WiseGrimwald
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We had no difficulty in Candlekeep. Prat did us the favour of killing himself with his lightning bolt.
Now at FAI
Now at FAI
The Candlekeep Annex: RPed Baldur’s Gate No and Low Reload Adventures
- Thread starter Alesia_BH
- Start date
Borco
Habitué
- Messages
- 382
Alagar, halfling bounty hunter: Introduction
Technical notes:
Game version: BGEE 2.6.6.0 (no SoD)
Difficulty: Hardcore
Mods: SCS (v34.3) with all tactical and AI components; BG Tweaks (cosmetic changes)
Modified SCS components: Giant Spiders (Tactical)
For the purposes of this run, the difficultly has been toned down from Insane to Hardcore. Alagar's starting weapon proficiencies are staves and short bows and all of his initial skill points have been invested into Set Traps.
Not all my characters get their own title song, however I've been checking out that Spotify wrapped thing shortly before I started rolling Alagar's stats and it only seemed fitting that the most played song of the year 2024 would provide the soundtrack to his upcoming adventure of 2025! And what a match to the epic story of Baldur's Gate it is!
Regards,
B.
Technical notes:
Game version: BGEE 2.6.6.0 (no SoD)
Difficulty: Hardcore
Mods: SCS (v34.3) with all tactical and AI components; BG Tweaks (cosmetic changes)
Modified SCS components: Giant Spiders (Tactical)
For the purposes of this run, the difficultly has been toned down from Insane to Hardcore. Alagar's starting weapon proficiencies are staves and short bows and all of his initial skill points have been invested into Set Traps.
Not all my characters get their own title song, however I've been checking out that Spotify wrapped thing shortly before I started rolling Alagar's stats and it only seemed fitting that the most played song of the year 2024 would provide the soundtrack to his upcoming adventure of 2025! And what a match to the epic story of Baldur's Gate it is!
Regards,
B.
Borco
Habitué
- Messages
- 382
Alagar, halfling bounty hunter: Part 1
While setting out from Candlekeep with Dreppin's antidote is comforting enough, knowing that you will soon be faced with Zargal's archers and Landrin's spiders, obtaining the Potion of Clarity from the inn is like hitting a jackpot. It provides a free pass on the majority of BG1 disablers (barring hold and sleep) without having to rely on the double-edged effect of the expensive Potions of Magic Blocking. In Alagar's case, his default Open Locks score of 35 was sufficient to break into the chest, thus giving him a head start for the adventure.
Most of our remaining early game gear was a courtesy of Imoen and Montaron (short bow, studded leather, Wand of Magic Missiles, healing potions, 2x Oil of Speed). We collected the Easter Eggs (diamond, RoP +1, RoW) and travelled straight to Peldvale, where we ran into Viconia. Alagar spotted her first and, observing the scene from the shadows, he decided to prepare a trap should the encounter develop in an unfriendly way.
When it comes to setting snares then it's not a completely risk free endeavour despite Alagar being a bounty hunter. Assuming I'm getting the math right, his starting Set Traps score of 65 yields approximately 3.3% chance of a fatal critical failure for normal snares at level 1 with 8 HP and 0% at level 2 (based on 1d8+2 damage to self). I believe that the critical failure probability for special snares is the same (25%), however I'm not sure whether their damage (3d8+5) is applied in full or whether it's in any way reduced for critical failure purposes (as is the case with normal snares). If the former is true, then Alagar will not become completely safe from his own traps until he reaches either 100 Set Traps score (which will only happen once he picks up the DEX tome in Baldur's Gate) or 30 HP. I have decided to accept some level of uncertainty here in order to be able to properly play the class, noting that any risks should be greatly reduced upon reaching level 2 with 16 HP (my characters are allowed Max Health on their very first level up) and a Set Traps score of 85 - consequently, the special snare in Peldvale was Alagar's only attempt at setting traps before reaching that L2 mark.
As it turns out, the trap doesn't get tripped by Viconia but rather by her fanatical Flaming Fist pursuer. Seriously injured and slowed, he is quickly finished under Viccy's Commands.
It seems we've made a friend. And not any kind of friend, but one that can get us safely into the Friendly Arm Inn. With Remove Fear and a stack of 3x Commands at our disposal, Tarnesh no longer seemed to be the scary run-ending assassin he is.
Thank you Viccy, your debt has been more than repaid. We've enjoyed your company and also appreciate your opinion of people spending 1000 GP on church donations during a single temple visit. Still, it's time for us to part ways - we'll see each other again.
Once again on his own, and knowing that reputation is everything in the bounty hunter trade, Alagar agreed to retrieve Joia's ring (increasing his reputation to 15 upon completing the task) before continuing south to Beregost.
Alagar stopped by the Feldepost's Inn, reaching level 2 thanks to the good old friend of every solo adventurer looking for early free XP - Marl. Fetching the book for Firebeard's cemented Alagar's rising popularity among the local populace and we decided to take advantage of the favorable rates at High Hedge, where we splashed a portion of proceeds from the sale of the Ring of Wizardry on Wand of Sleep, potion case, and a set of potions (Freedom, Strength, Magic Blocking, and Perception, one of each).
Shortly before visiting Thalantyr, our bounty hunter recorded his first meaningful backstab while retrieving a certain "dead element" for later use pour l'Antichickenator.
Our Wand of Sleep saw its first use against the High Hedge gnolls - the skilled veteran made his save, but Alagar simply lured him away from the sleeping pair, disappeared in the shadows, and returned to finish the helpless gnolls in order to recover Perdue's sword.
You may notice that more often than not Alagar explores and fights during nighttime - Move Silently and Hide in Shadows remain a low priority in terms of skill allocation for now, so we have to take every advantage to improve our chances for reliable stealth action. It's no surprise that obtaining the Boots of Stealth was next on our to-do list. Stealth + special snare + ranged attacks proved to be a winning recipe against the pair of ogrillions on the road.
Onto the hobgoblin band, where the plan was to remove the leader with a backstab, grab his boots, and run. It almost worked!
Luckily, Alagar had the presence of mind to prepare a snare near the cavern entrance ahead of the fight, which fixed the green hobgoblin leader for good. We're out of here.
Further south, we came upon another hobgoblin band - the one that had raided the Collquetle family. Do we risk opening with another embarrassing backstab? Nah, leave the backstabs to assassins and let bounty hunters do what bounty hunters do best!
Alagar reaches Nashkel at level 3 (investing 20 points into Find Traps). He has a chat with the mayor, refuses to pick up the reward on behalf of Greywolf offered by Oublek and instead inquires about the outstanding bounties. It looks like there's work to be had around this town. That's promising.
We raided the chest in the barracks for short sword +1, collected the ankegh plate, and returned to Beregost to deliver Mirianne's letter and Colquetle's amulet. Perdue got his sword back and Karlat, even with an Oil of Speed quaff, got outsmarted on account of the favorable layout of the Red Sheaf.
Despite his heroic reputation (now at 18), Alagar remains a rogue at heart and a little thievery never killed nobody, right? Using the Potion of Perception from High Hedge, we acquired the magical bastard sword from the smithy, the Stupefier from the Burning Wizard, a PoI and a Wand of Lightning from the manor, and some minor loot + potions of Heroism, Agility, and Wisdom from random houses around the town.
Two Wand of Sleep charges took care of Landrin's spider problem, bringing Alagar to level 4, with additional 20 points allocated into Find Traps and a proficiency pip in two-handed weapon style.
Afterwards, we recovered the gem bag from Neera, booked a room at the Jovial Juggler, and in the morning paid a visit to Taerom to purchase short bow +1 and a stack of +1 arrows. Alagar is now retracing his steps back north towards the Friendly Arm Inn.
Regards,
B.
While setting out from Candlekeep with Dreppin's antidote is comforting enough, knowing that you will soon be faced with Zargal's archers and Landrin's spiders, obtaining the Potion of Clarity from the inn is like hitting a jackpot. It provides a free pass on the majority of BG1 disablers (barring hold and sleep) without having to rely on the double-edged effect of the expensive Potions of Magic Blocking. In Alagar's case, his default Open Locks score of 35 was sufficient to break into the chest, thus giving him a head start for the adventure.
Most of our remaining early game gear was a courtesy of Imoen and Montaron (short bow, studded leather, Wand of Magic Missiles, healing potions, 2x Oil of Speed). We collected the Easter Eggs (diamond, RoP +1, RoW) and travelled straight to Peldvale, where we ran into Viconia. Alagar spotted her first and, observing the scene from the shadows, he decided to prepare a trap should the encounter develop in an unfriendly way.
As it turns out, the trap doesn't get tripped by Viconia but rather by her fanatical Flaming Fist pursuer. Seriously injured and slowed, he is quickly finished under Viccy's Commands.
Shortly before visiting Thalantyr, our bounty hunter recorded his first meaningful backstab while retrieving a certain "dead element" for later use pour l'Antichickenator.
We raided the chest in the barracks for short sword +1, collected the ankegh plate, and returned to Beregost to deliver Mirianne's letter and Colquetle's amulet. Perdue got his sword back and Karlat, even with an Oil of Speed quaff, got outsmarted on account of the favorable layout of the Red Sheaf.
Regards,
B.
Borco
Habitué
- Messages
- 382
Alagar, halfling bounty hunter: Part 2
We opened the agenda for the second session of the run by collecting the Girdle of Piercing and reporting to Landrin that she's free to cancel the rest of her booking with Bentley and return back home to Beregost.
With Melicamp in the bag, Alagar prepared his attack on Zargal's band by setting a special snare at their feet from a distance and approaching the group under stealth. He revealed himself in the proximity of the archers and the moment their circles turned red the trap sprang, followed by a Wand of Sleep charge.
The net effect of our efforts turned out to be somewhat underwhelming - we lost the initiative and still had to archers on the field, carrying precise composite bows and dangerous poison arrows. Alagar quickly fell back, laid down a snare, and waited.
When neither of the two hobgoblins seemed to be willing to walk into our trap, we engaged again. Both of them kept pacing around restlessly, so instead of risking a backstab on a moving target (such feats will have to wait until we're rocking speed factor 0 with Aule's), we opted for another Wand of Sleep charge. Malkax made his save again, forcing us to spend the third and final charge of the day before we could safely shoot them dead.
Could there be a better sign of good fortune than a successful Antichickenator that gets you a level up?
With L5 under his belt, Alagar now backstabs at 3x and has 80 points in Find Traps, which is enough to make an attempt at looting Durlag's Tower. Our freshly purchased Potion of Perception and green ProFire scroll from Thalantyr would assist him with the task when the time comes.
We make a quick round trip to Nashkel with Barge to maximize our reputation ahead of the upcoming shopping spree at Ulgoth's Beard. Taking a detour through the ankegh lair, our aim was to quietly retrieve the treasure without having to the face the notoriously dangerous ankeghs. With no HP cushion, limited armor selection, no crit protection, and no MIs, thieves (and necromancers) are arguably the most exposed class when it comes to their acid spits - one bad roll here could spell the end of the run.
The thing is that there's that one ankegh which cannot be avoided when browsing through the treasure hoard, unless you're a cleric with Sanctuary. We could have called upon Viccy, but that would mean splitting the loot and Alagar's incoming bill at Ulgoth's Beard wasn't going to pay for itself. The other option would be to approach in the shadows, grab the booty, and quaff a PoI, but that seemed too expensive. Therefore, our bounty hunter had to design a plan. It was not a bad plan. But it failed catastrophically.
Here we can see Alagar in the process of setting his two traps from a secure position - a special snare and a normal one.
He reveals himself briefly to lure out the lone ankegh. The traps trigger, dealing 27 damage in total, and the beast fails its save against slow. Alagar moves behind the corner, remaining visible, and lets the ankegh approach closer for a melee strike. Our weapon is faster - the hit connects, dishing out 11 damage.
With his aura clear, Alagar taps his Wand of Sleep. The ankegh makes its save and our trouble just begins when as suffer the first hit.
Alagar's Hide in Shadows fail in the critical moment and he decides to rush towards the treasure hoard through the western corridor, quaffing an extra healer in the process.
Unfortunately, this repositioning draws the attention of a second ankegh further to the west and, after suffering a critical hit, Alagar ends up literally cornered in the eastern section of the tunnels with nowhere to go. His emergency stealth attempt fails and the only way of escaping the predicament is to quaff that PoI, which we had wanted to preserve so desperately.
We could have accepted the cost from the very beginning and spare ourselves the most dangerous moment of the entire BG1. Nevertheless, we made it to Ulgoth's Beard in one piece, where Alagar procured Aule's Staff, Greenstone Amulet, and Cloak of Displacement.
The session was concluded at Mutamin's Gardens. They say it takes two to tango and, despite his undead complexion, Korax is a wonderful dancing partner. He helped us to clear all the basilisks in the area, while Alagar observed from the shadows. And while he didn't manage to paralyze Mutamin, his attacks and two of our tossed special traps were sufficient to bring the gnome down.
Alagar departed for Durlag's Tower to the east with 1630 XP short of level 7.
Regards,
B.
We opened the agenda for the second session of the run by collecting the Girdle of Piercing and reporting to Landrin that she's free to cancel the rest of her booking with Bentley and return back home to Beregost.
We make a quick round trip to Nashkel with Barge to maximize our reputation ahead of the upcoming shopping spree at Ulgoth's Beard. Taking a detour through the ankegh lair, our aim was to quietly retrieve the treasure without having to the face the notoriously dangerous ankeghs. With no HP cushion, limited armor selection, no crit protection, and no MIs, thieves (and necromancers) are arguably the most exposed class when it comes to their acid spits - one bad roll here could spell the end of the run.
The thing is that there's that one ankegh which cannot be avoided when browsing through the treasure hoard, unless you're a cleric with Sanctuary. We could have called upon Viccy, but that would mean splitting the loot and Alagar's incoming bill at Ulgoth's Beard wasn't going to pay for itself. The other option would be to approach in the shadows, grab the booty, and quaff a PoI, but that seemed too expensive. Therefore, our bounty hunter had to design a plan. It was not a bad plan. But it failed catastrophically.
Here we can see Alagar in the process of setting his two traps from a secure position - a special snare and a normal one.
The session was concluded at Mutamin's Gardens. They say it takes two to tango and, despite his undead complexion, Korax is a wonderful dancing partner. He helped us to clear all the basilisks in the area, while Alagar observed from the shadows. And while he didn't manage to paralyze Mutamin, his attacks and two of our tossed special traps were sufficient to bring the gnome down.
Regards,
B.
WiseGrimwald
Habitué
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Journal of Thraxt Continued
At the FAI we dropped off Viconia and Baeloth and picked up Jet 'Laya.
We sought out and killed her sister who had become a Banshee.
We were told of a dragon near Nashkel. We picked up the Cavalier Conchobhair Strongblade and the Halfling thief Bardo Furfoot.
The dragon chunked Bardo and killed Conchobhair.
We survived by the skin of our teeth and returned to Nashkel to raise Conchobhair.
We then returned to the cave to plunder it.
At the FAI we dropped off Viconia and Baeloth and picked up Jet 'Laya.
We sought out and killed her sister who had become a Banshee.
We were told of a dragon near Nashkel. We picked up the Cavalier Conchobhair Strongblade and the Halfling thief Bardo Furfoot.
The dragon chunked Bardo and killed Conchobhair.
We survived by the skin of our teeth and returned to Nashkel to raise Conchobhair.
We then returned to the cave to plunder it.
Borco
Habitué
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- 382
Alagar, halfling bounty hunter: Part 3
For thieves, Durlag's Tower can be a low hanging fruit. Erdane has a full stock of potions of Master Thievery and Perception, the battle horrors can be avoided with stealth, while fast backstabs, a bow, and a set of traps will take care of the ghast problem in the tower interior.
Upon reaching level 7, Alagar rested, quaffed his thieving potions, and began his raid on the various chests and lockers containing valuable loot, including potions and magical darts. He used the Greenstone Amulet and green ProFire scroll to bypass the undisarmable traps (i.e. the Dire Charm trap on the altar with the Tome of Wisdom and the Fireball trap in the first level of the underground dungeon), and collected additional supplies of potions and ammunition from the few unguarded rooms in the dungeon.
The rooftop basilisks were brought down with backstabs and traps, while running green ProPetrification scroll.
As anticipated, this was quick and easy - time to hit the coast! With only 1000XP short of level 8, we wanted to use the opportunity to pick up the shorty saving throws CON bonus via the Manual of Bodily Health. Once again, this was a perfect mission for a thief - Alagar used stealth to bypass the sirines and reach the cave, removed the traps, shot down the flesh golems with +1 arrows, collected the treasure, and escaped undetected.
Swimming in money, Alagar could now afford to go big and get both the Claw and the Shadow Armor, thus becoming the first ambassador of rogue couture on the Sword Coast.
We level up to L8 at 18 CON, gaining additional boost to his death/wand/spell saving throws, as well as earning a proficiency pip in darts. Here's the snapshot of his character sheet and inventory at the time for the record:
Our next destination was the Firewine Bridge, right after we took the opportunity to showcase the latest trends in halfling fashion at Gullykin (and steal some goodies from the locals, including a Potion of Defense).
Meilum proved troublesome - Alagar's initial traps failed to make any meaningful impact, he made all of his saves against Darts of Stunning, and hit and run with Aule's seemed to be getting us nowhere.
Fortunately, our recent visit to Durlag's had yielded some spare Oils of Speed and we decided to use one. With the speed advantage, we could outrun our foe and plant an additional trap.
With Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise secured, our Chapter 2 gear was complete. Still, Alagar wanted to complete Oublek's job before heading into the mines. I'm sorry Prism, I appreciate the art and everything, but we can't let Ellesime keep those emeralds - business is business and our bounty hunter has a reputation to uphold.
Since we were already in the south, we decided to complete the loop though the Fire Leaf Forest, Dryad Falls, and the Gnoll Fortress. We face Sendai's crew first - Alagar activated his Shield Amulet and placed special snare at their feet, instantly killing the first archer.
The second archer was lured to our normal snare and Sendai got backstabed.
More backstabs on Zal and Vax.
Caldo and Krumm were first slowed by Alagar's special snare and subsequently finished with zero speed factor and extra reach of Aule's.
We then collected the Gauntles of Dexterity and the CHA tome from the Gnoll Fortress, delivered the emeralds to Oublek, and were off to the mines.
Regards,
B.
For thieves, Durlag's Tower can be a low hanging fruit. Erdane has a full stock of potions of Master Thievery and Perception, the battle horrors can be avoided with stealth, while fast backstabs, a bow, and a set of traps will take care of the ghast problem in the tower interior.
Regards,
B.
Alesia_BH
Habitué
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Look who it is! It's Alastria, meleeing her way through the Sword Coast!
Alagar inspired me to get back into the action, it seems. At the moment I'm just fiddling around, shaking the rust off. No promises, but I may start posting semi-soon. We'll see.
Cheers,
A.
Alagar inspired me to get back into the action, it seems. At the moment I'm just fiddling around, shaking the rust off. No promises, but I may start posting semi-soon. We'll see.
Cheers,
A.
Borco
Habitué
- Messages
- 382
Alagar, halfling bounty hunter: Part 4
Alagar worked his way through the Nashkel mines under stealth, removing the first set of traps at the bridge and bypassing the ones behind the kobold shaman by sticking to the southeastern wall.
Once inside Mulahey's cavern, he prepared two snares by tossing a special trap inside Mulahey's throne room and placing one normal trap in the norther section - and buffed with green ProUndead scroll, Potion of Strength, and Greenstone Amulet.
The net result of Alagar's opening backstab and trap damage was six dead kobolds and Mulahey's moral failure.
A single charge from Wand of Magic Missiles in the next round was enough to shut the priest down.
With no need to linger any further, we grabbed the evidence, hit the shadows around the corner, and ran to the surface, where we picked up the +2 dagger and raided the tombs.
After collecting the ProMagic scroll from Hafiz and the Ring of Fire Resistance, Alagar returns to Nashkel to unceremoniously terminate Nimbul with traps. It'll be the first to criticize the metagaming approach here, however his missile AC and our lack of Detect Illusions points to remove his MIs would make him extremely annoying to deal with otherwise. And since our minds were already focused on the bandit camp, I was eager to simply get him out of the way.
Our first stop post Nashkel is Ulgoth's Beard, since we now had enough funds to get Sandthief in anticipation of the assassin ambushes. This was just in time, as the amazons caught up with us immediately thereafter - let's see that new ring in action, shall we?
Alagar moved into the corner, buffed with Potion of Strength and Greenstone Amulet, and planned his next move. Unlike with the SoA ambushes, where you can safely make your preparations as soon as you're beyond the enemy line of sight, enemies in BG1 will sense your presence and close in as soon as your characters become visible. This means that we could not prepare more than one trap at that stage - Alagar opted for a tossed special snare and immediately hit the shadows.
We reposition ourselves into the southeastern corner and prepare another trap that gets tripped by Zeela.
Lamalha's Hold Person bounces off our Greenstone Amulet and Alagar finishes Zeela with a swing by Aule's.
Alagar then moved out of sight and launched his second special snare towards the two rogues, killing them both.
Lamalha, the last woman standing, got caught off guard by a backstab.
After that we resupplied potions and scrolls at High Hedge and the FAI temple, eliminated Silke with a Dart of Stunning to boost our Potion of Defense stock, and rushed towards the bandit camp via Raiken.
Regards,
B.
Alagar worked his way through the Nashkel mines under stealth, removing the first set of traps at the bridge and bypassing the ones behind the kobold shaman by sticking to the southeastern wall.
The net result of Alagar's opening backstab and trap damage was six dead kobolds and Mulahey's moral failure.
Regards,
B.
Borco
Habitué
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Maximum style points!
Alesia_BH
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- 912
Executing a battle plan with a bounty hunter is the most satisfying thing in the game. Alagar's run is going to be fun to follow- no doubt. You definitely understand the class.
I'm enjoying Alastria right now, but I'm also semi-jealous of Alagar, truth be told, lol.
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Alesia_BH
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Debatable. I think this tops it: 4 APR, Ghost Armored, regenerating, poison fanged wolf.
(You still get credit for the innovation. I wouldn't have found this had it not been for your discovery of the offhand behavior under Chill Touch .)
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Alesia_BH
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Alastria v3, Human Transmuter: Introduction
Hey there, hi there, everyone! Thanks to Borco and a confluence of circumstances, I'm back in action. Enter, Alastria, human Transmuter.
Proficiencies: Daggers
Mods: SCS v35.17, Ascension, G3 Fixpack- Free Action Protects Against Stun
Personal Item: Alastria's Leather Jacket- AC 8, +2 Charisma
Difficulty: Insane (No double damage, all tactical components, most nerfs, no Icewind Dale spells)
Gaming Notes: Alastria v3 has a lot to live up to. The original transmuter Alastria was one of my most memorable characters. In the pre-SCS days, at a time when Ascension solos were rare, she completed a Tactics (parts) + Ascension run using a quiver of uber-quirky tactics. The second Alastria, a melee sorcerer, marked my return to the BG play after an 8 year break. Her run was flawed due to my rustiness, but it struck a nerve with the community nonetheless.
I don't expect Alastria v3 to do credit to the legacy. I'm not the player I was back then. I've been playing too little. I'm out of the loop. I'm less an innovator these days and more a dilettante on cruise control. Still. The Alastrias of old pushed my boundaries as a player. Maybe this iteration will do the same. Maybe Alastria v3 is exactly what I need to rekindle my interest in the game. Maybe. Who knows. Certainly not me.
Here's what I do know. I'm flying to Peru this afternoon and I have a pair of lengthy layovers. Alastria v3 is my plan to make it though. If I get a little squirrelly during this run, don't worry. I'm not going insane. I'm just sleep deprived in a random corridor of a South American airport.
Theme Song: Alastria v3's Theme Song is a personal fav, Dancing Barefoot by Patti Smith. Enjoy!
PS: For the Alena fan out there, don't worry: this run does not spell the end of Alena. The plan is to ease my way back into action with a BG1 run before resuming Alena’s game.
Hey there, hi there, everyone! Thanks to Borco and a confluence of circumstances, I'm back in action. Enter, Alastria, human Transmuter.
Proficiencies: Daggers
Mods: SCS v35.17, Ascension, G3 Fixpack- Free Action Protects Against Stun
Personal Item: Alastria's Leather Jacket- AC 8, +2 Charisma
Difficulty: Insane (No double damage, all tactical components, most nerfs, no Icewind Dale spells)
Gaming Notes: Alastria v3 has a lot to live up to. The original transmuter Alastria was one of my most memorable characters. In the pre-SCS days, at a time when Ascension solos were rare, she completed a Tactics (parts) + Ascension run using a quiver of uber-quirky tactics. The second Alastria, a melee sorcerer, marked my return to the BG play after an 8 year break. Her run was flawed due to my rustiness, but it struck a nerve with the community nonetheless.
I don't expect Alastria v3 to do credit to the legacy. I'm not the player I was back then. I've been playing too little. I'm out of the loop. I'm less an innovator these days and more a dilettante on cruise control. Still. The Alastrias of old pushed my boundaries as a player. Maybe this iteration will do the same. Maybe Alastria v3 is exactly what I need to rekindle my interest in the game. Maybe. Who knows. Certainly not me.
Here's what I do know. I'm flying to Peru this afternoon and I have a pair of lengthy layovers. Alastria v3 is my plan to make it though. If I get a little squirrelly during this run, don't worry. I'm not going insane. I'm just sleep deprived in a random corridor of a South American airport.
Theme Song: Alastria v3's Theme Song is a personal fav, Dancing Barefoot by Patti Smith. Enjoy!
PS: For the Alena fan out there, don't worry: this run does not spell the end of Alena. The plan is to ease my way back into action with a BG1 run before resuming Alena’s game.
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Alesia_BH
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Alastria v3, Human Transmuter: Early Adventures, Part 1- Move Bustin' and Such
Ok, now here's the situation. I'm going away on a brief vacation.
No, really. I am. It's going to suck. Not the trip. The flight. It's going to be awful. Really awful.
My first flight leaves at 5:00pm. I land around 9:30PM, and then I have a 10hr layover. The second flight is short, which is good, but I'll arrive in town in the morning and won't be able to check into my hotel until 3:00pm. By then the Suck-O-Meter will be all:
This schedule wouldn't be full on awful were it not for the fact that I didn't sleep last night. Unfortunately I didn't so I'm in for some misery.
What to do? Well, if there's one thing I can do while sleep deprived it's play Baldur's Gate. That's the point of this run. It's something I can do during my layovers. Given the length of the time blocks, I should be able to finish BG1. No promises on the quality, though. The play and writing may both get a little janky. I'm already feeling loopy and I haven't even left for the first airport yet. Bad sign, but whatever. We're getting this done, one way or another.
Ok, so let's do it- let's get started. You ready, Alastria?
Right on. She does look ready, doesn't she? She was. She was ready for the Lion's Way. She was ready for the Coast Way. She picked up all the goodies and did all the things- save killing the belt ogre. What she was not ready for was this:
A bandit ambush, right before the Friendly Arm? Raw deal. Alastria picked Find Familiar and Shield at character creation so she was relatively safe, but still. Sketchy.
After collecting the rings, we headed south to Beregost, where we assuaged Marl's grief. Next, we went yet again, this time to the ogrillons.
Since Alastria is a Transmuter, she had to pick an Alteration spell at character creation. She went with Color Spray, and let me tell you that has worked out nicely. Color Spray rocks in early BG1. It took down the ogrillions.
Then it saved John Cougar.
It didn't stop there. The belt ogre was next.
Followed by the boot hobgoblins and a few others.
Very nearly all of Alastria's early foes were killed by Color Spray-> melee, with dual wielded daggers. Easy, peasy.
Our goal in those halcyon days was to earn ourselves some L2 slots. L2s mean Invisibility, and Invisibility means freedom. Pointedly, it means the freedom to watch Korax kill basilisks. Kaldo and Krum got us to the promised land courtesy of, you guessed it: Color Spray!
Once we secured our L2s, we swung by Gellana's to pick up some Int boost potions. We then had an epic memorization session at High Hedge.
All went well except we failed on both Blindness scrolls. Major bummer. I loathe doubling up on duplicate potions (ie- Potion of Genius x2), but that's 100% happening when we get L4s. I'm not risking Malison or II.
Mutamin falls. I usually use the Pro Pet scroll in this area. This time I decided to follow Alagar's lead and save Pro Pet for Durlag's roof. That's always been the smart play. Hiding while Korax fights always feels lame to me, though. This time it felt semi-justified in a twisted way, since Alastria misses out on arcane Pro Pet.
Speaking of Durlag's, that was our next stop. We didn't actually enter the tower. We just nixed the battle horrors for another level up. We kept it simple here: MI + MM. IIRC, we ran out of MMs at the very end and used a Wand of Frost charge.
A rep of 16 plus a Friends cast earned us Drienne's Pro Undead scroll. The scroll, in turn, earned us some goodies, including Heart of the Golem.
Having reached level 6, we were ready to focus on our early game item goals. Relair's Mistake was first on the list. For whatever reason, I've always wanted to build a character around Relair's Mistake. The day for that has finally come, due to recent EE changes. More on that later. For now, here's how we retrieved it.
We stealthed into the cavern under L2 Invisibility. We then took the right hand route, bypassing the Dire Charm trap and therefore saving a Greenstone Amulet charge. That meant heading through the Glyph of Warding trap, but an inexpensive Potion of Insulation cushioned that damage.
With a second Invisibility in reserve, Alastria retrieved the goods without any fighting at all. Note the Shield and MI for insurance nonetheless. Destroyer of the Hills was equipped, too.
Anyhoo, it's almost checkout time at my AirBnB, so I should jet. I'll finish up Alastria's pre-Mulahey adventures when I get to the airport.
Best,
A.
Ok, now here's the situation. I'm going away on a brief vacation.
No, really. I am. It's going to suck. Not the trip. The flight. It's going to be awful. Really awful.
My first flight leaves at 5:00pm. I land around 9:30PM, and then I have a 10hr layover. The second flight is short, which is good, but I'll arrive in town in the morning and won't be able to check into my hotel until 3:00pm. By then the Suck-O-Meter will be all:
This schedule wouldn't be full on awful were it not for the fact that I didn't sleep last night. Unfortunately I didn't so I'm in for some misery.
What to do? Well, if there's one thing I can do while sleep deprived it's play Baldur's Gate. That's the point of this run. It's something I can do during my layovers. Given the length of the time blocks, I should be able to finish BG1. No promises on the quality, though. The play and writing may both get a little janky. I'm already feeling loopy and I haven't even left for the first airport yet. Bad sign, but whatever. We're getting this done, one way or another.
Ok, so let's do it- let's get started. You ready, Alastria?
Right on. She does look ready, doesn't she? She was. She was ready for the Lion's Way. She was ready for the Coast Way. She picked up all the goodies and did all the things- save killing the belt ogre. What she was not ready for was this:
After collecting the rings, we headed south to Beregost, where we assuaged Marl's grief. Next, we went yet again, this time to the ogrillons.
Since Alastria is a Transmuter, she had to pick an Alteration spell at character creation. She went with Color Spray, and let me tell you that has worked out nicely. Color Spray rocks in early BG1. It took down the ogrillions.
Our goal in those halcyon days was to earn ourselves some L2 slots. L2s mean Invisibility, and Invisibility means freedom. Pointedly, it means the freedom to watch Korax kill basilisks. Kaldo and Krum got us to the promised land courtesy of, you guessed it: Color Spray!
All went well except we failed on both Blindness scrolls. Major bummer. I loathe doubling up on duplicate potions (ie- Potion of Genius x2), but that's 100% happening when we get L4s. I'm not risking Malison or II.
Mutamin falls. I usually use the Pro Pet scroll in this area. This time I decided to follow Alagar's lead and save Pro Pet for Durlag's roof. That's always been the smart play. Hiding while Korax fights always feels lame to me, though. This time it felt semi-justified in a twisted way, since Alastria misses out on arcane Pro Pet.
We stealthed into the cavern under L2 Invisibility. We then took the right hand route, bypassing the Dire Charm trap and therefore saving a Greenstone Amulet charge. That meant heading through the Glyph of Warding trap, but an inexpensive Potion of Insulation cushioned that damage.
Anyhoo, it's almost checkout time at my AirBnB, so I should jet. I'll finish up Alastria's pre-Mulahey adventures when I get to the airport.
Best,
A.
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Borco
Habitué
- Messages
- 382
Alagar, halfling bounty hunter: Part 5
Having arrived into the bandit camp undercover, Alagar first scouted the surroundings, raided the chests by using a Potion of Master Thievery (mainly to obtain his first Potion of Firebreath), and carefully placed all of his four snares around the area. I was semi-inclined to attempt picking Taurgosz's pockets for his potions as well, but even if we used Potion of Master Thievery + Portion of Perception + Potion of Mind Focusing, the risk of failure still seemed to outweigh the potential gains, especially since killing Taurgosz was on our to-do list for the day anyway.
We rested until nightfall, swapped our Boots of Stealth for Boots of Avoidance, and buffed with green ProFire and ProCold scrolls, Potion of Strength, Potion of Fire Resistance, Potion of Cold Resistance, Potion of Defense, Oil of Speed, Potion of Power, and Potion of Regeneration.
Entering the main tent under stealth, Alagar opened with a fortunate critical backstab on Venkt, thus saving us the trouble (and the cost) of having to deploy the newly acquired Firebreath potion.
Despite Alagar's outstanding missile AC, we still had to be mindful of critical hits here, and the most efficient course of action to mitigate that risk was to try and reduce the amount of incoming APR as quickly as possible. With that in mind, we tossed a Potion of Explosions into the midst of the tent.
By then, the only thing that separated most of the enemies on the field from death was but a single swing of Aule's. With that, Alagar started the roll call of the participants - the first Blacktalon fell dead before last chunks of Venkt could even land on the ground.
In the next round, two quick blows removed a pair of hobgoblin elites.
You may have noticed that the blue circled Ender Sai is up to something here. Apparently, he's been suffering from Stockholm syndrome and has decided to defend his captors and would-be executioners at all costs. I mean, I admit he accidentally got caught a bit in that explosion earlier on, but that was nothing serious, merely some scorched hair and a few holes in his fancy outfit. His ham-fisted attacks would be of little concern to us, where it not for the fact that he effectively prevented us from unleashing further AoE without reputational consequences. Even though I'm confident that every sub-par lawyer in the world would manage to absolve us from liability on account of self-defense in this instance, we had a run to finish and didn't have the time for legal motions.
Hakt managed to avoid the impact of that Potion of Explosion (you can see him chilling behind the tent pole on one of the screenshots above) and he needed two hits to go. No problem sir, we've got 2 APR to address that.
Moving on to Raemon, Alagar scores the third chunking of the day.
And here's number four!
Britik had quaffed a strength boosting potion earlier on, which got him singled out for Darts of Stunning.
In the end it turned out that Ender Sai just needed to talk. Sorry mate, but Alagar's not your therapist - tell us what you know and be off!
We removed the chest trap, collected what we needed, and moved outside to face the rest of the bandit army while our buffs were still fully intact. Taurgosz showed up first - a backstab and the two traps prepared ahead of time made quick work of him.
Alagar waited for the other two traps to spring and began forming the incoming bandits into a tightly packed group before disappearing in the shadows among the trees.
The manhunt could now begin. Using his speed advantage, stealth, and available AoE tools, Alagar was able to clear the remainder of the camp with minimum injuries. Wand of Sleep charges were used to knock out some of the common bandits and hobgoblins.
Potion of Explosions helped us dilute the enemy ranks.
The same applies to our special traps.
Aule's Staff took care of the rest.
Thank you for the party - we're off to Cloakwood.
Regards,
B.
Having arrived into the bandit camp undercover, Alagar first scouted the surroundings, raided the chests by using a Potion of Master Thievery (mainly to obtain his first Potion of Firebreath), and carefully placed all of his four snares around the area. I was semi-inclined to attempt picking Taurgosz's pockets for his potions as well, but even if we used Potion of Master Thievery + Portion of Perception + Potion of Mind Focusing, the risk of failure still seemed to outweigh the potential gains, especially since killing Taurgosz was on our to-do list for the day anyway.
Hakt managed to avoid the impact of that Potion of Explosion (you can see him chilling behind the tent pole on one of the screenshots above) and he needed two hits to go. No problem sir, we've got 2 APR to address that.
Thank you for the party - we're off to Cloakwood.
Regards,
B.
Alesia_BH
Habitué
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- 912
Nice work at Bandit Camp, Borco!
Alastria is on Alagar's heels. She's prepping for Tranzig.
Cheers,
A.
Btw, I appreciated your use of Pro Cold + Potion of Cold Resistance. I've made that move before but I skip it more than I should. It's the best practice, especially with single class rogues and mages.
Alastria is on Alagar's heels. She's prepping for Tranzig.
Cheers,
A.
Btw, I appreciated your use of Pro Cold + Potion of Cold Resistance. I've made that move before but I skip it more than I should. It's the best practice, especially with single class rogues and mages.
Borco
Habitué
- Messages
- 382
Clearing out the bandit camp with a melee arcane caster at BG1 levels should be made illegal, lol!
That's a rough itinerary! The only thing that's missing is a solid 8 hour time zone difference. In any case, bon voyage (both to you as well as Alastria)! By the way, she's looking super cool!
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Alesia_BH
Habitué
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- 912
Taugosz agrees. So does Hakt. And Venkt. And Ardenor. And Britik. And, well, a whole lot of other blokes...
(The Bandit Camp screenie I shared earlier was from an earlier test run, not the official run I'm posting on. Things will look different when Alastria gets there. Hopefully the result will be the same, though.)
Alesia_BH
Habitué
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- 912
I booked the spendy in airport hotel for the layover but no one ever sleeps in those. They're exclusively for existential crises.
Borco
Habitué
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- 382
And for corporate soldiers (which is often one and the same thing)