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I just found this LP, and it seems entertaining so far. Some of the things I find most fun about this series involve the dirty tricks some others were talking about, like item duping and "accidentally" catching hirelings with good gear in sleep spells. On a somewhat related note, I was able to finish my most recent play through the first game last year with evil characters, since each PC gets a choice regardless of alignment. Looking forward to more of this.
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Oct 3, 2019 22:43
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 01:36 |
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Non-human limits have a single exception in that they can all reach maximum level in thief. So if you really want one in a party that goes beyond the first game, they must be pigeonholed into that class or a multiclass including it. Secret of the Silver Blades actually does have a couple of rather minor benefits to having a dwarf in the party, and their fighter limit is higher than the others. This all means that there is pretty much only one viable multiclass for a full series run, the dwarf fighter/thief.
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Oct 7, 2019 10:40
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Chokes McGee posted:I’m aware. Hilariously you can force that door in the Amiga version with an item that buffs strength. But yeah, we may want to check out Knock. And maybe book that spell ahead of time. Since we’ll need it for a library. It is also possible on the DOS version from GOG, even without buffing. Any locked door can potentially be picked or bashed, some of them just have low success rates, especially at low level.
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Oct 14, 2019 19:24
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If you can reach the bar while maintaining your disguises, the encounter changes slightly. I think the brawl is still unavoidable if you mix with the monsters, but some of them might join your side of it with the right choice. It's actually somewhat annoying since your allies in the fight look exactly the same as the enemies, but still kind of neat.
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Oct 21, 2019 06:45
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I think Skullcrusher's menu portrait matches the one when you first meet him in the DOS version
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Oct 31, 2019 18:19
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All Gold Box games in the Forgotten Realms (including the Savage Frontier series and Unlimited Adventures) and Krynn use 1E rules. A lot of things in 2E stayed basically the same, but there are some relevant class changes. Rangers in particular are very different between editions.
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Nov 1, 2019 20:29
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I'm pretty sure the scroll with restoration spells is the one you got from the basilisk fight. The game designers showed some occasional minor mercy by often having scrolls like that in areas with problematic undead. I think the spell also brings the character to the minimum experience for their restored level. If you can get the mad man to town alive, he has chances of attacking citizens and therefor making you either fight or flee from the city guards. It definitely makes getting around there a pain.
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Nov 12, 2019 11:03
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The bag of holding does exist in this game, but only as a very rare random item AFAIK. It's not quite as good as it is elsewhere since the engine doesn't support proper containers, and it takes up one of only 16 inventory slots a character has without freeing up any more. It also requires the character to use one of their hands to have its effect, which is basically making all coins and unequipped items up to a certain point weightless.
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Nov 21, 2019 20:28
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I'm not sure about Amiga POR, but at least some versions of certain gold box games have a (C)enter command in battle, which is extremely helpful for positioning area spells like fireball. Those bracers AC 4 are the best armor for a mage in this game. Fighting against the nomads can get you bracers that are called AC 2, but in fact set it to 4 like these ones, at least in the GOG version. Teleporter mazes always suck, for reasons others have already mentioned. While not exactly a maze, Eye of the Beholder has one of the more pettily mean examples of teleporter use I can think of. An early stage has an invisible one-time teleporter that silently takes you to a different position in the same hallway, such that the view is the same in all directions. It seems to exist for the sole purpose of making self-made maps inaccurate.
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Dec 29, 2019 00:17
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I think I remember Dirten giving a very quick "My job's done now, bye." if he survives the Mace battle. In any case, he's out of the party after that as mentioned. You can actually keep him around for a while if you take that mission from Braccio early on and delay going to the temple. He's about the only NPC in this game who will stay with you for multiple missions. I think it might be possible with Mad Man too, but good luck with that.
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Mar 6, 2020 22:57
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I think druids were a "sub-class" of clerics that had a completely different experience table, HD growth, and spell selection.Chokes McGee posted:After all the horse poo poo, you don't get to kill the king. He just falls into one of his pit traps and dies. Ha ha, gently caress you! Also, if you search around his quarters, there's a bottle with an efreet in it. As long as you don't tell him you're a vampire for some unfathomably stupid reason, he'll tell you not to release him again until you face one, which... is an oddly specific request. As Vlad has been safely put back in his book, it's useless other than selling it for thousands of platinum, and we don't actually have anything to spend that on. The best part? If you release him during the Valhingen fight, the battlefield is so clogged up that he's practically worthless. To elaborate, all single-fight allies start out behind your party. With the efreet being two tiles tall, and both fights against the vampire taking place in narrow hallways, that means he just moves around uselessly, unable to get in melee range to attack or at least save your characters from a level drain or two. However, he IS within the range of the charm gaze and thus likely to end up another enemy to fight.
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Mar 18, 2020 22:57
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One thing that's kind of neat when you reach the overworld portion is that the encounters and town reactions can change depending on which bonds are still active. There are also a couple journal entries at this point are only referenced if a character imported from Hillsfar is in the party. They're letters from the Harpers, one of which says they sent Akabar to Haptooth, which explains why he seems to know who the party is. Nothing explains why he never considers the blast radius of a fireball when casting, though.
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May 3, 2020 04:07
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The only real involvement of the Harpers in Hillsfar is your guild master saying they'll help you out in the future when you finish the last quest. I guess the guild masters are members.
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May 3, 2020 17:40
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I think the Amiga version of this game has difficulty settings, something that all versions of later gold box games have. The difficulties simply adjust the amount of HP enemies have. Fights with dragons are pretty much the only ones made truly more or less dangerous by changing difficulty rather than simply longer or shorter.
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May 4, 2020 01:38
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Casting resist fire on the character who goes for the chests in the salamander sauna will prevent them from taking damage. On a similar subject, efreeti are not immune to fire, though they're probably supposed to be.
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May 11, 2020 16:31
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For the dark elf lord, I managed to slow him with a Fumble spell, and also had a fighter/thief who got off a pretty big backstab that took off over a third of his health. With those, I was able to beat him without a successful Hold Person. It actually is possible to read that note without it exploding, though it's something I've only been able to do through save scumming. According to the clue book, a mage is more likely to have success. Doing that will get your party past the spike trap safely.
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May 23, 2020 05:39
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I remember the game Hillsfar having pub gossip that mentions Maalthir as ruler of the city. That game doesn't have nonhuman characters treated any differently, though it does portray the Red Plumes as generally being assholes. A couple of the questlines have you tracking down a fugitive for information, then being given a choice whether to turn him in. The better choice is not to do that in each case. In this game, Hillsfar is the biggest example of how active bonds can change town reactions. While you still have the Zhentarim bond, their inn will refuse you service, store prices will be quadrupled, and doing anything at the bar will guarantee a fight. The training hall will be the same, which is really the most important town service.
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Jun 6, 2020 00:06
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Apparently that wand of defoliation starts with 89 charges, so you don't really need to worry about wasting them. I also like to give Alias and Dragonbait the magical banded mail and other gear looted from Zhentarim squads in Yulash. Dragonbait is a paladin, but he will join a party with evil characters in it. However, if they're removed from the party at the loading screen, they won't be allowed back in while he's still there.
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Jun 17, 2020 05:35
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Apparently in Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, and Gateway to the Savage Frontier, Cause Light Wounds can be used to revive a dead character in combat. This is because the "Dead" status sets HP to 0, so the 1-8 damage will bring that back to just "Dying" instead. This also works with Burning Hands as long as the caster's level is less than 10.
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Jun 18, 2020 00:46
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For those who didn't know, the line about Fritz is a reference to Wizards by Ralph Bashki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpwI1Z0I3F8 Losing a fight to a Zhentarim patrol, as a random encounter on the streets or summoned by you breaking in somewhere, will lead to your party being taken to the courthouse to stand trial. I think either response will lead to combat in the arena, but pleading guilty will also result in having 95% of your money and several items taken. So obviously the better response is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a76iHztgzVg
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Aug 2, 2020 04:13
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The last time I played this, Tirsheya didn't account for Lightning Bolt's ricochet in true AI "ally" fashion and thus caused more damage to my party than any of the enemies did in that battle.
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Nov 27, 2020 15:48
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Evil Fluffy posted:I take it Blades has an xp/level cap and then PoD has no cap like DQK? Yes, the limit is level 15 for all classes except thief, which can reach 18. The other two games mentioned allow up to 40. Like other dragons, the young ones have 3 physical attacks per round in addition to their breath. This makes them glass cannons with the potential to do a lot of damage in large groups. The vault has a save file that is completely separate from the others. Since this is the principle behind the item duping trick, it can actually be exploited like that entirely by accident. On a similar subject, characters with stat-altering items equipped in Curse of the Azure Bonds will have those stats retained after transfer even with the items removed. Does Hanover still have giant strength?
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Jan 11, 2021 06:22
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On the subject of maps, large areas like the ruins are in fact still 16x16, expanded by invisible teleporters and programming tricks. Similar methods were also used for some of the optional dungeons in CAB. Gold Box Companion's automapper is of little use in these places, since it shows the way they are actually laid out:
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Feb 23, 2021 07:50
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After attempting diplomatic relations with Zhentil Keep in the first game, Phlan's council is now negotiating with the Black Circle and Red Wizards of Thay. Even under new leadership, still trying to ally with the absolute worst people in the Realms. 
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Mar 16, 2021 06:20
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Displacer beasts are in the first two games, though only in easily missable wilderness encounters. The mines do at least have some good loot to find, which is generally more than can be said about the game's other monotonous corridor sections.
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Mar 28, 2021 06:56
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Other games do have bar brawls, but not nearly as big and tough as those in the first. In CAB they're against about 6 of the generic fighters found in overworld encounters, but still kind of annoying since they're also outdoors. In Gateway to the Savage Frontier, the bars literally only give you the option to fight or leave. No drinks or tavern tales to hear. Those fights are against 3 or 4 weak enemies, thus very easy and worth little experience.
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Mar 30, 2021 19:19
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I guess the point does also remain that after POR, tavern brawls no longer happen randomly. You either start them yourself or they happen in very specific places and circumstances. In that first game, you could potentially stumble into a fight like this before you've even bought starting equipment for your party: My allies are at the top, but luckily they have bows. If you survive that, the town guard will come, and if you don't run away you'll have to fight them too:  Note that despite the shared sprite (I think they're randomized to some extent) the guys with shields are all 6th level fighters in this instead of the 2nd level corporals in the first. These both scale with party power, so they're even bigger at higher levels
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Apr 1, 2021 19:48
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 01:36 |
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I'm only really familiar with you from this thread, but sorry to see you leave. This LP was fun while it lasted, thanks.
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Jul 8, 2021 18:01
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