Never Say Die

[Acky]

Congrats. Any idea what the next adventure you will suffer through is?

[Ephesos]

Well, with a party that firmly lodged itself in the level 13-14 range, my options are fairly scant. I'm just at the upper edge of the level range for these scenarios:

 

-Embers of Rebellion (10-15)

-Outpost Valley (10-15)

 

(also, I'm realizing how stupid level ranges are... it should just be "enter at this level" and "expect to leave around this level")

 

And I'm at the lower end of the range for these scenarios:

 

-A Visit to the Madhouse (15-20)

-Emerald Mountain (15-20)

-HIM (15-25... though admittedly hardly any combat)

 

However, I'm right smack in the middle of these:

 

-Mad Ambition (10-18)

-A Small Rebellion (9-20)

 

...and neither one really appeals to me at the moment. I might go and play Outpost Valley quickly, and then A Visit to the Madhouse.

[Niemand]

I would argue that the level ranges aren't stupid at all in concept. They are exactly 'expect to enter at around this level' phrased as a range of levels which should more or less be workable. What's foolish is when designers make them too wide, as it dilutes their meaning.

 

As I recall, I never really got the combat in AVM to be as challenging as I wanted, so I doubt it will kill you if you're a bit under-level.

[Ephesos]

Well... I started playing it, and I feel as though I've struck a bug.

 

Click to reveal..

When I return to the Madhouse with Abe's candlestick, everyone is hostile to me. No idea why, but I'm pretty sure this isn't how it's supposed to go.

 

Anybody else get this?

[Niemand]

Did you kill anyone there the first time? As I recall, if you kill anyone it will be discovered while you're gone and everyone will hate you when you return. However, that very mechanism might have a bug, which would cause everyone to hate you the next time you entered the town. Anyway, if you still think it's a bug (quite possible) and you have any more details, please send 'em to me; I've been considering revisiting and updating that scenario anyway, and bugs must be crushed.

[Ephesos]

Eep, missed that post. E-mail sent and all that.

 

Please stand by, we are experiencing technical difficulties.

[Ephesos]

Update #7

 

Carrrno stands watch. The silent spectre of death watches the party as the guard approaches. Maria, frozen to the spot, mutters the beginning of a spell which will hasten what Solisss knows he must do.

 

The guard enters the room, and glances at the body of his slain shift partner in the corner of the room. He looks at Solisss, and opens his mouth to scream an alarm. Two quick slashes of his pike, and Solisss stoops to drag another body behind the table.

 

I loved A Visit to the Madhouse. A lot. Seriously.

 

Stealth is fun. And with a well-oiled four-person team, it was easy to knock out a guard in one round. I realized later that it could have been accomplished with almost no bloodshed (I think five deaths would be the minimum), but I went for... I guess it was the "safe" method?

 

Highlights:

 

Click to reveal..

That first realization that opening a locked door would start a fight... and then quickly realizing that only Solisss could carry bodies. Eek.

 

Click to reveal..

Following guard patrols until they walk into the room with all the bodies... fun!

 

Click to reveal..

I took extreme pleasure in closing the door on the jail-keeper, and dragging him off to an empty cell.

 

So yeah, no deaths. I suppose next up is either Emerald Mountain, A Small Rebellion, or HIM.

[S M Adventurer]

I've been watching this topic for a while now, and I have to say I'm impressed with your dedication to this challenge. I don't think I would ever try it, but it certainly is an interesting premise. It's amazing how you beat VoDT, Adrift, and A Visit to the Madhouse under these rules. Good luck with whatever scenario you play next. I look forward to seeing the play by play.

[Ephesos]

Thanks. I'm kind of leaning towards Mad Ambition for the next one now, just because I feel like really pushing the boundaries of the challenge.

[SamSniped]

I hate to sound idiotic,but how in the world do you get the key for the stairs to the lowest level of the school of magery in VoDT?I have all the items the Vahanti told me to get,but what now?

Please help me.

-=##2112##=-

[Ephesos]

Update #8

 

The bandits took their weapons, but not their courage. Scavenging what they could, the party sneaked around the outpost until all but Herb had recovered their weapons.

 

Without his crossbow and his blade from the ghost ship, Herb had to make do with a bandit's shortsword. So when the party flung open a door and found an evil priest holding Herb's blade, he dashed ahead to take him on.

 

Then the priest uttered a short chant, and a horde of vengeful shades appeared. Maria was the last to fall, flailing wildly at the shades.

 

...so yeah. TPK in Outpost Valley. Summoning four vengeful shades is a bit overpowered when the party is only level 15.

 

So now I have to start over. Thanks, Smoo.

[Ephesos]

Update #9

 

The bandit's mage had a problem. Namely, that she wasn't arrow-proof. Herb saw to it.

 

The bandit leader had a problem. With every blow, he knocked Solisss to his knees. But Carrrno was just a few steps away keeping him moving. When the dust settled, the party hefted their weapons... their own weapons.

 

Okay, Outpost Valley is down. Another quick run through let me surprise the evil priest with Divine Host... like I always say, "The best defense is two crossbow bolts to the throat."

 

Highlights follow:

 

Click to reveal..

I was viscerally happy when I recovered Maria's weapon. It's a hammer. Logical? No. Awesome? Yes.

Click to reveal..

I actually felt like the party was in danger for a while... though that was limited by the fact that I still had all of my potions.

Click to reveal..

The first time I tackled the priest (who had Herb's weapon), I took great joy in sending Herb to cut him down with a blessed shortsword he'd found. Of course, then the shades appeared...

Click to reveal..

That rogue mage with the bandit leader was incredibly squishy. I hate to think how that fight would've gone if she'd lived.

Click to reveal..

Yay for spellbooks! And regular books!

 

Next up just might be Mad Ambition. *shudder*

[Smoo]

You know, Quarhag Pass has about the same level range as Mad Ambition and It's not nearly as difficult. *nudge nudge*

 

Also, I always kill the spell caster first and as quickly as possible. So I hope you learned something from Outpost Valley... Yeah!

[Ephesos]

I was unaware of Quarhag Pass's level range. Duly noted.

[Ephesos]

Update #10

 

Carrrno and Maria stood speechless, terrified of the hulking beast that stood before them. As it clawed at the prone forms of Solisss and Herb, the two spellcasters anxiously looked at one another. A moment passed.

 

Maria whispered under her breath, "I think something's keeping it out of this tunnel."

 

Carrrno simply nodded, and the duo carefully stepped backward, before unleashing all the power their combined spell repertoires contained. The beast turned and fled, and the shocked adventurers buried their comrades. The trouble came when they came to the issue of gear.

 

Neither of them could effectively wield a weapon, and neither could carry close to what Solisss could. But they divided things as best as they could, and pressed onward.

 

Finally, a light, a settlement at the end of the tunnel! They crossed the bridge, and came face-to-face with the beast. Maria slowed the beast with magic, and Carrrno sent a steady stream of summons at the creature. But soon the beast smashed through the summoned goblins, and cut down Maria with one flurry of slashes.

 

Carrrno grimaced, chugging an invulnerability potion, and unleashed everything in his arsenal, but the beast broke through and slew him as well. All within sight of the end.

 

...TPK in Out of Sight. Losing both melee-capable fighters in two rounds hurt a lot, and the only thing that staved off a TPK in that encounter was the magic line of blocked floors that the beast couldn't cross.

 

Even with both spellcasters fully equipped with the best gear, no dice.

 

Also, fun story. I accidentally sent a level 4 party into the scenario, thinking that the level range was 5-10. Three of the four PCs were instantly slain by a node that dealt 25 unblockable damage.

[Ephesos]

Update #11

 

The wand smoked gently as Carrrno's shaking hand pointed at where the beast had stood. There was a lot of blood, and a lot of it belonged to Solisss. But the shield had held up, and the party wearily trudged into the fort.

 

...second try's the charm. This time, Enduring Shield and Slow won the day, given the paucity of combat in Out of Sight. Solisss stayed buffed, and the beast stayed slowed, and he was actually able to stay in melee with it.

 

There aren't really any highlights, as the attempt to make it through with two burdened spellcasters was way more interesting.

 

I'm just delaying playing through Mad Ambition like this. I know it.

[Ephesos]

Update #12

 

It all passed like a series of dreams before Maria's eyes, and she felt like she had experienced it before...

 

There was an ogre mage, and it just kept exuding clouds of fire, over and over, even as the party lay dead at its feet. There were swarms of ogres pounding on Soliss and Carrrno, and lightning everywhere.

 

Then the vision faded, and Maria saw clearly. The wizard was dead, and the true threat was eliminated.

 

...so, played Quarhag Pass. There were many, many, many TPKs. And nothing else, really. Either 100% death or no death.

 

The best TPK? The Lord of Wargs, who had a very broken ability. Once he reached low enough health, he would simply blast my party in a loop until everyone was dead. Either broken scripting or bad design, and I'm willing to give Smoo the benefit of the doubt. And then he just kept casting the ability, as many as 8 times after the entire party was dead!

 

...I really, really do not want to play Mad Ambition.

[Enraged Slith]

If you can just get past that first encounter, you're home free.

[Smoo]

Originally Posted By: Ephesos

Update #12

Either broken scripting or bad design, and I'm willing to give Smoo the benefit of the doubt.

Actually, it might be a little bit of both. You see, that special spell thingy only activates when Lord of Wargs is trying to flee to the room with the healing pool and someone is blocking his way. I only now realized that that "someone" might be the soldiers with the player or even other enemies. I may have to do something about that.

What level are your people now by the way? You always use the same party, right? Just curious since I'd figure they'd be well beyond Mad Ambition's level range.

[Ephesos]

The party has now reached level 17-ish, which is still kind of in MA's range.

 

And yes... I figured out the logic of the special spell, and without fail it triggered when the soldiers "helping" me blocked Lord of Wargs, and my party was on the other side of the room. I thought it particularly unfair that I wasn't actually blocking him.

[Dantius]

Originally Posted By: Ephesos

The party has now reached level 17-ish, which is still kind of in MA's range.

Will you play E:R to get the massively overpowered armor? I usually manage to slip that in somewhere before DwtD and after either the ZKR or A Small Rebellion. A +10 to ME and Magery makes my mage unstoppable.

[Ephesos]

See, the thing with TM's scenarios is that I expect tons of TPKs, which kind of invalidates the project.

 

I'll still probably play them, but recall that this thing only gets updated whenever I'm not working on other stuff.

 

...btw, I really wish Imban had continued his singleton project.

[Imban]

I really should, shouldn't I?

[Ephesos]

Yes, yes you should.