Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous General Discussion, Playthroughs and Minimal/No Reload Thread

[Serg_BlackStrider]

Thanks, Antimatter! I've tried that save on my another (home) PC and Kaessi also doesn't spawn on banquet, so apparently the *bug* is already in save file and reinstalling the DLC will change nothing. Lets hope she'll show up later to introduce herself as a kingdom event since starting anew is quite discouraging already...

 

[Antimatter]

In the edge-case scenario, I guess you can handle that Grond0-style. Try looking at it as an RNG-based game factor affecting your playthrough. But sure, it sucks (if you lose the companion story & quests due to a bug).

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

So here is our progress at the moment:
Grim Face's first expedition after claiming the barony was (like in my *challenging* run) through the Ratnook Hills and there a disaster striked - one Wererat made crit-crit-crit and Kitty died in the first round, we've managed to kill one Wererat but then Valerie also died and we had no means to win that fight - those Wererats hit us quite reliably while we misses every now and then...
So... I started anew (once again!) with Gloomy Face (Grim Face's twin brother) and this run so far is far more smooth (sans the *issue* with Kaessi).

The Tales of Gloomy Face & Co (Hard). Chapter 1:
Gloomy Face - Neutral Good Halfling Sylvan Sorcerer (10/14/10/12/12/20) with Leopard pet on Hard/Last Azlanti Mode/Completionist.
(Exp sharing ‘on/off’ early on to get max of it)

- Oleg's Trading Post > Nettle's Crossing > Thorn Ford (first time ever went that route - before Ancient Tomb - some new experience there, skipped secret stash for now to be sure to pass skill checks later) > Ancient Tomb > no Pine Patch this time (and once again, just like last time there, Amiri passed both Lore: Nature checks while Linzi failed her Mobility check miserably…)
> Old Sycamore (to get Pine Patch location from Kesten Garess) > Pine Patch > Back to Oleg Trading Post (to deliver Svetlana’s Ring, get ‘Tuskgutter’ task, purchase [Full Plate +1] for Valerie, [Resist Poison, Communal] scroll, [Protection from Fire: Communal] scroll) > some of Old Sycamore (taking no side between Mites and Kobolds, hit Level 3 right after dealing with some Frogs south and getting Moon Radish, killed all Centipedes, Spiders, Wolfs, disarmed traps, Errand: Mandible Jewelry) > back to Oleg with Moon Radish for Bokken and ended with 8190/9000 exp, also purchased [Bag of Holding, Small] and another [Resist Poison, Communal] scroll)
> Endless Plains (Manticore) > Two-River's Field > Fangberry Cave (just killed Spiders and got Fangberries) > Oleg Trading Post (Fangberries for Bokken and Level 4) > finished most of Old Sycamore area (joined with Harrim & Jaethal, read [Protection from Fire: Communa] scroll and Tartuccio was kind enough to obliterate all of the Kobolds with his first Fireball while quietly perished himself shortly after, next we dealt with Undead Warriors and Tremendous Centipede fell under combined assault from all sides; Sleeping Bandits got [Coup de Grace, Communal] treatment, after resting we also dealt with Grarrukh and his pack, succeed in Athletics check to the Mite hideout but failed Trickery check to get Cold Iron Dagger…) > back to Oleg’s Trading Post to finish ‘A Bitter Rival’ and rest; (80 days, 1 hour left)
> Oak-That-Strayed > Abandoned Hut > Technic League Random Encounter > Old Oak (Man-eater Troll) > Technic League Encampment (swap Jaethal for Octavia) > Tuskgutter's Lair > Three-Pine Islet (Longspear for Harrim) >Temple of the Elk > Thorn Ford (to poison Stag Lord’s wine, Harrim lended Amiri his Headband of Inspired Wisdom +2 to help her pass the checks, but… we failed even first Perception check…) > Boggard Hunting Grounds > Oleg’s Trading Post (close the ‘Tuskgutter’ task, ‘Temple of the Elk’ task, chat with Octavia & Reg, speak with Guardian of the Bloom and reveal Stag Lord’s Fort location) > (74 days, 6 hours left; 14148/15000 exp)
> Cleared the rest of Fangberry Cave > Waterlogged Lowland (Neutral choice on the last page)
> Stag Lord's Fort (start with 14454 exp) for Zombies and Glade in the Wilderness outdoors > Level 5; next cleared the caves and killed Silent;
> Stag Lord's Fort interior; Again we’ve managed to convince both Akiros (visiting Thorn Ford before Ancient Tomb lowered the diplomacy check) and Owlbear to help us defeat the Stag Lord and being at Level 5 proved to be noticeably easier to clear the Ford and defeat Stag Lord, even while failed to poison his wine. This time we even managed to finish all that with 70 days remaining before the deadline and with no deaths so far!.

Back to Oleg through the Old Mesa and Nettle's Crossing and on to Restov!
What is left from the list of available areas are: Shrike Hills: Riverine Rise, Shrike Hills: Trail in the Hills (just looted the [Scorched Fragment of a Necklace] from there), Shrike Hills: Ratnook Hill, North Narlmarches: Tranquil River Bend.

I'm very pleased with this last run so far and will continue regardless of 'Kaessi issue'.

to be continued...

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

Yay! Kaessi is there!!!

Right after claiming Outskirts three Throne Room events pops up - 'Harrim Has a Request', 'Councilor Awaits in the Throne Room' and there you are - 'A Traveler Waits at the Castle' where Kaessi introduce herself!

I'm so relieved =) Onward!

 

[alice_ashpool]

Tabitha taking the "If you ain't on the front lines is it even Last Azlanti?!" approach to Tavern Defense

 

[alice_ashpool]

And we deal with that pesky Nabasu where the rod of mortiferous blizzard comes in handy.

 

[alice_ashpool]

Tabitha now Level 6 eldritch scoundrel ready to liberate the grey garrison. I love this class so much.

 

[alice_ashpool]

Tabitha the Eldritch Scoundrel - Part 9.5

Bonus Challenge: Too much alcohol before playing

Tabitha raced through content since the last update finishing everything she needed to before the tavern defence getting level 5. Except it turned out later that we had forgotten to do the Trapped Tiefling bit in the market square - no matter that means a guaranteed XP chunk in Grey Garrison.

Tavern defence was no problem and we completed it with 12/12 intact. I have done this so many times it is like second nature.

After the defence we did the Pixax Cellar, Topaz Solutions and the Tiribade Succubus + the few enemies in the Market Square and the Nabasu. Easy. That got everyone Level 6. Perfect.

We cook some Onion Soup then on to Grey Garrison.

Everything went fine until one of the party ran into the super hard trap - setting it off and nuking Seelah and taking Tabitha to 3HP - wow, bad AI or what. Anyway, we disarmed it for 960XP. Tabitha used Terendelev's scale to bring her back. An absolute bit of shoddy AI - I had spotted the trap but still they run into it...

Anyway, we clear everything except the Alchemist room and then take a nap.

Spoiler

After a quick rest we can deal with him with a scroll of Protection from Fire, Communal. EZ. That means everything dead. on the main two floors. We then mop up every little item and prep for Minagho.

Not difficult to beat her down - I do resort to turn based, this is one of the most finickety fights in the gam if she gets off her phantasmal putrifaction so I play it real safe. Ans with that we gain Mythic 1 and Act 2!

Neither a good nor a bad run, but Act 1 complete Last Azlanti on Core. Woop.

Current Party member deaths: Seelah (1)

 

[alice_ashpool]

As a final bonus we travel to Martyr Zacharius's Cemetary to pick up an item from the Rift - Defeating Inevitable Darkness has it's (game-breaking) perks lmao

 

[alice_ashpool]

And, the run is over - Sosiel got triple longbow crit in one round while having full concealment during his quest - and that's a game over. haha.

 

[Antimatter]

Noooo, no! Eldritch Scoundrels are so fun to play indeed. I enjoyed one before trying out a Thundercaller in P:K. I read a few threads online explaining that Eldritch Scoundrels are not interesting enough compared to other classes, or not powerful enough, but man oh man, they are good rogues, and mixing a rogue + magic spells feels fun. So I'm sad to see the journey of Tabitha end.

Could it be prevented? That triple crit? Maybe a visit to that area later instead of sooner?

 

[alice_ashpool]

Noooo, no! Eldritch Scoundrels are so fun to play indeed. I enjoyed one before trying out a Thundercaller in P:K. I read a few threads online explaining that Eldritch Scoundrels are not interesting enough compared to other classes, or not powerful enough, but man oh man, they are good rogues, and mixing a rogue + magic spells feels fun. So I'm sad to see the journey of Tabitha end.

Could it be prevented? That triple crit? Maybe a visit to that area later instead of sooner?

So I made 2 critical errors.

1. I did not have Protection from Arrows, Communal up. This would have reduced damage by 10 points per hit, keeping him alive. (I had thought 50% concealment from Dark Veil would be enough)
2. I went in the back way into the chapel. This is a classic owlcat trap since it bypasses a hard encounter but dumps you in the final encounter with really bad positioning with everyone focusing down Sosiel. I should have done the "harder" route because it gives you more control.

I will do another Eldritch Scoundrel because they are 100% my favourite rogue - with that Inevitable Excess bonus ring I just picked up she had up to 43AC at the beginning of chapter 2 with access to Mirror Image and False Life, big boosts to will saves from Slippery Mind, Debilitation lowering enemy AC or AB on hit, and did large chunks of damage with her sneak attacking 1.5x Dex bonus 18-20 crit range Elven Curved Blade.

Lots of great things.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

When I got Pathfinder: Kingmaker for free on EGS and looked at classes and builds, Eldritch Scoundrel seemed one of the most interesting to me too, both from the fun of the available skills and from role-playing opportunities (at least for my headcanon story. Not sure how much liberty the game itself gives there). It's definitely high on my list for when I try the game. For now, I gave up during character creation .

At first I thought building towards Arcane Trickster prestige class instead looked like the most interesting path, but even if they have overlaps, that one seems to be more of a mage with a few slight-of-hand tricks, while the Eldritch Scoundrel is a rogue (and I so like sneaky combat nowadays) with a few extras in magic, simply put, the emphasis is different, or is my impression wrong?
It's a bit difficult to judge with the tons of information out there.

 

[alice_ashpool]

At first I thought building towards Arcane Trickster prestige class instead looked like the most interesting path, but even if they have overlaps, that one seems to be more of a mage with a few slight-of-hand tricks, while the Eldritch Scoundrel is a rogue (and I so like sneaky combat nowadays) with a few extras in magic, simply put, the emphasis is different, or is my impression wrong?
It's a bit difficult to judge with the tons of information out there.

That is basically it - the Arcane Trickster is a tricksy wizard while the eldritch scoundrel is a reduced rogue with a lot of magic tricks to make up for it. Play the first as a wizard and the second as a rogue.

Of course you could make a melee Arcane Trickster Muscle Wizard if you wanted, or an eldritch scoundrel who uses Ray Attacks of you wanted too, but they are I suppose harder to get just how you want them to be - more rowing up stream so to speak.

I have been sold on the 2-handed rogue though - much fewer attacks - but dual wielding is very feat intensive, and the BAB penalties start to really hit home. Plus you are much less feat starved if you don't need to allocate 2-3 feats for offhand.

 

[alice_ashpool]

Hanging my head in shame about my Ironman run ending I went and defeated Inevitable Darkness on Unfair Difficulty since Owlcat said in their latest patch that there would be an additional reward for doing so.

Spoiler

Touch of Good and bit of luck (Soseil) + mark of Justice (Seelah) + Fast Holy Bombs (MC) + Elemental Swarm and Creeping Doom (Camellia) + Heal,Mass scrolls (Nenio) + sacrificial lamb (Daeran) saw it through.

The beastie can't deal with Creeping Dooms all that well and 3x elemental swarm spews out enough fodder to tie it up for the 5 or so rounds I needed to kill it. Only took one, very long, attempt since I knew what I was doing this time.

Throw in some more charisma boosts for Seelah, Targeted bomb admixture and bombers eye, and some of the Alchemist boosting items that are out there somewhere and MC could have been hitting on a 2+.

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

(Sigh...) I gave up on hard difficulty... This is not fun at all... A single Branded Troll in Ruined Watchtower just obliterated our whole crew while saving against all our multiple control spells... After applying all the buffs we had at the moment Kitty has 36 AC and ended up with -46HP in second round. Valerie also stayed on no longer than single round against that Branded Troll. Amiri was next in line - you get an idea...

Spoiler

And since I've something I want to change in character's development in Grim Face's *challenging* run, I'll start it anew (again...)

 

[Antimatter]

Yeah, I can feel you there. I guess that's why @alice_ashpool wanted a melee character for an extra challenge - so that there was always a risk of losing it all in one second at any point. I guess I don't agree with the game's default approach not to allow you a Death Door state first. Losing dozens, or hundreds of hours of progress due to being one-shotted. But a fair point to those to pursue such challenges.

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

Well, there isn't a Death Door state in Baldur's Gate games and I'm fine/accustomed with that. It's just a bit too costly in PF:K to rise your dead companions early on. But if you have money you can always rise them back while chunked BG characters are gone forever. But I definitely always prefer *ranged* characters since they are a bit safer and have a bit more space for maneuvre.

The main reason I've wanted to try Hard mode is that I've thought it as a bit more *fair* mode towards your opponents - those +2AC/AB and +4 for attributes are like some buffs/belts/circlets for your crew. Looks like until you get all those goodies for your characters you are on a great(er) disadvantage... I've noticed a much more misses for my characters and hits/saves for opponents compared to challenging mode.

And I still want to finish the game at least once so ... "Stag Lord, are you missed me already?"

 

[alice_ashpool]

Sorry to hear that. One thing which I find helps with de-committing to a fight that is going poorly is a stash of emergency spells - Mostly Vanish and Dimension Door. It is possible to do BG-style running away even with AoOs - either hitting vanish or much more effectively DD-ing the whole squad away then legging it. Its pretty cheap but if you can break aggro then most fights can become a - rest and try again affair. No idea if you could have had DD by that point though.

There are also in WotR a few "spawn points" where plot essential characters rise from the grave. The one I remember is after Grey Garrison any dead chars will be raised for free - at least it was the case 6 months ago.

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

Yes, I have a bunch of Vanish potions (and usually not shy of using them) while Dimension Door is #1 spell I pick when I'm able to do so (not at level 5 though). The thing with that particular encounter is that I have three characters *dead* (Valerie, Amiri, Harrim) and nearly zero cash in the bank. Sure, there are some other characters available (Reg, Jaethal, Tristian) but as a rule I'm always stick with the Crew I like and don't run characters I'm not fond of.

Anyway, I've already started another *challenging* run and have a strong feeling as if I've switched from *nightmare* to *story* mode...