"Maybe this time" [NO-RELOAD THREAD]: "The Tale of TEN THOUSAND Trials"

Ygramul · March 2015

In the depths of the old bioware forums, there are arcane threads hundreds of pages long and eons old that recount the travails of countless adventurers that tried to get through the entire trilogy without reloading. There are also already several excellent threads by @semiticgoddess @Blackraven and many others detailing their no-reload challenges.

I suggest that we share our no-reload/trilogy attempts in a common thread. Bioware forums show that there is synergy in such combined threads that keep solidarity far beyond the attempts of single adventurers.

Here are some suggested rules for a trilogy run that I use [adjust your own to taste and announce]:

1. no-reload [otherwise, there is no point]

2. SCS
[I recommend the following setup for both BGEE/BG2EE: full AI improvements; improved encounters only without rule-changes to monsters; NO insta-buff mages -- full SCS *will* kill you, if not trimmed as such reasonably.]
(SR would be great, but it is still in beta.)

3. no "munchkining" [personal taste, of course]
a. fair rolls for stats [i.e. don't touch the +/- buttons; re-roll if you want to]
b. no meta-game abuse [e.g. using a thief to scout is fine, but don't buff up for an ambush you couldn't have known about]
c. no EEkeeper abuse [I like making my FMC human for flavor, but it is perhaps overkill to make a Dwarven Defender/Mage with +++++ in Axes...]

d. "Do unto the AI as you would have the AI do unto you."
Basically, avoid doing things that AI is incapable of.
Example: As per the discussion in the following link, I do not permit myself to use Sequencers mid combat. They are no longer an obvious first choice for a Sorcerer. (Casting 3 spells a round really breaks the balance.)

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/44257/7-3x4-8-3x6-9-3x8

4. Any party size, solo or full team. Role play strongly-encouraged (and without such a gameplay theme, I loose interest in my own runs usually).

(If you wanna skip BG and start in BG2 it's also fine. My own OCD usually requires me to start from the very beginning, but I suppose this is impractical.)

Personally, in a decade of trying, I never finished a trilogy run (although did get as far Ch. 3 in BG2). I have seen others succeed in completing, so it is surely possible.

Entries welcomed!

--

[Edit] There other excellent threads including great advice, some transfered from Bioware forums.

- The following is an advice & support thread by @Alesia_BH :
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/66243/

--

The following are the archived content from the old Bioware forum no-reload threads from @Serg_BlackStrider

Baldur's Gate 1 No-Reload Challenge

Baldur's Gate 2 No-Reload Challenge

The Adventurer's Lounge: Guidance and Support for No Reload Challengers- Newbie or Veteran

--

"Hall of Heroes"
Trilogy No-Reload Success Stories (compiled by @Arctodus and others; see below for a similar list from old Bioware forums)

(click on the spoiler tag to see list)

Ankiseth the Cavalier: @proghead3
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start and End (March 2014)

David the Gnome Fighter/Illusionist: @MacHurto
Notable Mods: None (?)
Difficulty: Core Rules (?)
Start (March 2014)
End (May 2014)

Sir Gawain the Fighter: @CharlestonianTemplar
Notable Mods: HardTimes-v2; SCS-v21 (- Tactical Challenges)
Difficulty: Core Rules (?)
Start (August 2014)
End (November 2015)

Anselm, the Blackguard: @Gotural
Notable Mods: SCS-v30 (full prebuff and encounters); Rogue Rebalancing; aTweaks
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Must kill everything
Start (April, 2015)
End (January, 2016)

Grond0, the Sunsoul Monk: @Grond0
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start and End (March 2016)

Goibniu, the Paladin: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Randomized Party
Start (August 2016)
End (October 2016)

Grond0, the Fighter --> Thief: @Grond0
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start and End (October 2016)

Sodof, the Dragon Disciple: @Grond0 (and Gnoria, the Barbarian : @Gate70 )
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start (February 2017)
End (March 2017)

Chara the Alchemist: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: "Basically everything" ("SCS and Ascension including full pre-buffing and universal HLAs"; "major rule changes like Scales of Balance")
Difficulty: Core Rules
(BG1 starts here and ends here)
(SoD starts here and ends here)
(SoA starts here and ends here)
(ToB starts here and ends here)

Frisk, the Seducer: @semiticgoddess
Notable Nods: Enhanced Edition Trilogy, SCS v30, Ascension, Seducer Kit for Thieves v1.21
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: "Solo" - No party members except those from Seduction
Parts 1-14:

Cromarty the Gallant (Might & Guile): @Mantis37
Notable Mods: BWS installs with SCS for BG1, Quest Pack AI for BG2, and Spell Revisions all the way through.
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/869163#Comment_869163 (April 2017)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/910133/#Comment_910133 (October 2017)

Frisky Bits the Dragon Disciple: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: EET, SCS, Ascension, Wheels of Prophecy, various BG1 encounter mods
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Poverty Run - Cannot spend any gold except to complete quests; cannot use any items except for (1) quest items, and only for their intended purposes, and (2) items the player creates him or herself, such as Goodberries or Minute Meteors
(BG1 starts here and here and ends here; text only)
(SoD starts here and ends here; text only)
(BG1 and SoD screenshots here)
(SoA starts here and ends here)
(ToB starts here and ends here)

Arbogast, the Totemic Druid: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Starting and finishing posts for the specific parts of the tetralogy:

Baroque, Human Skald @Neverused
Notable Mods: Rogue rebalancing, SCS (no prebuffs, some tactical challenges), Divine Remix, Item Revisions
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Pacifism from Baroque (1 mistake)
BG1 Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/904548#Comment_904548
BG1 End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/905708#Comment_905708
SoA Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/906755#Comment_906755
SoA End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/911765#Comment_911765
ToB Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/913822#Comment_913822
ToB End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/915345#Comment_915345

Frisk the Archer/Mage: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: EET, SCS, Ascension, Wheels of Prophecy, Universal Archer Kit, Better Stat Drain
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Special: Solo Run
(First mention of run begins around here ; no screenshots)
Parts 0-31, with screenshots:

Brunash the Halfling Enchanter : @Flashburn
Notable Mods : SCS v30 (only in BG2; long-duration mage/priest prebuffs only, no Tactics challenges except Original Tactics Improved Bodhi), BP Ascension v15 BETA; aTweaks, Rogue Rebalancing, More Style for Mages, Tweaks Anthology, NPC_EE, Golem Construction, Item Upgrade, Oversight (monk HLAs), Coran
Difficulty : Core Rules
Start (November 2017)
End (March 2018)

Trabb the Cleric/Mage: @histamiini
Notable Mods: SCS, Ascension
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Special: Solo Run
Start (February 8, 2018)
End (March 14, 2018)

Nukesalot the Chaos Sorcerer : @Flashburn
Notable Mods: SCS v30 (only in BG2; long-duration mage/priest prebuffs only, no Tactics challenges except Original Tactics Improved Bodhi), BP Ascension v1.5 BETA; Chaos Sorcerer v2.4, Golem Construction v5.3, More Style for Mages v1.54, Item Upgrade, aTweaks, Rogue Rebalancing, Tweaks Anthology
Difficulty: Insane (extra damage disabled)
Special: Solo Run
Start (March 2018)
End (May 2018)

Rikai, the Totemic Druid: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
BG1/SoD: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/994086/#Comment_994086
SoA: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/994376/#Comment_994376
ToB: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/994949/#Comment_994949

Nabatil, the half-elven Skald: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: SCS, Ascension, JimFix
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1005442/#Comment_1005442 (August 2018)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1016227/#Comment_1016227 (October 2018)

Poppy the Druid/Mage: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: EET, SCS, Ascension, Faith and powers
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Solo Run
BG1: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1018828/#Comment_1018828
SoD: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1018963/#Comment_1018963
SoA: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1018982/#Comment_1018982
ToB part 1: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1018990/#Comment_1018990
ToB part 2: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1019005/#Comment_1019005

Arinja II, the Fighter/Mage/Thief: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core rules
Special: Solo Run
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1022669/#Comment_1022669 (October 2018)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1023930/#Comment_1023930 (November 2018)

Grond0, the Dwarven Defender: @Grond0
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Solo Run
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1032364/#Comment_1032364 (December 2018)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1036908/#Comment_1036908 (December 2018)

Cephalus, the Beastmaster: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Insane
Special: Fully randomized party
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1028046/#Comment_1028046 (November 2018)
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1040636/#Comment_1040636 (January 2019)

Frisky Bits the Fighter/Mage/Cleric: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: EET, SCS, Ascension
Difficulty: Core Rules
BG1 Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1023077/#Comment_1023077
BG1 End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1023095/#Comment_1023095
SoD: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1023195/#Comment_1023195
SoA Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1023525/#Comment_1023525
SoA End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1039926/#Comment_1039926
ToB Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1040545/#Comment_1040545
ToB End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1046293/#Comment_1046293

Frisky Bits the Shadowdancer: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: SCS, Ascension, ATweaks
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Solo Run

Espellier the Archer: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: SCS, Ascension
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Solo Run

Triss the Fighter/Illusionist: @histamiini
Notable Mods: SCS v32 rc10, Ascension, LoB Saving Throw Fix
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Special: Solo Run, v2.5 update (includes -11 AC in LoB mode)

Frisky Bits the Archer: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: SCS v31 (v32 for BG2), Ascension, LoB Saving Throw Fix
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Special: Solo Run, v2.5 update (includes -11 AC in LoB mode)
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1062805/#Comment_1062805 (starts at SoD; BG1 strategy is only discussed earlier in the LoB thread)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1068136/#Comment_1068136
Note: Run was recorded, but most videos are not yet posted. The final battle is here.

Arrow Slinger the Arcane Archer/Mage: @Flashburn
Notable Mods: SCS v31 (full prebuffs), Ascension v1.5 BETA, Tweaks Anthology, Rogue Rebalancing, More Style For Mages, IWDification beta 4, Skip Chateau Irenicus, aTweaks, Golem Construction v5.3, Artisan's Kitpack v1
Difficulty: Insane (extra damage disabled)
Special: Solo Run
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1071325#Comment_1071325 (May 30, 2019)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1079416#Comment_1079416 (June 25, 2019)

Constantia, the Priestess of Tyr: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: SCS (tactical difficulty)
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1080293/#Comment_1080293 (June 2019)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1089182/#Comment_1089182 (August 2019)

Nemesis the Fighter/Mage/Cleric: @histamiini
Notable Mods: SCS v32, LoB Saving Throw Fix
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Special: Solo Run, v2.5 update (includes -11 AC in LoB mode)
BG1 and SoD: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1074653/#Comment_1074653
SoA part 1: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1083274/#Comment_1083274
SoA part 2: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1083865/#Comment_1083865
ToB part 1: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1084028/#Comment_1084028
ToB part 2: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1084076/#Comment_1084076
ToB part 3: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1089496/#Comment_1089496

Prada the Sorcerer: @histamiini
Notable Mods: SCS v32.4, Ascension v2.0.8, LoB Saving Throw Fix
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Special: Solo Run, v2.5 update (includes -11 AC in LoB mode)

Skaarj Sunspire the Fighter/Shadow Adept/Cleric: @Flashburn
Notable Mods: EET, Shadow Magic 1.98a, SCS v32.4, Ascension v2.0.7, Tweaks Anthology v9, aTweaks, More Style For Mages, Skip Chateau Irenicus, Trials of the Luremaster, Golem Construction 5.4, Item Upgrade v44, Thalantyr Item Upgrade
Difficulty: SCS Insane+ (extra damage disabled)
Special: Solo Run
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1085190#Comment_1085190 (July 2019)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1119431#Comment_1119431 (February 29, 2020)

Dispenser the Holy Justice of Tyr: @CharlestonianKnightTemplar
Notable Mods: SCS v32, ATweaks, Wheels of Prophecy, Item Randomizer Deities of Faerun, Song & Silence, Rogue Rebalancing, Wizard Slayer Rebalancing, various NPC mods
Difficulty: Core Rules?
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1062433/#Comment_1062433
End

Jehu the Shaman: @Neverused
Notable Mods: ?
Difficulty: ?
Start
End

Blaggerd the Blackguard: @Gate70
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start
End

Michio the Illusionist: @Gate70
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start
End

Allanon the Druid: @Grond0
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: Party only contains unkitted druids
Start
End
Parts 1-12:

Pearl the Fighter/Mage: @semiticgoddess
Notable Mods: SCS v32, Ascension
Difficulty: Insane, bonus damage disabled
Special: Solo
Parts 1-7:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1137692/#Comment_1137692
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1137694/#Comment_1137694
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1137770/#Comment_1137770
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1137778/#Comment_1137778
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1137781/#Comment_1137781
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1137785/#Comment_1137785
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1137789/#Comment_1137789

Blaggy the Blackguard (Artisan's Kitpack): @Flashburn
Notable Mods: EET, Level Adder; Artisan's Kitpack v1.7, Shadow Magic 2.21, Warlock 1.61, SCS v33.1, Ascension v2.0.12, Better Stat Drain, Tweaks Anthology v9, aTweaks, Skip Chateau Irenicus, Trials of the Luremaster, Golem Construction 5.4, Item Upgrade v44, Thalantyr Item Upgrade
Difficulty: Insane (SCS Legacy of Bhaal settings)
Special: All creatures have triple HP; kill and quest XP in BG1 is doubled
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1135175#Comment_1135175
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1139817#Comment_1139817
Parts 1-9:

Jeanluc the Fallen Paladin: @Corey_Russell
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/989168/#Comment_989168 (previous run of the same name; the successful run has no first post)
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1141899/#Comment_1141899

Adorar the Druid: @Mantis37
Notable Mods: SCS (tactical difficulty)
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1116514#Comment_1116514
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1139490/#Comment_1139490

Yeldan II the Halfling Fighter: @Corey_Russell
Notable Mods: None
Difficulty: Core Rules
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1146220/#Comment_1146220
End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1150202/#Comment_1150202

Dassareth, the Undead Hunter: @Enuhal
Notable Mods: SCS (tactical difficulty) + Ascension
Difficulty: Core Rules

BG1 Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1151884/#Comment_1151884
BG1 End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1154817/#Comment_1154817
SoD Start&End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1154915/#Comment_1154915
SoA Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1155140/#Comment_1155140
SoA End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1155796/#Comment_1155796
ToB Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1155855/#Comment_1155855
ToB End: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1156823/#Comment_1156823

The old Bioware Hall of Fame (from Serg_BlackStrider):
(The full list exceeds the post length limit here; see the original comment by @Serg_BlackStrider below)

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/904216#Comment_904216

Classes and kits still missing from the combined Hall of Heroes:

Stalker
Priest of Helm, Priest of Talos
Avenger
Abjurer, Conjurer, Diviner, Necromancer
Thief, Bounty Hunter

List of Honorable Mentions (from Arctodus):

Thani the Wizard Slayer dwarf : @Blackraven ; solo, made it deep into ToB (SCS/Acsension)
Start
Finish

Alesia the Bounty Hunter : @Alesia_BH ; solo, failed at the final fight (SCS/Acsension)
BG1
Start
Finish
BG2
Start
Finish
Successful final battle (with reload)

Sil the human cleric of Lathander --> mage : @semiticgoddess ; full BG2 no reload (SCS/Acsension)
Start
Finish

Carl the (elven) Llama Sorcerer : @semiticgoddess ; conquest of Ust Natha (SCS on LoB difficulty)
Start
Finish

Frisky Bits the human Seducer (thief kit) : @semiticgoddess ; "solo", full trilogy, single reload (SCS/Acsension)
Start
Finish

Yahiko the half-elf Totemic Druid : @JuliusBorisov ; solo, full trilogy no reload, failed at the final fight (SCS/Acsension)
Start
Finish

Serafina the Archer/Cleric : @histamiini ; one death by charm at the Throne of Bhaal
Difficulty: Legacy of Bhaal
Special: Solo
Notable mods: SCS, Ascension
Start
Finish

Ygramul · March 2015

[ Space in this post made available for the thread leaders and moderators to edit and append the Hall of Fame (since the original post ran out of space) ]

=========

(post here about Hall of Fame)

Ygramul · March 2015

Hall of Heroes of Icewind Dale

IWD
Snowy Tae the Cleric of Lathander, Valos the Avenger, Poppy and Espellier the Sorcerers, Fobie the Bounty Hunter, and Marilyn Blueapple the Bard: @semiticgoddess
Special: No summons allowed
Difficulty: Heart of Fury
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/720257/#Comment_720257
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/727046/#Comment_727046

IWD2
Frisk the Sorcerer, Chara the Druid, and Asriel the Cleric: @semiticgoddess
Difficulty: Core
Notable mods: Tactics4IWD2
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/802683/#Comment_802683
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/808082/#Comment_808082

IWD
Karn the Ranger/Cleric and NPCs from Kulyok's NPC mod: @Mantis37
Difficulty: Core
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/864922/#Comment_864922

IWD
Frisky the Cleric/Illusionist, Chara the Fighter/Druid, Asriel and Mollyboo the Sorcerers, Carl the Bounty Hunter, and Snowy Tae the Archer: @semiticgoddess
Difficulty: Core
Notable mods: Sarevok57's Mega Icewind Dale Mod
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/887489/#Comment_887489
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/892524/#Comment_892524

IWD
Frisk the Dragon Disciple: @semiticgoddess
Special: Solo
Difficulty: Heart of Fury
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/956817/#Comment_956817
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/958046/#Comment_958046

IWD2
Star Butterfly the Sorcerer, Marco the Fighter/Monk/Thief, Mabel the Cleric, Dipper the Diviner/Fighter, Asriel the Druid, and Frisk the Bard: @semiticgoddess
Difficulty: Core
Notable mods: semiOverhaul for IWD2
Special: All portraits must involve hugs or nuzzles
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/974659/#Comment_974659
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/986135/#Comment_986135

IWD
Megaera the Elven Sorceress: @alice_ashpool
Special: Solo
Difficulty: Heart of Fury
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1168286/#Comment_1168286
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1168467/#Comment_1168467

IWD (and expansions, v2.6.6)
Unga-Bunga the Half-Orc Shaman: @Ariakus
Special: Solo, No skipping areas or enemies
Difficulty: Heart of Fury
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1184705#Comment_1184705
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1186775#Comment_1186775

Hall of Heroes of Neverwinter

Arrow Slinger the Rogue/Wizard/Arcane Archer: @Flashburn
Notable mods: Community Patch 1.71
Difficulty: Core Rules
Special: No deaths, no pausing in combat except to take screenshots
Start: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1058344#Comment_1058344
Finish: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1058546#Comment_1058546

Alesia_BH · March 2015

Best of luck with your run, Ygramul! And more importantly, best of luck getting a consolidated challenge thread started here!

I'll note that anyone who posts in no reload threads here is invited to enter our No Reload Challenge over at Bioware. Blackraven has gotten in the habit of posting his updates on both forums. I think that he, personally, and the no reload community in general have benefited from his decision.

Anyhoo. Best of luck once again!

Cheers,

A.

Ygramul · March 2015

(This post combines my first 3 follow-up posts on no-reload runs. The two posts up have been vacated to make room for the Hall of Fame)

===========

[post #1]

I'll start out by posting my current run:

Khael the Defiant - FMC (with full party, currently Imoen, Branwen, Jaheira, Safana,Neera)
13/15/16/14/16/14 LG (picture)
[headcannon: I *always* make Imoen a sorcerer at startup; with no stat changes]

Yes, this is a "mage" with only 14 INT, which means that you have 40% chance of fail for reading any scrolls. Also, you can only have ~9 spells per level known. But the roll was otherwise pretty good.

I liberally attempt to read lvl 1 scrolls I intend to use, but all else, I hoard for when I will hopefully find potions of Genius AND Mind Focusing. (Only both of them together can give you assurance to read a scroll successfully (97%), with the 14 INT.)

Currently, on my way to the Bandit Camp after clearing much of the map except for the West and East areas.

Several close calls to Kobold @#$%@ Commandos! I hate Kobold @#$%@ Commandos!

Wish me luck.

--

[Note: I usually do a mage variant, but this is the first time, I use a FMC. The common wisdom is that they are great for solo & suck in a full party. It is partly for role-play purposes: Khael has a divine essence that he defies.]

============

[post #2]

On a really weird turn of events... my sweetheart just turned into a man!?!

We were gingerly taking our first cautious steps into Cloakwood with Safana (Invisibled) scouting ahead. A bunch of Worgs ahead? No problem. Neera lines up to hurl a Skull Trap at them (the only 3rd lvl spell she knows, as she failed to learn a bunch of other ones).

As the picture shows, the worgs were no worse for the spell and she had to haul her newly minted behind back to the party chased by the rather confused worgs.

Khael is now wondering if his interest in her goes *that* far...

--

Question: Recent patch notes for BG2EE suggested that the imported saves also import the romances from BGEE. I wonder if the *gender* of your romance would also be imported along, given that, well, that's a rather important variable, no?

============

[post #3]

Thanks, @Alesia_BH

Actually, I've been a long time fan of some of your posts at the bioware forums (been a lurker for years). Some fascinating feats pulled on solo runs out there... And great solidarity to boot.

Maybe there is a merit to pack up & migrate to that 500+ page thread for the no-reload runs, but I & many others had gotten into the habit of populating these forums lately.

For everyone else, here is the link to the two no-reload threads that Alesia mentioned (current pages):

http://forum.bioware.com/topic/124277-baldurs-gate-2-no-reload-challenge/page-456

http://forum.bioware.com/topic/124374-baldurs-gate-1-no-reload-challenge/page-517

--

Meanwhile, Khael is getting through Cloakwood slowly & just picked up Coran -- something I usually don't do.

Coran is a beast! His THAC0 is 10+ better than everyone else and has the highest APR. The one thing he sucks at is Find Traps, but that will change in a level or two.

I wonder if I should drop him & stick with Safana instead. It's almost a cheat. Opinions?

--

Also, Imoen just made to lvl 6 and picked Spell Thrust as her first lvl 3 pick. In SCS, mages are the main game-enders for me, this time I'm gonna be prepared (though foregoing Fireball probably hurts in many other encounters).

Blackraven · March 2015

Hey @Ygramul! Like the idea a lot. I think a BG Forums no-reload thread has a lot of potential for synergy. There are plenty of talented no-reloaders on these forums, such as @Gotural, @Grum, @bengoshi, @semiticgod, @mumumomo, @CharlestonianTemplar (who, like me, posts both here and on the Bioware Forums), @CrevsDaak (who also started posted on the Bioware Forums a while back), and yourself of course. It also appears that there are no-reloaders (such as @JoshBG, I discovered today) who haven't shared their experiences on the forums. This thread could inspire these people to start posting about their no-reload adventures here, which would be a very good thing.

As to myself, I've just started a new run in a separate thread, so I won't be posting here right away. But I'm definitely willing to help get this thread rolling

I agree with @Alesia_BH that posting on both forums could be a good idea. She's right in suggesting that I have benefited from that decision. Both forums have friendly, involved, and helpful no-reloaders. For me it's a small effort to post on both forums but I get much in return for it.

As to the rules, I would propose a more liberal approach, so as to attract as many enthusiasts as possible. For example, I do tend to play with most of the difficulty increasing SCS components (such as the caster pre-buffing that you advised against), and I do often (not always) roll for good stats so that I feel more comfortable taking a more roleplayed approach in-game. Other people prefer to play without mods. Some people like to create unique shadowkeepered characters. For me all is well as long as players make clear what kind of setup they're using, so that readers get an impression of the nature of the challenge.

Edit: Best of luck of course! I've already bookmarked this thread and will be following your progress.

Ygramul · March 2015

Thanks, @Blackraven - I appreciate it. Been following your current no-reload run with interest.
Also, I edited my original post to emphasize that the 'rules' are just my own house rules; everyone is welcome to set their own, of course. Anyone who wishes to add their entries to a common thread are also welcome.

--

Meanwhile, in Cloakwood...

Khael (FMC, 5/4/5) is ready to move on to Cloakwood Mines, but I just went back to Friendly Arm Inn for some soul-searching...

1. Coran left us on a merry errand of his own (roleplay-reason for his departure). He is well & truly overpowered! He has the strongest APR/Damage/THAC0 by far. So, I'm leaving him behind & getting Safana back.

2. That means my current party (Khael, Imoen, Jaheira, Neera, Safana, Viconia) has not a single Sword or Bow user. Annoying that all those strong weapons (Varsona, Dead Shot etc.) lay unused.

Considering swapping Neera for a tank, but who?

Khael needs the Gauntlets of Dexterity (he has Dex=15) and none of the good aligned tanks have much potential. (A bug [SCS?] prevents me from re-enlisting Minsc; so I consider him gone away.)

3. Khael is very underpowered as a frontliner. I really feel the difference that a STR=18/xx makes (mine is just 13).

PLAN: Use "Strength" [Wizard Spell] + "Draw Upon Holy Might" regularly. Possibly keep Neera as a buff-mage for Khael (but risky to use a Wild Mage for that; she may turn me into a Squirrel or worse). Or waste my own Wizard spell slots for that.

Love how a fair roll (i.e. medicore stats) actually force you to make decisions. You cannot be everything. You need a party to make up for your problems.

--

Also, did finally find some +INT potions and memorized some more spells, including a mighty Stone Skin scroll. Though it will likely be endgame by the time I can cast it...

Blackraven · March 2015

@Ygramul, if you can't find a good tank, you might consider Viconia for that job. With a suit of Ankheg Armor and perhaps the Girdle of Piercing or Slashing, she'll be hard to kill. Actually, I remember from an old playthrough that she did better than Kagain (who had a lot more HPs).
Khalid could be another option.

Ygramul · March 2015

Yeah, I probably should have kept Khalid, now in hindsight.
Problem is I need a solid damage dealer:

Currently, I'm using Khael with all possible buffs and avoiding direct 1-on-1 fights with, e.g., Black Talon Elites (they are dangerous in SCS) thanks to Safana scouting.

Gotta admit:
This is a much more enjoyable playtime then just, how do you say, roflstomping with uber characters that BG normally lets you. Party is not strong enough to just attack and reliably survive. But with good leadership & scouting every encounter is beatable.

Onto Daveorn now.
Once he killed me on SCS with spawning Guards overwhelming my party. Once I killed him by emptying wands at his direction (I have a Summon Wand with a handful of charges!). Also, I got a +50% MR potion for Viconia to use just in case. We'll see how this one goes.

Blackraven · March 2015

Ygramul said:
Yeah, I probably should have kept Khalid, now in hindsight.
Problem is I need a solid damage dealer:

Currently, I'm using Khael with all possible buffs and avoiding direct 1-on-1 fights with, e.g., Black Talon Elites (they are dangerous in SCS) thanks to Safana scouting.

Nice! The lower STR understandably makes a difference at lower levels when it comes to dealing damage. Later on, with the right spells and items not anymore. I would focus on tanking, and if you really feel your party lacks damage output, you could consider recruiting a nice ranged damage dealer, maybe Kivan?

Ygramul said:
Gotta admit:
This is a much more enjoyable playtime then just, how do you say, roflstomping with uber characters that BG normally lets you. Party is not strong enough to just attack and reliably survive. But with good leadership & scouting every encounter is beatable.

I hear you. My current Skald does have very good stats, but I must say they aren't that influential because she spends most of her time singing her battlesong (even though she does cast the occasional spell or launch the occasional dart). She relies a lot on her companions, who all aren't min-maxed, and the consequence of playing a full party is that I need to do a lot of optional content in order to increase XP.

Ygramul said:
Onto Daveorn now.
Once he killed me on SCS with spawning Guards overwhelming my party. Once I killed him by emptying wands at his direction (I have a Summon Wand with a handful of charges!). Also, I got a +50% MR potion for Viconia to use just in case. We'll see how this one goes.

Best of luck with Davaeorn. My advice is to focus on him, not his guards, because once the wizard is dead, the rest will leave. (Not too loyal to the Throne that lot hehe.) Knowing from metagame knowledge as well as in-game intelligence gathered by your characters from the slaves and from Yeslick (perhaps even from the Surgeon), using a green scroll of PfMagic doesn't feel out of place either imo.

Ygramul · March 2015

... before Daveorn, I wanna post the last epic mage fight I had: The Red Wizards.

SCS makes them something fierce.

But as per protocol, I approach them unbuffed (I hear there is a actually a nonviolent solution to this, if you have Edwin. But I never have Edwin in my party).

When they turn hostile, I open up with a salvo of offensive magic [1st slide, please]. This is gonna be a cakewalk.

Except it ain't:
A few moments later I am in full retreat from Stoneskinned/Mirror Imaged/Globe of Invulnerabilitied mages with some summoned wolves (thank you wand!) covering my retreat. [2nd slide]

Safana, staying invisible acts as my AWACS for the operation, providing no offensive power.
(An invisible scout is worth her weight in gold. I should invest in Wizard Eye in the future.)
This also highlights a difference with BG2: most SCS mages in BG2 consistently dispel Invisibility if a scout is near them.

Still, with the summons running all around and distracting them, I manage to separate the mages. Viconia goes in to tank them one by one, resists some naughty spells, heals up the damage she sustains. I send Jaheira to fight alongside, bringing the mages down one at a time. (Khael stands back, just in case.) This is gonna be a cakewalk.

Except it ain't:

The last mage standing gets off a Horror to Jaheira with Khael & the party close enough to be affected. [slide 3] Stupid! Stupid!

Next thing I know, we have a Benny Hill chase going. Khael runs deep into the uncharted jungle with Safana and Neera after him to calm him down and two Ettercaps tag along attacking them. [slide 4]. Meanwhile, Jaheira ran away into the arms of a group of Tasloi.

At this point, I'm having 3 fights in 3 far spots of the map [slide 5: map marked: red is Khael and the Ettercaps, green is Jaheira and Tasloi, grey is Viconia vs the last mage] Safana is at this point "tanking" against two Ettercaps and a depleted Neera is throwing slings at them...

By this point, I check how long Horror lasts (10 rounds!) and shortly after Khael and Jaheira turn back to my control. Khael saves a wounded Safana after buffing himself with Mirror Image, Jaheira actually manages to not die to Tasloi, and Viconia kills the mage, who is now out of spells.

Victory.
The spoils of war include a Ring (The Victor) and a Remove Magic scroll.

Ygramul · March 2015

Kobold Overkill!
(wait... what... I was supposed to be fighting Daveorn... Oh, I decided to put that off and clean Firewine instead.)

There is no such thing as too much damage or too high level a spell for killing a Kobold.

Having nearly lost the game again to Kobold Commandos, I decided to treat them as the suspected demons that they are.

So, when I scout a few of them I let it rip with: Sleep+Skull Trap+Holy Smite+Glitterdust.
Even for three of those 7XP-worth sorry excuses of yipping demons.

I can't wait IMPORT a TOB level character to Chain Contingency: Horrid Wilting at them to poison their a@@es with poisonous gasses.

I can't wait to Absolute Immunity+Whirlwind the lot of them.

I can't wait to summon a Bhalor in their midst.

(Yeah, I know this is a bit like the velociraptor phobia in xkcd...)

--

So, is Firewine finally cleared? Is Gullykin finally safe?

Nope.

I had to escape with a dead Viconia (killed by the nasty mage who read some scrolls -- waitaminute they were supposed to be my loot!), and severely wounded Jaheira and Neera, after being cut off by a horde of Kobolds (they seem to spawn every few seconds!), which chased me !!! to the upper levels of Gullykin Winery. I couldn't even rest outside, as a literal horde of Kobolds jumped my party, so I had to run back to Beregost.

I will be back.

Probably after Daveorn. He seems easier...

Ygramul · March 2015

[double-posted this also on Blackraven's thread]

Daveorn just fell [picture].

This fight had killed me so many times. This time charname gulped a magic damage reduction potion (+50% damage reduction + automatic rolls), which Daveorn dispelled! Then I immediately gulped a potion of Magic Immunity (only lasts 5 rounds) while keeping the flunkies busy with Wands of Fear. Daveorn finally fell to a Wand of Fire, with only Safana dead.

--

Note: Damn. I realize I likely need to carry everything back with a dead Safana and resurrect her and bring her back to unlock all the locks. (Or maybe I can Knock the locks, and hope not being disturbed while resting...)

JuliusBorisov · March 2015

It would be awesome when this thread reaches the 517th page.

Good luck to all no-reloaders!

kcwise · March 2015

I second the good luck wishes, and look forward to reading more!

Ygramul · March 2015

"My father was a miner. And my mother was a miner before him."
(... wherein I trim down the power curve of the party for some extra challenge.)

There have been some changes in Khael's party:

Viconia decided that our righteous approach is impractical for her views and left the party.
Also, Neera had a near-Squirrel experience and decided some time off from casting spells. She is currently chilling at the Friendly Arm Inn.
Instead, the group is joined with Yeslick and Quayle.

[meta-gaming note: I let Viconia go, because my reputation was about to hit the point where she would leave anyway (even with the SCS option that slows the progression of reputation). Basically, I wanted Yeslick & Quayle for a change of flavors, though they are underleveled and underpowered at the moment. But it ain't as severe as letting Coran go. He was just a beast!]

Current party:
Khael [FMC - 5/5/5 - LG ], Imoen [Sorcerer - 6], Yeslick [F/C - 4/5], Jaheira [F/D - 6/7], Quayle [M/C - 5/5], Safana [T - 7]

Also, I picked Dorn briefly to do his quest line. Khael is now sporting a brand new Elven Chain (a downgrade in every regard from the Robe of the Good Archmagi, but it is an ARMOR. He wants to wear an armor AND cast spells, dammit.)

Also, in the current party Yeslick & Quayle have no magic weapons (haven't found a single magical mace yet, and the only hammer (Ashideena) is used by Khael -- gee thanks SCS!). Meanwhile, there is not a single sword or bow user in the group. So, my stash of collected awesome weapons in Friendly Arm is being unused.

Made it to The City, finally & purchased some spells for Quayle from the 'Sunderies: he is now the official buffer for Khael for casting Strength at him.

Deciding now to either pick up Rasaad now to do his questline or explore the city...

--

[NOTE: your entries on no-reload runs are very welcome to post here. I hope to [re]start a no-reload thread in these forums. I edited the original post to emphasize that you make your own rules. So, all is welcome.]

Blackraven · March 2015

Lots of changes there @Ygramul. I considered replacing Branwen and Xan in my game for Yeslick and Quayle respectively, but I found the party too harmonious (with everyone complimenting everyone all the time, and with nice BG1 NPC Project banters), so it felt better for me to make no changes.

I had forgotten how low lvl Yeslick is when you pick him up. One would really have to focus on the main plotin order for him to be more or less on par with charname and co in terms of XP.

Have you done any new major quests or battles?

Ygramul · March 2015

Blackraven said:
....
Have you done any new major quests or battles?

About to tackle The City (after I progress in my own quest line in RL)...

Yeslick is merely F4/C5 and has no magic weapon or Strength items.
... but he has an awesome VOICE set!!

I hope he'll do me proud in a chapter or two. Just y'all watch...

--

P.S.I *love* Xan as a character (and also how he is also a bit of an underdog who can't cast Evocation spells). But alas no room for him in this party...

semiticgoddess · March 2015

I just failed a no-reload SCS2 run as a Fighter/Mage. Twice. In Chateau Irenicus.

The first time, I forgot I was allowed to rest more than once in the first dungeon. The second time, I got too reckless, not hiding behind my summons, and was stunned by a Mephit. I recovered from the stun and spent the next second trying to drink a potion. Then I died.

The idea behind this run was to test out the less-popular mage spells by avoiding the five most powerful spells of every level. So it's a Fighter/Mage with Armor instead of Shield, Ghoul Touch instead of Mirror Image, and Monster Summoning I instead of whatever 3rd-level spells people normally have Fighter/Mages memorize. I've barely ever played a Fighter/Mage before, so I'm not sure whether I'll retry the run.

Her name is Xigua. It means watermelon in Chinese. This is a screenshot of her slapping a dwarf.

Ygramul · March 2015

semiticgod said:

....
Her name is Xigua. It means watermelon in Chinese. This is a screenshot of her slapping a dwarf.

Thanks for posting, @semiticgod

If you don't mind, I'll change the subject line for a bit to feature your entry. Xigua's effort should be remembered.

--

For solo runs, stun works like PW:Kill usually (unless you have something like Contingency:Helpless -> Invisibility readied, but it is too early in Chateau Irenicus for that. I never attempted a solo BG2 no-reload run.

(Occasionally, I flirt with the idea of granting charname a Ring of Free Action at game start to guard against such trouble. Fact is, I have never finished a game where I permit myself such unfair advantage. I unfailingly delete the game & restart a few hours into the story, as if to say 'Mea Culpa'...)

Good luck with your next run.

Blackraven · March 2015

Nice to see you here @semiticgod, I was going to ask you if you'd been up to anything in the SCS no-reload context. Hopefully we'll read more from you here

Blackraven · March 2015

I posted here before that I would try to help get this thread going, so here we go...

I'm going to try my hand at another party run, though I suspect that multiple NPC deaths will make some kind of impact on my enjoyment of the game. It's therefore thinkable that my new Charname ends up traveling alone at times or that I'll apply a 'three times you're out' rule re: NPC deaths.

Here Lenhardt:

Lenhardt is a bit like how I perceive BG2 Quayle: a softspoken, friendly, caring Gnome. He likes the company of nice folk but he's not everyone's friend and will typically avoid abusive, dictatorial, negative, and evil people. Like most Gnomes Lenhardt is curious, cheerful, and cautious when facing dangerous situations. I'm likely to take a 'completionist' approach, especially if all party slots are filled most of the time, because a Cleric/Mage levels slowly.

I hope the wealth of spells will make for a fun and educational experience.

semiticgoddess · March 2015

A gnomish cleric/mage! It's my favorite! It's also good to see he's not a stereotypical goofball gnome. Good luck, @Blackraven.

semiticgoddess · March 2015

I have started a new run... Bai Xigua the white watermelon has failed to capture my interest, as have several other runs I recently started. Finally I've gotten one I can stick to. I have SCS, Spell Revisions, and Tactics installed, and begin in BG2.

This is a randomized run. You know how some people create random characters to add some variety to the game? Well, I've set up a system that makes things extra screwy, and I've finally fine-tuned it enough that the resulting characters are playable. In addition to randomized classes and stats, we also have randomized resistances, HP, THAC0, damage bonuses or penalties, movement rates, AC, saving throws, and spell slots. On top of that, each character can have up to five simultaneous kits, with all the benefits and penalties, and they can have multi-classes with illegal combinations, such as a Ranger/Paladin with a Shapeshifter kit. The kits balance out the weaknesses of randomization: losing three level 7 spells is a bigger penalty than gaining three level 7 spells is a bonus. Randomization usually creates weak characters.

Oh, and they get five different active effects, selected at random from the list of opcodes that come with DLTCEP, and with random parameters. So you can get an Archer's STR drain on melee hits. Or a Fire Shield that casts Heal on your attacker. Or makes your character immune to damage. Or Imprisons them.

It took a lot of time, and many fixes (earlier versions of my system tended to create stupidly overpowered or completely dysfunctional critters), but I've finally got the characters right. I have four of them, only four.

Our Charname is Imber, a deeply mentally disturbed young girl, seized alternately by fits of passion and paranoia. She has great difficulty paying attention or following rules, and has grand and beautiful visions that often consume her mind.

She is a Sorcerer with the Wizard Slayer, Archer, Totemic Druid, Berserker, and Bounty Hunter kits. She has a constant effect Improved Alacrity (!!!), but will never be able to wear the Robe of Vecna or Amulet of Power, has a -1 penalty to casting speed, and has below-average spell slots, with a very notable -3 level 9 spell slots. Like most of my characters, her saving throws are very poor, so the Berserker kit is really quite necessary for her to survive.

Next, we have Yi Grovana, a student and little sister to Imber, who has been struggling to help Imber with her illness, but Imber is very resistant to being helped. Yi (pronounced "ee"; it's another Chinese name) is a sweet and caring person, and worries about Imber a lot.

Grovana is a Paladin/Thief with the Archer, Inquisitor, and Avenger kits. Her shapeshifting makes up for her terrible stats, but like most of my characters, she also suffers from hefty penalties to both THAC0 and damage. She has strong resistances, though, and serves as a sturdy tank, but as an Inquisitor she will not be able to add to her resistances with Armor of Faith.

Next up is Rius, who is derived from the same novel (still in the first draft stage) as Yi and Imber. In the context of the book, Rius lost her family and her homeland to a millennial fire storm that wiped out everyone in her world except for her and a handful of other girls who were kept safe from the fire. There were boys with them, intended to repopulate the world, but many of the children, including all of the boys, perished due to a collapse. With their food and supplies destroyed, Rius had to lead her sisters on a long march in search of civilization. She suffers from an emotional deadness... she had to eat many of her sisters in order to survive.

Rius is a Paladin/Bard with the Kensai and Archer kits... so, no missile weapons, and only one pip allowed in melee weapons. Combine that with a terrible Constitution, some screwed up resistances, and major penalties to THAC0 and damage, and you've got a very dysfunctional fighter. Like the other spellcasters of the group, she also has some pretty big gaps in her slots at certain spell levels.

Finally, we have Poppy, unrelated to the other characters, but a recurring NPC in many of my games. I can't resist bringing her along. She's just too cute!

She is a Paladin/Sorceror/Bard with the Assassin, Blade, and Wizard Slayer kits. She has poor THAC0 and many missing spell slots, but her AC and resistances are fairly strong and she has some minor saving throw bonuses.

It took ages to fix up the characters to reflect their kits and classes, involving lots of SK passive effects and editing kit tables, but I finally got them working properly... more or less. Poppy still has no bard song, and Rius' level progression is that of a single-classed ranger, but otherwise they work as they should.

So why do I only have four characters? Well, there was a Halfling Paladin, but that one got stuck with an Hold effect, which like all the other effects I gave my characters, is undispellable and tagged to persist after death. So, that character would never be able to do anything. The other character was a gnomish Cleric, with lots of nice abilities.

Exept she was an Inquisitor, so she can't cast spells.
But she could still use the quick spell icon, so she could access her spells indirectly!
Except she got stuck with another Hold effect, like the Halfling.
Oh, but Inquisitors are immune to Hold! She's okay!
Except on-self effects bypass immunities. So she's gone.

Chateau Irenicus has gotten much easier since I figured out that you can still rest in it with SCS2 installed. I must be remembering the Improved Ilyich mod. Imber quickly proves to be the deadliest member of the group, but not because she can throw out lots of damage spells every round: it's because Spell Revisions turns Infravision into True Strike, which means Imber can improve her THAC0 by 10 for one round... and Minute Meteors benefit from her innate +4 to damage, her Archer bonuses, AND her Berserker rage ability. Check out the damage she does.

Not bad for a mage. The other characters were mostly useful only as tanks, since Imber's damage capabilities were so much higher than theirs.

Most of our stats are terrible, but Poppy has a fantastic Intelligence of 23, for 99% scribing success.

And no, that wasn't the only time that happened in the first dungeon.

I have the OP's installation recommendations for SCS2, which means no pre-buffing and therefore much faster gameplay (I still have Stoneskin and Mage Armor as pre-buffs due to the long duration). Without Mirror Image at the start of battle, the Assassin mage on the way out isn't much trouble. And his backstabbing buddies aren't too useful with Yi Grovana using True Sight.

We make it out of Chateau Irenicus, with a heaping pile of loot. So far, so good.

Ygramul · March 2015

Welcome to Lenhardt!

Thank you, @Blackraven -- I'll change the thread title to feature your entry, if you don't mind.

One day I, too, hope to run a gnomish character (I can't play BG2 without Jan!), but first I need one my countless human multiclass fighter/mages [in my headcannon that is what the Bhaalspawn is, so there!] to actually finish a no-reload trilogy. I've been trying it for only about a decade, so maybe 2018 will see my very own mad CN Gnomish Illusionist/Cleric one day. One can hope...

Good luck!

Blackraven · March 2015

Thanks @semiticgod, I'll need the luck.. I'm not used to playing the C/M combo. Will have to do some reading up (inter alia your 'Spiders').
I hear you on the goofball Gnome issue. I never understood why all Gnomes, with the exception of the Mirrorshades, appear to be complete nutcases.

Fascinating Charname you have there! You could consider shadowkeepering your Sorcerer into a Wild Sorcerer (i.e. giving her the Wild Mage kit) for utter randomness

Best of luck with Imber!

Edit: @Ygramul, many thanks! It's nice that you're true to your head canon Charname: I for one hope he'll no-reload his way through the trilogy before 2018!

Lenhardt, Gnome Cleric/Illusionist, 1st update

Day 4:

Perhaps all is not so bad. Gorion's fall still grieves me profoundly of course and the fact that there's a price on my head still scares me, but at least I have dear Imoen and clever Neossa by my side, and we have proven that we're not completely incompetent.
On our way to the Friendly Arm Inn, where we were to meet Gorion's friends and to find the ring alluded to in E's letter, one of Imoen's arrows killed an aggressive Ogre after I had blinded it.
And at the Friendly Arm Inn itself, we met a human male at the entrance, a necromancer by the looks of him. Apparently he knew that my scalp was worth a few hundred GP. He tried to attack us, but I Commanded him to sleep.
When he got up, I Blinded him.
He started running around frantically, making it very difficult to hit him. I asked Imoen to help me take him down, but she was out of arrows. With some luck, and with the help of the guards I downed him.
I was surprised that the guards knew that the wizard was the wrongdoer, and not us, until Gellana Mirrorshade - a Gnome and a Cleric like me, though she follows Garl Glittergold - told me she had seen the wizard and called the guards.

Inside the inn we met Gorion's friends, Khalid and Jaheira. The four of us traveled to Beregost: Imoen and I to see Firebead Elvenhair, whose counsel we desired, and Khalid and Jaheira because Beregost was a stop for them on the way to Nashkel where they had a meeting with the mayor regarding the iron crisis. The Half-Elves wanted me to accompany them to Nashkel, but I had more important things on my mind than the Iron Crisis. Khalid and Jaheira were in such a rush that they didn't even have time to help some of the townsfolk in Beregost. We decided to split up again and meet each other later, probably in Nashkel. Jaheira wasn't very understanding, but that's probably because I didn't tell her much about my situation. It's not that I don't trust her, but she seems to know everything better, which I tells me she isn't as wise as she claims.

We helped some of the people in Beregost (generally in return for reasonable rewards), even with such dangerous tasks as exterminating a Huge Spider plague and slaying two Ogrillons. Firebead Elvenhair recommended us to seek shelter in the bustle of Baldur's Gate. His suggestion makes sense. The anonymity we may find in the big city could help bounty hunters forget about me. On the morrow, Imoen and I shall head north.

Alesia_BH · March 2015

bengoshi said:
It would be awesome when this thread reaches the 517th page.

Good luck to all no-reloaders!

I second that. I'm glad to see that you've gotten the ball rolling here. Best of luck with the endeavor and best of luck to all the challengers!

I have a proposal to make. Bear in mind that I haven't run it by the other Bioware No Reload Challenge regulars yet, but I thought I'd float the idea here first to see if there is any interest.

Suppose we were to combine the challenge here with the Bioware challenge- sort of like different conferences in the same sport. We could have a standard flexible rule set across the conferences/forums and maintain a shared Hall of Heroes. Players could play and post in either forum or, if they choose, both. I can even imagine a day when we could run yearly cross forum challenges: team Bioware.com v. team Baldursgate.com. We could all setup the same installs and each team could have, say five players: the team that ends up with the most successes wins. Assuming everyone could maintain a light-hearted and supportive attitude even within a quasi-competitive environment, that could be a lot of fun.

I'm ambivalent about the yearly cross forum challenge idea, but the idea of unifying our threads and fostering cross-communication between the communities makes sense to me.

Apologies if I'm cluttering up your thread, but I thought the idea was worth floating. If there is interest, let me know. We can discuss it here or, if you prefer, in a separate thread.

Anyhoo: Best of luck once again!

Cheers,

A.

Blackraven · March 2015

Alesia_BH said:
Suppose we were to combine the challenge here with the Bioware challenge- sort of like different conferences in the same sport. We could have a standard flexible rule set across the conferences/forums and maintain a shared Hall of Heroes. Players could play and post in either forum or, if they choose, both.

This sounds like an excellent idea to me

Alesia_BH said:
I'm ambivalent about the yearly cross forum challenge idea,

Me too. It could definitely be fun, but I think Bioware is at a significant advantage in terms of successful no-reloaders, at least for now. To my knowledge Baldursgateforums.com hasn't seen any no-reload trilogy successes yet.

Alesia_BH · March 2015

Blackraven said:

Alesia_BH said:
Suppose we were to combine the challenge here with the Bioware challenge- sort of like different conferences in the same sport. We could have a standard flexible rule set across the conferences/forums and maintain a shared Hall of Heroes. Players could play and post in either forum or, if they choose, both.
This sounds like an excellent idea to me

I'm glad to hear it. Thank you for your support That's the idea that matters: Unifying the challenges to foster cross forum communication and expand the no reload community.

Is any one else interested? I think this is the type of issue that should be decided by consensus, rather than majority. We should only go ahead with it if everyone present agrees. Again, I'd be happy to discuss it in another thread, if that's preferable.

(The yearly cross forum challenge idea is just an example of something that may or may not come to pass at some later date.)

Alesia_BH said:
I'm ambivalent about the yearly cross forum challenge idea,

Blackraven said:
Me too. It could definitely be fun, but I think Bioware is at a significant advantage in terms of successful no-reloaders, at least for now. To my knowledge Baldursgateforums.com hasn't seen any no-reload trilogy successes yet.

Maybe. I don't know. The community here is playing more SCS and it also gets more traffic. I think we at Bioware would have our hands full. We'd have to get Saros back to have any hope at long term competitiveness. We'd also have to draft you and CKT!

Best,

A.

Ygramul · March 2015

Alesia_BH said:

....
I thought the idea was worth floating. If there is interest, let me know.
....
Anyhoo: Best of luck once again!

Superb idea, @Alesia_BH

As the OP, I welcome this suggestion whole heartedly. Please consider this thread your virtual home for cross-posting any adventures or starting discussions or even friendly competitions for no-reloaders. I'll try to maintain the thread title to reflect current features in the hopes of generating ongoing interest. (By the way, thanks again for a new entry @semiticgod - good luck with your new run).

Meanwhile, as we converge toward suggested rules and guides for no-reload runs, I'll be glad to modify the original post with updates & links as needed.

In short, you are absolutely welcome with this idea and the accumulated expertise the Bioware forum crew would inevitably bring here.

Ygramul

Alesia_BH · March 2015

Awesome! I hope everyone else is on board!

Best,

A.

"Maybe this time" [NO-RELOAD THREAD]: "The Tale of TEN THOUSAND Trials"

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