Dr. K's Pathetic Attempts at a No-reload SCS Insane Runthrough
dockaboomski
Member Posts: 440
Okay, so here's how this will go:
1. I will play every class at least once, in order, starting with unkitted paladin and moving downwards through unkitted classes, then moving into kits.
2. I will play every alignment at least once, starting with lawful good.
3. I will bring party members if it seems likely in the roleplaying sense. A CN cleric is as likely to kill Xzar as he is to help him.
4. This playthrough may not be frequently updated, but I'll try.
5. I have a lot of mods at this point. If I notice something that could be confusing, I will point out the respective mod.
So, here goes. First update by the end of today.
EDIT: I will also try to play each race.
EDIT the second: Memorial to the fallen
Thoeral, Human Male, LG Paladin
Killed by Mendas in Candlekeep (thanks SCS!)
RIP
Quint, Dwarf Male, LE Cleric
Killed by Karlat in the Red Sheaf Inn
RIP
Robin, Half-elf Female, N Druid
Killed by Tristan in the South Beregost Road (thanks Dark Horizons!)
RIP
Roland, Dwarf Male, NG Berserker
Killed by Silke in Beregost
RIP
1. I will play every class at least once, in order, starting with unkitted paladin and moving downwards through unkitted classes, then moving into kits.
2. I will play every alignment at least once, starting with lawful good.
3. I will bring party members if it seems likely in the roleplaying sense. A CN cleric is as likely to kill Xzar as he is to help him.
4. This playthrough may not be frequently updated, but I'll try.
5. I have a lot of mods at this point. If I notice something that could be confusing, I will point out the respective mod.
So, here goes. First update by the end of today.
EDIT: I will also try to play each race.
EDIT the second: Memorial to the fallen
Thoeral, Human Male, LG Paladin
Killed by Mendas in Candlekeep (thanks SCS!)
RIP
Quint, Dwarf Male, LE Cleric
Killed by Karlat in the Red Sheaf Inn
RIP
Robin, Half-elf Female, N Druid
Killed by Tristan in the South Beregost Road (thanks Dark Horizons!)
RIP
Roland, Dwarf Male, NG Berserker
Killed by Silke in Beregost
RIP
Post edited by dockaboomski on
7
Comments
After being instructed by Gorion to prepare for travel, a strange Watcher suggested that he finish his chores before leaving with his father, and Thoeral thought it was a good plan.
Before embarking, Thoeral recalled that Gorion wanted him to equip himself with anything he needed, and Thoeral would not be caught dead without a spear. So he went into the inn and spoke to Winthrop, not catching his sarcasm.
Thoeral decided to spend most of his gold on weaponry, buying a wicked looking composite shortbow (RR), many arrows (BG2 Tweaks) and a beautifully crafted spear for a bargain price of 1 GP. "Who needs armor when you have reach?" he thought.
Thoeral spoke to Gorion's long-winded friend Firebead after giving advice to a couple of nobles in the backroom of the inn. He hoped the mage wouldn't give too generous of a reward for such a simple task.
Noticing a distressed young woman roaming the area, Thoeral stopped her to see what troubled her (pretty sure this is from the BG1 Questpack).
Linda told her tale, a horrible one of her cutting off her lover's arm with his own sword, for his own good. Thoeral's thickheaded sexism arose during the conversation.
Thoeral thought that Linda's story was important enough to pursue, and wrote himself a reminder to speak to Sir Trun.
Before leaving, Thoeral went upstairs to see who else was in the inn. It never crossed his mind to search any dressers for spare gold. He met Christian of Waterdeep, a private man whose loquacious answer to Thoeral's simple advances kept him from responding, his head spinning.
Leaving the inn, Thoeral noticed Phlydia standing near a tree, looking befuddled. She told him that her book was lost, and graciously asked Thoeral to find it. He promised he would.
Thoeral decided to look into the Priest's Quarters in case Phlydia forgot where she forgot her book.
Inside, he was approached by a strange man eager to know his identity. Thoeral, naturally a people person, answered amiably.
Suddenly, Shank attacked! Almost instantly, Thoeral felt naked without armor, but his natural dexterity allowed him to dodge Shank's initial thrust, and he brutally poked back. Shank was dead.
Thoeral, remembering his initial purpose, went round the building, careful not to take any of the priest's possessions. He did take Shank's dagger, as a remembrance of his first kill. Thoeral departed.
Leaving the building, Parda stopped Thoeral, noticing a cut above his brow. Thoeral dodged the question, if only to not worry his teacher.
Thoeral decided to ask Dreppin about Phlydia's book, and luckily he knew where it was. Ever mysterious, he mention having a plan for the paladin in the future...
While role playing is all well and good, I would kindly suggest not detailing every little mundane quest/happening in the game, otherwise your updates may take ages and can become a chore for you. And for some readers who has done the same fetch quests a hundred times before. This will let you get into the juicy/exciting parts faster.
Swarmed by the rats and the assassin, and without armor, Thoeral was struck down in two hits.
...there goes round one, ding.
Up next, a cleric of some kind.
Approached by a Watcher, the enterprising Quint wisely asked: why bother completing mundane chores if he was to leave anyhow? The Watcher gave him gold, and he equipped himself well in the Candlekeep Inn.
That brat Imoen nosed in on Quint's business when he tried to reach Gorion. Dismissing her, he left with his foster father. It began to rain during his departure. Suddenly, in the dead of night, there was an ambush. Fired upon instantly, Quint didn't need Gorion's advice to flee the scene. Watching from afar, he saw Gorion imprison one of the bandits with Otiluke's Resilient Sphere (that's new, thanks SCS!). But unfortunately, it did not save him. Quint was indeed worried; Gorion's display of magery was the most impressive this first level cleric had ever seen.
Then, she returned.
There was no escaping Imoen. After forcing herself into his company, Quint took her potions and wand, then booted her.
Now Quint knew where to never go...(BG1NPC)
He decided to loot Gorion's body; he was a moderately wealthy man, and Quint was the only person who could legitimately claim his gold for his own. Gorion wasn't carrying much, but the belt he wore was worth the trek. He didn't bother to read the letter on his corpse. Farther down the road, Quint met Xzar and Montaron. Sensing an opportunity for money, Quint accepted their help and offered to help in return.
Then came the map. The knowledge that the Friendly Arm Inn, and Imoen, were to the north, motivated Quint to help Xzar and Monty even more. Meeting and blowing off a strange red-robed wizard in turn, the trio continued southward. Near the crossroads, they met a man named Eldoth (BG1NPC Relocation). Agreeing to his profitable scheme, he joined the party.
Eldoth was much stronger than the rest of the group; perhaps he actually fought a dozen hobgoblins singlehandedly. Moving south, the group encountered the scum of the earth - gibberlings.
With Imoen's wand and two castings of Larloch's Minor Drain, the gibberlings were quickly dispatched with little effort.
Arriving in Beregost and making a beeline for the Thunderhammer Smithy, Eldoth took over the group to do some effective bargaining. Quint noticed a spear and some javelins (javelin mod) that a stuck-up paladin ward of Gorion's would have loved. He went missing recently.
Now fully equipped, the group looked around Beregost for easy opportunities for gold. Stopping in a nearby tavern, they were attacked by a dwarven mercenary. After casting Spirit Armor, Quint and the gang began to attack Karlat. Damaging him at first, Quint quickly downed a healing potion. The battle was going well.
And then Karlat got lucky.
...there goes round two.
Next up, some form of druid.
She was eager to leave Candlekeep and experience nature, so she took the Watcher's opportunity for a fast way out, equipping herself relatively well.
Unlike the dwarf Quint, Robin liked Imoen, and was glad to offer her a spot on Gorion's journey. Gorion died that night, much to her dismay. The next morning, she ran across Imoen, who suggested finding Gorion's body. They had a thoughtful discussion upon their arrival.
After their discussion, Robin decided to try returning to Candlekeep with the bad news. She hoped they would let her and Imoen return, but the Keeper would not allow it.
That night, Robin and Imoen buried Gorion, letting him become one with nature. Further up the road, the duo came across Xzar and Monty.
Robin is an enterprising woman, and knows reinforcements can be useful, however untrustworthy they may appear. Entering the crossroads, the party was attack by the most vicious of foes - a lone xvart. Only the gods know how powerful an xvart must be to strike out alone.
He caused no trouble. Robin met Eldoth, but did not entertain his advances. She had no use for a man who would not follow her orders. Xzar and Monty would, out of respect of common goals and mutual agreement, whereas Eldoth seemed he would not.
The group continued on, reaching the Friendly Arm Inn within the day. Buying better armor and equipment at a merchant in the square (unsure of what mod), Robin was approached by a man named Tarnesh.
Unsurprisingly, Tarnesh was an assassin, and a mage, to boot. The party did a little damage to him before he cast Horror on the group. Crying with terror, Robin, Imoen, and Xzar fled, leaving only Monty to stand ground against Tarnesh.
As she fled, Imoen turned and fired one last shot at the mage. It was a critical hit, and, embedding itself into the deceptive wizard, killed him. Good job, Imoen. Quint would have been proud.
After the rest of the group stopped panicking, Imoen mentioned wanting to learn Tarnesh's spells. If they survive long enough, she will, and Xzar will begin worshiping some god as well. Robin led the way into the inn proper. She felt drawn to a pair of half-elves in the corner, and sure enough, it was Jaheira and Khalid, the ones Gorion told her about. They joined the group, with an even more convenient excuse to go to Nashkel.
I'm feeling pretty good about this. Maybe Robin will be the first to actually level up. Hopefully.
Updating tomorrow. I don't have the energy to do it now.
The group left the Friendly Arm Inn and traveled southward to Beregost. On the way, they dispatched a group of gibberlings that posed little threat. Once they reached Beregost, they bought some supplies from the smithy and worked on to Nashkel. Then they met the ogrillons.
They almost took out Khalid, who ran after being reduced to such a low health (go figure). Jaheira was able to heal him.
It was the last thing that she did. Finishing off the brutes, Robin took Jaheira to the nearby temple and got her resurrected. Wanting to redo some of his spells, Xzar suggested spending the night at an inn. Inside, they met Morwen, added from some mod or another.
Seeing that many of her items were a bit to powerful, and as I didn't want to make the game too easy, she didn't stick around for long. The group passed the dead ogrillons, and met two assassins, presumably added from the same mod as Morwen. They decimated the group, killing Monty easily and moving along with great speed.
Xzar and Robin fled, in hopes that the playthrough wouldn't end like this. But, alas, it did.
...again, again...
There are others though... One Halfling Swashy who fell to traps in Alaric's cave and another one who learnt that the trap on the chest with the WIS tome in Durlag's tower is a Charm trap, a female Gnome who succumbed to Shoal's kiss (because I thought Shoal only digged men), a bunch of characters who considered themselves capable of protecting the Dukes without help, a Barbarian/Thief with Blackraven0s portrait who didn't survive a couple of Mephits in chateau Irenicus etc. etc.
Made it all the way to the Friendly Arm Inn okay; forgoing Eldoth until level 3. Roland met Helarine (from synonymous mod) there, picking her up for the time being. Unfortunately, her strength was not so good, and neither was her Dex, but she had 18 Wis. However, both her proficiencies were in melee, and I didn't want to risk it. She was booted upon meeting Jaheira and Khalid. Tranzig proved no problem.
Special special thanks to Hendryk for writing Xzar (not sure if on forums). One of my favorite lines, ever. Love the NPC Project
Anyhow, Roland re-equipped all the group, with he and Jaheira holding melee and the rest ranged. Monty's pretty damn good with a sling. The party fetched Joia's ring and headed south, again with no issues. Jaheira, called to the forest, discovered a Ring of Wizardry and a Ring of Protection! Wow!
Once in Beregost, the party was approached by a woman whose friend turned into a slime (BG1 Quest Pack). The party decided to scour the town for the man who sold the slime the potion that turned him into a slime. Hitting and missing in all the taverns, the party finally arrived at the Burning Wizard - where the last dwarf was killed by another dwarf.
Karlat fled in terror after a rain of arrows, bolts, and magic missiles. Roland smote him with joy.
Reasoning the merchant into selling an antidote, the man revealed it was taken to 'reshape his body'...
Hmm...the problem ended in true love, after all. How beautiful! Roland shed a single tear of joy. Imoen wondered how a slime drinks an antidote. Khalid had some insights.
NEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRD
Anyhow, onward to Nashkel. The group rested at Feldepost's, where Monty initiated combat with the two goons in front. -5 Rep. Thanks, Monty. The ogrillon's southward almost killed Jaheira, again. But she came out victorious, and she leveled up! First time that's happened. But then, the group reached the end of the road...our friend were waiting.
Wait, they left! Maybe it has something to do with me systematically gutting my modlist...oh well. The group reached the hobgoblin camp, but luckily, they were quickly dispatched.
Then, Nashkel! Huzzah! Chapter Two!
The assassin in the inn in Nashkel was dispatched with slight difficulty. On the way to the mayor, the party met Valerie (from the synonymous mod). As I prefer sorcerers, and Monty just dropped my rep, she took precedence over Xzar and Monty. They'll come back, eventually.
Her Sleep spell proved extra useful against Landrin's spiders. I was very certain the playthrough would end there. Oh, and we picked up Minsc...
...who was mercilessly killed by an xvart. The shame...
More to come, I'm really happy Roland hasn't bit the dust yet.
After turning in all the quests at the Friendly Arm Inn, the group decided to look for Gurke's cloak, since the Cloakwood was open (BG2 Tweaks). I was a bit leery, because there always seems to be a higher chance of hearing Kevin Michael Richardson while travelling than usual. The talsoi were slaughtered mercilessly, and Gurke's cloak retrieved. I wonder why he uses it; he's not a thief or a mage...
Then, the smooth voice spoke: "You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourself." My suspicions proved correct; the ettercaps awaited us.
Unfortunately, the berserker rage backfired on Roland, and he was rendered comatose upon arrival, and reduced to one hit point. The run was over. Quickly, the ettercaps dispatched Minsc and Boo.
Valerie and Imoen tried to back up, but set off a web trap. Oh, the horror. One of the ettercaps followed them, immune to the holding effect (thanks SCS!). Imoen was dead.
Then, unsurprisingly, Khalid panicked. Way to go, Khalid. He was killed shortly after.
But, then, Roland awoke from his stupor, quaffing a healing potion as he stood. Before he knew it, Jaheira was struck down, and the ettercaps convened on the dwarf. Roland started to retrieve his comrades' equipment, but an ettercap landed another hit. It had to be left.
I wasn't planning on a solo run, but the fates conspired against Roland...
Luckily, Roland had enough gold in his coffers to resurrect the group. I didn't realize it cost 100 gp per level, but it does. With 7 gold left, and five defenseless NPCs, the game sure was changing for Roland.
I really thought the ettercaps were going to be the end of the run, but thankfully I was wrong. How exiting, right?
Have fun and keep us posted :-)