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Post by Scarecrow on Jan 30, 2005 11:38:34 GMT
Deiseach, I feel your pain. I lost seven men in the first book. I think it has more instant death references than any other book in the series. But anyway - I JUST FINISHED BOOK 12! MISSION COMPLETE! BOO-YEAH! I think I may have stumbled upon the easiest path pretty much by accident. The stupid captain refused to put his faith in my Huntmastery, so we ran right into the blockade, costing him his ship... and crew... and life. But at least I got his Bronin Vest and Silver Bracers, which - along with my Bronin Warhammer and warhammer weaponmastery - served me in good stead throughout the first part of the Darklands. After I obtained Helshezag I was sitting pretty. I infiltrated Helgedad like a pro, and managed to make my way through the streets to Gnaag's tower. The guard then asked for my name. This was the first hiccup. I spent some time trying to remember what my disguise's name was. Finally I remembered, and the guard admitted me (in the true spirit of a high school student I have forgotten it again). Taaktal met the end of his days pinned to the wall by my Zejar -duluga. Gnaag entered and threw a minion at me, whom I slew while laughing in contempt. I then completely obliterated Gnaag with the Sommerswerd, vapourising his body into complete and utter destruction, leaving behind not even the tiniest atom. Then I flew home to Sommerlund and the hero's welcome I so rightly deserved. On this day I am truly a Kai Lord. However, there was some... bending of the rules. I quote myself twice, from previous discussions in this thread: Also, while fighting the Chaos Master I accidentally added an extra two points to my Combat Skill (what with those shields and alether and lore-circles and weaponmastery bonuses and sommerswerds and text bonuses and improved magnakai disciplines, the maths can get a little confusing). But I finished that fight with 10 or 15 Endurance Points to spare, so I probably would have won anyway. So. What do you say? Did I break the rules or bend them? Animal Kinship really should save you in the second book no matter what, and I should be able to throw a dagger into someone's heart whenever I please.
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Post by Sol on Jan 30, 2005 15:27:19 GMT
Scarecrow, AWESOME! GOOD FOR YOU - ALL HAIL THE NEW KAI GRAND MASTER, SCARECROW! Sommerlund is now definitely a safer place! I still give you full credit despite a small bend in the rules here and there. I agree that Animal Kinship should get you through the Tarnalin, so I think that's a small bend. Also with the Zakahn, well, yes - I mean, if Lone Wolf began fighting the Zakahn with the Psychic Ring, then found he was in over his head, I woud say he could "change his mind" in the middle and chuck the dagger at him mid-combat anyway, don't you? (plus you can receive an instant-death for doing this, so I discovered the hard way!) Finally, if you mis-added the CS vs. Chaos Lord, won, and figured it out later, I still count that as a win. Like you said, with 15 extra EP, I think you would have been OK, too, as long as you had Healing (which you would have had). Congrats! This is your day! I will join you soon when I finish Book 12 shortly Sol
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Post by Scarecrow on Jan 30, 2005 23:13:05 GMT
Good luck on your own quest to Book 20, Sol. There are those who say it, can't be done, but if anyone can - it's you!
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Post by Sol on Jan 31, 2005 2:47:27 GMT
Scarecrow,
THANK YOU for your Encouragement! I was inspired to follow in your footsteps, so today I finished Book 12 cheating-free with my Kai Team. Will you go for 13 next? I may see you there!
My update follows:
KAI-TEAM-TEN Progress
My goal: to finish all 20 books without cheating. All Teams Completed: The Masters of Darkness
Total Kai Remaining: 5
Lost in Sommerlund: 3 Lost in Durenor: 1 Lost in Kalte: 5 Lost in Vassagonia: 5 Lost in Castle Death: 1 Lost in Tharro: 5 Lost in Tahou: 2 Lost at Cetza: 4
Important Progress: All Obtained Helshezag All Obtained Silver Bracers All Achieved Circle of Light Iron Wolf and Psi Kon obtained the Kagonite Chainmail Psi-Surge now grants a +6 CS rather than a +4
Survived: Avatarus, Beat Down, Iron Wolf, Psi Kon
Survived with House Rules: Swift Dancer (against Viveka)
Best CS: Iron Wolf, Psi Kon (54) Worst CS: Swift Dancer (50)
House Rules: One Kai (Swift Dancer) drank a Lamspur Potion *during* combat to avoid dying. Have not needed to do this for any other Kai, so the strict interpretationalist will find the remaining characters to be book-legal.
Tweaks: ***Keys, Whistles can count as Special Items. ***Weapon-Like-Special-Items may be kept in a Weapons-slot. ***Stackable Discipline Bonuses.
SPOILERS and NOTES:
Ha ha, the Magnakai quest is complete. Five Kai Grand Masters have emerged. My scores are amazingly high now, so I blew through this book. If it could only last! I lose most of my CS and EP boosting Special Items upon reaching Book 13, but I will be OK now, I think. Also it was amazing to see that two of my Kai were able to get the Kagonite Chainmail... one of the few items that can carry over to Book 13.
Took out 3 Darklords. Having nine out of ten Magnakai Disciplines makes this book fairly easy to play through, but I was careful NOT to screw around at all. I have come too far for that. Against Kraagenskul - the Dagger of Vashna (glad I brought it), against Taktul, that poisoned glowing arrow, and the good old SommerSwerd for our pal, Gnaag.
I believe I will take a try at the Grand Master books now with my 5 Grand Masters. It may well be tough, but I am ready. Onward brave Kai!
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Post by Zipp on Jan 31, 2005 3:21:38 GMT
Honestly Sol, I have sent you five more grand masters. They are waiting at the monastery for you to, um, roll stats for them and name them.
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Post by Sol on Jan 31, 2005 15:06:54 GMT
I am looking out the window - why, I see them coming up the walk right now! I am obliged to invite them in for some Laumspur Tea and my special brownies*
Zipp, you are the man! Of course, you know that your Crazy Pal Sol has to continue this, the Crusade of a Lifetime. Just 8 books to go! My stats are over the top... I just have to be VERY careful not to hit any of those instant-death sections and I'll be fine!
Sol
* These have Oede in them!
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Post by Gruntok on Jan 31, 2005 15:21:01 GMT
Sol, congrats on your progress, real cool! beware, as i stated in a previous post, bridges and fear shocks I have my own folk arouynd shadow on the sand, his initial cs 11 ep 29. i like to think about him as a big sturdy and bulky bum. but somehow he is managing to get around the books, i'm in desperate need of a lore circle or watever. well, i must get back to work, at least look like. c ya
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Post by Zipp on Jan 31, 2005 17:17:22 GMT
I am looking out the window - why, I see them coming up the walk right now! I am obliged to invite them in for some Laumspur Tea and my special brownies* Zipp, you are the man! Of course, you know that your Crazy Pal Sol has to continue this, the Crusade of a Lifetime. Just 8 books to go! My stats are over the top... I just have to be VERY careful not to hit any of those instant-death sections and I'll be fine! Sol * These have Oede in them! Alright, just send them back here with some brownies, that'll be fine... ... except I never decided where here is. I never did answer my own question about where my house would be. Good luck on your quest. I've never reached the GM series legitimately. To be honest, I never owned books 9 through 12 until last year. And then with my own writing, I'm only at book 8 on the site.
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Post by Sol on Jan 31, 2005 19:02:42 GMT
To do it legit is very hard! I have reached Book 13 before this way - but have only survived it once (legitimately). On that one occassion, I reached Book 15... and that was as far as I progressed.
On the other hand, 1,032nd time's the charm!
Sol
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Post by Sol on Feb 1, 2005 5:02:17 GMT
KAI-TEAM-TEN Progress
My goal: to finish all 20 books without cheating. All Teams Completed: The Plague Lords of Ruel
Total Kai Remaining: 3
Lost in Sommerlund: 3 Lost in Durenor: 1 Lost in Kalte: 5 Lost in Vassagonia: 5 Lost in Castle Death: 1 Lost in Tharro: 5 Lost in Tahou: 2 Lost at Cetza: 4 Lost in Ruel: 2
Important Progress: Found Potion of Alether +2
Survived: Avatarus, Beat Down, Iron Wolf
Died: Swift Dancer, Psi-Kon
Best CS: Iron Wolf (55) Worst CS: Avatarus, Beat Down (52)
Tweaks: ***Keys, Whistles can count as Special Items. ***Weapon-Like-Special-Items may be kept in a Weapons-slot. ***Stackable Discipline Bonuses.
SPOILERS and NOTES:
The dangerous quest continues. I decided to use Project Aon in order to take the route through the Skardos Mountains. I played through the entire book with Swift Dancer first in order to find the best route and was largely rewarded. With my high CS scores, the fights were tough but able to be done. I am convinced that my chosen disciplines, Grand Weaponmastery, Huntmastery, Nexus, and Assimilance are the only possible choices for this book. They saved me many, many times from dire situations and helped me to avoid what I believe to be instant death situations. The Kai Grand Master called Swift Dancer could not dance fast enough, however, because even after beating Exterminus, and successfully destroying the plague virus, he saw the portcullis descending and made a run for it - this was his death. Even though it was a 1-in-10 chance of instant death, he was killed by it anyway.
I sent the remaining four Grand Masters, then, convinced that the route was a good one. I literally threw away the Cener Mask when I found it in the tunnels so that I could sneak into Mogaruith aboard the wagon risk-free. Inside, they followed a similar path, avoiding the glowing crystal in Cadak's Throne Room (a mistake I made long, long ago), beating Exterminus (with no evasion) and eventually arriving at the Portcullis as Swift Dancer had done. I sent Psi Kon ahead as a scout here... what would happen if he let the Portcullis close? I discovered gladly that escape was still possible, and -without- an instant-death roll. Now, this did not help Psi-Kon, for yes, you guessed it, despite the fact that he had Assimilance AND Grand Huntmastery, he was smashed by the collapsing bridge on the very verge of section 350.
The final three Grand Masters followed his lead, but each of these made their rolls well and escaped to safety and will pass forward now to The Captives of Kaag, which I have only ever read once before many years ago.
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Post by longhairyuppiescum on Feb 1, 2005 15:03:38 GMT
To do it legit is very hard! I have reached Book 13 before this way - You DID it? I tried that for more than 20 years now.. (Well, not continuously!) - Never got beyond the Chaosmaster... Did you use safepoints between books or are you as hardcore to start over at book one after failures? If you did without saves you are a shining example for me and I know that my quest isn't impossible. By the way: I found that 'Zakhan'-Thread and I WILL use houserules for the Zakhan (as well as for Chaosmaster if I come up with something reasonable and explainable) on my current runs. (I don't want to die without having read book twelve!)
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Post by Sol on Feb 1, 2005 15:26:46 GMT
You DID it? I tried that for more than 20 years now.. (Well, not continuously!) - Never got beyond the Chaosmaster... LongHairy, Yes, a few times before I completed the run to Book 13 with no cheating... I did not use Save Points and yes, was very hardcore about starting over on death. (Yes, also I played many MANY games, some with the one-Kai standard method, later I decided that Team Play was the way to go). The best I ever did was to reach Book 15, which I hope to exceed this time. The last time I played was probably six years ago - upon my death (book 15) I became bummed out and decided to take a break. I never read 16-20 even though I own them. But with the discovery of Project Aon has come a new-found determination - to achieve the goal thought before to be impossible - to become Supreme Grand Master Sol - er, I mean Lone Wolf! Now, with just 3 Grand Masters left, I consider the need once again to generate new Grand Masters (sorry Zipp) the hard way... to begin again at Book 1 with new Lords. In order to make life a little more sane, I have a new idea: FATE ROLLS: Upon generating a new character (CS and EP) you are allowed to measure your character's Fate. Essentially, you are allowed to make certain Random Rolls in this Kai's life ahead of time. The rolls would be: A Roll for the falling mast A Roll for the Bandit Sniper in Book 4 A Roll for the Ikitar flight A Roll for hitting the Zakahn with the Dagger A Roll for the bridge at the end of Book 13 I think that would do it. If he fails any of these rolls, I simply hold a little funeral for him and move on. If he does not die, I can record these numbers on the character sheet and use them when these events actually occur. Easy! Looking back over all the Kai who have died, I can see that a HUGE number fell to those pesky random number rolls. By using this magical method, I can concentrate on the task of Kai Survivability. Can it help you as well? Go forth, brave Kai! Your greatness awaits!
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Post by longhairyuppiescum on Feb 1, 2005 15:50:12 GMT
... (Yes, also I played many MANY games, some with the one-Kai standard method, later I decided that Team Play was the way to go)... So in the end you did it the 'Team'-Way, or did I get you wrong? That's not harcore enough for me personally.. Your pre-rolled FATE-Methods is fine. It's a real timesaver. But since I hope to still live a few years, I won't be using it. (It's still the game what counts...)
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Post by longhairyuppiescum on Feb 1, 2005 16:01:24 GMT
I did LW1-15 online a few months back, no cheating. ... Vonotar, I just stumbled about your post much earlier in this thread. May I ask: Hardcore or not? (Better: How hardcore? - No Save Points, .. anything?)
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Post by outspaced on Feb 1, 2005 16:02:22 GMT
Hey, Sol, I know you want to keep it 'hardcore' but actually starting some new "raw recruit" Lone Wolfs (Wolves?) from Book 13 would help answer a few questions about how do-able the Grand Master series is without all the goodies from earlier books. So if you could see fit to also starting 10 new guys at Book 13, that could make for some interesting comparisons . . .
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