Let's Play! Icewind Dale

[Integrity]

Bit of a short update today but oh well. Sometimes it be that way. Today I learned that Luka has an empty first-level Mage spell slot, but no spell to use there. Damn. Need to find a scroll somewhere.

----------

Proceeding into the town of Kuldahar, Luka stopped a moment to talk to the lad he had accosted.

"So, kid, what're you doing way out here alone?"

"Waitin' for you."

"Oh, cool. Wait, what?"

"Arundel wants to see you."

"How does Arundel know we're here?"

"Dunno man. He's a Druid."

"Oh, cool."

The party continued another ten steps or so before Furetchen came to a sudden halt. "ITEM SHOP!"

"Excuse me, sir! We have a lot of bows and --"

"Sorry, kid. Only buy books and other curiosities."

"...are you fucking joking?"

"Nope."

"How about this jasper gem?" Luka pulled the stone out of Acacia's pack.

"Sure. 25 gold."

"Done. Bye."

"Later."

Outside, Luka grumbled and stamped his feet. "Douchebag. What kind of shopkeeper doesn't buy things?"

"Hey!" Acacia pointed off to their right. "What's that ...big tree thing? Bet a Druid lives there."

"...kay, as a Necromancer this makes me REEEEALLY nervous. Can we not go in there?"

"It's okay, Tarii. Luka'll do the talking. You just make yourself really small and listen."

"Excuse me, sir! Are you --"

"Yep."

"So, uh, what was with that avalanche?"

"No idea to be honest. Shit's goin' down in the Vale of Shadows and --"

"PLEASE don't tell me we have to go in there."

"Yep."

"Goddammit."

Returning outside, the party looked around. "Okay," said Acacia, "there's no way this town is two houses. Where the hell is everything?"

"Excuse me, sir! Where can we --"

"What the hell? New folks? How the hell did you get here?"

"Uh, we walked. Seriously, now, where's the shops?"

"There's one by the pass but the monger is a bit of an asshole. The blacksmith is in the north-central part, way over that way."

Luka sighed. "Thanks."

"Yeah."

"Whoa."

"Yeah. I'd say this is the rest of town."

"Yep."

As the party marveled at the fountain, a man came running out of the fog towards them with fear in his eyes and a purpose in his gait. Seeking to resolve this matter quickly and empty his packs on the blacksmith, Luka addressed the man directly.

"Hello, sir, what can we --"

"YETIS!"

"OH HELL NO"

"SHIT! He wasn't joking!"

"Actually, that wasn't all that bad."

"Well it helps that we outnumbered them three to one and Tarii helped."

"Yeah, bitches. Tarii where it at."

The frightened man who alerted the party walked over to Balcerzak. "Thank you, sir. Don't go into the Vale. It's nasty down there."

"Unfortunately, we kinda have to. Thanks for the warning?"

"Oh, cool! If you're already going down there you think you can find the Yeti what ate my brother and get our family heirloom back? It would mean SOOOOO much to me!"

"...yeah, sure, fine."

"Awesome. Laters."

In a comical train of mishap, the party ran square into a door. It didn't open, unlike all the others before it.

"What the fuck! Ow!"

"ZAK RAYMOND IS CRUSHING ME"

"Raymond, off Tarii."

"Hey! I can pick locks!"

Silence followed.

"Okay, who the fuck uses a non-conventional lock and shields it against spells? Somebody with something to hide. We need to figure out a way in."

"Later, Furetchen. Let's go find the blacksmith."

"Holy shit do you see these doors holy shit."

"Bet that's a temple."

"Bet you're right."

"I am."

"'course you are, Casey. 'course you are."

"ANVIL!" Furetchen shouted with glee. "Blacksmiths use anvils!"

"Hooray!"

"Good day to you sir! Can we --"

"Take advantage of me while you can, boys. I'm leavin' town."

Luka glared at the man. "Can you answer one question before we buy stuff?"

"Sure, shoot."

"WHY THE FUCK DOES EVERYBODY IN THIS TOWN INTERRUPT ME?!"

"Dunno, sorry."

"AAAAGH!" Luka stormed off."

Acacia stepped up. "Hi. Why so glum?"

"My wife died to a fever and my son vanished in the night."

"Aw, sorry man. Want us to look for him? We're going into the Vale of Shadows."

"Sure, go ahead. Don't expect you to find him, though."

"We'll find him! Anyway, we're buyin' and sellin'!"

"Whatchu buyin' and sellin', then?"

----------

So the blacksmith had a variety of magic weapons that I did not avail myself of because they were way outside our budget. Some nice stuff, though. What I DID buy was a suit of Plate for Raymond, alongside a bigger shield, better sword and helmet. Acacia got the handed-down Scale, and I bought some missiles for everybody.

----------

Afterwards, leaving town:

"So this is the Vale? Not very impressive."

"Tarii?"

"Yeah, Zak?"

"Run."

"Eh?"

Later, having dispatched the Yeti and having FAILED TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT OF THE AFTERMATH IN WHICH BALCERZAK LEVELED, the party moved on.

"Ominous northern path, or ominous southern path?"

"Let's go north."

"Okay!"

"Undead! I can finally use my Clerical abilities to their fullest!"

"...or you guys could just kill them with swords."

"I like that plan better."

"So, in that ...scary thing?"

"I guess we should."

"I'm gonna go with the "looks nasty so obviously there's something good inside" approach!"

"I think I agree with Furet."

The party shared a nod, then proceeded inwards...

[Integrity]

Dear Icewind Dale blog, today I learned that Wizards learn 2nd-level spells at level 3 and that Photobucket is occasionally an assbumpkin and crashes Firefox while not uploading everything you told it to. Sometimes. Also, Luka has magic now!

----------

"It's a ...crypt? Why?"

"AHH UNDEADS HELP GUYS!"

Balcerzak cheered quietly. "Now I can finally Turn Undead!"

"RUN FROM THE LIGHT, BITCHES!"

"Well, that wasn't too bad."

"For all the grousing I did I kinda like fighting these guys."

Luka stooped over and picked up a sword. "Hey, guys, didn't that blacksmith pay more for swords than axes? Check it!"

Furetchen blinked. "SWORDS EVERYWHERE! Finally, we'll have some damned money! Load yer packs, boys!"

"I sure am glad we make Raymond go around corners, Tarii."

"Ain't that right, Zak. Sounds like more skeletons eh?"

"Seems so, Tarii."

CLICK! went a plate in the ground. Gas began to flood the hallway as Acacia evacuated quickly.

"What the hell, guys? Where'd this shit come from?"

Raymond walked over and sniffed the gas, then promptly passed out on the floor. Satisfied with its work, the gas dissipated.

The party stared blankly at Raymond for a minute before he woke up with a "...back. Gas is gone."

"Yeah, seems so. Good job, buddy."

"OH GOOD LORD WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!"

"Well, it seems to die just like everything else -- by stabbing!"

"...you go, Casey. You go."

CLICK! went another plate. A single spike shot out of the floor and stuck Raymond in a single toe.

"OW! FUCK!"

"You okay up there, buddy?" shouted Luka.

"Yeah, sure, fine."

Raymond came trundling back down a few minutes later. "Dead end. Found stuff."

"OOH! Scroll!" Skitarii snatched the piece of paper and began to mumble words as he wrote in his book.

"So, who votes we take all this metal back to Kuldahar and sell it?"

"Good plan. It's getting pretty heavy."

----------

I cut out the subsequent Kuldahar sequence, as I visited the Weapon shop and sold the swords and visited the Mage and bought some scrolls. Skitarii learned Burning Hands for when he hits 3, and Luka got himself a scroll of Consomething EDIT: CHROMATIC THANK YOU ECLIPSE /EDIT Orb. It means colorful. Damage plus some status effects as the caster levels.

----------

"Alright. Shall we take that ominous southern path now?"

Balcerzak stopped short and screeched. "YETIS! WHY WASN'T RAYMOND IN FRONT!"

Furetchen shoved him hard backwards. "Because you ran ahead of him, dipshit!"

"RAAAAH!" shouted Raymond as he dove into the fray.

----------

What followed was a long sequence of navigating treacherous mountain paths, while being ambushed by Yetis roughly every screen. I didn't bother to take pictures of all the fighting, but here's a short OOC recap for you:

Grats, Raymond.

Grats, Furet.

Grats, Tarii.

Grats, Luka.

Yetis are pretty dope XP. Now, back to the narrative.

----------

"Crap, he's a big one!"

"Bet he's some kinda chief man!"

"Hey didn't that scared dude tell you his brother got ate by a big one, Zak?"

"Sure did, Tarii."

With a roar, the Chieftan struck Raymond on the head as hard as he could. Unfortunately for him, Raymond's helmet protected him - and Raymond then unleashed a roar to rival it and struck the Yeti on the head as hard as he could, killing him rather quickly.

"Well that was easy."

"Why can't we do that for all these things?"

"Hey, guys, check it out! Some kinda necklace?"

Balcerzak turned it over. "Got that dude's brother's name on it."

"Score one for us!"

"Magic hammer!" shouted Acacia. Following that, and following removing his armor, he added a "For Luka?"

"Damn right for me. Thanks!"

"So, in the cave?" asked Furetchen.

"Wouldn't that be slaughtering Yeti women and children?" asked Skitarii.

"...do such things exist?" inquired Acacia.

"Dunno, don't care." finished Raymond as he stepped into the aperture.

"HOLY --"

"Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow."

"Dunno what you guys are on about. Me and Tarii feel fine."

"You know what, Luka? Fuck you."

Luka laughed. "Sure thing, Balcie."

"There's some good news!" said Furetchen.

"And what would that be?"

"Somebody told me that blacksmith dude buys Yeti pelts. Looks like we got a lot of them and HOLY SHIT CARAVAN BOXES!"

"NOOOO they're locked and what am I grousing about I'M A THIEF!"

ca-click.

"Honestly, that spell doesn't sound too useful. Hope the Mage guy wants it." grumbled Skitarii.

"Mace for me!" shouted Balcerzak. "Finally, I'm protected better!"

"So, what say we take this haul back to Kuldahar?" proposed Furetchen.

The entire party agreed.

TEN HOURS LATER

"Hang on a sec," said Luka, "I want to go talk to that scared dude."

"Hey scared dude! Found your heirloom thing. It was in the belly of a really big Yeti, so I'm pretty sure your brother really got ate."

"Aw, dammit! Oh well. Here, I found this in the attic. You guys can have it."

"Pleasure doin' business with ya. Sorry 'bout your brother."

"S'cool, he was a dick anyway."

"Hey-oh!" shouted Furetchen. "I call dibs on that shit!"

"Wait, I thought you used bows?" asked Luka.

"Yeah."

"...you really trained yourself in the use of multiple projectiles and no melee weapons?"

"Hell yes."

"No wonder you hired us."

"Yeppers."

----------

Furet's now got a Sling+1 because - get this - a Short Bow using Arrows does 1d6 damage. A Sling+1 using Bullets does 1d4+1+1 damage - the same, but a much higher minimum. Plus, it's barely faster. Score!

Edited November 12, 2010 by Integrity

[eclipse]

Awesome, you got Chromatic Orb!

If my awful DnD memory serves me right, the damage it deals changes as you level up, and you can choose which version of Chromatic Orb you want to shoot.

Also, I see Backstab. Backstab is all sorts of fun!

[Integrity]

Awesome, you got Chromatic Orb!

CHROMATIC.

I don't know about shooting different levels of it, but it's still got some nifty effects as you get on no matter how it works.

Yes, backstab exists for Furetchen but the prick took 1x Bows and 1x Missiles INSTEAD OF DAGGERS. Prick.

Though, that said, Acacia can theoretically backstab. Can you backstab with a spear? Hmm.

EDIT: You know, I have a 2.0 Player's Handbook like eight feet away. Let's look up Chromatic Orb!

EDIT2: No such entry in the book. Icewind rather blatantly states that the effects depend upon the level of the Mage and you can't prepare it as anything except a 1st-level spell. Backstab, now, seems to simple be Sneak Attack for 2.0 - which means it works with non-knives. According to the book.

Edited November 12, 2010 by Integrity

[Parrhesia]

I looked through my only 2nd Edition book, a supplement called 'Tome of Magic'...alas, no Chromatic Orb there. There was, however, Puchezma's Powder of Edible Objects, the Brooch of Number Numbing and...Starella's Aphrodisiac.

There's also a perfume which kills everyone around you. Yeah, I'm thinking that between Cook, Findley, Herring, Kubasik, Sargent and Swan, at least three of them were on drugs.

[Integrity]

Today we meet the frustration of magic items nobody can use, and SOMEBODY SURPRISING I WON'T SPOIL WHO acacia levels.

----------

Back into the pass, back into the snow.

"Man, I am TOTALLY feeling this shit today. Who's with me?"

Nobody responded. Raymond grumbled a little as a form of affirmation.

"Tarii?"

"Yeah, Zak?"

"I have a distinctly Clerical-bad feeling about that blackness."

"Well, Zak, I've got a distinctly Necromancer-class good feeling about it."

"Another crypt?"

"Probs."

"Shadows! Again! I hate these things!"

"Hey, Furet, you've got a magic weapon. You should be tearin' them to shreds."

"Shup up, Luka. I haven't really remembered how to use it yet."

"That's why you guys have me!" piped up Skitarii. "MAGIC MISSILE!"

Something of a brawl later, the party decided to rest up and get their magic ready for what seemed to be another crypt.

And that sleep was interrupted by a wandering Yeti. Acacia's Thiefly abilities grew three sizes that day.

And then the party was interrupted by another wandering Yeti.

And then the party was interrupted by FOUR wandering Yetis.

"FUUUUUUUUCK!" shouted Furetchen as he began scrambling around. The rest of the party woke with a start and began unsheathing weapons and preparing magic.

"Ow. Sweet merciful Lord, OW."

"I think that goes for all of us, Balcie." responded Luka.

"I'm okay because Balcerzak already cured me." said a beaming Acacia.

"Ding!" added Raymond.

----------

"Hey, Tarii, check it out. We were right."

"Booyah, motherfuckers."

"You know," began Furetchen, "there's one thing I REALLY like about you, Balcerzak, and that's Turn Undead."

Balcerzak laughed. "All in a day's work! FUCK WHAT'S THAT THING?!"

Having slayed the Ghast and its little brother the Ghoul, the party breathed a sigh of relief.

"So that's what Ghasts look like..." mused Skitarii.

"You know 'em?" asked Luka.

"Yeah. Apparently when they hit somebody, that person is paralyzed and can't resist being torn to shreds by their claws."

"..."

"I know, right. Horrible. I need a pet one..."

"Hey, Casey, there's something at the base of that altar. Go check for traps."

"Can do, boss!" Acacia walked off, scanning the ground as he went.

Several minutes later, Acacia returned with a key and some paper in hand. "Got some scrolls of not particularly useful stuff and a key to something."

"A key?"

"Yeah. Bet there'll be yet another damn crypt with a gate in it this goes to."

"Hah. You're probably right."

Click! went a plate. Raymond froze, anticipating the sharp spike in his toe - but none ever came. Instead, shadows came out of the walls around him and he could hear his party shouting from around the corner. Clever, cryptmakers. Clever.

"Everyone else okay?"

"Yeah, pretty much everybody except you Balcie."

"Good. This is my last healing spell."

"Time to rest?"

"I'd say so, yeah."

Furetchen pointed forward. "Sarcophagus! There's always good shit in those!"

Acacia was already moving forward and scanning the ground before the word "always".

"Looks like we got ...some magic, a potion, and a magic halberd!"

"Holy shit! ...does anybody know how to use a halberd?"

The party collectively shook their heads.

"DAMMIT!"

Acacia stopped short and pointed. "Trap!"

Everybody stopped immediately.

"...now what?" asked Luka.

"Er...we disarm it?" answered Furetchen.

"I don't know how to do that, boss." said Acacia. "Or at least I don't think I do."

"It's kinda all over the hallway." observed Skitarii.

"Oh quit being pussies and just trip it. I'll fix you." finished Balcerzak.

This trap was much beefier than the traps Acacia was accustomed to watching Raymond take without pause. Acacia only cried a little bit.

A second trap sprung by Raymond and a short tussle with two skeletons later:

"MAGIC LEATHER!"

"Holy shit! Holy shit! That's me!" said Furetchen in a tizzy.

Raymond gave the armor to Acacia, who concentrated on it a moment.

"Aw, just basic old +1."

"Good enough for me!"

"Here you go, boss."

The party then left the crypt, having explored its every nook.

"So, that pass next?" Furetchen consulted the map. "Seems it's one of two we haven't checked."

"Alright then. Raymond, ho!" commanded Balcerzak.

"Yup." answered Raymond.

"Somehow, Zak, I think we might be doomed to explore crypts forever."

"You know, Tarii? I wouldn't be surprised."

----------

BONUS! I took two pictures giving you lot the description of Chromatic Orb since it doesn't exist outside of IWD.

Edited November 13, 2010 by Integrity

[Scarlet]

Yay level 3! \o/

But why did you not disarm those traps? Any semi-capable thief can do that by simply using the same command on the trap you use to pick locks. :/

[Integrity]

I hit thieving and moused over the trap but the indication stayed gray and nothing would happen on either Casey or Furet. :/

[Scarlet]

That's odd. I've never seen a thief be able to detect a trap, but fail to disarm it.

[Integrity]

Fail to be able to try to disarm it, even.

Maybe it had something to do with Furetchen's low skill and Acacia's armor?

[eclipse]

Ah, sounds like I was half-right!

Anyway, I grabbed the Chromatic Orb description off another game. . .I can link it if anyone's interested, but that game is infamous for kicking everyone's ass (including mine). It took me three years to beat it the first time. . .

[Integrity]

Temple of Elemental Evil.

[Integrity]

Incidentally, that was just a (bad) guess. :P

----------

"Always skeletons. Always - damn - skeletons."

"Least there aren't very many this time, eh Zak?"

"True point."

"Okay I'll admit I was a little wrong. There ARE a lot of them."

"Can I correct your point, Skitarii?"

"Sure, Acacia. Fire."

"There WERE a lot of them."

"Har har. You're not funny."

"Am too."

----------

So, incidentally, most people don't seem to be able to go above 1 proficiency in any given weapon. Raymond can go up and Acacia should be able to go up when his Fighter levels, but everybody else seems to be stuck branching out at this point. Congratulations on learning Daggers, Furet.

----------

"Looks like your kinda place, Tarii."

"Yeah, Zak. It is. Good old human sacrifice...man I miss those days."

"Whazzat at the base of the statue?"

Acacia walked up and pawed around the offerings. "Just some crappy spell scrolls, boss."

"Oh well. Can sell them to that mage guy."

Exploration ensued.

"Sarcophagus!"

Acacia walked over to the lid and began prying at it. The coffin released a gas into the air, which Acacia took a single breath of and promptly fainted.

"...why doesn't he ever check for traps around treasure?"

"Good question. It's because he's a dumb fuck."

"Oh, yeah. Good call, Luka."

"Okay guys I'm back!" a slightly dizzy Acacia shouted as he ran out of the gas. "Gonna run back in and grab the stuff hang on a sec!"

"What oh goddammit no."

Shortly after, Acacia ran back out of the gas fully conscious. "Check it out! Magic chainmail for Balcerzak!"

"Wait, seriously? Thanks!"

"Alright, party. Good load - let's hit the town. Luka, visit the mage. Raymond, Casey, visit the blacksmith. Get back here when you're all done."

"Sure thing, boss!"

"Yep."

"On it!"

----------

HOURS LATER:

"'kay, folks. This is the last pass we haven't been over. Call it now!"

"Bet it's another crypt."

"I'm with Twitch."

"Thirded."

"Yep."

"CALLED IT!"

"Be fair, Casey. It's not all that difficult to call around here."

"But I called it."

Furetchen sighed. "Yes, Casey. You did."

Everybody blinked at the sudden onslaught of dark.

"Well, this looks ominous." Luka said.

"Stop."

"What the fuck who said that?"

"You do not belong here."

"What the fuck? Skeletons can't talk."

"Go away or join the brethren."

"Heeeey, you're the evil that's killing Kuldahar, aren't you?"

"Kuldahar? Sorry, no."

"Oh. Cool. Wait, join the -- fuck no! We're not turning into undeads!"

"Then go away."

"Fuck no! You've got cool stuff in here!"

"Then die."

"NO YOU, FUCKER!"

"EXPERTLY handled, Luka. Now he hates us."

"Well fuck him. He wanted to turn me into a zombie!"

"Okay I admit he's bigger than I thought he was can you guys get to killing him fast now?"

"Well, that wasn't too bad."

"No thanks to you, dipshit."

"Hey you try talking to a skeleton! It was unnerving!"

"Unnerved? You?" Furetchen laughed long and loud.

Undeterred by the antics of his friends, Acacia picked through the armored bones. "Huh. Weird-ass potion here."

"Who'd drink that shit?"

"Somebody, probably."

"Think those Ilmater dudes would want to buy it?"

"Hell yes."

"Awesome. Hey, Raymond, go scout that bridge."

"'kay."

"SKASAHER'S --"

"-- SCORCHER!"

At the other end of the bridge, the party stood agape.

"Tarii?"

"Yeah, Zak?"

"Why haven't you ever done that before?"

"Just learned to today."

"Do it more."

"Plan to."

Raymond frowned. "Don't like this plan. It burns somethin' awful."

"Oh hush, you. You can take it."

"HEY GUYS! I found a helmet!"

"Spiffy, no?"

"Oh, God. You aren't actually going to wear that, are you?"

"Hell yes I am!"

"Almost dodged it." mumbled Raymond, wincing with the burning.

Acacia jumped into the air. "SARCOPHAGUFUCK THEY'RE STUCK. Wait! This one isn't!"

"Hey, boss! Magic knife for you!"

"Thanks, mate."

"Another unlocked sarcophagus!" Acacia ran off, and then stopped short and pointed.

"A-HA! TRAP!"

He then began to strip off his armor and poke the trap repeatedly.

"Awesome."

"Wait what the fuck why hasn't he ever done that before?"

"Couldn't tell you. He's a weird one."

"I didn't do it before 'cos the mage knowledge was too much and pushed a little bit of the thief knowledge out. My brain grew, though, and we're okay now."

"...what?"

"Looks like we've got a key and a suit of ...uh, broken armor."

Luka stepped forward. "I'll take those. They're probably important to somebody and I'm the diplomatic one."

Furetchen scoffed. "You were 'til today, Mr. Unnerved."

"Whatever. Let's go back outside."

"So, looks like this pass goes into another pass, gang. Shall we?"

"Yes, let's."

[eclipse]

The graphics suck, and the learning curve on this game is ridiculously steep

Bards get Chromatic Orb as a first-level spell. . .but I'd rather burn that spell slot on something a little more useful.

[Integrity]

oof, roguelikes. I never could get into the ASCII graphics. It just doesn't mean enough to me :(

[Integrity]

Okay, sorry for the late update! Bit of a hectic day - as Mondays are. I didn't forget about you, my darlings.

----------

"Shadows. Pfeh."

"You know, Zak, these are technically Lesser Shadows. They're not even the full deal."

"Seriously? Dammit, Tarii. Now I feel pathetic."

"...so, uh. This looks conspicuous."

"Well then! Shall we?"

"You mean, "shall Raymond?"

"Yeah, that."

"You know," began Furetchen, "this all kinda feels familiar except for that vat of acid."

"'cept for the three doors, eh?" said Luka.

"Good point. We don't usually have any choice. Let's go right!"

"Fair."

"DAMMIT! Sorry guys, can't unlock it."

"Okay, seriously Furet. Have you ever unlocked anything? Even ACACIA'S a better thief than you are, I swear."

"Aw, Balcerzak. That hurts."

"Left one ain't locked! SHIT ZOMBIES RAYMOOOOOND!"

Acacia, proving the Priest's previous point, deftly detected and disarmed the device.

"Found some magic gloves! Looks like they're for..."

"...Raymond! Here you go, big guy!"

"Thanks."

"There was also a key in there. Want it, Luka?"

"Hey, wonder if it unlocks that right door."

"Ooh, good call. Try it!"

"Yup! Get on through there, Rayray."

"Magic bow." grunted Raymond.

"Ooh giveit to Acacia so he can give it to me!"

"'kay"

"ow. freaking mage." mumbled Raymond with a sidelong glare at Skitarii.

"Man, I love doing that." beamed Skitarii.

"Some useless shit in here, guys. 'cept this skull thing, think it's useful?"

"Prolly. Give it to Luka."

"You know," mused Luka, "I bet that key we found way back in the other tomb opens something in this tomb."

"Probably right. Go try the middle door!"

"Wasn't locked."

"Stop!"

"Talking skeletons again what the fuck!"

"I am Mytos, keeper of this tomb. On whose authority do you enter?"

"Are you the evil that plagues Kuldahar?"

"What? No. I have been here for hundreds of years."

"Why should I believe you? Skellies are dodgy."

"I don't need you to believe me. I just need you to go away."

"But you know I can't leave without searching the place for, er, the good of Kuldahar."

"Then you will die!"

"So be it."

----------

lo~ol quest xp level-up. By attempting to avoid bloodshed (they're skeletons what blood?) we got a little booster.

----------

"Ow, fuck."

"That hurt something awful."

"Outta spells, guys. That took everything."

"I still got a cure or two."

"Shit I ran out of arrows!"

"Oh yeah! I forgot me and Raymond bought you some in town."

"Thanks, Casey. Did we at least get anything good from him?"

"Nope. Just some hammer Luka's already got one of."

"Dammit."

"Three fucking paths again?" mused Luka angrily. "I'm pretty sure we never had any choice before this shit."

----------

So, which path do we explore first?

[Scarlet]

You make this look easy. :/

Middle, then left, then right, methinks.

[riariadne]

Left. If it's locked, center. Going right is never right. *rimshot*

[Integrity]

You make this look easy. :/

Middle, then left, then right, methinks.

Let me make you feel a little better:

That fight with Mytos? It took me four reloads to do.

1: Everybody piled up on you. I thought it would be to SKASAHER'S SCORCHER them with Skitarii and accidentally gibbed you.

2: I pulled back a little and everything aggroed Acacia. 10hp doesn't go very far.

3: Things went stellar and then you got hit with Held Person. Mytos switched aggro to Skitarii and gibbed him while the guardians nearly killed Balcerzak.

4: Things worked. Acacia got Held instead of you, SKASAHER'S SCORCHER managed to hit all four guardians and NOT you, Magic Stone blew Mytos to death.

[Scarlet]

Let me make you feel a little better:

That fight with Mytos? It took me four reloads to do.

1: Everybody piled up on you. I thought it would be to SKASAHER'S SCORCHER them with Skitarii and accidentally gibbed you.

2: I pulled back a little and everything aggroed Acacia. 10hp doesn't go very far.

3: Things went stellar and then you got hit with Held Person. Mytos switched aggro to Skitarii and gibbed him while the guardians nearly killed Balcerzak.

4: Things worked. Acacia got Held instead of you, SKASAHER'S SCORCHER managed to hit all four guardians and NOT you, Magic Stone blew Mytos to death.

It did? ...whoa, ouch. xD

I thought I was the only one who kept getting his ass handed to himself by Mytos for a while when I last played this game. =/

[Integrity]

So based on your responses, I went for the pathway of Middle -> Left -> ???

As an aside, Acacia doesn't identify everything anymore. Luka's grown enough as a Bard that his Lore skill is naturally high enough to ID most shit.

And author's note: there's a MEGA GHOST in the first picture but thanks to contrast he's roughly invisible :(

----------

Proceeding up the middle pathway, our vanguard is quickly spotted and engaged.

"...well, that wasn't so bad."

"Says you, boss! He nearly took my head off!"

"That's why you have that ridiculous helmet, Casey.

"Guess so. At least he dropped some magical stuff?"

"Yep!" said a stooped Luka. "Looks like we've got ..."

"...a knife for Furetchen and a..."

"...ring for Furetchen. Congratulations, dude, you made off good."

"Damn right! Between this and my boots I'll be virtually undetectable!"

"You want to start scouting instead of Raymond?"

"Sure, I'll give it a shot."

"HOORAY!" bellowed Raymond.

"Hey, uh, Raymond? You stopped about three steps short of a trap."

"Nothing up here 'cept some statue, guys. Shall we take the left path now?"

"Sure, why not."

"Damn, short left path. Looks like a sarcophagus and some skellies, dudes."

"Bet the coffin's trapped."

"That's why it's your job to look, Casey."

"Sure thing, boss."

Acacia walked several times around the platform. "Looks fine to me, guys."

"You sure?"

"Yep, totally sure."

"Hey, Tarii, let's get clear of this."

"Probably a good idea, Zak. Bring Raymond."

"Good plan."

Upon touching the coffin, Acacia was struck by a bolt of magic and fell onto the floor, fast asleep. At the same time, panels in the walls opened to allow skeletons free reign of the tomb - which they used to attack the party from all angles.

"Fuck, oh, ow, that hurt. I wasn't built for this." whined Luka.

"I'm seconding Floofy here." grumbled Balcerzak.

"Back! What'd I miss?" said a chipper Acacia.

"Fuck you, Casey. Check for loot."

"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD HASTE!"

"HOLY SHIT REALLY?!" Skitarii yelled.

"HERE WRITE IT DOWN FAST!"

"DOING THAT!"

"What was the other stuff?" asked Furetchen.

"Junk."

"Bah."

Following this fiasco, the party rested up and headed back along the way they'd come to find two passages that I SWEAR TO GOD weren't there last time. So they looted the two rooms. Raymond was set on fire repeatedly. What follows is a chronicle of finding nothing challenging and no good loot.

And then the party returned to take the previous right fork.

"Furetchen on point, bitches!"

"Oh get on with it already."

"Ow! DAMMIT! I liked Raymond on point more."

"Hang on," began Balcerzak, "why is that door purple?"

"I don't, uh, know what it means. Sorry." said Acacia apologetically. "Open it and see?"

"No you, fucker!"

"You saw it first!"

"Fine."

"OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK HELP GUYS HELP"

"That wasn't easy."

"Or pretty."

"Guys? I think that mummy gave Raymond something nasty."

Raymond responded with a series of dry-heaves.

"Hey!" piped up an excited Luka. "I got those anti-disease potions! Take one!"

Raymond responded by drinking the whole bottle in one swig.

"OH JACKPOT! JAAAACKPOT!" shouted Acacia.

"Holy shit, Knock!" said Skitarii. "Take it, Luka!"

"W-wait, what? Why me?"

"'cause I like using offensive spells. You can remember the support ones with Acacia!"

"Fair point."

"Robe for you too, Skitarii."

"Oh hell yes, I have clothes on now bitches."

"And a useless halberd."

"Not useless!"

"...Luka?"

"I learned to use Halberds last time we were in Kuldahar. giveit"

"Oh, alright! Here you go!"

"Score."

"Something's through there." mumbled Balcerzak. "My Clerical senses feel evil."

"Necromancy sense agreeing here." added Skitarii.

"That means treasure. Let's do this!"

"Right behind you, boss!"

[Balcerzak]

"Your ears you keep and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God! What is that thing,' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what 'to the pain' means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever."

Edited November 16, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Integrity]

ITT: I realize that Balcerzak sounds a lot like Alan Rickman. YEAH, BITCHES

----------

Our intrepid party opens the door and is greeted by --

"Fuck, it's dark in here."

"Should be easy for you to hide then, eh Furet?"

"S'pose that's true."

Click! went a plate. Predictably, skeletons emerged from before-hidden niches in the walls. Less predictably, Furetchen managed to conceal himself from the onslaught and let it flow over himself and to Raymond.

Unfortunately, upon revealing himself the skeletons decided they hated Furetchen anyway.

"Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Hey, looks on the bright side. At least I didn't set Raymond on fire this time!"

"True that." piped up Raymond as he proceeded forwards towards the unknown.

And "unknown" is then defined as "some archers and a banner".

"HOLY FUCK WHAT"

...

.....

er...

REWIND TO FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO

----------

Through a painstaking procedure of Raymond pulling each small group of enemies back individually and killing them with his teammates, we prevail. Incidentally, the first thing that Skeleton Mage did every single time was throw Stinking Cloud at Raymond, often making him pass out and then die. Topping it off, the Imbued Wights came each with a charge of Magic Missile, cast at level 5 or 6. To ADD to the topper, the Skeleton Mage came with even nastier spells like Lightning Bolt, which would randomly gib Raymond - or hurt him, bounce towards the main group and gib Balcerzak or Furetchen instead. To TOP OFF THE TOPPING OFF, I couldn't save from the time I aggroed the Mage to the time the Mage had died - and he had a penchant for walking back to his start. This took a while.

----------

"Bracers of Armor."

"Awesome! Who gets 'em?"

"Well, the enchantment seems to suggest Studded Leather or thereabouts, so either me or Skitarii."

"I don't get up front ever mang, you take them."

"Thanks, bro!"

"There. See, was that so bad?" asked Balcerzak, tempting fate.

"OH GOD FUCK WHERE'D THESE GUYS COME FROM"

"Wait, Furet? What?"

"HEEEEEEEEELP"

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Panting heavily, Furetchen finally slowed to a halt.

"Is tha...is that...all of them?"

"Yeah boss, we got ya. We got ya."

"Thanks, Casey. Found something for you, too." With these last words Furetchen pointed to the ground.

"OH MY GOD SARCOPHAGUS! HOORAY!"

"We got a ..." Acacia picked up something and glared at it critically. "...a...wand? Holy shit, guys, a wand!"

"DIBS!"

"You're the only one who can use it, Tarii."

"I KNOW ZAK BUT DIBS ANYWAY!"

"....yeah, Tarii. Good job on the dibs."

And now, the party is left with a decision upon which they must vote. This top shot has two exits. The bottom side of the same room is a mirror of the top. Where do we go?

----------

EDIT: Oh hey also, anybody know how Wands work in 2.0? Are they unlimited charge? One per day? Single-use?

Edited November 17, 2010 by Integrity

[Scarlet]

I remember that battle. I hate those Imbued Wights with a passion. The only way to avoid getting hit by their magic missiles is to lure them with a mage that has the Shield spell active. Annoying.

...sadly, battles from here on out will only get harder than this. :/

EDIT: Oh hey also, anybody know how Wands work in 2.0? Are they unlimited charge? One per day? Single-use?

IIRC, they have a limited number of charges. So you can use them multiple times, but not unlimitedly.

Also, as for voting, IIRC, the left room is locked. Let's try the right one first.

[Soren37]

I think Raymond hit it on the head. Wands always seem to be a charged weapon.

As for voting, let's go right.