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Solo Sorcerer report

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:59 am
by Cherrypopper
For those who are curious, how hard it is etc.
3 days ago I started soloing with a sorcerer (no mods, no xp cap removers etc) on insane.

Why solo? I got back to bg after a few years, couldn't look at npcs, had them all too many times. And I got bored with perfect custom party after d'arnise. Solo is another experience. One thing that disturbs me is that no one gets to use all those weapons and armors :mad:

SoA - way too easy, once u get time stop and lvl 10 spells it is a joke.
I think that 8million xp limit and hla's are just too much for SoA.
I mostly did main quests since I was going to hit xp cap anyway.
No troubles at all in SoA. Hardest enemy - kangaax. (Forgot to pick spell immunity :laugh :)

I didn't go for watcher's keep, don't really need to.
Hit xp cap (31lvl) at the beginning of ToB

Right now I am before ravenger (last planar sphere fight) - he seems to be a tough challenge for a caster and final battle.

Hardest enemies so far:
1. Sendai
2. Baltazar
3. Kangaax (skull form)

Dragons were quite easy as they usually can't survive usual pack (time stop, improved acceleration, spell triggers with pierce magic then contingencies with abi-dalizm and other powerful spells). Sendai was the hardest due to multiple forms (not many spells left). And Baltazar's immunity to time stop required loading game 4 or 5 times. Kangaax I needed few attempts due to lack of spell immunity (didn't consider undead protection scroll since its quite an easy way), many mordenkainen swords and melf's meteors did the job.

Sorcerer seems to be a little easier than F/M/C I've played before.
I took away xp cap on f/m/c, installed ascension but he got stuck on final battles (not enough spells and can't rest).

After I finish ToB with sorcerer I am planning to do next runs (still solo and on insane) single classes for now (barbarian, swash, paladin, totemic druid etc.)

If you have any questions about this sorcerer run I'd be happy to answer them.

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:15 am
by Stworca
Care to record some fights in the future?

'tis good to finally see some other Sorcerer on those god forsaken forums.

The most draining solo fight i have had recently was WK Demi-Lich with :
Spellcasting DemiLiches

Demiliches are now by-the-book 35th level wizards with significantly accelerated casting times. (Only the demilich in WK has access to HLAs.) The net effect should be to make demiliches quite significantly more dangerous - I would be unsurprised to discover that Kangaxx is now beyond most SoA parties, though I'd welcome feedback on this.
Demiliches can use their Imprisonment ability and cast a spell in the same round.
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnndWbtzo_g"]You can see it here.[/url]
Sorcerer seems to be a little easier than F/M/C I've played before.
People who have spread the F/M/C myth usually play the class without XP cap, thus up to a three digit total level.
SoA - way too easy, once u get time stop and lvl 10 spells it is a joke.
Increase the challenge : Don't use ToB spells in SoA. (lvl 9 or 10) should help a bit.

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:35 pm
by galraen
What exactly do you mean by "By-the-Book"?

According to the Monstrous Compendium:

Demilich
The demilich is not, as the name implies, a weaker form of the lich. Rather, it is the stage into which a lich will eventually evolve as the power which has sustained its physical form gradually begins to fail. In most cases, all that remains of a demilich's body are a skull, some bones, and a pile of dust.
When it has learned all that it feels it can in its undead life, the lich will continue its quest for power in strange planes unknown to even the wisest of sages. Since it has no use for its physical body at this point, the lich leaves it to decay as it should have done centuries ago.
If the final resting place of a demilich's remains are entered, the dust which was once its body will rise up and assume a man-like shape. In the case of the oldest demiliches (25%), the shape will advance and threaten, but dissipate without attacking in 3 rounds unless attacked. Younger demiliches (75%) still retain a link to their remains, however, and will form with the powers of a wraith. This dust form cannot be turned. In addition, it can store energy from attacks and use this power to engage its foes. If the dust form is attacked, each point of damage which is delivered to it is converted to an energy point. Since the demilich will fall back and seem to suffer injury from each attack (though none is actually inflicted), its attackers are likely to press on in their attempts to destroy it. Once the demilich has acquired 50 energy points, it will assume a manifestation which looks much like the lich's earlier undead form and has the powers and abilities of a ghost, but which cannot be turned.
If anyone touches the skull it will rise into the air and turn to face the most powerful of the intruders (a spell user will be chosen over a non-spell user). Instantly, it unleashes a howl which acts as a death ray, affecting all creatures within a 20' radius of the skull. Those who fail to save vs. death are permanently dead.
On the next round, the demilich will employ another manner of attack. In order to attain the status of a demilich, a lich must have replaced 5-8 (1d4+4) of its teeth with gems. Each of these gems now serves as a powerful magical device which can trap the soul of its adversaries. The physical body of someone hit with the demilich's spell collapses and rots away in a single round. Once it has drained the life essence from the most powerful member of the party, the skull sinks back to the floor. If it continues to be challenged, the demilich can repeat this attack until all of its gems are filled. An amulet of life protection will prevail over the gem, but the character's body will perish regardless.
In addition to the attacks mentioned above, a demilich can also pronounce a powerful curse on those who disturb it. These can be so mighty as to include: always being hit by one's enemies, never making a saving throw, or the inability to acquire new experience points. Demilich curses can be overcome with a remove curse, but the victim loses one point of charisma permanently when the curse is removed.
The skull of a demilich is Armor Class -6 and has 50 hit points. It can be affected by spells in only a few ways: a forget spell will cause it to sink down without attacking (either by howling or draining a soul), a dispel evil will do 5-8 (1d4+4) points of damage to it, a shatter spell will inflict 3-18 (3d6) points of damage to it, a holy word pronounced against it will deliver 5-30 (5d6) points of damage, and a power word kill spell cast by an ethereal or astral wizard will cause the skull to shatter (destroying it).
Most weapons will be unable to harm the skull of a demilich, but there are exceptions. A fighter or ranger with a vorpal sword, sword of sharpness, sword +5, or vorpal weapon can inflict normal damage on the skull, as can a paladin with a vorpal or +4 weapon. Further, any character with a +4 or better weapon or a mace of disruption can inflict 1 point of damage to the skull each time he strikes it.
Upon the destruction of the skull, those who have been trapped inside the gems must make a saving throw vs. spell. Those who fail are lost forever, having been consumed by the demilich to power its magical nature. If the character survives, the gem glows with a faint inner light, and true seeing will reveal a tiny figure trapped within. If the throw is made the soul can be freed by simply crushing the gem. A new body must be within 10 yards for the soul to enter or it will be lost. Such a body might be a clone or simulacrum. (See spells of those names.)
If the fragments of the destroyed skull are not destroyed by immersion in holy water and the casting of a dispel magic the demilich will reform in 1-10 days.
So definitely not a 35h level wizard, but in some ways more frightening.

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:02 pm
by Stworca
galraen wrote:What exactly do you mean by "By-the-Book"?
I mean that they have exactly the amount of spells that level 35 mage would have.

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:08 pm
by galraen
Stworca wrote:I mean that they have exactly the amount of spells that level 35 mage would have.
Which they shouldn't have, but I guess that's compensation for Bioware not having the cojones to tell a player that their character is permanently dead, start a new game

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:29 pm
by Sykar
I do consider trying another Sorcerer again for a Solo Ascension + SCSII try but I do not want to do the usual standard setup.

I'm still thinking hard how I can setup a strong enough solo Sorc for Ascension without going the standard spells all the time. Thinking about getting spells like Prismatic Spray for example. I want to have some variation. Maybe taking Cacaofiend instead of Mordenkainen swords for example. albeit some spells I consider too crucial like Stoneskin or MI.
Skull Traps restricted to 12d6 damage and MMMs strike as +2 spells only by the way so they aren't as overpowered compare to others.
Individual Spell Immunity very tempted to take SI: Div or Abj instead of the standard one so I can use them in Triggers and CC.

I also consider installing Refinments HLAs to differentiate the experienc even more but it screws up a bit with standard mages spell progression albeit that's of no concern for a Solo Sorc but I do play a mage ( with true 2nd Ed. spell progression) as well at the moment.

My ideas so far would be:

Level 1
1.) Burning Hands or CC. I know MM is better but it's so damn overused and boring. BH is good for killing trolls CC has a nice death effect easy to save against though
2.) Shield to counter enemy MM without wasting PfE
3.) Blindness or Spook
4.) Charm Person?
5.) PfE?

Level 2
1.) MI
2.) Blur
3.) Aganazars?
4.) Glitterdust/Stinking Cloud/Web/ Horror?
5.) ?

Level 3
1.) MMM
2.) Dispel Magic
3.) Lightning Bolt? Vampiric Touch? Vampiric Touch goes through most spell protections iirc which could be a plus.
4.) Haste? Spell Thrust?
5.) Slow/Hold Person/Dire Charm? Thinking about Prot f. Fire to pair wih 2 Incendiaries in a CC.

Level 4
1.) Stoneskin
2.) Minor Globe
3.) Minor Sequencer? Ice Storm? II?
4.) Greater Malison?

Level 5
1.) SI (not sure if I go for general or Abj or Div)
2.) Spellshield
3.) Cone of Cold/Cloudkill? Summon Skell War? (No please not Sunburst...)
4.) LR
5.) Chaos? Hold Monster?

Level 6
1.) Deathfog or Death Spell?
2.) PfMW
3.) Nishru? Mislead? Summon Elemental?
4.) GoI and ditch MGoI? True Sight?
5.) Coningency?

Level 7
1.) Cacaofiend/Djinn/Efreeti/Hakeshar (Anti Mage summon maybe)?
2.) Spell Sequencer
3.) Prismatic Spray? PW:Stun? FoF? Sphere of Chaos?
4.) Spell Turning? Limited Wish? PfE?

Level 8
1.) PfE? Pierce Shield?
2.) Spell Trigger
3.) Simul?
4.) Incediary? Summon Fiend? Bigby?

Level 9
1.) Spellstrike? Imprisonment? Gate?
2.) CC
3.) Timestop
4.) Shapechange? Wish? Spell Trap? Wail?

As you can see lots of questions left for a good enough setup. Also order of picks isn't decided yet. I also do not know how many spells you can have exactly think 5 up to 6 and 7-9 it's 4 spells but not sure.

Keep in mind that SCSII beefs up summons and improves them significantly. I fancy to play a more summon/CC heavy Sorc.

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:24 pm
by MasterDarkNinja
I've soloed as a sorcerer a couple of times, it's a lot of fun.

Once I even did a 20 spell challenge with the sorcerer, picking just 20 spells to learn and use for the entire game for my sorcerer. I used the shadow keeper to remove the extra spells I learned. The hardest part of that challenge was fighting large numbers of monsters that have a high magic resistence, since I had such a limited number of different summoning types to use against them. Also making that challenge harder is how many important level 5 spells there are to take. I had like 5 levels of magic where my sorcerer knew only a single spell.

Some important spells for a sorcerer solo are magic missile, acid arrow, skull trap, stoneskin, sunfire, animate dead, breach, lower magic resistence, project image, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Chain Contingency, Wish, Improved Alacrity, and Summon Planetar.

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:46 pm
by Stworca
Sykar wrote: My ideas so far would be:

Level 1
...
Well, my list is nearly the same all the time, i have included it in the guide :) While i agree that mages are more appealing in PnP (A LOT MORE) the small amount of spells in BG2 makes the "Greater flexibility" part a bit silly, especially considering how many spells are simply inferior.

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 2:17 am
by Sykar
Mages would have been significantly better if Bioware would not have gutted their spell progression after level 20. Normally wizards get a lot of extra spells per day after 20 in the PnP version.
I can only assume they gutted like 2 spells per day per level , 3 for specialist wizards to make the Sorcerer more appealing.

At level 31 wizards should have 7 spells slots per level as per PnP rules, eight for specialists and that is certainly more than enough power. More than the original Sorcerer has actually.