Question about my party of once-and-future paladins

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@Darkstrike

Just uninstall the mod. Make sure you have unequipped your charecters and everything is lying in the inventory and things will turn back to normal.
That mod component is flawed so installing it is always a bad idea.

 

Yeah, I installed only a bit of that ease-of-use mod -- the Battle Squares part, plus infinite stacking. Oh, and also the always-get-some-small-scrap-of-XP so I feel like I'm not completely wasting my time fighting through the opposition. Even though, in many cases, the trivial XP is irrelevant; it's not that important to get 50 XP for toasting, say, a low-level Ice Temple barbarian (10 XP apiece for each) when at that stage of the game the program is passing out 4,000 XP quest rewards like discounted Halloween candy. But it's the thought that counts!

 

@Shrikant

Thanks! I had forgot about that! The item portion is sickly flawed. Im gonna keep the Battle Squares and as Grey Magistrate said "always-get-some-small-scrap-of-XP" Just finished the Frot and its off to the Ice Temple. My Rouge is really starting to shine now, and he deals quite a bit of damage! My Sorcerers are starting to have better spells, but I try not to have too many with the same offensive spells. Well I guess its time to get back at it!

 

The Order of Broken Glass has mopped up the ice temple and now is advancing into the Fellwood. One thing I discovered completely by accident -- and probably everyone else in the world but me already knew this -- was that you could go back to Oswald's landing after finishing everything and find a potion that gives you permanent resistance bonuses. Very useful for the reluctantly-tanking rogue.

Fellwood doesn't look like it will be kind to my party. The ice temple was a breeze -- the rogue-paladin easily melted the Aurilites, since they were mostly low-HP spellcasters. No trouble for a backstabbing rogue. But these barbarians are giving me fits because they're so tough. The one good bit is that the light armor Black Dragon Scale that Talvo sells, combined with the +5 deflection armbands from Nym's djinni bottle, gives my rogue an AC of 25. That ain't much, but it's 50% better than before.

One saving grace: the characters are L11, which means 9 sorcerer levels, which means two L4 spells. There's just one transmutation spell at that level -- Blood Rage, which doesn't even work on my completely Lawful Good party -- so for the second slot I took the abjuration spell Stoneskin. I think that will be cast on the rogue a LOT.

 

Cool - there are some tough battles ahead (well, I found them tough).

 

Well ive just beat Sherincal and now im in the ice temple. I bought the shield amulet before I got there and now my Rouge is a powerful tank, add haste, luck and cats grace on top of that and Ive taken down 4 snow trolls without much effort, at the same time might I add! But anyways im think that I might add 1 lvl of sorcerer to the rouge so that I can cast shield because that amulet wont last forever and it gives another 7 to aromor class if im not mistaken. Im using spells that ive never would use before and they are very interesting!!!
Finally got some great offensive spells like Fireball and Lance. I also have a day off everything today so im gonna enjoy it with some playing time!! Try to catch up to you Grey!!!! Oh and last thing, do I still get the Weapon Finesse when I dual wield?

[ November 07, 2005, 20:44: Message edited by: Darkstrike ]

 

Yeah, isn't the spell diversity great? All the casting convenience of the sorcerer with the vast selection of the wizard...times four.

I suspect that access to Shield isn't worth sacrificing a rogue level and taking on the 20% XP penalty. (Or does it not apply because the paladin level is still within two levels of the sorcerer level?) Does the old BG2 trick of selling a spent item to a merchant and then rebuying it fully recharged work in IWD2?

Weapon Finesse will still work with dual wielding, provided they're both short blades. Methinks you have the advantage here, since my rogue is using long blades without Finesse. Or is that Finesselessly?

I think our rogues will get a huge boost once we hit L12. That marks ten levels of rogue right at the time of adding another feat. That means two of those special rogue feats. Crippling Strike and Improved Evasion, oh yeah!

 

Well im thinking of adding a lvl of sorcerer when my Rouge hits L13, and I wont get the xp penalty because Rouge is his favoured class and so its just 1 lvl between Paladin and sorcerer! I was reading up on that somewhere on the boards here!

 

I've just reached the Eight Chambers. Ugh...not looking forward to that sequence.

Plowing through the tunnels of Hook Horrors was a nightmare -- they set up those battles so that critters surround you, leaving no way to protect my four sorcerers. And in those tight tunnels, there's very little room to evade or use mass-damage spells. Those battles were frantic and required a lot of micromanagement. My souped-up rogue-paladin, laden with every buff spell available, would be hacking on one side, while the other four desperately pulled out every stun-like spell to keep the Horrors at bay. (Color Spray was unexpectedly effective.) More than once I would have one poor spellcaster-magnet targeted by several Horrors, and have him running around, HP ticking down, while the rogue scrambled to finish off his own targets. This was the hardest part of the game so far.

Compared to those tunnels, clearing out the duergar was easy. I holed up in the altar room and started hacking away. My enchanter burned through all his charms -- Charm, Dire Charm, and Dominate -- which worked wonders to keep the horde from breaking through to my spellcasters. And now my rogue is wielding that lovely +2 poisonous flail, which chewed through the umber hulks.

Uh...never mind the ethical issues of whether paladins are entitled to clear out duergar settlements without provocation...!

The necromancer now has Animate Dead. A real lifesaver. Which is kinda ironic since these livesavers are dead...

At level up, I gave the rogue Improved Evasion and Slippery Mind; I held off on Crippling Strike because he's been failing a lot of his Will saves lately. I gave each of the sorcerers a different resistance+damage boost, as appropriate to their character -- Aegis of Rime for the necromancer, Spirit of Flame for the evoker, Scion of Storms for the enchanter (for his sparkling charm), and Aqua Mortis for the transmuter. Never mind that only the evoker benefits from the damage bonus, I just wanted to give 'em something interesting.

 

Well ive made it through the Ice Temple and I see that I have alot of catching up to do! This is only a quick post but I will post a more indept one later on, within a few hours!

 

That hook horror area is the encounter that was tailor made for the Deep Gnome Monk decoy and blazing Sorcerer one-two combo.

The eight chambers are cool, a nice test to choose which character to send in.

 

I always found space to call in summons in the hook-horror cave. With summons sheilding your sorcerers from the rear and the high AC sheild on the other side, the sorcerers should not have been targetted.
Didn't you finish the Battle Squares GM? The 'Wand of Animate Dead' would have been very useful here.

 

Here is my more indept post! I pushed through the Ice Temple with relative ease but since my rouge only use short swords I had to leave it to my necromancer, who has 2 in Mace weapons, to deal with the golems! She killed them extremely quick and I must say I was suprised and as of now she is my second melee character. I used to the ease-of-use battle square mod because I just didnt want to spend all that time in there. I found it a bit too easy in the temple and I guess that happens when spells are flying like mad.

Here is a recap of my characters:

Carvin Antag
Paladin 2/ Rouge 8
Str: 12
Dex: 19 (base=18, ring of dex=1)
Con: 10
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 14
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Small Blade x 2, Ambidexteritiy, two-weapon fighting, Heroic Inspiration (Since his life is usually at 50% or less in most fights)

Kinova Telgren
Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 8
Str: 11
Dex: 12 (Base=11, Ring of Dex=1)
Con: 09
Int: 13
Wis: 14
Cha: 20
Feats: Spell Focus - Transmution x 2, Combat casting (Most offensive spells are close range), Improved Initiative, Subvocal casting

Alyssa Tyrvan
Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 8
Str: 08
Dex: 12
Con: 13
Int: 12
Wis: 13
Cha: 20
Feats: Spell Focus - Necromancy x 2, Armored Arcana x 2

Tatiana Gordena
Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 8
Str: 09
Dex: 10 (Base=12, Bracers of Icelandic Pearl=-2)
Con: 09
Int: 17 (base=16, Wizards Ring=1)
Wis: 12
Cha: 20
Feats: Spell Focus - Enchantment x 2, Improved Initiative, Spell penetration x 2 (For all that enchanting magic)

Ivan Gerhundt
Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 8
Str: 11
Dex: 12
Con: 11
Int: 12
Wis: 12
Cha: 20
Feats: Spell Focus - Evocation x 2, Armored Arcana x 2, Martial Weapon Axe x 2

And now a list of equipment along with armor class, saving throws and spells:

Carvin Antag - Rouge
AC: 20, Base = 10, Armor = 6, Dex = 4
Weapons: Brilliant Short Sword +5, Lloth's Sting
Ranged Weapons: Hagnen's Folly
Armor: Silent Interloper
Rings: Chameleon Ring of Dex, Ring of Regeneration
Amulet: Shield Amulet
Helmet: Generic Helmet
Gauntlets: Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
Boots: Yeti Skin Boots
Belt: Dragon's Belt
Cloak: Yeti Skin Cloak
Quick Slots: 2 - Cure serious Wounds
Saving Throws:
Fortitude - +7
Reflex - +15
Will - +4

Kinova Telgren - Transmuter
AC: 14, Base = 10, Armor = 3, Dex = 1
Weapons: Nine Paces
Ranged Weapons: Composite longbow of Empowerment
Armor: Travelers Robe
Rings: Chameleon Ring of Dex
Gauntlets: Bracers of Defence +3
Quick Slots: 1 - Fireshield Blue
Saving Throws:
Fortitude - +10
Reflex - +8
Will - +13
Spells:
Lvl 1 - Shocking Grasp (Never used), Burning Hands (Most used at first 5 levels), Summon Monster 1 (Saved my behind many times), Shield (Always on during battle), Chromatic Orb (Only long range offensive spell)
Lvl 2 - Blindness (Anti Spell caster/Ranged enemy spell, Knock (For the odd chest rouge cant open), Cat's Grace (For use on Melee characters like Carvin and Alyssa)
Lvl 3 - Haste (For melee chars and run aways), Slow
Lvl 4 - Blood rage (A waste of Space)

Alyssa Tyrvan - Necromancer
AC: 15, Base = 10, Armor = 4, Dex = 1
Weapons: Club Of Disruption (For undead), Belib's Everlasting Torch
Ranged Weapons: Masterwork Sling
Armor: Leather Armor +2
Gauntlets: Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
Boots: Boots of Grounding
Quick Slots: 2 - Avarine Decanter
Saving Throws:
Fortitude - +11
Reflex - +8
Will - +12
Spells:
Lvl 1 - Ray of Enfeeblement (Against any hard hitting enemies), Chill Touch (Never used), Larloch's Minor Drain (Usually finishes of Near Dead oponents), Shield (Always on during battle), Magic Missile (Main Offensive spell)
Lvl 2 - Horror (When we get surrounded), Death Armor (Always on during battle), Ghoul Touch (Used once...)
Lvl 3 - Skull trap (Best offensive spell), Vampiric Touch (Not much use)
Lvl 4 - Beltyn's Burning Blood (Perfect for spell casters)

Tatiana Gordena - Enchanter
AC: 16, Base = 10, Armor = 4, Deflection = 2
Weapons: Dispelling Staff
Ranged Weapon: Returning Frost dart, Final Word
Armor: Phaen Robes of rags
Rings: Wizards Ring
Amulet: Yeti Skin Scarf
Helmet: Yeti Skin Hat
Gauntlets: Bracers of Icelandic Pearl
Boots: Yeti Skin Boots
Cloak: Yeti Skin Cloak
Quick Slots: 1 - Wand Of the Dead
Saving Throws:
Fortitude - +9
Reflex - +7
Will - +12
Spells:
Lvl 1 - Sleep (Usefull early on, not so much now), Charm Person (Same as sleep), Minor Mirror Image (Useless), Magic Missile (Quick launch Offensive spell), Shield (Always on during battle)
Lvl 2 - Luck (Always cast on Melee chars), Mirror Image (Keeps her alive), Melf's Acid Arrow (Main offensive spell)
Lvl 3 - Hold Person (Good agains groups of Humanoids, not always effective), Dire Charm (used mostly agains spell casters)
Lvl 4 - Mallison (Always the first spell to be cast in battle)

Ivan Gerhundt - Evoker
AC: 14, Base = 10, Armor = 3, Dex = 1
Ranged Weapons: Throwing Axe of Shocking Burst
Armor: Leather Armor +1
Gauntlets: Periapt of Wound Closure
Saving Throws:
Fortitude - +10
Reflex - +8
Will - +12
Spells:
Lvl 1 - Mafic Missile (Quick Launch Spell), Ice Dagger (Pretty much useless), Chromatic Orb (Great for stunning tough oponents), Shield (Always on during battle), Color Spray (Yet to be used, Good agains Hook Horrors, thanks Grey)
Lvl 2 - Gedlee's Electric Loop (Used mostly when in a bind/surounded), Snilloc's Snowball Swarm (Not very usefull yet), Aganazzar's Scorcher (Troll finisher)
Lvl 3 - Lance Of Distruption (So powerfull but can be a bit dangerous), Fireball (Send my rouge in and slap one of these down)
Lvl - 4 Mordenkainen's Force Missiles (Good for groups, Only 1 missile so far)

And Finally some minor information:
Carvin Antag - Rouge
Most Powerful Vanquished: Vrassillus
Experience Value of Kills: 61228
Number Of Kills: 335
Total Experience value in Party: 32%
Percentage of Total Kills in Party: 38%

Kinova Telgren - Transmuter
Most Powerful Vanquished: Vrek Vileclaw
Experience Value of Kills: 29381
Number Of Kills: 176
Total Experience value in Party: 15%
Percentage of Total Kills in Party: 18%

Alyssa Tyrvan - Necromancer
Most Powerful Vanquished: Crystal Golem
Experience Value of Kills: 42182
Number Of Kills: 111
Total Experience value in Party: 22%
Percentage of Total Kills in Party: 11%

Tatiana Gordena - Enchanter
Most Powerful Vanquished: Sherincal
Experience Value of Kills: 20781
Number Of Kills: 81
Total Experience value in Party: 10%
Percentage of Total Kills in Party: 8%

Ivan Gerhundt - Evoker
Most Powerful Vanquished: Remorhaz
Experience Value of Kills: 37532
Number Of Kills: 204
Total Experience value in Party: 19%
Percentage of Total Kills in Party: 22%

Well now you can see how I play with my Chars, who are the most offensive and Defensive and etc....
Im way far behind you Gray, Time to catch up!!

 

Well, yeah, Shrikant, I could've used that wand...but that wouldn't have been near so exciting as playing tag with the Horrors.

(OK, t'be honest, I just didn't think of it at the time. Oops!)

Thanks for the thorough detail on your characters, Darkstrike! I don't think you'll have trouble catching up to me...I'm off the computer for a week, and after that there's a copy of Civ4 waiting to distract me. Must...be...strong...

I commend you for your interesting feat picks. I like that you gave your rogue Heroic Inspiration -- my rogue also spends most of his time below 50%, so it would've been a good investment. Too late now. Giving one spellcaster Subvocal Casting is a good idea so that you're safe in case of a Silence-strike. And I like that you gave Gerhundt an extra point in Axe for this throwing axe. I have my transmuter using that throwing axe but never thought to give him another Axe point.

 

That was an INDEPTH post! That Tatiana sure seems to like her Yeti skins.

 

You do realise that the Yeti skin stuff does not stack. Regardless of the number of items, you still only get +1/cold. Atleast if you had a hat made of Winter Wolf Skin it would give you an additional +1Char.

 

............. Well then! I didnt know that!!!! Thanks Shrikant. Was wondering why she was taking more damage from cold based attacks than she should have. Back to the drawingboard then. Thanks!

 

Well actually you probably have missed buying a very good item for warding off cold damage. Elytharra (sp?), Ulbrek's wife in Targos sells boots which give you 6/cold resistance.

 

@Shricant
According to the info screen in the game she does get a cold resistance of 7 which all the yeti skins add up to

[ November 15, 2005, 17:53: Message edited by: Darkstrike ]

 

Odd. Very odd.

Not that I can't be wrong. But from what I remember from the game and of 3e rules themselves, that kind of stacking should not occur.

Protections from different kinds of sources can stack but not those from the same kind. Perhaps one of the mods allow it.

Do you get the same information from the action bar, ie: Tatiana Gordena takes 4 cold damage (7 damage resisted)?

EDIT: What are the charecter races? Some have elemental resistance.

[ November 16, 2005, 17:04: Message edited by: Shrikant ]