Solo, HoF, EL1 Ironman (SHEL1I) Runs - Fighter/Mage/Cleric
iwdee_fmc_solo
Member Posts: 60
Arguably the king of this challenge, the F/M/C is perhaps the strongest solo class having access to both the divine and arcane spellbooks. With double quest XP the F/M/C has just enough experience after full-clearing Easthaven for Cleric EL5 and Animate Dead going into Wolf Valley, and the Orc Cave.
As part of an ambitious project to create a comprehensive guide for solo, Heart of Fury, EL1, Ironman challenge runs I will be doing them with every single class. The basic thread is here:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/88835/solo-heart-of-fury-el1-ironman-runs-every-single-class-and-comprehensive-guide#latest
To keep things neat, I will be creating individual threads for each of the classes. This is the F/M/C thread.
A few notes:
(1) Rolls are done with the console + subtraction. I cannot find an autoroller for Linux that I can make work. Disdain me if you must, but these will only increase the consistency, not the reliability, and practicality of a run. Yes, it is not as great an expression of skill. Yes, I'm okay with that.
(2) Double quest XP is on. It's a part of the game mode, and classes need to hit certain benchmarks at specific times for a reliable and practical run. This helps with that. For example, without DQXP the F/M/C will not have Animate Dead (AD) after full-clearing Easthaven. This is not such a big deal because they still have Sanctuary, and will get AD in short order, but it will change their route, and increase the danger substantially since they will have to run through Goblin Pass.
As part of an ambitious project to create a comprehensive guide for solo, Heart of Fury, EL1, Ironman challenge runs I will be doing them with every single class. The basic thread is here:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/88835/solo-heart-of-fury-el1-ironman-runs-every-single-class-and-comprehensive-guide#latest
To keep things neat, I will be creating individual threads for each of the classes. This is the F/M/C thread.
A few notes:
(1) Rolls are done with the console + subtraction. I cannot find an autoroller for Linux that I can make work. Disdain me if you must, but these will only increase the consistency, not the reliability, and practicality of a run. Yes, it is not as great an expression of skill. Yes, I'm okay with that.
(2) Double quest XP is on. It's a part of the game mode, and classes need to hit certain benchmarks at specific times for a reliable and practical run. This helps with that. For example, without DQXP the F/M/C will not have Animate Dead (AD) after full-clearing Easthaven. This is not such a big deal because they still have Sanctuary, and will get AD in short order, but it will change their route, and increase the danger substantially since they will have to run through Goblin Pass.
Post edited by iwdee_fmc_solo on
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Then it’s Animate Dead until Aerial Servants at spell level 6. The fighter class means your character can actually hit things.
Absolutely, like you're saying, Clerics have the tools to deal with whatever they need to when they have to, and by the time the challenge grows, their tools do as well. They can full-clear the Prologue with ease. THAC0 and AC doesn't matter when you've got Hold Person for Goblin Bridge, and Animate Dead for Orc Cave + Goblin Pass. Then, with ~330k XP in hand we march into Kuldahar. Evil Clerics are unfortunate.
I'd go so far as to argue that a Mage can't even really run SHEL1I without a Cleric multi-class. Even Easthaven is unreliable, and impractical, with the paucity of scrolls, and the HD of HoF enemies. Chromatic Orb is strong, but the effects aren't as powerful as in BG, and Mage AoE leaves something to be desired on HoF, at least until you can fling high-level Skull Traps around with the Gloomfrost Amulet and PME on. With d4 HD, and Invis located in a dangerous part of Kresselack's Tomb, how are you going to get to Kuldahar, much less HoW, in the first place? Only the Sorcerer can pull off SHEL1I as a pure arcane class. Of course, a Cleric/Mage, or Fighter/Mage/Cleric is an incredibly strong class once they come online, and they come online very early, and very reliably.
Side note, this resource seems to indicate that Aerial Servant doesn't get HoF bonuses, do you know if that's true or not?
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/android/874368-icewind-dale-enhanced-edition/faqs/78382/divine-spellcasters
Do you think Shimmering Sash is best in slot? I feel like there isn't a better solo option for belt.
Also, Two-Weapon Style is well known to be incredibly powerful, but one thing I've noticed in my F/M/C shelly runs is that I find myself wanting more AC, and Defensive Harmony is too short-lived to scratch that itch + there are a lot of strong shields in the expansion, and I'd argue that a Mage will want to clear the expansion for the scrolls and items. Having Spell Immunity effectively removes the danger of getting dispelled, and as a C/M or F/M/C, you're not too worried at this stage about getting surrounded, although Spectral Guards hit like a truck, and Criek of Bane has a mage that needs to die immediately.
An evil cleric can do it, it just loses all decent healing and Lathander spells. The remaining strengths of the class are there.
I haven’t noticed if Aerial Servants don’t get the HoF buff. They do hit reliably for far more damage than your character, hit anything, and are immune to normal weapons.
I’m running a mc gnome Cleric/Illusionist which can’t cast Spell Immunity. I foresee some problems.
Shimmering Sash is best. The ogre girdle is situationally useful for summoning, and healing while travelling.
Edit: hint: skip the defensive buffs and dual wield after casting Mislead. No AC necessary.
One idea - probably a bad one - is to dual to a Mage as a Cleric once you make it to HoW. You will have Aerial Servant if you clear VoS first, but I don't know if you'll have the money to practically be able to get a decent Mage spellbook.
Ooof, Abjuration is a rough banned school for a SHEL1I character. Are you sure Cleric / Illusionist is even reliable without it? I'm honestly not.
On my solo F/M/C run I came out of the complete expansion (ToTL + HoW) having reloaded 18 times across the entire character history to that point. 12 of these were in Dragon's Eye, with most being:
- At the hands of Dispel Magic from one of Yxunomei's Priests (leading me to eventually head to HoW first)
- An ID10T error like trying to melee a Tough Lizard Man who showed up while I was trying to rest, and had lethal
- Skull Trapping too close to myself on L5 in one of the final chambers
- Lightning Bolt on L1 near the Captive Villagers
- Getting surrounded on L2
- Hilariously bad luck like on L3 when Protection from Lightning ran out one moment before stepping on a Static Charge trap
0 reloads were in HoW, and 6 were in ToTL, 0 (ZERO) of which were AFTER getting Spell Immunity. The Crypt is obnoxious, but so easy if you go after getting back from the Gloomfrost. Spectral Guards hit like trucks, and go down about as easy, but you can sneak past them to grab Spell Immunity, and unleash your full might if you can't. Never died to them once. Gloomfrost Amulet so key here.
Crieck's mage dispelled me 3 times (I finally Imp Hasted + Ultra-buffed, and dove furiously for her heart), the Harpy Queen's subjects surrounded me once, and I couldn't get DD off, the game trolled me once with Harald by sending him to ask me nobly to kill him, and then taking my rep away when I did, and lastly I suffered an ID10T error by trying to fight the Rakshasa RIGHT NEXT TO SPELL IMMUNITY w/out ultra-buffing, and before scribing the scroll
After getting Spell Immunity, I think there was only a handful of times when I was in any kind of real danger. Beholders in the Castle Dungeon can catch you w/petrification if you're unprepared, and very-puzzlingly, one of the Spectral Heroes in the Luremaster fight managed to dispel me after I casted SI:Abjuration
Yes, the Cl/Ill will struggle with 1% of the content.
That makes sense, but with all due respect, fundamentally not being protected from Dispel Magic is more significant than just "1% of the run" for a solo, HoF character.
Where are you currently in that run?
Is your plan to have Contingencies / Triggers / Sequencers to deal with the eventuality, or just pray you can disrupt it / it doesn't happen?
My 29/30 Cl dc Mage is in TotL. I might still have a save, I should try to complete.
I have Heal in my contingency, and otherwise try to think/gut my way through against the various risks, including Dispel Magic.
Btw, in IWD "no reload" for mages is totally silly, tons of valuable and often unique scrolls will be lost. 😼
Respectfully, this is not true as imbibing two Potions of Genius will give one 25 int and 100% scribe chance. Two Potions of Mind-Focusing + Red / Blue Ioun Stone will also bring a Mage to that point.
It adds another element of depth to the run as you have to manage these scarce resources, and figure out when you can afford to scribe scrolls.
Hmm tsk tsk tsk that's a missed opportunity to have to manage your resources
I play low-reload, not no-reload. Ain’t nobody got time for that! (Well, maybe you do…
At present I commit too many ID10T errors for a no-reload run to complete, but... *shakes fist* some day
Also I'm a dirty console user
The tester was a 30/30/30 F/M/C with 25 in Str/Con/Dex so, pretty standard stats for the class w/DUHM
Did a decently heavy buff: -18 AC, -18 THACO, 9 APR w/Black Blades of Disaster, Tenser's, and Imp. Haste as the cherries on top.
Complete destruction. Even the Polar Bear Spirit had no chance.
The class is Strong
Not really, but definitely mostly an exercise in casting buffs
Here's Episode 1 of the F/M/C!
We find our hero having just survived an avalanche, will she also survive Kuldahar Pass (with Animate Dead, she really should)? You might wanna skip through the beginning if you're interested in the content, I kinda spent a little bit too long talking about SHEL1I with the game paused on the character screen
Also, still working some kinks out in relation to the audio so I apologize if it cuts out briefly at points because I was talking directly into the piece, and for the lack of in-game sound as I didn't have the gain for Desktop Audio turned up high enough in OBS to capture the signal.
Lastly, I did Easthaven off screen - running around killing goblins is not exactly a great viewing experience. If this run fails, I will of course be resetting back to the beginning of the Prologue.
I just finished taking footage of the prologue with the Undead Hunter, because I'm really intrigued by the potential of the Paladin, the UH is the best kit (maybe even the only one), so I'll be uploading that tomorrow, and posting it as well. Audio for the Undead Hunter was MUCH better - at least the parts that I sampled. Anyways, that's all! Thanks for reading