The Candlekeep Annex: RPed Baldur’s Gate No and Low Reload Adventures

[Alesia_BH]

Alia, Halfling Kensai: Final Update

I'm sorry to report that Alia fell to Gromnir. The new version of SCS made this fight much more challenging and I underestimated it. Alia was dispelled early, worn down by damage spells and ultimately cornered, with the aid of summons. Gromnir's crew just flat out beat Alia. This is somewhat surprising to me, in that the first Alia defeated Gromnir, although it had been a moderately close fight. Maybe I should have studied that prior battle before engaging this one? Alas, that did not happen, and Alia's ascension wasn't meant to be. I'm proud of our little kensair, nonetheless. She did a fine job, despite her kit limitations. Rest in peace, Alia.

Best,

A.

PS: I gave Alia a chance to try the fight again, twice. She won both times, without difficulty. The key is that most of Gromnir's team can't detect the invisible, and they are running light on divination magics. All Alia needed to do was to keep her oils of speed and potions of invisibility at the ready. She could then evade the planetar and hakeshars without being harassed or cornered by the others. That works, with an acceptable margin of error. Now I know.

 

[m7600]

She will be missed indeed! Rest in peace, brave Alia.

I have a lot of technical questions about No / Low Reload Adventures, but I'll leave them for later. For now, a moment of silence for our fallen hero.

 

[Alesia_BH]

You can feel free to start asking questions, M7600.

I'm accustomed to writing for other no reloaders in the NR challenge threads. I may have assumed more familiarity with NR run practices in this run than I should have, in light of the different audience. Apologies if that was the case.

 

[m7600]

No need to apologize! I'd just like to pick your brain for a minute, if that's OK with you.

1) What, in your opinion, is the best kind of literary composition for a No / Low Reload adventure? I see that a lot of players prefer to compose from a first-person perspective, as if they're writing a diary. But I prefer to write dialogues between characters, as if I was writing a script for a movie or TV. However, I realized that it would be impossible to do this for an entire run... You would end up writing a book, more or less. So maybe it's more efficient to write from a first-person or third-person perspective? What would you advise?

2) Should you break character? For example, I knew that Wyatt was gonna die in the Nashkel mines, because he was bound to step on a trap at some point. Maybe I could have revived Imoen at Helm's temple in Nashkel. I did have the 100 gold for the Raise Dead spell. But this seemed contrary to the story I was trying to tell. Story-wise, it was better to have Wyatt die (though I may be wrong, my narrative skills and storytelling skills are amateurish)

3) Should you use Raise Dead anyways? Maybe there's a compelling way to incorporate it to a story-oriented run, but I can't think of any. Character death should be meaningful, I think. Raise Dead and similar spells take away from that... But again, I could be wrong.

I guess that's it for my part, I don't want to be too much of a nuisance : )

 

[Alesia_BH]

No worries! I'm happy to offer what advice I can.

On literary composition. It's hard, right? Narrativizing an entire run is a challenge, one that I have never completed. I can comment on my experiences, for what that's worth..

I've narratived BG1 runs before, and I've quasi-narrativized up through mid SoA once, and late SoA another time. The former was with my bounty hunter, Alesia, the latter with my transmuting sorceress, Alastria.

Alesia's run had been a hybrid of the journal and dialogue approaches. Basically, she'd copy dialogue down verbatim in her journal if something important happened. That worked out well, since it allowed me to speed up or slow down, as I desired. Alastria's run had been a journal, and her personality had been based on Alicia Silverstone's character in Clueless. That's probably the easiest approach. The journal of an airhead can score humor points with ease, without taxing the writer.

I made a couple other attempts that were aborted in BG1, partly because I got too into play. In one I took a comic book like approach, using edited photos to illustrate. That angle held promise, I think, and I may want to try it again. In another I attempted a third person perspective. That was the most challenging, but also the most satisfying artistically. I'd like to get back to that one someday. It was my F/M, Arcadia. The little bit that I did complete can be found below, as a repost.

Given your prior experiences, I think I'd recommend the hybrid approach, like the one I took with Alesia. I'd also be interested in seeing what you could do with the comic book like angle. That holds promise, I think, in that it reduces the volume requirements.

What ever you choose, I'm confident you'll come up with something worthy. Your first runs showed promise!

On breaking character. My inclination is to stay in character, and to accept that some characters just aren't fitted for godhood. Some adventures will end early, like Wyatt's. For the record, I don't see his run as a failure at all. I feel like your character lived out his destiny, given who he was. He had a good story and he died where he should have, how he should have. There's nothing wrong with that.

If you want to go farther, it might behoove you to develop a character who has what it takes. My bounty hunter, Alesia, for example, was cautious by nature, due to challenging formative experiences. She also had an intelligence of 18, and was a perfectionist in combat. I could write her and play her in character and get far with her precisely because she was the type of person who could make it. When you role play your character's personality suddenly becomes tactically relevant. Keep that in mind when you build a character.

On raise dead. Raise dead is a part of the Forgotten Realms, and I don't think there's any reason to avoid using it. Writing it is hard, in a sense, since death is final in our world, but how different is it than, say, rushing someone to an emergency room? I think the thing to do is treat it like that. Chunking is final and must be treated as such in a NR/LR adventure. "Death" is just a crisis, a bit of drama in the narrative. That's how I see it, anyways.

Another option would be to translate "death" as unconsciousness.

As for reloads, if you choose to allow them, they can be RPed as dream sequences. In the alternative you can imagine that your PC was knocked out and later woke up.

Anyhoo, those are my takes. I hope that helps. I do hope to see you posting again!

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

NW: This isn't a new run. It's just a repost, intended to serve as an example of a third person narrative

Introduction:

Character Description: When asked about Arcadia, Imoen shoots you a deeply serious stare, paired with a incongruous lopsided smirk. She huffs though her nostrils as if to say, "let's get this over with." You sense deep affection, deep ambivalence, deep confusion. You can tell she hasn't the slightest idea what to say, and that she'd rather say nothing at all. After a pause long enough to fit an ale into, Imoen can sense that you won't be disuaded. She begins to speak, hesistantly. She wants to be somewhere else. "I don't want to call her buffleheaded, because she's my friend and all, but the girl- the girl isn't all there...You know her face isn't really blue, right? She does spend a lot of time indoors -her face is pale. But she rubs crushed violets and buttermilk on it like all the time: I mean non-stop. And she chants with her eyes closed when she does it- like she's in a trance...And then there's the thing with the cat..." You raise a curious eybrow at the mention of the cat- you've heard about this cat. Another ale length pause. The last one was a pint, this one is almost a quart. "Captain Swarmi- that's what she calls it..." Imoen looks over her shoulder nervously, as if The Captain might pounce. "She dresses it up in a tiara and a cloak. She has tea with it. She asks it for advice- a lot of advice, about important stuff.." Another pause (shot glass). "It was cute when she was a kid. Gorion figured she'd grow out of it. I figured the cat would die eventually- I mean it's old. But now I'm thinking it's not- not going to die I mean. That cat is going to live forever..." Now you're confused. You ask why the cat is going to live forever. Imoen turns pale. "I can't- I just can't," she says. "Can we talk about something else?" Grudgingly, you accept that that is all you are going to learn about Arcadia. For now.

Part 1:

Captain Swarmi is resting on a bed of violets, sipping chamomile tea with buttermilk. Studying the scene, idly caressing your chin, you ask yourself why a cat would drink tea. “The buttermilk,” you think, rationalizing. And it isn't as though he's lifting Calimshamite porcelain with a proper paw: he's lapping it- just as a cat should. You're nearly convinced. And yet still... You look into his eyes. You can tell that a mind is scrutinizing you, judging you, measuring your worth. You are less than an ounce of chamomile, it thinks. Or at least you think it thinks: you are still not sure. Frozen in thought, vaguely troubled, you release the tension with a forced laugh: “It's just a cat,” you say. But the moment those words leave your lips, your consciousness is flooded with images: death and destruction. And love. There is a temple, shattered- the sky pours in through the roof. You hear screams: the cries of the bleeding and butchered. There are babies left in mud. Axes of red. Broken dreams. People are running, but running only to death: there is no escape. And all the while you hear the chants: the violet chants. Where do they come from? Amidst the terror -the pools of blood -the entrails, you see a rivulet of buttermilk. A broken dish. A paw print. The vision ends. You walk away. You try to forget.

Captain Swarmi has set plans in motion. Captain Swarmi sees. He will have his revenge.

**

The time has come: the time to leave- the time to make a home on the road. There was nothing tangible that led Arcadia to believe that exodus and life on the run were on her horizon, yet she always knew. And so when Gorion spoke those fateful words, it was as though they had already been said, as though they had already been heard. And as Arcadia packed her helmet and her blade, her scrolls and her violets, she felt neither exhilaration nor fear: only destiny. She had been waiting for this.

Once her bag was packed and lifted over her shoulders, Arcadia unsheathed her sword. It made a satisfying swish as it left the hilt. It was a good blade: polished and sharp. Arcadia could see herself within it- see her reflection. She noticed the violet above her right ear. She moved it to the left. She slid the sword back into the hilt, pleased. For a moment, she wondered whether she was ready to leave. But when Captain Swarmi leapt onto her shoulder, she knew the hour had come. Fate awaits them. They will not be late.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Part 2:

Footsteps and flames. And then a race to freedom, to another day. That's all Arcadia could remember. And yet somehow the night had ended- somehow it was morning. Footsteps again. Imoen approached.

“I'm...I'm sorry about Gorion,” Imoen stammered. “I followed you from the shadows. I saw the whole thing.” Arcadia hadn't known about Gorion- at least not for certain. But she could feel the truth of Imoen's words: they were heavy- the way truth always is. There was a moment of silence between them. Arcadia gazed at the earth, the dust and stones, the unwelcoming roots. Imoen spoke again. Arcadia looked up- her eyes widened. Hopefully, receptively: she listened. “I know...I know we haven't always gotten along. And I know you don't want me around. Or at least you'll say you don't want me around. But I've been thinking about it all night, and I can't let...” The words continued, but something had changed: Arcadia wasn't listening anymore. She was tilting her head- leaning it toward her shoulder and the perched Captain Swarmi. She squinted into the distance, or at nothing in particular- like she was trying to hear something -or see something- infinitely far away. Imoen's words kept coming, but Arcadia interrupted. “No. You can't come. You're not supposed to come. You're supposed to stay here.” Silence.

“Supposed to? What...” A pregnant pause. “It's the cat, isn't it? He doesn't want me to come. He told you and you listened. You always listen- at least to him, not to me.”

Arcadia's eyes sharpened. She shifted her weight to her right foot, and then crossed her arms. It was a contrived pose, meant to project condescension. It was a weapon Arcadia used against Imoen all the time. Imoen shouldn't have brought up the cat.

“Has it ever occurred to you, Imoen, that I just don't like you. That I'm mean to you to keep you away. And that I blame the cat -or that you blame the cat- just so you don't have to be angry with me?”

Imoen leapt to answer. “Have I ever thought that? Ever? Are you kidding? I used to think that all the time. And it made me want to break your neck instead of the cats. But now I know that isn't true. I understand now.”

Arcadia smirked: “Imoen, you're always telling me that I pay too much attention to the cat, but you're the one who's obsessed with it. I'm just playing with it: I'm always just playing. You're the one who takes it all seriously. It's just a cat.” Captain Swarmi purred approvingly.

“It's not- it's not just a cat...It...It casts spells,” Imoen hadn't meant to say it, but now it was out there. She looked embarrassed. Arcadia froze and starred at her, judging whether she was serious. She was- she really was. Arcadia laughed, and then spoke with pedantic superiority. “Imoen: it's just a cat. It can't even speak. How can it cast spells?” Imoen knew she was making a fool of herself -that the evidence wasn't there yet- but there was no turning back. “I don't have to hear the spells. Or see them. I can feel them. Remember the training, the training with Gorion- when he was teaching us how to resist spells? The enchantment spells: they all felt the same- like something pushing into your brain. It's like that all around him. It's like a field. You have to feel it, too- it has to be inside you. You spend too much time with it. You didn't used to be like this- at least not all the time. It has to be...”

“It has to be what?” Arcadia said, starring at her incredulously- goading her into saying what Arcadia knew was on her mind.

“Look, Arcadia, I'll stay here- I won't go with you. But...But you have to leave the cat. Not with me- I don't want it. You could leave it in the woods, but I don't think it would stay. It has to go back to Candlekeep. It can't get over the walls. Remember? It used to try all the time: it couldn't get out. It has to stay behind the walls. It...”

“It's my pet, Imoen, I'm not abandoning it -not in the woods, not at Candlekeep, not anywhere- it's staying with me. You, on the other hand...”

“But it can't: it can't leave...I think you're just the way that it gets out...”

Captain Swarmi's hairs stood on end, but it was Arcadia who bristled. “I've got a better idea. Why don't you go back to Candlekeep. Why don't you stay behind the walls. Winthrop needs the beds turned. Or maybe more of the guests need a turn. That's all you're good for. Well...that's what Captain Swarmi thinks: I'd never say such a thing...”

Imoen felt wounded, deflated. Arcadia could always make her feel that way. But Imoen's will remained. Softly she said, “No. No. That was you, Arcadia. I don't know why it was you, but it was you. And it's not going to work. I'm leaving now, but I'm not going away. You need me. You can't stop it alone. In the end it'll be me. You'll see.”

And with that, Imoen turned and started walking away to the west, but with no certain destination. Arcadia didn't say a word- not at first at least. Her gaze turned to the stones again- as it had been when she heard of Gorion's fall. The stones seemed to remember- or at least they helped Arcadia remember. Something changed. A sudden wave of urgent compassion overcame Arcadia. She cried, “Imoen wait,” and then raced toward Imoen. Captain Swarmi leapt off Arcadia's shoulder as he felt her body lurch forward. He landed ungracefully for a cat, and then started circling -seemingly angry- before settling in to stare, to concentrate. His eyes honed in on Arcadia- even as she receded farther away. Imoen turned and faced Arcadia, frightened but hopeful. When Arcadia reached Imoen, Arcadia gazed at her warmly, lovingly, and then hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, and stroked her hair. They embraced for a long time. Then, still holding Imoen, Arcadia leaned back, and starred into Imoen's eyes with deep affection. She smiled sympathetically and then spoke: “Now, I'm not going to say I'm sorry, because I meant everything I said- especially about you.” Arcadia nodded sincerely, smiling- almost laughing, cupping Imoen's head with her hand- trying to make Imoen nod with her. Imoen shrunk away -wounded and baffled- but the stronger Arcadia was still grasping her around the waist. Arcadia pulled Imoen closer. Arcadia smiled again, ran her fingers through Imoen's hair one last time, and then reached for the violet behind her left ear. She placed it in Imoen's hand, and said: “Here, take this flower. Give it back to me someday- someday when I'll really need it.” Imoen wanted nothing from Arcadia at that moment, other than to be let go. But for some reason, the flower felt important. Imoen agreed. Arcadia released her, smiling angelically- seemingly unaware of any offense.

Imoen stepped back from Arcadia, dazed, confused- deeply ambivalent. Did Arcadia even know what she had said? How that felt? That it didn't fit? It didn't seem like it. Arcadia just smiled and waved: “Remember the flower,” were her last words. Captain Swarmi approached and leapt back onto his perch. Imoen walked briskly away.

Arcadia seemed pleased. But there were calculations on Arcadia's shoulder- and not inside of her head. They were machinations that reached across time. There was no unique answer, but the implication was clear: Danger. Danger! It was a thought that overtook Arcadia like a hidden dagger: it tore her apart, and yet she didn't know where it came from. A moment of panic overtook her -she couldn't say why. She staggered, unsure of what to do. She turned violently in Imoen's direction, peering at her diminishing form- for some reason Imoen was running now. Arcadia reached for her bow, but something stayed her hand. She thought of running, but Imoen was too far away. Frustrated, perplexed, Arcadia lurched toward Imoen and screamed: “Go! Go! Run! Get thee to Winthrop's! You little hag!”

Arcadia wasn't sure why she had said that- she just knew it had to be said, knew it was the right thing to do. She felt satisfied. Proud. She reached for her sword, swishing it from the hilt. She studied her blade again, and studied herself within it. She noticed her flower was missing. Where had it gone? She searched for an answer; she couldn't find one. Lost in confusion, contemplating her reflected image, a single word pressed into Arcadia's mind: Preparations. Preparations: that was the word. It was a word of steel- a word as heavy as a thousand stars: it was a word of Truth. Preparations it would be.

Arcadia slid her blade back into its hilt. She then reached up over her shoulder and scratched Captain Swarmi under the chin. “We should take tea today, my Captain. Shall we say noon?” Captain Swarmi purred.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Part, 3

Of all the things Arcadia could have packed, and of all the things she was forced to leave behind, Arcadia chose to bring Captain Swarmi's tiara and cloak. Captain Swarmi doesn't like the tiara and the cloak, truth be told: he finds them demeaning. And yet he understands that they are essential. If a grown women is to be bent to the will of a cat, it has to feel like play. And not just any play: nostalgic play- an extension of childhood. Captain Swarmi doesn't like the tiara and the cloak. But he knows that they are instruments of the power he wields over Arcadia. They will never be forgotten. He is wearing them now.

“Did we do well, my Captain? Did we make the preparations?” Arcadia said, smiling brightly, sitting cross legged under a tree in front of the Friendly Arm Inn, cupping her chamomile tea with her right hand, and extending the twinkling fingers of her left toward Captain Swarmi's snout. Captain Swarmi didn't like Arcadia's fingers near his snout. But spying the rings upon them -the rings that they had found under his guidance- he knew he had to signal approval, if mild approval: there was still work to be done, and Arcadia needed to understand that. Captain Swarmi looked up into Arcadia's eyes briefly, then he turned his attention to the saucer of tea in front of him. He began to lap. Arcadia followed suit, sipping gently while turning her face to the wind. She then set her cup down and began humming playfully, subtly rocking back and forth, while Captain Swarmi continued to lap. Arcadia stopped humming and said, “I like this tree Captain Swarmi. It's a good tree....It's very arboreal. And green... That's what makes a good tree. Don't you think Captain Swarmi?” Arcadia's humming resumed- resumed, that is, until Captain Swarmi finished his tea.

Once Captain Swarmi finished his tea, Arcadia picked up her cup and emptied it in a single gulp. She sat up promptly, with her spine perfectly straight. She was silent, focused, attentive- in a state of knowing anticipation. Captain Swarmi sat up too, though without the same discipline and attention to detail. They looked into each other's eyes, starring. And as the stare continued, Arcadia's expression went blank. Doe-eyed, docile, vacant, Arcadia reached into her pack and mechanically removed the crushed violets and buttermilk. She mixed them into a paste. She then rubbed the paste onto her cheeks, closed her eyes, and began to chant. As the chant grew deeper and more rhythmic, Arcadia's mind opened to words and images. A path revealed itself to her. She would head south, taking every precaution, to a town called Beregost. There, she would sell the rings to a wizard, and then she would be generous with her wealth at the local temple. She would then return to the wizard's keep, where she would buy a Wand of Sleep and, for safety, three scrolls of Invisibility, one Potion of Freedom, and one Potion of Mirror Eyes. There would be some minor jobs to do in Beregost, but her true destination would be a small border hamlet: Nashkel. She would find work there, build a reputation, build more wealth, and then she would do something truly remarkable: she would become a hero. This would lay the ground work for all that was to come. Once Captain Swarmi was certain that Arcadia understood, he blinked. Arcadia opened her eyes, her chanting ceased, and the expression came back to her face. She looked around, appreciatively, and then delightedly poured two more cups of tea.

“Now I know. Now I know what we're going to do next. We're going to have garlic-dill salmon cakes with sour cream and morels. Don't you think that's a good idea?”

 

[m7600]

Thank you so much @Alesia_BH for taking the time to answer my questions in such an insightful and kind way, and also for sharing chapters of Arcadia's adventure!

One last question. Why do all of your characters have a name that begins with the letter "A"? Feel free to leave it a mystery though : D

 

[Alesia_BH]

One last question. Why do all of your characters have a name that begins with the letter "A"? Feel free to leave it a mystery though : D

Lol. No reason, really. The first character I truly enjoyed was my bounty hunter, Alesia. Her name became my forum name, and the A thing just kind of followed. By now it's a tradition.

These days I look at lists of baby names that start with A whenever I roll a character.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Btw, for those interested in the comic book like approach, the Legends of Baldur's Gate series is available from Amazon, through Comixology Unlimted. They offer a 30 day free trial, so you can check them out for free, as long as you remember to cancel.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Astrid, Halfling Priest of Talos

Having played a thief, and two consecutive warriors, it's now time for something completely different. Enter Astrid, halfling priest of Talos.

Proficiencies: Quarterstaves, Slings

Mods: SCS 34.3, Ascension, G3 Fixpack- Free Action Protects Against Stun

Difficulty: Insane

Character Description: Astrid's personality is a work in progress. I have a sense of who she is but I haven't found the words yet. I'll update this entry when a passage comes together.

Gaming Notes: Astrid's run will be a lightly RPed tactically oriented adventure, like Alia's. Do I expect Astrid to make it? Not at all. Solo clerics are tricky in the late game, especially without the Icewind Dale spells component. Her kit and persona will, however, permit me to explore a few tactics that I haven't allowed with my other characters. I expect her run to be enjoyable, although possibly brief. We'll see.

Theme Song:

 

[alice_ashpool]

Thinking of doing a Cavalier (Torm themed) role-play Lawful Good (but not lawful stupid) party run inc. SoD, complete opposite of the Arwen and Imoen saga. Have never played a Cavalier since I was 12 I thought quite fun.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Sounds promising, Alice! Looking forward to it!

 

[Alesia_BH]

Astrid, Halfling Priest of Talos: Early Adventures, Part 1

Ok. Let's talk about Astrid. First things first: I re-rolled her and edited her entry post accordingly. Why, you ask? Her strength.

Her initial strength of 11 would have left her one point shy of wielding Ages and the Defender without a bump. I didn't like that. She's now one point stronger, one point smarter and three points less charismatic. Welcome to the Realms, new and improved Astrid. May Talos be with you.

Right. Let's get to the action.

Since Astrid is a rebel she eschewed Gorion's advice and went straight to Beregost. There she met Marl and Elvenhair, instead of Khalid and Jaheira. Her first fight, and first level up, came soon after in the Mirianne quest. Here we see the ceremonial punking of the first ogrillon. Mazel tov.

Spoiler

With her Ring of Protection in tow, Astrid headed south to Nashkel. The journey was largely uneventful. A kobold pushed her off the main road and into a hobgoblin, which was nixed with alternating Commands and sling bullets. Who here dislikes the EE team's decision to reduce the early game spawn sizes? I do. Astrid does not. One hobgoblin was fine for her, thank you very much.

Spoiler

Unlike most of my characters Astrid will be skipping the easter eggs and the gratuitous basilisk hunt. Instead she'll be building wealth and power through a RP plausible route. It's slower but it works just as well.

After making her introductions in Nashkel she headed west, seeking Brage. She picked up a pair of halberds along the way. She scored one with Sanctuary.

Spoiler

The other with lightning.

Spoiler

Burdened by the weight, she headed back to Nashkel to sell her finds. We can afford the Wand of Sleep now. We're in business.

Spoiler

Continuing westward, she found the Gnoll Stronghold. What's with the physics in the Forgotten Realms? In our world lightning doesn't strike twice. In the Realms it always does. Gnarl and Hairtooth were the first to catch a double bounce. They both died, or at least nearly so. Two ogrillons, one bolt beats two girls, one cup, for sure.

Spoiler

And while Boons beat Storm Shield + Lightning in the late game, especially if you're willing to stack, Storm Shield + Lightning rules the early game. The Priest of Talos kit is a fun solo, at least in BG1 and early SoA.

Exploring westward revealed the charisma tome. A first use of the Wand of Sleep let Astrid recover it painlessly.

Spoiler

Astrid found Brage soon after, allowing her to complete her first semi-major quest. The total gold hall on this route is about 8000 gold- 10500, if you sell the tome and buy it back later. That's comparable to Evermemory + RoP, and while it's still meta, it feels more legit, at least to me.

Anyhoo, at this point Astrid begrudgingly and belatedly took Gordon's advice and headed for the Friendly Arm Inn. Storm Shield + Lightning helped thin the perimeter hobgoblins and secure Joia's Flamedance Ring.

Spoiler

Sanctuary got us by the sketchy looking Tarnesh. Is this meta? I vote no. If I could cast Sanctuary while walking home at night I absolutely would.

Spoiler

After securing Jaheira's PoI, we got started on the remaining FAI quests. Storm Shield + Lightning and sling bullets handled the belt ogre. Does poor Unshey ever get his belt back?

Spoiler

The Landrin's possession quest almost went south. This is the closest I've come to losing a character early in quite a long time. What went wrong? I did: that's what. I became enamored with the idea of bouncing lightning around that little room, and tried to pull it off, just for giggles. That was stupid. Astrid was poisoned and then cornered on the retreat. Astrid was forced to quaff Jaheira's PoI, drink an antidote, and then heal.

Spoiler

The Wand of Sleep got her out of the pickle. Sorry, Astrid: that was a crisis of my making, and it cost you a high value potion, along with a few wand charges. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

Spoiler

Ok. I have more to cover, but if I keep writing I'll miss the 50% off sushi roll lunch special. I'll finish up Astrid's early adventures when I get back.

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Astrid, Halfling Priest of Talos: Early Adventures, Part 2

It's Saturday, so no 50% off sushi rolls. Instead it's take out Chinese, like Christmas.

Ok. So were were we? Astrid's early adventures: right. Since I had squandered Astrid's PoI, I owed her a new one. That meant a trip to the Valley of the Tombs. We did this under pro undead, because why not.

Here we see Astrid dropping lighting on the revenant. The damage wasn't impressive in this screenshot, but it caught the revenant twice more before fizzling. Note, too, the dead bat- the first of what will likely be many accidental innocent deaths. Talos's blessing upon you.

Spoiler

At this point we were raising money for an Ulgoth's Beard shopping trip, so Astrid went to work. And by work I of course mean killing people who had nice things. Zargal was the first. He learned that he is not, in fact, the strongest there is. Although to be fair to him, I suppose he may have meant the strongest hobgoblin in BG1, not the strongest adventurer in the Realms. Whatever. He's dead now. He rode the lightning, like his broskis. Word to the wise: Don't attack a priest of Talos in a single file line.

Spoiler

Next we moved on to Caldo and Krum. I usually do this with the Wand of Sleep, but since we're low on charges, on account of the spider debacle, we used Hold Person instead. During the game I thought I had lined this lightning bolt up nicely but in the screen shot it's painfully obvious that I was off by five degrees or so. Fooey.

Spoiler

Melium fell to Hold Person, too. As you can see, we had made the mark by now: Astrid is already rocking Aule's and a Wand of the Heavens. She also has the Greenstone Amulet, the Cloak of Displacement, One Gift Lost and the Shield Amulet. She's a PoI shy of where she should be at this point, but Sanctuary should cover that gap.

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We caught the basilisk ambush on the way back from Firewine Bridge, but I always buy a potion of mirror eyes from High Hedge early in the game so it wasn't an issue. Astrid used a couple Wand of the Heavens charges here to insure she'd get the kill with plenty of time to spare.

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At this point we were ready for the mines, equipment wise, but also 3500 XP shy of level 6. We swung by the ankeg lair. It would be most un-Talassan to respect Gerde's limit of four ankegs, like most of my characters do, so Astrid was naughty and took 5. Our Wand of Sleep charge supply is getting dire, but we should be ok, so long as we Sanctuary through a few of the kobold encounters.

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It's been a slightly rocky start, but Astrid is on solid footing now. Her resources and XP are ever so slightly below par, but that's to be expected, I guess, given that she skipped the easter eggs and the basilisk hunt. I'll post on the mines soon.

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Astrid, Halfling Priest of Talos: The Nashkel Mines

With Wand of Sleep charges in short supply, Astrid took an economical approach in the Nashkel Mines. She used her skeletons in the first battle zone.

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And her sanctuaries in the next. The damage you see here came from the traps on the bridge. The remaining traps were evaded, along with the kobold shaman.

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She had a budget of two Wand of Sleep charges for this trip. She used one on the kobolds just outside of Mulahey's hidey-hole. Happily, all but one failed their save. Value for the bargain shopper.

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Astrid was pleased until a rest interrupt cost her a second charge, taking away the one she intended to use against Mulahey's kobolds. Don't worry, Astrid. You've got something for those kobolds. Trust me.

Onto Mulahey. The buffs were potion of strength, Shield Amulet, Protection from Evil, Chant, Draw on Holy Might, Greenstone Amulet and Storm Shield. She summoned two skellies prior to battle, and opened with a Lightning Bolt cast. Check out the lovely, lovely, angle here. It allowed her to hit Mulahey and double bounce the kobolds in the narrow corridor. There is an art to playing a Talassan. Astrid hopes I'll master it.

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Whether it was the display of Talassan prowess -or the crit from that skeleton warrior- Mulahey rightly lost his nerve.

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Some of you may have wondered why Astrid had summoned two skellies, not three, what with her being level 6 and all. One L3 went to Holy Smite- the perfect coup de grace for a panicked priest of Cyric. Thanks for the boots and ring, Mulahey, but especially that potion of absorption. Astrid has plans for that.

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Fun fact, everyone: Talos once tried to seize the portfolio of wild magery from Mystra. It might be fun to let Astrid duo with Neera. I'm tempted. We'll see.

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Astrid, Halfling Priest of Talos: Assassins and Such

It's time for an inventory peak, don't you think? Here it is.

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As you can tell from the inventory, this post covers Nimbul, Tranzig and the Black Alaric Cave. If you were to look into that potion case, you'd know that it covers the Amazonians, too. Let's get started.

Most of my characters wait for the Amnish army to arrive before engaging Nimbul. Astrid didn't bother, since she brought her own army.

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The fight was going swimmingly until Rasaad insinuated himself into the battle and stole the kill. For the record, Rasaad, I didn't need another reason to hate you. That Trademeet dialogue trap is more than enough, thank you very much.

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Following up on her lead, Astrid headed straight to the Feldepost. Surprisingly, Tranzig had a line of sight on the stairwell this time. I'd never seen that before.

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Astrid countered by ducking into a corner and immediately casting Sanctuary. She then made her way to the southeast room where she summoned her skeletons and buffed, choosing Protection from Evil, Resist Fear, Chant, Bless and Storm Shield. In retrospect, Astrid's buffing has been a bit sloppy so far. She should have used a Shield Amulet charge here and skipped the one in the Mulahey fight, for example. In any case, a skellie prison in the corner set up a nice double bounce opportunity, which Astrid took advantage of. Clean kill.

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Astrid's next stop was the Black Alaric Cave, seeking Relair's Mistake and a second potion of absorption. Unlike Amara, Astrid has no qualms about killing sirines. Astrid does, however, have qualms about spending Greenstone Amulet charges before she has access to Sorcerous Sundries. Accordingly she passed the sirines under Sanctuary, and used a single Greenstone Amulet charge on the traps. She has six Greenstone charges left now, which is a comfortable number.

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Unlike stealth or invisibility proper, the golems respond to sanctuaried creatures by moving around the cavern. This caused Astrid to engage two at the same time, to her ire. She whittled them down, in the end, but she did catch a punch to the skull before it was all over. Cure Light Wounds took care of that.

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On the way back Astrid had to run Sanctuary, to avoid the sirines, and Draw on Holy Might, to handle the weight of the con tome.

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No worries. All we need to do is get to the High Hedge map. As long as the Amazonians don't arrive we'll be fine...

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Of course the Amazonian's did arrive, but, tbh, that wasn't a concern. The Amazonians have Protector of the Second, the Harrower, and three nice potions, potion of power, potion of magic blocking and potion of stone form. The potions will fit in the case. Protector of the Second is 5lbs. The Harrower is 4lbs. We have extra DUHMs, and room in the carrying budget. We´ll just need to drop Relair's Mistake and the tome at the start of combat, and circle back for them later. Naturally, Astrid activated her Greenstone Amulet first.

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Zeela and Lamalha both opened with spells. Lamalha went Necromancy, which could only be Unholy Blight, a non-threat to neutral Astrid. Zeela went Alteration, which must be Silence 15" Radius. Since that's a potential annoyance, Astrid tried to target Zeela with the Wand of the Heavens, seeking to interrupt. Unfortunately Telka and Maneira swooped in with their blades at that very moment, spooking me and causing me to pull back.

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Zeela got her Silence spell off, and -surprise, surprise- Astrid failed her save.

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Is that a problem? Not really, actually. We have a Wand of the Heavens and our Storm Shield-Lightning Bolt combo will still work. Now is not the time to be stingy with charges. Those casters need to die before our Greenstone Amulet charge expires.

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With the casters down, Astrid had the luxury of time. She went back to her go to, Storm Shield + Lightning Bolt. Unlike the Caldo and Krum fight, we lined them up nicely this time, finishing them both with a single bolt. All that remains is to crawl over to High Hedge with the loot.

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We're almost ready for Bandit Camp.

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Astrid, Halfling Priest of Talos: Bandit Camp

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This post covers Larswood, Peldvale, Bandit Camp, and a quad of misguided interlopers. It's a lot of combat for one post, and we're going to push the screenshot limit, but we'll fit it all in. I promise.

First up, the Larswood bandits. These blokes were no match. Astrid marched in her skeletons and then opened with a Hold Person on their leader, Teven.

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Next she jacked them with lightning.

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And watched while the skellies finished it all off. A pleasant overture to Astrid's symphony of bandit destruction.

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On the way to Peldvale Astrid was waylaid by Drakar and friends. Astrid opened with a Greenstone Amulet charge, as she always does in caster battles.

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Fortunately they squandered their disablers within a few rounds, allowing Astrid to grind them down. Being out numbered is fine on the battle field, as long as you have the luxury of time. Astrid had that luxury, leaving her free to pick her spots and, in this case, line her enemies up for a lightning bolt. Three out of four ain't bad.

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Four out of four is better.

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The Storm Shield protects against fire damage, too, allowing Astrid to deploy her Necklace of Missiles in tight quarters. As you can see she had taken a little damage by this point. She had been twacked while prepping a sling bullet chuck. That's actually what motivated this first use of One Gift Lost.

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Back to the sling here. It's still a little tight with three enemies on the field and no movement rate advantage. Astrid almost got hit again.

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Which is why we switched back to limited charge items, in this case the Wand of the Heavens.

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With only one enemy left on the field, Astrid could have gone back to the sling. That, however, seemed a whole lot less fun than casting Sanctuary, sneaking off, and calling up an army of the undead.

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Who's outnumbered now, Morvin? Astrid added in a Hold Person to heighten the terror. Being held while skeletons wail on you seems deeply unpleasant. The worst way to die, perhaps?

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Check that: Getting electrocuted, while held and cut to pieces by skeletons is the worst way to die. Thanks for the reminder, Raiken and friends.

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Ok. We're about ready for the Bandit Camp now, but first, we need to take a little side trip.

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Ankhegs? Why ankhegs? Not for the experience: for the shell. Astrid had been getting by with her plate armor but her kit weight had reached 90lbs, which is her carrying limit exactly. That's less than ideal. With a bit of coin in her pockets, and the Cloak of the Wolf to facilitate transport, it was the perfect time to have that ankheg plate made. I forgot how satisfying it is to get you ankheg armor the old fashioned way. My future characters may leave the ankheg easter egg in the hole just for funsies. Now we're ready for camp- really truly.

Astrid took her long duration buffs, potion of strength and oil of speed, shortly after arriving on the map. She then cast Santuary and made her way to the main tent.

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She layered in her shorter duration buffs in an isolated nook, on the northeast corner of the tent platform. She went with Protection from Evil, Draw on Holy Might, potion of regeneration and Storm Shield- and in that order, for some inexplicable reason. Only then did she refresh her Sanctuary and finally, top off with a Greenstone Amulet charge. Don't worry, Astrid: We 100% agree that this buffing sloppiness needs to stop. I'll get my act together soon.

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In we go. A little love tap for Venkt to start the proceedings. Let's do this.

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Venkt was none too pleased with being singled out, it seems. He responded by dispelling Astrid's spell buffs, cast at level 6, though not her potion buffs, cast at level 10. Astrid countered with Sanctuary, allowing her to reapply elemental resistances, this time via potions and scrolls.

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We considered waiting out Venkt's Mirror Images, but ultimately I decided it was more important to draw out his disablers while our Greenstone Amulet charge was still active.

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Time for some fireworks. Kudos to Astrid for the splendid ranging here. She caught all her enemies, while missing herself. She's running 100% fire resistance here, but still. Style points. You go girl.

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Playing a Talassan is like playing air hockey: you need to know your angles. Venkt, Britik, and the remaining Black Talon all caught a piece of this Lightning Bolt.

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With just on foe, Britik, left, Astrid finish with her sling. No damage taken. Clean win.

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Time for some fresh air, and some more dead bandits. Unlike Alia, Astrid couldn't just wallop Taurgosz, under potion of absorption. She needed to finesse him a bit. She started off with a Hold Person cast. From here it should be easy, right?

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The problem is that Taurgosz has friends, a lot of them in fact. Do you all remember how I'd been hemming and hawing about my Wand of Sleep charges? Here's why. I knew I'd need them for this exact moment. Now we can finish Taurgosz off before Hold Person expires without taking too much pressure from bow fire.

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The Wand of Sleep is now spent, but it has served its purpose. Taurgosz is dead. His potion of firebreath is ours.

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Time to heal.

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And make it rain.

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Astrid is off to the Cloakwood, and she's looking strong.

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Astrid, Halfling Priest of Talos: The Cloakwood

Astrid celebrated her victory over the bandits by heading back to the Feldepost and cracking open a bottle of Algernon.

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Most of my characters wouldn't do this, but Astrid, as a Talassan, has no reason not to. Was it about the cloak? No. Algernon's Cloak is like the Cloak of Mirroring, in my opinion. You try it once, figure out that the game designers got it wrong, and move on. Astrid won't be using Algernon, except for the +2 charisma bump while shopping. She will, however, be using Horror, and that was the point of this mission. With her rep at 18, murdering Algernon granted her just enough rep loss to qualify her for Horror, instead of Slow Poison. Killing another innocent would do the same, ofc, but Algernon is uniquely positioned to attenuate the increase in costs, because of his cloak. He's the perfect murder victim. And that's why we all love killing him. Astrid's only regret it that she couldn't make him fly around in chunky bits. He's the most chunkable fella in the Realms, if you ask me.

Anyhoo, we're off to the Cloakwood. Astrid cleared the spider area using her skeletons and lightning. Free Action handled the traps. I often use a protection from poison scroll here, but Astrid's skellies eliminated the need.

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Some of you may have lamented the lack of lightning in the ettercap battle. Don't worry. Astrid hasn't forgotten. She's just saving it. More enemies and more walls means more electrifying goodness. Talos be praised.

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Amen

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Once Centeol fell, Astrid and I had had our fill of Cloakwood exploration. We decided to move on to the Mines.

Astrid began her raid by nixing the guards, using Hold Person and Aule's.

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Next, she summoned her skellies and buffed, choosing potion of mind focusing, potion of strength, potion of regeneration, oil of speed, Shield Amulet, Protection from Evil, Holy Power, DUHM, Storm Shield and, finally, the Greenstone Amulet. She approached in her Sanctuary and opened with a potion of firebreath on Kysus. As many of you know by now, that's my preferred move in this fight. And well it should be. It takes out both the casters in one elegant maneuver. Exhale and arch.

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It also gives you a bit of a start on Drasus and Genthore. It really is a nice move in this fight.

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After deploying her potion of firebreath Astrid retreated to her skeletons. Enrage all you want, Drasus, you're still getting skellie prisoned.

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Astrid and her skellies make a good team. With their 100% electricity resistance, the skellies are perfect for lining up Lightning Bolt shots. Sometimes they even serve as targets. And with her proficiencies in quarterstaves and two handed weapon style, Astrid is well positioned to lend the skellies a hand in melee, by reaching over the top. Astrid loves her undead buddy-wuds and they love her in return.

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You can have this one, guys. Just promise me you'll chunk him. Drasus deserves to be chunked.

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Thankfully, Drasus left enough skellies behind to run distraction while Astrid finished off Genthore with sling bullets. Astrid prefers electrified bullets, naturally.

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Always feel good to finish with a crit. Another clean win for Astrid.

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As per usual, Astrid cleared out the stable house to store her excess gear. These guards are nicely balanced. They're kind of a nuisance for the unbuffed, but they fall quick to the buffed. That's the way it should be.

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At this point Astrid had one potion of invisibility, the one from the Valley of Tombs. She used it here, to get down to Davaeorn with little fuss.

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Hareisham divined, as she is wont to do, but Astrid countered with a Santuary and continued on her way.

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Down, down, down, like Alice in the rabbit hole. Finally we made it to Davaeorn's crib. Time to bring the skellies.The skellies served two purposes. They helped out with the guard, who could have been an annoyance otherwise.

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They also helped Astrid separate the battle horrors from Davaeorn. Granted, they do this on their own eventually in this edition of SCS, for some baffling reason, but separating them early means you get to punk them for XP. That's better. Now is a good time to use those Wand of the Heavens charges, what with that stack of ten at Sorcerous Sundries just a battle away.

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It's also a good time to use that carnival sourced Necklace of Missiles, since Nadine's is on the horizon. And hey: why not toss in a few Potions of Explosions. There's more of them in Baldur's Gate, too. Burn, baby, burn.

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But it wouldn't be an Astrid fight without lightning, right? Davaeorn's electricity resistance is pretty high, but this bolt passed through him four times, doing significant damage. It also finished off the guards. Fellow Talassans: note that you still need your Storm Shield, even when you're running pro magic. Speaking of buffs, we went minimal here: pro magic, potion of fire resistance, protection from fire, potion of mind focusing, and a late Storm Shield, for some electrical goodness at the finish line.

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My only regret is that Astrid's last Lightning Bolt didn't finish Davaeorn. He still needed a nudge with fire. Astrid is off to Baldur's Gate.

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Best,

A.