Let's trample the Evil in Co8 ToEE; Chapter VIII

[Ulminati]

Man, makes me wish my saves for the other Co8 LP hadn't gotten corrupted. :/

 

[Deitti]

im totally expecting Welkwood Bog in next update, given that this is the NC version of co8. Alot of combat too.

@Deitti
For the future, use the spoiler tag, please

Haha sorry about that, forgot that not everyone has played through the new stuff, won't repeat this mistake in future

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

I'm not quite sure what is going on, but no one has died yet.

Keep it up.

 

[Gondolin]

Page six and only one update? What is this, one of Andyman's FF LPs?

 

[Mrowak]

Chapter I: No to zaczynamy!

While Miss Bee and Nex are busing themselves in the inn scribing scrolls, the rest of the party goes for a pillage stroll. Soon they find something of interest in the local temple.

Oh, look what curiously interesting shelf. I wonder what...

Scrollies! All mine

Thus, they looted the church.

Then the party visits the town blacksmith in hope of getting some answers...

Primarly, to learn if there is a way to evade that Hommlet snoozfest.

Seems to me it's time to visit our good Captain.

Well, that was long...

We should, like, totally go and investigate it.

Crausewitz sleepy. :yawn:

He has a point. Let's go to the inn. We'll head for the Welkwood Bog in the morning

In the inn, one of the heroines faces terrible truth.

Noooooooooooo! This can't be!!!

What happened?

These are all divine scrolls! I cannot into them.

Duh, it's not like we nicked them from a church or anything, right?

This will come in handy.

Here, here. Have a scroll or two. I scribed them for myself but...

Scrollies! Mine!!!

:all goes accroding to the plan:

Anyway, the destination of our party is clear:

And so, they enter Welkwood Bog.

They venture East and they meet...

Something's fishy here.

You don't say.

Where metal humies go?

Cheap trick. A street magician's illusion.

The party moves on...

Only to be attacked by inferior (in every possible ways) races

*Battle*

The kobold leader charges at our barbarian. Luckily he misses the mark.

Bee throws a rock but misses.

Aislinn does not make the same mistake.

4 kobolds have been neutralized.

Then, Clausewitz hits the half-bread mongrel for 10 damage. After they Anna Rexia backstabs him/her/it for 2 points.

What kind of popamole bullshit is this!!

Enraged by this display of amateurishness the kobold hits Anna for 6 points.

In the next turn EVERYONE misses but the kobold, rendering Anna unconscious.

Seconds later Clausewitz finishes the job.

Dog soup. Yummy!

You know, that technically they are lizards?

Smell like dog.

We quickly revive Anna with a single healing scroll – by mistake it's cure serious wounds.

What a waste!

:bitch:

While finishing off sleeping kobolds one of them wakes up and wounds Clausewitz, but soon follows his brethren. Again patching up wounds etc, etc.

We go down the cave entrance, and there we meet...

Again cheap illusion.

Undaunted we move onwards, to inevitable glory!

Only to meet more subhumans cannon fodder.

We lower the initiative to allow scum to approach. Next we put all of them but one to Sleep.

Anna Rexia scores a critical and deals with the problem.

Clausewitz moves foreward to take care of the one remaining kobold, throwing some darts and shits at us, when it turns out...

Lookie, more doggies!

Totally unexpected

Two of them charge at our barbarian. He offs one away. Anna Rexia one-shot sneak-kills another.

Clausewitz does more or less the same with the final kobold.

What follows, is the usual stuff – cutting throats and smashing skulls of sleeping dogs lizards.

The valorous heroines and their slave half-orc companion cannot be stopped here... nor anywhere for that matter.

Soon they find the reason for their voyage.

With my little eye I spot... our undead victims!

Good they seem to have living aids...

Why?

You'll see...

We don't negotiate with undead shitz!

Thus the battle commences.

*Battle*

Nex takes advantage of her lucky innitiative roll and cast Grease.

So called Lich, gnoll skeleton and living gnoll get tripped over.

During enemy's turn the fallen foes get back to their feet and rush at us!. Fortunately two of them trip over again.

Unfortunately(?), a goblin and kobold leaders break through the first and only line of defence.

Luckily Aislinn has made provisions fur such scenario.

Ehm... You! Yes, you! A big goblin like you shouldn't hang around with those losers. Don't you see they are just cramping out your style and making you miss your great chances? Strike it out on your own, make it big. You totally have the potential, and they are jealous of that. They want you to remain small and weak so they don't have to face their own failures. But I believe in you, totally. You can do it. You can be, like, a total Goblin King. *really bright and honest smile*

Guys gonna guy

Nothing big happens. Nex tries casting sleep that everyone resist or is immune to. Then everybody misses everybody, except gnoll Skeleton who wounds Anna Rexia for 4 hp. Next our newly acquired ally valiantly charges at the Gnoll Skeleton just to deal it 0 damage. The “lich” lies tripped over.

Finally, Clausewitz hits the gnoll for 10 hp, taking away all his HP. The gnoll still stands but one more action and we can forget about his involvement in the battle.

What follows...

Hey you! Yes, you!...

… is not very surprising.

Grease spell is extinguished, so Nex casts another one from the scrolls she stashed...

Clausewitz and kobold engage the skeleton. Together with converted goblin leader they have him flanked, so they receive bonus to hit.

With the joint power of the dispose of the abomination. Not after the barbarian receiving a crippling wound worth 9 hp. Then the real tragedy strikes.

Mathiel/Lich one shot-critics the goblin. The party shoots at him and somehow actually manages to hit for 9 points in total while Bee patches up Clausewitz with Cure Moderate Wounds scroll. The kobold charges... but gets tripped over and finished of in one critic as well.

At this point we the party sorta started looking for the nearest open door to bravely run away retreat to more favourable positions when Clausewitz...

By the spirit of my great ancestor – Skyway – NO POPAMOLE FAG SHALL STAND IN MY WAY!!!

... strikes the abomination for 9 hp.

And all would be fine and dandy, but for the next 4 turns everyone misses, and Anna Rexia does not attack out of fear of quick merciless death.

She is just hopeless at direct combat with the undead.

BITCH!!!

Then Aislinn remembers something...

So instead shooting bolts and arrows and shit at that thing you could have got rid of it like 4 turns earlier?

Tell, me darling, why YOU haven't done anything?

I … uhm… cannot into necromancy

Quickly the party lewts all that got trampled under their mighty boots...

while Anna Rexia liberates the coffers.

Ain't too much of it.

Our heroines get out the dungeon a different way...

meet and illusory ogre...

… and head north.

Where they are ambushed by a bunch of goblins.

A skirmish ensues

*Battle*

Nex uses a Sleep scroll to get herself rid of some nuisance.

But more goblinoids charge at our party.

Miss Bee casts Entangle on our foes. Maybe we can pick them one by one...

Nex reads another Sleep scroll

One turn later Clausewitz finishes off the last conscious opponent.

Cutthroating is the only true answer.

However, while being engrossed in this merry pastime the barbarian attracts unwanted attention.

Nex has run out of Sleep scrolls, so she casts Grease to slow the enemies down. Meanwhile Aislinn casts Sleep magick from the parchment given to her earlier.

The Goblin leader us unaffected and charges at Nex hurting her for 3 points.

Everyone bashes the goblin with all they have, but he manages to strike Nex down.

Ultimately, it is Clausewitz who strikes the decisive blow.

Harrrharrrharrrr!!!

Bee stitches Nex together with two Cure Light Wounds scrolls.

Tired and deprived of their magic, the party sets up the encampment praying to whichever gods may answer that they are not attacked during their respite.

Fortune is on their side!

They move northward, and predictably, they meet more meatbags to slaughter.

Is there anything more to add?

Next, our heroes head west to the exit from the area, where they meet even more victims.

Guess, my lovelies, what happens now. :twisted: (brandishes a dagger).

Finally, heroines + man-bear-pig meatshield half-orc decide to leave the accursed place and head beck to Hommlet.

Their progress is impeded by a minor annoyance.

Which is quickly turned into precious XP and...

… a level up!

About fucking time

And that would be all, friends. Next time we shall level up our heroes and try to explore a wee bit what Co8 NC has to offer. See you again.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Good show. You sure aren't stingy on the screenshots.

We quickly revive Anna with a single healing scroll – by mistake it's cure serious wounds.

That's one serious mistake.

You wiped the goblins better than I did, I approached from the other entry point and had a serious fight on my hands in that cramped little village.

The Black Cat mischievous personality cameos are pretty cool since I read her LP too. It gives reading yours a nice crossover touch.

Also,

meet and illusory ogre...

I think it's rather a hill giant, with that characteristic ground-shaking stride of them. Once again I came from the other entry so I had ample time to hear and feel him walk. Maybe you got to the dialogue window without him taking a step.

 

[Black Cat]

It is pretty interesting to see the new content, I had never seen the thingies and stuffies in Co8. The battle against that undead guy was kind of disapointing, though.

And the crossoverish reference thingies and the RP makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

These are all divine scrolls! I cannot into them.

Which was the entire point of UMD.

Ehm... You! Yes, you! A big goblin like you shouldn't hang around with those losers. Don't you see they are just cramping out your style and making you miss your great chances? Strike it out on your own, make it big. You totally have the potential, and they are jealous of that. They want you to remain small and weak so they don't have to face their own failures. But I believe in you, totally. You can do it. You can be, like, a total Goblin King. *really bright and honest smile*

This is rapidly becoming Aislinn's signature technique.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Good show so far, keep it up! And LARPing Codex personalities is the only way to go in an LP like this.

 

[Ulminati]

Looking good! Onwards, to glory!

I guess it never hurts to bet on multiple horses. If a caster position opens up before a fighter position, I would like to submit this lovely lady to the cause instead of the dwarven fighter:


Penny Arcane, NE Human Wizard

(It should be in the portrait pack you got with Co8)

Str 8 + 0 = 8
Dex 8 + 6 = 14
Con 8 + 6 = 14
Int 8 + 16 = 18 <--- Pour all upgrades into this!
Wis 8 + 0 = 8
Cha 8 + 2 = 10

Speacialist wizard (Conjuration)
Prohibited schools: Abjuration, Enchantment
Familiar: Toad

In order of importance (left to right)

Feats: Spell focus (Conjuration), Toughness, Augment summoning, Improved Initiative, Dodge
Wizard bonus feats: Craft wand, Combat casting, Extend spell
Skills: Spellcraft, Concentration, Spot, Listen, Heal, Bluff, Survival

1st level spells
Colour Spray, Grease, Mage Armor, Enlarge Person, Ray of Enfeeblement, Obscuring Mist, Identify, Summon Monster I, Burning hands

2nd level spells
Invisibility, Glitterdust, Web, Mirror image, Summon Monster II, Knock

3rd level spells
Stinking cloud, Summon Monster III, Haste, Slow, Sleet Storm, Halt Undead, Greater Magic Weapon, Lightning Bolt

4th level spells
Evard's Black Tentacles, Summon Monster IV, Otiluke's resilient Sphere, Dimension Door, Fear, Enervation, Enlarge person (Mass),

5th level spells
Wall of stone, Summon Monster V, Cone of Cold, Cloudkill

6th level spells
Summon Monster VI, Circle of Death, Chain Lightning, Disintegrate


Those are the spells that are good off the top of my head. Can't remember which of them are actually in the game. Make sure to memorize tons of summoning spells. Especially summon monster III-V have a bunch of really good options. Consider crafting a wand of summon monster III for disposable meatshields.

You owe me, man.

[edit]

So I found a ToEE spell list and just realized pretty much every 4th and 5th level spell in the game is enchantment. The fuck is up with that? And Y U NO EVERDS BLACK TESTICLES!? I guess if we're gonna be popamole about this, prohibited school should be evocation instead of enchantment. Add sleep, tasha's hideous laughter, deep slumber, confusion and feeblemind to the list of spells she'd like at around 3rd-5thpriority for their respective levels.

Also, don't bother with spell penetration feats. Most conjuration spells ignore spell resistence anyway

 

[Crooked Bee]

Yay!

 

[Hellraiser]

Needs more Hill Giants raping the shit out of your casters with CLEVE cleave.

 

[Nex]

Needs more Hill Giants raping the shit out of your casters with CLEVE cleave.

No thanks.

 

[RK47]

You're off to a good start...but we'll see how long your luck lasts...

 

[Sitra Achara]

I say you go to Emridy Meadows next. Sneak into the Giant's turf and fetch me the Elven Chain (and jaunty hat). (Aislinn can also use the Elven Shield)

 

[Mrowak]

Good show. You sure aren't stingy on the screenshots.

I am going to limit my trigger happiness with screenshots with the next update, I fear. I don't think I have patience for giving shitloads of screenies for every encounter, as you could see by the end of this update. From next time, only more difficult fights will be covered in greater detail.

You wiped the goblins better than I did, I approached from the other entry point and had a serious fight on my hands in that cramped little village.

Having two arcane casters with shitloadz of sleep scrolls really helped here.

Also,

meet and illusory ogre...

I think it's rather a hill giant, with that characteristic ground-shaking stride of them. Once again I came from the other entry so I had ample time to hear and feel him walk. Maybe you got to the dialogue window without him taking a step.

You are right of course. That was a hill giant, but I just sort of clicked through him.

It is pretty interesting to see the new content, I had never seen the thingies and stuffies in Co8. The battle against that undead guy was kind of disapointing, though.

Well, this was a simple adventure for a first-second level party. One could hardly expect a real lich there. Know, however, that only by pure luck and Aislinn's persuasive powers we won. I fully expected casualties there. The only disappointment with our victory was that we received only 180xp for it. Unfortunately, because it was Mathel who killed our charmed minions we were not rewarded for their deaths - and they were quite strong (over 20hp!).

In due time, our party will face real mages. By that moment, our squad should have lost/got a few members.

Needs more Hill Giants raping the shit out of your casters with CLEVE cleave.

We'll try doing that when our party will stand a remote chance. Level 4-5 should be about right.

I am going to post next update around Thursday

I don't really have time to play during weekdays. Plus, I am trying to take up Japanese again (it's been two months since I practiced).

 

[Ulminati]

Having two arcane casters with shitloadz of sleep scrolls really helped here.

You put sleep on scrolls? you know you don't add int/cha to save DC when you cast from a scroll, right?

 

[Mrowak]

Having two arcane casters with shitloadz of sleep scrolls really helped here.

You put sleep on scrolls? you know you don't add int/cha to save DC when you cast from a scroll, right?

Intriguing. No I didn't know that. I always assumed, even during PnP sessions that it takes DC of character casting the spell, and dice of the character who scribed the scroll.

I've browsed through some D&D 3.0 books and the only thing I found was this excerpt from Dunegon Master's Guide:

Determine Effect

A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way. Assume the scroll spell’s caster level is always the minimum level required to cast the spell for the character who scribed the scroll (usually twice the spell’s level, minus 1), unless the caster specifically desires otherwise.

The writing for an activated spell disappears from the scroll.

Of course ToEE manual says nothing about scrolls' DC...

Fun, because during my entire update I used up loads of Sleep scroll... and they worked!

What about wands and staves? Does the same, as you say, apply to them?

 

[The Thin Man]

You put sleep on scrolls? you know you don't add int/cha to save DC when you cast from a scroll, right?

Intriguing. No I didn't know that. I always assumed, even during PnP sessions that it takes DC of character casting the spell, and dice of the character who scribed the scroll.

I've browsed through some D&D 3.0 books and the only thing I found was this excerpt from Dunegon Master's Guide:

Determine Effect

A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way. Assume the scroll spell’s caster level is always the minimum level required to cast the spell for the character who scribed the scroll (usually twice the spell’s level, minus 1), unless the caster specifically desires otherwise.

The writing for an activated spell disappears from the scroll.

Of course ToEE manual says nothing about scrolls' DC...

Fun, because during my entire update I used up loads of Sleep scroll... and they worked!

What about wands and staves? Does the same, as you say, apply to them?

Ultimati is correct on the "as written" ruling, also the scrolls DC (caster level etc) is always that of the scroll scriber.

Which usually sucks since scrolls bought at base prices are at min caster level/effects.

If you can go back an calculate the costs of all of those scrolls you might be able to figure out which system the game is using. Either way the reason those scrolls are working so well could just be that you are at the beginning of game so are facing enemies with butt chocolate saves.

I believe the Cha and Int added to DC is not specifically mentioned in any of the books.

Here's more information on crafting.

 

[Ulminati]

The 3.5 way it works is like this:

- Memorized spells use your caster level, feats, ability scores etc. to determine spell level and effects
- Scrolls use minimum caster level for the spell, no ability scores but you can use feats (such as spell focus and spell penetration)
- Wands use the caster level of whoever crafted them at the time of crafting to determine effects, are modified by feats but you can't use ability scores to modify DC
- Staves use the caster level of the creator OR the weilder, whichever is higher. You can apply feats, but you can't benefit from high ability scores unless you have a specific feat to do so.

That's the official rulings from campaigns like living forgotten realms. I'm not sure how closely ToEE follows the convention. Net time you use a scroll with a save DC, you might want to click the succeeded/failed blu text in your combat log and check out what the DC is against. There's a reason scrolls are mostly used for utility spells or buffs. :D

 

[Mrowak]

The 3.5 way it works is like this:

- Memorized spells use your caster level, feats, ability scores etc. to determine spell level and effects
- Scrolls use minimum caster level for the spell, no ability scores but you can use feats (such as spell focus and spell penetration)
- Wands use the caster level of whoever crafted them at the time of crafting to determine effects, are modified by feats but you can't use ability scores to modify DC
- Staves use the caster level of the creator OR the weilder, whichever is higher. You can apply feats, but you can't benefit from high ability scores unless you have a specific feat to do so.

That's the official rulings from campaigns like living forgotten realms. I'm not sure how closely ToEE follows the convention. Net time you use a scroll with a save DC, you might want to click the succeeded/failed blu text in your combat log and check out what the DC is against. There's a reason scrolls are mostly used for utility spells or buffs. :D

Haha! Shit, you are right! This means that I, somehow, managed to finish ToEE and KotC through scribing tonnes of scrolls that were not supposed to work! The power of ignorance is astounding!

You might have saved lives here... and postponed joining the party.

Frankly, though, I find these rules to be I know why they did that - to reduce omnipotence of wizards and make sure they don't travel overburdened with magical devices for every occassion. Still, I find it disappointing that certain spells work with magical devices as normal, while others are crippled significantly. A feat that would add DC to using magic devices would be in order here.

 

[Ulminati]

It's called spell focus.

the idea is you memorize combat spells and scribe utility spells. Or in the case of things like tragic missile, get a 9th level caster to craft wand.

 

[Mrowak]

It's called spell focus.

You mean two feats that add in total +2 to DC of every spell from selected school? That's not nearly enough for a wand.

Though it would be cool if in this way you could acquire full bonus to DC when using magic devices from the selected school.

the idea is you memorize combat spells and scribe utility spells. Or in the case of things like tragic missile, get a 9th level caster to craft wand.

Which is a strange arbitrary rule, that makes low-level offensive spells from Necromancy, Illussion, Transmutation and Enchantment schools nearly useless in comparison to Evocation and Conjuration.

Until I didn't know that terrible truth I used to memorize tonnes of spells from the former schools, and wield wands from the latter. With such significant penalty to magical devices who on earth will memorize Slow when they can have Fireball/Lighting bolt?

Well, it's all meaningless now. I will have to adjust my strategy, that's all.

 

[Ulminati]

Fireball/lightning bolt have save DCs too :p

And I'm fine with not showing up until later. Penny Arcane doesn't really bloom until lv5 when she can summon fiendish direwolves and cheetahs anyway. :D

and yeah, some spells are better in wands and scrolls than others. This is why Penny Arcane's want of monster summoning III with her Augment summoning feat is going to be AWESUM

 

[Mrowak]

Fireball/lightning bolt have save DCs too :p

That's the whole point. You will use neither groups for wands, but just because Fireball and Lightingbolt are more versatile, you will memorize those in favour of spells that may fail completely (Slow)

And I'm fine with not showing up until later. Penny Arcane doesn't really bloom until lv5 when she can summon fiendish direwolves and cheetahs anyway. :D

Sir Lady, you have that job! Now I only have to think who and how to dispose of first

 

[Sitra Achara]

Fortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it) scrolls DCs ARE modified by the caster's ability scores in ToEE.

Furthermore, per the rules you should be able to craft them at any Caster Level up to yours. ToEE does this (scrolls' CL is automatically as the scriber's), but it's kind of a cheat because it doesn't charge you extra for it.

Also, beware that if you have a low CL scroll in your inventory, and you scribe another one with a higher CL, the resultant stack of scrolls will inherit the lower CL frmo the pre-existing inventory item.