26 Marpenoth 1368: Greetings posterity. I take this opportunity to write from Beregost after having returned here to resupply with the Mage/Conjurer, Thalantyr, at his manor, High Hedge.
I’ve completed a foray into the 1st level of the Cloakwood Mines & I pushed into level 2 just a bit before I realized my archers were low on arrows. I will head back to delve deeper in the morn.
KEY EVENT: There are no ‘key events’ that I wish to relate. The 1st level was uneventful. On Tthe top level I eliminated four Guards in Splint Mail, and two in basic Leather Armor. On the 2nd level, before I extricated us, I had three more Splint Mail Guards & two more Leather Armor Guards silenced. The Guards in Splint Mail are more highly trained than their counterparts in Leather Armor.
My party almost reached the last bit of the Vale of Shadows, but due to injuries, needing to sell their loot, and buy more equipment, they returned to Kuldahar, afterwards finding that it was unnecessary. They then re-eentered the temple in the hope of finding the source of the evil. Only to find that it was not there. Now having found the priestess of Auril and killing her, I hjave the armour that was needed plus a great sword which is exactly what my paladin needed from the tomb next to Kresselek. Now it's time for bed. My fighter/thief now has a short sword plus one which gives burn wounds. My fighter/cleric has a mace +1 and my fighter/mage also has a mace +1 and a long sword +1. Now fairly well equipped, ready to move on. Only cause for concern is the lack of a scroll to learn web.
Taking a quick poll with my playthrough comrades here.
I'm at the point where I always decide whether to dual Imoen from Thief to Mage. Usually I do it as soon as she hits level 7.
I have always thought if I just keep her as a thief, that she'll be fantastic down the road. Instead, I usually end up waiting on her to graduate to the Mage level 8 so I can use her thieving skills again, which means she's a weak Mage - usually in Durlag's Tower, although she gains levels pretty fast when the rest of the party is playing at level 5-6-7.
I said in the last update I'd tried loading the autosave and Angelo and Diarmid still didn't spawn when talking to Sarevok.
Sorry I missed that. Am a poor reader during my commutes I think (which makes @Mantis37's no-reload achievement all the grander to me). Looks like you may have to re-install SCS then, or just wait for v32 (which in its current form still has some bugs of its own). Good luck with your next endeavor.
Thanks for the compliment . Playing in short spurts was probably quite beneficial for my play on a tactical level, though it did tend to reduce immersion.
@CharlestonianTemplar if you want to dual her, but then level her up quickly, you could let your other party members rest in an inn while you work as a duo with Imoen. If you save up high value encounters like basilisks you could make pretty quick progress to get her thief levels back.
Taking a quick poll with my playthrough comrades here.
I'm at the point where I always decide whether to dual Imoen from Thief to Mage. Usually I do it as soon as she hits level 7.
I have always thought if I just keep her as a thief, that she'll be fantastic down the road. Instead, I usually end up waiting on her to graduate to the Mage level 8 so I can use her thieving skills again, which means she's a weak Mage - usually in Durlag's Tower, although she gains levels pretty fast when the rest of the party is playing at level 5-6-7.
What do y'all think? Thanks for any input. CT
In my latest run (using BGT setup) I had Imoen as a pure thief through the BG1 part and she reached lvl 10 (100 in traps/locks/detect illusions - all I want/need of her thieves' skills). Then, in SoA, she stayed as a thief in Irenicus dungeon and I dualed her to mage right before escaping it (wasted some exp this way but whatever). After saving her in Spellhold I got Imoen of my dream.
@CharlestonianTemplar, it entirely depends on whether you want a Mage in BG1 or not. I believe the class isn't necessary, and you have a Bard to cover most of your arcane requirements. Pumping up her thieving skills could come in very useful down the road, as suggested by @Serg_BlackStrider. In your shoes I wouldn't dual until SoA.
@Wise_Grimwald, that conversation with Kresselack is my favourite in the game. Dripping with cynicism! Good luck against the Verbeegs, keep your Paladin safe!
Just wondering what happens if you actually fight Kresselack. Is he beatable, and if so, does he have any possessions of value?
I've never been able to kill him, and I think he's intended to be unbeatable. If the EE is your thing then I imagine you could cheese him with stat drain, e.g., from a Sorcerer using Mind Flayer form.
I've got a new solo character rolling, so let's catch up with the coverage.
Mods: SCSv31 (BG1), SCSv32 (BG2)
Difficulty: Core
Our protagonist is a neutral good halfling kensai. Nattiq's starting proficiencies are staves (2x), two-handed weapons (1x) and axes (1x). Strange, I know, but I wanted to stay true to her portrait as much as possible. That said, Nattiq's strategy in BG1 will revolve around utilizing weapon speed factor and reach, as I don't want to completely bypass the missile weapon limitation by focusing heavily on ranged daggers/axes. She'll throw an axe or two from time to time, but Aule's Staff will hopefully still be listed as her favorite weapon by the end of the first leg of the game.
Caveat: Portrait stolen from the Internet. Artists and authors, please accept my sincere apologies.
With Girdle of Piercing and Wand of Sleep mitigating the most dangerous aspects of her suboptimal AC, Nattiq made good progress throughout the Sword Coast by employing 'hit-and-run-and-hit-again' tactics and carefully picking the encounters and side quests suitable to her current abilities and relative power level.
Let me present some of the Greatest Hits (literally) from Nattiq's early era:
Ogrillions are too fast for our melee, so they're one of the few chosen ones that get an axe instead of a wooden smack.
Hobgoblins, on the other hand, are the perfect targets for our staff.
We got into some trouble with Zargal, but nothing we couldn't handle.
Sleeping half-ogres are the best half-ogres.
Here's Korax helping out with some basilisks.
Sure Hairtooth - you got that right, only the other way round.
Notable early purchases included (as acquired):
The Essential Tool Of Any Self-Respecting Warrior (i.e. the potion case and essential defensive potions - Freedom, Mirrored Eyes, Magic Blocking)
Wand of Sleep
Aule's Staff (feeling like meme link)
Cloak of Displacement
Greenstone Amulet
Necklace of Missiles (The One Lost Gift)
Shield Amulet
Hill Giant Strength potions (Durlag's)
The Claw of Kazgaroth
The confrontation with Greywolf is a good example of our low-cost approach to many early game fights. Nattiq is not taking any pre-buffs, but she's ready to counter any Greywolf's move with an Oil of Speed and/or Shield Amulet. Seeing that he quaffs a strength potion instead of hasting himself, Nattiq uses Kai to pump up the damage output. With the exception of some enemies very fast weapons, Aule's Staff always strikes first and still gives Nattiq enough time to fall back before they make their attack.
With weapon specialization, fighter THAC0, kensai bonuses and +3 weapon enchantment, we don't mind having 17 strength for our day-to-day business (the same goes for our inability to use Meilum's bracers).
Greywolf didn't take a single swing with his swords and Nattiq emerges unscathed.
Mulahey was a slightly different story. After all, he's part of the main plotline and you're supposed to take that seriously (and look your best while at it). Nattiq equipped Girdle of Bluntness and buffed with ProUndead scroll, Potion of Hill Giant Strength and Greenstone Amulet. She approached invisible, activated Kai and punched hard.
Three consecutive strikes of 21 damage each - that and nothing more was needed to finish the priest before his minions flooded the room.
Bassilus got a similar treatment, but with the addition of Potion of Freedom to counter his Hold Person.
Molkar and his comrades were a bit more tricky. Not only because our speed / reach advantages gets diluted with each additional enemy on the field, but also because these guys just love to quaff Oils of Speed (this time it was the dwarf -Morvin). Nattiq quaffed a quick PoI and prepared with Hill Giant Strength, Shield Amulet, Greenstone Amulet and Kai.
We failed to eliminate Halacan, the fighter/illusionist, before his MIs kicked in and decided to focus on the cleric instead. One down.
After that, I did let Nattiq soak far too much damage without healing when trying to pin down Halacan. That was a mistake which cost us a Potion of Regeneration.
Nevertheless, with the spellcasters out of the field and the regeneration running its course, it was just a matter of couple of rounds before we were able to finish the fighters with Aule's.
I'll cover the Bandit Camp and Cloakwood next.
Note: I can see that all the screenshots ended up rather small - I'll make sure to improve this in the next post.
Just wondering what happens if you actually fight Kresselack. Is he beatable, and if so, does he have any possessions of value?
I've never been able to kill him, and I think he's intended to be unbeatable. If the EE is your thing then I imagine you could cheese him with stat drain, e.g., from a Sorcerer using Mind Flayer form.
I have just tried killing him. I couldn't hurt him and he didn't go hostile. At least, now I know!
The party took on five Verbeegs. As a result my paladin was badly hurt, but survived and went up to level 6. Now ** in both great swords and axes. Went outside to rest for 16 hours and now about to return.
Another challenger is stepping up at Candlekeep. This time, the dice gods have decreed that I run:
Human male paladin (unkitted); lawful good; must adventure completely alone.
Mods: SCSv32.8, BG1NPC (no ring of human influence), item randomizer, some quests & tweaks. Hard difficulty.
My screenshot utility seems to be broken for the moment, so you'll have to use your imagination about his looks... His name though, that is Evandrus.
Current status: He successfully beat up some basilisks to reach level 6. Now he's hunting an ankheg in the hopes of getting Taerom to make him an armor upgrade.
Further updates to come sporadically unless something really tragic happens in the next hour or two....
Taking a quick poll with my playthrough comrades here.
I'm at the point where I always decide whether to dual Imoen from Thief to Mage. Usually I do it as soon as she hits level 7.
I have always thought if I just keep her as a thief, that she'll be fantastic down the road. Instead, I usually end up waiting on her to graduate to the Mage level 8 so I can use her thieving skills again, which means she's a weak Mage - usually in Durlag's Tower, although she gains levels pretty fast when the rest of the party is playing at level 5-6-7.
What do y'all think? Thanks for any input. CT
I think the best level to dual Imoen is at level 6. This means that she will still be able to reach level 9 as a mage before reaching the BG1 experience cap. Level 9 is normally the highest level a single-classed mage can reach in Baldur's Gate 1; Imoen can reach that same level and be a level 6 thief at the same time.
I like to dual Imoen when she has 60% locks and 80% traps - that way she can get 100% with potion of thievery and perception when 100% is needed (like Candlekeep crypts).
Just took on the dragon's eye and played really badly. I was left with just one character! However that one character survived so the game isn't over yet. She has returned to Kuldahar after leaving goods in the chests at the entrance to the dragon's eye. Watch this space. Should have used thief for scouting and mage for casting web which party now has, then those bugs wouldn't have been a problem at all. The lizards haven't been a major problem so far.
8 Uktar 1368: After my initial incursion, I met no further resistance in the areas of the 2nd level of the Cloakwood Mines, i.e., those I’d already explored. There were two Ghasts down a long, 10’x100’ hall to the far east of the complex which I returned to the non-living dead. Shortly afterward, about midway down the hall was a doorway down a 20’ hall, which I bypassed but left Eldoth to guard against something coming up behind us. At the far end of the hall was another door, set into the wall. Inside were three 10’x10’ cells on either side of a 10’x30’ cell block where I encountered the de-facto leader of the slaves. I gave him 100gp on the promise that he could get the rest of the slaves to safety, using the gold to bribe a guard captain – I think this serves me best. I also freed a Dwarf who told me that Davaeorn runs the mine & can be found on level 4. Evidently, Davaeorn has a key that could flood this mine & destroy the ITs operation in its tracks.
The 2nd level is the location of the central dining hall. After destroying the two Ghasts noted above & passing the cells where the slave & dwarf were, there was a large hall divided into two rooms The smaller of the two, about 30’ x 20’ was right off the prison area while a larger room 40’ x 40’ was just east of it through a 10’ hallway. The smaller room had a single table perpendicular to and just inside the door & another cattycorner in the center of the room. In top right corner was some clutter, e.g., a shield leaning up against the wall, a chair, etc. The larger room had a long table to the west side of the room with three large chairs – obviously for more important diners. There were two more of the regular size tables on the east wall, perpendicular to the head table. There were two benches, to either side of a 10’x10’ hallway leading out of the north end of the room. This room had shields on the wall spaced about 10’ apart with a long runner separating the head and lower tables.
KEY EVENT: (Battle of ‘The Mess’) In these two rooms were a female mage, five BTE, two Guards in Splint & four Guards in Leather. Initially, Khalid & Imoen were scouting & saw, first one, then another of the BTE. Quickly Khalid took an Ice Arrow but returned the same w/a +1 Arrow. Faldorn, who’d been trailing Khalid & Imoen, cast Entangle through the open door to slow anymore BTE that might trail the first two. The first was quickly dead, but the second could no longer be seen. Faldorn motioned Minsc forward, & with Spider Bane’s Free Action was able to move forward & go for the second who was tangled up out of site. At this point, the mage came into view, apparently unaffected by the entanglement. Minsc killed the second BTE & then pursued the mage who was coming toward us down through the passed the cells. I cast Silence 15’ in her vicinity while simultaneously Eldoth had taken the liberty to try and circle behind her down the hall further up where he’d been standing guard (by this time Imoen had fallen back to him & alerted him as to what was happening), Once the door was open two Guards (Leather) were rushing toward the same door from the other side, which was a kitchen. Minsc had gone into Barbarian Rage and with Khalid was pursuing the mage. I’d moved back around to where Imoen & Eldoth were & used Command to drop one of the Guards so he could be finished off, while Eldoth used the Wand of Fear & sent the other panicking. As soon as he saw the numerous Guards in the larger room, he used it again in the dead center of that room & scattered all but two of the BTE/Guards. By this time the battle was contained in that room, & after eliminating the two Guards that were still aggressive, all effort was on the mage who, despite being obviously tough, had been ineffective except in the use of Dire Charm which had affected, first Khalid, & then Eldoth. To my chagrin, Eldoth’s state of Dire Charm made him a sitting duck for Minsc, who now in a Berserk state split him in two – beyond resurrection. In the meantime, however, Minsc was obliterating one Guard after another & soon Faldorn finished the mage with a Potion of Firebreath. Quickly, we descended on & killed the other two Guards who were still under the effects of the Wand of Fear.
PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
DAMN! ELDOTH WAS USEFUL
BOOM!
I returned to High Hedge to inquire with Thalantyr about a replacement mage & he knew of one – that he said, “will probably get you killed, or kill you herself, but was better than none… maybe.” I bought Arrows +1 & Darts of Fire +1 & then proceeded to find her & immediately had to pull her out of a pickle with two other mages & two thugs. She’s a Wild Mage. Thalantyr is correct from what I hear about Wild Mages. He’d mentioned a Gnome Illusionist that he thought was in the Nashkel area also, but I wasn’t for making that trip & I have no interest in the mage we rescued from the Gnoll Stronghold. On return to the mines, we were attacked by three Giant Spiders & destroyed them.
MONSTERS DEFEATED: Mage (Hareishan), five BTE (Splint), two Guards (Splint), Four Guards (Leather), three Giant Spiders (wandering Monsters – Cloakwood)
NOTEWORTHY TREASURE: (Purse = 887gp) Armor & weapons: Mage Robe (Adventurer), Splint Mail (7); Gems/jewelry: Potions: Explosions; Scrolls: Haste, Web (2), Agannazar’s Scorcher, et al; Wands: Misc & Artifacts:
@Wise_Grimwald, those Bombardier Beetles come from the deepest planes of hell. So, nice recovery! If you want a tip, your best shot at them is Entangle/Web/Grease, followed by bombardment from afar. Don't let them get close, is the key!
Another tip. Before you move down to DE level 3, make sure you rest, and even prebuffing a little won't hurt. There's an unavoidable encounter as soon as you enter, and it's surprisingly difficult! I found before I knew what was happening I was completely surrounded, so my suggestion is try to keep the enemies as far away for as long as possible. Have fun.
My party in Dragon's eye has killed everything on the first level including the lizard king. After resting they are about to go to the next level. Slowing down and resting seems to be the answer to the problems I was having. However an interruption from my wife at a crucial moment almost caused the death of my paladin from the poisonous bite of a spider. Just got my attention back in time and slept 16 hours to recover.
Sometimes the interruptions from my wife last over an hour. So I need quite a long sleep. Unlike the deaths of my characters she usually has several little deaths in an hour.
@iroumen True. I remember Grond0 explaining to his kid the dangers of basilisks while playing the game, and he didn't notice his protection from petrification wore off and he turned to stone...guess he was teaching his kid what NOT to do,
Comments
I’ve completed a foray into the 1st level of the Cloakwood Mines & I pushed into level 2 just a bit before I realized my archers were low on arrows. I will head back to delve deeper in the morn.
KEY EVENT: There are no ‘key events’ that I wish to relate. The 1st level was uneventful. On Tthe top level I eliminated four Guards in Splint Mail, and two in basic Leather Armor. On the 2nd level, before I extricated us, I had three more Splint Mail Guards & two more Leather Armor Guards silenced. The Guards in Splint Mail are more highly trained than their counterparts in Leather Armor.
THIS CONTRAPTION IS INGENIOUS
Best Kill Competition:
1. Khalid (Sword Spider), Minsc (Sword Spider), Imoen (Taurgosz Khosann) (2000 exp ea),
2. Faldorn (Phase Spider – 1400 exp)
3. Eldoth (Rezdan) (1200 exp)
CASUALTIES: None
MONSTERS DEFEATED: Guards, Level 2 (7), Guards Level 1 (4)
NOTEWORTHY TREASURE: (Purse = 1010gp) Armor & weapons: Splint Mail (7); Gems/jewelry: Potions: Scrolls: Wands: Misc & Artifacts:
CURRENT DISPOSITION: Resting, Resupplying, Recuperating @ The Burning Wizard (Beregost)
NEXT STEPS: Take control of Cloakwood Mines, Level 2
LEVEL UP: None
PARTY MAKEUP: (Reputation: 6)
• Silas Cl/5(Lorekeeper of Oghma) (HP26) S/mail +1 & Boots/Grounding (w/Gauntlets of Dexterity), M/star*, & Rg of
Energy; Spells: A/Dead, C/Disease, DOHM, F/Blade, H/Person, Silence 15’, S/Poison, Bless, Cmd (3), Doom, P/Evil;
S/ability: Heal Touch (2), Affliction, Friends; (Marl) (AI none)
• Khalid Rgr/5(Archer)(HP42) S/Leather, L/bow*** & B/sword +1* w/Gauntlet’s Wpns Exp; Skills: MS 55, HS 55 (Sword Spider)(AI: Ftr Ranged Atk)(3)
• Imoen Th/6 (Adventurer)(HP36) S/Leather +2 Clk/Non-det w/S/bow* (w/Bracers of Archery) & S/sword +1* & Wand of
MMs, Skills: OL 70, FT 65, PP 40, MS 55, HS 50, DI 20, ST15; (Taurgosz Khosann) (Thf Rgd Atk)(4)
• Minsc Ftr/4 (Barbarian)(HP34) C/mail +1 & Spiders Bane +2; S/ability: Bsk, Bar Rg; (Sword Spider)(AI: Ftr Def)
• Eldoth Bd/6 (HP29) Cloak +1 w/L/bow* & Scimitar*, Spells: MAA, Stink, MM, Armor, Blind; S/ability: Poison arrows, (Rezdan)(AI:Wzd Agg)(6)
• Faldorn Dr/4 (HP22) S/Leather w/Club* & Dart* (Q/Staff*); Spells: Barskin, B/Claw, Ch/Person/Mammal,
S/Poison, Ar/Faith, Bless, Entangle, CLWs, Shillelagh, (Phase Spider)(Cl Agg)(5)
MOD USED: BG NPC v23.3, BG NPC Music v6, Plane Toduched Races _v0,0, Indira v12, Isra v2.3, Finch v4.0, Gavin v14, Drake, Sirene v2.5, Verr’sza v5.2, BG UB v16, Tweaks Anthology Beta 4, Song & Silence v9, Deities of Faerun, Rogue Rebalancing v491, Level 1 NPCs, SCS v31, aTweaks, Item Randomizer v7
Blue Font: New information;
Red Font: Monster encounters (first use)
(Best kill)(Current AI)(Chain of Command)
Presumably you meant Cloakwood Mines, as your screenshot was clearly Cloakwood and not Nashkel.
Yep - thanks brother.
I'm at the point where I always decide whether to dual Imoen from Thief to Mage. Usually I do it as soon as she hits level 7.
I have always thought if I just keep her as a thief, that she'll be fantastic down the road. Instead, I usually end up waiting on her to graduate to the Mage level 8 so I can use her thieving skills again, which means she's a weak Mage - usually in Durlag's Tower, although she gains levels pretty fast when the rest of the party is playing at level 5-6-7.
What do y'all think? Thanks for any input. CT
Thanks for the compliment
In my latest run (using BGT setup) I had Imoen as a pure thief through the BG1 part and she reached lvl 10 (100 in traps/locks/detect illusions - all I want/need of her thieves' skills). Then, in SoA, she stayed as a thief in Irenicus dungeon and I dualed her to mage right before escaping it (wasted some exp this way but whatever). After saving her in Spellhold I got Imoen of my dream.
@Wise_Grimwald, that conversation with Kresselack is my favourite in the game.
I've got a new solo character rolling, so let's catch up with the coverage.
Mods: SCSv31 (BG1), SCSv32 (BG2)
Difficulty: Core
Our protagonist is a neutral good halfling kensai. Nattiq's starting proficiencies are staves (2x), two-handed weapons (1x) and axes (1x). Strange, I know, but I wanted to stay true to her portrait as much as possible. That said, Nattiq's strategy in BG1 will revolve around utilizing weapon speed factor and reach, as I don't want to completely bypass the missile weapon limitation by focusing heavily on ranged daggers/axes. She'll throw an axe or two from time to time, but Aule's Staff will hopefully still be listed as her favorite weapon by the end of the first leg of the game.
Caveat: Portrait stolen from the Internet. Artists and authors, please accept my sincere apologies.
Let me present some of the Greatest Hits (literally) from Nattiq's early era:
Ogrillions are too fast for our melee, so they're one of the few chosen ones that get an axe instead of a wooden smack.
Hobgoblins, on the other hand, are the perfect targets for our staff.
We got into some trouble with Zargal, but nothing we couldn't handle.
Sleeping half-ogres are the best half-ogres.
Here's Korax helping out with some basilisks.
Sure Hairtooth - you got that right, only the other way round.
Notable early purchases included (as acquired):
The Essential Tool Of Any Self-Respecting Warrior (i.e. the potion case and essential defensive potions - Freedom, Mirrored Eyes, Magic Blocking)
Wand of Sleep
Aule's Staff (feeling like meme link)
Cloak of Displacement
Greenstone Amulet
Necklace of Missiles (The One Lost Gift)
Shield Amulet
Hill Giant Strength potions (Durlag's)
The Claw of Kazgaroth
The confrontation with Greywolf is a good example of our low-cost approach to many early game fights. Nattiq is not taking any pre-buffs, but she's ready to counter any Greywolf's move with an Oil of Speed and/or Shield Amulet. Seeing that he quaffs a strength potion instead of hasting himself, Nattiq uses Kai to pump up the damage output. With the exception of some enemies very fast weapons, Aule's Staff always strikes first and still gives Nattiq enough time to fall back before they make their attack.
With weapon specialization, fighter THAC0, kensai bonuses and +3 weapon enchantment, we don't mind having 17 strength for our day-to-day business (the same goes for our inability to use Meilum's bracers).
Greywolf didn't take a single swing with his swords and Nattiq emerges unscathed.
Mulahey was a slightly different story. After all, he's part of the main plotline and you're supposed to take that seriously (and look your best while at it). Nattiq equipped Girdle of Bluntness and buffed with ProUndead scroll, Potion of Hill Giant Strength and Greenstone Amulet. She approached invisible, activated Kai and punched hard.
Three consecutive strikes of 21 damage each - that and nothing more was needed to finish the priest before his minions flooded the room.
Bassilus got a similar treatment, but with the addition of Potion of Freedom to counter his Hold Person.
Molkar and his comrades were a bit more tricky. Not only because our speed / reach advantages gets diluted with each additional enemy on the field, but also because these guys just love to quaff Oils of Speed (this time it was the dwarf -Morvin). Nattiq quaffed a quick PoI and prepared with Hill Giant Strength, Shield Amulet, Greenstone Amulet and Kai.
We failed to eliminate Halacan, the fighter/illusionist, before his MIs kicked in and decided to focus on the cleric instead. One down.
After that, I did let Nattiq soak far too much damage without healing when trying to pin down Halacan. That was a mistake which cost us a Potion of Regeneration.
Nevertheless, with the spellcasters out of the field and the regeneration running its course, it was just a matter of couple of rounds before we were able to finish the fighters with Aule's.
I'll cover the Bandit Camp and Cloakwood next.
Note: I can see that all the screenshots ended up rather small - I'll make sure to improve this in the next post.
Regards,
B.
I have just tried killing him. I couldn't hurt him and he didn't go hostile. At least, now I know!
The party took on five Verbeegs. As a result my paladin was badly hurt, but survived and went up to level 6. Now ** in both great swords and axes.
Human male paladin (unkitted); lawful good; must adventure completely alone.
Mods: SCSv32.8, BG1NPC (no ring of human influence), item randomizer, some quests & tweaks. Hard difficulty.
My screenshot utility seems to be broken for the moment, so you'll have to use your imagination about his looks... His name though, that is Evandrus.
Current status: He successfully beat up some basilisks to reach level 6. Now he's hunting an ankheg in the hopes of getting Taerom to make him an armor upgrade.
Further updates to come sporadically unless something really tragic happens in the next hour or two....
I think the best level to dual Imoen is at level 6. This means that she will still be able to reach level 9 as a mage before reaching the BG1 experience cap. Level 9 is normally the highest level a single-classed mage can reach in Baldur's Gate 1; Imoen can reach that same level and be a level 6 thief at the same time.
The canon party is amazing.
He's not dead yet. We'll see whether he can stay on his feet as things get tougher.
The 2nd level is the location of the central dining hall. After destroying the two Ghasts noted above & passing the cells where the slave & dwarf were, there was a large hall divided into two rooms The smaller of the two, about 30’ x 20’ was right off the prison area while a larger room 40’ x 40’ was just east of it through a 10’ hallway. The smaller room had a single table perpendicular to and just inside the door & another cattycorner in the center of the room. In top right corner was some clutter, e.g., a shield leaning up against the wall, a chair, etc. The larger room had a long table to the west side of the room with three large chairs – obviously for more important diners. There were two more of the regular size tables on the east wall, perpendicular to the head table. There were two benches, to either side of a 10’x10’ hallway leading out of the north end of the room. This room had shields on the wall spaced about 10’ apart with a long runner separating the head and lower tables.
KEY EVENT: (Battle of ‘The Mess’) In these two rooms were a female mage, five BTE, two Guards in Splint & four Guards in Leather. Initially, Khalid & Imoen were scouting & saw, first one, then another of the BTE. Quickly Khalid took an Ice Arrow but returned the same w/a +1 Arrow. Faldorn, who’d been trailing Khalid & Imoen, cast Entangle through the open door to slow anymore BTE that might trail the first two. The first was quickly dead, but the second could no longer be seen. Faldorn motioned Minsc forward, & with Spider Bane’s Free Action was able to move forward & go for the second who was tangled up out of site. At this point, the mage came into view, apparently unaffected by the entanglement. Minsc killed the second BTE & then pursued the mage who was coming toward us down through the passed the cells. I cast Silence 15’ in her vicinity while simultaneously Eldoth had taken the liberty to try and circle behind her down the hall further up where he’d been standing guard (by this time Imoen had fallen back to him & alerted him as to what was happening), Once the door was open two Guards (Leather) were rushing toward the same door from the other side, which was a kitchen. Minsc had gone into Barbarian Rage and with Khalid was pursuing the mage. I’d moved back around to where Imoen & Eldoth were & used Command to drop one of the Guards so he could be finished off, while Eldoth used the Wand of Fear & sent the other panicking. As soon as he saw the numerous Guards in the larger room, he used it again in the dead center of that room & scattered all but two of the BTE/Guards. By this time the battle was contained in that room, & after eliminating the two Guards that were still aggressive, all effort was on the mage who, despite being obviously tough, had been ineffective except in the use of Dire Charm which had affected, first Khalid, & then Eldoth. To my chagrin, Eldoth’s state of Dire Charm made him a sitting duck for Minsc, who now in a Berserk state split him in two – beyond resurrection. In the meantime, however, Minsc was obliterating one Guard after another & soon Faldorn finished the mage with a Potion of Firebreath. Quickly, we descended on & killed the other two Guards who were still under the effects of the Wand of Fear.
PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
DAMN! ELDOTH WAS USEFUL
BOOM!
I returned to High Hedge to inquire with Thalantyr about a replacement mage & he knew of one – that he said, “will probably get you killed, or kill you herself, but was better than none… maybe.” I bought Arrows +1 & Darts of Fire +1 & then proceeded to find her & immediately had to pull her out of a pickle with two other mages & two thugs. She’s a Wild Mage. Thalantyr is correct from what I hear about Wild Mages. He’d mentioned a Gnome Illusionist that he thought was in the Nashkel area also, but I wasn’t for making that trip & I have no interest in the mage we rescued from the Gnoll Stronghold. On return to the mines, we were attacked by three Giant Spiders & destroyed them.
Best Kill Competition:
1. Khalid (Sword Spider), Minsc (Sword Spider), Imoen (Taurgosz Khosann) (2000 exp ea),
2. Faldorn (Phase Spider – 1400 exp)
3. Eldoth (Rezdan) (1200 exp)
CASUALTIES: Eldoth (Died permanently – Minsc Berserk)
MONSTERS DEFEATED: Mage (Hareishan), five BTE (Splint), two Guards (Splint), Four Guards (Leather), three Giant Spiders (wandering Monsters – Cloakwood)
NOTEWORTHY TREASURE: (Purse = 887gp) Armor & weapons: Mage Robe (Adventurer), Splint Mail (7); Gems/jewelry: Potions: Explosions; Scrolls: Haste, Web (2), Agannazar’s Scorcher, et al; Wands: Misc & Artifacts:
CURRENT DISPOSITION: Resting, Resupplying, Recuperating @ Nashkel Mines Barracks (after Beregost/High Hedge)
NEXT STEPS: Take control of Nashkel Mines, Level 3
LEVEL UP: Minsc, Fighter (Barbarian)/5
PARTY MAKEUP: (Reputation: 6)
• Silas Cl/5(Lorekeeper of Oghma) (HP26) S/mail +1 & Boots/Grounding (w/Gauntlets of Dexterity), M/star*, & Rg of Energy; Spells: A/Dead, C/Disease, DOHM, F/Blade, H/Person, Silence 15’, S/Poison, Bless, Cmd (3), Doom, P/Evil; S/ability: Heal Touch (2), Affliction, Friends; (Marl) (AI none)
• Khalid Rgr/5(Archer)(HP42) S/Leather, L/bow*** & B/sword +1* w/Gauntlet’s Wpns Exp; Skills: MS 55, HS 55 (Sword Spider)(AI: Ftr Ranged Atk)(3)
• Imoen Th/6 (Adventurer)(HP36) S/Leather +2 Clk/Non-det w/S/bow* (w/Bracers of Archery) & S/sword +1*; Skills: OL 70, FT 65, PP 40, MS 55, HS 50, DI 20, ST15; (Taurgosz Khosann) (Thf Rgd Atk)(4)
• Minsc Ftr/5 (Barbarian)(HP41) C/mail +1 & Spiders Bane +2; S/ability: Bsk, Bar Rg; (Sword Spider)(AI: Ftr Def)
. Faldorn Dr/4 (HP22) S/Leather w/Club* & Dart* (Q/Staff*); Spells: Barskin, B/Claw, Ch/Person/Mammal,
S/Poison, Ar/Faith, Bless, Entangle, CLWs, Shillelagh, (Phase Spider)(Cl Agg)(5)
• Neera Mg/4 (Wild Mage), Traveler’s Robe w/QStaff +1* & Wand of MMs; Spells: Ags/ Scorcher, C/Shield, Stinking Cloud, MM (2), Armor, Nahal’s RD (6)
MOD USED: BG NPC v23.3, BG NPC Music v6, Plane Toduched Races _v0,0, Indira v12, Isra v2.3, Finch v4.0, Gavin v14, Drake, Sirene v2.5, Verr’sza v5.2, BG UB v16, Tweaks Anthology Beta 4, Song & Silence v9, Deities of Faerun, Rogue Rebalancing v491, Level 1 NPCs, SCS v31, aTweaks, Item Randomizer v7
Blue Font: New information;
Red Font: Monster encounters (first use)
(Best kill)(Current AI)(Chain of Command)
Dorn dies in the initial encounter w/the elves (I didn't think he could die there).
Jaheira is obliterated by Call Lightning from Osmadi & can't be raised.
Now Eldoth, who I was starting to like, gets split in two by that idiot Minsc!
Oh well, I had a vision. Ugh. CT
Congrats.
Another tip. Before you move down to DE level 3, make sure you rest, and even prebuffing a little won't hurt. There's an unavoidable encounter as soon as you enter, and it's surprisingly difficult! I found before I knew what was happening I was completely surrounded, so my suggestion is try to keep the enemies as far away for as long as possible. Have fun.