Let's play ToEE!

seriously.

Edit: Dot was missing.
Edit2: No, no, wait. I mean full stop of course.


(Moved Entry from Fri Jun 04, 2008)

Gah, that was a long downtime but whatever I was doing, I'm done now. With the private grunt work out of the way, I think I'll start a little marathon, since we're so close to the end. Five days, five updates although this might be nasty to look at afterwards. Anyways, let's get back to the fun.


The nodes: Going elemental (Earth)

'They usually point and laugh at me when I tell them about it but once the ground itself starts to rise and tries to kill them, they grow more tolerant towards my rather chaotic lifestyle.' Lord Grey, The Nature of Things

So here we are at the earth node. You may recall that I mentioned they would contain no less than my personal devil incarnate and here it is: the dreadful Galeb Duhrs.




If you make the same mistake like I did, you will confuse those buggers with cute little versions of an earth elemental that you can play with. They are not toys. In fact, they are more like compact battle tanks that will mercilessly roll over you when you are not careful. They get a significant AC bonus due to their size, the [15] spell resistance makes them quiet resistant towards Magedude's flashy sorcery and they are almost immune to conventional non-enchanted weaponry (Thankfully, we covered enchantments in the last chapter otherwise Screamer & Co would now be royally screwed). Add this to a tremendous amount of HP + damage output and you get the creatures of terror that you see before you. The worst thing about them though is that they are painfully slow. Remember the ghouls back in the moathouse? Take their slowness square 10 and you will get a rough idea. They also pop out of the ground too, so it is safe to assume that there will be a lot of them around. Johnny is quiet lucky that he doesn't fall asleep before the first two of those scumbags reach him. More are sure to follow.




Screamer is hit and must be taken a little aback. We now got one GD on Punkaid, three on Johnny. The poor guy is going to suffer during this fight.




Punkaid's GD gets top priority due to the rather poor combat skills of the cleric. It still takes forever before the GD is finally killed. Magedude has a bad feeling about this. It turns out that the GDs are not short of reinforcements. I get myself an ice cream while the new GD stumbles towards our group.




Some expired buffs later we get rid of most of the GDs but Johnny has been beaten up bad so Magedude had to surround him with a magical stone skin. Two GDs left. Our heroes can see the light at the end of the tunnel.




Heh, you wish.




You think we're done here, right? Wrong! (and yes, I sincerely hope that I manage to annoy you, just like it was annoying for me)




That's it! Magedude gets the dismissal scrolls he prepared earlier out of his backpack. We got around 20 of those. In practice, it's like firing silver bullets with a SMG set on full automatic but it satisfying to watch a GD explodes in a big purple cloud (not seen in this picture).




Slashing helps too like demonstrated by Johnny. In the distance, a reward comes in sight. A chest!




Magedude and Punkaid have run out of spells so we need to rest for a moment (time becomes relative once you have to wait for 8 hours after every twist and turn).
We thereby encounter one mean looking lizard. A basilisks, as Magedude can identify it. It can't turn people into stone like the legends claim and is therefore easy picking but since it only appears in random encounters in ToEE, I guess it should at least be mentioned.




Tumblefingers loots the chest while the rest of the group is still occupied. She finds a lot of nice equipment but our self-made stuff is already better than anything that some random chests could provide. One thing is mentionable though.




Looks like AI is not the only thing that can be radiant in RPGs (Har Har Har). Our heroes dwell deeper into the caves while encountering weaker foes like this earth elemental.




They meet the benighted wizard Sargen, who begs for their help to escape. He's not exactly someone who awakens the good Samaritan in us all but he offers enough money to cover our expenses.




Screamer proves yet again to be quiet the businesswoman and raises the ransom to ten thousand. Who would deny a free level 10 wizard, who actually pays you to join the party? Let's see what spells of ultimate doom he keeps in his spell book... You've gotta be kidding me.




He doesn't have any spells at all! (well, except for the standard level 0 spells of course)
It looks like this is going to be a babysitting quest through and through. Mhm, what about this guy in the corner? He seems to have balls at least, running around in a treacherous environment as a level one fighter.




Ok, maybe not man balls but he actually has woven balls on fire so that's cool enough to take him in.




The ensuing bafflement and enragement within the party for letting not only one but two NPCs join on such a short notice is suddenly interrupted by another group of GDs. The horror in slow motion continues.




Our heroes are kinda new to this rescue thing so it doesn't come as a surprise that the weaver we should protect is the first to be hit and is almost killed. He and Punkaid switch places while more GDs are coming our way. It seems Johnny got himself into trouble again.




They just keep coming! Time to say your prayers Punkaid! Tumblefingers maneuvers around them to get a clear shot. Screamer and Magedude cast some buffs.




Magedude dares to get closer to the field action and uses his stone skin spell on Johnny. We watch Punkaid getting his arse handed to him in the meantime.




The cleric breaks under the stress of battle. It's up to Johnny and his remaining 20 HP to save the day.




It's about time those dismissal scrolls start working again (end results after the node: 7 times blocked with spell resistance another 4 times with a will saving throw and two hits).




Punkaid's condition gets worse. Johnny is forced to use an emergency health potion on him and suffers the attacks of opportunity that are bound to follow. Magedude throws a lightning bolt into the party to cause a little distraction.




There is a short moment of tension when a GD tries to kick Punkaid into his groins as he tries to stand up but the cleric is able to roll into safety. After more loss of blood, sweat and tears, the last GD finally meets his end.




Another rest is in order whereby our unaware campers are ambushed by little ET things.




They the closest resemblance to children that you will see in the game and you can even kill them legally. The experience of butchering quasi helpless foes is so enthralling, in a retarded way that our heroes set out for a little invalid hunt. They quickly make a find.




Last remarkable enemy on this plane are those bulls made out of rock. They seem threatening




but they aren't.




With the minor annoyances out of the way, Screamer comes face to face with the level boss (what will again cost her life in the not shown first try. I wanted to make sure that there are no conversational skill checks involved. The same happens later in the fire node). The Giabrezu doesn't fail to realize all the good qualities in her.




I presume that this means less talk and more fighting. Can we get the elementals over here, please?




Many thanks. So, where to start? Magedude, thanks to his great insight, commanded our two NPC to wait back in the hallway so they should be out of harm’s way. The elementals look stable enough and one of them should provide us with some protection during the first few turns.




Tumblefingers disappears in dust and glitter. The Giabrezu summons mirror images of himself, just like the Vrock from the air node, which will hinder our progress but not for long.




The other elemental crumbles, thanks to Punkaid's fanatic smashing abilities. This fight shouldn't take too long anymore even after the demon manages to attack and kill our elemental with unsettling ease.




Maybe it would have been even smarter to leave the NPCs somewhere out of sight however.




We'll make this personal then. We could still need some cash so at least the mage should survive. The weaver is expendable so we plan to use him as an emergency meatshield. We form a 'line of friends' and lure the little devils into the range of Tumblefingers bow, who makes their demise quick and painful.




Punkaid goes down (in one single round nonetheless). Magedude takes drastic actions to solve the bat problem. We can’t afford any more distractions.




Stubborn little pests! There is no more time to lose. Tumblefingers releases a fury of sneak attacks upon the pitiful Giabrezu, who isn't quiet up to this treatment.




Another glorious case of survival of the wicked. It is strange to see someone level up after all this time. It brings back memories. Terrible, low level memories.




The skull is almost complete. Salvation is at hand!




Our heroes step through the portal and return to the realms of man. It is only one teleport away from the arguably safety of Hommlet (we are just here to buy arrows, honestly). This triggers a conversation with the now freed NPC that were following us (they actually come only one at a time so if the first NPC has talked to you, you must enter a house, leave and then the other conversation will occur).




That punk is lying through his teeth. We don't get any fire balls. He just walks off and that's it. Sargen isn’t much of worth either. Although he remains true to his word, it will take him several weeks before he gets the money together (which you will only receive during a random encounter on the world map what is also going to consume your time). Screamer proclaims that from now on they will stick to the ‘by morons for morons’ mantra about escort quests. At least they made a great step towards the completion of the skull. Only one question remains: Will the elemental fire of evil forge them or melt them? Soon, we will find out.

Embarrassing Fact: This is the last screenshot that features Punkaid alive. He actually died when we passed the gateway because I failed to realize that the only thing that kept him from dying was his righteous might. I heard his voice actor screaming in fatal agony but when the scene faded in Punkaid was still breathing. He was immediately healed of course and everything seemed to be well again but once we entered a house in Hommlet, he suddenly died without any explanation (even this town can hardly be that horrible). Using the auto saves was also useless, he always died immediately. Of course, I didn't save after the demon was killed so I was forced to do this whole battle all over again.


That’s it for now but in case that there are any more unpredicted delays, you can still entertain yourself with this old trailer of Phantasmagoria 2. A story about emotions, sex and lots of (literally) bloody paperwork

Here goes my dignity.

The nodes: Going elemental (Fire)

'There was no redemption, no hope. We were in hell and we all knew it.' Lord Grey, About Gods and the Unholy


I heard plenty of things about the fire node and not many of them were good. It was the first node I entered on my first playthrough and all I can remember from it was walking around for around five minutes before my party abruptly found its end. I've avoided the nodes ever since but now, armed with newfound confidence and a dwarf that can pretty much kill everything in a heartbeat, it's time to confront this one's fear (and hopefully survive it). The wildlife on this plane is dangerous, mostly because quiet a lot of them cause fire damage when hit. If Magedude wouldn't have been so lazy we could use fire shield scrolls to reduce the effects of burning. Now we'll have to face these roasted frogs the old fashioned way (no jokes about the French please).




They almost disappear in their environment like chameleons but they can't escape Johnny's good perception for whacking opportunities. Punkaid follows to help him but is way too slowly.




All what he gets out of it is the knowledge that bites from a creature that is on fire really hurts. It also produces a nice explosion on exodus.




Hereby follows the unavoidable joinable NPC-on-every-god-damn-plane encounter (ok, the water node was an exception).




That wasn't a good pick-up line when it was new and surely as hell isn't now. Tumblefingers is puzzled that you even need a detect motive check for this one.



We've already established that this skill turns elves into half orcs, so what does it do to seemingly human beings?




Yeah, yeah very impressive. Looks like this would mean more fighting in tight black leather and with whips but as it turns out this evil creature has something worse in stock for us: Emo-background stories.




Background stories about family issues nonetheless. Sorry but no way lady. We're out of here.

Disclaimer: She's probably the only node NPC really worth taking though. I guess Arcanum's finale kinda spoiled me and I was expecting joinable demi-gods around every corner. This sorceress is the closest thing you'll get with these standards. Be warned however that her true form (dunno if it is also the case if you don't reveal her real nature) bears the same problem like with Scorpp. That is no one will want to talk to you anymore.

Another new (and embarrassingly easy) enemy type: the Bodak. Folds like paper, but the walking animation is creepy enough (reminds me a little of sea hags). The rulebook warns that they can use death gazes for instant kill but Tumblefingers doesn't leave them an opportunity to use it.




Here a prime example what happens when your dice hates you. Our heroes spot some snakes (on fire of course which makes them the most reskinned creatures of the entire game. I hope this sentence makes sense at least) surrounded by fire elementals and since neither of them pose a real threat, Screamer commands to attack. It seems our bold adventurers will never learn. Johnny charges forward but apparently into the wrong direction. The snake he wanted to kill takes advantage of the situation and bites him and Johnny is immediately paralyzed. The game stays true to the rules and still grants him his turn but as long as he doesn't start to multiclass to a spellcaster (fat chance) this is a rather worthless concession.




It's getting crowded in here. Punkaid isn't much of a standup fighter and has severe troubles with keeping the situation under control. We need something for crowd control, asap.




Not very delicate but it'll do.




More snakes in a distance. The women push the still paralyzed Johnny in front of them. Being helpless is no justification for being useless after all.




Johnny is cured for about two seconds before he again starts to steal all the heroic kills. Is leather skin on fire valuable by the way?




Here we got a recreation of one of the bridge scene in Lord of the Rings with a few subtle changes. There is now lava and more fire in general




The mage is put in the back row where he belongs




and the fighters are up front.




So even when it becomes difficult to keep an overview of the situation, of one thing you can be certain




Really no one is going to get past your party.




Even those who don't really want to.




I wasn't sure if I should use the radiant joke here or back in the earth node. I'll let your preference decide.




Last thing of note, some Efreetis in our way (I start to doubt that the people who invented those names ever tried to speak them aloud. At least, not without breaking their tongues).




It's just a fancy way for not calling them fire elementals though.




A few of minutes and a bunch of butchered minions later, our heroes stand in front of what appears to be some kind of pyramid. Danger is hanging thick in air, so Punkaid and Magedude spent a moment for much needed buffs. With no way back, our heroes climb the stairs, ready to meet their ultimate challenge (TM).




Uh-oh, it's always a bad sign when the villain can afford himself some manners.




Gee, he's a Goth to boot. This should be a pain in the arse. No matter, let the battle commence!




As you can see, Magedude sticks to the standard opening.




Our initial plan to handle the Balor is to use Tumblefingers and let her sneak attack him into submission while the others keep him busy.




Guess who is going to fail his/her saving throw against the Balor's aura of fear.




It's up to the thugs then. Sadly (or luckily depending on your opinion), the Balor initially relies on his collection of slay living spells which he releases on Johnny. To everyone’s surprise, the dwarf makes quiet a lot of good will saving throws. It's still not looking good for him though. Once the Balor actually starts to use that big sword of his it even gets worse. Even stone skin won't help here.




Johnny finally goes down for good.




Now when was the last time that happened?




Ah yes, right. Anyways, considering the circumstances, the situation is everything but promising. With the main tank taken out, a cleric who seldom ever hits anything and a really angry demon with a big butchering knife on our heels, the fight doesn't leave much room for assumptions about the outcome. Magedude rummages in his spellbook but doesn't really find anything that would certainly turn the tide in their favor. He ends up throwing a sickening cloud at the Balor. When you already got to die, you do it in style.

I'm not sure about the numbers but I think he got incredibly lucky right there.




Remember the final scene in Death Proof where some chicks beat the shit out of Kurt Russell? That pretty much describes what happens next. Everyone in the party (except for Johnny who just receives first aid) gets his fair share but no fun can last forever, sadly.




Only the charmed (yet oddly hostile) Efreetis remain for Magedude to deal with. Watch this beautiful CGI when he shots with his magical bow++.






Ladies and gentleman, I proudly present to you, the renewed Orb of Death!




Now, if Screamer could just remember what she wanted to do with it.


Looks like I'm a bit behind schedule. I'll try to throw another update together this evening or early tomorrow.

That fuckin' Balor's what's keeping me right now. Only my paladin manages to stand against his fear, which leaves 2/5:s of my beating power (2/5 for my fighter, 1/5 for my cleric) to handle the fucker. And that spell resistance can kill a cow.

Shit.

Great updates, by the way. Getting closer to the finish line by the minute.

That was great! How often did you have of try this to record such a dramatic set of screens?

Edit: if I remember correctly, a measily Protection from Evil buff should protect against fear. If it doesn't, the Remove Fear spell and Lesser Mind Blank should both be of great ait. Also, good old Clarity, one of the most useful spells in the game.

Took me three tries, I think. First time I wanted to find out how badly the Balor would own an unbuffed party, the second run was a victory but Punkaid, Johnny and Screamer ended up dead. The party only won because Tumblefingers brought the strength stat of the Balor down to 0 so he was immobilized. That's what I like to believe at least.

This will be a very boring chapter for many of you as it basically tells about the PCs randomly killing people while I spout unfunny one-liners along the way. However, my therapist said that it would be a good way to release emotional stress. What can I say? He was absolutely right.

Revisiting Hommlet: The great homecoming

'I firmly hold up the belief that, no matter in what kind of peculiar situation you find yourself, it doesn't free you from your duty of doing the right thing.' Lord Grey, Traveler's Thought


For all heroes, there comes a time where there is no more place to run. They wrestle in fear, try to hide themselves in dark corners but in the end they just delay the inevitable. With no more excuses at hand, Screamer opens her diary and examines their progression in the main quest before they jumped off the rails.




Terjon, Terjon...Why does this name sound so familiar?

(Dramatic Flashback)






Ah yes, that Terjon. Of course, no one in the party has forgotten you my friend! In fact, they are all standing in your bed room, right next to you, right now. You got any final words, dear sir?




Our last meeting with Cuthbert indicates that this is rather unlikely to occur. Now, let's see what this orb can do. There are many tempting choices for Screamer, with satisfying consequences of course.




In all honesty though, screw subtlety. The idea of setting a church on fire with a Balor is too much to bear.




If you would be so kind to give us the honor, Ms. Tumblefingers?




For what it's worth, the cleric makes a formidable and enduring opponent. This is around the sixth turn or so.




But no toy is built to last.




With a job well done, the Balor returns to his realm, shattering our pyromaniac daydreams. The loot is rather disappointing in comparison. It's mostly unenchanted equipment, except for a ring of minor protection but at least all jewelry seems to be of some worth. This should usually lead to the happily ever after part but news in Hommlet spread fast.




A witch-hunt has been declared. Now it is either us or them. Calmert is the first to fall victim to this dispute. The drunken cleric never saw what hit him.




Here a little demonstration to the cook how a bloody steak is done right.




This is actually starting to make fun! It's already dusk when our heroes leave the church. They sneak over to the shepherd and murder his sheep in silence. Then they go into his hut. The old man is surprisingly quick to react but has hardly enough time to get out of his bed.




Die you worthless, yet unmentioned shield maker!




Die you completely pointless potter!




Magedude makes the interesting discovery that the brewer is actually chaotic evil (he has an awful german sounding name. I should have made the connection earlier). That doesn't save his skin though and neither his apprentice.




We bust into the store of Rannos and Gremag, where we are welcomed with open arms. After desert and some tea, we thank them for the hospitality and return to the impulsive violence.




The time of piece for Fruella's father was apparently bound to be short. Poor guy.




What is this miller? You don't want to share your flour. How about we share some pain with you instead?




For someone who wanted to fight in the army so badly, Johnny must admit that he's somewhat disappointed by the tailor's performance.




*BAM* And here is Screamer!




Be ready for some shocking revelations, folks!




All the way through.




It’s an interesting thing that Furnog starts attacking Turuko instead of us. I guess being a neutral messed up with his friend-foe perception or something.




Hm, still a lot of people alive in here. Enough to justify another summon. A Vrock should completely suffice.




Incidentally, it releases a terrible, menacing cloud which does..absolutely nothing. We've already established that Vrocks are not worth the attention but Screamer would have least expected something.




We deal with the survivors ourselves. Since the Vrock (and all the other summons for that matter) doesn't disband like the Balor before, we are forced to kill it by ourselves. We even get another skull gem in case that the other one breaks or something. (Ok, I'm lying. It's obviously bug and I'm not going to touch that thing)




No tips for the bum.




From all the Hommlet folks, I think our heroes respected Brother Smyth the most as the ruthless businessman he was but they can't afford mercy when there is still so much to be done.




Die random citizen!




On their visit in the nearby laborer's camp, Screamer reveals her political stance on outsourcing.




How you are going to fix this carpenter? We hope for you that your new religion grants you a nice afterlife.




Let's try something more challenging for a change. How about climbing the tower while slaying legendary heroes on the way?




Screamer had to watch Magedude so many times using his ice storm. It's her turn now.




Heh, heh, fun but that is before the guards collectively start sneak attacking Punkaid (well, they warned us already that they are former thieves so it figures) and causing him great pain. Screamer wishes for Rufus and Burne to die an heroic death as they deserve and summons a Hezrou but that blasted thing casts a flame hammer (or whatever it is called Edit: Chaos Hammer) in our midst, almost killing Punkaid in the process. Soon, there is nothing left but corpses and loot.




Heading upstairs and facing another guard. The Hezrou finds his head tasty looking and bites it clean off. Yum Yum




Blasted sneak attacks! *DOOM*




Our heroines demonstrate their opinion on romance options in cRPGs. Laszlo and his retarded son don't survive it.




I guess I should write ‘Where is your newfound god now, huh?’ but I won’t.




The party invests a lot of effort into Filliken and his daughters. Since it took them such a long time to hook this old fart up with Mathilde, it seems only fair.




Speaking of Mathilde, here she is. What is there left to say? Live like a whore, die like a whore.




Our last 'big' confrontation in Hommlet. Jeroo challenges us to a duel, 3 vs. 5.




Best chance for Screamer to find out how the flame strike would do in a combat situation.




It's like judgment from heaven but where is that other bear?




There it is! The poor thing just didn't have enough room to spawn.




Come to daddy, teddy.




Hey, wife. Want to hear some worthless rumors? Sure, I got something for you: You are dead! *retarded laughter*




The last kill is somewhat sentimental as it involves our very first real quest giver. It's the trusty woodcutter next door. Johnny showed him the fine differences between wood and the poor man's legs.




And that's the story how the party managed to fulfill the long lasting plans of the agents of the temple in one single night. So what's up next quest log?




*Grmph*

Quite cathartic, I'm sure....

Excellent presentation!

Heh, the Balor sure made short work of Terjon. I was expecting a more epic fight to be honest.

As for the Bodaks, I'm not sure if their death gaze was implemented pre-Co8. Likewise for the Basilisk's petrifying gaze. Suffice to say, they're quote a bit tougher now.

So, next up is Zuggtmoy I guess? Or will you slaughter Nulb just for the heck of it too? (you probably owe it to yourself to kill Otis, Mother Screng and Hruda (who are all undercover agents of furryondi) ).

That darn priest survived longer than 6 turns! That's pretty epic for a high level encounter against a single opponent actually (the ones that you can survive for that matter). Terjon is a tough nut to crack and I'm really curious about what he's got under the hood. I mean he can still cause a lot of trouble amongst a fully buffed level 10 party with nothing more than a +1 mace. Plus every spell that can be blocked by any kind of saving throw is pretty much a waste on him, hence the lack of them in the screenshots. It all boils down to a rather unspectacular and direct exchange of blows. Reminds me of the type of NPC my old GM would make to have something that is technically killable but not supposed to be killed under any circumstances. Killing Terjon might have not been as great as pissing off your GM in a P&P session but it was still worth the trouble I would say.

The next entry will indeed bring the copped together story about Screamer's gang to a close.
Should be done by tonight.

Sitra Achara said:

Or will you slaughter Nulb just for the heck of it too?

Click to expand...

You sir are a heartless barbarian with an unhealthy interest in senseless violence. That undercover thing about Mother Screng is interesting though. At least it explains why both hags got voice actors. How do you find out about them?

Pussycat669 said:

That darn priest survived longer than 6 turns! That's pretty epic for a high level encounter against a single opponent actually (the ones that you can survive for that matter). Terjon is a tough nut to crack and I'm really curious about what he's got under the hood. I mean he can still cause a lot of trouble amongst a fully buffed level 10 party with nothing more than a +1 mace. Plus every spell that can be blocked by any kind of saving throw is pretty much a waste on him, hence the lack of them in the screenshots.

Click to expand...

I've checked his stats in vanilla ToEE. Apparently Troika made him a level 10 Cleric with the addition of 20 HD. That's why he gets 5 attacks with a crazy base attack bonus. And as if that wasn't bad enough, he also gets a +10 'natural armor' bonus. Troika must've forgot that he's also carrying an ordinary armor, so he gets +15 AC in total, plus +2 from his dexterity bonus and +1 from his ring.
Basically, he doesn't really make any sense, rules-wise. The probable cause is that whoever stated the monsters in Troika forgot that granting character levels adds bonuses on top of other bonuses (this was the case in many other cases, one of the Co8 rules lawyers went over the creature files and corrected many such mistakes). In Co8, his extra HD were dropped, as well as the arbitrary bonuses to AC, saves and HP, but he was upped to 20th level (Cleric 10, Fighter 7, Paladin 3), presumably to retain the challenge while keeping him rules compliant. (plus a custom tailed AI scheme)

You sir are a heartless barbarian with an unhealthy interest in senseless violence. That undercover thing about Mother Screng is interesting though. At least it explains why both hags got voice actors. How do you find out about them?

Click to expand...

It's fairly well hidden. A shame, consider what little story ToEE has.
It's only available to good party alignments, and it involves hiring Otis for the second time (he is scripted to disband from your party after returning to Nulb from the Temple; he will only hire out a second time to good parties who have discovered the Temple factions). If your party is of a low enough level (5 or less) then he says you might need some extra help, and reveals Screng and Hruda to you (finding out who they are is a bit of a surprise... and Hruda's real name is pretty goofy), after which you can recruit them.

Another neat feature of Otis, is that if you're evil and find out about him through the anvil cache thing, he will betray you when your health is low enough.

As a matter of fact, Otis attacks me as soon as I get close to the temple. Could be because I already joined the temple factions or because of all the killed innocents, I dunno. What I think is also nice is that if you try to attack any helpless town dwellers with Otis and Elmo in the party, Otis will turn on you and 'force' Elmo to do the same. So much for the myth about the absolute devotion of good NPCs.

Thanks for all the info. The way how you find out about the agents seems a bit random to me but maybe it's a leftover of the original P&P module. Now it sounds like I really owe myself to try the Co8 modpack when I get the time.

Anyways, update in 1,2,3 (I'm talking about hours here).

I heard that in the p&p module, the condition is opposite - they will only join high enough level parties. In ToEE, parties usually get to level 6 pretty fast after butchering a few Temple denizens, so I'd imagine most players miss out on that branch. I thought about changing the condition to conform to the module, but it doesn't match the dialogue lines ("Okay, I'm in. But I think we need help" - if you're high level, it makes sense that you DON'T need the extra help - although I suppose I could just set the threshold higher, to level 7 or something)

By the way, you're right that it's very random and hard to find. In fact, I only found out about it while poking around the dialogue files.

As for trying Co8, to be honest I think it would be best if you put it off about 6-12 months if you're going to do a LP. The mod's in the process of a rehaul, addressing balance issues, adding new content, correcting mistakes/oversights and generally polishing things up. People here often bash Co8 for dumb decisions and whatnot, and we hear what they're saying - things can and will change in response to player feedback. I will also add that if you're unhappy with something, the fastest way to get it changed is to just mod it yourself and post it at Co8. If it's reasonably well thought-out, chances are it will be incorporated. That's how I started. (the first thing I did was to add a signpost to Hommlet and Nulb that 'teleports' you around, as an additional shortcut for all that trekking back and forth)

Was an ok game.

Not yet. I demand a lawful good play thread. Evil must not win.

Fun Facts: There are rumors that you can actually destroy Iuz's avatar if you're either extremely lucky (the dismissal spell could, at least technically, work on him meaning instant kill) or a talented munchkin. This will be rewarded by a special ending that tells about Izu and his fear of your party. Never was able to beat him though.

Click to expand...

I banished Iuz for the lulz, but never saw the ending screen as that playthrough died in the elemental plane of lag :grumble:

I've thought about playing this game through (I didn't get far last time I tried), but i dunno

i originally made a standard party of 5 that was neutral good but that got boring so i made an ubermenschen (rerolled till everything was at least 15 with a 17 in wis) cleric of hextor (tiny little girl with pink hair in pig tails of course, tee hee) and am having a lot of fun running around with a harem of undead (evil rebuking of undead = command)

but i already hit level 9 so there's not much 'progress' to be made character wise i guess, maybe i should have gone with some fighter levels?

what are your guys' favourite builds?

This being D&D 3.0/3.5 -nothing- beats a cleric. Nothing. On paper, you'll want five level ten clerics; the best class in the game by far.

ToEE isn't so hard you need to care about builds, though- kinda like Wizardry 8 in this regard, except Wizardry 8 has way more fun combat.

Try, hrm, a pure fighter, a rogue/wizard or rogue/fighter powerbuild, a wizard or sorcerer (depends on how well you know D&D), a cleric and a bard make a good party. You don't really need a pure rogue on ToEE so do multiclass him. Rogues are made to multiclass with. Even that pure fighter could benefit from three rogue levels tremendously, but it isn't needed.

Really, just remember:

a) someone who can -take- damage (Fighter, ideally with Expertise, but again, not needed in ToEE)
b) someone who can use versatile and disabling magic (Wizard, Sorcerer)
c) someone who can scout and handle traps (Rogue, Ranger/Rogue, even Fighter/Rogue), ideally a halfling
d) someone who can heal. (A cleric!)

Since clerics are so retartedly powerful in 3.X, they can also fight as well as a fighter of equivalent level, as long as their buffs aren't dispelled. That said, it's likely better to buff the fighter instead. In fact, an Extend Magic: Bull's Strength is way more useful than any Fireball will ever be since that Fighter is gonna do the most damage.

Long story short, you only -need- there four things in a party, and if you like a challenge you can go with less, or combine these four things in three or two characters. This being ToEE, though, you might as well have one character specialize on each aspect and bring in a fifth: a damage dealer. A greataxe minmax Half-Orc Barbarian will benefit any party that has a tank. Tremendously. Just buff his strength and remember that Barbarians are flankers, not frontliners (unless you pick some munchkin feats or multiclass).

edit: That's not what you asked. >_> My favourite build is a solo-monk in ToEE and a solo cleric.

I'm thinking about playing the game through, this was my idea for the party:

Rogue 1/Fighter 1/Barbarian 8
Wizard
Cleric Fire and Earth
Cleric Sun and Strength
Druid

edit- also, Jasede, druids are better. They are casters AND melee monsters

if you make a druid name it Dagorkan ;(

"This being D&D 3.0/3.5 -nothing- beats a cleric. Nothing. On paper, you'll want five level ten clerics; the best class in the game by far. "

Wrong.

Anyone aware of any mod that skips the hommlett fetch and carry quests or a character editor that can give you experience points?

i found one but it didn't let me edit experience (from sorcerer's place)

damn intro is mind numbingly boring

You can award yourself experience via the console.

just ~ for console, then type "levelup".

interesting! Thank you sir, that is one thing i did not even think of

About time I get off my lazy arse.

Sitra Achara said:

As for trying Co8, to be honest I think it would be best if you put it off about 6-12 months if you're going to do a LP.

Click to expand...

I wasn't thinking about doing an extra LP for the Co8 pack alone but rather doing a rerun with the old party and either write a quick review about how Co8 altered the experience or some kind of lost chapter thingie, if the situation warrants it. That, or simply try it out for fun (shock and awe).


Down in the Basement: How you give your place that 'final touch'

'Our ordeal was almost at an end. With their leader defeated, the rest of the cult had barricaded themselves deep within the catacombs. We could hear them behind heavy wooden doors, chanting, pleading to creatures from the beyond. Due to the noises it became apparent that something was responding to their call. Time was running short but despite our efforts to unlock the door with magical means it was still jamming. The paladin eventually decided that a more radical approach was in order and threw himself against the wood with all the strength and weight he could muster. It cracked and burst open with a triumphant thunder. However, there was a little staircase, hardly more than seven steps, leading into the room that caught him off guard. He tripped, fell within an unlucky angle and broke his neck. It was there where I found the reason to abandon my life as an adventurer: The fear of dying a trivial death.' Lord Grey, A Man and his Dungeon

Screamer and company certainly had much to go through. They've done countless travels between the temple and Nulb, faced numerous foes while at the same time performing several acts of manslaughter (of varying difficulty) for everything that is important in life, namely gold and jewelry. But the temple has yet one more challenge to offer.




That's right; our valiant heroes are facing the worse nightmare of every real estate owner called household renovations. As it is often the case with ancient dungeons, the lower levels of the temple are poorly isolated against moistness. Incidentally, the place is plagued by mold (the yellow ulcer you can see on the left) and other fungi cultures. Since the stench and the extra cost for renovation tools are apparently not already enough, those plants are also animated by pulsating malice and attack on sight. To add insult to injury, a ninja troll liberal suddenly appears behind the party, yells 'Against the oppressors!' and injures Magedude severely. He in return fries this rebel without a cause, thanks to his trusty lightning bolt.




It looks like it was about time for a clean up. They almost got to the Hedrack's former treasure vault which contains many valuables... and robes.




Yeah, you've gotta have big balls in a dungeon.




It is unclear what kind of entry point this should be. Judging by the layout of the room, there is a staircase supposed to appear once you've collected all orb gems. Nevertheless, our heroes descent further down into the abyss for the very last time. They find themselves in some sort of summoning circle.




The last level in ToEE is very hard to describe if you want to capture the almost surreal feeling surrounding it. Although the rest button indicates that danger is lurking around, there are no random encounters in this area whatsoever which is sad because the battle theme is kinda nice and there are only two confrontations to handle here. What makes this place especially eerie is its blandness. There are many empty rooms/corridors (an empty trap chest somewhere too) and lots of secrets doors which lead to other deserted places. Even more curiously, they are mostly set pieces of other areas which our heroes have already visited. Do you recognize the statue in this dead end for example?




With that mentioned, we rejoin our heroes on their inconclusively search for treasures. The throne room looks important enough but all it holds is another exit up to the ground level. If they just would have believed Screamer's crazy vision earlier, they could have used the entrance that appeared beneath the other throne in the entrance hall to get here, skipping Hedrack and the elemental nodes altogether. At least we now have an easy way back to the surface.




So here they were hiding the living room. Our heroes finally know a place to chill out in style.




No time for resting though. The mold n' mushroom problem is far from resolved.




Biological science hasn't developed far enough to be of help here but, as in many of such cases, you can always rely on the brilliant mage to come up with a smart solution (or the much needed firepower).




In the only other remaining point of interest (you can tell by that expensive looking platinum pillar standing here), Screamer meets an old hag that jogs around while muttering to herself. She stands next to yet another throne that is decorated with precious jewels and diamonds which leads to the presumption that the old woman must be important. Ignoring her obvious psychological problems, Screamer tries to starts a conversation.




She actually turns out to be quiet friendly and reveals that she is the former high priestess before Hedrack took over. This seems to be reasonable considering a certain family resemblance.



Guess it must be some kind of horrible, hereditable skin disease.

The hag describes her desire to return back to power and give Hedrack a piece of her mind for locking her up down here (willingly ignoring all of Screamer's explanation that he's already dead). All she needs is an object of extraordinary power to have a real fighting chance and she thinks the orb would do nicely in this regards. In exchange, she offers to enchant the already mentioned pillar (estimated market value: 500.000 gold coins) to make it 'light as a feather' so that our hero can transport and sell it. This proposal puts Screamer in an awkward position since she doesn't have enough ranks in sense motive. What does usually happen when you refuse old women? Well, if they don't curse you and in case they are worshiping a demon, chances are high that said demon will appear.




This would be an excellent job opportunity though.




No, no, no! Screamer shakes her head in the face of her own failed logic. Old women don't summon demons. They attack you with their heavy cane and break your hands. Besides, half a million is probably enough to create an item far more powerful than the orb anyways. Screamer hands over the skull. The old woman embraces it warmly and starts to cackle in madness for a few seconds, which is oddly appeasing, before she disappears in a puff of smoke. Although our heroes don't know it yet, they are in for some serious plant mutilation.




There are two things happening now. First, Madame Zlut actually does enchant the pillar but only to catapult it into the throne room where it crashes violently against a door (leaving Johnny with a terrified scream upon his lips and a broken spirit). Secondly Screamer, who was way too willing to give away the most powerful artifact in the party's possession, must realize that her present of good will has, to no ones surprise, turned her into a willing slave of Madame Zlut, making her one with the enemy. There is no way out (actually, we could still escape backstage through the curtain but that wouldn't be very heroic), no excuse. The final battle is about to begin.

Bring it on!




Um...




It seems like our heroes get a little bit more time to prepare themselves, thanks to some leftover bug in the script. Let's see, we pretend that Screamer walked over to Zlut to cover her back and to make the scene look more dramatic, put Johnny here, Tumblefingers there, some buffs while we're at it...Ok, we're set.

Bring it on!




There are no special tactics required when facing Madame Zlut. Neither do you need any specific items nor is there any kind of long winded ritual that you must perform for every playthrough (I specifically look at you Obsidian Studios). She's got a greater amount of hitpoints, like every powerful demon, an almost insanely large attack range and she, like every other Fungi monster, is immune to sneak attacks what means that Tumblefingers will probably spent most of the time twiddling her thumbs. Otherwise it's just you, her and all the creatures she will summon, if you're not fast enough. In the tradition of old D&D, all of her summoning spells are based on random rolls when the game must decide what and how many creatures shall appear. The worst thing she can do is to summon more, albeit weaker, guardian demons, like the ones our heroes have defeated in the nodes. What I've encountered so far are:

Up to 3 Vrocks: Very easy (although distracting), especially if you got some dismissal scrolls ready.
1 Giabrezu: Also easy if you get a lucky roll for Dismissal. In case you don't or you just don't have the right spells at hand, he will hurt you, a lot.
2 Hezrous: Nothing sends you a clearer 'You are really screwed now' message. I was never able to beat Madame Zlut without hit & run tactics while she's got those fellows around. Highly dangerous.

What we see here is the best case scenario.




Fun Facts: Web actually works on Vrocks. Imagine that.

As you may realize, Screamer has swapped from her relatively effective crossbow to her rather useless rapier. She does many other strange things during the battle like drinking a reduce person potion and spent the next turns doing nothing until the effect wears off (she does the same when she casts haste on herself).

Screamer eventually runs out of potions and decides to perform some futile attacks with Tumblefingers as a victim. The halfling lady is slightly annoyed.




The rest of the group focuses its effort mostly on the Vrock to lengthen the battle for a bit but they start to grow weary of the Vrock's bad habit to cast mirror images over and over. Johnny, feeling greatly unchallenged, eventually tries to prickle Madame Zlut with his sword and causes some kind of allergic reaction.




What does this mean? Johnny' imagination runs wild




and leaves through the window, making him stand there with an absent gaze for a couple of seconds, just enough time for Madame Zlut to fully regenerate. The battle starts all over again. Our heroes suddenly come to realize that Screamer has unexplainably deceased during the brief conversation between Johnny and Madame Zlut. No one knows why and Tumblefingers isn't going to tell. She instead takes advantage of her initiative and deals with the Vrock.




That's all the henchmen down. Punkaid feels all manly and throws a nasty taunt. He should have waited with that.




Madame Zlut sets her army of Fungi loose on our reluctant adventurers. Most dangerous here are the upgraded moist creatures who spit acid (preferably on poor Magedude) which can cause a significant amount of pain over a short period of time. The other Fungi critters don't have any ranged weapons at their disposal but make up for it with a highly poisonous secretion that they release during their attacks. Well aware that he and Tumblefingers are the one that will suffer the most during the next turns, Magedude tries his best to improve their situation.




That won't do. They need something more catholic. Tumblefingers is struck by an idea. Wasn't there a gnome from whom they took a scroll that was specifically made to entrap all sorts of Fungi? She rushes over to Screamers corpse who is still holding all the quest items and such but she has to realize that she can't loot Screamer’s corpse as long as she's in the party. This would normally be a soul tearing moral decision but since we're in the middle of a battle against overgrown toadstools it is safe to assume that everyone can become a relativist in an instant.




First acid bath heading our way.




Our special gift of causing near death experiences pays off this time around.




If we play it smart, we should be able to contain Madame Zlut and get a second chance in enslaving her. Well, here goes nothing.






Splendid work Tumblefingers! Now all we got t-




Damn Magedude!




But wait, the new protégé still seems to be alive. Johnny and Punkaid try to stabilize her. There is a short moment of panic and confusion within the group but Punkaid, who still has the highest rank in healing within the party, knows exactly what to do. They carry her back to the throne room and, very carefully, place her upon the cushions.




That's right sis. Lie down, take a few deep breaths and before you know it you'll feel all the




Uh, better?

With the demon accidentally slain, the ground all of a sudden starts to rumble. Either because of the heavy pillar that crushed full force against the foundation, the epic struggle or simply because evil estates tend to collapse in a final attempt of doing something naughty, the whole place is coming down. Magedude is about to cast Teleport when he realizes that Johnny is missing. They spot the dwarf at the further end of the hall, collecting the platinum that lies scattered on the floor. They rush towards him while dodging falling debris in an utmost spectacular fashion. Still, even when defying their alignment for the sake of another PC, Johnny remains stubborn and untouched while he tries to lift a platinum piece almost his size. 'No treasure left behind!' he yells over the sound of falling rocks. Punkaid knocks him out and our heroes finally make their escape just mere seconds before the ceiling finally collapses under its own weight.

They stand at the edge of the guard tower, overlooking what is left of a once great temple. No one talks. The destruction before them speaks in its own words. Most of the roof has collapsed, burying everything beneath. More than one of our heroes is close to an emotional outbreak. The money, the demon, despite being horribly cliché still useful and the skull are all out of reach, forever. They hear a chuckle behind them. It's Tumblefingers, still brushing off the dirt from her cloak. She grabs a little bag that is attached to her belt and reveals the beautiful play of colors within. While everyone was occupied with Madame Zlut, she had used the opportunity to snatch the gems on the priestess's stool. Life returns to the faces of our brave veterans. Tumblefingers says something and everyone is starting to laugh, even Johnny. While the dust settles and the sun rises to bring a new dawn, we watch our heroes making their way down the mountain and onto the road leading to Nulb while the screen is slowly fading to pitch black. Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 is playing as the credits start to roll one last time.




Quit salting the wound, would ya.










That should be easy considering that they're all dead. I mean they are dead, right?




Every war claims its victims sooner or later.

Beethoven’s masterpiece is suddenly interrupted and the screen fades back in. We stand in front of the side entrance to the temple. The door is opening. A mysterious cloaked figure steps out into the sunlight. Something is not right with it. Its body is twisted in an unnatural angle and you can hear its breath racked with pain every time it tries to move. It is holding something in its hands, both clawing its fingers into it as if its life would depend on it while at the same time holding it close like a caring parent a newborn child. It is hard to make out what the item in question could be. Now the figure has reached the juncture leading to the main road. More noises are leaving the thick woven fabric. Is it sniffling? It lowers its head and looks for tracks. Four sets of footprints are settled in the dust. The easiest to spot belongs to a dwarf in heavy armor, his lack of swiftness only surpassed by his lack of intelligence. Second in line is a priest who, judging by the clumsiness of his steps, still tries to learn the art of tumbling. Then the mage, determined, headstrong and always walking in a controlled pace. Last the footprints of a lightweight halfling whose traces almost disappear amongst the rest. The figure knows them all. She follows.




To be continued


‘The man turned towards me, focusing the only functioning eye he had left to meet mine. "Was that it?" he asked me in a disappointed voice. Terror has smitten me as I realized that we were the only two living beings left in the room. All I could muster was a silent nod. "There could have been more" he said and died.’ Lord Grey, The final Verdict