Delicious Vlish

I have never found the one at Icy End. A mistake maybe?

I have learned one thing about G3. Ancillary effects are king. Physical damage, while good, is no longer enough. It's better to have your attack as a delivery system for ancillary effects. Slow, stun, acid, poison, terror, etc. These become key elements.

There is a fine line between planning for a game and using predetermined knowledge to powergame. In game, the character would never know the claymore and the plate were in there. He would only see the guards, know it is off limits, and being a upright and lawful shaper, back off and respect that. I don't plan on using the claymore actually, and there is better armor than the plate. This might sound crazy, but I am going to try the stunning blade for a little bit of mimic the Glaahk action. Also, the singing rapier is actually quite good as a melee weapon switch. So I have options. He met the first Creator in the mines last night. Using a couple of Dicipline Wands he found, he was doing about 150 damage a shot. As for creations turning on me or running away, they must be exterminated. He had a Thahd chicken out and run away from a few measly little worms. The Thahd was shot in the back by a thorn as it ran away. I then dealt with the worms. Can't have it getting out that my own creations turned against me and lived. Would be bad for the shaper cause.

I haven't yet worked on my new Guardian. It's still in concept. Last go around, I made a few mistakes that I plan to correct on this run. For one thing, more Luck. On a whim, my Vlish Lord added some points to Luck just because he could. And more stuff like Glaahk eyes and Vlish tentacles were dropping. I don't plan to go all out, but enough here that I start seeing some drops. No magic skills. At all. Not even enough to get a single point in Spellcraft and getting Unlock. It's a waste of time. No Blessing Magic either. He will survive on his strength and ability to craft items alone, or he will fail. He will have plenty of healing though. His creations will have to be strong enough to survive on their own with out buffing. I am not sure how that will go. I expect casualties. Lots of casualties. Only the strong will survive. The strongest creations will get some attention in battle, healing if need be, while the weaker ones will be allowed to fend for themselves. I will not be able to waste resources coddling some half baked creation. If a creation survives a few battles and gains some levels, and starts pulling it's own weight, considerations will be made to extend it's natural life. It might even get a name. Full clears. Anything remotely rogue from the Shaper cause will be exterminated. Every nook and cranny will be explored, every enemy killed, every vase and every chest will be looted. No theft from Loyal Shapers. For role playing reasons. That means no robbing the Lord of the Isles of his gear. Dishonourable. Any items marked as property will not be stolen, unless it is from people of questionable character. Anybody questioning Shaper rule will be exterminated. I want to cultivate the reputation of being a hardass. Should be interesting to see how people will deal with me if they see me as being unflexable and emotionless.

Luck helps for some situations.

I have been pondering my next run through the game. The Vlish Lord is still powerful, but with changes to the damage types, there are problems later. Vlish do magical or poison type damage, and most endgame enemies are highly magic resistant and poison resistant. This made for slow going. Infact, I darn near completely bogged down. And Terror Vlish just don't seem to be terrorizing much of anything, even at a higher level. Scrolling text indicates that the target took poison damage and is stunned. And that's it. Near the end, the Terror Vlish were doing around one hundred and twentyish damage a shot to non resistant foes, and, here's the shocker. Against non resistant foes, regular Vlish did more damage. I saw damage rolls as high as 180, with a completely buffed creation. And by buffed I mean blessed, hasted, etc. So that brings me to my next run. I think I am going to try another Guardian. Missiles. Again. I am more familiar with the game now and various mechanics. This one will be played as a Loyalist, no canisters. I expect that this will be a tough route to follow. As for creations, I am going to go for broke and stick with only Battle Creations. I will have items to boost Fire Shaping and Magic Shaping, should I choose to wear those items, but I plan to stick with using hard hitting Battle Creations to make a front line. Something about a commanding Guardian leading an actual army into battle appeals to me. As a Loyalist, I think I can get a lot of bang for the buck out of this choice. Thahd Shades, lots of bugs, which are not as bad as people think, a well leveled clawbug or plated bug is quite durable and sturdy... Alphas. And I can learn to make those Rotten Goth zombie critters from some nut locked away in his tower. If I really wanted to push for a theme, I could model my Guardian after an insect. He could wear chiton armors, use batons, and make bugs as creations. A highly specialised approach. Wear spines in his armor. This time, I will not be bringing Alwan along. I have severe issues with Alwan. There are dialog points where it says that Alwan grasps his baton angrily, but he has no baton. No means of any sort of ranged attack what so ever. Greta has both melee and ranged covered. Alwan seems to be good at one thing. Dying. Even Augmented and fully buffed, he goes down to quickly for my liking on Torment. I can make creations tougher than he is. For being so close to becoming a true shaper, he has no quick action or parry at all. He is a liability. He should have at least had a baton as a ranged option, with a chance to upgrade later to something a little better. Keeping him alive is at best, an irritation and distraction.

What's funny is, and makes my handle even sillier is that in G2 we learn that Vlish are engineered to taste bloody awful so other creations don't eat them. Makes me wonder why Jeff included this one single random factoid. The Spiced Ham Challenge is doomed to failure. Shapers engineered Ornks to taste delicious.

Mad? Mad you say? Why eat lunch meat when you and you pets can eat BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIINS!!! Vlish would suck the brains right out of those critter's snouts.

I am thinking I could do this. Not on Torment. But maybe on normal. Some character, armed with a stick. Mayhap a Guardian. Then again, an Agent would be able to cast Augment on each one of those Ornks, giving them a lot more life. Hmm

Rocks are objects, not weapons. They do no damage. So what's the point of rocks? I am pondering tactical options and I fail to see what purpose the rocks serve.

But also offers greater returns with the proper build. Dexterity adds to both accuracy and damage for missile weapons. So that's a three way return per skill point invested. Parry is a two way return. Damage reduction and a minor boost to your relative armor value. What needs to be determined is when you hit diminishing returns on one or the other. When does it make more sense to stop pumping one and start pumping the other? When would it make more sense to add to a point to Parry? At some point, armor values dwindle out. So it becomes a fair two way return between the two. Accuracy and damage or damage reduction and relative armor value increase. Actually, at this point, I wonder if the relative armor value increase should even be factored in. With increased dexterity, you seldom get hit. So it may still be an unfair comparison, with a two way value vs nothing but damage reduction. When would one reach this point?

Dexterity is a better bang for the buck though. High dexterity means you never get hit hardly. Combined with a little Parry for the odd time you do get clobbered, you have a good chance of survival.

I've done it. Hoge fires off bursts of Aura of Flames. Constantly. Kept toasting all my Vlish and my poor fragile Shaper. Know what got him? Hoge is filled with total terror! After a couple of reloads, I tried it as a last ditch effort... He ran and stood in the corner and did not fight back. My Vlish had a hard time hitting him though. Had to hit him again with Terror a few times. Terror seems to break the scripting somehow. I guess I will face Mooralas in Khor's Deep. I did not know about that, thanks for the spoiler Has anybody noticed how damaging Terror is now?

That Vlish are mammals is posted in the neat Vlish info screen on G3's loading screenies. Gazers are evolved Vlish, but, they are not Vlish. And to be honest, I do not like Gazers all that much. The Vlish are original and different. Alien if you will. Gazers and Eyebeasts are really just old hat Beholders from D&D. Nothing new or creative there. Just a rehashed concept because nothing better could be thought of. There are a lot of RPGs and sci-fi games out there. There are a lot of creatures out there that populate them. And out of all those creatures, how many of them are not just clones of earlier games or concepts? The Vlish is delightfully different and deserves some distinction.

I believe that you have missed the point with variant challenges. It's not meant to be "pointless." It is meant as a test of skill. Do you have what it takes to play by self imposed restrictions to make the game more difficult intentionally, thus bringing true skill into play?

I would have to agree. Anybody noticed how many Vlish canisters there are? You can get like a level 5 or 6 Vlish skill. Vlish are, as you can see, my favourite creatures. The name is original and interesting, as well as the creature's characteristics and physical form. I have even gone as far as taking the Abandoned Vlish in G2 all the way through to the endgame with me. A question. Why bother with boats at all? One can clearly see that a Shaper that is not terribly fat could be air lifted by his private platoon of Vlish. Since Vlish are full of helium, would a Shaper that hangs around them to much talk in a funny voice? "I AM THE VLISH LORD!!! Why are you laughing? Die all of you DIE!" Vlish, for all their oddities, are mammals. This is suprising.

Well of course they will be defended against mental effects. Mental Barrier is SOP come midgame. Phobia began as a somewhat typical Shaper. He did well in school, but terrified his peers. So he was cast down in the basement away from his fellows. Doing so reduced bedwetting by 50% Phobia has Alwan and Greta. He is doing ok so far. Getting out of the basement was TOUGH. No fyoras were summoned. On Torment. I actually had to reload from a quicksave. The Lord of Terror got kicked around pretty badly by worms, damaging his fragile ego. Phobia is starting to really dislike Alwan's attitude. In the back of his mind he contemplates an act of murder. Perhaps scaring him to death would be in order. One day Phobia hopes to have a Vlish Skin Tunic. Not from the Vlish he hopes to create, but Rogue Vlish. He would wear such a garmet proudly till the day he dies. He really doesn't care who he helps at the moment, all he seeks is power. After finding his first canister, he has seen the path to power and mental clarity. He is starting to feel a bit angry that his fellow Shapers would hold him back from having true power. He contemplates rebelion.

I plan to use regular vlish too, most likely half and half. A few regular Vlish and a few of the Terror variety. One of my Vlish Lords in G2 was actually a Lady An Agent that intentionally put some points in Shaping for Vlish. And yes, at the end of G1, nothing moved. Every critter around would urinate at the sight of my Shaper coming. Both kinds of Vlish have their place. I stand by my claims that Vlish are excedingly powerful creations capable of endgame performance. A pack of Vlish launching their slow attacks will completely disable a foe. The secret to Vlish Victory is pumping creation stats. A little strength to boost their damage, some into intelligence to boost their energy, dex for a solid hit chance and armor value. I think that is why they appeal to me as a creature. Their relatively cheap cost allows you to adapt them as you grow. With 15 essence as a base cost for a standard Vlish, they are endlessly customisable, making them the perfect shock troops for a hit and run sort of army. No other creation offers this sort of bang for the buck. Even Terror Vlish with a 45 essence base are easily customisable by midgame, and you can really stack the stat bonuses by endgame. I am a little worried how they will perform in G3. Damage types have changed a bit. We shall see.

Well. It's time for a variant themed challenge on Torment. In every Geneforge game I have done a character I call the Vlish Lord. A Shaper that only uses Vlish creations and strong mental magic to back them up. The only battle magic used will be firebolt, until I can get Terror and Dominate. I am thinking this guy will be somewhat crazy. Unhinged. And he will want Terror Vlish and Mass Madness, so canister use, lots of canister use is going to happen. I am also thinking he might be a rebel. The Vlish Lord has always been one of my favourite challenges. Not making one single creation until I can make a Vlish is going to be tough in G3. This I know. And a lot of enemies, like clawbugs and such, are highly resistant to Vlish attacks. Greta is going to earn her keep methinks. I think I will even use one of the purple or pink Shaper avatars so that my Shaper and my beloved Vlish will match. From a roleplaying sense, this guy is a lot of fun. He is a mind warping scary nightmare... I could only imagine what his fellow shapers might think about him... The quiet silence that would fill the room when he shows up with his army of Vlish. Shaping skills will be pumped only so high, just enough to make a Terror Vlish. I want leadership nice and high... He is, after all, a silver tongued devil. And who is going to argue with a guy that with a snap of his fingers could turn your brain into jello? Mental Magic and Spellcraft will be pumped out the wazoo. The rest to be determined. This will be a Torment game and I plan to visit a certain secluded place of meditation that is sure to bring me to tears. I can only hope that Daze, Firebolt, and Greta is enough to clear the first island. It's feeling a little iffy at this point. I think I will have to come back and deal with the Venomous Artilla after I have my pets... I don't know.

Agents are best at sheer mindless killing. Guardians perform well for roleplaying. Playing my Hunter Guardian was thrilling, and as I mentioned, worth the 25 bucks to play the game. There was a giddy sense of anticipation, fear, sweaty palms, nervous twitching, and a great deal of concern for my own well being as I neared the endgame. While I love playing an Agent... The Guardian forced me to get my game on. I couldn't just walk into a room and nuke it. I had to walk into a room and know what to shoot first. I had all the emotional highs and lows that come with the thrilling feeling of the hunt. Some times I killed my prey quick and easy. Other times, things hunted me. While I can nuke the game with an Agent, playing by my wits was a novel and wonderful experience. I had never quite had an experience quite like that before. Every gem, every mined crystal, every monster giblet that fell, I had to use anything and everything to survive. And at no time was it ever a sure win. Making my own weapons, crafting my ammo, and scavenging and scrounging everything I needed made it a new game... a GOOD game. There is nothing more pleasureable than a solid tactical advance that ends in victory. The Shaper allows me to be lazy. The Agent allows me to play. The Guardian makes me earn my victories, and in this, there is great satisfaction. Nothing, and I mean nothing beats that shaking sweaty handed feeling in the Monastary caves when the scrolling texts implies that more monsters are on their way to EAT YOU. Low on ammo, clinching your batons, balls to the wall do or die come get some kind of fun. Weeeeeee!

But an Agent with those same APs will kill ALL creatures in one round.

A 'He' am I. Heh. Guardians can shape. Yes. No doubting that. That's not the problem. With a Guardian or a Shaper hiding behind their army, they go into a room and battle takes place. An Agent goes into the same room and stuff DIES! A Guardian is at best, an armed escort for his creations. He may lead his creations into battle and might actually kill stuff... But for the most part, he still kills things one at a time. And while he is killing something, something else is busy trying to kill him. And that is the problem.

The Agent never has, and will never need creations. She is a walking talking neutron bomb. Any points spent in shaping only hurt the Agent and detract from her power potential. Infact, once you know how to drive an Agent, know how to build her properly, and know what you are doing, it's hard to hold back and the game becomes entirely to easy, even on Torment. Walk into a room and just vapourise everything in a turn or three. Even the Monastary Caves are a complete cakewalk. The Agent is now the star character. Notice that the picture in the story panels is no longer a Shaper but a female Agent?

I do not disagree and no apologies needed. The Agent is insanely overpowered. I have stated this time and time again. The Missile Guardian, while fun for role playing, is but a hobbled variant, rather than focused power.

That would explain how I made the Essence Aegis with out leaving Dhonal's Island. I was going nucking futs trying figure out how I did that.