Skip to content

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

1387388390392393494

Comments

  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    Other people have said that about the level 1 component, but it doesn't work like that for me. In my installation NPCs can't be killed from an initial attack, but doing that will turn them hostile and a script resets their HPs (and removes their immunity) - after that they can be killed.
    l658zjyhev3q.jpg

    No dangers at the High Hall. If you try and steal in the first hall while guards are present, then hostile reinforcements turn up - but you can just run away or use stealth / invisibility (or just avoid them by going in the late evening when the place is empty).
    Wise_Grimwald
  • EnuhalEnuhal Member Posts: 920
    @semiticgod Congratulations. Also, some props to the Flail of Ages for saving you from Timestop+GWW - that must have been a very scary scenario.
    Grond0semiticgoddess
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,837
    @semiticgod Congratulations
    semiticgoddess
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,837
    edited July 2020
    Journal of Bloodrager the Blackguard

    We picked up Xan and swapped him for Edwin. Everything quite easy.

    I have realised why katranas are poor. Because they aren't magical they don't work against some enemies. :(
    Chapter 4 before you get a magical one!

    I have not really enjoyed playing with an evil party, so despite being exceedingly powerful. Dorn + Baoloth make a powerful duo I am bringing this run to an end. I have learned a lot from it, but the game is primarily for fun and it wasn't. :(
    Post edited by Wise_Grimwald on
    Mantis37Enuhaljessejmc
  • Corey_RussellCorey_Russell Member Posts: 995
    @Gate70 that was a hilarious write-up. Thanks!
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    edited July 2020
    'Long-life challenge' - wizard slayer {35} (update 3)
    Previous updates:
    I hadn't travelled north of the FAI before, so slaughtered some fishermen to get Tenya's bowl. Returning that got me my final BG1 level, with yet another 12 extra HPs.
    awi8b67ochi8.jpg
    Getting over 100 at level 8, without use of Balduran's Helm is a good result.

    After killing a nearby ankheg I went into the City and quickly picked up some improvements. The first of those was the dexterity tome - that pushed dexerity to 18, with a consequent bonus to AC. The next was the Helm of Balduran - that not only benefits THAC0, AC and saves, but even provides a few extra HPs for good measure. Note that the wizard slayer class is able to use magical items where those are defined as armor or weapons. Unsurprisingly that does not include rings, or amulets (though the amulet of Seldarine is an exception to that in ToB). However, it seems slightly odd that boots are counted as armor, while cloaks, belts and (especially) gauntlets are not.

    The next item desired at this stage was Marek's +2 short bow (unlike in vanilla, that's not the best bow in BG1, but I've taken short bow proficiency to benefit from the extra APR available early in BG2 and the ability to hit creatures requiring +4 to hit later in BG2). At the temple Jalantha was shot down after offering her quest (I dodged one of her flame strikes before interrupting the second).
    8cg3c7cla8qb.jpg
    For Marek, I didn't try attacking him immediately after speaking to him. That ensured I had plenty of time to run downstairs before he could cast confusion. He was then horrified from out of sight and shot while running around. I deliberately avoided killing him before he came to his senses to taunt him as his attempt to cast a spell fizzled.
    ajfqs1doquog.jpg

    The final items gained for now were much more minor. Returning a body to Varci and visiting the local temple provided a minor improvement for my shield and an unneeded increase to wisdom.

    Even in a minimal risk run, I couldn't resist doing a further tour of the Sword Coast to do the remaining major encounters while maximising reputation. One justification for that is the easy XP gained now will carry forward into SoD (so long as I don't reload the game prior to that) and make that marginally easier. Work done included:
    - clearing the ankheg nest, without suffering a scratch (or even an acid burn).
    - beating up the Doomsayer in a fair fight (I didn't bother with micro-managing movement to give me an APR advantage).
    ahp9e3o5naic.jpg
    - Narcillicus was persuaded to summon a couple of mustard jellies, which were drawn away separately to be squished. The mage failed his spell save at the 5th attempt and was shot down while running around in terror.
    20kbmare75bs.jpg
    - at Durlag's Tower, the battle horrors now needed a critical to hit and didn't get many of those. On the roof a PfP scroll was used to deal with the basilisks.
    pthw11uhvg1n.jpg
    I decided not to waste a PfM scroll on getting the wisdom tome there though.

    Back in the City I tend to go and get the Helm of the Noble to boost charisma for lower prices. However, with far more money than I need I didn't bother with that this time, but just stocked up on green scrolls and magic ammunition. The latter was needed for one final expedition to the coast, in search of sirines. There's a pretty good chance of shutting down their casting with more standard arrows, but to avoid any risk I used exploding ones - they automatically hit, as well as spreading spell failure through the explosion.
    jqcots35uf3g.jpg
    It would have been easy to melee the golems - by retreating at the point they are committed to an attack you can make them miss that attack as part of their combat turn and nip back in to attack them before they get their next attack (assuming you have a quick weapon speed). However, I had too many sundry types of magic arrows anyway, so just shot them down.

    Once more in Baldur's Gate I made use of the tome to push natural constitution to 20 and sold Buckley's Buckler (though a higher constitution slightly improves the regeneration rate, that difference no longer seemed to justify using up an inventory slot on it). A few more encounters included killing the basilisk using horror - the Bhaal version of that only lasts 4 rounds, but that was more than enough to be safe when using acid arrows at 3 APR.
    3l5fa9bbqzy5.jpg
    Ramazith was also shot down and his tower stormed to get at the intelligence tome (though that again provides virtually no benefit).
    y4geg9kcrj6a.jpg

    With the Seven Suns cleared, I decided to go for a little bonus by doing the ogre mage in the sewers as well - Spider's Bane being crucial there to avoid any danger of being held by the carrion crawlers.
    fduia0isu28b.jpg
    That just left the Iron Throne to do. Rather than use a frontal assault there, I used the stairs to break the opposition up into manageable chunks and dodge any spells that looked like being successfully cast. Zhalimar put up a decent fight, doing damage both with arrows while I was occupied with casters and in melee when I got around to him - but it was still a comfortable victory (if HPs had got lower, I always had the option of running away and getting healing at a temple).
    bkl2zcxbb4wp.jpg

    At Candlekeep I accused Shistal of being an imposter and cut down the resulting greater doppleganger. I then headed on upstairs to give myself up, though not until I'd looted another PfP scroll.
    v3fdruejhf1l.jpg
    Resting in the secret library gained me DUHM and that was used to loot 1 tomb to get another PfM scroll (the others with the wisdom tome and strength tome need 22 and 24 strength respectively and were left). In the next area I waited out the greater doppleganger's haste before killing that. In the final area I bypassed Prat rather than use up exploding arrows on his party (he has a small chance of seeing you rush by, but normally doesn't even notice - and even if he does his companions can't catch you if you keep running).
    2xsxeq0b3kb6.jpg
    The basilisks were killed with the scroll collected in Candlekeep (I had a spare from the Iron Throne and as a last resort could have used horror to try and get past, but with 2 of them that would not be risk-free).

    After resting outside the City to get a second DUHM, I'm ready for the final stages of BGEE. Up to now the chances of dying, without making a mistake, have been minimal - but a little bit of luck will be needed to get past the coronation.

    Wizard Slayer L8, 107 HPs (incl. 5 from Helm), 343 kills
    AerakarMantis37EnuhalWise_Grimwald
  • jessejmcjessejmc Member Posts: 141
    Grond0 wrote: »
    After talking twice to Tamoko (so that she will appear in the Undercity)...

    I maneuvered Tamoko to where I could attack her and retreat into the temple if necessary.

    If you're going to do it anyway, why not just kill her the first time she appears?
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,837
    @Grond0 Sorry about your demise
    Corey_RussellGrond0
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    Condolences, @Grond0.

    I love your insights into strategy in the Infinity Engine.
    Corey_RussellGrond0AerakarWise_Grimwald
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    jessejmc wrote: »
    Grond0 wrote: »
    After talking twice to Tamoko (so that she will appear in the Undercity)...

    I maneuvered Tamoko to where I could attack her and retreat into the temple if necessary.

    If you're going to do it anyway, why not just kill her the first time she appears?

    Maybe I should. However, in my version of no-reload I don't allow any testing (with the limited exception of reloading an autosave if I died in a battle without the reason for that being clear). Finding out if a new tactic works can thus be pretty painful if that ends the run. In this case though, I agree the implications are unlikely to be so serious. If, for instance, Tamoko proved to be immortal or disappeared if you attacked when you first met her (and then didn't appear in the Underdark) that would just reduce my AC in SoD by 1 - noticeable, but not enough to seriously reduce the chance of success.
    Wise_Grimwald
  • Corey_RussellCorey_Russell Member Posts: 995
    @Wise_Grimwald not sure if you are aware, but web has a penalty of -2 to saves vs being webbed. This means if you don't have free action, or -1 to spell save, you can be webbed. Cloakwood Area 2 can be quite dangerous, as you no doubt know. A technique I often use if have a single character gulp a potion of freedom (you can get from Thalantyr) and go invisible, either by potion or spell. Then, with AI off, go through all areas in area 2 and set off the traps. After setting off traps, return to the party and then you can clear out the spiders/ettercaps here in relative safety.
    BlackravenWise_Grimwald
Sign In or Register to comment.