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But Lightning bolt doesn't produce any smoke and it's made of electricity. Man this really complicated.
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Jun 10, 2012 03:09
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 15:32 |
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Well of course the lightning doesn't produce smoke! The ionized air and guys you turn into human  make the smoke.Thinking otherwise is silly. Stop being silly 
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Jun 10, 2012 07:19
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 11 Nightal, 1369 Well, there's nothing left to do but go to the Cloakwood Mines. I'm feeling a little nervous about the whole thing. These are the Iron Throne - the people who have sent so very many bounty hunters to track me down. They are the ones who were giving orders to the bandits. They must have a lot of bodies and resources, and magic. Do I just walk up there and bust down the front door? I consult with Faldorn. She advises that our best shot is to charge in and bust down the front door. Ok then. Here goes!  On the way we are ambushed by some drat wyverns! I'm beginning to hate these guys!  Nobody in the group likes wyverns. I throw a lightning bolt and Coran fires a deadly arrow at the same time - different targets though.  Minsc gets his chop on down south, and Faldorn smashes her clubs into things up north. With the help of Viconia, Minsc's wyvern goes down first.  Faldorn has to beg off her wyvern and let Minsc tank it for her. Faldorn has some problems getting hit a lot in melee. But she comes back and adds some good damage in there.  I talk with Faldorn, asking her if she's got some way to mitigate the damage she always seems to be suffering. She agrees to use Armor of Faith in the future. Her own Barkskin spell doesn't seem to do much for her that her armor cannot. Minsc pockets the wyvern heads, and we continue on our way.  We arrive at the Cloakwood Mines without incident. When we arrive, Faldorn growls out her rage.   All I can hear is the wind... Silence, townling! If you do not wish to hearken, LOOK! Look at these piles of gore seeping with acidic fluids! They were earth's own liver and stomach, before they were broken! The Great Mother made ore the color of bleeding flesh for a reason... And the tortureres will never stop! They will grind her whole body into a stinking mess without pity. They will burn her green children, only to produce cruel steel to continue killing! In a way, it feels like poetic justice that the buyer of an iron sword most often dies on the iron sword. Maybe... maybe there is balance to it? Balance can never be achieved by destruction alone, you dolt. Now, quit bandying words and attack the mines! Arguing with you is like rolling a boulder up to the top of the mountain: useless and can kill you for all your efforts. Let us just go. Grrr! Today we fight for Sylvanus and for the Great Mother! My pack, may your strength never fail you!I do not want to take any chances, though, so I immediately teleport us to Shaundakul's sanctuary to rest. No telling what crazed forest spirits want to kill us and aren't on our team.   'Tis akin to my home, but home does not welcome me. We have pleased Oak Father, I sense it.Is Oak Father another name for Shaundakul? This Faldorn always makes more questions and never gives answers. We prepare, we sleep, we wake. We are ready to take on whatever the place has to throw at us. I teleport us back. Immediately we get accosted by an Arch Druid. Oh, well, actually, it is The Arch Druid.  Wait, I thought the arch druid was that other guy in the treehouse? Such as us? What are you talking about? Don't try to lie to me, only those of the Iron Throne traverse these woods now.Then he begins casting a spell! I shout for everyone to attack him, hoping to interrupt his spell, and I begin to cast Lightning Bolt. But his bear companion swipes at me and my spell is lost!  I move away to avoid dying, and Minsc takes my place. He makes the arch druid lose his spell too, at least.  The arch druid doesn't seem to have been slowed down by losing his spell. He smacks Faldorn quite hard.  Things start to get crazy as a bear that charged at me through the trees turns on Imoen. Faldorn and I heal ourselves and we try to deal wtih this new threat.  The bear runs amok in our ranged attackers, injuring Coran severely. Coran doesn't back down though.  He only backs down after he gets hit a second time. drat! Viconia moves in to heal him.  Imoen is the one who finally takes out the bothersome bear.  And a few seconds later, she and Coran take out the other one too!  After that, it's just a matter of pounding on the arch druid until he doesn't get up anymore.  He doesn't damage us much, but he is incredibly tough as well. I dip into my reckless dweomers to try to hurt him.  A red orb comes streaking at me too!  Whew. I came out on top there. My sword even liked it. I switch to darts and try to hit the arch druid in that way. He goes after me for a second but turns back to hitting Faldorn. That's when I notice that Minsc isn't moving.  I have no idea when the man got stunned, but it's not looking good for our side of the fight. I reach into my pockets searching for something else that will injure this bastard.  Faldorn is the one to keep his attention, and she tanks the healer way.  Viconia tries magic against him, but the manbeast simply won't go down.  Then Minsc gets back into the fight, and I know everything is gonna be alright.  But no, he is stunned again a few seconds later. The Arch Druid must have a really awesome weapon.  Minsc is getting severely beat on, and both Viconia and Faldorn heal him at the same time.  I am worried about the duration of this fight, so I recklessly call up some random missiles. It all works out normally.  Based on what I just saw, I guess that the Arch Druid has unusually high magic resistance. Then finally, after what seems like an eternity, after all our healing spells and offensive spells are spent, finally the arch druid beats himself to death on Minsc's fireshield.  Then Coran gets to the real heart of the matter that concerns us all.  Coran, I don't mean to be rude, but perhaps it's for the best. Tacky, isn't it? Well, yes, but why - You must be asking yourself why I wear it if I'm aware that it's an insult to good taste and pastel colors? To be honest, yes, I do. You see, people remember it, so when I do the serious stealing - outside the dimly lit dungeons that is - I'm unrecognizable in non-descript clothes. Besides, it pleases Mask, the Lord of Thieves. He likes the bright colors and it's never a bad idea to get on his good side.We go to loot the body of the arch druid. He has some regeneration potions, some potions of mirrored eyes, and some healing potions. He also has four pieces of magical equipment. The first is some armor, what Viconia calls Stormcloud Kraken's Bane.  It fits Faldorn perfectly, and given her injuries in our recent fights she prefers it to Nature's Divine, even though that gives extra spells. Kraken's Bane gives her -5 AC and that's what she needs. She can probably make up those spells with the next item anyways. it is the Crown of the Archdruid.  Faldorn immediately puts it on. Maybe she's going to be gunning for archdruid when we get back. The next item we take off the archdruid's corpse is a ring, the Ring of Fire Shielding. I idly wonder if looting corpses is part of the natural order.  Gameplay note: AC +4?! Resistance to non-magical weapons?! What does that even mean! Faldorn slips the ring on as well. She looks much tougher now.  Yes, definitely a lot tougher than before.  The final thing we pull off of the arch druid's corpse is a scimitar called Yarrow's Tears.  Gameplay note: A sword with an AC bonus on it! You don't really see that every day. It makes me sad to say that we don't know anybody who uses scimitars. Of course, that's not the only thing that we got out of this fight. We also got a more powerful Imoen!    She proudly reports that she's going to be able to do two spells at once come tomorrow. I smile wholeheartedly at my dear friend. She is progressing quickly! With a short visit to the mule and a bit of equipment juggling, we are ready to explore the area here. I wonder if it will be hard to find the Iron Throne's mine. Then I remember that we basically threw all of our skills and abilities into killing the arch druid. I send Coran out alone, then, and tell him to not engage anyone. He finds a group of hobgoblin elites.  A sign that we are in the right place. Near them he sees a man named Lakadar. He is probably on patrol for the Iron Throne.  Later, he finds a group of Black Talon archers hiding in the woods.  And near them, what looks to be a palisade.  After doing a circuit of most of the area, he finds a bridge guarded by Black Talon Elites and shield-toting guards.  He finds even more Black Talon archers later on in the woods.  Another strange thing that he finds is a crazy dryad just standing there, twitching.  And the most interesting feature that Coran finds is a hanging bridge between two palisades.  When he comes back, he hands over an annotated map of the area.  Basically, we will be assaulting two islands. We have to go in the front entrance of the first to get to the second. The big buildings in the second are probably significant. It is a perfectly defensible area and we are going to have to go in hard and fast and dumb, because we simply don't have any other choice. After discussing it, we decide to talk to Lakadar and the crazy dryad first, to see if they have anything to contribute. We will circle around on the north side, then go around east, and south. After we talk to those two notable persons, we will assault the front gate. It might not be a great plan, but it is the only plan.
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Jun 10, 2012 16:19
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I always feel bad resting after just one fight, but sometimes (specially with tactics mod installed) you end up facing one-man armies that will push your party to the limit. Of course, the rewards are usually horribly overpowered: A druid with -9 AC? That's jut sick.
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Jun 10, 2012 16:38
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If you respec'd Faldorn to use Scimitars, she'd have loving -11 AC. Jeeesus christ. And that's not touching the stun on hit on that thing. ...It's probably for the best, just sell it and use the money to overpower someone else maybe.
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Jun 10, 2012 16:44
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I thought rings and armor weren't supposed to stack in this game. In fact, I distinctly remember not being able to use Rings/Amulets of Protection and magical armor. Is that a mod change, or does that ring just not count because it's a bonus ability on the ring? (IF it's a mod change, I don't mind - my home group always allowed it.) I'm also reminded why I don't like the more... extremist... druids. They're complete idiots about some things and refuse to listen to a word anyone else says, and Faldorn's pretty drat hostile about it.
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Jun 10, 2012 17:01
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Serifina posted:I thought rings and armor weren't supposed to stack in this game. In fact, I distinctly remember not being able to use Rings/Amulets of Protection and magical armor. Is that a mod change, or does that ring just not count because it's a bonus ability on the ring? (IF it's a mod change, I don't mind - my home group always allowed it.) Certain rings, like the Ring of Earth or Ring of Gaxx that had other abilities, did stack but straight up rings/amulets of protection didn't. Mods existed to change that too though.
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Jun 10, 2012 17:14
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Honestly the op status of our equipment is good. It means that we can make Kangaxx our bitch later.
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Jun 10, 2012 18:27
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Wouldn't that scimitar still make a really good off-hand weapon even she is not specced for it? On second thought, aren't class item restrictions removed? I'm sure we'll find a good user for this weapon.
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Jun 10, 2012 19:09
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Brainamp posted:Honestly the op status of our equipment is good. It means that we can make Kangaxx our bitch later. You have yet to see what modders have done to some encounters. This equipment is nuts for this stage of BG1, but will probably be rather handy later on.
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Jun 10, 2012 19:09
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Cythereal posted:You have yet to see what modders have done to some encounters. This equipment is nuts for this stage of BG1, but will probably be rather handy later on. That's what I meant. I know some encounters will be harder, but this op equipment is in no way bad news.
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Jun 10, 2012 19:12
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Vorgen posted:I consult with Faldorn. She advises that our best shot is to charge in and bust down the front door. Ok then. Here goes! She doesn't know any AOE spells, does she.  Syvishtar, why are you listening to this crazy druid's ranting? Listen to the sword. The sword knows what's best. The flames are growing inside, and they desire freedom. The wooden stockade can't withstand a real siege, not when you can cast fireballs! Burn everything to the ground.
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Jun 10, 2012 20:20
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Serifina posted:I thought rings and armor weren't supposed to stack in this game. In fact, I distinctly remember not being able to use Rings/Amulets of Protection and magical armor. Is that a mod change, or does that ring just not count because it's a bonus ability on the ring? (IF it's a mod change, I don't mind - my home group always allowed it.) Depends if it grants AC or gives and AC bonus.
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Jun 10, 2012 21:15
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BiggestOrangeTree posted:Wouldn't that scimitar still make a really good off-hand weapon even she is not specced for it? On second thought, aren't class item restrictions removed? I'm sure we'll find a good user for this weapon. This was (probably) a mod added item. All bets are off when it comes to mod items really... That being said, it would make a fairly decent off hand weapon for Faldorn. She'd suck with it, but she'd get the same benefit as shield alongside a small chance of stunning the enemy. Serifina posted:I thought rings and armor weren't supposed to stack in this game. In fact, I distinctly remember not being able to use Rings/Amulets of Protection and magical armor. Is that a mod change, or does that ring just not count because it's a bonus ability on the ring? (IF it's a mod change, I don't mind - my home group always allowed it.) There are mods that allow rings of protection to be worn with magical armour, but I think BWP either messes them up or ignores them as I've rarely been able to get them to work together. Although it only reflects the standard Rings of Protection (+1 and +2), the Cloaks of Protection (+1 and +2) and the Amulet of Protection +1. All other AC granting items (usually mod added) ignore that restriction.
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Jun 10, 2012 21:28
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The layout of that mine is one of a motte and bailey by the way.
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Jun 10, 2012 22:20
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BiggestOrangeTree posted:Wouldn't that scimitar still make a really good off-hand weapon even she is not specced for it? On second thought, aren't class item restrictions removed? I'm sure we'll find a good user for this weapon. Benjifer posted:That being said, it would make a fairly decent off hand weapon for Faldorn. She'd suck with it, but she'd get the same benefit as shield alongside a small chance of stunning the enemy.
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Jun 11, 2012 00:52
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Vorgen posted:These are good points. I hadn't thought of the scimitar as a shield that can also stun, but it is a good perspective. I'll give Faldorn the weapon on the next update. Also, whoever cooked up and placed this gear should be punched in the reproductive organs. They thought -11 AC on a druid was a good idea. They thought this poo poo was even vaguely balanced or content-appropriate.
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Jun 11, 2012 01:37
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This depends on the mods Vorgen is using, but Faldorn shoulod get some harsh THAC0 penalties to both hands, not just his 'shield' hand, if she doesn't have any points in two-weapon fighting (on top of the shield-hand penalties for lack of scimitar proficiency). Even with the double-gimping that stupid scimitar is probably still worth wielding though, unless Faldorn's main attack is that powerful.
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Jun 11, 2012 02:34
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NihilCredo posted:This depends on the mods Vorgen is using, but Faldorn shoulod get some harsh THAC0 penalties to both hands, not just his 'shield' hand, if she doesn't have any points in two-weapon fighting (on top of the shield-hand penalties for lack of scimitar proficiency). If you look at the inventory thing, she's already dual-wielding clubs of some kind so I assume she was given some pips in two-weapon style.
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Jun 11, 2012 02:58
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It took me a week but I finally read through the entire thread. Of all the loot I have seen thus far in the LP, that loving ring is the most overpowered thing yet. Better than anything in endgame vanilla ToB. Modders!  And yes. Vorgen gave Faldorn two weapon style back in this update.
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Jun 11, 2012 03:09
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You know, what bothers me is that apparently warlocks make rings and armor that only druids can use. What is up with that? The great warlock Charvirak of Corymer stole the essence of a fire golem and trapped it within a ring so that it would give a +4 bonus to AC, immunity to fire, and 5% physical resistance, but only for his druid buddy because gently caress warlocks am I right? Also the armor Stormcloud Kraken's Bane was last worn by the great warlock Shrethu Reogher, who may still be looking for it. But if he found it he would just put it on an armor stand or something because only druids can use it now bitch haha! Pickled Tink posted:And yes. Vorgen gave Faldorn two weapon style back in this update. And yes, I did give Faldorn a pip in two-weapon style. Here is her character sheet: 
Vorgen fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 03:15
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ALL HAIL GOD FALDORN
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Jun 11, 2012 03:22
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Pickled Tink posted:It took me a week but I finally read through the entire thread. To be fair that ring is probably the most overpowered item in modded BG1. Plus it -along with just about every overpowered item Vorgen has (that includes that magic bow, sword of holding, dagger of million APR, most armor and every weapon with incorrect proficiencies - the mod was never properly updated for BGT) - comes from a mod that is basically just a mess of overlevelled enemies and content. Shame because it has a fairly decent story, at least as far as mods go. edit: the mod is called Dark Horizons. Also before the mod got intgrated into BW the ring used to be immunity to +4 and lower  (the mod is only used in tactics installation, FWIW)
Private Speech fucked around with this message at 04:28 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 04:19
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Sejs Cube posted:The AC alone makes that scimitar worth using even if she never hits anyone with it. The chance to stun just makes it all the better. No, they thought it was awesome. Balance and content appropriateness might as well be in loving China for all the thought they got.
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Jun 11, 2012 04:38
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Private Speech posted:edit: the mod is called Dark Horizons. Also before the mod got intgrated into BW the ring used to be immunity to +4 and lower It's a Chosen of Mystra mod... 'Nuff said. With only one pip in two weapon, she might actually be better off doing Club+Shield... Also, Warlocks are truly selfless. They love their tree-hugging buddies.
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Jun 11, 2012 09:50
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Benjifer posted:With only one pip in two weapon, she might actually be better off doing Club+Shield... Scimitar + Shield.
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Jun 11, 2012 18:09
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Even with training in clubs and dual-weapon fighting, it would be better to have a scimitar+shield?
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Jun 12, 2012 16:01
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Vorgen posted:Even with training in clubs and dual-weapon fighting, it would be better to have a scimitar+shield? If you just want her to distract things since they probably won't hit her with like -14 AC, sure. She won't be able to hit anything unless you switch one of those pips around to let her know how to use the scimitar without penalties.
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Jun 12, 2012 16:20
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Shugojin posted:If you just want her to distract things since they probably won't hit her with like -14 AC, sure. She won't be able to hit anything unless you switch one of those pips around to let her know how to use the scimitar without penalties. The problem as I see it with that is that Vorgen is using SCS and unless Faldorn opens up with a major source of damage (like a potion of explosions or the ring of energy or call lightning or something) then an AC-14 druid isn't going to draw very much threat at all which kind of defeats the purpose of the whole "unhittable lightning rod" thing. If a character isn't a Ranger then two weapon fighting really isn't a very useful DPS expansion for many, many levels and SCS AI is "smart" enough to prioritize the people killing them, not just the people in the front so until you're doing that damage its not going to do the thing we all want it to--shield Faldorn from attacks aimed at Faldorn.
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Jun 12, 2012 17:08
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Well I'm trying to use Faldorn as a second tank, because its either her or Viconia with the current party makeup. I guess in that case the lowest AC possible is best.
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Jun 13, 2012 02:17
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A single pip in two-weapon fighting doesn't really do much to boost your THAC0, just like having no pips in Scimitar doesn't either. If you go Club+Shield, she will have a chance to hit something (with something like a THAC0 of around... 15? As opposed to the THAC0 of 18/23 or something similar she would have with dual wielding and the THAC0 of around 20 she would have with the Scimitar. She gets a low enough AC with the crazy Druid armour so all she needs is damage output.
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Jun 13, 2012 09:15
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Been a long time. Can't recall what the priest class non-proficiency penalty was back in 2nd ed. -4? If her base THAC0 is 15, no modifier for a 13 str, -4 for not having any dots in scimitar, +3 for the enchantment on the weapon, so an end THAC0 of 16. Her sheet says that currently she's at THAC0 18 when she's dual wielding clubs. So scimitar + shield would mean better to-hit (mostly to apply free stuns to dudes) and crazy good AC. Good for tanking. Use spells for offense. Or let other people handle offense and just be an untouchable stun dispenser.
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Jun 13, 2012 10:16
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Ok, I had to look back at this, but her base THAC0 of 15 is pretty good for a spellcaster... I always forget that 2E Clerics and Druids get a fairly decent rate of increase (2 every 3 levels). So I'm gonna go all mathtarded now... Sorry  Dual Wielding Clubs: Base: 15/15 Single pip in clubs: 0/0 Single pip in d/W: +2/+6 Magical weapons: -2/-2 Final THAC0: 15/19 Club and Shield: Base: 15 Single pip in clubs: 0 Magical weapon: -2 Final THAC0: 13 Scimitar and Shield: Base: 15 No proficiency: +3 Magical weapon: -3 Final THAC0: 15 Dual Wielding Club/Scimitar: Base: 15/15 Single pip in clubs/no proficiency: 0/+3 Single pip in d/W: +2/+6 Magical weapons: -2/-3 Final THAC0: 15/21 Dual Wielding Scimitar/Club: Base: 15/15 No proficiency/single pip: +3/0 Single pip in d/W: +2/+6 Magical weapons: -3/-2 Final THAC0: 17/19 Sorry about the maths again The best THAC0 would be with Club and Shield, you'd get an insane armour class with Scimitar + Shield and lots of nasty effects with DW. There are pros to each of them really... If it was my game-through then I'd probably go with Club+Shield at this point, but that's just me. The stun-on-hit effect is great and the insane AC is... well, it's kind of unnecessary at this point. An AC of -13 would mean only enemies with a THAC0 of 6 or lower would need anything other than a 20 to hit. That kind of range (at least in BG1) is reserved for final bosses and mod-added crap, neither of which is coming up any time soon. EDIT: Although, if you put another pip into DW, Club/Scimitar wins. Nyeh... Can't believe I just wrote out all that for a character that probably won't be around for long. Sorry for the third time
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Jun 13, 2012 23:48
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Benjifer posted:Nyeh... Can't believe I just wrote out all that for a character that probably won't be around for long. Sorry for the third time Hey, Faldorn isn't going anywhere. She can be with us for as long as we want her to be!
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Jun 14, 2012 06:41
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Or you know, until she gets gibbed. Whichever one comes first.
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Jun 14, 2012 08:21
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Just thank your deity of choice that Faldorn isn't a romance option. She's written as batshit bonkers, presumably to make her subplot in BG2 make more sense.
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Jun 14, 2012 14:27
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 13 Nightal, 1369 I'm really nervous about this section of the woods, so I teleport everyone back to Shaundakul's sanctuary again to sleep. That arch druid really took a lot out of us.  We now know what we're getting into, so we prepare for a frontal assault on a fortified position. Except, how prepared can you really be for something like that? My brooding is interrupted by Imoen's chipper voice.  My tribe's lands were hit by drought and frost for a few years. The prey became scarce and the streams went dry. Tempus, Auril, and the spirits of the ancestors did not listen to my people's pleas. Then the tribe elders decided to give the first newborn to the druids. Wow! Did it stop the drought? Yes, it did. Silvanus was pleased that the Black Raven brought a vessel for the spirit of his true servant, and the forest became wet and bountiful again. Vessel? Hey, did they also give the grove one of those big cauldrons the druids use? You know, those big brassy ones? Very shiny? No, you stupid girl! The day I was given to the grove was the last time the Great Druid, Kador the Burner, was seen alive. I took his spirit into myself, that's unmistakable! All signs point to it. I only need to find his scimitar, the Emerald Ray, to prove it!Uhhh, so Faldorn is a woman with the spirit of a man inside of her too. Huh. I would not have guessed. And this Kador the Burner sounds like a pretty cool dude. We might have to get to know each other better. We sleep, we wake, and I find Falorn awake before the others, and at the mule. She snaps at me when I ask her what she's doing, but then she explains that the scimitar is calling for her. She wants to wield Yarrow's Tears, no matter that she is not that good with it. Who am I to argue with Kador the Burner who is also Faldorn the Shadowdruid? I let her do what she wants.   Gameplay note: She has -11 AC, and deals out confusion with the club and stuns with the scimitar. I think that makes her a pretty effective tank. We don't actually have any shields available for her to wield, which eliminates the shield+scimitar idea. Maybe when we reach town or get rich or loot something. Faldorn obviously notices my tacit approval of her and seems to want to seek out a kindred spirit within me as well.  I think about what I have been doing in these 7 long months since Gorion died. I have been leading packs of followers through the wilderness, killing and being killed in turn. Hmm... now that I think about it, it must be a wolf. Wolves! Now I know why I feel akin to you. I have a blood brother, a she-wolf. The smartest and wariest beast, a stealthy stalker and a dangerous foe. We can run as a pack one day, if you wish. That might be an interesting experience... perhaps, we'd even howl at the full moon together. Wooouh-ouuugh-ooooooooo!!!Coran seems to want to one-up Faldorn's assessment of me, though.  Coran, in what possible way can I resemble a mountain? What I'm trying to say is that with you one adveture comes as soon as another ends, the same way that the mountain chains rise one after another. Yes, I seem to attract trouble. Cherish it, my friend, cherish it, for that will surely preserve you against the grey chimera of boredom! Not to mention keep me faithfully by your side! You, faithful? Why, that's novel. I might just be the first woman to whom you'll remain loyal. Alas, you are not my lover. My sweet Syvishtara, my marvelous Syvishtara, I've called dozens of fair maidens my lovers, but you alone I call a true friend. I don't want to lose a jewel to pluck a blossom.I have to smile, and stifle a laugh. Coran is a pretty smooth operator. I look at Imoen and raise a questioning eyebrow. She knows what I'm talking about and gives the slightest of nods. She did memorize the spell we talked about. With a few flicks of her wrist, she casts it.   Imoen gives me a quick once-over, a thumbs up, and a sly smile. I turn to Coran to see if he reacts to my ... enhanced appearance, but I am startled by some kind of ghost just floating by like nothing at all! He ignores me, though, and addresses Imoen.   Thou hath used incantations which I transposed. I know this to be truth. It hath always been my desire that the incantations be reserved for me and me alone. Giveth that to me, the knowledge thou hath taken without leave. I have no idea what you are talking about. Could you say that again, with fewer syllables? There shall be none who use my incantations, for there can be no rest for me while Faerun has knowledge of my work. I ask thou once more this day. Giveth to me all thy knowledge of my work and incantations. I worked hard at finding these arcane and unique spells. I shall not give up the knowledge. I shall ask thee but twice more. Do not fail to release the knowledge thy possesseth upon being called.And with that, he floats away.  I do not know what to say. I'm stunned. I turn to Imoen and ask her if she stole some forbidden knowledge from Candlekeep or something. She just shrugs and looks totally innocent. She says it must be the spell Eagle's Splendor, but she says she worked it out on her own.  Gameplay note: Wow, that was a complete surpise to me too. I have never seen this before. I guess that a spellcasting ghost is going to attack us if we cast Eagle's Splendor 2 more times? And I have no idea what other spells would set him off. Pretty crazy! No way am I going to give up any magical knowledge, though. Is nobody else bothered by what just happened? Does nobody care that we are deep in hostile territory about to assault a fortress? Apparently not, because Faldorn starts criticizing Coran like we are relaxing at an inn.  Every woman is beautiful, of course. One learns with time to see a particular smile, a shape of the earlobe, the wave of hair above the forehead - and enjoy the privilege of seeing it. It is a rare thing, however, when the whole of the woman is perfectly beautiful.I find myself inexplicably playing with my hair. All things of nature are perfect. But civilization spoils it... I would be surprised if you could find an unblighted beautiful woman in a city! The answer is simple. Yes, I have seen such a woman. Ellesime, the elven Queen of Suldanessellar. There is no woman fairer than Her Grace. Her hair shines like gold, her face is fair as moonlight, her gown is the color of peacock feathers... Coran, you are drooling.I roll my eyes and teleport us back to the Cloakwood before anybody else wants to start commenting on anybody else's character or life choices.  Then I sweetly ask Coran to lead us to that Lakadaar guy he was talking about before. He takes us off into the woods, but we meet some hobgoblins first.  I think it is going to be an easy fight, with chunks flying and everybody laughing. And it is. It's all fun and games until Vic and I get poisoned.  But then we drink two antidotes and the fight goes back to being fun and games again... until a voice shouts out of the trees at us.  Oh what the hell. We are already going for a frontal assault, might as well do it while shouting our names for all to hear too. I am Syvishtara and this is my party of fellow adventurers. What is your purpose here? We hear there is an Iron Throne presence in these woods and are here to investigate it. Well, I'm afraid we don't welcome visitors. Men, set upon them at once!Eh. More of the same. They're all going to die anyways, doesn't matter if it's now or later. Lakadaar charges in with some guards and the battle becomes larger and more fun!  Lakadaar himself goes after Faldorn, who fiercely growls at him and charges into melee. All of the goons seem to head for Minsc.  Imoen tries to shake things up a bit with the last charge from her Wand of Fear, and Vic tries to cast Hold Person on Lakadaar.  It works! That poor, poor bastard. Things aren't looking good for Lakadaar's lackeys going up against Minsc, either. The crazed ranger slices one into chunks.  In the trees, Lakadaar meets his final doom under Faldorn's club.  And chasing his scared lackeys around the forest only takes a minute longer. It is actually rather embarrassing. After we are done with it, Vic loots everything. Looks like the reason Lakadaar didn't put up much of a fight is because he only has a generic +2 spear. Geez. Poor bastard to the end he was. As is our plan, we all circle around the palisade together, and meet the Black Talon archers that Coran told us about. It doesn't start off well for them.  And it keeps on like that until the end.  They have some really great arrows though. 70 arrows +1 and 20 Arrows of Ice. Imoen really appreciates replenishing her supplies. We make it all the way around the palisade without meeting any more patrols. Coran shows us the way to the crazy dryad. Unfortunately, it would probably have been better if we didn't come.  This again? What do you mean by that? Leave my wood! You're not a very socialable being are you? Do as I bid! I am afraid I cannot do that. We have to get to the mines and... Feel nature's fury as she lashes out at thee!We all wince as we are forced into another battle with a beautiful spirit of the forest. Coran seems especially haunted when he becomes the one to put her down permanently.  I sigh. It looks as though this circumnavigation of the fortress was a complete waste of time. We should have just headed straight for the gate to begin with. And, with no real option left, we do so now. I simply yell CHARGE!!! and we rush the gate guards as one pack.  The first two guards drop like chumps.  The third one does too. Coran, hidden amongst the trees, is like a Kivan machine out here today.  But Faldorn is trying to match him kill for kill.  We loot the bodies. More ice arrows. We split them up between Coran and Imoen and buff up for the main fight.  Then we charge across the bridge into the... open, empty front entrance?  Oh, no. We do have a greeter. Drasus.  You want to know what I always say? "Always kill the mouthy one," that's what I always say. HAW! A good saying! I will use your head for a puppet and make it say it over and over while we drink large amounts of mead! Life is pretty good, you know?I do know. And I don't want to end it quite yet. As I'm thinking this, an absolute tidal wave of magical energy crashes into the area.  It is that time. I prepare to cast a Fireball. While I am doing so, however, a hail of Ice Arrows erupt from the Black Talon Elites and their General behind, all aimed for Minsc. He never stood a chance. I launch my fireball in furious retaliation.  Viconia also tries to cast a Glyph of Warding, but with its short range she finds herself in melee and loses her spell. She also finds herself in a Web that Coran laid down not two seconds before. I call for everyone to back up. We need to be cautious here!  As we retreat, a spell flies from Rezdan the mage, wrapped in his defensive wards. It is targeted for Imoen and it strikes us as we cross the bridge.  I become quite confused and I'm not sure what is happening. Suddenly, Drasus has made it across the bridge and is backed up by two ogres. What?  A moment later, two dire wolves appear on the bridge and attack the ogres! Faldorn has called them!  Then Rezdan and Kysus appear a second later, and things get even more confusing. Faldorn succeeds in calling a Woodland Ally, someone spooks one of the dire wolves, and another mage sets up a teleport field?!  Kysus is throwing Melf's Minute Meteors at Imoen. She needs to pop a healing potion. The teleport field grows, and at the same time Faldorn's woodland being appears. Someone needs to dispel magic, quickly! If only things weren't so confusing...  What happens next is I see Faldorn fall to the ground, her eyes closed. A sleep spell? I'm not sure.  A moment later and Coran is dead, struck down in one moment by an ogre berserker.  He looked extremely confused about the whole situation when he went down. The next thing I can tell happening is that Faldorn's nymph casts Sphere of Chaos.  I try to concentrate and realize that the Sphere of Chaos has incapacitated at least some of our enemies.  I see Imoen, Vic, and the nymph disappear north. They are the only ones not dead, asleep, or confused for the moment. Vic even has a chance to heal Imoen.  I notice that Drasus seems to be frozen in place. Something from the Sphere of Chaos? But then Rezdan stops being affected by the Sphere of Chaos and ... and... and ... and just takes over Imoen.  The only person in control of themselves at this point is Vic. And the nymph is autonomous, but seems to be teleporting in and out of melee combat with something inside the Teleport Field/Sphere of Chaos clusterfuck. I don't even know. Vic's greatest advantage is her speed, so she runs out of melee range and casts Silence in the direction of Rezdan. She can't cast damaging spells for fear of killing Imoen.  IT WORKS! The loving mage is silenced. I guess his little stupid magic bubble doesn't protect against that!  Strangely enough Faldorn is up and about, although still frightened and running. She is running in the same direction as Vic, though, which is extremely fortunate. Vic tries to Command the ogre berserker following her to sleep, but it doesn't. And then, the goddamned mage Rezdan CASTS VOCALIZE!  Gameplay note: Who in this thread was saying that buying vocalize was a waste of money and it woudn't even be a factor until BG2? Look at this! Look at this fight and feel shame. Kysus, Rezdan, Drasus, and Imoen spend the next few moments fighting the nymph, who is quite wily and cunning, if almost completely uncontrollable.  Vic finds herself running from an ogre berserker with no options left, save one. She takes it. She wraps the Cloak of the Wolf around her and turns into a werewolf!   As Viconia begins to tear into the ogre berserker, the first good thing this fight happens. Faldorn comes out of her frightened frenzy and charges the back of the monster!  The other good thing that happens this fight is that I can finally clearly understand what is going on.  They have Imoen. They have an Imeon willingly following them around with only 6 hit points. That means Fireballs and Glyphs of Warding are out. That even means that Dispel Magics are risky. If it dispels the Dire Charm everyone around her would turn on her instantly and she would be dead. She needs to disappear the moment she is back on our side. Faldorn and Viconia are alone up top, and have a few minutes to prepare. I am alone down below, and I can cast Dispel Magic. If I can dispel all the crap surrounding these magelings and Viconia and Faldorn can rush in and clean up, we might have a chance. I also have this Nymph Cloak. It has an ability that I have never used, Blinding Beauty. Supposedly it can blind everyone in a 15 foot radius once a day. Maybe I should rush in, blind everyone, and then the ladies should beat them down. Dare I risk it? I dare. There are a few breaks for our side, too. The Sphere of Chaos is still active, and I notice that it has caused Imoen to fall asleep and Rezdan to be temporarily frozen.  Also, one of Faldorn's Dire Wolves is still alive and is harrying the mages. The Ogre Berserker that is protecting one mage has just lost his berserk state and he looks weak. Now is the time to strike!  As I rush up, preparing to flash my cloak at everyone, I notice something even funnier. Rezdan is wasting spells on the Dire Wolf!  There is someone I forgot to calculate for in my assessment - the fighter Drasus. I only notice him when he doesn't get blinded by my cloak. poo poo!  I run away, trying to separate him from his mage and ogre berserker. It works. I try to cast Horror at him from a scroll. That doesn't work.  Ouch! At the exact same time, Faldorn and Viconia have engaged Rezdan. He responds with Color Spray, lowering Faldorn's magic resistance.   Down south where I am, I manage to run away a little bit more and cast Animate Dead. Hopefully this skeleton will be able to distract Drasus while I Dweomer him to death.  Faldorn and Viconia are trying to beat down that one mage, I guess. I'm losing track of them. For myself, just on the edge of sight I see a spell come flying at me. It is Blindness, and it doesn't work. Kysus is back in action!  The skeleton is distracting Drasus, so I reach for the Weave in the reckless way that Nahal discovered. I beg, I plead, I pull, I tug.   FUUUUUCKKKKK!!!!  But at least there is good news from up north. Imoen suddenly walks away from Rezdan, turns after ten paces, and embeds an Ice Arrow into his left eye. He falls, dead as a gibberling. God I love that girl.  But a second later I am struck at the heart. We are all struck at the heart. Faldorn is on her way to heal Imoen back to full health with a Cure Moderate Wounds spell, and is just half a step away from it, when an arrow of fire streaks out of the trees and strikes her down.  The treacherous Kysus, whom I thought was attacking me or lost in the confusion of the Sphere of Chaos/Teleport Field, is instead a cowardly, dishonorable, little sniveling shitstain of a sniper. Both Viconia and Faldorn turn on him, bestial screams of fury forced through bared teeth. For my part, the only thing I can do is suck a little life out of Drasus.  Viconia tanks Kysus for a bit while Faldorn calls forth insects upon him. Viconia gets a flame arrow to the face for her trouble.  I hope it is the last flame arrow Kysus ever casts. For myself, I can do nothing but run right now. Drasus is chasing me with a cursed weapon and I am low on health. Thankfully, Kysus can also only run. He tries to run into the water to shake off the insects, but that doesn't work.  I get enough of a lead in front of Drasus that I can heal myself.  As I come back to the bridge, there is a little bad and a little good. The bad is that there's still an ogre berserker alive, and the good is that I find Coran's corpse, and on it two Potions of Invisibility.  I drink a potion and breathe a sigh of relief as Drasus and the ogre berserker lose track of me. And then I grin a fierce grin as I hear a shout of victory from the north!  Drasus and the ogre berserker go after the only thing they can see - my pack mule - and I finally have a chance to test out my new spell.  If this somehow ends up with my pack mule killing Drasus life will be a sweet nectar that I will sip forever content.  But no, it is time to end this. We will destroy everything down there and sort them out later.  My fireball doesn't break through Drasus' magic resistance, but Faldorn's Hold Person or Animal does!  Viconia's Glyph of Warding gets through Drasus' defenses, but my second Fireball doesn't.  Faldorn's Sunscorch doesn't do anything either.  Viconia calls her holy weapon to her, the Disc of Night, and begins throwing it at Drasus. As a chakram, it comes back. Somehow. I'm not sure how, but it is drat effective. Also, Faldorn simply wields the scimitar single-handed and hacks away.  I get a little extra with my Random Missiles.  The gnoll elites that come help us with the final grisly moments of Drasus' life.  Finally, we are victorious. I look around at what we have done. I think I am still in shock. But Faldorn doesn't even seem to care about the dead, or the loot, or what comes next. What she cares about is me.  The monks did lie to me a hell of a lot... Of course. But now I can think for myself, finally! Ah! You are not as hopeless as the rest of the townlings. I feel good about us hunting together.Is that what this was? A hunt? With half our party dead and flies everywhere? I am not sure I can stomach this forever. Gameplay note: First try no reloads kick-rear end epic battle! Woot! Now, we are lost and alone, at half strength deep within the Cloakwood. We will have to clean up, go home, and come back again with Kagain, Xan, and Skeezer Lumpkin IV to kick some more rear end. I'm definitely looking forward to it, and I hope you are too! I'm quite sad that Imoen died, though. She was doing well in her mageling studies. We'll have to pick up those again after we kill everyone in this mine and advance to Chapter 6. That is, if you vote her back into the party of course  .
Vorgen fucked around with this message at 07:44 on Jun 21, 2012 |
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Jun 14, 2012 18:05
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Of course Imoen will rejoin the party! We can't let her burgeoning studies take too long of a break. 
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Jun 14, 2012 19:06
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Holy cow that was a mess of a battle. Insanity! Also, curse the gods for letting Imoen die! She'd had such a great streak, too. Now we get Terrible People back in the group.
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Jun 14, 2012 19:19
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Chaos is such a good spell, and you can't have it yet, and they do The best way I've found to handle that group involves everyone having potions of explosions, necklaces of explosions or wands of fireball, then setting them all off at the same time. AoE will bypass most of the defenses and killing the casters quick is the only real way to make sure this fight goes off without serious casualties. Otherwise you rely on luck.
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Jun 14, 2012 19:22
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