Exploring something new (an attempt to do an evil playthrough)
JuliusBorisov
Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,754
It's not easy to find something new in these games when you have hundreds of hours in. But I plan to come back to BG, as "the realms call, and you go."
So, I've had an idea. What if I attempt to put more PRing into the run, and RPing as an evil character. Inspired by good runs by @BelgarathMTH, @Arvia , and others, I've decided to create an unusual for me group of characters, and will try to make decisions according to their ethics.
The main character will be a necromancer who can only scribe necromancy spells. All other spells can be cast from scrolls only. For the first level, she went with Larloch's Minor Drain and Chill Touch.
The group which will support the necromancer (neutral evil) consists of:
- a blackguard (chaotic evil)
- a cleric of Talos (chaotic evil)
- an assassin with points into Set Traps (neutral evil)
- a sorcerer (lawful evil) whose spell picks are spells which can be looked at as "evil". I'm not sure about exact spell choices, but Blindness, Spook, Chromatic Orb descriptions suit the evil ethics. In the same way, clerics' Command literally makes enemies "die" (sleep)
- the final party spot will belong to NPCs so that I could complete quests
I won't use "good" cleric spells, such as Cure Wounds. So healing is only possible via potions and spells like Larloch's Minor Drain (thanks to @Tresset's quick fix from here). But I think I can use spells like Protection from Fear - evil characters shouldn't be affected by Fear (as the blackguard kit ability confirms).
If you have further ideas about how to pursue evil ethics in terms of spells, I'd be happy to listen.
Meet Mara, Czernobog, Eruína, Grim, and Nav'. All stats are taken "as is" - no adjusting, which helps create realistic stats. As a consequence, my blackguard will need Dex bracers, and my sorc has the second highest STR in the group.
With 50 points in Set Traps, Grim managed to set a trap next to Fuller. Mara saw the room was full of chests with potentially important weapons and Fuller carried a nice armour himself. A backstab from Grim failed, but Command worked, while Spook affected the Watcher nearby. Mara's Chill Touch finished the Watcher (because he was shredded to ice pieces all the items were lost), while Fuller didn't recover from his sleep.
I already can feel the difference - this is the first time ever I used Chill Touch! And the party reputation is 3.
Blindness helped against lone but hard-hitting animals.
Tarnesh failed his saving throw against Command, with Poison Weapon already activated by both Czernobog and Grim, and Spook flying his way.
No help for Joia. Turns out she says "I'll find help elsewhere" and just leaves, letting you loot her chests.
Marl hit hard in melee, so Eruína frightened him with Spook.
Party level: 1
Party reputation: 3
Reloads: 0
Mods: SCS (full), IWD voice sets: they are awesome, and provide a lot of lines suitable for evil characters. "The silent blade cuts best!"
So, I've had an idea. What if I attempt to put more PRing into the run, and RPing as an evil character. Inspired by good runs by @BelgarathMTH, @Arvia , and others, I've decided to create an unusual for me group of characters, and will try to make decisions according to their ethics.
The main character will be a necromancer who can only scribe necromancy spells. All other spells can be cast from scrolls only. For the first level, she went with Larloch's Minor Drain and Chill Touch.
The group which will support the necromancer (neutral evil) consists of:
- a blackguard (chaotic evil)
- a cleric of Talos (chaotic evil)
- an assassin with points into Set Traps (neutral evil)
- a sorcerer (lawful evil) whose spell picks are spells which can be looked at as "evil". I'm not sure about exact spell choices, but Blindness, Spook, Chromatic Orb descriptions suit the evil ethics. In the same way, clerics' Command literally makes enemies "die" (sleep)
- the final party spot will belong to NPCs so that I could complete quests
I won't use "good" cleric spells, such as Cure Wounds. So healing is only possible via potions and spells like Larloch's Minor Drain (thanks to @Tresset's quick fix from here). But I think I can use spells like Protection from Fear - evil characters shouldn't be affected by Fear (as the blackguard kit ability confirms).
If you have further ideas about how to pursue evil ethics in terms of spells, I'd be happy to listen.
Meet Mara, Czernobog, Eruína, Grim, and Nav'. All stats are taken "as is" - no adjusting, which helps create realistic stats. As a consequence, my blackguard will need Dex bracers, and my sorc has the second highest STR in the group.
With 50 points in Set Traps, Grim managed to set a trap next to Fuller. Mara saw the room was full of chests with potentially important weapons and Fuller carried a nice armour himself. A backstab from Grim failed, but Command worked, while Spook affected the Watcher nearby. Mara's Chill Touch finished the Watcher (because he was shredded to ice pieces all the items were lost), while Fuller didn't recover from his sleep.
I already can feel the difference - this is the first time ever I used Chill Touch! And the party reputation is 3.
Blindness helped against lone but hard-hitting animals.
Tarnesh failed his saving throw against Command, with Poison Weapon already activated by both Czernobog and Grim, and Spook flying his way.
No help for Joia. Turns out she says "I'll find help elsewhere" and just leaves, letting you loot her chests.
Marl hit hard in melee, so Eruína frightened him with Spook.
Party level: 1
Party reputation: 3
Reloads: 0
Mods: SCS (full), IWD voice sets: they are awesome, and provide a lot of lines suitable for evil characters. "The silent blade cuts best!"
13
Comments
Have fun. And keep us updated.
Do you plan to continue if you have a reload? I'm guessing maybe so, since you didn't put this in the no-reload thread.
I certainly hope this vibe of sharing playthroughs will bring in more players.
Good luck, and have fun. And steer clear of the paladins
I'm going to follow with great interest.
Looks like your playthrough will be challenging and fun. I'll follow with interest too. And I definitely agree with you on IWD soundsets, they are amazing.
I also find it hard to stop myself from rushing through a lot of the dialogue options and quests, because I've done them so many times. I try to immerse myself in the world and the story, but sometimes autopilot takes over and I end up rapid firing through the game, which breaks the RP immersion. One of the leading causes of restartitis, I think.
As a necromancer I quite enjoy devouring fellow party members' souls if I want a reload, so that's one way to justify it if that helps!
@OrlonKronsteen Yes, it's not characteristic to me - I've always found it hard to choose evil options.
Update 1.
Facing spiders can be nasty. Czernobog used 2 potions of healing not to die from their poison.
Considering I can't use healing spells, recovering from that can be expensive. Potions cost 213 gp on Reputation 3 (and CHA 17).
The cheaper way is to rent a Royal room at an inn - it costs only 8 gp, restores 4 HP. Absorb health can then heal 2 HP per level.
The group returned to Landrin: no sense in keeping worn-out boots, a dead spider, and a bottle of wine if we can be paid for it. However, losing the girdle of piercing (which still isn't identified as I don't use items before identifying them) for "a book" which Unshey promised didn't sound like something Mara wanted to do.
We completed what Silke asked and got 300 gp for dismissing 3 thugs. We also got gems those thugs brought, and 3 potions of defence. It dropped our reputation to 1.
Following that route gave me a Steam achievement which I didn't have. Garrick declined to talk to Mara afterwards.
When we entered the Feldepost's Inn, a group of Flaming Fist enforcers sentenced us to death. We immediately fled through the door, and out of town. Getting reputation back to 3 would cost 1500 + 1200 gp, which is very expensive for this stage, and I'm not sure Mara would want that.
It's better to completely ignore big towns for now, and trade items at the High Hedge and the Carnival.
Blindness effect indeed looks quite cruel. 2 Flaming Fist soldiers just stood there while the party shot them down.
Grim got our first party level up. He was lucky to score 8 (maximum) HP. Maybe it was a reward from Laduguer, the Gray Protector of the duergar, for his successful backstab kills (the reason I like short swords on thieves is they cut through leather armour with a bonus).
We finally reached the Carnival and can sell items.
Party level: Grim 2, others 1
Party reputation: 1
Party deaths: 0
Reloads: 0
Update 2.
With such a low reputation buying anything from stores will be a problem. Even a mundane axe costs 80 gp. Considering the Iron Crisis, it can eat money quickly. Mara is not a fool to stay on the lowest reputation possible, and won't ignore an option to buy back a few reputation levels.
The dialogue with Zordral. It has always been difficult to understand which option would mean the witch's survival, but for evil ethics the only possible option was #3, which meant the witch was killed.
This fight is very dangerous for lvl 1. The main factor was to pick actions wisely. Zordral saved vs Spook, while Mara and Czernobog fell asleep. Elves' resistance against Sleep worked for the second time when Zordral casted Power Word: Sleep. Zordral saved against Command.
Zordral's next spell was Blindness. I made sure he targeted Grim for whatever spell he wanted to cast, but Blindness on a thief who can set traps is actually a blessing. Grim has now 60 in Set Traps, which provides good chances for success. He managed to set a trap, and then it killed Zordral.
Mara got a dream, and it's really cool the game shows that following an evil path is completely valid: "the path feels right and will assuredly give you what you seek", "you will have such power as this", "you will have all that he (the armoured figure) has, and more".
Finishing the Amazing Oopah off brought the 2nd level for Eruína (3 from 8 HP).
We then handled Vitiare (a thief who steals 100 gp from you) - on good playthroughs I usually let him leave, but not this time. Command helped to hold him still.
We travelled to the Area North of Carnival. There upgraded kobolds spawned surprisingly. There was no way Czernobog wouldn't suffer a bad incoming THAC0 roll against those dangerous fire arrows, so we retreated from the map. You probably know how important I consider an option to flee.
So, we returned, and knew the AI will search for us. Once the first kobold showed up, Czernobog one-shot it. Then Grim set a trap, and it dealt with another commando. Finishing the rest wasn't difficult.
Dealing with Arghain and his 4 half-ogres brought the 2nd level for Czernobog (5 from 14 HP). I also can note that while Poison Weapon "nerf" has a bad reputation among players, so far I've found this ability very useful: once the poison starts ticking, the enemy is slowed down with each tick, which lets me increase the distance between this enemy and my party.
Party level: Grim, Eruína, Czernobog 2, others 1
Party reputation: 1
Party deaths: 0
Reloads: 0
A coincidence, but for the first time in many playthroughs, I haven't been able to save Hulrik's cow Arabelle. He doesn't give any reward for killing all the xvarts, but thanks "for trying".
Ioin Gallchobhair's gang was the source of the first party death. Billy fell thanks to Grim's snare (I'm really liking luring enemies to traps, something - again - I have never done before), but Dribben hit too hard. We were ok, though, even without Czernobog: Command and Blindness are essential for these situations.
It was time to visit the temple. Turns out, reputation doesn't affect temple prices. After reviving the blackguard we made sure Flaming Fist Enforcers were still in the inn. Unfortunately, the inn's owner is now permanently hostile to the group - it'll serve a good lesson not to get meetings with enforcers inside taverns.
These folks are strong warriors, so Grim lured them - one by one - and through a trap - to Firebead Elvenhair's house. There we used all disablers we had to kill them.
The Flaming Fist Scout gave us some scare: he entered the fight invisible, and attacked Nav' - turns out, the rule about "no one-shots for characters under 14 HPs" affects the 2nd level, not only the 1st one.
At last, all of them were down, and in fact the group got some nice items and XP from these fights, including 2 potions of extra healing and 2 arrows of dispelling.
Finally, we managed to donate to the temple to bring our reputation back to 3. Donating at temples provides interesting Lore bits for the journal. Of course, it also means that party finances are low.
Considering we don't have the enforcers sent our way, we can travel to Nashkel and speak with the major.
Party level: Grim 3, others 2
Party reputation: 3
Party deaths: 1 (Czernobog - Dribben)
Reloads: 0
Surprises of an evil run never end. I travelled to Nashkel, and immediately was attacked by Amnian Soldiers (even with the reputation being 3). But... they attacked me one by one - which meant that other Amnian Soldiers decided to defend me while one of them was hostile. This way they killed themselves, and only one of them was left. We blinded the last of the soldiers and crossed the bridge... only to be attacked by a Bounty Hunter this time. Again, no killings here - blindness only - not to bring our reputation back to 1 again.
We helped Dorn to deal with Dorotea and Senjak. Dorn is currently bugged in this encounter: he doesn't have a 1hp item, so we had to disable enemies quickly.
Dorn decreased our reputation back to 1, so we had to temporarily part ways with him so that we could improve the party's reputation. I figured - being evil - just as being lawful good - doesn't mean being stupid. We pretended to be good guys for 2 tasks: bringing back the Colquetle's Family Amulet, and giving a book to Firebead (especially since you basically trade unneeded/cheap items for much bigger treasure).
So we went back to the Friendly Arm inn and hired Dorn. Check out his portrait by Ted Arfken:
Now when we sneaked a short sword +1 from Amnian soldiers in Nashkel, Grim could deal with flesh golems, and we finally traded with Thalantyr.
Dorn will focus on two-handed swords, and also longbows, while Czernobog will remain the tank, which will be now easier since he rolled 14 from 14 for his 3rd level, and now has 18 DEX.
Party level: Mara, Nav' 2, everyone else 3
Party reputation: 3
Party deaths: 1 (Czernobog - Dribben)
Reloads: 0
HP: Czernobog 33 from 42, Mara 7 from 8, Grim 20 from 24, Eruína 14/24, Nav' 8 from 8, Dorn 28 from 30
I was worried about the encounter with Greywolf. Not because I was afraid of a dual-wielding fighter using potions, but because I was not sure there would be a suitable way to RP evil and yet get the blade.
To Prism, I replied that Greywolf sent us, but when the sculptor promised to give "all that is his" for forgetting his crime, I agreed. To Greywolf, I replied that we are not letting him take the sculptor back to face the penalties of his crimes - as that would mean losing the promised treasure. Greywolf recognized it was Mara who stole his bounty, so the fight did happen.
Blindness and Hold Person worked.
However, when I attempted to talk to Prism after the fight, he just gave XP and +1 to reputation. In the end, it's not a big deal - we got the blade, and can sell the emeralds.
I haven't used the Horror spell in ages. Turns out, it works well against kobolds.
The kobold chieftain's group at the end of the 3rd mines level is always dangerous. I prefer not to cast Resist Fear in advance (not to metagame), so I had to face the consequence. Grim failed his saving throw against Horror, and before Eruína's aura was clear, he was dead.
With a reputation at 4, the price of healing potions is lower. With 33 points combined in INT and WIS, Mara would find it fine to stay at that reputation if it means better chances to survive.
Mulahey was blinded, his minions suffered from a fireball thanks to the necklace we bought at the Carnival. Of course, we didn't spare him.
Reporting back to Berrun Ghastkill provided another +1 to the party's reputation. So most likely we'd need to get caught stealing from a house.
I don't usually prepare for Nimbul, so had to suffer the consequences as well. This time, Czernobog and Nav' didn't save against Emotion: Hopelessness, but we doomed him, and then he failed 2 saving throws against Command. It was enough to get through Nimbul's stone skins.
Rasaad helped to deal with a bounty hunter (whom we had previously just blinded) without giving us a reputation hit. So we were able to enter the inn and fight Neira.
Mara had another dream. She is not afraid to use "the tools she is given". Her heart is not "her weak spot".
Telling Joseph's wife that we're taking the greenstone ring as payment doesn't provide any XP.
Party level: Eruína, Grim 4, everyone else 3
Party reputation: 5
Party deaths: 2 (Czernobog - Dribben; Grim - Kobold Commando)
Reloads: 0
HP: Czernobog 33 from 42, Mara 9 from 12, Grim 24 from 32, Eruína 19 from 32, Nav' 9 from 12, Dorn 28 from 30
I've been impressed by how good Horror works when cast by a Necromancer (enemies have to save with a -2 save penalty), so I've been thinking more about my approach towards spells for this run.
Should spells like fireball be considered evil? I'm against healing spells, but damaging spells are ... damaging. There's a chance to look at them as if the caster wants their victims to suffer (something along the lines of a pyromaniac). But then, you can look at it this way: elementals represent elements, and water/fire are neutral. But then again, a Priest of Talos has a special lightning ability and uses elements for protection.
The more I thought about it, the more difficult it seemed.
Maybe I should use the approach such as - if a lich uses these or those spells, I can use them as well, as there can be only a few more evil creatures than liches. But a lich uses such spells as Stoneskin, i.e. totally protective.
All Illusion spells (which you can imagine a wizard could use to trick their enemies, eg. with Improved Invisibility) are not available to necromancers. Are they evil? Are they good?
Of course, such spells as Imprisonment and all kinds of demons suit the run.
In end, this is my conclusion: I should first pick spells that are directly evil, eg. on the 4th level, it would be Contagion (Necromancy), or Emotion: Hopelessness, or Confusion. Then I should pick spells that more or less tricky, eg. Fireshield (not only protection, but also damage to those who attack), or different spell turning spells. Then I should pick other spells that are not entirely protective.
What do you folks think? And what difference should be between a Necromancer and a Sorcerer in this regard? So far, I've been using only necromancy spells from memorization by Mara. Should I use sequencers?
When things go south in a battle, a good person starts thinking "What can I do to save my friends?" An evil person starts thinking "What can I do to save myself?" Sometimes, the answer to that involves sacrificing their "friends". So, for example, an evil caster probably wouldn't hesitate to cast fireballs or lightning bolts without even thinking if it would hit party members. An evil caster would think, "So, I can cast this devastating lightning bolt that causes hundreds of points of damage and has a chance to strike down all my enemies. I'll drink this potion of grounding and do it!" Thoughts of fellow party members in the room wouldn't even enter into the equation.
For that reason, I would think the challenge to truly playing an evil party wouldn't be restricting what spells the casters can learn, but rather keeping them from killing each other when there are bad things happening.
I like BelgarathMTH's notion about not worrying about your friends as much when the shit hits the fan. I never thought about it like that, before. I can see how an evil character would want to protect their friends insofar as it furthers their own goals, but I can see how, facing a likely defeat, a character would be willing to risk killing their companions if that's what it took to save their own skin. Casting a fireball that burns your own tanks is a great example. I've done that before without thinking about the RP consequences - even on good runs - when I calculate that the damage to my tanks is within acceptable range and it will really pay off in weakening or destroying the enemy.
What about another aspect: evil and good clerics in IWD have completely different spells to choose, and there are also neutral spells available to all alignments. See here - https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/834356/#Comment_834356
There is also the type of evil you're playing, to consider. Again there's a scale from demon-worshiping, bloodthirsty psychopath to milder incarnations (like a greedy politician who wouldn't kill people, but is willing to use bribes, etc.). The D&D alignment system doesn't really help IMO, as it's not really based on any scientific understanding of psychology, and is incredibly limited in it's ability to profile people in real life. For what it's worth, I pretty much ignore it. My paladins, for instance, while generally good, have darker sides to them. Theirs is a vengeful brand of justice, and they're not afraid of breaking rules for the greater good. This isn't in accordance with the description of Lawful Good in the Player's Handbook, but I think it makes for more 'realistic' and interesting play (not to mention justifying Jan Jansen's shoplifting sprees when your pc is a pally).
I think the most important question to ask is this: who is your character? This is probably best answered during character creation. When you know their background, personality, and goals, it's easier to make decisions that are consistent from a RP standpoint. If they're a vile, demon-serving crew they'll be much less likely to behave in a benevolent manner, and will generally sow chaos and misery. If they're only mildly self-serving, they'll be more likely to do good things on occasion, and be more sympathetic to their comrades. If they're clerics, they'll presumably follow less evil deities, too.
Your chaotic evil cleric would probably use anything that works for him, no matter the cost on others. Protective spells on himself are probably justified because he will use anything to his advantage, but protective spells with a group effect?
Your lawful evil sorcerer will maybe follow their leader and therefore also cast protective spells on the group, because it helps them reach their goals.
I think there are many spells that can't be put into a good or evil category. Illusions, like Improved Invisibility?
You can use them to sneak in and kill everybody quickly (evil), or you can use them to scout ahead and avoid unnecessary fights (good).
Some spells aren't good or evil per se, it depends on how you use them.
Also, if many spells, like Blindness, or Horror, look cruel and seem evil, does it mean a good-aligned character shouldn't use them? Again, it depends more on the situation and the reason why you use them, not on the spells themselves.
And I wonder if chaotic evil persons could really stay part of a team for a longer time.
When I distributed alignments for my party members, I've thought about the following (I don't know if it makes sense for you, I'd be happy to hear about that as well; also, sorry for asking so many questions, but this is a Challenges and Playthroughs section, so why not discuss approaches to the playthrough):
Mara is Neutral Evil because she abides by laws (evil laws) for only as long as it is convenient for her. She's not cruel or sadistic, she's just evil. She likes necromancy and doesn't think twice when her undead army has to kill someone to achieve her wish.
Czernobog is Chaotic Evil because he's a Blackguard - he can easily consort with demons and devils and serve dark deities. I find it odd that Dorn - with his bloodbath quests - is Neutral Evil.
Eruína is Chaotic Evil because she revels in what Talos demands from her and by doing so she can easily miss that it's her own desires she's pursuing, not the ones of Talos. In a way, I see her as a cleric version of a Blackguard, but she serves Talos, not demons or devils.
Grim is Neutral Evil because he's similar to Mara. He is getting the job of an assassination done and doesn't think about moral aspects of it. He would just kill Drizzt by setting traps because he wants to use/sell Drizzt's armor and weapons.
Nav' is Lawful Evil because she obeys her superior (Mara) and keeps her word. She's a loyal sorcerer who enjoys the act of killing. She doesn't think about how this or that action benefits her personally.
Based on the feedback in this thread, and also @elminster 's comment here with the following detail: "An evil character can do "good" things and still be evil if they have a long term goal of acquiring power or (in the case of a Blackguard) doing their masters wishes" - I think I've solved the big problem I had deciding on spells:
- I still won't use healing and other "good" spells by my cleric and blackguards, taking into account the list of IWD Core Cleric spells with alignment restrictions (in the end, not using healing spells is a challenge)
- But for Mara, I will use spells other than Necromancy, but with the following approach - the biggest amount of active spells (memorized and available to cast) on each level should belong to Necromancy, other spells might be added only after that. So it means, for example, that for the 1st level (for which she has 3 spell slots) she has 2 Larloch's Minor Drain, and 1 other spell - it might be Identify, Sleep, etc.
- For Nav' I will pick spells evaluating their evil nature, not picking, or picking in the very end, entirely self-protective spells
Back to reporting!
Sendai, who threatened killing us "for sport", suffered the consequences. I used Grim to drop a potion next to Delgod, and then Eruína targeted that potion with the Hold Person spell. Delgod was held because the spell has a small AoE.
Vax and Zal wanted to show us a world of hurt but failed.
We decided to kill Caldo and Krumm because they seemed alone and well-equipped for letting them just cut the tree and go away.
A fight with Borda (from whom we required all his goods for free) for a low-level party with SCS is a nightmare. He's completely immune to magic and a good caster himself. Eruína and Grim fell in the battle.
Party level: Eruína, Grim, Czernobog 4, everyone else 3
Party reputation: 6
Party deaths: 4 (Czernobog - Dribben; Grim 2 - Kobold Commando, Borda; Eruína - Borda)
Reloads: 0
HP: Czernobog 42 from 56, Mara 15 from 18, Grim 24 from 32, Eruína 19 from 32, Nav' 9 from 12, Dorn 28 from 30
Dialogues around Bassilus and Melicamp don't provide much variety if you RP evil.
First, Bassilus:
1. You have mistaken me for someone else... No doubt Beregost will have people to deal with you. - An evil character won't refer to authorities and will want to deal with the issue themselves not to miss on a reward.
2. You're mad, monster. You'll die by my righteous wrath! - Speaking with the undead is not madness because of Necromancy. Also, "righteous".
3. Uhh, yes, son... How are you doing, my boy? - Seems the best answer.
4. I want you to stop all this zombie foolishness... - Again, because of Necromancy it would be silly to choose this option.
Next options:
1. No matter... I've not seen you since - Seems the best answer.
2. But these are not our kin! What madness has your eyes? Zombies all! - This would be a very odd choice to pick for an evil character who can raise the undead.
3. I'm disappointed... These are not your family, and it's an abomination to suggest it! - This one could be potentially fitting if I was talking like an old vampire with another vampire messing with mere zombies. But the context for the answer is different, again mentioning Necromancy is an abomination.
Next options:
1. ... You rob others of their loved ones to replace those you betrayed long ago! - Sounds like an accusation and at the same time like sympathy to people.
2. You're a coward and a murderer, and today you face judgement! - I'm not happy to choose this one, but other options are more righteous.
3. It's not too late to make amends... Return to Beregost! - Again, an evil character won't refer to authorities.
This left with the only option to deal with Bassilus without his supporting undead. Czernobog was held, but Dorn interfered, and Bassilus switched to attacking a non-held party member instead. No single command worked, only Blindness, and Bassilus fell because of all the incoming damage.
The dialogue with Thalantyr about Melicamp:
1. If there be no reward, then I'm through with the matter. - Fitting, since Thalantyr says he won't pay, and the apprentice has nothing himself.
2. I shall help as best I can and ask for nothing in return. He's in need, and that is all that matters. - This is 100% not an evil reply.
So Melicamp stays as a chicken in this playthrough.
Unfortunately, the dialogue options sometimes leave little choice. They weren't all written with roleplaying options in mind. In my paladin run I have a similar problem. If the wording doesn't fit at all, I'm not going to accept some quests. And sometimes you only get two dialogue choices, and both of them are kind of silly and force you to choose something you wuld never say.
Czernobog saved against Shoal's kiss. Among the three options we had (3. Lies and falsehoods - die by my hand. 2. It's your fate and I leave you to it. 1. Then I shall fight to release you) only the first reply sounded like a potential rewarding option, but I didn't like the kind/good aspect of that.
Droth failed his saving throw against Blindness, so the battle was won quickly.
I never really used the Grease spell before, but it's working surprising well against tough enemies. Ogre Berserkers literally have Berserk under SCS, but Grease slows them down and lets the party safely kill them from a distance.
Taking down sirens wasn't a big problem with Czernobog having good saving throws and Nav' casting Glitterdust.
Just when everything seemed fine, Talos intervened. His Lightning stroke three times, the last of these strikes coming after a rest, and it killed Czernobog. Even Eruína suffered from her god's weapon.
Party level: Eruína, Grim 5, everyone else 4
Party reputation: 6
Party deaths: 5 (Czernobog - Dribben, weather lightning; Grim 2 - Kobold Commando, Borda; Eruína - Borda)
Reloads: 0
HP: Czernobog 42 from 56, Mara 17 from 22, Grim 32 from 40, Eruína 22 from 40, Nav' 12 from 16, Dorn 31 from 40
I'm a bit late to the conversion, but as for healing spells, even an evil person would bind their wounds. IMO, someone that wouldn't avail themselves of a means of healing their injuries is just a masochist, and someone that would rather spend gold on potions than use a spell that their *evil* god makes available for free is just a spendthrift. Live to kill another day, eh? Just my take.
That said, I love what you're doing here, and appreciate you take the time to share it.
"I swear, travelling with you is never dull."
After I raised Czernobog from the dead, healed him (during this playthrough I find the temple's price of 100 gp to heal 17 hps cheap (a potion of healing costs 123 gp, and restores only 8 hps), and picking "Roayl" at inns helps to restore 4 hps for each member of the party), we travelled back to the area, to see us attacked by Molkar and Co (an SCS component with randomized bounty hunter locations, which I like).
In this fight, Horror from a Necromancer again solved everything. You can see how Morvin and Halacan both panicked, and then Molkar panicked as well. Drakar was blinded. I had never used Horror much before, but so far it has been very useful.
We just shot them all down.
BG1 can be brutal when you rest, get interrupted (in my case by 2 sirens), try to retreat and get crossed by a pack of a few freshly spawned archers.
I had to use Sleep on Czernobog & Dorn after they had been dominated. Making so that Czernobog managed to survive was an accomplishment in that situation.
I made amends and dealt with Sil without any casualties.
My assassin has been putting the majority of thieving points into setting traps and hiding in shadows, but 30 in Detect Traps was enough for all the traps in the Golem cave. Grim lured the first golem out of the cave, a summoned skeleton, Czernobog, Dorn and Grim finished him off. 2 other golems were dealt with by backstabs (failed, but still harming) and kiting.
The dialogue with Ardouine didn't provide any options for evil characters who wanted to get a reward. However, Jared - who asked to kill a polar bear - declined to offer "anything" (although he had promised that) when we returned to him. We took him down and were rewarded by a pair of boots.
Talking to Arkushule ended with us not finding out the truth, as the reply about it was too kind: "Please, I don't mean to be rude".
Party level: Mara, Nav' 4, everyone else 5
Party reputation: 5
Party deaths: 7 (Czernobog - Dribben, weather lightning; Grim 2 - Kobold Commando, Borda; Eruína - Borda, a siren; Dorn - a siren)
Reloads: 0
HP: Czernobog 55 from 70, Mara 17 from 22, Grim 32 from 40, Eruína 22 from 40, Nav' 12 from 16, Dorn 39 from 50
Playing evil definitely shows me interactions I haven't seen before. Laurel, a member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, attacked us on sight as she "sensed rogues". No gibberlings showed up.
When talking to Laryssa, I actually found out that the option when you fight with her is more for lawful good characters - "If this Brage be possessed by some foul spirit then I'm afraid we must kill the man to unman the beast". In my case, we just asked her who this Brage was.
When speaking with Brage, we chose an option about a bounty on his head instead of guiding him to Nashkel. I've seen this reply for the first time in all the years:
Of course, we returned the body - but not to the temple. Oublek decided to pay us for that but less than the posted amount. Before, he refused to pay for the emeralds Prism had stolen, referring to the situation when we accepted a reward destined for Greywolf.
Dialogues with Charleston Nib and Gallor were disappointing: we demanded to hand over anything valuable they were guarding, and Charleston told us to go away as they had no valuables. Then Gallor appeared and we agreed to kill the diggers after they do the work. However, talking to Charleston again, I got the line telling us to go away as they "don't want the likes of you around when they make a discovery". So for an evil character, this quest can't be duly started.
Party level: Grim 6, everyone else 5
Party reputation: 5
Party deaths: 7 (Czernobog - Dribben, weather lightning; Grim 2 - Kobold Commando, Borda; Eruína - Borda, a siren; Dorn - a siren)
Reloads: 0
HP: Czernobog 60 from 75, Mara 20 from 26, Grim 40 from 48, Eruína 22 from 40, Nav' 15 from 20, Dorn 39 from 50