1504 replies to this topic

[William Imm]

According to Haeravon's FAQ/Walkthrough for the game on GameFaqs, Imoen should be dueled to a mage at level 6 (specially, to a conjurer, but you can't do that in BG2 without save file hacking), but that's the way I play the game.

BTW: Don't you think the Charming Rouge kit is OP? Lots of powers for no disadvantage, and she still can backstab (not very fitting for her background). I usually give her the Adventurer kit from Song&Silence, or the Swashbuckler kit, which fits her much better than the NEJ kit.

(Oh, and you may want to revert Jaheria to a pure F/D if you want to have her in ToB, if you have Refinements installed. The game will crash when selecting her first HLA for her.)

EDIT: Just read the main LP thread on SA, and read your post about the VA for Immy-romance - and I can really see why I DON'T want to include this in my new BWS linklist - as if the idea wasn't enough to keep me away from it... Hell, even f***ing SAERILETH will be on the revised linklist (listed just because some people like trashing the hell out of trashy mods... ).

I'm never downloading that incest romance again.

Edited by William Imm, 18 March 2012 - 06:32 PM.

[Sanctifer]

A. Raise Fabio, continue questing here in Restenford.

[Usurper]

BTW: Don't you think the Charming Rouge kit is OP? Lots of powers for no disadvantage, and she still can backstab (not very fitting for her background). I usually give her the Adventurer kit from Song&Silence, or the Swashbuckler kit, which fits her much better than the NEJ kit.

Well, I guess... I mean she's got no downside, true, but then again she's Imoen! And I am having a hard time calling anything OP what with all the times I've had people die and/or had a total party wipe. Even now I can hardly clear Bald Hill of orcs without relying heavily on potions and wands of Fireball. Granted, they did give me the last few xp I needed to be able to finally cast Fireballs on my own.... now the game is getting good. When mages cast Fireball is when the day is won.

[William Imm]

Well, I guess... I mean she's got no downside, true, but then again she's Imoen! And I am having a hard time calling anything OP what with all the times I've had people die and/or had a total party wipe. Even now I can hardly clear Bald Hill of orcs without relying heavily on potions and wands of Fireball. Granted, they did give me the last few xp I needed to be able to finally cast Fireballs on my own.... now the game is getting good. When mages cast Fireball is when the day is won.

Well, maybe in your case, it's not terribly OP - then again, you installed a insane selection of mods installed, including XP set quite low as well - per default BiG World settings.

PS: Who the hell in the BWP was thinking the IMOINCEST was better than the much better Imoen Frendship?!?!??!?! It's not what I would prefer - or even think about prefering... *shudder*

[hook71]

I'll vote for "A. Raise Fabio, continue questing here in Restenford.".

[Daxs]

Come BG2:

You will not be eligible for romancing Tsujatha (must be good) or Amber (12 Charisma). Not sure if A certain ring can bypass for Amber, but make sure to have a backup thief when and if you can you woo her.

[Usurper]

Does Amber do something to existing thieves?

[Daxs]

No, but she's yanked from your party and you must go through a decent amount of traps to get her back at some point.

[Tempest]

I think Saerileth also has a Charisma requirement, but I'm not sure.

The LP will also very likely break the Darian romance, given that he's gone for good if you kick him out in SoA and his romance progression is dependent on plot events.

[Daxs]

I think Saerileth also has a Charisma requirement, but I'm not sure.

You can cheese and get called out on it, for trying the Influence Ring. Thing is, do we need another LP where Saerileth is the star. At least this LP is doing a very good service and making everyone ELSE fall in love with Finch the way I did.

[Usurper]

Finch romance mod!

[Usurper]

Ok, here are the final results of the voting:

What should we do with Fabio? 

A. Raise			................
B. Kick out				
C. Raise, leave Restenford	.
D. Kick out, leave Restenford	.

Bald Hill for the third time ho!

Also, I thought there was a pretty funny exchange on the main thread when people were talking about what romance options were left to Syvishtara.

There's still Gavin, isn't there?

Who?

Talkie-man.

You know, the botanist. I guess he was also a cleric or something. Mainly a botanist though.

Not ringing any bells. Is he the guy who read us bad poetry?

Nah, that's Kivan. This is the one with the wife and daughter. Not that we're gonna let that stop us though!

Edited by Usurper, 24 March 2012 - 04:29 AM.

[Usurper]

3 Marpenoth, 1369

The five-month mark of Gorion's death passed while I was busy killing orcs. It is hard to believe that it was so long ago. I've learned quite a lot since then. I remember running scared from wolves. Now, well. I still run scared from orcs, but wolves are not much trouble. But one thing is still the same - people die around me. Now that I have had more time for reflection, I cannot feel anything but guilt for Fabio's death. He would probably have been here in this tavern if we hadn't recruited him, safe and sound. I am a harbinger of doom. All I love withers to dust, and all I touch blackens. I must raise him. We start out to go to the healer. Imoen must sense my black mood, for she tries to tell a joke.



Child, please. No more horrid jokes. My ears are still getting used to being able to hear things again after having been stone for so long, be kind to them.

Aww. Spoilsport.

That is unlike Branwen to be so cold. What is happening to my warrior woman?

Raising Fabio costs us 600 gold, leaving us 12 spare after selling all the useless equipment off our mule.



Branwen must have realized how cold she was being, because she gives a compliment to Imoen after the resurrection is done.



Well, thanks. But it's kinda slim pickings for prey these days when you're always movin'... A kitty gets depressed like that, ya know?

Oh, don't worry. I'm sure the next ogre will drop some pretty baubles for you to wear as trophies or sell for better weaponry, as you please.

*mutters quietly* Not the kinda prey I was talkin' about...

When we leave this time, I notice a building I hadn't before, to the west of the main temple. It is the rectory.



Inside is a cruciform room with some acolytes of Phaulkon inside.



They offer the same services that the priest does in the main temple. That's nice. Safana and Imoen eye some locked chests in here, but I notice how alert the acolytes are and how much of the room they can see, and shake my head. They both pout, almost in unison. These ladies are incorrigible!

Then, it is back to Bald Hill to try to clean out the last of the ork bandits.



When I get ready for the day by casting Armor, I am hastened! Today will be a good day!



Since I can move twice as fast as the rest of the party and four times as fast as any ork we are likely to encounter, I tell the party to wait at the top of the largest bluff while I go scouting.



In the extreme northeast I find a cabin guarded by one ork.



I attack while calling for help. Before the ork can even turn around I have eight magic missiles heading for his face.



He doesn't look so good as I close in to staff range.



The coward actually turns and runs into the cabin! GAH!



I cast Mirror Image and then chase after him. Inside, I pummel him with a flurry of staff blows until he crumples underneath my assault.



I am unstoppable! By the time the rest of the party gets to the cabin, I'm already resting in the bedroom. Safana checks the area for traps.



The loot is good.



A scroll of Fireball, 4 Water Opals, 4 Moonbar Gems, a King's Tears, 30 Masterwork arrows, and a Short Sword +2. The sword will be good to sell. We seem to have been finding a lot of those actually.

When it is time to leave, I find that I am no longer faster than Branwen. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. There is just the northwest area to explore now. We head for it with a spring in our step.



We find another lone ork. Branwen takes him out.



A little later it is a giant snake that we find. It bites me and I feel diseased.



But an Elixir of Health and some running away fix me up just fine. The snake foolishly goes for the mule, and Kivan kills it.



After that nothing happens until we find another lone ork patrol, and Kivan gets another kill.



Gameplay note: The elf has gotten a full 50% of the party's kills in this chapter, and 45% in the entire freakin game.



It looks like we got everything, but I want to make sure. I check the cave where we first found the wagons, and it is still empty. But then Safana says something.



Another remarkable tale from you, Safana? I trust it will be a little more believable than the story of the shipwreck.

I'll allow you to be the judge. It is a tale of a warrior-priestess firm in her convictions, hardened by her years of trial into a pillar of virtue.

Is Safana trying to ... help me out?

I do like the sound of this. Tempus has taught us many such inspirational tales to guide us in our daily lives.

Indeed? Well this tale treats of a statuesque beauty faced with a question of honor versus love - nay, between hard-headedness and hard-heartedness.

A question that ultimately left her petrified, unable to do more than beseech her god.

Oh my god! She's been spying on our private conversations!

I can only hope that honor won out in this case, for love can be fleeting, while honor is the rock on which a soul finds purchase.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Branwen.

Um... what just happened here? That didn't sound like help at all. I have lost the spring in my step. We trudge back to Sir BillyBob to report banditocide.



We found the missing wagons and we fought with the bandits. I think we got them all.

Excellent work.

I have a question for you.

Well then, go ahead and ask.

How old are you really? Everyone in town seems to think you are ancient but being a half-elf, I assume you are older than you look.

(he chuckles) I'm not as old as Elminster but I have been around for quite a while. Longer than most full-blooded elves could hope for. I'm not a Chosen for any deity but I have been tasked by some to help shift power and control from one faction to another. By the way, who is now in charge at Candlekeep? I haven't been there in many years.

Tethtoril.

What?! Hmm, I think I remember a stable boy by that name. I guess it has been awhile since I was last there. Well, anyway, I need to get back to my crops. Good luck to you Syvishtara.

Why aren't you the leader of Restenford?

Why would I want to be? Sometimes, you have more power when you are behind the throne instead of on the throne. But even those days are over for me. I give advice to the baron only when he asks for it. I am happier out here on my farm than I would be stuck in his manor house.

Huh. I wonder if we could bribe Sir BillyBob. I show him some of the treasure we have collected.



He takes one or two baubles, but then refuses anything else. I take a close look at him...



Gameplay note: That means his relationship points are in the range of 51-69. The next step up would be Relation Close, which would mean we could recruit him into the party. That's a better attitude than most other people have right now. I'll keep trying to bribe him if we get more treasure.

On the way back to town, we decide to talk to the druid again. And when we talk to the druid, Safana decides to slip inside his cabin and see what there is to see.

Edited by Usurper, 24 March 2012 - 07:46 PM.

[Usurper]

It turns out he's got a wife in there.



We are looking for him, thanks. Could I ask you some questions?

I suppose.

We are looking into some of the problems that are occuring here in Restenford. Is there anything you can tell us?

I don't know what all you are looking into, but some of our supplies have not arrived yet.

What do you mean?

Amos and I make some of the healing potions that Almax sells. We have been waiting for some ingredients that haven't arrived yet. The caravan of merchants that normally bring those ingredients is late. I haven't heard anything to tell me why. Maybe that is something you can check into?

We fought some bandits near Bald Hill. I suspect they are the reason for your late deliveries. You may need to order more supplies. At least this time, the supplies should get through.

Oh! That is terrible news. Those helpess merchants.

Can I ask you some more questions?

I suppose.

Pelltar has asked us to look into some of the recent problems this town is having. Anything you can think of that may help us out?

You should talk to Almax. He has lost contact with Martin out near Reddy Forest.

What exactly is the problem?

Martin is a young ranger who is assisting us in building a druid's grove outside of town. Almax lost contact with him when all those gnolls started attacking the town. Maybe you can see if he is okay?

Okay, we will talk to Almax about it. Thanks. I guess I have asked everything I can think of. Thank you.

That doesn't stop Safana from picking up some gold and Masterwork Darts, though.





She also explores the shrine behind Almax's house and discovers a little cubbyhole there too.



She finds 2 Waterstar Gems, and Iol Gem, and a Shandon Gem.





We go back to Pelltar's house to tell him about the bandits we killed, and don't realize that the guards here in Restenford are extremely persistent. Damnit!



We regret our actions sorely, and are prepared to make amends by giving you 200 gold.

200 gold? All right, you're free to go.

And Pelltar isn't even here! Damnit! We have to go to his wizard's tower to find him.



We have found some weird problems, as well as the normal run of the mill bandits and others attacking your merchants.

So, what did you find?

We found out that bandits were attacking the merchant caravans coming in from the east. So we went out to Bald Hill and were attacked by them. Turns out it was a band of orcs with a half-orc cleric leading them.

Hmm, well organized and well led. I hope that leader wasn't under someone else's control.

We didn't find anything indicating that. He made it sound like he was a "liberator" of goods or something.

Hopefully it was just that and nothing more sinister.

Either way, the town is safer because of your heroics. Thank you.

I want to make sure that everybody knows what we've done, since we were met with such hostility when we first showed up. So I stop by the baron's house as well and try to tell Gelpas how much ass we kicked.



FINE! Be that way! At least the baron is more polite about it.



I trust you have discovered some of the evils that plague our quiet little fishing town?

Please pass along any knowledge to Pelltar. I am tied up with the Duke again.

Sigh. Life was so much easier when I lived by the sword.

Well, it looks like I'm relegated to Pelltar's lackey. Just great. We're going north.



But 2 hours into the journey, we are waylaid by ettercaps! I've never seen them before.



Imoen and I both lead with magic missiles to different targets.



One of them poisons Safana.



She drinks an Elixir of Health and everything is fine. But then Branwen takes a few bad hits.



She moves to retreat and heal, and Imoen covers her retreat.



Kivan, who had moved away from the party to engage at max range, stumbles into a web trap probably created by the ettercaps. His boots see him through it, and he walks with a smirk on his face.



Then he shows the nearest Ettercap what he thinks of traps.



The last Ettercap quickly falls as well. Also to Kivan, of course.



We continue on our way, reach our destination, set up camp, and wake up to bright new morning of sweetly-singing birds in a brightly-colored forest.



The weave gives me no special boons this morning, so we all start out to explore together. After a few minutes, Branwen shouts out, "Wyvern!"

Edited by Usurper, 24 March 2012 - 07:45 PM.

[Usurper]

What?



It looks like just a baby, but still. A wyvern! I open myself to the Weave, seeking to know its will. I let it fill me, flow through me, and it rushes down my arms. I am made to gesture and chant in ways unknown to me, and then the magic flows out of my hands.



Uh oh.



The baby has another baby friend, and I try once again to know the will of the Weave. I cast Random Spell II at it too...



... and as far as I can tell, nothing at all happens. The Weave is not with me this day. We are in grave danger.

Well, the Weave may not be with me, but at least Kivan is. He drops the first baby wyvern just as Branwen gets hit with a stinger and poisoned.



She pops and antidote and is fine. Heartened, we focus our attacks on the second baby wyvern. Amazingly enough, I am the one to kill it!



My Serpent Shaft makes a satisfying clunking sound when I connect with its head for the last time. Safana seems shocked at the violence, but she also learns from it.







Gameplay note: I put all of her points into Pick Pockets, which is now at 45. Maybe we can start to use it, since Imoen's is at only 25.

Baby wyverns around implies that adult wyverns might also be around. I caution everyone to be on the alert. We can't just go stumbling into a flock of wyverns hanging out or something.

Further cautious exploration leads us to a rather nice river nearby.



It looks like it runs north and south and divides the area in half. We walk along its eastern shore. What we find is another ork.



Well, actually, another few orks. Branwen kills the first but there are more left.



I try to reach for a spell, but a stray arrow interrupts me.



After the first ork goes down, Branwen takes a moment to call her spiritual weapon to her.



I try a second time to cast a spell, this time Fireball through Nahal's Reckless Dweomer. The magic surges through me and ... stays here in my body.



I feel a surge of physical power the likes I have never felt before.



Gameplay note: Wow, awesome! 90 hit points! Tankmage gets better by the moment!

I understand what the Weave wants me to do. I run across the bridge, staff held high, a scream in my throat.



Back on shore, Fabio is surprisingly enough the one to kill the ork there.



I am hit a few times, but I just laugh them off. Imoen gets the next ork behind me on the bridge.



Branwen has to break out the big heal to help me.



And once again, Kivan steals my kill.



We clean up and move on. I decide to finish exploring this side of the river first, before we cross any bridges. Although, maybe I will begin to regret this decision.



I am running low on effective spells, so I reach for my Wand of Fire as Branwen runs in. She knows the drill.



Branwen begins to cast a big spell, but the Wyvern prevents her from finishing it.



She has to withdraw. Kivan gets extremely serious about covering her retreat.



The wyverns both turn on me, and I laugh. But their hits hurt a lot more than I expected them to.

Gameplay note: Extra hit points already wore off.



Branwen and I cast healing spells upon us. With no better targets, both the wyverns turn on Fabio. He hates it.



Branwen's heal is done, so she wades back into the fight against the wyvern. Fabio is running away screaming into the forest, being chased by the baby wyvern. And I am casting Rhialto's Random Missiles.



Ha! The first two missiles are enough to drop him!



Branwen rushes over in her Boots of the Forgotten Ones to hit the baby wyvern, stopping it from chasing Fabio anymore. And then Kivan does his thing.



We all breathe a sigh of relief. Nobody dead this time. While the rest of us get healed up, Kivan is busy with the corpse of the adult wyvern. He ends up with quite the trophy.



We put it on the mule. Fabio remarks that he is pretty sure he can do that magic missile thing more often now.









I give him an indulgent smile. Bards always think they can do everything, don't they. I'm still not letting him near my spellbook though. He can scrounge around like the half-assed magical vagabond he is.

We are tired, worn, and out of spells. Branwen suggests we sleep, and so we do. In the morning, we all wake up. Fabio has a look in his eyes, a look that says he knows something more than he knew before.



Gameplay note: Charming Gaze at level 5 is part of the Beguiler kit. Strange though that it shows up in the spell menu rather than in the special abilities menu.

After breakfast, we start again on our patrol of the area. It isn't long until we run into an actual, real bandit.



In chasing him, we see that he's got more friends behind us. Imoen and Fabio turn and both cast magic missile. It is enough.



Both bandits are down but they were fraternizing with an ork, who fires at us. For some reason Kivan switches to his spear and STILL manages to get the deathblow.



Oh, he switched because he is completely out of arrows.



But its okay, we have more in the Red-Black Ammo Belt, right?



Gameplay note: We have 580 arrows after Imoen just recently stocked up on 450. That's 150 per stack and 3 stacks. We would have more but I have been ignoring them, not picking them up. I guess when Kivan takes out his 450 new arrows it will make sense to start picking them up again.

Then, even though we are extremely far from Beregost and the Jovial Juggler, Kivan scalps the bandits with quick efficiency. I find it rather chilling, having not seen it in a while.

We then follow the path north, and Kivan slaughters another bandit.



North of the bandits we find a few spiders. I am able to get a killing blow this time with some magic missiles.



Safana gets the other deathblow. The spiders are just not a threat. We find the northmost reach of the area, and the northmost reach of the riverbank. So we begin to follow it south. South, until we find another wyvern. I once again open myself fully to the will of the Weave. I am not disappointed.



An air elemental forms from the, uh, air, and attacks!



I am a little shocked, however, when the wyvern is able to kill the air elemental. It's an elemental!



Imoen must have panicked when she saw that, because she unleashes one of her magic missile barrages. She takes it out.



Kivan takes its head also. Kivan is a trophy-taking murder machine. Even after all of these fights, we are still in pretty good shape. We have spells and abilities left. I decide that we can go across this second bridge we found now. No need to wait.



Across the bridge is some pristine forest, a trail, and more wyverns.

Edited by Usurper, 24 March 2012 - 07:45 PM.

[Usurper]

I cast my Weave's will at them.



I have no idea what's going on but there's magical protections shimmering all over me, some ogre berserkers tearing into the wyverns, and I WILL CRUSH!





I WILL CRUSH!



I WILL CRUSH!



BABY WYVERN KILL BUDY. I NEED HEALS.



I SENSE FLAW IN PLAN.



I SUCK!



I CRUSH!



I WILL... finally know what its like for Haiass!



I slip stealthily through the trees. It looks like this area is completely surrounded by water, and we'll have to go back to the other bridge.



I give my pack a bark and run off in the right direction. This is glorious! The Weave has never been with me this strongly, never before given me such flexibility in form. I am, quite frankly, in love.

Sadly, as we walk back to the first bridge, I can feel the magic slipping from me. I polymorph one last time, and I am back to being a woman. I sigh. But there will always be another time!



Across the first bridge is another wyvern, but by this time I have lost my fear of them. They're just another forest animal to me, something to be slaughtered.



There is a bit of tension, as the wyvern hits Branwen and she retreats. But I just pop Mirror Image and take over the fighting duties until Imoen drops it.



We finish looking around the area and don't find much else. It looks like we cleared the area of a few measly bandits and a ton of wyverns.



I don't think anybody is going to care about that, though, so we should probably head on over to Tri-Top and kill gnolls.



Gameplay note: And I guess I had better stop here. This is a pretty big update. Next time, Tri-Top!

Edited by Usurper, 24 March 2012 - 07:44 PM.

[Usurper]

6 Marpenoth, 1369

We have arrived at Tri-Top. We almost got lost there for a while, but Kivan's forest lore saved us from a time-consuming detour. I look at him and say thank you.



He almost seems to smile back. And did he shave? I feel like talking to him.



Sut naa lle umien sina re, Kivan? How are you faring today, Kivan?

Very well, diola lle.

*You are used to hearing things from the bottom of people's hearts... so you try to charm Kivan into telling you more about himself.*

I mourn my beloved Deheriana.

*You talk about Kivan's problems and hopes, in a friendly and kind manner, in hopes of making Kivan confide in you.*

Syvishtara, my life is all in the past, with Deheriana. I care of little more than avenging her death now. But I would not want to bore you with my somber thoughts. Let us continue on your quest.

With that, Fabio and I cast Armor and we are ready to cleanse Tri-top. It is not long at all before we come to a gnoll-guarded entrance of some sort.



Imoen takes out the one to the right.



And Kivan the one to the left.



I should just let those two mop up the place. I tell them of my plan. Imoen laughs aloud, but Kivan just steps up. They move in and, as one, take out a worg that charges them.



But they ask for help against the 9 flinds that follow fast on their pets' heels.



I open myself to the will of the Weave. The Weave, in turn, folds me into a Shadow Door.



What does this mean?

Fabio turns out to be the only one to face the pack of flinds and begins taking a lot of hits. He flashes his cloak at them all and they all start clutching at their eyes.



Then he backs off. Branwen looks to be casting a big spell. In my invisibility I decide that scouting is my best option, so I move behind the pack of flinds to see what there is to see.



Then repeated flashes of lightning catch my eye. Branwen has finished her spell and has stepped back. A wave of electric pain has washed over the assembled flinds.



That's my girl! Then Fabio shouts out something and all of the flinds are confused.



Gameplay note: He used his lute to cast Confusion but seriously, what is he talking about in this screenshot? I'm just as confused as the flinds.

I can see beyond these scared, blinded, confused flinds to the gnoll veterans behind them, and I feel as though I am in a unique position here. I once again open myself to the Weave and let her work through me. Chaos ensues.



Literally.



The gnolls mill about in a confused heap while we simply execute them all. It is not pretty, or heroic. But it is safe!



When all the gnolls are dead, the birds begin to sing again. And yet I feel a vague sense of unease.



Right, I knew this was too easy.



I use my Ring of Energy to sweep around and around.



So many die so quickly that it is hardly worth mentioning.



Some sort of chieftain shows up but Fabio, Imoen, and I almost kill him in an instant with our combined magic missile might.



And I am the one to snuff his life out.



He was only using some hide armor and an excellent spear. Nothing to write home about. Or in my diary about. And yet I do. Strange.

The chieftain was standing in front of a cave entrance, as if to protect it. I suppose we should go in and see what he was all heroic about.



Inside is another gnoll chieftain.



Were they joint rulers? Did they rule as two kings? Were there complex political machinations or did they cooperate in all things? Did they, as the great philosopher once said, fall to factional infighting, or did they rise above the petty grievances of their bestial brethren?



We will never know.

But what we do know is...



He hits Branwen with an Acid Arrow. I need to get rid of him fast! I touch the Holy Book and throw some random missiles at him, and I feel a little something extra ride along behind them.



A lot of something extra, actually.



It isn't until the explosion around me dissipates that I realize that the ogre mage is shooting Aganazzar's Scorcher at me!



The nerve! It should be me shooting at him! I yell at Branwen and Fabio to stay out of the path of the beam. Also, irony of ironies, the Weave has summoned some gnolls to fight with me against the ogre mage. My dear, sweet Weave, how I love thee.

Between the gnolls' halberds, and my staff, and Imoen's arrows, the ogre mage stands no chance. He bursts in a shower of gore as Branwen heals me.



In the box in the middle of the cave is 500 gold, quite a lot of gems, a battle axe, and a large shield. Well worth the trip this was!

The cave seems to be a well-defended and cool place to rest, and so we do. We wake up bright and early at sunrise, ready to take on the world again! And it looks like we have to. The gnoll village was repopulated overnight.



I rush up to take on the gnolls coming from the north, but also throw a random spell south. One unfortunate gnoll will never be the same.



In the end we have another pile of dead gnolls, and nothing much to show for it.



Is there such a thing as being too cruel to monsters? I don't know about that, but there is such a thing as killing too many monsters. Our mule is filled to capacity! We just cannot fit any more weapons in its saddlebags. We need to go back to town to sell all these halberds and two-handed swords; all this chain mail and flails.



But Kivan says we can't go back until we scout around some more. So we do. From the northernmost point of the area we can see a forest far to the west. It would take about four hours travel from here.



Kivan says that is the Reddy Forest, and our next destination. Hey, if the ranger says it, I believe it. We also check the western edge of the immediate area, and find more Flinds. I toss a random spell at them, and suddenly one of them is a squirrel.



I also feel that the Weave is very close to me. I am invincible!



Ok, maybe not so invincible against the brutes before me. I pull back as Branwen gives us the chant. Kivan, Fabio, Branwen, Imoen... it is really hard to say who devastates the flinds the worst. In a few seconds, though, they are all dead.



Kivan sifts through the corpses, and Imoen stares at them intently. She says she can probably kill them even faster next time.







Gameplay note: Since Imoen's Charming Rogue kit gets +1 to movement rate every 7 levels, I would like to get her to level 7 before dual-classing her, so that she can get that permanent movement rate bonus. (Here is her kit for reference.) But according to several guides around on the Internet, the optimal time to dual-class her is now, at level 6. I guess we should have a vote on it. I'll do that at the end of the update.

We continue to make sure we have our bearings, and on an outcropping of rock to the west, Kivan points out to me the path we could take to Bone Hill. I'm not sure I see it, but he says it would be just an 8 hour trip from here.



I smile, and nod, and trust him. I have no other choice.

We turn to go and walk around for a while longer.

[Usurper]

Then we are surprised by my old nemesis, the ankheg!



One falls quickly to our combined might, but I am hit with one of their huge attacks. Branwen has to heal me.



We loot and move on. The next thing that we find is a worg standing over the corpse of a dead man.



This cannot stand. We put it down. And by we of course I mean Kivan. The man only had a few gold and an angel skin ring on him.





There is also the remains of another man here, although much more difficult to see. Finally, there is an ominous cave entrance.



Inside is a power meeting of all the canine evils.



Kivan tries to charm the worg, but it doesn't work. Fabio and I cast Mirror Images.



Wolves, dire wolves, worgs - they all fall to our onslaught. And by that, of course, I mean Kivan's onslaught.



There is no treasure to be had, or corpses to reclaim, but at least we know that these animals won't kill any more people.

And with that, we declare Tri-top to be cleansed of all evil gnoll influence!



Gameplay note: The Secret of Bone Hill treats map transitions a little more strictly than the rest of Baldur's Gate I. In order to find new world map locations you have to find hidden exits along the border of existing maps. In this Tri-top map, only one exit points to Reddy Forest, which is marked on the north edge. But unlike regular Baldur's Gate maps, it is not the entire edge of the map that can be used as an exit. Only the area immediately around the map marker is an exit. On the western border, there are two areas that you can use to travel to Bone Hill. And on the southeast corner, the southern exit goes to Restenford while the eastern exit goes to Thief's Den. If you had not gone to any of these places before, only by exiting this map at those locations would they show up on the world map for you.

We go back to town to sell all the loot we found, and also report back to Pelltar and Sir BillyBob.



Our journey i interrupted by an ambush!



The two half-ogres are not a threat.



We continue on our way, which is not far. We were almost to Restenford anyways. When we get there, we are quite close to Falco's Tavern, so we decide to stop in there for the night.



He is more than happy to buy all of our accumulated junk. He gives good prices for both the bandit scalps and the wyvern heads too. Altogether, we get 2600 gold from the loot we hauled in!



We spend the night, and in the morning we go report back to Pelltar.



We heard about the gnolls attacking the town. So we went out to Tri-top an found their whole tribe. After a long battle with them, we found that their leader was an Ogre Mage. It was bloody, but the gnolls won't be bothering you anytime soon.

An Ogre Mage leading the gnolls? That is really strange. I have never heard of gnolls allowing another creature to lead them. They will work with orcs and others but never actually have one as a leader. Very strange...

With that report done, we go to visit our good buddy Sir BillyBob.



Nothing really, just stopping by.



This time Sir BillyBob seems much more interested in our treasure, and in fact takes 8 different pieces that we show to him. Despite that, his demeanor towards us does not substantially change.

Gameplay note: That's 10 items he has taken from us so far. Based on the relationship evaluation spell, the worst his demeanor could have been is 51, and we need him to get to 70 before we can recruit him. So worst-case scenario is that we have taken him from 51 to 61, which means we only need 9 more expensive rings or necklaces at most before he is ours!

Apparently bored with the proceedings, Safana asks a question.



*softly* Deheriana.

Ah, yes, that's right. Your grief for her reminds me of my father's when he lost my mother.

I am sorry to hear of your mother's departure, Safana.

Well, it's interesting that you should put it that way, as in truth she may have only "departed." I've been fascinated by sirens and nymphs since I was very small, and my father used to tell me that my mother was a siren who had to return to the sea.

As I grew older, I thought it was only a tale to soften a child's loss. But perhaps it wasn't.

In any case, I look forward to helping you avenge Deheriana's death.

Thank you, Safana.

A touching exchange. I am actually impressed with Safana. She first gave the impression of being a shallow, manipulative bitch, but at least with Kivan she's down-to-earth.

After giving some very precious treasure to Sir BillyBob, we return to the long, hard, 12-hour trail to fame and fortune, this time leading to Reddy Forest.



However, we are ambushed on the way there! A carrion crawler shambles its way out from under the brush.



As always, Kivan takes care of business. We continue on our way, arrive, sleep, wake, and cast Armor.



Now we are ready to conquer the Reddy Forest! Forward and onward!

We don't go more than 10 steps before a group of bandits ambush us. Or at least try. But their arrows go off every which way and they die too easily.



In a matter of seconds they all lie dead or dying. That was too easy!



We loot and move on. A small stone marker lets us know that we are indeed in the right place.



We continue our patrol of the area, and stumble upon another group of bandits. I open myself up to a random spell at them and suddenly my gaze is ripped away from my eyes and flies high above us all.



I have been granted Farsight by the Weave.



But I shouldn't have even bothered, because once again the bandits are all dead or dying in a moment.



We keep moving through the forest, on the lookout for anything threatening. I almost laugh when I see a single, lone gibberling. We move in for the kill.

[Usurper]

At the same time, there is a shout behind us.



What? More? Oh. You obviously aren't a wolf.

No, nor am I a werewolf, just in case you were ging to ask that next. Greetings, I am Syvishtara. Looks like we just missed the fight.

Yeah. I think that is the last of them.

Ugh, I think I need to find a cleric though. Do you have any healing potions I can use?

No more death!

Yes, here you go. (give her a healing potion)

Thank you.

I feel so much better now. So what brings you to these god forsaken woods?

We are adventurers.

Well so far, this island has been an adventure I could do without. I should have never gotten on that boat to come here.

Things haven't gone well?

If you call getting all your money stolen, getting lost in the woods, and having every hungry animal in the area try to eat you a good time, you are crazier than anyone else I know.

Sounds like a typical day for an adventurer.

(She laughs) Yeah, maybe you are right. I was on my way to Garrotten but once I got off the road to camp, I couldn't find my way back.

Gameplay note: We have the opportunity to lie here, very rare in a BG game! It was quite common in Planescape: Torment, though. I wish I could see these kinda options in more games. People are way too trusting in fantasy worlds!



Garrotten is south of us. Head that way. (point out the correct direction)

Thank you again. Perhaps someday we will meet again.

We wave goodbye and travel some more. We notice a gruesome tableau - dead dogs near a sacrificial stone.



I don't think we killed those dogs, did we?

A few steps more sees us engaged with more bandits.



But this time the bandits are reinforced by a pack of hobgoblins.



I think this situation warrants a spell. I open myself to the will of my dear Weave.



It gives me the mind of the hobgoblin shaman! First, I get him to cast Sanctuary.



Then my own body is Held and I am severely injured, so I order him to come and heal me.



He does, and Branwen does too. But then a second Hold gets Fabio and my pet shaman. Things are not looking good.



Fabio dies via bandit arrow.



Safana, transformed into her werewolf form, destroys a hobgoblin captain near me.



Then she rips the face off the next one too.



Kivan and Imoen work to pick off the bandit archers, but it is too late for Branwen. She also falls.



Safana breaks away from the melee to try to disrupt the spell of the remaining hobgoblin shaman, but she fails. The spell hits her and she is Held too.



Kivan and Imoen take out the last two archers.



Then Kivan and Imoen take out the shaman.



Imoen casts some magic missiles at the last remaining captain.



But he insists on running to Kivan to engage in melee. Kivan pulls out his spear, while Imoen disappears.



Imoen tries to backstab, but fails. Kivan manages to get a hit in, but the captain just drinks a healing potion.



Imoen shouts "MOVE!" just at the right moment, and Kivan withdraws, barely escaping the girl's Burning Hands.



He is then able to turn around and finish off the bugger.



The two then decide that my pet hobgoblin is too much of a threat to let live, and pepper it with arrows while it is still helpless. I and the shaman come out of my Hold at the same time, just in time to hear the hobgoblin scream "Manure mouth!" at the world in general before he dies.

So. We have two dead comrades and a ton of dead enemy loot to go through. Best to get busy. Best not to think about who died this time and why I have forgotten how to fight spellcasters. Best to not dwell on it pit spit. Best just to go back to the temple.



Best just to pay the 800 gold to raise each of them. Best to not focus on the fact that there's only 1485 gold left in the bag. Best not to dwell on why we're always poor.

Best just to keep on going.



Holy shit that's a lot of bandits waiting in ambush!



Wait where did they all go?



Bandits by themselves are almost completely harmless. But bandits backed up by magic are a force to be feared. That's why I instinctively throw some random missiles at the shaman as soon as I see him. And that's why the Weave helps me out with a little extra.



The Weave is on my side this day!



In fact, my second spell cast completely obliterates its target from existence!



The battle devolves into chaos.



Fabio takes out a hobgoblin captain solo.



A semi-visible ghost of the hobgoblin I killed wavers in front of me. Kivan shoots it and it dies again. Weird.



Fabio and his images rush the last hobgoblin, and kill it.



One of the hobgoblins is carrying something that I really never thought any of them would carry - a level 6 spell scroll. It is Mislead, of all things. Where did he get something like this?



This spell looks slightly better than Shadow Door. Instead of disappearing and being able to run away, you can run away and stay hidden while casting spells, as long as the decoy is not destroyed. I can imagine sending my decoy image running around the map like a mad fool, while I rain fire and death down upon it. My enemies will fall like flies!

I copy it into my spellbook and we resume our patrol. A strange coincidence happens, however. When we reach the old tower in the woods, the same one where we had a massive fight last time, we are assaulted by the same mix of forces again - a band of bandits backed up by a band of hobgoblins.

[Usurper]

I choose to retreat this time, however.



At the site of our most recent battle, I decide to make my stand. Perhaps all the corpse piles around will make them think twice about adding to them. Fabio adds in some confusion and we begin to pick off whoever we can see.



I want to try to help, but I have no spells left. So I try to reach for some Melf's Minute Meteors through Nahal's. But I get severely burned for my trouble.



It takes a potion of healing and Branwen's healing touch to get me back into fighting condition. Meanwhile, all my friends are slowly picking off confused bandits.



We know we are done when no more come. I suggest we rest. I am tired, sleepy, and I badly need some rest. We all agree to make camp.

Gameplay note: Ok, the question of the day is when should we dual-class Imoen to mage, or should we at all? Imoen has 17 INT and a healthy interest in magic. Also, it is a plot point that she becomes a mage some time before BG2 starts. It is not necessary but it is tradition. And it is tradition because she makes a good mage. I mean, just look at her!



And remember, she has the Charming Rogue kit:



As I said earlier, because she gets a movement speed bonus at level 7, I wanted to wait until that level to dual-class her. Also I was hoping to get her Move Silently skill up a little higher. But its going to take double the total amount of xp she has earned so far before she gets to be level 7, and of course then she'll have to get 40,000 xp in her second class before she gets her Charming Rogue powers back. I'm pretty sure we can make it before the end of Baldur's Gate, but who knows? I mean I'm only level 5 myself! So lets put it to a vote.

What should we do with our bestest buddy and kid sister Imoen's training?

A. Teach her to be a mage ASAP. Dual-class her today!
B. Wait until she gets level 7, then dual-class her.
C. I like her as a Charming Rogue, keep her this way forever.
D. Why not wait until level 10? She'll get +2 to hit and damage with any ranged weapon.
E. Why not wait until level 14? She'll get +2 to hit and damage and also +2 movement rate.
F. I have another idea that I'll explain in my post.