OCDers guide to SCS no-reload
Ygramul
Member Posts: 1,059
SCS no-reload for BG/BG2 is the single most thrilling gaming experience of my entire gaming tenure. Below are some rules of thumb I learned through hard lessons. I hope others can chime in as well.
* House Rules for gameplay [recommended]:
The following assumes no-cheese & no obstructive metagaming. I personally roll characters without re-arranging stats (i.e. no min-max), but usually reroll for a bit. Minor aesthetic changes via EEkeper is okay (I like my fighter/mage multi to be human, for example), but no hacks like imported immunities or items.) I don't buy back ("recharge") wands or other such shenanigans. I don't use Project Image (it should have been consuming your memorized spells). No maximum hitpoints: too bad if my big burly fighter rolled a 1 at level up.
I use SCS with all AI improvements & some modest challenges, but without major rule changes (e.g. mages don't autocast a dozen spells on round 1; in turn, I don't prebuff by metagaming encounters, except for scouting).
The fundamental rule is: if you die, you are dead. Back to the drawing board...
* Here are my guidelines:
1. Everything can kill you -- if you are careless.
I died to most anything from Shank to Lavok. It's usually because I was thinking "ah, I'm probably safe for a round or two here".
Can you die to two consecutive critical strikes from Gibberlings if you stand your ground now? You will, eventually. Retreat and heal now!
2. corollary: [dons the voice of Sun Tzu] Win the fight before you have fought it.
This means to ask yourself every round of every fight: am I guaranteed to survive this fight? what if I use consumables? if I'm required to use consumables for a guaranteed win is it worth the cost?
If you answer no, then retreat. If retreat is impossible, don't hold back consumables.
3. corollary: scout!
A surprise fight prevents you from asking question 2 controllably and may force you to use your precious consumables.
I always have a dedicated thief searching for traps ahead of the party under Invisibility. The thief doesn't lift a finger, short of an emergency, just observes. Invisibility is a first priority when the party mage gets to lvl 3. Never cover an area without your scout going ahead of you.
4. rest often.
I never keep scouting a map when low on resources (especially spells, but also hit points etc.).
Make sure to keep enough back up spells to fend of an ambush when you rest. If not, consider leaving the area and come back. Rest close to the edge of the map so you can escape from those 3 ogre berserkers when you're hurt and out of healing spells.
5. anti-mage loadout.
Mages are dangerous. Don't listen to those that say the BG1 is light in magic; it may be true comparatively to BG2, but mages still are the greatest dangers. You need mages of your own (at least two!) that begin loading up on anti-spellcaster spells as soon as possible. It is tempting to go all Fireball, but believe me, when you need that Spell Thrust against the enemy mage's Minor Globe of Invulnerability it will not matter how many more Fireballs you have memorized. Druids: get some insect spells. When you face divine casters, hit them with Melf's acid arrow etc. to have a chance to keep interrupting them.
6. memorize spells in batches (use potions of Genius)
no-reload means that your Diviner has a 1/6 chances of failing to memorize that one Stoneskin scroll in the game - if you gulped a potion of genius. If you didn't it's like 1/3 or worse. Except for abundant lvl 1 spells, I usually memorize in batches to minimize spell learning failures.
7. Don't roll saving throws:
what I mean is, avoid having to roll against a Hold, Finger of Death, Petrify etc. Make sure that either you are immune to the effect, or lowered your saving throw to zero (potion?), or you are out of the way.
8. [special] Frontline charnames:
Bad idea! Everything will target you; every mage will target you. Your meager defenses will fail. You will die!
That being said, I play a frontliner myself most of the time [cue the Austin Powers meme "live dangerously"]. I learned to strategically retreat often. If you have a fighter mage, you can have a few guaranteed rounds of safety on the front lines. But you need a second tank. Keep escape options open. If there is anything (e.g. a mage, cleric, umber hulk etc.) that can disable you (e.g. you don't have a Chaotic Commands or Ring of Free Action against whatever you face), retreat NOW!. You can't just wing it and hope for the best. You will eventually fail your saving throw (see 7) and die!
* House Rules for gameplay [recommended]:
The following assumes no-cheese & no obstructive metagaming. I personally roll characters without re-arranging stats (i.e. no min-max), but usually reroll for a bit. Minor aesthetic changes via EEkeper is okay (I like my fighter/mage multi to be human, for example), but no hacks like imported immunities or items.) I don't buy back ("recharge") wands or other such shenanigans. I don't use Project Image (it should have been consuming your memorized spells). No maximum hitpoints: too bad if my big burly fighter rolled a 1 at level up.
I use SCS with all AI improvements & some modest challenges, but without major rule changes (e.g. mages don't autocast a dozen spells on round 1; in turn, I don't prebuff by metagaming encounters, except for scouting).
The fundamental rule is: if you die, you are dead. Back to the drawing board...
* Here are my guidelines:
1. Everything can kill you -- if you are careless.
I died to most anything from Shank to Lavok. It's usually because I was thinking "ah, I'm probably safe for a round or two here".
Can you die to two consecutive critical strikes from Gibberlings if you stand your ground now? You will, eventually. Retreat and heal now!
2. corollary: [dons the voice of Sun Tzu] Win the fight before you have fought it.
This means to ask yourself every round of every fight: am I guaranteed to survive this fight? what if I use consumables? if I'm required to use consumables for a guaranteed win is it worth the cost?
If you answer no, then retreat. If retreat is impossible, don't hold back consumables.
3. corollary: scout!
A surprise fight prevents you from asking question 2 controllably and may force you to use your precious consumables.
I always have a dedicated thief searching for traps ahead of the party under Invisibility. The thief doesn't lift a finger, short of an emergency, just observes. Invisibility is a first priority when the party mage gets to lvl 3. Never cover an area without your scout going ahead of you.
4. rest often.
I never keep scouting a map when low on resources (especially spells, but also hit points etc.).
Make sure to keep enough back up spells to fend of an ambush when you rest. If not, consider leaving the area and come back. Rest close to the edge of the map so you can escape from those 3 ogre berserkers when you're hurt and out of healing spells.
5. anti-mage loadout.
Mages are dangerous. Don't listen to those that say the BG1 is light in magic; it may be true comparatively to BG2, but mages still are the greatest dangers. You need mages of your own (at least two!) that begin loading up on anti-spellcaster spells as soon as possible. It is tempting to go all Fireball, but believe me, when you need that Spell Thrust against the enemy mage's Minor Globe of Invulnerability it will not matter how many more Fireballs you have memorized. Druids: get some insect spells. When you face divine casters, hit them with Melf's acid arrow etc. to have a chance to keep interrupting them.
6. memorize spells in batches (use potions of Genius)
no-reload means that your Diviner has a 1/6 chances of failing to memorize that one Stoneskin scroll in the game - if you gulped a potion of genius. If you didn't it's like 1/3 or worse. Except for abundant lvl 1 spells, I usually memorize in batches to minimize spell learning failures.
7. Don't roll saving throws:
what I mean is, avoid having to roll against a Hold, Finger of Death, Petrify etc. Make sure that either you are immune to the effect, or lowered your saving throw to zero (potion?), or you are out of the way.
8. [special] Frontline charnames:
Bad idea! Everything will target you; every mage will target you. Your meager defenses will fail. You will die!
That being said, I play a frontliner myself most of the time [cue the Austin Powers meme "live dangerously"]. I learned to strategically retreat often. If you have a fighter mage, you can have a few guaranteed rounds of safety on the front lines. But you need a second tank. Keep escape options open. If there is anything (e.g. a mage, cleric, umber hulk etc.) that can disable you (e.g. you don't have a Chaotic Commands or Ring of Free Action against whatever you face), retreat NOW!. You can't just wing it and hope for the best. You will eventually fail your saving throw (see 7) and die!
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Comments
I don.t know about SCS but all of your advices also apply in vanilla.
I would add one : plan your way through the game. Some areas are much harder than others. Starting by the easy quest to get easy xp and equipment will make the run much easier.
Admittedly, this is one of BG's faults that you aren't actually supposed to follow the main quest right away (or help a friendly sounding Garrick just yet):
Kobolds are murder for a lvl 1 party and Silke will wipe out an unprepared lvl 1 party. I usually go on a walkabout in the country side first for a level or two...