The Timey-Wimey of Jergal [BGEE+BG2EE+SCS completionist min reload solo poverty sorceror]
urdjur
Member Posts: 53
INTRODUCTION
This thread will record the life and times of "Jergal" as he proceeds through the enhanced BG saga. I have the following goals:
1) To do every quest and kill every (important) adversary in the saga (a completionist run), importing the same character between the two games. This includes Durlag's Tower and Watcher's Keep (including Demogorgon).
2) Solo. Brief party formations are allowed if it's necessary to complete a quest, but the NPC won't contribute to kills or survival if possible.
3) Poverty. I will allow all non-magical items and quest items, as well as items I create (minute meteors, items from (Limited) Wish) or commission myself (Planar Sphere quest - mostly for flair). I will also allow myself any temple service, inns, identification etc. I will also use tomes, mostly because I want something to remember BG1 by in BG2. Aaand inventory management items like a bag of holding. But apart from that, no magical items/purchases.
4) Minimum reload. I would like to say no reload, but I know I will keep going if I die. If it ends up being many reloads, I might give a strict no-reload challenge a try after I finish the first run (using this thread as my own personal walkthrough).
I will be using BGEE, BG2EE and SCS on a new 2015 macbook that will be arriving in a 1-2 weeks. Meanwhile, I'll use this thread for build feedback and working out any last details.
ROLEPLAYING JERGAL
The idea for Jergal came when I realized I would be playing a Lawful Evil sorceror for the versatility of the Imp familiar (in BG1 especially). Having never before played an evil character in the saga, I contemplated how such a character would deal with the choices presented to him. So I decided he would be going for complete murder god apotheosis and care little for others, unless such concern was a means to his own ends.
Then I thought - what then, what would my character be doing after ToB? Surely he would continue to strive for more power and perhaps even rival the domain of Cyric (who turns mad eventually anyway, according to the realms story line). And eventually, when there is nothing more to conquer, I assume he would become bored and wish he had chosen to remain mortal after all and embrace his own death rather than death itself. But what to do when you're immortal? How would he pass the torch when all the opposition had been cleared away?
The idea of the blasé omnipotent reminded me of Jergal, the original God of Death, Murder and Strife. So what if... what if Gorion's ward got so powerful as to eventually gain complete command of time, travelling back to a more mythic age of power - the time of Netheril (Jergal's real place according to both BG and standard Realms canon). Surely, there he could find someone willing to fill his worn shoes. The irony dawns upon him as the three brazen adventurers Myrkul, Bane and Bhaal come to claim his thrown. He passes the torch to his own father, and realizes some choices cannot be undone.
Thus the circle is complete and the BG canon is finally woven into the main Forgotten Realms canon, and history as we know it is restored. After all, little is known about where Jergal really came from, and Cyric has few real competitors - so where DID that Bhaalspawn go? I think it's an elegant solution to this question that always sort of bothered me. It's a story that suits my needs, anyway.
As for this thread though, don't expect heavy role-playing. I basically made the character as an escape to power game and make certain spell picks without breaking immersion. Tactics and mechanics will probably take up more space in the posts, especially since I'll be using SCS.
THE BUILD
Race: Elf (the sleep and charm immunity should help greatly, also better ranged THAC0)
Class/Kit: Sorceror -> Dragon Disciple (for greater survivability at low levels and fire resistance)
Alignment: Lawful Evil (for Imp familiar)
Profiencies: Dagger (my early game pseudo magic missile thanks to Str bonus added), then Sling (for more efficient euthanasia of sleeping victims), then whatever
Attributes and changes throught the saga:
Str: 18->22 (+1 tome, +2 hell, +1 lum the mad) (for thrown dagger damage, carrying capacity and breaking doors)
Dex: 19->21 (+1 tome, +1 lum) (AC and thrown weapons from daggers to energy blades)
Con: 17->20 (+2 kit, +1 tome, -1 dream, +1 lum) (buffers against familiar death and if I reach 20 I get regen)
Int: 8->10 (+1 tome, +1 lum) (unimportant except for surviving mind flayers)
Wis: 15->19 (+3 tomes, +1 lum) (18 needed in SoA for best Wishes)
Cha: 15-> 17 (+1 tome, +1 lum) (unimportant, but 15 is min for the kit)
=92 points (any more will go to int for increased survivability against flayers, not that I will go near them without PfMW, but still)
Bhaalspawn powers:
2 CLW, 1 Horror, 1 Slow Poison (situational but an early life saver), 1 Vampiric Touch, 1 DUHM (for breaking doors and hp regen)
Hell trials:
+20% fire, cold, electricity resistance (good)
+1 or lower weapons immunity (good)
+2 AC (evil) (both choices suck, so I pick evil for RP reasons)
+2 saves (good)
+2 Str (evil) (neither choice is very important so I pick evil for RP reasons)
Final magic items: +1 Dagger of Jergal, Robe of the Apprenti, Glasses of Identification, assorted wands and potions from Wish spell
SPELLS IN ORDER OF ACQUISITION
LEVEL I 1+1+3+5+7
Find Familiar, Shield, Protection from Petrification, Sleep, Chromatic Orb
LEVEL II 4+5+7+9+11
Invisibility, Mirror Image, Web, Resist Fear, Strength
LEVEL III 6+7+9+11+22
Skull Trap, Melf's Minute Meteors, Haste, Spell Thrust, Remove Magic
LEVEL IV 8+9+11+13+23
Stoneskin, Spider Spawn, Polymorph Self, Farsight, Teleport Field
LEVEL V 10+11+13+15+28
Cloudkill, Spell Immunity, Breach, Animate Dead, Spell Shield
LEVEL VI 12+13+15+21+30
Mislead, Protection from Magical Weapons, True Sight, Protection from Magical Energy, Contingency
LEVEL VII 14+15+17+22+31
Mordenkainen's Sword, Spell Turning, Project Image, Spell Sequencer, Limited Wish
LEVEL VIII 16+17+19+23
Pierce Shield, ADHW, Spell Trigger, Simulacrum
LEVEL IX 18+19+20+25
Wish, Time Stop, Imprisonment, Chain Contingency
TACTICS AND CHEESE RESTRICTIONS
In early BG (level 1-3) I will try to avoid most combat and go for the sure XP. Gibberlings can be handled with Shield + thrown daggers. Anything big will get eaten by regenerating Imp in Brown Bear form (only once/day though). Sleep will help immensly from level 3 and beyond.
Level 4 means invisibility and a fantastic increase in survivability. Once I get to level 5 and grab MM and Web, I will be able to handle most simple enemies, and Web + spider-morphed familiar will get the tougher ones.
At level 7 I can go farm basilisks with Protection from Petrification, kill SCS Silke (her Chromatic Orbs petrify) and generally go big game hunting aided by Skull Trap, Mirror Image and MMM.
Finally at level 9, my hasty spiders will eat most of what BG has to offer. Mustard Jelly familiar will kite casters with 100% MR and the poison from the phase spiders will bypass stoneskin. Magic damage and meteors is an alternative strategy. Invisible Mustard Jelly familiar also scouts and clears traps in Durlag's Tower.
Early BG2 sees Cloudkill added to the Web + Spiders combo (the spiders are immune to poison whereas arcane casters still can't protect against it unless using potions) and I take over scouting duties from my familiar with Polymorph Self (invisible mustard jelly with stoneskin and petrification protection is immune to pretty much everything - not demons and liches obviously, but that can be handled with triggers later).
Level 12 and beyond means the usual Mislead + SI tactics, though SCS mages certainly aren't defenseless against this. From level 15 and beyond, I will be using long duration Skeleton Warriors to clear out simple foes in areas without taking part in battle. Anything that wipes them out merits a casting of Project Image -> Farsight, Mordenkainen's Sword and whatever else is needed, and after the encounter the PI refreshes the undead and long term buffs before vanishing.
Level 18 not only means PI->Wish resting, but also endless potions and wands from Wish. With no other source of cold damage, those wands of frost will be necessary for taking out the SCS Chromatic Demon. The rest should be pretty standard. Chromatic Orb over Magic Missile for acid damage type and bypassing Shield/Pro Magical Energy to disrupt spells (see discussion below). I take Pierce Shield over Lower Resistance, because the only enemies where I'd bother lowering resistance rather than just use Breach + summons are probably immune to L5 spells anyway and/or have spell protections. Also, the L5 slots are kinda crowded.
I will be installing all SCS components, including making 10th level spells HLAs. This means that PI can't summon Planetars, and I can only summon one/day, which I feel is much more balanced. It also gives a bit more high level fire power in terms of quantity at least, which seems suitable for a solo run.
I will always limit myself to 5 summons (including planetar), one PI and one Simmy. Simmys and PIs can't create each other, but either can create a Mislead clone for self defense (since it is essentially an improved improved invisibility). I will not configure contingency or chain contingency mid combat. I will use terrain to my advantage (like trapping golems in door openings), but not use tactics that would never work in PnP (like closing a door to escape foes that should obviously be able to open doors).
FINAL WORDS
Any comments on the above are highly appreciated! I've tried to think of everything that can go wrong, but I've probably missed lots of stuff. If you go "But how will he manage [THIS] encounter..." by all means post so I can make adjustments if needed
I have at least a week still before I'll even start the installation process, so there's lots of time to iron out the build!
Also, if anyone could recommend a suitable portrait, I'd be much obliged.
"Hail to the speaker,
Hail to the knower,
Joy to him who has understood,
Delight to those who have listened"
This thread will record the life and times of "Jergal" as he proceeds through the enhanced BG saga. I have the following goals:
1) To do every quest and kill every (important) adversary in the saga (a completionist run), importing the same character between the two games. This includes Durlag's Tower and Watcher's Keep (including Demogorgon).
2) Solo. Brief party formations are allowed if it's necessary to complete a quest, but the NPC won't contribute to kills or survival if possible.
3) Poverty. I will allow all non-magical items and quest items, as well as items I create (minute meteors, items from (Limited) Wish) or commission myself (Planar Sphere quest - mostly for flair). I will also allow myself any temple service, inns, identification etc. I will also use tomes, mostly because I want something to remember BG1 by in BG2. Aaand inventory management items like a bag of holding. But apart from that, no magical items/purchases.
4) Minimum reload. I would like to say no reload, but I know I will keep going if I die. If it ends up being many reloads, I might give a strict no-reload challenge a try after I finish the first run (using this thread as my own personal walkthrough).
I will be using BGEE, BG2EE and SCS on a new 2015 macbook that will be arriving in a 1-2 weeks. Meanwhile, I'll use this thread for build feedback and working out any last details.
ROLEPLAYING JERGAL
The idea for Jergal came when I realized I would be playing a Lawful Evil sorceror for the versatility of the Imp familiar (in BG1 especially). Having never before played an evil character in the saga, I contemplated how such a character would deal with the choices presented to him. So I decided he would be going for complete murder god apotheosis and care little for others, unless such concern was a means to his own ends.
Then I thought - what then, what would my character be doing after ToB? Surely he would continue to strive for more power and perhaps even rival the domain of Cyric (who turns mad eventually anyway, according to the realms story line). And eventually, when there is nothing more to conquer, I assume he would become bored and wish he had chosen to remain mortal after all and embrace his own death rather than death itself. But what to do when you're immortal? How would he pass the torch when all the opposition had been cleared away?
The idea of the blasé omnipotent reminded me of Jergal, the original God of Death, Murder and Strife. So what if... what if Gorion's ward got so powerful as to eventually gain complete command of time, travelling back to a more mythic age of power - the time of Netheril (Jergal's real place according to both BG and standard Realms canon). Surely, there he could find someone willing to fill his worn shoes. The irony dawns upon him as the three brazen adventurers Myrkul, Bane and Bhaal come to claim his thrown. He passes the torch to his own father, and realizes some choices cannot be undone.
Thus the circle is complete and the BG canon is finally woven into the main Forgotten Realms canon, and history as we know it is restored. After all, little is known about where Jergal really came from, and Cyric has few real competitors - so where DID that Bhaalspawn go? I think it's an elegant solution to this question that always sort of bothered me. It's a story that suits my needs, anyway.
As for this thread though, don't expect heavy role-playing. I basically made the character as an escape to power game and make certain spell picks without breaking immersion. Tactics and mechanics will probably take up more space in the posts, especially since I'll be using SCS.
THE BUILD
Race: Elf (the sleep and charm immunity should help greatly, also better ranged THAC0)
Class/Kit: Sorceror -> Dragon Disciple (for greater survivability at low levels and fire resistance)
Alignment: Lawful Evil (for Imp familiar)
Profiencies: Dagger (my early game pseudo magic missile thanks to Str bonus added), then Sling (for more efficient euthanasia of sleeping victims), then whatever
Attributes and changes throught the saga:
Str: 18->22 (+1 tome, +2 hell, +1 lum the mad) (for thrown dagger damage, carrying capacity and breaking doors)
Dex: 19->21 (+1 tome, +1 lum) (AC and thrown weapons from daggers to energy blades)
Con: 17->20 (+2 kit, +1 tome, -1 dream, +1 lum) (buffers against familiar death and if I reach 20 I get regen)
Int: 8->10 (+1 tome, +1 lum) (unimportant except for surviving mind flayers)
Wis: 15->19 (+3 tomes, +1 lum) (18 needed in SoA for best Wishes)
Cha: 15-> 17 (+1 tome, +1 lum) (unimportant, but 15 is min for the kit)
=92 points (any more will go to int for increased survivability against flayers, not that I will go near them without PfMW, but still)
Bhaalspawn powers:
2 CLW, 1 Horror, 1 Slow Poison (situational but an early life saver), 1 Vampiric Touch, 1 DUHM (for breaking doors and hp regen)
Hell trials:
+20% fire, cold, electricity resistance (good)
+1 or lower weapons immunity (good)
+2 AC (evil) (both choices suck, so I pick evil for RP reasons)
+2 saves (good)
+2 Str (evil) (neither choice is very important so I pick evil for RP reasons)
Final magic items: +1 Dagger of Jergal, Robe of the Apprenti, Glasses of Identification, assorted wands and potions from Wish spell
SPELLS IN ORDER OF ACQUISITION
LEVEL I 1+1+3+5+7
Find Familiar, Shield, Protection from Petrification, Sleep, Chromatic Orb
LEVEL II 4+5+7+9+11
Invisibility, Mirror Image, Web, Resist Fear, Strength
LEVEL III 6+7+9+11+22
Skull Trap, Melf's Minute Meteors, Haste, Spell Thrust, Remove Magic
LEVEL IV 8+9+11+13+23
Stoneskin, Spider Spawn, Polymorph Self, Farsight, Teleport Field
LEVEL V 10+11+13+15+28
Cloudkill, Spell Immunity, Breach, Animate Dead, Spell Shield
LEVEL VI 12+13+15+21+30
Mislead, Protection from Magical Weapons, True Sight, Protection from Magical Energy, Contingency
LEVEL VII 14+15+17+22+31
Mordenkainen's Sword, Spell Turning, Project Image, Spell Sequencer, Limited Wish
LEVEL VIII 16+17+19+23
Pierce Shield, ADHW, Spell Trigger, Simulacrum
LEVEL IX 18+19+20+25
Wish, Time Stop, Imprisonment, Chain Contingency
TACTICS AND CHEESE RESTRICTIONS
In early BG (level 1-3) I will try to avoid most combat and go for the sure XP. Gibberlings can be handled with Shield + thrown daggers. Anything big will get eaten by regenerating Imp in Brown Bear form (only once/day though). Sleep will help immensly from level 3 and beyond.
Level 4 means invisibility and a fantastic increase in survivability. Once I get to level 5 and grab MM and Web, I will be able to handle most simple enemies, and Web + spider-morphed familiar will get the tougher ones.
At level 7 I can go farm basilisks with Protection from Petrification, kill SCS Silke (her Chromatic Orbs petrify) and generally go big game hunting aided by Skull Trap, Mirror Image and MMM.
Finally at level 9, my hasty spiders will eat most of what BG has to offer. Mustard Jelly familiar will kite casters with 100% MR and the poison from the phase spiders will bypass stoneskin. Magic damage and meteors is an alternative strategy. Invisible Mustard Jelly familiar also scouts and clears traps in Durlag's Tower.
Early BG2 sees Cloudkill added to the Web + Spiders combo (the spiders are immune to poison whereas arcane casters still can't protect against it unless using potions) and I take over scouting duties from my familiar with Polymorph Self (invisible mustard jelly with stoneskin and petrification protection is immune to pretty much everything - not demons and liches obviously, but that can be handled with triggers later).
Level 12 and beyond means the usual Mislead + SI tactics, though SCS mages certainly aren't defenseless against this. From level 15 and beyond, I will be using long duration Skeleton Warriors to clear out simple foes in areas without taking part in battle. Anything that wipes them out merits a casting of Project Image -> Farsight, Mordenkainen's Sword and whatever else is needed, and after the encounter the PI refreshes the undead and long term buffs before vanishing.
Level 18 not only means PI->Wish resting, but also endless potions and wands from Wish. With no other source of cold damage, those wands of frost will be necessary for taking out the SCS Chromatic Demon. The rest should be pretty standard. Chromatic Orb over Magic Missile for acid damage type and bypassing Shield/Pro Magical Energy to disrupt spells (see discussion below). I take Pierce Shield over Lower Resistance, because the only enemies where I'd bother lowering resistance rather than just use Breach + summons are probably immune to L5 spells anyway and/or have spell protections. Also, the L5 slots are kinda crowded.
I will be installing all SCS components, including making 10th level spells HLAs. This means that PI can't summon Planetars, and I can only summon one/day, which I feel is much more balanced. It also gives a bit more high level fire power in terms of quantity at least, which seems suitable for a solo run.
I will always limit myself to 5 summons (including planetar), one PI and one Simmy. Simmys and PIs can't create each other, but either can create a Mislead clone for self defense (since it is essentially an improved improved invisibility). I will not configure contingency or chain contingency mid combat. I will use terrain to my advantage (like trapping golems in door openings), but not use tactics that would never work in PnP (like closing a door to escape foes that should obviously be able to open doors).
FINAL WORDS
Any comments on the above are highly appreciated! I've tried to think of everything that can go wrong, but I've probably missed lots of stuff. If you go "But how will he manage [THIS] encounter..." by all means post so I can make adjustments if needed
I have at least a week still before I'll even start the installation process, so there's lots of time to iron out the build!Also, if anyone could recommend a suitable portrait, I'd be much obliged.
"Hail to the speaker,
Hail to the knower,
Joy to him who has understood,
Delight to those who have listened"
Post edited by urdjur on
5
Comments
Any tutorials for this you could recommend?
Edit: @Loldrup Ok, so this seems really easy and doable. QuickTimePlayer comes with a built in video capture feature, editing should be minimal and uploading to youtube is also easy. So thanks for the suggestion, would not have thought about it otherwise and this seems like the most convenient way to go
Last level 2 slot: An alternative to MAA is Strength. I think it might be more useful in ToB for buffing Mordy Swords (base str 15) to make them hit more reliably. However, I'm not completely sure I can do without this unique source of acid damage. I THINK SCS Chromatic Demon can be hurt by poison OR acid in his "air" form, and I don't think I MUST have acid damage at any other point to complete a quest/kill a monster, but I'd like confirmation. Would be horrible to have my run end for something like that just because I got greedy with the Strength spell. Oh, and Strength can also be used to debuff bosses and golems.
Last level 4 slot: I'm debating if Teleport Field might be better than Minor Sequencer. The MS is useful for casting low level spells while polymorphed (for example 2x Web in Spider form). But TF could be even more useful, especially against boss fights like Melissan and Demogorgon. A 3xTF in a sequencer is essentially a 10 round PfMW.
VII Limited Wish: The only real appeal for this spell is the "horde" of 20 bunnies to confuse enemies. By the time I get it, MGoI, NPP, recover spells lvl 1-4 and mass cure will be irrelevant (Spell Immunity, PfMW, Wish and Planetar do all this and more). 20 bunnies in a tele field can really confuse the AI though, especially against demons that see invisible. It feels kinda weak, but my problem is I can't really find good alternatives:
*DBF: Allows save, MR and fire based damage. Yawn. Trumped in every way by spells I already have.
*Mass Inv: Doesn't help against death spell, ADHW (mordy swords) or improve skeletons offensively. If only it boosted THAC0 rather than AC/saves!
*PW Stun: Many bosses are immune to stun. Non-bosses die to summons, stunned or not. Still probably the best alternative (i.e. the only thing better than 20 bunnies...).
?Anything interesting here I missed? TBH, these slots will go to project images and mordy swords 90% of the time, so whatever I pick can be very "niche", as long as it will occasionally be useful (kinda like Spell Turning).
Looks like a pretty solid setup for a very strong character. I'm sure you'll have little trouble, though the lack of the Robe of Vecna will make Improved Alacrity a lot less useful. But I'll comment anyway, on the few places I think you might make your character a little bit tougher.
-I'm not familiar with BG1, but I would suspect that Protection from Petrification is worth getting before level 7. It's better to farm Basilisks at low levels than high levels. But bear in mind that SCS Mutamin can cast Remove Magic, and render you perfectly vulnerable to petrification.
-I would strongly recommending using Teleport Field. It nearly neutralizes enemy melee attackers and fits neatly in a low-level contingency. Sometimes it will teleport an enemy behind a wall, and take them out of the battle entirely. Almost nothing is immune to it--the only critter I know is immune is Melissan, and I think that's only in Ascension.
-Have you considered taking Feeblemind? It's a great tool for taking down dragons and many other tough critters. Few things are immune; even many bosses are vulnerable, though you may have to dispel it so unkillable enemies (like Abazigal) can give their death dialogs. Hold Monster is another option, if you're worried about the Ravager, as it can paralyze the Ravager for 20 rounds on a failed save, guaranteeing automatic hits for your Magical Swords.
-In my experience, the Chromatic Demon in SCS2 can be harmed by Cloudkill, irrespective of his form. But acid and cold damage are still useful, if only to kill Fire Trolls (but vorpal hits from your Fallen Planetar should also work). Also, the Chromatic Demon is vulnerable to Feeblemind, which will keep him in the cloud.
-Limited Wish is a good pick. I almost never use the repeatable wishes, but I find that the one-time wishes are quite excellent. Before epic levels, Limited Wish can give you Shapechange or Time Stop, which can turn the tides of a tough encounter you would otherwise be too low-level to handle. You do, however, have a good alternative in the form of Ruby Ray of Reversal.
-I normally don't bother much with Imprisonment, though usually it's just for RP reasons. It's a reliable killer, and certainly in-character for an evil mage, but Shapechange can take down SCS2 dragons and various bosses using Mind Flayer form, while Imprisonment cannot. Improved Alacrity can also let you spam Psionic Blast by repeatedly changing to Mind Flayer form--though it won't be nearly as strong without the Amulet of Power. Spellstrike is also very useful for debuffing high-level casters, if you don't already have Pierce Shield or Ruby Ray.
Good luck and have fun!
Yes, lack of casting time reduction will make improved alacrity less useful, but will also make casting time more important when selecting spells. Wand of Spell Striking from Wish spell should also help (0 casting time). Also makes Energy Blades proportionately more useful (for cast-and-attack) when you think about it.
OK, so I'm really inclined to take Strength and Teleport Field over Melf's Acid Arrow and Minor Sequencer then. These choices won't affect BG1 though, so there's time to mull over it more.
Is feeblemind still bugged so you can cast it without blue circles turning hostile? If it is, then that's an exploit I'd rather not use. If it isn't, then I'd rather not rely on save-or-else spells in a no/mini reload run. For the latter reason, Hold Monster holds little appeal too, and the level 5 slot is already crowded enough that I eschew Lower Resistance for Pierce Shield at level 8 instead (few really strong level 8 picks IMO). For those circumstances where save-or-else spells might play a big role, I'll rely on wands of cursing and paralyzation from Wish (and Web of course). Though mostly, Planetar and mordy swords buffed with Haste, Strength and Protection from Magical Energy will be my solution to bosses (with me and simmy supporting with breach, remove magic etc).
I think I'll stick with Limited Wish, especially if I take Imprisonment over Shapechange as planned. I'm not entirely sure I should though. The main reason for Imprisonment is to use it as a demon-be-gone. Then again, fewer foes are immune to Time Stop than to Imprisonment. And if I can stop time, I can kill with Mind Flayer (and probably lots of other methods too).
OTOH, if I do take Shapechange at level 19-20, there's even less value in taking Limited Wish at level 17 (and Mordy Swords and PI must realistically be taken before). Yes, there's the option of Ruby Ray, but I already have Pierce Shield and I think the level 8 slot has even fewer must-picks and then I still need a lower resistance effect...
Though... one could argue that with the power of Mind Flayer form, there's little need to lower resist and I still have Pierce Magic from wand. In that case I could swap Limited Wish for RRoR and take PW Blind or Maze at level 8 instead of Imprisonment at level 9, making room for Shapechange at level 9. Alternatively, keep things as they are and only have one casting of Shapechange from LW throughout the game. Thoughts? A third option would be to drop another 9 slot (Wish, Time Stop, Chain Contingency) for Shapechange, but I don't see that happening.
I thought Wands of Spell Striking weren't available in a poverty run, but I just double-checked the Wish file and you can create them. You get Wands of Lightning, Frost, Fire, Magic Missiles, Fear, Spell Striking, and Cursing. No Cloudkill, however.
As for Mind Flayer form, bear in mind that the Mind Flayer attack weapon only strikes as +2. Some enemies are immune to it, though not many.
As much as I love Shapechange, it's not worth it to trade it out for Wish or Time Stop or Chain Contingency--those spells open up many more possibilities than Shapechange. You might make do with only one casting of Shapechange from Limited Wish, to simplify one encounter (note that the Iron Golem form and Greater Wolfwere form are excellent for tanking). And as much as I love Maze, it does not bypass magic resistance like Imprisonment does.
There's also the issue of PI not being able to use Shapechange, meaning that Jergal himself would have to risk his own precious hide in melee combat. Whereas with Imprisonment, I could just PI, distract with a few summons and make a handful of targets just magically go away without spending any 9th level slots myself.
So the high level spell selection stays as is then! I have to say I'm really pleased with it on paper and can't wait to put it to the test. I'll update the OP to reflect the changes.
Anyway, there are several spell picks I really don't understand here:
Why Find Familiar? Just use a scroll. (Wait until BG2 if you need to, i.e. if you don't choose to mod in the scrolls via SCS. You're not going to be that much in trouble because of the lack of familiar.)
Why Strength? You'll have enough natural strength, and besides... Sorcerers don't really need strength -- if you Shapechange you'll get the STR of your chosen form anyway. (Unless you abuse Dispel-on-self to dispel the natural weapons.)
You also seem to be lacking in protection from elemental damage... I can tell you from experience that enemy mages will on occasion have spell triggers with 3xFlame Arrow (and even 3xSunfire) and such... in which case you'll be toast. In general, Fire is by far the preferred offensive element of enemies, so you might get away with PfFire, but there are occasions where Cone of Cold gets used -- however, if you can either 1) force enemy mages to rebuff (via constant debuffing) or 2) finish them fast enough -- that is not a common occurrence.
Re: Mislead: Unless you're going to really abuse it (by moving the clone far away, etc.), I'm not sure this is good enough for the Imp. Invis. effect. Personally, I'd pick either Shadow Door or Imp. Invis instead. That said, there aren't that many good picks on L6, but perhaps a Pierce Magic (as insta-cast lower-MR) or Death Fog (good for liches since it interrupts spellcasting pretty reliably -- Resist Acid is very rarely in their Contingencies.)
L9: I think CC definitely should come first here. It's just so powerful to be able to instantly release 3xWhatever at enemies.
EDIT: Also, Limited Wish: Almost anything is better than Limited Wish: DBF can insta-kill liches if you're willing to metagame, Khelben's can actually be quite useful (situationally) since enemy spellcasters will usually prioritize re-buffing, so if you can get automatic de-buffing for 3 rounds, then that delays their offense. That said, I'd probably pick Prot. Elements or RRR here. Prot. Elements for obvious reasons (you can use various rings to achieve 100% as needed during battle), but RRR is the only non-abjuration spell-debuff aside from Spellstrike (L9) -- that's quite important for mages who casually buff with SI:A/SI:D.
EDIT#2: That's not that Limited Wish is entirely useless, but it's mostly useful for the one-time wishes (Shapechange and Double-length Time Stop come to mind if you just need to use the Mind Flayer "trick" for a single enemy. My favorite is to kill Draconis using this -- he doesn't even change into dragon form.) For the one-time wishes you can use scrolls, by my count you'll get at least two scrolls.
Mind Flayer Form: Don't know about the +3/+2, would like confirmation on that. @semiticgod elaborated on the psi blast spam a few posts up. You do need Imp. ala. for it, and my lack of CT reducing items will make it less than stellar.
Find Familiar: This is a poverty run. Hence no items that I can't make or commision myself and thus no scrolls can be used. See OP.
Strength: Mostly to improve THAC0 (and damage) of Mordy Swords in ToB (base Str 15). Also to debuff hard hitters like adamantine golems without save or MR. Few level 2 spells stay relevant in ToB. This one might.
Lack of elemental protection: Dragon Disciple gets 100% innate fire resistance eventually. I also have protection from magic energy (100% and most importantly long duration). That neatly covers the two most common damage types. Frost and Lightning are weaknesses, but it helps that I'll handle traps as a stoneskinned mustard jelly, and most encounters by not being there and sending in a PI and summons.
Mislead: Oh, it is good enough. Even just microing the clone to lead some attackers on a merry chase while I imprison them is good times. Clone or not, it is MUCH more powerful than regular Imp Inv - it actually reapplies regular invisibility to you every turn on top of the Imp Inv. So attackers attacking you will suddenly stop and shrug at the beginning of the turn, even if they managed to kill the clone. It is THE one stop defensive spell against anyone without True Sight or innate invisibility counter measures.
L9 CC: As stated in the OP, I don't intend to configure Contingencies mid combat, but use them as intended in PnP. CC exploited to its full potential breaks the game too much for me (why yes, I will take 3 quickened level 8 spells for the price of a L9 slot...).
Limited Wish: It will only have some niche uses for sure. One thing I like is to summon 20 rabbits and then Wish for the "bad" option where every target on screen gets an unfriendly ADHW, while having Pro Magic Energy up of course. That could do roughly 400d6 of damage, so anyone not completely immune will probably die. Meanwhile the 20 suicide bomber rabbits make the AI quite confused, even demons and liches that see the invisible. Also, there is the one shot Shapechange and other useful one time wishes you mention. Healing without needing to summon Mr Pocket Cleric and listening to that god awful "I shall prevail!!!1" all the time is also convenient.
RRR: Under SCS, Spell Immunity: Abjuration only thwarts Dispel/Remove Magic, NOT abjuration school spell protection strippers like Spell Thrust. So there's no real point in considering schools for these spells (unless you're a specialist and can't take Abjuration).
I'm also contemplating going with Chromatic Orb over Magic Missile:
1) It is acid damage, so hey! (see previous post on the potential need for acid damage and me picking Strength over MAA despite this)
2) It casts as fast and disrupts spells equally well, but it bypasses Shield and later on Protection from Magical Energy (which is far mor common than acid protection).
3) In all fairness, I'd much rather have the extra damage from MM than the save-or-else at +6 save from CO, but I think 1)+2) tip the scales in favor of CO regardless. Especially being able to disrupt spells through Shield will be important in BG1
Interesting to hear about Mislead. I've just avoided it habitually ever since discovering the ridiculous exploits. Too much temptation
I do include Haste too for increasing my speed and buffing summons, but I think the Strength spell will make them even better, especially when combined with Haste. It's a shame mass invisibility doesn't improve offensive capabilities though.
Nope, haven't tested the "bunny-pocalypse" of limited wish + wish, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work or how it would be "fixed" in enhanced edition. The "combo" is well documented. Mostly though, the bunnies are good on their own to distract AI, but I'll willingly admit that the Limited Wish is probably my weakest spell pick on the list. Not much else that would really help though, since slots will go to PI and Mordy Swords most of the time, regardless of what I pick. DBF has some appeal, but I already have meteors, innate breath weapon, comet and dragon breath HLAs that deal fire damage, so I'm all set in that department even without it. I'm also against the whole "trap where it will spawn" cheese
Using CC to set up is fair in my book, and since I'll do a lot of scouting under invisibility and cheap summons to "poke" a difficult encounter before going in with more fire power, I won't even have to meta that much. I still want Wish first just so I can create those lovely wands and potions immediately. Picking TS and Imprisonment before CC is mostly due to my using PI a lot (and it can't use CC).
Yeah the fine art of spell trumping has changed somewhat throughout the iterations of SCS, but I have reliable info from at least 3 separate sources that spell strippers indeed trump spell immunity under current versions of SCS at least.
... but I'd still encourage you to test the bunny-bomb before you start the run. Inquiring minds want to know! I know it's "well documented" on the interwebs, but as I say, someone I would trust about these things mentioned that it doesn't actually work and never has (even in "classic" BG2/ToB) -- that it's essentially just an urban legend spawned by a made-up play-through and nobody has actually bothered to fact-check it. I definitely agree that it sounds plausible given the engine mechanics!
EDIT: I forget exactly which wands you can get via Wish, but I predict that it won't be enough -- without reloading. But since this isn't a no-reload, I guess that's OK
EDIT#2: I'll be very interested to see video if you do produce an LP. Always interesting to see what other players do with their Sorcerers/Mages
@semitigod was good enough to check the Wish file and list the wands and potions available. I also think paying gold for recharging wands I've made is perfectly reasonable in my poverty run (and saves time, by selling them and buying them back). I get some potions to help with healing and mental status conditions, as well as wands of Frost (no other source of cold damage), Spell Striking and Paralyzation (to name the most useful ones). A complete list can be found here: http://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/41974/wands-and-potions-from-wish-spell#latest
Actually, I'll try to keep this as no-reload as possible. Not even sure I'll reload on potential familiar death - I have CON to spare. The beauty is using Project Image with Wish when creating wands and potions. You PI -> Wish and select either the wand, potion or rest+rememorize option (with priority to potions, if you can choose). It's highly likely that one out of those three will present itself. And you have 5 PIs and EACH can cast 5 Wish, so somewhere in those 25 wishes there *will* be a rest + remem, so you can keep going indefinetely. So basically just click yourself to a potion/wand every 6 seconds of real time. 30 minutes later I should statistically have all I need, especially considering that I'm allowing myself recharging via shops. I'll probably not include tedious bits like this in the LP though :P
Since this is my first Let's Play, I'd appreciate feedback on the presentation and if there's anything you'd like to see changed for future episodes.
Any ideas on what relatively safe quests I could do now to get to level 2? I've done Beregost in this video and I'm now at the Friendly Arm Inn. Otherwise I'll just try to farm gibberlings, kobolds and maybe hobgoblins as safely as possible.
(Preface: This is all based on experience with BGT, i.e. vanilla with a BG2 engine. Things may have changed with BG1:EE.)
Alright, so you have a few options depending on how metagamey/cheesy/exploity(TM) you want to be: The ridiculous choice would be to kill Elminster with your familiar (I'm not sure that works in EE), the metagamey choice would be to kill Shoal the Nereid (see a BG1 walkthrough) while she's neutral[1] for 5K XP. Other random ideas: Get a scroll of Invisibility in the Ulcaster Ruins to get a Wand of Fire -- and go nuts with that. Go to the Nashkel map and get the Wand of Frost. Use that wand to get the 2H Sword+1 off the half-ogres east of your current map[2], sell that, buy a scroll of Protection from Undead and go help Hentold with the dagger quest (using the ProUndead scroll and Wand of Fire), and while you're there, go over to the very east end of the map (this requires careful pathing to avoid "suprises", maybe use a test character to see the pattern) to kill a few Ghouls (using the WoF again)... and gain a Wand of Monster Summoning. Once you have that you can pretty much do anything...
[1] DON'T talk to her -- you'll die instantly if you're solo! Just outright attack her while she's neutral. I'm not sure you can actually outrun her in BG1:EE, but in BGT you can outrun her ever so slightly and just hurl darts at her until she dies. If you cannot outrun her, I'd actually use the Potion of Speed you should have gotten from Imoen -- I think it's probably worth it for 5K XP.
[2] EDIT#3: Actually, the next map. On your current map, just go south, don't go west as the path suggests, just keep going straight south. You won't have any encounters if you do that! (You will if you follow the path.)
EDIT: I should say that I normally wouldn't play this way, but I've played through BG1 sooooo many times and I know exactly which character combos/classes I will basically always be able to make it with, so I don't care about exploits/metagaming these days. I only do BG1 because of the "technically a triology run" thing these days. Don't get me wrong... BG1 can be great fun with an unusual and or challenging combo (e.g. solo monk), and if I play something that's not absolutely guaranteed to win 99.9% of the time, I don't stoop to these levels. I hope that makes sense
EDIT#2: Also, there's a handy checklist at DudleyVille (or a mirror of it). I found it very useful to just take that checklist, plop it into a text file, trim it down to high-XP quests and to just do those. Having it in a nice text file format also means that you can just keep trying (by copying to original) and not have to spend huge amounts of time thinking about which quests are worth doing vs. not worth doing.
I just thought I'd quickly comment on Limited Wish, since two of my sorcerers, Alanis, and, Alicia, have taken it. Both soloed Ascension on Insane, Alicia with SCS. Alanis successfully no reloaded the Trilogy with Ascension.
Alanis was the first sorcerer that I gave Limited Wish to. I wanted to take a summon spell at L7. Mordy swords are the de rigueur choice. I decided to go with the Limited Wish bunny rabbits just for fun, just to be different: for style points, really. That was it. Nothing more. It was fun. They worked. I liked it. I was happy with the choice, and the bunnies played a prominent role in Alanis's insane Ascension solo.
After having Limited Wish in my book, I came to appreciate the spell's versatility, especially in party play. Limited Wish- I wish to make my party invulnerable casts MGoI (1 turn) on the entire party, including your warriors. That can be helpful. Limited Wish- I wish to be protected form undead will cast NPP on the entire party. It's one of the more practical ways to protect a party of 6 from level drain. Again, helpful. Factoring in the bunnies, Limited Wish is a nice little utility spell in party play.
When I built my second blaster sorcerer, Alicia, I gave her Limited Wish, mostly as an homage to Alanis. Alicia didn't use it much at all, although the bunnies did help thwart a Melissan Time Stop->melee assault once. On balance, the selection was just a shout-out to my beloved prior sorcerer, Alanis. My current sorcerer, Aphril will pass on Limited Wish. Aphril's shout-out was to Alicia, via Fire Shield:Blue. It's a passing of the torch thing.
If there is a practical reason to put Limited Wish in a solo no reload sorcerer's book, aside from the bunnies, it is the ability to take a Time Stop via Chain Contingency. You'll only be able to do it once, or course, but in no reload play it only has to save you once to justify itself. NW: You can execute Chain-Limited Wish: I wish for control over time in dead magic zones. That could prove helpful, given that you don't intend to use scrolls.
In sum, Limited Wish is fun. It's versatile. It's useful. It's a fine pick. Are there other fine picks? Sure. Are there other better picks? Maybe. It depends on what you're seeking in the game world. We all have our style, we all have our approaches, we all have our game world hopes and dreams. Limited Wish might suit some. It might not suit others. That's fine. Diversity is good. Do what feels right to you.
Best of luck with your adventure, Urdjur!
Best,
A.
Btw. As for the bunny bomb: it doesn't work. It never worked, as far as I'm aware. UserUnfriendly's Cheese Guide (an early BG culture classic) mentioned the bunny bomb as a possibility. People liked the idea so much that it hung around as a BG urban myth. Wish- Wilting for Everyone doesn't cast a standard AoE Wilting. Rather, it applies single target Wiltings to everyone on the map. If bunnies are present, you'll kill the bunnies, but you won't do additional damage to anyone standing near them.
When I played my evil Priest of Talos->Mage, I used to RP the destruction of villages with Limited Wish- Summon a Horde->Wish- Wilting for Everyone. I liked the image of little kiddies coming out to play with the fuzzy-wuzzy bundles of joy only to be obliterated by Wiltings. The bunnies didn't actually do anything, however.
Btw II. I can confirm that SI:A will not foil single target spell protection removers from the Abjuration school.
Btw III. I can confirm that Wish does produce Wands of Spell Striking and produces them in adequate quantities. I'm currently nearing the end of a SCS-Ascension no reload on insane with a party of four arcanists, over at Bioware. Every party member has a Wish- Wand of Spell Striking. Note well though: the Wands of Spell Striking created by the Wish spell only have Breach charges, at least in my install.
Btw IV. I can also confirm that the Shapeshift: Mindflayer weapon strikes as +2.
I hope you don't take this badly, but one particular issue I noticed in watching your latest video is that you have a quite a low voice and speak with what I'd call a "drawl" (though not that's not exactly what it is, it's basically long slowly-spoken drawn-out-sentences.). Unfortunately this is probably quite a turn-off for listeners. You'll also want to add (ultimately pointless) narrative which describes the characters even if it's completely frivolous. As in: "I don't think CHARNAME would shaft Silke after having promised blahblah, so I'm going to have to attack the ..." (and similar) [1]
If you don't have a specific ambition to be a professional Let's Player (as in earning your living from Twitch or YouTube or whatever), you probably shouldn't bother to do videos. Unless you just plain enjoy it or just want to show off your sheer skill (as in, e.g. Saros beating IA6 no-reload.), of course!
(FWIW, I would have watched some of the videos, just in case there were tricks I could have learned from them... it's just that RL intervened, and recently RL has taken priority over playing BG, so...)
[1] EDIT: Just to add: I kept watching LPs of an inept BG2 player doing a "Let's Play" just because he would thoroughly explain his thought process before charging into fights that he was obviously not prepared for (in terms of game knowledge). The point is: it was more about entertainment than skill, ultimately... Though I did tire of him at one point because he needed umpteen reloads (aka. luck manipulation) to make it past this one particular fight.