16394 replies to this topic

[Alesia_BH]

@Alesia_BH, wow someone broke your heart...

 

Nonsense. Alikae has no idea what you're talking about.

 

Love it for tiny people with tiny lives.

 

Best,

 

A.

[Alesia_BH]

Alikae Dominica: The Black Hand, Shadow Assassin, Dark Moon Monk

 

Episode 7: The End of Solitude

 

 

Having played my hand in Nashkel, I was in need of a new base of operations, far from Him. The grounds of the temple in Beregost would do. 

 

For lack of anything better, out of curiosity as much as anything else, I followed the Iron Crisis leads left by Mulahey.

 

Mulahey's letters led me to Tranzig.

 

 

Tranzig led me to the Bandit Camp: the source of the Sword Coast's crisis.

 

I have little need for iron, and little concern for those who do. But credibility through accomplishment is a currency I value, and I never turn down a chance to practice my art.

 

I approached the camp at night, hidden in shadows. I could see that I would be outnumbered- I could see that this was a time to heed Shar's teachings: subterfuge, deception, subtlety. Shar would be my companion.

 

I prepared carefully: a Potion of Defense, a Potion of Fire Resistance, a Potion of Cold Reistance, Protection from Fire Scroll, and my amulets. They, combined with my boots, my girdle, and my cloak, would keep me safe from all but the rarest strikes.

 

I steathled into the tent. I saw a mage. I poisoned him with my darts.

 

 

Then I made my way through the crowd. My speed was unmatched. My strength, enhanced by a potion, unparalleled.

 

 

I was hurt. I was forced to heal.

 

 

But victory was never in doubt. My skills have progressed. I am pleased. I want more.

 

 

The mission was complete.

 

 

I had achieved what I had come to achieve. I had learned what I had come to learn. I had tested my skills against all worthy foes. And yet, outside, in the night, there was more: more bodies to pile, more space to create. I could hear the call of darkness, the night seduced me. I walked with Shar. It was a thing of beauty.

 

None of these inert things, these bandits, could rival me. I was above them. I hovered, heavy, like a grey cloud. And then I rained. 

 

 

But by the time the battle ended, the dawn, in all its cruelty, had come.

 

 

The sun scorched the corpses. The encampment turned rancid. Beauty turned to horror. And the worse of it was that I could see myself: covered in blood, surrounded by death. Alone.

 

This solitude must end. And since I can find no worthy companion amongst men, weak as they are, I will solemnify my bond with Shar. I will, at all costs, find the fabled Dark Moon Temple of the Cloudpeaks and become a full member of the order. This is my mission. I will walk alone no more.  

 

Best,

 

A.

[Grond0]

Gate70/Grond0 multiplayer attempt 84 - (2nd and final update) & attempt 85 (1st and final update)

 

After the long previous run, today's session reminded us of the vulnerability of low level characters.

 

Attempt 84 saw the duo kill all the basilisks, but fail to dispose of Mutamin before he managed to get into range and talk. That resulted in using all available spells against him, as well as recruiting Korax, and both characters were also wounded by spells before winning the fight.  They then had a tricky decision - rest and get their spells back or see what Korax could do against the party without much help.  

 

Deciding to hedge their bets they sent Korax down to the party to see if he could get a kill or two to make things easier.  However, surprisingly Lindin & co were already hostile even before we'd had any contact with them (I'm not sure if Mutamin might have come within shouting range of them during his fight) and attacked Korax as soon as he came into sight - he didn't last long and the characters then had to run away with enemies in close pursuit.  

 

That proved to be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire as they walked into a kobold ambush during the journey.  Kaos was closely observing the battle text and saw 1 kobold shoot and hit - he had 9 HPs and a helmet so was safe from death there and didn't take a healing potion.  He would have reluctantly done so if the text had shown another kobold hitting, but it didn't.  Regrettably though the text lied and Kaos fell to the ground (presumably shot through the heart).

 

That abortive run didn't take long so we quickly rolled up a new pair - a diviner and an undead hunter.  A diviner can't cast conjuration spells, which means no familiar could help boost HPs. That wasn't too much of a problem early on as they made their way down to Nashkel and then on to the mine area to get Greywolf's sword.  On their way to the basilisk area though they came across a dangerous ambush - 9 bandits shooting at them.  Sear, the diviner, was hit almost at once and reluctantly took a potion to try and help him escape.  That proved a waste of time though as almost immediately afterwards he collapsed - probably his 15 HPs proving inadequate against a critical.

[Grimwald the Wise]

Such a short game.

[Alesia_BH]

Alikae Dominica: The Black Hand, Shadow Assassin, Dark Moon Monk

 

Episode 8: Setting Sun, Rising Moon

 

 

Unintended consequences. It's a sterile phrase, but it almost always means danger.

 

By destroying the Bandit Camp I had, once again, become a hero. And heroism had, once again, brought attention. Some of it unwanted.

 

 

My art is well honed. My assailants posed no threat.

 

 

And yet still, I found myself wishing I had a companion to share the burdens and joys of combat with. Someone to rely on. Someone to touch. Like before.

 

Shar is more generous than I might have thought

 

 

Her name is Viconia. She is a drow, a priest of Shar. She, too, seeks the Dark Moon Temple. She, too, seeks to strengthen her bond. She, too, seeks to become. We are a match.   

 

 

I equipped her, using my gold and leveraging my reputation. We immediately headed south, to the edge of the Cloudpeaks, searching for information, a mountain pass- anything that could lead us to the temple.

 

We raided the tombs of the Undead Valley

 

 

We hunted for profit and sport

 

 

We laughed and played games

 

 

We grew close

 

 

I came to enjoy her touch- almost as much as His.

 

We searched. Tirelessly. For days. But we uncovered no secrets. We were no closer to finding the Dark Moon Temple. Exhausted, we travelled to the city of Baldur's Gate- hoping we'd find a clue there.

 

But alas: the city gates were closed to us. 

 

 

 

Until the bandits are destroyed -fully, completely destroyed- the city will remain closed and the Dark Moon Temple will remain hidden. As our purpose remains clear, we have but one choice: brave the Cloakwood, find the secret bandit base, and open the city gates. Only there, in the city of Baldur's Gate, will we meet our destiny.

 

Best,

 

A.

[Grond0]

Phantasmic 6 {13} - monks party (update 4)

 

The monks have been progressing across the countryside leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.  They're now too high level for most of the encounters, so progress has been generally easy, though there's still a need to beware of sudden death by critical hit even with the weakest seeming enemies.  All the non-TotSC map areas have been fully explored and all enemies engaged.

 

Points of interest included:

- when Brage was originally helped he was dragged a bit away from his starting position.  As a result Laryssa didn't realise he had gone (to her cost).

Spoiler

- it was quite amusing watching the battle with Drizzt against a field of gnolls.  Drizzt is pretty quick at slicing through gnolls, but 6 speedy monks were more than a match for him!

Spoiler

Just after that encounter the last of the monks got to level 8 by killing Teyngan.  Up to level 5 HPs were exceptionally good, but the last 3 levels have been poor and the group as a whole is now only barely above average.

- a mis-click meant Laskal attacked the monks in the Cloakwood.  I was surprised that that resulted in a reputation loss, though as compensation he did have a potion of power.  

Spoiler

Amarande, who can be difficult using standard monk attacks, got treated to a fairly rare use of wands.

Spoiler

 

With reputation boosted back up by donations (with 110k gold at that time that was a minor expense) they continued clearing areas with Ulcaster.  Icharyd's magic resistance meant they had to smack him down the hard way, but with everyone having at least some lightning protection that proved easy enough.  

Spoiler

Trying to rest to heal up afterwards was a different matter and they actually had to resort to running and shooting for the first time for a long while (shouldn't have sold the wand of sleep!).

Spoiler

The Wolf would have been another dangerous opponent earlier on - it survived a full set of wand blasts and even managed to scare Phantom with an initial howl, but died in a few seconds from follow-up attacks.

Spoiler

 

Some initial wand blasts got Kahrk to near death, but he disappeared and took his revenge with various spells culminating in an instant death chromatic orb.  

Spoiler

He failed to go invisible again after that one though and paid the penalty.

Spoiler

Inside the ruins Wraith soloed through the maze before the whole party attempted stunning blows unsuccessfully against Lendarn (Spirit had to use a potion of absorption to protect against a bouncing lightning bolt response).  Stun finally caught up with the ogre mage.  

Spoiler

Then, out of stunning blows, a further mass attack still destroyed Lendarn's remaining stoneskins quite quickly and killed him, but not before he had scared a couple of the monks.  

Spoiler

With all the traps already triggered though that proved not to be a problem, even with lots of kobold commandos having respawned.

 

Having thoroughly cleared all the original map areas the monks gave Thalantyr a final warm greeting before setting off back to the city.  

Spoiler

They'll do the remaining tasks prior to Sarevok there before starting in on the TotSC content.

 

Chimera - L8, 48 HPs, 415 kills

Spectre - L8, 52 HPs, 482 kills, 0 deaths

Phantom - L8, 56 HPs, 324 kills, 2 deaths

Wraith - L8, 65 HPs, 460 kills, 2 deaths

Spook - L8, 60 HPs, 318 kills, 1 death

Spirit - L8, 56 HPs, 277 kills, 0 deaths

[biowherewolf]

The mines went smoothly, since they were mostly cleared out anyway, and Tony and his team finally faced the leader. 

It went well enough. J. used entangle and Tony used sleep. Branwen's hold person took. So the kobolds and the leader were incapacitated, leaving only a few skeletons to clean up. 

Spoiler

 

 

Imoen back stabs for a whole 4 points of damage...

Spoiler

 

Right outside the bandit camp, Kivan decides we're not moving fast enough and leaves.... just leaves... did I mention it was *right* outside the bandit camp? 

Spoiler

 

Kivan was not essential to the party, so his departure was no great loss. But he took some of the nicest equipment with him! Jerk...

 

SO, it was off to get a miniature giant space hamster

Spoiler

 

CLOSE CALL #2... The group harassing a poor tree. This absolutely completely didn't have to happen. Tony got too close to the guy with the sharp thing. And the sharp thing was very, very sharp. 

It cost one potion of invisibility to get away -- worth it, but needlessly pricey. 

Spoiler

 

 So, after collecting the witch, it was off to finish with the bandits. 

It ... didn't go well. 

First, they lost the witch... no huge loss, sine Tony is a wizard anyway, but unexpected.

Spoiler

 

Then, they broke into the main tent... and it got worse. Tony used a necklace to fireball the room... only (I forgot) they ended up hitting the prisoner. Small deal, but it cost 2 reputation, which will cost $$ at the vendors. 

Then, they tried to interrupt the bandit wizard's spell, but failed. So the entire party got horror-ed

Spoiler

 

except for Imoen... this is bad. Everyone is running around like chickens. And Tony and the cleric are poisoned. 

I don't know why this happened, but I could still control Tony, even though he was clearly Horror-ed. He had stupidly given all the poison antidotes to the cleric, who was fear-stricken and he couldn't get them back. 
He did have a wand o' frost, which helped. But...it was looking bad. 

 

Fortunately, the wand did it's job. And the fear expired  before Tony did. 

 

Spoiler

 

He chugged an antidote and the party regrouped. Close calls all around. 

 

Next they limped back to town, healed up and headed for the next adventure. 

 

 

--BW

[Alesia_BH]

Alikae Dominica: The Black Hand, Shadow Assassin, Dark Moon Monk

 

Episode 9: This Could Be a Problem

 

 

Prior to our mission in the Cloakwood, Viconia and I gathered supplies: potions, scrolls, and a ring of invisibility. By chance our travels took us to the place where Rasaad and I had fought. I told Viconia about my time with him. About the fight. That I still had "feelings." She didn't take it well.

 

 

I learned then that to even hint at my affection for Rasaad again would mean losing Viconia. I will not forget. 

 

The journey was long. Arduous. We battled many foes.

 

 

Viconia could not fight the spiders. She is not without sentiment for home, I have learned.

 

 

By the time we reached the secret installation we understood the insanity of what we were attempting. This was not a camp. This was a complex defended by one of the most powerful forces on the Sword Coast: The Iron Throne. We -the two of us- sought to take it down on the off chance that it might lead us to the city, which in turn might lead us to the Dark Moon Temple. Madness.

 

But we weren't doing it for Shar: We were doing it for each other. And we -I'm not afraid to say it now- were in love. The temple is the only place where we can be together- where a drow can live in peace, where we can love in the open. Somehow that had become my dream. It was hers, too. We would stop at nothing.   

 

A frontal assault would mean certain death. We chose stealth.

 

 

We searched for a pressure point- a place where a precision strike could destroy the whole enterprise. Against all odds we found it. We would need a key. The master, Davaeorn, would have it.

 

Lingering, invisibile, we listened. We learned that Davaeorn was a mage- a powerful mage. He would have horrors at his side and dozens, and dozens of guards. Death everywhere. Viconia, delicate as she is, would not stand a chance. I would have to face them alone. This would be my greatest test. I could not fail.

 

We entered the inner lair. We encountered the first of Davaeorn's guards. I dispatched him with Viconia's aid. 

 

Then we prepared. We would use the scrolls and potions we had bought. Viconia would take Hafiz's scroll. She would then use the Ring of Invisibility and wait, patiently, protected from Divination by the Cloak of Non-Detection(*).

 

 

I would use scrolls purchased from Thalantyr -Protection from Magic, Protection from Cold, Protection from Fire- along with a Potion of Fire Resistance, a Potion of Cold Resistance, a Potion of Defense and a Potion of Hill Giant Strength. I would wear the Cloak of Displacement, the Girdle of Piercing, the Boots of Stealth, and the Shield Amulet. I would dart in and out of the shadows. I would be elusive and yet forceful- wielding my fists, the Wand of the Heaven, and Potions of Explosion. Once the guards were dead -once the arrows were gone- Viconia would join me to finish the mage.

 

It was a good plan. But there so many enemies to face. I would have to be perfect. I had never been perfect before.

 

I approached. I was met by horrors and spells- so many spells. I could not believe that something as simple as a scroll could protect me. But it did. 

 

 

I readied my Wand of the Heavens. I struck. I made for the shadows.

 

 

I struck again. It was working- somehow it was working. The horrors fell, but the battle was far from over.

 

Davaeorn was ruthless.

 

 

And there were arrows everywhere. The cold damage I could handle, but the arrows themselves were deadly. 

 

 

I would end this soon, or I would die. 

 

 

I used my potions. But the arrows kept coming.

 

 

There were a half a dozen guards left, and yet more on the way. It was up to my feet and my fists. It seemed impossible. But somehow I did it. I wasn't just above them. I was above myself.

 

 

As the last guard fell, I realized what I had done. I had, on this day, in this battle, reached beyond myself and touched the perfection I've always aspired to- if only for a moment.

 

 

I had done it. Finally. And I felt. Nothing. 

 

I have been chasing an illusion. 

 

All of those deaths. All the sacrifices for my art. 

 

Rasaad. 

 

And I felt. Nothing.

 

There wasn't time to think. The mage was still alive and my scroll wouldn't last forever. He, Davaeorn, was unbowed- he knew he stood a chance- that he might even have the advantage against a lone monk.

 

But then I gave the signal.

 

"Viconia! Lil'alur!"

 

 

Vith'os!

 

 

We had done it. Somehow, we had done it.

 

We collected the key and destroyed the mines. We returned to the shadows and headed for the city. But as we approached the fearsome party that had been guarding the gate, I couldn't help but think of that moment in the mine. That moment of perfection, that moment when I felt. Nothing. 

 

I must have been wrong. I must have missed it. It must have been there. That trandscendence that I've alway aspired to: It must have happened. I had to try again. I had to reach perfection again, to see. I told Viconia to leave, to walk beyond the gate. I would fight. I would fight, and I would win. And then I would know.

 

Viconia begged me not to. It was a foolish move. We had achieved what we had come to achieve. The way to the Temple was open- the way to our future was open. But I couldn't resist I had to know. I had to fight.

 

 

Viconia, invisible, headed for the gate as I told her. But as the warriors closed in on me, as the situation looked desperate, she hesitated.

 

 

Fearing for my life, she launched a fireball, revealling herself. I screamed, terrified. She could not stand on this battle field. I could lose her.

 

 

In an instant Drasus and Genthore cut her down. Perfection no longer mattered to me, transcendence no longer mattered to me. All I cared about was saving Viconia. I gathered her body and ran (**).

 

 

I journeyed for days and nights, through the forest. It gave me time to think. I had, once again, put my ambition ahead of everything, and it  had, once again, cost me the one I love. I had made that mistake twice now. Not once more.

 

By the time I reached the Temple, I feared it was too late. But the resurrection was successful. Viconia and I were together again.

 

 

I told her what I had learned. I told that I would never -ever- let anything come before her again. I told her that I loved her, and that my ambition meant nothing compared to that love. I told her that I had found the unity and dignity and resplendence that I had always dreamed of, but not in my art: In her. 

 

It was a relief to say that. I fight unarmored, fearful of crutches, fearful of hinderance, fearful of limiting myself. But in my personal life I have always worn full plate. It felt so good to finally show myself- to say what I felt and to let myself feel. It felt good to be unarmored.

 

But Viconia was not impressed. She was sickened by my weak willed sentiment. She said that I was betraying Shar and that in doing so I was betraying her. She said that I could never achieve, or attain, or become if I was consummed with such feelings. Petty: She used that word. I was wounded. Deeply. With Viconia, I must never let my ambition waver- even though that ambition seems false to me now. This too, I will not forget. I can not forget. I can not lose again.

 

We made out way to Baldur's Gate. The drawbridge had been lowered, the city was open. We were greeted by the Flaming Fist, but we had no interest in them.

 

 

Instead, we immediately resumed our search for a way to the Temple. The Shadow Thieves were the obvious people to turn to: they trade in information. We were promised one lead. We paid an exorbitant sum. We listened. 

 

 

A monk has been asking questions in the Harbor District. He is on the trail of the Dark Moon Temple. He is close. He is our only hope. And his name?

 

Rasaad.

 

This could be a problem. 

 

Best,

 

A.

 

(*) In EE, the Cloak of Non-Detection works with illusionary forms of invisibility.

 

(**) The battle with Drasus was scripted in the interest of advancing the narrative. Viconia was suppose to die, Alikae was suppose to run.

[Grond0]

Gate70/Grond0 multiplayer attempt 86 (1st and final update)

 

You've perhaps heard of an annus horribilis (horrible year): well Gate70 and I seem to be in the midst of a septimana horribilis (horrible week).  We made another start today with an illusionist and a skald and once more came to a grinding halt early on.

 

We'd just killed all the basilisks and turned our attention to Mutamin.  He saved against a blindness and unleashed a horror that sent Gate's skald running like a skalded cat.  My illusionist then tried a second blind at him, but was disgusted to find that even both starting with clear auras Mutamin not only managed to complete his spell first, but did so early enough that it also hit the illusionist and disrupted her spell before completion.  She immediately turned tail and ran, getting out of sight range and continuing to leg it.  However, once more Mutamin surprised her with his turn of speed by managing to quickly catch up with her and launch another acid arrow - this one proving fatal.

 

Even though we didn't have much time today the abortive run meant we had the chance to generate another random pair.  That came out as a berserker for Gate70 and a cleric/mage for me - that should be about as good a pairing to make progress with as you could hope for ...

[Alesia_BH]

That came out as a berserker for Gate70 and a cleric/mage for me - that should be about as good a pairing to make progress with as you could hope for ...

 

Sounds promising! 

 

Good hunting!

 

Best,

 

A.

[Faazazel]

I’m planning to do my first recorded no reload challenge. I’m using Baldur’s gate BWP in standard version with most of the mods. I wasn’t able to find them all. I’ll try to add a screenshot with all content I encounter from mods.

 

I’m planning to play a full melee party with 6 created NPC’s. Every character will use a different set of weapons. By using a different type of weapons, I hope I’ll be able to use a lot of new game content. I’ll also give every character a kit. BWP adds that many kits that it would be silly not to test them. This means I will use SK to add a kit to one character. Since he’s a multi-class he wouldn’t otherwise be able.

 

The cast: with basic equipment bought in the Candlekeep inn and one armor stolen from a killed Watcher upstairs (start of the game). Game is also saved here in case I ever want to give this another try.

Alavriel, female tiefling level 1 Kenshei; 

Spoiler

NE, Strength 18/91, Dexterity 21, Constitution 18, Intelligence 19, Wisdom 4, Charisma 3, 14hp, AC 3 (Dexterity, Kenshei), Thac0 16/20; Dmg 1d8+8/1d8+8, Reputation 9, Attacks 5/2, experience 91; SA Blindness 1/day, Infravision permanent; SV death 14, wand 16, polymorph 15, breath 17, spell 17; Proficiencies Long Sword ++, Bastard Sword +, Two Weapon Style ++; Resistance Cold 25%, Electricity 25%, Fire 25%, Slashing 10%, Piercing 10%;

 

Axelle, female human level 1 Streetfighter; 

Spoiler

LE, Strength 18/99, Dexterity 18, Constitution 18, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 8, Charisma 3, 14hp, AC 2 (Dexterity, Streetfighter, Studded Leather), Thac0 17/23; Dmg 2d4+7/2d4+7, Reputation 9, Attacks 5/2, experience 97; SA Sudden Strike 1/day; SV death 14, wand 16, polymorph 15, breath 17, spell 17; Proficiencies Axe ++, Two Weapon Style ++; Resistance Critical strike (Helmet);

 

Lilliana, female human level 1 Retaliator; 

Spoiler

TN, Strength 18/54, Dexterity 18, Constitution 18, Intelligence 3, Wisdom 18, Charisma 17, 14hp, AC 3 (Dexterity, Studded Leather), Thac0 17/21; Dmg 1d8+7/1d8+7, Reputation 9, Attacks 5/2, experience 112; SA Smoke Bomb x3; SV death 14, wand 16, polymorph 15, breath 17, spell 17; Proficiencies Scimitar ++, Katana +, Two Weapon Style ++; Resistance Critical strike (Helmet);

 

Katanza, male human level 1 Blademaster; 

Spoiler

TN, Strength 16, Dexterity 20, Constitution 18, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 3, Charisma 3, 14hp, AC 3 (Dexterity, Studded Leather), Thac0 19/25; Dmg 1d10+3/1d8+1, Reputation 9, Attacks 5/2, experience 104; SA -; SV death 14, wand 16, polymorph 15, breath 17, spell 17; Proficiencies Katana ++, Scimitar +, Two Weapon Style ++; Resistance Slashing 10%, Piercing 10%, Critical strike (Helmet);

 

Gladius, male half-orc level 1 Dreadnought; 

Spoiler

LE, Strength 19, Dexterity 16, Constitution 19, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 16, Charisma 5, 15hp, AC 1 (Dexterity, Plate mail), Thac0 16/22; Dmg 1d10+9/1d10+9, Reputation 9, Attacks 5/2, experience 104; SA -; SV death 14, wand 16, polymorph 15, breath 17, spell 17; Proficiencies Bastard Sword ++, Long Sword +, Two Weapon Style ++; Resistance Slashing 10%, Piercing 10%, Critical strike (Helmet);

 

Grumbar, male half-orc level 1 Barbarian(D2) / level 1 Cleric; 

Spoiler

LE, Strength 20, Dexterity 18, Constitution 20, Intelligence 8, Wisdom 18, Charisma 3, 15hp, AC 0 (Dexterity, Splint mail), Thac0 16/22; Dmg 2d4+10/2d4+10, Reputation 9, Attacks 5/2, experience 55/55; SA divine spells 3xlvl1, Bash 1/day; SV death 10, wand 14, polymorph 13, breath 16, spell 15; Proficiencies Flail ++, Two Weapon Style ++; Resistance Slashing 10%, Piercing 10%, Critical strike (Helmet);

 

Mod content:

 

Tiefling from Subrace mini-mod for Baldur's Gate 2 v1.0

Spoiler

TIEFLING: The infernal counterpart to aasimar, tieflings are humans with a hint of the   diabolical in their bloodline. Though their appearance is mostly human, they often have telltale signs that belie their ancestry. Tieflings usually have dusky skin and dark or reddish hair. Though many sport small horns, cat eyes, or other bizarre features, most tieflings try to hide their abnormalities from humans. - ADVANTAGES: +1 to Intelligence, +10 Stealth, +1 to Dexterity, 25% to Cold, Fire, and  Electrical Resistances, can cast Blindness 1/Day and Infravision. - DISADVANTAGES: -1 to Charisma, and -10% experience modifier.

 

Kenshei Kit from joshuar9476

Spoiler

Overview: The kenshei are considered to be held at a high standard of perfection with their weapon. And even though they tend to travel alone and keep to themselves, the kenshei name is an honorary title given to warriors of legendary skill in swordsmanship. - ADVANTAGES: Grand Mastery in single and two weapon styles; +2 to maximum dexterity; Immunity to backstabbing; +1 bonus to hit and damage at level 1 and then every 5 levels up to level 20; -2 to Armor Class at level 1 and then -1 every 5th level up to level 20; -1 to weapon speed at level 1 and then -1 every 5th level up to level 20; +10% slashing and piercing resistance at level 1 and an additional +10% at level 15; Gains Disarm ability at levels 6, 12 and 18. Has a 50% chance to make opponent drop their weapon; Gains Precision Strike ability at levels 7, 14 and 21. Grants a +3 THAC0 bonus for three rounds, does 1d10 damage to target, and has a 25% chance to stun target. - DISADVANTAGES: May not wear helmets, armor, or gauntlets; May only place points in single handed swords, single weapon style and two weapon style; Requires: 15 dexterity; -2 to maxium charisma

 

Streetfighter Kit from Paladins of Faerûn Kitpack

Spoiler

Overview: Streetfighters have found a place, and even some small amount of fame, among the shadowy and dangerous regions of the world's great cities. Some leave their homes, putting their skills to the test against dangerous monsters in lost tombs or fighting for sport in front of the nobility, but they always remember the lessons of the streets. Streetfighters never rest easy. They have seen violence and depravity to rival any dungeon adventurer, and they have survived because they never let their guard down. Rather than leaving a streetfighter suspicious or spent, this experience has forged his mind and body into that of a lean, quick-thinking combatant capable of seizing any advantage in battle. - ADVANTAGES: Immunity to backstab; +1 to AC and attack speed factory per 5 levels; Once per day + once per day per 8 levels he can use Sudden strike ability, which makes all his attacks in next round as backstabs with 2x damage modifier. After 20th level multipler raises to 3x. - DISADVANTAGES: Can't use metal armours

 

Retaliator Kit from Retaliator [Fighter Kit] v1.3

Spoiler

Overview: Judge and executioner in one being, the retaliator has committed himself to the cause of those who are no longer in the position tocarry out justice for themselves. The core tenet of retaliation is that the end always justifies the means. - ADVANTAGES: Bonus +2 to damage;  Bonus -4 to speed factor;  Immune to fear and morale failure;  When camouflaged, the Retaliator can  backstab foes for double damage, and triple damage from 10th level onwards; Smoke Bomb once each turn (twice from 8th level, three times from 15th level): blinds nearby creatures and provides brief camouflage-  Fire Breath once a day for every 6 levels (every 10 levels from 18th level onward): spit flaming oil at foes to cause them fire   damage and set them on fire for a short period of time - DISADVANTAGES: May not wear armor greater than studded leather; May not achieve mastery with ranged weapons

 

Blade Master Kit from Sorcerer's Place Collection

Spoiler

Overview: The Blade Master uses one-handed bladed weapons, but he can do many things with them that the regular fighter cannot. He gains many special abilities using his blades, but he can only wear very light armor. Only one innate ability may be active at any given moment. - ADVANTAGES: +2 to dexterity;+10% to slashing and piercing resistance; Gains Precision Strike ability at levels 4, 7 and 22. Grants a +3 THAC0 bonus for three; rounds, does 1d10 damage to target, and has a 25% chance to stun target; Gains Parry ability at levels 7, 10 and 22. Parry grants virtual immunity to physical; attacks for two rounds; Gains Counter Attack ability at levels 10, 13 and 22. Grants virtual immunity to physical attacks for one round and does 2d10 of damage to attacker. Gains Disarm ability at levels 13, 16 and 22. Has a 50% chance to make opponent drop their weapon. Gains Feint ability at levels 16, 19 and 22. Feint grants Invisibility and Non-Detection for one round. Gains Swift Strike ability at levels 19 and 22. Decreases weapon speed by 2, adds an extra attack, a +5 THAC0 bonus and a -2 Armor Class penalty for two rounds. Gains extra one-half attack at levels 11, 15 and 19 - DISADVANTAGES: Penalty of -2 to strength; Can only wear armor up to Studded Leather; Cannot have proficiency in any non-bladed weapon.

 

Dreadnought from Prestige Kitpack

Spoiler

Overview: The Dreadnought is the ultimate foot soldier, an absolute force of destruction, a total warrior who excels at sheer combat prowess. While some rely of cunning and reflexes in a fight, and others uphold a code of honor or engage in combat from horseback, the Legendary Dreadnought simply wades into battle, completely bent on relentless, steady destruction. When the tide of combat flows against him, he stands like a rock. It is the Legendary Dreadnought who has the might to breach the seemingly unbreachable gates. - ADVANTAGES: +1 damage per 5 level; Can use 'Unmovable' once per 6 levels after level 3: cannot move during 3 rounds, but gain immunity to wing buffet and 2+ 1 per 8 level AC bonus; Can use 'Unstoppable' once per 6 levels: gain free action and +1 damage bonus per 4 level; Can select high level ability 'armor skin' 5 times. physical resistances improves 5% in permanently. - DISADVANTAGES: STR and CON must be 13; Cannot use ranged weapon; DEX, INT, WIS, CHA -2 penalty; Cannot dual class.

 

Barbarian from the Diablo2 kitpack

Spoiler

Overview: The Barbarian, a member of any of several tribes on the fringes of civilization, rebuffs the influence of those he sees as soft and weak. Ceaseless clan warfare and the constant struggle to survive in the hostile wilderness are evident in the Barbarian's sturdy and powerful frame. Though perhaps lacking the sophistication of his civilized contemporaries, the Barbarian has an acute awareness of his surroundings. Because of his shamanistic belief in the animal powers with whom he identifies, the Barbarian is sometimes associated with stories of lycanthropy. In fact, he believes that he can improve his superb battle tactics by calling upon the totemic animal spirits to infuse him with supernormal strengths and abilities. - ADVANTAGES: Has a D12 Hit Die instead of D10; Immune to backstab;- Get bonus of +1 to strength and vitality on character creation; Three skill trees: Warcries, Combat Masteries and Combat Skills. - DISADVANTAGES: Cannot wear plate and full plate armor; Get penalty of -1 to intelligence and charisma on character creation; May not dual class; May not learn high-level skills of original fighters; Only can be master in weapons except bow and crossbow;- Only can be proficient in bow and crossbow. 

 

Changes by mods noticed so far: 

 

• Only half experience from kills
• Adding ++ to one weapon gives + in a similar weapon

[biowherewolf]

Bad2Worse. 

The group decided to head to the Cloakwood area after clearing out the bandit camp. Everything thing was going great again. 

Only.... they were picking off spiders and ettercaps one at a time, and doing a great job of it, inching forward slowly with each one but keeping from getting mobbed. It was glorious. Just one more to go. Only it's a little out of range.... step forward and *click* .... RIGHT into a trap. Ohhhhh they *knew* there were traps there, only misjudged where they were. 

When the web trap hit, everyone except Tony was in range, since he had held back to avoid being targeted... because... yeah, he's a bit of a coward. But discretion turned out to be the better part of valor. 

To make matters worse, the rest of the party kept missing saves and couldn't get free from the web. One after another, they dropped. Tony ran. 

Now the dilemma; if he goes back and gets the items from the bodies of his cohorts, he makes himself a target. If not, he looses all the items they held -- the Ankheg armor, the gauntlets of dexterity, the full plate, the potions of fortitude... everything. 

He decides to rest and re-memorize spells. He is 3rd level Mage/4th thief, so he has one invisibility spell. 

 

Rest, cast invisibility and head back, convinced he would gather items, making himself visible, but getting some of the nicest items. While he couldn't carry everything, he could at least get enough to make it worth his  while. On the way there, though, he noticed that some of the spiders had re-spawned. Most importantly, these are spiders between him and his exit. So if he continued with his plan, he would become visible and be trapped between ettercaps and spiders with no more invisibility spells... all alone.

 

(I was so displeased, I didn't even get a screenshot). 

 

Soooo.. he wimped out. He decided he could go back to town, get everyone restored, then come back and hope some of the items were still there.

 

Ouch:

Spoiler

 

 

just... ouch.

 

Worse, they were almost out of money, since they had stocked up before going to Cloakwood. After getting some cheap studded leather armor and junky swords, they headed back and hoped for the best. But... it was all gone, as expected. 

 

So... 

 

They were able to slime into a nice sword for Minsc, by sending B. in sanctuaried and Minsc invisible to do a little petty theft from the Spider Queen. 

Spoiler

 

 

They abandoned their goal for the time being and headed off to search out more items to replace a little of what they lost. 

--BW

[Alesia_BH]

 

They abandoned their goal for the time being and headed off to search out more items to replace a little of what they lost. 

 

That's a bummer, BW.

 

Best,

 

A.

 

As an FYI, the spiders do piercing and poison damage. Their THAC0s aren't that great. If you have a low AC character solo them under Protection from Poison and Free Action while wearing the Girdle of Piercing and, perhaps, running a strength potion, they're not too bad at all, even with the SCS upgrades.

 

Thalantyr sells a Protection from Poison scroll. He also sells 3 Potions of Freedom.

[BBMorti]

Hey guys, puhh I have been spending a couple of weeks slowly catching up. What an incredible activity there has been!

 

I just wanted to remind you guys that we are people out there enjoying being invited to follow along your graciously narrated and shared journeys in this, by now, legendary challenge. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

 

I wanted to give a special shoutout to Dyara for her F/M/T run in SCS, where she took it upon herself to clear the demon at the button of durlag's as well as the cult demon Aec'Letec, it is not something we see often, so dangerously risky it is. So I thought it was worth the mention

 

I have been doing some practicing in scs Baldur's Gate in recent months and as the weather goes cooler on my parts I might soon feel ready to give it a spin

 

Thanks again for letting us readers tag along, guys.

[Alesia_BH]

Alikae Dominica: The Black Hand, Shadow Assassin, Dark Moon Monk

 

Interlude 1: Maneuvers

 

 

There are only two taverns in Baldur's Gate that will harbor drow: the Low Lantern and the Blushing Mermaid. We chose the Low Lantern.

 

 

Viconia: You understand, don't you? We can't ask him where the temple is: he won't tell us, and he'll suspect us. We have to join him, offer to help him, travel with him.

 

Alikae: But if we arrive with him, the monks at the temple won't trust us. They won't let us in.

 

Viconia: Unless we turn on him, kill him- make him our offering. It would prove our worth. They could not deny us then.

 

Alikae:...

 

Viconia: It is the only way: you know this.

 

Alikae:...Yes...I know.

 

Alikae: Ok, we'll do it.

 

Best,

 

A.   

[biowherewolf]

That's a bummer, BW.

 

Best,

 

A.

 

As an FYI, the spiders do piercing and poison damage. Their THAC0s aren't that great. If you have a low AC character solo them under Protection from Poison and Free Action while wearing the Girdle of Piercing and, perhaps, running a strength potion, they're not too bad at all, even with the SCS upgrades.

 

Thalantyr sells a Protection from Poison scroll. He also sells 3 Potions of Freedom.

Thanks A. 

It wasn't so much lack of preparation  as it was I didn't intend to even encounter them that way. I had some potions, but they got lost when I accidentally stepped on the trap. It was embarrassing, given that Tony is a thief. He originally went in invisible. If he would have just had detect traps up... no worries. But I thought I was far south of them. I was wrong. 

Ah well.. we survived. 

--BW

[Grond0]

Rest, cast invisibility and head back, convinced he would gather items, making himself visible, but getting some of the nicest items. While he couldn't carry everything, he could at least get enough to make it worth his  while. On the way there, though, he noticed that some of the spiders had re-spawned. Most importantly, these are spiders between him and his exit. So if he continued with his plan, he would become visible and be trapped between ettercaps and spiders with no more invisibility spells... all alone.

It looks like you were concerned about making yourself visible when picking up items.  You can avoid doing that by moving to the items using a right-click rather than a left-click to move. Once you are standing on top of the items just open up your inventory screen and pick them up from the ground.  The same tactics apply whether invisible or stealthed.

[Grond0]

Phantasmic 6 {13} - monks party (5th and final update)

 

Back in Baldur's Gate the monks blasted Cythandria before she could speak (a mistake as I wanted the XP from her golems) and went to save Duke Eltan.

 

Slythe's potion of invisibility was too late to save him from already activated wand attacks.  Krystin went the same way, though not before she had confused Spirit and trashed the party's reputation.

 

After donating at the temple they moved on to the palace.  They didn't bother with buffs there, but just attacked with wands and stunning darts.  The latter were totally ineffective - numerous hits failing to stun any of the dopplegangers - but the former worked through the enemies quickly enough to save both dukes.

 

They cleared the maze (going past the standard XP cap in the process).  The Undercity was also fully explored - Tamoko was protected against stun (but not repeated wallops), while the party there found fireballs followed up by stealth attacks too hot to handle.

 

The temple was left for the moment though as the monks retreated to Ulgoth's Beard to be introduced to Shandalar.  The ice island didn't detain them long, though Shandalar once more proved very hard to hit as he teleported away.

 

Next up were the doggies.  Having done them relatively recently I thought that would be easy enough and working their way up the ship to kill Karoug was no problem (he can be hit by +1 weapons).  Back in the village I was sticking to melee weapons to kill the villagers in order not to have to do so much micro-management (that was not actually necessary as they did have quite a lot of missile ammunition).  That meant the party took a fair amount of damage, but I thought it was possible to rest and cure that.  After killing the werewolf that did this

Spoiler

the monks rested once more and ...

 

For some reason I've always thought that the timer started when Kaishas was killed, even though the dialogue does talk about her infecting the party when they first return from the ship.  That may be partially true in fact as I rested with Chimera for several weeks on the island after the other monks exploded and he was untouched by his dark side.  It may therefore be that there are two separate timers - one for the PC and one for the rest of the party - and they behave differently .

[Serg BlackStrider]

That's a bummer, Grond0...

You might take that as a tip to run a pack of Shapeshifters someday...

 

 

Well met and welcome to the Challenge, Faazazel! Safe travels to your Crew!

[SuperNovice007]

It's been a busy summer with work, school, and outdoor fun so haven't had a lot of time to update for the past couple months. However, my class is over and I'm back to working my way through BG1. 

 

The party continued it's journey south of Beregost on their way to Nashkel. Lots of fighting in this one as the party fought through a horde of hobgoblins directly to the south of the city before heading back to the city and promptly forgetting where a quest NPC was. (That's the drawback of taking a break).

 

The video:

 

Sorry for the narration volume. I'm not sure what happened in the upload to Youtube but in some areas, my voice gets too quiet. I'm looking into what happened but it shouldn't be an issue in the future.

 

I have another few hours of video to finish processing but haven't had time to put together the videos yet. Editing video takes 3 or 4 times as long as actually playing the game so it's more tortoise than hare.

 

More updates soon!

[Alesia_BH]

Welcome to the challenge, Faazazel!

 

Sorry it took us a while to welcome you. The posts of new forum members aren't visible at first. I think it's an anti-spam procedure.

 

Anyhoo, we're glad to have you with us!

 

Good hunting!

 

A.

[Alesia_BH]

@Supernovice. Welcome back!

 

@Grond0. At least now you have a really good basketball team.

 

https://youtu.be/RMyuv3wkTJs?t=1m38s

 

Best,

 

A.

[Grond0]

Gate70/Grond0 multiplayer attempt 87 (1st and final update)

 

There was just time for a short session today.  Regrettably, however, it was not short enough to prevent another pairing kicking the bucket .

 

The berserker and cleric/mage were sort of heading to Nashkel from Beregost, but taking a roundabout route to avoid the possibility of a bandit ambush.  While doing that Ghurli the berserker fancied having a go at Bassilus.  Despite him not having any armour his rage protected him against spell attacks, while a few supporting commands from Raport the cleric/mage helped put Bassilus down.

Spoiler

 

Not to be outdone in the "why don't we just" stakes Raport suggested Zargal as another target.  Ghurli launched an assault to try and prevent the archers from making best use of their bows, while Raport commanded them to die.  One had done so and the other was at near death being attacked by Raport, while Ghurli was badly injured but in a position to run Zargal round.  That meant Raport only needed a single decent blow to finish his archer off, while having the comfort of knowing that 16 HPs was enough to protect against instant death in return - some comfort eh!

 

Loading the autosave enabled confirmation that Raport was a bit lighter in the headgear department than would be typically expected from a cleric/mage .

Spoiler

[Grond0]

@Grond0. At least now you have a really good basketball team.

Indeed, though I think the claws might be a bit hard on the basketballs .

[Grond0]

Gate70/Grond0 multiplayer attempt 88 - (update 1)

Nurk, human cavalier (Grond0) & Shady, halfling assassin Gate70)

 

After rattling the run (or possibly short jog) total along in the last few days I thought perhaps I'd take the time to post the pictures for the newly generated couple - just in case there's a vague possibility that would lead to taking more care of them.

 

So far they've just left Candlekeep and picked up their first levels thanks to leaving a greenish, oozing lump where Shoal used to be.

 

 

Stats:

Nurk, cavalier 2, 20 HPs, 7 kills

Shady, assassin 3, 20 HPs, 1 kill, 0 deaths

Shady is in the unusual position of having only 12% of kill numbers, but virtually 100% of kills XP ...