@Arvia , I meant to comment before from one of your earlier reports, I absolutely *love* it that you know the Green Lantern's "Oath of the Power Ring".
You started it before, "In brightest day, in blackest night, no Evil shall escape my sight!"
So, please allow me to finish it: "Let all who worship Evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's Light!"
(At this point, I imagine a huge explosion of bright green light around the Green Lantern, her ring, and her Lantern, accompanied by some appropriately cool sound effect.)
Those who worship Evil on the remote dual-planets of Abeir-Toril have no chance against the might of the Green Lantern Corps!
After killing High Captain Baram, I should have reported to Aarin, but I felt compelled to go back to another place first. There was a great evil hidden in some ancient ruins below the ctiy.
I regretted having to fight the Fallen Hero, but he seemed to have sacrificed his eternal rest to guard this place from unworthy intruders, and I respect that.
I don't remember if I found the Bone Phoenix here or somewhere else, but it's extremely satisfying to crush skeletons with this burning morningstar.
Incidentally, it's also much better to bash chests than my +2 longsword. Against Shadow Fiends, however, I prefer the sword, because of the +2 enchantment. They're harder to hit than skeletons.
*Many* Shadow Fiends. I haven't been able to buy the Amulet of Health yet, but none of them managed to drain me. And I found at least one of the two cool cloaks... unfortunately not the Blue Cloak of Awesomeness, but it's not bad, either.
Although I wouldn't want to be a Whitecloak (those fanatics from the Wheel of Time), I'm going to use this one for a while.
More impressions from what I had to fight down there:
The Water Elemental carried the reagent to break the last seal.
I have no idea what a Mohrg is, but it has bones, so I crushed it with my amazing, burning Phoenix.
And there it was, the great evil that even Hell hadn't welcomed:
I was trying to get to him, but he summoned a Dire Spider, and there was another Mohrg, so I ran back to draw them out. I couldn't risk them distracting me from the lich. Both of them followed me.
The summoned dire spider hit me twice and drained me all the way down to Strength 3! I'm glad that didn't happen on the stairs next to Voleron. For some mysterious reason, the spider crawled back to the lich after hitting me. I wasn't going to ask. I killed the Mohrg with Strength 3 and prepared myself for the real attack.
I hadn't seen the warrior mummy before, but it followed me back like the others. The spider remained there guarding the stairs.
Now I had to face Voleron *and* the spider, expecting to use potions of restoration and antidotes while focusing on the lich.
But the spider kept ignoring me, I still don't know why. Maybe it didn't like the taste of my white cloak. I was glad, because the lich kept me quite occupied.
Stoneskins with 150 points! I had to heal myself a lot while I tried to bash them (I know, the Bone Phoenix is better suited for that, but I miss too often with it) and watch out for nasty spells that might appear on the ground. No tentacles, thank the gods, but enough heavy elemental damage and magic missiles to keep me busy.
Evil destroyed!
With the loot from Voleron's ruins I could finally afford the Amulet of Health. I'm not wearing it, I won't sacrifice +2 AC, but I'm keeping it in case of dangerous level draining opponents. I also sold the white cloak. I'd rather use the Nymph Cloak +2, because AC +5 against evil sounds good, but I've met so many evil enemies who were officially of neutral alignment, so I'll never know when it helps and when it doesn't.
((After that purchase, I was shocked to find out that I could have bought the green lightsaber instead. I thought that was in chapter 3! I hope I will still be able to afford it later!))
I reported to Aarin and he forged a kind of diplomatic passport for me. I had to pretend to be an ambassador to gain entrance into the Host Tower. I'm not comfortable with deception, but it's certainly better than slaughtering all the guards.
((Here there be plot spoilers for the end of Chapter Two. Although I will try to avoid details and names))
In the Host Tower, I talked to some ambassadors. I was deeply shocked by the alarming news they gave me. I couldn't believe it and hoped it was just a rumor. I had been warned not to explore the tower, but I had to find out more!
I entered a room next to the entrance hall (had to destroy a hostile guardian golem in there, but nobody else seemed to have noticed) and found some documents that seemed to confirm the rumors. I couldn't believe it! Tyr, help me to stop them! Maybe it's a ruse, or maybe things can still be undone...
I had read where to find them, but it might be a false trail or a trap. I would search the whole tower thoroughly for evidence before going to the pinnacle.
The cult had obviously overrun this tower, taken the power and drawn the mages to their side. I met some very, very dangerous opponents here. Just to name a few:
At least I'm learning to react immediately when my peripheral vision sees black spots appearing on the floor.
*Two* Black Tentacles areas! Or it might even have been three. I hardly knew where to run anymore while I had to kill them.
The whole tower was evidently in the hands of my worst enemies, the cult that had brought the plague to Neverwinter, so I had absolutely no bad conscience to take everything that I found here. I would need the best possible equipment if I had to face this Maugrim and his followers... after all those strong enemies, I decided to take the risk to teleport out, sell what I had found, and get the most powerful weapon that I could find. I avoided talking to Aarin. I couldn't bear to tell him yet, because I still hoped that it wasn't true.
I walked back. The guards and the guests of the first level hadn't noticed anything and let me get past them without another word.
I discovered a prison on another level and opened the doors. Maybe the cult had imprisoned good people here who could help me.
Okay, mad. Poor soul. I didn't know if he was dangerous, but I had killed the warden. I left the door open so that he wouldn't starve to death. He never even noticed me.
Lich!
I didn't know *what* he had cast there, but I have learned my lesson. Things on the floor when facing a spellcaster? RUN!
Very close. I slammed the door shut behind me and ran around a corner to heal myself. Then I picked up my bow, opened the door again (I don't know why he hadn't followed me. Can undead be weakened if they have been imprisoned?) and jumped back.
Done. The next cell held a mage who had been a member of the Arcane Brotherhood before Maugrim took over. He didn't want to join my fight and confessed that he had done some pretty evil things in his life, too, but he told me how to find Maugrim and the former head of the Arcane Brotherhood.
I had been level drained by a trap, so I teleported back to the temple one last time to be fully healed and restored, to receivce Tyr's blessing once more, and activated the portal, using the rune to reach the Pinnacle.
Arklem, the former boss of the Arcane Brotherhood, was a lich! I should have destroyed him, but I needed him to open the door to his inner sanctum to get to Maugrim. I agreed to free him by smashing the panels that powered his containment field. Each of them released a powerful creature.
This was a one-time armistice, because I keep my word. If I see him again, I will smite him.
He had opened the door for me, so I got to the roof of the tower. I had to witness an unimaginable scene, straight from a nightmare. I couldn't intervene, there was a metal fence that seemed to have magical properties. I tried to shout, I tried to bash in the bars of the gate, but nothing worked. I couldn't get to them, and they didn't notice me. I had to watch, helpless, witnessing what I would never have believed to be true otherwise.
When it was over, they teleported away and left only a group of Lizardfolk to fight me.
I felt empty inside. With my heart heavy and full of sorrow, I went to see Aarin and told him everything.
I disagree. We have abandoned her. I had seen the deep sorrow and growing desperation and doubts, but she had told me to continue my mission. *He* had been there all the time, the great spymaster, and never noticed?!
She seems lost forever, but nobody can be so deep in the shadows that he can't be brought back to the light again. I refuse to accept it!
So, I'm in Chapter Three now. I followed Aarin to Beorunna's Well and received my new orders from him.
I was in extremely dangerous territory, so I used the first opportunity to visit the merchants and saw that I could afford to exchange my Amulet of Natural Armor +2 for a +3 one, and the same with my Ring of Protection +2 to +3. That means I have AC 38 now. I'm going to need it.
Unfortunately, AC doesn't protect from mistakes. Neurik asked me to defend a young man of the local tribe, who had killed a soldier in self-defense, but was accused of murder now. I talked to all the jurors, witnesses, his wife, himself, trying to be objective and not influencing anyone. I learned to respect his people, who live honorable lifes and respect their environment, and I came to the conclusion that he had been intoxicated and had only defended himself, and that no witness had seen who had started the fight. So I went to tell Neurik that I was ready for the trial, but I couldn't convince the jurors. Maybe I should have tried to get more information out of the witnesses before the trial, but I had only asked them questions. I felt that everything else would have meant trying to influence them. I was trying to follow the rules and be just, but the soldiers here are extremely prejudiced and call them heathen savages, expecting every kind of bad behavior from them. I mentioned that observation during the trial, thinking that it interfered with objective justice. That was a huge mistake. Accusing them of racism turned them against us, made them even ignore the argument that nobody had seen who had started the fight, and I had no proof that there had been more than alcohol in his drink.
We lost, and he got executed immediately. I have failed him, I have failed his wife, and I have failed my god Tyr, because I have failed to uphold justice. I will have to meditate on this failure to learn from it, and find a way to atone for it. I hope his spirit finds rest, and that he can forgive me. I have to see his head on a pike every time I go to the temple. I wish I could take it off, but I guess I will have to bear the reminder. I still can't reach my mentor, who is far down in the south of the Sword Coast with his order. He would be so disappointed. An innocent man was dead because I hadn't considered carefully what to say and how to gather information.
@Arvia , another great report. Don't beat yourself up about that trial. You did the best you knew how to do for the poor guy. Also, there are some problems with the writing and mechanics of the scenario that make it really hard to get a positive outcome. I just barely was able to pull out a win during closing arguments, despite having found out the key piece of exonerating evidence, because I didn't consider it bribery or tampering to buy drinks for one of the witnesses. I would just say your character had a learning experience about knowing when it's okay to bend the rules a little in service to a greater good, I guess, and move on.
Congratulations on getting the green light saber. I think it looks really cool on-screen.
If I remember without going into too much detail, when asking questions in the trial you ask questions that you know the answers beneits your case such as being Drugged but don't ask question about being a Drunk.
Listening to the Jury's preconceptions before the Trial allows you to guess what to ask and watch what Thier holding (Sword, nothing, Torch).
And I think one of them doesn't care about the Trial but only cares how much you'll pay him to say Not Guilty.
@Cerabelus , But, the trial in NWN2 has no significant difference in outcome no matter what you do. Lord Nasher will find you guilty, or Torio will invoke her right, and you will fight Lorne, or Khelgar will, and nothing you do in the trial will change that outcome. So, every roleplayed choice that is there is admittedly fun, especially if you can hand Torio her behind in debate, but it makes no difference to what comes after.
This trial in NWN1 has two very different outcomes depending on what you do. You can get your client acquitted, and free to live and return to his tribe, or you can fail to get him acquitted, he is found guilty, and he gets beheaded, with his head on a stake outside for the rest of the chapter to remind you of your failure.
I prefer the trial where what you do actually makes a difference in the outcome.
Also, @Arvia didn't find out about the drugging, because the only way to find out about that is to get the witness who knew about it drunk, and she as a paladin didn't think it was right for her to get a witness drunk during her investigation of the crime. Admittedly, that was absolutely the wrong decision, but I give credit to the game that it did in fact write in consequences to this scenario, according to what players of various alignments might do.
This was a case of too-rigid adherence to a lawful good alignment would lead to a very bad conclusion, and as such, could teach a very important lesson to those of us who adhere to lawful good alignment, and we rarely see the subtle ways via games that out-of-balance adherence to lawful good alignment can sometimes lead to very, very bad outcomes.
I give the writer(s) of this trial scenario a lot of credit for writing in a variety of ways that players of various alignments all along the alignment spectrum might approach it, and for not tying the good outcome to any one alignment approach, and also for not making the good outcome easy to get for any alignment.
(I've never played it as chaotic or evil, and tried to rig the jury. I have a feeling that trying that would have backfired, but I'd love confirmation of what happens to chaotic neutral and chaotic evil people who try to get this defendant acquitted their way. Of course, I'm not sure exactly what their motivation would be to take on the role of defense attorney in the first place. Maybe a chaotic good character would agree to try to get the guy off, and then wouldn't hesitate to try to bribe the jury members.)
@Cerabelus , please note, we are not just interested in winning and gaming the mechanics to do so. We don't care about the "how to win", per se. We're interested in roleplaying our lawful good alignment and hopefully being able to get an innocent man acquitted while being true to our alignment and our principles.
@Cerabelus , I also hadn't picked up, or had forgotten after reading it, the clue to watch for the torches *during* the trial to see how my questions affected the jury.
I'm playing this game for the first time, I won't make the same mistake again.
I agree with @BelgarathMTH that it's a good lesson for a paladin. I was too rigid in being lawful, while the witnesses and jury were clearly prejudiced. I could have achieved justice for Rolgan by bending the rules just a little bit. But this is exactly what this run is about. It was my own mistake, but it was a fitting mistake roleplaying a young and inexperienced paladin.
It's actually a good thing that roleplaying your alignment affects the outcome. I was being too close to lawful stupid instead of adapting my views a little bit for the greater good, although I saw that everybody was against the Uthgardt people anyway, and I fell on my face. That's life.
Had I been playing, let's say, a neutral good fighter instead of a paladin, I might have considered drinking with the witness.
We're accepting the outcome of our decisions made here, even if they lead to an undeserved execution, or, like the scene with the convict Wyvern, to the loss of "good" points, because we both decided to spare him after hearing his story, and the only way to do that was to take his ear, while the other convicts had a dialogue option to just let them walk away. (Okay I don't remember if Stirge had one, but I never even thought about letting *him* walk away).
Yeah after all the investigation and legal arguments the NWN 2 outcome is forced but the legal system rarely follows the Law, it's tends towards Deals and preconceptions.
I'm certainly not saying you should bribe or break your oaths no, roleplaying Lawful must be difficult.
As for dealing with the guy who wanted a bribe, a Lawful option should've been added originally to have him replaced with someone more willing to listen before deciding.
In KOTOR 2 the Awareness skill was used in conversations to detect body language and deceit, more Skill usage in NWN would've added greatly to a Roleplay experience.
so i started another run.... and i tried to see how cool for school i could get my guy right before i go to the room where the cure is being made and this is what i got:
and THIS time i remembered to scale them up to you can see them better
but i also realized after i made these shots that my inventory weight was pretty high, and then i realized that i had unsold goodies after i made these shots woops
so after i sold the goodies i was pretty damn near 30 000 GP
im actually impressed as well that i could be at 31 AC right now before going to helm's hold, but instead of wearing the necklace of +1 nat AC that necklace the barbarian guy gives you for completing his story gives me a +1 STR which is convenient because that bumps it up to 20, so im wearing that instead, plus i still have that other necklace that gives me +1 AC if need be
That's a strong start to the rest of the game, it'll be a while before you need better gear.
I imagine there's only a couple of enemies who'll actually be a challenge 1v1 in Chapter 2.
Hopefully you'll find a +2 Hammer by the end of Chapter 2, the loot system can be a little iffy sometimes.
one time on a random treasure table i found a warhammer +3 in luskan, that was amazing ( and it wasn't even from a "give char a weapon for their specialty table" either because i found it in a barrel in a random house
plus treasure also scales with level as well, i know there are a couple of places that have the "give char a weapon for their specialty table" in chapter 2, one of them being in charwood although usually i do charwood first so i might only be level 10 the time i get there so i don't know if i will hit a +2 hammer there
although i wouldn't mind finding another pair of boots of speed from one of the bounties, that was nice
and this play through blew me away when loxar dropped the tower shield +2, i think this is the first time ever, i found a +2 tower shield in chapter 1, i thought finding a large shield +2 in chapter 1 was awesome enough, but the game kept giving
I went to the drinking house in the camp and talked to the "juror" again. Now I remember another reason why I didn't feel like buying drinks for anyone there (even if it was the other man), because this was the dialogue that I got (now, but also back then when I talked to him before the trial):
Not exactly a very inviting environment.
Oh and @BelgarathMTH, about the Boots of Speed: They sound great, but what about the Boots of Hardiness +3 instead? Using them, with the +2 bonus from 14 Con, means a lot more HP, and only 1 AC less than boots of speed. Do you think it's worth it? Do the Boots of Speed also increase your attacks per round?
I'm in doubt which pair I'd like to buy when I get enough money. I'm leaning towards the Boots of Hardiness +3.
@Arvia , Yes, the Boots of Speed increase your attack rate, although it doesn't show up on the character screen as more attacks. They also increase casting speed. I think they're the better item, but your mileage may vary.
Haste is a bit OP in NWN which is probably why in NWN 2 they changed those boots to 3 uses per day not permanent, but in this game your by yourself where as NWN 2 you do get a fully controlled party.
If your looking to slow down your experience and don't want things to progress too quickly you could put the Haste boot aside for times of need, moving that fast all the time will cut down your playtime.
If I remember Haste effect give +1 AC, +1 Extra Attack per round, improved movement speed, improves casting speed.
Most spellcaster players can't wait for those boots to pop up.
@BelgarathMTH, thank you. I got the Boots of Speed, and I don't regret it. They feel overpowered in usual fights, that means I'll have to be very careful not to get overconfident.
@Cerabelus, my playtime is pretty limited, those boots help me not to waste it with things like walking back slowly through 3 maps after having to use the Stone of Recall.
About that comment in the Drinking House? I didn't feel offended by whoever had written that, but I had to roll my eyes and ask myself if that line was really necessary. I guess it's pretty realistic behavior for a drunk mercenary, though.
@Arvia , about the drinking house being a "not very inviting environment."
Remember Obi-Wan Kenobi?
"Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."
And then he didn't hesitate to go in there with his very vulnerable young ward, flatter and bluff Han Solo into giving them his ship off the planet, and cutting off a guy's hand with his lightsaber, when said guy and his goon threatened the young ward.
Obi-Wan also didn't hesitate to "lie" and back it up with a Force Persuade, when the situation called for it. "These are not the droids you're looking for. He can go about his business. Move along."
Before he went to his last resort of defending with his lightsaber, he tried to say, "This little one isn't worth the trouble. Come now, let me buy you a drink."
Even in his youth during Episode II, he used Force Persuade to push Lawful Good thoughts onto the weak-minded with lines like, "You don't want to sell me a death stick. You want to go home and rethink your life."
Obi-Wan never hesitated to interact with criminals on their own level, flattering them, buying them drinks, offering them money, and whatever else would further his goal of defeating the Evil Galactic Empire, and restoring Balance to the Force.
We could debate about whether Obi-Wan and Yoda were actually Neutral Good instead of Lawful Good, but I can't think of any two better examples of my ideal of Lawful Good.
"Is the Dark Side stronger?"
"No. Easier. More seductive. But once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you, it will!"
"He's more machine than man now. Twisted and evil."
"I thought I could train him as well as Master Yoda. I was wrong."
"How will I know the good side from the bad?"
"You will know! When you feel calm. At peace. Passive."
"Anger. Hatred. Fear. These things lead to the Dark Side."
"The Force (i.e. 'magic') must be used for knowledge and defense. *Never* for attack!"
If I keep thinking about it, I am going to come up with a dozen more quotes from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and a dozen more of their actions that involved getting information and other things from criminals, in order to serve the greater good of restoring Balance to the Force, and of defeating the Evil Galactic Empire, and then later, the First Order, although the latest movie kind of spit in the face of all the Lawful Good teaching that had went on before. (Don't even get me started on how much I hate the abomination that was "The Last Jedi".)
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker are my ideals of Lawful Good behavior, and to me, they are the epitome of what I aspire to as a Lawful Good player of games. They have many lessons to teach about how to play the alignment well, and none of those three hesitated to get "down and dirty" with chaos and evil whenever the situation called for that.
EDIT: I thought of this one: "A Jedi must have the deepest commitment - the most serious mind!" I think that sums up my definition of "Lawful Good."
@BelgarathMTH, I understand what you mean. I would probably have filed them somewhere between "lawful good" and "neutral good". I know that if there were alignments in real life, I would be somewhere between lawful and neutral good, at least as far as discussions about alignment around here are going. I try to be as lawful as possible, but I bend or break rules if it's necessary to achieve a good outcome, or if the rule/law in question goes against my conscience. In real life, that is. (I can think of a few examples) I'm not saying "the end justifies the means", but the result must be more important than every detail of the way to get there.
Trying to make my game character "really" lawful good, I might have made her "rigidly lawful", exaggerating because I thought that I'm not lawful enough myself. But "good" is more important than "lawful", when both are interfering with each other.
If I had taken Obi-Wan as an example of lawful good, I would have made different decisions. If I had been playing a male character, I wouldn't have had the dialogue mentioned above. If I hadn't been playing a computer game, I would have had more options than choosing between two or three dialogue lines. Sometimes the wording is a little off and I don't pick the answer because of that.
Thank you for explaining your view of the ideal lawful good behavior. I think that the Jedi perspective of lawful good is easier to reconcile with my own attitude than the more rigid "Ajantis" version. Although I remember a certain discussion that we both decided to escape from after a while (*cough* Sarles *cough*), where some people labeled the Jedi behavior "chaotic".
Is only "The Last Jedi" bad, or also the other new movies? I haven't watched any of the Disney made movies yet, because I thought they might mess it up, and because I didn't like how they changed the whole future. As a teen, I had a bookshelf full of Star Wars sequel novels, and suddenly all of those are not true any more? That's mean!
I'm going to keep Obi-Wan and Yoda in mind if I'm not sure about a decision in the game next time.
Well without details after I watched the Force Awaken I had concerns than after the Last Jedi well...my hopes for quality Star Wars has been shattered.
That's not to say you shouldn't watch them yourself and form your own opinion, I know people who liked them and I don't think less of them for it.
A number of other IP's have been ruined for me too, Star Trek...so upset about
Star Trek.
Haste is a bit OP in NWN which is probably why in NWN 2 they changed those boots to 3 uses per day not permanent, but in this game your by yourself where as NWN 2 you do get a fully controlled party.
If your looking to slow down your experience and don't want things to progress too quickly you could put the Haste boot aside for times of need, moving that fast all the time will cut down your playtime.
If I remember Haste effect give +1 AC, +1 Extra Attack per round, improved movement speed, improves casting speed.
Most spellcaster players can't wait for those boots to pop up.
actually in NWN 1 the haste effect gives you a mammoth +4 to AC
Thinking back on Return of the Jedi, didn't Luke Force Chock one of Jabba's entrance guards?
No. He got two of them to turn around and look the other way, in a variation of the mind trick, similarly to how Yoda put two of Palpatine's guards to sleep in Episode III.
Are you sure? The two who looked like warthogs? I don't think he killed them, but they held their throats and made gurgling sounds (I checked, because I wasn't sure if I remembered correctly)
@BelgarathMTH , I have to thank you again for sharing your run in a way that I can use as guidance. I would have died several times without your advice to get the Belt of Guiding Light and the Amulet of Health, and the green lightsaber, and the Boots of Speed. I'm very glad to be able to watch and learn, so that my own learning curve is less frustrating, I have more fun playing, and my first experience with this game is not completely blind.
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Now this is really just a summary. I'm making good progress and want to continue playing. Besides, it's fighting and running errands right now, no big roleplaying issues for stories.
After the dreadful failure at the trial, I went to see Lillian Cambridge, who promised information about one of the three things that I needed to find, if I recovered a stolen snowglobe for her. So, my first direction was north, where I had to find a portal leading to a dungeon. I killed some orcs who were raiding the Lords' Alliance's supply caravans. This was one of the rare occasions where I didn't accept a surrender:
He offered me gold to spare him, I refused.
When I found the dungeon, I had some near-death experiences. Not this one, thanks to the Golden Circlet, but it looks so cool that I had to share the screenshot.
Air elementals are pretty harmless if they're alone, but a group of 5, with two Huge Fire Elementals, can be deadly. I got knocked down, and I thought the Huge Fire Elementals would beat me to death, but I narrowly escaped with the Stone of Recall when I got up again. That was close.
Then I had to pay 400GP to get back using the portal, because the transportation scroll into the dungeon had vanished, of course.
Here's another Huge Fire Elemental amost killing me with his pulse attack, doing 57 damage at once:
I was glad to have bought 2 Potions of Heal, in case of emergency.
I couldn't free Nax. I had summoned the Water Elemental before talking to Nax. So, I didn't get the necessary dialogue options. When the Water Elemental asked me what I wanted, I had the option to let him return to his plane, or ask for a magical item. I did that, assuming he would give me the snowglobe. Then he disappeared and I was there, with a Ring of Invisibility. After talking to Nax, I tried to summon the elemental again (I had another Slaad's tongue with me, and the ring to cast Melf's Acid Arrow), but it didn't work a second time. I had to leave him there. I'm sorry.
After that dungeon, I could afford the Boots of Speed and made level 13.
Then I found a map full of undead and a haunted tomb with a succubus. With my new gear, it was not as big an issue as it could have been, although it consumed quite a lot of healing supplies, especially because of traps on containers. I found some treasure there (not bashing locked sarcophagi, of course. For unlocked sarcophagi, I have adapted @BelgarathMTH 's concept not to take anything if there is an armor inside, assuming that means there's a body in armor inside, the original owner, who is still resting there and not walking around as an undead.)
I didn't find what I had been looking for, though.
Then I went south, to the fort where the Elk Tribe was attacking the Lords' Alliance.
Another close call: Critical Hit with a scythe.
I found a way to make peace with the Elk Tribe. They wouldn't support the Luskans any longer. Unfortunately, I couldn't come to any satisfying conclusion with the person responsible for the whole disaster. I couldn't just kill him, and there was no other option to make him pay for his crime. So, I had to let him go (@BelgarathMTH, did you kill him for infecting them? I seriously considered it, but decided against it).
Well, at least one Uthgardt Tribe that gets along with me.
After that, I felt I might try to talk to Rolgan's people again, to apologize, reconcile, atone, whatever. It was useless.
That was bitter. I understand that they're hurt, but I vowed to defend him, not to win. I understand their anger and their sense of honor, but I refuse to accept the title "oathbreaker".
The ceremonial spear that I got from the Elk Tribe's leader has great symbolic value for them, and besides, it's worth 15.000 GP. I dropped it there at the well, their sacred space, and called it quits. I have asked Rolgan's spirit to forgive me, and his tribe and family can keep their anger to themselves. I'm *not* an oathbreaker, and I refuse to talk to them again and have all the responsibility for his execution pushed on me.
Unfortunately, Neurik also mentions Rolgan's death and the tense relations between Uthgardt and the Lords' Alliance every single time that I talk to him. And the severed head is still out there. I'm deeply sorry for my mistake, and I will never forget it, but I have to concentrate on my duty now.
The ruins to the south of the Fort brought some results at last, although I had to travel into the past and learned quite a bit about our enemies. Just a few postcards:
The second golem made me reach level 14.
And here's our friend the Balrog Balor Lord. Go back into the abyss!
Look, sometimes it's appreciated if you don't lie. I've made a new friend.
After reporting to Aarin, I followed the next lead, into the snowglobe.
I had to run back and forth several times until I found the amulet in question (locked chest here, unlocked in the other place), but then I could confront the evil that had created this twisted reality, and acquire the second Word of Power. With the amulet, it was not a difficult fight.
That critical hit with 50 damage felt pretty good. I know Blind Fight is important, but I'm wondering if I'm going to need it very badly in the near future, or if I can take Improved Critical at level 15. I didn't need to heal myself at all during this fight.
I see my next respawn coming, caused by overconfidence. I will have to be very, very careful. I'm going into the Moonwood next, to find the third and last hidden Word of Power.
EDIT: Somewhere after the dungeon with the undead and the succubus I sold my green Nymph Cloak +2 and got a red Nymph Cloak +3 instead, which gives me the +4 bonus of Charisma 18.
@Arvia , Thanks for another great report. You got a lot of great photos of your fight with the white dragon.
I honestly don't remember what I did with the guy that brought the plague to the Black Elk tribe. I think I just sent him out of there in disgrace. (Btw - Did you know that story was a reference to real-life history? Early European conquistadors and pioneers in the New World were known to give smallpox-laden blankets to native populations, in one of the first known examples of germ warfare.)
Wow, the game is really harsh on players who fail to get a not-guilty verdict at that trial. I had no idea. Kudos to you for accepting the consequences and not just reloading the trial, which is probably what most players would have done. It's definitely not fair for them to say you broke your oath because you lost. I guess maybe they're irrationally grief-stricken, plus it's another culture. You did what you could to make amends.
It might help you feel better to know that Neurik still makes a comment about relations being tense between the Neverwinter contingent and the Uthgardt even if you win the trial. Apparently, if you win, a lot of the military from Neverwinter gets angry with you, and with the Uthgardt man being exonerated. It truly is a "Kobayashi Maru" no-win scenario.
EDIT: I wouldn't want to be without my Improved Critical. It really helps to ramp up my damage output. Blind Fight is very helpful, but before I got it, I was getting through fights with concealed creatures - it was just taking a long time, and it's scary when you can't hit a spellcaster who is unloading his spell book on you while you can't hit him. I don't think I'd prioritize Blind Fight over my Improved Critical, though, so maybe take that first.
so i was playing around at helm's hold yesterday with mr OP and there are some interesting baddies when you are at level 9:
i already killed one of the shadow fiends but holy jeebus, x2 bodaks, x2 shadow fiends and some dinky skeletal clerics, a little over kill much?
i guess its just another day in paradise when you find more shadow fiends and bodaks, luckily there was only 1 of each here, although not convenient since it was right before the big D
so i finish the area off, with the big D not being that hard, but the above screenshot baddies being a nightmare, and i found some interesting items along the way:
couldn't believe it, a +2 warhammer already, i have never found a main weapon at +2 this quick before, usually if i find a +2 weapon, its either a ranged weapon or something useless, so that was nice
and then WOWZERS, a golden circlet that makes you immune to mind influencing? and already? and best part is....
that was the SECOND one i found in this dungeon alone, absolute madness, so my starting gold in chapter 2 is going to be quite healthy...
Welp, I finished the OC, and victory was bittersweet. I had to take a reload, because I didn't remember the mechanics of the final boss fight.
Oh, no, she's taken the red lightsaber! I have a very bad feeling about this!
I'm not saying anything else about this encounter, because I don't want to spoil it.
"There are always two. An apprentice, and a master..."
At this level, the casters start using Time Stop. Their script seems to be to use it to get all their buffs activated, though, so it would only be truly deadly if they focused on attacking instead of just casting buffs.
After defeating Maugrim, I made level 16. I got a new attribute point and put it in charisma, bringing that up to a base 16. I got a new second level spell slot, and filled it with Eagle's Splendor, adding that to my standard buffing sequence. My charisma with my cloak and the spell is 23, for a +6 bonus.
This dragon pair guarding the gates to Morag's inner sanctum cause trouble for some character builds, but for a level 16 paladin, they were pushovers. (Humility, Todangelus! Overconfidence will kill you.)
Some of these lizard people fights are dangerous, especially when they attack in numbers, and when they have character classes.
And here at last is our ultimate big, bad villain, the final boss of the OC. (I doubt this is a spoiler, or if it is for some reason, it's not a very big one.)
Wow, this "Morag's Hand" is tough! He's hitting my AC 43 effortlessly. Look at those attack bonuses! The other guy with him couldn't hit my AC, thank goodness. I think I used about five Potions of Heal.
Now it's just Morag fighting me. She's invulnerable until you kill the right ones of those kneeling slaves behind that Blade Barrier. I thought it was just a regular Blade Barrier, and I could run through it, take the damage, Heal, and do what I needed to do. Morag was casting her lesser spells first, and she wasn't damaging me very much. Oops. That wasn't just a regular clerical Blade Barrier, it was an instant kill effect.
See that stone gargoyle right in front of the Blade Barrier? Bash that first, if you want to live. It will still take a few rounds for the Barrier to go down. Do not, I repeat do *not* try to run through the Blade Barrier. Once the Barrier is down, destroy "Protection from Lesser Creatures", "Protection from (your weapon)", and/or "Protection from (your elemental damage)."
After that, Morag can be killed, but she still has a few very strong damaging spells, so don't get careless. I almost let her make me have a second reload because I almost didn't notice "one of these spells is not like the others", and didn't drink the Potion of Heal in time. Happily, I did notice, and I did drink the potion.
This ending follows the trope of "kill the evil witch and her castle starts to collapse", so you have to see the portal that appears and get out of there fast. You get a final congratulatory conversation with Haedraline, a final movie, and then the credits roll.
So, I'm going on into Hordes of the Underdark with this character now, and I was thinking about whether to reset my counters. I think I'll treat it as the NWN equivalent of a BG Trilogy minimal-reload run, and not reset my counters. I'll probably use Tomi again at least for a time, and I think I will reset his counter.
I can't remember how respawn and companion resurrection work in HotU. A lot of people complained when the OC was released, and the developers changed both teleport-to-base and respawn to be much more restrictive, and limited. I do remember that instead of having a Stone of Recall, you have to buy expensive tokens that are good for a single teleport-to-base, if you want to use them.
I don't remember whether you can respawn at all in Hordes of the Underdark. I haven't played it in many, many years, and I only ever played all the way through once, so it's pretty much a new game to me again, and I'll be playing blind, so this should be interesting as I continue through.
Best of luck, @BelgarathMTH! The run you folks are going through really make me wish I had some free time right now to jump in to a playthrough.
That said, I’ve only ever heard that SOU toons were meant to import HOTU, not from the OC per se, although the idea intrigues me considering who is in HOTU later on (not spoiling anyone here).
I think my run is going to be OC with one toon, then SOU/HOTU with another toon (both paladins). I just need to settle on a bridge mod for SOU to HOTU, of which there are some solid choices.
Comments
You started it before, "In brightest day, in blackest night, no Evil shall escape my sight!"
So, please allow me to finish it: "Let all who worship Evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's Light!"
(At this point, I imagine a huge explosion of bright green light around the Green Lantern, her ring, and her Lantern, accompanied by some appropriately cool sound effect.)
Those who worship Evil on the remote dual-planets of Abeir-Toril have no chance against the might of the Green Lantern Corps!
I regretted having to fight the Fallen Hero, but he seemed to have sacrificed his eternal rest to guard this place from unworthy intruders, and I respect that.
I don't remember if I found the Bone Phoenix here or somewhere else, but it's extremely satisfying to crush skeletons with this burning morningstar.
Incidentally, it's also much better to bash chests than my +2 longsword. Against Shadow Fiends, however, I prefer the sword, because of the +2 enchantment. They're harder to hit than skeletons.
*Many* Shadow Fiends. I haven't been able to buy the Amulet of Health yet, but none of them managed to drain me. And I found at least one of the two cool cloaks... unfortunately not the Blue Cloak of Awesomeness, but it's not bad, either.
Although I wouldn't want to be a Whitecloak (those fanatics from the Wheel of Time), I'm going to use this one for a while.
More impressions from what I had to fight down there:
The Water Elemental carried the reagent to break the last seal.
I have no idea what a Mohrg is, but it has bones, so I crushed it with my amazing, burning Phoenix.
And there it was, the great evil that even Hell hadn't welcomed:
I was trying to get to him, but he summoned a Dire Spider, and there was another Mohrg, so I ran back to draw them out. I couldn't risk them distracting me from the lich. Both of them followed me.
The summoned dire spider hit me twice and drained me all the way down to Strength 3! I'm glad that didn't happen on the stairs next to Voleron. For some mysterious reason, the spider crawled back to the lich after hitting me. I wasn't going to ask. I killed the Mohrg with Strength 3 and prepared myself for the real attack.
I hadn't seen the warrior mummy before, but it followed me back like the others. The spider remained there guarding the stairs.
Now I had to face Voleron *and* the spider, expecting to use potions of restoration and antidotes while focusing on the lich.
But the spider kept ignoring me, I still don't know why. Maybe it didn't like the taste of my white cloak. I was glad, because the lich kept me quite occupied.
Stoneskins with 150 points! I had to heal myself a lot while I tried to bash them (I know, the Bone Phoenix is better suited for that, but I miss too often with it) and watch out for nasty spells that might appear on the ground. No tentacles, thank the gods, but enough heavy elemental damage and magic missiles to keep me busy.
Evil destroyed!
With the loot from Voleron's ruins I could finally afford the Amulet of Health. I'm not wearing it, I won't sacrifice +2 AC, but I'm keeping it in case of dangerous level draining opponents. I also sold the white cloak. I'd rather use the Nymph Cloak +2, because AC +5 against evil sounds good, but I've met so many evil enemies who were officially of neutral alignment, so I'll never know when it helps and when it doesn't.
((After that purchase, I was shocked to find out that I could have bought the green lightsaber instead. I thought that was in chapter 3! I hope I will still be able to afford it later!))
I reported to Aarin and he forged a kind of diplomatic passport for me. I had to pretend to be an ambassador to gain entrance into the Host Tower. I'm not comfortable with deception, but it's certainly better than slaughtering all the guards.
((Here there be plot spoilers for the end of Chapter Two. Although I will try to avoid details and names))
I entered a room next to the entrance hall (had to destroy a hostile guardian golem in there, but nobody else seemed to have noticed) and found some documents that seemed to confirm the rumors. I couldn't believe it! Tyr, help me to stop them! Maybe it's a ruse, or maybe things can still be undone...
I had read where to find them, but it might be a false trail or a trap. I would search the whole tower thoroughly for evidence before going to the pinnacle.
The cult had obviously overrun this tower, taken the power and drawn the mages to their side. I met some very, very dangerous opponents here. Just to name a few:
At least I'm learning to react immediately when my peripheral vision sees black spots appearing on the floor.
*Two* Black Tentacles areas! Or it might even have been three. I hardly knew where to run anymore while I had to kill them.
The whole tower was evidently in the hands of my worst enemies, the cult that had brought the plague to Neverwinter, so I had absolutely no bad conscience to take everything that I found here. I would need the best possible equipment if I had to face this Maugrim and his followers... after all those strong enemies, I decided to take the risk to teleport out, sell what I had found, and get the most powerful weapon that I could find. I avoided talking to Aarin. I couldn't bear to tell him yet, because I still hoped that it wasn't true.
I walked back. The guards and the guests of the first level hadn't noticed anything and let me get past them without another word.
I discovered a prison on another level and opened the doors. Maybe the cult had imprisoned good people here who could help me.
Okay, mad. Poor soul. I didn't know if he was dangerous, but I had killed the warden. I left the door open so that he wouldn't starve to death. He never even noticed me.
Lich!
I didn't know *what* he had cast there, but I have learned my lesson. Things on the floor when facing a spellcaster? RUN!
Very close. I slammed the door shut behind me and ran around a corner to heal myself. Then I picked up my bow, opened the door again (I don't know why he hadn't followed me. Can undead be weakened if they have been imprisoned?) and jumped back.
Done. The next cell held a mage who had been a member of the Arcane Brotherhood before Maugrim took over. He didn't want to join my fight and confessed that he had done some pretty evil things in his life, too, but he told me how to find Maugrim and the former head of the Arcane Brotherhood.
I had been level drained by a trap, so I teleported back to the temple one last time to be fully healed and restored, to receivce Tyr's blessing once more, and activated the portal, using the rune to reach the Pinnacle.
Arklem, the former boss of the Arcane Brotherhood, was a lich! I should have destroyed him, but I needed him to open the door to his inner sanctum to get to Maugrim. I agreed to free him by smashing the panels that powered his containment field. Each of them released a powerful creature.
This was a one-time armistice, because I keep my word. If I see him again, I will smite him.
He had opened the door for me, so I got to the roof of the tower. I had to witness an unimaginable scene, straight from a nightmare. I couldn't intervene, there was a metal fence that seemed to have magical properties. I tried to shout, I tried to bash in the bars of the gate, but nothing worked. I couldn't get to them, and they didn't notice me. I had to watch, helpless, witnessing what I would never have believed to be true otherwise.
When it was over, they teleported away and left only a group of Lizardfolk to fight me.
I felt empty inside. With my heart heavy and full of sorrow, I went to see Aarin and told him everything.
I disagree. We have abandoned her. I had seen the deep sorrow and growing desperation and doubts, but she had told me to continue my mission. *He* had been there all the time, the great spymaster, and never noticed?!
She seems lost forever, but nobody can be so deep in the shadows that he can't be brought back to the light again. I refuse to accept it!
So, I'm in Chapter Three now. I followed Aarin to Beorunna's Well and received my new orders from him.
I was in extremely dangerous territory, so I used the first opportunity to visit the merchants and saw that I could afford to exchange my Amulet of Natural Armor +2 for a +3 one, and the same with my Ring of Protection +2 to +3. That means I have AC 38 now. I'm going to need it.
Unfortunately, AC doesn't protect from mistakes. Neurik asked me to defend a young man of the local tribe, who had killed a soldier in self-defense, but was accused of murder now. I talked to all the jurors, witnesses, his wife, himself, trying to be objective and not influencing anyone. I learned to respect his people, who live honorable lifes and respect their environment, and I came to the conclusion that he had been intoxicated and had only defended himself, and that no witness had seen who had started the fight. So I went to tell Neurik that I was ready for the trial, but I couldn't convince the jurors. Maybe I should have tried to get more information out of the witnesses before the trial, but I had only asked them questions. I felt that everything else would have meant trying to influence them. I was trying to follow the rules and be just, but the soldiers here are extremely prejudiced and call them heathen savages, expecting every kind of bad behavior from them. I mentioned that observation during the trial, thinking that it interfered with objective justice. That was a huge mistake. Accusing them of racism turned them against us, made them even ignore the argument that nobody had seen who had started the fight, and I had no proof that there had been more than alcohol in his drink.
We lost, and he got executed immediately. I have failed him, I have failed his wife, and I have failed my god Tyr, because I have failed to uphold justice. I will have to meditate on this failure to learn from it, and find a way to atone for it. I hope his spirit finds rest, and that he can forgive me. I have to see his head on a pike every time I go to the temple. I wish I could take it off, but I guess I will have to bear the reminder. I still can't reach my mentor, who is far down in the south of the Sword Coast with his order. He would be so disappointed. An innocent man was dead because I hadn't considered carefully what to say and how to gather information.
Level: 12
Reloads: 1
Respawns: 9
Congratulations on getting the green light saber. I think it looks really cool on-screen.
Listening to the Jury's preconceptions before the Trial allows you to guess what to ask and watch what Thier holding (Sword, nothing, Torch).
And I think one of them doesn't care about the Trial but only cares how much you'll pay him to say Not Guilty.
I prefer the Trial in NWN 2.
This trial in NWN1 has two very different outcomes depending on what you do. You can get your client acquitted, and free to live and return to his tribe, or you can fail to get him acquitted, he is found guilty, and he gets beheaded, with his head on a stake outside for the rest of the chapter to remind you of your failure.
I prefer the trial where what you do actually makes a difference in the outcome.
Also, @Arvia didn't find out about the drugging, because the only way to find out about that is to get the witness who knew about it drunk, and she as a paladin didn't think it was right for her to get a witness drunk during her investigation of the crime. Admittedly, that was absolutely the wrong decision, but I give credit to the game that it did in fact write in consequences to this scenario, according to what players of various alignments might do.
This was a case of too-rigid adherence to a lawful good alignment would lead to a very bad conclusion, and as such, could teach a very important lesson to those of us who adhere to lawful good alignment, and we rarely see the subtle ways via games that out-of-balance adherence to lawful good alignment can sometimes lead to very, very bad outcomes.
I give the writer(s) of this trial scenario a lot of credit for writing in a variety of ways that players of various alignments all along the alignment spectrum might approach it, and for not tying the good outcome to any one alignment approach, and also for not making the good outcome easy to get for any alignment.
(I've never played it as chaotic or evil, and tried to rig the jury. I have a feeling that trying that would have backfired, but I'd love confirmation of what happens to chaotic neutral and chaotic evil people who try to get this defendant acquitted their way. Of course, I'm not sure exactly what their motivation would be to take on the role of defense attorney in the first place. Maybe a chaotic good character would agree to try to get the guy off, and then wouldn't hesitate to try to bribe the jury members.)
@Cerabelus , please note, we are not just interested in winning and gaming the mechanics to do so. We don't care about the "how to win", per se. We're interested in roleplaying our lawful good alignment and hopefully being able to get an innocent man acquitted while being true to our alignment and our principles.
I'm playing this game for the first time, I won't make the same mistake again.
I agree with @BelgarathMTH that it's a good lesson for a paladin. I was too rigid in being lawful, while the witnesses and jury were clearly prejudiced. I could have achieved justice for Rolgan by bending the rules just a little bit. But this is exactly what this run is about. It was my own mistake, but it was a fitting mistake roleplaying a young and inexperienced paladin.
It's actually a good thing that roleplaying your alignment affects the outcome. I was being too close to lawful stupid instead of adapting my views a little bit for the greater good, although I saw that everybody was against the Uthgardt people anyway, and I fell on my face. That's life.
Had I been playing, let's say, a neutral good fighter instead of a paladin, I might have considered drinking with the witness.
We're accepting the outcome of our decisions made here, even if they lead to an undeserved execution, or, like the scene with the convict Wyvern, to the loss of "good" points, because we both decided to spare him after hearing his story, and the only way to do that was to take his ear, while the other convicts had a dialogue option to just let them walk away. (Okay I don't remember if Stirge had one, but I never even thought about letting *him* walk away).
I'm certainly not saying you should bribe or break your oaths no, roleplaying Lawful must be difficult.
In KOTOR 2 the Awareness skill was used in conversations to detect body language and deceit, more Skill usage in NWN would've added greatly to a Roleplay experience.
and THIS time i remembered to scale them up to you can see them better
but i also realized after i made these shots that my inventory weight was pretty high, and then i realized that i had unsold goodies after i made these shots woops
so after i sold the goodies i was pretty damn near 30 000 GP
im actually impressed as well that i could be at 31 AC right now before going to helm's hold, but instead of wearing the necklace of +1 nat AC that necklace the barbarian guy gives you for completing his story gives me a +1 STR which is convenient because that bumps it up to 20, so im wearing that instead, plus i still have that other necklace that gives me +1 AC if need be
That's a strong start to the rest of the game, it'll be a while before you need better gear.
I imagine there's only a couple of enemies who'll actually be a challenge 1v1 in Chapter 2.
Hopefully you'll find a +2 Hammer by the end of Chapter 2, the loot system can be a little iffy sometimes.
one time on a random treasure table i found a warhammer +3 in luskan, that was amazing ( and it wasn't even from a "give char a weapon for their specialty table" either because i found it in a barrel in a random house
plus treasure also scales with level as well, i know there are a couple of places that have the "give char a weapon for their specialty table" in chapter 2, one of them being in charwood although usually i do charwood first so i might only be level 10 the time i get there so i don't know if i will hit a +2 hammer there
although i wouldn't mind finding another pair of boots of speed from one of the bounties, that was nice
and this play through blew me away when loxar dropped the tower shield +2, i think this is the first time ever, i found a +2 tower shield in chapter 1, i thought finding a large shield +2 in chapter 1 was awesome enough, but the game kept giving
Not exactly a very inviting environment.
Oh and @BelgarathMTH, about the Boots of Speed: They sound great, but what about the Boots of Hardiness +3 instead? Using them, with the +2 bonus from 14 Con, means a lot more HP, and only 1 AC less than boots of speed. Do you think it's worth it? Do the Boots of Speed also increase your attacks per round?
I'm in doubt which pair I'd like to buy when I get enough money. I'm leaning towards the Boots of Hardiness +3.
Edited: Typos and evil autocomplete. Sorry.
Umm...I don't have words to describe just how repulsed I feel, I hope the rest of your gameplay is free of..umm that.
If your looking to slow down your experience and don't want things to progress too quickly you could put the Haste boot aside for times of need, moving that fast all the time will cut down your playtime.
If I remember Haste effect give +1 AC, +1 Extra Attack per round, improved movement speed, improves casting speed.
Most spellcaster players can't wait for those boots to pop up.
@Cerabelus, my playtime is pretty limited, those boots help me not to waste it with things like walking back slowly through 3 maps after having to use the Stone of Recall.
About that comment in the Drinking House? I didn't feel offended by whoever had written that, but I had to roll my eyes and ask myself if that line was really necessary. I guess it's pretty realistic behavior for a drunk mercenary, though.
Remember Obi-Wan Kenobi?
"Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."
And then he didn't hesitate to go in there with his very vulnerable young ward, flatter and bluff Han Solo into giving them his ship off the planet, and cutting off a guy's hand with his lightsaber, when said guy and his goon threatened the young ward.
Obi-Wan also didn't hesitate to "lie" and back it up with a Force Persuade, when the situation called for it. "These are not the droids you're looking for. He can go about his business. Move along."
Before he went to his last resort of defending with his lightsaber, he tried to say, "This little one isn't worth the trouble. Come now, let me buy you a drink."
Even in his youth during Episode II, he used Force Persuade to push Lawful Good thoughts onto the weak-minded with lines like, "You don't want to sell me a death stick. You want to go home and rethink your life."
Obi-Wan never hesitated to interact with criminals on their own level, flattering them, buying them drinks, offering them money, and whatever else would further his goal of defeating the Evil Galactic Empire, and restoring Balance to the Force.
We could debate about whether Obi-Wan and Yoda were actually Neutral Good instead of Lawful Good, but I can't think of any two better examples of my ideal of Lawful Good.
"Is the Dark Side stronger?"
"No. Easier. More seductive. But once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you, it will!"
"He's more machine than man now. Twisted and evil."
"I thought I could train him as well as Master Yoda. I was wrong."
"How will I know the good side from the bad?"
"You will know! When you feel calm. At peace. Passive."
"Anger. Hatred. Fear. These things lead to the Dark Side."
"The Force (i.e. 'magic') must be used for knowledge and defense. *Never* for attack!"
If I keep thinking about it, I am going to come up with a dozen more quotes from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and a dozen more of their actions that involved getting information and other things from criminals, in order to serve the greater good of restoring Balance to the Force, and of defeating the Evil Galactic Empire, and then later, the First Order, although the latest movie kind of spit in the face of all the Lawful Good teaching that had went on before. (Don't even get me started on how much I hate the abomination that was "The Last Jedi".)
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker are my ideals of Lawful Good behavior, and to me, they are the epitome of what I aspire to as a Lawful Good player of games. They have many lessons to teach about how to play the alignment well, and none of those three hesitated to get "down and dirty" with chaos and evil whenever the situation called for that.
EDIT: I thought of this one: "A Jedi must have the deepest commitment - the most serious mind!" I think that sums up my definition of "Lawful Good."
OMG The Last Jedi... don't get me started on that rubbish, a travesty of Star Wars film to say the least.
Thinking back on Return of the Jedi, didn't Luke Force Chock one of Jabba's entrance guards?
@BelgarathMTH, I understand what you mean. I would probably have filed them somewhere between "lawful good" and "neutral good". I know that if there were alignments in real life, I would be somewhere between lawful and neutral good, at least as far as discussions about alignment around here are going. I try to be as lawful as possible, but I bend or break rules if it's necessary to achieve a good outcome, or if the rule/law in question goes against my conscience. In real life, that is. (I can think of a few examples) I'm not saying "the end justifies the means", but the result must be more important than every detail of the way to get there.
Trying to make my game character "really" lawful good, I might have made her "rigidly lawful", exaggerating because I thought that I'm not lawful enough myself. But "good" is more important than "lawful", when both are interfering with each other.
If I had taken Obi-Wan as an example of lawful good, I would have made different decisions. If I had been playing a male character, I wouldn't have had the dialogue mentioned above. If I hadn't been playing a computer game, I would have had more options than choosing between two or three dialogue lines. Sometimes the wording is a little off and I don't pick the answer because of that.
Thank you for explaining your view of the ideal lawful good behavior. I think that the Jedi perspective of lawful good is easier to reconcile with my own attitude than the more rigid "Ajantis" version. Although I remember a certain discussion that we both decided to escape from after a while (*cough* Sarles *cough*), where some people labeled the Jedi behavior "chaotic".
Is only "The Last Jedi" bad, or also the other new movies? I haven't watched any of the Disney made movies yet, because I thought they might mess it up, and because I didn't like how they changed the whole future. As a teen, I had a bookshelf full of Star Wars sequel novels, and suddenly all of those are not true any more? That's mean!
I'm going to keep Obi-Wan and Yoda in mind if I'm not sure about a decision in the game next time.
Well without details after I watched the Force Awaken I had concerns than after the Last Jedi well...my hopes for quality Star Wars has been shattered.
That's not to say you shouldn't watch them yourself and form your own opinion, I know people who liked them and I don't think less of them for it.
A number of other IP's have been ruined for me too, Star Trek...so upset about
Star Trek.
actually in NWN 1 the haste effect gives you a mammoth +4 to AC
I love using them for my Wizard but they are OP.
No. He got two of them to turn around and look the other way, in a variation of the mind trick, similarly to how Yoda put two of Palpatine's guards to sleep in Episode III.
I did a quick search "did Luke Skywalker use force choke" and several video links popped up and threads asking the same question.
It's been awhile since I've seen the movie but I remember me and my brother where pretty surprised because it did look that way.
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Now this is really just a summary. I'm making good progress and want to continue playing. Besides, it's fighting and running errands right now, no big roleplaying issues for stories.
After the dreadful failure at the trial, I went to see Lillian Cambridge, who promised information about one of the three things that I needed to find, if I recovered a stolen snowglobe for her. So, my first direction was north, where I had to find a portal leading to a dungeon. I killed some orcs who were raiding the Lords' Alliance's supply caravans. This was one of the rare occasions where I didn't accept a surrender:
He offered me gold to spare him, I refused.
When I found the dungeon, I had some near-death experiences. Not this one, thanks to the Golden Circlet, but it looks so cool that I had to share the screenshot.
Air elementals are pretty harmless if they're alone, but a group of 5, with two Huge Fire Elementals, can be deadly. I got knocked down, and I thought the Huge Fire Elementals would beat me to death, but I narrowly escaped with the Stone of Recall when I got up again. That was close.
Then I had to pay 400GP to get back using the portal, because the transportation scroll into the dungeon had vanished, of course.
Here's another Huge Fire Elemental amost killing me with his pulse attack, doing 57 damage at once:
I was glad to have bought 2 Potions of Heal, in case of emergency.
I couldn't free Nax. I had summoned the Water Elemental before talking to Nax. So, I didn't get the necessary dialogue options. When the Water Elemental asked me what I wanted, I had the option to let him return to his plane, or ask for a magical item. I did that, assuming he would give me the snowglobe. Then he disappeared and I was there, with a Ring of Invisibility. After talking to Nax, I tried to summon the elemental again (I had another Slaad's tongue with me, and the ring to cast Melf's Acid Arrow), but it didn't work a second time. I had to leave him there. I'm sorry.
After that dungeon, I could afford the Boots of Speed and made level 13.
Then I found a map full of undead and a haunted tomb with a succubus. With my new gear, it was not as big an issue as it could have been, although it consumed quite a lot of healing supplies, especially because of traps on containers. I found some treasure there (not bashing locked sarcophagi, of course. For unlocked sarcophagi, I have adapted @BelgarathMTH 's concept not to take anything if there is an armor inside, assuming that means there's a body in armor inside, the original owner, who is still resting there and not walking around as an undead.)
I didn't find what I had been looking for, though.
Then I went south, to the fort where the Elk Tribe was attacking the Lords' Alliance.
Another close call: Critical Hit with a scythe.
I found a way to make peace with the Elk Tribe. They wouldn't support the Luskans any longer. Unfortunately, I couldn't come to any satisfying conclusion with the person responsible for the whole disaster. I couldn't just kill him, and there was no other option to make him pay for his crime. So, I had to let him go (@BelgarathMTH, did you kill him for infecting them? I seriously considered it, but decided against it).
Well, at least one Uthgardt Tribe that gets along with me.
After that, I felt I might try to talk to Rolgan's people again, to apologize, reconcile, atone, whatever. It was useless.
That was bitter. I understand that they're hurt, but I vowed to defend him, not to win. I understand their anger and their sense of honor, but I refuse to accept the title "oathbreaker".
The ceremonial spear that I got from the Elk Tribe's leader has great symbolic value for them, and besides, it's worth 15.000 GP. I dropped it there at the well, their sacred space, and called it quits. I have asked Rolgan's spirit to forgive me, and his tribe and family can keep their anger to themselves. I'm *not* an oathbreaker, and I refuse to talk to them again and have all the responsibility for his execution pushed on me.
Unfortunately, Neurik also mentions Rolgan's death and the tense relations between Uthgardt and the Lords' Alliance every single time that I talk to him. And the severed head is still out there. I'm deeply sorry for my mistake, and I will never forget it, but I have to concentrate on my duty now.
The ruins to the south of the Fort brought some results at last, although I had to travel into the past and learned quite a bit about our enemies. Just a few postcards:
The second golem made me reach level 14.
And here's our friend the Balrog Balor Lord. Go back into the abyss!
Look, sometimes it's appreciated if you don't lie. I've made a new friend.
After reporting to Aarin, I followed the next lead, into the snowglobe.
I had to run back and forth several times until I found the amulet in question (locked chest here, unlocked in the other place), but then I could confront the evil that had created this twisted reality, and acquire the second Word of Power. With the amulet, it was not a difficult fight.
That critical hit with 50 damage felt pretty good. I know Blind Fight is important, but I'm wondering if I'm going to need it very badly in the near future, or if I can take Improved Critical at level 15. I didn't need to heal myself at all during this fight.
I see my next respawn coming, caused by overconfidence. I will have to be very, very careful. I'm going into the Moonwood next, to find the third and last hidden Word of Power.
EDIT: Somewhere after the dungeon with the undead and the succubus I sold my green Nymph Cloak +2 and got a red Nymph Cloak +3 instead, which gives me the +4 bonus of Charisma 18.
Level: 14
Reloads: 1
Respawns: 9
I honestly don't remember what I did with the guy that brought the plague to the Black Elk tribe. I think I just sent him out of there in disgrace. (Btw - Did you know that story was a reference to real-life history? Early European conquistadors and pioneers in the New World were known to give smallpox-laden blankets to native populations, in one of the first known examples of germ warfare.)
Wow, the game is really harsh on players who fail to get a not-guilty verdict at that trial. I had no idea. Kudos to you for accepting the consequences and not just reloading the trial, which is probably what most players would have done. It's definitely not fair for them to say you broke your oath because you lost. I guess maybe they're irrationally grief-stricken, plus it's another culture. You did what you could to make amends.
It might help you feel better to know that Neurik still makes a comment about relations being tense between the Neverwinter contingent and the Uthgardt even if you win the trial. Apparently, if you win, a lot of the military from Neverwinter gets angry with you, and with the Uthgardt man being exonerated. It truly is a "Kobayashi Maru" no-win scenario.
EDIT: I wouldn't want to be without my Improved Critical. It really helps to ramp up my damage output. Blind Fight is very helpful, but before I got it, I was getting through fights with concealed creatures - it was just taking a long time, and it's scary when you can't hit a spellcaster who is unloading his spell book on you while you can't hit him. I don't think I'd prioritize Blind Fight over my Improved Critical, though, so maybe take that first.
i guess its just another day in paradise when you find more shadow fiends and bodaks, luckily there was only 1 of each here, although not convenient since it was right before the big D
so i finish the area off, with the big D not being that hard, but the above screenshot baddies being a nightmare, and i found some interesting items along the way:
and then WOWZERS, a golden circlet that makes you immune to mind influencing? and already? and best part is....
that was the SECOND one i found in this dungeon alone, absolute madness, so my starting gold in chapter 2 is going to be quite healthy...
Oh, no, she's taken the red lightsaber! I have a very bad feeling about this!
I'm not saying anything else about this encounter, because I don't want to spoil it.
"There are always two. An apprentice, and a master..."
At this level, the casters start using Time Stop. Their script seems to be to use it to get all their buffs activated, though, so it would only be truly deadly if they focused on attacking instead of just casting buffs.
After defeating Maugrim, I made level 16. I got a new attribute point and put it in charisma, bringing that up to a base 16. I got a new second level spell slot, and filled it with Eagle's Splendor, adding that to my standard buffing sequence. My charisma with my cloak and the spell is 23, for a +6 bonus.
This dragon pair guarding the gates to Morag's inner sanctum cause trouble for some character builds, but for a level 16 paladin, they were pushovers. (Humility, Todangelus! Overconfidence will kill you.)
Some of these lizard people fights are dangerous, especially when they attack in numbers, and when they have character classes.
And here at last is our ultimate big, bad villain, the final boss of the OC. (I doubt this is a spoiler, or if it is for some reason, it's not a very big one.)
Wow, this "Morag's Hand" is tough! He's hitting my AC 43 effortlessly. Look at those attack bonuses! The other guy with him couldn't hit my AC, thank goodness. I think I used about five Potions of Heal.
Now it's just Morag fighting me. She's invulnerable until you kill the right ones of those kneeling slaves behind that Blade Barrier. I thought it was just a regular Blade Barrier, and I could run through it, take the damage, Heal, and do what I needed to do. Morag was casting her lesser spells first, and she wasn't damaging me very much. Oops. That wasn't just a regular clerical Blade Barrier, it was an instant kill effect.
See that stone gargoyle right in front of the Blade Barrier? Bash that first, if you want to live. It will still take a few rounds for the Barrier to go down. Do not, I repeat do *not* try to run through the Blade Barrier. Once the Barrier is down, destroy "Protection from Lesser Creatures", "Protection from (your weapon)", and/or "Protection from (your elemental damage)."
After that, Morag can be killed, but she still has a few very strong damaging spells, so don't get careless. I almost let her make me have a second reload because I almost didn't notice "one of these spells is not like the others", and didn't drink the Potion of Heal in time. Happily, I did notice, and I did drink the potion.
This ending follows the trope of "kill the evil witch and her castle starts to collapse", so you have to see the portal that appears and get out of there fast. You get a final congratulatory conversation with Haedraline, a final movie, and then the credits roll.
So, I'm going on into Hordes of the Underdark with this character now, and I was thinking about whether to reset my counters. I think I'll treat it as the NWN equivalent of a BG Trilogy minimal-reload run, and not reset my counters. I'll probably use Tomi again at least for a time, and I think I will reset his counter.
I can't remember how respawn and companion resurrection work in HotU. A lot of people complained when the OC was released, and the developers changed both teleport-to-base and respawn to be much more restrictive, and limited. I do remember that instead of having a Stone of Recall, you have to buy expensive tokens that are good for a single teleport-to-base, if you want to use them.
I don't remember whether you can respawn at all in Hordes of the Underdark. I haven't played it in many, many years, and I only ever played all the way through once, so it's pretty much a new game to me again, and I'll be playing blind, so this should be interesting as I continue through.
Reloads: 1 (Morag)
Respawns: 3 ("D", Setara's flesh golem, Baram)
That said, I’ve only ever heard that SOU toons were meant to import HOTU, not from the OC per se, although the idea intrigues me considering who is in HOTU later on (not spoiling anyone here).
I think my run is going to be OC with one toon, then SOU/HOTU with another toon (both paladins). I just need to settle on a bridge mod for SOU to HOTU, of which there are some solid choices.