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[hoopsguy]

GI, Alan, and any others reading along - any thoughts on the choices I've made with the character?

A couple of thoughts:
1.) Do you think this challenge would be easier to do with an Intelligence-based character, rather than the type I've chosen which requires developing two attributes?
2.) Has there been anything where you feel I've missed the boat in terms of developing the character? For example, putting points into spells rather than attributes early, or building up one skill to a high level rather than diversifying them?

[gi]

Mass area spell based characters have a easier time. My wife labeled me the wood chipper since my spray area magic attacks that cover a cone'ish area just melt any creature. I started a rogue just so my wife didn't get bored.

I think you found a nice balance. I'd be interested to see how these house rules play out with multiplayer.

Bow at range and then switching to a spear seems the best strategy, though items availability will change that. I forgot what spears generally need as far as stats go, but I'd concentrate on that. You could also add a house rule that says when you die, you get a point to spend, but don't have to right away. That way you can adjust to the items you find. This will make it easier though.

Seems like you have a nice balance so far. Not too many deaths, but enough that makes the game challenging.

[hoopsguy]

Getting a bow that does even half the damage that my close range attack does would be nice. I was checking in shops in both Athens and Knossos for something that would fit the bill, but the 10% price rule + attributes made it a hard niche to fill. If I was really committed to finding a better bow I would have gone back a couple of cities to get rid of the attribute requirements, I suppose.

Multiplayer - would be interested in giving it a shot one of these nights. I'm usually able to play from 9PM to about midnight on weeknights, as long as I have a little advance warning. Now, would I be the only one playing a gimp? Or would others adopt a character following the same rules? I've got very limited MP experience, but if we are playing with mods to increase the difficulty (as you earlier suggested) then I'm a bit concerned about hanging with like-level characters who are fully powered with SonOfSquid.

[gi]

Oh, I would endorse the house rules for everyone. I think it would be needed to make the game challenging. Though we could edit them if we felt they were too hard. I'd would only be interested if everyone was playing by the same rules (your house rules). The house rules and the player6 mod should push us, making every choice matter. Should be fun. I have some availability during the weekdays. I'd have to PM you to see if you're on. Tonight could be a possibility as a test run. I've played the game with Skype, for voip communication, running in the background and found it works flawlessly.

[hoopsguy]

GI, so far I think the house rules have worked out pretty well. The main bosses are hard, and there is punishment for reckless play, but measured play with good decision making on character development feels like it is rewarded.

I'll post in the TQ thread on the main forum to see if there is some interest in doing this. I'm guessing we'll need a couple of days to round people up ... if there are not enough interested parties we can give it a go with just the two of us.

Project for tonight - install Skype, get a decent headset

[gi]

Sounds like a plan. Best buy, etc has a decent set for around $30, but you can go lower price as well. Skype is easy, I'll PM you my username.

[hoopsguy]

Picked up the headset this evening and downloaded Skype, will see if I can get this rolling tomorrow night.

[hoopsguy]

Tonight, however, SonOfSquid is back in business for a short time. The location? Rhakotis, Egypt. A man named Imhotep greets us at the docks. He has a really annoying voice.

Imhotep is impressed that we have defeated a Telkine. Egypt also has need of heroes, as monsters are overrunning the lands here. The Pharoah has fled the palace and is in hiding. It is imperative that man be able to contact the gods. Imhotep knows of a Scroll of Invocation that is in the Great Library here in Rhakotis. He asks that we locate the scroll in the library, which has been pillaged by monsters. From there, we will need to meet him at the Temple of Ptah in Seis so that he may perform the ceremony.

I personally think it would be easier for him to stay here while I get the scroll, but apparently I do not get a vote.

There is a soldier here who has lost a family heirloom to the invaders and hopes that we may recover it for him. That is a side quest.

The slums contain Jackal Men and scorpions. Early returns is that these guys do not hit all that hard. Good for SonOfSquid. Oh, and they do not drop any magical items. That is not so good for our hero.

I've also turned on information about opponents levels and critical hits. SonOfSquid seems to be landing quite a few critical hits on the Jackal Men ... go figure. The damage from these attacks is usually somewhere in the 60-75 range.

[hoopsguy]

Colossal Scorpions - these are problems. They have a ton of health - I retreat and swallow potions but I'm not putting a dent in them. Close fighting doesn't work much better. I'm going to have to be pretty darn patient with that foe. Well, I guess I got my first stupid death in Egypt out of the way.

Lets see how they like my new spell - Art of the Hunt:
- +12% Pierce Damage
- +15% Bleeding Damage
+3 Damage to both Beasts and Beastmen

[hoopsguy]

Revenge is quick, and serves as a reminder for a couple of simple lessons for SonOfSquid:
1.) Make sure to finish off one enemy rather than getting two of them down to 25% health at the same time
2.) Do not let Herbal Remedy run out, especially when fighting monsters that poison

Shortly after this the JackalMan with the family heirloom falls on the spear of SonOfSquid. This encounter also yields a pair of rare magical items, but neither is useable at this time. The one that has DEX requirements is not that far off, but the STR item is 30 points away and it is essentially a short sword. Ugh.

Upon entering the libary we rescue the Head Librarian from a pair of Jackal Men Berserkers, the toughest of their lot that we have seen so far. He tells us that the monsters are burning everything. He also shares that the scroll we are looking for is here, provided that it has not been burned already.

[hoopsguy]

Level 19 arrives, with very few changes from the final Greece report.

Health: 787
Energy: 300
Strength: 81
Intelligence: 65
Dexterity: 108

Resist Fire 24, Cold 29, Elec 31, Poison 0, Pierce 0, Bleed 0, Vitality 39, Energy 39, Stun 114, Disrupt 0

DPS: 70/20
Combined Armor: 109
Block%/Damage: 9% chance block 57

Health Regen: 4.00
Energy Regen: 1.85

Offensive Ability: 120
Defensive Ability: 118

Greatest Monster Killed: Megalesios - Telkine
Monsters Killed: 5476 (+165)
Greatest Damage Dealt: 134
Total Deaths: 24 (+1)
Gold: 674,804 (+79,699)

Equipment:
Shadowstring
Gorgon Crown
Light Reinforeced Buckler of Reasoning w/Archimedes Mirror
Gorgon Sash
Protective Emobssed Armbands of Quickness
Light Simple Wraps w/Boars Hide
Hardy Ring of Agility
Robust Ring w/Demons Blood
Protective Necklace of Agility

[hoopsguy]

New encounter - spirits. You would think that something like Entangle would not work that well on an apparition, but you would be wrong as it nestles on them just like it does on solid forms. These guys will yield the Spectral Matter that I need to complete the artifact.

The second level has a giant spider that sprays poison, has a ton of health, and summons a pack of six mini spiders. I'm going to need a mountain of potions to take him on and I just do not have the patience to do it this evening. This will have to wait for another day.

[hoopsguy]

The Giant Spider is in a large library. There are a pair of shelves on either side of the spider that offer good shelter from his poison spray while dispatching his summoned spiders. Except, after slaying 4-8 spiders and getting them summoned over and over again, I realized that if I left the last summoned spider alive and chasing that another batch were not summoned. Wow, that is a whole lot easier.

After finishing off the Giant Spider there is a majestic chest. No scroll in here, but it is on an alter in the following room. Upon grabbing the scroll a doorway appears. Time to see where that leads.

[hoopsguy]

Welcome to Hathor Basin, a desert surrounded by mountains. The creatures inhabiting these lands include vultures and some huge lizard men. The latter have always been a monster that caused my characters problems. There are a lot of them and they hit hard. For example, one of the Lieutenants hit me for 175 points of damage on a critical hit. But with SonOfSquid, the emphasis is on avoiding 1-on-everyone confrontations. The Entangle strategy is on full display here and with surprisingly good results.

There is a cave holding monsters called Cave Rot. It looks like some kind of an ooze that shoots a poison that slows. There are also Cave Maggots, which are nasty worm creatures that hit us very hard up close, but move slowly. There are also Dune Raiders (bandits?) and hyenas. So more life in the desert than I would have expected.

There is one interesting find, but it won't be useable for quite awhile.

Ornamental Armbands of Guile:
36 Armor
+53% Bleeding Damage
+24% Poison Damage
+7% Chance to Avoid Projectiles
Req: STR 102 (still 20 points away)

This is the type of item that Hunters should be using. It would go just great with the Deathweavers Wingtip, but I would be giving up the spear attack. Oh well, I don't get to make this choice for awhile.

[hoopsguy]

The next area is Wadjet Canyon. A local trader tells us of a beast of legend in this area. Any warrior who can defeat the beast will receive a magical blessing.

We find some tougher Dune Raiders here. There are assassins, who throw a bunch of blades in a special attack. And there is a hero, who takes a bunch of damage before falling to a slew of Entangles and Takedowns.

The terrain changes after crossing a bridge and entering the Nile Floodplain. Wonder if we are getting close to Sais yet?

[hoopsguy]

It is back to Wadjet Canyon to find the "Beast of Legend". After all, there is a requirement to meet all sidequests. It turns out that the beast is a giant scorpion-man. He nearly kills SonOfSquid post-death, as his poison sucks off a bunch of health. But the reward for defeating his is two more skill points that I will not be using for now. Oh, and 7500 experience, which is twice as much as the Telkine.

Level 20 arrives just after starting to explore the flood plain.

Health: 787
Energy: 300
Strength: 81
Intelligence: 65
Dexterity: 108

Resist Fire 24, Cold 29, Elec 31, Poison 0, Pierce 0, Bleed 0, Vitality 39, Energy 39, Stun 114, Disrupt 0

DPS: 73/20
Combined Armor: 109
Block%/Damage: 9% chance block 57

Health Regen: 4.00
Energy Regen: 1.85

Offensive Ability: 125
Defensive Ability: 124

Greatest Monster Killed: Megalesios - Telkine
Monsters Killed: 6096 (+620)
Greatest Damage Dealt: 134
Total Deaths: 24
Gold: 883,884 (+209,080)

Equipment:
Shadowstring
Gorgon Crown
Light Reinforeced Buckler of Reasoning w/Archimedes Mirror
Gorgon Sash
Protective Emobssed Armbands of Quickness
Light Simple Wraps w/Boars Hide
Hardy Ring of Agility
Robust Ring w/Demons Blood
Protective Necklace of Agility


Very few changes. Really only two exciting things happened during this last level:
1.) No deaths
2.) Gold is accelerating very quickly, compared to earlier levels. This level should allow for the purchase of a rare (green) item in some cases.

I desperately need to find a bow I can use for some long-range fighting. The lack of it is making SonOfSquid much more vulnerable than I would like at this point in the game. But I'm loathe to make that one of my three purchases for Egypt just yet. I've got to find something one of these days ... right?

[hoopsguy]

So much for the no deaths run. The worms hit hard, and I'm not able to retreat quickly enough from a pack of them. This is where a ranged attack would help a ton. For now, another point goes into STR, bumping that value up 5 points.

There are a ton of Lizardmen here. SonOfSquid avoid most of them and crosses into the village of Seis. The people here are being harassed by Reptilians - aka Lizardmen. There is a Battle Marker just outside the town and that helps SonOfSquid power through the first few Reptilians. There is a ton of treasure being dropped by these guys, but they are very strong and SOS is not able to lift any of it.

Our reward for finishing off the last of the lizards? Vile Ichor. Well, that is better than it sounds since it is a relic fragment.

The Temple of Ptah is here. Well, what is left of it as it is a smoldering ruin. No sign of Imhotep, but there is another Order of Prometheus guy here to talk with SonOfSquid. He relates that a Telkine assaulted the temple and was clearly looking for something. Imhotep fled the temple with a number of sacred texts and is waiting for us in the city of Memphis. We should look him up there.

[hoopsguy]

There are a slew of ruins in this area, littered with undead and creatures such as worms. This is the kind of stuff that SonOfSquid feeds upon, and business is good.

Until I take a death that I just do not understand. There are blade traps in one of the ruins, and I guess it must have delivered a critical hit. Because I charged in while swallowing a potion, meaning I had almost 800 health and was building in the event that a 2nd hit came behind it. I guess it was a one-shot kill.

Hmm, what to take to avoid this? Well, having some Pierce resistance would be helpful. Maybe stronger armor in my weakest area. But the real answer is that I cannot charge those traps and I'll have to bomb them from afar every time out. It goes back to the bow.

For now, I'll stick another point into Hunting Master, which will give a boost to health and STR + DEX. But I'm pretty bitter about it.

[hoopsguy]

On the way back to the ruins, SonOfSquid stumbles across a Dune Raider camp where a mage of the Order of Prometheus is being held. Rescue completed, another good deed in the books.

Just after getting into the ruins, SonOfSquid finds Level 21.

Health: 827 (+40)
Energy: 300
Strength: 87 (+6)
Intelligence: 65
Dexterity: 111 (+3)

Resist Fire 24, Cold 29, Elec 31, Poison 0, Pierce 0, Bleed 0, Vitality 39, Energy 39, Stun 114, Disrupt 0

DPS: 77/20 (+4/0)
Combined Armor: 109
Block%/Damage: 9% chance block 57

Health Regen: 4.00
Energy Regen: 1.85

Offensive Ability: 123 (+3)
Defensive Ability: 122 (+4)

Greatest Monster Killed: Megalesios - Telkine
Monsters Killed: 6641 (+546)
Greatest Damage Dealt: 148 (+14)
Total Deaths: 26 (+2)
Gold: 1,130,663 (246,779)

Equipment:
Shadowstring
Gorgon Crown
Light Reinforeced Buckler of Reasoning w/Archimedes Mirror
Gorgon Sash
Protective Emobssed Armbands of Quickness
Light Simple Wraps w/Boars Hide
Hardy Ring of Agility
Robust Ring w/Demons Blood
Protective Necklace of Agility


Also, I've found my bow of the future ... just a matter of how far out that future may be.

Eldritch Bow (rare):
24-50 Damage, 25% Piercing, Speed: Slow
+18 STR
+21 Attack Speed
+44% Increased Projectile Speed

[hoopsguy]

The second run through the ruins goes better - nothing bizarre with traps this time around. Out of the Lower Nile region and into the Memphis Outskirts.

One thing I forgot to mention about the ruins. There was a new type of encounter. An alter summons a series of specters to battle SonOfSquid and they keep coming until the alter is destroyed. There are a few of those around the ruins and they make for a challenging encounter when there are also undead assassins and skeleton archers in the midst.

There are hyenas, vultures, and Dune Raiders in these lands. Just outside the gates of Memphis are the beggars quarters. A man asks SonOfSquid to clear the monsters from these grounds. This was very challenging, as the grounds were littered with Shadowstalkers. These demons appeared like smoke in the distance until forming in front of SOS. They hit very hard, delivering critical hits for up to 243 points of damage. It was feasible to stand up to one, maybe two of them. But when four of them came charging, it was time to retreat. Still, the Shadowstalkers eventually fell.

The reward for this is pretty darn good - a Robust Ring of Virility (rare):
+19 STR
+13% STR
+8% Health

[hoopsguy]

There are a couple of groups of Dune Raiders that are roaming the perimeter of Memphis. SonOfSquid ushers them away and proceeds to track down our old friend Imhotep.

Imhotep tells us that they were very unprepared for a Telkine attack and that the Telkines seem to be everywhere these days. He wants to perform the invocation ceremony immediately as only the gods can save us. However, he is still missing a couple of artifacts to complete the ceremony. Imhotep needs SonOfSquid to fetch these artifacts - the Eye of Chaos and the Hand of Balance. Honestly, does anyone else do anything around here?

There is every shop known to man in Memphis. There are also a pair of sidequests to be had:
1.) Retrieve a staff from the Great Pyramid in Giza for the High Priest
2.) Rescue a man who is on a fool's errand to "control a guardian" in Giza

Sounds like Giza is where the action is around here.

[hoopsguy]

Out through the Gate of the Sphinx and into Outer Giza. There are a number of pyramids here, along with undead, hyenas, and vultures. During one battle I fail to realize that SonOfSquid is out of healing potions. But no harm, no foul this time.

The next territory is the Giza Plateau. here we find the Temple of Khofu and learn that monsters have broken in. Worse yet, if they manage to break into the Pharoah's tomb they will unleash a curse upon the land. Hmm, I also can retrieve the staff for the High Priest here.

There are some more variants on the undead. This time it is the Guardians, who require two rounds of killing. After the first death they return as a fiery warrior instead of a skeletal one.

There is a Jackalman hero back by the sarcophagus. He has a lot of health and a fireball attack but is not too scary. Level 22 comes at the conclusion of this battle.

Health: 849 (+22)
Energy: 300
Strength: 115 (+28)
Intelligence: 65
Dexterity: 105 (-6)

Resist Fire 12 (-12), Cold 29, Elec 31, Poison 0, Pierce 0, Bleed 0, Vitality 39, Energy 39, Stun 114, Disrupt 0

DPS: 73/21 (-4/+1)
Combined Armor: 118 (+9)
Block%/Damage: 9% chance block 57

Health Regen: 4.00
Energy Regen: 1.85

Offensive Ability: 117 (-6)
Defensive Ability: 115 (-7)

Greatest Monster Killed: Megalesios - Telkine
Monsters Killed: 7088 (+447)
Greatest Damage Dealt: 148
Total Deaths: 26
Gold: 1,297,244 (+166,589)

Equipment:
Shadowstring
Gorgon Crown
Light Reinforeced Buckler of Reasoning w/Archimedes Mirror
Ornamented Armbands of Guile *
Protective Emobssed Armbands of Quickness
Light Simple Wraps w/Boars Hide
Robust Ring of Virility *
Robust Ring w/Demons Blood
Protective Necklace of Agility

* Denotes new item

Huge bump in Strength with the new ring. I'm hoping to be able to mix in some relics slotted in with items and continue to improve resistances. Also, a bow remains on the priority list. The changes pulled us further from the day where SonOfSquid will be able to equip the Eldritch Bow.

[hoopsguy]

An early death on Level 22 as I did not see a couple of creatures behind a door. Kind of dumb, but there just is not that much margin for error.

But what is really annoying is that I'm not able to re-enter the temple. Which means that I'll need to complete this again when I re-load. That will be another evening.

[hoopsguy]

SonOfSquid cleared out the temple with authority on the return trip. One mildly interesting item - the side quest to get the Khofu's staff released four really large undead sorcerers. They were not particularly imposing, but it was somewhat shocking seeing them appear after opening Khofu's Sarcophagus.

From there, it is on to the Great Sphinx. This should hold one of the two items requested by Imhotep. This is a very large dungeon, easily the biggest one since Knossos Palace (end of Greece). But there is not much here that SonOfSquid has not seen before. Probably the toughest parts of the early going involved the combination of traps + undead or the summoning alters + undead. In both cases the strategy was to remove the undead before focusing in on the inanimate objects.

The culmination of the tomb is a large chamber with four enormous statues. There are also four shrines that summon spectres to battle SonOfSquid. Upon destroying each of the shrines, one of the statues becomes animated. The Ensnare is useless against the large monsters, but the battle is won with a grind-it-out approach. Immediately after this room is the area holding the Hand of Balance (a staff) and a number of chests. The most interesting of these items is the Electrum Charm (necklace):
- 10% Pierce Resist
- 10% Elemental Resist
- 10% Poison Resist
- 10% Chance of 57 Reduced Resist for 4 seconds

This would be very helpful, but at the moment I need the +10 DEX associated with my current necklace. However, if I'm looking for a set of improved resistances I can use this and the Gorgon Sash to set a nice baseline across the board. I'm getting to a point now where it makes more sense to customize equipment for specific regions/battles, depending on what kind of monsters SonOfSquid is facing.

[hoopsguy]

A minor equipment update - SonOfSquid has completed the Rigid Carapace, which slots into a shield.
+20% Pierce Resist (extremely useful)
+20% Energy Leech Resist (helpful)
+30% Stun Resist (not at all useful, since it was already at 114%)
+1.0 Health Regen/sec

There are no items depending on the +11 INT associated with the former shield, so it is an easy decision to swap the old shield out so I can make use of the new relic.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this earlier, but as the game advances it becomes increasingly important to build up resistances. Most equipment decisions are a balancing act, but a failure to have any resistances is a recipe for doom. I'm convinced that is why I saw SonOfSquid die from one shot of a blade trap. That should not happen with this item equipped. Poison is covered by the Herbal Remedy. I can address the others with the Gorgon Sash + Electrum Charm, as long as I know in advance that I'll need to equip them.

Final random equipment note - it has been very frustrating not to pick up any Spectral Matter by now. It is dropped by the ghosts/specters. I'll need five of them to complete that relic, which is needed for the Artifact recipe. Getting that equipped would be a very significant boost for SonOfSquid.

[hoopsguy]

I find the missing brother, who went after the Guardian. It should come as no surprise to learn that he was not able to control the guardian. So it is up to SonOfSquid to eliminate the guardian. Which is, by the way, a very large undead dog. That hits like crazy, knocking off about 2/3 of Squid's health in one bite. The guardian also has a flame aura attack that bites through the meager fire resist. Oh, and it is pretty fast. Very tough opponent.

So, I'm forced to play in a very lame fashion to defeat the guardian. Entangle, retreat, entangle, retreat, repeat 70 or so times. But in the end the guardian is dead and SonOfSquid is Level 23.


Health: 738 (-111)
Energy: 300
Strength: 115
Intelligence: 54 (-11)
Dexterity: 105

Resist Fire 12, Cold 29, Elec 31, Poison 0, Pierce 20 (+20), Bleed 0, Vitality 39, Energy 59 (+20), Stun 144 (+30), Disrupt 0

DPS: 73/21
Combined Armor: 131 (+13)
Block%/Damage: 9% chance block 52 (-5)

Health Regen: 4.00
Energy Regen: 1.54 (-.31)

Offensive Ability: 142 (+25)
Defensive Ability: 115

Greatest Monster Killed: Megalesios - Telkine (still?)
Monsters Killed: 7513 (+425)
Greatest Damage Dealt: 148
Total Deaths: 27 (+1)
Gold: 1,540,197 (+242,953)

Equipment:
Shadowstring
Gorgon Crown
Light Reinforeced Buckler of Proficiency w/Rigid Carapace *
Ornamented Armbands of Guile
Protective Embossed Armbands of Quickness
Light Plated Leggings *
Robust Ring of Virility
Robust Ring w/Demons Blood
Protective Necklace of Agility

* Denotes new item

So, there were some pretty major tradeoffs to bring in the Pierce Resistance. I was keenly aware of the health issue in the battle against the guardian. I also did not spend my point on the last death - oh, well. I had not noticed it until now so I'll just forego that point.

[hoopsguy]

There is an underground tunnel that provides passage from Giza to Fayum. Fayum is a small village in the middle of the desert and provides a launching point for explorations to recover the Eye of Chaos requested by Imhotep. There are a few shops in the town and the townspeople seem eager for someone to help them with dispatching a Dune Raider leader.

Outside the town are several Jackalman camps. Behind one of the camps is an enormous natural cave. Inside the cave are spiders, worms, scorpions, and ... nothing? Seven levels of caves, with no side quest or any clear purpose. Bizarre.

[hoopsguy]

The Temple of Atum is the area that holds the Eye of Chaos. It is guarded by an enormous Scorpion who summons smaller scorpions, has a ton of health, hits very hard, has a good critical %, and delivers poison damage. This encounter is somewhat similar to the monster Spider back in Greece. Except I do not have an area where I can retreat to escape; the gate closes behind upon entry. I'm expecting a few deaths here.

But none come, thanks to 66 potions. The strategy is pretty simple. First, shift equipment around and use Herbal Remedy to get poison defense up to 49% and Pierce Resist to 36%. Second, run around the mini-scorps and the big man until the Takedown attack is ready. Sip a potion on the way in and trade shots for 3-4 extra hits after the takedown, then retreat. Repeat, while mixing in the Herbal Remedy every 3-4 minutes after it runs out.

Now back to Memphis to give Imhotep his scavenger hunt items.

[hoopsguy]

Well, that was worthless. Imhotep combines the Hand of Balance and Eye of Chaos to form the Scepter of Eternity. He then performs the invocation ceremony (after giving us a relic part and two attribute points that SonOfSquid will not use) and comes back dejected. He was unable to communicate with the gods, so it is up to us to fix this mess.

The Telkine has been plundering Order of Prometheus sites all across Egypt. The assumption is that he must be searching for something. We have to stop him, and the place to do that is at the Tomb of Ramses, the last intact site. Since SonOfSquid has been a good gopher ... er, stopped a Telkine previously ... he is the best candidate to save everyone. Off we go to slay a Telkine and then meet good old Imhotep in yet another Egyptian city.

[hoopsguy]

Item watch - completed the Hags Skin, which can be slotted into any armor.
6% Pierce Resistance
+10 DEX
4 Armor

The Armor bump is worthless, but the other two things are helpful. This is immediately added to SonOfSquid's boots.

Another gate in Memphis is now available and it leads to Dahshur, which is a decrepit village loaded with lizard men. They are still slow and hard hitting, but SonOfSquid knows how to pick his terms for these battles.

The Thebes outskirts contains hyenas and Jackalmen. Again, these are not foes that strike fear in the heart of SonOfSquid. Especially not coming off the strong showing against the super Scorpion creature.

There is a stairwell leading into a tomb containing undead, animated hounds, and the worms that seem to trouble SonOfSquid. Still, nothing seems to be deterring him on this evening. Not even the spike traps, which really should not be nearly as damning now that Pierce Resist is no longer zero.

A minor miracle - SonOfSquid finds his second arcane formula.

Razor Claw:
Req: Set's Betrayal (have 1/3), Lupine Claw (have 1/5), Scroll of Staltwart Alliance
+5% Pierce Damage
15 Pierce Damage
33% chance 25 Pierce Retaliation
+5% Attack Speed

This would be a really, really nice item for this character, given the amount of pierce damage inflicted by this character.

[Eilim]

The evil that is Hoopsguy strikes again...

Your first dynasty thread got me to purchase the game and expansion and spend endless hours playing the game (think I completed two of the difficulties.). Now your new dynasty has me re-installing. While I'll not make any house rules yet, as its been a while since I've played, I think I will avoid any tips and tricks sorts of guides which I did use heavily the first time through. Will also wing it through character development (closely related to the tips and tricks restriction.) and see how that plays out.

I am curious, anyone used the fan made "bugfix" patch or are you playing the stock game. While I don't remember any big bugs from my last play through, not sure if it was just a case of me not noticing them.

[hoopsguy]

Level 24 arrives.

Health: 738
Energy: 300
Strength: 115
Intelligence: 54
Dexterity: 105

Resist Fire 22 (+10), Cold 22 (-7), Elec 41 (+10), Poison 10 (+10), Pierce 36 (+16), Bleed 0, Vitality 39, Energy 59, Stun 144, Disrupt 0

DPS: 73/21
Combined Armor: 135 (+4)
Block%/Damage: 9% chance block 52

Health Regen: 5.00 (+1.0)
Energy Regen: 1.54

Offensive Ability: 142
Defensive Ability: 115

Greatest Monster Killed: Nehebkau - Scorpos King
Monsters Killed: 8101 (+588)
Greatest Damage Dealt: 211 (+63) - hit a Battle Marker, delivered a couple of massive hits during this time
Total Deaths: 27
Gold: 1,721,822 (+181,625)

Equipment:
Shadowstring
Gorgon Sash
Gorgon Crown
Light Reinforeced Buckler of Proficiency w/Rigid Carapace
Ornamented Armbands of Guile
Protective Embossed Armbands of Quickness
Light Plated Leggings w/Hags Skin * (new relic slotted)
Robust Ring of Virility
Robust Ring w/Demons Blood
Electrum Charm *

* Denotes new item

The +10 DEX with the Hags Skin relic allowed me to remove the necklace with the +10 DEX bonus and equip the Electurm Charm, which gives +10 to all five primary resists. Piercing has gone from the biggest vulnerability to the 2nd best resist over the last two levels. Poison gets a 30% boost from Herbal Remedy, which means all resists are at least adequate for this level in the game.

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by Eilim

The evil that is Hoopsguy strikes again...

Your first dynasty thread got me to purchase the game and expansion and spend endless hours playing the game (think I completed two of the difficulties.). Now your new dynasty has me re-installing. While I'll not make any house rules yet, as its been a while since I've played, I think I will avoid any tips and tricks sorts of guides which I did use heavily the first time through. Will also wing it through character development (closely related to the tips and tricks restriction.) and see how that plays out.

I am curious, anyone used the fan made "bugfix" patch or are you playing the stock game. While I don't remember any big bugs from my last play through, not sure if it was just a case of me not noticing them.

It comes back quickly, if you completed the first two difficulty levels then you should strongly consider putting in some house rules to make it a challenge Or joining in a MP game with GI and I, who are getting whipped with these house rules plus the 6player mod (MP assumes that there are six active players, adjusts difficulty accordingly).

Outside of the aforementioned 6players mod (which I'm only using for MP games) I'm not playing with any mods. I've seen almost no bugs in my time playing the game; probably the worst is not being able to walk into a building once in a blue moon without porting to town and back.

[hoopsguy]

Also, for what it is worth it was Level 25 where my last "ironman" character bit the bullet in TQ. That was due to a lack of sufficient resistances ... strangely enough, this particular build is way ahead of that character for resists despite the lack of attributes and inability to use many items.

Just in case you were wondering why I'm getting obsessive about resistances at this juncture in the story ...

[hoopsguy]

The next town is Thebes, home of the Temple of Seti. We learn that the Telkine passed through here en route to the Valley of Kings, which is home to many of the Pharoah tombs. The head priest of the town attempted to slow down the Telkine, but was somehow corrupted by his magics and is menacing the area surrounding the town. SonOfSquid is asked to address this matter.

So, where to start looking for a corrupted priest? Well, my theory is to follow the trail of undead that are milling about outside of town. That leads to a nearby underground lair holding the former high priest Neb Kemi. I learn pretty quickly why he fell to the Telkine, as all he brings to the table is a lame fire attack. Maybe five potions max to take him down, along with a couple for his statue guardians. He sure did have a lot of mediocre magic items, though.

[hoopsguy]

The Highland Pass takes us to the Valley of Kings. It is littered with Scorpos (who kind of worry me, as they are fast and hit hard, delivering what I think is Vitality damage) and Crone/Vultures. The Crones can be annoying in numbers as they deliver a fair number of criticals but they usually go down in 2-3 hits so one potion is normally enough to plow through a flock of them.

However, there is another region in between Highland Pass and the Valley of Kings. This is the Place of Truth and it lands SonOfSquid death #28. Dune Raiders cast a net and swarmed with 6-7 members. Oops - playing too fast.

Lets see, where to spend the point? It goes into Hunting Mastery, bringing that up to 7/32. I wasn't as focused on the STR/DEX/Health bonus as I was on moving towards 10/32 where four new spells become available.

[hoopsguy]

The first tomb in the Valley of Kings is not the Tomb of Ramses, but I'm in a plundering mood. Plus I think it may be helpful to try and get some better items, relic shards, and experience before taking on the next Telkine. Ideally, I would like to at least have Level 25 by then.

Another sloppy death, this time to demons. I think the level of the monsters may have gone up a little bit as I'm taking more damage than I expect in these encounters. I've had a couple of close calls and I'm taking more criticals over the last hour. Another point into the mastery and time to buckle down. Disappointing after a good run through Level 23 to be giving away deaths this casually.

[hoopsguy]

SonOfSquid ends up clearing out three tombs before finding the one devoted to Ramses: Amenmeses, Merenptah, and Amenhotep I (this suggests that there is at least a 2nd one, right?). The general trend in these is that the demons are a cause for concern, while the undead are pretty routine.

So naturally the first encounter here is demons. The second one is the hardest of the demons (Shadowstalkers), including multiple ones that are Level 30. A six level differential is the biggest I've seen up to this point. These are mixed in with the toughest undead and a trap just for good measure. Yep, the ante has gone up.

The next room is a massive chamber. There are traps galore, along with the undead summoning portals. It is here that SonOfSquid dings Level 25.

Health: 820 (+82)
Energy: 300
Strength: 120 (+5)
Intelligence: 54
Dexterity: 110 (+5)

Resist Fire 22, Cold 22, Elec 41, Poison 10, Pierce 36, Bleed 0, Vitality 39, Energy 59, Stun 144, Disrupt 0

DPS: 74/21 (+1/0)
Combined Armor: 135
Block%/Damage: 9% chance block 52

Health Regen: 5.00
Energy Regen: 1.54

Offensive Ability: 147 (+5)
Defensive Ability: 121 (+6)

Greatest Monster Killed: Nehebkau - Scorpos King
Monsters Killed: 8585 (+483)
Greatest Damage Dealt: 211
Total Deaths: 29 (+2)
Gold: 1,941,672 (+219,850)

Equipment:
Shadowstring
Gorgon Sash
Gorgon Crown
Light Reinforeced Buckler of Proficiency w/Rigid Carapace
Ornamented Armbands of Guile
Protective Embossed Armbands of Quickness
Light Plated Leggings w/Hags Skin
Robust Ring of Virility
Robust Ring w/Demons Blood
Electrum Charm

[hoopsguy]

The Telkine is a little bit past the large chamber and this one got me. I still do not really understand his attacks all that well. He has a fireball attack that does not hurt much, as well as a vitality attack that seems pretty ineffectual. There is a swarm-looking spell that does some damage and another one that brings out a series of lights in the room. I think that is the one that got me, in conjunction with his undead dog attacking me at the same time. Still, first crack at this guy got him down 50% of health. The extra point goes right into Hunting Mastery; the next one is Level 10.

Crap, figured out a couple of things before dying to him a second time. The lights are areas that you cannot move into for a couple of seconds without sustaining at least 500 damage, which is very bad news for a character with 850 health. The cloud attack is a disrupt skills attack, along with doing about 250 damage. That one is only a worry if I mess up and enter the lights.

This Telkine also summons mirror images of himself at the start of the battle and when he is knocked to 50% health. They are not much of a factor in the battle.

Darn it, I had him at about 15% health when I died that time and he will be full when I return. Ugh. Last point into Hunting Mastery, which is Level 10. So I have four new spells as options for the next point.

[hoopsguy]

Damn it, the game cheats Seriously, he opened up the light attack right on top of my character when he had 10% health and two dogs still running around. This Telkine pretty much stalls, which is effective against my character but is a receipe for getting crushed by any developed character. I'm really annoyed at what an absolute weasel this guy is.

I'm still not going to give this guy respect. My next point goes into Herbal Remedy, allowing for faster healing and better Poison resist. This is a move made 100% with my eye on a later part in the game.

[hoopsguy]

Finally, success. One more note that helped with the 4th run - the areas that are impacted by the light attack are static. So there are point in the room that you do not want to be standing when it lands. That made this basically an exercise in waiting out the Telkine. He drops a slew of magic items, including a Cuniform Tablet that is a quest item.

The unique item he held (did better on drop here than in Greece) is Ramses Greaves:
84 Armor
12% Pierce Resist
15% chance +50% Fire Resist
+20% Health Regen
+13% Movement
3% Dodge Attacks
Part of five piece set called Ramses Royal Armor
REQ: STR 154 (30 points away)

[hoopsguy]

Imhotep fills in some more details for us. The tablet suggests that the Telkines were looking for an item called the Sickle of Kronos, which is held under the Temple of Marduk in Babylon. There is a 3rd Telkine attacking there now. He wants SonOfSquid to go there right away through a magical portal.

The Scepter of Eternity, which we put together earlier by collecting the Eye of Chaos and the Hand of Balance, will open this portal in the Temple of Hapshepsut, which is near Thebes. He opens yet another gate that was previously closed and it is off to the portal.