5th LEVEL
Day 3, 18:10, Lower Monastery
Cleared the lower Monastery and everyone bumped another level. Now it gets a little more fun, (I really HATE rabid rats)
Thoughts on the party thus far:
Taz is kicking butt, frequently hitting for 40+ points. Fighters are simple to develop, I just keep dumping everything into STR, DEX, Sword, Bow, and Close Combat. He’s doing just what he’s supposed to.
Yoko hits a LOT, but not for a whole lot of damage. Still, I think she’ll come along. Continuing to put everything into DEX, SEN, Sword, Dual Weapon, and Close Combat. I think once SEN is up to 60, I’ll start putting points into speed (I want those multiple attacks with 2 weapons).
Aria isn’t killing much yet, but putting everything to sleep has made the party’s job MUCH easier. I just flat love Bards, even though they’re not that impressive to start. Everything continues to go into INT, DEX, Music, Pickpocket, with the remainder split between Sword and Bow.
Gizmo, well, he’s got the best weapons score in the bunch, does nothing but shoot that pop-gun all day long. (Even if it IS a MK 3 now, it still sucks). I’ve never played a Gadgeteer before, but I want to play with the toys, so I keep him. Just pumping everything into INT, DEX, Modern Weapons, Locks, and Engineering.
Bernard, now that he has Web, Armorplate, and Identify is much more useful. Next, He start getting cure spells. And Make Wounds is starting to pack a puch. I changed my mind again on his development, I’m going to Keep putting points into PIE and DEX until his DEX hits 60, then I’ll re-think. His skills all go into magic, and I’m trying to keep it spread among the realms.
Starhawk still scares me with her ultra-low HP, but I don’t want to put any points into VIT until I’ve maxed her INT (should happen at level 9). Of her spells, I’m most disappointed with Noxious Fumes. The manual states it’s a duration spell (3.5 dam/lev, 1 round/lev) It’s not. Even a 3rd level fume is dissipating in one round. I should have gone with the good old trusty fireball. (Why is it, BTW, that almost EVERY RPG gives your mage a fireball at 5th level? Is there some kind of law?) Energy Blast is her killer spell right now, and having two casters with Web is incredibly useful. All points continue into INT, PIE, Wizardry, and the various magic realms.
I’ve noticed I really miss having a Ranger, mainly for the high Mythology. I hadn’t realized how much I planned my battles around knowing how many hp’s each creature had left. At this point, a Ranger would have been more useful than the Gadgeteer. On the other hand, I know that Gizmo will get some cool toys down the line, and having him learn locks frees up Aria to develop a bit of melee skills. On the balance, I’d have to say I’m pretty happy with how the party’s shaping up at level 5.
Best line so far: My Bard, in her southern accent, after being badly wounded..."This hurts worse than when they tell you they still love their wives"
Taz:
Male Dracon Fighter, 5th Lev., AC 5, 58 HP
Attributes;
STR 87, INT 35, PIE 30, VIT 60, DEX 82, SPD 60, SEN 30
Skills;
Sword 31, Axe 8, Shield 9, Bow 19, Close Combat 26, Ranged Combat 6, Artifacts 2
Stats;
Initiative 10, Kills 26, Deaths 0, 7-17 Dam., Attack Rating 25,
1 Attack, 1 Swing,
+5 To Hit, +74% Damage.
Special;
None
Yoko:
Female Dracon Samurai, 5th Lev., AC 5, 45 HP
Attributes;
STR 55, INT 55, PIE 30, VIT 60, DEX 74, SPD 61, SEN 49
Spell Points;
Air Magic 5
Skills;
Sword 35, Close Combat 9, Dual Weapon 26, Critical Strike 26, Artifacts 5, Communication 1, Wizardry 5
Stats;
Initiative 14, Kills 21, Deaths 0, 2-8/1-6 Dam., Attack Rating 20/19, 1/1 Attack,
1/1 Swing, +3/+2 To Hit, +10%/+5% Damage.
Special;
None
Aria:
Female Hobbit Bard, 5th Lev., AC 2, 35 HP
Attributes;
STR 45, INT 76, PIE 30, VIT 45, DEX 81, SPD 60, SEN 57
Skills;
Sword 8, Bow 11, Music 31, Pickpocket 17, Close Combat 2, Ranged Combat 3,
Artifacts 14, Mythology 11, Communication 12
Stats;
Initiative 16, Kills 6, Deaths 0, 2-7 Dam., Attack Rating 20,
1 Attack, 1 Swing, +3 To Hit, -2% Damage.
Special;
Poet’s Lute (Sleep)
Gizmo:
Male Hobbit Gadgeteer, 5th Lev., AC 2, 32 HP
Attributes;
STR 45, INT 77, PIE 30, VIT 45, DEX 82, SPD 60, SEN 55
Skills;
Modern Weapons 41, Locks 27, Ranged Combat 15, Engineering 27,
Artifacts 3, Communication 1
Stats;
Initiative 16, Kills 11, Deaths 0, 1-4 Dam., Attack Rating 22,
1 Attack, 1 Swing, +2 To Hit, -0% Damage.
Special;
Omnigun Mk. 3 (Dart attachment, slight improvement in speed and accuracy, Laserflash 5% blinding)
Bernard:
Male Rawulf Priest, 5th Lev., AC 1, 31 HP
Attributes;
STR 40, INT 40, PIE 89, VIT 55, DEX 53, SPD 62, SEN 50
Spell Points;
Water Magic 27, Divine Magic 32, Mental Magic 20, Earth Magic 22
Skills;
Mace 6, Staff 6, Communication 7, Divinity 33, Water 13, Divine 17, Mental 4 ,
Artifacts 3
Stats;
Initiative 15, Kills 9, Deaths 0, 1-7 Dam., Attack Rating. 16,
1 Attack, 1 Swing, +1 To Hit, -5% Damage.
Spells;
Paralyze, Heal Wounds, Make Wounds, Identify, Stamina , Web, Armorplate
Special;
None
Starhawk:
Female Elf Mage, 5th Lev., AC 1, 16 HP
Attributes;
STR 35, INT 87, PIE 77, VIT 35, DEX 46, SPD 57, SEN 50
Spell Points;
Fire Magic 29, Water Magic 23, Air Magic 27, Earth Magic 19, Divine Magic 18
Skills;
Wizardry 37, Fire 23, Water 16, Air 18, Mental 8, Earth 8, Divine 6
Artifacts 5, Mythology 4
Stats;
Initiative 13, Kills 19, Deaths 0, +0 To Initiative,1-4 Dam.,
Attack Rating. 13, 1 Attack, 1 Swing, -1 To Hit, -15% Damage
Spells;
Energy Blast, Sleep, Light, Frost, Web, Magic Missile, Noxious Fumes
Special;
None
And now, my friends, it's time for bed.
To be continued...