shaengarne River.
The NPC Project dialogues haven't kicked in all that much yet. Harmonius got one with Hildury, which was a real tear-jerker when he was kind to her, and there was an interchange between Sir Nord and Jaemal. Valeero had a lot of insights about the Palisades battle and the anticipated Neverwinter reinforcements, since she is directly involved with the plans of both Neverwinter and Luskan to assist Targos and secure their northern borders.
Even with that little bit of npc interaction, plus the extensive biographies available in the character screens, and the very creative voice-acting in all the voice sets, I am already really loving this run.
@SapphireIce101, yeah, my plan is to take Jaemal as my lover and partner as I play. Harmonius is yet another one of my characters who are basically me in the game, and I am playing myself as the screw-up, soft, second son of a harsh father who deplored my "wasting my time" with music and stories and other such crap that bards do.
And of course, Harmonius is gay, as I am.
So, yeah, Jaemal. Not much to choose from for my tiny little niche market. I get Jaemal in this game, Dorn (who is just not a suitable companion for me, for oh, so many reasons, not the least of which is that he's a bloody, demonic psychopath) in BG:EE, and the Nathaniel and Faren mods for BG2.
Heh - the ladies think *they* have it bad with only Anomen in the unmodded games. Now, *I* get only Dorn, and I only get him in BG2 when BG2:EE comes out, and I only get him even *then* if I care to try to Palpatine his Darth Vader act.
@Belgarathmth - I totally understand! There is not very many gay/lesbian mods out there, and there is a couple of bisexual ones out there.
As for Dorn, I never actually expected him to be the bisexual one out of the group. I was hoping that Neera was going to the bisexual one, or even Rasaad.
Also, I'm going suggest the Arath Mod by @Kaeloree. Arath is bisexual, and I think he is just downright awesome. Arath is definitely in my top five mod romances.
Well I downloaded and installed the NPC Project (ID2)- looked at a couple of groups (Nords party w no PC & couple others) and settled on a run with Brother Brightaxe -Aasimar Battleguard (2), Nord (3), Hildury (1), Nikosh (1), Salameyo (1), and Peony (1).
Finished the docks - just a couple banters - decent sound sets altho Hildury gets a little over-amped at times - looks like a fun run altho it sounded like the Nord party (no PC) might be a bit more complete banter wise or at least it seemed to start out so.
@Wanderon, the trouble with an all-NPC party would be that you would miss out on the dialogues that they all have with the PC. Also, I don't know if you're into Bioware-style "romances" with NPC's, but you could have one with Salomeya or Peony. Don't forget to keep your PC in first position at all times - it can break the PC to NPC dialogues if you move your PC somewhere else in the marching order.
@SapphireIce101, that Arath mod does look very interesting, so I've downloaded and installed it for my next BG2 run. I'm thinking of running a party with me as a bard, Arath, Kelsey, Nathaniel, and Faren, plus a strong fighter - either Minsc, Anomen, or Keldorn. Probably Ano, since we'll need a cleric in that mix, unless I decide to be the cleric.
I'm planning to finish this IWD2 run first, though, so it'll be a while.
It's a great feeling to have so much D&D gaming to look forward to. I just *love* Infinity engine games!
Let me know if you know any other good NPC mods I should look at. (Cute guys who'll notice other cute guys, that is.)
@SapphireIce101 aw, but you -just- started Malakai! Actually, I do a lot of restarting as well. I've never finished Icewind Dale 2 before so I'm determine to do so this time.
@belgarathmth and @Wanderon never tried the NPC project for IWD2. Didn't think they had one since you know, joinable npc's didn't really exist the same way they do in BG2.
@belgarathmth so you're not planning on running your barbarian though bg2?
@Wanderon, the trouble with an all-NPC party would be that you would miss out on the dialogues that they all have with the PC. Also, I don't know if you're into Bioware-style "romances" with NPC's, but you could have one with Salomeya or Peony. Don't forget to keep your PC in first position at all times - it can break the PC to NPC dialogues if you move your PC somewhere else in the marching order.
Yeah I saw that about the marching order and changed PCs to have one with at least a 12 cha for random encounters. I've done some of the Bio romances but more often than not I just get annoyed with them because usually there are zero dialogue choices that even come close to how my PC would choose to reply which leads to the "choose the one you think they wanted you to choose" and pretty soon I just can't be bothered LOL!
As for the dialogue in an all NPC party I was thinking since they set that party up "complete" that they would just treat Nord as the PC - I get it that having a PC would no doubt lead to "different" options no doubt at least partially based on things like race, gender, class etc but I was thinking the modder would have a much better feel for how dialogues would go between the characters they created than any dialogue options that were scripted for an unknown PC - and thus the flow of things might be more "complete" and have a better "fit" as long as you were prepared to RP Nord as he was designed.
@Draith012, I might indeed take Todek through BG2 at some point. He was designed as a roleplaying character who was opposite to my own personality, inspired by Tord's Lily Black. I had a lot of fun with him, using the NPC Project. I think he would be much less fun in BG:EE without the NPC Project.
Todek isn't really completely my opposite. I have a raw, deeply repressed barbarian Freudian Id that is very much like him. So, sometimes, Todek is fun for me to play as a way for me to give that Incredible Hulk part of me free expression, moving him away from my Shadow Self (Jung), and a bit closer to my unrepressed Ego, so that I can benefit from his strength without all the penalties and consequences that he normally brings. (Think Bruce Banner if he could have the Hulk's strength without all the berserk losing his mind stuff.)
But, my Superego tends to dominate my psyche, and it wants to put all my psychodynamic ducks in a nice, neat little row, and call the resulting work of art "spiritual enlightenment", and my Ego has latched onto D&D gaming almost obsessively as a means of self-exploration. That's either a very erudite, or else a "crazy talk" way to say, "I can't get over a preference to play myself, or at least aspects of myself, in D&D." Really, even Todek doesn't completely break from my pattern of "I always play myself".
@Wanderon, you may be right; I can't say, as I haven't tried an all NPC Project party. However, the mod contains many, many dialogues for each character with your PC, which include chances for you to make choices in how you respond to them. In an all NPC Project party, you would not get a chance to explore those options, and you would miss out on a lot of character development trees that were programmed by the Project creators.
Simple Update for my NPC Project IWD2 run for 082013:
I have taken us up to the saving of Torak's hostages, killing Torak, killing the troll boss, and returning the Selunite priestess' sword. I considered keeping it for Sir Nord, but of course, he would never consider such an underhanded move - the thing was stolen, she wanted it back, so he gave it back, and that's that.
I did not blunder into the troll's trap. Some people might cry "metagaming cheese, foul!", but, come on. It takes little intelligence to come upon the first two orc guards, listen to them say, "Oh yeah, go right in, our boss is waiting to see you, hee, hee, har, har!", and then realize you are being directed into a trap. So, I just ordered my party to attack Beavis and Butthead, right there. The big troll and his ambush party stupidly came running out, engaging us on our terms, and the whole scenario was easy peasy.
Earlier, Hildury had had some interesting dialogues with Torak. He tried to get her to rejoin her "roots", and come over to his side.
Sir Nord had expressed his ever-present frustration with the defenses in Targos, pointing out their inadequacy at being made of hastily thrown together wood rather than carefully crafted stone. Or at least, that's what I took him to mean.
I have built Hildury with one level of ranger for free dual wielding feats, one level of fighter for free Power Attack and Cleave Hit, and then, I guess the rest of her levels will go to barbarian. I have left Sir Nord at only one level of pally, and am taking the rest of his levels in fighter, for feats, feats, feats. He has Cleave hit and Large Swords Focus already, and will be taking Great Cleave, and then more focus and specialization. He comes across to me clearly as a misfit low-charisma pally, who has the one pally level in order to be a Sacred Heart member, but he's really a fighter, the way I see him. And so I shall build him.
Reloads; 0 Average Party Level: 4
EDIT: Btw, if you start to get irritated and annoyed by the voice acting, I highly recommend that you go to your "Character Feedback" settings under "Sound", and turn both settings to "Seldom". I've found that that gives me just enough speaking of their lines to keep me in touch with their character concepts, without getting overwhelmed into irritation by excessive verbalizing. It made a huge difference in my ability to start to bond and become affectionate to the characters, and it got rid of the mounting irritation I was starting to feel at too-much verbalizing of their lines.
@Draith012, LOL, oh, I forgot that. But still, no amount of exp is worth it if you get a TPK. I really doubt it makes that much difference over the total game. And really, I think my solution of not walking into a clear, obvious, and laughably poorly hidden ambush makes better roleplaying.
The good news was that the scouts Lord Ulbrec had dispatched had sent word of their success in locating the horde's stronghold. The bad news was that the band 'Six Swords of the North' were the only ones capable of performing the task. Everytime they sought out to fight the horde, they had returned triumphant. Who else could assault the horde's main stronghold and succeed?
The band desperately needed rest but if what Draith said held true, there was little choice in the matter. It is not as though they were not reward with gold worthy of their task. In fact, it was surprising that that much gold was to be had in Targos. If they were to face the bulk of the horde, than it was best to spend what gold they had on better gear and enchanted equipment.
"Hm?" Constantine hums. "This blade says, 'Heart of Valerie Rosewood'." "Huh? Really?" Valerie burst excitedly. "Aah, it does! Can we get it please!"
Draith didn't care much for such sentiments. Likely the sword was forged just to appeal to the young priestess. Still, it was a good sword and all the store's goods were received via boat. There was no active smith so where and how they acquired the sword so quickly is a mystery. They bought the sword for her sake if nothing else.
"Well, I guess we're as prepared as ever." Constantine informs. "Hmph. Ye could 'ave bought me that axe." Hector grumbles. "You already have one from that orc Hector." He rebutted. "Alright Six Swords," Ria interrupted. "Lets move out."
The way to the fortress was clear but the task of entering it was a bloody expedition through the dense forces of the horde. The initial fissures and watch towers chocked the only entryways into the camp and a scattered set of drums sprinkled through their posts warned their worg-riders of their approach. The primarily forces tasked to barring their entry were of little consequence as the group trampled through their numbers. There were few setbacks but the group wedge through the camp and held their ground till they were ready to renew their attack.
The fortress itself appeared unassailable without the aid of siege weapons and the group had to first detour through the warrens to emerge on the inner walls of the fortress. The gate keeper to the warrens were a mere to ogres who did not last very long against their prowess.
The clearing of the warrens was another task entirely. Each cavern proved to be heavily infested with goblins. Constantine was frustrated to find he had to break rank often to heal himself. Even Ria had to withdraw on occasion. Hector was the only one that could stand his grounds, crying out in a blood-rage when having to do so. He was truly a force the goblins could not overcome.
When the group approached from the rear entrance to the deeper regions of the warrens, a pair of trolls lashed out at them. It was here that things took a turn for the worst. Ria, the paladin of Helm, was slain from the claws of the two trolls that teared at her in quick succession. The rest of the group were able to fend them off and destroy the both of them.
Ria awoke in the clergy tent back at Targos with Constantine and Ishtaida beside her, the others were a few paces away waiting in dire concern on her revival.
"What happened?" She asked. "You fought bravely, my lady," Constantine answered. "It was nothing short of that."
The words did little to help comfort her. The fact that she had died was disquieting.
"Hey," Ishtaida inserts. "I know how you feel about it but you can't keep blaming yourself for everything. This isn't a task for one person and we'll be here with you no matter what." "I know," Ria murmurs. "Thanks, all of you."
The two of them embrace each other and cried on each others' shoulder in silence. The band of Six Swords didn't fight that day, instead, they spent the remainder of it enjoying the company of one another at the Salty Dog.
Hector, Constantine and the barbarian tribesman drank up something fierce while Valerie sang and played her lute while sitting cross-legged on the bar. Off to the corner, Ria was sitting at a table with Ishtaida and Draith, one of which was grinning and staring intensely at her half-empty mug.
Ria looks to her tiefling friend, "You have the tolerance of a gerbil." "Hey, my skin may be white but I don' 'ave a tail." "Do gerbils have tails?" Ria looks to Draith.
He bats a glance at the two of them and says nothing.
"Oh, wait. That'z arat." Ishtaida tries to correct herself. Draith shakes his head. "I'm sure as far as tieflings go, you would have been the cutest with a tail; the ones with the little fluff of fur at the end." "God no! You know how many guys would pull on it?" Ishtaida says while rubbing one hand on her tailbone in mild curiosity. "How cute, do you think?"
When Hector flipped over his table, he protested about the size of his competitors' 'grapes' and began trying to wrestle the two of them simultaneously. It seemed to be on equal footing if not for how they swerved around the room crashing into everything. The barkeep didn't seem to mind so much as he began trying to flirt up the somewhat inebriated priestess of Oghma.
Ria wasn't in the mind to care, after all whatever damage they cause was easily amendable with the coin they had accumulated. She looks to Draith and ponder his silence.
"How come you only really talk to Ish?" Draith looks over to the tipsy tiefling and than to Ria, "We think much alike. Alcohol aside." "Hm. But people talk to others of different minds just fine." "I have no interests in others. People can be ignorant, impulsive... and -LOUD-," Draith yells while standing up and hurling a mug at the three wrestling men. The mug slams into Hectors head with a thud bringing the barbarian to bellow madly and flip Constantine onto a nearby table.
Draith sat back down and readdress the issue, "Not everybody wishes to talk." "Well, can we talk about important things?" Ria asks. "Certainly, as long as it is deemed important." "We didn't break the horde. What would they do next?" He didn't look to Ria the entire time, only starring at the fools throwing themselves about, "To be frank, I cannot tell." "I've been worried that they'll march on Targos." "I have thought much of the same. What baffles me is that they haven't. They seem to have ample force but unless we had inadvertently killed their leader back at Shaengarne then the horde may be suffering from inner turmoil due to a power struggle. In any case, we'll have to return and defeat them while we can."
Constantine slams a chair square into Hector's face sending the large man sprawling onto the bar and on top of the priestess.
"Oh, hi." Valerie whispers as the drunken barbarian leans over her, her bosom pressing against his chest. Hector grins and stares at her for a moment. The innkeeper started wailing on him with a wooden spoon.
"Off 'er ye brute!"
Hector lifts Valerie up into the air with little sutblety of grabbing her rump in the process and places her on his shoulder singing in half voice and half burp of an old tribal chant. Valerie laughed and giggled with glee as they become the center of attention, that is until her face met the ceiling fan, once, twice, thrice even.
The next day, the band of Six Swords set out to the fortress once more. Ishtaida was more attentive in standing not far from her friend.
"I'll be fine," Ria mutters. "To think, a tiefling mothering me would do me in for sure."
Ishtaida resented the comment but said nothing.
The group returned to the warrens and weeded out the last of its occupants.
"It's as though they are unconcern with the other tribes in here," Constantine noted. "Unless the tribes have been cannibalizing each other for position, the disappearance of the those we had previously slew should have gone accounted for," Draith states "I suppose," Ishtaida mutters. "There traps now scattered about here."
Venturing further, the group encounters a squabble between a demonic creature and a particular goblin tribe. The creature promised to reward them if they were to retrieve a message for him. Draith coxed Ria into accepting, at least temporarily in hopes to see if they can discern the cause of their lack of action. It terns out, the tribes care little else other than when they eat, material possessions and power. The death of the other tribes went unnoticed simply because they did not care. But it had proved fatally flawed for such complacency as the very ones that slew their brothers in arms walked among them and soon brought death in tow.
Once reemerging to the surface, they found themselves on the inner walls of the fortress. The remainder of the horde erupt in unison as the band emerged forth. Whatever beast met them in battle soon fell to their swords as they tracked a bloody path around the bailey. The exchange barely manage to put their might to the challenge. With the area cleared, they barred the main entrance and readied their assault of the inner barracks.
Hector spied an odd sight of a bugbear and a winged blue woman arguing on the directions their army had taken thus far.
Draith mutters to himself, "So the horde suffers from incompetent leader. Guess our worries were all for not." "Alright band," Ria begins to speak. "It's time to put all your prayers and strength into this. Here is where we break the horde once and for all."
Together, the band stormed the main barracks of the fortress with sword and spell. The amount of devastation and arcane might left a faint trace in the fabric of the realm for years later after the engagement that took place hence. The Six Swords did not rest or waited as they burst into each section of the fortress and cleansed it of its foul rulers. Guthma, the horde general, was no exception. He was but a bump along the way to their conquest. Within the hour, the fortress laid bare of its former occupants. It was as though all their previous endeavors had raised them above the lot of common men and forged them as true weapons of war. The cadavers and pools of blood appeared to be common place for them now.
"Mark this in your journal, Valerie," Ria instructs. "This is the day the horde was felled."
Excessive buffing: Valerie has proved to be rocking the bonus charts with song, prayer, chant AND bless. The character concept is working so well that my warriors freely put their power attack to max with next to no backlash.
Alright, I decided that I was going to give IWD2 another try. This time with a character, party w/ levels that are recommended by Domi, and difficulty that I feel that I can do this with.
Sorceress Skills: Identify, and Sleep. Mods:
// 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] ~DDRAWFIX/DDRAWFIX.TP2~ #0 #2 // DDrawFix -> Use WineD3D's DDraw Library: v1.0 ~SETUP-TARGOS.TP2~ #0 #0 // Undead Targos ~SETUP-TARGOS.TP2~ #0 #1 // Tougher Torak ~SETUP-MERCHANT.TP2~ #0 #0 // Bonus Merchant for IWD2 ~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #200 // Make Bags of Holding Bottomless: v2.2 ~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #300 // Weapon Animation Tweaks: v2.2 ~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #400 // Force All Dialogue to Pause Game: v2.2 ~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #600 // 100% Learn Spells: v2.2 ~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1000 // Rest in Each Area: v2.2 ~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1100 // Save in Each Area: v2.2 ~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1200 // Magically Created Weapons Have Zero Weigth: v2.2 ~SETUP-COMSTORE.TP2~ #0 #0 // comstore ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Bugfixes ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #2 // Non-Combat War Chant of the Sith ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #3 // Improved Holy Avenger (Lawful: +2d6 vs. Chaos; Dispel On Hit, Will saves) ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #6 // Deep Gnome Starting XP ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #7 // Improved Moonblades ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #8 // Improved Monk Fists ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #9 // Collector's Edition Bonus Items ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #11 // Magic Weapon Finesse ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #12 // Always Get Some XP Per Kill ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #13 // Some Heart of Fury Items In Normal Mode ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #14 // Stronger Bastard Swords ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #16 // Non-Linear Teleportation ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #17 // Armor and Shields Provide Damage Resistance ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #18 // Include Forgotten Armor and Shields ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #19 // Additional Druid Spells ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #20 // Alternate Shapeshifting ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #21 // Skip Battle Square ~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #23 // Faster Oswald ~SETUP-IWD2NPC.TP2~ #0 #0 // Install joinable NPCs for IWD2. Warning: despite extensive testing some glitches may remain in this mod. Please report all bugs at www.gibberlings3.net.: v4 ~SETUP-IWD2NPC.TP2~ #0 #2 // Female Gnome Avatars -> Use Female Thief Halfling Avatars for Female Mage Gnome Avatars: v4 ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #101 // 1ppv4: Core paperdolls ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #103 // 1ppv4: Extended palette entries -> Full install (recommended) ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #105 // 1ppv4: Avatar fixes ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #107 // 1ppv4: Female Dwarves -> Separate Avatars for Female Dwarves - Icewind Dale II ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #112 // 1ppv4: Thieves Galore -> IWDII - Unique Thief Avatars ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #113 // 1ppv4: Smart Avatar & Armour Switching ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #114 // 1ppv4: Softer Spell Effects ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #200 // 1ppv4: Core content patches ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #203 // 1ppv4: Restored flame sword animations ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #204 // 1ppv4: Colourable Quarterstaves ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #205 // 1ppv4: Legacy Shields ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #206 // 1ppv4: Additional Shield Animations (core) ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #207 // 1ppv4: Wizards' Staves (core) ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #208 // 1ppv4: Additional Helmet Animations (core) ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #209 // 1ppv4: Attachable wings (core) ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #400 // 1ppv4: Core updates and item patches ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #401 // 1ppv4: Improved projectile effects ~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #301 // 1ppv4: Miscellaneous content fixes ~GENERALIZED_BIFFING/GENERALIZED_BIFFING.TP2~ #0 #0 // Generalized Biffing: v2.2
Party: Anaialee: Sorceress - 1 Sir Nord: Paladin of Helm - 6 Rizdaer: Fighter - 3 Nikosh: Rogue - 1 Valeero: Morninglord of Lathander - 6 Hildury: Barbarian - 1
Notes: A bunch of level 1s, two 6s, and a 3. Add in the improved Torak component, and Undead Targos and we're in for a real party. Also, at times I wish Domi would come back to IE modding, to grace us with her awesome writing, and to fix some bugs. :P
Alright, well the game is a bit easy now so i'm going to add the Tactics4IWD2 mod I tried this before and it was extremely difficult and bosses are crazy mad in here (Cabbilus is casting fireballs and lightning bolts now o.o). So in response to the harder difficulty, I'll be using the same characters but with altered stats to adjust for the difficulty. I'm still against excessive min-max so you won't see stats lower than what I previously use. Hector probably be the only one that isn't altered as a whole while Valerie will probably get 1 level of bard and continue as cleric from then on.
Brother Brightaxe & crew have just finished the Moonblade quest - Nord gave the proper response and now is dashing and slashing with it. Brightaxe has a bright and shiny axe +1 with shield as well as keg splitter and the +1 returning throwing axe - haft over head (sometimes referred to as ass over teakettle) and Hildury took a level of ranger and is dual wielding Clenched Fist and Whispering Staff - altho eventually I expect her to wield one blunt & one slasher or the occasional two-hander (perhaps with higher armor).
This makes for a pretty formidable forward line with Brightaxe doing the occasional buffing and healing as well altho when it suits us they all grab ranged weapons and plink away until the enemy closes.
Nic, Sal & Peony are mostly ranged with Nic using the +1 shortbow one of the goblin chiefs dropped at the Palisades and the girls using heavy Xbows.
Nic also has a selection of magical daggers and his fierce short sword and I'm thinking of getting him a level of ranger for the free dual wield also altho the sneak attack in ID2 is nowhere near as effective as the old BG backstab. He's done a good job scouting so far and dragging the enemies back to our waiting arms when that is the best option.
Peony was failing so many scribes I started saving before each attempt - and reloading if needed and spends most of her time plinking with the Xbow since she doesn't have many spells yet but she's pretty good at it (attack +6 and damage 3-10) - she reminds me somewhat of Alora .
Sal sings and plinks and sings and plinks also fairly effectively (attack +7 damage 3-10) and flirts with Brightaxe with limited success.
I'm enjoying the interaction so far altho as a mod it's not as seamless as BG or other games with joinable characters would be (nor did I expect it to be) - interjections are often not timed very well in relation to whats happening but I'm not really having any issue with it.
I have not been moved to journal them yet - and perhaps won't get to that point since they are unfamiliar to me and I don't know what's coming making it more difficult.
Probably won't get to play again until Sunday now... too bad I wasn't born independently wealthy LOL
@Wanderon, could you tell me the "right" answers to get to keep that Moonblade? I only remember two choices, and I picked "we found your sword", upon which, she immediately takes it back. It's too late for my current run, but it would be good to know for the future.
EDIT: Oh, it was able to be looked up - I found something that said to refuse her reward. I took the reward. My bad.
@Wanderon, could you tell me the "right" answers to get to keep that Moonblade? I only remember two choices, and I picked "we found your sword", upon which, she immediately takes it back. It's too late for my current run, but it would be good to know for the future.
EDIT: Oh, it was able to be looked up - I found something that said to refuse her reward. I took the reward. My bad.
I lost it last time when my bard spoke so this time I had Nord speak to her - took the option we found your sword - that gave me two options - one was to refuse due to tenets of my faith - I don't think that one works - the other was to refuse in a more general fashion and that got the sword -
when I tried with my bard (CG) in a normal play through (no NPC Project) after the we found your sword option I did not get a refuse reward option that I recall and thus did not get the sword and I suspect it was due to class perhaps??
Anaialee set out to help the people of Targos, before resuming her duties to the Militia. So, she set a spirit free. Helped a mage out of his trance. She also destroyed a doppleganger, and a traitor within the walls of Targos.
Then, she did her militia duties. She ended the arrow shortage, and the wood shortage for the Pallisade. As well as figured out that the goblins, and undead were probably going to attack soon.
Party: Anaialee - Sorceress - 3 Sir Nord - Paladin of Helm - 6 Rizdaer - Fighter 3 (5) Valeero - Morninglord of Lathander - 6 Nikosh - Rogue - 3 Hildury - Barbarian - 3
Notes: I feel inclined to multiclass Hildury into a cleric, just to give Valeero some tiny help, as well as make Rizdaer the main tank, and making Sir Nord use a Two-handed weapon, but I'm not quite sure how that would go.
Likely a stupid question, but are there any objections to posting a non-EE run? I don't have EE installed and alas, the computer I play on has no internet connection, nor can I get online to download it presently. (I am browsing here during my lunch at work.) I'm just about to top-off a BG1 game and start BG 2 and this looks like it would be something fun to do for a little variety, hopefully with a few mods attached to it.
@belgarathmth I don't think you get to keep the moonblade. She'll give you 2000 gold for returning it (which sells for 2500 at a merchant) and some xp. A paladin will refuse the reward altogether. I haven't seen a scenario where she'll let you keep the moonblade short of you ignoring her after retrieving it. My only guess would be if you were to run a Priest of Selune and talk to her with that character. I have no idea how else she would part with it. You certainly cannot pick pocket the moonblade back.
@Draith012 - I've tried to get the moonblade as a Silverstar of Selune. She doesn't give it up. She also doesn't say any nifty comments if you're one either. I was a sad panda.
@Battlehamster, love, love, love the name! You must be a Minsc fan!
Harmonius, Update, Stardate 0822.13:
-We have cleared the bridge to Targos of the Horde army! The forces of Neverwinter and Luskan will be free to reinforce Targos, but, as it turns out, we must still defeat a goblin warlord and destroy a goblin fortress. Oh well, securing our front lines such that we now hold the bridge to Targos is a major military victory! We will celebrate our great victory, in Targos, for the next ten nights, before heading out to attack the goblin fortress from our side of the front.
I managed to magically capture some images of our epic victory through my bardic arts:
The enemy sorceress vilely stuns the noble Hildury with a Chromatic Orb:
Both I and Jaemal show her just how dishonorable she is by throwing two Chromatic Orbs right back at her! The bee-atch is stunned herself, and this battle might as well be over:
We stand victorious, the bridge held for Targos, and firmly defended on our new, expanded front lines! The Red Knight be praised! I normally worship Lord Oghma, and pay special reverence to his sons, Deneir and Milil, but I think I will start praying to the Red Knight as well, since she frequently blesses me with amazing strategical insight! I doubt that Oghma and his sons will mind.
OOC NPC Project stuff:
-Hildury and Jaemal had a touching moment together. -Sir Nord and Nikosh had a conflict-ish interaction about ethics, but I think they're still friends. -Several party members commented on the game events in character. -Sir Nord confronted me upon our return to Targos, giving me nine IC responses that I assume would lock in our dialogue trees together. None of the specific ones fit the character of Harmonius, other than, "I have done nothing wrong!" Nord's final reaction was, "We shall see, young pup!" I told him that "my father wanted to test the strength of my convictions (to be dedicated to music, art, poetry, and lore, over martial and financial concerns)", by sending me to Targos. The poet and storyteller in me greatly appreciated Nord's analogy of himself as the alpha male "wolf" to my "pup" status in "his" pack, which is nominally "my" pack, but only by his grace, through my father.
It's not perfect, but I really appreciate the artistic writing that has gone into the NPC Project for this game, as opposed to the alternative of having no NPC interaction at all.
@Belgarathmth - I do so love the NPC Project. Again, I really wish Domi would return to IE modding because she wrote some great masterpieces such as Kivan and Deheriana, Coran in the BG1 NPC Project and his friendship, as well as Garrick's Infatuation.
@Draith012, both @Wanderon and my Google search confirm that the Moonblade can be legitimately kept. You must rescue the hostages from the village, and defeat both Torak and the troll chieftain, and then turn down her offered reward.
IWD2 offers many "behind-the-scenes" rewards in the dialogue screens in return for taking "talk" skills like Diplomacy, Bluff, and Intimidate. It may be necessary to be a character, or possibly even a paladin, with both high Charisma and high Diplomacy, in order to get the desired outcome.
My sources tell me that turning down her monetary reward is a sine qua non for having her give the Moonblade, and it may also be that the character who speaks to her after obtaining it must be a pally, and must also have high Charisma and some ranks in Diplomacy.
From what I can research, it's absolutely doable, but so difficult to get the desired result, that most players have never seen it.
Obviously, from what @Wanderon wrote, he's memorized exactly how to get the Moonblade in his runs, without breaking RP immersion.
Re: Moonblade - based on my (mostly faulty) memory of the dozens of teams I took as far as the moonblade quest during the couple of years I played ID2 when it first came out - I'd say:
I don't recall it being a paladin only requirement -
It almost certainly is a good alignment requirement and I suspect your main PC (top slot in character development) needs to have it as well as whomever you choose to return the blade to her.
According to the dialogue she uses when she gifts it to you she claims to have been watching you and noted the good deeds you had been doing since arriving in Targos and that the moonblade was constructed for exactly that purpose - so I suspect you might have also needed to act within your alignment in other quests as well (not insisting on a reward from the druids or otherwise taking the "bratty" approach for any quests) prior to the moonblade quest.
It may be that certain classes don't qualify - my CG bard didn't get it and I was looking for the option to do so - altho we took out the Iron Girdle bunch and that might have been seen as naughty to her.
You definitely have to refuse a reward but NOT by having a pally take the option that says it's against the tenets of his order (IIRC) - he gets a second more general refusal choice that works.
I also want to say that I seem to recall that there may be an encounter sometime later where taking the blade without talking to her comes back to bite you but that may just be those faulty memory chips of mine kicking out.
Lastly a "trick" I use for that map and the next 3 is to go back to her after clearing each one and have her cast aid on the party - she is so high level that it will last even through each map even after walking all the way back to the bridge battle (as long as you have returned from the dam to get the aid then made your way directly to the bridge.) At the levels the party is at there the extra 8 hps and +1 to hit and saves is a nice boost even at 60 gold per person (IMO).
If forfeiting the gold reward from Shawford leads to rewarding you the moonblade, I can't imagining it being all that worth it (though you only have to give up the one for defending the palisades). It doesn't even apply strength modifier. I haven't tested if power strike works in conjunction with it or not.
Does something happens with this blade that makes it awesome? Sounds like a lot of work for one item.
Comments
@Belgarathmth - I've never completed Jaemal's romance. I've only managed to complete Diriel's. Should try to do Rizdaer's and Jaemal's sometime.
I finished up the fetch-and-carry Targos stuff and the Battle on the Palisades with my new NPC Project party. It was fun, and had an appropriately dramatic challenge. For some reason, this time I did not find the scroll that would get Phaen of the Rags to attack me from his house, so I had to deal with him when he appeared in the finale battle of the Prologue. That was very "interesting", increasing the challenge over that of my last run, although, facing Phaen at 2nd level instead of 1st really helps with surviving his Burning Hands.
I also did not find the Ghost Bottle this time, so I couldn't get the magic dagger that Vera's ghost could have given us.
Next session, we will be exiting the north palisade of Targos and tackling the Shaengarne River.
The NPC Project dialogues haven't kicked in all that much yet. Harmonius got one with Hildury, which was a real tear-jerker when he was kind to her, and there was an interchange between Sir Nord and Jaemal. Valeero had a lot of insights about the Palisades battle and the anticipated Neverwinter reinforcements, since she is directly involved with the plans of both Neverwinter and Luskan to assist Targos and secure their northern borders.
Even with that little bit of npc interaction, plus the extensive biographies available in the character screens, and the very creative voice-acting in all the voice sets, I am already really loving this run.
Reloads: 0
Average party level: 2
And of course, Harmonius is gay, as I am.
So, yeah, Jaemal. Not much to choose from for my tiny little niche market. I get Jaemal in this game, Dorn (who is just not a suitable companion for me, for oh, so many reasons, not the least of which is that he's a bloody, demonic psychopath) in BG:EE, and the Nathaniel and Faren mods for BG2.
Heh - the ladies think *they* have it bad with only Anomen in the unmodded games. Now, *I* get only Dorn, and I only get him in BG2 when BG2:EE comes out, and I only get him even *then* if I care to try to Palpatine his Darth Vader act.
As for Dorn, I never actually expected him to be the bisexual one out of the group. I was hoping that Neera was going to the bisexual one, or even Rasaad.
Also, I'm going suggest the Arath Mod by @Kaeloree. Arath is bisexual, and I think he is just downright awesome. Arath is definitely in my top five mod romances.
Finished the docks - just a couple banters - decent sound sets altho Hildury gets a little over-amped at times - looks like a fun run altho it sounded like the Nord party (no PC) might be a bit more complete banter wise or at least it seemed to start out so.
I'm planning to finish this IWD2 run first, though, so it'll be a while.
It's a great feeling to have so much D&D gaming to look forward to. I just *love* Infinity engine games!
Let me know if you know any other good NPC mods I should look at. (Cute guys who'll notice other cute guys, that is.)
@belgarathmth and @Wanderon never tried the NPC project for IWD2. Didn't think they had one since you know, joinable npc's didn't really exist the same way they do in BG2.
@belgarathmth so you're not planning on running your barbarian though bg2?
As for the dialogue in an all NPC party I was thinking since they set that party up "complete" that they would just treat Nord as the PC - I get it that having a PC would no doubt lead to "different" options no doubt at least partially based on things like race, gender, class etc but I was thinking the modder would have a much better feel for how dialogues would go between the characters they created than any dialogue options that were scripted for an unknown PC - and thus the flow of things might be more "complete" and have a better "fit" as long as you were prepared to RP Nord as he was designed.
Then again maybe not...LOL
Todek isn't really completely my opposite. I have a raw, deeply repressed barbarian Freudian Id that is very much like him. So, sometimes, Todek is fun for me to play as a way for me to give that Incredible Hulk part of me free expression, moving him away from my Shadow Self (Jung), and a bit closer to my unrepressed Ego, so that I can benefit from his strength without all the penalties and consequences that he normally brings. (Think Bruce Banner if he could have the Hulk's strength without all the berserk losing his mind stuff.)
But, my Superego tends to dominate my psyche, and it wants to put all my psychodynamic ducks in a nice, neat little row, and call the resulting work of art "spiritual enlightenment", and my Ego has latched onto D&D gaming almost obsessively as a means of self-exploration. That's either a very erudite, or else a "crazy talk" way to say, "I can't get over a preference to play myself, or at least aspects of myself, in D&D." Really, even Todek doesn't completely break from my pattern of "I always play myself".
@Wanderon, you may be right; I can't say, as I haven't tried an all NPC Project party. However, the mod contains many, many dialogues for each character with your PC, which include chances for you to make choices in how you respond to them. In an all NPC Project party, you would not get a chance to explore those options, and you would miss out on a lot of character development trees that were programmed by the Project creators.
Simple Update for my NPC Project IWD2 run for 082013:
I have taken us up to the saving of Torak's hostages, killing Torak, killing the troll boss, and returning the Selunite priestess' sword. I considered keeping it for Sir Nord, but of course, he would never consider such an underhanded move - the thing was stolen, she wanted it back, so he gave it back, and that's that.
I did not blunder into the troll's trap. Some people might cry "metagaming cheese, foul!", but, come on. It takes little intelligence to come upon the first two orc guards, listen to them say, "Oh yeah, go right in, our boss is waiting to see you, hee, hee, har, har!", and then realize you are being directed into a trap. So, I just ordered my party to attack Beavis and Butthead, right there. The big troll and his ambush party stupidly came running out, engaging us on our terms, and the whole scenario was easy peasy.
Earlier, Hildury had had some interesting dialogues with Torak. He tried to get her to rejoin her "roots", and come over to his side.
Sir Nord had expressed his ever-present frustration with the defenses in Targos, pointing out their inadequacy at being made of hastily thrown together wood rather than carefully crafted stone. Or at least, that's what I took him to mean.
I have built Hildury with one level of ranger for free dual wielding feats, one level of fighter for free Power Attack and Cleave Hit, and then, I guess the rest of her levels will go to barbarian. I have left Sir Nord at only one level of pally, and am taking the rest of his levels in fighter, for feats, feats, feats. He has Cleave hit and Large Swords Focus already, and will be taking Great Cleave, and then more focus and specialization. He comes across to me clearly as a misfit low-charisma pally, who has the one pally level in order to be a Sacred Heart member, but he's really a fighter, the way I see him. And so I shall build him.
Reloads; 0
Average Party Level: 4
EDIT: Btw, if you start to get irritated and annoyed by the voice acting, I highly recommend that you go to your "Character Feedback" settings under "Sound", and turn both settings to "Seldom". I've found that that gives me just enough speaking of their lines to keep me in touch with their character concepts, without getting overwhelmed into irritation by excessive verbalizing. It made a huge difference in my ability to start to bond and become affectionate to the characters, and it got rid of the mounting irritation I was starting to feel at too-much verbalizing of their lines.
I was tempted to do that in the troll cave, but you get exp if you ask him why he's doing the things he does.
The good news was that the scouts Lord Ulbrec had dispatched had sent word of their success in locating the horde's stronghold. The bad news was that the band 'Six Swords of the North' were the only ones capable of performing the task. Everytime they sought out to fight the horde, they had returned triumphant. Who else could assault the horde's main stronghold and succeed?
The band desperately needed rest but if what Draith said held true, there was little choice in the matter. It is not as though they were not reward with gold worthy of their task. In fact, it was surprising that that much gold was to be had in Targos. If they were to face the bulk of the horde, than it was best to spend what gold they had on better gear and enchanted equipment.
"Hm?" Constantine hums. "This blade says, 'Heart of Valerie Rosewood'."
"Huh? Really?" Valerie burst excitedly. "Aah, it does! Can we get it please!"
Draith didn't care much for such sentiments. Likely the sword was forged just to appeal to the young priestess. Still, it was a good sword and all the store's goods were received via boat. There was no active smith so where and how they acquired the sword so quickly is a mystery. They bought the sword for her sake if nothing else.
"Well, I guess we're as prepared as ever." Constantine informs.
"Hmph. Ye could 'ave bought me that axe." Hector grumbles.
"You already have one from that orc Hector." He rebutted.
"Alright Six Swords," Ria interrupted. "Lets move out."
The way to the fortress was clear but the task of entering it was a bloody expedition through the dense forces of the horde. The initial fissures and watch towers chocked the only entryways into the camp and a scattered set of drums sprinkled through their posts warned their worg-riders of their approach. The primarily forces tasked to barring their entry were of little consequence as the group trampled through their numbers. There were few setbacks but the group wedge through the camp and held their ground till they were ready to renew their attack.
The fortress itself appeared unassailable without the aid of siege weapons and the group had to first detour through the warrens to emerge on the inner walls of the fortress. The gate keeper to the warrens were a mere to ogres who did not last very long against their prowess.
The clearing of the warrens was another task entirely. Each cavern proved to be heavily infested with goblins. Constantine was frustrated to find he had to break rank often to heal himself. Even Ria had to withdraw on occasion. Hector was the only one that could stand his grounds, crying out in a blood-rage when having to do so. He was truly a force the goblins could not overcome.
When the group approached from the rear entrance to the deeper regions of the warrens, a pair of trolls lashed out at them. It was here that things took a turn for the worst. Ria, the paladin of Helm, was slain from the claws of the two trolls that teared at her in quick succession. The rest of the group were able to fend them off and destroy the both of them.
Ria awoke in the clergy tent back at Targos with Constantine and Ishtaida beside her, the others were a few paces away waiting in dire concern on her revival.
"What happened?" She asked.
"You fought bravely, my lady," Constantine answered. "It was nothing short of that."
The words did little to help comfort her. The fact that she had died was disquieting.
"Hey," Ishtaida inserts. "I know how you feel about it but you can't keep blaming yourself for everything. This isn't a task for one person and we'll be here with you no matter what."
"I know," Ria murmurs. "Thanks, all of you."
The two of them embrace each other and cried on each others' shoulder in silence. The band of Six Swords didn't fight that day, instead, they spent the remainder of it enjoying the company of one another at the Salty Dog.
Hector, Constantine and the barbarian tribesman drank up something fierce while Valerie sang and played her lute while sitting cross-legged on the bar. Off to the corner, Ria was sitting at a table with Ishtaida and Draith, one of which was grinning and staring intensely at her half-empty mug.
Ria looks to her tiefling friend, "You have the tolerance of a gerbil."
"Hey, my skin may be white but I don' 'ave a tail."
"Do gerbils have tails?" Ria looks to Draith.
He bats a glance at the two of them and says nothing.
"Oh, wait. That'z arat." Ishtaida tries to correct herself. Draith shakes his head.
"I'm sure as far as tieflings go, you would have been the cutest with a tail; the ones with the little fluff of fur at the end."
"God no! You know how many guys would pull on it?" Ishtaida says while rubbing one hand on her tailbone in mild curiosity. "How cute, do you think?"
When Hector flipped over his table, he protested about the size of his competitors' 'grapes' and began trying to wrestle the two of them simultaneously. It seemed to be on equal footing if not for how they swerved around the room crashing into everything. The barkeep didn't seem to mind so much as he began trying to flirt up the somewhat inebriated priestess of Oghma.
Ria wasn't in the mind to care, after all whatever damage they cause was easily amendable with the coin they had accumulated. She looks to Draith and ponder his silence.
"How come you only really talk to Ish?"
Draith looks over to the tipsy tiefling and than to Ria, "We think much alike. Alcohol aside."
"Hm. But people talk to others of different minds just fine."
"I have no interests in others. People can be ignorant, impulsive... and -LOUD-," Draith yells while standing up and hurling a mug at the three wrestling men. The mug slams into Hectors head with a thud bringing the barbarian to bellow madly and flip Constantine onto a nearby table.
Draith sat back down and readdress the issue, "Not everybody wishes to talk."
"Well, can we talk about important things?" Ria asks.
"Certainly, as long as it is deemed important."
"We didn't break the horde. What would they do next?"
He didn't look to Ria the entire time, only starring at the fools throwing themselves about, "To be frank, I cannot tell."
"I've been worried that they'll march on Targos."
"I have thought much of the same. What baffles me is that they haven't. They seem to have ample force but unless we had inadvertently killed their leader back at Shaengarne then the horde may be suffering from inner turmoil due to a power struggle. In any case, we'll have to return and defeat them while we can."
Constantine slams a chair square into Hector's face sending the large man sprawling onto the bar and on top of the priestess.
"Oh, hi." Valerie whispers as the drunken barbarian leans over her, her bosom pressing against his chest. Hector grins and stares at her for a moment. The innkeeper started wailing on him with a wooden spoon.
"Off 'er ye brute!"
Hector lifts Valerie up into the air with little sutblety of grabbing her rump in the process and places her on his shoulder singing in half voice and half burp of an old tribal chant. Valerie laughed and giggled with glee as they become the center of attention, that is until her face met the ceiling fan, once, twice, thrice even.
The next day, the band of Six Swords set out to the fortress once more. Ishtaida was more attentive in standing not far from her friend.
"I'll be fine," Ria mutters. "To think, a tiefling mothering me would do me in for sure."
Ishtaida resented the comment but said nothing.
The group returned to the warrens and weeded out the last of its occupants.
"It's as though they are unconcern with the other tribes in here," Constantine noted.
"Unless the tribes have been cannibalizing each other for position, the disappearance of the those we had previously slew should have gone accounted for," Draith states
"I suppose," Ishtaida mutters. "There traps now scattered about here."
Venturing further, the group encounters a squabble between a demonic creature and a particular goblin tribe. The creature promised to reward them if they were to retrieve a message for him. Draith coxed Ria into accepting, at least temporarily in hopes to see if they can discern the cause of their lack of action. It terns out, the tribes care little else other than when they eat, material possessions and power. The death of the other tribes went unnoticed simply because they did not care. But it had proved fatally flawed for such complacency as the very ones that slew their brothers in arms walked among them and soon brought death in tow.
Once reemerging to the surface, they found themselves on the inner walls of the fortress. The remainder of the horde erupt in unison as the band emerged forth. Whatever beast met them in battle soon fell to their swords as they tracked a bloody path around the bailey. The exchange barely manage to put their might to the challenge. With the area cleared, they barred the main entrance and readied their assault of the inner barracks.
Hector spied an odd sight of a bugbear and a winged blue woman arguing on the directions their army had taken thus far.
Draith mutters to himself, "So the horde suffers from incompetent leader. Guess our worries were all for not."
"Alright band," Ria begins to speak. "It's time to put all your prayers and strength into this. Here is where we break the horde once and for all."
Together, the band stormed the main barracks of the fortress with sword and spell. The amount of devastation and arcane might left a faint trace in the fabric of the realm for years later after the engagement that took place hence. The Six Swords did not rest or waited as they burst into each section of the fortress and cleansed it of its foul rulers. Guthma, the horde general, was no exception. He was but a bump along the way to their conquest. Within the hour, the fortress laid bare of its former occupants. It was as though all their previous endeavors had raised them above the lot of common men and forged them as true weapons of war. The cadavers and pools of blood appeared to be common place for them now.
"Mark this in your journal, Valerie," Ria instructs. "This is the day the horde was felled."
Reloads: 0
Deaths: 1
Character Level Up:
Ria Delglaivor: Level 3 Paladin of Helm/ Level 3 Fighter (Feat: Luck of Heroes)
Hector Erskine: Level 7 Barbarian (Feat: Weapon Focus: Axe)
Constantine Trivon: Level 7 Watcher of Helm (Feat: Heretic's Bane)
Ishtaida Eldravesk: Level 3 Rogue/ Level 3 Illusionist (Feat: Envenom Weapon)
Valerie Rosewood: Level 4 Bard/ Level 3 Lorekeeper of Oghma
Draith: Level 7 Conjurer (Feat: Spell Focus: Necromancy: 2)
Excessive buffing:
Valerie has proved to be rocking the bonus charts with song, prayer, chant AND bless. The character concept is working so well that my warriors freely put their power attack to max with next to no backlash.
Sorceress Skills: Identify, and Sleep.
Mods:
// 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]
~DDRAWFIX/DDRAWFIX.TP2~ #0 #2 // DDrawFix -> Use WineD3D's DDraw Library: v1.0
~SETUP-TARGOS.TP2~ #0 #0 // Undead Targos
~SETUP-TARGOS.TP2~ #0 #1 // Tougher Torak
~SETUP-MERCHANT.TP2~ #0 #0 // Bonus Merchant for IWD2
~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #200 // Make Bags of Holding Bottomless: v2.2
~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #300 // Weapon Animation Tweaks: v2.2
~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #400 // Force All Dialogue to Pause Game: v2.2
~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #600 // 100% Learn Spells: v2.2
~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1000 // Rest in Each Area: v2.2
~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1100 // Save in Each Area: v2.2
~IWD2TWEAKS/SETUP-IWD2TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1200 // Magically Created Weapons Have Zero Weigth: v2.2
~SETUP-COMSTORE.TP2~ #0 #0 // comstore
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Bugfixes
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #2 // Non-Combat War Chant of the Sith
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #3 // Improved Holy Avenger (Lawful: +2d6 vs. Chaos; Dispel On Hit, Will saves)
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #6 // Deep Gnome Starting XP
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #7 // Improved Moonblades
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #8 // Improved Monk Fists
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #9 // Collector's Edition Bonus Items
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #11 // Magic Weapon Finesse
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #12 // Always Get Some XP Per Kill
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #13 // Some Heart of Fury Items In Normal Mode
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #14 // Stronger Bastard Swords
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #16 // Non-Linear Teleportation
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #17 // Armor and Shields Provide Damage Resistance
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #18 // Include Forgotten Armor and Shields
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #19 // Additional Druid Spells
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #20 // Alternate Shapeshifting
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #21 // Skip Battle Square
~SETUP-IWD2-EASE.TP2~ #0 #23 // Faster Oswald
~SETUP-IWD2NPC.TP2~ #0 #0 // Install joinable NPCs for IWD2. Warning: despite extensive testing some glitches may remain in this mod. Please report all bugs at www.gibberlings3.net.: v4
~SETUP-IWD2NPC.TP2~ #0 #2 // Female Gnome Avatars -> Use Female Thief Halfling Avatars for Female Mage Gnome Avatars: v4
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #101 // 1ppv4: Core paperdolls
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #103 // 1ppv4: Extended palette entries -> Full install (recommended)
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #105 // 1ppv4: Avatar fixes
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #107 // 1ppv4: Female Dwarves -> Separate Avatars for Female Dwarves - Icewind Dale II
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #112 // 1ppv4: Thieves Galore -> IWDII - Unique Thief Avatars
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #113 // 1ppv4: Smart Avatar & Armour Switching
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #114 // 1ppv4: Softer Spell Effects
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #200 // 1ppv4: Core content patches
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #203 // 1ppv4: Restored flame sword animations
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #204 // 1ppv4: Colourable Quarterstaves
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #205 // 1ppv4: Legacy Shields
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #206 // 1ppv4: Additional Shield Animations (core)
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #207 // 1ppv4: Wizards' Staves (core)
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #208 // 1ppv4: Additional Helmet Animations (core)
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #209 // 1ppv4: Attachable wings (core)
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #400 // 1ppv4: Core updates and item patches
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #401 // 1ppv4: Improved projectile effects
~1PP/1PP.TP2~ #0 #301 // 1ppv4: Miscellaneous content fixes
~GENERALIZED_BIFFING/GENERALIZED_BIFFING.TP2~ #0 #0 // Generalized Biffing: v2.2
Party:
Anaialee: Sorceress - 1
Sir Nord: Paladin of Helm - 6
Rizdaer: Fighter - 3
Nikosh: Rogue - 1
Valeero: Morninglord of Lathander - 6
Hildury: Barbarian - 1
Notes: A bunch of level 1s, two 6s, and a 3. Add in the improved Torak component, and Undead Targos and we're in for a real party. Also, at times I wish Domi would come back to IE modding, to grace us with her awesome writing, and to fix some bugs. :P
Edit: Fixed Valeero's class.
I tried this before and it was extremely difficult and bosses are crazy mad in here (Cabbilus is casting fireballs and lightning bolts now o.o). So in response to the harder difficulty, I'll be using the same characters but with altered stats to adjust for the difficulty. I'm still against excessive min-max so you won't see stats lower than what I previously use. Hector probably be the only one that isn't altered as a whole while Valerie will probably get 1 level of bard and continue as cleric from then on.
Quick update.
Cleared out Targos of its Undead Infestation, for now, and became part of the Targos Guard.
Party:
Anaialee - Sorceress - 2
Sir Nord - Paladin of Helm - 6
Rizdaer - Fighter - 3 (5)
Nikosh - Rogue - 2
Hildury - Barbarian - 2
Reload: 0
Notes: Sorry for it being short.
This makes for a pretty formidable forward line with Brightaxe doing the occasional buffing and healing as well altho when it suits us they all grab ranged weapons and plink away until the enemy closes.
Nic, Sal & Peony are mostly ranged with Nic using the +1 shortbow one of the goblin chiefs dropped at the Palisades and the girls using heavy Xbows.
Nic also has a selection of magical daggers and his fierce short sword and I'm thinking of getting him a level of ranger for the free dual wield also altho the sneak attack in ID2 is nowhere near as effective as the old BG backstab. He's done a good job scouting so far and dragging the enemies back to our waiting arms when that is the best option.
Peony was failing so many scribes I started saving before each attempt - and reloading if needed and spends most of her time plinking with the Xbow since she doesn't have many spells yet but she's pretty good at it (attack +6 and damage 3-10) - she reminds me somewhat of Alora .
Sal sings and plinks and sings and plinks also fairly effectively (attack +7 damage 3-10) and flirts with Brightaxe with limited success.
I'm enjoying the interaction so far altho as a mod it's not as seamless as BG or other games with joinable characters would be (nor did I expect it to be) - interjections are often not timed very well in relation to whats happening but I'm not really having any issue with it.
I have not been moved to journal them yet - and perhaps won't get to that point since they are unfamiliar to me and I don't know what's coming making it more difficult.
Probably won't get to play again until Sunday now... too bad I wasn't born independently wealthy LOL
EDIT: Oh, it was able to be looked up - I found something that said to refuse her reward. I took the reward. My bad.
when I tried with my bard (CG) in a normal play through (no NPC Project) after the we found your sword option I did not get a refuse reward option that I recall and thus did not get the sword and I suspect it was due to class perhaps??
Anaialee set out to help the people of Targos, before resuming her duties to the Militia. So, she set a spirit free. Helped a mage out of his trance. She also destroyed a doppleganger, and a traitor within the walls of Targos.
Then, she did her militia duties. She ended the arrow shortage, and the wood shortage for the Pallisade. As well as figured out that the goblins, and undead were probably going to attack soon.
Party:
Anaialee - Sorceress - 3
Sir Nord - Paladin of Helm - 6
Rizdaer - Fighter 3 (5)
Valeero - Morninglord of Lathander - 6
Nikosh - Rogue - 3
Hildury - Barbarian - 3
Notes: I feel inclined to multiclass Hildury into a cleric, just to give Valeero some tiny help, as well as make Rizdaer the main tank, and making Sir Nord use a Two-handed weapon, but I'm not quite sure how that would go.
Harmonius, Update, Stardate 0822.13:
-We have cleared the bridge to Targos of the Horde army! The forces of Neverwinter and Luskan will be free to reinforce Targos, but, as it turns out, we must still defeat a goblin warlord and destroy a goblin fortress. Oh well, securing our front lines such that we now hold the bridge to Targos is a major military victory! We will celebrate our great victory, in Targos, for the next ten nights, before heading out to attack the goblin fortress from our side of the front.
I managed to magically capture some images of our epic victory through my bardic arts:
The enemy sorceress vilely stuns the noble Hildury with a Chromatic Orb:
Both I and Jaemal show her just how dishonorable she is by throwing two Chromatic Orbs right back at her! The bee-atch is stunned herself, and this battle might as well be over:
We stand victorious, the bridge held for Targos, and firmly defended on our new, expanded front lines! The Red Knight be praised! I normally worship Lord Oghma, and pay special reverence to his sons, Deneir and Milil, but I think I will start praying to the Red Knight as well, since she frequently blesses me with amazing strategical insight! I doubt that Oghma and his sons will mind.
OOC NPC Project stuff:
-Hildury and Jaemal had a touching moment together.
-Sir Nord and Nikosh had a conflict-ish interaction about ethics, but I think they're still friends.
-Several party members commented on the game events in character.
-Sir Nord confronted me upon our return to Targos, giving me nine IC responses that I assume would lock in our dialogue trees together. None of the specific ones fit the character of Harmonius, other than, "I have done nothing wrong!" Nord's final reaction was, "We shall see, young pup!" I told him that "my father wanted to test the strength of my convictions (to be dedicated to music, art, poetry, and lore, over martial and financial concerns)", by sending me to Targos. The poet and storyteller in me greatly appreciated Nord's analogy of himself as the alpha male "wolf" to my "pup" status in "his" pack, which is nominally "my" pack, but only by his grace, through my father.
It's not perfect, but I really appreciate the artistic writing that has gone into the NPC Project for this game, as opposed to the alternative of having no NPC interaction at all.
Reloads: 0
Average party level: 5
IWD2 offers many "behind-the-scenes" rewards in the dialogue screens in return for taking "talk" skills like Diplomacy, Bluff, and Intimidate. It may be necessary to be a character, or possibly even a paladin, with both high Charisma and high Diplomacy, in order to get the desired outcome.
My sources tell me that turning down her monetary reward is a sine qua non for having her give the Moonblade, and it may also be that the character who speaks to her after obtaining it must be a pally, and must also have high Charisma and some ranks in Diplomacy.
From what I can research, it's absolutely doable, but so difficult to get the desired result, that most players have never seen it.
Obviously, from what @Wanderon wrote, he's memorized exactly how to get the Moonblade in his runs, without breaking RP immersion.
I don't recall it being a paladin only requirement -
It almost certainly is a good alignment requirement and I suspect your main PC (top slot in character development) needs to have it as well as whomever you choose to return the blade to her.
According to the dialogue she uses when she gifts it to you she claims to have been watching you and noted the good deeds you had been doing since arriving in Targos and that the moonblade was constructed for exactly that purpose - so I suspect you might have also needed to act within your alignment in other quests as well (not insisting on a reward from the druids or otherwise taking the "bratty" approach for any quests) prior to the moonblade quest.
It may be that certain classes don't qualify - my CG bard didn't get it and I was looking for the option to do so - altho we took out the Iron Girdle bunch and that might have been seen as naughty to her.
You definitely have to refuse a reward but NOT by having a pally take the option that says it's against the tenets of his order (IIRC) - he gets a second more general refusal choice that works.
I also want to say that I seem to recall that there may be an encounter sometime later where taking the blade without talking to her comes back to bite you but that may just be those faulty memory chips of mine kicking out.
Lastly a "trick" I use for that map and the next 3 is to go back to her after clearing each one and have her cast aid on the party - she is so high level that it will last even through each map even after walking all the way back to the bridge battle (as long as you have returned from the dam to get the aid then made your way directly to the bridge.) At the levels the party is at there the extra 8 hps and +1 to hit and saves is a nice boost even at 60 gold per person (IMO).
Does something happens with this blade that makes it awesome? Sounds like a lot of work for one item.