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Post by Sol on Feb 2, 2005 17:16:52 GMT
Nathan,
It is a joy to hear about your exciting adventures! Lone Wolf never truly dies - here is to the Quest Immortal!
Will the next Lord beat your record and complete Book 9? GO FOR IT! The sweet reward of the finished Magnakai series will soon be yours!
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Post by Ofecks on Feb 2, 2005 17:47:03 GMT
I went in with the Sommerswerd, as there's just no way I'm staking my life on throwing the Dagger of Vashna. Assuming you're well-prepared for this, you only have a 1/10 chance of missing with the dagger throw. You get a bonus of 3 for Weaponmastery with Dagger and 1 for Circle of Fire completion. You need to get a 5 total roll to win. I don't know how to use that battle calculator thingie, but I my guess (and it's a good guess) is that your chances of dying in melee combat with Sommwerswerd Kimah are more than 1/10, even if you're maxed out CS-wise. Question - do you get the Dagger back if you throw it at him? I always assumed so. In those battles where one extra point really matters (Gnaag Helghast, Tagazin, Chaos-Master, etc.), I don't think the Warhammer can be used, since it's not a magical weapon, just a very finely-crafted normal one. Zakhan Kimah is the exception as stated in tCoF 188: "The power of the ring greatly amplifies your psychic energies as you attack the Zakhan. They disrupt his control over the Orb of Death and enable you to penetrate his shield with an ordinary weapon." His CS is only 34 in this case. Thus, if you're maxed out on CS, you'll stand a good chance of winning this battle. 19 base +3 Spirit circle +1 Fire circle +4 Psi-Surge +3 Weaponmastery +1 Bronin Warhammer +2 Shield +2 Silver Helm +2 Alether TOTAL = 37! Note that if you dual-wield, the Warhammer is useless in this battle, as you can get 37 CS without it, which is the same results bracket as if you had it (38). There are some other battles, most notably in the home stretch of book 11 which the Warhammer could mean the difference between getting by and getting owned, but I personally don't think it's worth skipping the bow for.
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Post by Sol on Feb 2, 2005 17:57:34 GMT
The Silver Bow -is- very powerful. Once you reach the Grand Master series, you can have unbelievable plusses to hit.
+3 for the Silver Bow +2 for WeaponMastery (Kai are exceedingly accurate with all missile weapons once they reach Book 10) +5 for Grand WeaponMastery in the Bow
+10 all the time
Or if you believe in Stacking like I do, this gets even more sickening since you would have a +14 to hit all the time.
Realistically, once he reaches Grand Master (and no matter what system you use) Lone Wolf really never misses his target again.
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Post by Ofecks on Feb 2, 2005 20:47:52 GMT
+5 for Grand WeaponMastery in the Bow From the equipment sections of the Grand Master books: "If you have the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery with a bow, you may add 3 to any number that you pick from the Random Number Table, when using the bow." Is the +5 a loyalty bonus or something? Seems to me since +3 is stated right there, that's the intended rule.
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Post by Peregrine on Feb 2, 2005 21:10:21 GMT
I wonder, is this the same as the occasionally observed switch from +5CS to +3CS for Grand Weaponmastery? I'm quite sure completing the Magnakai series already gives you better than +3 to RN (without the Silver Bow), so I should think it is. But I don't have time to check my sources now...
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Post by Sol on Feb 2, 2005 21:38:57 GMT
From the equipment sections of the Grand Master books: "If you have the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery with a bow, you may add 3 to any number that you pick from the Random Number Table, when using the bow." Is the +5 a loyalty bonus or something? Seems to me since +3 is stated right there, that's the intended rule. Omega, Really??? A +3 might be more balanced. Interestingly, though, I hit a section in Book 14 that said, "If you have the Discipline of Grand WeaponMastery with the bow, add 5 to the number you picked" - but this could have been a 1-time thing anyway. such as: www.projectaon.org/xhtml/lw/14tcok/sect335.htm
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Post by Sol on Feb 2, 2005 21:46:49 GMT
Also I always thought the +3 was a typo! A little Cut-Paste from the Magnakai Disciplines. Time to take another look!
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Post by Sol on Feb 3, 2005 4:24:23 GMT
KAI-TEAM-TEN Progress
My goal: to finish all 20 books without cheating. All Teams Completed: The Darke Crusade
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: Took Grand Pathsmanship Avatarus and Iron Wolf found the Jadin Amulet Beat Down and Iron Wolf found Alether +2
Survived: Avatarus, Beat Down, Iron Wolf
Best CS: Iron Wolf (57) Worst CS: Avatarus, Beat Down (54)
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:
That's a milestone - all Project Aon books completed with no cheating. I will turn to my personal collection for the rest of the story. This is also a personal "high score" for me. I have never read this far into the series before, having died somewhere in The Darke Crusade on my best prior run (I think I was buried and died underground rather than escaping).
My characters have no more problems with the fights. My CS values are just plain high. It is amazing how much of a difference that little +1 makes per book in the Grand Master series.
The entire book was VERY exciting for me - all new territory. The Hellswamp, the Draakar encampment, the rescue of the Lencians, it was all AWESOME! And so glad I didn't have to see Cadak. He annoys me!
The combination puzzles are very entertaining. I enjoyed two in this book: the Dragon Puzzle and the Octagon Puzzle. The Dragon Puzzle I solved... the Octagon Puzzle I failed at first (Beat Down had to face greater danger to escape the cave-in as a result). I only give myself one guess on these things - then if I am right, I immediately put it in my notes!
Avatarus did get this octagonal puzzle, and I was glad to see how much easier it was.
I was BUMMED to lose all my Laumspur, even MORE annoyed to lose all my Alether. One of my Grand Masters (Beat Down, I think) was actually STILL carrying the +4 Alether from Book 3. It was probably past expiration anyway, so I guess I won't sob too much.
I was ELATED to find the Jadin Amulet. A +1 to your score whenever you are fired upon. WOW! This happens all the time - I know this will be immensely useful. Beat Down had to do without, but Avatarus and Iron Wolf BOTH scored one!
Magnaarn was not as strong as I thought he would be. The 50 CS was about what I expected, but the 35 EP was just weak. And I am NOT COMPLAINING. After 15 books I think I've earned it! Seems like a big difference from Book 13 though (You are fighting the dragon on the bridge - it has 45 CS, it is immune to Mindblast, and you have to fight at a -5 to your own CS... ouch!).
All in all, I am having a blast. I look forward very much to the next adventure, the Legacy of Vashna. WHAT REALLY HAPPENS? At last I have earned the right to read it, for today I am a Sun Lord.
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Post by Peregrine on Feb 3, 2005 4:43:02 GMT
Also I always thought the +3 was a typo! A little Cut-Paste from the Magnakai Disciplines. Time to take another look! On closer inspection, it would seem not. Mentoras get +2 RN with missile (bows or thrown weapons). There aren't any further Magnakai enhancements, so it makes sense that a Grand Master gets only +3.
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Post by Nathan P. Mahney on Feb 3, 2005 4:44:23 GMT
Assuming you're well-prepared for this, you only have a 1/10 chance of missing with the dagger throw. You get a bonus of 3 for Weaponmastery with Dagger and 1 for Circle of Fire completion. You need to get a 5 total roll to win. Oh, I forgot that I'd get lots of very nice bonuses! Still, I can't justify leaving the Sommerswerd behind, my trusty yet strangely deceitful blade. I might just get myself captured by the guards and try my luck with the psychic ring... I feel that the ambiguous nature of the Lone Wolf combat system allows for it. From what I know of dual-weapon combat in the real world, the off-hand weapon is used more for defence than attack. Though the Bronin Warhammer may not be able to wound Tagazin et. al., it could still provide enough defence to lift me into a higher combat ratio bracket. As I'd never leave the Sommerswerd behind, the only way I'd go with this is to get stripped of all my equipment by the guards. So your numbers are a bit off, as I wouldn't have a Shield or the Bronin Warhammer, or Alether, or the Silver Helm. For me it would go something like this: 19 base +3 Spirit circle +1 Fire circle +4 Psi-Surge +6 Weaponmastery (dual-wielding!) TOTAL = 33 That's still better than I had with the Sommerswerd, so it bears thinking about. Good points about the Warhammer, though. I'll probably stick with the Bow.
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Post by Ofecks on Feb 3, 2005 14:33:18 GMT
On closer inspection, it would seem not. Mentoras get +2 RN with missile (bows or thrown weapons). There aren't any further Magnakai enhancements, so it makes sense that a Grand Master gets only +3. Actually, that +2 can be stacked on top of the +3 you already get for Weaponmastery with Bow. Even if you haven't mastered the bow yet as a Mentora, you still get the +2, providing you have the discipline. Thus, with the loyalty bonus, you get +5 without having to pick Grand Weaponmastery, but new Grand Master characters only get +3, and they have to pick Grand Weaponmastery with the bow to get it. That's quite a handicap, considering they don't have the Silver Bow, either. As I'd never leave the Sommerswerd behind, the only way I'd go with this is to get stripped of all my equipment by the guards. So your numbers are a bit off, as I wouldn't have a Shield or the Bronin Warhammer, or Alether, or the Silver Helm. You can get your equipment back if you know where to look. The only thing you don't find are any weapons and weapon-like special items (they're returned to you at the end of the book).
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Post by Sol on Feb 3, 2005 14:34:15 GMT
On closer inspection, it would seem not. Mentoras get +2 RN with missile (bows or thrown weapons). There aren't any further Magnakai enhancements, so it makes sense that a Grand Master gets only +3. Ah, I see. This could be right. I suppose the part that fools you is the fact that none of this is mentioned under WeaponMastery/Grand WeaponMastery (it just says, for eg, "You get a +5 when using this weapon" which seems to suggest that you can have a +5 with the bow. I suppose by that logic I could also have an extra +3 when throwing the Dagger of Vashna at Kimah if I had WM in the Dagger. But I am coming around... it never did quite seem to make sense... The only place I think you might get this +3 with the Bow (from WM) would be the fight against Altan... darn that Altan - I blame it all on him.
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Post by Ofecks on Feb 3, 2005 14:37:28 GMT
I suppose the part that fools you is the fact that none of this is mentioned under WeaponMastery/Grand WeaponMastery (it just says, for eg, "You get a +5 when using this weapon" which seems to suggest that you can have a +5 with the bow. The extra 2 points is a loyalty bonus, that's what I meant. You do, actually! You get +3 if you have Weaponmastery/Dagger and +1 if you have the Circle of Fire completed. It says so right there in the text.
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Post by Sol on Feb 3, 2005 17:40:03 GMT
Why yes of course! How silly of me to forget!
Kudos, Omega!
Sol
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Post by Peregrine on Feb 3, 2005 22:45:25 GMT
Oops, yes... I had this feeling I was overlooking something. Thanks Omega. Makes me wonder whether the Grand Weaponmastery bonus stacks... bonuses like this usually don't, but bonuses like this are also usually bigger than the old version.
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