Permadeath playthrough?!?!?!

Battlehamster

I just started BG 1 and WAS attempting a permadeath run-through. That said...how the %&!@ do you get past lv. 1? So far, here is my luck...(Keep in mind I'm going straight from FAI to Nashkel)

1 - Killed by 1 kobold in 1 round on random encounter (2 arrows = death)

2 - Random encounter with a winter wolf CHARNAME hit and killed

3 - Random encounter - Surrounded by 12 bandits, party killed in 1 round from hail of arrows (Going from FAI to Beregost)

4 - Random encounter - Ogre mage (going from mountains to Nashkel)

5 - Gibberling - random crit 10 points of damage

6 - Khalid and Minsc both have ALL their weapons break in the gnoll stronghold. (Killed the ogrillions without issue)

Incidentally, Tarnesh and the belt Ogre both went down without me taking any damage 0_o
How do you manage to get a perma-death playthrough to last past lv. 1? It isn't the fixed fights that are killing me, its the horrific luck and random encounters as well as the insane rolls of basic enemies. Is there something I'm just totally missing?

Wanderon

What difficulty are you playing on and are you soloing or using a party?

What class are you playing?

lunar

You need to avoid fights and get easy xp quests to get some levels. For example, talking Marl down grants you 900 xp and if you are solo, it is a massive boost. Kick others from your party before talking to Marl. Get them back after you get the xp. If your charname has higher levels, the new npcs you will meet will have high lvls too.

As for your troubles:

1-Kobolds are very dangerous for a squishy character. A fighter in splint/plate mail with a big shield and some dexteriy helps. A lvl 1 mage or thief should never ever get into the line of sight of one, that is just like suicide.

2-Gorion's belt would make you immune to winter wolf attacks. They are the easiest 975 xp, no danger.

3-Okay this encounter is way too unfair. You can not even run away from this encounter. You can survive only if you have an invisibility potion and you gulp it down immediately. Sometimes you just get unlucky.

4-Bad luck again, running is advisable in such a situation.

5-Any squishy character (one that can not wear helmets) should never enter melee at lvl 1. Try kiting enemies while shooting them down with another character.

6-Bad luck, you should always have some spares. Flinds drop two handed swords for Minsc, if you happen to encounter some. Bandits drop longswords for Khalid. Hobgobs drop useless bastardswords, but they are still better than punching enemies. (enemies will get +4 to hit and damage if you try to punch them, unless you are a monk)

lamaros

More importantly, just kill things in safer areas until you level up a bit. If you're going solo perms death you want to over level encounters.

Battlehamster

lunar said:

You need to avoid fights and get easy xp quests to get some levels. For example, talking Marl down grants you 900 xp and if you are solo, it is a massive boost. Kick others from your party before talking to Marl. Get them back after you get the xp. If your charname has higher levels, the new npcs you will meet will have high lvls too.

As for your troubles:

1-Kobolds are very dangerous for a squishy character. A fighter in splint/plate mail with a big shield and some dexteriy helps. A lvl 1 mage or thief should never ever get into the line of sight of one, that is just like suicide.

2-Gorion's belt would make you immune to winter wolf attacks. They are the easiest 975 xp, no danger.

3-Okay this encounter is way too unfair. You can not even run away from this encounter. You can survive only if you have an invisibility potion and you gulp it down immediately. Sometimes you just get unlucky.

4-Bad luck again, running is advisable in such a situation.

5-Any squishy character (one that can not wear helmets) should never enter melee at lvl 1. Try kiting enemies while shooting them down with another character.

6-Bad luck, you should always have some spares. Flinds drop two handed swords for Minsc, if you happen to encounter some. Bandits drop longswords for Khalid. Hobgobs drop useless bastardswords, but they are still better than punching enemies. (enemies will get +4 to hit and damage if you try to punch them, unless you are a monk)

Well, I'm playing with a full party right now so I have Khalid tanking as much as possible.

1.) Had splint plate, but the character was a 2h/bow user (also modest stats since it wasn't a power gamer)

2.) Um...I'm pretty sure this belt isn't in vanilla? I've never had such a thing drop for me.

3.) I had one, unfortunately CHARNAME was not holding it at the time. (Vanilla unpauses when you go to equip)

4.) That was my first thought - Unfortunately it was one of those box canyons and the only way out was blocked by gnolls as well. I had imoen wand missile when possible and Jaheira entangle. Then the ogre went invis and cast acid arrow. Even the oil of speed didn't help.

5.) I had been doing this with ogres - I figured a lone gibberling wasn't going to be too much of an issue lol (I was a ranger after all, with chain armor) As for the helmet I hate having rangers wear them even though I know of the benefits. It just seems...unrangery

6.) I did. I had all my weapon slots full and as entirely improbable as it seems, I had about 6 weapons rot in one combat. (Minsc lost 2 2h swords, Khalid lost a bastard and a longsword, and my main had the auxiliary sword break within 4 rounds.)

I kept the playthrough the character died in anyways but I'm thinking the only way to really survive a permadeath playthrough (at first anyways) is to create a power-character?

Wanderon

The key (IMO) is to create a character that can lead from the rear and then protect him by using the companions to shield him until you get some levels. Obviously the weaker the character the more difficult this is but the game has been finished without reloads with pretty much every sort of character you can imagine - some do require cheesier play than others tho and pretty much ALL require much care at low levels to stay alive hence the faster you can level the safer you will be.

Many of my own no-reload campaigns finished in Cloakwood - when the tougher enemies combined with my own over-confidence and I stopped being so careful...LOL

Endarire

In my experience, play a Sorcerer and sacrifice your companions. Rush to Durlag's Tower and proceed as mentioned here:

http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/23110/beating-the-hardest-zone-of-bg1ee-starting-with-a-level-1-sorcerer#latest

Endarire

And yes, bring the Belt of the Antipode and a Potion of Freedom for the Winter Wolf room.

RazaDelrom

My level 1 Dwarfen defender beat two wolfs straight outsite candlekeep, then travelled to the next area. The bandit ambush (hey, these guys learned something, they actually surround you!!!) made a hell of a fight, Imoen went down in the first round, so it was just charname and his trusty hammer (+3 healing pots) against 10 bandits with bows and longswords. The hammer won... ever seen a dward doing a victory dance?

Long story short, the first steps outside are real dangerous, but I like it that way - my strategy states: there is no quicksave, the only save place is at camp (an inn for example). If you fail in your quest, you have to share the pain. I'm not good enough yet for a "death ends all" run.

GemHound

I have run a few perma-death solo runs, about 30, with about 3 successful.

Now, perma-death runs are relatively easy once you get to the first party members.

old_jolly2

@Battlehamster <- I think I can try to make it , with recording with FRAPS or something like that. I planned writing my own capturer , but now that will take time.

Are there specific handicaps ? I'll be playing vanilla , hands-down declaration...

And some bets please , but don't involve money in it

pnkwag

Why are you using Khalid? He's AWFUL. Personally, I don't really like Khalid or Jaheira, so I keep them along only at first so I have some back-up. Depending up my alignment I usually go with Ajantis and Branwen or Viconia and Shar-Teel/Kaigan.