SSS Changeling Dance - How to complete solo with Vela?

[Shai Hulud]

I'm working on a build (MC monk) to do an ultimate style run using the BPM mod, which removed most of the abusive mechanics like using Strand of Favor to extend invisibility with Slippers of the Assassin. I've solved every encounter but this one. I could go seeker or survivor route but these force rests, which I'd strongly prefer not to do. Also the Slayer's Claw is really nice and lets me get Energized from Thunderous Blows. 

This build actually does fine soloing the changeling's dance, but NOT with Vela in tow. My experience is the rogue and ranger prioritize Vela as a target, and 9 times out of 10 kill her. If I'm able to start the encounter stealthed, I can move her far enough away and circle around, take out the rogue and ranger, and then put myself between Vela and the ciper, monk, and fighter. 

But I can't start stealthed. Not sure if it's because Humaire sees me or the transformation turns me into the ironclad construct and immediately emits a fiery aura which starts combat.

In my vanilla ultimate run (still unverified, Obsidian) I used the Slippers of the Assassin to start invisible plus stealthed, and that does work, together with circling around and starting behind the ranger. So I'm trying to figure out how to start the encounter invisible, or otherwise protect Vela without abilities, potions, or scrolls. I figure this is impossible so I'm focusing on starting invisible. 

I have tried the following

1. Gulping a potion of invisibility at the end of an arena fight. The duration is 30+ seconds which theoretically should be long enough, but the invisibility from the potions ends when combat ends. Didn't know that, unfortunate. 
2. Tried leading out Humaire and company with sparkcrackers, all the way to the south end of the hall, then running back, stealthing, and starting the encounter. I do start stealthed this way but it still turns me visible on transformation. 
3. Killing Humaire and company with summons, then killing the last one myself to proc the Slippers. This does give me invisibility, and with 18 INT, Strand of Favor, and Ooblit equipped (consoled him in), this gets me about 12 seconds of invisibility. It isn't enough to even get through the forced conversation with the ghosts of Humaire and that other guy. 
4. After step 3, led an Arena Warden near Cook Corrin to the pedestal using sparkcrackers then killed him to proc invisibility. This ALMOST was enough, but time passes while the slaying face yells "luck is for the weak" and all that, and it runs out. I think I need somewhere in the range of 15 to 20s of invisibility.

After step 4 I ran out of ideas and here I am. Are there other ways to become invisible out of combat? Or some way to extend the slippers invisibility even longer or skip the slaying face's speech? Or some other way to get Vela out of harm's reach when I can't use abilities etc.?

If I can't figure this out I'll have to go Seeker or Survivor path and lose my Dawnstar blessing, nature's resolve, alchemic wits/guile/brawn, amira's blessing, rikuhu's blessing, etc., which is not ideal. I can probably still complete the challenge this route, but I'd either need to skip these buffs, do the forced rest *first*, circle back to get buffs, or do SSS last. Second choice is probably easier, but both routes are a bit circuitous. I'd normally do SSS => HOW => Dorudugan => BW => FS => Auranic  => endgame, I guess this way I'd go Auranic => BW => FS => Dorudugan => HOW => SSS => endgame. Not a very clean route, wastes several days going to Auranic first, but otherwise I'm fighting Auranic without the buffs which isn't great either. Also have to fight the Purakau and some SSS fights without the buffs, so...much prefer not to rest.

[thelee]

4 hours ago, Shai Hulud said:

Strand of Favor

maybe i'm missing something, but are you not able to do the Strand of Favor cheese? that should give you plenty of invisibility

(You can rapidly pick it up and drop it back into your inventory slot, and every single instance of this gives you a compounding 10% increase in duration. Also works with that armor that has the +10% duration enchantment (the gambeson))

[Shai Hulud]

6 hours ago, Shai Hulud said:

I'm working on a build (MC monk) to do an ultimate style run using the BPM mod, which removed most of the abusive mechanics like using Strand of Favor to extend invisibility with Slippers of the Assassin

 

1 hour ago, thelee said:

maybe i'm missing something, but are you not able to do the Strand of Favor cheese? that should give you plenty of invisibility

(You can rapidly pick it up and drop it back into your inventory slot, and every single instance of this gives you a compounding 10% increase in duration. Also works with that armor that has the +10% duration enchantment (the gambeson))

Afeared not sir. Strand of Favor, Cabalist's Gambeson...they don't extend existing buffs in BPM. I am intimately familiar with that mechanic, even made a *very* simple macro to swap the items as fast as possible. But been there done that, on to new challenges.

I take it protecting Vela in this fight is hopeless without starting invisible? I can't actually test it with this build because although I started this save file with all the trials (except iron), once you use OpenCharacterCreation to test new builds, Vela disappears the next time you load the game and I have no idea how to make her spawn back. It says the Hylea challenge is enabled but she just isn't there. 

I wonder if there's a SSS standalone mod, could try it out that way if there is. I feel like 99% sure it's impossible to save Vela though, or at least you're praying to RNGesus which doesn't work well with an iron run.

Maybe I should just enable the no forced rests mod and go seeker.