PotD with RP focused party (no extreme minmax, no henchmen)?

[floyd ryan]

So, after leaving the game unfinished in my first attempt (right after release), i am now giving it another try. My goal is to beat it on PotD difficulty with a RP focused party. This means no (extreme) minmaxing for the main and no custom companions. So my question is how realistic this is (i am no expert on the fine details of the game mechanics).

As main character i picked a death godlike cipher with

18 might,

18 int,

14 dex,

15 per,

10 res,

and only dumped con at 3 (it's a fragile, sickly fellow with a few unhealthy addictions).

 

I start with a bow, but probably will aim for guns later. Now i am not sure how viable this will be, given 15 per does not provide the best accuracy. Also the dumped con worries me a bit since Edér seems to be the only tank in the (early?) game. I definitely welcome a challenge, but don't want to rely on endless reloading, savescum, and hoping for favourable RNG, i.e. i only want the fun not the annoying stuff. So, do you think it's doable?  

[MaxQuest]

With just 3 con, better be extremely careful; not only with your positioning but also with the distance to enemy spellcasters. Some fast cast ST-spells can one-shot you. (for example Ogre Druids just love snipping with Talons' Reach).

Also need to note that I've stumbled upon quite a few 15 dex and 17 per conversation checks. 17 mig, 6 con, 15 dex, 17 per, 18 int, 5 res could be a viable alternative.

Edited February 18, 2016 by MaxQuest

[Killyox]

100% realistic to do it. You can do it without dumping any stat on any char.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Killyox

[floyd ryan]

With just 3 con, better be extremely careful; not only with your positioning but also with the distance to enemy spellcasters. Some fast cast ST-spells can one-shot you. (for example Ogre Druids just love snipping with Talons' Reach).

Also need to note that I've stumbled upon quite a few 15 dex and 17 per conversation checks. 17 mig, 6 con, 15 dex, 17 per, 18 int, 5 res could be a viable alternative.

 

Yes, that might be better. I'm just finding it hard to justify anything below 10 res, since it screams "weak-minded" and undetermined to me. I've already been one-shot too, by some black goo in the cave at the camp, so i also see the problem.

 

Anyway, i might then go with your suggestion but with 8 res and 3 con. 

 

 

 

But i was also wondering which companion would be best to support Edér in his tank role?

Edited February 18, 2016 by floyd ryan

[Gutbuster]

I only play on PotD, only use the game companions and never drop a stat below 8 (or 7 on a dwarf dex or resolve)

 

It's perfectly viable and doable and if you're anything like me then well, I wouldn't and couldn't enjoy a playthrough with min/maxed stats and only henchmen so definitely go for it. Bear in mind, whilst there are a few break points for stats and interaction with certain abilities but other than that there's only a few % difference between something like 17 and 18 might.

 

I also, wouldn't recommend going with 3 con.

I'd probably drop dex to 10, resolve to 9 and con at 8.

 

As far as tanks goes, Kahna can fill the 2nd spot for a while. He's not amazing at it but there's few choices.

Later I would definitely go for Zahua and the juggernaut build, I pretty much use it in all my playthroughs, great character and good stats for it. In fact, with white march part 2 he got even better as they bumped his con with 3 points to 17.

 

I've ran a dwarf ranger tank a few times, Sagani could probably do it, again till you get Zahua.

[ottffsse]

Yeah Stat wise zahua and Cana have most potential.

 

Eder is solid too but don't expect him to be the Uber tank in potd, he will need support to stay up in the harder fights. Problem is that durance is not really that great in terms of stats sure he can heal and buff but much less well (and fast) than a custom priest.

Aloth is solid.

Grieving mother is also sub optimal due to low strength and perception for a cipher on her. But cipher is so strong a class so she is still a very good cc and secondary dps unit in the party.

 

Sagani is OK I guess but Ranger is sort of a lackluster class especially with her stats until high level than with stun and twin arrows she's great.

 

Pallegina and palis got buffed so she makes for a strong back line support and alpha arquebus strike unit : flames of devotion fully upgraded, scion of flame and the ability that hastes everyone around every time paladin uses flames of devotion. Once you alpha strike some priority targets with fod and buff your back line switch to firebrand from Forgemaster gloves and go into melee.

[Merina]

100% realistic to do it. You can do it without dumping any stat on any char.

 

And even with CON 3 you could give the poor dude a CON raising item.

 

I would not go down to 3. It looks too much like an attempt at sacrificing CON only to get some more points for MIG and INT. Why not limit yourself to a max of 15 or 16?

 

Ciphers have low health to begin with ... so reduce it by some points to match the bad condition of your hero ... but not down to 3.

[floyd ryan]

Ok, thanks folks.

Now i went with 

17 mig

7 con

10 dex

17 per

18 int

9 res

 

I imagine that i notice the drop in action speed, but i guess this is more viable (and believable) than the first attempt.

Edited February 18, 2016 by floyd ryan

[Elric Galad]

You may also take a bit of Mig, Per and Int for a bit mox Dex.
Dex is really good for a Cipher. They already have a bunch of damage modifier from their class ability.

[DreamWayfarer]

I'd say that 10 DEX is perfectly viable, DEX is not that useful if you plan to open switching multiple guns and then use your powers for damage, or if you dual wield melee weapons with durgan or speed enchantment, and even if you don't, you won't be gimping yourself.

 

 

If you plan to use bows, 2 handers or focus on CC, Dextery matters much more than Might, though.

Edited February 19, 2016 by DreamWayfarer

[floyd ryan]

To be honest, i don't really know yet how i want to play the cipher later since this will be my first real playthrough (first time i stoped after getting my stronhold). I definitively intended to built a ranged cipher, but whether i stick with bows or switch to guns, i don't know. Certainly guns seem much more interesting, so i guess i am aiming for that. But then, i thought that guns make only sense with a cipher when used as openers to create a large pool of focus, using them regularly during the fight never crossed my mind as i thought that bows will be better for that task due to the reload times of guns.

 

Sure, i could raise dex to 13 and lower mig, res, and int by one. But wouldn't that be another step towards mediocrity?   

[DreamWayfarer]

To be honest, i don't really know yet how i want to play the cipher later since this will be my first real playthrough (first time i stoped after getting my stronhold). I definitively intended to built a ranged cipher, but whether i stick with bows or switch to guns, i don't know. Certainly guns seem much more interesting, so i guess i am aiming for that. But then, i thought that guns make only sense with a cipher when used as openers to create a large pool of focus, using them regularly during the fight never crossed my mind as i thought that bows will be better for that task due to the reload times of guns.

 

That is the point of using guns with quick switch, actualy, to open with as much power as possible. The focus you get won't last the fight, but idealy the powers you unload in the beggining will shift it in your favor.

You could also use dual-wielding or, less optimaly, a pike, when your focus from the guns runs out.

 

Sure, i could raise dex to 13 and lower mig, res, and int by one. But wouldn't that be another step towards mediocrity?

On my ciphers, my DEX is either 10 or above 15. You can perform well with less than optimal stats, since tatics matter more, but I'd say that you shouldn't lower MIG and INT for such a small increase of DEX.

 

If you plan on using your Cipher's powers for buffs, debuffs and crowd control, leaving MIG at ten to increase DEX is a option, since the bonus damage of Soul Whil is not affected by MIG.

Edited February 19, 2016 by DreamWayfarer

[floyd ryan]

If you plan on using your Cipher's powers for buffs, debuffs and crowd control, leaving MIG at ten to increase DEX is a option, since the bonus damage of Soul Whil is not affected by MIG.

 

 

I was rather hoping to deal a lot of dmg with my cipher, maybe with a little cc. But for buffs/debuffs i intend to count on the companions. I guess Durance could be a good choice. 

[MaxQuest]

I was rather hoping to deal a lot of dmg with my cipher, maybe with a little cc. But for buffs/debuffs i intend to count on the companions. I guess Durance could be a good choice.

Wanted a pure dps cipher too. And in the end I've arrived to running two of them

- one pure dps: 19/10/19/19/3/8

- other for cc/dps: 18/7/12/19/19/3 (high might because atm I use a warbow and like double echo | but be it arquebus or arbalest would likely re-spec to 10/8/19/19/19/3)

Edited February 19, 2016 by MaxQuest