So, just to let you know what I'm doing before tackling my little surprise and the chapter 7, I'll edit this sequence to add every quest I've been doing before that
- Clearing the guarded Compound - Trademeet quests (almost... Viconia is treatening to leave the party if I get the last reward that include a +1 in reputation, so I'll get it after have done Dorn's quests) - Cernd quest - Clearing the Sea's Bounty - Clearing the Den of Seven Vales - Clearing the Copper Coronet - Dorn quests - Finishing Trademeet quests - Scorching the Slavers Compounds in Akathla - Exploring the forest parts - Completing temple quests
None of those are realy interesting to speak about, the Children of Fire are just too powerful right now for quests meant to be completed during the Chapter 2 and our little party just trample on every enemy inside. But still they earn xp, and I'd like to level up Rasaad a bit before going for what's next
EDIT: OK! I'M READY! Time for the Children of Fire to prepare for SoA's final!
I couldn't be more prepared for what is to come. I've recovered many powerful magical items, worked on our strategies, prepared my companion to what is to come, gathered allies. We are ready, ready for a fiery vengeance.
We're coming Bodhi, you poked at the wrong sibling... and we will recover what is ours: your life
And this is the time for closing the Chapter 6, so I get to the graveyard... to have Jaheira abducted, since she is the character I romanced last, and the last romanced gets the "lover" status (yup, that's how it works)
Mostly, the dungeon is easy with allies, so I decided to spice the challenge by making sure no ally get the time to get wounded. Mostly, it involves stopping time, and spam Horrid Wiltings.
Works like a charm
The battles against Bodhi goes the regular way, with the most obvious and powerful strategy I've used so far: Project Image (Fire Image), Time Stop, Improved Alacrity, Spell Trigger (Lower Resistance x3), and then spam Incendiary Clouds
Vampires are not immune to fire, so the result is obvious:
Yup, 8 Incendiary Clouds stacked hurts a lot, Bodhi.
The only difficulty was to trap the allies behind the door so they would not be torched with everything else inside
A little jump to the temple ruin to put back Jaheira on her feet, and we're all set to bring Bodhi's cinders to her dear brother
-----------------
And this conclude our Chapter 6.... but before I go to the elven forest, I'll make a quick jump to the Mage Stronghold to sort the items I have in stock, to see if anything is worth bringing to ToB... I'm not sure to have access to my safe once I enter the Chapter 7, after all.
I put in my Bag of Holding everything I could think to find perhaps an use during ToB:
- all extra fire resistance items (not sure they will serve, because their bonus is rather weak but better too careful than sorry)
- the best heavy armor of the lot, in case I recruit a last Child of Fire
- an elven chain, in case I find an extra fire resistance item Imoen can wear to replace her Robe of the Invoker
- all AC +2 items
- all +4 weapons
- all extra attack weapons
- a few shields
- the Helm of Vhailor and the Ring of Danger Sense
... and sell everything else, for extra gold... damn, I'm rich now
After many struggles, I'm about to get the upper hand on Irenicus. I feel my blood boiling inside me, pulsing at my tamples... oh, yes, this is going to be sweet... and hot... and filling with all the flames of our wrath...
The elven city is the usual now with dungeons: little to no opposition, and the few needing my Dragon Disciple to actualy cast a spell are over with a few casts of Incendiary Clouds (or Horrid Witings, when I cross demons)
So let's gain time and speak directly of what interested people: Irenicus
This was a challenge worthy of a battle, since our arch-foe is truly the opponent making the most abuse of buff spells. You know the pain of the monsters when players come after having buffed and warded themselves in every way possible, neutralizing any interesting way to attack
... and you know what? This screenshot is too small to just show everything he instanly pulls on against you!
Let me summarize a bit: With all those buffs, he's immune to fire, to cold, to spells under level 5 and to every weapon we have... he will also take only 50% damage from Horrid Wiltings, and automaticaly wound every companion that will hit him... plus I can't target him due to his invisibility... and on top of that, he has some magic resistance
That's an IMPRESSIVE stack of defenses, and to damage him seriously, I'm going to need to:
1- True Sight so I'll cancel his Mislead and can target him
2- Waste 30 spell level on him, only with spell level 5 or more
3- Breach him, so my companion will be able to do something
4- Lower resistance him so he will not resist the Horrid Wilting
5- then spam Horrid Wilting like a madman and cross fingers
Ouchie!
Ok, let's get to work, then... I cast my Fire Image as always, it won't harm him, but with luck, he will not resist everything and get his cast interrupted, the Time Stop, Improved Alacrity, and True Sight... alas, the True Sight will only work after the time resume, so I can destroy more of its defense yet, and I just summon 5 Mordenkanein's Sword to help my companions
He immediatly retaliate with a Spell Trigger including both Ice Storm, which will interrupt my castings (copy cat!!!) and Powerword: Kill (hopefuly, my protagonist is a Dragon Disciple, so I have too much hp for it to work), then destroys all my summons while I run to get out of the Ice Storm...
Experience proves me right when one of my Incendiary Cloud manage to interrupt his own Time Stop (yeepee!!!)
Then, I cast Project Image again, just for the increased spell pool, then Time Stop+Improved Alacrity once more... I bring back the swords, then hammer him with Breaches to waste his Spell Trap, and finaly have one working, and the release my own Spell Trigger to destroy his magic resistance... all that is left is to throw the Horrid Wiltings
Finaly, his life drops, but not enough to kill him. The stock of Horrid Wiltings of my clone depletes, and Rasaad, who was able to dish so nice damage took so much damage himself from the Fire Shield that I'm forced to make him step back so Viconia can heal him
His life runs to low due to being surrounded by the swords, and then he manages to cast a spell that get me completly by surprise:
... and make me burst in laughter while he dies just after have tried to hit my Children of Fire with a friggin Sunfire!!!
No, seriously, Irenicus, end our battle like that... I'm almost thinking you did it on purpose just because I was taking screenshot for this playthrough! Next time, you can also try Meteor Shower
I had some problems at the first attempt of this battle because the True Sight didn't seem to work, and I didn't understand why... in fact, this is simple: if the caster of True Sight dies, the effect stop, and as Irenicus was immediatly killing the Project Image at the end of the Time Stop, the True Sight never had the opportunity to cancel his Mislead.
That was a little loophole in the combat mechanics I didn't know about.
To counter this problem, I've pulled a trick off my sleeve by programming True Sight with the level 6 Contingency spell on the "helpless" condition... this way, when the Fire Image triggers, True Sight is cast by the original character at the same time than the 3 Incendiary Clouds, without delaying the first Time Stop
Neverless, it was a truly fun battle, and we now reach the very last step of SoA...
Will it ever end? What are we doing in that corner of hell right now? How long would I need to burn that damned ex-elf to recover my soul?
... just as many times as it takes!
As soon the fights start, I see one problem to resolve: my two mages are really too close to the demons.
If for my protagonist I can unequip/re-equipe the Staff of the Magi to become invisible, Imoen is much more in trouble and I have to make her retreat urgently from the melee range.
I immediatly send Rasaad and Jaheira intercept the two fiends who are close to her, and then start to initiate my usual Fire Image/TimeStop...
The defense of Irenicus is clearly inferior to what he did outside hell. No spell trap, only 40% magic resistance in the Slayer form, no Protection From Energy.
The only problem to solve is the Mislead, but my Contingency will take care of it after the Time Stop, so I focus first on thinning the ranks of his minions by casting a full stack of Horrid Wiltings on them as soon the Time Stop starts
Alas, one of them followed Imoen out of the clouds, but the three other dies almost instanly... so I had to make Imoen run back to cross Jaheira and Rasaad for another tentative of interception.
Also, Viconia took some hard blows, so I make her heal before I send her help the two others
Soon after, the fourth demon dies... but the Slayer is nowhere to be seen, despite of my True Sight being active... I fear that he will reappear and strike Imoen, so to bait him, I summon 5 Mordenkainen's Sword and lay them all around the Incendiary Clouds, so he will be tempted to attack one of them instead
Alas, no sign of him, despite of seeing his True Sight ticking regulary... what the hell?
In fact, Irenicus ran to the bottom of the map, and it is only when I decide to move Viconia around that I spot him, and immediatly send every force I have to charge him
As I get him surrounded, I notice how hard Rasaad actualy strikes: he's doing about 70% of the damage of the team alone... I really picked my 5th child wisely
Unable to cast anything by the sole sheer of melee strikes, I just wait for his health point to deplete, watching until the end.
And, at least, the final victory! (of SoA)
Viconia inherits of the Amulet of the Seldarine, which increase her saving throws a bit. Not an overwhelming reward for such a fight, really
I'm actualy doing a little pause, because I just finished Sardush, but don't feel 100% satisfied with the current playthrough.
Severals things bugs me now:
1- The first sequences of the playthrough were poorly-written
By that time, I didn't understand yet how to take in-game screenshots on my tablet, and export them to the forum, so there is no image, and it makes them... boring, I think Also, all sequences are poorly organized, not allowing people to skip to the parts that would interest them the most (wish dépends of each people)
If I would try to guess, there are 3 things that could interest people: - Roleplayed Story - Fight Strategies - General knowledge about game mechanics/items/spells But most often, everything has been mixed up in my writing
2- The recruitement order is sub-optimal
Rasaad is, like the protagonist of my playthrough, a level-dependant Child of Fire: the fire resistance of both of them comes with levels, and the less level they have, the most they drain the anti-fire gear, preventing other Childs to enter the party. So, Rasaad should have been the first Child recruited, to make him the highest level companion by ToB. Which he is currently not, preventing probably the integration of the 6th Child for almost all the remaining game, and deprivating the said party of the tank he could be.
Viconia on the other side is high-level (level 31) which serve nothing because I don't make her cast spell, that she has only 1APR so I don't care about her damage and her magic resistance is only gear-dependant, so she would have been as good with 10 less levels
The most profitable choice would have been to recruit Rasaad first, by chapter 2, and give him the fire resistance items until his MR grows up.
3- Challenge is missing
I feel also that this playthrough is missing some interesting challenge. And would like to add one, but this is not truly a challenge if you attempt it once you are already a powerhouse of fiery destruction.
One challenge I could think of would be to never give a single order to my companions during battles: roleplaying-wise, you are your protagonist, and your companions are different person acting from their own will... so, why not attempt to do all the fights only letting the IA manage the companions? The only thing I would be allowed to do is to choose the AI of each (including "no AI"), like if my protagonist would give its companions generic pointers of how he want them to act during battle
One thing I wonder however is: would YOU like me to start over to improve all those points?
That means to see once again all SOA, which could perhaps not interest the ones reading the current playthrough.... even if there will have more screenshots, information, and some variations too What is the feeling of the people who have kept reading the current one?
When you say IA, my mind wanders off to improved anvil mod and horrible, horrible memories...oh, you mean AI, right? I would be fine with either way, if you are bored with the gameplay you may restart again, (I would suggest scs mod this time though, to see how fire mage fires well in scs) but I would be happy to see this to the end, too!
Comments
So, just to let you know what I'm doing before tackling my little surprise and the chapter 7, I'll edit this sequence to add every quest I've been doing before that
- Clearing the guarded Compound
- Trademeet quests (almost... Viconia is treatening to leave the party if I get the last reward that include a +1 in reputation, so I'll get it after have done Dorn's quests)
- Cernd quest
- Clearing the Sea's Bounty
- Clearing the Den of Seven Vales
- Clearing the Copper Coronet
- Dorn quests
- Finishing Trademeet quests
- Scorching the Slavers Compounds in Akathla
- Exploring the forest parts
- Completing temple quests
None of those are realy interesting to speak about, the Children of Fire are just too powerful right now for quests meant to be completed during the Chapter 2 and our little party just trample on every enemy inside.
But still they earn xp, and I'd like to level up Rasaad a bit before going for what's next
EDIT: OK! I'M READY!
Time for the Children of Fire to prepare for SoA's final!
I couldn't be more prepared for what is to come. I've recovered many powerful magical items, worked on our strategies, prepared my companion to what is to come, gathered allies. We are ready, ready for a fiery vengeance. We're coming Bodhi, you poked at the wrong sibling... and we will recover what is ours: your life
And this is the time for closing the Chapter 6, so I get to the graveyard... to have Jaheira abducted, since she is the character I romanced last, and the last romanced gets the "lover" status (yup, that's how it works)
Mostly, the dungeon is easy with allies, so I decided to spice the challenge by making sure no ally get the time to get wounded. Mostly, it involves stopping time, and spam Horrid Wiltings.
Works like a charm
The battles against Bodhi goes the regular way, with the most obvious and powerful strategy I've used so far: Project Image (Fire Image), Time Stop, Improved Alacrity, Spell Trigger (Lower Resistance x3), and then spam Incendiary Clouds
Vampires are not immune to fire, so the result is obvious:
Yup, 8 Incendiary Clouds stacked hurts a lot, Bodhi.
The only difficulty was to trap the allies behind the door so they would not be torched with everything else inside
A little jump to the temple ruin to put back Jaheira on her feet, and we're all set to bring Bodhi's cinders to her dear brother
-----------------
And this conclude our Chapter 6.... but before I go to the elven forest, I'll make a quick jump to the Mage Stronghold to sort the items I have in stock, to see if anything is worth bringing to ToB... I'm not sure to have access to my safe once I enter the Chapter 7, after all.
I put in my Bag of Holding everything I could think to find perhaps an use during ToB:
- all extra fire resistance items (not sure they will serve, because their bonus is rather weak but better too careful than sorry)
- the best heavy armor of the lot, in case I recruit a last Child of Fire
- an elven chain, in case I find an extra fire resistance item Imoen can wear to replace her Robe of the Invoker
- all AC +2 items
- all +4 weapons
- all extra attack weapons
- a few shields
- the Helm of Vhailor and the Ring of Danger Sense
... and sell everything else, for extra gold... damn, I'm rich now
After many struggles, I'm about to get the upper hand on Irenicus. I feel my blood boiling inside me, pulsing at my tamples... oh, yes, this is going to be sweet... and hot... and filling with all the flames of our wrath...
The elven city is the usual now with dungeons: little to no opposition, and the few needing my Dragon Disciple to actualy cast a spell are over with a few casts of Incendiary Clouds (or Horrid Witings, when I cross demons)
So let's gain time and speak directly of what interested people: Irenicus
This was a challenge worthy of a battle, since our arch-foe is truly the opponent making the most abuse of buff spells. You know the pain of the monsters when players come after having buffed and warded themselves in every way possible, neutralizing any interesting way to attack
... and you know what? This screenshot is too small to just show everything he instanly pulls on against you!
Let me summarize a bit: With all those buffs, he's immune to fire, to cold, to spells under level 5 and to every weapon we have... he will also take only 50% damage from Horrid Wiltings, and automaticaly wound every companion that will hit him... plus I can't target him due to his invisibility... and on top of that, he has some magic resistance
That's an IMPRESSIVE stack of defenses, and to damage him seriously, I'm going to need to:
1- True Sight so I'll cancel his Mislead and can target him
2- Waste 30 spell level on him, only with spell level 5 or more
3- Breach him, so my companion will be able to do something
4- Lower resistance him so he will not resist the Horrid Wilting
5- then spam Horrid Wilting like a madman and cross fingers
Ouchie!
Ok, let's get to work, then... I cast my Fire Image as always, it won't harm him, but with luck, he will not resist everything and get his cast interrupted, the Time Stop, Improved Alacrity, and True Sight... alas, the True Sight will only work after the time resume, so I can destroy more of its defense yet, and I just summon 5 Mordenkanein's Sword to help my companions
He immediatly retaliate with a Spell Trigger including both Ice Storm, which will interrupt my castings (copy cat!!!) and Powerword: Kill (hopefuly, my protagonist is a Dragon Disciple, so I have too much hp for it to work), then destroys all my summons while I run to get out of the Ice Storm...
Experience proves me right when one of my Incendiary Cloud manage to interrupt his own Time Stop (yeepee!!!)
Then, I cast Project Image again, just for the increased spell pool, then Time Stop+Improved Alacrity once more... I bring back the swords, then hammer him with Breaches to waste his Spell Trap, and finaly have one working, and the release my own Spell Trigger to destroy his magic resistance... all that is left is to throw the Horrid Wiltings
Finaly, his life drops, but not enough to kill him. The stock of Horrid Wiltings of my clone depletes, and Rasaad, who was able to dish so nice damage took so much damage himself from the Fire Shield that I'm forced to make him step back so Viconia can heal him
His life runs to low due to being surrounded by the swords, and then he manages to cast a spell that get me completly by surprise:
... and make me burst in laughter while he dies just after have tried to hit my Children of Fire with a friggin Sunfire!!!
No, seriously, Irenicus, end our battle like that... I'm almost thinking you did it on purpose just because I was taking screenshot for this playthrough! Next time, you can also try Meteor Shower
I had some problems at the first attempt of this battle because the True Sight didn't seem to work, and I didn't understand why... in fact, this is simple: if the caster of True Sight dies, the effect stop, and as Irenicus was immediatly killing the Project Image at the end of the Time Stop, the True Sight never had the opportunity to cancel his Mislead.
That was a little loophole in the combat mechanics I didn't know about.
To counter this problem, I've pulled a trick off my sleeve by programming True Sight with the level 6 Contingency spell on the "helpless" condition... this way, when the Fire Image triggers, True Sight is cast by the original character at the same time than the 3 Incendiary Clouds, without delaying the first Time Stop
Neverless, it was a truly fun battle, and we now reach the very last step of SoA...
Will it ever end? What are we doing in that corner of hell right now? How long would I need to burn that damned ex-elf to recover my soul?
... just as many times as it takes!
As soon the fights start, I see one problem to resolve: my two mages are really too close to the demons.
If for my protagonist I can unequip/re-equipe the Staff of the Magi to become invisible, Imoen is much more in trouble and I have to make her retreat urgently from the melee range.
I immediatly send Rasaad and Jaheira intercept the two fiends who are close to her, and then start to initiate my usual Fire Image/TimeStop...
The defense of Irenicus is clearly inferior to what he did outside hell. No spell trap, only 40% magic resistance in the Slayer form, no Protection From Energy.
The only problem to solve is the Mislead, but my Contingency will take care of it after the Time Stop, so I focus first on thinning the ranks of his minions by casting a full stack of Horrid Wiltings on them as soon the Time Stop starts
Alas, one of them followed Imoen out of the clouds, but the three other dies almost instanly... so I had to make Imoen run back to cross Jaheira and Rasaad for another tentative of interception.
Also, Viconia took some hard blows, so I make her heal before I send her help the two others
Soon after, the fourth demon dies... but the Slayer is nowhere to be seen, despite of my True Sight being active... I fear that he will reappear and strike Imoen, so to bait him, I summon 5 Mordenkainen's Sword and lay them all around the Incendiary Clouds, so he will be tempted to attack one of them instead
Alas, no sign of him, despite of seeing his True Sight ticking regulary... what the hell?
In fact, Irenicus ran to the bottom of the map, and it is only when I decide to move Viconia around that I spot him, and immediatly send every force I have to charge him
As I get him surrounded, I notice how hard Rasaad actualy strikes: he's doing about 70% of the damage of the team alone... I really picked my 5th child wisely
Unable to cast anything by the sole sheer of melee strikes, I just wait for his health point to deplete, watching until the end.
And, at least, the final victory! (of SoA)
Viconia inherits of the Amulet of the Seldarine, which increase her saving throws a bit. Not an overwhelming reward for such a fight, really
SoA is now complete, we will meet again for ToB
I'm actualy doing a little pause, because I just finished Sardush, but don't feel 100% satisfied with the current playthrough.
Severals things bugs me now:
1- The first sequences of the playthrough were poorly-written
By that time, I didn't understand yet how to take in-game screenshots on my tablet, and export them to the forum, so there is no image, and it makes them... boring, I think
Also, all sequences are poorly organized, not allowing people to skip to the parts that would interest them the most (wish dépends of each people)
If I would try to guess, there are 3 things that could interest people:
- Roleplayed Story
- Fight Strategies
- General knowledge about game mechanics/items/spells
But most often, everything has been mixed up in my writing
2- The recruitement order is sub-optimal
Rasaad is, like the protagonist of my playthrough, a level-dependant Child of Fire: the fire resistance of both of them comes with levels, and the less level they have, the most they drain the anti-fire gear, preventing other Childs to enter the party.
So, Rasaad should have been the first Child recruited, to make him the highest level companion by ToB. Which he is currently not, preventing probably the integration of the 6th Child for almost all the remaining game, and deprivating the said party of the tank he could be.
Viconia on the other side is high-level (level 31) which serve nothing because I don't make her cast spell, that she has only 1APR so I don't care about her damage and her magic resistance is only gear-dependant, so she would have been as good with 10 less levels
The most profitable choice would have been to recruit Rasaad first, by chapter 2, and give him the fire resistance items until his MR grows up.
3- Challenge is missing
I feel also that this playthrough is missing some interesting challenge. And would like to add one, but this is not truly a challenge if you attempt it once you are already a powerhouse of fiery destruction.
One challenge I could think of would be to never give a single order to my companions during battles: roleplaying-wise, you are your protagonist, and your companions are different person acting from their own will... so, why not attempt to do all the fights only letting the IA manage the companions?
The only thing I would be allowed to do is to choose the AI of each (including "no AI"), like if my protagonist would give its companions generic pointers of how he want them to act during battle
One thing I wonder however is: would YOU like me to start over to improve all those points?
That means to see once again all SOA, which could perhaps not interest the ones reading the current playthrough.... even if there will have more screenshots, information, and some variations too
What is the feeling of the people who have kept reading the current one?
Should I do it... or not?
I would be fine with either way, if you are bored with the gameplay you may restart again, (I would suggest scs mod this time though, to see how fire mage fires well in scs) but I would be happy to see this to the end, too!