Solo Rawulf Bishop.. barely hanging in there

[Elara]

Am up to level 9 and Aeruffia Woofley hasn't been even able to get close enough to the King Crab room to go upstairs, let alone unlock it.. Green slimes, noxious slimes, slithering slimes, metallic slimes, spewing slimes, Emerald Slimes, everywhere, it's a nightmare!! Don't know if it can be done with a bishop, but the Rawulf attempt is the only race as bishop I've been able to keep alive for this long. Tried a hobbit, a mook, a faerie, a felpurr.. all six feet under, poor dears. Good thing I love the beach scenery, my little woofster spends so much time there resting to get back her spell points.

Spells so far:
Fireball, power level 5
Energy Blast, 7
Light, 7
Paralyze, 2
Stamina, 3
Freeze Flesh, 2½
Web, 1½
Whipping Rocks, 2
Bless, 5
Enchanted Blade, 5½
Guardian Angel, 5

She's using a mace, but her initiative is 20 so the -2 doesn't make much difference and getting up close and personal isn't often a viable option anyway. Still, her to Damage with the mace is +20%. Her range is poor, 7, and sling is 3, tho combat is 25, mace is 11 and staff is 20. But mostly am emphasizing her magic skills.

The solo faerie ninja was the easiest playthrough of any party for me so far. Playing a bishop requires a hugh adjustment! Want a challenge? Want to litter the floor with your hair that you pull out in fistfulls? Try a bishop.

Elara

[Ghandaiah]

I don't think I'd be able to solo with anything. I get so frustrated with my six-character party already. I can't imagine how hard it would be to play through the game with one character... let alone a Bishop...

Anyway, good luck to ye. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Elara]

To tell the truth, Ghandaiah, it was more frustrating to play with a party of 6, always having to take care of the weakies and combat was so lengthy it seemed. Playing only one character reminds me of the Ultima Underworld games, all alone, wits and brawn the only thing keeping corporeality intact!

Thanks for your well-wishes, Aeruffia sure is gonna need them! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Tennessee Ernie Ford]

E-

I have been able to take my solo Gadgeteer places b/c of multi-classing. Starting as a Bard allowed sleep to lull the opponents, w/a decent sword. Switch to Rogue for some stealth, so that opponents don't always strike. Switch to Alchemist b/c pickmeups are going to be my friend.

You might want to try starting the bishop as a rogue and build up stealth as much as possible before switching her. It sounds to me like the biggest reason for early faerie ninja survival is very low AC (stealth + faerieness).

Also, level up carefully. You can look at your character as gaining XP 6x as fast or gaining learned skill points 6x as slowly (well, it's not that bad, but it's bad). The monsters increase in difficulty very fast.

Incidentally, I've been playing the gadgeteer at novice difficulty. Regular is possible, but I have to reload too much for it to be fun.

[Knarfling]

While I have never done the solo, thing, I tried importing a 2 player party that I had in Wiz 7 using a samuri an a ninja. I found very quickly that if I leveled up as soon as I could, that I got outclassed very quickly. I learned that by not leveling up, I built my skills and kept the monster level lower. The first time through, I leveled up as soon as I was able and the monsters got harder and harder. I gave up when my level 8 characters kept meeting level 10 emerald slimes that I couldn't hit and could barely run away from. I never made it out of the lower monastary. My next time through I didn't level up right away and kept my level to 4 before moving to the upper monastary. It made a lot of difference. I was able to stay alive much longer.

Hope this helps.

Knarfling

[Elara]

Thanks for the suggestions, TEF and Knarfling. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Stayed at level 9 through two more level-ups and just now took level 10 and 11. Took Sonic Boom and Summon Elemental. Have really been working the spells and now with the elemental, can take out 2 Emerald Slimes and 5 metallic slimes at once! Bishop Aeruffia Woofley, *SLIME HUNTER*. heheh.

Wizardry is now 82, Div 33, Alch 30, Psi 9
Fire 95, H20 54, Air 30, Earth 62, Mental 6 and Divine 88

Am using a mace and a shilleli even tho a Bishop doesn't get dual weapon credit, with CC 47, Mace 37, Staff 34, Range 41, Sling 47 and Shield 27.

Completed the Upper Monastery and am now downstairs hunting slimes till level 12 (only 500,000 exp to go), and once she can take out two Greater Seekers and live, then Lupine Girl will go out into the big bad world for her comeuppance, she's so full of herself, snapping her suspenders and all.

I'm thinking she's gonna make it for the whole game now, whoo-hoo!!

Will update her progress if I remember to come up for air .. and if she croaks, I'll let you all know. I'm so geared I can barely contain myself!! [img]graemlins/lamb.gif[/img]

Elara
*determined to get my facts straight*

[ 01-26-2002: Message edited by: Elara ]

[Nydlari]

Hmm,
I'm running parties 2 and 3 right now, and while I haven't speant as much time with 3 as 2, 3 is a solo Dwarven Bishop who is doing quite well.
A couple of suggestions: I have only let him lvl to 6, he probably has enough exp for 8 or 9, but this way he can practice on weaker opponents. Also, take advantage of the shield. A good shield helps out a lot, it can deflect blows as well as add to your armor class.
Nyds in Arnika now, and with the help of the Bank Guard, has taken out quite a few Savant Guards, quite a powerful little trooper really.

[vesselle]

~~elara~~

nydlari offered up some good advice with the shield. i preferred letting my girl use a sword or a mace in one hand and the shield in the other.

i also don't level her up each level up. instead, i get my first level, then hold off for 3. level up another level, hold off another 3. i feel that i need to do that to properly get my skills working. that way, where i would be level 9, i am actually still level 3, but with all the skills escalating rather nicely.

since i don't beleive that i can be a powerhouse of one, i go for speed. so i have begun pumping those at each level up, by one point each. (with already a fairly high starting int/pie ... rawulf is a good choice for that!) but either way, it's extremely slow going. nothing at all like playing a group of 6 or 8. the only thing i miss, beleive it or not, is the interaction. and of course, having 5 other mates to take the hits for me. LOL!

good luck. and go slow! just when you think you got it down, be the most cautious! because there's someone around the next corner waiting to set you straight on that score. [img]smile.gif[/img]

V***V