Endrosz

Mario Lives! An AI-project from Germany.

I was in the wrong regarding TESO, though. I pegged the F2P switch at 6 months after launch, similar to SW:TOR and The Secret World. They held out admirably, for a full year! Also in the news: The gamer community will provide funeral honors to the fallen hero. Eulogies are expected to contain the appropriate amount of misoginy, juveline humor, and all-around self-indulgence in order to justify the gaming journalists' continuous finger-pointing crusade.

I had the same sentiment until I watched a good friend of mine, who likes realistic driving games and has a gaming wheel+pedals set up, play ETS 2 for about an hour. I still don't enjoy the game (I tried it after he was finished), but now I understand why he enjoys it. For him, it's the perfect way to unwind after a day's work. Not as demanding as a racing sim, an action game or a thinking game, but still needs attention. It's optimal arousal level or Csíkszentmihányi's flow experience in practice.

I DID IT! I destroyed the Mulmaster Beholder Corps plus guests without the Dust of Disappearance! Here's one screenshot as proof. I have an exam upcoming on Saturday, I'll only write the post after that. The battle took about two hour, without prep time and previous fails. Meanwhile, if you're interested in how's this possible, check out these videos. A fellow Gold Box player created them. His party does include multi- and dual-classed characters, and he possibly reloaded to get better HP rolls, so it's somewhat easier for him, but not by much. PS: I did it! PPS: I did it!

This thread is so rich, I'll take it seriously! 1. a. That statement about the backer portal longevity has no proof behind it. Obsidian as a business entity has been around longer than GoG and exactly as long as Steam (2003), and they have a good reputation as a company (having lots of bugs on release is another matter entirely, I'm talking about consumer trust). It isn't becoming of them to stop supporting a game they released as long as they are in business. You're mixing them up with the big publishers (I still remember MechCommander 2 from Microsoft-owned FASA Interactive, they were ordered to stop supporting the game after it was released, it received no patches). b. If Obsidian does go out of business, I hope we can agree it won't happen overnight. After you download the stuff from the backer portal, you can burn it to DVD or whatever is your choice of long-term storage. You need not wait 5 years or until anything bad happens, you can do that first thing after downloading if you're so concerned with the backer portal's longevity. In fact, GoG users often do this even without a single thought about GoG going out of business, simply as a convenience or a way to save on network traffic (that's a concern for some). 2. The Royal Edition does not match any of the Kickstarter tiers exactly. Even if silver+ backers get Royal Editions keys, there's still stuff that they need to get from another source, like... "Cooking with Tim"! But in more seriousness, I'm referring mostly to extra keys, the Royal Edition only has one key, you need to get the others from somewhere. Consequentially, the backer portal and another login is a necessity to deliver the extras that were promised in the Kickstarter tiers. 3. None of the extra stuff is actual game content, patching won't touch them.* * Well the 2 extra items are, but you don't need to download them separately.

Chapter 23: Cease of the Azure Bonds Tyranthraxus meets us at the entrance. He wears the form of a Storm Giant. Eper: -- I'm as strong as Tyranthraxus! Hey T, we should arm wrestle, the winner takes all, whaddyasay? The bonds are activated, he takes away our three special items (Helm of Dragons, Gauntlet of Moander, Amulet of Lathander) and forces us to walk into the Grand Temple's chapel. Well, at least it didn't last long... Alma: -- Umm... plan? Narancs: -- Right back at you. Barack: -- *weeps quietly* My dear pets, I will never see them again... A priest of Bane is standing at the pool in the middle, before the altar. All three of the relics disappear, although the priest moves in a strange way, with exaggerated movements. Alma: -- I will name one of my children after you! Nameless: -- I'm Nameless, remember? Alma: -- I'll name an unspeakable horror from the Outer Planes after you! T isn't pleased. "Kill them my pets", he says, then rushes off, but for the first time, we sense fear in his voice. Szilva: -- As I said, never lose hope! Lathander's light will prevail over Bane's shadows! The Knights of Myth Drannor are assaulting the Grand Temple, making our job easier. Joint Operation "Flame Quenching" is well underway. The battle is not difficult, it only has one high priest plus some hell hounds. The Helm of Dragons always indicates where T is relative to our position, we don't need to stumble around. Resting is impossible here, needless to say -- the bonds' power is returning, we need to hurry. We even feel the power returning as we move. One random encounter happens, but a well-placed choke point Stinking Cloud disables about 2/3s of the hounds and margoyles as they come at us, and there are no rakshasas with them. We only take three small hits, which are cured by Szilva. Upstairs, on the upper level of the temple, the Helm of Dragons shows the northeast corner. Gogogo! Before the door, before buff up, including Haste (which I don't use normally) and Enlarge (22 Strength on the frontline, finally) and and Fire Shield on the mages (they will get mobbed by melee). The bonds' power is recharged by the time we reach T, our haste doesn't matter. Railroading! I quit this campaign! You suck, GM! Suddenly we can overcome the bonds, "with a great force of will"? Yes, that is exactly how railroading GMs operate. They throw you into an unavoidable mess, ignoring your every effort, then they throw a deus ex machina at you, and call it an epic adventure. I call it 'meh'. This is how it looks like. There are a total of 8 high priests in the back and uncounted margoyles between us, which have a surprisingly good to-hit and three attacks per round. Plus T, of course. Tyranthraxus has a large initiative bonus, even with Haste it's possible he starts the battle. He can throw 15d6 (!!) damage lightning bolts like a storm giant (no surprise, he could breath fire as a bronze dragon), and this isn't stopped by Minor Globe. I have no defense against this strong damage ability, except boosting saves with Prayer and Protection From Evil 10' (since he's evil, unlike a real storm giant), but that's not much. Another problem is that the party starts the battle with a wall behind Narancs and Eper. If T targets the middle or the right of my ranks, the bolt will bounce back from the wall, and hit two characters, at least one of them twice. 15D6 once is usually survivable with a successful save for everyone, two such hits are a guaranteed death to non-fighters. With a failed save, even one hit can be fatal to non-fighters, depending on the damage roll. He also has True Seeing, so I must assault right away with melee, invisible walling doesn't help against him. Invisibility does help a lot against the other mobs, though, because it protects from the priests' Hold Persons, and prevents disengagement attacks by margoyles, allowing free tactical move. But to get there, the ranks of margoyles need to be cleared. First try, T wins init, hits Narancs, he can't cast Fireball, and Citrom has the Wand of Fireballs (and I didn't find a single FB scroll in Curse). Without both mages throwing a fireball, we can't clear out that big pile o' monsters between T and us. Second round, bolt kills two characters, reload. Second try goes much better, I am able to clear with the mages, but on the second round, he wins init, and kills Eper outright with an extreme damage roll (over 80) and a failed save. Third try, Eper is first, I move him away from the back of Alma to the side and delay. Which is like a Lathander-suggested precognition, because after that, T blasts Alma with a rebounding bolt, dealing a total of 85 damage, leaving her with 4 HP (and that's with successful saves). Eper just vacated the space behind her, he escaped certain death. On the plus-plus side, the rebounding bolt continues through the monster ranks, tearing a line through the margoyles and even killing a high priest at the back: You just throw these bolts while we wait outside the room, okay T? They're magnificently sizzling, play as much as you like! My mages come up early, and clean the room about 75%, we have space to move. One margoyle takes away Alma's remaining 4 HP, damn your 20s, margoyles. She has -8 AC, additional -4 from the invisibility. The others move through the openings to the back of T and delay until the end of turn (with haste, they have enough MP to cruise through the enemy ranks). Then they reveal themselves and attack. A total of 4 hits from Szilva, Eper, and Barack, T drops to about half health. 3 surviving margoyles kill themselves by attacking the mages, with Fire Shield-retaliation and former Fireball damage. This is the first time I used Fire Shield, it's helpful here because the frontline abandons the mages. At the start of the second round, only 3 margoyles and 5 High Priests stand (plus T, of course), concentrated around Narancs. He comes up early, and throws a Fireball right at himself, trololol Minor Globe of Invulnerability. Eper delivers two hits to T, he's down to 12 HP. Szilva is up, T is lagging. Oh man, we waited for this so long: Barack goes back to the mages and kills the remaining two enemies. We won! The spirit of T rises and basically repeats the same speech he gave back at Valjevo Castle -- as long as the Pool is intact, the bonds remain, along with him, and he can just occupy another body at will. But we got all the relics back, thanks to Nameless's infiltration and sacrifice, and the Gauntlet of Moander is able to suck up the Pool. Which causes both T and his bonds to disappear, too: Alma: -- ... Barack: -- I will have astraphobia for the rest of my life... Citrom: -- *claps near her ear* Barack: -- *faints* Szilva: -- As I said, friends, never lose... Eper: -- ... the content of your bowels. Die with dignity, if you must. Narancs: -- He was an interesting villain... Maybe when I start walking the Planes myself, I'll try to find out where he came from. Citrom: -- Some knowledge comes at a terrible price, we just witnessed that. Don't be so eager to search for his origins. Barack: -- *comes to* I had a dream where we fought Tyranthraxus, and my sweet badger Tenacious B jumped up at his throat and killed him, but then a lightning bolt struck and everything faded to white! What happened? Szilva: -- That's exactly what happened, my child. After the victory, a slideshow starts, unlike in other cases, it's not "Press Enter/Return to continue" after each screen. So I missed some of those, I went to YouTube to capture them. Citrom: -- And now my festive mood is ruined. Gah, Nacacia, you're not allowed a happy ending with Gharri, it destroys mine! Nacacia: -- I have a confession to make, Citrom. This entire azure bonds thing was a plot by me to keep you from Gharri. As long as you were occupied with the bonds, I was free to make him chase me through the Dalelands, and whip up his desire to get me. Men are hunters, you know that, I needed time. Citrom: -- ... Nacacia: -- The look on your face! *laughs* You almost believed it!

The central building has a rakshasa raj. 'You have a boldness that is refreshing', he says, and doesn't appear hostile (but the others with him do). Alma: -- Civility is always returned by us, my lord. Speak, we're listening. Eper: -- He sure is rich... Szilva: -- And we're so alive -- yet. Eper: -- Good point. Another ally, this one removes the rakshasas from the Temple where T resides. That'll most certainly help. A few more allies like this, and we can just hang back, and watch them finish T! The final building has a gathering of rakshasas engaged in their favorite pastime. This battle has... 6 rakshasas! Which kill our entire party with ease. I could use the blessed quarrels from the elven tomb, but I need them for an ever harder battle. And besides, it's still only 1 rakshasa felled per round, and 4 is more than enough to kill us by round 3. The invisible wall tactic doesn't work, because they have True Seeing, as I learn the hard way. But Minor Globe of Invulnerability still works, so on the third try, I sneak away my other characters to the sides, and let the rakshasas waste all of their spells on my mages. There are some margoyles, too, but they fall on round 1 to two fireballs, as usual. Here's how the setup looks like, the narrow corridor only allows three rakshasas to claw on my mages. The others are below, behind a corner. By the time they're out spells, Citrom is almost down. I move the others behind the mages (it's a crazy risk to move through two tiles with Stinking Cloud in them) and start firing ranged weapons. Citrom falls on the same round when the stinking clouds clear up, and they tear up Narancs later. The cavalry's already on the rescue, however, and the battle is won afterwards. This is a satisfying victory, all party members played their part. After another R&R round-trip, we leave in a good mood towards the final area: --- This is a fork in the Let's Play. Unlike in the other GB games, if Curse is won, I can't continue playing. I get dumped into the Training Hall menu, and 'Begin Adventuring' does nothing. So here I'll continue with the final confrontation, but the next chapter will start from a save at this point and continue with Oxam's Tower. Before I go into the finale, a little explanation about losing characters in battles. The Gold Box engine implements an optional rule of the AD&Đ Player's Handbook, where a character below 0 HP isn't dead until she reaches -10 HP. Between -1 and -9, she is "dying" and loses 1 HP each turn until she's bandaged by another character or healed by magic. So in this LP, when I write that someone "goes down" or "falls" or "creamed" etc. that means she's not dead, but at 0 HP after bandaging, in an "unconscious" state. I write "killed" whenever a character actually dies, whether to big damage or lack of bandaging. I thought I could use Raise Dead to lessen the number of reloads, but I forgot about one 2nd edition rule: Raise Dead decreases Constitution by 1. Permanently. Only the 7th level Resurrection is able bring back someone fully restored, which is not available to Szilva, of course, but it's not available in temples, either! So, sadly, deaths still prompt reloads, because permanent Con loss doesn't fly with me. Stone or poisoned status can be reversed in temples without loss of anything.

Chapter 22: MythDrannorBusters I sort out the big haul of loot from Zhentil Keep, and put away all those Bracers to a mule character. I'll need money for some Hold Monster scrolls (4500/piece) and lots of healing potions (1600/piece) for the Oxam's Tower optional challenge. We have a suspicion about the guy at the Standing Stone, which is confirmed. Alma: -- Back to square minus one. Immortal spirit, probably backed by the Pool of Radiance, occupies the body of some strong monster, has an army under his command, just like back in Valjevo Castle. But this time, we have bonds that are controlled by him. And now he shares control with no one else. The dice was loaded in his favor from the beginning, he knew we would find a way to remove the other bonds. Szilva: -- Never lose hope. The sun rises every morning, and it washes away all fears, worries and doubts from yesterday. Without hope, without renewal of spirit, evil would win every time. Lathander, the Morninglord, the Heavenly Inspiration, the Conquering Dawn embodies all of that and more. We have his sacred relic with us, which allows us to harm extraplanar spirits like Tyranthraxus. Eper: -- For once, I welcome your preaching. Thanks, I needed a morale boost. And to break the doom and gloom, the comic relief gallops by: Citrom: -- Yes, run after her endlessly! Serves you right, you drooling idiot! The ruins of Myth Drannor are not a friendly place. In the first area, resting is impossible as we're attacked by the local fauna immediately: giant spiders (poison), phase spiders (blink, poison), and thri-kreens (paralyze). The other residents are elven spirits, the long-dead builders of the place, and they've seen enough looters, so they're easily offended. After a few steps, one of them appears: The spirit tells us he has seen the thri-kreen enter some enchanted webs, and then they say a word (krrkik) and gain strength. Barack: -- Does this web have side effects like the magical muscle-increasing dust I'm using? I have so much trouble with all the extra hair... We find the web she speaks of in a building nearby. Eper: -- I don't like this... Entering spider webs voluntarily is for chosen ones who die in an idiotic fashion. And Eper is right, we are attacked by spiders as we enter the web, which limits us to 1 MP and decreases to-hit. Eper: -- If I had an electrum piece for every time we walked into a trap, despite my warnings... Narancs: -- ...it still would be less money than if I had an electrum piece for every time you rushed us into danger, because, 'treasure'! But the real surprise comes after the spiders are dispatched. Barack: -- You shouldn't play dirty tricks on me, or I'll tell on you to my mom! Citrom: -- That's supposed to frighten anyone? Barack: -- My mom is a very high ranking druid. Once a bullying boy ripped my shirt, and she summoned an elder water elemental which drowned him! And laid waste to an entire village before its time was up, teeheehee. My mom is very supportive. Citrom: -- Your mom is dangerous, I take back what I said. And... a lot of other things I said about you earlier. Random encounters here are pretty dangerous because of the one-hit kills, and the phase spiders' blinking is excellent defense for them. At least Cloudkill works: In the southeast corner, another spirit speaks to us. Eper: -- As I was saying... Szilva: -- I sense that this spirit is pure of heart. Figuratively speaking, of course. We should trust her. Eper: -- You trust people with a pure heart? They're the ones who turn into blind zealots most often... Barack: -- Oh, I'm sooooo envious! I should've become a Swanmay! Alma, you're already our leader, leave some fame for us, too! Alma: -- I always give you all the responsibility you can handle. Barack: -- Meanie! As we approach the central building, a strange figure appears. He says: 'Hail, bonded ones'. Narancs: -- Catch him by surprise? You mean, like hiding in his bathroom? Citrom: -- Or sending him a prank gift, which drains the Pool of Radiance when opened? Alma: -- I'm just happy that we have an ally here. Inside the building, we fight a large group of thri-kreen and find some treasure. The mantis warriors are less dangerous than the spiders. The east building has a lot spiders, and one of them drops Szilva, the only one who can remove poisoning, another one drops Barack. This triggers a hasty leave, then a visit to Ashabenford's temple. The building doesn't have any treasure, just bones. Near the graveyard, a chance encounter happens with a patrol of the Knights of Myth Drannor. A quick understanding is reached that we share a common enemy, and they promise to help us with the final battle by creating a diversion. Narancs: -- If there will be a final battle at all... Barack: -- Oh don't be such a sourpuss. In my favorite books, the final battle is epic and the heroes are victorious! Citrom: -- In my favorite books, the final battle is tragic and the heroes are eternally damned. Eper: -- In my favorite books there is a hollowed-out part where the merchant has hidden the key to his personal treasure chest. We meet a lone Red Plume warrior. He talks about his ancestors by disturbed foul spider-things, and promises a magic bow , caemir, ancestor, foul spider things, bow - radiates magic Narancs: -- Since when do humans have elven ancestors? This guy is either a con or another rakshasa. Szilva: -- *casts Detect Magic* The bow is real, not an illusion, and it's strongly magical. Maybe he's partially elven, like, had an ancestor from Myth Drannor many generations ago? Eper: -- Easy reward. We killed any number of foul spider-things already. Alma: -- All right, let's do this... But I also think it's strange that a Red Plume walks here alone. Another ambush, Narancs's hunch was right. It has far fewer monsters than in random encounters, plus one rakshasa, no big deal. Still in the graveyard: Alma: -- No, you don't. Eper: -- Whyyyyyy? What need they have for it? Are there beauty pageants or balls for elven spirits? And if we don't take it, some other looter will! At least we respect them whenever it doesn't lessen our loot! The last building in this area has a spirit guard at the entrance. He is pleased with our presence, recounting all the occasions when we acted honorably. He grants passage to the building behind him, which is a noble, maybe even royal family's huge, multi-level mausoleum by the looks of it. Inside two suits of armor "guard" the stairs up. Eper: -- Look at the craftsmanship, it's from before the Weeping War! Worth a lot to art collectors even if it isn't magical! I wonder... Alma: -- *shoves Eper towards the stairs* And it's strong stuff: staff sling +3 (Szilva), ring of invisibility (Eper), ring of prot +2 (Narancs), a light crossbow +5 plus 12 blessed quarrels, which kill rakshasas on hit. Szilva: -- See? Doing the right thing brings payoffs, too. Eper: -- *tears in his eyes* Just like my old ring... I will be backstabbing enemies with extra nostalgia power. The ring of invisibility is a very strong item in the Gold Box games, it works like an endless Improved Invisibility. Cannot be targeted by ranged attacks incl. spells, no disengagement attacks and not broken by attacking. This item causes me to rearrange some gear, Eper gets the Bracers AC 2 from Citrom and instead of using ranged attacks, he will dart around the battlefield (MP 12, no armor), happily (back)stabbing everything. Backstabbing is difficult in the GB engine. Every time a unit is attacked from behind, it turns to face the attacker. But every unit is capable of only one such turn every round. If another attack comes from behind (which must be another direction than the one which provoked the free turn) during the same round, it becomes a flanking attack (to-hit bonus), or a backstab if it's by a rogue. Since the engine doesn't display which round is the current one, and there are often other mobs behind a target's back, it can be difficult to execute backstabs. Having visited everywhere, we move deeper into the ruins. The second area is what I call 'Rakshasa Town'. Just past the south entrance: (By the way, both plumes of smoke are animated) Narancs: -- Now here's the problem. Is this a rakshasa, or an illusionary rakshasa created by a rakshasa, or an illusionary rakshasa created by an illusionary rakshasa created by a rakshasa, or... Alma: -- I never turn down a peaceful offer. Tricks didn't help the rakshasas we met so far, right? They won't help this one, either, if he just plays with us. The rakshasa introduces himself as Tirsheya, and has an offer for us. Their kind loves gambling, and he suspects that another player is cheating. He says the nearby storehouse has proof. If we kill the monsters guarding it, we get to keep what's in the storehouse, he's only interested in the proof. The storehouse is guarded by a pack of hell hounds and margoyles, the two common monsters in Rakshasa Town. After the fight, another rakshasa appears with a full retinue. He gives us a choice regarding the two of them: Alma: -- We've given our words to Tirsheya, he didn't cheat us, nor did he threaten us. Easy choice. In this fight, we have our very own rakshasa! Sadly, he leaves after. It was really cool to have a basically magic immune target on our side, with spells of his own. As we progress deeper, Nameless appears another time: We were getting on with it... The buildings here are mostly ruined, but we find a park-like place. Here, we spot a hobbit rushing into the dense bushes, a hell hound chasing after him. Eper: -- Yes, the little ones are in danger! That's exactly how conning works! Disregarding Eper, we chase the hobbit, and walk into another rakshasa trap. After the fight, we must turn back. Trying to rest in Rakshasa Town triggers an attack immediately, like in the Burial Glen. On the way back there is another random encounter with two rakshasas, I fight to the very end, but fail, need to reload. That combination of magic immunity plus AC -4 plus starting behind a wall of melee mobs is a real killer. And I can't prebuff since it happens randomly. We leave the ruins for R&R, and come back through the other entrance. What follows is the most shameful, shortest adventuring day of this Let's Play. During the battle, the lightning bolts decimate one mage, a Stinking Cloud disables Szilva and Eper, then when the two rakshasas run out of the higher level spells, one of them charms Barack. I still win, but only with three party members standing. Barack had to be Hold Monster'd and coup-de-grace'd after two failed Charms of my own, charming doesn't expire by killing the caster. I need to turn back after moving two tiles... On the next trip, we discover a man chased by hell hounds. Eper: -- Alma, 'fess up, you're a masochist, you like lightning bolts ripping through your body. You want to rescue this illusion, too? Alma: -- Yes. I'd rather err on the side of compassion. But the man isn't an illusion. He's an escaped slave of the rakshasas. Szilva: -- Choking on your own words, Eper? Eper: -- I won't, until that treasure is in my hands. Whispers are whispers. Eper does choke on his words after we find the hidden treasure as indicated. A long sword +5, gauntlet of dexterity and... a girdle of storm giant power! But when I equip it, it is bugged just like all the other Stregnth-raising options: it sets Str to 100, which has no bonus at all. I was, really, really frustrated at this point. There are two difficult battles before us, and I really counted at least on this Girdle to help. Maybe it's not the code, it's the character data, since the problem is everywhere? A suspicion arises that it's the transfer from Pool of Radiance which twisted the Str values, probably along with Szilva's changed charisma. I check the data in a hex editor, and YESSSSSS, the problem is there. A pair of values lists each attribute's base and current value, and all of the characters have 64h (100 decimal) or 32h (50 decimal) as the base value, and 11h (17) as the modified value. Just a few edits, and then a reload. The characters look okay, the girdle works! But the walls have disappeared from the iso display. Another save and reload fixes the wall problem, maybe the character files have CRC? And then I test the other options, Enlarge gives 22 Strength, as it should, with a level 11 mage. Frustration is replaced with joy. We really needed those Strength boosts for the remaining challenges. This boosts melee DPS by about 150%, better to-hit and much higher damage combined. Enlarge's duration is measured in turns (that's 10 rounds), it's possible to cast it upon entering an area, and having the buff on basically full time. Eper gets the girdle, and turns into a murdering invisible stabber.

Some days, I'm so glad I'm not a game developer/publisher. It's a special kind of heavenly hell. The Royal Edition includes: Digital Novella by Chris Avellone: Collector’s Book PDF: Hi-res Concept Art pieces: Digital Strategy Guide: Digital Campaign Almanac: Making of Documentary: Digital Hi-res Game Map: Wallpapers: Ringtones: If' you were a $100 backer, you'll receive this: It includes EVERYTHING from the Royal Edition (the Digital Fun Pack has the wallpapers, concept art, ringtones, game map), plus three physical objects, a T-shirt, a 'Thank you' postcard, and a boxed version of the game. And you should know that the physical stuff is what costs the most, the Royal Edition is only digital. Plus you get the 'Cooking with Tim' PDF, which is AMAZING VALUE!!!!!!4444 (Sorry Tim) (The Making of Documentary was a later addition, and it wasn't listed in the original tiers, but it's available for this tier.) Draw your own conclusions.

Something that no one talked about so far, AFAIK: Since Accuracy feeds into Critical Hit chance (which is very much disapprove of, but that's another topic), removing a SOURCE of Accuracy tightens up the interval of minimum/maximum Accuracy possible for a character build, therefore tightening up the damage interval, too. Which is a very good thing, because that interval was way too wide. And it still probably is, and needs the linear changes Sensuki's pushing for (and I agree with), but it's better now.

Yesterday's stream: I barely heard anything from Josh, the mic volume was way too low. Judging from the comments, it wasn't just me. My opinion of the game being huge and gorgeous wasn't changed by the stream.

Lords of Xulima available from GOG, along with a 30% initial discount. One of last year's quiet RPG surprises, also a finished Kickstarter project.

Actually, legally, there's no difference. Either way, all you really have is a piece of paper saying you may use the software. Now, functionally, you are entirely correct, and honestly, that's all that really matters. Sometimes, I just can't wait for Valve/Steam to bite it (however unlikely at the moment) just so I can drink the delicious tears of everyone that bought into the DRM scheme like willing little slaves. This poll illustrates the failure of democracy. Just wanted to +1 this. Both sites sell you a license to use the game, there is no legal difference. If you truly want to own a game, play freeware or open source games, like MegaMek, Battle for Wesnoth (excellent strategy game), roguelikes like ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery), remakes like FreeCiv or OpenTTD (Transport Tycoon Deluxe).

You should read or watch before you write... The same is said in the pitch video.

There was a part in the meeting video, starting at 4:12, when Sawyer nodded repeatedly. I found that strangely reassuring, and had to create a GIF out of it: During those long, cold winter nights, when decline blankets the outside world, and RPGs are scarce and weak, just take a look at Joshua Eric Sawyer's encouraging face and your soul will be uplifted. </tongue-in-cheek> I don't think it's a good idea to publish Pillars of Eternity two days after GTA 5, but *shrug*.

Is that the leg actuator or the coolant exhaust port?

I'm a little embarrassed that it took so many tries, but the first one was a real sucker punch: "Here's a beholder and a medusa plus some spare change minotaurs, in your face, no warning". If you're defeated by a patrol, it's not game over, instead you're thrown into the arena without your money and equipment. But I only know this from a walkthrough, I never got there myself.

The beholder portrait is impressive. All the stalks are animated, moving about, the central eye twists up and down, sizing you up. Everyone: -- *stunned silence* Alma: -- You... Your master... We don't... Hooded woman: -- What where you expecting as a master in Zhentil Keep? A jovial old man who does gardening? Barack: -- I... did expect that... We're in a large room, underground. This is another chapel of Bane, and the Amulet of Lathander is on the altar. We recognize it after hearing Dimswart's description. Dexam speaks. Eper: -- Discomfort... laboratory... certain death... Why did I ever leave my hometown? My mother was always so kind to me, and advised against this whole adventuring business. Citrom: -- The lull of the loot? Eper: -- Yes, the lull of the loot. Stronger than a mother's words. Suddenly, as we succumb to despair, Fzoul Chembryl -- the blond guy before we were teleported away -- bursts into the room with troops of his own. History note: This death of Fzoul is not canon. He died a different death in the official history of the Forgotten Realms, then raised by Bane when he returned to be his exarch, etc. Dexam uses one of his eyes to levitate the Amulet to himself, and then leaves. Citrom: -- Yes, more blood sport! Go-go Chembryl's Chimeras! You're the best, Dexam's Drakes! Don't let up! Woooohooo! We need to fight after every step we take in this room. Again, to prevent all clerics from casting Hold Person is no small effort, they're spread out, have good health, and generally protected by their own frontline. I'm using wands as needed. We go the same way Dexam went. There's little desire to confront him, but he's got the Amulet. After no small amount of battles, we find another beholder blocking the way. It looks like it's not aggressive, so we don't "attack" either. Barack: -- This is so confusing. Did that beholder have a tummy ache? Narancs: -- It wasn't a beholder, it just looked like one. It's called mimicry in the animal world. You look like a dangerous creature, others leave you alone. Without warning, we stumble into Dexam's group. I didn't have a chance to buff. The hooded woman drops the hood and reveals herself as a medusa, she's leading about a dozen minotaurs. Some snakes are animated, yuck. The first try is a fast disaster. Two characters stoned on the first round, and I can't even reach Dexam with the fighters. After reloading, I buff up, going Invisible Wall. Which isn't a complete safety protocol, because: a. The medusa can still stone the mages, they're not invisible and Minor Globe doesn't help with stoning gaze. b. The beholder's eyes have varying ranges, I need to move back about 5-6 tiles with the mages, where the deadly stalks can't reach. If Dexam has a good initiative, the mages are probably goners. The second one succeeds, barely. Szilva and Citrom in Stone, Narancs death ray'd, and the two fighters are feared and out of sight, running away. However, they did enough damage for Eper to finish the job with his Shortbow +2/Arrows+1 combo. Actually, the medusa is heavily damaged too, and goes down in this same round to the second arrow. Eper, the killer of a Beholder AND a Medusa in the same round! However, after the Dexam fight, we're attacked by a strong Zhentarim patrol immediately. We even survive this by using 3 charges from the Necklace of Missiles, preventing the clerics from casting (it helps that the battle is in a narrow corridor). But there are still more fights left until the exit, and we can't survive that many enemies without Szilva's fixes and the mages' spells. Second try is a pyrrhic victory. I did try to get to the exit, I didn't reload immediately. The third try is another LOL, Dexam wins initiative, disintegrates one mage, kills the other. The rest can't deal enough damage to him before being wiped out. HA! Good fun! It's embarrassing, but it is at this point that I remember buying silver mirrors back in Tilverton, at the start of Curse. For the specific purpose of turning back stoning gazes... The mages have a free hand for it, the frontline exchanges the shield (melee damage is negligible in this battle), only Eper doesn't equip a mirror, because the shortbow needs two hands. I carried those mirrors through so many dungeons, and almost forgot to use them... This is the fourth try, where finally everything clicks. The kill happens on round 2. The mages were throwing Darts of Hornets' Nest, it was well worth the 2000 gold price. Each Dart does about 10-12 damage, which is fantastic DPS from a low to-hit single-class mage against AC 0. It is all-in, they move back to throw the darts after backpedaling on round 1, and the invisible members reveal themselves by attacking. However, I first used Done/Delay a lot to get Dexam to waste his action with long-range eyestalks on the mages in the safe distance before attacking. Since all members have a mirror in hand, the medusa doesn't really matter unless she targets Eper, which she doesn't. And for a final laugh, she failed the reflected save on round 4, and turned to stone just before weapon hits killed her. Artists do create self-portraits, this one's her final statue... Alma: -- Die, eyefreak! *delivers the killing thrust* Szilva: -- Beholder-Slayers is added to our titles. The second battle, the Zhentarim patrol is a matter of enough Fireballs, it's not difficult with a full party. The Amulet of Lathander is now ours. Now we just have to get out of here. That long, spiraling corridor we've been following finally ends with a tunnel leading to the surface. Alma: -- You're surprised? With a tongue that sharp, I'm surprised it's still in place! Eper: -- Olivia, now that we're done here, allow me to... Alma: -- Plan H! Olivia takes Dimswart, and they leave. We see a familiar rider leave the city's premises. The woman in purple, riding behind him, screams 'Gharriiiiiiiiiiii....' Citrom: -- I give up. That man is hopeless. They deserve each other, the troublemaker and the even bigger troublemaker. Why are all the decent-looking guys such idiots? Our adventures here are finished, but the civil war between Chembryl's local troops and Dexam's legionnaires still rages on. Szilva: -- It feels so good to watch them decimate each other. Evil always implodes upon itself in the end. Citrom: -- Want to bet on the outcome? Here we are, Changers of Government. Maybe people should vote for adventurers instead of politicians to run the show? Nah, they're just as greedy and ignorant as politicians are.

Chapter 21: Team Deathmatch We visited Zhentil Keep during our Phlan days, the parting wasn't on amicable terms. And now, we're back in... back in... They put us through a rough questionnaire aimed at filtering out "unwanted" people. We pass, but we have a suspicion it is because of the bonds, they were told to let us in. Eper: -- The little thief! Is she... maybe... here? Alma: -- What she are you talking about? Eper: -- My dearest Olivia Ruskettle, the amazing halfling harper, whom we met briefly in the Tilverton sewers. Alma: -- Oh, that one... Your dearest? You didn't even talk to each other! Eper: -- Love doesn't need words, it's ethereal. Alma: -- If you, of all people, are in a poetic mood, then the end of the world is nigh. This is the first time a Gold Box game deals with personal property of normal people. All other town locales in PoR and Curse are either named places like the inn or the general store, or simply empty. As we move through the city, we hear a number of whispers, people are uncomfortable around us. "Look, on their arms, it's them!" A mother takes her child away from the street when she sees us. In one place, someone showers us with rotten food from a window. Szilva: -- *collecting the rotten food* Barack: -- What are you doing? You shouldn't touch that! Szilva: -- I'll cast Purify Food on it... Barack: -- I still wouldn't eat that! Yuck! Szilva: --- ...and give it to the poor. You're a spoiled child, you wouldn't understand. The ultimate derision is delivered by an animal: Barack: -- Bad doggy! Nasty doggy! My own doggy never does that! We also hear rumors. Dimswart the sage was kidnapped. (Who is Dimswart?) Fzoul Chembryl is on some personal campaign, but no one knows anything about it. Eper: -- Tell me about it! I mean, the magical protection! Can't even open a merchant's purse without some runes blowing up in one's face! About Phlan, no, it's quite the opposite! It's full of watchful magical eyes, there's one on every corner, and they're observed by the city watch's mages! Same for homes! Merchants place invisible magical seals on their wares and other properties, allowing them to track thieves! Don't go to Phlan to find marks, it's not worth it! At the inn, a sign says: "No Red Plumes allowed." We never were Red Plumes ourselves, but shh, let's not talk about what we did in Yulash. On the street, various groups stop us. The priests offer blessings if we're "nice". We play "meek" with mages and their bodyguards, but they attack! The fighters do let us pass if we're "meek". There is another magic shop here, the selection is the same as in Dagger Falls, but the prices are different: everything costs double, except Wand of Magic Missile which costs about one-third. Should've bought the Wands here. He claims we killed his soldier buddy. Eper: -- I hope we did kill his soldier buddy. Blasted Zhentarim. Alma: -- We did what we had to. I won't celebrate it. Narancs: -- He just won't shut up, people are starting to watch... Szilva: -- Here, this may help. Legless soldier: -- *trashes the money offered* I don't want your alms! I want you to pay for what you did, blood for blood! Szilva: -- War. War never changes. There is a large tavern in the east part of Zhenzil Keep, the Gorge and Grog, which offers arena fights and betting. Citrom: -- Blood sport, yes! I'm so betting! Alma: -- We don't have time for this, even if I wasn't disgusted by watching people get massacred for a show. Citrom: -- What's wrong with getting to afterlife faster? It's supposed to be a good place, right? Alma: -- Just one, then. Even if it pains me, I want to understand the madness at display here. Szilva: -- For some, killing is the sweetest thing there is. It's their sustenance, their drug. Then there are the masses, who always like a good execution, it's their cheap and safe guilty pleasure. They're not allowed to kill, but they can watch it. Alma: -- It's even worse when you explain it. Citrom, get on with it! Citrom bets on the monsters.The monsters win. Szilva: -- May their soul find their way to the golden fields of Elysium. Citrom: -- Or a more funky place like Arborea. As we wander around to the southern, poorer part of the city... We reach the gigantic High Temple of Bane. Along its eastern wall, before we turn to the main gate: Eper: -- I knew it! She's here! My fair petite lady! *tears in his eyes* Narancs: -- She's really well-endowed, compared to her size. Eper: -- DON'T YOU DARE EVEN LOOK AT HER, YOU FILTHY DESK POTATO! Alma: -- Ahem... Szilva, Plan S? Eper: -- Olivia, shining songbird of the Dalelands, whom I always loved from afar, would you... Szilva: -- *finishes casting Silence on Eper* Alma: -- Thanks, mate. So, Olivia, what secret way were you talking about? Olivia: -- Umm... Why is that bearded fellow of yours waving his arms so desperately? Citrom: -- He's got LDD, Loot Deficit Disorder. Terrible condition, always in need of fresh loot. Olivia: -- It's not that bad, I might have something like that myself. Now, if you're promising to help me, I'll help you avoid the main entrance. Narancs: -- What was that about the Amulet of Lathander? Szilva: -- I'm supposed to know about it, but I don't. But I would really like to, at least, take a look at it. Olivia pulls out a small device and utters a command word. The device spins around its own axis, and a large round-shaped tunnel appears in the temple's wall right next to us. The device emits smoke and is promptly destroyed. Citrom: -- How much for one of these? It would be convenient to have a few, for so many reasons. Olivia: -- Sorry, not sold in stores, it's a gift from a friend. Citrom: -- Maybe I can be friends with your friend, too? Olivia: -- *in a disapproving voice* I doubt it. Olivia escorts us to the cell of Dimswart, then leaves, says she has her own way of getting around. Dimswart is supposed to know more about our bonds. (I forgot to write about it, but we did find a strange helm on Dracandros, adorned with dragon motifs). Alma: -- He sures likes to talk. Citrom: -- Yeah, he's about one and a half Szilva, when measured. Szilva: -- I already found about Tyranthraxus's sigil in Tilverton, in the Fire Knives' offices, remember? And Filani told us about the other symbols. The only revelation is about the Pool of Radiance. What a coincidence, all the items needed to drain it were distributed among the bond creators! It's as if someone was placing these items in our way! Lathander be praised! Dimswart is attached to our party. He's not on the roster, just a backseat rider. Right outside the cell is a large room filled with standing mirrors. Eper: -- I knew it! All the conspiracy theories are true, even the elemental trails the in the sky! We are being watched and manipulated all the time! Szilva: -- Sorry friends, Silence has expired. The mirrors show various places, some we've not visited yet. Alma: -- Okay, enough sightseeing, let's get Dimswart out of here, like we promised Olivia. Eper: -- The altar is to the west. Alma: -- So? Eper: -- The treasure is always by the altar. Alma: -- It would interfere with our mission. Eper: -- Nah, that route has less guards. I already checked it. Eper: -- Trapped, eh? That's a good sign, you don't use traps to protect a bag of nuts. Narancs: -- In the faraway realms of Rashemen, animal spirits called tethyr use various enchantments to protect their lairs and hoards. Eper: -- That's nuts. I feel sorry for the... adventurous types over there. Contrary to Eper's expectations, the treasure is meh, and the longsword we find is cursed, berserking. A Remove Curse is needed, but thankfully, the temple is not on alert, we can rest in Dimswart's cell. Barack: -- I'll kill you all! Everyone, everywhere! Alma: -- Can you do this, Szilva? I really want to the old Barack back. Narancs: -- Cursed? She's always like that when she's angry about her pets or other favorites. I really need to invent the spell 'Remove Ignorance". But if I use it, what else remains in the brains of people? The exit to the foyer is guarded by Clerics of Bane, their bodyguards, and a High Priest of Bane. This is a standard encounter here, a demo for this area. The battles in Zhentil Keep are pretty demanding, because they use a 6-8 frontline plus 4-6 caster backline setup. The clerics have a good amount of HP (40 normal, 60 high priest), usually, even two AoEs are not enough to take them all down. They have basic magical equipment as well. At least the mages are not as strong as in Yulash, they don't have Minor Globe pre-cast and have less HP. As we head for the exit... Trapped again. These bonds make us so special, they want us alive. Kind of flattering. Alma: -- Illusion? Narancs: -- Hmmm, no, I don't think so. Alma: -- A demon or devil in disguise? Szilva: -- I would say... no. Alma: - Who is your master? Hooded woman: -- Someone with a marked interest in you. Alm: -- Well then... Lead on, guess we don't have much of a choice.

The lower level presents almost immediately a dead fighter, clutching a scroll with Zhentarim's seal on it. An envoy, a messenger? Szilva: -- *turns pale* Fzoul Chembryl himself, Lord of Zhentil Keep, High Priest of Bane is the owner of the Z-bond on our arms. Getting rid of that one will be... difficult, even impossible. Eper: -- Is he as preachy as you? Because if he is, I can kick his ass like I kick yours. Barack: -- Yours in darkness... That's how Benny and Johnny were greeting each other, when they were playing Luncheons and Flagons in the bar. What a prick! I hated Benny, he was always slapping my behind in a sneaky way and then said "Shocking Grasp! I'm a wizard!" and then he laughed like it was a good joke. I'm sure this Fzoul is as nasty as Benny, maybe even worse! Citrom: -- I'm sure I can find a way for him to go soft on us... Powerful men like being dominated as punishment for the bad deeds. He sounds like a very, very naughty boy. Narancs: -- This is the worst news I've ever heard in my life. Even learning I have a colon infection was better. Alias: -- I know how you feel, but -- *shows her arms* -- I was freed of my bonds. It's possible, you just need good allies, perseverance and a bit of luck. Okay, a lot of luck. But your Dracandros story shows that your luck is in a good shape! Alma: -- I was on the verge of despair when the bonds flared up in Tilverton, and we attacked the royal carriage. I felt like a puppet with no will and a sealed fate. But ever since we got out of there, things have been going pretty well! Don't lose hope, these bond-owners have issues with each other, like this letter shows... And anyway, it's Mogion-time now, we're not free of that freaky hand-eye symbol yet! Eyes ahead! This battle is easy, they're Fireball-positive. The next one is more difficult, the acid-spitting giant slugs hide behind the tanks of Moander: A large door leads to somewhere important. The smell of violets coming from Dragonbait confirms that the confrontation with Mogion is near. Buff time. Oh, a cougar! Didn't expect one... Narancs: -- Baby, you can pull all my parts through your portal, if you want to. Alma: -- Szilva, use a Hold Person spell on him. At least he won't turn on us that way. Szilva: -- He's already stiff, it won't do anything. That was another rhetorical question. Mogion evokes our bonds, another painful blue flare that robs us of body control. Tendrils come up from the ground and grab Alias and Dragonbait, who were trying to help us. The chanting intensifies as Mogion turns towards the altar, and commands the bonds' energy to activate the portal. The good news is that the ritual drains all the energy from the bonds! This looks really cyclopean and hideous, before it starts fading. The "eye in palm" symbol of Moander has a lovecraftian, Old God vibe to it, because you know, the Forgotten Realms was patched together from every possible source, not just classic mythologies. They had to have some dead chulthoid god in there, complete with insane cultists doing unspeakable things. I lost 10 SAN by looking at it. Alma: -- Dear Mogion, who exerts as undesirable eldritch effect on my male companions, you had severely underestimated the threat we pose after the bonds are gone. Looking at green all the time tires the eyes, we'll mix it with some red! Mogion's bodyguards include 6 cultists and 4 shambling mounds. This battle is only mildly challenging. Mogion doesn't have any special defenses like Dracandros, she dies quietly to Fireballs aimed at the cultists without doing anything, really. Loot is plate mail +3 (big upgrade, goes to Barack), shield +2 (small upgrade, goes to Szilva), mace +3, cloak of displacement (another big upgrade, goes to Alma), incandescent blue ioun stone (+1 wis). Citrom: -- Another costume idea. Eper: -- This is why you don't mess around with gods! Mouths, mouths, mouths everywhere! *looks like he's lost it* Alma: -- *sighs* I knew it wouldn't be that easy... The Bits of Moander have humongous HP. They are the boss version of the shambling mounds, inheriting their every special defense, and having more: neither Hold Monster, nor Stinking Cloud is effective, altough at least they get the itchiness AC penalty. This battle drains most of our spells, all Magic Missiles and cold spells and the remaining Stinking Clouds, charges from the Wand of Ice Storms. Only some Fireballs remain, which are useless here. The Gauntlet of Moander is ours. Supposedly it drains the Pool of Radiance? What this means is that random encounters are much more frequent from now on. We can't even get to the altar where the treasure is without 4 shambling mounds dropping on us first. That battle is won by a Hold Monster left in Narancs's memory, which works to maximum effect, disabling all of them with a single casting. Winner of "Best Spellcasting in the Moonsea Region" award in the "Mind Tricks" category, 1322 Dale Reckoning. Alias shows us where the treasure is hidden below the altar. It has a Gloves of Thievery and a map to Pit. That allows us to plot the shortest route to the exit Dragonbait sensed on the upper level. This is the vegepygmy portrait. It's befitting of the place. At the exit, a finale with 5 shambling mounds and a dozen each of cultists and large vegepygmies. By now, I'm totally out of spells. All I have is the wands and a... Charm Person! I exchanged the Enlarges for Charms after running out of ideas for making it work. That cultist will be ripped apart by the mounds standing next to her. I feel Sufficiently Evil . Besides, that's what they want, to be assembled into plant-flesh, no? Now she's getting it. I also find a Slow scroll on Citrom that she's been hauling from dungeon to dungeon, that helps a lot with the Shambling Mounds. And a Hold Monster scroll on Narancs, which disables one of them. Repeated uses of Wand of Defolation by Eper and Wand of Ice Storm by Citrom finish the job. And it's still not over yet! The exit corridor has more shambling mounds in it! I select "wait", and they flee. You're welcome, I suppose? Alias and Dragonbait say their goodbyes. Or rather, the latter exudes his goodbye. Alias: -- See, allies, perseverance, and some luck! You're more than halfway through! Narancs: -- Mogion is gone... And now no boob chain with a vista, either. Oh, cruel fate! Why do you rob me of my favorite sights! Citrom: -- That brilliant boob chain design will make a comeback, it impressed me as much as you. You just need to be invited to the right parties to see it again. And maybe, maybe you could do more than just look... After we leave the Pit, a large Zhentil Keep force invades Yulash. This doesn't really have any consequence besides making the city map inaccessible. While the individual battles were not as difficult as in Haptooth, the final part with the constant random encounters (every 3-4 tiles) and therefore risky resting was really taxing the party to its limits. The Wand of Defolation has many charges, without that reliable DPS, the mounds would have eaten the frontline eventually. Only two more bonds left, but flaming T is hiding somewhere, Black is our only option. Onwards to Zhentil Keep.

Chapter 20: Greenpiece Yulash has seen better days. It's completely ruined, and the mercenary army of Hillsfar, the Red Plumes and the Zhentarim troops are in a constant state of tug-of-war because it's halfway between the two city-states, a perfect place for a forward garrison. Currently, it's the Red Plumes who are in control, having established a perimeter camp. While the fighting rages on, the bowels of the city are used for sinister purposes, out of sight. Alma: -- Now this is a hard one. We, as citizens of Phlan, are supporters of the Red Plumes. But the bonds say otherwise, we are always treated as Zhentarim agents, everywhere. Will the commander believe us? If we just ride in, we could get captured, executed even. Szilva: -- I'm confident I will be able to talk sense into him if necessary. His reputation doesn't paint him as overly aggressive or malignant. Barack: -- Soldiers with such shining armor and magnificent plumes must be nice as well! I'm not afraid of them! Let's go! As we approach the wall, a horse charges out of the compound, carrying a large man and a woman in purple dress behind him. The horse almost tramples on a few party members! Citrom: -- That was... No, not again! Oh Gharri of Gond, why are you still taking care of that clingy bitch Nacacia? She's literally clinging to you, right now! I can be the princess of your dreams without the hassles of having an actual princess in your life! I have the dresses, the veils, the shackles, everything! Alma: -- This is not so bad. They didn't attack on sight. We are escorted outside the commander's room, and told to remain there until called. Alma: -- A chance to prove we're allies of Hillsfar and kick Zhentarim ass, it doesn't get any better than this! Eper: -- I heard the Zhentarim are so fillthy rich they equip their rank and file agents with magical gear. I'm eager to find out if that's true... The Zhentarim troops have the same three types as the drow, a figher, a mage, and a cleric. However, they're higher level, all immune to Cloudkill, and can cast level 4 spells, and the fighters have good to-hit. A devilish grin is on my face because they don't have magic resistance as the drow, so I'm preparing to wipe the room clean with just a few spells. Then I realize, too late, that the mages come prebuffed with Minor Globe of Invulnerability, and we suffer a nasty pair of Lightning Bolts. Then they put on Fire Shield, one of mages gets interrupted, and so on -- in the end, they do so much damage that I need to rest afterwards. They do have good loot. The mages all carry Bracers AC 4 (worth 9000 gold when sold), a Dart of Hornets' Nest, the clerics a Splint Mail +2 (AC upgrade for Barack, also 9 MP instead of 6). Eper: -- *joy on his strained face, holding both pairs of bloody bracers* It was worth it, all the pain... Narancs: -- This is incredible. The Black Network is indeed the most powerful organization in the Moonsea region, if they can afford this. I wish we received such support when we started in Phlan. The commander is a reasonable man, he judges us by our actions. He offers free passage to the so-called Pit of Moander. We are allowed to hang around in the mess hall and sleep in the barracks. He warns us about Zhentarim "terror teams" prowling around in the ruins, they are just like the group we defeated recently. Some walls are unstable, he explains, and might collapse without warning. And finally, he gives us a sketch map of the ruins. We carefully edge our way towards to the entrance of the Pit, defeating two more Zhentarim teams. And after that, I decide to turn back and sell all the bracers and stuff in the magic shop, and buy two more Wands of Magic Missile. The magical loot was starting to burden the party, the best burden imaginable. Coming back, near the entrance of the pit... Shambling mounds, huge humanoid-shaped semi-intelligent plants are the heavy hitters of the Cultists. AC 0, HD around 10, HP 65, two attack of 2-16 and they entangle victims hit by both attacks in the same round, then suffocate them a few rounds later. Half damage from all physical attacks, immune to fire (that always surprises me, a plant immune to fire), half damage from cold, and strengthened by lightning (+1 HD from every lightning that strikes them). Citrom: -- If I ever grow tired of humanity, I'll be having fun with buffing shambling mounds and letting them loose. But here's the fun fact: Stinking Cloud works on them. It shouldn't, really, just like it shouldn't work on otyughs. Hold Monsters works, too, they're not immune to mind-affecting. Magic Missile if someone's in dire need of a rescue. This battle yields two wands: one is a wand of defolation, which puts serious hurt on Shambling Mounds and other plant monsters (like vegepygmies), doing around 25-30 damage on each use, possibly to two if aimed well (it's a short-range cone attack). The other is a wand of lightning, which is kind of a prank loot, if you're not familiar with Shambling Mounds... But it's still great to wipe out cultists. Barack: -- Not another foul place! Citrom, use the Rod of Refreshment or something, why do you study magic for so long if you can't even make a place smell good? Citrom: -- That's actually a good idea, the Rod of Refreshment will be my next creation project. The market is already there, housewives will love it! Citrom: -- Yes, worship me! I am the new goddess of heavenly parties! *arranges her robe to show more cleavage* Eper: -- Chosen ones die young... I'm not the Savior, bugger off! Szilva: -- Moander's loonies, bringing their regular play. Barack: -- Did I win something? I never win at sweepstakes! Then he reaches for a protruding rock in the wall, which collapses the tunnel behind us. The cultist then dies with a triumphant smile on his face. Alma: -- He must've had a rough childhood, if that was the biggest joy in his life. As we move forward, sounds of battle come from south, through a door, along with a vague smell of baked bread. This is getting weird. Rushing into the next room, we fight a large party of cultists and vegepygmies to secure these people: Citrom: -- A boob chain that has an open front! Why didn't I think of that? Best eyeglue for men, ever! Barack: -- I'm not sure where these smells are coming from, but please, stick to violets, whomever is doing it! Alias's thankful and friendly mood freezes when she sees our bonds. She relates that she is actually a flesh construct, a homunculus, and she was created with such azure bonds along with a dozen of copies of her, but managed to get rid of them [this is the story told in the book version, Azure Bonds]. We answer honestly, and tell our entire story so far in the Dalelands. Barack: -- Long story short, and then we went to Voonlar, and there was this army we met on the road, and they had so many spears, they looked like a walking giant pincushion. When I was a little girl, I was afraid to touch my mother's pincushion because my older sister told me that if a needle prickles you, at night a demon with needle-horns will come and claim your soul. And when I grew older and realized my sister was lying to me I became so angry I threw her best shoe in the duckpond! Where was I? Long story short... Alias decides we are worthy of their company, and we allow them to join. She tells us about Dragonbait, that's how she calls the saurial with her. Dragonbait communicates with smells, and he's not from Faerun. Alias has all 17s, which is a consequence of her being a construct. She's a fighter. Dragonbait's characters sheet lists him as "Male Monster, Age 22". And he's a paladin, with lay on hands and all. She gives us the scoop on what's going on in the Pit, including their current leader, Mogion, High Priestess of Moander. Eper: -- Target acquired. Launching party-cluster bomb. Let's go! She also gives us general directions. As we more further south, we spot another dying cleric of Moander. "Moander be praised, the sacrifice can continue!", he says with his last gasp. Is there a drama school here in the Pit, which teaches them to always go for the dramatic exit? Eper: -- A god like that? Tell me more about it. I like to live, and getting on the bad side of a god is not healthy. Szilva: -- I can tell you more. Moander is a dead god, but a god is not truly dead till he has worshippers left. His body exists on one of the Planes, a tangled mess of dead plant matter, and his cultists are trying to bring over bits of his body in hopes of resurrecting him. Barack: -- That's so sad. Anyone who cultivates plant life is a good person in my book. Maybe Moander just needs more sunshine and fertilizer? Barack: -- Lemon scent... *inhales deeply, then a dreamy expression spreads on her face* Dragonbait, are you married? Escape route noted, thanks Alias&Dragonbait. Just a few more turns in the corridor, then stairs down, and we arrive in the lower level of the Pit. The air here is heavy with spores and swamp-smell, it's burning our lungs. Mogion can't be far.

Here's an item description from Icewind Dale 2 that I'm really fond of. A subtitle could be "I was a Dungeon Master for 20 years, and all I got to show for it is this little text I was allowed to write". Face it, you're actually Neutral Evil -- that line always cracks me up, because it's so true. It's stuck into my mind ever since I've first read it. Most RPG players, be they tabletop or computer players, are very selfish, that's their most defining trait. Any moral scruples come only after their selfishness has been satiated. When it doesn't cost them that much in terms of gains... The alignment system isn't bad, it's good for players who are new to role-playing. Sooner or later, you'll probably turn into an RPG gourmand and the alignment system will start to feel constricting. I dislike only one aspect of it: you're predefined. Such systems are following the thoughts of ancient philosophers, their classification ideas survive even to this day, like the choleric-melancholic-sanguine-phlegmatic system popularized by Hippocrates. Modern psychology showed us that no matter how solid we claim our morals are, we're not unbreakable. Apply enough pressure, and we break. If you want proof, just look at the famous prison experiment, but there are many others. In human behavior, dynamics matters more than statics. Josh explained in interviews that the rep/disp system in PoE has its roots in BG3: The Black Hound's design documents. I'm happy for him and anyone involved with the canceled BG3 project that they got this chance, many years later, to offer a more nuanced alternative to the alignment system. It's too early to pop the champagne, but it looks good. It's more in line with psychology's findings.