Hey folks, I've never played SOD. Is it worth downloading and adding to my BG/BGII playthroughs?
Imo it's too repetitive and has way too much trolls. AI is really improved, and some battles, should you choose to fight them, are quite nice. Personally, I'm thinking about skipping it in the future since I'm bored with it.
It's not the same game as BG1/BG2 (figuratively speaking) - it's more akin to IWD imo. A lot of combat, story is kinda in the background to hold the plot together, but it's not impressive. Side quests are much better, and new areas are well made.
And trolls. Too much trolls there. Of all of the possible annoying enemies, devs decided to populate the areas with the buggiest creatures possible.
On a good side, if you continue from SoD to BG2, you'll start with really hefty XP ammount. Imo it's worth it's price - just don't expect too much.
Semiticgod and myself ran it both blind and noreload. I think if you are familiar with noreload strategies, then there are some surprises but you should be fine.
I have not played it much. I am going through my second run now (due to time limitations mostly and because lately I had started from bg2 rather than bg1).
I have enjoyed the first time but the story was not overwhelming. The encounters were fine.
Henry Despenser knows little of how he came to be a ward of Gorion's, but over the years he gleaned something of his mother's tale... she was apparently an elf from the High Forest and a friend of Gorion’s for many seasons. With no memory of her, nor keepsakes to remind him, he came to believe that she died while giving birth to him. Perhaps it was the pain of such a parting that led Gorion to cloister himself within the narrow halls of Candlekeep and raise him as his own. Of his father, Despenser knows nothing.
As a young boy, Despenser, who would one day be referred to as, simply, the ‘Battling Bishop,’ was intrigued at the tales read to him by Gorion, Karan and other monks that tutored him. Many of those tales were from the many holy books on the shelves of Candlekeep. The strength and power of faith inspired him, but the True Neutrality of the Patron Deity of Candlekeep, Ογημα, or as he is known in the common tongue, Oghma, seemed to Despenser to be too equivocal, pusillanimous even. In the wake of the time of troubles just 10 years earlier, and the prophesies of Alaundo, it seemed to him that he was being pulled in a more decisive direction.
He came to understand the monks and the nature of their beliefs and, in time, to think of himself as one of the Avowed, as the monks of Candlekeep referred to themselves. His tutors graciously fielded his many questions and taught him much about the role of the priesthood, until one day he found himself praying to Τυρ (Tyr in the common tongue), the Just God, the Maimed God, The Even-Handed. In that moment, he knew whom he would serve, and began to learn all he could about Τυρ, his clergy, his paladins, and his faith.
Although the monks had been his teachers, the were devout followers of Ογημα and would not understand, much less encourage, his new-found devotion to such an ‘extremist’ deity. Being sequestered in the walls of Candlekeep, he wondered how he would grow in the faith without the tutelage of Τυρς clergy to guide him. Thus, he was surprised one morning after his dawn prayers, when he felt an influx of new power that he had not felt before. He shrugged it off until later that morning when one of the Watchers was wounded in training. Despenser ran to the man’s aid, and when he laid his hands to inspect the wound, he instinctively began an incantation under his breath and before the second Watcher, who had injured his fellow, could arrive, the wound was healed. Despenser quickly asked the Watcher not to say anything, and to his relief, he heeded his plea.
Despenser continued his prayer and study with vigor after that, being granted new spells every so often - the appropriate words would come to him when he prayed and stayed with him until spoken aloud and the spell cast.
Eventually, he started to be anxious to get beyond Candlekeep’s walls and explore his new faith. That chance would come.
PREPARING TO HEAD OUT!
HENRY DESPENSER
STARTING INVENTORY
Editorial note: Gonna take another crack at a Cleric. This one based on Bishop Henry Despenser who served as a bad-ass Fighter-Cleric under Richard II of England. I’ll be using portraits of Athelstan from Vikings for my PC.
He will be a Lawful-Good Cleric, Holy Justice of Tyr and surround himself with NPCs of a similar mind: The Paladin’s Sirene & Isra, the Sorcerer Valerie, the Fighter-Magic User Indira, and Imoen. They will be added as the game takes him to them. It’ll be awhile before he gets to Indira at the Firewine Ruins. He’ll use ‘hirelings’ until then but no one of evil or chaotic bent. At first he won’t necessarily be able to tell, so the encounter will drive his decisions. Once they join, I will edit the Paladin’s a bit to bring them in line w/AD&D 1st to add Detect Evil as an innate ability.
His bench will include the usual’s: Ajantis, Dynahier, Rashad & Yeslick. He will always choose LG companions EVEN if he must choose Rashad. ? Alora will be the reserve rogue, if necessary.
My objective is really on telling a fun story, although a no-reload is always a goal going in. If he dies, I will tell on myself and keep playing him (but not posting), like I am with Silas.
There will be no change to basic setup - as will be reflected in the sporadic writeups of Dispenser's journal.
Yup, that's my thinking now about the PCs origins. Actually, I was going to try Asimir (sp?) but it didn't seem to work correctly when I selected it, so I went back to Tiefling. I was going to tie the Asimir origin into his relationship w/Tyr, but, oh well.
The less I play SoD the better I think of it, if that makes any sense. Not having played it the last run or two I'm mildly looking forward to it this time. In particular the option to have higher difficulties without bonus damage may make some of the battles more interesting.
In particular the option to have higher difficulties without bonus damage may make some of the battles more interesting.
That's how I play it. One thing SoD does really well, and much better than bg1 & bg2 - difficulty slider means more than just more or less damage recieved.
.... That's how I play it. One thing SoD does really well, and much better than bg1 & bg2 - difficulty slider means more than just more or less damage recieved.
CONGRATULATIONS to @Aasim for making the 10,000th post on this thread.
I am astonished by the dedicated interest of the countless players and their characters.
Amelyssan never stood a chance in the face of such unrelenting persistence.
Bladeservant is now in the Fields of the Dead. They entered a cave full of shaman's and suchlike and immediately left. They were followed by an ogre/mage who was killed. They then buffed and returned. Bladeservant and Xan attacked to the left whilst Aura and Valerie used fireballs to the right. Vynd used poisoned arrows hoping to interrupt spells and Tenya used hold person which didn't work.
During another round of fireballs Tenya was charmed. The entire party then switched to melee and attacked the one remaining shaman whilst Bladeservant used Algernon's Cloak on Tenya.
Reedrig was freed. Thankfully he was well clear of the area blasted by Aura and valerie.
Bladeservant then cast dispell magic to eliminate Tenya's Charm completely.
They used the cave for a well earned rest, resting until Aura's runes were replenished and then went to rescue others from the orcs.
It was then when Bladeservant discovered that his container for arrows had gone missing.He went looking for it but was unable to find it. It could still be on Ice Island.
At least with this set-up there are other similar containers for sale. The party still had plenty of arrows of various types so the loss was of no great import. However they now no longer have arrows +2 or arrows of dispelling.
Of more import was the death of Vynd! I thought that it was the party that was supposed to backstab their enemies and not the other way round.
On the plus side Bladeservant is now level 8 and Xan lervel 9.
Jethro, 2nd and final update. Long story short - did BG1, did SoD (rather epic fight at the bridge, I don't know how this can be done under nightmare difficulty settting - the mage there chants in 10 seconds and leaving a single Mephit alive for 5 secons equals game over); did most of BG2, fought a Planetar in Asylum (insane...) and gost to Ust Natha. Got rather cocky there, and decided to do something I usually don't.
It was an epic run, and ended like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p6WD06xCQw&feature=youtu.be[url="http://"][/url].
For anybody wanting to do Improved Ust Natha in No-Reload, don't.
Semi found her self back at CK. A place she would call her childhood home - only to find things had changed.
Arrested for a crime she did not do, she escaped and stealthed.
picking up some tomes en route.
Outside she took on the Durlags Tower tour. A brief lapse on where the darn traps are, saw Semi confused - a charm whould have ended the run then and there...
Next level was done fully buffed. The traps did in most of the warders - Semi running around activating the fireball traps
at the next level the goblet and helmet where picked up. Semi dodged the rest of the tower.
Back in the city, Semi picked up the diary and some invitations
arrows of dispelling paving the way.
At the palace semi brought Ichtyl, the priest of Helm, Bellamy and the bartender for the fight.
I always open the palace fight with 2 times entangle + greater malison / chaos - and then let ai do the rest. The opening worked well but Llia died fast and Belt’s health was rapidly declining.
But Semi put her body in harms way and thusly securing victory
The maze and the underciry was done quickly via invisibility - protected against the elements and MM
At the temple I usually only kill Semaj and Sarevok. But this time Tazok and Angelo decided to put their body in harms way - one at a time...
Thanks guys
In the end Sarevok was done in as well. He was dispelled and then had to face his fully buffed little sister.
He didnt last long and was no risk for Semi.
I imported Semi into SoD, and started the prologue with the usage of 1 of my 5 PfU scrolls - after Porios surrendered. Korlasz also yieldes after she got dispelled (twice).
Baldurs Gate 2.0 was all about shopping... I will spare you the details.
At the first campsite out of the city, Semi sang to the Menhirs and killed the vampire (mandatory quest imo).
She was awarded the opportunity to help the vampire?? Obviously she didnt - she had the buckley buckler for the regeneration... I mean she did noble thing... .
Semi is at 260.000 xp at the moment. The dwarves of Dumathion will give her the final level in SoD. XP are plenty when soloing, but the Dwarves quest is mandatory for the undead hunter I guess, and 4 scrolls of PfU will help off course... Semi is still in the game.
Henry Despenser awoke suddenly. At first, he didn’t know where he was. He opened his eyes & oriented himself, realizing he was in a common room @ the Friendly Arm Inn (FAI). His long-time childhood friend, Imoen, lay asleep in the bunk next to him. He remembered meeting Khalid & Jaheira the evening before. He sat up, as if to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. At the other end of the a rectangular, 15’x40’ room Khalid & Jaheira were already up, packed & speaking to one another in whispers. The room itself had five beds, two on one side of a central fireplace, three on the other. Despite being a common room, Despenser appreciated the bed he’d slept in after years sleeping on the floor in the Candlekeep bunkhouse. It was 4 Mirtul 1368.
He’d first walked through the gates of Candlekeep two days before, little knowing that his destiny would one day change the face of Faerun forever. As he departed with the Sage Gorion, he knew nothing of where he was going. He was aware only that he served a great deity in Τυρ, the just god, and somehow, he sensed that this journey was somehow prophetic. However, all that changed when he and Gorion were ambushed shortly after nightfall and he was suddenly alone in the dark. Gorion died there and Despenser knew that Candlekeep would not welcome him back without Gorion. His only option as he saw it was to follow Gorion’s admonition that should they be parted, he make his way to the FAI & rendezvous w/Khalid & Jaheira, It was to his relief that Imoen had followed them & was there to greet him when he woke exhausted and confused in the dew of the morn. Their journey from Lion’s way to the FAI had been relatively uneventful. From Lion’s Way he travelled thru the Coast Way and then north to the FAI. A few encounters with others on the road were uneventful but that changed when he finally arrived at the FAI.
KEY EVENT: The Conjuror Tarnesh, had jumped at the prospect of easy gold. In the seedy underworld bounties like this one are seized upon w/greedy anticipation. That Tarnesh was already a guest at the FAI when he found the notice nailed to a wall just outside the door, made him even more confident in his success. He envisioned his plan of attack & waited on the steps, ready to pounce when he was sure he had his target. When he saw the road weary duo, he hailed them, and confident that he had his man, began his incantation. What it was will never be know for sure, Sleep maybe, but Despenser’s Command dropped him before he could finish. As he lay there, he felt Imoen’s arrow land beep in his thigh. His eyes were open as he lay there & he could see Despenser running up the stairs, long sword ready to finish him there. Suddenly he was able to stand again. As he made his way to his feet, he was able to parry another arrow fired by Imoen. He began a second incantation in a race with Despenser who was preparing to cast Hold Person. Imoen had slung her bow in favor of a Wand of Magic Missiles, which fired just before Tarnesh could finish his spell, interrupting him again. Despenser finished & Tarnesh was Held right as he had been moments before. Once again, the WoMMs found it’s mark in his left, upper chest. The pain was searing. The last thing Tarnesh saw was Dispenser’s Long Sword descending from his right.
Hey folks, I've never played SOD. Is it worth downloading and adding to my BG/BGII playthroughs?
I would strongly recommend it. SoD has beautiful music, beautiful environments, and lots of diverse enemy encounters, most of which are nothing alike. Trolls only show up in a couple places. There are a lot more options for nonviolent resolutions to conflicts, the battles can scale to dramatic sizes, and the game has some lighthearted moments alongside the grim stuff, befitting a blend of often-goofy BG1 and ever-dark BG2.
It's mostly linear, but the gameplay is never repetitive, and the new items are all very interesting and unique, but still perfectly well-balanced. There are also good opportunities for roleplaying in SoD, which I think you might appreciate. I would consider it slightly better than Shadows of Amn in terms of overall quality, though it's not quite as long or as broad as BG2 simply because it was a smaller-scale project.
The lack of metagame knowledge would make it difficult to beat no-reload on the first try (though it is possible), since SoD does throw some light curveballs here and there. It doesn't throw huge, deadly encounters at you without ample warning, but since the level range is 7-12, there are plenty of disablers and some enemy groups will be tough for a party with little tanking ability or crowd control options.
I have added @histamiini's solo LoB+SCS+Ascension run, which tragically ended to a charm effect at the Throne (the save penalty is -5 even for female characters!), to the Honorable Mentions section.
Jethro, 2nd and final update. Long story short - did BG1, did SoD (rather epic fight at the bridge, I don't know how this can be done under nightmare difficulty settting - the mage there chants in 10 seconds and leaving a single Mephit alive for 5 secons equals game over); did most of BG2, fought a Planetar in Asylum (insane...) and gost to Ust Natha. Got rather cocky there, and decided to do something I usually don't.
For anybody wanting to do Improved Ust Natha in No-Reload, don't.
Nice video @Aasim. I can't disagree with your advice on Ust Natha .
As for the bridge in SoD, all characters can use dispelling arrows and/or the ring of energy - and both are good alternatives to prevent the mage from completing his casting.
Bit of a short update, as I made some progress since the last update about 4 months ago before loosing all time to play, so I want to catch up post-wise before continuing the run.
The party proceeded as planned. Lassal was taken down without real issue, with the help of a few traps and a summoned Wyvern. I actually like Wyvern Call... the Wyvern isn't great, but it's not terrible either, and in this case it had the added bonus of completely blocking Lassal from moving towards the party members that lacked NPP, since it has such a big hitbox.
Alright, next up are the traitorous thieves. I'm sure not travelling under Invisibility 10' Radius will be fi-
Y'know, I blame no one but myself. Pfeh. This time we're up against two mages, but we have Mazzy's machinegun (a.k.a. the Tuigan Bow). We pop the singular charge from our Wand of Monster Summoning, and have at it. Of course, with two fully-buffed enemy mages running wild on the field, things don't always go to plan. We take some damage, and Benedict deflects a Lightning Bolt with his face, but in the end we prevail.
We gather the entirely inconsequential loot and arrive at the Bridge district. Here, Sansuki tries to talk to us in order to force us into a pointless fight with vampires, but Mazzy leads him on a merry chase until he looses sight of us. At the Five Flagons, we actually found a scroll of PW: Stun in one of the chests, which Benedict immediately scribes (Conjurer bonus making it guaranteed).
Since we're going to have to rest anyway before the vampires, we splurge on spellworks for the guild contact, who can otherwise deal some fairly hefty damage (the would-be traitors already did a number on Mincs).
Here, I depart from tradition, and actually shell out 2020 gold for a scroll of Improved Haste from Ms Cragmoon. We have a fair number of scrolls, so Benedict quaffs a couple Potions of Genius and gets to scribing. Improved Haste will be of tremendous value to us (it turns Mazzy into a vampire-slaying machine). We rest up at the Five Flagons.
On our way to the Graveyard, we get yet another ambush, but it seems we've finally weathered all the "special" ones: It's just generic bandits with a single mage now, and they present no real obstacle.
We make rapid progress throughout the den of vampires. Minsc gets Protection from Fire and a Fireball from Benedict then clears the spiders of Pai'Na. A single Fire Elemental serves as frontline against the spiders guarding the approaches to the vampires proper (which was a bit extravagant, we would've been fine just powering through with a few healing potions). We also found a scroll of Mordenkainen's Sword in one of the chests here... lovely. Haz bites it, and we take his Staff Mace +2 (he would've wanted it that way).
The Fire Elemental is still alive and well, so we let it clear the Grimwarders at the entrance. We then proceed with the standard plan for undead disposal: Minsc wears the Amulet of Power and wields Lilarcor, while Mazzy gets Chaotic Commands and NPP (we have many of these memorized), using Azuredge. We take a little damage, but this combo is really quite optimal. Minsc of course picks up the Mace of Disruption once we clear that room (we've got Chaotic Commands enough that him not wielding Lilarcor is fine).
We head downstairs. Here, we pop one of our two Improved Haste, boosting Mazzy's potential considerably. Our own undead (Skeleton Warriors) hold off the enemy undead, and Mazzy makes very short work of them.
Back upstairs, we conjure another wall of Skeleton Warriors, and Mazzy gets a double boost: Improved Haste and Champion's Strength (we do have Anomen in the party, after all). The THAC0 boost helps her overcome Tanova's Improved Invisibility.
With so many Skeleton Warriors to serve as blockers, Lassal is very swiftly disposed of. With nothing to gain from trying to fight her, we let Bodhi kill the remaining Skeleton Warriors, and a self-hasted Mazzy then leads her around until she gives up. Hooray!
A solid rest later, we have a chat with Aran and depart for Brynnlaw. The ambush is anticipated, and dealt with in standard fashion: Skeleton Warriors and some buffs for Minsc & Mazzy are more than sufficient.
We save Ginia and Ason, and launch our assault on Galvena. We power through Front and his fellow guards (Mazzy simply shooting him until his Stoneskins drop), and a Fire Elemental leads the charge against the Guard Captain. Now... Vadek. Galvena of course is no issue at all, being a melee grunt, but Vadek is usually a nuisance: We have to fight in a small confined space, and there's really no sure-fire way to keep everyone safe.
Fortunately, things don't go too badly. Vadek gets several spells off, but the worst of the lot is a Lightning Bolt that severely singes Mazzy and Jaheira. Could've been much worse.
We gather the loot and depart, saving Claire in the process. A rest at the Vulgar Monkey later, we leave the party at the Temple of Umberlee, where they are carefully considering exactly how many Potions of Genius would be prudent to purchase. There are rumors of brain-sucking abominations that haunt the Underdark after all, though it is not entirely clear why that would be a problem... certainly we have no reason to believe we will be visiting the Underdark!
It seemed almost a dream as Despenser set out from FAI toward Nashkel. His entire world had been turned upside down in just four days. From the tranquility of Candlekeep, he now peered off the top step of the FAI into an uncertain future that lay somewhere ‘out there.’
He had prayed at dawn, as clerics of Τηρ are commanded to do. He knew this would recover his spells, but it also helped his decide upon what he would do next. Khalid & Jaheira had been anxious to go to Nashkel & w/no immediate compass of his own, it seemed as good an idea as any he could conceive. He felt certain this where Τηρ would have him go. Still, there was something about heading off to places unknown that seemed surreal.
The journey would take the four of them south back thru Coast Way again to Beregost, where they would rest before moving on to Nashkel a half day further on. Arriving @ Beregost, after fighting off a lone Bandit & a couple of Kobolds in the Coast Way, he tried Feldepost’s Inn before finally deciding on the Burning Wizard for lodgings.
KEY EVENT: Garrick was uncomfortable working for Silke. She was evil and he knew it but he needed to eat & she allowed him to accompany her & even perform before she did sometimes - so that she could look even better when she began. Part of his service required him to help Silke w/her dirty work. Silke was heartless & it bothered him when he caught a pretty, young lass smiling at him. But he had a job to do, & that allowed him to hail her group of adventurers. He flattered them as he laid out the offer: 300 gold to help his mistress fend off some ruffians. He hoped the four of them would meet her approval as he led them to where she had positioned herself. They listened as Silke, always the actress, tried deftly to draw them into her scheme, but when the men arrived, Garrick knew the gig was up. Garrick never knew exactly what she was up to, but it became apparent to him @ the same moment in did to those he’d just led to the slaughter. To their credit they would have none of her scheme to have three men killed for acquiring gems she had asked them to get for her. Her temper was fierce, & as soon as the party leader declined to be the linchpin in her trap, she flew into a rage. It shocked Garrick when the Tiefling in Studded Leather cast Command before Silke could use one of her disabling spells. Then he saw an arrow dig into her side – from the bow of the same girl that had smiled @ him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing until Silke got to her knees & was able to stand. The girl again let loose, this time w/a WoMMs & once again, Silke lost her concentration. A third time she tried as arrows & sling stones whirled around her. Again, the Tiefling cast a spell, this time, Hold Person, & Silke froze in place. He watched in disbelief as the group surrounded her. The Tiefling brought down his Long Sword directly on her neck & shoulder & Silke died there. He was stunned & suddenly realized he was out of a job again. It was fortuitous that the group had an opening, but that they would take him on after he entrapped them… that was true mercy. Justice would have said otherwise he thought.
A DEVIOUS BARD
From Beregost the road south to Nashkel was relatively easy. Two Ogrillons & five Hobgoblins weren’t able to slow Despenser appreciably & his party arrived in Nashkel uninjured, only road weary. A fifth Bounty Hunter awaited when Despenser arrived but was unable to succeed in the task for which she had been paid. It was 9 Mirtul 1368.
After doing most of the quests (Other than the thieves' guild ones and going to the Iron Throne) Bladeservant went to the Friendly Arms Inn in search of Pilar who has some boots. So far I have been unable to find him but what I did find was my ammo belt which I appear to have dropped there. I was most surprised that it was still there!
Trying to finish anything to do with the FAI prior to starting the Grey Clan Episode.
There are still some NToSC quests still to do as well.
Another random generation saw this pair roll into town. Three or so sessions later Targun decided he'd better write something up before any lingering memories were gone for good.
1
A typical start saw Shoal butchered before we deviated to grab a whistling shortsword for Grin. With that done Targun found a Protection from Petrification scroll and we searched high and low for basilisks. Mutamin was less than impressed but Grin sorted him out. Kirian and her gang were dealt with and we headed back into town.
2
A brief session saw us make a start on our reputation.
3
A further bump was required for our reputation but Targun said the wrong thing to the wrong dryad and once she got upset well we were back into single figures.
Targun decided to go pick on sirines instead. They were no trouble but the flesh golems proved less than friendly. Grin almost died but his resolve held until Targun's aim finally proved adequate. One magical arrow (from Baerin) was left at the end so the biting arrows remain at our disposal (i.e. will probably be untouched until whatever conclusion we reach).
Targun thought Grin had done well so a quick pat on the back was followed by another underground adventure with near-certain death (on our part anyway) tragically avoided. Grin managed better with his ankheg plate than the ankhegs did with theirs.
The reputation struggle continued with us saving a cow, rescuing Brage and dealing with a Doomsayer. Targun warned Grin to stay out of the firing line but Grin jut grinned and bore it. What's a little flame when you're having fun.
Meilum didn't get into his stride at all today.
Doom Guards had a good go at Grin but ultimately ineffective against sword and spell.
At the bandit camp Taurgosz was blinded and that was his downfall.
The bandit camp leaders were treated to blind, stinking cloud and web. Grin felt that was adequate and put them out of their misery before skilfully avoiding the lightning bolt trap.
Into Cloakwood. Grin demonstrated excellent nimbleness and skirted round one trap before doubling back to trip it as originally intended. With that trap down he culled four spiders then skirted another trap to draw ettercaps back to their doom. Targun was moaning about having dropped all his normal arrows and having to waste magical (fire) arrows on the ettercaps so Grin grabbed 80 normal arrows from his quiver and threw them to Targun. A couple more ettercaps then.
Drasus and his gang put up a fierce resistance, or were slaughtered. It's just a matter of perspective.
Davaeorn managed to get his noteworthy insult issued only to choke on his words as dwarven determination hacked him down almost immediately.
I used a combination of sanctuary and turn undead for the SoD starter dungeon. Silenced Korlasz, then summoned skeletons around her. This caused her to be unable to surrender, so she died, and I killed her minions. Picked up the Shield of Egons from Fanegonorom. Did the random quests around Baldur's Gate and purchased equipment. Hurray for the Bag of Holding!
Teleria and her lesser stone golem were surrounded and killed by skeletons. I approached the bridge under sanctuary. I bombarded Caelar's followers on the bridge with The One Gift Lost until she showed up. Afterwards, I bombarded them again while they were fleeing. One of them got an Emotion: Hopelessness off on me which I failed the save of. I laid down and allowed them to pelt me with fire arrows until death.
@TheMathemagician: Welcome to the forums. Disable the console and unmap the quick save/load buttons. Embrace failure. Always remember the Dwarf Fortress motto, "losing is fun".
I just rolled up two characters I wanted to try out for solo no-reloads. I thought I'd try a couple of character classes that haven't went all the way yet (at least to my knowledge). I started both a halfling True Neutral Bounty Hunter with 88 ability points and a human Chaotic Evil Necromancer with 94 ability points (CE because the Quasit familiar looked tough enough to give me a good head-start on the early levels).
The halfling didn't last long due to no kiting ability and wolves are too damned fast! That was an eye opener...
The Quasit has allowed my Necromancer to do OK so far. I'm 3rd level and have cleared the area right after Candlekeep, the belt ogre area, the Friendly Arms area, most of Beregost and the area South of Beregost. I just learned Protection from Petrification (got the scroll from a hobgoblin) so will likely take on basilisks next. If she survives that I'll give more details since her survivability will improve exponentially and thus justify my efforts.
Dorna Bonedancer
CE Human Necromancer
Str-18 Dex-18 Con-15 Int-18 Wis-16 Cha-9
Proficiency - Dagger
Level - 3
Spells so far - Magic Missile, Sleep, Find Familiar, Infravision, Armor, Larloch's Minor Drain, Chill Touch, Protection from Petrification
Wish me luck!
Edit: Oh, core difficulty (already failed to learn Grease) and no mods.
I'd like to get all of the tomes if I can. Is there any good way for a Necromancer to survive traps without Mirror Image?
The charisma manual at the gnoll fortress doesn't have traps, so you're safe there.
The wisdom manual in Durlag's Tower is protected by a charm spell, so the Greenstone Amulet is needed for that one.
The constitution manual near the Lighthouse is protected by a hold trap and a charm trap on the left, so Eventar's Gift and Greenstone Amulet are the safe bets there. I think one of the ones on the right is a magic missile trap, but I'm not sure what the other one is.
The dexterity manual is safe to get in Baldur's Gate. As is the wisdom manual. The intelligence manual isn't trapped, but there may or may not be some fighting (invisibility).
I don't think the manuals in the Candlekeep Catacombs are protected by any physical damage traps. I believe the strength tome has perhaps multiple magic missile traps and a fireball trap (maybe lightning bolt). On the way to the wisdom manual is a lightning trap, a web trap, and another fireball trap. You should be safe with protection from fire and lightning, and the shield spell (or amulet) may be the safest bet to protect you from magic missiles.
Wait, elves can be Fighter/Mages? I thought that was just dual-classed Berserker->Mages and gnomish Fighter/Illusionists!
@TheMathemagician: Good to see a new face on the forum taking on the challenge. Good luck!
@jessejmc: Hard luck on that Emotion spell. Siege of Dragonspear has a lot of nasty status effects, but unlike BG2, you're generally not high enough level to cast Chaotic Commands without the use of a scroll, and the Greenstone Amulet only lasts so long.
When I think about it, SoD is actually the hardest game to beat no-reload in a solo run.
Comments
Imo it's too repetitive and has way too much trolls. AI is really improved, and some battles, should you choose to fight them, are quite nice. Personally, I'm thinking about skipping it in the future since I'm bored with it.
It's not the same game as BG1/BG2 (figuratively speaking) - it's more akin to IWD imo. A lot of combat, story is kinda in the background to hold the plot together, but it's not impressive. Side quests are much better, and new areas are well made.
And trolls. Too much trolls there. Of all of the possible annoying enemies, devs decided to populate the areas with the buggiest creatures possible.
On a good side, if you continue from SoD to BG2, you'll start with really hefty XP ammount. Imo it's worth it's price - just don't expect too much.
Playing it no reload is risky business though. Metagaming is the best tool in my toolbox, so some practice might come in order.
I have not played it much. I am going through my second run now (due to time limitations mostly and because lately I had started from bg2 rather than bg1).
I have enjoyed the first time but the story was not overwhelming. The encounters were fine.
As a young boy, Despenser, who would one day be referred to as, simply, the ‘Battling Bishop,’ was intrigued at the tales read to him by Gorion, Karan and other monks that tutored him. Many of those tales were from the many holy books on the shelves of Candlekeep. The strength and power of faith inspired him, but the True Neutrality of the Patron Deity of Candlekeep, Ογημα, or as he is known in the common tongue, Oghma, seemed to Despenser to be too equivocal, pusillanimous even. In the wake of the time of troubles just 10 years earlier, and the prophesies of Alaundo, it seemed to him that he was being pulled in a more decisive direction.
He came to understand the monks and the nature of their beliefs and, in time, to think of himself as one of the Avowed, as the monks of Candlekeep referred to themselves. His tutors graciously fielded his many questions and taught him much about the role of the priesthood, until one day he found himself praying to Τυρ (Tyr in the common tongue), the Just God, the Maimed God, The Even-Handed. In that moment, he knew whom he would serve, and began to learn all he could about Τυρ, his clergy, his paladins, and his faith.
Although the monks had been his teachers, the were devout followers of Ογημα and would not understand, much less encourage, his new-found devotion to such an ‘extremist’ deity. Being sequestered in the walls of Candlekeep, he wondered how he would grow in the faith without the tutelage of Τυρς clergy to guide him. Thus, he was surprised one morning after his dawn prayers, when he felt an influx of new power that he had not felt before. He shrugged it off until later that morning when one of the Watchers was wounded in training. Despenser ran to the man’s aid, and when he laid his hands to inspect the wound, he instinctively began an incantation under his breath and before the second Watcher, who had injured his fellow, could arrive, the wound was healed. Despenser quickly asked the Watcher not to say anything, and to his relief, he heeded his plea.
Despenser continued his prayer and study with vigor after that, being granted new spells every so often - the appropriate words would come to him when he prayed and stayed with him until spoken aloud and the spell cast.
Eventually, he started to be anxious to get beyond Candlekeep’s walls and explore his new faith. That chance would come.
PREPARING TO HEAD OUT!
HENRY DESPENSER
STARTING INVENTORY
Editorial note: Gonna take another crack at a Cleric. This one based on Bishop Henry Despenser who served as a bad-ass Fighter-Cleric under Richard II of England. I’ll be using portraits of Athelstan from Vikings for my PC.
He will be a Lawful-Good Cleric, Holy Justice of Tyr and surround himself with NPCs of a similar mind: The Paladin’s Sirene & Isra, the Sorcerer Valerie, the Fighter-Magic User Indira, and Imoen. They will be added as the game takes him to them. It’ll be awhile before he gets to Indira at the Firewine Ruins. He’ll use ‘hirelings’ until then but no one of evil or chaotic bent. At first he won’t necessarily be able to tell, so the encounter will drive his decisions. Once they join, I will edit the Paladin’s a bit to bring them in line w/AD&D 1st to add Detect Evil as an innate ability.
His bench will include the usual’s: Ajantis, Dynahier, Rashad & Yeslick. He will always choose LG companions EVEN if he must choose Rashad. ? Alora will be the reserve rogue, if necessary.
My objective is really on telling a fun story, although a no-reload is always a goal going in. If he dies, I will tell on myself and keep playing him (but not posting), like I am with Silas.
There will be no change to basic setup - as will be reflected in the sporadic writeups of Dispenser's journal.
Yup, that's my thinking now about the PCs origins. Actually, I was going to try Asimir (sp?) but it didn't seem to work correctly when I selected it, so I went back to Tiefling. I was going to tie the Asimir origin into his relationship w/Tyr, but, oh well.
That's how I play it. One thing SoD does really well, and much better than bg1 & bg2 - difficulty slider means more than just more or less damage recieved.
CONGRATULATIONS to @Aasim for making the 10,000th post on this thread.
I am astonished by the dedicated interest of the countless players and their characters.
Amelyssan never stood a chance in the face of such unrelenting persistence.
Congratulations and thanks to all!
During another round of fireballs Tenya was charmed. The entire party then switched to melee and attacked the one remaining shaman whilst Bladeservant used Algernon's Cloak on Tenya.
Reedrig was freed. Thankfully he was well clear of the area blasted by Aura and valerie.
Bladeservant then cast dispell magic to eliminate Tenya's Charm completely.
They used the cave for a well earned rest, resting until Aura's runes were replenished and then went to rescue others from the orcs.
It was then when Bladeservant discovered that his container for arrows had gone missing.He went looking for it but was unable to find it. It could still be on Ice Island.
At least with this set-up there are other similar containers for sale. The party still had plenty of arrows of various types so the loss was of no great import. However they now no longer have arrows +2 or arrows of dispelling.
Of more import was the death of Vynd! I thought that it was the party that was supposed to backstab their enemies and not the other way round.
On the plus side Bladeservant is now level 8 and Xan lervel 9.
It was an epic run, and ended like
For anybody wanting to do Improved Ust Natha in No-Reload, don't.
Previous
Arrested for a crime she did not do, she escaped and stealthed.
Outside she took on the Durlags Tower tour. A brief lapse on where the darn traps are, saw Semi confused - a charm whould have ended the run then and there...
Next level was done fully buffed. The traps did in most of the warders - Semi running around activating the fireball traps
Back in the city, Semi picked up the diary and some invitations
At the palace semi brought Ichtyl, the priest of Helm, Bellamy and the bartender for the fight.
I always open the palace fight with 2 times entangle + greater malison / chaos - and then let ai do the rest. The opening worked well but Llia died fast and Belt’s health was rapidly declining.
The maze and the underciry was done quickly via invisibility - protected against the elements and MM
At the temple I usually only kill Semaj and Sarevok. But this time Tazok and Angelo decided to put their body in harms way - one at a time...
In the end Sarevok was done in as well. He was dispelled and then had to face his fully buffed little sister.
I imported Semi into SoD, and started the prologue with the usage of 1 of my 5 PfU scrolls - after Porios surrendered. Korlasz also yieldes after she got dispelled (twice).
Baldurs Gate 2.0 was all about shopping... I will spare you the details.
At the first campsite out of the city, Semi sang to the Menhirs and killed the vampire (mandatory quest imo).
Semi is at 260.000 xp at the moment. The dwarves of Dumathion will give her the final level in SoD. XP are plenty when soloing, but the Dwarves quest is mandatory for the undead hunter I guess, and 4 scrolls of PfU will help off course... Semi is still in the game.
He’d first walked through the gates of Candlekeep two days before, little knowing that his destiny would one day change the face of Faerun forever. As he departed with the Sage Gorion, he knew nothing of where he was going. He was aware only that he served a great deity in Τυρ, the just god, and somehow, he sensed that this journey was somehow prophetic. However, all that changed when he and Gorion were ambushed shortly after nightfall and he was suddenly alone in the dark. Gorion died there and Despenser knew that Candlekeep would not welcome him back without Gorion. His only option as he saw it was to follow Gorion’s admonition that should they be parted, he make his way to the FAI & rendezvous w/Khalid & Jaheira, It was to his relief that Imoen had followed them & was there to greet him when he woke exhausted and confused in the dew of the morn. Their journey from Lion’s way to the FAI had been relatively uneventful. From Lion’s Way he travelled thru the Coast Way and then north to the FAI. A few encounters with others on the road were uneventful but that changed when he finally arrived at the FAI.
KEY EVENT: The Conjuror Tarnesh, had jumped at the prospect of easy gold. In the seedy underworld bounties like this one are seized upon w/greedy anticipation. That Tarnesh was already a guest at the FAI when he found the notice nailed to a wall just outside the door, made him even more confident in his success. He envisioned his plan of attack & waited on the steps, ready to pounce when he was sure he had his target. When he saw the road weary duo, he hailed them, and confident that he had his man, began his incantation. What it was will never be know for sure, Sleep maybe, but Despenser’s Command dropped him before he could finish. As he lay there, he felt Imoen’s arrow land beep in his thigh. His eyes were open as he lay there & he could see Despenser running up the stairs, long sword ready to finish him there. Suddenly he was able to stand again. As he made his way to his feet, he was able to parry another arrow fired by Imoen. He began a second incantation in a race with Despenser who was preparing to cast Hold Person. Imoen had slung her bow in favor of a Wand of Magic Missiles, which fired just before Tarnesh could finish his spell, interrupting him again. Despenser finished & Tarnesh was Held right as he had been moments before. Once again, the WoMMs found it’s mark in his left, upper chest. The pain was searing. The last thing Tarnesh saw was Dispenser’s Long Sword descending from his right.
FIRST HURDLE!
BEST KILLS: 1) Dispenser: Tarnesh. 2) Imoen: Diseased Gibberling, T3) Khalid & Jaheira: None
MONSTERS DEFEATED: Bounty Hunter: Tarnesh (Mage/Conjurer//4), Diseased Gibberling, Bounty Hunters: Carbos & Shank (Thief/Assassin//1)
NOTEWORTHY TREASURE GAINED: (Gold = 154gp)
Armor & weapons: L/Sword, M/Star, Dagger, Leather
Gems/jewelry: Lynx Eye Gem
Potions: Healing (2)
Scrolls: Magic Missile, Stinking Cloud (x2), Blindness, Armor, Burning Hands
Wands:
Misc & Artifacts:
CURRENT DISPOSITION: Resting, recuperating, recovering & resupplying @ the FAI
NEXT STEPS: Travel to Nashkel
LEVEL UP: None
PARTY MAKEUP: (Reputation: 12)
Silas Cleric/1 (Holy Justice of Tyr) (HP 10) Studded Leather w/L/Sword, Spells: Bless, Command, Protection from Evil; Abilities: Hold person; (Tarnesh) (None) (1)
Imoen Thief/1 (Adventurer) (HP 8) Leather w/S/bow*, S/Sword* & Wand of MMs; Skills: OL 45, FT 30, PP 25, MS 30, HS 25, DI 10, ST5; (Diseased Gibberling) (Thief Ranged) (2)
Jaheira Druid/2 (Avenger) (HP 15), Leather w/Q/staff* & sling; Spells: Armor/Faith, Ch/Orb, Cure Lt/Wounds, Entangle; (None) (Cleric Aggressive) (3)
Khalid Ranger/1 (Archer) (HP 12) St/Leather w/L/bow & B/Sword, Skills: MS 27, HS 27; (None) (Fighter Ranged), (None) (4)
MOD USED: BG NPC v23.3, BG NPC Music v6, Plane Touched Races _v0,0, Indira v12, Isra v2.3, Finch v4.0, Gavin v14, Drake, Sirene v2.5, Verr’sza v5.2, BG UB v16, Tweaks Anthology Beta 4, Song & Silence v9, Deities of Faerun, Rogue Rebalancing v491, Level 1 NPCs, SCS v31, aTweaks, Item Randomizer v7
It's mostly linear, but the gameplay is never repetitive, and the new items are all very interesting and unique, but still perfectly well-balanced. There are also good opportunities for roleplaying in SoD, which I think you might appreciate. I would consider it slightly better than Shadows of Amn in terms of overall quality, though it's not quite as long or as broad as BG2 simply because it was a smaller-scale project.
The lack of metagame knowledge would make it difficult to beat no-reload on the first try (though it is possible), since SoD does throw some light curveballs here and there. It doesn't throw huge, deadly encounters at you without ample warning, but since the level range is 7-12, there are plenty of disablers and some enemy groups will be tough for a party with little tanking ability or crowd control options.
Super feedback. Thank you.
Nice video @Aasim. I can't disagree with your advice on Ust Natha
As for the bridge in SoD, all characters can use dispelling arrows and/or the ring of energy - and both are good alternatives to prevent the mage from completing his casting.
BG1EE updates: 1, 2
SoD updates: 1, 2, 3, 4
BG2EE SoA updates: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Bit of a short update, as I made some progress since the last update about 4 months ago before loosing all time to play, so I want to catch up post-wise before continuing the run.
The party proceeded as planned. Lassal was taken down without real issue, with the help of a few traps and a summoned Wyvern. I actually like Wyvern Call... the Wyvern isn't great, but it's not terrible either, and in this case it had the added bonus of completely blocking Lassal from moving towards the party members that lacked NPP, since it has such a big hitbox.
Alright, next up are the traitorous thieves. I'm sure not travelling under Invisibility 10' Radius will be fi-
Y'know, I blame no one but myself. Pfeh. This time we're up against two mages, but we have Mazzy's machinegun (a.k.a. the Tuigan Bow). We pop the singular charge from our Wand of Monster Summoning, and have at it. Of course, with two fully-buffed enemy mages running wild on the field, things don't always go to plan. We take some damage, and Benedict deflects a Lightning Bolt with his face, but in the end we prevail.
We gather the entirely inconsequential loot and arrive at the Bridge district. Here, Sansuki tries to talk to us in order to force us into a pointless fight with vampires, but Mazzy leads him on a merry chase until he looses sight of us. At the Five Flagons, we actually found a scroll of PW: Stun in one of the chests, which Benedict immediately scribes (Conjurer bonus making it guaranteed).
Since we're going to have to rest anyway before the vampires, we splurge on spellworks for the guild contact, who can otherwise deal some fairly hefty damage (the would-be traitors already did a number on Mincs).
Here, I depart from tradition, and actually shell out 2020 gold for a scroll of Improved Haste from Ms Cragmoon. We have a fair number of scrolls, so Benedict quaffs a couple Potions of Genius and gets to scribing. Improved Haste will be of tremendous value to us (it turns Mazzy into a vampire-slaying machine).
We rest up at the Five Flagons.
On our way to the Graveyard, we get yet another ambush, but it seems we've finally weathered all the "special" ones: It's just generic bandits with a single mage now, and they present no real obstacle.
We make rapid progress throughout the den of vampires. Minsc gets Protection from Fire and a Fireball from Benedict then clears the spiders of Pai'Na. A single Fire Elemental serves as frontline against the spiders guarding the approaches to the vampires proper (which was a bit extravagant, we would've been fine just powering through with a few healing potions). We also found a scroll of Mordenkainen's Sword in one of the chests here... lovely.
Haz bites it, and we take his Staff Mace +2 (he would've wanted it that way).
The Fire Elemental is still alive and well, so we let it clear the Grimwarders at the entrance. We then proceed with the standard plan for undead disposal: Minsc wears the Amulet of Power and wields Lilarcor, while Mazzy gets Chaotic Commands and NPP (we have many of these memorized), using Azuredge. We take a little damage, but this combo is really quite optimal. Minsc of course picks up the Mace of Disruption once we clear that room (we've got Chaotic Commands enough that him not wielding Lilarcor is fine).
We head downstairs. Here, we pop one of our two Improved Haste, boosting Mazzy's potential considerably. Our own undead (Skeleton Warriors) hold off the enemy undead, and Mazzy makes very short work of them.
Back upstairs, we conjure another wall of Skeleton Warriors, and Mazzy gets a double boost: Improved Haste and Champion's Strength (we do have Anomen in the party, after all). The THAC0 boost helps her overcome Tanova's Improved Invisibility.
With so many Skeleton Warriors to serve as blockers, Lassal is very swiftly disposed of. With nothing to gain from trying to fight her, we let Bodhi kill the remaining Skeleton Warriors, and a self-hasted Mazzy then leads her around until she gives up. Hooray!
A solid rest later, we have a chat with Aran and depart for Brynnlaw. The ambush is anticipated, and dealt with in standard fashion: Skeleton Warriors and some buffs for Minsc & Mazzy are more than sufficient.
We save Ginia and Ason, and launch our assault on Galvena. We power through Front and his fellow guards (Mazzy simply shooting him until his Stoneskins drop), and a Fire Elemental leads the charge against the Guard Captain. Now... Vadek. Galvena of course is no issue at all, being a melee grunt, but Vadek is usually a nuisance: We have to fight in a small confined space, and there's really no sure-fire way to keep everyone safe.
Fortunately, things don't go too badly. Vadek gets several spells off, but the worst of the lot is a Lightning Bolt that severely singes Mazzy and Jaheira. Could've been much worse.
We gather the loot and depart, saving Claire in the process. A rest at the Vulgar Monkey later, we leave the party at the Temple of Umberlee, where they are carefully considering exactly how many Potions of Genius would be prudent to purchase. There are rumors of brain-sucking abominations that haunt the Underdark after all, though it is not entirely clear why that would be a problem... certainly we have no reason to believe we will be visiting the Underdark!
Benedict is now a L13 Human Conjurer.
He had prayed at dawn, as clerics of Τηρ are commanded to do. He knew this would recover his spells, but it also helped his decide upon what he would do next. Khalid & Jaheira had been anxious to go to Nashkel & w/no immediate compass of his own, it seemed as good an idea as any he could conceive. He felt certain this where Τηρ would have him go. Still, there was something about heading off to places unknown that seemed surreal.
The journey would take the four of them south back thru Coast Way again to Beregost, where they would rest before moving on to Nashkel a half day further on. Arriving @ Beregost, after fighting off a lone Bandit & a couple of Kobolds in the Coast Way, he tried Feldepost’s Inn before finally deciding on the Burning Wizard for lodgings.
KEY EVENT: Garrick was uncomfortable working for Silke. She was evil and he knew it but he needed to eat & she allowed him to accompany her & even perform before she did sometimes - so that she could look even better when she began. Part of his service required him to help Silke w/her dirty work. Silke was heartless & it bothered him when he caught a pretty, young lass smiling at him. But he had a job to do, & that allowed him to hail her group of adventurers. He flattered them as he laid out the offer: 300 gold to help his mistress fend off some ruffians. He hoped the four of them would meet her approval as he led them to where she had positioned herself. They listened as Silke, always the actress, tried deftly to draw them into her scheme, but when the men arrived, Garrick knew the gig was up. Garrick never knew exactly what she was up to, but it became apparent to him @ the same moment in did to those he’d just led to the slaughter. To their credit they would have none of her scheme to have three men killed for acquiring gems she had asked them to get for her. Her temper was fierce, & as soon as the party leader declined to be the linchpin in her trap, she flew into a rage. It shocked Garrick when the Tiefling in Studded Leather cast Command before Silke could use one of her disabling spells. Then he saw an arrow dig into her side – from the bow of the same girl that had smiled @ him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing until Silke got to her knees & was able to stand. The girl again let loose, this time w/a WoMMs & once again, Silke lost her concentration. A third time she tried as arrows & sling stones whirled around her. Again, the Tiefling cast a spell, this time, Hold Person, & Silke froze in place. He watched in disbelief as the group surrounded her. The Tiefling brought down his Long Sword directly on her neck & shoulder & Silke died there. He was stunned & suddenly realized he was out of a job again. It was fortuitous that the group had an opening, but that they would take him on after he entrapped them… that was true mercy. Justice would have said otherwise he thought.
A DEVIOUS BARD
From Beregost the road south to Nashkel was relatively easy. Two Ogrillons & five Hobgoblins weren’t able to slow Despenser appreciably & his party arrived in Nashkel uninjured, only road weary. A fifth Bounty Hunter awaited when Despenser arrived but was unable to succeed in the task for which she had been paid. It was 9 Mirtul 1368.
Best Kill: 1) Dispenser: Silke (900 exp). 2) Khalid, Neira (650 exp), 3) Sirene: Ogrillon (120 exp), 4) Imoen: Bandit (65 exp), T5) Rasaad & Valerie: None
MONSTERS DEFEATED: Silke (Bard/10), Bounty Hunter: Neira (Cleric/5), Ogrillons (2), Bandit, Hobgoblins (5), Kobolds (2)
NOTEWORTHY TREASURE GAINED: (Gold = 423 gp)
Armor & weapons: C +1, Q/Staff +1, Helm of Infravision, Splint, S/bow (3), L/Sword, S/Sword (2), Helms (5), Leather (6)
Gems/jewelry: Necklace w/Ziose Gems, Lol Gem, Silver Necklace
Potions: Extra Healing (2), Invulnerability, Defense
Scrolls: Protection from Evil, Protection from Petrification, Color Spray
Wands:
Misc & Artifacts: Bandit Scalp
CURRENT DISPOSITION: R4 in Nashkel
NEXT STEPS: Travel to Nashkel
LEVEL UP: None
PARTY MAKEUP: (Reputation: 12)
Silas: Cleric/1 (Holy Justice of Tyr) (HP 10) Studded Leather w/L/Sword, Spells: Bless, Command, Protection from Evil; Abilities: Hold person; (None) (Silke) (1)
Sirine: Paladin of Ilmater/2 (Martyr) (HP 24) Splint w/2H/Sword +1; Abilities: Lay on Hands (2), Sacrifice, D/Evil (5); (Advanced AI) (Ogrillon) (2)
Khalid: Ranger/1 (Archer) (HP 12) St/Leather w/L/bow & B/Sword, Skills: MS 27, HS 27; (Fighter Ranged), (Neira) (4)
Imoen: Thief/1 (Adventurer) (HP 8) Leather w/S/bow*, S/Sword* & Wand of MMs; Skills: OL 45, FT 30, PP 25, MS 30, HS 25, DI 10, ST5; (Bandit) (Thief Ranged) (2)
Rasaad: Sun Soul Monk/1 (HP 8), (Advanced AI) (none) (none)
Valerie: Sorcerer/2 (HP 8) Mage Robe Cold Resistance (Advanced AI) (none) (none)
MOD USED: BG NPC v23.3, BG NPC Music v6, Plane Touched Races _v0,0, Indira v12, Isra v2.3, Finch v4.0, Gavin v14, Drake, Sirene v2.5, Verr’sza v5.2, BG UB v16, Tweaks Anthology Beta 4, Song & Silence v9, Deities of Faerun, Rogue Rebalancing v491, Level 1 NPCs, SCS v31, aTweaks, Item Randomizer v7
(Best kill) (Current AI) (Chain of Command rank)
Trying to finish anything to do with the FAI prior to starting the Grey Clan Episode.
There are still some NToSC quests still to do as well.
Targun (male Jester, Gate70); Grin (male fighter, Grond0)
Another random generation saw this pair roll into town. Three or so sessions later Targun decided he'd better write something up before any lingering memories were gone for good.
1
A typical start saw Shoal butchered before we deviated to grab a whistling shortsword for Grin. With that done Targun found a Protection from Petrification scroll and we searched high and low for basilisks. Mutamin was less than impressed but Grin sorted him out. Kirian and her gang were dealt with and we headed back into town.
2
A brief session saw us make a start on our reputation.
3
A further bump was required for our reputation but Targun said the wrong thing to the wrong dryad and once she got upset well we were back into single figures.
Into Cloakwood. Grin demonstrated excellent nimbleness and skirted round one trap before doubling back to trip it as originally intended. With that trap down he culled four spiders then skirted another trap to draw ettercaps back to their doom. Targun was moaning about having dropped all his normal arrows and having to waste magical (fire) arrows on the ettercaps so Grin grabbed 80 normal arrows from his quiver and threw them to Targun. A couple more ettercaps then.
I am really new to the forums... As you can probably see
I generally play in a hardcore sort of style... But I get carried away when I play solo and end up using console to make everything really cheesy.
I have BG EE 2 but haven't gotten around to playing it as I haven't beat BG EE legit yet (did it once with an extremely broken party).
I think maybe playing multiplayer might help prevent me from cheating... Any ideas?
I am really into this game and it kills me that my perfectionism causes me to do this.
Mods: none
Previous updates:
I used a combination of sanctuary and turn undead for the SoD starter dungeon. Silenced Korlasz, then summoned skeletons around her. This caused her to be unable to surrender, so she died, and I killed her minions. Picked up the Shield of Egons from Fanegonorom. Did the random quests around Baldur's Gate and purchased equipment. Hurray for the Bag of Holding!
Teleria and her lesser stone golem were surrounded and killed by skeletons. I approached the bridge under sanctuary. I bombarded Caelar's followers on the bridge with The One Gift Lost until she showed up. Afterwards, I bombarded them again while they were fleeing. One of them got an Emotion: Hopelessness off on me which I failed the save of. I laid down and allowed them to pelt me with fire arrows until death.
Edit: updated attributes
Just disabled console and unmapped buttons...
Unlike many of the other forumites... I am a firm believer in pointy ears=victory...;)
Just started a run with a Elven Fighter/Mage
Will update the forum to let ya'll know how the run goes!
The halfling didn't last long due to no kiting ability and wolves are too damned fast! That was an eye opener...
The Quasit has allowed my Necromancer to do OK so far. I'm 3rd level and have cleared the area right after Candlekeep, the belt ogre area, the Friendly Arms area, most of Beregost and the area South of Beregost. I just learned Protection from Petrification (got the scroll from a hobgoblin) so will likely take on basilisks next. If she survives that I'll give more details since her survivability will improve exponentially and thus justify my efforts.
Dorna Bonedancer
CE Human Necromancer
Str-18 Dex-18 Con-15 Int-18 Wis-16 Cha-9
Proficiency - Dagger
Level - 3
Spells so far - Magic Missile, Sleep, Find Familiar, Infravision, Armor, Larloch's Minor Drain, Chill Touch, Protection from Petrification
Wish me luck!
Edit: Oh, core difficulty (already failed to learn Grease) and no mods.
The charisma manual at the gnoll fortress doesn't have traps, so you're safe there.
The wisdom manual in Durlag's Tower is protected by a charm spell, so the Greenstone Amulet is needed for that one.
The constitution manual near the Lighthouse is protected by a hold trap and a charm trap on the left, so Eventar's Gift and Greenstone Amulet are the safe bets there. I think one of the ones on the right is a magic missile trap, but I'm not sure what the other one is.
The dexterity manual is safe to get in Baldur's Gate. As is the wisdom manual. The intelligence manual isn't trapped, but there may or may not be some fighting (invisibility).
I don't think the manuals in the Candlekeep Catacombs are protected by any physical damage traps. I believe the strength tome has perhaps multiple magic missile traps and a fireball trap (maybe lightning bolt). On the way to the wisdom manual is a lightning trap, a web trap, and another fireball trap. You should be safe with protection from fire and lightning, and the shield spell (or amulet) may be the safest bet to protect you from magic missiles.
@TheMathemagician: Good to see a new face on the forum taking on the challenge. Good luck!
@jessejmc: Hard luck on that Emotion spell. Siege of Dragonspear has a lot of nasty status effects, but unlike BG2, you're generally not high enough level to cast Chaotic Commands without the use of a scroll, and the Greenstone Amulet only lasts so long.
When I think about it, SoD is actually the hardest game to beat no-reload in a solo run.