BG3 Honour Mode: strategy & tactics (many spoilers)

[Black Elk]

A Flying Pegasus would be nice! I'd settle for a flying mule, but the pink pony club was empty when we headed back to the barn. Baffling! Never did end up rehearsing with the Harpies. Hopefully there were no hard feelings lol.

We made a brief appearance at Mudstock 1999 and played all the hits. Kagha left the lineup at the last minute, so the Shadowdruids were no shows, and we had the whole place to ourselves. Needed to resupply and consider the next leg of the tour.

Ethel's Teahouse was pretty wild, that lady is everywhere! We had to pull out all the stops and pour on the charm to make sure we'd stay in the top 20. Hair is important, and May obviously has a glam stylist, so we used deception to get her out of there while also snapping up the +1 CHA for ourselves using all our bardic inspiration at once.

We're mostly a Good Witch after all!

I met two Frog Princesses down by the river, and found us a backup lyre player, potentially hehe Then we played an underground rave for the Zhentarim, which was super exclusive. It included a particularly elaborate pyrotechnics display! When we finally hit the Dank Crypt it was Level 5 power spikes all around! Everyone got their feat finally! Well except for Wyll who's still lagging a bit behind, but he's catching up...

I felt inspired to chose Lightning as my lvl 3 Wizard spell heheh. We've got a few others in the repertoire for versatility but I've been using Longstrider, Leap, and Shield to pretty good effect, so I wanted something really big for that last spell there! Lines down the block!

Chose Light for my lvl up Bardic cantrip. Shadowheart has Light too, so at first it seemed a bit redundant, but then I thought 'what if we have to go full physical graffiti in the Underdark? I mean just kinda seemed like everyone should have a spotlight for their solos hehe

 

[Black Elk]

They tried to silence us at the Dank Crypt!

Two times those ancient skeletons tried cut us off! But the fog machines said 'Encore!' so we were unmoved.

What's the point of powering up in absurd fashion for the rush style drum solo for all time, when we can't dare to snare?

Karlach wasn't having it, she had heart. She went crazy on them. Like crazy, crazy! And if there's one thing you don't want, it's someone going crazy on you that many times in a row. They call her the juke box, cause she jukes and dives, just throws down like that hehe

Best Soul coin we ever spent! lol

 

[Antimatter]

Your Karlach looks like she's straight from Avernus Feuer frei! live show by Rammstein. Fire!

And the whole plathrough sounds like a musical tour. Loving it!

Speaking of Karlach, she showed her excitement when she first heard about the possibility of meeting Jaheira.

I knew how she would react to actually meeting Jaheira, but never saw this line before (it's in Grymforge while speaking to the dead).

The girl reached lvl 6 and ruled in the fight vs Nere. I fought all the Duergar there, no allies.

First of all, Champion Challenge - a Channel Oath action available to Oath of the Crown paladins which penalizes the challenged target with Disadvantage on attacks when attacking anyone but the paladin. It successfully worked vs 2 of the hard-hitters. And with Karlach's good AC, I didn't have to worry much.

Then, Divine Smite, which bypasses Nere's legendary immunity.

But Lae'zel contributed her bit as well. A new doggie, Nimbus, and his shadow doggie clones. At times, there were 5 dogs on the battlefield (including Scratch):

Not only Nimbus has 47 (!) hps, his Shadow-cursed vines on enemies provide Advantage for our folks.

The fight had some semi-dangerous moments for us, e.g. when one of the enemies shot a force grenade and knocked out Astarion. But I used Scratch to lend him a leg, I guess, and stopped the unconscious state.

Only after that, the Scratch & Owlbear cub camp interaction happened. It must mean I don't rest that often. 60 hours in.

Here are the dogs' stats for this level:

 

[Black Elk]

Hehe thanks! I legit think that might be the first time I've remembered to use a Soul Coin in combat lol. Probably only because I did everything all assbackwards, so that when I finally got around to the Dank Crypt that one coin in the coffin reminded me. I heard if we delayed we'd catch some XP on the backend, but then I lost out on Wither's dramatic entrance, so a bit of a wash.

We forgot to check whose soul it was that we burned! I imagine it was carved up super intricately, like something etched by Berniebus Wrightson of the Ironhand mint and illustrators guild. When the needle drops, probably something like this till the end of time... lol



Modrons vs Rockers maybe? That sort of thing for sure. I mean we didn't want to pry too hard. Whatever went down outside of Baator, like who could say honestly? One can only assume Karlach must have delved pretty deep to find her rhythm in the Blood Wars. Where others may only see 'poor performance' compared to Lae'zel's meticulous rigor and commitment to precision, Karlach is definitely more of a wildcard. We hear nothing but potential there! Although the fact that instrument auto-animations don't seem to auto-play except for Bards is tough. When I whip out the lute, Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale they might join in on occasion, cause I still have them all dipped, even Sina'zith. But then Wyll and Karlach I've gotta go in manually and tune everything for them. Has me thinking we may need to dip them back into bard too, after all. I mean maybe not just yet. We were hoping to hit the splits first, but we'll probably check back in with Withers at some point. I mean he's sorta just following us around these days, kinda glomming on the way he does, but a few times he did us a solid so we don't complain.

Henry with the double triple scritcher Scratcheroo!

I think it was probably looking at those screenshots above, from Grymforge with the orange lights! Also Nimbus doing the extra zoomies, that had me humming the tune from the Torment trailer in the kitchen just now hehe. Nice work!

 

[Black Elk]

Crit failed again vs the Githyanki! Voss and the Raiders weren't messing around. I tried to jump jump, but then while casting Wyll got a little overenthusiastic and decided to moonwalk 3 meters in front of everyone else! Threw the whole crew into initiative before I could even mantle up!

Sarth Baretha killed the vibe immediately with an action surge, followed by some life draining bolts from her backup dancers and the backfield!

Shadowheart had the good sense to jazz hands her way out of it. Sarth Baretha went invisible. We called it timeout, then took a 5 minute break after we'd peeled off their ranged attackers. I revived and came back Electric Blue for the block party round 2.

Shadowheart said a little prayer, hold person, and then Gish For'eth struck a pose! lol

Wyll matched her break for break, hold person, but added some extra flare at the end with the pommel strike ~ divine smite! Nothing says 'Paladin' like a pommel stall straight to the grill. It was a critical hit! The floor was ours.

I think Death Cleric Inflict Wounds has definitely become my favorite spell in the game. I find myself just upcasting it all the time. We're kitted out for the Spirit Guardians choreography, jump boots, click heels, the luminous breastplate and such, but because of the mult-class still one level off the power spike there. But lvl 3 inflict wounds with no resistance is pretty badass, especially if I get to add the extra bonus damage on top. Sorta my one two bunch right now, Wyll on the pommel smite and shadowheart with the necroslap. They both command a lot of attention. I don't think I've cast Enthrall even a single time yet!

We haven't really collected royalties yet from our collaboration with Halsin, so we might have to pickup a cash advance in town using that one. Like I'm pretty sure Arron is already completely Enthralled with us, even without the spell, so I gotta imagine that when we tip the scales Karlach should be able to drum up something to hold us over. We got the gloves of thievery from that one party we did for the Zhents, but I was too nervous on mushrooms to try grifting in the Underdark. The walls have ears down there, and anyway, the Druids owe us so that seemed like the best spot to regroup and recoup.

Once again, I felt a lot of feelings on account of Lae'zel not being around to witness. I had half a hope she might come running around the bend at the very last second to surprise us and make amends. Whatever. We gave the Psychic Sword to Sina'zith!

It's not like I'm not totally over it already. Never going back again... Well, except maybe for the threads right? Just a little Creche? For the Dex? hehe

 

[Antimatter]

I was worried there when you first mentioned the fight didn't start out well, but it's good you recovered! Funny how you're posing next to Gish, and for some reason, he's standing as a statue!

As for the Inflict Wounds spell, it sounds great; there is finally a use for it, considering the subclass feat that allows it to bypass immunity.

Now, to the Grym fight. I remembered the basics from the last time I played (but I had no idea about the legendary action, except for I kinda get the theme, seems all legendary actions are very similar to each other), and put my characters into the following positions (where Lae'Zel stands is especially important, considering she attacked with MMs, so Grym ran to her, and that usually means he stands right under the hammer):

So the fight started excellently for us, with Grym missing his attack. I didn't know how to lure him under the hammer after that, though, and still keep him in the lava, so after the first turn, it was improvisation from my part.

I tried to send Karlach into lava, but it was hectic, because whoever shot the hammer lever became the prime target, instead of Karlach.

Still, Survival Instinct bought us another round:

I also forgot to uncheck automatic opportunity attacks, and at one point, Karlach did that attack, thus completely changing the primary target, and it led to her death.

Then I tried something funny, like casting the Minor Illusion right under the hammer. Grym failed his Investigation check, but turned out, he didn't go there to check, instead preferring to attack Henry (and others in the AoE ofc).

Then I sacrificed Lae'Zel - she jumped right under the hammer, Grym reacted and attacked. Henry then threw a potion, Lae'Zel got up and teleported away, and Astarion finished the job by shooting at the lever one last time.

Overall, it could go smoother, but while "red" character portraits might seem as if there was a risk, in reality, I felt quite safe, as we were measuring Grym's HPs against a possible number of turns left to finish the battle.

 

[Black Elk]

Laying the Hammer down! Nice!

Nothing quite like Crushing it at the Ancient forge! hehe I love that final crunch!


Got in another couple sessions this morning. I think the Dungeon Master is messing with my heartstrings! That note we read on the Githyanki slate, reminding us about Lae'zel. It just sorta gutted me. So I had to double check and make sure she wasn't maybe still hiding out at the Creche. I took the roundabout route, invented a lullaby, and fritz'd the cats, put all the gremishka's to bed one by one with some light headbanging.

Then we rocked with the Eagles! I didn't want to miss that chance again.

Did a little hammering ourselves up there. In a move I like to call The Big Lowbrow'ski, we used the power of music to lure the Eagles away from their nest!

This worked surprisingly well. Even with Wyll being sort of rusty and out of practice. Between my Enthralling strums and Shadowheart's melodic flute, both Eagles came over to check it out! Karlach was super subtle about the ceremonial hammer, but then goofed her check to hide. Like, oh no! And so they immediately tried to toss us out the nest! Wyll and Shadowheart had to double Command on the fly. No rehearsals, just the dictionary definition of stop motion floatography lol.

We made it out clean! Or at least, cleaner than a rusty mace 6 ft under.

Now the really hard decision though. Do we dip into Bard at this point, to make sure everyone is harping proper by the time we get to Harpers and such? Or do we stretch just a little bit further? For Karlach it's probably just a straight nerf, since Barbarian + Spellcaster isn't exactly the best combination for combat readiness. I mean I guess it works for everything else though. I have noticed a few times when pushing the short rest that she might not always have the option to rage fully anyway, in which case might be nice to have a thunderwave on standby. We'll have to think it over hehe

After ascending the heights, we did the Zaithisk and KO'd Jeera for the Dex gloves, so now our finger picking technique should be advanced enough to take things out to the Astral or back Underground. Haven't quite decided yet

 

[Black Elk]

One thing I'll say about Wyll, he's got a knack for the business end of the equation. At first we just thought he was joking when he talked about the Starving Musician, and how he had the inside lute connection on that. Then when he whipped out a dozen Lutes in his inventory, we had proof that he must have been taking lessons in his spare time.

Spent about a grand at Wither's trying to decide on the optimal combination of levels and abilities for where we're at right now. Each time I reclassed into Bard we got another Lute out the deal! Now that's a steal! I think it's a 14 gp return each time, after selling the lutes to Volo. Not too shabby.

All told our experiments with Withers netted us maybe a couple hundred GP in custom signed lutes for the collectors lol.

At first I thought Paladin to lvl 5 for the extra attack, but it's a bit tight at lvl 6 for the Multiclass. I'm reluctant to give up my first lvl in Warlock completely, because it seems thematic for him and it's all built into his Stage Persona by this point. The Hex and Eldritch blast fallback for when all the spellslots are expended, or for an extra smite from the Warlocks slot, things like that to hype the crowd.

For Paladin power ups we sorta need 2 levels to be smiting effectively, but then that leaves us with a bit of a dilemma. If I push Warlock to lvl 3 we can get the Pact of the Blade for never dropping Phalar Aluve and a lvl 2 Warlock spell, along with the Agonizing and Repelling blast, but the way we're using him it's mostly smites and then a little crowd control. I'm not entirely sure we need to bind ourselves to the singing sword routine. Like he's definitely been bogarting it the whole time so far, which I'm sure has Gale a bit sour for his bladesong dreams. We haven't checked back with Gale in a while. In either case, I thought the obvious choice for getting closer to what we're after without stepping on any toes, would be for Wyll to go Swords Bard.

There we get our extra spellslots and lvl 2 spell, but also the Subclass perk for flashier flourishes and the dueling style. I thought about Two Weapon fighting, but he's been going Sword and Board with the Shield as part of his whole thing, so dueling seemed the better bet if holding onto Phalar Aluve for the Blade.

Felt pretty on brand still, even if we had to drop a level in Warlock to make it work. I'd like to have that second Warlock spellslot we get at second level, but he's way off snapping up that first feat still. Like it'll be lvl 7 before he's able to even out his Charisma and Constitution for even splits, but I think it's probably worth it just for the showmanship angle.

I think we keep just pushing Swords Bard to lvl 4, so he can get his first feat there. Have him focusing on big smites and then bonus smites, to get the most out of his limited number of attacks. With a little bit of the Hill Giant Juice and the occasional hex to keep him competitive in the fray. Seems to be working alright so far, a little awkward but the pommel smite from Phalar Aluve is sorta his signature thing right now, so I didn't want to take it away from him heheh.

For Karlach the choice was simpler, we can't delay a second attack any longer, so she had to drop Rogue and take 1 lvl in Bard for the performance. 5/1 Bardbarian there. We take a slight hit on sleight of hands, but with the Cat's grace robes I think we're still solid. For myself, I withers'd my Dex down to 10, since we're wearing the gloves now, and put the remainder into Strength instead. With Ethel gone, the Hill Giant potions are harder to come by and we've been rationing lately. Wyll gets the most use out of them at this point, so we're trying to hold a few in reserve. I figured I could step up and fill in the gaps for now, carrying more lutes than we ever imagined possible! lol

 

[Antimatter]

One thing this game is good at is the variety of builds, that's for sure. And also, how easy it is to respec and customize as many times as you'd like. Something I always missed in Pathfinder and Pillars of Eternity games (where respec-cing is very expensive).

Congrats on surviving the Zaithisk. Henry is currently hoarding inspiration points exactly for that.

As you can notice, our heroes got new upgrades to their fashionable looks. I respec-ced (and re-equipped) Lae'Zel a bit for cold spells. Making enemies both Chilled and Encrusted with Frost -> Frozen sounded like a very powerful combo. Ice Knife for a spell (until we have access to Ice Storm), Ray of Frost for a cantrip.

This is very deadly:

Oh, and why The Graceful Cloth on a sorc instead of a swashbuckler, you might ask? Fashion. Just hard to turn that drow leather down. It looks slick on Astarion.

Karlach got all 3 fancy items from Grymforge (a shield, a heavy plate, and a heavy helmet), so everyone else should have kept something unique as well.

I installed a mod for dyeable shields: https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/11768

The coloring might have been better, but at least, it's an improvement over the vanilla (undyable) approach for shields.

 

[Black Elk]

Yeah more custom shields seems like it would have been an easy one for the base game! I'd have loved designing shields all day if we got to pick the designs and the colors and such! Lae'zel looks badass in the Dex threads!

For me I feel like Withers is a bit of a doubled edged thing. I find myself getting pretty confused about how Warlock spellslots will play with the rest, or how to measure up with the Padlock Bard combo, so we were leaning on Wither's pretty hard. Currently Wyll can Smite with the lvl 3 slots, Warlock sometimes we get an option for which spellslot to use other times I think it's just automatic. Probably if ever there was a time to try and get out of his Pact it'd be right here...

I feel like it would probably be taking way some of his flare if I dump Warlock in favor of a stretch Balladin, but then we do get the heavy armor option if going that route, for a multiclass sequence, which might be fun. I picked up double adamantine doublets again. Almost sold the spare pair, but decided against it at the last minute when I remembered that we'd saved Minthara! So at least I'll have another heavy hitter in the lineup and more smites if she agrees to cameo or even join the tour. That got me excited a bit again. For we saved Isobel by using our special Glam Command, which is basically like the cleric spell except more glamorous and it works on Undead as well, so that was helpful!

Spent most of our petty cash on a new pair of Gloves for Karlach. Just something to say thanks for all those times she picked us up when we were feeling downed. I wanted to get her something that would be constructive, but which also said 'don't be afraid to ride the lightning' and also with Advantage lol. I can't believe Barcus was holding on out on us for so long! I figure Wyll might borrow them on occasion if he wants to play Cyborgs vs Robocops, but the whole construct thing really fits Karlach best, as we'd just upgraded her infernal heart.

Shadowheart is really hitting stride now too. Her flute playing is pretty much masterclass. No notes there. She's sorta taken over coordinating all the dancers, ever since I replaced my Wizard spell longstrider for the minor Elementals. I dropped shield as well, to prepare Ice Storm since we found a scroll in the Mountain Pass, or maybe we just wanted to impress Elminster hehe. Seemed like a good mix of Fire and Ice to handle the various shaders and faders.

We learned about the Last Light from Harper Lassandra, and briefly met up with the Black Crows! I had the remedy for that one, just keep looping the introduction until everyone explodes right! All the spirit guardians were feeling it hehe

I'm still trying to decide what it means for Karlach to be "considered a construct" but I think it probably involves more cymbal stacks! And anyway the gloves look pretty cool for not being considered armor. This was a problem we ran into early, when I accidentally switched headgear with Shadowheart and somehow got Rage freight for the big showdown at the Gorge with the Death Shepherds. Learned our hardware lesson there the hard way, after like an hour of limping along unaware of what was weighing us down. This time we're going to be ready with the sound and equipment checks!

ps. Gloves nearly got us into trouble TPK. Apparently "considered a construct" means no healing word in the thick of it, so it took us a couple rounds to remember to toss Karlach a potion lol. Had to kill him twice on account of the Shadowcurse too, like complete deadheads.

I'm eager to make it to Moonrise and start working Minthara into the group lol

Wyll has lots of ideas, I mean probably too many ideas. Whether it's becoming a luthier with his own line of custom lutes, his dance career, taking on more pacts and oaths, all those side hustles. It might be time for him to get promoted over to the camp foundation and start working with Gale more on the production side of things. What we really need right now is someone who can commit to Balladin and bring something extra to the table, like absolute spider lyre! Also since the Blood of Lathander has just been sorta sitting there collecting dust. I mean for the poster, Minthara already fits the bill. Hopefully I did that all right this time around. I'm a little nervous for the auditions...

Ok she's in!!!

 

[Black Elk]

Withers has assured us that for a mere pittance of coin, he can get us out of whatever oaths Wyll may or may not have taken on, and reminded us not to sign anything. Especial if Devils come knocking. But then Mizora launched into attack pattern zeta, with an impromptu visit from the head office downstairs, a bunch of infernal legalese, so I'm not really sure what to make of it all.

Our big question was like yeah, but when do we actually get paid? And also is Halsin ever going to make good on any of his promises? Cause it seems like he's just sorta circling around everyone else's honey pot and not really pulling much weight. We hear all his talk about the spirit of the land and how it's going to be great for our exposure, just wait till Moonrise yada yada.

Well OK here we are, but now of course first we need to go dig up some ancient lute from a hundred years ago, and meet all his random acquaintances from the old days. Then the next thing, and the next. He's always got some excuse. Volo has been running the merch table as usual, and chatting up the crowds, just trying to build momentum. Everyone seems really excited about taking on Minthara and completing our sound with the Spider Lyre! So that's a plus, we dyed the Admantine plate a new shade of Indigo and gave her a bunch of rings and such.

Even Wyll seems pretty pumped about it honestly. I think he was feeling a lot of pressure being the only Paladin around and having to step into so many different roles at once. I mean sure, he's a one man street team when it comes to lvl 3 smites, which even Minthara hasn't unlocked yet (despite having 4 more levels in Paladin!) but then of course without the extra attack and the Aura it was a lot to juggle all by himself.

Swords Bards don't get their extra attack till lvl 6, which would mean lvl 9 before we're hitting twice per turn with our main attacks the way we've levelled. We encouraged him to branch out and start exploring the screaming Rapier for a mainhand weapon, which lacks the bonus pommel smite, but still has a flourish option for double ups. Gale has been re-tuning Phalar Aluve. They're both working on a little side project together, something called the Firewall of Sound. Still not sure what it all means exactly, but it's good to see their enthusiasm there.

The Nightwarden is helping to front the frontline for now, but we're still a bit tight on cash, so looking to hit the Tollhouse and raise some funds. Something about fame and borrowing or was it burrowing?

In any case Shadowheart really seems to be in her element lately. Ever since we freed the Pixie, she's had a spring in her step.

Minthara just has this way of empowering people. Even standing next to her sometimes can have that effect. She also knows a lot of diehard absolutists on the airwaves and has the inside track on that, which we'll be looking to exploit too. Apparently she was a pretty big deal in Menzo back in the day, which is no small feat. I mean I hear they're pretty cutthroat down there. Even if you have the backing of a one of the great houses, the club scene is brutal. But it also means she really appreciates the importance of creative control and financial independence.

We need the space to be free in order to do the serious work, which is why our next performance is going to be Live at Moonrise Prison!

Pipe dreams hehe. First though we had to test out our new material, at that hidden speakeasy beneath the Last Light... You know what they say, if you can make it with the Meenlocks you can make it anywhere!

Minthara's road warrior wisdom is pretty hardcore! lol

 

[Black Elk]

I thought the simplest way to hit lvl 8 would be to visit the Dark Lady for some erudition and general life coaching. Talli swears that the Elixirs she sold us will cleanse us of any sort of necrotic damage to our hair, and we've been holding on to that special tonic we found back at Grymforge to the much the same end. I had to spend 700 gp to convince Lia, Rolan, and Lakrissa to talk to us again. Ever since we 'borrowed' the Breast plate +1 from Dammon back in Act I, and had to run away. Most expensive Breastplate +1 we ever stole! I didn't want to risk losing out on the Potent Robes or the Tower in Act III, so we ponied up even though it was definitely a drain on the pocket book.

With Shar's backing we set out to conquer the crowd at the Tollhouse, to make back some of that chump change. Then the Tavern, the House of Healing, the Gauntlet, basically in that order. We clear out the lanes and then just charge in convo. With Friends, Guidance, and more Bardic Inspiration than we know what to do with, it's pretty hard not to succeed with the +5s on top. I will go back afterwards to mop up if we need to, but this is where Bard really shines I think.

I think my favorite spellcasting Animation and sfx is when Shadowheart casts the Light cantrip with her flute!

It just has a great aerie charm to it! They're all pretty great honestly. Minthara's Spider Lyre Longstrider, just has a way of always sticking. Everyone brings a little something on that score. Back in black!

Everyone has matching Drow leathers now, and double Shredder caps too, so we can coordinate our matching outfits if we want, although that's sacrificing a lot of AC for style, and anyway Karlach refuses to wear leathers. She says it inhibits her rage too much. But I think it will be good for all the B teamers in our supergroup. Like for the Goodberry gals and whoever might be opening for us on the next leg. Gale has nearly perfected his wall, with the experimental scrolls, but says we'd be better off waiting for him to write it all down first. So probably will hold off on returning this ancient Lute for a little bit, while we practice. Now that Halsin is all, 'hurry up hurry up' we put on a couple slow jams just to make him sweat a bit lol

 

[Black Elk]

"MINTHARA PLAYS THE BEHOLDER!"

One night only!

hehe

We just added some dates to the tour! This one was mostly for the album cover and the posters. We'd been waiting on this with Shadowheart using the sound of silence. Special guest appearances by the Skeleton, Azer, and the tiny spiders from the spider pouch!

In this performance we set out to prove that a true Bard doesn't need sound, but through sheer force of will can use the power of the crowd to prevail under any circumstances.

Kicked it off with the Hypnotic Pattern and returned to the classic pikes and arrows... Even the Drow couldn't resist throwing up their hands and putting the Beholder to bed lol

As far as Spectating goes, we sometimes will just cut loose and let everyone hop on stage to get in on the moment. Basically everyone was invited, although predictably Halsin was nowhere to be seen! lol Anyhow, that was a riot. We mimed like champions! Only downside was that we couldn't play our instruments in the Underdark. I'm sure the acoustics would have been spectacular. I was afraid I might bork my HM run or glitch everything out, but seemed to all work out somehow hehe.

Minthara gave us one for the ages!!!

 

[Black Elk]

All told it took us about 15 minute solid to do the Surgeon, the Barkeep, and Yurgir, with a couple outfit changes along the way. We were extremely persuasive!

I borrowed Cat's Grace from Karlach to work the bar, then switched back into the Drow getup for Surgery. We told Yurgir what happens when you play the record backwards and he basically imploded himself and everyone around him, which while a bit grim certainly saved on time. I got Brother Flesh killed in the Library and then dispatched Balthazar in his lair. I debated taking him on with all the extra skeletons for the extra XP, but decided to just play it safe and went for a smaller more intimate venue instead of the Shadowfell Stadium. I think maybe a good use for all the bones would be to pack them away for Act III so we'll have our own boneyard even after we leave the Shadowcursed lands. Delayed on that one and just dropped Balthazar with the necrohands. When we wrapped up I bought some specialty items from Roah and Talli while I still had the Dark Lady's discount +5, and then we all hit the hay.

I'm pretty sure Roah would have dropped the Draconic Glaive regardless, but I didn't want to risk not clearing out the dancefloor with firewine barrels, so we just laid down the coin for our signature weapon the legit way. I think our best Baridic use for it is to just amplify Karlach or Minthara, so that their weapons can deal some extra elemental damage. Gale was finally ready to knock it out the park, and so after we finished shopping we caught back up with Halsin and handed over that lute.

Decided to go next level, with two Walls of Sound layered into one another! A bunch of steal your face Skeletons in tow lol

Gale was right! It was pretty magnificent!

Gale approves hehe

 

[Black Elk]

If we did everything correctly and cleared Moonrise of everyone, then Jaheira will show up here... with the ground floor already cleared.

The spearhead moment speech is pretty excellent though, so I don't know, maybe we should have left one guard alive just for that, but with the hurry up plan and for overall safety just seemed better to enthrall all the absolutists and not risk any Harpers getting hurt.

The roof battle is occasionally precarious. Even though it's unlikely, there's a chance Jaheira could still die before being recruited fully into the party which is most of the danger. Not having her along for that climax just doesn't seem right though, so I usually bring her on board, but then leave her in the backfield. Maybe gets off like one Ice storm before going Invisible Panther by the door. I've seen it happen before where someone maybe launches a fireball, or the necromites get stuck into some crazy loop, spawning or healing outside of initiative. I think the main danger would be too many summons all get killed in one round, and then it suddenly gets way out of hand with exploding necrotic damage as the resulting necropods turn into necromites.

Rather than using a bunch of low HP skeletons, Scratch, Shovel etc, I think our better move for that one is just to bring a couple really tough high HP summons. The Greater Elemental is tough to top. Stone is probably the best for the attack that smashes enemies prone, but they're all pretty decent. I used one of my 4 Wizard spells to write and prepare Greater Elemental, just so I could have the plane of Air on our side. For that one the only issue is that sometimes it will auto-default to their ranged attack premordial gales, and I'd have to expand the hotbar to get at the multiattack and the other stuff like warp. We brought him on board for the roof, with another backup Elemental scroll just in case.

For the fight down below in the Colony, best buy for me would be at least one Greater Elemental for the main. Probably a backup from the scrolls and the potions of vigilance so we don't get tripped up by the turn order sequence. Then something like a dozen smokepowder bombs! hehe

I will starting picking them up as soon as they're available from Talli, Araj, Roah etc. They're the cheapest force dmg damage kabooms and pretty light weight compared to the larger smokepowder barrels. I would first try my luck at doing things the old fashioned way, with smites and radiant or electric damage, but then once it's Undread Gods just dropping a basket full of ba-bombs at his feat and trying for the one shot like that. 12-21 force dmg is pretty solid. If we get more 21s than 12s, decent chance to at least chip him down into striking distance if not outright dead from the first blastwave. We can buy 20 and I'm pretty sure he'll go down everytime, but I had a couple smokepowder barrels anywhere so we bought 15 and spent the rest some STR potions to help us monty haul. I have never tried the Polar Bear or Owlbear from the top ropes. It seems like it would work, but then for a couple hundred GP the backup plan to just blow them all away seems more reliable, and without too much downtime or risk of TPK. Everything about this run feels awkward to me without Lae'zel, so I'm still nervous, but I think we're going to read Jaheira in on this one. It's a tough call, but Karlach is probably my weakest link right now for that battle, since she's usually riding the bench in favor of Githyanki quick cuts to handle the flayer. I think the Jaheira in big bird form with the Woodland Being might be our better bet. Even though summons are a bit sketch for the same necromite reasons they're a bit dangerous on the roof, the Woodland Being with her club is pretty good at clearing out the Necromite adds if we just have her covering the perimeter and not getting too close to the super scythe.

Not sure, but I think we need to trust our gut, and have Jaheira take Karlach's spot.

Sorta like the inverse of 'Injustice for All.' All bass, no drums? lol

Pretty much the high point of the entire game for me!

 

[Black Elk]

This took some figuring, for Jaheira's stats and kit....

I wanted to run her as a Circle of the Stars Druid, cause obviously hehe, but then the challenge was getting Jaheira 1 lvl in Bard. I wanted to make it so she can perform with that Merryweather Lute I held onto for her, but then also with high enough Attributes so she can still feel like a proper High Harper.

Multiclass means no 3rd feat for the ASI, since I'm trying to hit the 1/11 or 2/10 split. I debated on Tavern brawler to even out her CON, but decided 2 feats to ASI would be better to give her 16s in DEX and CON. Downside is no double damage for Big Birds Claws, or if she needs to throw no double damage there. Returning Pike is still her best bet for a ranged weapon since she has no bows or crossbows or handcrossbows from her multiclass into Bard. It's mostly a flavor nerf for the instrumentation, but given that we dipped, the second ASI would have us at 19 in WIS for the prime attribute. So 20 in WIS once we get back to Jaheira's house and snap up Khalid's amulet.

Since Shadowheart is using her new Moonlight Glaive and a STR potion for now, we had the Club of Hill Giant STR available, which pairs pretty well the Sylvan Scimitar. I'm a little nervous that it may unequip if we use the Big Bird form, but I think it's still our best option for pushing her Stats right now, since I've built my whole stage wardrobe around the DEX gloves and am reluctant to part with my +4 there.

Karlach is riding the bench for now, so we gave her some flavor kit like the Flaming Sword, the Constitution Robes, the Rage Boots, also an honorary Glaive, Sorrow hehe. Everyone has a Glaive on standby, even if they really only use them except for select performances. Like most of characters, Jaheira will probably benefit from the STR potions, but we've only got a few left, so she'll have to be clubin' for now. I think she's into it though, the Luminous Breastplate looks pretty fit on her in sage green, and I gave her the momentum boots to keep things moving along.

I figure if we're chasing the stars a little extra radiance never hurts. We've got it all mapped out, I think lol


ps. About an hour and 2 more custom lutes later... hehe
I decided that I couldn't tolerate the -1 to Jaheira's intelligence. Had to even it out so there would be no malus.

Also I forgot to add +2 to her performance skills when re-levelling. We decided that, actually, Tavern Brawler is still probably best hehe. I mean we do plan to hit all the Taverns after all. Tradeoff was a slight ding to her initiative, but we weren't going to get the bonus from DEX to AC anyway, so overall just feels better when I open the Stats window not to having to see her with anything below 10. Always looking for a legend.

If I didn't build my whole thing around a circlet of Intellect and Dex gloves we'd have boosted her with one of those, but I figure maybe she can wear the pointy hat in Act III to edge in a +1 to CHA. Felt about right

 

[Black Elk]

Success! We pulled it off without resorting to explosives! hehe

Scratch kicked it off, with a trick he learned from Squire, sneaking backstage to release the Dame.

Jaheria used Icestorm to handle the Necromites on the left, while I ice Stormed the Intellect Devourers on the right, Shadowheart to slap the Flayer, and Minthara up the middle with the Smites!

The Woodlang Being and the Woodwoad proved their worth knocking off the necromite adds, which allowed us to keep the Stone Elementals up top most of the time for multiattacks. Felt pretty smooth, like we were in command, even though our Majestic Command Halt was ineffective vs Myrkul we still attempted to go glam with Starry Dragon breath from Jaheira and an attempt at the luminous butterflies. That one missed, but for the most part we played all the old hits and kept it classic.

Took the main stage by storm! Exactly like she said she would! lol

Not only has Jaheira agreed to join the band, but I'm pretty sure she also committed the Harpers to supporting us on the business side of things. I mean that's how we interpreted the verbal contract there. Solid! hehe

 

[Black Elk]

Dimension Doors hehe

Minthara made sure we got our money's worth before leaving Act II lol

After getting accosted by Githyanki and catfished in the Astral Plane, we decided to blow through Rivington in much the same fashion as the Shadowcursed Lands, using the gift of gab wherever we could to save time.

I completed the only mission that actually mattered, which was to resolve Scratch's recruitment questline! Non violence for that one. If I was a Din I would have taken the Illithid Powers for that, but we've yet to consume a single tadpole except for the very first one. Beauty first! With all the Bardic inspiration on deck, we were persuasive enough. Similar to my approach in Act I with the Red Eyes, I tried to just do what seemed simplest on the route towards the kennels and getting Scratch.

For me this started with heading right towards the refugee encampment, instead of left towards the Circus. I used the power of persuasion to spacebar through the squatters, then talked to the Sharran dude with Shadowheart, only slightly sad that he wouldn't sell or trade any of his cool equipment to us. I did the first Orin scene with that Guard by the toy shipments in the refugee encampment, second Orin scene with the smithy. Tried to keep Lens the Journalist alive for a change.

I was hoping as a Bard I'd care more about the Murder investigations and chatting up the locals, but not really. I skipped the Circus of Last Days, figuring we could come back later, but the stuff with the Murders needs to be done anyway to advance the Orin line, so I just tried to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. Ironhand Gnomes same deal, like I don't really want to be bothered, but it kinda has to be done to advance the Wyll/Gortash stuff later on, so I tried to make it just like a stop for stop, without too much backtracking.

Once we were on that side of town I blasted my way through the Temple, caught up with the Gnomes to get a huge bomb, then the Flophouse and the Brothel. The Harper Hideout for the capper. All told this probably still took me like an hour, even though we knew exactly what we were about.

I would have just Feather Fallen, since Minthara gets inspiration for bucking the rules, but I think it's probably faster in the long run to just do the main things, to avoid having to return later except for Circus or Guild type stuff. Skipped the rooftops, the windmill, the stuff with the Stone Lord down by the river. Overall was just impatient for something big to happen, and to get to Jaheira's house so we can even up her Wisdom.

I'm pleased with the additional banter and camp animations that were added for Scratch post release. Clearly Shadowheart was willing to come back into the studio and work the long hours in the recording booth for those extras.

The triumph of QA lol. This game's quality assurance is a little absurd though right? I mean the very first thing that happened after the Coronation and hitting the Basilisk Gate, Jaheira and Shadowheart decide to spoil the big Viconia reveal in casual banter.

In act one it was Astarion who was playing fortune telling and referencing plot points that hadn't occurred yet via running banter. This time it was Jaheira prying. I guess they must have had a heart to heart as some point that we weren't privy to.

I mean I guess it's just like Lae'zel trapdoor cage in Act I, the jank stands alone, but we pressed on anyway because finally we're starting to pull in the crowds. I think we've only made like 50 gp so far this entire run, but that's just cause we were building word of mouth right. Now that we're in the big time Baldur's Gate they're coming over by the bakers dozens!!! hehe

They just pack it in elbow to elbow, and keeping piling on. It's giving me horribly wicked ideas about what might be accomplished if we were a Bard with fewer scruples. Maybe for Lae'zel solo's career? I mean she was always fond of playing the durges anyway, so maybe something to save for an evil Swords Bard. Like one good fireball or a cloudkill perfectly placed? But we're basically good, so none of that this time around.

Instead we played Jaheira's house! Racking it in heheh

At this point, I just really need to remember to exit the game standing right in front of a door that leads to an encounter. If I for some reason decided to save and exit like when we're at camp, I lose all sense of what I was doing.

 

[Black Elk]

I realized that the Goodberry girls were down 1 Diva, and also that nobody was wearing the Potent Robes we got from Alfira, which seemed a shame, so I recruited our final zombie for this run.

Aerieana Grande is an Avariel Cleric Mage Bard who lost her wings, but then found her footing again with a career on stage in Wither's Follies. MIC-KEY in the club! It's what we all really needed I think, like a key to the mic there, just someone to help improve our overall ambient glam and A lister status. We pretended like we were going to hold open auditions, but the robes were already dyed pink so it was basically a foregone conclusion. Made a lot of sense in the moment. Really we just needed someone to keep an eye on the opulent chest, distract Volo, and so we could experiment with some Magical secrets previews. Default was Violin, so the zombies are basically a strings section. Not much in the way of brass or horns for this fantasy setting I guess, but we make it work.

I think it was Wyll or maybe Jaheira who first planted the idea in our heads, like 'but what if 3 Lutes and a Flute?!' At first I was skeptical, and Minthara balked, but then Wyll showed us a new move he'd been working on called the lvl 4 Smite!

I could tell that he really wanted in on the next performance, even though he was trying to play it off cool, that it was sort of a big deal after all. Probably because his dad was going to be there I guess, and also his Ex has been hanging around trying to stir the cauldron. Makes sense I suppose.

Minthara agreed to give up her seat for 20,000 leagues, but only if we promised her an extended Spider Lyre solo if we ever play the Cloister of Somber Embrace. Seemed a fair enough trade off, so we audibled the lineup and put Wyll back in the mix. I mean he seemed hungry! Hopefully the fish fry will be uneventful. Longstrider and Jump with some well placed darts to the door levers and get out of there with our ticket to the Society of Brilliance. Maybe rob a bank or something along the way. Who knows!

 

[Black Elk]

We all live in a Yellow Underwater Submersible

Well, except for that one lady, and probably like 3 or 4 Gnomes, but it really couldn't be helped...

Wyll was pretty heroic, I gotta say! lol

He'll be eldritch blasting that one on repeat for a while, doubtless. Jaheira decided to go crowd surfing at the very last second, but I'm pretty sure she can breath underwater, so no big deal hehe