2nd level adventures - **SPOILERS**

[javan]

Originally posted by Stonewarrior: I was asked to join up by "Enter your name here" so I waited at the end of the main hallway. When they arrived we proceeded north and around for a while. We fought some dragons as well ...

We all had a good time. Unfortuneatly I did not get a good screenshot of both of us in the Deathpit fighting the Ancient Black Dragons in the same shot.

Here is Tulo...





and here is Enter...





I hope to hear more of your adventures in Undermountain.

[Stonewarrior]

Those are sweet pics! Things were moving pretty quick in there and I didn't really get a good look at much.

After reading one of the replies about my misadventures on level 8 and the AB of weapons I started trying to focus on that. In these shots I am dual weilding my Drow Icy Burst +8 longswords which only have an AB of +4 (I was bummed lol) yet I am able to do some hefty damage (62 - 42 physical / 20 cold in the 2nd shot). Conversely, when I use my +8 bone mace the damage I can inflict is a lot less, often in the teens or mid to low 20's. The AB for the bone mace is +7. If I recall properly on my feats, I am only one "feat" ahead with longswords compared to maces. Does the AB only go toward "hitting" the enemy? Or does it also factor in with the damage? I think my AB is +38/+33/+28/+23 (whatever that means lol) when using my Icy Burst longsword and goes up a bit with the Bone Mace.

Either way when I can hit I am successful, when I can't hit things go woefully wrong. For example, last night I tried going through more of Muriel's Gauntlet and was doing quite well until running into the Lich Lord. I basically kept my mouse in the area of the screen where "respawn" shows up. lol I eventually hightailed it out of there and received a bit of help (I forgot to jot down the name, it was Hubert or Herbert - sorry).

Anyway, if things work out time wise tonight I am gonna try and make my way down to level 7 and maybe 8 again tonight.

[robertthebard]

The 38/33/28/23 is the bonus you have to hit for each attack in a round. Attack bonuses only apply to hit, and enhancement bonus, say it's +7 attack, +8 enhancemnet, apply to both. So in the +7, +8 scenario I gave, the weapon is actually +8 to both. If you factor in a weapon focus, and a superior weapon focus, this could account for the differences in AB with the sword to the mace. Feats like Epic Prowess add to your over all AB, with any weapon you can equip.

[Stonewarrior]

I should go to bed, but tonight was an excellent night in Undermountain.

I meandered about for a while before deciding to head back to level five and beyond. It seemed as though a hurricane had blown through as I met very little resistance and the wraiths in the opening hallway were gone. I checked out a few of the teleporters, but could not get the chests open so I decided to ignore the last couple. I then went to the Death Pit and was able to beat all of the dragons.

A quick side note, it appeared that several adventurers had recently visited Durnan when I logged on as I was able to purchase some VERY nice equipment. I am now wearing some sweet dragon armor which is +9 and I was able to purchase two or three very powerful longswords and one powerful mace.

So back to level five...

I made it to the exit and was then joined by Brother Datton IW (who it appears was Robertthebard based on another post). We joined up and raced through level 6. All I can say is DAMN! Monks are fast. My character is hasted and looked slow. lol We met little resistance along the way and what little we met was quickly dispatched. We even let out some nasties locked in cells. They too went quickly. We then headed to level seven.

We again were able to quickly dispatch the Xanther Guards and other enemies. A quick side note, Brother Datton's Monk is a beast in battle! I have never played a monk, and honestly never really considered one, but this guy was one tough character. Close to the end of the level we entered a room with a few wizards along with a host of other enemies. I had to respawn a few times here, but was able to take out one of the wizards and a few others. After gathering some loot we headed to the next room (appropriately refered to as Skeletor's domain by another player...sorry, forgot the name). As had happened through the rest of the journey, battles were much wasier this time around. Once we finished with the dozens of skeletons (I do wonder how many are there Ziroc) Brother Datton leveled up and I thought I would look for treasure. Sadly all I found were bones. Oh well.

We were now ready for level 8. The level which had completely owned me when I tried it by myself the other night. One piece of advise I was given was to move slowly as to not allow the enemies to really gang up on you. It worked. This time instead of constantly dying I was assisting in the killing of many bad guys. I was quite pleased (I know Ziroc toned the level down some...but after the butt whooping I got last time I did not care, I was able to kill them. lol).

We made a quick pit stop at the Inn were I was able to sell some gear. I got much better prices here than when I sold some gear on level 5. WON'T do that again. LOL I also learned that protection from Death Magic would be helpful. So, after selling two belts of Greater Shimmering (I think that is what they were) I got to buy one back. All of a sudden I stopped dying instantly. lol That will be a nice switch.

We continued amking our way toward the entrance to level 9 while encountering resistance, but it was scattered and nothing we could not handle. At this point I needed to put my son to bed but wanted to continue to level 10 to get a key. It was then Brother Datton let me know they had all been taken and that we could reload and along with an Amulet of Clearing could zoom through after the server reset (we were the last two players). As much as I wanted to I knew I needed to stop as my wife was giving me the evil eye. lol

THanks again for running through with me this evening, this game is totally addicting. Especially when playing with others. :~)

One final side note, when I created my character I was unsure of starting stats, skills and feats. Well, I am getting more familiar and am now wishing I had done things differently as I would like to level as a Weapons Master. So, I have been putting points in Intelligence. With my last two level ups I was able get to a 13 Intelligence and select Expertise and Whirlwind attack. I am hopeful to be able to start leveling as a Weapons Master next time. I am currently a 22 Fighter (or is it 21? lol) and 3 Rogue. I am not sure I will be able to continue my adventure tomorrow, but I certainly hope so!

[ 08-30-2006, 02:05 AM: Message edited by: Stonewarrior ]

[robertthebard]

Yep, it was me. We'd gone about 1/2 way through level 6 when Roddy told me there were no stones to be had after level one. No since in turning back then, and I did want to get you through level 8. The big kicker to the monk build, get your wisdom pretty high. Brother Datton's wisdom is 25 with bonuses, but his dex is 30? I don't remember now. I did go back in, and now have stones for both level 10, and level 12. Yes, I beat up the wizard to get the stone, even though I didn't have to. At that point though, I was too tired to continue, and said goodnight Wellard.

[Stonewarrior]

My adventure continued last night almost where it left off. (I went and bought an Amulet of Greater Clearing and raced through levels 4 through 8 - special thanks to Robert the Bard for pointing this out the night before when I was unable to continue). When I got to level 9 it seemed rather deserted and quite confusing with so many different paths to take. I ended up going the wrong direction on a couple of occassions. I eventually came upon a camp. I thought doing my typical rush in and try and beat everyone, but though better of it when I noticed a huge dragon. I thought it would be better to keep going as my goal for the evening was to make it to level 10 of Undermountain. I eventually made my way to the entrance to level 10. Level 9 in a way reminded me of a scaled down version of level 6 but with fewer monsters etc.

Upon entering level 10 I thought it would be prudent to ask if anyone could point me in the right direction for the transporter stone. It was then that I received an offer of help from Harkbristle Durnden (sp?) which I quickly accepted. At the entrance were a few Lizard Warriors and Guards which we quickly defeated. We then headed off toward the Lizard King. Along the way Harkbristle made a side trip to enlist the aid of Teri-Sha who proved to be a great addition. As we made our way toward the Lizard camp we met quite a bit of resistance of all kinds. I am not sure what Harkbristle was shapeshifted into, but they were very powerful. (Of course the first time I noticed I thought they were an enemy - I am glad I did not attack as I would have likely been pounded!).

As we made our way to the Lizard town entrance we were pelted with what appeared to be poisoned arrows. After getting poisoned a few times (and with the helpful hint from Harkbristle that I needed some antidote potions - which I had but not in quick slots) I remembered I had a helm which gave me immunity from poison. After swapping this out things got a lot better. We rushed into the town and were immediately met by Warriors and Archers a little further up. I decided to rush ahead and try and take out the archers as they had caused us so much trouble.

After this we made our way further into the town and then got ready for the King. I ended up in the wrong hut and defeated a Lizard Prince and a couple of warriors. It was then Harkbristle let me know I was in the wrong place. :~) I then made my way to the right hut and "attempted" to help beat the Lizard King. That was one tough oversized Gecko! I am not sure I hit it at all as I kept seeing me "miss". After he had died I was able to collect the stone dagger and some other nice treasures. I was unable to continue our adventures as it was late so I gathered up some random loot and then called it a night.

I wanted to take a moment and thank all of you who have traveled with me or given help along the way in my journey. I have heard horror stories from friends who have played games online about how other players can ruin the experience. Everyone I have come across either while playing or on the board has been absolutely fantastic and has truly helped to make my experiences thus far very enjoyable!!!

[Stonewarrior]

My adventures continued last night, thought there were some server interruptions which caused a bit of havoc...

When I logged on I was still on level 10 in the Lizard village and immediately found myself in battle. Feeling quite disoriented I used my Amulet of Greater Clearing so that I could gather myself and figure out what was going on. I decided to poke my head in a few huts and took out 3 or 4 Lizard Warriors in each. Sadly there was little in the way of "loot" but I did find plenty of gold. In the week or so that I have been adventuring I have netted close to 36 million gold pieces. It might be about time to buy myself a nice little place near the Yawning Portal Inn!

Upon entering another hut I suddenly found myself face to face with a very angry Dragon! We battled back and forth for a bit and I was eventually victorious. The dragon had an odd lair as there was a cirle of sorts with huge piles of gold. I of course helped myself seeing as the dragon would no longer have need of it. I made my way south and into the Lizard's Buriel area. I found some nice items in the chests and then decided to head into the portal and see what lie ahead. I met some token resistence once I arrived, a couple of Lizard warriors and more skeletons. After defeating them I moved through a doorway and was transported to another area. Wanting to maintain a level of caution I decided to use Amulet again. I moved forward and came to a very large group of angry looking Lizards, warriors, a cleric, a wizard, a monk and a ranger (if memory serves). I thought to myself "let's skip this party and move forward. Sadly as I turned a corner I came to a locked door. It was fight an hope they had the key or go back. Well, curiosity got the better of me and I charged forward first taking out the wizard. The next thing I know I am respawning. I did this a few times and noticed each time the Lizard Monk was giving me a thorough beating. I was not able to hit him before I was again respawning. It was at this point I figured sometimes it is better to return and fight another day so I left. When I returned to the Lizard burial area I decided to seek of Teri-Sha. She told a story of losing her party members to a great monster and we decided to travel together. As we made our way south we came across the lair of a Vampire group, lots of undead here. A few minutes later we were victorious. It was at this point I decided let's head to the next level.

We were for the most part able to sneak through the Lizard camp and head to the Undergrouind Desert. Sadly upon getting there Teri-Sha was quickly killed and I did not have a chance to resurrect her. Pity, because she was a valueable asset. As I was battling some Desert Warriors I extended an offer of help from an old traveling companion, Enter Your Name Here. I of course accepted. As he was just entering I decided to search around to the East some while waiting for him. I took out a few groupings of Warriors and other assorted enemies. I found some nice loot and a treasure chest which I helped myself to. I then entered a small cave and to my amazement found LOT's of piles of gold just laying around amongst a pasture of cows. I decided to help myself (maybe I can get a two story place). All of a sudden the strangest thing happened. The COWs started to attack me. Now I had thought I had seen it all. Giant Lizard warriors, Giant spiders and scorpions, dragons...nothing had prepared me for Evil Cows! They were everywhere and I am sad to say they forced me to make a quick retreat from the cave.

At this point I made my way slightly north and came across a Gold Dragon by the name of Bumbis (sp?). He had somehow allowed his mate's eggs to be stolen by the Desert Warrior's Leader. I quickly agreed to attempt to recover them for him as he was terrified of what his mate might do to him if she returned and the eggs were gone. I could feel his pain and fear and quickly decided to head to the fortress. About this time I was joined by EYNH. Together we headed north and entered the fortress. Upon approaching the leader he made some boast about us never getting the eggs. A short while later he was in no position to back up his threats. From here quite a battle ensued but we were victorious. We gathered the eggs and some other loot and headed out to go back to Bumbis. At this point we were attacked by hordes of enemies. However, they were no match for us as we soon had defeated them all. We then decided to quickly take the eggs back.

Upon giving up the eggs and getting our reward I realized I had gained quite a bit of experience and it was time to decide on some new skills.

It was while leveling my game crashed. When I was able to log back in I was at the Yawning Portal Inn as if nothing had happened over the previous hour or two that I had been playing. Talk about frustrating as I had gone up two levels. :~( Oh well ,I decided I wanted to go to level 12 and on, maybe find a teleporter stone since the server had reset...

After realizing I was back in the Yawning Portal Inn I decided to go Sanctuaried back to level 11 to try and find the passage to level 12! Being able to use the teleporters made my journey to back to the desert quick and painless! Upon entering the desert I made my way north back toward the fortress and then found an odd small cave that I entered. Everywhere on the floor were small to large pilese of gold. They spelled on "CHOC". It appears this was some sort of tribute to the cat that hangs out in the Yawning Portal Inn. I figured I would pay homage by taking the gold to put in my find a home fund. Surely Choc won't mind. I doubt the cat makes it down here often anyway... :~)

I then made my way to level 12. I there found a man who asked em to help find the Hand of Bane. I agree, though I knew it would be difficult and I was not sure I could complete the quest on my own. I soon found I was right. The Cult members were insanely tough and I quickly found myself using my Amulet, I will never again leave home without it! I traveled around a bit looking for a store as I had heard a rumor there was on on this level. I did not find it, though I could have looked harded I suppose. I decided I would head to level 13 since the entrance was right there. It was late and it seemed a waste not to at least check it out!

I soon found myself in a series of passages which eventually let to a large room with several Lizard Warriors and Cult members. I knew I could handle the Lizard warriors, but knew the Cultists would be a handful. I decided to just pass on through...until I found the exit was locked! Of course, if I were to move on I would have to fight and get the key. I then buffed up a bit with some potions and headed straight for the biggest and ugliest of the Lizards hoping to take him down quickly and put some doubt in the minds of the others. I am not sure if it worked as some HUGE Half Red Dragon came out of nowhere and beat me to a pulp! At first I was unable to hit him at all, instead I kept respawning! Soon however I was able to land usually one hit before respawning and doing between 20 and 40 points of damage. After about five or ten minutes of this the Half Red Dragon lay dead at my feet. I quickly used my amulet again as there were more Cult members around. I found this time around I was able to defeat them a little easier. Not sure why. I took a key and a monstrous Greatsword off the body of the Half Red Dragon and headed to level 13.

My main goal at this point was to sell some loot as I was filled to the brim. However, both merchants I found were not able to speak properly and I had nothing (to my knowledge) which would allow me to communicate with them. Bummer...

I then wandered around a bit before calling it a night.

[Unglaublich Verwustung]

When you hit level 13 there should be a ring of translation lying on the first ramp down (about 1/3 way down to your left). You need this if you are going to talk to them (or understand Drow, lol). Once you have it just keep it handy, there is at least one mission down there (for a single high lvl character but ideally a group or you will get your ass handed to you big time, VofE)

[Stonewarrior]

Excellent! Thanks for the tip on the ring. I did not even think to look for anything there. Of course I have "troubles" when on ramps or other entrance areas. LOL I got stuck or rather was to inept to move my character down the ramp on 11 and near the entrance to 9. I have been using a Torm something or other long sword and would like to find another more powerful one. I had tried boosting my dexterity up to 28, but it has come at the expense of my AC and I think I am gonna have to switch that back. Otherwise, when I cast aside my shield to dual weild I get crushed quickly. LOL