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

[Alesia_BH]

Thank you for your perspective, Alice. We agree that the parallel save method is effective, in the sense that it facilitates proficiency. The question is whether that efficacy justifies whatever costs it may entail. To some it does; to some it doesn't. Players have split on this issue since the earliest days of the challenge. Answers hinge on purpose and perspective.

I'll begin with a question. What's the point of a no reload run? Is it to succeed, in the narrowly defined sense of making it to the end without dying? To solve a puzzle? To prove you can do it? To some it is, to others it isn't. For me, the point is to let my character live out her adventure, win or lose. To discover new challenges in the game world, deprived of the god mode of Power Word: Reload. Success to me isn't winning: It's finding renewable narrative enjoyment within an enchanting game world, and challenging myself anew each run by presenting myself with questions that I don't know the answers to.

In your reply you compared a parallel save to a segmented speed run. That comparison is apt. In speed run play one seeks to solve a puzzle and then subsequently execute, as a performance. One can approach no reload play the same way. I, personally, do not. In fact, that's the opposite of what I seek to achieve. I seek new challenges, new stories, each run. It's not about winning. It's not about performance. It's about discovering new adventures, new stories, and then sharing those adventures and stories with others. Accordingly, I eschew the parallel save method and even avoid running similar characters successively, with rare exceptions. Preserving the chance of failure is as important to me as cultivating hope for success. It's not an adventure without both.

But, of course, that's just my way of seeing it- just my approach, suited to my needs. Some see it as I do, others don't. And that's good. The community benefits from a diversity of views. I'm glad you shared yours. Once again, I thank you for your perspective.

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Alia, Halfling Kensai: The Cloakwood Mines

Spoiler

Alia's trip through the Cloakwood was uneven, but largely smooth. She had a terrifying moment against Drasus and Co, but aside from that all went well. Kensai restriction do keep things interesting. I sure do wish our girl could wear a hat. That would be nice.

Alia began her raid on the mines in the standard way, luring out the guards, this time using throwing daggers.

Spoiler

She then took her buffs and prepared for a showdown. In this run I decided to buff once for both Drasus and Davaeorn, so the brew was slightly different that usual: protection from magic, potion of mind focusing, potion of regeneration, potion of invulnerability, oil of speed, potion of could giant strength and finally, Kai.

In Amara's run I restricted ambush attacks on initially blue circled enemies, especially mages. In Alia's run I've relaxed that restriction, mostly with an eye on BG2. In this case Alia opened with an attack on Kysus, with a potion of firebreath at the ready for follow up. Happily, she landed a crit, chunking Kysus in one go.

Spoiler

(As an aside, I accidentally hit the "J" key instead of the "K" key when I typed "Kysus." As a consequence autocorrect tried to change it to Jesus, so that sentence was an edit away from reading: "Happily, she landed a crit, chunking Jesus in one go." I'm glad I caught the typo, but I also thought everyone deserved to know...)

Anyways, a follow up potion of firebreath took out Rezdan, leaving only the warriors.

Spoiler

I expected the warriors to go quietly. After all, Genthore is a ranged fighter facing Cloak of Displacement + Boots of Avoidance and Drasus is a morningstar wielder, opposed by the Girdle of Bluntness and now a potion of absorption. Here we see Alia, prepped and ready.

Spoiler

Oh, but those crits. Genthore landed two brutal ones- just as Alia prepared to engage Drasus. Scary moment here.

Spoiler

Alia pulled back, reached into her potion case and pulled out a potion of extra healing. She was safe, for now. But keeping ahead of Drasus is tricky, in light of his boots of speed. This had the potential to get tight. Thankfully it didn't.

Spoiler

All that remained was Genthore, and crits aside, he's mostly harmless. Down he goes. Alia chose melee here, just for funsies. Might as well, what with the potion of invulnerability, and all.

Spoiler

With Gethore down, the mine raid became a race against time: Alia had to make it to Davaeorn before her buffs ran out. She punked the opening guards, because why not.

Spoiler

Then she activated Sandthief and made her way straight to Davaoern. Alia is invisible here, not under stealth + Cloak of Non Detection, ofc, but with an oil of speed active atop Drasus's boots, Hareisham had no hope of casting a divination spell before Alia made it to the door.

Spoiler

One last guard to punk before showtime.

Spoiler

So here we are, Davaeorn's inner sanctum. The big climax. Or in this case the big anticlimax. After juking the battle horrors, Alia tore through Davaeorn's protections super quick, thanks to her apr of 4. His guards never entered the frame. Davaeorn just died: alone, at the bottom of his mine. And well he should. Poetic, I'd say. Alia is off to Baldur's Gate.

Spoiler

Best,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Alia, Halfling Kensai: The Gate

Spoiler

Alia isn't a city girl. Accordingly, she was all business in her first trip to the Gate. She resupplied at Sorcerous Sundries, snatched the Dex tome, aided Nadine and then snuck her way to Thaldorn, courtesy of Sandthief. Within minutes she was ready for the return to Candlekeep.

Spoiler

Before taking Duke Eltan's magic carpet ride, Alia did a little clean up down south, recovering the Con tome and Kirian's belt. This phase of the adventure is hardly worthy of note, but I simply must share this screen shot of Alia chunking a flesh golem with glyph parts in the air, like confetti. It's smashing.

Spoiler

Back to the storyline. The return to Candlekeep always unnerves me, on account of the ogre mage ambush. I've never lost a character here, but it always feels sketch. Alia drank a potion of magic blocking the instant she arrived and then broke for the Keep. Thankfully, ogre assassins do not carry tomes of great value for the library.

Spoiler

At the Keep, Boots of Grounding and a potion of insulation handled the lightning trap. A potion of fire resistance and Batalista's Passport, the fire traps. A potion of freedom and a protection from poison scroll handled the phase spiders. The violet potion + potion of agility + potion of fortitude allowed Alia to recover the tomes without compromising her combat efficacy.

Spoiler

Here's where the fun begins: the rescue of the Dukes. This, to me, is the climax of BG1. The Sarevok fight is more or less a victory lap. The Palace is where is happens.

Or the Undercellars. Slythe and Kristin can be very dangerous for some characters, for Alia, not so much. She was too well buffed and too tough in melee. The buffs here were protection from magic, potion of storm giant strength, potion of mind focusing, potion of defense, potion of regeneration, potion of power, oil of speed, Draw on Holy Might and, finally, Kai. That was enough to full on bulldoze Slythe and Krystin. This was a straight up auto attack massacre. The assassin were assassinated, and with ease.

Spoiler

To the palace. I tried a slightly different approach this time. I call it The Faith in Liia method. The vanilla players likely shuddered at the thought of having faith in Liia. And well they should: Faith in Liia will get you killed in vanilla, pretty much every time. But in SCS, Liia is the mage of no small power that she claims to be. She's capable of defending herself from the doppelgängers and Sarevok too, via Teleport Field and Mantle. Liia will give you the chance to win in SCS, even in an Insane run, like Alia's. All you have to do is stop the doppelgänger mage from casting Chaos and confusing the Flaming Fist. Alia, still running her buffs from the Slythe fight, did that exactly. She focused on the doppelgänger mage and ignored everyone and everything else until he was dead. She finished with a potion of firebreath.

Spoiler

And look at Liia go! That's what I like to see. Good luck with that, Sarevok.

Spoiler

Alia is now one fight away from completing our thread´s first BG1 no reload(*). I'll post the conclusion soon.

Spoiler

Best,

A.

* Amara really should have that honor, but I never got around to posting her final battle and it feels superfluous now. So Alia it will be.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Alia, Halfling Kensai: Sarevok

Spoiler

The hardest part of the Sarevok fight was convincing myself that Alia had enough throwing daggers. Seriously. I struggled with this. I went to every shop in the outer city looking for daggers, and when I was finished I still wasn't sure. It was full on ridiculous.

As it turned out, Alia had more than enough daggers. In fact, she needed only a fraction of them. Her kensai melee might finally came to the fore, much to Sarevok's chagrin. As with any fight, we need to start with the buffs: protection from magic, protection from fire, potion of fire resistance, potion of mind focusing, potion of defense, potion of storm giant strength, potion of regeneration, oil of speed, with potions of power and heroism in reserve, along with protection from undead.

Diarmid, the bow wielder, was the first to fall.

Spoiler

This fight was ever so slightly trickier than most Sarevok battles, since Alia couldn't use dispelling arrows to dispel Sarevok's movement rate bonus. Sarevok is usually tactical irrelevant. In this case he was borderline irrelevant instead. Here we see Alia finishing Tazok, as Sarevok closes. Sorry, big fella: you're still not fast enough.

Spoiler

Semaj and Angelo both turtled invisible, hoping for Alia's pro magic scroll to expire. After some probing shots with the Necklace of Missiles, Alia triangulated their positions and unloaded her potions of explosions and oils of fiery burning.

Spoiler

All good things must come to an end. All bad things, too. Sayonara, Semaj. Angelo died in a similar fashion. Note, though, the damage to Alia. Sarevok got a few twacks in. As I said, he was borderline irrelevant this time, not irrelevant. Alia did fine in her adventure without dispelling arrows, but they do make life easier, and less painful.

Spoiler

Time for Sarevok. While Alia did have the speed advantage to finish Sarevok with her throwing dagger, I decided to let her go toe to toe with Sarevok, just to demonstrate that kensais are competent in BG1 melee, under the right circumstances. The key factor here was the absence of dispel magic casters. Fully buffed, Alia is too much for BG1 melee warriors to handle, even Sarevok. Alia topped off with a potion of heroism, a potion of power, Draw on Holy Might and Kai. She then donned her Golden Girdle and went to work.

Spoiler

Here we see Sarevok at badly injured, while Alia is at 60% health. Alia hadn't healed here, or broke engagement. She's just winning.

Spoiler

Alia had proved her point. No sense in taking chances. She broke off engagement, drank a pair of extra healers and then went in for the kill. Total damage dealt here was 197 (plus Alia's regen) for Sarevok, to Alia's 250+. Our dagger kensai wins. Well done, Alia: a victory well earned.

Spoiler

So: What's next? Let me ask you: Is anyone interested in seeing Alia continue in BG2? I'm tempted to run her an anew, to give her another chance at a BG2 no reload. The plan would be to run her on Insane, but with the final Ascension battle on Tactical. I'm not certain she'll make it- far from it- she has a chance though. Let me know if there is interest.

Best,

A.

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

I’d be interested! Of course, that’s a small audience for so much work.

 

[Alesia_BH]

If I stick to a tactically oriented style, as I did in Alia's BG1 run, it isn't much work at all. I've been doing that for years. I can compose those posts in minutes.

My only concern is that too much Alia might set a bad precedent. We do want runs here to emphasize stories, as well as tactics, and Alia's run has been very nearly exclusively tactical. That said, I could inject a bit more narrative and RP to address those concerns. I don't love Alia's character from a story point of view, but I can work with it, at least on the lowest of low ends of the narrativization spectrum.

I'm leaning towards doing it. I'll let everyone know semi-soon.

Best,

A.

 

[m7600]

To the Nashkel Mines

"If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.
When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up.
I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know enough,
To know that if you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough."
-Roger Alan Wade.

The adventurers are travelling south, to the Nashkel Mines. But first, they arrive at a small town called Beregost.

Jaheira: "I would like to suggest that we visit the local blacksmith. We do not know what lies ahead of us, or what the nature of the iron crisis is. But I do indeed know that we will need better equipment than what we currently have."

Imoen: "Good idea. Maybe we could rest at the local Inn as well. Better than sleeping on the side of the road, if you ask me."

Khalid: "Th-th-that's true."

Wyatt: "We're fine! Ain't no better equipment than this 'ere trusty sling n' bullets! C'mon, the sooner we solve this iron problem, the sooner we can celebrate!"

A discussion ensues. It get rather heated. Wyatt just can't get it through his head that the adventuring party is not well prepared.

Wyatt (annoyed): Here's the deal. Y'all can stay here in this town if that's what ye want. I'll travel by myself to those damned mines. I'll see y'all when I get back.

Imoen, Jaheira and Khalid dislike this idea. They reluctantly agree to travel with Wyatt, if only to keep him safe and to try to convince him that they shouldn't rush into danger unprepared.

They keep traveling, making their way south of Beregost. Somewhere on the road, they're ambushed by a group of ogrillons! The adventurers put up a fight, and they manage to defeat the attackers. But Imoen and Jaheira suffered fatal woulds. Both of them die.

Khalid (sobbing, while holding Jaheira's lifeless body between his arms): "N-n-NO!!"

Wyatt takes of his hat, and places it by Imoen's side. He's trying not to cry."

Wyatt: "So long, Missy. This world was much too cruel for such a kind soul like ye."

Khalid (furious): "Th-th-that's all y-you have t-to say!? Sh-she was your s-s-sister! And n-now she's d-dead, and so is my d-d-dear Jaheira! Th-this is all y-your fault!"

Wyatt (also furious) "My fault!? How's this my fault!? I told y'all to stay in Beregost! Ye fool! Y'all decided to tag along nonetheless!"

Khalid: "Sh-shut up! W-w-words will n-n-not bring them back! Y-you sh-should be ashamed of y-yourself!"

Wyatt: "Well, if that's how ye feel, then scram! Git outta 'ere! Go on, git! I don't need ye!"

Khalid (trying to calm himself down): "Th-that's not wh-what I promised to Gorion. But if th-that's what you want, th-then so be it..."

Khalid leaves.

Wyatt is now alone. Despite the harsh words that he said to Khalid, he feels responsible. Guilty. Dumb. He knows that Imoen and Jaheira died because of his stupidity. He tries to regain his composure by doing one of the few things that he knows how do to do well: acting tough. He tries to convince himself that he's tough enough to get through this. Is he, though?

 

[Alesia_BH]

Yay! Another episode! I eagerly await these!

Thank you so much for posting a properly RPed, narrativized run. That's what the Annex is really, truly about. I appreciate you, m7600!

Not that it matters, but if you keep it up I'll almost certainly nominate you for our first writer's recognition in our hall of heroes, Deneir's Favorites.

Cheers,

A.

NW: Arwen was awesome, and a deeply appreciated exemplar, but I don't think her run should be eligible for writer's recognition, since it was a repost. A fresh run of similar quality would definitely earn a nomination though.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Anne Jansen, Gnome Illusionist/Thief

Ok! Inspired by m7600, I've decided to shelve Alia and proceed with the run that I had initially intended to open the Annex with. Here she is: our lovable gnome, Anne Jansen (pronounced "Ahn Yonsen.")

Proficiencies: Quarterstaves, Shortbows

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

Difficulty: Insane

Character Description: Imoen never understood how Anne Jansen came to be at Candlekeep. Anne has told her story, but like most of Anne’s stories it is, shall we say, challenging…

Perhaps it’s best if we allow the reader to hear Anne’s story in her own words? The reader may then form his or her own judgement.

“It was Kythorn 20, Summer Solstice. We Jansens of the Sword Coast were having our annual reunion on this great green grassy field, up on the coast by Ulgoth’s Beard.

What a spread! All the fixins and funsies! It sure was a sight, seeing all those Jansens on that big ol’ field! I’ll never forget it!

I was sitting atop a barrel of mint ale, eating a candied turnip, watching the opening act of the Jansen family vaudeville performance. My eighty seven cousins were right there beside me. And that’s when it happened. A shadow appeared.

And then another. And then another. And then another. And then another! It was griffons! A whole pride of ‘em!

Everyone knows griffons have a taste for horse meat, right? But if there’s one thing a griffon likes more than a juicy pony, it’s us Jansens. And I don’t mean gnomes: I mean us Jansens. Strange it is! That’s why there are so many of us. It’s the only way we can stay ahead of the griffons. The only way!

Right! So! Back to the picnic. It was chaos! Chaos and carnage. Jansens running everywhere. Griffons swooping down all over. Jansens scooped up by the britches. Jansens dropping from the sky! From the sky! Griffons do that, you know. To soften their meat. They fly up high and they drop their yum yums down. Tenderizes it. Poor Pop-Pop Itchy was so old and tough that they dropped him over and over and over again. Over did it they did! By the time they were done there was just a sad puddle of Pop-Pop Itchy. Didn’t even eat him. And I can’t say I blame them. It did not look tasty.

Anyhoos! Total disaster. Worst griffon reaping in a thousand seasons. Only twenty three of my eighty seven cousins survived. Terrible thing! But I knew I had to carry on. And I knew I had to be the one to stop it all: once and for all. No more griffon reapings!

So I told my clan what I had to do. I had to go to Candlekeep and read up on griffons- every book there is. And then I had to find an answer for all us Jansens, all over Faerun- not just on the Sword Coast but in Cormyr and Amn, too. Everywhere.

My family was with me. Especially the women. After all, no one want to pop out thirteen kids just so four of ‘em will survive the birds of prey! They packed me up with the greatest tome in the Jansen family archives. Vicious Vichyssoise: 101 Ways to Make Your Roots and Tuber Kick. And so here I am!

So, it’s not that I’m an orphan. I mean, my parents were eaten alive- that’s true. But there are Jansens everywhere, and we Jansens look out for each other. Any of ‘em anywhere would take me in! I’m here on a mission: a mission for my family- a mission to stop the reapings. It has to be done!

I’m glad I’m here. But it’s quiet. And there are times when I think that maybe this wasn’t the best idea, maybe there’s a better way. Because if anyone knows how to stop the griffons, it’s not these tired old readers. It’s my uncle. My long lost uncle, thirty six and a half time removed. He’s the greatest adventurer Faerun has ever known, the greatest hero Faerun has ever know! Surely you’ve heard of him. He beat Elminster in a casting duel with one hand tied behind his back, and he untrapped and re-trapped Durlag’s Tower just for funsies on a Firstday afternoon, and that’s just the start of the wondrous things he did! He’s Jan. Jan Jansen. And when I’m done reading all these griffons books, I’m going to find him. I’m going to find him and we’ll be a team. Anne and Jan. That’s all anyone will talk about. Anne and Jan, Scourge of Griffons, Heroes of the Sword Coast! You’ll see!”

So ends Anne Jansen’s tale. What are we to make of it?

Imoen did what she could to confirm Anne’s story. The results were less than satisfying.There is a copy of Vicious Vichyssoise on the grounds, but it’s in the kitchen, not the library. And Anne does spend an inordinate amount of time reading about griffons, but that, in and of itself, is a testament only to obsession. Unsure, Imoen was left with but one option: to ask Gorion.

Surely the sage knew the question would come, and yet he didn’t have an answer. He sighed. He paused. And then he said: “It’s unhealthy…This obsession with griffons. It has all the markings of a congenital phobia…”

“A congenital phobia?” Imoen replied.

“Yes. How can I explain? Most humans are afraid of snakes. I among them. You among them as well, if I’m not mistaken, dear. Snakes aren’t usually dangerous to us now, but they often were in the past and that fear has been passed down to us in our line. It’s stayed with us, even though the threat has gone.”

Imoem thought on Gorion’s remark, pondered its implications. “I think I understand,” she said. “And so the picnic? The reunion?"

To this, Gorion sighed again- noticeably louder this time. A dour expression over-took his face. He shook his head solemnly and said, “A griffon hasn’t been seen over the Sword Coast for many, many generations.”

Imoen nodded. “And what about the uncle? The great adventurer? The one who beat Elminster in a casting duel with one hand tied behind—”

Gorion interrupted. And, once again, sighed: “Elminster is a friend of mine, actually. And I had never heard of this Jan Jansen…There is, however, a man by that name living in the slums of Athkatla. Who can say if they are related?”

Who can say indeed.

 

[Alesia_BH]

So everyone knows, I kicked off the Annex's Hall of Heroes, Deneir's Favorites, with a no reload entry for Alia, noting that she had only completed BG1. It appears in post two, just before the recommended reading list.

I'd also like to nominate Arwen, @alice_ashpool 's repost, for an Honorable Mention in the Excellence in Writing category. Does anyone second the nomination?

NW: Arwen's run isn't eligible for full entry, since it was a repost, but it was a landmark for our thread and deserves recognition. An honorable mention is a sensible compromise.

 

[Alesia_BH]

And btw, @OrlonKronsteen , I'm sorry I won't be posting a tactical BG2 run with Alia, at least not soon. If you'd like to read my old tactical runs, they can be found at Blackstrider.net. I'l share links to my successful trilogy no reloads below. There are many others to be found at Blackstrider.net, including by players currently found on these forums, like @BelgarathMTH , @Serg_BlackStrider and @Blackraven .

NW: You'll often have to scroll down to find the intro posts, but they are there.

Alisa, Half Elven Jester

BG1 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...-reload-challenge/page-308.html#entry14826902

BG2 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...durs-gate-2-no-reload-challenge/page-250.html

Alyssa, Elven Mage/Thief

BG1 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...durs-gate-1-no-reload-challenge/page-247.html

BG2 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...durs-gate-2-no-reload-challenge/page-187.html

Arcadia, Half Elven F/M

BG1 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...durs-gate-1-no-reload-challenge/page-499.html

BG2 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...durs-gate-2-no-reload-challenge/page-437.html

NW: Aracdia's run started as a narrative but turned into a tactical run.

Arkona, Halfling Barbarian

BG1 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...durs-gate-1-no-reload-challenge/page-582.html

NW: BG1 coverage starts at the bottom of the page, below the announcement of success.

BG2 Start: http://blackstrider.net/public_html...durs-gate-2-no-reload-challenge/page-551.html

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

Thank you, but no need to apologize or do extra work on my behalf!

Your new narrative is great, btw!

m7600, you’re doing a great job, too, though I’m starting to get a little concerned about Wyatt’s chances.

I wish I could do one of these myself, but I’m so busy I can barely find time to do any playing at all. I’m just happy for now that I can even find time to follow this forum.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Well, I, too, am happy you can find the time to visit, @OrlonKronsteen . It's good to have you

 

[Alesia_BH]

And btw, everyone. I'm interpreting the "agrees" to my nomination of Arwen for an Honorable Mention as seconds and the "likes" as votes in favor. All the regulars here have weighed in, in the affirmative. We have consensus. Arwen will be added to the Honorable Mention list!

 

[m7600]

(Not) All's Well that Ends Well

Every story has a beginning, middle and end. And hubris always ends in tragedy. Wyatt learned this in his final moments, deep in the Nashkel mines. It was, of course, a lesson learned too late. Fighting kobolds is one thing. That, he could handle. But stepping on a trap, which he could not see (let alone disarm), is quite another thing.

As he agonized, he remembered Candlekeep. Then he remembered Gorion. Lastly, he remembered Jaheira and Imoen. Maybe he will meet them on the other side. Maybe he can still apologize to them...

... and with that thought, Wyatt died.

And that concludes Wyatt's run! Anti-climactic, I know. But no one said that adventuring in the Forgotten Realms is an easy task!

@Alesia_BH I'm flattered that my humble attempt at this challenge has inspired you, that's high praise indeed! : ) And I really like Anne Jansen as a character, she sounds like a true Jansen! Gotta watch out for those griffons

I may attempt another run in the near future, we'll see : )

 

[Alesia_BH]

Oh, no! We lost Wyatt! Sad day!

I'm pretty sure, you know this, m7600, but you can reload in this thread, if you like. Just maintain a reload counter at the bottom of your post.

Of course, if you're committed to no reload play, or just in the mood for something new, that's 100% cool. You do you. Wyatt will, however, be missed

Thank you, once again, for an exemplary run! Runs like Wyatt's are the raison d´etre of the Annex. I enjoy stories, and I know others do too. Further, selfishly, I've been seeking influences to nudge me towards RPed narrative play and away from excessively tactical stuff. Wyatt was a big help there. Once again, he will be missed.

Cheers,

A.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Alia, Halfling Kensai: Baldur's Gate 2 Introduction

I know what you're thinking. Alia? Wait, what? I was expecting Anne Jansen- I was looking forward to Anne Jansen. Don't worry. You're getting both. And yes: this does make sense, actually. You'll see why soon.

Proficiencies: Daggers x 3, Two Weapon Style x 3

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

Difficulty: Insane

Gaming Notes: So: Why is Alia back? Well, I was thinking about my historical struggles with narrative play, and I decided they were two fold. First, I have a lot of time on my hands. Why is that a problem? Because a lot of time means long playing sessions and long playing sessions are the death of narrative play. The second issue is that I've been doing tactical runs for a long time, and I worry about alienating readers who are accustomed to that style. See where I'm going with this? If I do a tactical run or two while doing my narrative run, the problems go away. I can play as much as I want, without screwing up the narrative, and my tactical readers will have something to munch on while I indulge my creative side. That's the plan. Two runs at the same time. Call me crazy but I think it makes sense.

Since I want Alia to be a proper trilogy no reload candidate, I ran her back through BG1. Sooner or later, I'll add an overview of Alia II's BG1 adventures to this post, in a spoiler tag. In subsequent posts you'll see updates on Alia's speedy progress through Amn, interspersed with posts on Anne Jansen's slower BG1 adventures. Who says you can't have it all? Not I. Not Alia, and not Anne either. We're going for it!

I'll post Alia's first BG2 update soon. Anne Jansen's first BG1 update will follow later today. Wish them both luck!

 

[Alesia_BH]

Alia, Halfling Kensai: The Chateau

Is it just me or is Chateau Irenicus the hardest part of SoA? For a solo kensai it surely is. That's why Alia didn't go it alone in the Chateau. She added Imoen and later Yoshimo too. Happily, like Ringo Starr, she got by with a little help from her friends. Some people may say this no longer qualifies as a solo run on that account. To which Alia and I reply:

We have better things to do than worry about that. Like killing duergars. But first there was the matter of a very pesky mephit.

Alia sent the stealthy Imoen up ahead to activate the sewage golem, allowing us to avoid fighting two batches of duergars. It was a good plan, but it meant that Imoen would need to take down a mephit alone. Easy, right? Umm, kind of? Mephitis are annoying as all get out- we can agree on that, right? And this one regenerates, which makes him the stuff of nightmares. Fortunately Imoen did get the W, but she lost her Stoneskins in the process. Don't blame me: blame Imoen- totally her fault.

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Right. Well, Imoen made up for it by clearing out the next batch of duergars with a lightning bolt. Nice going sis. Just keep those lightning bolts away from me, m'kay?

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All Alia had to do was add a little love tap.

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The trickiest part of this phase was making use of Imoen's janky initial spell book choices. We did well with the lightning bolt. We also did well with Monster Summoning I. The key to success with an unbuffed kensai, sans-throwing daggers is distraction. Our ogrillion played that role nicely.

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For the next batch of duergars, Alia played a game of peek-a-boo. Alia is capable of cutting the duergars up quick, but she's super vulnerable to their crossbow bolts. Stepping into the hallway would have meant death to Alia by bolt fire. Playing peek-a-boo, and ambushing the duergars at the doorway, in contrast, meant death to the dwarves by cuisinart. We like that better, don't we?

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Ilyich went down the same way, with a little pressure management from Imoen, via Stinking Cloud. It's good to have friends.

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For Ilyich's mage, we used Imoen's MGoI. Alia only made the scene after the mage's morale broke. No risk here at all.

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Imoen and Alia had a cunning and subtle plan to juke the golems. There was only one problem: It didn't work. The plan was to take out the duergars near the portal and then send Imoen solo to the portal key. So far so good.

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All Imoen had to do was hit the shadows after picking up the key, and the golems would be left without dance partners. Unfortunately, Imoen failed at stealting, and instead had to make a mad dash to the portal. Run, sis, run!

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She made it. We took our rest, added Yoshi, and prepared for the portals, where Alia got to witness another thief skill fail. You're a bounty hunter, Yoshimo: setting traps is supposed to be your forte. You could have iced two portals with your special snares. Instead you got none.

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As penance the girls sent Yoshi on a solo mission to backstab the radiant mephit portal. If he succeeded, it would have meant no sleep risk for Imoen or Alia. If he failed, it could mean a dead Yoshimo, but neither Imoen, Alia nor I saw a problem with that. In the end, he landed his backstab, but it was kind of a dud.

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The girls had mercy and came to his rescue. Alia has throwing daggers now so she's back on her game.

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Wake up, sleepy-head. It's time to go.

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For reals: it was time for Yoshimo to go. We didn't want him any more. Alia and Imoen finished up the rest on their own.

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Including Frennedan, dropped by Alia's blades.

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And those buffle-headed assassins, lulled to sleep by Imoen's Stinking Cloud.

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That's it. The Chateau is finished. The rest should be easy, right? Alia doesn't share my optimism. And I guess I have to admit she's right. After all, it's a long way from here to hell.

Best,

A.

 

[m7600]

Sadie, Half-Elf Blade: Introduction

Proficiencies: Long Sword, Dart

Mods: None

Difficulty: Normal

Character Description:
A cozy fireplace, a bottle of wine, and a good book. Sadie always liked non-fiction. Especially maritime history. Particularly in the Sword Coast region. And most importantly, the tomes about shipwrecks. From her research, she knows that there was an important vessel that sailed these waters almost a century ago: the Jeanne Marie, a flagship that was supposed to transport a chest full of platinum, gold and jewels from Calimport to Waterdeep. It never reached its destination, as it was attacked by pirates. But there was no treasure for them that day, since the captain ordered the crew to throw out the valuable chest. In his mind, it was better to let the treasure sink to the bottom of the sea, than to let those pirates have it. Sadie believes that it can be salvaged. She just needs to find out where, exactly, is this shipwreck. And then, she needs to figure out a way to recover the treasure chest.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Glad to see you back in action, @m7600 ! Best wishes to Sadie!