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The (no-reload) exploits of Amend of Candlekeep, Bounty and Treasure Hunter, and Company

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  • AurorusAurorus Member Posts: 201

    What a shame about Faldorn! It would have been great to have the spellpower of a Druid in the party; especially for BG1.

    Yeah. I love Summon Woodland Being, especially for the Ducal Palace battle and the battle against the Iron Throne leaders. Really with Faldorn, this would be close to my ideal group for BGI... Coran enters the mix at some point, but Faldorn, Edwin, Viconia, Kagain, and Imoen are 5 of the best 8 NPCs available imo: with Yeslick, Coran, and Jaheira filling out the 8.

  • chickenhedchickenhed Member Posts: 208
    GREAT latest update.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Well done, almost effortless (compared to the struggle I had yesterday at the same point in the game). I'm quite impressed with the effectiveness of your traps. This is an SCS run yes? Are the traps actually a viable instrument against mobs? Do you have to rest a lot, to be an effective bounty hunter?
    Compliments by the way for the writing, I like Amend's ind of evil, ruthless and smart.
  • AurorusAurorus Member Posts: 201

    Well done, almost effortless (compared to the struggle I had yesterday at the same point in the game). I'm quite impressed with the effectiveness of your traps. This is an SCS run yes? Are the traps actually a viable instrument against mobs? Do you have to rest a lot, to be an effective bounty hunter?
    Compliments by the way for the writing, I like Amend's ind of evil, ruthless and smart.

    It is easier to this battle with a group. One does not have to worry about metagame knowledge so much (do you leave the battle horrors to avoid spawning the blacktalons... etc.). Just have the group positioned to handle each threat. It is much easier this time through as well, because I have metagame knowledge of SCS. With Aurorus, I had to be prepared for anything (which is one reason I never had any money. I bought every potion and a lot of arrows and used them much more often than necessary).

    The traps are ok and a very nice touch that gives a lot of flavor to the rogue. As I scout out battles and plan how to deploy and where to use the traps, it feels like I am playing a deliberate, careful hunter-type character. The traps are not terribly OP, but in certain situations very effective. In other situations not so effective. I can see how if you could throw them (as in previous versions) they would be game-breaking especially against the more predictable AI in vanilla. As they are in EE, I think they are pretty balanced. In this battle, they did some nice damage against the blacktalons, but only killed 1 or 2 and just stripped a couple images-stoneskins from Davaeorn, nothing game-breaking. The group still had to handle the blacktalons and Davaeorn.

  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Awesome writing man! Boy do I dig Amend's style and personality
    As you might know I've been thinking of starting up an all-thieves run, in which I would edit NPCs into different, possibly conflicting prototypes. Kagain (who would have to become a F/T) or perhaps a TN amoral (rather than immoral) charname. Amend can be an inspiration for this.
  • AurorusAurorus Member Posts: 201

    Awesome writing man! Boy do I dig Amend's style and personality
    As you might know I've been thinking of starting up an all-thieves run, in which I would edit NPCs into different, possibly conflicting prototypes. Kagain (who would have to become a F/T) or perhaps a TN amoral (rather than immoral) charname. Amend can be an inspiration for this.

    Amend is actually a partial anagram for my last name... lol.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Nice. I do that too, a lot (for example with Grynne's first and last name).
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    I'm wondering why Faldorn wasn't wearing a helmet back when she got chunked by that Wyvern? Also, could Shar-Teel not wear a helmet any more after she dualled?

    Regardless, great run and writing. A very enjoyable read.
  • ZaknafeinBaenreZaknafeinBaenre Member Posts: 349
    Man that is insanely risky to give Degrodel the helm of balduran. You have about 4 seconds to kill him before he disappears, and in a no-reload run, I would never have turned that helm over!
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    I was thinking the same thing as I read it. I turned in the helm on a 75 stat no res/no reload run. It had been a long time since I'd made it that far in the game so I didn't know he was going to turn on us. We barely made it out of that house alive.
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    For me, the first time I found that helmet was quite accidental. I was stashing stuff that I hoard in that inn. I chose that room because it was identical to the Jovial Juggler, the party's former residence. I think I was also on the lookout for something behind a painting (I think related to a different quest though) and found the trap (and killed off some of my party in the process). So the first time I encountered the actual quest, I was quite surprised there was a quest attached to the helm.
  • AurorusAurorus Member Posts: 201
    SirK8 said:

    For me, the first time I found that helmet was quite accidental. I was stashing stuff that I hoard in that inn. I chose that room because it was identical to the Jovial Juggler, the party's former residence. I think I was also on the lookout for something behind a painting (I think related to a different quest though) and found the trap (and killed off some of my party in the process). So the first time I encountered the actual quest, I was quite surprised there was a quest attached to the helm.

    I can´t remember when I first found that helm, but I know that I do remember getting the cloak first and only later discovering that there was a helm to go with it, so I must have done the quest. I often skip many of the Baldur´s Gate sidequests and explorations, mostly because I often play good or neutral characters and often druids or rangers or other nature types, and I just cannot justify them barging into homes or spending a lot of time exploring the city. So with Amend, I decided I was going to explore the whole city, since I have not done it for many years and even then only once or twice. It was great fun.
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    I like how you handled the showdown with the Priest of Tymora :)
  • ZaknafeinBaenreZaknafeinBaenre Member Posts: 349
    That was almost a disaster. Well done with the charm person spell. In a no-reload run you have to sometimes take extraordinary measures to avoid what normally would be an easy "try again until success" scenario
  • SirK8SirK8 Member Posts: 527
    I usually get bored following other people's playthroughs but I'm enjoying this. The pacing is nice, and I like the adherence to character.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    edited May 2014
    I don't tend to get bored following other people's playthroughs, but I agree with what @Sirk8 says. You've struck a nice balance between the RP aspects and the tactical/battle aspects. I enjoy reading it a lot.
    As to Amend's future. I think I'd like him to remain a Bounty Hunter. It's who he is, and what he does, imo. Besides it's quite a unique character. There are many arcane casters, but only one Bounty Hunter in BG2, and we all know what happens with him... Anyway, just do whatever makes you enjoy this great playthrough the most.
  • AurorusAurorus Member Posts: 201

    I don't tend to get bored following other people's playthroughs, but I agree with what @Sirk8 says. You've struck a nice balance between the RP aspects and the tactical/battle aspects. I enjoy reading it a lot.
    As to Amend's future. I think I'd like him to remain a Bounty Hunter. It's who he is, and what he does, imo. Besides it's quite a unique character. There are many arcane casters, but only one Bounty Hunter in BG2, and we all know what happens with him... Anyway, just do whatever makes you enjoy this great playthrough the most.

    I have been leaning more and more toward this as I continue. I just really like rogues and stealth (always have... even my fighter-type is a ranger who uses stealth a good bit). I also tend to play very carefully (when I am playing well and not being foolish), always scouting ahead, preparing a plan for each battle. So Amend as pure bounty hunter suits my style and keeping in character tends to keep me playing carefully and not getting careless.

    This means I will have to make a mage of some kind, however, since I wanted to do a fighter, a rogue, a divine caster, and an arcane caster. I had a dragon disciple but he died. Ellsbeth, my totemic druid, is coming along nicely and is just about to enter Cloakwood. She is almost level 7 and quite powerful (will be even more-so after getting Call Woodland Being). Her play-through has really been interesting. I will have to put some thought into what type of mage I want to be.. .something different.. maybe a cleric-mage necromancer type, an elven sorceror, or possibly a wild mage (which is not so bad for a no-reload as I have discovered with Neera in my Ellsbeth play-through).
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Cleric/Necromancer is an interesting archetype. Elven Sorcerer is, as I understand it, very powerful. Wild Mage I think is a bit risky at the early stages (one gated Fiend and you're probably toast). They get better later on though.

    Looking forward to your other playthorughs.

    And I agree on the stealth. It's the reason I mostly play thieves (and in the past, Rangers).
  • AurorusAurorus Member Posts: 201


    Looking forward to your other playthorughs.

    And I agree on the stealth. It's the reason I mostly play thieves (and in the past, Rangers).

    Just finished reading your journal on Lenno. I like it much better with a group, especially Eldoth. I really wanted to take him with Amend and probably should have. I did not want to part with Imoen, Kagain, Edwin, or Viconia, so Skie presented problems, and this is the reason I did not take Eldoth early on. I just did not think that I would have a place for Skie... little did I know.

  • AurorusAurorus Member Posts: 201
    Investigations

    With much of the city explored and his limitations as a burglar and thief exposed (by his failure to pick-pocket the priest of Tymora), Amend turned his attention to activities to which he was more accustomed and better suited: investigation. While dealing with Degrodel, Amend encountered an old friend: Aldeth Sashenstar. Aldeth was having problems. His business partners were acting strangely, he confided to Amend. He asked Amend to investigate and promised hard money. Amend quickly agreed.

    A quick investigation and interrogation of merchants in the league found that Aldeth´s suspicions were well-founded and that some of his colleagues also suspected the partners of unusual behavior. Amend and Imoen stalked unseen up to the office of one of the partners and searched his desk for any evidence to indicate foul-play. Documents in the desk revealed that the League had indeed been infiltrated and that both the partners along with many others were imposters. The documents also revealed that these imposters intended to kill Aldeth at a party, which was soon to take place upstairs.

    Amend shared his suspicions and the documents with Aldeth, who asked for the company´s protection at the party. After notifiying the authorities, Aldeth arrived at the party with the group serving as his bodyguards. The assembled guests, who number a dozen or more including Aldeth´s partners, revealed themselves to be dopplegangers as they assaulted Aldeth and the group. With little magic support, however, the dopplegangers were no match for Amend and company who slew the lot of them with little difficulty. Aldeth rewarded the group with a magical sword, and Amend departed, chuckling as he strolled out: a new friend of the Merchants´League and a members of the Thieves´ Guild.

    Quite pleased with himself and with his prospects in this line of work generally, Amend wanted to continue in this vein by assisting Scar, the captain of the Flaming Fist. Scar had confronted Amend when he arrived in Baldur´s Gate and asked him to investigate the Seven Suns Trading Coaster. Amend had agreed, since the fee that Scar was offering was sizeable, but he had been reluctant to pursue this investigation for fear of being too closely associated with the Flaming Fist as he was ingratiating himself with the Thieves´Guild. He was now in good-standing, however, and decided to pursue this investigation. It proved a simple matter really, of freeing the leader of the Seven Suns, Jhasso (who had been imprisoned in the basement), and learning from Jhasso that the Seven Suns also had been infiltrated by dopplegangers.

    Amend returned to Scar with the information and received his reward. The Thieves´Guild member could now count himself as a friend of the Seven Suns Trading Coster, the Merchants´League, and Flaming Fist. He had come a long way from Candlekeep and was now on the cusp of becoming one of the most powerful and wealthy (he had over 70,000 GP at this point) men on the Sword Coast. It was time to begin thinking about what he should do with the power and wealth that he had been accumulating. As he began to ponder these things, one thought kept entering and occupying his mind: Viconia. He could keep her safe; make people respect her; give her power; give her everything she ever desired.
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