16394 replies to this topic

[Alesia_BH]

corey_russell wrote...
@all other runs - good luck to you all! Let's all make it to the Throne of Bhaal so we can crash Melissan's party there.

Hear, hear!

[Gate70]

Blind_Visionary wrote...Umm, all I saw was some flying bits. Looked like someone poured the contents of the Cloakwood Mines into a blender. Yikes! Nicely done.

If at first you don't make a fool of yourself, try again...

After equipping the ring of protection +2 (Ramazith had...an accident) Karix had another go with the Iron Throne HQ but that didn’t go to plan. The doppelganger slashed him up so he had to glug and run downstairs, then I took 3 goes to glug a regeneration potion while killing Diyab. By this point Karix has had one near death experience.

After glugging another healer he returned upstairs but everybody had cleared off. A kai to head downstairs but only the doppelganger is waiting so a quick look round to locate the others. I wanted to finish Zhalimar but Alai was in the way so killed him and glugged a potion before turning on Zhalimar then Gardush. Naaman and Aasim are tidied up.

The above are shown in this clip (different capture settings) and starting point is as below (4 potions out of inventory were glugged).


Then without a break  Karix returned to Candlekeep. After grabbing the ring of Koveras and getting framed for murder he escapes into the catacombs to loot 3 tombs and decides to melee some doppelgangers (invulnerability wore off so oil of speed will have gone too). He glugs another invulnerability potion and uses a greenstone amulet charge to take care of Prat’s gang, then adds a potion of mirrored eyes to play with basilisks.

That is shown in this clip (had to fiddle settings to upload, not a good sign).

Edited by Gate70, 22 April 2013 - 10:07 PM.

[Gate70]

Final update for Karix.

Karix has a few jobs left to do. Slythe, the coronation and Sarevok. Perhaps he should have picked up the throwing axe dropped by Prat but Sarevok can’t be that tough - can he (um oh dear).

The key to this must be preparation so Karix buys what he wants, carries what he can and rests before finding Slythe. With heavy buffs he soon dashes the assassin’s chances of further mischief - and a blood-spattered invitation won’t raise too many questions will it?

At the coronation Karix adds a potion of power and sets to work. He pauses to pay his respects to Liia as she falls, then rescues Belt. With the assassins a no-show and the doppelgangers dead Sarevok attacks instead. Karix tries a cautious swipe or two before Winski arrives to break up the fight.

Belt sends Karix after Sarevok and after grabbing a few more healing potions he clears the thieves maze and skirts around Raemon and his gang of mercenaries to open the door of the temple of Bhaal.

Clip covering Slythe to the temple is here. I had to try 2-3 times to load this one, quality is rubbish.

Then on to Sarevok. A poor start as after Karix buffs he sees Sarevok call for aid, and as a precaution up goes a protection from magic scroll - de-buffed. Karix decides to draw out the spells from Semaj and glugs a few potions as Angelo and his arrows do their worst. Karix has used all his regeneration potions - hilarious for a kensai who left a throwing axe behind - so decides he needs to even up the odds.

First Tazok kills Angelo then Karix uses a potion of invisibility as Tazok and Sarevok turn on Semaj. Tazok is almost dead so Karix buffs and kills him, then begins a deadly game of cat and mouse with Sarevok. The idea is to not have less than 50hp left, but with a limited number of potions available this could be tricky.

Sarevok is using his longer sword to good effect so Karix uses his magic protection to deliver a series of skulltraps with the odd piercing trap thrown in. As Sarevok approaches death Kaxir tries another attack but has to glug on the run. Another attack is more successful and Sarevok is mortally wounded and Karix just has to do a pantaloon run on the way back to Belt.

Clip of the temple fight (here in a bit) - very scrappy compared to my usual runs as otherwise the clips would be significantly longer with 2-3 times as much pausing.

Edited by Gate70, 22 April 2013 - 10:39 PM.

[Blind_Visionary]

Congrats Gate! You've certainly got BG1 wired.

[corey_russell]

Congratulations Gate70! Best of luck (intelligence) in Amn! Party or solo in Amn?

[Alesia_BH]

Congrats Gate!

Alisa should be joining Karix soon: She's finishing up BG1 as I write.

Best,

A.

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 12:20 AM.

[Alesia_BH]

 Quick Note on Alisa's Game:

Fixed it. 


Alisa is headed to Amn.

I'll post an overview of her Sword Coast adventures soon.

Best,

A.

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 03:00 AM.

[Blind_Visionary]

I gather that Alisa didn't need the ring of last resort.... Congratulations!

[Blind_Visionary]

Umm, this is embarassing. Marl punched Elan in the nose and he died on the floor of Feldepost's Inn (it must have been a critical). It seems like mean characters have a bit of a hard row to hoe. I suppose Elan deserved it, though. His upbringing was rather poor, along with his judgment, and it showed.

Alesia, it is totally hilarious that you got me all excited about level 21 maze traps and wiping the floor of the Guarded Compound without taking a scratch. I think I need to focus on level 2 first

Back to the drawing board.

Edited by Blind_Visionary, 23 April 2013 - 03:32 AM.

[Blind_Visionary]

Forin the Sorceror - Update 1

Forin marched back from High Hedge, arms full of spell scrolls. He supposed he should have been thankful for Firebead. The mage had taken him in at a young age and given him a home and a life. Firebead had also helped him discover the beginnings of his gift. He could manipulate and shape the energy of the world to his will. Unlike Firebead, he didn't need to study a spell scroll or a mage book to do it. The power resided somewhere inside.

Still, life in Beregost was terribly boring. He spent his nights dreaming that something might change. Perhaps he'd have the opportunity to leave the mundane life behind, and embark on a grand adventure:

Edited by Blind_Visionary, 23 April 2013 - 03:49 AM.

[Alesia_BH]

 Alisa, Half-Elven Jester: BG1 Overview

Alisa's jaunt through BG1 was a peculiar one: it was surpisingly awkward, surprisingly fun, and in the end, surprisingly dangerous. I'll cover her journey by stage starting with the trip to Nashkel.

Candlekeep to Nashkel

Alisa's early game route was slightly different from my standard one- mostly because I decided to have her grab Algernon's and bump her reputation before hitting the shops. She began by heading directly to Beregost from the Lion's Way via High Hedge. Assuaging Marl's pain and tiddying up Landrin's home got her to level 2. Playing detective for Mirianne brought level 3- as well as an early opportunity to fiddle with the Jester Song.

Don't mind me fellas: Go ahead and dance the night away.


Soon after, Alisa picked up the rings, upped her reputation to 18, and then hit High Hedge where she purchaed a Potion of Freedom, a Potion of Explosions, a Potion of Strength, a Potion of MIrror Eyes (always kept on hand in case the Basilisk spawn comes up, in all my runs it has never been used), and the all important Wand of Sleep. That wand and the Jester's Song managed the crowds en route to Nashkel.


After exchanging pleasantries with the mayor, it was on to the Carnival for some shopping (Shield Amulet, Necklace of Missles, Protection from Petrification) and a snooze (first Bhaalspawn power).

Nashkel to Mulahey

This phase was all about collecting the gold and experience for the trip to Ulgoth's Beard. A Basilisk hunt furnished  the experience. A trip to the gnoll stronghold and a touch of wolf hunting (Grey that is), provided the gold. After a scroll memorization binge under Potion of Mind Focusing + Potion of Genius, Alisa was ready to head north where she purchased Aule's, Greenstone, Displacement and the Wand of Frost and found time to fleece though not fight the Ankhegs. Visiting Melium rounded out her early game item set.

(Dart of Stunning->Bow)


Now equipped and ready, Alisa headed into the mines. She passed through the early levels invisible, but nonetheless caused a Kobold family feud.


Mulahey was taken down in my character's standard way: Greenstone, Potion of Freedom, Shield, Girdle of Bluntness for defense; Necklace of Missles, Potion of Strength, Aule's for offense.

Deja vu Mulahey?


I'll pick up with the Bandit Camp in the morn (It's sleepy time for me ).

Best,

A.

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 04:26 AM.

[Alesia_BH]

Sorry to see your Bounty Hunter go Blind_Visionary.

(Hoping you won't reach Z soon...)

[Alesia_BH]

Blind_Visionary wrote...
Alesia, it is totally hilarious that you got me all excited about level 21 maze traps and wiping the floor of the Guarded Compound without taking a scratch. I think I need to focus on level 2 first

Sorry. I was hoping to motivate- not tempt you into dizzy-dreaming. 

FYI: As a rogue, you can typically make it to level 3 without anyone getting an attack roll in by going Lion's Way->High Hedge (very top of the map only)->Beregost->Marl (peaceful)->Spiders (ranged)->Ogrillion (ranged)-> Mirianne (reward). 

FYI: Short as they've been, I am still enjoying your runs: I really appreciate the role playing.
Best of luck with Forin. 

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 04:22 AM.

[Serg BlackStrider]

Hard luck, Blind_Visionary... Good luck for Forin!

And congratulations, Gate & Alesia! Keep rocking in Amn!

[Blind_Visionary]

Alesia_BH wrote...
FYI: Short as they've been, I am still enjoying your runs: I really appreciate the role playing.

Thank you. It seems like the way to do it. There's no way that Elan would have let Marl get away with his blustering. He wouldn't have bought the bar a round, either. So he pulled out his dagger and took a risk - the wrong one for his survival, but the right one for his game.

That's one of the best things about this forum. Everyone is contributing something unique and interesting, with the stamp of their own personal style. Speaking of which, your Jester run looks amazing so far. Here's to Alisa making Irenicus dance a jig or two in Hell! (Edit: Assuming Karix hasn't tossed him into the blender first.)

Edited by Blind_Visionary, 23 April 2013 - 04:51 AM.

[Grond0]

Some good stuff here I see. Keep it going Blind_Visionary - what spells is your sorceror using?

[Blind_Visionary]

Grond0 wrote...
Keep it going Blind_Visionary - what spells is your sorceror using?

So far, blindness, shield and magic missile. I thought about adding sleep, but it just isn't worth it with the "wake on hit" option in my rig. I poke a Kobold in the rear with a dart, and it gets up, angrier than it was before.

[corey_russell]

 Multi-Player No-Reload
Coretrue (protagonist) - level 7 Paladin, 81 HP, controlled by Corey_Russell
Wewa - level 8 Thief, 52 HP, controlled by Dogdancing

The duo has worked hard to clear out the Cloakwood. Now that Wewa has good melee weapon, and she has some reasonable HP under her belt, Coretrue has been coaching Wewa to do a lot more backstabs than she used to.

The first area was cleared without any trouble - the duo took down Aldelth for his sword, Coretrue will use one day.

The duo was full and Wewa mentioned the duo never took down the Amazon assassins,. It should be quite doable, as long as Coretrue is seen first with his high missile resist and greenstone amulet. So the party rested at the Carnival and went to deal with the amazon assassins - sure enough, with Coretrue taking the brunt of the enemy assault, the amazon assassins were defeated without inflicting much damage.

The duo realized they hadn't even done the undead tombs. Coretrue realizes that if he uses the greenstone amulet and he lends his free action ring to Wewa for this section, should be pretty safe. For the ghasts and ghouls yes it was. The revenant, however put a massive beat down on Coretrue, despite his constant healing, he had to leave the crypt (note that we are playing vanilla, so the revenant doesn't follow). Wewa chunked it with a backstab. The crazy mage and his jellies were no trouble at all, two hits from Coretrue's sling killed him, then melee finished the jellies without much trouble. The party was just full of loot, so left the area without looting the final tomb with the wand of monster summoning.

For the next Cloakwood area (spider/ettercap), Coretrue was very safe, protection from poison on himself. Wewa assisted with her +1 bow. This mostly worked as Coretrue has the free action ring - Wewa got webbed a few times but Coretrue kept the enemies attention.

Time for the main event (Centeol). Coretrue buffed with protection from evil, heroism and hill giant strength, Wewa with potion of power - Coretrue entered first Wewa followed. The duo opend with fireballs, but Wewa got the attention of a sword spider by the entrance. Coretrue assisted, but then an ettercap was whacking Wewa, so Wewa left the room temporarily. Now that Coretrue had the enemies full attention, he went deeper in the room to draw them. Dogdancing was a bit slow in returning, and Coretrue was destroying the enemies very fast - success!

The spider's bane is a huge boon to the party. Now Coretrue can give his free action ring to Wewa permanently, and whenever he needs free-action he will just equip the spider's bane. While the duo's buffs were running, they cleared all the spiders/ettercaps from the area, and headed to the Shadow Druid area. The duo's new hold immunity saw a lot of use vs. the shadow druids and a vampiric wolf. Only trouble was Coretrue took a beating vs. the baby wyverns and the bandit training them to be guards, but he did perservere.

Dogdancing was hurting physically about now, so the party sold at high hedge, banked rested in FAI and ended the session here. What's really odd is the party never got in any Cloakwood ambushes, this is rather unusual for Corey_Russell. Party is about 100,000 experience each.

Edited by corey_russell, 23 April 2013 - 06:16 AM.

[Grond0]

Blind_Visionary wrote...

Grond0 wrote...
Keep it going Blind_Visionary - what spells is your sorceror using?

So far, blindness, shield and magic missile. I thought about adding sleep, but it just isn't worth it with the "wake on hit" option in my rig. I poke a Kobold in the rear with a dart, and it gets up, angrier than it was before.

I agree that the ToBex change makes it a significantly less powerful spell.  However, it's still pretty useful.  Dealing with 1 kobold archer at a time is manageable - dealing with half a dozen or more is extremely likely to be fatal.  Even if you don't want to learn the spell yourself, it might help you to have the wand available.  Also note that attacking with a dart limits your damage, although if you've got Meilum's bracers (blind him before he talks) you would still have a 2/3 chance of killing a sleeping kobold.  While they're sleeping a more attractive option would be to use a staff.  Silke's is easy to get if you blind her first and would be an automatic kobold kill with the bracers, or, if you've got the money, the +3 staff at Ulgoth's Beard or the poison dagger are nice options for helpless creatures. 

If you find it hard to get a sorceror going you might also want to consider taking a familiar as a starting spell.  They give your PC a nice HP bonus and can also be quite useful fighters in the early stages of BG1.  That's particularly the case if you go evil and get a familiar with regeneration - they won't stand up to criticals from things like ogres, but are quite capable of other useful tasks (such as killing all the kobolds in the Nashkel mines for you).  You already know about the other particularly useful familiar (chaotic good for invisible travel).

Edited by Grond0, 23 April 2013 - 07:23 AM.

[Alesia_BH]

Blind_Visionary wrote...
 It seems like the way to do it. There's no way that Elan would have let Marl get away with his blustering. He wouldn't have bought the bar a round, either. So he pulled out his dagger and took a risk - the wrong one for his survival, but the right one for his game.

I respect that approach. And I employ it myself to an extent- though I do often find myself making compromises in the interest of tactical advantage. 

One of the interesting things about role-playing in No Reload games is that your character concept suddenly becomes tactically relevant. For example, my Bounty Hunter -who is cautious by nature, has an intelligence of 18, and spent her youth in the Candlekeep stacks devouring books about monsters, magic, and adventure-  has a much better chance of survival than Elan. Even her flaws -such as compulsive acquisitiveness and an addictive personality (think potions)- are helpful.

That's one of the best things about this forum. Everyone is contributing something unique and interesting, with the stamp of their own personal style.

Agreed.

Speaking of which, your Jester run looks amazing so far. Here's to Alisa making Irenicus dance a jig or two in Hell! (Edit: Assuming Karix hasn't tossed him into the blender first.)

Thanks. To be honest though, there is a significant chance that I'll end up abandoning Alisa: She'll likely become a tedious, labor intensive character by around the Underdark.

As an aside, in the original No Reload Challenge thread from the old forums, Alisa did defeat Irenicus: at Level 1. It wasn't a proper run but, rather, a side experiment. Some players had been having a discussion about whether the Potions of Master Thievery should be allowed to stack. By way of demonstrating how over-powered it can be, I CLUAed level 1 Alisa into the Promenade with 3 Potions of Master Thievery- let her steal whatever she wanted- and then gem jumped her to the Tree of LIfe with her ill gotten goods. My Level 1 Jester ended up defeating Irenicus on her first try. It still one of my more amusing Alisa memories.

Best,

A.

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 05:18 PM.

[Alesia_BH]

Grond0 wrote...
 Even if you don't want to learn the spell yourself, it might help you to have the wand available.

I just thought I'd note that my sorceresses always use the wand rather than selecting Sleep. And with the ToBex tweak I'd find the wand even more appealing since it can be reapplied ad nauseum if necessary. As a reminder, the wand also has a longer duration when it is needed most (levels 1 and 2).

If you find it hard to get a sorceror going you might also want to consider taking a familiar as a starting spell.

I've personally never been inclined to use familiars in combat, but I've noticed that others have found them helpful. I'd find it hard to justify allocating a L1 for that purpose though: there are alot of L1 spells that can be helpful deep into the adventure- I'd hate to crowd one out permanently for early convenience. It may be an option worth exploring for Blind_Visionary nonetheless- I can't really say of course (not being him and all...).

It is entirely possible to reach mid levels -and importantly Invisibility at L2- without facing any ranged fighters. Alicia, for example, went Lion's Way->Coast Way (Ring of Protection)->FAI (Ring of Wizardry)->High Hedge (Invisibility scroll)->Beregost (Marl, Spiders, Mirianne) ->South to Nashkel (under Invisibility via scroll)->Carnival (Shield Amulet, Necklace of Missles, Pro Pet)-> Basilisks area. And once she had Invisibility, she was free to skip battles with range fighting mobs untill she had Girdle of Piercing + Boots of Avoidance + Cloak of Displacement.

Anyhoo: I hope you find an approach that works for you Blind_Visionary!

A. 

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 03:32 PM.

[Alesia_BH]

 Alisa, Half-Elven Jester: BG1 Overview (Cont.)

Ok. After a semi-restful night of sleep, I'm ready to continue coverage of Alisa's run. We'll pick up after Mulahey.

Nimbul

With her reputation spreading, Alisa is now drawing fans from all over the Sword Coast. Nimbul, it seems, was particularly star-struck: he travelled far -wore his best buffs- and invited his friends. They all found Alisa's performance dizzying.


And were awed when she ended with a bang.


Raiken and Company

Raiken and his pals were similarly impressed- almost to a fault: They fought over front row seats.


Raiken, on the other hand, was stunned silent (Jester's Song->Dart of Stunning->Aule's)


Bandit Camp

At the Bandit Camp, Alisa added Fireworks to her repertoire (Her buffs here were Pro Fire +Potion of Fire Resistance +Shield+ Stength+Potion of Regeneration+ MSD+Greenstone).


A little personal attention for the fan who stayed latest.


Cloakwood Mines

The downside of being a celebrity is that you're recognized wherever you go. At the Cloakwood Mines, Alisa had to put on a impromptu performance when she was spotted on the street (Divination cast from Rezdan).


Alisa cavorted a bit, but due to a prior engangement with Davaeorn, she chose to meld back into the crowd as soon as she could (Greenstone Amulet->Invisibility).


Despite the delay, Alisa arrived just in time where her performance of The Winter's Tale at Globe Theatre was a smashing success.



The Iron Throne

At the Iron Throne, some of Alisa's most devoted fans paid her the ultimate tribute by putting on a performance of their own: a Comedy of Errors.

It began with some over the top razzle-dazzle (Divination cast->Prebuffs, Alisa countered by quaffing a potion of invisibility).


The play itself was equally garish- filled with improbable plot twists.

Like friends backstabbing each other...


cases of mistaken identity...


unexpected reunions...


and drunken mayhem.



The farce ended with a cliche but charming finish.



(Opps! I have to get going. I'll try to finish up soon.)

Best,

A.

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 04:31 PM.

[Alesia_BH]

Alisa, Half-Elven Jester: BG1 Overview (Cont.)


The Dukes

While Alisa has become a legend on the Sword Coast, her final performances weren't entirely well received.

Slythe, for example, wanted his money back: He did not pay to see a Mustard Jelly.


Nor was the gallery impressed with her fiery closing.


Flummoxed, Alisa prepared thoroughly for her next date at the Duchal Palace.


Still, while Belt was suitably impressed...



Liia had left early.


(NW: In the Duchal Palace fight, Alisa went Remove Magic->Malison->Dart of Stunning on the Doppes near Belt. She then joined the Flaming Fist in finishing off the others using the Wand of frost and Aule's with her Strength buffed to 25 via Violet Potion.)

The Last Dance

Alisa's final performance on the Sword Coast was an intimate, private affair. There were a lot of hits -but even more misses. The show was a modest success in the end, but Alisa couldn't escape the feeling that it wasn't her best work.

(Pre-Battle Character Record)


(The biggest problem here was that Alisa could not connect with her Dispelling Arrows. She Dispelled Sarevok with her first shot, but failed to dispell either Semaj or Angelo in over 30 tries. I've never seen a character have more trouble with the SCS Sarevok fight.)


(Angelo, Hasted, hounded her throughout the fray. And a pair of Criticals from Diarmid after I allowed Pro Missles to elapse brought Alisa to Near Death.)


(Invisibility->Rebuff saved the day.)


(Finishing Angelo brought a sigh of relief.)


(As did ending the ranged Skeleton Warriors before Pro Missles wore off.)


(Once the casters and ranged weapons were gone -and the haste effects spent- victory was Alisa's. But this was an unexpectedly nerve wracking fight.)


Rocky though her final engagements may have been, Alisa's time on the Sword Coast has prepared her for the next phase of her career: the big stage of Amn. She looks forward to getting started.

Best,

A.

Edited by Alesia_BH, 23 April 2013 - 05:21 PM.

[corey_russell]

Grats with Alisa Alesia - hope you enjoy your visit in Amn.

[Gate70]

I've lost track - which classes/kits haven't no-reloaded the trilogy, I'd like to concentrate on one of those for a while (thanks in advance).