I've enjoyed the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate very much. That being said, my first game of the series was Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn. It remains to this day my favorite (with it's extension).
Having replayed it numerous times over the years, I've taken on solo challenges to make things tactically more interesting. I have completed my first solo run of both SOA and TOB (Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal) with a Monk. It was a lot of fun. That class being quite strong, almost immortal at high levels, it made for a good introduction. Since then I've completed a Solo Insane Poverty run as well. It was more work and needed more patience. I discovered a lot of strategies and what most would consider engine exploits. I don't have a problem with using technics that might be considered cheese in a normal run throught the game. I play exclusively on a vanilla install and solo runs are not meant to bring out the best role playing experience anyway. I based myself on the classical Sorcerer build for that challenge and adapted it my own way. I now love that class.
The Poverty vow is also quite interesting. It forces one to make hard choices and prepare carefully by not relying on scrolls for spells that one could not choose and gear like the Robe of Vecna to make Time Stops insanely more powerful than they already are.
I wanted share my latest challenge with the community here, to share the amazing replay-value of this series of games we all love and to get feedback and advice from people having completed similar challenges and having better strategies to suggest.
I am currently in the middle of a Solo Poverty No-level challenge.
What I mean by that is :
- Of course only the main character. No NPCs.
- No items, except quest items to carry around. No gold except of quest related bribes and such.
- No leveling up. Using only what the character as it is at creation at the beginning of the game and never clicking on the Level Up button.
First Try :
I've seen on the web, a lot of variations on those themes, and wanted to explore the possibilities of completing the game that way. My first instinct was to use a Bounty Hunter (a Thief kit) and facing the challenges of the game with traps and stealth. Apart from Mages it is one the few classes that can deal damage without using gear. And traps are notorious for being able to kill almost everything.
I got to the last rooms of the Labyrinth of the Asylum where I got stuck with that build. In order to defeat foes this character relies on being out of their sight and laying traps or throwing them in their direction. Abusing in a sense the Fog of War and the inability that enemies have to see beyond it.
Second Try :
Staying with the traps, I am now playing -as I am writing this- a Mage/Thief. Access to spells has made things easier.
Here's the current build :
Race : Elf
The DEX bonus of the elves helps to get the Thieving Skills to an acceptable level.
Class : Mage/Thief (magic and traps are the best)
At creation the character is a level 6 Mage and a level 7 Thief.
Alignment : Neutral Good
Cure Light Wounds make surviving a little easier in the first part of the game.
Draw Upon Holy Might helps getting DEX higher to push Thieving Skills even higher.
Abilities :
STR 9
Poverty means no need to carry anything, so STR is only useful for carrying quest items and the familiar.
DEX 19
Max useful dexterity. Gets AC to 6. Bonuses to Thieving Skills.
CON 16
Max useful constitution for that class to get good Hit Points.
INT 10
Don't need any actually. The character won't be learning new spells. Just put a few point not to die instantly when inadvertently facing a Mind Flayer.
WIS 14
I've read that wisdom gives bonuses to Saving Throws, but I've never seen a table giving specific numbers. The other advantage is that with a higher score, dialogues with NPCs get better and it let's you choose better options (like avoiding confrontation with the Priest of Cyric next the Shadow Thieves' Guild entrance).
CHA 8
The character is ugly but nobody cares. That score guarantees no maluses in reactions from NPCs.
I actually used the first roll from the creation engine to get those abilities. I don't think much more is needed.
Skills :
The only Thieving Skills this build is concerned with are :
Move Silently 145
With Hide In Shadows at a natural 30, it's enough to stealth successfully 80% of the time and keep it up very well.
Move Silently is more useful as it counts as much for hiding as for staying hidden as the other skill only counts in the initial roll.
Set Traps 90
High trap setting success rate. I can push it to 100 with Draw Upon Holy Might, but it works well without.
Proficiencies are irrelevant in a Poverty challenge.
Spells :
With that class one gets at creation the choice of :
Level 1 : 7 spells.
Level 2 : 6 spells.
Level 3 : 5 spells.
The character can then prepare :
Level 1 : 4 spells.
Level 2 : 2 spells.
Level 3 : 2 spells.
The challenge is in the chosing and the managing of those meager means.
This is what I started with (in order of usefulness) :
Level 1 :
Find Familiar* (extra HPs)
Magic Missile* (nice damage, quick spell and nobody shields)
Shield* (gets the AC a little lower, protects from enemy Magic Missiles)
Protection From Evil* (boost to Savind Throws)
Reflected Image
Chromatic Orb
Spook
Level 2 :
Invisibility* (nice to get around and out of difficult situation)
Mirror Image* (main defense)
Glitterdust* (blinds multiple creatures at distance)
Knock
Resist Fear
Luck
Level 3 :
Haste* (get away fast)
Melf's Minute Meteors* (nice damage, 5 attacks per round)
Skull Trap* (nice magical traps, but dangerous for the character as well)
Monster Summoning I* (cannon fodder to distract and attract foes)
Minor Spell Deflection
*Those are the spells I've successfuly used in defeating foes in my current run.
The main damage dealing weapon are the traps. At that level the character can set 2 traps per day.
Staying at that level the traps won't upgrade and deal a correct but far from impressive amount : 2d8+5 non-magical piercing damage. Only the Otyugh inside Irenicus' Dungeon and Golems outside were immune to them.
My vanilly game (SOA+TOB) limits the number of traps to 7 per area. So sometimes Skull Traps took the relay or I used several areas and moved between them making sure the foes followed.
Skull Trap are a nice source of damage but one has to be careful with those. Glitterdust helps with that. Once enemies are blinded, the character can come within range without being detected and cast Skull Trap in the middle of enemy groups. Melf's Minute Meteors were the only weapon used with the occasional Magic Missile.
Having no access to Stoneskin, Mirror Image carries the responsability of protecting the character against traps and combat. But the main tactic is to avoid combat and ambush monsters with traps, magical and otherwise.
Stealth was maintained as much as possible, so travelling outside by night really helps with stealth rolls.
Hide in Shadows is a great, at-will, source of invisibility. The Mage spell Invisibility is more of an emergency measure to avoid getting waylaid by enemies.
I found out that using Auto-Pause spell casting allows for Hiding in Shadows immediatly after casting spells, so not to aggro foes in the Fog. Same goes for fighting, with the one spell per round rule, first cast Magic Missile then pelt them with Minute Meteors and at the next round immediately cast another spell. The round is used in it's entirety to deal damage.
This is the path I chose to follow for the run. As you will notice, having no need for xp or gear, I cut corners and go directly for the main quests :
Get out of Irenicus' Dungeon as fast as possible. The only foes you have to kill are the Mephit Portals. I used Melf's Minute Meteors to do the job.
Once out, Slums, Gaelan Bayle, then City Gates and Trademeet.
There accept the Druid quest, hike accross the Grove invisible. Don't accept Cernd in the group and meet him there. He challenges Faldorn and wins. Quest done. On the way, lay some traps at the feet of the potion seller and attack her to get the Rakshasa's head for dealing with Genies. Once back to Trademeet, talk with the Genies, then the Mayor to get a total of 20'250 gold as reward.
Back to Athkatla, went directly to Gaelan and joined the Shadow Thieves. I find their quests easier with traps, there are less foes and more space to work on ambushing them. Kill Lassal on the docks, kill the traitors and the contact in the Five Flagons' Inn, and then kill Tanova because she's in the way, and Lassal to make Bodhi appear. Harm her and get to Brynnlaw. There I went directly the crazy Cowled Wizard and took his Ward Stone (by murder). In the Asylum, escape the labyrinth after disposing of some Kobolds, a Vampire, some Kobolds again and a Spore Colony. Once out hire the other inmates of the Asylum to attack Irenicus. Let them do the job, and hide in the corner. Get out invisible, tell Saemon to get lost and get directly to the Underdark through the Portal.
Once there kill the gnome that has the Light Stone, go pay a visit to Adalon. Shoot a Magic Missile at her. She gets angry. The quest to infiltrate the Drow City and recover the Dragon Eggs is failed, the doors to the surface open automatically. Flee from the dragon. Get to the other side of the map. Fight through the Kua-Toa (longest fights yet, those annoying creatudes can see through invisibility) to get to the Elves.
Now I have recruted the Order, Drizzt and the Shadow Thieves to attack Bodhi in her complex in the Graveyard back in the main city. That's where I'm at. I'll keep you posted on the next steps of the run.
I hope my post was not unbereable to read and that it is something some of you will be interested in.
I'm looking forward to you input and critique.
Having replayed it numerous times over the years, I've taken on solo challenges to make things tactically more interesting. I have completed my first solo run of both SOA and TOB (Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal) with a Monk. It was a lot of fun. That class being quite strong, almost immortal at high levels, it made for a good introduction. Since then I've completed a Solo Insane Poverty run as well. It was more work and needed more patience. I discovered a lot of strategies and what most would consider engine exploits. I don't have a problem with using technics that might be considered cheese in a normal run throught the game. I play exclusively on a vanilla install and solo runs are not meant to bring out the best role playing experience anyway. I based myself on the classical Sorcerer build for that challenge and adapted it my own way. I now love that class.
The Poverty vow is also quite interesting. It forces one to make hard choices and prepare carefully by not relying on scrolls for spells that one could not choose and gear like the Robe of Vecna to make Time Stops insanely more powerful than they already are.
I wanted share my latest challenge with the community here, to share the amazing replay-value of this series of games we all love and to get feedback and advice from people having completed similar challenges and having better strategies to suggest.
I am currently in the middle of a Solo Poverty No-level challenge.
What I mean by that is :
- Of course only the main character. No NPCs.
- No items, except quest items to carry around. No gold except of quest related bribes and such.
- No leveling up. Using only what the character as it is at creation at the beginning of the game and never clicking on the Level Up button.
First Try :
I've seen on the web, a lot of variations on those themes, and wanted to explore the possibilities of completing the game that way. My first instinct was to use a Bounty Hunter (a Thief kit) and facing the challenges of the game with traps and stealth. Apart from Mages it is one the few classes that can deal damage without using gear. And traps are notorious for being able to kill almost everything.
I got to the last rooms of the Labyrinth of the Asylum where I got stuck with that build. In order to defeat foes this character relies on being out of their sight and laying traps or throwing them in their direction. Abusing in a sense the Fog of War and the inability that enemies have to see beyond it.
Second Try :
Staying with the traps, I am now playing -as I am writing this- a Mage/Thief. Access to spells has made things easier.
Here's the current build :
Race : Elf
The DEX bonus of the elves helps to get the Thieving Skills to an acceptable level.
Class : Mage/Thief (magic and traps are the best)
At creation the character is a level 6 Mage and a level 7 Thief.
Alignment : Neutral Good
Cure Light Wounds make surviving a little easier in the first part of the game.
Draw Upon Holy Might helps getting DEX higher to push Thieving Skills even higher.
Abilities :
STR 9
Poverty means no need to carry anything, so STR is only useful for carrying quest items and the familiar.
DEX 19
Max useful dexterity. Gets AC to 6. Bonuses to Thieving Skills.
CON 16
Max useful constitution for that class to get good Hit Points.
INT 10
Don't need any actually. The character won't be learning new spells. Just put a few point not to die instantly when inadvertently facing a Mind Flayer.
WIS 14
I've read that wisdom gives bonuses to Saving Throws, but I've never seen a table giving specific numbers. The other advantage is that with a higher score, dialogues with NPCs get better and it let's you choose better options (like avoiding confrontation with the Priest of Cyric next the Shadow Thieves' Guild entrance).
CHA 8
The character is ugly but nobody cares. That score guarantees no maluses in reactions from NPCs.
I actually used the first roll from the creation engine to get those abilities. I don't think much more is needed.
Skills :
The only Thieving Skills this build is concerned with are :
Move Silently 145
With Hide In Shadows at a natural 30, it's enough to stealth successfully 80% of the time and keep it up very well.
Move Silently is more useful as it counts as much for hiding as for staying hidden as the other skill only counts in the initial roll.
Set Traps 90
High trap setting success rate. I can push it to 100 with Draw Upon Holy Might, but it works well without.
Proficiencies are irrelevant in a Poverty challenge.
Spells :
With that class one gets at creation the choice of :
Level 1 : 7 spells.
Level 2 : 6 spells.
Level 3 : 5 spells.
The character can then prepare :
Level 1 : 4 spells.
Level 2 : 2 spells.
Level 3 : 2 spells.
The challenge is in the chosing and the managing of those meager means.
This is what I started with (in order of usefulness) :
Level 1 :
Find Familiar* (extra HPs)
Magic Missile* (nice damage, quick spell and nobody shields)
Shield* (gets the AC a little lower, protects from enemy Magic Missiles)
Protection From Evil* (boost to Savind Throws)
Reflected Image
Chromatic Orb
Spook
Level 2 :
Invisibility* (nice to get around and out of difficult situation)
Mirror Image* (main defense)
Glitterdust* (blinds multiple creatures at distance)
Knock
Resist Fear
Luck
Level 3 :
Haste* (get away fast)
Melf's Minute Meteors* (nice damage, 5 attacks per round)
Skull Trap* (nice magical traps, but dangerous for the character as well)
Monster Summoning I* (cannon fodder to distract and attract foes)
Minor Spell Deflection
*Those are the spells I've successfuly used in defeating foes in my current run.
The main damage dealing weapon are the traps. At that level the character can set 2 traps per day.
Staying at that level the traps won't upgrade and deal a correct but far from impressive amount : 2d8+5 non-magical piercing damage. Only the Otyugh inside Irenicus' Dungeon and Golems outside were immune to them.
My vanilly game (SOA+TOB) limits the number of traps to 7 per area. So sometimes Skull Traps took the relay or I used several areas and moved between them making sure the foes followed.
Skull Trap are a nice source of damage but one has to be careful with those. Glitterdust helps with that. Once enemies are blinded, the character can come within range without being detected and cast Skull Trap in the middle of enemy groups. Melf's Minute Meteors were the only weapon used with the occasional Magic Missile.
Having no access to Stoneskin, Mirror Image carries the responsability of protecting the character against traps and combat. But the main tactic is to avoid combat and ambush monsters with traps, magical and otherwise.
Stealth was maintained as much as possible, so travelling outside by night really helps with stealth rolls.
Hide in Shadows is a great, at-will, source of invisibility. The Mage spell Invisibility is more of an emergency measure to avoid getting waylaid by enemies.
I found out that using Auto-Pause spell casting allows for Hiding in Shadows immediatly after casting spells, so not to aggro foes in the Fog. Same goes for fighting, with the one spell per round rule, first cast Magic Missile then pelt them with Minute Meteors and at the next round immediately cast another spell. The round is used in it's entirety to deal damage.
This is the path I chose to follow for the run. As you will notice, having no need for xp or gear, I cut corners and go directly for the main quests :
Get out of Irenicus' Dungeon as fast as possible. The only foes you have to kill are the Mephit Portals. I used Melf's Minute Meteors to do the job.
Once out, Slums, Gaelan Bayle, then City Gates and Trademeet.
There accept the Druid quest, hike accross the Grove invisible. Don't accept Cernd in the group and meet him there. He challenges Faldorn and wins. Quest done. On the way, lay some traps at the feet of the potion seller and attack her to get the Rakshasa's head for dealing with Genies. Once back to Trademeet, talk with the Genies, then the Mayor to get a total of 20'250 gold as reward.
Back to Athkatla, went directly to Gaelan and joined the Shadow Thieves. I find their quests easier with traps, there are less foes and more space to work on ambushing them. Kill Lassal on the docks, kill the traitors and the contact in the Five Flagons' Inn, and then kill Tanova because she's in the way, and Lassal to make Bodhi appear. Harm her and get to Brynnlaw. There I went directly the crazy Cowled Wizard and took his Ward Stone (by murder). In the Asylum, escape the labyrinth after disposing of some Kobolds, a Vampire, some Kobolds again and a Spore Colony. Once out hire the other inmates of the Asylum to attack Irenicus. Let them do the job, and hide in the corner. Get out invisible, tell Saemon to get lost and get directly to the Underdark through the Portal.
Once there kill the gnome that has the Light Stone, go pay a visit to Adalon. Shoot a Magic Missile at her. She gets angry. The quest to infiltrate the Drow City and recover the Dragon Eggs is failed, the doors to the surface open automatically. Flee from the dragon. Get to the other side of the map. Fight through the Kua-Toa (longest fights yet, those annoying creatudes can see through invisibility) to get to the Elves.
Now I have recruted the Order, Drizzt and the Shadow Thieves to attack Bodhi in her complex in the Graveyard back in the main city. That's where I'm at. I'll keep you posted on the next steps of the run.
I hope my post was not unbereable to read and that it is something some of you will be interested in.
I'm looking forward to you input and critique.