@semiticgod I've read quite a few of your runs here and you end up with the most fascinating combinations. Reading this thread honestly makes me feel like I don't understand Baldur's Gate at all (or at least am a rank amateur in terms of spell-casting).
Gate70/Grond0 multiplayer trilogy attempt 118 - (update 1) Deja, human dark moon monk (Grond0) & Furgle, half-elf fighter/druid (Gate70)
Creating another couple of lambs to the slaughter saw Gate70 initially roll a barbarian as his class. However, having played that recently he decided to roll another and got a fighter/druid. My first roll was a dark moon monk, which I initially thought I might re-roll as well as I played a sun soul monk in the last run. However, I've hardly played a dark moon monk at all in either single or multi-player so decided I should stick with that.
After taking advantage of a special ability to blind Shoal the new duo attempted to save Melicamp, but had to settle for taking an early tea. After passing through Beregost and Nashkel it was quickly on to the basilisk area where the monsters were soon eliminated. Mutamin managed to get a horror off before he died, which could have proved nasty
- but fortunately Deja didn't run too far away and avoided seeing any more enemies. Kirian's group were soon sorted out - Korax getting lucky with his paralysing attacks there.
Moving on to the Lighthouse the sirines were unable to deal with Deja sneaking into the middle of them under the influence of the potion of clarity. Initially the plan was to buy some magical bullets to kill the golems, but looking at the shop prices the duo agreed melee was the way to go .
A bit of dooming and blinding saw the end of Greywolf and a few more reputation quests led up to the ankheg nest where reputation hit 20. With prices now looking more reasonable Furgle bought the staff at Ulgoth's Beard before heading back to the golems. The first of those was quickly killed, but the intention to pull the second one away from the hold trap backfired when pathfinding took it out of sight for a moment and it immediately moved further away - Furgle following and getting stuck in the trap. That resulted in Deja taking a hit to get the golem's attention and then running it round until Furgle was active again.
The Nashkel Mine held no problems, with the Greenstone Amulet ensuring that Mulahey would pose no threat (he failed to get a spell off anyway). Outside there was a first use of Furgle's new call lightning spell on the amazons before heading for Nashkel. Lightning would have struck Nimbul, but cheeky Rasaad (not for the first time) nipped in for the kill
- one of these days that man's going to get a sword stuck somewhere where the sun doesn't shine .
At the Bandit Camp Deja proved hard to hit with bandit arrows and the duo made quick progress through to find Taurgosz - he had a shocking end.
Inside the tent Venkt resisted blindness, which could have been a potential problem, but a 44 HP critical from Furgle ensured he would cause no problems and the others didn't last long.
There was nothing to detain them long while passing through the Cloakwood on the way to the mine there. Furgle successfully charmed Genthore, but he only made a single attack on Kysus before switching sides (despite the fact we kept out of sight of Drasus). An attempt to pull Genthore away by himself then failed when Kysus followed and managed to both confuse and horrify Furgle. That could well have been fatal, but Kysus didn't notice Deja sneaking up behind with some frozen fists
and Genthore's THAC0 wasn't good enough to do much to Furgle before he also died. Rezdan was then just blasted with the wand of heavens
before Drasus was beaten into submission.
Fighting in the mine was kept to a minimum on the way down to Davaeorn. On arrival there Furgle gleefully demonstrated on the mustard jelly the advantage of having an enormous tool (that exploit only works in MP).
The battle horrors were then drawn back separately and wand-blasted before Furgle took a potion of magic blocking to hunt down the mage.
In the City the intention was to acquire a second pair of boots from Lothander, but Mr skinny found a way to slip out through the blockade.
Marek caused a moment of concern when he confused Furgle,
but Deja blinded him and he didn't attack anyone before recovering. We had noted a glitch prior to that with the conversation in the Umberlee temple and that proved to be of importance when the priest with the wisdom tome refused to talk about it. Initially the duo were minded to let him get away with that, but given that wisdom is of real benefit to Furgle a bit more shopping was done before going back and tearing the book from the priest's cold, dead hand.
The Iron Throne wouldn't have been easy for this pair, so Deja just sneaked in to get the evidence to persuade Duke Eltan to send them to Candlekeep. After looting the tombs there Prat and his companions were assaulted as a couple of nymphs were throwing in confusions. That worked pretty well, though Sakul managed to go invisible before wandering away confused. Deja followed and activated detect illusions for the first time in the game, but Sakul chose that moment to launch a hopeless attack anyway.
Looking to push Furgle's levels up to their maximum the duo returned to Durlag's Tower where some basilisks offered quick and easy XP.
Back in Baldur's Gate Slythe then provided the last bit of XP required prior to a visit to the palace. Nymphs there wasted their domination spells (deliberately, to ensure no attacks were made by charmed dopplegangers) before putting in confusions at the start of the fight. Those were sorely needed given that Liia had died within a few seconds and Belt was taken to badly injured by the end of the first round!
After that though the dopplegangers did little or no further damage, but there was still a bit of a scare when the last of them died unexpectedly while Sarevok was in sight of Belt
- fortunately though he chose other targets to attack before teleporting away.
Furgle smashed his way through the maze with the help of his buffs from the palace and a scroll of PfU. That was also used on some skeleton warriors in the Undercity, though the nearby party was left alone.
Inside the temple Semaj was confronted with summons when he teleported out. Sarevok was distracted away by Deja, who used a potion of invisibility to strand him while the mage was finished off. Sarevok was a potential problem given that summons were very limited and he had his speed buffed - thus moving faster than Deja could. That meant Furgle doing more tanking of him than he might have otherwise chosen, but he performed that role well and Sarevok fell comfortably enough in the end.
Deja, dark moon monk 8, 64 HPs, 143 kills Furgle, fighter 7 / druid 8, 85 HPs (incl. 5 from Helm), 228 kills, 0 deaths
Andur, lawful good half-elven cleric/ranger (solo), update 3
I haven't had time to update this run for a couple of days, but Andur is off to a good start in Amn. He started by doing the minor non-stronghold-related quests in Athkatla, using mostly spells like holy smite and various selfbuffs to improve his combat stats. After a couple of levels, I had him use sanctuary to finish the druid grove questline without any combat encounters (just walking all the way to Faldorn and letting Cernd fight) and subsequently entered the temple ruins.
My turn undead level was high enough to kill shadows at this point, and summoned skeletons plus sling/war hammer attacks dealt with the rest. A well protected- and buffed Andur defeated the shade lord in combat:
I quickly finished the ranger stronghold quests before completing the Mae'Var questline and freeing De'Arnise hold. With new gold and improved equipment, Andur is (and will be, until he gets Crom Faeyr) dual wielding the FoA +3 and the Defender of Easthaven.
To acquire the boots of haste, the planar prison was next. With death ward and chaotic commands, I felt save enough to assist my aerial servants in defeating the Warden, though only with the sling:
Speaking of slings, I also bought a new one, the sling of everard, to deal with the adamantite golems in the planar sphere, which was the next area I decided to visit:
The Windspear Hills were still left to do, and I skipped some battles with Sanctuary. When fighting Conster, I encountered a weird bug where he would constantly be using "magic tattoo - mirror image" - this made the battle last for quite a while, as I had to get through a new mirror image spell every round:
Andur made an attempt at fighting Firkraag, but, though he was well protected against his spells and his breath weapon, I soon realized that the ranger/cleric at this point didn't have the damage output to defeat the dragon in a one on one battle. I simply ran away after a couple of attacks.
It was also time for my first HLA - I chose "summon deva" and used my celestial ally to deal with most of the liches and mind flayers in the city:
I also cleared the guarded compound and killed Bodhi, though I didn't intend to go to Brynnlaw right away - instead, I used the newly acquired iMoD +2 to kill Kangaxx with the help of a protection from magic scroll:
Now, it is time to sail away!
Btw, despite encountering no trouble during the various combat encounters so far, I was at one time quite close to death in my run: I did accidentally trigger a flesh to stone trap when opening the door to the bridge district lich building while not protected against petrification and with only a 2 as my saving throw (I simply misremembered the trap and didn't realize what was happening, so I couldn't switch equipment or drink a potion in time) - so I actually had a 10% chance to die right there, but luckily, luck was on my side.
On my computer, a round lasts roughly 6-12 seconds, depending on what's happening.
To be fair, SCS comes with a warning that it can slow things down, but I doubt the creator of that mod ever suspected their program would ever be installed on a computer quite as underpowered and craptacular as mine.
To give you an idea, I'm estimating the install of SCS I did just the other day took about 8 hours, give or take an hour or so. I just let the computer run overnight. It was installing before bed, and still installing after I woke up. I got about 6.5 hours, plus a bit of time waiting on each end when I was awake. Well, not really waiting as in staring at the computer watching lines of dialogue scroll. I was doing other stuff and just letting SCS do it's thing... but ya. 8 hours. IS THAT NORMAL?
Speaking of which...
I re-installed SCS on BG2. YAY! When asked, I told it to install everything. It then prompted me to choose options for 4 or 5 things and then spent the next 8 hours doing it's thing. I previously had a pretty light install, mostly AI improvements, minor encounters, major enemies. No improved vampires, beholders, mind flayers, other enemies etc. etc. It only took 3 hours to install then.
I have no idea what I'm in for, I suspect. I don't even have a clue what's been installed or what SCS has done at this point. It may be a while before I complete a no-reload of BG again.
I'm estimating the install of SCS I did just the other day took about 8 hours, give or take an hour or so. I just let the computer run overnight. IS THAT NORMAL?
How long SCS take to install depends on what mods you installed before it. I remember using BWS tool once to install about 80% of mods available (we're talking hundreds here, if not over a thousand) and SCS alone took about 8 hours. If I were to install it on a clean BG2 install, it takes just over an hour. I also have a crap-end laptop; so I'm very happy that EEs actually play faster than the original game.
About an hour with a few mods on my middling machine. I find that the EEs slow things down a bit on many occasions though- Cloudkills etc. cause bad lag and SoD's big battles were not easily playable.
Without getting too political, imagine the consequences of your no-reload run gone awry:
Charname dies at the Duke's Palace. Sarevok is crowned Duke of Baldur's Gate, promising an end to the iron crisis. Selects a Priest of Cryric to head the Nobel Order of the Radiant Heart and an Illithid to run the Flaming First. In the confirmation hearings, the Illithid is argued to be the firm face of change that the difficult times need. Declares war on Amn. Locks up the Council of Four. Seeks Immortan Godhod via blood of thousands of dead.
(I suppose *this* is what it looks like when country fails its saving roll.)
Andur, lawful good half-elven cleric/ranger (solo), update 4
After killing Perth and leaving Brynnlaw, I tested several HLA's and spell combinations in the Asylum, for example globe of blades + sanctuary. With Andur's current level, the area wasn't really challenging, so he quickly made his way to Jon and defeated him:
After a quick stop at the City of Caverns, the ranger/cleric entered the underdark. For most of the tougher enemies here, I summoned 4-5 Skeletons, sometimes assisted by a Deva, and used the most important defensive buffs (cc, death ward, remove fear, pfe 3' radius, somtimes armor of faith + hardiness) and righteous magic + DUHM. I also had GWW or greater deathblow available.
This way, Andur defeated the balor and the demon knights (they both also happen to be his racial enemy):
The Kuo-Toa prince was killed as well, and the Beholder cave was next. I added protection from petrification to my buffs (using a green scroll) and skipped the group at the entrance under invisibility, first killing the drow party down there. Of course, my buffs were eventually dispelled, but this tactic allowed me to use summons against the entrance group (most importantly a deva, which is immune to the death ray), and instead of melee combat, I was allowed to use the sling against the elder orb (all of this was, of course, only because I was scared of imprisonment). I also remembered that I could get immunity to petrification simply by equipping the right items, so no need for the easily dispellable green scrolls I had gathered during the game.
Anyway, I was eventually able to defeat the first elder orb with the help of my moon dog, Cerberus:
For the other one, I simply ran around with my boots of speed, shooting him with my sling if possible, while he was following me and trying to cast imprisonment. A little bit risky, but ultimately successful.
I also cleared the illithid city - since Andur has 19 base int and numerous chaotic command spells at his disposal, mind flayers are easy prey for him. The elder brain was quickly defeated:
Now, for Ust'Natha: I used greater deathblow to free Phaere - every enemy seems to be affected by it:
After completing the other tasks, I switchted the eggs with the help of my various invisibility rings and returned to a happy Adalon.
Everything seems to be going quite well: I avoided all of the stupid mistakes from previous failed underdark attempts (they seem to happen down there quite often, due to the etremely high number of instant death or disable effects) and didn't repeat any of the trap-misremembering I almost fell victim to in chapter 2. Andur is almost at max level (will propably reach it while fighting Bodhi).
Gate70/Grond0 multiplayer trilogy attempt 118 - (2nd and final update) Deja, human dark moon monk (Grond0) & Furgle, half-elf fighter/druid (Gate70)
Another day, another run ended ...
Things were looking so promising as the dungeon was comfortably negotiated with the odd nymph demonstrating how good hold monster can be
and Ulvaryl going down almost immediately to a critical.
The circus was no more challenging
and the Copper Coronet quickly fell under new ownership as well.
At the Docks Officer Dirth was having a bad day - doomed, blinded and held.
Renfeld was saved on the way to the Temple to get a necklace for Mae'Var. While there we decided to have a quick look into the sewers and picked off most of the kobolds in the centre while working round to Roger. I hadn't intended Deja to get involved in any serious fighting, so hadn't topped up her HPs and Furgle's two attempts to do that were both interrupted - by an area transition and stealth activation. Those missing HPs proved costly when Furgle came into sight of the rakshasa and prompted a fireball greeting - Deja wasn't expecting that and was hanging around too close to him ...
Legacy of Bhaal Genocide Run: Carl the Llama in BG2 (first post here) Next up, De'Arnise Hold. Storm of Vengeance has always been a disappointing spell for me, but it does go past magic resistance and GOI, which makes it a safe option against the Coiled Cabal.
Harm also bypasses MR in Spell Revisions, and Fallen Devas can cast it instantly.
Unfortunately, in LoB mode, it can't even kill mages reliably--or even cut their HP in half.
Note that our Totemic Druid, Stan, is evil. I used EEKeeper to avoid the normal druid alignment requirements. This was actually a bad powergaming decision, as Stan could have chosen Summon Deva instead of Summon Fallen Deva if he was neutral. Then we could have had access to all four celestial types: Deva, Planetar, Fallen Deva, and Fallen Planetar. The good-aligned ones have the distinct advantage of getting instant-casting healing spells, a major boon in high-intensity LoB fights where the party's aura is stretched thin.
Anyway, we overrun the Trolls with brute force. Some fights in this run are hideously complicated and dicey, but enemies with few magic attacks like Remove Magic and Breach are generally not too challenging for us.
We get ambushed once again by corrupt city guards. By now I have gotten rather tired of seeing them. Luckily, they all die of heart attacks simultaneously.
We get into serious trouble on the way back to the Planar Sphere. Turns out one of the enemies in the post-apprentice ambush is a Wizard Slayer.
Having played a Wizard Slayer once, I know how absurdly overpowered that spell failure is. I don't know how many times Carl has gotten hit, but each hit from a Wizard Slayer inflicts a crippling 25% spell failure that cannot be dispelled through any means, lasts for several rounds, and stacks. Even a single blow is potentially fatal, and Carl has probably suffered more than that.
On top of that, his Stoneskins are now gone. He probably has 100% spell failure, and he's moments away from death, with a clouded aura that will prevent him from casting PFMW for another 6 seconds.
Assuming that Wizard Slayer is even using a magical weapon. If he isn't, Carl is practically doomed.
Edwin bails Carl out. If Carl had had Spell Trap active, that would never have been possible. Even Invisibility Sphere would have failed due to SR spell deflection spells absorbing area-effect spells.
No good deed goes unpunished, and Edwin quickly gets nailed by spell failure as well. Carl tries to chip in to defend the party, but receives another savage blow, as he still has no Stoneskin active--he used his aura to drink a potion instead, knowing a spell would likely fail.
It's entirely possible Natula could have slain Carl with a critical hit, had he gotten a higher damage roll; I don't know what his base damage looks like.
Natula is dangerous, but he's using a melee weapon and has no defenses to speak of. Carl scoots away while his friends trap the assailant. Out of spite, Carl jumps in to land the finishing blow.
Teos appears to congratulate us on our hard work painting the walls red, and asks us to use a special Imprisonment rune on some random guy, which for some reason is cheaper and easier than simply killing the man and hiding his body--or turning him into a squirrel and putting him in a box.
The Imprisonment spell condemns the victim to an eternity of loneliness and isolation, without even the escape of death to relieve their torment. Only a genuine sociopath would use such a spell on a sentient creature.
But... whatever.
Finally we're ready for Spellhold. I like Andante better than Dirbish the Black, so I tip the scales in a local brawl in Brynnlaw.
I could destroy Perth the Adept's defenses using Pierce Shield, but Flowey renders that strategy unnecessary, as he manages to Charm Perth. A Seducer's Charm ability takes a few seconds to take effect, so Perth doesn't get charmed until after he casts Time Stop.
Perth has two illegal castings of Summon Fallen Planetar--some bug during installation. We have Perth summon both Planetars, who will remain on our side even if he goes hostile.
Not that it was necessary. A Seducer's Charm can't be broken by friendly fire, which means we get to launch attacks at him without fear of reprisal. He was doomed the moment he failed his save vs. spell.
Yuan-ti Mages have ceased to be an issue by this point. Planetars are immune to +2 weapons and below, granting them immunity to Yuan-ti attacks, as the fighters use nonmagical weapons (!) and the mages' Minute Meteors only strike as +2 weapons in SCS. I can just let my celestials handle the Coiled Cabal while the rest of the party handles other matters.
Blitzkrieg tactics work fine against the Mind Flayer and Beholder you summon to get the Ring of Free Action. The only big fight left on this battle is the Spellhold lich. He opens with some Cloudkill spells, but Stan is innately immune thanks to his druid immunities, and Neutralize Poison can grant immunity to poison damage in SR.
Spell Revisions puts a cap on Skull Trap damage, but SCS mages still use them in Spell Sequencers, and the double damage from LoB mode makes them almost a one-hit kill. Carl's comprehensive buffs keep him safe.
But we still have Pierce Shield. The lich simply can't hold onto his defenses.
And though Stan is almost dead, our Planetar gets instant-cast Heal spells.
The fight ends soon after. We trounce Dace and get a yummy hand for Carl.
I'm a little worried about the fight with Irenicus, so I reorganize our contingencies. Carl starts the battle with basically every defense he can possibly have--as well as a clone who can summon a Planetar for us.
Notice that Edwin landed a hit on Irenicus. Jon-bon has Moment of Prescience just like Carl, which means we can hit him with any weapon if our THAC0 is low enough.
Viconia opens with Unholy Word. The Edwin clone is the first to lose a spell to casting failure due to deafness.
One of the inmates takes down Jon-bon's Dispelling Screen, while Carl and Edwin fling Energy Blades his way. Irenicus is off to a bad start. With Irenicus fully visible and with his aura clouded, we can stop using Energy Blades for a moment. Carl begins casting Pierce Shield to debuff Irenicus and Edwin uses Dragon's Breath to hassle the clones. Meanwhile, Flowey tries to Charm Irenicus, who has a subzero save vs. spell.
Things get messy. Flowey and Edwin both get Breached, and the Carl clone gets Improved Alacrity off the ground, making his spellcasting nearly uninterruptable.
The enemy's advantage is short-lived. Irenicus is still completely vulnerable to our Energy Blades, and Wanev neutralizes the Carl clone's Improved Alacrity by casting Time Stop.
Spell durations keep ticking during Time Stop, which means it can deplete or erase short-duration spells like Improved Alacrity, Called Shot, and Greater Whirlwind Attack.
We smash the enemy with HLAs, and the battle is won.
We escape Spellhold and proceed to Brynnlaw. Since we can't come back once we leave, we have to make sure we tie up all loose ends. Like that innkeeper who secretly stole coins from passed-out drunks.
Or whatever. I'm sure he was guilty of something.
We continue our mission to spread justice across Brynnlaw. It's not five minutes before we apprehend a pair of troublemakers who were disturbing the peace.
Careful investigation reveals that everyone on the island was actually a criminal. All were brought to justice, making Carl's genocide run completing justified.
City Sushi was also plagued by crime and vandalism. We apprehend a floating spherical hoodlum, but he resists arrest.
We are patriots and heroes.
We topple the sahuagin government and throw the resistance leader into a giant fan. We also put down a tremendous number of rebels who turned out to be counterrevolutionaries. Viva la resistance!
On to the Underdark. I underestimate Alchra Diagott, who quickly gets a Time Stop off the ground. He throws out a Remove Magic Spell Sequencer, followed by Breach... and then something very, very dangerous.
A single Stoneskin can block Comet's crushing damage, but Carl will lose his Stoneskin soon after Time Stop ends due to that Remove Magic and Breach from Alchra Diagott. Comet in SR does 10d10 crushing damage with no save. That's 55 damage on average, or 110 in LoB mode. Carl could die in a single hit, as he only has 126 HP.
I pause and unpause the game repeatedly to make sure I can move Carl as soon as Time Stop ends. Otherwise, he might get hit by a fatal blow.
It's a nerve-wracking experience, but I manage to get Carl's Stoneskin up and move him out of the way. Even after Comet, Carl is still vulnerable and could be slain with a Disintegrate spell or the like.
Edwin tries to debuff Alchra Diagott, and manages to break down his Spell Shield, but Alchra disappears before Edwin can follow up with Pierce Shield.
Flowey reveals Alchra with Detect Illusions, paving the way for successful debuffs, with an Unholy Word from Viconia to apply spell failure. The lich goes down.
I decide to take a more cautious approach with the next two enemies. Carl prepares a triple Pierce Shield Chain Contingency. It's enough to wipe out all defenses from any enemies no matter how well-buffed they are. The remaining foes are harmless, even Raevilin Strathi.
The Balor is the last tough enemy on the map. But it has no complex defenses to speak off--it's just a really strong fighter with some limited magic abilities.
The terms of the genocide run require me to kill everything. That means I have to wipe out Ust Natha, which is not supposed to be possible using normal means. The situation is even worse with LoB mode. I need to do every side quest I possibly can before I do that fight. That means tackling not just the Kuo-toa and the Demon Knights, but also the Mind Flayers and the Beholder hive.
Even Invisibility Sphere would have failed due to SR spell deflection spells absorbing area-effect spells.
Don't worry; it won't stop such beneficial spells (Bless, Chant and similar). Globe will; however. GL with Ust Natha, can't wait to see it.
Also, about Comet - it's even more deadly than it's description states. There isn't a spell in the game that has a higher chunk chance than this one. I feel that it's projectile is somewhat bugged and sometimes works so that it delivers it's damage *twice*, similar to some dragons' breath attacks (Thaxy being the prime example). Basically, watch your mages. Unbuffed mage is very likely to explode if hit by it. On a good side, a high-enough Deflection (7th level and above) will stop it.
He will be traveling with a custom party including (in order): - half-orc (gah) barbarian - halfling wizardslayer - elf archer (female) - gnome thief/illusionist - sorcerer (female)
They're pretty much maxed out regarding physical stats, sorc doesn't have 18 WIS since I don't use Wish, archer's nemesis are demons, since that's pretty much the only viable choice. This party lacks a proper cleric, but with KR Paladins get spells sooner (starting from level 4) so we'll have some, at least minor divine buffs optional. Ditto rangers. Level 5 and above divine spells will be unavailable for throughout the game (IR has some divine scrolls, so not all is lost, albeit they're expensive and limited). What we do have however is huge power - 2 fantastic tanks, 2 dedicated archers (wizard slayer is using short bows), with 2 mages to back them up.
Pretty much my standard. Due to some nonsense I had in mind when installing mods, I have two SCS components I never use - beefed up trolls and "always spawn toughest random spawns". Both of these are imo awful, but now it's done. I may try to "fix" the trolls with Polytweak if I can get it to work on EET platform. If not, I'll be stuck with trolls that are even more annoying than they already are.
Anyhow, to game. Due to 6 people, level up progress was fairly slow. We did some ring-around-Beregost stuff, using Spook spell as a prime disable. Note that even my barbarian is using a bow for now.
We got to the all-important level 2 by clearing the ankheg cave. So far, my protagonist is holding the front-line alone. A critical hit from an ankheg could hurt him, but with Pro Acid scroll we bought at Thalantyr I fear nothing.
With that done, we open up Dushai's home village where I ponder about the idea of killing her. Decided against it, and took a risky approach vs Vampiric Wolves near Beregost temple. Worked out fine...Free Action ring will be stolen - eventually.
I ended this session by killing Mutamin, his basilisks, a bunch of Gnolls, and Kirian's gang, followed by some wannabe assassins near Gullyking. A good start.
Arkhaim Grey, 2nd BG2 update (first post just above)
The idea I had in mind when crating this party was a "completionist run", including Durlag and all of it's quests. That's the main reason for including a part-time thief instead of a cleric (Durlag's w/o a thief is a painful experience). Thus, next we visited Durlag for some quick XP boost, still w/o Ring of Free action. Horrors there were scorched via wand.
Inside, we had our first deah of the run. Stix Mon, the illusinist/thief, got hit by a ghast which chewed up on him quickly.
Even my protagonist got held once. I raged the barbarian asap and killed the 2 ghasts smacking Arkhaim. This reminded me just how RoFA is important in BG1, while saves are bad.
We got a level there after clearing top-floor basilisk, I invested all points into Pickpocket skill and Dushai gets pickpocketed succesfully.
Now I could do some harder quests, including Bassilus. He buffed up with Physical Mirror, turning himself arrow-immune (very bad for this party). Worse yet, he had a Harm memorized. The spell is nerfed in SR when it comes to damage (does fixed 90 damage, cannot kill a target) but it lasts much longer and the hand delivering it is much more accurate. The spell sticks, and Arkhaim gets to a single HP.
Luckily, there were no stray skeletons around, so drinking potions was an option. Bassil played defensively, casting Sanctuary-Heal and then slamming Hold Person against everyone he could see. Eventually, a critical hit from Arkhaim sent him to his makers.
Next were Sirens areas (no problems there, I even sacrificed Stix to get Helmet of Defense)
And Ulcaster. I have some mod that puts an Undead mage there. He casts Horror, summons some Shadows and can level drain you, provided he *hits* you. No problems, in any case.
Wolf of Ulcaster was also slain. Now I had two Fire Wands.
I ended the session by going back to Durlag's and finishing all but delivering bottle of wine to Love. That will wait for better days.
Arkhaim Grey, 3rd BG1 update (previous just above)
We explored all of open BG1 wilderness areas (trying a completeonist run here....) for very little gain. I didn't do Firewine dungeon (I don't know exact trap locations there), fought that ogre-mage with a jar in the ame area, nor Red Wizards (too hard for now). Overall, no danger, no gain in items nor much XP. Returned to main plot, killed Mulahey (issue with his helpers not spawning was fixed, not that it mattered much anyway - I didn't have access to Skull Traps for them but a raging barbarian does the same...)
Now it's a straight road to Bandit camp (amazons and Nimbul are too easy for level 6 parties) There, incredibly enough, my illusionist manages to throw a Web despite not having Mirror image buff. This is pretty much game over for bandits...
We barely took damage there. Cloakwood, I helped Aldeth. I think this is the last time I did that - I never noticed what actually happens here. Druids come, become hostile, and this idiot just stays away and observes the battle. The main druid here also has Insect Plague on my install. And Leopard summons. Overall, you loose the sword up to BG for some poor XP and a ring (decent enough, but nothing gamebreaking - +1spell/level 1-4). Probably the best bet is to kill them all (this game seems to reward such actions). Anyhow, I let Aldeth live and continue w/o his fantastic sword for now.
Mines entrance was a decent enough battle. I opened with 2x Detonation arrow from Durlag's. Mages managed to fire their buffs before that, but fighters took heavy blows, as did summoned jellys.
I managed to hit both of the mages with a Spell Thrust, removing their Globes. Now they're open for some AoE spells - fireballs, more exactly.
Enemies start to die and panick.
They did manage to Dominate my Wizardslayer, but other than that - smooth sailing with fireballs was all there was to it.
Davaeorn - np. I used invisibility to disarm the traps and lure the Horrors for a quick whacking. Barbarian stays near the door, where guards would spawn.
Davaeorn seemed to love electricity, and fired Lighting bolts repeatedly at my PC. He does wear Boots of Grounding, however, making these inflict only half the damage.
Next he decides to tp to the small room where the rest of my group was. He eats a Spell Thrust, and wizard slayer inflicts spell failure on him.
He fails to cast twice....
...and finally dies.
He is supposed to drop a scroll of Stoneskin (in addition to his other loot) but didn't have it. Odd - but I'll manage w/o it I guess.
I decided to abandon the "finish all quests" thingie since I wanted to get to SoD quickly. And I don't trust myself to defeat Aec'letec in a No-Reload run w/o having someone permanently "ghasted". Maybe next time, but for now, we rushed through the city relatively quickly. First thing I did was buy all available Detonation arrows. With two highly proficient archers, most of opposition we had was turned to ash before they could react.
Those which did survive the initial barrage, were executed with acid/fire arrows.
Yes, it was pretty much Detonations all the way. Slythe & Krystin were killed via poison arrows. I usually don't use these for some reason, but they're outstanding actually. Dopes in the palace had no chance against us.
My sorceress managed to get her first succesful Dispel Magic here.
Sarevok killed Liia, but Belt lived. Down the maze, more detonation arrows....
As per Sarevok... 2 Pro Magic scrolls used on WS and archer. As always, Angelo dies first. He did manage to cast Domination which could have been troublesome, but sorceress saved vs it. He ate total of 6 wand attempts, then he failed the save and died.
With that done, it's smooth sailing. Hide, shoot, rinse, repeat until Semaj dies.
With him out of picture, summons are used on Diramid to prevent his poison arrows. Sarevok clears them quickly, but 2 fully loaded wands prove to be more than enough.
He stood no chance.
Off to Sod. This is Arkhaim upon entering.
Currently, we've exited the 1st dungeon and are getting ready to explore some dwarven undead cave. The 1st SoD dungeon was cleared out with Detonation arrows.
He's still alive. Haven't been on him much just yet, but want to change that this week. Corwild is a gnomish fighter/thief, with his party of 4 human wild mages and a dwarven berserker leading the charge. No interesting surges just yet.
Corwild is NOT taking any precautions (e.g., not not casting spells like Grond0 often does with his wild mages in BG 1) - if he wants his mages to cast a spell, he has them do it, come what may. Working so far, but we got lot to go still. Party is level 2. Blind has been pretty huge to date - although with berserker as distraction, we've been fine even if it's saved against.
Will keep at it. Might be able to spend a good amount of time on it Tuesday perhaps.
Andur, lawful good half-elven cleric/ranger (solo), update 5
After leaving the underdark, Andur still had two dragons to kill before attacking Bodhi.
With fighter HLA's now available, this was quite easy compared to my earlier failed attempt to defeat Firkraag. In addition to my usual buffs, I added hardiness and improved haste (using the bracers of blinding strike). The shadow dragon was the first to fall:
For Firkraag, I added protection from fire and a couple of skeleton warriors. Two GWWs were enough:
After the two dragons were dead, Andur had Cromwell forge Crom Faeyr.
With my turn undead being powerful enough to instantly kill vampires, getting to Bodhi was easy. After clearing most of the room with a sunray, the vampire herself was attacked by all of Andur's allies, and she was easily defeated:
I entered the elven city and killed various golems, demons, rakshasa etc. Andur was actually forced to use an invisibilty potion to get away from three clay golems who managed to slow him, as he was about to lose a direct battle because of this condition. Still, the rest of the city was quickly cleared, and it was time to slay the third dragon, with the help of a deva and some skeleton warriors:
A deva also dealt with Jon at the tree of life (though Andur joined after the mage used his most powerful spells to speed up the fight).
I completed all of the hell trials the good way before preparing for the final battle. Andur first killed the demons while a deva attacked Jon. He activated multiple HLAs (like hardiness, globe of blades and gww) after the slayer's protections started to crumble. A simple fight, as none of the ranger/cleric's defensive buffs were ever dispelled or ran out:
Next time, Andur will start his way through ToB. Things are bound to get more difficult now.
I have done a search to try and find what spells Edwin has in Dragonspear. Does he have the same as he had upon finishing BG1? Or does he lose them as per Neera? I've done a google search but couldn't find the answer. If anyone knows what is in his spell book in Dragonspear, please let me know.
I have recently realised that I probably made a mistake in having him learn every available spell in BG1.
I have recently realised that I probably made a mistake in having him learn every available spell in BG1.
I don't see how that can be a mistake, @Wise_Grimwald - just go into his book and unscribe any spell you will never use for the level of spell you want to learn. Then he can learn a spell that level (if he's at max). You could also just gulp genius potions to allow scribing spells even if max spells for his INT.
I have recently realised that I probably made a mistake in having him learn every available spell in BG1.
I don't see how that can be a mistake, @Wise_Grimwald - just go into his book and unscribe any spell you will never use for the level of spell you want to learn. Then he can learn a spell that level (if he's at max). You could also just gulp genius potions to allow scribing spells even if max spells for his INT.
The mistake that I meant was that I should have kept the scroll for when we are in Dragonspear and learnt it there, at least the rarer scrolls.
So, I managed to kill both PCs I had in around 5 minutes. Sarieln whom I randomly decided to play, got Petrified by a Chromatic Orb from the Archdruid (didn't know he was an Avenger... Now I know... Welp!), and Naisharel got shot down by Elite Hobgoblins... I really, really hate Elite Hobgoblins. Spoiler's the text directly from TobEx's dialogue log since I didn't take a screenshot.
[0036E00C] Hobgoblin Elite- Attack Roll 17 + 3 = 20 : Hit [0036E011] Hobgoblin Elite did 7 damage to Naisharel [0036E011] Naisharel- Ugh, I will require healing as soon as possible. [0036E011] Naisharel- Poison [0036E012] PAUSED [0036E012] UNPAUSED [0036E013] The Party Has Gained Experience: 7 [0036E016] Hobgoblin Elite did 1 damage to Naisharel [0036E021] Hobgoblin Elite- Attack Roll 15 + 3 = 18 : Hit [0036E025] Hobgoblin Elite did 1 damage to Naisharel [0036E027] Hobgoblin Elite did 5 damage to Naisharel [0036E027] Naisharel- Death [0036E027] Naisharel- Poison [0036E050] PAUSED [0036E050] One use per day items like the Horn of Blasting will disappear from the quickslot toolbar when the item is used. The quickslot icon will reappear the next day when the item can be used again.
I already got my next PC, gonna make a good introductory post when I get back from running/cousin's birthday.
Legacy of Bhaal Genocide Run: Carl the Llama in BG2 (first post here)
I severely underestimated the Demon Knights in the Underdark. One Remove Magic spell takes down our Dispelling Screen vanishes, and another Remove Magic debuffs Carl, who uses a Spell Trigger to buy himself some time
Our other party members aren't so well-prepared. Flowey's AC in Fire Elemental form is incredible, but he needs special equipment to avert critical hits, as IR helmets don't all block critical damage.
Notice the new Remove Magic on the way, threatening to debuff Carl once more. Carl uses a Spell Sequencer to regain his immunity to fire, knowing that the Demon Knights have instant-casting Fireballs on hand.
Notice that Carl has two Protection from Elemental Energy spells in his sequencer. This is because casting two or more such spells at once--that is, spells that allow you to select other spells from a .2da table--keeps the subsequent spell menu open indefinitely. Normally, after selecting and casting one of those four spells at the bottom of the screen, the menu goes away. But if you use the Wand of Lightning trick or a sequencer to cast it twice at the same, it never does, and you can cast it an infinite number of times, until you switch to another character or give the caster a different order. This works for Enchanted Weapon, Spell Immunity (which SR replaces), and SR's Protection from Elemental Energy.
But here, Carl only needs it for fire immunity (Protection from Elemental Energy can block fire, cold, acid, or electricity). Carl resists the next Remove Magic, but his friends aren't so lucky, and Flowey suffers the first level drain of the fight.
We have incredibly high levels thanks to LoB mode, but LoB fights last for many rounds, and the enemy has a lot more time to level drain us to oblivion.
Edwin restores our Dispelling Screen instead of casting Stoneskin. The party is safer, but Edwin dies with a single slash and a PW: Kill.
We keep trading blows with the Demon Knights. Everyone suffers.
I already have only five party members; deaths are especially nasty for this team. We need to recover.
Carl runs outside to cast Spell Trap. We'll need this to increase our opportunities for Wish-resting; Edwin can restore Carl's slots with Bigby's Crushing Hand. Meanwhile, Viconia casts Mass Raise Dead. Despite her lack of Stoneskins, she manages to get the spell off the ground. Flowey uses the Wand of Lightning to get a little more out of a healing potion, but Edwin isn't fast enough.
Without his armor for the slashing AC bonus, or any of our normal buffs, Flowey's defenses are pretty poor. But Carl gets an important Wish option.
All the same, it's simply not enough.
Carl has more luck with the next two Wishes. He restores the party and lands some automatic hits with Energy Blades during Time Stop.
Carl is now mostly buffed and can safely re-enter combat.
Viconia starts casting Mass Raise Dead once more. In my install, it's a once-per-day innate spell (rather than a level 7 spell you can memorize multiple times), but Carl's Wish-rest restored it.
Viconia gets hit during the spell, but these days, scratch damage won't always disrupt spellcasting in EE.
How did she get 95% damage resistance? Well, IR drow plate mail grants 30% damage resistance (the description says 25%), and Hardiness from Wish grants 40%, and erroneously stacks because the "Remove Effects by Resource" opcode's target is the caster, but no one else (so only the caster can't stack Wish Hardiness). I don't know where the other 25% came from; I think 10% is from Armor of Faith, which doesn't scale in SR--but lasts 50 rounds.
As Viconia brings back Flowey and Edwin, some of our celestials fade away.
We haul in another Fallen Planetar to compensate, but the Demon Knights are getting sluggish.
We seal their doom with Implosion, which bypasses magic resistance and holds the target for 1 round with no save.
It uses opcode 109, which means anything with Free Action is immune, and spell protections can block it, but it's a great way to pin down anything else.
Item Revisions, as always, makes sure that each reward is unique and cool.
Flowey and Viconia can switch it out when we need to worry about Horrid Wilting.
Next up is the Underdark exit, and the high-powered party of drow spellcasters, golems, and glabrezus that guards it. Stan launches a Storm of Vengeance to frustrate the enemy's magicks, but it's too slow to stop multiple Remove Magic spells from getting past our Dispelling Screen. Edwin loses his defenses.
Stan follows up with two Earthquakes; Carl uses Improved Alacrity to get us more Wishes.
Edwin, shorn of his buffs and within range, gets nailed by PW: Stun. Even though he's not injured, SR's PW: Stun still stuns him for 1 round.
Stan tries another spell, but those Remove Magic spells took away his Stoneskins. Carl brings out some Wishes.
Edwin's Break Enchantment Contingency fires, removing the stun effect and allowing him to finish casting Dragon's Breath. It breaks the strength of the enemy. We follow up with debuffers to handle the drow whose spell protections allowed them to survive.
The battle is won. Time to fight Beholders. Which mostly looks like this:
In a nutshell, I hide the party in a separate chamber, send out celestials to die against the Beholders, and keep the party under invisibility at all times.
The celestials still suffer, but some micromanagement improves their efficacy.
SCS celestials are immune to spell failure, which means Anti-Magic Rays are useless against them. They also cast all spells instantly, making Break Enchantment and Heal great rescue options, and allowing my weaker fallen celestials (who lack strong healing spells) to spam Poison and Flame Strike.
We get surprised by some Mind Flayers who figure out where those celestials are coming from...
...but I already made sure to keep the party fully-buffed just in case, and it doesn't take long for our celestials to come to our rescue.
Just for fun I have Flowey, our Seducer, Charm one of the Elder Orbs.
Charm is unreliable against spellcasters, but it's immensely gratifying to turn an enemy's spells against it. Plus, Beholders have permanent Improved Alacrity, which means you can empty their entire spellbook by having them begin casting new spells and cancel them immediately afterwards.
Our winning streak abruptly ends when Vithal foolishly fails to cast any pre-buffs, unlike all other SCS mages. LoB improves his HP, but it's not enough, and our attempts to protect him fall short.
It costs us some nice loot, but we were going to kill him anyway.
If you have Edwin in your final save of Bg1, I am guessing he will be in the starting dungeon of SoD with the spellbook he had the end of bg1... Then you did not make a mistake with the scrolls. If he is not with you starting SoD, well then that is different than most other npcs
I didn't know Shar-Teel and Eldoth fought, soooo, Eldoth got brutally murdered by her. Not gonna blame her, he was an ass. That's why I recruited Garrick.
A bit of background!
I changed Alia to NE, since she's narcissist and is always pursuing the best outcome for herself (also I picked CN because I was unsure about what to choose at CharGen, and created my idea of her later). She's a priest of Kossuth for almost the same reason: it gives her power. She's particularly interested in having powerful lackeys, which is why she recruits these people (Garrick is kind of her "foolish lil' courier boy"). When given the option of working for Renal, she'll dual-class to a Thief, since she sees the possibility of getting power that way.
Her choice of weapons is simple: reliable weapons that don't take her time away from learning magic. She serves Kossuth because it serves her, he doesn't demand much, and gives enough for her in return. Also, I didn't want to make another Sorcerer out of that great portrait. I'm sick of Sorcerers. And I want my PCs to use Staves... I'm going to play a Druid in my next run, one that uses Staves.
I didn't do much, got the RoP+1 from Mirianne, killed the Spiders in Beregost and everything that was alive in the map under Beregost as well with a lil' bit of help from Tiax's Ghast (actually it just killed everything while the party played blackjack). Silke was killed with a trap Tiax managed to set with 10% Set Traps, his Ghast and buffs all around the party, still, Shar-Teel got oneshot, but I resurrected her for just 100gp. Last thing I did was buying two scrolls of both Sleep and Blindness for Edwin and Garrick. I think I'm going to go for the Gnoll Fortress, and then for the Basilisks or something else that gives a lot of XP.
Comments
Deja, human dark moon monk (Grond0) & Furgle, half-elf fighter/druid (Gate70)
Creating another couple of lambs to the slaughter saw Gate70 initially roll a barbarian as his class. However, having played that recently he decided to roll another and got a fighter/druid. My first roll was a dark moon monk, which I initially thought I might re-roll as well as I played a sun soul monk in the last run. However, I've hardly played a dark moon monk at all in either single or multi-player so decided I should stick with that.
After taking advantage of a special ability to blind Shoal the new duo attempted to save Melicamp, but had to settle for taking an early tea. After passing through Beregost and Nashkel it was quickly on to the basilisk area where the monsters were soon eliminated. Mutamin managed to get a horror off before he died, which could have proved nasty
Moving on to the Lighthouse the sirines were unable to deal with Deja sneaking into the middle of them under the influence of the potion of clarity. Initially the plan was to buy some magical bullets to kill the golems, but looking at the shop prices the duo agreed melee was the way to go
A bit of dooming and blinding saw the end of Greywolf and a few more reputation quests led up to the ankheg nest where reputation hit 20. With prices now looking more reasonable Furgle bought the staff at Ulgoth's Beard before heading back to the golems. The first of those was quickly killed, but the intention to pull the second one away from the hold trap backfired when pathfinding took it out of sight for a moment and it immediately moved further away - Furgle following and getting stuck in the trap. That resulted in Deja taking a hit to get the golem's attention and then running it round until Furgle was active again.
The Nashkel Mine held no problems, with the Greenstone Amulet ensuring that Mulahey would pose no threat (he failed to get a spell off anyway). Outside there was a first use of Furgle's new call lightning spell on the amazons before heading for Nashkel. Lightning would have struck Nimbul, but cheeky Rasaad (not for the first time) nipped in for the kill
At the Bandit Camp Deja proved hard to hit with bandit arrows and the duo made quick progress through to find Taurgosz - he had a shocking end.
There was nothing to detain them long while passing through the Cloakwood on the way to the mine there. Furgle successfully charmed Genthore, but he only made a single attack on Kysus before switching sides (despite the fact we kept out of sight of Drasus). An attempt to pull Genthore away by himself then failed when Kysus followed and managed to both confuse and horrify Furgle. That could well have been fatal, but Kysus didn't notice Deja sneaking up behind with some frozen fists
Fighting in the mine was kept to a minimum on the way down to Davaeorn. On arrival there Furgle gleefully demonstrated on the mustard jelly the advantage of having an enormous tool (that exploit only works in MP).
In the City the intention was to acquire a second pair of boots from Lothander, but Mr skinny found a way to slip out through the blockade.
The Iron Throne wouldn't have been easy for this pair, so Deja just sneaked in to get the evidence to persuade Duke Eltan to send them to Candlekeep. After looting the tombs there Prat and his companions were assaulted as a couple of nymphs were throwing in confusions. That worked pretty well, though Sakul managed to go invisible before wandering away confused. Deja followed and activated detect illusions for the first time in the game, but Sakul chose that moment to launch a hopeless attack anyway.
Looking to push Furgle's levels up to their maximum the duo returned to Durlag's Tower where some basilisks offered quick and easy XP.
Furgle smashed his way through the maze with the help of his buffs from the palace and a scroll of PfU. That was also used on some skeleton warriors in the Undercity, though the nearby party was left alone.
Inside the temple Semaj was confronted with summons when he teleported out. Sarevok was distracted away by Deja, who used a potion of invisibility to strand him while the mage was finished off. Sarevok was a potential problem given that summons were very limited and he had his speed buffed - thus moving faster than Deja could. That meant Furgle doing more tanking of him than he might have otherwise chosen, but he performed that role well and Sarevok fell comfortably enough in the end.
Deja, dark moon monk 8, 64 HPs, 143 kills
Furgle, fighter 7 / druid 8, 85 HPs (incl. 5 from Helm), 228 kills, 0 deaths
I haven't had time to update this run for a couple of days, but Andur is off to a good start in Amn. He started by doing the minor non-stronghold-related quests in Athkatla, using mostly spells like holy smite and various selfbuffs to improve his combat stats. After a couple of levels, I had him use sanctuary to finish the druid grove questline without any combat encounters (just walking all the way to Faldorn and letting Cernd fight) and subsequently entered the temple ruins.
My turn undead level was high enough to kill shadows at this point, and summoned skeletons plus sling/war hammer attacks dealt with the rest. A well protected- and buffed Andur defeated the shade lord in combat:
I quickly finished the ranger stronghold quests before completing the Mae'Var questline and freeing De'Arnise hold. With new gold and improved equipment, Andur is (and will be, until he gets Crom Faeyr) dual wielding the FoA +3 and the Defender of Easthaven.
To acquire the boots of haste, the planar prison was next. With death ward and chaotic commands, I felt save enough to assist my aerial servants in defeating the Warden, though only with the sling:
Speaking of slings, I also bought a new one, the sling of everard, to deal with the adamantite golems in the planar sphere, which was the next area I decided to visit:
The Windspear Hills were still left to do, and I skipped some battles with Sanctuary. When fighting Conster, I encountered a weird bug where he would constantly be using "magic tattoo - mirror image" - this made the battle last for quite a while, as I had to get through a new mirror image spell every round:
Andur made an attempt at fighting Firkraag, but, though he was well protected against his spells and his breath weapon, I soon realized that the ranger/cleric at this point didn't have the damage output to defeat the dragon in a one on one battle. I simply ran away after a couple of attacks.
It was also time for my first HLA - I chose "summon deva" and used my celestial ally to deal with most of the liches and mind flayers in the city:
I also cleared the guarded compound and killed Bodhi, though I didn't intend to go to Brynnlaw right away - instead, I used the newly acquired iMoD +2 to kill Kangaxx with the help of a protection from magic scroll:
Now, it is time to sail away!
Btw, despite encountering no trouble during the various combat encounters so far, I was at one time quite close to death in my run: I did accidentally trigger a flesh to stone trap when opening the door to the bridge district lich building while not protected against petrification and with only a 2 as my saving throw (I simply misremembered the trap and didn't realize what was happening, so I couldn't switch equipment or drink a potion in time) - so I actually had a 10% chance to die right there, but luckily, luck was on my side.
Enuhal
To be fair, SCS comes with a warning that it can slow things down, but I doubt the creator of that mod ever suspected their program would ever be installed on a computer quite as underpowered and craptacular as mine.
To give you an idea, I'm estimating the install of SCS I did just the other day took about 8 hours, give or take an hour or so. I just let the computer run overnight. It was installing before bed, and still installing after I woke up. I got about 6.5 hours, plus a bit of time waiting on each end when I was awake. Well, not really waiting as in staring at the computer watching lines of dialogue scroll. I was doing other stuff and just letting SCS do it's thing... but ya. 8 hours. IS THAT NORMAL?
Speaking of which...
I re-installed SCS on BG2. YAY! When asked, I told it to install everything. It then prompted me to choose options for 4 or 5 things and then spent the next 8 hours doing it's thing. I previously had a pretty light install, mostly AI improvements, minor encounters, major enemies. No improved vampires, beholders, mind flayers, other enemies etc. etc. It only took 3 hours to install then.
I have no idea what I'm in for, I suspect. I don't even have a clue what's been installed or what SCS has done at this point. It may be a while before I complete a no-reload of BG again.
So... how much trouble is my charname in?
Charname dies at the Duke's Palace.
Sarevok is crowned Duke of Baldur's Gate, promising an end to the iron crisis.
Selects a Priest of Cryric to head the Nobel Order of the Radiant Heart and an Illithid to run the Flaming First. In the confirmation hearings, the Illithid is argued to be the firm face of change that the difficult times need.
Declares war on Amn.
Locks up the Council of Four.
Seeks Immortan Godhod via blood of thousands of dead.
(I suppose *this* is what it looks like when country fails its saving roll.)
After killing Perth and leaving Brynnlaw, I tested several HLA's and spell combinations in the Asylum, for example globe of blades + sanctuary. With Andur's current level, the area wasn't really challenging, so he quickly made his way to Jon and defeated him:
After a quick stop at the City of Caverns, the ranger/cleric entered the underdark. For most of the tougher enemies here, I summoned 4-5 Skeletons, sometimes assisted by a Deva, and used the most important defensive buffs (cc, death ward, remove fear, pfe 3' radius, somtimes armor of faith + hardiness) and righteous magic + DUHM. I also had GWW or greater deathblow available.
This way, Andur defeated the balor and the demon knights (they both also happen to be his racial enemy):
The Kuo-Toa prince was killed as well, and the Beholder cave was next. I added protection from petrification to my buffs (using a green scroll) and skipped the group at the entrance under invisibility, first killing the drow party down there. Of course, my buffs were eventually dispelled, but this tactic allowed me to use summons against the entrance group (most importantly a deva, which is immune to the death ray), and instead of melee combat, I was allowed to use the sling against the elder orb (all of this was, of course, only because I was scared of imprisonment). I also remembered that I could get immunity to petrification simply by equipping the right items, so no need for the easily dispellable green scrolls I had gathered during the game.
Anyway, I was eventually able to defeat the first elder orb with the help of my moon dog, Cerberus:
For the other one, I simply ran around with my boots of speed, shooting him with my sling if possible, while he was following me and trying to cast imprisonment. A little bit risky, but ultimately successful.
I also cleared the illithid city - since Andur has 19 base int and numerous chaotic command spells at his disposal, mind flayers are easy prey for him. The elder brain was quickly defeated:
Now, for Ust'Natha: I used greater deathblow to free Phaere - every enemy seems to be affected by it:
After completing the other tasks, I switchted the eggs with the help of my various invisibility rings and returned to a happy Adalon.
Everything seems to be going quite well: I avoided all of the stupid mistakes from previous failed underdark attempts (they seem to happen down there quite often, due to the etremely high number of instant death or disable effects) and didn't repeat any of the trap-misremembering I almost fell victim to in chapter 2. Andur is almost at max level (will propably reach it while fighting Bodhi).
Enuhal
Deja, human dark moon monk (Grond0) & Furgle, half-elf fighter/druid (Gate70)
Another day, another run ended ...
Things were looking so promising as the dungeon was comfortably negotiated with the odd nymph demonstrating how good hold monster can be
The circus was no more challenging
Renfeld was saved on the way to the Temple to get a necklace for Mae'Var. While there we decided to have a quick look into the sewers and picked off most of the kobolds in the centre while working round to Roger. I hadn't intended Deja to get involved in any serious fighting, so hadn't topped up her HPs and Furgle's two attempts to do that were both interrupted - by an area transition and stealth activation. Those missing HPs proved costly when Furgle came into sight of the rakshasa and prompted a fireball greeting - Deja wasn't expecting that and was hanging around too close to him ...
(first post here)
Next up, De'Arnise Hold. Storm of Vengeance has always been a disappointing spell for me, but it does go past magic resistance and GOI, which makes it a safe option against the Coiled Cabal.
Harm also bypasses MR in Spell Revisions, and Fallen Devas can cast it instantly.
Unfortunately, in LoB mode, it can't even kill mages reliably--or even cut their HP in half.
Note that our Totemic Druid, Stan, is evil. I used EEKeeper to avoid the normal druid alignment requirements. This was actually a bad powergaming decision, as Stan could have chosen Summon Deva instead of Summon Fallen Deva if he was neutral. Then we could have had access to all four celestial types: Deva, Planetar, Fallen Deva, and Fallen Planetar. The good-aligned ones have the distinct advantage of getting instant-casting healing spells, a major boon in high-intensity LoB fights where the party's aura is stretched thin.
Anyway, we overrun the Trolls with brute force. Some fights in this run are hideously complicated and dicey, but enemies with few magic attacks like Remove Magic and Breach are generally not too challenging for us.
We get ambushed once again by corrupt city guards. By now I have gotten rather tired of seeing them. Luckily, they all die of heart attacks simultaneously.
We get into serious trouble on the way back to the Planar Sphere. Turns out one of the enemies in the post-apprentice ambush is a Wizard Slayer.
Having played a Wizard Slayer once, I know how absurdly overpowered that spell failure is. I don't know how many times Carl has gotten hit, but each hit from a Wizard Slayer inflicts a crippling 25% spell failure that cannot be dispelled through any means, lasts for several rounds, and stacks. Even a single blow is potentially fatal, and Carl has probably suffered more than that.
On top of that, his Stoneskins are now gone. He probably has 100% spell failure, and he's moments away from death, with a clouded aura that will prevent him from casting PFMW for another 6 seconds.
Assuming that Wizard Slayer is even using a magical weapon. If he isn't, Carl is practically doomed.
Edwin bails Carl out. If Carl had had Spell Trap active, that would never have been possible. Even Invisibility Sphere would have failed due to SR spell deflection spells absorbing area-effect spells.
No good deed goes unpunished, and Edwin quickly gets nailed by spell failure as well. Carl tries to chip in to defend the party, but receives another savage blow, as he still has no Stoneskin active--he used his aura to drink a potion instead, knowing a spell would likely fail.
It's entirely possible Natula could have slain Carl with a critical hit, had he gotten a higher damage roll; I don't know what his base damage looks like.
Natula is dangerous, but he's using a melee weapon and has no defenses to speak of. Carl scoots away while his friends trap the assailant. Out of spite, Carl jumps in to land the finishing blow.
Teos appears to congratulate us on our hard work painting the walls red, and asks us to use a special Imprisonment rune on some random guy, which for some reason is cheaper and easier than simply killing the man and hiding his body--or turning him into a squirrel and putting him in a box.
The Imprisonment spell condemns the victim to an eternity of loneliness and isolation, without even the escape of death to relieve their torment. Only a genuine sociopath would use such a spell on a sentient creature.
But... whatever.
Finally we're ready for Spellhold. I like Andante better than Dirbish the Black, so I tip the scales in a local brawl in Brynnlaw.
I could destroy Perth the Adept's defenses using Pierce Shield, but Flowey renders that strategy unnecessary, as he manages to Charm Perth. A Seducer's Charm ability takes a few seconds to take effect, so Perth doesn't get charmed until after he casts Time Stop.
Perth has two illegal castings of Summon Fallen Planetar--some bug during installation. We have Perth summon both Planetars, who will remain on our side even if he goes hostile.
Not that it was necessary. A Seducer's Charm can't be broken by friendly fire, which means we get to launch attacks at him without fear of reprisal. He was doomed the moment he failed his save vs. spell.
Yuan-ti Mages have ceased to be an issue by this point. Planetars are immune to +2 weapons and below, granting them immunity to Yuan-ti attacks, as the fighters use nonmagical weapons (!) and the mages' Minute Meteors only strike as +2 weapons in SCS. I can just let my celestials handle the Coiled Cabal while the rest of the party handles other matters.
Blitzkrieg tactics work fine against the Mind Flayer and Beholder you summon to get the Ring of Free Action. The only big fight left on this battle is the Spellhold lich. He opens with some Cloudkill spells, but Stan is innately immune thanks to his druid immunities, and Neutralize Poison can grant immunity to poison damage in SR.
Spell Revisions puts a cap on Skull Trap damage, but SCS mages still use them in Spell Sequencers, and the double damage from LoB mode makes them almost a one-hit kill. Carl's comprehensive buffs keep him safe.
But we still have Pierce Shield. The lich simply can't hold onto his defenses.
And though Stan is almost dead, our Planetar gets instant-cast Heal spells.
The fight ends soon after. We trounce Dace and get a yummy hand for Carl.
I'm a little worried about the fight with Irenicus, so I reorganize our contingencies. Carl starts the battle with basically every defense he can possibly have--as well as a clone who can summon a Planetar for us.
Notice that Edwin landed a hit on Irenicus. Jon-bon has Moment of Prescience just like Carl, which means we can hit him with any weapon if our THAC0 is low enough.
Viconia opens with Unholy Word. The Edwin clone is the first to lose a spell to casting failure due to deafness.
One of the inmates takes down Jon-bon's Dispelling Screen, while Carl and Edwin fling Energy Blades his way. Irenicus is off to a bad start.
With Irenicus fully visible and with his aura clouded, we can stop using Energy Blades for a moment. Carl begins casting Pierce Shield to debuff Irenicus and Edwin uses Dragon's Breath to hassle the clones. Meanwhile, Flowey tries to Charm Irenicus, who has a subzero save vs. spell.
Things get messy. Flowey and Edwin both get Breached, and the Carl clone gets Improved Alacrity off the ground, making his spellcasting nearly uninterruptable.
The enemy's advantage is short-lived. Irenicus is still completely vulnerable to our Energy Blades, and Wanev neutralizes the Carl clone's Improved Alacrity by casting Time Stop.
Spell durations keep ticking during Time Stop, which means it can deplete or erase short-duration spells like Improved Alacrity, Called Shot, and Greater Whirlwind Attack.
We smash the enemy with HLAs, and the battle is won.
We escape Spellhold and proceed to Brynnlaw. Since we can't come back once we leave, we have to make sure we tie up all loose ends. Like that innkeeper who secretly stole coins from passed-out drunks.
Or whatever. I'm sure he was guilty of something.
We continue our mission to spread justice across Brynnlaw. It's not five minutes before we apprehend a pair of troublemakers who were disturbing the peace.
Careful investigation reveals that everyone on the island was actually a criminal. All were brought to justice, making Carl's genocide run completing justified.
City Sushi was also plagued by crime and vandalism. We apprehend a floating spherical hoodlum, but he resists arrest.
We are patriots and heroes.
We topple the sahuagin government and throw the resistance leader into a giant fan. We also put down a tremendous number of rebels who turned out to be counterrevolutionaries. Viva la resistance!
On to the Underdark. I underestimate Alchra Diagott, who quickly gets a Time Stop off the ground. He throws out a Remove Magic Spell Sequencer, followed by Breach... and then something very, very dangerous.
A single Stoneskin can block Comet's crushing damage, but Carl will lose his Stoneskin soon after Time Stop ends due to that Remove Magic and Breach from Alchra Diagott. Comet in SR does 10d10 crushing damage with no save. That's 55 damage on average, or 110 in LoB mode. Carl could die in a single hit, as he only has 126 HP.
I pause and unpause the game repeatedly to make sure I can move Carl as soon as Time Stop ends. Otherwise, he might get hit by a fatal blow.
It's a nerve-wracking experience, but I manage to get Carl's Stoneskin up and move him out of the way. Even after Comet, Carl is still vulnerable and could be slain with a Disintegrate spell or the like.
Edwin tries to debuff Alchra Diagott, and manages to break down his Spell Shield, but Alchra disappears before Edwin can follow up with Pierce Shield.
Flowey reveals Alchra with Detect Illusions, paving the way for successful debuffs, with an Unholy Word from Viconia to apply spell failure. The lich goes down.
I decide to take a more cautious approach with the next two enemies. Carl prepares a triple Pierce Shield Chain Contingency. It's enough to wipe out all defenses from any enemies no matter how well-buffed they are. The remaining foes are harmless, even Raevilin Strathi.
The Balor is the last tough enemy on the map. But it has no complex defenses to speak off--it's just a really strong fighter with some limited magic abilities.
The terms of the genocide run require me to kill everything. That means I have to wipe out Ust Natha, which is not supposed to be possible using normal means. The situation is even worse with LoB mode. I need to do every side quest I possibly can before I do that fight. That means tackling not just the Kuo-toa and the Demon Knights, but also the Mind Flayers and the Beholder hive.
This is going to be risky.
If you manage to do that @semiticgod , that's it, there's nothing left for you to accomplish with BG games !!
GL with Ust Natha, can't wait to see it.
Also, about Comet - it's even more deadly than it's description states. There isn't a spell in the game that has a higher chunk chance than this one. I feel that it's projectile is somewhat bugged and sometimes works so that it delivers it's damage *twice*, similar to some dragons' breath attacks (Thaxy being the prime example). Basically, watch your mages. Unbuffed mage is very likely to explode if hit by it. On a good side, a high-enough Deflection (7th level and above) will stop it.
Protagonist:
He will be traveling with a custom party including (in order):
- half-orc (gah) barbarian
- halfling wizardslayer
- elf archer (female)
- gnome thief/illusionist
- sorcerer (female)
They're pretty much maxed out regarding physical stats, sorc doesn't have 18 WIS since I don't use Wish, archer's nemesis are demons, since that's pretty much the only viable choice.
This party lacks a proper cleric, but with KR Paladins get spells sooner (starting from level 4) so we'll have some, at least minor divine buffs optional. Ditto rangers. Level 5 and above divine spells will be unavailable for throughout the game (IR has some divine scrolls, so not all is lost, albeit they're expensive and limited).
What we do have however is huge power - 2 fantastic tanks, 2 dedicated archers (wizard slayer is using short bows), with 2 mages to back them up.
Weidu:
// The top of the file is the 'oldest' mod
// ~TP2_File~ #language_number #component_number // [Subcomponent Name -> ] Component Name [ : Version]
~EET/EET.TP2~ #0 #0 // Initialise EET (first mod in install order): 1.0 RC7
~EET_CORE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Core EET (game importation): 1.0 RC7
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #0 // Item Revisions by Demivrgvs: V4 Beta 8
~KIT_REV/KIT_REV.TP2~ #0 #0 // Kit Revisions: Beta 20
~KIT_REV/KIT_REV.TP2~ #0 #110 // Revised THAC0 tables: Beta 20
~KIT_REV/KIT_REV.TP2~ #0 #120 // Revised Saving Throws: Beta 20
~REFINEMENTS/SETUP-REFINEMENTS.TP2~ #0 #10 // Revised High Level Abilities -> Install revised HLAs for all classes: beta 4.05
~REFINEMENTS/SETUP-REFINEMENTS.TP2~ #0 #30 // Shapeshifting fix -> Heal on shifting back to human (Default): beta 4.05
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #1030 // Store Revisions: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #10 // Revised Shield Bonuses: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #17 // Weapon Changes: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #1080 // Enchantment Doesn't Affect Speed Factor of Weapons: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #11 // Dual Wielding Changes for Light and Heavy Weapons: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #18 // Revised Backstabbing -> Thief-only Weapons: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #12 // Items of Protection Can Be Worn with Magical Armor: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #1042 // Revised Armor -> Without Movement Speed Penalties: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #1091 // Remove Weapon Restrictions from Multi-classed Divine Spellcasters -> Clerics and Druids: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #16 // PnP Equipment for Druids -> Druids and Fighter/Druids: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #1060 // Kensai Can Wear Bracers: V4 Beta 8
~ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ #0 #1070 // Thieves Can Use Wands: V4 Beta 8
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #60 // Weapon Animation Tweaks: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #70 // Icewind Dale Casting Graphics (Andyr): Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #130 // Force All Dialogue to Pause Game: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1070 // Improved Multi-Player Kick-out Dialogues: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1090 // Exotic Item Pack: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1120 // Stores Sell Higher Stacks of Items: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2250 // Un-Nerfed Sorcerer Spell Progression Table: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2261 // Alter Mage Spell Progression Table -> PnP Table: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2281 // Alter Cleric Spell Progression Table -> PnP Table: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2291 // Alter Druid Spell and Level Progression Tables -> No Level Progression Changes, PnP Druid/Cleric Spell Table Only: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3001 // Higher HP on Level Up -> NWN Style: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3020 // Identify All Items: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3030 // Easy Spell Learning -> 100% Learn Spells: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3060 // Remove "You Must Gather Your Party..." Sound (Weimer): Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3080 // Increase Ammo Stack Size -> Unlimited Ammo Stacking: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3090 // Increase Gem and Jewelry Stacking -> Unlimited Gem and Jewelry Stacking: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3100 // Increase Potion Stacking -> Unlimited Potion Stacking: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3110 // Increase Scroll Stacking -> Unlimited Scroll Stacking: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3140 // Faster Chapter 1&2 Cut-Scenes and Dreams -> Originals from EoU (Karzak, Blucher): Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3160 // Keep Drizzt's Loot, Disable Malchor Harpell: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3170 // No Drow Avatars On Party In Underdark: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3191 // Disable Non-Hostile Rest Spawns: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3194 // Alter Hostile Rest Spawns -> Disable completely: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3205 // Stores Purchase All Item Types: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4031 // Consistent Stats: Edwin -> Use BG2 Values: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4041 // Consistent Stats: Jaheira -> Use BG2 Values: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4061 // Consistent Stats: Minsc -> Use BG2 Values: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4071 // Consistent Stats: Viconia -> Use BG2 Values: Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4080 // Make Khalid a Fighter-Mage (Domi): Beta 5
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4090 // Make Montaron an Assassin (Andyr): Beta 5
~SPELL_REV/SETUP-SPELL_REV.TP2~ #0 #0 // Spell Revisions: v4 Beta 14
~SPELL_REV/SETUP-SPELL_REV.TP2~ #0 #10 // Deva and Planetar Animations: v4 Beta 14
~SPELL_REV/SETUP-SPELL_REV.TP2~ #0 #20 // Mirror Image Fix: v4 Beta 14
~SPELL_REV/SETUP-SPELL_REV.TP2~ #0 #30 // Dispel Magic Fix: v4 Beta 14
~SPELL_REV/SETUP-SPELL_REV.TP2~ #0 #50 // Remove Disabled Spells from Spell Selection Screens: v4 Beta 14
~SPELL_REV/SETUP-SPELL_REV.TP2~ #0 #55 // Spell Deflection blocks AoE spells: v4 Beta 14
~SPELL_REV/SETUP-SPELL_REV.TP2~ #0 #60 // Update Spellbooks of Joinable NPCs: v4 Beta 14
~CRITICALS/CRITICALS.TP2~ #0 #3 // Revised Grandmastery: Beta 1
~CRITICALS/CRITICALS.TP2~ #0 #4 // Revised Constitution bonuses and Hit point rolls: Beta 1
~CRITICALS/CRITICALS.TP2~ #0 #5 // Revised Strenght bonuses: Beta 1
~CRITICALS/CRITICALS.TP2~ #0 #6 // Revised XP bonuses and progression: Beta 1
~CRITICALS/CRITICALS.TP2~ #0 #9 // dispelable IR potions: Beta 1
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #0 // Ascension v1.51 BETA (requires ToB): v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #1 // Tougher Abazigal (optional, requires ToB): v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #2 // Original Tougher Demogorgon (optional, requires ToB): v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #3 // Tougher Gromnir (optional, requires ToB): v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #4 // Tougher Illasera (optional, requires ToB): v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #5 // Tougher Yaga-Shura (optional, requires ToB): v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #101 // Ascension Portraits - Bodhi: v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #102 // Ascension Portraits - Original Balthazar by Cuv: v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #103 // Restored Bhaalspawn Powers by David Gaider: v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #104 // Extended Epilogues by shawne: v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #105 // Extended EE Epilogues by shawne: v1.5 BETA_20160601
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #999 // Remove Anyone Identifier in EA.ids: v1.5 BETA_20160601
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #1000 // Initialise mod (all other components require this): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #3030 // Re-introduce potions of extra-healing: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4010 // Grant large, flying, non-solid or similar creatures protection from Web and Entangle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4130 // Move NPCs to more convenient locations: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4146 // Skip the Candlekeep tutorial sections -> Skip Candlekeep altogether (warning: breaks the 4th wall!): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4240 // Treat mages' and priests' High-Level Abilities as innate abilities rather than memorisable spells (each may be taken only once): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5000 // Ease-of-use party AI: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5010 // Move Boo into Minsc's pack: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5020 // Remove the blur graphic effect from the Cloak of Displacement: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5050 // Stackable ankheg shells, winterwolf pelts and wyvern heads: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5900 // Initialise AI components (required for all tactical and AI components): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6000 // Smarter general AI: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6010 // Better calls for help: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6024 // Add high-level abilities (HLAs) to spellcasters -> All eligible spellcasters in Throne of Bhaal and Shadows of Amn get HLAs (very challenging and not really recommended!): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6030 // Smarter Mages -> Mages cast some short-duration spells instantly at start of combat, to simulate pre-battle casting: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6040 // Smarter Priests -> Priests cast some short-duration spells instantly at start of combat, to simulate pre-battle casting: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6104 // Potions for NPCs -> All of the potions dropped by slain enemies break and are lost: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6200 // Improved Spiders: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6300 // Smarter sirines and dryads: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6310 // Slightly harder carrion crawlers: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6320 // Smarter basilisks: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6500 // Improved golems: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6510 // Improved fiends -> Fiends have about 50 percent more hit points than normal: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6520 // Smarter genies -> Genies have about 50 percent more hit points than normal: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6530 // Smarter celestials -> Celestials have about 50 percent more hit points than normal: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6540 // Smarter dragons -> Dragons have a substantial hit point increase: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6551 // Smarter beholders -> Don't give beholder rays any chance of burning through spell protections; beholder antimagic blocks all spells, including harmful ones, for a round (simulates D&D rules): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6560 // Smarter mind flayers -> Illithids have only original-game resistances; Illithids can see through invisibility: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6570 // Smarter githyanki: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6580 // Improved Vampires: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6590 // Smarter Throne of Bhaal final villain: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6800 // Smarter Illasera: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6810 // Smarter Gromnir: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6820 // Smarter Yaga-Shura: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6830 // Smarter Abazigal: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6840 // Give Ascension versions of Irenicus and Sendai SCS scripts and abilities: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6850 // Give Ascension demons SCS scripts and abilities: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7000 // Improved doppelgangers: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7010 // Tougher Black Talons and Iron Throne guards: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7050 // Improved Ulcaster: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7060 // Improved Balduran's Isle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7070 // Improved Durlag's Tower: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7080 // Improved Demon Cultists: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7090 // Improved Cloakwood Druids: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7100 // Improved Bassilus: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7110 // Improved Drasus party: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7130 // Improved Red Wizards: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7140 // Improved Undercity party: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7200 // Tougher chapter-two end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7210 // Tougher chapter-three end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7220 // Tougher chapter-four end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7230 // Tougher chapter-five end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7250 // Improved final battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7900 // Improved minor encounters: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8010 // Improved Shade Lord: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8020 // Spellcasting Demiliches: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8043 // Increase difficulty of level-dependent monster groupings -> Maximum difficulty: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8050 // Improved Random Encounters: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8061 // Improved de'Arnise Keep ("Tactics Remix") -> Enhanced spirit trolls (as in Tactics): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8070 // Improved Unseeing Eye: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8081 // Improved Bodhi (Tactics Remix) -> Original Tactics Improved Bodhi with SCSII scripting: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8100 // Improved battle with Irenicus in Spellhold: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8110 // Improved Sahuagin: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8120 // Improved Beholder hive (adapted from Quest Pack): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8140 // Slightly Improved Drow -> Upgrade Ust Natha's defences: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8150 // Slightly Improved Watcher's Keep: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8160 // Improved Fire Giant temple: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8170 // Enhanced Sendai's Enclave: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8180 // Improved Abazigal's Lair: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8190 // Improved Minor Encounters: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility + kreso's Spell Revisions compatibility
~MYCUSTOM/MYCUSTOM.TP2~ #0 #0 // ?????? -> : ???
~MINORNPCPORTRAITSFORBGEE/SETUP-MINORNPCPORTRAITSFORBGEE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Minor NPC Portraits for BGEE: 1.5
~MINORNPCPORTRAITSFORBGEE/SETUP-MINORNPCPORTRAITSFORBGEE.TP2~ #0 #100 // NPCs without Portraits Get Random Portraits: 1.5
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1 // Consistent NPC appearance: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #10 // 3E Thief Sneak Attack: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #15 // Disable item shattering for enemies: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #16 // Adjust BG1 weapon shattering: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #23 // IWD:EE soundsets (requires installed IWD:EE): 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #24 // IWD:EE portraits (requires installed IWD:EE): 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #26 // Add Priest of Tempus kit for Priests: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #27 // Add racial enemies from IWD: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #28 // Remove junk from global scripts: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #29 // Restore TotSC textscreens: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #30 // PnP spell scroll caster levels: 1.3
~EET_TWEAKS/EET_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #31 // Borderless Full Screen Worldmap: 1.3
~EET_END.TP2~ #0 #0 // Finalise EET (last mod in install order)
~SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK/SETUP-SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK.TP2~ #0 #0 // Sentrizeal's Wizard 4 Missing Animation Fix: v1.1
~SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK/SETUP-SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK.TP2~ #0 #1 // Sentrizeal's Elven Ranger Avatar (Female): v1.1
~SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK/SETUP-SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK.TP2~ #0 #2 // Sentrizeal's Elven Ranger Avatar (Male): v1.1
~SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK/SETUP-SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK.TP2~ #0 #3 // Sentrizeal's Elven Ranger Weapon Fix: v1.1
~SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK/SETUP-SENTRIZEAL_AA_PACK.TP2~ #0 #4 // Sentrizeal's Human Gladiator Avatar (Female): v1.1
~EET_GUI.TP2~ #0 #0 // SoD GUI
Pretty much my standard. Due to some nonsense I had in mind when installing mods, I have two SCS components I never use - beefed up trolls and "always spawn toughest random spawns". Both of these are imo awful, but now it's done.
I may try to "fix" the trolls with Polytweak if I can get it to work on EET platform. If not, I'll be stuck with trolls that are even more annoying than they already are.
Anyhow, to game. Due to 6 people, level up progress was fairly slow. We did some ring-around-Beregost stuff, using Spook spell as a prime disable. Note that even my barbarian is using a bow for now.
We got to the all-important level 2 by clearing the ankheg cave. So far, my protagonist is holding the front-line alone. A critical hit from an ankheg could hurt him, but with Pro Acid scroll we bought at Thalantyr I fear nothing.
With that done, we open up Dushai's home village where I ponder about the idea of killing her. Decided against it, and took a risky approach vs Vampiric Wolves near Beregost temple. Worked out fine...Free Action ring will be stolen - eventually.
I ended this session by killing Mutamin, his basilisks, a bunch of Gnolls, and Kirian's gang, followed by some wannabe assassins near Gullyking. A good start.
The idea I had in mind when crating this party was a "completionist run", including Durlag and all of it's quests. That's the main reason for including a part-time thief instead of a cleric (Durlag's w/o a thief is a painful experience). Thus, next we visited Durlag for some quick XP boost, still w/o Ring of Free action.
Horrors there were scorched via wand.
Inside, we had our first deah of the run. Stix Mon, the illusinist/thief, got hit by a ghast which chewed up on him quickly.
Even my protagonist got held once. I raged the barbarian asap and killed the 2 ghasts smacking Arkhaim.
This reminded me just how RoFA is important in BG1, while saves are bad.
We got a level there after clearing top-floor basilisk, I invested all points into Pickpocket skill and Dushai gets pickpocketed succesfully.
Now I could do some harder quests, including Bassilus. He buffed up with Physical Mirror, turning himself arrow-immune (very bad for this party). Worse yet, he had a Harm memorized. The spell is nerfed in SR when it comes to damage (does fixed 90 damage, cannot kill a target) but it lasts much longer and the hand delivering it is much more accurate. The spell sticks, and Arkhaim gets to a single HP.
Luckily, there were no stray skeletons around, so drinking potions was an option. Bassil played defensively, casting Sanctuary-Heal and then slamming Hold Person against everyone he could see.
Eventually, a critical hit from Arkhaim sent him to his makers.
Next were Sirens areas (no problems there, I even sacrificed Stix to get Helmet of Defense)
And Ulcaster. I have some mod that puts an Undead mage there. He casts Horror, summons some Shadows and can level drain you, provided he *hits* you. No problems, in any case.
Wolf of Ulcaster was also slain. Now I had two Fire Wands.
I ended the session by going back to Durlag's and finishing all but delivering bottle of wine to Love.
That will wait for better days.
We explored all of open BG1 wilderness areas (trying a completeonist run here....) for very little gain. I didn't do Firewine dungeon (I don't know exact trap locations there), fought that ogre-mage with a jar in the ame area, nor Red Wizards (too hard for now).
Overall, no danger, no gain in items nor much XP. Returned to main plot, killed Mulahey (issue with his helpers not spawning was fixed, not that it mattered much anyway - I didn't have access to Skull Traps for them but a raging barbarian does the same...)
Now it's a straight road to Bandit camp (amazons and Nimbul are too easy for level 6 parties)
There, incredibly enough, my illusionist manages to throw a Web despite not having Mirror image buff. This is pretty much game over for bandits...
We barely took damage there.
Cloakwood, I helped Aldeth. I think this is the last time I did that - I never noticed what actually happens here. Druids come, become hostile, and this idiot just stays away and observes the battle. The main druid here also has Insect Plague on my install. And Leopard summons.
Overall, you loose the sword up to BG for some poor XP and a ring (decent enough, but nothing gamebreaking - +1spell/level 1-4).
Probably the best bet is to kill them all (this game seems to reward such actions).
Anyhow, I let Aldeth live and continue w/o his fantastic sword for now.
Mines entrance was a decent enough battle. I opened with 2x Detonation arrow from Durlag's. Mages managed to fire their buffs before that, but fighters took heavy blows, as did summoned jellys.
I managed to hit both of the mages with a Spell Thrust, removing their Globes. Now they're open for some AoE spells - fireballs, more exactly.
Enemies start to die and panick.
They did manage to Dominate my Wizardslayer, but other than that - smooth sailing with fireballs was all there was to it.
Davaeorn - np. I used invisibility to disarm the traps and lure the Horrors for a quick whacking.
Barbarian stays near the door, where guards would spawn.
Davaeorn seemed to love electricity, and fired Lighting bolts repeatedly at my PC. He does wear Boots of Grounding, however, making these inflict only half the damage.
Next he decides to tp to the small room where the rest of my group was. He eats a Spell Thrust, and wizard slayer inflicts spell failure on him.
He fails to cast twice....
...and finally dies.
He is supposed to drop a scroll of Stoneskin (in addition to his other loot) but didn't have it. Odd - but I'll manage w/o it I guess.
EDIT
It looks as if he partially corrected what he wrote between you quoting his post and me reading it.I decided to abandon the "finish all quests" thingie since I wanted to get to SoD quickly. And I don't trust myself to defeat Aec'letec in a No-Reload run w/o having someone permanently "ghasted". Maybe next time, but for now, we rushed through the city relatively quickly.
First thing I did was buy all available Detonation arrows. With two highly proficient archers, most of opposition we had was turned to ash before they could react.
Those which did survive the initial barrage, were executed with acid/fire arrows.
Yes, it was pretty much Detonations all the way. Slythe & Krystin were killed via poison arrows. I usually don't use these for some reason, but they're outstanding actually.
Dopes in the palace had no chance against us.
My sorceress managed to get her first succesful Dispel Magic here.
Sarevok killed Liia, but Belt lived. Down the maze, more detonation arrows....
As per Sarevok...
2 Pro Magic scrolls used on WS and archer. As always, Angelo dies first. He did manage to cast Domination which could have been troublesome, but sorceress saved vs it. He ate total of 6 wand attempts, then he failed the save and died.
With that done, it's smooth sailing. Hide, shoot, rinse, repeat until Semaj dies.
With him out of picture, summons are used on Diramid to prevent his poison arrows. Sarevok clears them quickly, but 2 fully loaded wands prove to be more than enough.
He stood no chance.
Off to Sod. This is Arkhaim upon entering.
Currently, we've exited the 1st dungeon and are getting ready to explore some dwarven undead cave. The 1st SoD dungeon was cleared out with Detonation arrows.
He's still alive. Haven't been on him much just yet, but want to change that this week. Corwild is a gnomish fighter/thief, with his party of 4 human wild mages and a dwarven berserker leading the charge. No interesting surges just yet.
Corwild is NOT taking any precautions (e.g., not not casting spells like Grond0 often does with his wild mages in BG 1) - if he wants his mages to cast a spell, he has them do it, come what may. Working so far, but we got lot to go still. Party is level 2. Blind has been pretty huge to date - although with berserker as distraction, we've been fine even if it's saved against.
Will keep at it. Might be able to spend a good amount of time on it Tuesday perhaps.
After leaving the underdark, Andur still had two dragons to kill before attacking Bodhi.
With fighter HLA's now available, this was quite easy compared to my earlier failed attempt to defeat Firkraag. In addition to my usual buffs, I added hardiness and improved haste (using the bracers of blinding strike). The shadow dragon was the first to fall:
For Firkraag, I added protection from fire and a couple of skeleton warriors. Two GWWs were enough:
After the two dragons were dead, Andur had Cromwell forge Crom Faeyr.
With my turn undead being powerful enough to instantly kill vampires, getting to Bodhi was easy. After clearing most of the room with a sunray, the vampire herself was attacked by all of Andur's allies, and she was easily defeated:
I entered the elven city and killed various golems, demons, rakshasa etc. Andur was actually forced to use an invisibilty potion to get away from three clay golems who managed to slow him, as he was about to lose a direct battle because of this condition. Still, the rest of the city was quickly cleared, and it was time to slay the third dragon, with the help of a deva and some skeleton warriors:
A deva also dealt with Jon at the tree of life (though Andur joined after the mage used his most powerful spells to speed up the fight).
I completed all of the hell trials the good way before preparing for the final battle. Andur first killed the demons while a deva attacked Jon. He activated multiple HLAs (like hardiness, globe of blades and gww) after the slayer's protections started to crumble. A simple fight, as none of the ranger/cleric's defensive buffs were ever dispelled or ran out:
Next time, Andur will start his way through ToB. Things are bound to get more difficult now.
Enuhal
I have recently realised that I probably made a mistake in having him learn every available spell in BG1.
[0036E011] Hobgoblin Elite did 7 damage to Naisharel
[0036E011] Naisharel- Ugh, I will require healing as soon as possible.
[0036E011] Naisharel- Poison
[0036E012] PAUSED
[0036E012] UNPAUSED
[0036E013] The Party Has Gained Experience: 7
[0036E016] Hobgoblin Elite did 1 damage to Naisharel
[0036E021] Hobgoblin Elite- Attack Roll 15 + 3 = 18 : Hit
[0036E025] Hobgoblin Elite did 1 damage to Naisharel
[0036E027] Hobgoblin Elite did 5 damage to Naisharel
[0036E027] Naisharel- Death
[0036E027] Naisharel- Poison
[0036E050] PAUSED
[0036E050] One use per day items like the Horn of Blasting will disappear from the quickslot toolbar when the item is used. The quickslot icon will reappear the next day when the item can be used again.
(first post here)
I severely underestimated the Demon Knights in the Underdark. One Remove Magic spell takes down our Dispelling Screen vanishes, and another Remove Magic debuffs Carl, who uses a Spell Trigger to buy himself some time
Our other party members aren't so well-prepared. Flowey's AC in Fire Elemental form is incredible, but he needs special equipment to avert critical hits, as IR helmets don't all block critical damage.
Notice the new Remove Magic on the way, threatening to debuff Carl once more. Carl uses a Spell Sequencer to regain his immunity to fire, knowing that the Demon Knights have instant-casting Fireballs on hand.
Notice that Carl has two Protection from Elemental Energy spells in his sequencer. This is because casting two or more such spells at once--that is, spells that allow you to select other spells from a .2da table--keeps the subsequent spell menu open indefinitely. Normally, after selecting and casting one of those four spells at the bottom of the screen, the menu goes away. But if you use the Wand of Lightning trick or a sequencer to cast it twice at the same, it never does, and you can cast it an infinite number of times, until you switch to another character or give the caster a different order. This works for Enchanted Weapon, Spell Immunity (which SR replaces), and SR's Protection from Elemental Energy.
But here, Carl only needs it for fire immunity (Protection from Elemental Energy can block fire, cold, acid, or electricity). Carl resists the next Remove Magic, but his friends aren't so lucky, and Flowey suffers the first level drain of the fight.
We have incredibly high levels thanks to LoB mode, but LoB fights last for many rounds, and the enemy has a lot more time to level drain us to oblivion.
Edwin restores our Dispelling Screen instead of casting Stoneskin. The party is safer, but Edwin dies with a single slash and a PW: Kill.
We keep trading blows with the Demon Knights. Everyone suffers.
I already have only five party members; deaths are especially nasty for this team. We need to recover.
Carl runs outside to cast Spell Trap. We'll need this to increase our opportunities for Wish-resting; Edwin can restore Carl's slots with Bigby's Crushing Hand. Meanwhile, Viconia casts Mass Raise Dead. Despite her lack of Stoneskins, she manages to get the spell off the ground. Flowey uses the Wand of Lightning to get a little more out of a healing potion, but Edwin isn't fast enough.
Without his armor for the slashing AC bonus, or any of our normal buffs, Flowey's defenses are pretty poor. But Carl gets an important Wish option.
All the same, it's simply not enough.
Carl has more luck with the next two Wishes. He restores the party and lands some automatic hits with Energy Blades during Time Stop.
Carl is now mostly buffed and can safely re-enter combat.
Viconia starts casting Mass Raise Dead once more. In my install, it's a once-per-day innate spell (rather than a level 7 spell you can memorize multiple times), but Carl's Wish-rest restored it.
Viconia gets hit during the spell, but these days, scratch damage won't always disrupt spellcasting in EE.
How did she get 95% damage resistance? Well, IR drow plate mail grants 30% damage resistance (the description says 25%), and Hardiness from Wish grants 40%, and erroneously stacks because the "Remove Effects by Resource" opcode's target is the caster, but no one else (so only the caster can't stack Wish Hardiness). I don't know where the other 25% came from; I think 10% is from Armor of Faith, which doesn't scale in SR--but lasts 50 rounds.
As Viconia brings back Flowey and Edwin, some of our celestials fade away.
We haul in another Fallen Planetar to compensate, but the Demon Knights are getting sluggish.
We seal their doom with Implosion, which bypasses magic resistance and holds the target for 1 round with no save.
It uses opcode 109, which means anything with Free Action is immune, and spell protections can block it, but it's a great way to pin down anything else.
Item Revisions, as always, makes sure that each reward is unique and cool.
Flowey and Viconia can switch it out when we need to worry about Horrid Wilting.
Next up is the Underdark exit, and the high-powered party of drow spellcasters, golems, and glabrezus that guards it. Stan launches a Storm of Vengeance to frustrate the enemy's magicks, but it's too slow to stop multiple Remove Magic spells from getting past our Dispelling Screen. Edwin loses his defenses.
Stan follows up with two Earthquakes; Carl uses Improved Alacrity to get us more Wishes.
Edwin, shorn of his buffs and within range, gets nailed by PW: Stun. Even though he's not injured, SR's PW: Stun still stuns him for 1 round.
Stan tries another spell, but those Remove Magic spells took away his Stoneskins. Carl brings out some Wishes.
Edwin's Break Enchantment Contingency fires, removing the stun effect and allowing him to finish casting Dragon's Breath. It breaks the strength of the enemy. We follow up with debuffers to handle the drow whose spell protections allowed them to survive.
The battle is won. Time to fight Beholders. Which mostly looks like this:
In a nutshell, I hide the party in a separate chamber, send out celestials to die against the Beholders, and keep the party under invisibility at all times.
The celestials still suffer, but some micromanagement improves their efficacy.
SCS celestials are immune to spell failure, which means Anti-Magic Rays are useless against them. They also cast all spells instantly, making Break Enchantment and Heal great rescue options, and allowing my weaker fallen celestials (who lack strong healing spells) to spam Poison and Flame Strike.
We get surprised by some Mind Flayers who figure out where those celestials are coming from...
...but I already made sure to keep the party fully-buffed just in case, and it doesn't take long for our celestials to come to our rescue.
Just for fun I have Flowey, our Seducer, Charm one of the Elder Orbs.
Charm is unreliable against spellcasters, but it's immensely gratifying to turn an enemy's spells against it. Plus, Beholders have permanent Improved Alacrity, which means you can empty their entire spellbook by having them begin casting new spells and cancel them immediately afterwards.
Our winning streak abruptly ends when Vithal foolishly fails to cast any pre-buffs, unlike all other SCS mages. LoB improves his HP, but it's not enough, and our attempts to protect him fall short.
It costs us some nice loot, but we were going to kill him anyway.
The siege of Ust Natha fast approaches.
A bit of background!
Her choice of weapons is simple: reliable weapons that don't take her time away from learning magic. She serves Kossuth because it serves her, he doesn't demand much, and gives enough for her in return. Also, I didn't want to make another Sorcerer out of that great portrait. I'm sick of Sorcerers. And I want my PCs to use Staves... I'm going to play a Druid in my next run, one that uses Staves.
I didn't do much, got the RoP+1 from Mirianne, killed the Spiders in Beregost and everything that was alive in the map under Beregost as well with a lil' bit of help from Tiax's Ghast (actually it just killed everything while the party played blackjack). Silke was killed with a trap Tiax managed to set with 10% Set Traps, his Ghast and buffs all around the party, still, Shar-Teel got oneshot, but I resurrected her for just 100gp. Last thing I did was buying two scrolls of both Sleep and Blindness for Edwin and Garrick. I think I'm going to go for the Gnoll Fortress, and then for the Basilisks or something else that gives a lot of XP.