Dwarven Defender with Lonesome Road+3

Yigor

That's an idea for my next gameplay. I never tried a Dwarven Defender. ? The Lonesome Road+3 axe, available in Conlan's Smithy, adds +1 to CON, so I could get a fighter with CON=20 and natural regen.

Naturally, I'm planning the highmastery in axes and hammers. ?

Any great hammers in IWD? ?

OlvynChuru

I recommend using a one-handed weapon so you can use the Great Shield +3 (the best shield in the game, potentially obtainable in Chapter 3, which gives +15% physical damage resistance). There are also some one-handed weapons you can get later on in the game that provide physical damage resistance.

Yigor

OlvynChuru wrote: »

I recommend using a one-handed weapon so you can use the Great Shield +3 (the best shield in the game, potentially obtainable in Chapter 3, which gives +15% physical damage resistance). There are also some one-handed weapons you can get later on in the game that provide physical damage resistance.

All right, I would have enough pips anyway. ?

4 pips for highmastery in axes
4 pips for highmastery in hammers
2 pips for 2-handed weapons
2 pips for shield+sword

N.B. There should be 14 pips for fighters at lvl 30. ?

jmerry

A note on Con regeneration - it's so slow as to be essentially irrelevant during battle. One hit point for every ten rounds just won't get you very far. Unless you're resting or traveling, because hours of regeneration all at once is a much bigger deal.

With that in mind, you don't need to wield that particular axe all the time. Use whatever's best for combat, switch to regeneration mode the rest of the time.

Yigor

My Dwarven Defender:

Name: Beowulf (neutral good)
STR=18/89 (18/00 with Ogre Bracers)
DEX=17, CON =19, INT=WIS=10,
CHA=16 (to get good prices).
Currently, lvl 9 in chapter 1.
Highmastery in Axes, equipped with
Lonesome Road+3.

Well, I transferred to him some good equipment from my prvious Berserker gameplay and, notably, full plate armor+1, so he has AC=-4. Physical resistance: 55% in Defensive Stance. ?

It's already a very strong melee fighter, almost recklessly going in the middle of big groups of HoF orcs etc. ⚔️

Yigor

Current status: lvl 13 after clearing out the Kresselack's tomb. Main weapon: Lonesome Road+3. Beowulf also has Faith Killer+2 and a throwing axe+2, returning to the hand.

Well, with high mastery in axes, Lonesome Road+3 worked well even again skeletal undead ? (despite their 50% resistance to slashing weapons).

Yigor

My melee champion ?? has entered the Dragon's Eye. ⛰️? Fights are relatively easy, my character (lvl 14) is solid enough for straightforward melees with lizardmen. ?

Yigor

Current status: lvl 18 after completing 2 layers of Dragon's Eye.

My planned proficiencies at lvl 30:

4 pips for highmastery in axes
4 pips for highmastery in hammers
2 pips for bastard swords
2 pips for shield+sword
2 pips for 2-handed weapons

Used weapons:

Defensive Axe+2 (AC improved by 2, giving AC=-7)
Faith Killer+2 (5% to dispel magic and magic resistance)
Lonesome Road+3 (CON+1, giving CON=20)
Throwing Axe+2, returning to the hand
Troll Slayer+1 bastard sword (+4 vs trolls, 50% of fire damage)

I'm also planning to buy Amaunator's Legacy+3 bastard sword in Lonelywood (great vs undead). ?

Yigor

Current status: lvl 23 after completing 4 layers of Dragon's Eye. ⛰️?

Yigor

My char has just beaten Yxunomei (186,000XP) and passed from lvl 26 to lvl 27. Well, the fight was a bit dodgy. Since Yxunomei's appartments are big, Beowulf just ran in circles throwing Returning Axe+2 ?. With THAC0 = -8 and highmastery in axes, it was not too long. ⏳?

Yigor

Level 30 (5,500,000XP) is attained at the 2nd layer of Severed Hand (chapter 3).

Next level: Divinity (100,000,000XP). Is it a joke‽ ?

jmerry

The tables for determining what various levels do only go up to 30 (In IWD; they go to 40 in the BG series). With one exception - the "experience to reach this level" table goes one level farther, to provide the illusion that there's still something out there. And in IWD, the XP number for that has been raised to an unattainable level, so that multi-class characters can reach level 30 in each of their classes without single-class characters overflowing the tables.

If you were to actually take that level 31, bad things would happen. No bonus APR for fighter levels or specialization. Base saves of all zeros. THAC0 of zero. No spell slots. No backstabs. And so on.

Yigor

jmerry wrote: »

If you were to actually take that level 31, bad things would happen. No bonus APR for fighter levels or specialization. Base saves of all zeros. THAC0 of zero. No spell slots. No backstabs. And so on.

Omg, such an awesome "divinity"! ?

Yigor

N.B. 7,250,000XP after completing quests in the elfic fortress Severed Hand. ??‍♂️

I like to use Lightning Hammer+2 ??, 10% of contusion for 3 sec (good visual effects). ?

Some stats:

HP = 216 (226 with Black Wolf Talisman)
AC = -10 (with Defender Axe +2)
THAC0 = -10 (with Lonesome Road +3)
Defensive Stance: Physical Resistance = 70% or higher depending on accessories.

Yigor

Should my Dwarven Defender continue in Dorn's Deep or maybe go in HoW and/or Trials of the Luremaster ‽ ⚔️?

Yigor

Well, I decided to go in HoW, make some fights on the Burial Isle then switch to TotL. ?

Thorium

Nice I have always felt that TotL has some of the toughest fights of the game. I guess that is the case also in HoF?

Yigor

Thorium wrote: »

Nice I have always felt that TotL has some of the toughest fights of the game. I guess that is the case also in HoF?

Sure, from the very beginning, 20 years ago I had somehow completed TotL with a solo Bard on HoF. One of my best roleplaying performances. LoL ?

Yigor

Since my Dwarven Defender felt a bit alone LoL ?, I've added a Sorceress (specialized in Light/Shadow type magic) and restarted the gameplay. They directly went with Hjollder from Kuldahar to Lonelywood. ?