Hehe, cool. I'm Druid8/Monk1 now. The 4 con is really hurting cuz 1 good hit or 2 crappy ones kill me (32 HPs w/o SC). I know it's insane but when an orc warrior hits me for 24, I lose it sometimes...
Since we are both attempting similar things, I thought it might benefit us if we shared experience. So here's mine:
1) Call lightning (and later static charge) is awesome. Cast then SC, fight and, when you are low on health, just run away (with Winter Wolf, this is easy) and wait for the lightning to go off.
2) Spike stones do SO much damage! Cast between a group of guys and you and then cast Rainstorm in front of it to trigger them. When they walk towards you (and get slowed), finish with Thorn Spray. Nasty combo. Most groups I fought so far die to that alone.
3) Probably common knowledge but if you are say a pig and SC to pig again (or another shape), it heals you. I took the extra SC feat so, when I melee alongside my nature summon dudes, I use the extra SC charges as heals (kinda like Lay on hands).
Btw, that monk thing is a belt and not a headband...
Hope these help you. If you discover anything wacky, lemme know...
Hehe, cool. I'm Druid8/Monk1 now. The 4 con is really hurting cuz 1 good hit or 2 crappy ones kill me (32 HPs w/o SC). I know it's insane but when an orc warrior hits me for 24, I lose it sometimes...
Since we are both attempting similar things, I thought it might benefit us if we shared experience. So here's mine:
1) Call lightning (and later static charge) is awesome. Cast then SC, fight and, when you are low on health, just run away (with Winter Wolf, this is easy) and wait for the lightning to go off.
2) Spike stones do SO much damage! Cast between a group of guys and you and then cast Rainstorm in front of it to trigger them. When they walk towards you (and get slowed), finish with Thorn Spray. Nasty combo. Most groups I fought so far die to that alone.
3) Probably common knowledge but if you are say a pig and SC to pig again (or another shape), it heals you. I took the extra SC feat so, when I melee alongside my nature summon dudes, I use the extra SC charges as heals (kinda like Lay on hands).
Btw, that monk thing is a belt and not a headband...
Hope these help you. If you discover anything wacky, lemme know...
I have given up on soloing right now, even though that was my second run through.
Just for the record. Icewind Dale II does NOT play fair. I am having to do the following: cast that 4th level spell "freedom" that gives freedom from all restraining spells, then move on to the next screen, then if it places me in the middle of battle run like hell in a fast animal shape and hope to find a place safe enough to drop some e-bombs. A few times I have died before finding a safe spot; it's just impossible if you don't have access to invisiblity / know the game beforehand. That's too bad. Bad design, somewhat, I think. Anyway, no whining. At least the game is NOT TOO EASY!
All I can say is, wait till you try HOF mode. Monsters have 3 times the hp and after all the killing and massacre, you get very lousy xp for it. NOT TOO EASY is about right.
Originally posted by two Just for the record. Icewind Dale II does NOT play fair.
...it places me in the middle of battle...
A few times I have died before finding a safe spot; it's just impossible if you don't have access to invisiblity / know the game beforehand. That's too bad. Bad design, somewhat, I think. Anyway, no whining. At least the game is NOT TOO EASY!
no way.
This happens to be one of my favorite traits of the IwD games. There are many instances in the game that place the player in the middle of a fight, as well as in other situations, be them adventageous or not. I think this forces the player to keep rethinking his tactics. Of course, this obviously does not make for easy soloing, as one character really is limited in his choices of tactics. I guess I just don't like seeing the game called a bad design because of this; its just the way it is, and I'm glad you appreciate the challenge. I hope it makes up for the lack of role-playing present! Now what is a really bad design is the EXP-balancing system...
You always provide a good read, @two! Good luck with the remainder of the game!
I: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Mr. E (entangle).
E: No problem.
I: I hear you are a pretty busy guy…
E: Got that right.
I: Are you aware that some people think you are the best Druid spell given your level?
E: I have heard of such rumors.
I: And that, perhaps, you might even be… broken…
E: Impossible. I don’t even work indoors. OR do windows.
I: True. OK. Moving on. Is it a fact that you stack?
E: True. I stack with myself infinitely. As it were.
I: And that it is possible to throw down 2, 3, even 4 entangles in the same spot?
E: Verily.
I: And that creatures walking in this effected spot must thereafter makes 2, 3, or even 4 saves before trying to move?
E: Verily.
I: Quite… impressive. Makes a scaredy-cat Druid’s life much safer.
E: That’s what I’m here for.
I: Anything you would like to tell your fans?
E: Yes. Don’t forget to cast Freedom of Movement, or wear Entangle-immune boots, because otherwise…I might mess YOU up.
I: Thanks for the heads up. OK.
Interview with another Spell.
I: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Mr. WoF. (Wall of Fire).
WOF: No problem. Plenty of time on my hands.
I: Yes. Quite. You are a… 5th level Druid spell, correct?
WoF: Yes.
I: And you do…let’s see… 2d6 plus 1 per level of damage?
Wof: Er. Yes. But let me explain.
I: Doesn’t that suck major ju-ju beans?
WoF: Let me explain.
I: This is the same level as STATIC CHARGE?
WoF: Let me explain. I last 5 rounds. That’s pretty good, huh?
I: No. It sucks.
Wof: I mean, it’s not that bad is it?
I: Yes. In fact, why are you here, anyway?
WoF: Your people contacted my people and we…
I: Fine. OK thanks for your time, now…just go away, please?
WoF: No respect. Damn. I get NO respect.
Note: unlike BGII, IDII monsters swarm. You can’t pick them off one by one. This can be scary, but you can also use it to your advantage. See below. The key is to prepare for the swarm, and then draw ‘em into your web-o-death.
E-bomb combos.
An e-bomb is a mass of entangles (2-5 in number) followed up by a few other spells (1-4 in number) creating something I call an e-bomb.
Level 0 e-bomb: Two entangles, 1 rainstorm, one spike growth. Good for low-level grunts. If they make both entangle saves, they are at half movement because of spike growth (probably) and won’t make it out of the entangles in one turn. Plus the rainstorm range is big, catching spell casters hiding away behind the grunts, disrupting their spells.
Level 1 e-bomb: Two entangles, two spike growth, one rainstorm. See Level 0, but added damage for slightly more powerful grunts.
Level 2 e-bomb (safety first): Three entangles, spike growth, spike stones (owwwie). Wait. Will kill everything stuck in there, eventually. Summon a monster while waiting in case something survives.
Level 3 e-bomb (for bunches of bad baddies): Three entangles, 2 spike growth, 2 rainstorms. Constant damage from a number of sources. Really messes up enemy casters.
Level 4 e-bomb (surrounded, terrified, overwhelmed): Either wearing boots of entangle-resistance or cast Freedom of Movement on self prior: 5 entangles in a cone forward; 2 spike growths where you see the baddies; summon monsters and have them guard right outside the entangle zones; rainstorm your brains out… move up into the entangle to see where the enemy casters are and spike growth right on their feet.
Mix and Match as needed.
If you run outta spells. Duh. Rest. You knew that.
When inside, entangle is useless, but that’s when you can be really evil. This tactic worked great for clearing out part of the goblin fortress place.
In place of entangles, grab that level 1 searing light spell thing. In place of the spike stones and etc. grab the summon monster X spells, plus as many Wall of Fire’s as you can. Huh? It’s ok. It’s fun.
Scout out the bad guys. Find a mess of ‘em. Retreat to a place in the hallway that is about 3 bears wide. Summon Monster IV or III until you have 3 bears or some stuff. Have the summons GUARD a straight line across the hallway, using the oft-unused guard button. Then run beyond them towards the bad guys, alert them, have them attack you/swarm you, as your run back to your line-o-bears. Stand behind bears and cast Wall of Fire right on the first bad guy that hits the bears. The wall of fire appears, and the bad guys stand there waiting 2-3 deep to hit the wall and get fried while being mauled by summoned bears. In the meantime, while enjoying the burning, stand back and cast searing light or some other spell on any enemy spell casters lingering in the back. After 5 rounds the Wall of Fire will disappear, but so will 90% of the enemy. Works GREAT on those hardened ice troll things; they are so dumb, they just sit there and die.
So outside, use e-bombs. When inside, use your firewalls. You could also use wall of moonlight, I guess, but… moonlight? C’mon. That’s for lunatics.
Wowowowow... That was *quite* entertaining, two! I had no idea ent stacked...
However, I found wall of fire very useful, as I constantly lured the enemies into it, taking advantage of the AI.
Keep it coming!
Icewind Gate IIImproved engine, third edition rules and the full BG2 storyline.
If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy.
Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun.
--Matt Groening
Two - you and Waverly should get together for a combination strategy guide/walkthrough - your comic analysis of these games we take so seriosly is classic - keep it coming!
Check out Mirrors Online a premier NWN2 roleplaying persistent world and D20 campaign world publishing project.
Infiltrated the goblin fortress. Got the pass stone to get into the interior. Slept, then buffed up before going in. Freedom of Movement, Barkskin, etc. Hid. Then ran up, got hit by a trap but oh well.
I'm inside the fortress, and as I hoped it's inside but outside. So entangles work. I'm momentarily still hidden, thus invisible. For another 5 seconds. I run to the left, huddle under a tarp thing, see giant ogres to my left, archers to my right, ugly. I stop an entangle. Hell breaketh loose. Another entangle. I'm taking archer arrows. Another entangle, and another, and then I have to move I'm getting nailed by something that got through, plus shamans coming out of the woodwork! Run deeper into the entangles, drop ANOTHER entangle then pray. Yes. A spike spell goes off, doing damage, but the archers are killing me. I am almost ready to run. I cast a spike stones spell up at the archers -- yes. Goes off. They start to crumple. God it's ugly. Archers ease off somewhat, allowing 2 rainstorms. My comptuer is running like molasses in January. Even slower. Entangles (5), 2 rainstorms, 2 spikes, 2 spike stones. I'm doing hella damage and taking it too from magic missle things, occasional arrows, etc. I can't handle it much longer. Summon takes too long. Run run, run back to other level. Lots of stuff died but lots lots more still there.
So what? I sleep. Rebuff. Go back in, but I go in as a cat. I need speed, to run out from the centre there are about 100 monsters on my butt. I hide, go in invisible for 10 seconds. Run. I run away from the scary horde. Up a slope, around a corner. Archers. I run THROUGH them down the top of the passageway on the fortress top, then oh my. Oh my. I am alone. I re-invisible (rehide). Yes. I turn human, then rehide. Then get ready. Then drop some major e-bomb. First 3 entangles along the top of the fortress, to save my butt if stuff comes down. Then some spikes in there, and i start summoning monsters, sending them down into the interior of the fortress where lots of monsters are very very angry. Rainstorms. Spikes. Wall of Fire. Monsters. More summons. e-bombs everywhere. It's lovely. It's a massacre. Oh, the humanity! Er. Whatever.
Real smart huh? I felt pretty proud, took out the fortress (after MUCH mopping up) without a death. Then. Tried to get inside. Can't. Don't have some ward or stone or key to let me. Can't force the door.
Huh?
GO back re-check all the loot piles. Hit alt to see them all. Nothing. Go back again. and again. nothing. HOW CAN I GET INSIDE THE FORTRESS? Check again, all loot, go back to dungeon, look around. Killed EVERYTHING. NOthing moves. Can't get in. Go back to the pallisade. Everyone is waiting for the fortress to be taken. But i can't GET IN!
HOW THE HECK DO YOU GET IN? DID I MESS SOMETHING UP?
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
THis was so annoying that. Well.
I gave up.
Meaning, when I was playing my Monk/Druid I kept thinking what I would do if I was a pure Bard. So. Why not. I started a new game. Bard all the way. No death. No reload. Doing it right this time. Currently I'm Bard3, no deaths, and I WILL do it right this time (fortress, etc.). Yes, the challenge is less since I know part of the game but... oh well. Got my bard groove going.
Meaning, when I was playing my Monk/Druid I kept thinking what I would do if I was a pure Bard. So. Why not. I started a new game. Bard all the way. No death. No reload. Doing it right this time. Currently I'm Bard3, no deaths, and I WILL do it right this time (fortress, etc.). Yes, the challenge is less since I know part of the game but... oh well. Got my bard groove going.
Good effort, nonetheless.
You didn't mess up, it's just the way the game has been programmed. Monsters can jump and surround you real fast. And like you, they can also run away and summon for help. Which makes it more interesting, if you have a party...
Originally posted by two Meaning, when I was playing my Monk/Druid I kept thinking what I would do if I was a pure Bard. So. Why not. I started a new game. Bard all the way. No death. No reload. Doing it right this time. Currently I'm Bard3, no deaths, and I WILL do it right this time (fortress, etc.). Yes, the challenge is less since I know part of the game but... oh well. Got my bard groove going.
Can't touch this.
i think somebody there is supposed to drop a key to get you inside, but it's been awhile
i am perhaps even more interested i hearing how your bard will do, and your thoughts on the "new" 3rd edition bard vs your bg2 version...
As you know, I restarted because something went terribly wrong with the game, and I was not allowed into the fortress with my Monk/Druid. Bleh. Anyway. I will show them!
Since I knew the prologue, the early going was much easier. This is how it panned out.
Stats: Str. 10 Con 14 Dex 16 Wis 10 Ch 18 Int 8
I bumped up Con at the expense of Dex (ie not an 18) and Int because Fort saves for Bards are poor and, well, more HP's can't hurt.
I am definately having more fun with my bard, but things are SLOW at the start.
Lots of running around giving this to that person, etc. I scraped up all the experience I could.
Interesting issues along the way: feats and spells. I chose Rapid Shot and Proficiency: Bow. I was ******ed off that Bards did not get a free martial proficiency (like they do in 3e) in bows so I blew a feat. At level 3 I took Iron Will and Level 6 Luck of Heroes. All for Save buffing.
Spells. Interesting. Level 1: Prot from Evil. Underrated spell! Lasts forever and gives an unnamed +2 bonus to all saves. Yes. This will ALWAYS be useful vs. spell heavy guys. Chromatic Orb. Only direct damage spell availalbe, plus it's the bomb. Charm person. Poor man's summon monster. Very life-saving. Lastly. Grease. I know. But what else can I do? I needed SOMETHING to slow them up!
Level 2: Invis. necessary even at low levels for scouting, etc. Cat's Grace. Hello 20 dex. Makes my bow and AC that much better. Lasts forever. Mirror Image. Much the best defensive spell in the game for the level. Critical hit, 35 damage? Sorry, got my image instead. Useful even at level 20! Then. Tough decision but Eagle's Splendour. With this up Charisma hits lower-mid 20's. This makes my Charm Person/Chromatic Orb DC 17 or so, and level 3 attack spells nasty at DC20.
Hit level 7 yesterday, got first level 3 spells. NO brainer. Haste and Confusion. Confusion has an EXCELLENT range and is a high DC. Considering Spell Focus Enchantment at level 9 to up the DC 2 more.
Now, turns out the low levels (1-5) are really ok. Run around and do a lot of easy quests. Then it gets tricky when you have to kill Phaen. But not that tricky. You are level 4 or so by now. Open the door, buff with Prot. Evil, throw down a grease, throw a burning oil or something plus a chromatic orb plus a bow shot, and Phaen is dead. His summoned goblins don't last much longer. Use his robes: they are like leather with no spell failure. Yum. But don't stack with PR. Evil. boo. Oh well.
Then kill the Iron Collar dudes using Charm Person. Pretty easy. Then go back and do the pallisade. I was level 5, so had level 2 spells. As I recall, I buffed with Cat's Grace and Mirror Image and went out and charmed the guy riding the big wolf and also a normal wolf. Then i used burining oil and made a big mess of burn damage. Anyway, after careful play eventually killed them all. The shaman at the end was the worst but got him (after I had been blinded even!).
Hit level 6 after the pallisade. Yeah. But. This is the WORST level for a bard. No level 3 spells yet, but scary monsters to kill. Went ahead and had to face some orcs. Thank god they placed barrels in nice places or I would be dead many times over. I had to charm person/arrow/orb/arrow/charm person/run run run sleep/etc. bunches. I freed the druid dude eventually, after much boring tedious battling. This was not that fun. But then BOOM hit level 7 and EVERYTHING got easier.
How to beat 4 archers, a shaman, and 2 grunts (orcs all). Sleep. Buff with CGrace, ESplendour, MImage. Hide. Creep hide scout it out. Creep back. Hide again. Creep up again, drop a C-bomb (confusion, DC 19 or 20). Lots of confusion. Run back, hide. See who comes out. COrb whatever runs forward. Usually, this stuns it. Arrow it. Then creep up and arrow the confused things, focussed on the Shaman. Use a few orbs if necessary. Run back as the grunts attack. Drop a second C-Bomb at some point. Everything should be in a world of hurt by now. Then mop up, sleep, rinse, and repeat. At level 8 add HASTE to the mix, plus an extra 2 bow attacks (haste and an iterative attack) and it will get even gnarlier.
So it's fun again. I just saved the Druid's babe from the evil orcs and I'm about to hit the next screen. I got some scimitar from the Druid as thanks, and... well, we shall see.
After plowing through orc-infested waters, I hit level 9 and got the feat spell focus: enchantment. This means my charm person DC is 10 + 1 (spell level) + 2 (feat) + charisma. After Eagle's splendour, my charisma could be up as high as 25! (18 + 2 from levelelling plus 1d4+1). Which is a +7 bonus.
So my charm person DC is 19 or 20, depending on the roll of the charisma buff. I get 5 level 1 spells a day; this essentially means I get 5 enemies auto-converted into charmed buddies, which is the best durn "summon monster I" spell I can think of.
Confusion has a DC of 21 - 23 which is auto-huh? for all enemies, so far.
Another nice benefit of a super high charisma; chromatic orbs DC's get respectible (17-18) and at my level this mean STUN for 9 rounds, which means dead. My first level spells have suddenly turned into useful tools! And how.
However, I really want to check out http://www.getmeadurnmagicbow.com immediately. I need one, bad. This doing 1 damage on a arrow hit bites. And since when did an arrow do 1d6? Is this 3e or not? And how come I can't SING and shoot bows at the same time? You can in 3e. Whatever. Whine whine.
BTW there is this "stunning song" I got at level 9. It's got a low DC, like 14 or something, but if enemies hear it they are, get this, stunned. It's whacked. You can be surrounded, start singing, and then suddenly it's quiet as a tome. While you break out your bow.
Speaking of which: arrows. Many. Must get. All of them. Why? Hit this screen with werebadger types. This was after returning the moonblade to this cleric by sneaking in and out (while invisible) past a crabby troll. Anyway. These werebadger things. Have DR5. I hit 'em with an arrow. Damage resisted. Etc. At this point I had a composite longbow granting +2 to damage but still -- hello? I stunned the leader guy with an orb, and just shot him for 9 rounds straight, 4 shots a round (I was hasted), and only in round 9 killed him -- the 1-2 damge per every other hit eventually got him. But I'm running out of arrows! and there were 4 more werebadger things! I had to charm some of 'em and have 'em beat on each other, but realized this was not gonna work. I needed to increase my damage output. Give me a magic bow. Why is this game so stingy on magic weapons? Sheesh.
Thats' about it i just killed the last badger dude and some harpies. I have to return somewhere to buy MORE arrows...the shame of it all... mirror image rules, btw. Hella yummy.
I have a composite longbow granting +2 to damage. Good. I am now level 10, very good. I have a spell, HOPE, that grants +2 to hit, +2 damage, +2 saving throws for a long time. Great. My damage is up to 1d6+4 per arrow. I shoot 4 arrows a round with haste and rapid shot. To-hit is through the roof with an average 20 dex (cat's grace) plus the bless belt, etc.
The game has gotten much easier because of the massive increase in damage, plus one spell in particular: dominate person, which actually is Dominate Anything -- monsters of all types. Plus the duration is forever (1 min./level) plus the save is at a base -2. So for me, it's Level 4, DC = 15 + 2 (spell) +2 (spell focus enchatment) = DC 19 + 5-7 for charmisa bonus. That's a frikken DC 24-26! Nothing makes that save, except on a natural 20! (at least so far!).
What it means, realistically, is that I can charm the 2 most powerful monsters in any given swarm, and easly mop up using them as grunts and myself as an archer. Cruised through the last bridge screen with 2 werebadgers as my friends. STarted the goblin horde fortress thing, dominated some half--goblins and went through half the screen in a flash. Game is currently easier than it's ever been. Might get harder later, we shall see!
OK. Trolls suck. I can't kill them. NO how, no way. Not the fire-hardened type; they are fine. They don't seem to regenerate. It's the standard issue green trolls I can't handle; nor can you dominate them. YOu can dominate other troll types.
I just can't do enough damage with a bow, even shooting fire arrows! So I'm just leaving them be, even though it galls. They are not worth the experince points to try and kill.
So Mr. Bard is now level 11, and just finished off the nasty goblin fortress thing. It went ok. I died twice due to stupidity. REally, once you get invisibility, you should not die very often if at all; just keep one in reserve and hope you get it off when things get ugly.
I will take a break before moving on...more later....
BTW dire charm when soloing is not a insta-kill. ? Odd. The monsters just stand and watch you, then it wears off and they try to kill you again. Very odd.
I have to go meet up with the Neverwinter troops via a balloon that is certainly going to crash, dumping me in the middle of a mess - o - ugly. So before I do that, with my Bard12 happy with his new +3 to hit +2 damage bow given to him by a female ranger reunited with her... blah blah blah you know that sorry story -- anyway.
Character generation. Point buy, using 1-for-1. That is just lame. I am thinking about a barbarian with 18 str, 18 con, 18 dex, then make him a dwarf or something disgusting. Sure, crap for int (who needs skills?) and char (boring) and wisdom (maybe keep this at 10 so the will saves aren't totally thrashed). But you get the drift. That guy would breeze. Give him a 2 handed weapon, improved crit, cleave, etc. etc. powerattack etc. and it will get so ugly so quick it's not funny. I wish that they had done a point buy graduated system, where buying an 18 is very very painful. Like, for example, the 3E point buy system.
Anyhoo. Lousy spell selection for bards at higher levels. I mean, are there 4 spells I even want that are on their spell list? I took summon monster even though I have not used it yet (sm IV I believe).
BTW Improved Invisibility + mirror image = about 50 melee hits will miss before you get nailed for real. That's some serious safety. Just watch out for those big bad dispeller types. Ruin your whole day.
Great spell alert: Emotion: hope. +2 to hit, +2 to damage, +2 to saves, lasts 50 rounds. Yum. The save boost, along with protection from evil, pretty much makes a Bard12 insta-save all will and reflex saves, and has a good shot at fort saves. Except a natural 1. But you can't have everything.
Also -- lots of money. nothing to buy. I sold some flaming arrows, like 30 of them, and got something like 15K! for them? ? I was like. Yeah. ok. But now there is nothing left I can buy that is useful. Slightly annoying. I've already got the lower-level goodies. Eh, what am I complaining about? Nothing.
BTW dire charm + charm person + War Chant of Sith (bonuses to allies and regeneration) is a blast. Just make sure your "friends" are not TOO healthy by the time you turn on them and pin cushion them into dead-dead land.
Hey two - just wanted to let you know that we are still reading - great journal so far .
I also wanted to point you to some game mods that I've found have made the game a bit more enjoyable for me. The "ease of use" mod in particular has been a god send with things like infinite stacking and better magic item availability.
I think I will pass on the mods, thanx for the link, however.
I want to see if I can do it straight, plain-jane, fair - n - square before I throw in mods, equipment from BGII, etc. Not that any of that necessarily represents a cheat/sleazy way to go -- not at all. I just want to see what the pure experience is like. If it's rather hellish -- I want to know that. Why? I can't answer that. I just wanted to get a feel for the game as it shipped.
As soon as I finish (if I ever do, it's taking forever) a run through with my bard, I'll mod it up for sure, don't worry!
I got on board the balloon ship, which promptly crashed (big surprise there, folks), and after waking up and whacking a bunch-o-beetles, I was informed I had to collect some spell components to fix the ship. OK. No problemo.
I went out and just thrashed the screen. I mean, I feel pretty good about it. I was level 12 at the start, and after coming across some werewolves I thought I might be in trouble; so I dominated two of them, had them hit on their leader while I arrowed him, and soon enough down he went. They I had them beat on each other, arrowed, etc. Fine. Then I went over and found a passel-o-giants. Very good animation -- they threw boulders, etc. Looked good. I had rested, however, so I had 2 more dominations on tap, and between me and my 2 buddies it was a snap. Then I went up and knocked out the rest of the werewolves camp, and some yetis which were totally not as scary as I thought they would be. At some point I hit level 13 and took Shadow conjuration, or something. Summons a shadow, which is an OK ally; has DR and seems to hit a lot. Cool.
Then I went over and messed with the ranger camp, oh, how I messed with them. I did improved invis, crept through them up to the top ridge overlooking the camp, and took on the big guys with all my buffs up. One mirror image later, pretty much the big guys were dead. Then I could shoot arrows down at the suckers below at my leisure. But lords above! There sure were a lot of them, and I didn't want to risk resting and have some components disappear so I drank a lot of healing potions and used a lot of arrows and eventually killed them all. It was fun. Good strategic battle. Much more interesting than the boring orcs in the early going. They cast a lot of odd spells at me, summoned monsters, etc. But I showed them.
I got all the components I could find, put them on the table, and was down one diamand. Ok. where is it? There was one chest inside the ship I could not open. Could it be in there? I tried to bash it open 100 times. No luck. I tried to Potion of Master Thievery it open; it didn't let me use the pick lock skill.?? why? I drank strength potions and bashed some more. NO luck. Damn.
Stuck.
There was nothing I could do.
That sucks.
So I had to download IDII character editor, and give myself a scroll of knock. Used it, opened the chest, got the gem, poof it worked. But left a bad taste in my mouth. It's something I could handle if I knew about it in advance; but I was helpless being ignorant. Makes me a little annoyed. OH well.
