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Post by Darkash on Dec 18, 2004 15:08:40 GMT
As a few of you know (anyone?), I have tried before to beat the books with miminal stats before, often with little success. After the current resurgence in interest in chances of progressing through the books at low levels, I thought I would try again. So off I go, posting updates, along with a running tally of my deaths.
P.S.: The title? A referenece to Joe's "a wise Kai initate will be able to complete any book no matter his intial COMBAT SKILL or ENDURENCE score."
Now, to book 1 I go!
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Post by Darkash on Dec 18, 2004 15:45:41 GMT
Book1+Book2=Snooze job. No problem whatsoever. Now to Book 3, but family has arrived. No progress for the rest of the day,probally.
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Post by Sol on Dec 18, 2004 16:45:14 GMT
Darkash,
GO, GO BRAVE KAI! GOOD LUCK! You can make it through Book 3 if you know how. Keep us up to date!
Sol
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Post by Darkash on Dec 18, 2004 21:12:35 GMT
Well, I got to 7 before my first death (and the second, and the third) to the invisible guy, before I remembered that I brought along some Alether Berries for this guy. I don't like bringing the berries too much further, because it would seem that they would spoil, but book 7 seems like a reasonable stretch. I would take the bridge, but a 30% chance of instant death just dosen't appeal to me for some reason. Besides that, a -2 ratio once I used the Alether was good enough to secure a win on the first try, without too much trouble. I did have a close call earlier, getting to 1END (gulp) against that spirit creature Haakon calls up in 5. Right now, I am staring down the barrel of book 8. I don't anticipate any problems, but who knows?
For Sommerland and the Kai, etc., etc., etc...
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Post by Darkash on Dec 18, 2004 22:00:23 GMT
I was forced to cheat a little in 9. I rolled a *!$# 0 for escaping the guards, and had to do the unarmed fght with a -8CS. I died twice before going back and rerolling. I am going to have to call it a night now, real life calls. But after that, book 10 calls.
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Post by Peregrine on Dec 19, 2004 4:34:55 GMT
Go Darkash! We statistics nuts have been spoiled with people willing to test these things lately, haven't we? You'll find proving Joe a liar to be a little easier if you also disprove the "completion of earlier Lone Wolf adventures... is not essential" claim. Take a new 0/0 character into book 11 and see how long you last.  |
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Post by Sol on Dec 19, 2004 5:28:17 GMT
Peregrine, I'll speak to that! vs. Villians of Sommerlund: THEM- CS: 38 EP: 46 YOU- CS: 24 EP: 29 <--Psi-Surge not used. Won't Help! RATIO: -14 THEN vs. Vonotar HIM: CS: 30 EP: 21 YOU- CS: 24/26 EP: 24 MAX <-If PsiSurge used, 2EP/RND You MUST last 8 rounds against the Villians... and that is if you score ALL 0's. But since you have 2 chances EVERY ROLL of getting an Automatic K for Lone Wolf, to say the least, your chances of auto-death against them would be: Round 1: 1/5 chance 2: 9/25 3: 61/125 4: 369/625 5: 2101/3125 6: 11529/15625 7:  8: OK, I give up on the math. But check it out. After 6 rounds, there is a 2/3 chance of Lone Wolf dying automatically. That doesn't even consider EP loss. As a more intuitive test, if LW rolled all 9's he would die. Villians lose 50 EP, LW loses 30 EP). |
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Post by Darkash on Dec 19, 2004 16:42:12 GMT
Ok, books 10 and 11 are done! 10 was a cakewalk, but 11... well....
My backpack held:
1 Alether+4CS
5Alether+2CS
2Laumspur+4END (One of which I traded for the Silver Flask)
I used the +4 and two +2 Alethers for the Chaos Master, made it by one, killed the Shadow Reavers with about 3 left, went against the Villains with 2+2 Alether, lived with eight, lost 5 to the ring o' death, and killed Vonator in two swings with one END left again! I know that using multiple Alether is a little irregular, but I have found no reason not to in the books themselves. Besides, otherwise Joe would have doomed someone with 10/20 in book one to death in book 11, and that would have been just a little evil.
Deaths: I died once to the Chaos Master and fell to my death climbing the wall of Haagar once. (Oops)
I would go to book 12, but I have to go to work now. Besides, book 12 is a cakewalk, so I'm not worried.
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Post by Black Cat on Dec 19, 2004 20:45:06 GMT
Ok, books 10 and 11 are done! 10 was a cakewalk, but 11... well.... My backpack held: 1 Alether+4CS 5Alether+2CS 2Laumspur+4END (One of which I traded for the Silver Flask) Where did you got all these alether potions? |
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Post by BenKenobi on Dec 19, 2004 21:37:07 GMT
Yeah, Joe Dever is a liar in some of the books of the Magnakai serie. There are some combats that cannot be avoided, and cannot be won with the min. stats.
But besides this, you can always manage to reach the end of the book, at least. Getting over the combat is another matter, but the overall gameplay is well balanced if you do the right choices... that can be done. Of course, with the min stats, you will need more luck in combats and in some points, but you can do it.
My first book was n. 18 - Dawn of the Dragons - and after some trials, I managed to win it playing fair !!! And it was one of the very last books of the Lone Wolf serie.
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Post by Darkash on Dec 19, 2004 22:01:56 GMT
Where did you got all these alether potions? 1 in book 4, in the herbmaster's pouch 2 in book 5, from the store and the blowdart guy 1 in book 6, from the store 1 in book 8, from Tania (or whatever her name is) And I think we all know where the +4 one comes from. Now, off to kill Gnagg and save Sommerland! (again...) |
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Post by Black Cat on Dec 19, 2004 22:13:11 GMT
1 in book 4, in the herbmaster's pouch 2 in book 5, from the store and the blowdart guy 1 in book 6, from the store 1 in book 8, from Tania (or whatever her name is) And I think we all know where the +4 one comes from. Now, off to kill Gnagg and save Sommerland! (again...) Oh, I see. You made some safekeeping in book 7 to avoid losing your potions at the end of the book. |
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Post by Darkash on Dec 19, 2004 23:42:28 GMT
Well, my quest is over, at least for the time being. I finished book 14! I brought
Oxydine+2END
Laurama Oil+2END
2 Rendalim's Elixir+6END
Taunor Water+6END
Laumwort+2ENDx3 from book 13
Oede+10END
Healing Potion+3END
All designed to get around that ugly restriction at the temple.
Deaths:
I died once in each book, to the monster in book 13 that you can avoid with Assimilance (I didn't), and I had some amazing luck tlo get out of the rest of the book alive, going donw to one END twice, once after evading exterminous, and once after killing the Acolytes of Vashna. I also died to the ice dragon once in Kaag, and I needed to reroll after I escaped the temple in Darke so I could get the Alether. Other then that, it was a clean run, no real problems. I can't wait to try 15 after it is released. Until then I hope that this has showed that with some subtle beaking of the rules, rerolls, and good old fashioned luck, even 0/0 stats don't doom a Kai from the start. Now, if they haven't played from book one, that is a different story...
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Post by Black Cat on Dec 20, 2004 2:20:58 GMT
I can't wait to try 15 after it is released. Book 15 is available since last January! But maybe you were talking about book 16? Then, you can download its working draft here www.projectaon.org/editor/ and play it on you computer like if it was online. |
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Post by Zipp on Dec 22, 2004 0:53:11 GMT
Yeah, Joe Dever is a liar in some of the books of the Magnakai serie. There are some combats that cannot be avoided, and cannot be won with the min. stats. Or at max stats. Well, without difficulty. My first book was n. 18 - Dawn of the Dragons - and after some trials, I managed to win it playing fair !!! And it was one of the very last books of the Lone Wolf serie. I always thought the GM books were written better than the Magnakai. In combat, as well. |
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