How would you play TOB without HLA?

Cowled_wizard

Lets say you decided to play tob without using HLA . How would you play it differently? (For passive ones you simply avoid using the bonuses - such as use any object or bonus spell slots - you could leave them empty)

Just remember: no more spike traps, no more improved alacrity , no more greater whirlwind, no more planetar or dragon breath, no more using carsomyr on a thief.

Schneidend

Sounds really boring.

Ayiekie

Since the only time I've seen HLA is an acronym for "hot lesbian action", I was wondering if I'd really missed something in TOB.

Cowled_wizard

Ayiekie said:

Since the only time I've seen HLA is an acronym for "hot lesbian action", I was wondering if I'd really missed something in TOB.

That can also be considered a high level ability

Madhax

I'd play a Cleric/Mage. Off the top of my head they get the least benefit out of any class from HLAs anyway, since they'll have fewer spell slots to gain level 10/quest spells for, and they'll have plenty of spells to cast per day so I won't get bored from not having extra abilities.

Lord_Tansheron

I'd play largely the same. Spike Trap is probably the only HLA that is really and truly absurdly powerful, the rest are all replaceable. And since I rarely run any thieves, that's no big issue for me HLAs really don't add too much to the absurd power of mages in the late game, so that'll pretty much stay exactly the same.

ryuken87

It wouldn't be so different. Warriors would be worse tanks without Hardiness but would still have most of their offensive power with Improved Haste. Mages would have more than enough firepower just not the over-the-topness of IA. Single class thieves would have it rough.

doomdoomdoom

Dual wielding fighter/mage would still be the best fighter, and mages/sorcs in general don't really need Improved Alacrity to wreck everything - it's just the cherry on top of a giant cheese cake.
So for anyone who likes to play that way, it wouldn't be a challenge at all.

ZanathKariashi

I generally don't use them at all, since pretty much all of them are stupidly over powered and barely if at all resemble what they should actually do.

I usually just burn them on an activated ability I will never use, aside from casters who have no choice but to pick every thing though I simply don't use their spells.

Vanilla Thieves only have it tough because they lack their level 10 ability to use scrolls. The kits gain other benefits are better compensation. That's true of most kits actually.


I'm slowly getting around to playing around to see if I can't convert some of them closer to their PnP incarnations, but I'm still very much a novice at this so it's been slow going working on my other spells. Especially since you generally have to play test extensive to ensure you didn't break something innocuous while making tweaks.

sarevok57

did you know that your normal thief trap does more damage than the spike one? there was a certain enemy where I placed 7 spike traps down on and it brought it down to badly injured, then I reload and just put down 7 normal thief traps and killed it instantly, most strange indeed. When I play, the only 2 abilities I really ever use is hardiness and greater whirlwind, I never use any of the new druid/cleric spells, I don't use any of the new mage spells ( except wish sometimes but it isn't a HLA) and I never use the thief ones, except for use any item ( and then I just keep piling up greater evasion and avoid death, because A- I don't use traps, and B- if I ever am in a pickle I find that greater evasion and avoid death are more useful, and C- I don't backstab ever, too much thinking and jargon) but as @ryuken87 said, if they weren't around you could just use improved haste on your fighter types ( which lasts longer so it kind of makes improved haste better) and you would just have to chug down more potions of superior healing without hardiness, and that's all good since there is infinite of them in yaga-shura's enclave ( random encounter that wakes you up with 3 fire giants, 2 fell cats, and a fire elemental, all those fire giants have 1 potion superior healing each)

Cowled_wizard

It does make Dual wielding a better choice compared to 2 handed weapons since they dont have greater whirlwind available.