working with Bodhi (with spoilers)

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Spoiler alert! By necessity with a post on this topic.


This is the first time I actually took the evil path in Chapter 2/3 and sided with Bohdi, and all I can say is WOW! I have played evil parties before, but prior to this, I always roleplayed and figured my evil PC would be more likely to side with a group of thieves (hey, they aren't the nicest guys in the world) rather than a bunch of vampires. I have now found out that it was a very flawed preconception I had. Going with Bohdi is far more rewarding. First of all, in killing Aran Linvail and company, you end up getting all the items you would get by joining with him anyway (ring of prot. +2, amulet w/protection from level drain) plus a whole host of other items you can't get any other way. To wit, you get a +3 throwing axe, which is a really nice supplemental weapon for an evil party which can't use the Azuredge (sp?) from the CC. Plus, Aran himself wears Elven chain mail, which is extremely useful (I have Jan) and I do not think it is possible to find this item before going to Suldenesselar in Chapter 7 if you don't get it here. You also get a ring of djinni summoning - whatever on that one - I can't imagine that being all that useful. There are other smaller points as well. For example, I think you end up getting way more experience points siding with Bohdi. Also, you still get the MoD, even though you don't have to fight your way through the vampire lair. Anyway, from a benefit perspective, is there anyone who thinks siding with the Shadow Theives is the way to go here?

As an aside, on the second mission Bohdi gives you, is there any benefit of chosing one way over the other? I went with killing the guy in the Government District. What's the other option, and is there a better result with that one?

[ February 10, 2004, 10:06: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

 

Only really played evil and sided with Bohdi once. It was fun, but I'm a chronicaly good person, so I'm not a good person to comment on this stuff.

I did want to point out, tho, that I do believe you can get Elven Chain before Suld. I'm relatively sure one (or both) of the dueling family heads in Trademeet has it. If you don't turn the artifact over to the High Merchant, then regardless of the family you help the other shows up, there's a fight, and when the carnage is over, I believe you'll have an Elven Chain. Could be wrong tho.

[ February 09, 2004, 20:43: Message edited by: Xindell ]

 

You do not have to play with an evil character to side with Bodhi - it is not necessarily an evil path.
Okay, Bodhi and her companions are evil, Aran Linvail is true neutral, but he is a thief after all. Leads assassins, burglars etc., tortures and interrogates others, orders to kill innocents if necessary... so not clean at all (as all thieves).
The protagonist wants to free Imoen, that is why he sides one of the two organizations. Anyway, I may be wrong, and the Bodhi path may ne considered to be an evil path everywhere, but my personal opinion can be read above.

Unfortunately I cannot remember that quest. All I can say that I have obeyed the commands of Bodhi all the time. On the contrary, later, she will... I am sure you know, but I had rather not tell the ending.

 

Can't you get some elven chain - or something similar - from one of the bounty hunters in the Planar Prison?

I usually side with the thieves against Bodhi because it generally seems an easier fight. A couple holy smite spells and a blast of sunlight from Daystar and the vampires are (literally) dust. Fighting the thieves always seems harder because you can't rest in the thief complex and have to backtrack all the way out every time.

 

Elven chain? I do not remember it there, but yes, some armor was there. Maybe Chain Mail +2 (?).

In Trademeet, the leader of one of the dueling families has elven chainmail.

In Throne of Bhaal, you can get tons of Elven Chain mails. In the enclave of Sendai, the Drow who are on the surface all wear Elven Chain Mail (adamantine would disintegrate).

 

The planar prison fight you are talking about provides Melodic Chain, not Elven Chain. Melodic Chain is great.... if you're a Bard.

 

Oh, that one. It is great indeed. The best is Aslyferund Elven Chain +5 though.

 

Siding with Bodhi actually gives less experience. All the quests give the exact same amount, and Vampires give almost 800x the xp that Shadow Thieves do.

Bodhi is somewhat more fun, though.

 

Shadow Thieves aren't worth 800 times less experience. The typical vampire gives 8,000 xp, the typical thief gives 1,400 xp. However, there seems to be many "non-typical" thieves at the docks, in Aran's inner chamber, etc., that are worth far more than 1,400. Haz was worth 10,000 xp, as was the mage in Aran's chamber, and Aran himself was worth 17,000 xp. Plus, I think there are far more shadow theives (at least 20-25) than there are vampires (about 5) So on a per kill basis, yes vampires are worth more, but there are more thieves to kill. The unique vampires experience about balance out with the unique thieves (guy with the throwing axe, Haz, Aran, mage), although there are a couple of golems to fight if you side for Aran. Still when you add up all the thieves and the fact that there are many traps worth 2,750 xp each to disarm, I think the attack on the Shadow Thieves is very competitive xp wise. Like you said, the xp for the completed quests are the same (28,000 xp each for the first two, and 50,000 xp each for the third one).

EDIT

Yes of course. I'm playing evil, so obviously I won't give the mantle back to the mayor, but rather one of the families, and then pick their bones for the treasure when they're all dead. I should have remembered that - it's just been a while since I've done that subquest that way, and I forgot about the treasure. I usually am playing good, and returning the mantle gives a rep point, which is usually more vaulable then the equipment for me.

 

there are actually like 8-9 vampires, and 3 of them give you an extra 9,000 xp after you slay them, so they total to about 17,000 each, (which are probably the unique vampires since besides Lassal and bodhi, they're really are not any special ones. Fighting the Vampires is never easy though, because without the anti-level drain stuff, (and I never really have it there), my characters lose levels and I have to reset spells and such, but they do die easy to Azuredge, MoD, and the Daystar + my clerics and Mages, (Hold Undead, Sunbeam). I did the Bodhi quest for the first time yesterday actually, and I found it to be MUCH MUCH better... the thieves have you running around like a lapdog, and Bodhi sends you to kill thieves every time. I really just liked her quest more, and it isn't for evil people either, fact is that she plays it off like they're not evil, and your character does not necessarily know what a vampire is, as per the fact that you don't know why you receive stakes the first time from Aaron Linvail... they just look like ugly mangled people!

 

The only downside for siding with the campires is I head that some characters will leave your party if you do. Anybody know who those are exactly?

 

I think keldorn does - I'm not sure about mazzy or any others though.

 

Well, I always found that Bodhi looked less unthrustworthy then the Shadow Thiefs, although I sided alot with the Shadow Thiefs, but that was because I read everywhere that siding with Bodhi is evil and siding with the Shadow Thiefs is good. Now I played a game in which I joined Bodhi and I don't find it that much more evil than the thiefs. The biggest difference is that with Bodhi you have the choice whether you want to go the really evil way, or that you're just helping her so she will help you. Plus she is more open about her motives then Aran, regardless what happens later in the game.

 

When I sided with Bohdi, I chose the other path. But I can't remember what it gives you,.. it's been a while. I know the plot involves framing the Shadow Thieves for killing some guy. IIRC you do get one of those useless quest items that you've browsed over in Shadowkeeper that you'll never find in the game without going this way. (something like a Shadowthief Cloak or dagger, used for the framing)

[EDIT] Oops, I guess I got mixed up then.

[ February 11, 2004, 04:55: Message edited by: Blog ]

 

@ Blog

That's the one I did. I had to kill a guy, and then leave the shadow thief dagger and cloak in the fountain to frame the Shadow Thieves.

 

Here's a toughie. If you side with Bodhi and then pick up Keldorn?

 

I imagine you can. In fact, if you have Keldorn in your party, the only thing you probably have to do is drop him from the party and tell him to "wait right here" and then pick him back up after accepting Bodhi's proposal. I imagine he only leaves if he is physically present at the time you make the deal.

I once took on Keldorn when I was playing an evil character, and during Mae'Var's quest, he asked me to steal from the temple of Lothander instead of Talos (because I was evil). When this happened, Keldorn refused to comply and left the party. To avoid this, I reloaded the game, dropped him from my party outside the guildhouse, went to talk to Mae'Var, got the mission, and added Keldorn back to my party on the way out. After that, he never made another peep about what we were doing. Yeah, I know, it's kind of cheesy, but you can justify it. You can say you knew that Keldorn would object to working for theives/vampires, so you went a made the deal when he wasn't around, and hoped he wouldn't question things too much after you accepted the proposal. Now, I've never actually tried this with the vampires, but since it worked in a similar situation with Mae'Var, I imagine you could do it here with Bodhi as well. Worst case scenario would be to do all the Bodhi quests without Keldorn, and then pick him up after you finish them.

 

If Keldorn leaves the party because you agreed to steal from the temple of Lothander, has he left for good or can you just head over to wherever he's gone to and recruit him again? I think the only time I had Keldorn in the game at that point was when I was playing good and was told to steal from the temple of Talos. Keldorn never said a word.