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The LoB + SCS Solo Challenge vs Bhaal´s Cataclysm

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  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    edited October 2020
    Part 49: Angelo Plays Dungeons and Dragons

    Executive Summary: Angelo abuses the AI's reluctance to turn hostile to rinse the Windspear Hills in style.

    "Remember lying Wilfred that we encountered yesterday?" Angelo asked Felicity as they ventured back towards Watcher's Keep service station. "He claimed that he'd robbed a dragon's horde, but that was obviously nonsense. The only person who'll be killing red dragons around here is me."
    1. Locating the Labyrinth [Combat]
      A bunch of ogres, gnolls and a wyvern was not the welcoming committee that Angelo was expecting upon his arrival at the Windspear Hills, but he tried to put on a friendly face. His efforts were not appreciated, so Angelo cast Invisibility and left them to stew on their own. Wandering around the area revealed an important looking tomb, but its entrance was labelled as blocked even when it clearly wasn't. "Fine, I'll play ball," Angelo muttered as he went back to the monsters. Summoning some skeletons just out of sight, along with his trusty golem and efreet, he promptly hasted them and sent them forth to do his dirty work. And do it they did... the monsters never really stood a chance!

      As soon as the final creature kicked the bucket, earning 27,000 XP in total (an ogre and the baby wyvern were 6,000 XP each, while the other trio were 5,000 XP apiece), Garren Windspear showed up to implore Angelo to follow him. Angelo looked to Felicity for wisdom and she shook her head - for accepting Windspear's charity would result in an unavoidable fight - so Angelo refused. Another Invisibility allowed Angelo to sneak back across the map to the tomb... only for Garren to beat him to it. Keen to get on with dungeon crawling, Angelo agreed to find Garren's child in exchange for a moment's peace and after recasting Invisbility proceeded to enter the dungeon proper.

      Skirting through the first floor, Angelo avoided the Chieftain Digdag and the hobgoblins as much as possible, lest their shamans dispel his Invisibility, and didn't even attempt to go for the amulet of protection +1 hidden in the lake, as this would invoke the attention of an illusion-sensing vampiric mist for little reward. Starting neutral, the rakshasa transmuter was too tempting a target for a pickpocket, and a ring of fire resistance was painlessly acquired before yet another Invisibility was used to escape the kamikaze kobolds.

      The next floor began with shielded orc archers readying their bows and arrows and Angelo was sure he would have been peppered had he not been invisible upon entering. The illusion allowed him to squat behind the front door, where there was a small blind spot out of sight of the archers where Angelo could rest and memorise Knock.
      c4tfqbyiebrp.png

      Unlocking the first door with Knock before turned invisible, Angelo repeated the process on the second door and his Stoneskin deflected the few orc arrows that were snapped off before he disappeared. Moving straight onwards and ignoring the clay golems in the perpendicular corridor, Angelo sneaked past the vampires and lured the wraiths and shadows out of their passage with some disposable summons. Using the chapel key from the chest to unlock the door opposite, Angelo left the undead behind as he progressed to the next stage.
    2. Mamma Mia Samia [Combat]
      Angelo didn't buy for one moment that Samia was an academic looking for some long lost treasure, but he did fancy Samia's key to open the maze. Well, he called it a 'maze', but it was actually quite easy to navigate provided he followed a few simple rules:
      • Trapped doors lead nowhere and the trap can be safely disarmed for XP.
      • The northmost locked door leads to the treasure corridor beyond the undetectable fire elemental.
      • The other locked door leads to a 'director' beholder guarding a trapped door which can be circumvented.
      • Unlocked and untrapped doors lead to efreet guardians who can be pickpocketed for their mask pieces.
      ma9eg0wwvvri.png
      For demonstration of these rules, see Exhibit A.

      By immediately turning invisible after stealing the mask pieces, Angelo could escape the guardians (they could launch fire spells if the cast was not immediate and they are able to open doors). Pickpocketing all 6 mask pieces, the Mask of King Strohm was automatically assembled for 24,550 XP. Despite its description mentioned how it allowed him to see things he wasn't able to before, Angelo didn't see his Detect Illusion skill rise and assumed that it would only allow him to this particular challenge.

      Donning the mask brought the Guardian (who seemed remarkably like a fire elemental) into focus. Its job done, Angelo replaced the mask with his helm of Balduran in the small chamber linking the efreet guardian, the elemental guardian and the beholder. Of his regular summons, the skeletons and berserker could not harm the elemental guardian, but the golem and efreet could... and while they were too shortlived to complete the job, Angelo's Belm +2 finished what they started.

      The Guardian's 10,000 XP death opened the topmost door, allowing Angelo access to the tomb. Assuming that the dragon scale shield (notably not as good as SoD's equivalent) and Peridan +2 was the treasure that Samia was after, there was no way that Angelo was surrendering these. Invisibility allowed him to sneak past Samia (Fighter) and her newfound chums Akae (Kensai), Kaol (Enchanter), Ferric Ironblade (F/T), Legdoril (Cleric) and Chak (umm... Orog?!) who had materialised in the dead Guardian's corridor.
    3. Conning the Conster [No Combat]
      Gliding past the wolves in the passage leading away from the maze, Angelo disarmed the Lightning Bolt floor trap and unlocked the door beyond the bridge, vanishing from the view before the orogs could do much. This allowed him to loot the faraway chamber into which Grancor was eager to lure Angelo by asking for healing. Eager to appear the clueless victim, it was Angelo who actually did the luring by fallaciously offering his healing services if only Grancor and Falik were to move into the faraway chamber. They moved there expecting Angelo to swiftly follow... they would be waiting quite a while.

      After a quick rest, Garg, Captain and Troll were ignored completely and summons lured the golems away from their positions so that Angelo could loot the beljuril gem and Heartseeker +3. The rest seemed to have dispersed the orogs from swarming the bridge, so Angelo used the opportunity to winch up the well and take the dragon helm (neither dispelled his Invisibility, so he did not alert the angry air elemental). Sadly, the orogs had only been shifted to the landing, so Angelo displaced them again before disarming the Cloudkill trap on the stairs and slipping past Tazok into the next floor.

      Given the grandeur of the stairs, Angelo was surprised to see the human mage Conster first before any hint of a dragon, but this gave him an idea. Since Conster was one of these select NPCs who didn't turn hostile after making a successful save against charm, Angelo could happily fire spells until one succeeded. This allowed Angelo to order Conster backwards so that he could approach the mage out of sight of Firkraag and Pick Pocket Conster's key from him.
      yhv9ta19rhz4.png
      A F/T or shadowdancer could also use a simulacrum (from Vhailor's helm) or shadow twin to pull this off... but don't try a nymph cloak (since this needs the target to be adjacent)!

      This theft allowed the use of a cute trick. By immediately backtracking, Angelo could unlock the jail upstairs and rescue Garren's child Iltha for 23,750 XP. Nipping back downstairs while Conster was still charmed, Angelo claimed that Firkraag owed him and (being of evil alignment) offered to retrieve the deed to Windspear Hills from Garren. This would cause Conster to teleport away, so Angelo didn't have to deal with a hostile mage when the charm expired... and Angelo could visit Garren and Iltha in the Windspear Cabin to earn 44,500 XP more (not forgetting a secret star sapphire hidden in a groove behind his hut). The deeds were a simple Pick Pocket away, after which Angelo could return to Firkraag for yet another 40,500 XP and a cloak of the shield.
    4. Wiping Out the Wyrm [Combat]
      "Just to get this straight," Angelo muttered, "you are in possession of red dragon scales and Carsomyr, but you chose to give me the cloak of the shield?!"

      "You got at least 40,500 Fed-XP more than you normally would," Firkraag growled in honeyed tones, "I wouldn't be too salty if I were you."

      Obviously Firkraag had not studied Angelo too hard, since such saltiness was Angelo's modus operandi. But Angelo apologised through gritted teeth sufficiently convincingly that the dragon failed to notice his reorganisation of his spellbooks. Another rest in Firkraag's chamber (which never resulted in ambush) and Angelo was ready to show off what would become one of his staple tactics.

      Feeblemind was never a bad spell to memorise against tough single opponents, but there weren't many opportunities to abuse it in BG1. The sequel, however, sought to rectify this deficiency as quickly as possible, since not only did it offer multiple foes who were deserving of being feebleminded, but it didn't turn some of them hostile if they were to make their saving throw. And one of these creatures, as luck would have it, was Firkraag...
      mo0c1gqatwox.png

      After just one of the unlimited tries had connected, that was it. Permanently lobotomised, Firkiraag could do little more than gurgle as Angelo cut him to shreds.
      jmbjd6hibs1f.png

      His 64,000 XP death was neither quick nor painless - it took nearly half an hour of real-time hacking before the dragon finally fell - but it was a guaranteed kill and 100% safe... how often could that be said about a PC just out BG2's starting blocks taking out one of the game's most infamous bosses?

    As Angelo stuffed Carsomyr into his backpack - Use Any Item couldn't come quickly enough - Felicity found her voice. "Firkraag's Dungeon is arguably one of the most fearsome dungeons in cRPGs (https://medium.com/@felipepepe/what-makes-a-good-rpg-dungeon-505180c69d00 )... and yet, with the right tactics, it was almost a formality."

    "Sounds very similar to another entry on that list," Angelo smirked. "Anyway, I hope you're not bored of slaying dragons yet, Felicity... we're going to do it all over again tomorrow!"
    Post edited by AvidGamerFan on
    Grond0AerakarStummvonBordwehrHarpagornis
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    edited October 2020
    Part 50: Angelo Visits The (K)Umar(s) at No. 42

    Executive Summary: Despite some unexpected company, Angelo sweeps through the Umar Hills and Temple Ruins.

    Non-Brits probably won't appreciate the title; Brits probably won't appreciate it either, but for different reasons!

    Felicity calculated that Angelo had earned 133,300 XP for doing quests and 101,000 XP for killing monsters in the Windspear Hills. In total, this gave him 234,300 XP - nearly a quarter of a million - and there was plenty more where that came from!
    1. "Umar Goodness, It's an Ogre!" [No Combat]
      Angelo arrived in the Umar Hills to see Minister Lloyd calm a crowd of locals assembled around a central fountain. Remembering how Trademeet had been spruced up, Angelo wanted to leave his likeness on another town centre and took on Lloyd's quest to find Merella and adventurers hired to investigate her disappearance. Although wolves and witch Umar had been mentioned amidst the squabbling, Angelo thought he'd have most luck with ogre Madulf north of the town. Since she started neutral, Angelo knew the likelihood of parley was high and hearing Madulf out allowed for Angelo to tell Lloyd that they came in peace. Angelo hoped for a Nobel Peace Prize for smoothing their relations, but he'd make do with the easiest 27,500 XP in the game. After a few hours, Lloyd and Madulf's negotiations had concluded and the ogre gave Angelo a Shield of the Lost +2.
    2. Angelo Feels Like Chicken Tonight [No Combat]
      Angelo only had to mention 'adventurer' and a 20 GP bribe for Jeb's tongue to wag about Erlick Hendrick stuffing a beljuril gem down his chicken's throat. Although Erlick's wife Enna tried to stop him giving their livestock away, Erlick took Angelo's empty threat seriously and allowed him free range to slaughter the free range produce. Since the jewel had already been deposited in his inventory, Angelo didn't bother chopping the chickens, but saved it in his gem bag to upgrade his silver horn of Valhalla (along with the one from Firkraag's dungeon, this was the only beljuril in the game).

      I believe this quest is a sly reference to a Baldur's Gate Easter Egg. Before BG2 was released, a rumour spread online that in early versions of BG1, a random squirrel carried an Ioun Stone of Luck. This led to adventurers massacring the wildife across the Sword Coast in pursuit of an item that, in all likelihood, never existed.
    3. A Holiday to Jermien-y [Combat]
      Outside Jermien's house, the guard Daar was so dour that he didn't stop Angelo from entering. The Cowled Wizard asked Angelo for mimic blood, but where would he find a mimic? The first place Angelo looked was the Umar Cave, where a chest randomly sat beside a stalagmite. Thinking this was a weird place for a box, Angelo's efreet launched a Fireball - the chest itself was untargetable, but Angelo figured it would be hit by an AoE spell... and he was right!
      4006yfggle8z.png

      Angelo moved some summoned fodder next to the chest so the mimic would reveal itself. The distracted mimic was dispatched (for 3,000 XP) by the efreet's remaining spells... Angelo didn't lift a finger himself. Storing the diamond (also useful for the silver horn of Valhalla upgrade!), Angelo returned to Jermien for his 19,250 XP and Ilbratha +1 reward.

      When Jermien failed to animate his stone golem properly, he was glad that Angelo had laid spike traps in anticipation. Thankfully, the golem aimed for its creator, allowing Angelo to summon a golem of his own. While Jermien pelted the construct uselessly with magic missiles (these Cowled Wizard exams must be easy!), Angelo spent his time more wisely hasting his summons. Although he didn't deserve to, Jermien outlasted his golem, netting Angelo 8,000 XP from its death and 21,250 XP from his realisation of his foolishness.
    4. Boys Will Be Boys [No Combat]
      When teenage boy Dirbert approached him, Angelo knew that he would be asked to buy alcohol, but he hadn't expected to buy 3 bastard swords as well. "Perhaps gangs in villages don't have their own weapons," he mused as he bought the swords from Elence Fielding and De'Tranion's Baalor Ale from Min Minling outside Umar Inn (for just over the 200 GP the boys gave him... that's gratitude!). Returning these to the youths yielded 2,000 XP and they charged off into the wilderness. In 24 hours, they'd be gibbering in front of a gibberling in the Umar Cave, a fate from which Angelo had no intention of rescuing them.
    5. Valeting Valygar [No Combat]
      Up the stairs by the Umar Cave, guard Derrick was satisfied once Angelo said he was seeing Valygar with no hostile intentions. This was the truth, as Valygar enjoyed 'important NPC protection and was impossible to kill for Angelo to use his body as a key.
      714rcg64vptl.png
      Testing shows off Valygar's invincibility!

      Valygar wanted to join Angelo and investigate the Planar Sphere, but since Angelo was only interested in the latter option, the stalker left for Athkatla, which was much more convenient.
    6. Combing the Tomb [No Combat]
      To advance the main plot, Angelo found Merella's journal and a note from Mazzy Fentan in the Ranger's Cabin. Together, these documents put the Temple Ruins on Angelo's map and 22,500 XP in his account. Following their directions, Angelo came across Lellyn, a dying shadow thief and a member of Mazzy's adventuring band. "A halfling paladin-lite in league with the shadow thieves," Angelo ruminated, "stranger and stranger."

      Werewolf Anath drew Angelo into her cave only to inform him that she would charge against the Shade Lord. Unwilling to interfere in her destiny, Angelo followed her invisibly, arriving to witness her dying message to activate the mirror. Wondering how she could judge his invisible hair, Angelo skipped the inconsequential mirroring and showed face in the opening crypt to remove Amauna's bones, but he vanished before the assembled undead could draw a bead on him. He then passed the jail cells into the statue room where, using Felicity's 9th level spell Google, he offered the correct ritual dialogue options:
      • Morning: 2-3-1
      • Noontide: 3-1-1
      • Evening: 1-3-2
      Doing this earned 45,500 XP and a sun ray symbol which Angelo would shortly put to good use.

      Felicity also said that shadows were following that could sense his invisible presence and cling to him like limpets. This was unacceptable, so Angelo sneaked into the sun gem room and rested - any shadows would be destroyed when they entered, guaranteeing safety, and the monsters' tracking was reset upon a successful rest. Making sure he wasn't visible, Angelo stuffed the jewel into his gem bag and backtracked towards the jail. Despite pickpocketing the shadow prison key from the shadow jailor, rescuing inmate Mazzy offered no reward, so Angelo sent her to Trademeet. Good luck finding shadow thieves there!
    7. Unexpected Undead [No Combat]
      The first sun gem allowed him through the first shadow barrier and Invisibility stopped the shadows that appeared once he'd reached the bridge's centre in their tracks. However, approaching the Fireball-trapped wall mural through the lava, Angelo was horrified to see a lich's contingencies spring up in the room beyond. Some of BG2's encounters scaled by level, and this was obviously one of them. Fortunately, aside from a Wyvern's Call scroll, there was nothing noteworthy there... and losing Wyvern Call was a price worth paying to skip the lich! Instead, he gave Amauna's bones to the ghosts of Dettseh and Badon, who promptly died so that their child could live. Along with 17,750 XP, Amauna gave Angelo a shadow dragon wardstone and a dawn's light symbol.

      Angelo had planned to skip through to find the third symbol, but Felicity informed him of a problem. Although the crossroad's undead were usually toothless, Angelo's higher XP now meant another lich had joined their ranks... one he couldn't avoid. Furthermore, on Angelo's install, Protection from Undead only stopped liches from attacking - they were happy to pelt him with spells! His only strategy would be to drain the lich's magic, then use Protection from Undead to prevent it from shooting with Energy Blades. He'd only brought a single scroll and had hoped to keep it to use in its entirity on the boss... but c'est la vie!

      In hindsight, it's easier to tackle this area sooner rather than later, but we'll ring the changes here!

      After resting to rejig his spells, Angelo began systematically running into and out of view. Because the other undead couldn't see through Invisibility, he could only attract the lich's attention and they were fairly stationary, so Angelo knew he wouldn't be pursued. As long as he was out of view when the dark planetar arrived, it could be waited out in a parallel corridor. The Invisibility's +4 bonus to saving throws helped against the lich's triple Otiluke's Frozen Sphere Spell Trigger and clutching Peridan provided fear immunity to nullify its double Horror Minor Sequencer. The biggest threat was its triple Remove Magic Spell Sequencer - along with its single Remove Magic cast, this could dispel both Invisibility and Protection from Undead, so it was baited out with some inessential buffs first.

      Once confident that the lich had exhausted its supplies, Angelo acted. However, the block of undead was too thick to pass without summoning some fodder to disperse them, and this gave the lich an excuse to drop some Abi-Dalzim's Horrible Wilting bombs. Cursing, Angelo used his Protection from Undead scroll, cast Invisibility and drank some potions of healing (9 HP was a triviality by this stage, but they were good when he needed healing, but daredn't rest). Spelling out the sun god Amaunator on the floor, Angelo snaffled the second sun gem and the lightstone symbol, completing the symbol of Amaunator and earning 21,250 XP. The Protection from Undead's scope didn't include bone golems, but Invisibility's did and this allowed a clean getaway.
    8. The Shade of It All [Combat]
      The second sun gem dispelled the third shadow barrier (the second barrier was impenetrable) and the Amaunator holy symbol unlocked the final door to Thaxll'ssillyia, the shadow dragon. For now, Angelo left it be, for he needed to finish off what lay beyond while his protection scroll was still active. While it lasted, neither the shade lord nor the shadows (regular or special, Patrick edition) could sense him, and this was important to stop the shade lord's magical defences from going up. The shadow altar summoned a shadow every 4.25 seconds, though, and so he would be overwhelmed once the protection wore off.

      Since Angelo had less time than he thought, he'd made sure they'd die quickly. After a double helping of Lower Resistance to reduce the shade lord's 50% MR, Angelo cast Greater Malison followed by Hold Undead. Third time was the charm and, dual-wielding scimitars, Angelo hacked at the helpless shadow's body; once, he turned invisible for an automatic backstab, but the shade lord's resistances effectively muted that tactic.
      1sov18v5t8mb.png

      Nevertheless, focussed slashing caused it to crumble for 25,000 XP. Not stopping, else he get cut off, Angelo closed on the shadow altar - its 75% MR and saves were better than the shade lord's but its AC was worse, so it went down more quickly. Destroying both the shade lord and the altar caused the darkness to recede, earning 44,250 XP and some decent treasure.
    9. Thrashing Thaxll'ssillyia [Combat]
      Finally, Angelo killed Thaxll'ssillyia in a similar manner to Firkraag. Pulling this off was significantly more annoying since the shadow dragon wardstone seems to be bugged - Thaxll'ssillyia would happily turn invisible, cast Greater Malison and use its breath weapon without turning hostile, and although the latter's level drain wore off after a turn, any lost spells weren't rememorised. This forced a dance where Angelo would cast Feeblemind before the dragon drained his levels and immediately rested if the spell didn't connect. Luckily, Thaxll'ssillyia couldn't maintain these nuisance tactics indefinitely.
      a4fa9i332hhh.png

      Thaxll'ssillyia's lower physical resistance meant its (45,000 XP) death arrived more quickly than Firkraag's... but Angelo derived double the satisfaction.
      5hlc5qj1v05k.png

      Chucking the useless shadow dragon wardstone and symbol of Amaunator (no Item Upgrades mod for this playthrough!), Angelo departed. Disappointingly, the undead inside the temple remained active, but now he didn't need to explore their chambers, he ran past them invisibly. Minister Lloyd was duly updated of the progress, and Angelo accepted whatever the mayor could offer... which amounted to 28,000 XP, 100 GP and the Night's Gift +5.

    When all was said and done, Felicity that reckoned Angelo had earned 271,750 XP from quests and 81,000 XP from combat for a whopping 352,750 XP altogether. Now it was time for the final rural area available... onwards to the De'Arnise Keep!
    Post edited by AvidGamerFan on
    AerakarStummvonBordwehrGrond0Harpagornis
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    Wow, has it really been half a year since I started writing up this playthrough? Apparently so... and in a nice piece of symmetry, the walkthrough is just over halfway through and Angelo is just over halfway towards the all-important 3,000,000 XP mark where High Level Abilities manifest. At that point (in fact, slightly before it, but especially after it), he'll accelerate, Felicity will stop counting XP and he will go from avoiding combat for safety reasons to avoiding it because, well, life's too short. So packing 5/6 of the game's XP into half of the game's walkthrough will be no trouble at all.

    Elsewhere, there is good news and bad news on the wizard slayer C/M front. The good news is that they have successfully passed the coalition camp attacks using the level 1 Marytr's trick, which gives further illustration of just how powerful scrolls are; the bad news is that the spell sequencer trick I hinted at earlier is off-limits because a wizard slayer can't acquire the robe of arcane aptitude (they can wear it, but they can't use the spectacles of spectacle to summon Zhadroth to get it). So it's back to good, old bashing Belhifet using Champion's Strength and Chaotic Commands... those spell scrolls are coming good again!
    Grond0StummvonBordwehrAerakar
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    In other news, the C/I attempting the wizard slayer challenge has completed SoD! Funnily enough, getting to Belhifet was much harder than smacking him down... although if the right tactics are used, then it's basically a formality. Hopefully BG2 will be a far easier ride, at least until the ToB madness begins... but any class that can clear the initial wizard slayer hurdles should have at least a fighting chance at completing the saga and the C/I is more versatile than most.
    StummvonBordwehrGrond0Blackraven
  • monicomonico Member Posts: 571
    In other news, the C/I attempting the wizard slayer challenge has completed SoD! Funnily enough, getting to Belhifet was much harder than smacking him down... although if the right tactics are used, then it's basically a formality. Hopefully BG2 will be a far easier ride, at least until the ToB madness begins... but any class that can clear the initial wizard slayer hurdles should have at least a fighting chance at completing the saga and the C/I is more versatile than most.

    What is the wizard slayer challenge ? I'm guessing no items except for weapons/armor ? And scrolls for scribing for mages (can they cast them from quickslot too?)

    How did you fight against Belhifet as a C/I, especially without (ab)using items such as scrolls of Champion's Strength ?
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    monico wrote: »
    What is the wizard slayer challenge ? I'm guessing no items except for weapons/armor ? And scrolls for scribing for mages (can they cast them from quickslot too?)

    The 'wizard slayer' challenge is one of several additional challenges listed on the thread's first page. It artificially enforces the wizard slayer's item restrictions on your character. Effectively, you're limited to weapons, armour, shields, helmets, boots and scrolls, as well as healing potions and antidotes. You can use spell scrolls either for scribing or casting from quick slots. If in doubt, dual-class a wizard slayer test character and see if they can use the item.
    monico wrote: »
    How did you fight against Belhifet as a C/I, especially without (ab)using items such as scrolls of Champion's Strength ?

    Beating Belhifet relies on a very clever trick (not my own, I hasten to add). Level 1 characters cannot be killed in 1 hit and on maximum difficulty, all damage your characters receive is doubled. Together, these mean that if your character is level 1 with 1 HP maximum, they are effectively immune to damage. In Chapter 10 of SoD, there is a fledgling vampire that can level drain you to level 1 (there's also a level drain trap on a chest in Castle Dragonspear's basement that drains 2 levels, but this isn't as useful). Martyr's Morningstar subtracts 10 HP from its user's maximum health, to a minimum of 1 HP, so you can ignore all incoming damage. Single class wizards with 3 Constitution can also use the Claw of Kazgaroth (or kill their familiar several times if they're doing the wizard slayer challenge)

    For what it's worth, this is not an automatic 'I win' button for any class that can use it. Martyr's is only a +2 weapon whereas Belhifet requires +3 weapons to hit, so you either need to be dual-wielding or cast Enchanted Weapon. Getting level drained resets your character's saving throws, so you'll be vulnerable to game-ending status effects like getting charm, being constantly feared or permanently stun-locked unless you can protect yourself. Belhifet has 100% MR and regenerates, so if you can't deal damage fast enough, you'll either end up in eternal stalemate or exhaust your protections and die from attrition. You can also only access the fledgling vampire before the parley in Dead Man's Pass, so you'll have to complete the coalition camp attacks and Avernus as a level 1 character, which are no cakewalks. But if you can, it's by far the most reliable method I know of for taking out Belhifet that obeys the wizard slayer restrictions.
    Grond0BlackravenStummvonBordwehrsemiticgoddess
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    Dwarven defenders are always solid and if they can get past SoD, dwarven fighter/clerics are definite contenders. I'm a little surprised that you took Hardiness when you have Defensive Stance available, but if you're wanting to live forever, it's understandable. You might also be able to use Divine Protection and Greater Divine Protection (Icewind Dale spells that SCS adds) to shield yourself long enough to set up the Harm + Magic Resistance + Critical Strike combo. If you can cast it while Melissan is stunned after The Five have fallen, that may give you the window you need.

    In any case, well done on getting that far! It's definitely an achievement even with 'illegal' characters... and that final fight is brutal, no doubt about that! Unfortunately, without Harm, a F/C doesn't have that many options available other than to slug it out. Did you use the rift device to reduce Mel's HP to 40%? That's a big help.

    Water under the bridge now, but the rod of smiting can deal with adamantine golems fairly painlessly. If only there was a weapon like that for demons!
    Grond0StummvonBordwehr
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    edited November 2020
    Part 54: Angelo Bridges the Gap

    Executive Summary: Angelo's various summons finish off several of the Bridge District's incomplete quests.

    It was funny, Angelo thought, that so many of the initial quests he'd undertaken when he first arrived in Athkatla involved the Bridge District. High time, then, for him to return and finish what he started now that he was battle-ready.
    1. Getting Nearer to Neera
      Before he could fight any battles himself, he had to watch Neera battle with her magical temperament. Despite teleporting wayward girl Mereth away, Neera's escape from Red Wizard Lanneth and her guards Warwick or Ellis was much more dicey. To wrap up this loose end quickly, Angelo immediately left the area, whereupon Neera ambushed him. "Nope, never heard of you," Angelo lied, "and I certainly didn't steal your gem bag when you were staying in Beregost." Fobbed off with vague assurances that he'd check out the hidden refuge at some point, Neera left Angelo alone to resume his questing.
    2. Tanning the Tanner
      As soon as he returned to the Bridge District, Angelo hid in the shadows to avoid Anarg and the Fallen Paladins tracking him down (he was outside, so the Cowled Wizards would have intervened had Invisibility been cast). Sneaking into the tanner shop, Angelo descended beyond the second level, where he'd been before, to the bottom floor of the basement. Vellin Dahn saw through Angelo's stealth instantly and no response could stop him from teleporting away, but he did not alert the pair of ghasts, twin rune assassins or the bone golem in doing so.

      Since he was still hidden, Angelo could take advantage of a gap in the creatures' peripheral awareness. The quay in the bottom right was out of the monsters' sight, so he could summon and buff his usual assortment of skeletons and spiders (the Cowled Wizards couldn't find him in these lower levels).
      w9wwcq6u2kan.png

      Making himself invisible as an insurance policy, Angelo then sent his summons to do his dirty work. The spiders weren't so useful this time around, as they were vulnerable to backstabs and undead nasties were immune to poison, but the skeletons were pretty solid. A second round of summons from his items was enough to obliterate any survivors from his initial wave and freed him to loot the various containers. Disarming the respective Ice Storm and Fireball traps on the large and small crates, Angelo helped himself to the bow of Gesen shaft before leaving for pastures new.
    3. Felling the Fallen Paladins
      As previously mentioned, the intermediate basement floor was a nice place for Angelo to rest and renew his summons. He hoped that the skeletons would follow him upstairs, but they resolutely refused to budge. Worse, Anarg's tracking obviously extended to inside buildings and was already on the top floor spitting vituperations. Angelo had hoped to take the battle to the fallen paladins, but they had instead taken it to him.
      lmu5ku51w0so.png

      Still, there were advantages to the current state of affairs. Firstly, this inadvertently isolated Anarg from Reynald de Chantillion and his men. Anarg also didn't turn hostile after finishing his speech, so Angelo was free to leisurely nip back to buff his summons before engaging. Better yet, pursuing Angelo downstairs dumped Anarg right in the middle of said summons. If the skeletons would not come to Anarg, then Anarg would have to come to the skeletons!
      pi8qibfxxojn.png

      Needless to say, Anarg didn't survive along against the undead onslaught. Venturing outside, it amused Angelo to find that Reynald had wisely taken leave of absence, but the other fallen paladins milled around in the square. Much like Vellin Dahn, they seemed unaware that their leader had been killed in action and Angelo was in no hurry to enlighten them. Quite the opposite was true of Sir Ryan Trawl, who was informed of Anarg's demise as quickly as possible for a reward of 17,500 XP, +1 reputation and gloves of healing.
    4. A Study in Scarlet
      Locating the man dressed in red responsible for dropping Tirdir in the (Tir)dirt, Angelo took the precaution of heavily trapping the narrow passage leading to the leftmost building. Angsty Am-Si confessed immediately and fled into the nearby building, but any sympathy he was expecting from comrades Reti and Camitis turned out to be misplaced as Camitis cut him down as soon as Angelo poked his head in the door. Both conspirators left immediately after, but Angelo gave chase, wanting a cut of this kidnapping pie.

      Since he'd exited as quickly as possible, Angelo's newly summoned flesh golem cut off the narrow avenue of escape (using magical items didn't alert the Cowled Wizards). A swift arrow from Angelo at Camitis may have missed its mark, but it did turn the pair hostile and the spray of arrows from the adjacent traps were not so inaccurate. Aiming at Camitis ensured that he turned hostile first and attracted most of the traps' arrows, meaning the tougher opponent took the brunt of the damage.
      tl5w44es49gr.png

      As long as Angelo ensured that the efreeti targeted its Flame Strike on Camitis, the fight was over bar the celebrations. Felling Camitis gave 3,000 XP while Reti yielded 1,250 XP and boots of avoidance, but the best treasure was yet to come. Not in the form of Lady Elgea, who seemed to think that she could insult her way out of being ransomed, but in the form of the silver pantaloons that Welther would give him for the note from the upstairs shelves next to her. In fact, although Welther wouldn't nocturnally appear outside the Copper Coronet until this part of the quest had been triggered, Angelo avoided the -2 reputation hit associated with the exchange by picking Welther's pocket without talking to him. They would go nicely with his golden pantaloons. If only he could complete the set...
    5. Nobbling Neb
      On the subject of the Copper Coronet and triggering quests, it was time to tie up another loose end. Speaking to Unger Hilldark after Jerlia had previously revealed him as her illithium source spawned Neb in the derelict house in the Bridge District (it was otherwise empty). Bashing the door in with Draw Upon Holy Might, Angelo entered hoping that his evil alignment would allow him to talk Neb into yielding the illithium. This option was seemingly only available before Sir Sarles was dealt with since the gnome insisted on aggression no matter what conversation he pursued.

      Although the Cowled Wizards turned a blind eye to using a special ability on a door, they drew the line at using spells inside to defeat a serial killer. The ghostly children that Neb summoned to defend himself were vicious little squirts, draining a level with each hit, so Angelo wanted to minimise his dealings with them. Luckily, his efreeti could safely cast Invisibility on him without provoking the Cowled Wizards and Angelo was happy to let it and the clay golem take the heat for him.

      He saw Jeb gulp down a potion of invisibility, but Detect Illusion soon foiled that escape plan. The gnome didn't seem to have a backup scheme, as he stood still, unmoving as the summons blasted chunks out of him. They could only get him down to Near Death status before their durations expired, leaving Angelo stranded invisible surrounded by angry spirits. He only had one shot at Jeb, but luckily that was all he needed.
      bame8rbvl5d0.png

      With their master slain, the ghostly quartet evaporated, each leaving 2,500 XP and a pearl behind. As they left, they cast Lesser Restoration and the onset of magical fatigue was a small price to pay for his lost levels. The minor gems hidden behind the acid-hold-trapped painting offered scant reward, but taking Jeb's head to Chief Inspector Brega in the Government District's Council of Six building earned 2,500 GP and another reputation +1.

    Although the Bridge District had the breadth of incomplete quests, other areas had the depth. And no district of Athkatla had more easily available depth than the Docks.
    Post edited by AvidGamerFan on
    StummvonBordwehrHarpagornis
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    Part 55: Angelo Moves Over Mae'Var

    Executive Summary: Combining both his latest tricks, Angelo uses Web and summons to earn himself a stronghold!

    "Do the ruffians stop threatening you once you reach a certain level?" Angelo asked Felicity as they wandered the Docks District. "They seem to be a lot less threatening than before."

    The imp just shrugged. "It seems that Google doesn't know everything after all."
    1. Some Quayside Shopping
      Before any of the other festivities began, Angelo visited blind dwarven smith Cromwell and upgraded his pair of dragon scales into proper armour. The red dragon scales became (nearly) full plate +2 with 50% fire resistance on top while the shadow dragon scales were turned into effectively studded leather armour +6 with 50% acid resistance. Both were stashed away for a rainy day, as was the Nymph Cloak Angelo bought from Gorch in Mae'var's Guildhall. It was imperative that Angelo bought this before the hostilities began, so now was as good a time as ever.
    2. Gethras is a Goner
      Angelo had left off investigating Mae'var's guilt for Renal Bloodscalp when Edwin asked him to assassinate Rayic Gethras, a high level conjurer. The first problem was actually getting to Gethras - it was not as simple as simply wandering up his tower since the first floor stairs were blocked by 2 fire mephits, 2 magma mephits and an ice mephit. Luckily, this was not an insurmountable difficulty, as Angelo invisibly cast a double helping of Protection from Fire and Protection from Cold before summoning a berserk warrior. This defensive magic immunised him from the mephits' elemental damage, but their attacks would still disrupt his spells, so Angelo got his efreeti to cast Invisibility on him after he'd looted the room's minor treasures. The mephit blocking the stairs foolishly moved away and didn't return after Angelo escaped and rested, so he left them to their own devices.

      Passing the stone golems on the second floor, Angelo found his target in the centre of the uppermost level. Though Gethras' field of view almost completely covered the room, the corner in the bottom right was out of sight, allowing Angelo to summon some monsters. However, he did not bring out the big guns instantly. As a conjurer, Gethras had multiple summoning spells of his own which needed to be teased out first.
      8bum0w7qjw0w.png

      There wasn't enough space for Angelo to stand in the corner and surround himself without Gethras noticing the summons and reacting with his own. Despite being a conjurer, Gethras had True Sight memorised, so Angelo was careful not to 'activate' the wizard by appearing in their view. Nevertheless, he turned invisible when Gethras cast Teleport Field, on the off-chance that a monster spotted him after an accidental teleportation and gave the whole game up.
      4ofx72l9a6ck.png

      After draining his spells with several bouts of Monster Summoning I, Angelo went for the kill with a triple Animate Dead. Gethras died a 9,000 XP death without Angelo ever actually seeing him once the battle had begun. Even better, after disarming the acid-hold trap on the large table (along with the Fireball trap on the small bowl), Angelo found a Mislead scroll. He placed this in his scroll case, planning to put it to good use shortly.

      Sneaking back down past the golems and mephits, Angelo went back to Edwin to earn 20,000 XP from reporting Gethras' death.
    3. Marking Marcus
      Rayic Gethras acted as a roadblock preventing players from earning the XP that lay beyond. Edwin's next task was for Angelo to obtain some documents from Marcus, who was staying at the Sea Bounty tavern. The merchant offered to sell them for 250 GP, Angelo sensed that he could obtain them for less and he ended up acquiring them for 0 GP by picking Marcus' pocket. Returning them to Edwin granted a further 10,000 XP... not a bad return, all things considered!
    4. Embalming Embarl
      Edwin's last quest was to dispose of a so-called traitor, Embarl, who also happened to be staying at the Sea Bounty. It didn't take long for Embarl to spill the beans, however, and confess that he'd overheard Mae'var plotting to kill Renal. Taking Embarl's donated dagger back gained Angelo another 18,750 XP and an offer from Edwin to join the group. Angelo refused this, but gratefully accepted the proffered strongbox key, which was promptly looted and its contents returned to Renal for 48,250 XP.
    5. Murdering Mae'var
      The last part of this quest was to kill Mae'var and his chums. Having already bought all he wanted, Angelo was unphased by Gorch's newfound hostility and used Stealth to pass him down to the basement. In the corridor leading up to Mae'var, Angelo summoned as many spiders as he could, then fired as many Web spells as he could into the central chamber. Once he saw that Mae'var was tangled up, Angelo hasted his summons and sent them forth to accomplish his mission.

      As a human multiclass thief/conjurer (just count the illegalities in that combination!), Mae'var's P/P/D saves were not good and the spider's poison easily coursed through his veins. His mirror images sprang up even though he was webbed (luckily, his Minor Globe of Invulnerability did not) and Angelo could not cross the webbed area to Detect Illusion beside him. Though incapable of detecting illusions, Angelo's arrows could cross the webbed area and did a pretty good job of cutting through the images along with the spiders' thrusts.

      Mae'var's death brought 14,000 XP, after which the spiders began their work on any webbed assassins. Angelo had long since turned invisible and retreated, so the arachnids were the first to face the chop when the Web spells ran out. Once Angelo's summoning slots became available (Gethras had proven that the 5 creature summoning limit did not apply to enemies), he filled them with skeletons and sent them back in. The thieves' backstabs weren't nearly as effective against their bony armour and their Detect Illusion skill wasn't nearly enough to remove Angelo's own invisibility. Their deaths were worth 7,000 XP, while the random priest of Cyric was only worth a mere 2,000 XP.

      After freeing Kamuzu from his cell, Angelo referred the news to Renal for 45,500 XP. Although it was one of the lesser strongholds available, there was also some lingering confusion regarding its status online and Angelo wanted to put this misinformation to rest once and for all. Besides, it was one of the more flavoursome choices... who doesn't love a thieves' guild? In any case, Angelo accepted Renal's offer to take over where Mae'var left off, giving him 10,500 GP extra (he'd have preferred the Short Sword +3 that he'd have received had he not been a thief or refused the stronghold, but it was all gravy).

      Felicity told him that to optimise his returns, Angelo should go for the highest risk options possible (https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Thieves'_Guild_Stronghold#Gameplay). By now, the money was immaterial, but Angelo stuck to his min-maxing guns... why give up on a good thing?

      If Angelo had truly been min-maxing, he would go for the mage stronghold every time... although the ranger and druid ones had useful items if they were played through to the end.

    One more district remained for Angelo to plunder before he was to advance the plot further. Time to take a trip to the Temple District!
    StummvonBordwehrAerakarHarpagornis
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    I just stopped by after a long hiatus and am delighted to see the challenge going strong! I hope @histamiini returns and finishes off Melissan without trouble.

    I don't think I'll be returning to the challenge, personally. I think I learned my lesson from my punishing 38-hour Archer run, which I still need to record commentary for and post in full.
    Grond0StummvonBordwehrAerakar
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    edited December 2020
    Part 56: Angelo Goes Super Saiyan

    Executive Summary: Angelo adds another string to his bow and uses it to clear the sewers beneath the Temple District.

    "I'm so close to becoming a level 12 mage," Angelo murmured as he approached the Temple District. "When I get there, I'll unlock my full potential." And yet his face creased up slightly. "But perhaps I should only use it sparingly. l don't want to become reliant on it."

    The imp's eyes rolled. "Just because your horizons will have broadened doesn't mean that you can't illustrate other strategies where you can. But Legacy of Bhaal is hard enough without deliberately playing with one hand behind your back. Why be a F/M/T, after all, if you never use your class nuke?"
    1. Mekrath's Imp-udent Imp
      Descending into the sewers, Angelo cast Invisibility and sneaked around looking for business. A secret door in the north east led him into a level that looked strangely like the third floor of Durlag's Tower. Passing some miscellaneous imps, Angelo ventured clockwise until he came across Mekrath, a grumpy elf conjurer (illegal!) who eventually admitted that he wanted his mirror returned from an imp that had stolen it. Angelo made sure Felicity was stowed away safely in his pack, else Mekrath mistake her for the mischievous thief.

      After sneaking back into the sewers, it didn't take much scouting to find the culprit camping out in the southeastern corner. Finding a quiet spot to summon some skeletons, Angelo ignored its lesser earth elemental companion (who was immune to the skeletons' +1 weapons anyway) and sent his minions to kill the imp, invisibly snatching the mirror after they'd done so and were busy getting mauled by the elemental. Returning to Mekrath gave 18,750 XP and access to Haer'Dalis, who Angelo sent away to the Five Flagons.

      Before he departed, the tiefling blade mentioned a gem that may be found on an altar. Remembering the layout of Durlag's Tower, Angelo used Invisibility to evade the 3 yuan-ti mages, 1 yuan-ti and 1 greater yuan-ti en-route to the chapel (there were disadvantages to being high level!). After disarming the acid-hold floor trap and Dire Charm altar trap (at least it could be disarmed this time!), Angelo took the harp of discord and portal gem contained therein.

      While he was at it, he took the rod of resurrection from the container next to Mekrath and the necklace of form stability from a chest (trapped with Lightning Bolt) in the eastern chamber before the yuan-ti. There were several other trapped containers (the eastern chamber's other chest had a stunning Chromatic Orb trap, the yuan-ti chest had a Lightning Bolt trap and a cupboard in the southern room had an arrow trap), but they didn't have much treasure, so Angelo ignored them.
    2. Trolling Roger the Fence
      Angelo found Roger the Fence milling around the southern end of the sewers. A bit of cajoling revealed that he'd been having some troll problems, which Angelo naturally offered to sort out. Summoning his usual assortment of skeleton warriors and spiders, he invisibly crept westwards. "It's only one sea troll," he said to himself, "what's the worst that could happen?"
      tj7ouqzswuyc.png

      "You have got to be kidding me?!" Angelo choked as the beholder and two gauths teleported in uninvited and began spamming eye beams at his creatures. Having not thought to bring the shield of Balduran - not that it was much use after SCS telekinetically nerfed it - Angelo crossed his fingers and prayed for the best.

      As it happened, though, he had stumbled onto one of only a few tactics that could reliably bring down beholders. Animate Dead's skeletons were immune to many of the deadliest beams and although the spiders fell almost immediately, the skeletons fearlessly hacked away at the floating eyes. With 100% MR, the flesh golem was also protected from the nasty effects - a marvellous fact that Angelo was quick to exploit.

      After letting the beholders down not so gently, it was the turn of Roger's sea troll. With no floating eyes to defend it, the troll was unceremoniously smacked into the ground, with an efreeti's Flame Arrow ensuring it did not get back up. Roger the Fence gave Angelo 500 GP for completing the job, although Felicity told him some walkthroughs advocated that Roger would have coughed up even if he hadn't followed through (these walkthrough also say that Angelo would gain 9,500 XP for it, though, and that never transpired!).

      After felling the beholders, Angelo noticed that the miniature cross had appeared in the top right corner of his portrait. This meant he was now a level 12 mage, and the loss of phase spiders to their sword spider 'upgrades' in Spider Spawn would be more than compensated by what he could now cast...
    3. Testing Out Tarnor
      The bounty hunters Angelo had passed in the northern tunnels looked nasty, and Angelo wondered if there were any dirty tricks he could pull to even the odds. Initial signs were good, as Angelo realised that a couple of them were strangely reluctant to turn hostile as long as he kept out of sight of leader Tarnor the Hatchetman. This meant he basically had a free Blind (or Feeblemind) on fighter/cleric Rengaard...
      13adv131q2vj.png
      ... and cleric Zorl...
      j5l7czfqrzuw.png
      Unfortunately, being divine casters, both could cast Cure Disease on themselves, which removed blindness (and Feeblemind) and made it difficult to meaningfully capitalise on this advantage. Web from afar was also tricky, as elven necromancer (again, illegal!) Gaius had a stupedously low save versus spell (3 before LoB's bonus, making him immune to Feeblemind cast by a non-enchanter). His defences would automatically spring up, preventing a quick kill, and his pair of Death Spells would kill Angelo's summons outright.

      There was, however, a solution to this dilemma - make sure that his defences were never activated...
    4. Burying the Hatchetman
      As if the fact that Mislead allowed Angelo free attacks without retaliation AND he could backstab to his heart's content weren't enough, Mislead users didn't aggrevate precast spells. Any enemies hit by someone using it either stood still helplessly or wandered around dumbfounded. Unless the defender could see invisible creatures, dispel the illusion or somehow protect themselves, they were dead meat.

      One annoyance is that Mislead gave no indication of its remaining duration, so it could suddenly wear off with no warning. To prevent this, Angelo had a cute trick: he'd begin by casting (Improved) Haste followed immediately by Spell Immunity: Divination (Spell Immunity being the only exception to the 1 spell/round action economy outside Improved Alacrity, as it could be cast the instant another spell was finished). This created a large visual bubble around Angelo, who then cast Mislead. Spell Immunity both have the same duration, so when Spell Immunity's bubble disappeared, then Angelo knew he had 1 round to get the heck out of dodge before his clone disappeared.

      Of course, being only a level 12 mage, Angelo's one available level 6 spell was taken up by Mislead, so Improved Haste was off the cards. However, as the bandits would discover, Haste was all that Angelo needed to dispatch Gaius.
      4v3hak936pkv.png
      Somehow, Gaius managed to summon some skeletons before he died (for 4,000 XP), but as they couldn't find Angelo's clone (cunningly hidden by the steps to Mekrath's lair), they were as good as useless. The clerics were next. They wore heavy armour, so it was harder to kill them quickly, but Rengaard (worth 6,000 XP) was unable to cast Sanctuary and escape Angelo's flashing blade.

      Angelo managed to kill Zorl (2,000 XP) and bow-toting fighter Gallchobhair (7,200 XP - presumably the cousin of Ioin Gallchobhair the Lonely Peaks bandit from BG1) before his Mislead expired. Amusingly, Gallchobhair stumbled on Angelo's clone and peppered it with arrows while Angelo frantically stood behind him hacking away. Although plain fighters Tarnor (8,000 XP) and Draug Fea (7,000 XP) heard all the commotion, Angelo's invisible body blocked their advance just enough that they couldn't see the clone.
      m4ln5ge4wr1a.png
      Having taken out the truly dangerous threats, hasted skeletons were enough to take down both Tarnor and Draug Fea, along with the remaining summons.
    5. Interlude: The 'Best Spell in the Game'?
      What is not often mentioned during the perennial 'best spell in the game' debate is that the answer depends on who is casting it. A F/M could make a case for Improved Haste being the spell that does the most for them while Project Image is hard to beat for a dedicated sorcerer. The ease of acquisition is a definite factor, as is the length over which the spell retains its usefulness (https://lilura1.blogspot.com/2017/08/Best-Arcane-Spells-Baldurs-Gate-and-Baldurs-Gate-2.html). Some spells benefit greatly from being cast in combination with others (Time Stop and Improved Alacrity, I'm looking at you!), and some buffs require other team members to truly shine. And while the power of the Wish spell is well documented, its unpredictable nature means its seat at the high table is not necessarily guaranteed.

      Despite this, however, I claim that Mislead is the F/M/T spell that rules them all. It is no exaggeration to say that with Mislead, at least 65% of the remainder of the game becomes almost trivial for a F/M/T. The fact that only they can truly utilise it (F/M can't backstab and M/T can't hit properly) is an added bonus. If you are averse to so-called 'cheesy exploitation' of this spell, I suggest you stop reading now (although using a spell exactly how it was intended doesn't strike me as an exploit at all!).

      Incidentally, this also makes what I said in my BG1 reflection about scimitars being a poor option when not dual-wielding completely wrong. One extra attack per round is one extra backstab opportunity when you're using Mislead and single weapon style allows extra critical hits.
    6. Splatting the Rakshasa
      Whereas Angelo had previously shirked away from fighting rakshasa, he hoped that his new tactic would even the odds. His suspicion proved correct and the beast didn't even try to escape its 3,000 XP fate.
      hklzof85ntjp.png

      Flinging the cloak of the sewers around his neck, Angelo left the scene, leaving the kobolds clean up his mess. Still invisible, he ignored Keldorn's duel with a zombie to head down the northwest passage.

    Killing those beholders in the sewers would serve as good practice, Angelo thought, to tackling the cult of the Unseeing Eye. With his latest weapon now tried and tested, nothing could go wrong... could it?
    Post edited by AvidGamerFan on
    Grond0StummvonBordwehrAerakarHarpagornis
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    Good to see you're still around, @semiticgod. I, for one, would be interested in hearing your commentary. I'm surprised it only took you 38 hours - Angelo has surely been going for much longer than that! - but he is being very thorough and I hope that subsequent playthroughs will be much speedier (I certainly won't be writing them up in half as much detail!).

    By the way, would it be possible to update the front page of currently running challengers? At the moment, I'm playing Angelo the F/M/T on 'regular' difficulty, as well as Arcand the C/I as part of the wizard slayer challenge (although I will be frank... he may magically become a M/C when I come to writing him up should I find no alternative to the 'Skull Trap surprise' for taking out Melissan). I would ask @Harpagornis to do it, but I've not seen them around for a while and I don't want to miss out on any celebrity status (*ahem*) that comes with attempting the challenge.
    semiticgoddessStummvonBordwehr
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @AvidGamerFan: Part of the "short" duration was the fact that it didn't factor in all of my failed attempts and subsequent restarts from Candlekeep (mostly this was early failures in BG1, but still). The other half is that I used CTRL-J to jump around and I got incredibly fast at that... My fingers were moving so fast that I actually injured myself and for several weeks or months I had to intentionally ease up on the games I played to heal my hands. The runs definitely get faster the more you do them.

    It would also be nice to have a single location for @histamiini's very informative info drops about where to find items in each game. A single post near the start of the thread listing Potions of Invisibility in BG1, Potions of Heroism in SoD, and Time Stop scrolls in BG2 would be very convenient.
    Grond0StummvonBordwehrAerakar
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    @semiticgod I definitely agree that having some reference posts would be a good idea and @histamiini has compiled some great info. Personally, I wouldn't rate BG1 and SoD potions that high a priority, purely because invisibly looting the bodies in the Chapter 11 battle is so profitable. At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, I do think that my lists of the XP available without combat are useful, if a little overkill.

    An overview of the 'bottlenecks' that must be planned for might also be handy, along with some proven solutions. We've already seen several challengers rock up to the coalition camp attacks without enough arrows of detonation. For example, in BG1, you must have some strategy for tackling Mulahey, Davaeorn, Slythe, the Duchal Palace ambush and Sarevok; common solutions involve Algernon's cloak, various wands and necklaces of missiles or potions of explosions.
    AerakarStummvonBordwehr
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    edited December 2020
    Part 57: Angelo Delivers a Blow to the Temple District {Edited For Accuracy}

    Executive Summary: After smuggling the rift device out of the sewers, Angelo discovers some limits on his newfound power.

    "Mislead is so powerful," Angelo boasted as he left the sewers for the Old Tunnels, "I'm not sure how anything will be able to stop me." Felicity nodded her approval, but couldn't shake the feeling that fate had a sobering lesson in store...
    1. The Mysterious Mists
      The locked doorway halfway down the looping passageway proved impossible to open, so Angelo cast Invisibility and moved into an open antechamber which filled with ettercaps once he'd progressed into it. Wherever ettercaps were found, Web traps would surely follow and after a moment's searching, Angelo found and disarmed the nearby offender.
      oybcqcd9ly5x.png

      Felicity warned him that going near the central gas vent in the circular chamber that followed would slam the doors while releasing a Cloudkill and some vampiric mists. Worse, this interaction would 'alert' the mists, so they could assail him as if he'd attacked after casting Improved Invisibility; renewing Invisibility would make him vanish again, but they would hug his every move, waiting for him to reveal himself. Once down to Badly Injured, they became able to see through even his renewed illusion and ignored any summons to target him exclusively.
      It appeared that this unpleasantness could be avoided by not going near the vent, so Angelo avoided it.

      Gaal, the cult leader, accepted that Angelo could retrieve an artifact in return for his continued sight. Recasting Invisibility, Angelo retraced his steps, but this time the vampiric mists would not let him escape. Although his periapt gave him immunity to Cloudkill's poison, the mists would disrupt any spells he would cast. Luckily, the golem manual's summoning was uninterruptible and the golem was also immune to the mists' nonmagical attacks. This made it the perfect lure as Angelo circled back to Gaal's chamber to shut the mists in and summon more assistance.

      However, as predicted, the mists made a beeline towards Angelo once they reached Badly Injured status, showing off their ability open doors. Angelo endured a couple of level draining hits to haste his skeletons and ran around while the animated undead did their job. He'd have to sneak back to a priest to restore his levels, but being beneath the Temple District had its perks!

      Activating the mists seems buggy - it is sometimes possible to sneak through without them appearing. Still, it seems more probable than not, so Angelo didn't save scum to complete this section pacifistically.
    2. Assisting Sassar
      The previously impassible door opened once Angelo inserted Gaal's key into the lock. Removing a level draining arrow trap in the corridor beyond, Angelo agreed to locate the missing artifact pieces. Sassar may have claimed that this was the only way to destroy the Unseeing Eye, but Angelo had other ideas...

      The sarcophagus looked as if it housed something nasty, so Angelo disarmed a Lightning Bolt floor trap and invisibly descended the stairs. Moving into the next chamber caused three huge spiders to spawn underneath its sidebound pipes, but Angelo ignored them and the screaming visage (which could summon 5 sets of extra spiders and a wandering horror if clicked on). After disarming the nose's Cloudkill trap, Angelo looted it before disappearing and dumping the arachnids. The undead troupe of mummies and ghasts were likewise evaded and the Prismatic Spray trap on the lowest stair disarmed.

      Clicking on the dome released the so-called guardian whose riddles were easily solved ('Life', 'time' and 'the current one' respectively) for 42,250 XP. At the end of the now-fixed bridge, several beholders lay in wait... and although Angelo did pop into view when he raided the nearby alcove, beating a retreat gave enough time to cast Invisibility before they could find him. The shadows that followed were similarly clueless and Angelo moved around the petrification trap guarding the sunken temple's entrance.
      3iebwaf8gp9y.png

      Inside the temple was a demonic Empathic Manifestation, but once Angelo realised that it couldn't see invisible creatures, he sneaked past it and looted the altar. The Empathic Manifestation's ensuing attacks only did nonlethal damage, making Angelo wonder if it was one of those 'internal demons' that fantasy authors were so fond of. "These Cure Serious Wounds scrolls would be useful if I could cast them," he muttered, instead using his Cure Light Wounds special ability to kill the Empathic Manifestation. The subsequently awakened avatar doled out 25,750 XP for its rescue and, after waxing lyrical about how the completed artifact should never leave the sewers, half of the rift device.
    3. Down Among the Dead Men
      Upon his return, Sassar informed Angelo to find Tad in the cult's lair. Doing this unlocked the pathway to the Unseeing Eye, a one-way trip whose steep descent could not be reversed. Angelo skipped the minor treasures on the first corpse so as to not to alert the adjacent band of mummies and ghouls, but the second group was bunched so densely that he couldn't circumvent them without further dispersion.

      To kill time, Angelo entered the Ghoul Lord's room, where a neutral Threshal was surrounded by multiple enemies. He was about to sneak past and loot the pile of dead bodies when Felicity informed him that he was of high enough level that a lich would spawn if he crossed the chamber. This lich could see through invisibility, making tackling it an absolute no-no, so Angelo passed up the gauntlets of dexterity. Instead, he sneakily approached Threshal and pickpocketed the Skin of the Ghoul +4 before dancing back and casting Invisibility. No monster could close before his spell kicked in, and repeating this afforded the looting of the barrel. Angelo was sure to pick up the dropped ammunition before making his exit.

      After invisibly resting as far up the steep descent as he could, Angelo set about dispersing the crowd. This wasn't trivial, since he could get trapped on the narrow bridges between the second group and the first bringing up the rear. Summoning a distraction at the crossroads, Angelo cast Invisibility and followed the initially neutral zombie into the Ghoul Lord's room, making a circuit around and leaving via the other door. Arriving out the second entrance to see his distraction get slaughtered at the first one, Angelo abandoned it and entered the Pit of the Faithless.

      Although nominally a difficult area, sneaking through the pit was easy if the cultists huddled around the central pool were avoided. The second rift device piece was found in the rightmost pool and although its gauth guardian fired off a damaging eye beam, this did not prevent Angelo from vanishing with his ring of invisibility. The rift device automatically assembled once both parts were together, which caused the Unseeing Eye to appear. It immediately began casting True Sight, which Angelo took as his cue to leave.
    4. Rogering the Fence
      The avatar had told Angelo that he should not remove the rift device from the sewers, and the artifact's description backed this up. However, Angelo noticed that this warning applied specifically to him. What would happen, he wondered, if someone else tried on his behalf?

      Leaving the rift device in a chest beside Sassar's companions Zaelas and Garuk, Angelo bought the choiciest potions (namely those of magic blocking and shielding) from Roger the Fence. Angelo then used the nymph cloak to charm the vendor - as the target did not turn hostile if the attempt failed and its charm lasted 12 hours, this was the best option. Sneaking him past Keldorn using Invisibility 10' Radius, Angelo kept him moving so that he couldn't fire arrows at passing foes. Finally, Angelo broke his own invisibility by casting something inconsequential, then ordered Roger to attack him before transitioning back into the Old Tunnels. Although charmed creatures couldn't normally transition areas, they could if they were undergoing an attack order so Roger appeared beside Angelo.

      Telling Roger to back off, Angelo went back to Zaelas and Garuk (sneaking in case some monster had spawned while he was away). Dropping all his possessions into the chests, Angelo took the rift device to Roger, where he had the thief Pick Pocket it from him (since his inventory was empty, the rift device was quickly stolen). Repeating the area-transition trick to get Roger into the sewers, Angelo cast Invisibility 10' Radius again and sneaked them to the main grate. Another spell-attack-transition later, both Angelo and Roger were out in the Temple District, the latter in possession of the rift device.

      When you attempt to enter or exit the sewers, the game checks your inventory to see if you have the rift device - if you do, then an automatic death scene triggers. However, although it checks your PC allies, it does not check charmed companions and Roger's Pick Pockets allows you to pass items into his inventory. Be aware that Roger has 85% PP and stealing is an opposed check - if you have > 85% natural PP, he cannot steal from you! Angelo had 80% natural PP and achieved his 100% PP via the gloves of pickpocketing... another reason why you should remove all your gear!

      Having outlived his usefulness, Roger was taken aside while Angelo descended alone to retrieve his stuff. Roger's death by the hands of Angelo's golem, efreeti and berserker summons attracted the attention of two nosey prophets, collateral damage whose deaths didn't cost Angelo any reputation! Once Roger fell, Angelo retrieved the rift device intact from his corpse.
      lrzh0uvqcmk6.png

      Stashing it in his regular trove, Angelo returned to the sewers. It was time for a reckoning.
    5. One in the Unseeing Eye for Angelo
      Given that the Unseeing Eye was... unseeing... Angelo suspected that Mislead's illusion would work even better than usual. Somewhat paradoxically, the Unseeing Eye had already displayed the ability to cast True Sight, but his Spell Immunity: Divination would protect him from that. And if all else failed, there was always the tried and tested Animate Dead to fall back on. "Dunno why everyone's so afraid of this floating iris," Angelo muttered as he made his usual preparations.

      He soon found out, as the beholder seemed totally unaffected by his Belm backstab attack. "Immune to +2 weapons?" Angelo grumbled, whipping out Lilarcor +3. Fine, he may not be able to backstab with it, but slow and steady would win the race... or it would have had the Unseeing Eye not been immune to +3 weapons as well. This would obviously invalidate his Animate Dead tactics, but Angelo tried anyway... only to find that the Unseeing Eye fired a triple Invisible Stalker sequencer upon sight that smashed his summons to pieces.

      "What am I to do?" he asked his familiar desperately. "There are very few +4 weapons available at this stage in the game."

      "I wouldn't get too excited about them, either," Felicity replied. "Even if your strikes were true, it still has 95% resistance to all physical damage, as well as 100% resistance to cold and lightning and a mound of hit points. It's only got 3 Charisma... but it's also got an unlisted immunity to level 1 - 4 spells, so no Contagion for you." Felicity gasped as she surveyed its stats. "Blimey, it's immune to level 6 - 9 magic too, along with a host of specific immunities to level 5 spells. Short of spamming Feeblemind, which does work, I can't see a way to win... but its eye beams will disrupt you as fast as you - or it - can blink."

      Angelo rubbed his chin pensively. "I can think of a way to bring it down," he said eventually, "a trick that I've never seen described before. But I'm not in a position to pull it off at the moment..."

    "It's a pity that the killing the vampiric mists seems compulsory," Felicity opined as they left the Pit of the Faithless. "Otherwise this segment could have been completed pacifistically. At least there's still the sarcophagus to check out, in case you'd forgotten."

    Angelo had not forgotten about the mystery coffin and he would not forget about the Unseeing Eye. But now was not the time to tackle these problems. Now was the time, though, to take a trip to the Graveyard District and start Chapter 3.
    Post edited by AvidGamerFan on
    Grond0AerakarStummvonBordwehr
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    edited November 2020
    jmerry wrote: »
    Standard vampiric mists, and most other mists, see through invisibility. I'm not sure why they wouldn't just attack you.

    I'm not sure either, but I tested multiple times and this was the behaviour I observed every time. The poison mists found on the first floor of Watcher's Keep cannot see through invisibility; the other mist-like creatures - the wandering horror and vampiric wraiths - can follow you around, but cannot attack you until you become at least partially visible. For example, Angelo can stand around invisible (with fear protection gear) here, prompting 'I should be more productive with my time', and although the others swarm without attacking, the poison mist is totally uninterested.
    k8fhavdb7eie.png
    jmerry wrote: »
    It's limited; only five times. No infinite XP potential here.
    This time, it appears I did not test enough. I will update my post.
    jmerry wrote: »
    The summoning trigger only blocks the entrance to the larger hut. Entering from Theshal's side, you can cross the chamber safely. Of course, Angelo doesn't need the gauntlets since he already has more Dex than that.

    As long as Angelo doesn't uncover the back chamber, he can use either entrance without activating the lich. In one test I did, by sneaking anticlockwise around the perimeter and looting the gauntlets from behind, he didn't trigger the lich appearing, but the behaviour wasn't repeatable, so I didn't include it.
    jmerry wrote: »
    It's also immune to level 6-9 spells, plus specific immunities to a number of level 5 spells. The complete list of save-or-suck spells that might work is (1) Feeblemind.

    I only tested Feeblemind and it was vulnerable, but I didn't want to exclude later options (e.g. Disintegrate) prematurely, so I broadened the scope. I will update.
    jmerry wrote: »
    The spell level immunities, weapon enchantment immunities, and damage resistances can, of course, be removed by using the Rift Device. They're an SCS-added feature, meant to make it exceedingly hard to win the fight if you don't use it.

    I can confirm that no rift device will be harmed in the killing of this creature.
    Post edited by AvidGamerFan on
  • AvidGamerFanAvidGamerFan Member Posts: 157
    edited December 2020
    Part 58: Angelo Investigates a Grave Matter

    Executive Summary: Angelo's summons clear the Graveyard District while he declares war on the shadow thieves.

    "Is there any reason you couldn't have pursued this before?" Felicity asked Angelo as they left the sewers behind. "I sense you'll soon be acquiring a spider figurine that some adventurers may hold in higher regard."

    "Not especially," Angelo shrugged. "I mainly chose this order to keep the narrative relatively clean, but if they were in desperate need of summons, they could have come here earlier. Six and half a dozen, if you catch my drift."
    1. Interview with the Vampire
      "At last," Bodhi teased as Angelo arrived at the Graveyard District after dark, "I was beginning to think you'd never make it."

      "Your servant Valen made it sound like visiting was an urgent matter," Angelo replied, "but I am not one to be rushed."

      "Curt, but efficient," Bodhi murmured. "Then I will reply in kind. Only this time, I will press you for a decision. Those shadow thieves cannot be trusted. They give you an offer, then change it when it suits them. Far better you put your faith in a vampire like me, who gives you a quote and sticks with it."

      "Will I get to keep my stronghold if I side with you?" Angelo asked. "Some online naysayers claim that it will disappear if I accept your offer."

      "Of course," Bodhi laughed with surprise. "I only turn away single class thieves for being too close for comfort. I see no contradiction between earning money for the shadow thieves guild while simultaneously working against them."

      "And the monsters that lie within these tombs," Angelo continued. "Do you have any objection to me smashing them up?" Bodhi shook her head. "Good," Angelo said as he signed along the dotted line, ridding himself of 15,000 GP, earning 36,750 XP and starting Chapter 3.
    2. Exp-lower-ing the Lower Tombs
      In fact, undead wasn't the first thing that greeted Angelo when he descended after Bodhi to the Lower Tombs, but a living man called Antenos. Neither he nor any of the other human slaves (suggestively named Fetch, Chore... and Food!) had anything of interest to say, so Angelo passed them in favour of the pool of blood in a hidden chamber behind a room of coffins (which was itself hidden). Enduring the 20 HP damage netted him a mace of disruption +1, which killed undead unless they saved versus death with -4 penalty. After disarming a Lightning Bolt trap on a chest in Bodhi's Inner Sanctum, Angelo also took the katana +2 and the ashen scales (i.e. scale mail +2).

      Returning to the ground floor, Angelo summoning his regular contingent, cast Invisibility and poked around. He met several groups of various arachnids (the bottommost even switched it up with a few ettercaps) - due to his undead's poison and physical resistance, the most dangerous of these were the giant spiders and their Web tangles (which, strangely, could ensnare his spiders). Still, stealth and a willingness to rest was enough to send them packing.

      Despite the game regularly warning him about the presence of traps, they were concentrated in the southwestern reach (apart from a Ray of Enfeeblement floor trap on the east passage). What's more, the Skull Trap floor trap nearest the inner circle was actually avoidable if Angelo hugged the edges.
      mo0c8vreqil0.png

      After disarming the Flame Strike trap on the chest opposite, Angelo moved along this corridor towards the exit. There, he disarmed a Chain Lightning floor trap (which was unavoidable) and a Cloudkill trap on a nearby chest for no notable benefit.
    3. Paying Pai' Na a Visit
      Angelo stuck his head into the central tower. There, he saw commoners Treddin, Bene, Samar and Philbert surrounding Pai'Na, a drow avenger. Since he was invisible, she did not immediately initiate dialogue, but something felt off about the encounter, so Angelo sneaked over to the back of the room. Out of sight of Pai'Na, he could summon his skeletons and spiders in peace. Hasting them, Angelo hid in the shadows, approached Pai'Na and picked the spider figurine right out of her pocket.
      coi4190cfdh1.png

      As predicted, Pai'Na immediately turned hostile, with the commoners proving themselves to be nothing more than vessels for more arachnids. Their poison caused 5 damage per tick and the tick rate was vicious - even though Angelo had his periapt on, he still cast Invisibility and slunk away while his summons engaged Pai'Na. With all of the monsters otherwise occupied, Angelo waited until his sword spiders had died, freeing up a slot for his efreeti to fill and lob Fireballs into the fog of war. While this didn't have much effect on his magic resistant skeletons, it toasted the hordes of spiders quite nicely indeed.

      Pai'Na may have turned into a salamander and avoided the damage, but if she had, it was no big deal. Surrounded as she was and out of Iron Skins, she may as well have shapechanged into a sitting duck. And with a golem, a berserk warrior and newly acquired Kitthix in tow, any remaining spiders were mopped up without incident.
    4. A Tomb with a View
      Venturing into the Southern Tombs, Angelo was taken with the floor mural of an Egyptian woman. "Such intricate details are bound to disguise some nasty surrpises," he murmured switching on Find Traps... and he wasn't wrong! The left and right eyes featured, respectively, petrification and Lightning Bolt traps while the chin concealed a magical damage trap. Perhaps worst of all, hidden on the mural's left hand was a Dire Charm trap that would trigger repeatedly... until Angelo disarmed it, that is.

      It was only once Angelo had moved into the centre of the room that the numerous coffins lining the chamber opened, releasing all manner of undead beasties. Luckily, Angelo was invisible and none of said beasties was a lich, so Angelo could escape through the secret door at the bottom of the chamber. This led to passage leading eastwards and southwards, the former bearing a repeating arrow trap while the latter had several traps in quick succession. The first was a monster summoning trap that could be circumvented.
      6z2m54imrb7c.png

      This was followed by a repeating Flame Strike trap, which was also avoidable.
      o4dtzq8ibgys.png

      Finally, there was a Chain Lightning trap - again, non-compulsory.
      pg6jn81a97kt.png

      This southernmost chamber served as an excellent base for Angelo to invisibly rest in and cast his lengthy spells to summon support. With patience and repeated applications, these summons would prove enough to tackle the parties of mummies, wraiths, ghouls and shadows posted outside the main chamber. The mummies' bandages proved especially vulnerable to the efreeti's fire-based magic, and Angelo was sure to open the coffin at the crossroads, releasing a skeleton warrior that carried Halcyon +1, a spear that did extra electrical damage.

      The only thing that summons could not take out on their own was the 'vampyre' in the main chamber (Angelo had hoped that its aberrant title would signify a lesser variant, but he was out of luck). Immune to < +1 weapons and in possession of Domination and several on-hit attacks (including level drain and drink blood), SCS had significantly upped the vampiric ante. Angelo would have to respond in kind... and he had just the tools to do it!

      While the vampyre was busy feasting on his throwaway summons, Angelo crept away and cast Mislead. Stowing the clone away, Angelo moved back in behind the vampyre and whipped out his new toy. Although the mace of disruption was nominally +1, it struck as a +3 weapon, which the vampyre found to its detriment.
      2sjcpn175hx5.png

      "Guess beating my friends up was only a vam-pyrrhic victory for you," Angelo chuckled as he took his leave.
    5. Casing the Crypts
      While he was here, Angelo checked out the other tombs in the Graveyard District. Most of them had tough locks and no notable treasure (although, randomly, the middle crypt had a battle axe +2 guarded by a lightning trap). There were a couple of skeleton warriors and mummies in some of the tombs, but they didn't follow Angelo outside, so he could run in and out to plunder their threadbare treasures. The tomb left of Tirdir's premature burial site contained a (self-proclaimed) Crypt King who cast Horror - since it instantly turned hostile, there was no way for Angelo to invisibly approach to Pick Pocket the Namarra +2 it carried. Given this, Angelo let it live (if this was the right term), at least for the time being.

      When looting the staff of curing from the southeastern tomb, Angelo discovered a secret door which he hadn't expected to. Felicity told him that it was connected with Clara's Hexxat's quest, which was introduced in the Enchanced Edition. "As you were," Angelo said - he'd come this far without recruiting any companions and had no intention of starting now.

    As he was preparing to leave the graveyard, a messenger arrived saying that his thieves had returned to their guild and that Renal was awaiting payment. Bodhi had evidently been telling the truth - it was possible to ally with her and still keep the thieves' guild stronghold. Angelo's next port of call was the harbour... and it'd be the shadow thieves, not Angelo, who would be in the Docks!
    Post edited by AvidGamerFan on
    Grond0StummvonBordwehrAerakarHarpagornis
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    Holy crap, that's genius! That's much more convenient and low-cost than the Ring of Energy or One Gift Lost methods.
    StummvonBordwehrBlackraven
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Nice work @AvidGamerFan! Personally I prefer the trapped corridor southwest of the elevator. It has a fireball trap, a lightning bolt trap, a cloudkill trap, and another fireball trap. The first fireball trap barely requires any luring of Love. If you flee toward the corridor after activating him or use a summon, he'll follow you for a bit. You can then go invisible without having to deal with the other dangerous warders. Unfortunately the warders are immune to the lightning and cloudkill traps. Oaen, a fighter/illusionist buried deep in this thread got rid of the warders this way.
    StummvonBordwehrGrond0semiticgoddessHarpagornis
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