Papaver Somnifer, The Journal of a dwarven chef (solo no item minimal reload challenge)
lolien
Member, Moderator, Translator (NDA) Posts: 3,108
The original idea of this playthrogh comes from the sorcerer no equipment challenge. I wondered: is there an other class, what is owerpowered enough, to beat the game alone and with no equipment? I never did or tried the challenge with the sorcerer, but i imagine, that its strongness are the powerful spells and the automatic spell learning by level ups.
The mage classes are not good, because they use scrolls to learn spells. From the warriors maybe the monk can achieve this, it need not to use other weapon than its fist, but by the start it can be hard without missile item, and at the end of the game there will be enemies immune to +3 and less weapons.
My first thought was a ranger/cleric dual or multi class. It gets the cleric and the druid spells, and can be a good fighter too. I don't abandone this idea, but when i start to work out this character i have an other challenging idea for it, and the character needs heavy role playing, so it must wait for the present.
The second thought was the cleric/thief multiclass. It gets spells automatically too, however just the cleric spells. But it gets the thief's cheese advantages too.
I don't know, that is it possible to beat the game this way, but i give it a try. It will be fun anyway!
My personal rules:
- Solo. It could be a little boring for me, but the challenge require it. For role playing maybe i let some
npc-s join, but i won't travel with them to another area, and won't use their abilities in fight or other
way.
- Minimal reload. I go for no reload, but i never played no reload before, so i remain realistic with this.
However if there will be too many reloads i will not continue, i must admit defeat somewhere.
_ No equipment. This means that the character can't use any item directly. Can pick up items, but they must
remain in the backpack. I exclude items that are essential for the storyline to continue, if there are
any.
- BGEE without any mods on core rules.
- I will rolplay this run, but the challenge rules go first.
- I will use any official cheat, that i know and can (eg. spike trap: yes, fake talk: no).
Updates can be rare, becouse i have limited time to play, and with my poor english knowledge it takes ages to write these walls of text. But i strive for doing this, please feel free to correct my mistakes!
And now, i proudly present:
Papaver Somnifer, priest of The Laughing Dwarf, Vergadain!
Papaver is a real tradesman, he prefer wealth and gold above all. However, bargaining is not his strong point, thanks to his slightly sociopathic personality.
He sees the true value of a great weapon, but won't use it in combat, because he don't like face to face fight, and don't like to decrease the weapon's value by using it. He likes trading, but won't seclude himself from getting money or wealth with any fishy way, if the oppurtunity comes. Will he kill someone for wealth? That depends on the circumstances.And maybe on his mood...
He don't like fighting. Not for moral reason; he has a very short stature and small strenght, and his eating habits, that caused him a "little" overweight, don't help too. He prefer to beat his enemies with cunning and trickery, and despite of his weakness and overweight he is very agile, and has a quick finger for locks, traps and pockets. And for cooking! He likes eating, likes to cook and bake, to experiment new recipes, to discover new flavours.
The mage classes are not good, because they use scrolls to learn spells. From the warriors maybe the monk can achieve this, it need not to use other weapon than its fist, but by the start it can be hard without missile item, and at the end of the game there will be enemies immune to +3 and less weapons.
My first thought was a ranger/cleric dual or multi class. It gets the cleric and the druid spells, and can be a good fighter too. I don't abandone this idea, but when i start to work out this character i have an other challenging idea for it, and the character needs heavy role playing, so it must wait for the present.
The second thought was the cleric/thief multiclass. It gets spells automatically too, however just the cleric spells. But it gets the thief's cheese advantages too.
I don't know, that is it possible to beat the game this way, but i give it a try. It will be fun anyway!
My personal rules:
- Solo. It could be a little boring for me, but the challenge require it. For role playing maybe i let some
npc-s join, but i won't travel with them to another area, and won't use their abilities in fight or other
way.
- Minimal reload. I go for no reload, but i never played no reload before, so i remain realistic with this.
However if there will be too many reloads i will not continue, i must admit defeat somewhere.
_ No equipment. This means that the character can't use any item directly. Can pick up items, but they must
remain in the backpack. I exclude items that are essential for the storyline to continue, if there are
any.
- BGEE without any mods on core rules.
- I will rolplay this run, but the challenge rules go first.
- I will use any official cheat, that i know and can (eg. spike trap: yes, fake talk: no).
Updates can be rare, becouse i have limited time to play, and with my poor english knowledge it takes ages to write these walls of text. But i strive for doing this, please feel free to correct my mistakes!
And now, i proudly present:
Papaver Somnifer, priest of The Laughing Dwarf, Vergadain!
Papaver is a real tradesman, he prefer wealth and gold above all. However, bargaining is not his strong point, thanks to his slightly sociopathic personality.
He sees the true value of a great weapon, but won't use it in combat, because he don't like face to face fight, and don't like to decrease the weapon's value by using it. He likes trading, but won't seclude himself from getting money or wealth with any fishy way, if the oppurtunity comes. Will he kill someone for wealth? That depends on the circumstances.And maybe on his mood...
He don't like fighting. Not for moral reason; he has a very short stature and small strenght, and his eating habits, that caused him a "little" overweight, don't help too. He prefer to beat his enemies with cunning and trickery, and despite of his weakness and overweight he is very agile, and has a quick finger for locks, traps and pockets. And for cooking! He likes eating, likes to cook and bake, to experiment new recipes, to discover new flavours.
17
Comments
A new playthrough! = + 100 points of joy
The first playthtoug by @lolien here = + 500 points of joy
A new dwarf = + 1000 points of joy
A @booinyoureyes picture as a Bhaalspawn = priceless
I'm definitely sold.
Now, lets the adventure begin!
Papaver's greatest enemy in the keep is boredom. He fight against this with enjoy his hobbies: cooking, baking, and preparing meals in every possible way, and making jokes with others. Sometimes both.
Like making "milk-produtcion stimulating" cookies for Nessa, Dreppin's cow:
Sorry Dreppin for the cow, but i've urgent business now. (heh-he)
Or some quarrels with Jondalar and Erik about the endurance enhancing tablets, what they used by an ale drinking contest.
"Hey there Papaver! I see you’re up early this day. Well your father, Gorion, has asked me a strange favor. Seems like he wants you to learn some fighting and asked me to be the teacher. So I hope you brought your staff with you."
"Teach fight to the monks moron, and take my greets to Gorion."
"I don't think so, little brat, your bad jokes go too far latley. The tablets didn't work, and while being knocked out we somehow lost our wekly earn. Let me teach some respect for you!"
Papaver is not good in fighting, so he ran from Jondalar and Erik. This made them just more angry, and they were more serious, than first seemed.
1. entry:
"Trying to kill me for some bad pranks? Jondalar and Erik are worse than i thoght... But fortunately the wathcers knew who is on the right side. Whereas the Gatewarden is an idiot too. Didn't he see that i was just learning mass combat?"
"After this i talked some with the watchers, it seems that there are troubles raising in the region, that affects the keep too."
2. entry:
"Reevor asked me to clean the store house from the rat infestation. It was not easy, because the iron crisis affects the traps too. It takes some day, and a lot of trap setting, but i managed to trap all the rats in the end!"
The rat corpses was fine material to my meat pie, it improved the recipe a lot. The library has a decent quantity from various cookbook, but most are very conservative work. Time-to time i find some masterpieces however, and these i copied and stored the scrolls for later use. The components are unprocureable here in the keep mostly.
I help sometimes by the cooking in the inn to Winthrop. The sight of the nobles faces after i tell them what they eat is priceless. Winthrop is a likely fellow, and the only one who knows a joke in the keep.
Winthrop looks angry at Papaver, but after seconds he burst out in laughter.
"Mwahhahaha, that was uplifting Papaver. I can't get tired with these jokes!"
Nobles knows not fun however. They take everything at heart.
4. entry
This morning nobles complained about some missing jewelry, and gems, that got lost from their chest. Even the inn's most secure chest was unlocked by someone! What a shame! We living troubling times. Maybe this iron crisis has effects on locks too?
The night before Winthrop mentioned some rumors from this iron crisis, while we were drinking.
On the other hand, why i was drinking with Winthrop? Imagine my fortune! Yesterday, while i'd fetch some book for Phlydia from the stall, i found a rare star sapphire gem!
Winthrop gave a decent sum for that. I thanked to Vergadain my luck with a prayer, and some delicate liquor!
You really learn something new everyday when you play Baldur's Gate, it's impressive
Nice portrait also!
Otherwise: thanks for the attention!
Honestly, had i played a no-reload, i had failed now. First i tried to trap Firebead to death, and everyone goes hostile, outside the inn too, including Gorion. After this i remember that i read something like this somewhere, that EE causes such an effect. Next i tried to slaughter Nessa, to end it's misery and produce some poisoned roast beef, but the effect was the same, everyone gone hostile.
The other thing, what is worth to mention is Reevor's quest. It was really tricky to kill all the rats only with traps! Papaver has 20 points in set traps, so avarage every 5. try was succesful. The only place to rest was Winthrop's inn to recover tha trap setting ability. But the most difficult was to find a place in the sorehouse, where i can lay my trap out of the rats sight, while the rats was tearing about everywhere, because they didn't pursue Papaver outside the store. But in the end i conquered them!
Unfortunately, my best screenshots from the rat-hunt, and from the fight with Jondalar are somehow missing. Now i finished the prologue, the next step will be the ambush and then chapter 1.
For those, whose like not to read long stories, Papver tell you his adventure in headlines:
WISE PAPA
Fun and interesting so far. Nice work!
It happens, that the yesterday night with Winthrop was our last for a time. Father G arrived from his trip, and he said, that we must leave the keep immediately. I wonder why is this haste. Maybe my affair with Jondalar, or with the nobles reach his ears? Or something with this iron crisis and banditry has to do with us? If the latter, why must i leave too? Now, i don't have time to consider this, i must collect my cooking gear, and some traveling equipment. And i shall fetch a pack-horse too, to carry all of this.
6. entry
Cursed coins! This was my worst night ever! My father is... dead. Slain by an armored brute. And it seems, that they was after me in the first place.
I don't remember much from the night's events after this. My sanity come back in the morning, when i met with Imoen on the road.
She advice me to go to the Friendly Arms Inn, to meet with some fellows. Gorion said this too, but i leave this adventure to Imoen, i go back to the keep, and report the ambush, and my father's death to the monks.
7. entry
Bloodyminded fools! They did't let me enter in the keep!
After some questioning the keeper said, that the keep was attacked too by some bandits, and Ultraunt forbid to enter anyone at this time! Cursed coins... My only good luck was, that i found the pack-horse on the road, while returning to Candlekeep, with most of my thing. I think i name the horse, she will be my only companion on the way to Beregost. No, i won't go to the Friendly Arm, it seems, that my enemy knew well Father G's plan. So what about Myrtle? Or Hammy? I think Myrtle sounds better...
I left Candlekeep, and headed to Beregost. I stay away from the roads, it seems, that somebody is after me, and i don't want to draw anyone's attention to me for a time. However i question my decision on this now, i should have arrived to Beregost a day ago.
9. entry
I met a talking chicken in the wilderness! It is in need of help, it's hunted by a big wolf. How could i deny help from a like fated fellow? And i have a recipe for wolf hunting (i found this in an intresting tome titled: "1000 use of the rat meat"), what i would like to try:
Take a flexible, but hard stick (best for this is common dragonspring's stem). Sharpen it's ends. Form an "U" shape, then bind the stick's two pointy end with rat gutstring. After this put the tied stick in the eviscerated rat corpse, or in other fresh meat. the wolf trap is finished! In the end, let the wolf consume the meal! (For the using the wolf meat read my other work: "Carnivore flesh: desperate delicacies")
10. entry
It took some time, but in the end i managed to produce this. And after several day, the wolf-problem is solved:
As it turned out, the talking chicken has a name:
11. entry
Wandering in the region i met a poor kid named Footy:
I decided to end the existence of this Bassilus guy. After i take some day with observation, it was obvious, that i can try another recipe of mine on the evil cleric. All i had to do was to replace the madman's meal with the spiced up version, what had a lethal effect on him:
It seems, that several of my screenshots are missing for some reason. Maybe i should install a proper screen capture program. However it's possible, that i just forgot to press Ctrl+PrtSc.
After this i escort Melicamp to the mage Thalantyr:
The mage said, that he need a skull of a skeleton, to restore Melicamp original form. I agree to help, and obtain one.
And now, i arrived to Beregost at last! I talked with some people, and as it turned out, Bassilus had a reward on his head! The mayor of the town gave me a handsome sum for the evil priest's holy symbol! Praise Vengardain for my fortune! I have some gold to spend, and some experience to toast with drink...
It was a fun run, but i'm tired of the many reload, and the trap setting with the 20 % ability makes me get grey. The fact, that it's solo makes it also a little bit boring to journal. So i think that i quit this playthrough and start another with less restriction, and with a party! The odds was against Papaver, it seems.
But wait, here is something else...
...this was just the beggining!
12. entry
I'm still totally confused after the last day's events! Well, I hardly know where to begin...
I went to spend my money in a proper place, where i can by some ale to wash down my throat. The first inn, what was in my way was the Red Sheaf, so i went in. But when i stepped in, through the door next me emerged an armed fellow with axe in his hands. He said:
“You’re at the end of your rope, I’ll wager. Not that it’s anything personal, of course – but I’m afraid your time on this ball of mud is just about done.”
And then he didn't wait my response, just attacked me. It seems, that the killer of my father still seeks me, and now i have a bounty on my head too.
Then i couldn't do much, i tried to use my divine might, but he overwhelmed me with ease. His axe digged in my chest, and i falled in deep darkness.
I falled for a long time. And after a time not i was falling, but a golden coin. the coin falled, and after ages it reached the floor. It bounced and rolled away, then it twirl and whirl. Finally it stopped to turn. And stand on the edge!
I heard some odd music from afar, it reminded me of hammers beating in fast rhythm. At this moment i realised, that i'm laying on the floor arse upwards, and stare to the standing coin. I noticed from my corner of my eyes afine boot with two legs coming to me. From that time everything is blurred, but i think, that i spoke with my god Vergadain, or at least with his servant. What i remember: the bargain that i made for my life.
The points of my bargain:
1. Give Vergadain the magical artifacts, what i find on my journey, and he choose.
2. Follow his quests, instructions, and will.
3. I must learn to fight, but i can use only the divine sthrenght, what Vergadain granted for me and my wit.
4. At last, he will save me from death in certain circumstances. He will save my life in the last moment, when i lose my consciousness, heal me, and teleport me to a random place.
I wonder, why Vergadain choose no other than me. I'm not a real adventurer, and i can't fight. And why sent someone bounty hunters after me? Is this all real? The scar and the golden coin in my chest say it is.
And now i'm in the wild, in the middle of nowhere.
What?! I thought my PC was the only one Jondalar… Well that little…
I am looking forward to your next adventure!
So my newly used house-rules:
When PC dies,i load the last save and cluaconsole to teleport him on a random location (i select an area that is reachable in the current chapter with random number). I also use this method after all resting to balance things out
I have some time to play in the last few days, so there will be updates on the journal. Soon...
The story should be continued:)
So, life must go on. And it goes! In the middle of nowhere i met with a ghoul, what would like to be my friend!
The ghoul name was Korax, and it has been a human male back in time. While i traveled with the ghoul, i saw that it still has a medal around it's neck. I could notice only a skull symbol on it. Maybe it was an evil priest in his life? Why follow me such a creature? So many question, and strange events lately... I wonder however: Could i use Korax by the cooking somehow?
14. entry
In fights i surely could use Korax's help. It beat some gnolls easily with it's numbing bite. Later we arrived in an area full with stone statues. They were creatures turned to stone by basilisks! Yes, i wander in a basilisk den in the wild. Here i learn to appreciate my ghoul pet's abilities: it vanquished basilisks as effortlessly as gnolls!
But then we meet with a crazy gnome:
Sadly the insane wizard's spells conquered Korax, and i must flee.
Now i try to set some trap for this Mutamin guy. One thing i've learned however: the eight legged sculptors tastes well with some red pepper!
15. entry
For this i have not count. After i fall asleep in my sanctuary, the gold coin became warm in my chest... And now i'm in some unknown place again! It seems, that when i lost my consiousness by sleep, my god's gift activated too.
But hey! I'm still alive!
Does he have any recipes for mushroom soup?
As i watch around a bit more i saw a fortress towering over the trees in the distance, so i pick my way toward it. On my way i was attacked by hobgoblin bandits, and now i had my chance to keep my word, and show Vergadain, that i wish to learn to fight with the help of his might. It went better, that i thoght, and i vanquished two from the three. Than i reached the end of my divine strenght, but i managed to flee for the fortress. As i learned from the guards it was the Friendly Arm's Inn, the place, where we was travelling with my father, before the ambush in the night... The inn is actually like a small town. The locals complained about banditry, and spoke about the troubles in the Nashkel mines to the south.
I met with a pretty young girl,Nessie, who had some more interesting things to say. The most important, that there is a man named Tarnesh, who asked around for visitors from Candlekeep! So i was wise, when i come in the inn with great cautiousness!
The banter refers, that i already killed Tarnesh, actually i avoid him in the shadows.
She has also an interesting story from the Mirrorshade family and the Time of Troubles.
Wait, Bhaal's symbol, was a skull, or something, no? So maybe Korax was a priest in the hold.
I tried to enhance Tarnesh's meal in the kitchen, but unfortunately the keep's cook noticed, that i'm about something.
Hah, for da Duke he say! I prepare better mushroom soup with my limited cooking gear and alone anytime, not with a fully-equipped kitchen and servants! Bungler... At another time then.
Then i decided to speak with the adventurers, whom Gorion adviced to seek, and Nessie mentioned.
Jaheira was not a kind women, she tried to sheperd me right after our introduction. So i thanked their genereousness and said farewell. But i learned something disturbing from them: Imoen didn't arrived to the Friendly Arm Inn. Now i regret, that i leave her alone on the road after the ambush. I hope that she is well. She always found more trouble than me (and that's something, i can say), but somehow managed to avoid the consequences.
I tried my musketeer cocktail recipe at Bentley: one order from all the beverage on the menu! They have quite a wide assortment at the FAI.
When i finished my relaxation i took a look around on the upper levels, i practiced my lock picking skill, and had a chat with some guests. Some of them was really rude. My natural born charm and kindness don't enthrall everyone, it seems...
However there was a gnome , who promised me some gold, when i clean her house in Beregost from the spider infestation.
And i met a generous nobleman, who gifted me some hardly used golden pantaloons!
Maybe i can find some decent tailor in the future, who can reshape it for me.
Now it's time to rest and prepare for my next teleport in a comfortable room.
There is a house in
New OrleansBaldur's GateThey call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know I'm one
My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new
bluegoldjeansMy father was a
gamblin' mangod of murderDown in
New OrleansBaldur's Gate