Imban

Um, hopefully not by dying horribly.

 

Avatar - Level 19 - 64 HP - 45 SP

11 Strength, 7 Dexterity, 6 Intelligence, 5 Endurance, 10 Pole Weapons, 4 Hardiness, 7 Defense, 6 Mage Spells, 8 Priest Spells, 4 Arcane Lore, 10 Tool Use, 4 Nature Lore, 6 Luck, 2 Gymnastics, 3 Resistance

 

Being a pole specialist, Avatar had a little annoyance in Lord Putidus where he had to arm himself with a crappy Iron Short Sword at the start of the scenario. This was more than made up for by the Aterian wildlife, however - I gained two levels just in North Ateria alone. I also managed to die against the Mutant Lizard once, but that was entirely the fault of "entrust your life to the AI" being right next to "kill lizard with pilum." Total gain was three levels, not much else.

 

Death at Chapman's didn't net Avatar much experience, but it had a decent amount of treasure. Nothing was really a challenge for a level-19 character, as one might expect, but I managed to get a Priest's Bracelet (replaces Silver Cross Bracelet) and something incredibly useful to me - a Nimble Band. (replaces Assassin's Band) More action points is something that my 1-PC parties desperately need.

 

Pariah - Level 41 - 187 HP - 51 SP

14 Strength, 13 Dexterity, 11 Intelligence, 8 Endurance, 12 Melee Weapons, 6 Pole Weapons, 6 Bows, 5 Hardiness, 8 Defense, 4 Assassination, 6 Mage Spells, 8 Priest Spells, 8 Arcane Lore, 3 Potion Making, 5 Nature Lore, 1 First Aid, 6 Luck, 4 Blademaster, 2 Gymnastics, 3 Resistance, 2 Sharpshooter

 

Lord Putidus posed as little of a threat to a level-39 character as you might expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by it - Pariah actually gained a level during the scenario, from killing the Mutant Lizard. Other than that, this scenario wasn't very useful for character advancement. Still, while I can't say I'm a fan of some of the terrain graphics, LP remains one of the better scenarios out there. I did notice an odd error, though - the message from the gods at the end of the scenario telling me that I gained neither honor nor shame referred to me as Valzier. Referring to Pariah as a dead NPC from the last scenario he had completed is rather odd.

 

Death at Chapman's actually managed to advance Pariah from level 40 to 41, due to the experience he gained fighting the Undead Melville and Death. For item rewards, same Nimble Band and Priest's Bracelet, replaced same items. I still wonder why this scenario has never, ever been listed on Spidweb's tables, too.

Hey, I wanted the bow.

Man, go me forgetting to keep on going.

 

Avatar - Level 16 - 57 HP - 36 SP

11 Strength, 7 Dexterity, 6 Intelligence, 5 Endurance, 10 Pole Weapons, 4 Hardiness, 6 Defense, 4 Mage Spells, 5 Priest Spells, 4 Arcane Lore, 10 Tool Use, 4 Nature Lore, 6 Luck, 1 Anatomy, 1 Blademaster, 2 Gymnastics, 3 Resistance

 

In Roses of Reckoning, Avatar was very happy to take advantage of the excellent equipment and training available in Ashton Vale. Repel Spirit and some Iron Pike jabs were enough to end most of the weak undead easily on the way to Kurojutsu's Manor. Inside the manor, the Ruby Skeletons were much less of a threat than I had expected, and I dispatched the tougher, relaxing vampires with ease. In the end, I used Divine Aid and killed Hana basically instantly.

 

In A Perfect Forest, Avatar really had no problem whatsoever wreaking havoc upon everyone on the isle. The Perfect Spirit at least feels a lot easier with a singleton, because it's a lot handier to move the mirrors - and being charmed is no problem at all. The main contributions were just money, miscellaneous items, and some spells, though.

 

Pariah - Level 39 - 179 HP - 51 SP

13 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 10 Intelligence, 12 Melee Weapons, 6 Pole Weapons, 6 Bows, 5 Hardiness, 8 Defense, 3 Assassination, 6 Mage Spells, 6 Priest Spells, 8 Arcane Lore, 3 Potion Making, 8 Tool Use, 5 Nature Lore, 1 First Aid, 6 Luck, 1 Anatomy, 4 Blademaster, 2 Gymnastics, 3 Resistance, 2 Sharpshooter

 

In Roses of Reckoning, Pariah was also thrilled to buy equipment that is actually good from Ashton Vale, but had some major problems with the Ruby Skeleton ambush. That surprised me, since he was level 37 at the time. Past that, everything was ridiculously easy, including the resting vampires, who I killed before they got to move, and Kurojutsu, who I killed in one hit.

 

A Perfect Forest really posed no threat to Pariah, being as how he was level 39. Unfortunately, this carried over to the experience - at my count, I only received experience from Valzier and the Ancient Golem, throughout the entire scenario. It wasn't even enough to bump me to level 40. Better mage spells, more money, and Klinger's Bow made it a worthwhile trip, however.

 

I'm a little too low level for Dilecia's written level (okay, so Pariah actually is in the level range, but is a singleton who isn't even very good), so I can't run off to play the new scenario right away.

 

Valley of the Dying Things would take a loooong while, and it's unlikely that smashing Lord Putidus or Death at Chapman's would actually net me any rewards, so I'm idly considering Mad Ambition. I know I had problems doing it with a real party, though, which make me worried about doing it with these groups.

The minimum XP for a level is 100 (which is why Pariah has Divinely Touched - his XP/level is maintained at 100 even with it) and the maximum is 2000, even with using the HLPM to give yourself more than two advantages or disadvantages.

 

So, since an Elite Warrior/Divinely Touched Slith already takes 1900 XP to level, most of those advantages are basically free. Which is good, since some of them are bad like Beastmaster and should be.

Avatar - Level 13 - 49 HP - 33 SP

10 Strength, 6 Dexterity, 5 Intelligence, 5 Endurance, 8 Pole Weapons, 4 Hardiness, 5 Defense, 3 Mage Spells, 5 Priest Spells, 3 Arcane Lore, 10 Tool Use, 4 Nature Lore, 1 Magical Efficiency

 

In A Good Beginning, Avatar didn't really run into any trouble, it being an easy scenario and Avatar being a good bit over the recommended level. Nothing really to note here, although I wanted to gain a level-up so I could get those two free spells. I came really close, but fell short by less than 50 XP. I was also a little too terrified of the guards in Fort Orchid - I could probably have wiped them out, but missed my opportunity.

 

In The Cave of No Return, Avatar actually ran up against some big problems, mostly because he did not have Enduring Barrier and needed to have Enduring Barrier. This was not fun. I somehow managed to kill the two Vahnatai by exploiting how the Blade cannot move, and I managed to deal with everything else with a minimum of stupid deaths, even with my low HP. Still, the fire-touching Bound Netherbeast and the sleep-touching Apparitions were both a hassle. I raised Avatar's Priest Spells high enough for Enduring Barrier, so I hope I can buy it soon. My first attempt at razing Dapplen with Avatar also resulted in the law winning. This is a bad sign, since Pariah had no problem with three Guards.

 

Pariah - Level 37 - 171 HP - 48 SP

13 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 9 Intelligence, 8 Endurance, 12 Melee Weapons, 6 Pole Weapons, 6 Bows, 5 Hardiness, 7 Defense, 2 Assassination, 6 Mage Spells, 6 Priest Spells, 8 Arcane Lore, 3 Potion Making, 8 Tool Use, 5 Nature Lore, 1 First Aid, 3 Blademaster, 1 Magical Efficiency

 

In A Good Beginning, Pariah managed to deal with most of his foes handily, it being an easy scenario and Pariah being level 21. He gained two levels, and was able to grab the mage spells and more treasure. His archery also came in handy, saving him from a lot of damage running up to individual mages. Something I did broke the alchemist, so I never did get her recipes, but meh.

 

In The Cave of No Return, Pariah had little problem with his opposition. Unfortunately, he also realized that without Natural Mage, he's basically not going to be capable of casting real mage spells ever, so I mostly stopped developing that branch. I eventually want him to be able to cast Dispel Barrier, even if he has to strip naked to do it, but that can wait.

 

As far as tough fights go, killing the town (especially Balu) and killing the Vahnatai took Divine Aid, and one of the ancient golems knocked him down to 0 HP, but there were no outstanding difficulties. I was worried about escaping from the bottom floor on time given that I was Sluggish and my Haste spell didn't last very long at all, but it didn't end up being a problem.

 

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I'm wondering how a few problem spots in possible upcoming scenarios will go - like the ruby skeleton ambush in Roses of Reckoning and the pushing puzzle in A Perfect Forest. I'm also wondering if either of these singletons will eventually manage to make it through all of the high-level scenarios out there, once the power of Divine Aid runs out for Avatar (and it might already be) and simple level superiority runs out for Pariah (if it ever does).

So, a discussion with Thuryl about character traits and a look at the HLPM made me decide to make two characters - One is Pariah, a human with Divinely Touched, all disadvantages, and all special abilities. He requires a mere 100 XP to gain a level. The other is Avatar, a slith with all advantages and special abilities, who requires 2000 XP to gain a level. Each is a singleton party of his own who I intend to eventually run through all existing BoA scenarios.

 

Currently, I've played both 9 Variations on Point B and Babysitting with both Pariah and Avatar. As it stands, their stats are:

 

Avatar - Level 6 - 32 HP - 15 SP

7 Strength, 5 Dexterity, 3 Intelligence, 5 Endurance, 8 Pole Weapons, 3 Hardiness, 4 Defense, 3 Priest Spells, 1 Arcane Lore, 8 Tool Use

 

In Nine Variations on Point B, Avatar didn't have too much trouble. His innate strength carried the day against all of the captains, but he didn't gain any levels, just some equipment.

 

In Babysitting, Avatar ran into a lot of trouble, and frequently needed to use wands, scrolls, and potions in order to complete fights. Despite the power of Divine Aid, it doesn't seem to have enough duration to carry Avatar through an entire battle, since he has no backup. Also, despite having all advantages, he has less skill points to spend due to his lower level, which meant that he could not use a bow to pick off grunts.

 

Despite all this, I managed to get through the scenario without too many problem battles - although multiple spellcasters seem to be an incredibly bad matchup for Avatar right now.

 

Pariah - Level 21 - 107 HP - 24 SP

11 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 6 Intelligence, 8 Endurance, 11 Melee Weapons, 6 Bows, 4 Hardiness, 5 Defense, 1 Assassination, 5 Priest Spells, 5 Arcane Lore, 5 Tool Use

 

In Nine Variations on Point B, Pariah actually had a lot of trouble, and had to make extensive use of his special abilities and occasional reloading. Completely Inept and Cursed at Birth are incredibly bad for you at low levels, since you miss all the time. On the other hand, he was level 8 when he finished 9Var, as compared to Pariah's level of 1.

 

In Babysitting, Pariah had the most problems towards the start. As the scenario went on, his high level gave him more base HP than normal adventurers with an Enduring Barrier cast would have. The seeing pool room was the biggest problem fight for Pariah, since multiple spellcasters are still bad news for him. I thought I could handle that fight without Divine Aid, but I ended up needing to use it.

 

Since it's just released, both Avatar and Pariah are taking a trip to A Good Beginning next, followed by The Cave of No Return and A Perfect Forest, I believe.

 

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It seems pretty interesting how I've been doing better with disadvantages than with advantages, at least. I know I'll have "fun" when it comes to doing some of the high-level scenarios, where I can't just overpower the enemies with pure levels, at least...

And remember - if it makes sense to have a reward (for example, if the characters have accomplished something significant, even though it didn't involve killing stuff), some rewards like experience or skill points benefit characters of any level equally.

I nearly met with success in porting Bandits before a hard drive crash, too.

Ahem. Comments along these lines will get you ejected from the boards, even if your others don't.

Please don't make fun of newbies for posting in the wrong boards, since their posts can just be sent to the correct place.

Q: Is it bad if I'm murdering people against my will, for little to no coherent reason?

 

A: Yes.

 

I'd say this seems pretty straightforward, although I haven't played GF3 to know for sure.

Higher Assassination is always a boon in BoE, since you'll eventually outlevel every monster you meet, and assassination can even let you defeat invulnerable foes. Stareye's recommendation of Luck is pretty sound, too - with 5 Luck, you will notice a marked decrease in your dying. With 20, you will be utterly shocked if you are somehow killed.

 

Poison Use is really worthless, sorry.

Aizo had a large hole blown into it during the Arena timeline, but that was hundreds and hundreds of years after the fall of the Empire, and thus far outside the setting of Blades, really.

 

Doston may or may not have risen from the seas, but it was not discovered at the time of BoE. It was the original setting of the Arena.

Well, admittedly, I'm known for using the editors in BoE and BoA to fix things if I get stuck in a scenario, but not to make myself stronger. I just use the editors to attempt to get around fatal bugs in the scenario.

Um, if there are any other shops within talking range, you could try selling items while you have 25000 gold until you get up to 27000, then talking to the augmenter without moving a step.

Hawk King, I really don't see why he should do that. They're two very different questions, and this one in particular often spawns some debate about what should be accepted for geography.

Modify the values that control your position appropriately. Thuryl can probably tell you more specifically what you should do.

You could always order by phone at 10 AM tomorrow morning, if the online version isn't available by then.

You want to terminate the current script yourself rather than letting BoA do it automatically when it reaches the end?

Well, the third and fourth are pretty lame. It's not surprising he didn't say them.

*i - Unfortunately, my collection of BoE lore and scenarios got destroyed along with my hard drive quite a few months ago, and since then I've really quit playing Blades of Exile.

Actually, *i, he's talking about making a soundless editor. We had one of those for BoE (which we're not really supposed to talk about >_>), too.

Well, it's the same way in Blades of Avernum, at least.

 

That said, BoA's the only Avernum I play, and my party composition in that right now is a melee fighter, a pole fighter, an archer, and a mage/priest.

Only once the player goes through that part of town again, I'm pretty sure. You can get a pretty bugged-up Automap this way.

Why would you ever use Daemon, anyway?