No, no. You totally misunderstood, perhaps intentionally. I never said nor implied that this is MY party. I meant that, in my opinion, it is the best possible combination as for as the unmodded game is concerned...for anyone who wants to use it. I say this after experimenting with countless variations.
I apologize for letting my snark out of it's cage. (It's a sneaky devil!) Anyway I hear you, but Wowo responded best:
the game is just too easy even with less than optimal parties.
There's simply no need to have the "best" party. More, the definition of "best" is not nearly as simple as you suggest. Here's how I play the game:
- SCS. Not every option, but at least the basic AI improvements, calls for help, etc.
- Concentration check on damage. Now darts, poison, and insects are not guaranteed mage-interrupters... especially with SCS, enemy casters are MUCH more dangerous. (Unfortunately this is not available on EE... go add your voice to my feature request thread if you would like this as an option (just an option, of course))
- No max HP. I make sure the rolls are in the top ~66% of the range and I make sure that warriors > rogues > mages, but never max. The game rules are specifically designed for average rolls; max hp is no different than turning the difficulty slider to 'easy.'
- Role play. If there's no reason my characters would know that there's a party of 10 slavers behind that door, I don't buff. At all. It makes fights actually interesting! And let's me get through more fights before needing to rest (I use more healing potions though... but those are given out like candy)
And then I install the BG1NPC project, and even with all that extra challenge, you know what's the "best" party? The one with the most interesting banters. raw power is still basically unimportant.
I'm not saying this is superior in any way to the way anyone else plays ths game. I'm just suggesting that if you try looking for different things in a "best" party, then you might end up having even more fun. Which is really all that matters.
No need to apologize, I actually thought what you said was kind of funny. But I still had to respond because I realized at that point people might have the wrong idea.
I am going to give SCS a try. As soon as I finish the trilogy with Mordeth I will install it and that's how I will play it from now on.
I tell you what, SCS will make the game so easy that even Mordeth will have trouble. Even little things like making spiders immune to Web and having carrion crawlers spam hold before doing damage drastically change the game. Very good mod, and if you're looking for a harder game, SCS is your poison.
I didn't know poison weapon stacked with itself. For some reason I never even contemplated using the ability more than once in a row. I also haven't thought of using it with splash damage. Interesting read!
Alternatively, you could play blindfolded. It will fundamentally alter your approach to the game.
That didn't go over so well. After taking 20 minutes to get past the character creation scene (bad idea BTW - nothing like rolling a 73), everything was going smashingly. I bumped into Tethoril and Imoen, letting me know Gorion was right around the corner. From there, I listened to the cut scene, heard Imoen yell for me (which scared the crap out of me), and ran for dear life right into the arms of a wolf.... Game over. At least I can say I soloed a blindfolded no-reload campaign.
Alternatively, you could play blindfolded. It will fundamentally alter your approach to the game.
That didn't go over so well. After taking 20 minutes to get past the character creation scene (bad idea BTW - nothing like rolling a 73), everything was going smashingly. I bumped into Tethoril and Imoen, letting me know Gorion was right around the corner. From there, I listened to the cut scene, heard Imoen yell for me (which scared the crap out of me), and ran for dear life right into the arms of a wolf.... Game over. At least I can say I soloed a blindfolded no-reload campaign.
Based on that, this is how I picture your Charname:
I didn't know poison weapon stacked with itself. For some reason I never even contemplated using the ability more than once in a row. I also haven't thought of using it with splash damage. Interesting read!
With an Assassin, I can see poison weapon being needed to give that kit viability.
But a Blackguard has warrior thac0 and APR, gets Paladin saving throws as well as access to priest spells and DUHM, protection from evil 10, defensive harmony and all the good stuff. He can specialize in ranged weapons unlike Cavaliers, and the only thing he loses is LoH - but he gets an amazing absorb health ability that is offensive so it more than makes up for it. Oh, and Aura of Despair is like having a high level reverse-Skald in your back pocket. Oh, and he's immune to level drain.
Giving such a monstrosity Poison Weapon all but breaks the game.
Yeah, @Stormvessel, I've used them myself, though mainly in IWD. They are beast even without the stacking poison weapon cheese. Not a big fan of Dorn for RP reasons and for not being one of the original NPC's so haven't used him as much. Your posts actually made me more determined to NOT use him. I just can't help myself from using cheese like this if it's at my disposal, I seldom have the disciplin to resist the urge, hehe..
Poison weapon x2 (yep, it stacks) + arrows of detonation spreads the double poison tick to an entire area.
And the description is misleading. It lasts 6 rounds, not 1. So you can stack them on top of one another - and the amount of damage it does goes up with level.
This is false. Poison Weapon lasts for 5 rounds and the buff cannot stack, using Poison Weapon just after activating the first one doesn't do anything except refreshing the duration of the buff to 5 rounds.
However what can stack is the debuff, which means that if you hit the same guy twice while under the effect of Poison Weapon, he will get the poison effect twice. This essentialy means that as long as Poison Weapon is active, you deal at least 12 more damage per hit, because Poison Weapon deals 2 damage per second for 1 round if the enemy saves against it.
Poison Weapon will also deal 1 damage per second for 4 rounds if the enemy doesn't save vs death, for a total of 36 per application (12 no save + 24 if save is failed).
Finally, Poison Weapon never improves with level, this is a very old myth but it was never true (at least in the EE). Your Assassin or Blackguard can be level 1 or 40, Poison Weapon will last 5 rounds, apply 12 damage over 1 round if the save vs death is succesful or 18 damage over 1 round and 18 damage over the 3 next rounds if it isn't.
Poison weapon x2 (yep, it stacks) + arrows of detonation spreads the double poison tick to an entire area.
And the description is misleading. It lasts 6 rounds, not 1. So you can stack them on top of one another - and the amount of damage it does goes up with level.
This is false. Poison Weapon lasts for 5 rounds and the buff cannot stack, using Poison Weapon just after activating the first one doesn't do anything except refreshing the duration of the buff to 5 rounds.
I'm confused, does it or doesn't it stack? I haven't tried it and I have packed away my comp for some weeks since I am moving to a new apartment soon, so I can't test it myself.
@Skatan What confuses you? It works exactly as @Gotural states. The buff does not stack with itself, but while the buff is active, each hit applies poison independent of earlier hits.
@FinneousPJ: it's confusing since @Stormvessel seemed so sure in himself when he said it stacked. I don't doubt @Gotural, but when it's one person's word against anothers', how should I know which one is correct?
Edit: I want to make it clear I know full well that poison attacks stack. My confusion is only about whether or not the actual use of the ability to poison weapon stacks.
This is what @Gotural said: you can't increase the amount of poison damage by activating several Poison Weapon abilities one by one => the "buff cannot stack"
In the same time, when your character hits the enemy, with each hit she'll add a new poison to the enemy.
This is my character, a blackguard named Mordeth, pronounced More Death - seemed appropriate seeing as how he's a bhaalspawn. He's no savior, just Mordeth .
Oh, I finished the game so he has all the tomes in case anyone wonders. I have played through this game at least 20 times.
I cringed at the amount of powergame-y muchnkinness. This is simply a wet dream of every Wow player. Congratulations. You've hit the powergamer's heaven-level and kept rising.
...alright alright...to each their own. I did not want to start an argument. The character is just a bit too over-the-top for my tastes and reality sense.
...alright alright...to each their own. I did not want to start an argument. The character is just a bit too over-the-top for my tastes and reality sense.
Nothing else was expected from a mind flayer I guess
...alright alright...to each their own. I did not want to start an argument. The character is just a bit too over-the-top for my tastes and reality sense.
Nothing else was expected from a mind flayer I guess
Yea...as you can surely understand, intelligence of 12 does not really make him a tasty snack. Not bad, but I'd rather munch on those tasty gnomish mages...
Comments
I am going to give SCS a try. As soon as I finish the trilogy with Mordeth I will install it and that's how I will play it from now on.
And I agree - the game is too easy.
But a Blackguard has warrior thac0 and APR, gets Paladin saving throws as well as access to priest spells and DUHM, protection from evil 10, defensive harmony and all the good stuff. He can specialize in ranged weapons unlike Cavaliers, and the only thing he loses is LoH - but he gets an amazing absorb health ability that is offensive so it more than makes up for it. Oh, and Aura of Despair is like having a high level reverse-Skald in your back pocket. Oh, and he's immune to level drain.
Giving such a monstrosity Poison Weapon all but breaks the game.
However what can stack is the debuff, which means that if you hit the same guy twice while under the effect of Poison Weapon, he will get the poison effect twice. This essentialy means that as long as Poison Weapon is active, you deal at least 12 more damage per hit, because Poison Weapon deals 2 damage per second for 1 round if the enemy saves against it.
Poison Weapon will also deal 1 damage per second for 4 rounds if the enemy doesn't save vs death, for a total of 36 per application (12 no save + 24 if save is failed).
Finally, Poison Weapon never improves with level, this is a very old myth but it was never true (at least in the EE). Your Assassin or Blackguard can be level 1 or 40, Poison Weapon will last 5 rounds, apply 12 damage over 1 round if the save vs death is succesful or 18 damage over 1 round and 18 damage over the 3 next rounds if it isn't.
Edit: I want to make it clear I know full well that poison attacks stack. My confusion is only about whether or not the actual use of the ability to poison weapon stacks.
In the same time, when your character hits the enemy, with each hit she'll add a new poison to the enemy.
Congratulations. You've hit the powergamer's heaven-level and kept rising.
@Southpaw From my own point of view, this is clearly not very powergamey.
dunno...somehow i'm not blown away. i'm pretty sure that could've been higher at least by a bit