1. I've got an evil elf shadowdancer doing a full series run. I've already run him once as a swashbuckler, to see Dorn's romance and the other EE content. He was never supposed to be more than that, but I got very attached to the character so now I'm trying to nail him down.
2. I've also a neutral evil half-elf skald tooling around Irenicus's dungeon on my phone, ostensibly to see Hexxat's romance. Not sure how far she'll get. I'm enjoying the novelty of playing on my phone, but the UI is so small I feel like I'm playing a game for ants.
I decided to restart my Kensai run. I didn't like the exceptional strength score and max physical attributes. So I went with a more toned down version. I like relying on potions if need be. Party so far is Khane (kensai), Imoen, Neera and Garrick. I want a cleric, so I'll probably go rescue a certain Dark Elf from those Flaming Fist busy bodies. Plan on dual classing him in Siege of Dragonspear. I've never done a Kensai>Thief before. We'll see how it goes.
*Using the 'Yoshimo' soundset for Khane. I like a Kensai who actually shouts "Kai!"
I've just completed BG1:EE / TotSC & SoD with a chaotic neutral half-elven shadow dancer called Malakai.
Played as more of reluctant hero type & the good side of CN but slightly greedy, yet very pragmatic. I figure he'd have a Haer'Dalis style philosophy, though instead of embracing complete nihilism, he'd be this individual very much in conflict with themselves. Aware in some part that his actions caused chaos, but trying to stay balanced and in control of the aftermath of these effects via lessons learned from Gorion/Jaheira/Khalid's guidance, Imoen's support and Sarevok's vicious, yet ultimately empowering goading.
Even though he's aware that he's set on his path and it doesn't ultimately matter how he goes about achieving his results, he'd attempt to make the process as pleasurable to himself as possible - to reflect this through my gameplay I RP him as being unashamed to ask for rewards before doing a quest for someone.
Afterall, he and his friends were constantly on the road and eking out this perilous life, living out of tents and sleeping in deathtrap dungeons with one eye open at all times. This fuelled his larceny and a desire for comfort as a some-what productive outlet that helps him transmute his murderous drives and appetites based on having the blood of Bhaal.
Planning on having him romance Viconia who briefly served in my party in SoD before leaving after the battle of Bridgefort (swopped later for Corwin), saying we were too different etc - I figure she'd be initially intrigued/confused given his shadow based powers following her reverence of Shar, a goddess of shadow/darkness & loss.
The confusion as I picture it would lie in the fact he would balance being a creature of the shadow-weave who does good (if pre-emptively, thought-ahead, self-serving) actions (e.g. doing good actions to get a reward and gain a measure of leverage in a political sense, not because he feels morally obligated to do good and be seen as it).
I figure Viconia would see Malakai as a 'test' from Shar.
Going through with the canon party. Prefer Jaheira as a big sister / mentor than a love option.
Plan on redeeming both Viconia & Sarevok and making Malakai TN by the time he gets to Bhaal's throne.
I like to think of their relationship as some duality of light and dark, yet ultimately of darkness given her background serving dark goddesses and being a drow and Malakai being a son of a god of murder who uses the shadows as a tool that in a way, brings about loss. Loss of life and loss of property.
Probably the last time I will go through this series, so taking my time with this run.
Like the role-play and alignment interpretations @Aethernaut . He sounds like a complicated and fun character. I have never played a shadowdancer. How would you compare it to bounty hunters and assassins in terms of power, play-style and most importantly the FUN factor?
Hmm... I'm not great at the mechanical assessment of things with RPGs but I'll do my best here and provide additional thoughts as to why I like this class.
Mechanically the HiPS ability is useful in the early game and makes combat fun both in the solo sense and when a group is engaging an enemy.
If you want to solo an enemy with a shadow dancer you're more able to pump out backstabs and not have to run for miles to find some shade/cover to get into stealth mode whilst a monster is chasing you.
In a group, you can support your tanks in the same capacity and aren't restricted to ranged support (assuming you aren't backstabbing via invisibility potions).
It's usefulness later on can be negated by a player with patience and some boots of speed, as you can effectively find the cover you need to get into stealth before running back to backstab an enemy - but you don't have that issue so much with a shadow dancer. So the combat feels less... I don't know... absurd, more fluidic and that's why I find it fun to play.
Plus, thematically I can justify it my brain better that a shadow dancer just fades from sight as they've this mystical connection to the shadow weave - so the whole disappearing/reappearing thing to attack enemies like some kinda anime ninja just feels more appealing to me. I could do some nasty damage in the first game using a dagger of venom using this approach.
Cool down on the ability stops it from being OP and cheesey and the reduced amount of skill points per level aid in making the class balanced. Early game you're focussed on getting to 100 in move silently and hide so you'll suffer slightly in the other crucial areas. Pays to have a secondary thief like Imoen who can compensate by focussing on locks and traps. This means it's utility is reduced to a scout and a weak backstabber (though a backstabber who can viably hit more often).
That HiPS' worth later on can be negated via the boots of speed / invisiblity ring (or potions) + patience combo/approach may have some players perceive shadow dancers as a weaker thief generally & one without traps. Which is kinda true in a way - Especially if you're solo-classing them.
The shadow step ability (7 second time stop effectively) in my view makes them some of the best scouts in the game and makes scouting amusing as if ever break stealth accidentally in a group of baddies, you can just jump into the shadow plane and get a bit of extra cover. This would typically be a reload for other thief characters.
Even more deadly if dual classed to about 4-5 levels - assuming you're only after the stealth ability. I chose a half-elf because of I thought it fit the portrait choice. Might have gone dual-class otherwise.
Like the bounty-hunter - good dip class as long as you're pumping up their respective thematic skill area and neglect everything else (i.e. stealth for shadow dancers, traps for bounty hunters).
Lack of set snares balances things the class further. I can't cheese kill dragons once Yoshimo leaves my party as I am reliant on his traps and can't use these with Malakai so I will have to use my brain more when dealing with those enemies.
Not sure if I can use the HLA traps too... Don't think I can, though I believe SD's get some themed HLA's of their own that I have yet to try.
So I'd end by saying that they kind of become one trick ponies later game if you solo class one.
I guess I just like them thematically and from the RP angle saw it as a nice hook for the Viconia romance as a further reason as to why she'd find my CHARNAME even more intriguing/interesting to her.
Starting another SCS core no-reload charname in SoA, had 5 deaths or so and maybe three times as many cases of restartitis. I figured my condition would improve from no-reloading but it has actually gotten even worse..
Played starcraft 2 LotV campaign on brutal and enjoyed it a lot, restarted wings of liberty because of it and expect to complete it around christmas or so.
Now my latest half-elf FMT has just made it out of chateu irenicus. Currently considering what path to take. Should I solo til 250k xp to get Aerie at a higher level? But then I'll miss out on the free stoneskin in the circus, and all that easy exp too.. Just me and Aerie or let Jaheira tag along? Grab Keldorn before Carsomyr for a change? Meta guarded compound for early access to Celestial Fury? Meta too much concerning the NPCs and doom myself to another reroll?
Finally try a monk? Maybe try that barbarian with 2-handed weapons?
I'm playing a Shaman in LoB mode with the bonus XP turned on. The spirits are very useful for tanking and baiting spellcasters into wasting their spells.
I also modified CONCENTR.2da so that spellcasters are unlikely to be interrupted by tiny amounts of damage or none at all. I got one-shotted by Seniyad at least 3 times trying to interrupt him from casting Call Lightning. Even without the difficulty-based damage increase, those extra levels the enemies have are killer!
After (literally) butt kicking for justice on my Monk, I've decided yet again to go through Baldur's Gate EE, this time with a Necromancer I think. Being a human isn't bothering me any more, I've come to like Faerun's humans, and Necromancy is just one of those things I've always had a weird interest in.
Playing rather smooth solo paladin 2/sorcerer 16 in IWD2. Too bad the dynamic experience has made me gain no experience at all for some time now, probably 5 maps or so, due to my character being considered much higher lvl than mobs. Just got 1st 8 lvl spell, picked Horrid Wilting. It seems I haven´t chosen any cc spells yet, as the 4th lvl´s Emotion:Despair was -2 to enemy rolls, not unconscious. I somehow skipped fear spells, too, relying rather on Mirror Image/Stoneskin/Improved Invisibility. It just dawned to me in Fellwood that I can walz my way around experienceless encounters with Improved Invisibility, though atm in Black Raven River I managed to pull the entire map by starting the stone puzzle with nearby barbarian horde. If someday Beamdog would enhance this game, I wish they´d do something about dynamic experience, though I wonder whether it´s function is in the first place - was it the same in NWN? I vaguely remember enemies challenge rating scaling from effortless to impossible...
Yeah, the dynamic experience is a function of 3rd edition D&D. A rather strange one, frankly, since you still needed different amounts of experience to level up. And of course, while I can see how a 15th level character probably doesn't learn anything from fighting your average orc, you'd think fighting 50,000 orcs would be worth something.
I dropped my insane SCS shapeshifter. It was too easy, too much just hitting things. Started a solo sorcerer with the same difficulty settings, my first. Super fun. Half way through BG1 and level 9 already :P
@SirBatince: Wizards have plenty of options against magic-resistant foes. For one thing, Fire Shield backlash damage bypasses magic resistance, as does Imprisonment, Comet, and Dragon's Breath. Attacks during Time Stop also hit automatically, allowing even Transmuters to kill enemies through INT drain (though this grants no XP and can break quests if used on folks like Abazigal). Summons like Mordenkainen's Sword, Animate Dead, and Summon (Fallen) Planetar also work fine against magic-immune critters. Mages can also use Minute Meteors and Energy Blades to surprising effect, and if you can't disable your opponent or stop time to guarantee hits, Tenser's Transformation can help your THAC0. Shapeshifting also works, though Tenser's Transformation blocks shapeshifting, which means you have to trigger Tenser's Transformation using a contingency or spell trigger, while already shapeshifted.
And any mage, even a Transmuter, can use the Wand of Spell Striking's Pierce Magic ability to lower an enemy's MR by 20% for 20 rounds, obviating the need for Lower Resistance/Pierce Magic/Pierce Shield entirely.
I find shape-shifting lame and unfun. Mindflayer is a cheese machine. You might aswell CTRL+Y things. I just wanna lob spells like a reasonable wizard, not be something else.
Summons get trampled to death within seconds or death spelled whenever I use them.
Specifically I'm at Abazigal right now, but I had no idea such a wand existed. I guess I'll go fetch it, thanks!
Mindflayer is a cheese machine. You might aswell CTRL+Y things.
No XP either way, I suppose. But it is fun to go all Cthulhu on a random NPC now and then.
Imagine the looks of sheer terror on the faces of the commoners when the guy in the fancy robes suddenly polymorphs and gobbles up the brains of the nearest victim! Then poof! Back to a wizard, playing dumb like nothing happened
Thanks to the great description by @Aethernaut I think my next character is going to (finally) be a Shadowdancer.
I'm trying my first custom companion with the "create party" feature. He is a dwarf fighter cleric that I envisioned as being a friend of Charname (elf/fighter Mage thief) and Imoen growing up. Maybe Revvors' son.
For me, I love dwarves so much but never thought they "fit" the BG protagonist well. So the custom companion is a very nice feature which allows me to have a dwarf companion that is good aligned for the whole series.
I adore Yeslick but alas he is a late addition in BG 1 and absent in BG 2 . Korgan is amazing and awesome but I plan to romance Aerie this run so he will have to be on the sideline.
Currently just finished the Bandit Camp which Dynaheir, Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen, Jhorik (dwarf NPC) and Althan (elven fighter Mage thief).
Khalid is napping on the top floor of the FFA near the back so I don't accidentally bump in to him when I turn in Unsheys quest
This flying thing is a lot harder than it looks. Especially at 12 minutes per flight, then an hour to charge the battery. Sigh. No wonder the game doesn't have flight.
I've just bit the bullet, and decided to start working on The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall in my effort to defeat all the main Elder Scrolls games. I already have Oblivion (first of the series I played,) and Skyrim (second of the series I played,) and am fairly into the process of Morrowind, but I know Daggerfall is a bloody long and convoluted game. It'll be a long time before I have that one finished.
I dropped my insane SCS shapeshifter. It was too easy, too much just hitting things. Started a solo sorcerer with the same difficulty settings, my first. Super fun. Half way through BG1 and level 9 already :P
This is probably because of the improvements an "Improved shapeshifting" component from the SCS brings. After numerous tries, I've decided against using this component. Too much MR with a greater wolfwere form. Also, while tokens are fine, I find them rather OP for BG - you shapeshift in a blink of an eye, without wasting any aura in a round.
@JumboWheat01 I never made much progress with the early Elder Scrolls games as they were generally too buggy for me - it was too easy to fall through walls and plummet out of a dungeon. Also, the algorithmically generated content just did not manage to engage like the curated content of later games. They were a revelation of how large and free-form an RPG could be though, back in their day. Definitely a slice of gaming history that can be fun to explore - don't hold yourself to a standard of completing them all though! That said, I never completed any of the classic rogue(like) games either.
Comments
2. I've also a neutral evil half-elf skald tooling around Irenicus's dungeon on my phone, ostensibly to see Hexxat's romance. Not sure how far she'll get. I'm enjoying the novelty of playing on my phone, but the UI is so small I feel like I'm playing a game for ants.
*Using the 'Yoshimo' soundset for Khane. I like a Kensai who actually shouts "Kai!"
Played as more of reluctant hero type & the good side of CN but slightly greedy, yet very pragmatic. I figure he'd have a Haer'Dalis style philosophy, though instead of embracing complete nihilism, he'd be this individual very much in conflict with themselves. Aware in some part that his actions caused chaos, but trying to stay balanced and in control of the aftermath of these effects via lessons learned from Gorion/Jaheira/Khalid's guidance, Imoen's support and Sarevok's vicious, yet ultimately empowering goading.
Even though he's aware that he's set on his path and it doesn't ultimately matter how he goes about achieving his results, he'd attempt to make the process as pleasurable to himself as possible - to reflect this through my gameplay I RP him as being unashamed to ask for rewards before doing a quest for someone.
Afterall, he and his friends were constantly on the road and eking out this perilous life, living out of tents and sleeping in deathtrap dungeons with one eye open at all times. This fuelled his larceny and a desire for comfort as a some-what productive outlet that helps him transmute his murderous drives and appetites based on having the blood of Bhaal.
Planning on having him romance Viconia who briefly served in my party in SoD before leaving after the battle of Bridgefort (swopped later for Corwin), saying we were too different etc - I figure she'd be initially intrigued/confused given his shadow based powers following her reverence of Shar, a goddess of shadow/darkness & loss.
The confusion as I picture it would lie in the fact he would balance being a creature of the shadow-weave who does good (if pre-emptively, thought-ahead, self-serving) actions (e.g. doing good actions to get a reward and gain a measure of leverage in a political sense, not because he feels morally obligated to do good and be seen as it).
I figure Viconia would see Malakai as a 'test' from Shar.
Going through with the canon party. Prefer Jaheira as a big sister / mentor than a love option.
ToB party roster will be:
Malakai - SD - party thief.
Jaheira - F/D - tertiary tank / secondary healer.
Imoen - T/M - primary mage.
Minsc - Rngr - tank.
Viconia - Clrc - primary healer.
Sarevok - Ftr - tank.
Plan on redeeming both Viconia & Sarevok and making Malakai TN by the time he gets to Bhaal's throne.
I like to think of their relationship as some duality of light and dark, yet ultimately of darkness given her background serving dark goddesses and being a drow and Malakai being a son of a god of murder who uses the shadows as a tool that in a way, brings about loss. Loss of life and loss of property.
Probably the last time I will go through this series, so taking my time with this run.
Mechanically the HiPS ability is useful in the early game and makes combat fun both in the solo sense and when a group is engaging an enemy.
If you want to solo an enemy with a shadow dancer you're more able to pump out backstabs and not have to run for miles to find some shade/cover to get into stealth mode whilst a monster is chasing you.
In a group, you can support your tanks in the same capacity and aren't restricted to ranged support (assuming you aren't backstabbing via invisibility potions).
It's usefulness later on can be negated by a player with patience and some boots of speed, as you can effectively find the cover you need to get into stealth before running back to backstab an enemy - but you don't have that issue so much with a shadow dancer. So the combat feels less... I don't know... absurd, more fluidic and that's why I find it fun to play.
Plus, thematically I can justify it my brain better that a shadow dancer just fades from sight as they've this mystical connection to the shadow weave - so the whole disappearing/reappearing thing to attack enemies like some kinda anime ninja just feels more appealing to me. I could do some nasty damage in the first game using a dagger of venom using this approach.
Cool down on the ability stops it from being OP and cheesey and the reduced amount of skill points per level aid in making the class balanced. Early game you're focussed on getting to 100 in move silently and hide so you'll suffer slightly in the other crucial areas. Pays to have a secondary thief like Imoen who can compensate by focussing on locks and traps. This means it's utility is reduced to a scout and a weak backstabber (though a backstabber who can viably hit more often).
That HiPS' worth later on can be negated via the boots of speed / invisiblity ring (or potions) + patience combo/approach may have some players perceive shadow dancers as a weaker thief generally & one without traps. Which is kinda true in a way - Especially if you're solo-classing them.
The shadow step ability (7 second time stop effectively) in my view makes them some of the best scouts in the game and makes scouting amusing as if ever break stealth accidentally in a group of baddies, you can just jump into the shadow plane and get a bit of extra cover. This would typically be a reload for other thief characters.
Even more deadly if dual classed to about 4-5 levels - assuming you're only after the stealth ability. I chose a half-elf because of I thought it fit the portrait choice. Might have gone dual-class otherwise.
Like the bounty-hunter - good dip class as long as you're pumping up their respective thematic skill area and neglect everything else (i.e. stealth for shadow dancers, traps for bounty hunters).
Lack of set snares balances things the class further. I can't cheese kill dragons once Yoshimo leaves my party as I am reliant on his traps and can't use these with Malakai so I will have to use my brain more when dealing with those enemies.
Not sure if I can use the HLA traps too... Don't think I can, though I believe SD's get some themed HLA's of their own that I have yet to try.
So I'd end by saying that they kind of become one trick ponies later game if you solo class one.
I guess I just like them thematically and from the RP angle saw it as a nice hook for the Viconia romance as a further reason as to why she'd find my CHARNAME even more intriguing/interesting to her.
Played starcraft 2 LotV campaign on brutal and enjoyed it a lot, restarted wings of liberty because of it and expect to complete it around christmas or so.
Now my latest half-elf FMT has just made it out of chateu irenicus. Currently considering what path to take. Should I solo til 250k xp to get Aerie at a higher level? But then I'll miss out on the free stoneskin in the circus, and all that easy exp too.. Just me and Aerie or let Jaheira tag along? Grab Keldorn before Carsomyr for a change? Meta guarded compound for early access to Celestial Fury? Meta too much concerning the NPCs and doom myself to another reroll?
Finally try a monk? Maybe try that barbarian with 2-handed weapons?
*sigh*
I also modified CONCENTR.2da so that spellcasters are unlikely to be interrupted by tiny amounts of damage or none at all. I got one-shotted by Seniyad at least 3 times trying to interrupt him from casting Call Lightning. Even without the difficulty-based damage increase, those extra levels the enemies have are killer!
Pierce shield and spell strike I take it? But what if you're a transmuter? You're fucked.
And any mage, even a Transmuter, can use the Wand of Spell Striking's Pierce Magic ability to lower an enemy's MR by 20% for 20 rounds, obviating the need for Lower Resistance/Pierce Magic/Pierce Shield entirely.
Summons get trampled to death within seconds or death spelled whenever I use them.
Specifically I'm at Abazigal right now, but I had no idea such a wand existed. I guess I'll go fetch it, thanks!
Thanks to the great description by @Aethernaut I think my next character is going to (finally) be a Shadowdancer.
Think I'm going to start SoD with my average-stat Mage.
Edit: Mage, not Sorcerer.
For me, I love dwarves so much but never thought they "fit" the BG protagonist well. So the custom companion is a very nice feature which allows me to have a dwarf companion that is good aligned for the whole series.
I adore Yeslick but alas he is a late addition in BG 1 and absent in BG 2
Currently just finished the Bandit Camp which Dynaheir, Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen, Jhorik (dwarf NPC) and Althan (elven fighter Mage thief).
Khalid is napping on the top floor of the FFA near the back so I don't accidentally bump in to him when I turn in Unsheys quest