The Journal of the Insane Kensai, Playing a Kensai on Insane, spoilers and whatnot. Options

[pekkae]

Welcome. Again.

So we succumbed into "Insane".

We are looking to obliterate, again.

Our last crew with Vagrant spearheaded by Riskbreaker & Kensai was quite OP, except for the most difficult fight(s) as in the demogorgon-fight, which was extremely difficult. In the end H2H rules in almost all fights. However we botched our approach as in we didn't read the rules clear enough, so we managed to inflict quite a lot of pain for ourselves in the early parts of the game most notably in chapters 4-5, but we wanted to "play by the rules". In the end we obliterated though. That was the plan and it worked for some (most) parts at least. But in the end we weren't completely happy with our crew though.

However, we managed to dig a hole for ourselves forcing to re-think strategies and to survive, with very, very sub-optimal setup for good parts of the game. Managing to do this though, we think we have enough not to play on Core anymore - we can do it and do it easily. So we will up the difficulty. However, we think that with increased difficulty comes slightly different challenges. For example we think in we can't really tank with anything else than skinned characters, besides the DD ofc since it has about 50% physical resistance quite early. In that way it's about similar to tanking with a regular fighter on core rules, the result should be about the same. And since we did that already, we think we should be quite Ok tanking with a DD (with quite the increased divine spellcasting power that is)

But everyone else we need to protect we think. And we really need CS's, in the few difficult fights. So how do we construct a crew that has max skins, CS's, extreme spell casting capabilities together with great H2H (APR's & Thac0's)?

We think we have this solved. Ahem. Again.

The Rules

- No non-protagonist related drops & forging, though ...
- We get to forge MotA (as we don't get to forge anything else and it actually isn't even a drop, as we'll get the required items)
- We have 91 pts to distribute with the custom character we have
- We have the tomes from bg1 to spread among the crew
- Protector of the Woods is fixed to be usable by a Druid as well (it also fits the lore and it would be a shame to let it unused, since it's such a great item for a druid)
- Max HP's for NPC's
- We'll bend the rules just a little bit regarding a specific item later on in the game, but we are a bit hesitant to call it "cheating", since we can actually do it within the game's rules & it fits the lore as well. We won't abuse it though.
- A few (2-3) non-IA bonus items, to supplement item classes that don't have a lot of choices (two amulets & a belt).
- Rotating crew of party members in early chapters, as usual

***

Voilá our crew, we'll end up with:

Kensai (PC), the best damage dealer in the game we think. Needs to be protected, as otherwise will be toast immediately. Kensai gets the nod over Riskbreaker because it can use staves, so we can actually protect it in the early chapters, when RB is limited to dual wielding without range thus being subject of constant near-death experiences (due to myself being not that good of a player perhaps). Will get JD for dual wielding purposes later in the game for game breaking damage dishing. Will have skins in the end through JD. Gets the PC slot for early game superpowers. Played as Half-Orc with maxed stats from the beginning: (STR 19, DEX 18, CON 19, INT 9, WIS 18, CHA 9)

Korgan the Dwarven Defender. The only character that can tank in the game throughout all of the chapters, sort of. Is able to get about 40-50% physical resistance quite early in the game though abilities + innate physical resistance. This type of resistance also cannot be dispelled nor breached - a major, major bonus over any other type of (phys. resistance) tank. Combines very low AC with up-to 70% resistance to physical damage, which should keep him quite safe until the very end. That and 250-300 HP's with 100% fire resistance and so on. And ofc some timely healing from Cernd. Would play Korgan, but we don't like him so we take Minsc with Korgan's stats. So essentially we're playing a Korgan, who's nice and who carries a miniature giant space hamster around. We'd love to see that hamster in a fight one of these days.

Jaheira the Avenger. The best early game (H)2H damage disher. Amazing complimentary items and abilities, able to get to 6 APR with staffs / spears in chapter 2/3. Gets to summon the Clan Spirit. Gets Critical Strikes. Plays like a fighter, but with superpowers in the early game. Can tank in almost all fights and the one where she really can't, we have a plan for that fight. Gets the Golem Slayer, for... well, golem slaying purposes.

Imoen the Sorceress. Our archmage for top-notch arcane spellcasting superpowers. Will get MotA. A Necromancer gets +1 spells per level through levels 1-7 somewhere around level 30 or so we are thinking about giving her the same bonus spells. Can be silenced, so that's a big minus. Early access to amazing difficulty breaking spells though. We'll use them fully!

Cernd the Auramaster as the ultimate divine spell caster for prebuffing, debuffing & tanking golems and for summoning greater elementals, anacondas and the Smilodon. Will dominate encounters especially in chapters 4 & 5. An amazing healer & lich-killer. Insane amount spell slots. In later stages it will be Cernd's job to disable enemy casters and keep the crew alive with heals, regenerations & natural restorals. Especially those regen's will be in high demand, we think. Also, by the end he will be arguably the most powerful spellcaster in the realms, on par with a Necromancer, a lot better in a number of encounters, as powerful as a demi-god so a very worthy companion for a realms-roaming bhaalspawn.

Up to this point the crew is quite "conventional", as in nothing special besides the choice for the PC & the double-druid perhaps, though very, very powerful and almost solely NPC's with their original (IA) classes. What we are still lacking is H2H capabilities together with casting capabilities. We think there's only one character that we can use for this. Gets to cast everything besides ADHW, which it wouldn't cast anyway. Gets +1 spells per level. Gets critical strikes. Gets fighter Thac0's. Gets amazing equipment. Doesn't have great hit points but it's offset by being able to tank with skins & pfmw's & mirror images. Can also chain contigency properly & use triggers. We think she'll be great! Doesn't get IA but then again, without minuses in casting time IA is almost useless. Can also breach and tank enemies like a boss and is able to summon powerful allies for help. So a custom made gnomish Fighter/Illusionist, welcome! We think she'll be great! (STR 13, DEX 18, CON 18, INT 17, WIS 12, CHA 13).

So in the end ...

=> 5/6 are able to skin up (6/7 if we count the Clan Spirit).
=> The one that can't skin up has the best physical resistance & about the best AC in the game
=> 4/6 can go about critical striking awee'
=> 2/6 can clense auras with tremendous casting time bonuses (aura clensing without casting time bonuses is well, pointless)
=> We have the best casting ability both arcane & divine in the game
=> Effective use of the most powerful gear in the game

We think we'll break it, even on insane!

****

A few abbreviations we use in this Journal

Spells:

MS Minor Sequencer
SS Spell Sequencer
ST Spell Trigger
MS7 Monster Summoning 7 (7th level spell)
MS8 Monster Summoning 8 (8th level spell, troll)
MS9 Monster Summoning 9 (9 the level spell, greater yaun-ti)
CS Clan Spirit, Jaheira's summon
CC Chain Contigency (9th level arcane spell) / Chaotic Commands (5th level divine spell)
PfMW Protection from Magic Weapons
PfME Protection from Magic Energy
PftE Protection from the Elements
PfE PRotection from Energy
PfF Protection from Fire
PFL Protection from Lightning
PfC Protection from Cold
PfA Protection from Acid
GOi Globe of Invulnerability
ST Spell Truning
PO Polyomorph Other
IH Improved Haste
GM Greater Malision
DUHM Draw Upon Holy Might (Bhaalspawn ability / 2nd level divine spell)
IA Improved Alacrity (the 9th level arcane spell)
RRoR Ruby Ry of Reversal (the level arcane spell)
ADHW Abu Dalzim's Horrid Wilting (8th level arcane spell)
CoC Cone of Cold (5th level arcane spell)
AA Acid Arrow (2nd level arcane spell)
MM Magic Missile (1st level arcne spell)
SoA Shield of Archons


Stuffs & other's

AoP Amulet of Power
CF Crom Fayer
DoE Defender of Easthaven
CotW Circlet of the Woods
CotGF Citclet of the Golden Flowers
MotA Memory of the Apprenti
CS Critical Strike (Warrior HLA (high level ability))
F/M Fighter Mage, our custom made gnomish fighter/Illusionist
F/I our F/M
DD Dwarven Defender
OoR Oil of Resurgenrece

This post has been edited by pekkae: May 19 2022, 08:03 AM

[pekkae]

Chapter 5


Prince Vinyardi

We march into rebels HQ and initiate the fight there, as we usually have taken the fake heart and then whacked everyone within the king's premises so this is new. We are a little bit ill-prepared as in quite sub-optimal spell choices, but we make it after a couple of tries. Our hilariously OP Cernd starts the fight with Aura Clensing, then dooms everyone, then drops 8 emotions and 8 flame arrows (they are wonderful vs vipers), then summons a bunch of anacondas while buffing the crew. If we get the spawned sahuagin mages before they can death spell us too badly, the fight is won. Our F/M tanks 3 vipers & the king in the beginning. When buffs run out she PFMW's. When that happens we have an entourage of CS, anaconda + trolls + swords + our groups advanced h2h capabilities. It's easily enough.


Underadark

A bunch of very nice fights here, yay!

First drow ambush goes very smooth, almost all the way. Cernd takes care of the spiders (doom, emotion, flame arrows + chain lightnings), then warriors whack the fighters. We're a bit hesitant to send our frontline against the priestesses and mages, so we try to get em with summons. A bad strategy that results in us dodging symbol:stun's, hold person's, spell sequencers & triggers. In the end F/M together with Clan Spirit (both IH, CC, PfF etc. ) take down the mages, prietesses and warriors. Everyone else is stunned or held.

****
Cernd makes a level, he's less than 250k away from HLA's. That means we'll need to go visit Dracolich next, for we want the pre-hla dracolich. This is where the F/M starts to lag the rest of the crew, as her level progression is a lot slower. So she's missing 7th level spells while lagging levels so without bonuses she's -6 or -7 vs a pure fighter Thac0 wise. That is alleviated by her very low strength, so without spells she's pretty much -10 in Thac0 here. It doesn't matter that much, we can giant strength her and we're gaining levels fast so she'll start to catch up. But here the difference is at it's largest. Then again, she has enoug defensive buffs to be super useful still, with skins + blurs + mirror images + SI's we can drop her AC to -16 ... -20, so she's very difficult to hit.
****

Beholder lair

We PFME SI:Necromancy + full buffs. Max summons. Storm in, obliterate. The one nasty spot in the lair, with 5-6 beholders + gauths is taken down by Cernd who walks in, aura clenses and first dooms everything and then drops 10 emotions on them.

Cernd is U-B-E-R at this stage, we don't know how we'd manage without him.


Dracolichy

No troubles, though a few tight spots requiring a little bit of moving around, as we can't tank it at all (DD can take tank half a round at this stage). Luckily Clan Spirit rescues us (under skins, IH, PfC). We send in summons, nullify clouds & aggro with dwarven thrower. When it's out of PFMW's, buff the crew & whack. In the end Dracolich is tanked by 2 anacondas, a sword & a troll together with our frontline.


2nd drow ambush

It's a nightmare. Anyway, we use a simple trick to do this -> f/m again saves our crew by luring drow warriors + a bunch of spiders (not ghost spider though) to northern side together with the clan spirit, then she PFMW's (and has solemn duty off-hand making her immune to confusion) and then she just whacks away, as she can buff herself. The rest of the crew takes out the casters + ghost spider.


Ust'Natha

Nothing special here. Rescue Phaere, Do everything in the tavern then Qilue (Cernd makes a level when we're at Qilue's so we have the Smilodon now! Olé!), Mage's proposal, Spelljammer eye-tyrant, Patrol leader, Solaufein, Deirex (falls to 6xunleash energy + 2xadhw (from scrolls)). Cernd takes the ADHW trigger with BOIB + AoF (and goes -50% in HP's), Noble Efreeti, Taso Kala, House Jael'lat, Kua'Toa prince, swap eggs, anhilate city on the way out and return eggs to Adalon.

****
Especially the house jael'lat is very nice - our characters don't even take a hit. This is mostly thanks to our extremely efficient summons. Regenerating Smilodon under IH is really, really good at this stage. The only thing better than a regenerating improved hasted Smilodon is two regenerating improved hasted Smilodons. The other really nice thing about house Jael'lat is that there's a drop we've been looking for quite the time in drow elven chain, the ultimate armour for a F/M. She dons it immediately! YAY!!!

We're not actually sure where there were these armours as we have the simplified economy installed. But IIRC this was a sure spot.
****

This post has been edited by pekkae: May 16 2022, 11:17 AM