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Blademaster, Destroyer of Butts, Avadon 2


Murreh

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I've always played all of Jeff's games on Torment (because if the difficulty isn't maxed, you didn't *really* beat that dragon/lich/manlybeardofmanliness/whatever). I mention that because I'm not sure exactly how Torment affects dice rolls and such in Avadon 2... hidden penalties in some games, doubled attack dice in others, etc.

 

Anyway, was messing around with Khalida and weight limits and gear/skill setups (and after reading that basically all physical non-melee attacks are based on Dexterity, as are scarabs for half the characters) and I decided to see what magic I could work just for giggles... and the idea of a "blademaster" using a bow amused me. The best setup I came up with was so overpowered compared to all my other characters I figured I'd put it here just in case it helps someone at some point.

 

Quick summary:

Stab things with arrows for 1300 damage before armor. Stab all the things. Take their stuff.

 

The build:

 

 

Skills and ability points:

8 levels of Second Wind, Melee Training, Path of the Shield, Path of the Blade, Archery Training. 7 Hamstring, 6 Blade Sweep, 1 Path of the Berserker (the +3 specialization points to the middle column wasn't adding any benefit until I had 1 level, so taking a point out of Hamstring and Sweep gave her 50 extra HP). All three specialization points into the middle column for the alldamage boost and critical chance. All ability points dumped into Dex.

 

Equipment:

Soldier's Helm - +1 Str, +1 Str

Tawon Emblem - 10% crit

Sharpshooter's Mantle - 10% missile damage, +1 Dex

Blademaster's Steel - +1 Path of the Blade (read: alldamage and crit), +4% alldamage from Golden Runestone

Farsight Band - 10% missile damage

Deadeye Belt - 10% missile damage, +1 Dex

Scorched Greaves - 10% crit, +1 Dex

Fleetfoot Boots - +1AP, +1 Dex

Titan's Longbow - Highest damage bow

Archer's Gloves - 12% missile damage, +1 Dex

Shock Troop Shield - +1AP, +1 Dex

Deadeye Chainmail - 8% missile damage, +1 Dex

Scarab of Warfare X2, Scarab of Tenacity, Heartseeker Scarab - +3 Str, +2 Dex, 10% crit

Avadon Accuracy Totem, Puresight Orb, Infused Meteor - +2 Str, 11% missile damage, 10% crit

 

 

The results:

 

 

For max damage, the above setup works fine. If playing on Torment, a Blademaster is better off using Blademaster's Bulwark plate, a Frost-rimed Scarab (or Pulsating, for brutal AoE and knockbacks, works doubly well alongside Berserker Slash), and a few extra Strength enchantments instead of extra Dex. The Second Wind and Path of the Shield bonuses and extra 16% armor make a huge difference.

Khalida's wearing 98 pounds out of 102 before encumbrance (not being encumbered is important, otherwise the whole point of the +AP items is negated, the reason for the Strength enchantments and gear).

Khalida's equipment and skill bonuses add up to having near-100% chance to land a critical strike. Some quick addition suggests she gets 60% from skills and 40% from gear/charms/scarabs, but I've seen noncrits... there's something funky going on there, but "almost always" is close enough. She's also faster than every enemy ever when it comes to initiative.

She has two +1AP items, so there's a fair chance that they both proc giving 10AP for that round (9AP for first attack, 1 left over for a second attack). If you've got Battle Frenzy going and both +AP items proc, that's 15AP. Since you're guaranteed at least two attacks, it adds a huge amount to your chance of Haste going off at least once (58% rather than 35%, assuming it's still 35% per attack like other games), which will result in THREE attacks that round. If both +AP items are about a two-thirds chance to proc, your total chance (with Frenzy and Haste) to get 3 attacks is about 25%... far from bad.

I didn't do any really extensive testing, but I did see a Sharpshooter Spray hit for 1297 damage (389 dealt plus 908 blocked). Sharpshooter Spray becomes a tactical nuke... Get surrounded first, and Berserker Slash stuns and knocks back whole groups of enemies. Earthshatter as a third ability rips up anything left standing and throws it even farther away with a second chance for a stun. It's good fun to clear the entire battlefield in a single-turn fit of apocalyptic rage.

 

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The only problem with a blademaster is in the later parts of the game, monsters have 90% armor to physical damage so not as much gets through. But then that's what scarabs are used for to get them with fire, cold, or acid damage.

 

Sharpshooter Spray can sometimes eliminate a swarm in one blow so I've preferred to use it over a single target ability.

 

Welcome to Spiderweb Software. Please leave your sanity at the door. Your results may vary. :)

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90% armor to physical damage

That must happen later, I suppose. I don't remember enemies (outside of special mechanics, anyway) ending up with capped armor in any of the Geneforge or Avernum games. Just this morning managed to plow through a rebel base and end a certain shaman, Khalida and Yannick were both getting crits on enemies at ~290-350 (arrows and firebolts, except against the part where Odil helps which is "special mechanics" because everything's overpowered in that zerg rush). Berserker Slash was still hitting for around 350-450... not sure just how far into the game I actually am, usually takes several weeks to do everything in these games.

 

Only problem I've run into so far is that Khalida is by far my squishiest character, even with all the parry. For example, my main character (tinkermage) has resistances at 88, 90, 90, 90, 84, 84, 75, 61, plus turrets to help with positioning and damage absorption... generally eating pears and meat and bread is enough healing unless a dragon is eating my face. Yannick gets destroyed by acid and poison because it ticks for ridiculous amounts like it does in every Spiderweb game, but actually has as much physical resist as Khalida and is basically immune to the elements (13 Ward and Focus Mastery and 3-point party Resistance Chant with Blade Shield will do that).

 

I suppose if I run into that physical reduction problem later on, there's always the retrainer if things get intolerable... that's a lot of purity stones gone on %missile damage gear though. Perhaps I'll be better off trying for slower fights and more shamany healing goodness later, never played with any of the other characters (except the first three you start with).

 

 

 

...And I left my sanity at the door back in Exile I. My sanity's so far gone I've even played the remakes more than once, I grew up on this stuff. I still remember begging for the original Trilogy for a birthday present way back in the day, back in the times when some games could still be purchased on floppies. I don't have any personal heroes, but a certain dude named Jeff would be on the list if I did

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