Going solo... need help!!!

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Wed Jan 16, 2002 12:48 pm

I've gotten through most of the game with a full party and found it to be relatively easy except a few parts. And I wanna start a new solo game, and I was wondering if anyone had a good idea of what a good starting character would be and what stats you'd start them with. I was thinking of a Half-Elf Barbarian(for cleave), and then adding levels of cleric and rogue, but mainly cleric, and maybe some fighter.
Str +2
Dex +2
Con +2
Int -2
Wis +1
Cha +1I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think that's it.

PoD · Post by **PoD** » Wed Jan 16, 2002 2:27 pm

One downside I can see is that your INT -2 is going to make upping your thief skills a bit slow. How many things increase your INT?

You get cleave with ordinary Fighter I know, if you got it with Ranger I'd take that class because it also (with Rogue) gains most skills per level. Barbarian may preclude you from certain armour/weapons.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Wed Jan 16, 2002 11:05 pm

I tried the Barbarian and it wasn't working too good from the start, AC was too low. So I decided on a Half-Elf Cleric(that was gonna be my main class anyway) with the same stats, and after that I gained a level of Barbarian once I learned The Word of Mystra from the Elves. I made it into to dungeon and there's one Orc Leader that gets me every time. I've heard of people beating the game solo before, and I'd really like to know how. I was thinking of getting a character editor just to get the perfect stats, but is it even worth it?

dmc · Post by **dmc** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 9:42 am

Only use the character editor if you're more interested in breezing through the game than in gritting it out (no judgment here, as this game can be ridiculously time-consuming and some just don't have the time). There are plenty of places to permanently bump stats and plenty of items to do it while equipped (or even carried in inventory). With regard to the orc leader (I assume you mean Zud and his magic wielding cronies), I think proper preparation can handle that fight fairly easily. While your character has no sorcerer level, you may have found a potion of shield (to rid yourself of those annoying magic missiles). Also, cast the obligatory prayer, protection from evil, and any other defensive/stat changing spell you have available. Then, target the bow wielder first, then the magic guys. You may not win it the first time, but a couple of points here or there on saving throws generally makes all the difference in the world. (By the way, you may want to consider the paladin/monk route rather than cleric/fighter, as the monk can be cool to play, gets the evasion and arrow slapping abilities fairly early and has a few nifty items only for that class.) Hope this helps.

PoD · Post by **PoD** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 1:21 pm

If you use half-elf you might consider adding a number of classes:

Ranger: 1 level gains you +1 against Orcs
Monk: 5 levels gains evasion, deflect arrows, still mind, purity of body.
Paladin: 2 levels gains you lay on hands, detect evil, aura of courage, smite evil.
Barbarian: 2 levels gains you rage, fast movementand uncanny dodge.

Add these to your base Cleric/Thief combination and you can't go wrong.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 4:20 pm

OK, here's what I wanna do. I want a good starting class and good starting stats, that will be beneficial to these classes:Cleric, Barbarian, Rogue. I wanna start as either a Cleric(turn undead) or a Barbarian(cleave), and keep cleric as my main class for spells and undead turning. I don't want Paladin, I don't want Sorceror, and I don't want Fighter. I will probably add Monk and Ranger later in the game for Monk for their abilities and Ranger for racial enemy. But I wanna keep my Barb levels to a minimum, keep my Rogue levels mediocre, and concentrate mostly on Cleric. And the Orc Leader I cant kill is in the upper left-hand corner of the Main Halls(the ones fighting with the Zombies when you get there). I miss on almost every swing. I can kill the 2 at the entrance outside and the one inside, but this one I just can't hit. I've heard of people going solo and and beating the game. I'm following their outline, but it's just not working. I really wanna do this, but I can't seem to make it work. Help Please!!!

dmc · Post by **dmc** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 5:02 pm

Here's my suggestion based upon your criteria. Half Elf starts either cleric or barbarian, depending on whether you value turning or cleaving more (I'd take barbarian/cleave because you can always hack through the first undead if you've got the patience). The next to add is rogue (not cleric) because you want the cheap experience points for unlocking, finding traps, etc. Then start powering in the cleric like there's no tomorrow. I can't really go along with adding all the classes you mention, as I believe that there's a point of diminishing marginal returns where adding new classes ceases to be useful when compared to upping existing ones. Therefore, you will have to decide what it is you want to be. Also, recognize that if you keep a couple of classes low (and just for the initial abilities that they provide), as soon as you pick a major secondary class (or even two) you are going to hit that 20% experience penalty that rolls in when you unbalance yourself.

Again, a suggestion would be the following (I saw that someone actually put together a guide on this and it made sense the way that he/she said it): cleric is the main class, barbarian, rogue and fighter are the secondary classes. After the cleric is maxed, you bring the secondary classes along (although you have at least one level of barbarian and rogue early on) so that you wind up 5/5/6 in the others. Alternatively, scrap the fighter part completely to wind up 16/8/8 (or 16/7/9). You pretty much have to focus on all of the stats, as they are each fairly crucial to one of the various classes you pick (strenth and constitution = all, wisdom = cleric, dexterity = barbarian and rogue -- assuming you opt for lighter armor, intelligence = rogue, charisma = cleric), so you cannot sacrifice. Do not make the mistake of sacrificing charisma, as it is the crucial stat for undead turning (and boy are they a shambling pain in the butt). Another possibility is to scrap the solo concept and go with two characters only. You still can max them out for 32 levels by the end of the game and you can sample the various classes with specialization of stats to a greater degree. You could have, for example, a cleric, paladin, sorcerer (use that cool armor with no sorcerer casting penalties that you find in the dwarven tomb) that is a spell casting, undead turning, maniac coupled with a ranger, thief, monk (dancing acrobatic death dealer in close or with a bow) . . . you get the idea.

If you are really looking for a "do this" suggestion, Id say go one level barbarian, one level rogue, 16 levels cleric, then bring up the barbarian and rogue in lockstep until 7/7 -- I don't have access to the manual right now, but I think I recall that one of the classes gets something good at level 9. If that's the case, take that one up to 9. If not, wind up 16/8/8. I would also say that you should decide that you are going to go the heavy armor route, so you can leave dexterity at +1. Try to make sure there are no initial hits on any stat, and maximize strength and wisdom (up to 18)first, then constitution, then whatever else you like. Remember that there's plenty of stuff around that increases stats by carrying, wearing, etc. so don't kill yourself on that issue. Have fun.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 6:57 pm

Ok I've decided on what I wanna do I'm gonna go with 2 characters. The first will be a Monk/Thief/Ranger(slipperly little bastard that can hit too), and the second will be a Cleric/Sorceror(insane spell casting). I don't remember but where exactly is the Sorceror's Armor(Runic Shield, and some kind of armor with runes on it), because if it's too late in the game I combo the cleric with something else, possibly a Barbarian for the hit die or a Monk for the abilities and he also gets AC bonus for WIS. I forgot about racial enemy and it'll sure help with a two man party. So does this sound like it'll work?

dmc · Post by **dmc** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 7:23 pm

It sounds reasonably good. The only thing with your second character is not to bother with the monk part because you're probably going to use armor (my recollection is that that negates the old wisdom bonus idea). The sorcerer's armor is found in the dwarf tomb, which is that place that you fall in after you escape the neverending halls of the undead and orcs (the first four dungeon levels) and head right on your overland map. You should first go up to where the gargoyles are to learn that you cannot speak with them, because there's a potential bug that doesn't let the stone mouth (that you also find in the dwarf tomb) work if you don't find out in advance that you don't speak gargoyle. (Don't ask, I didn't write the game.)

I would definitely advise adding some fighter-type to the spell caster because it opens up the full world of weapons to you and provides nice feats.

Other than that, it sounds like you've got the right idea.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 8:09 pm

I'm gonna go with the Monk/Rogue/Ranger and Cleric/Fighter. I'm not gonna bother with the Sorceror because with only two characters it's gonna be hard keeping bad guys of your back in anything but a doorway setting, and the Runic Armor is too late in the game. I'm gonna go start a game now and post my results. I'm gonna start with a Ranger and a Cleric. I'll add monk last and see how that goes. I'll probably have the post up later tonight. If not it means I'm still playing this damn game. Thanks for all the help. And just incase anyone wanted to know the solo guide I reffered to in earlier posts was Riverwind's Solo Guide. I mean the guy had a good idea starting with a Barbarian for Cleave, but after level 1 the only useful thing he's got is Uncanny Dodge and Rage(which I think is useless). Just thought I'd let you all know incase you wanted to read it. But I think it's just one of those things that just looks good on paper.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 11:29 pm

OK. As of now I have a lvl 1 Ranger/Rogue and a lvl 1 Cleric/Fighter. So far a 2 character party has been so much better than a solo party, and almost as good as a 4 character party. I went to the top left corner of the main Halls first where I had a problem before and it was easy. I got the Hammer +2 with no problem. It took me a few tries to kill the Scarred Mage, but it all depends on what spell he uses... the first two times he was casting Magic Missile and Lightning Bolt. But the 3rd time he was casting Charm(I think) and since but my guys have a decent WIS score they rolled saves everytime. The one thing I need help with is how do I kill Wraiths before they kill me... in specific I'm talking about the one right before you get the Bloodstone Amulet(I think that's which one it is). Other than that, the Racial Enemy for Orcs really helps out in the northern section, and the Turn Undead is priceless at the bottom. In case you wanted to know here are the stats for each character.

Cleric: Ranger:
Str +2 Str +2
Dex +2 Dex +2
Con +2 Con +2
Int -4 Int +2
Wis +2 Wis +2
Cha +2 Cha -4

I set whichever stat was abolutely never gonna be neccessary for each character and set the rest even(that's just so you know if the Int and Cha scores arent perfect). Just so you know the Fighter/Cleric will stay that way. And the Ranger/Rogue will become a Ranger/Rogue/Monk. Those are the best two characters I could come up with. If anyone can make a better set of starting stats please post 'em. Or even if you can come up with better class combos lemme know. I'm having a lot of fun so far. 2 is much easier to handle than 4-6, and it's a little more challenging. So if this interests anyone start a new game and try this out. Even if you've got a game running and haven't beaten it yet, you probably would like to have a different party after seing what the game is like and the NPC's available. The mistake I made when first starting was starting with a Sorceror in my party when there's a better one right in the Main Halls. Oh well. I'm just saying that so far, two characters isn't as had as it seems and that everyone should try it and post your findings here.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Thu Jan 17, 2002 11:54 pm

Here's a link to Riverwind's Solo Strategy Guide. [url="http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=42982&rid=40194"]http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=42982&rid=40194[/url]
For anyone who's been cinsistently posting here or is interested in going solo or with a duo as I am, you should definately read this. It's a good guide, but I still think actually beating the game with a single character would be damn near impossible.

dmc · Post by **dmc** » Fri Jan 18, 2002 9:45 am

Nice balance. I actually beat the thing with a single player, but only by judicious avoidance of battles until my guy was properly spiffed up. Also, I didn't think it was as fun because I like what the various characters can do. (By the way, there's a lot of flame on various boards about how terrible this game is. I don't agree, it is what it is. It certainly is no Baldurs Gate, but it was not intended to be. It is like the original Pool of Radiance in that it's basically a dungeon hack with some cool stuff, but without the arcade-like nature of, say, Diablo. I've played all games mentioned, like them for different reasons and, once I got the speed utility to prevent me from slitting my wrists while watching hoards of zombies with initiative shamble up for a half-hour, I actually like this game.) I'm now running a cleric/barbarian/rogue and a monk/sorcerer/ranger and I am having fun. With regard to your question about the wraith, you obviously know that you need magic weapons to hit it. The big problem is that ridiculous "your weapon failed to hit the incorporeal opponent" garbage that throws things off. Assuming that you've powered up in advance with various spells, you may just need to ditch the battle until your characters level up a bit. Alternatively, borrow Jarial just for that battle if you don't want to wait, as his magic missile will, of course, always hit. Finally, with regard to the characters and starting stats, I seem to recall that all of the pregenerated characters had better stats than what you could do creating a new character. Check the pregenerated cleric (I forget the name) to see if the stats fit with what you want to do. Also, with your fighter/cleric, you may want to rethink a bit and add rogue for the evasion and the sneak attack potential (the rogue doesn't suffer that terribly compared to the fighter as far as attacks go and you can also benefit from that free rogue experience for both characters). I'd recommend that all characters be half-elf for the immunities (but without that favored class crap that comes with the other races).

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Fri Jan 18, 2002 11:09 am

Coming from someone who has beat the game solo I think I'm gonna start over with your character combos. I think I'm gonna start with a Cleric and a Ranger, and at 1st lvl up add Thief and Monk, and so on. These combos are better because I get to utilize all weapon types with each character. And get much needed spells of both Cleric and Sorceror. I still need help on those two battles I talked about earler, if you can help me at all. Thanks a lot.

dmc · Post by **dmc** » Fri Jan 18, 2002 1:59 pm

I think that almost any combo can work, as long as at least one character has cleric to do in-fighting healing and, more importantly, turn those blasted undead. If you want to start fresh, go right ahead. With regard to the battles, I reviewed this thread and I thought your only remaining issue was with the wraith (which I dealt with). I'll check other posts to see if you have something else outstanding, but, I have to say, in general any fight can be won with proper powering up beforehand and strategy involving using terrain (forcing them to come at you through narrow passages or doors) or getting close in a hurry if they cast spells or have that ridiculous archer ability that the drow seem to possess.

PoD · Post by **PoD** » Fri Jan 18, 2002 3:32 pm

Where's that speed utility - I need it bad!

dmc · Post by **dmc** » Fri Jan 18, 2002 3:39 pm

Go to [url="http://teamchlorine.tripod.com/"]http://teamchlorine.tripod.com/[/url]

they've got an updated version for the 1.3 patch (which is what I assume you are using)

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Fri Jan 18, 2002 6:40 pm

The speed utility should be included in the game because those undead battle can be grueling a tiresome. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. I decided on a defferent combo for my Cleric. I'm gonna go Cleric/Barbarian(for cleave)/Rogue(for evasion and sneak attack). I started out as a Cleric and when I added my first level of Barbarian at the first lvl up I somehow didn't get the Cleave ability, but I did get Rage. If there's a reason for this I'd love to know, but until then I'm gonna. Try it again. This will work. Keep Posting!!!

PoD · Post by **PoD** » Sun Jan 20, 2002 4:44 am

Thanks dmc.

Skuld, don't know if I got it straight away, but my Cleric/Paladin's got cleave, but I didn't add Paladin until I'd maxed out in Cleric.