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"Maybe this time" [NO-RELOAD THREAD]: "The Tale of TEN THOUSAND Trials"

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  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,724
    I would use MovetoArea via the console, to enter the mines. Try AR5401
  • MacHurtoMacHurto Member Posts: 731
    edited May 2016
    Playing on the iPad ;-) Any other choice?
  • ArtonaArtona Member Posts: 1,077
    I love your duergar's attitude: "guards after me, again. What's their problem? Yeah, I killed some people, but, like, that just sorta happened, right? No need to be so upset about it.". :D
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @MacHurto: Sad to hear it. Charm is deadly in BG1, even with EE having reduced the duration (at least for the mage versions).

    For future reference, Maze can also end solo runs despite being nonlethal, which you will want to look out for in BG2. It won't bypass magic resistance like Imprisonment, but there is no save. Spell Immunity: Conjuration will block it, as will Berserker rage and Chaotic Commands.
  • MacHurtoMacHurto Member Posts: 731
    I think I will just use a companion on the other side of the map when there is charm/maze risk.
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    Melissa, Transmuter, SoD. Part 2.

    Nothing actually eventful happened in the current play through. After the ambush in the Ducal Palace we explore the palace a bit. In the cellars/dungeons we find out that Korlasz is breaking out and we have to take care of her. With some strength buffing and polymorphing into a spider we wittle down he mirror image and let the poison do its job.



    Then we go out to town with Corwyn. In the sorceress sundries we meet a party that is robbing the place. With a fireball from the wand of fire we take out half the party. The mage is hit with a stab from the dagger of venom, and the spider is toasted with burning hands.



    Melissa hires some help (Safana, Minsc, Dynaheir, Corwyn) and we head out of the city.

    Nothing too challenging yet. We will see what the first camp and forest bring.

  • lurithlurith Member Posts: 55
    edited May 2016
    Made it to the Bandit Camp with no problem, and one new companion joins. Soon to say but I'm feeling that this time I may make it to SoA without reloading.

    Savras

    update 9
    Before heading to the North, the group went to buy some magic scroll from Thalantyr. On their way, they met a ranger called Kivan. His hatred of bandits and one ogre in particular seemed sincere. The story was consistent what little they knew about the bandit leaders, so Savras let him join. It seemed providence that they should meet a good warrior with the same immediate goals just waiting for them. Shall keep an eye on him.

    Larswood and Peldvale were littered with bandit scum, but the party had no problem dealing with them. Shar Teel had to resist her bloodthirsty impulse to scalp the bandits with the purpose of making some bounty money. Savras did not allow it. On the other hand, Drizzt had suggested that they infiltrated the mercenaries, but this type of subterfuge seemed low to Savras. Plus, Kivan would not hold his wrath against the criminals and thieves. An honorable companion, at last.

    In the woods, they found a mage drow that came from nowhere and talked like he wanted something from the group. From many books, Savras knew that drows were defined as an "evil subrace of elves who live in the underdark", so he had nothing against Kivan's decision to kill the dark-skinned sorcerer. Nimue liked the drow's robe, and she had no qualms about taking the bloody vestment from the dead body, so she became the new owner of an archmage robe.

    Further North, the party met another drow, this time a female. Obviously, the two dark elves were somehow related, so Savras was about to let Kivan pronounce judgment. However, they were interrupted by a Fist mercenary, claiming to have charges against the woman with her race as only proof. Even though they had been about to do the same thing, Savras saw the soldier as nothing more than a bully. The Fist was only a mercenary group, and yet they claimed rightful authority based on the fact that some important nobleman in Baldurs Gate payed for his swords. "I am the Law", the soldier dared say to Savras, and in that moment he knew what he had to do. The mercenary was beaten down to a pulp.

    (blackguard +1)

    The female drow was probably innocent of that one crime, but she was still a drow. Savras made very clear that the dark elf would go back to the Underdark and never get out again. If he saw her again, he would kill her. A moment of weakness in front of an obviously evil creature, admittedly, but Savras had seen enough death for the day. Imoen was happy to see her go unharmed; Kivan was content that at least the group would not listen to her lies. Tiax and Shar Teel were probably satisfied with teaching a lesson to that pompous mercenary. Nimue simply smiled.

    The following day, a frontal assault to the bandit camp proved to be bloodier than expected. The scum was better organized that Savras had anticipated, and they were many. Some healing potions and spells were needed, but the deed was done. The leaders, in the biggest tent, were no match against the party, once they were forced to fight in Savras terms instead of inside their lair.


    That night, Savras had a bloody dream, and woke up with a supernatural ability to put fear in the hearts of the weak. He wanted to overcome his own fears, not to make the world afraid of him. Plus, even though he always tried to be a good man, he was always a merciless monster in his dreams. Scared of what he was becoming, he tried to hide this power and never use it if he could help it.
  • lurithlurith Member Posts: 55
    edited May 2016
    Much progress on these last few days, so here's a summary, more than an update.

    Note: Savras, so far, is leaning between Cavalier and Blackguard. He tries to do good, but roleplaying him as Legal Neutral he has been quite a jerk. He is ruthless, merciless and respects only (what he sees as) rightful authority. I blame that on Nimue's influence. He does behave as a hero, although a cowardly one at times. If he was able to overcome his fears and followed the righteous path, he would be a fine cavalier.

    BG1 has (now I see) very few challenging undeads or otherwise reason to justify becoming an Undead Hunter roleplay-wise. And (in part thanks to Nimue), mages have rarely been a problem. Plus, Imoen and Nimue are proof that not all spell-casters are evil. Or are they?

    Savras

    update 10

    On their way to the Cloackwood forest, the group ended up fighting an ankheg infestation near a farm. The critters were tough, but battling evil monsters was a nice feeling. The ankhegs had killed the son of a farmer, and the least Savras could do was give some gold to the worried peasant. They had been following the path of Helm for too long for the taste of Shar Teel and Tiax, and they both deserted without so much as an explanation. Kivan thought that the group was better off without them, and he was surely right, because not long after they met a real paladin of Helm (a squire, really, but yet) by the name of Ajantis. He wanted help fighting the bandit menace, and after explaining that they were on the same quest, Ajantis agreed to join them. Rejoice!

    Kivan and Ajantis were devoted to make the Coast Word safer. Even though Imoen and Nimue were a bit more fickle on the morality department, this was starting to feel like a group of heroes.

    The forest was a dangerous, but rewarding, business. More monsters to slay. Sadly, more bad news to give. Savras was too late to save Tiber's brother.

    An archer called Coran was alone in the forest with the intention of defeating wyverns, so they let him tag along, impressed by his boldness. Savras did not need a gold reward to battle evil wyrms. Killing them in their lair was the high point of the trip

    (Cavalier +1)
    Coran would not leave the group until the reward was collected, so he helped finding the secret mine and even went as far a taking a lethal wound for the cause. They dealt with the bandits in much the same manner that they had in the past. An evil wizard gave some problems, so they gave him problems back. He was a dangerous foe; Nimue and him spell-fenced for a while, deflecting each other's spells, until she managed to silence him. After that, Savras fought the mage hand-to-hand, and the end was very predictable.

    (Inquisitor +1)
    Post edited by lurith on
  • MacHurtoMacHurto Member Posts: 731
    Really nice run! I totally relate to the whole "hey, I had to kill them. How is this MY fault?" From my last failed no reload.
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    This new concentration check business with casters is going to end a lot of no-reloads. (At least it seems completely new to me. I remember hits on casters *always* interrupting spells.)
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,724
    Kudos to @Ygramul for creating and keeping all those titles. They read like a separate story, reflecting a world where different heroes try their luck against Sarevok, Irenicus and Mel.
  • lurithlurith Member Posts: 55
    Thanks @Ygramul

    And thxs everyone else on this thread. I am enjoying reading all your stories (learning a lot too) and sharing my awkward attempts at saving Faerun.
  • OtherguyOtherguy Member Posts: 157
    edited June 2016
    @Ygramul thank you for all the work helping to keep this Amazing thread alive.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    My next run has three new kits in it: an updated and balanced version of the Phase Spider kit, the Seducer kit, and a new kit called the Red Soul.

    Technically I can't add any kits to my game given my weird install, but I can apply all necessary kit effects using custom items. So whatever.

    Phase Spider kit:

    Advantages:
    Improved Alacrity
    May cast Web Tangle at will at level 1 and Dimension Door at will at level 2 as innate spells. Web Tangle webs the target for 12 seconds on a failed save vs. breath at +3. Both spells impose a -1 casting speed penalty for 12 seconds, slowing down future spells.
    Gets an extra attack per round when using its natural attack.
    Lightning Reflexes: Whenever the Phase Spider is struck, it receives a bonus +2 to AC and saving throws and an extra 10% magic resistance for 2 rounds, and has a 25% chance of shrugging off the effects of lingering damage spells, at the cost of -1 to hit and damage. The spider does not gain additional bonuses from simultaneous strikes.
    Arachnophobia: +2 to AC and saving throws against humanoid enemies.
    Gains a +1 to movement rate every 5 levels.
    +25% to stealth
    Melee attack inflict poison on a failed save vs. death:
    Level 1: Save at +1 or suffer 1 poison damage per 3 seconds for 9 seconds.
    Level 4: Save or suffer 1 poison damage per 3 seconds for 12 seconds. 10% chance of dealing 5 poison damage without a save.
    Level 9: Save at -1 or suffer 1 poison damage per 3 seconds for 15 seconds. 15% chance of dealing 5 poison damage without a save.
    Level 14: Save at -2 or suffer 1 poison damage per 3 seconds for 18 seconds. 20% chance of dealing 5 poison damage without a save.
    Immune to poison and web
    Immune to humanoid-specific spells (Hold Person, Charm Person, etc.)
    +1 to save vs. death

    The phase spider gets a special selection of ranger spells:
    Level 1:
    Cure Light Wounds: 15 HP, on self only.
    Blur: 10 rounds.
    Armor of Faith: 10 rounds
    Level 2:
    Cure Medium Wounds: 30 HP, on self only.
    Haste: 10 rounds, on self only.
    Horror: 10 rounds
    Level 3:
    Cure Serious Wounds: 45 HP, on self only.
    Web: Save vs. breath or web for 6 seconds.
    Poison: 1d8 poison damage and an additional 1 poison damage per second for 60 seconds if the target fails its save vs. death at -1. For every two levels after level 12, the spells deals an additional 1d8 damage and the target must make its save vs. death at an additional -1 penalty, up to 5d8 damage and a save penalty of -5 at level 20.
    All spells bypass magic resistance and impose a -1 casting speed penalty per spell level for 12 seconds.


    Disadvantages:
    Only gains 1d6 HP per level.
    -5 to hit and damage when using any weapon besides its natural attack.
    May not use missile weapons, boots, rings, helmets, gauntlets, or armor heavier than studded leather.
    May only become proficient in katanas, bastard swords, axes, hammers, and maces. May not attain any proficiency in flails, missile weapons, two-handed weapons, or two-handed weapon style.
    -1 to INT
    -3 to WIS
    -10 to CHA


    HLAs:
    Evasion: Lightning Reflexes grants an additional +1 to AC and saving throws and an extra 5% magic resistance.
    Improved Evasion: Lightning Reflexes grants an additional +1 to AC and saving throws and an extra 5% magic resistance.
    Improved Alacrity: +1 bonus to casting speed, selectable twice
    Whirlwind Attack
    Hardiness
    Alchemy
    Spider Spawn, selectable three times.

    Finally, it can no longer spam spells, thanks to those gradually increasing casting time penalties. And thanks to its Lightning Reflexes ability I finally implemented, it more closely fits the original idea, a fast, responsive, and evasive spider with low offensive output and crippling item restrictions.

    The Seducer:

    Advantages:
    May cast Charm every 3 rounds.
    May cast Feeblemind, Sleep, and Confusion every 5 rounds.
    Immune to charm and domination.
    +1 to Charisma

    Charm:
    Controls any creature for 6 rounds, even those immune to charm. The target has a 20% chance of receiving no saving throw, and an 80% chance of receiving a save vs. spell at +4 to resist the effect. Non-human targets have an additional 50% chance to shrug off the effect entirely. Charmed creatures will not turn hostile when attacked. The spell casts instantly, but the Seducer cannot act for 3 seconds afterward, and the charm will not take effect until 2 rounds have passed.

    Feeblemind/Confusion/Sleep:
    Feebleminds, confuses, or knocks unconscious one creature for 10 seconds on a failed save vs. spell at +2.

    Disadvantage:
    All thieving skills are at half their normal values.
    May not dual-class.
    May not use Spike Trap, Time Trap, Exploding Trap, or Assassination.

    I balanced the Charm spell a bit better, tweaking its chance of success and making it less of an instant win button when successful by decreasing its duration. Its charm ability uses opcode 241 instead of opcode 5, allowing it to charm anything in the game, from liches to dragons to demons to Melissan if successful. But the spell is slow to activate and unreliable, and if it doesn't work, the Seducer can't do much else, having even lower skills than an Assassin, and having none of the thief's high-powered HLAs.

    Red Soul:
    This was originally a really complicated kit, but then I reduced it to two effects, making it interesting as well as balanced.

    Advantages:
    Does 100% more acid, cold, fire, electricity, magic, and poison damage.

    Disadvantages:
    All cleric and mage spells have 50% duration.

    In a nutshell, it deals gobs of damage but has very weak, short-lived buffs, trading the mage's traditional tankiness for raw power.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    Our Charname this time, however, has a vanilla kit. Poppy is back, this time as a halfling Barbarian specializing in katanas and slings.

    The Phase Spider, Seducer, and Red Soul kits just aren't sturdy enough to be the main character in a no-reload run, not compared to a Barbarian. Poppy will have the saving throws, the HP, and immunities, if not the AC or spell buffs, to survive throughout the game. I personally hold the Berserker to be the stronger critter, but I think the Barbarian kit is a little cooler, as its drawbacks are more meaningful.

    Our old Phase Spider, Blueberry, is back, because she is too cute to give up.

    She will be our second tank, since the Phase Spider's Lightning Reflexes ability will improve its AC as it gets hit--but its low HP will prevent it from being a truly successful tank.

    Our Seducer this time is Laosha, another old face, literally.

    Also a halfling, because saving throw bonuses.

    Then we have our sorcerers, Yigeren and Mougeren.


    Their only purpose is to bomb out the Duergar in Chateau Irenicus, who otherwise can be rather draining on the party's resources. Fireball is very effective against enemies without spell protections or magic resistance.


    Once we've exhausted Mougeren's spells, we ditch him. He is a drain on our XP.

    We switch him out for Yoshimo, who is a rather effective bruiser in his own right.

    We use summons to distract the Salt Mephit and absorb its game-ending stun effect (I actually forgot that Barbarian Rage grants immunity to stun), allowing our Seducer to take control of it. Unfortunately, we cannot use its Salt Crystal ability against the nearby Duergar. Charm effects don't necessarily give you total control of an enemy--it does not change their scripts at all.

    We finish up the rest of the dungeon without incurring any losses, despite botching a couple of Web spells. Those Fireballs did a lot to soften up the enemy and save our resources for the later battles. We ditch Yigeren, our second disposable sorcerer, and escape to the surface.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    We nab Aerie and give her the Red Soul kit. Aerie being a Cleric/Mage, a highly defensive class with many important buffs, this deals a crushing blow to her best abilities. The Red Soul kit is really better suited to a mage, which gains about as much as it loses by trading buff duration for spell damage, but I really want to see a Holy Smite deal double damage. We try it out on some slavers, to brilliant effect.

    I rely on Blueberry to tank the survivors, but find that the Phase Spider kit's AC buffs from Lightning Reflexes aren't quite enough considering it only gets 1d6 HP per level, or 10 HP to a normal ranger's 14.

    I order Blueberry to teleport away while Aerie casts Fireball, but Blueberry's Dimension Door spell stalls, a bug which gets her killed.

    I've seen this before. Sometimes spells will just never finish casting--they'll go on and on forever during the casting phase without completing. I think this is because EE erroneously allows you to click on targets that are actually out of range, forcing the spell to stall without warning or notification. This is always very frustrating. If a target isn't valid and can't be reached, you shouldn't be able to select it.

    We pay 800 gold to bring Blueberry back. This time, Blueberry stays out of the way of Aerie's spells.

    One of the disadvantages of the Red Soul kit is that party-unfriendly spells are especially dangerous, as the extra damage also applies to your own characters.

    Aerie continues to blast our enemies into oblivion. Her defenses are short-lived--her Stoneskin only lasts 6 hours, and will vanish upon resting--but if we keep her safe, Holy Smite is a very strong and safe option for the game's many evil-aligned hostiles.

    We struggle a bit with Prebek and Sanasha, who come with MGOI spells that block Aerie's Holy Smite spells, but Blueberry can poison them despite their Stoneskin spells, and a bit of luck grants our Seducer control over Prebek, allowing Aerie to blast him with an Acid Arrow once his MGOI wears off.



    We finish up the Renfeld questline. The moment we pick up Xzar's gold, Valen shows up.

    Brus isn't far behind. Apparently both of them have been shadowing the party and counting our gold until the exact moment we hit 15,000.

    I'm not sure where to go from here, but when I find myself in the Promenade looking for scrolls to fill up Aerie's spellbook, I decide to pay Mencar Pennypincher a visit. A single Sunfire spell from Aerie destroys both enemy spellcasters.

    I have Aerie tank Mencar and Smelly while Blueberry flanks the latter, with Laosha and Poppy blocking the exit so Brennan can't escape. But I allowed the enemy to exert too much pressure on Aerie, and her defenses go down.

    Apparently Brennan doesn't need to reach the stairway to flee the area--he can vanish right through the corner of the wall. He escapes with his life. Aerie, however does not.

    We bring down Smelly, but Mencar remains, and an auto-pause reminds me of one of our Phase Spider's notable weaknesses: the inability to wear a helmet. A surprise critical takes her down.

    Poppy tries to take down the dwarf, but he has potions, and forces us to use many of our own, while Laosha's psionics fail to take effect. In the end, Poppy uses her superior movement rate to kite Mencar and avoid his axe, though Laosha lands the final blow with a lucky attack roll.

    We have big plans coming up soon, but we hit a snag that could prove problematic later on.

    We triggered the Gaal cutscene, but neither High Watcher Oisig nor any representative from the temples of Lathander or Talos arrives to greet us. The Unseeing Eye quest fails to trigger. Hopefully, though, we can find Keldorn in the sewers and open up the way on our own.
  • lurithlurith Member Posts: 55
    edited June 2016
    I've seen this before. Sometimes spells will just never finish casting--they'll go on and on forever during the casting phase without completing. I think this is because EE erroneously allows you to click on targets that are actually out of range, forcing the spell to stall without warning or notification. This is always very frustrating. If a target isn't valid and can't be reached, you shouldn't be able to select it.
    @semiticgod Note that, at least AFAIK the casting animation will finish and the spell will be cast as soon as the target becomes reachable. I saw this a few days ago with Nimue. She had started casting Silence to a mage in a room when Coran panicked and closed the door :D Nimue kept doing her little magic dance for several rounds until Savras opened the door again. Then, she finalized the spell and the mage was silenced (and kicked for justice

    So it may be a (annoying, sometimes) bug, but it could be intentional.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @lurith: That makes sense, but what if I'm targeting the ground? I didn't cast Dimension Door on a character; I picked a spot on the floor, which should have already been within Blueberry's site.
  • lurithlurith Member Posts: 55
    @semiticgod Absolutely, then the character will be idiotically casting an impossible spell until you interrupt it yourself. The fact that it can beneficial, as I noted, does not make it less weird, and from a RP-perspective it makes very little sense. I would call it a bug.
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