[Spoilers] Lem Challenge Complete!

[Namyra]

Lem turned out to be surprisingly capable solo (even if 3 of his 4 power feats are completely useless, though 2 of those will be lovely once he has a role card and gets Solo Performance), and while he had his share of difficulties, I did manage to beat all adventures released so far with him solo on Legendary difficulty. I started out with a fresh deck, as I thought buffing my deck and his feats by playing him through Normal and/or Heroic first would be both counter to the challenge and boring. Many scenarios I managed on the first try, some took me more (in one case, CONSIDERABLY more, may the gods damn you and drag your soul screaming to the Abyss, Nualia). I will admit that with perma-death on, I would've failed. I think now, knowing how to best play him solo, I could succeed with that on as well (though I'd probably have to forfeit and retry scenarios occasionally), but while this was an interesting challenge and quite fun to play (and read, Lem's dialogues are very entertainingly written) as well as educational, I do not have enough ambition to replay it with perma-death on. I'll leave that to you, dear reader, should you wish to best my attempt.

As proof I have made screenshots of each scenario, at the point where all but one location were closed (you can see it is indeed Legendary by the movement pathways between locations), and again at the moment of the villain's defeat at the single remaining location. No party members show up in any of them, Lem was indeed alone the whole time. Fairly late through my playthrough, I noticed that I could also prove that I indeed defeated a villain on Legendary by displaying the scenario powers on the left while making my roll to defeat, which shows there are two wildcards, and it is thus Legendary difficulty, so I did that on the last few villains. I also realised I should make screenshots of both checks to defeat on villains that have more than one, as making only the second is not enough to defeat the villain entirely. I also forgot to show the closed locations on 2-5 Angel in the Tower. So my proof is not perfect, but the best I could do at the time. Further chapters will be better with my newly gained insight.

http://imgur.com/a/Im40K

Lem did have a streak of singularly atrocious luck, especially during 1-5 Thistletop Delve (and also with the sought-after Deathbane Light Crossbow +1, which he found, and failed to acquire, twice, both times well-blessed). Some highlights from 1-5:

• First try, wildcards of 5 fewer cards in the blessings deck, and discarding a card from the blessings deck whenever failing to acquire a boon, which combines marvellously with the scenario power of increasing the difficulty of checks to acquire boons by 3. I should've known this was going to be rough already at that point.

 

• Later on, alone with Nualia in the last location, last turn of the game, she deals d4 damage before the fight, if it had been 2 or less, I could've coped, of course it's 4, and I didn't have my Amulet of Life at the time, thus losing too much of my hand to deal with both of her combat checks. No time to recover, since it was already the last turn, 0 cards left in the blessings deck, after all.

 

• Again alone with Nualia in the last location, again the last turn of the game, damage before combat is fine (thank you, Amulet of Life). First combat check: 4d8+1 with an Erastil-blessed Returning Throwing Axe +1, need a 14, get an 8. I realised after I should've recharged the axe for an extra d6 as I was going to cast a spell for the second check anyways, but considering what my 4d8 rolled, that would've been a long shot (1 in 6) in retrospect even so.

 

• First combat of the game: a puny Mercenary with a Scorching Ray, d10+2d6+3, need a 14, get a 10. No biggie, can cope with some failure. Second combat, an even punier Bunyip, with another Scorching Ray, d10+2d6+3, need a 13, get a 9. That was one of the quite few actual deaths (most failures were due to time running out, like those two attempts on Nualia above).

 

• First card in the game: Lyrie Akenja. For her initial damage, she rolls 0, all is well. Need an 11 to beat, no problem at all with a Scorching Ray, though I do fail to recharge it. Need a 7 on d10+3 to close the location, no blessings in hand to make it practically certain, roll a 4. Okay, fine, have to do the whole location. Next card is Explosive Runes, d10+3 vs 12, fail of course (still no blessings), deals 2d4 damage, 5 or less would be fine, I have a Cure in hand and 5 other cards, of course it's 7 so have to discard the whole hand. The hand was as follows: Cure, Scorching Ray, Holy Light, Father Zantus, Aldern Foxglove, Returning Throwing Axe +1. So in my discard are now my only Cure, my other 3 spells that I could have exchanged for that Cure in the discard, my only weapon, and the one other card in my deck (Father Zantus) that's basically my emergency recovery button. I.e. unless a miracle somehow gets me a card, any card (except for Aldern), back from my discard, I roll 1d4 (Lem's Strength) for combat for the rest of the game and have no way to heal. Said miracle (a Cure or Healing Potion maybe) does, of course, not happen.

 

• First card in the game: Attic Whisperer. Roll 4 or higher on d6 to avoid 1 damage, roll 3. Discard a blessing. Oh well, no big deal. Combat check with Holy Light against a weak undead is surely no problem: 1d10+2d12+3 to beat 10. Roll 9.

As for the entire story, Lem tells it best himself:

"As I stepped off the boat to the quaint frontier town of Sandpoint, the locals immediately saw something in me (naturally!), and approached me to alleviate their predicament. Their bandit troubles proved more tenacious than I first expected, but eventually justice (and more importantly, good taste) prevailed and both Jubrayl Vhiski and Pillbug Podiker were soundly incarcerated, the latter after being smote by my considerable wit, I might add. The comedy I was inspired to write about Jugrail Whiskey and his dimwitted minion Pitbug is doing well in theatres as far and wide as (I dread to think of it) Cheliax, I'm told. But I digress.

"The locals' dragon problem turned out less impressive than I'd hoped, though I can't deny that even dragons as young as poor Black Fang have a certain imperious air about them. No posturing helped this specimen however before the might of my word and my trusty crossbow.

"Looking forward to the upcoming Swallowtail Festival, I was dismayed that the festivities were interrupted so abruptly by none other than goblins. Though, in their defence, they do exhibit an uncanny knack for entertaining song. Most of their verses even rhyme!

"Swiftly driving them back from the town and even rescuing a young nobleman from splendid Magnimar by the name of Aldern Foxglove in the process (which turned out rather unexpected later, but I'll come to that), I spent the next few days having words with the locals and evading said far too enthusiastic nobleman... everyone loves an adoring fan, but one can take things too far, and that one certainly did!

"Indeed I ended up rescuing the fetching and altogether pleasant Ameiko Kaijitsu, proprietor of the local watering hole (and former bard!), from not only her villainous brother but also certain death at the hands of some sort of demonling (the encounter made me shudder as I was reminded of events from my childhood).

"Deciding to rid Sandpoint of its considerable goblin problem once and for all, I made my way to their fortress (if the ramshackle assortment of planks and stones atop an ancient ruin can, indeed, be called a fortress), meeting heavy resistance. There was some talk of the "long shanks" who had fought them back... surely they were mistaken or greatly exaggerating, as my shanks really are not quite that long, not even by goblin standards. A goblin druid (what a novel idea!) in particular proved quite troublesome, and worse yet, he did not even sing! He did, however, eventually see reason and agreed to a truce, leading me on the trail towards the true culprit behind recent events.

"The ruins below the goblin fortress were inhabited by a most irksome young woman by the misleadingly comely name of Nualia and her ilk. It took me several forays into the depths, driven back again and again (though I took any opportunity to help myself to some of their most precious belongings... better in my hands than theirs!), but eventually justice and wit prevailed, and the deluded woman lay defeated. After hearding the girl's tragic and depressing story later, I must confess I had a pang of sympathy. Either way, the whole ordeal will make for a most thrilling play, full of tragic characters, plot twists, and even some light comedy. I believe I will call it "Burnt Offerings."

"Barely returned to the town, I was taken aside by the local sheriff, who requested my assistance with a delicate matter. A murder spree had beset the town, and worse, the dastard who was behind it, calling himself only His Lordship, seemed to have some mysterious connection to me! Naturally, I was on the case immediately, the chase leading me to such illustrious locales as the local water mill (what a gruesome scene!), a practically abandoned asylum for the mentally ill (chilling!), and the surrounding ripe golden autumn farmlands.

"The last would've been more picturesque hadn't the entire region been overrun by zombies and ghouls, some even grotesquely tied to poles and left to bake in the sun like common scarecrows! Dispatching with the mastermind's underlings, I eventually tracked His Lordship to none other than Aldern Foxglove's ancient family manor, long fallen into disrepair. The place has truly earnt its local nickname of "The Misgivings," just the sight of it was almost enough to dampen even this halfling's indomitable spirit, and worse yet, the house was also haunted!

"Determined to save the poor boy from the leader of the pack of ghouls and ghasts that had recently so plagued the locals, I was shocked to discover that not only did the one I believed to have rescued turn out to be a doppelganger of some sort who mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a macabre mask behind, the true Aldern Foxglove was revealed himself to be His Lordship, transformed into an undead mockery of his former being and quite mentally disturbed. Upon his defeat it became clear that there was yet another pulling that broken man's strings, and I was off to wondrous Magnimar in search of further clues.

"Barely finding time to take in the sights of the big city, I uncovered murderous machinations set in motion by one of the city's own Justices, a most untrustworthy elf who, upon breaking free from the charm another had placed upon him, was quick to betray his erstwhile mistress, the mysterious Xanesha. He directed me towards a precariously dilapidated clocktower, her alleged lair.

"Fighting my way to its top, I found the pinnacle of the so-called Shadow Clock, located as it is in the shadow of the truly awe-inspiring Irespan, to be utterly deserted. Instead, Xanesha was lurking in a nearby temple, seemingly hidden even from the eyes of the gods, though not this halfling's keen nose. She proved a worthy adversary as well as a marvellous sight of her own, half woman, half snake, but most certainly no angel in a house of gods, and ultimately was no match for me, I'm happy to report. I shall call this chapter of my story "The Skinsaw Murders," after the name of the cult who was responsible for most of them. Can't give away the plot or the mastermind just from the title after all, now can we!

"I believe I have earnt myself some rest now, though Xanesha evidently has a sister, who appears to be similarly up to no good in the nearby village of Turtleback Ferry, albeit in a much subtler manner. Naturally, this humble halfling will have to use his considerable powers of deduction to sniff her out. Surely, it will prove to be another most captivating chapter of an as of yet ongoing story!"
 

[Nathan Davis]

This. Is the BEST thing! <3

[trashcondor]

Hah! My commiseration on Nualia; Sajan had similarly hard times.

 

Great job on the write-up, Lem's an inspiring chap of grand - if miniscule - stature

[StormbringerGT]

My day is complete when I can read adventures such as these. Well done and a masterful write up as well!

[Namyra]

Thank you, thank you. *bows, and also blushes a little*

 

I had no plans on doing this at all, I meant to play Legendary with a party of somewhere around 2-4 characters, but when StormbringerGT posted the challenge, well, I had to accept it, so poor Lem became my first Legendary playthrough somehow, all by himself. And it appears that the halfling bard, for lack of a party to use it on, instead inspired me with his Bardic Performance. That and I found his dialogues very entertaining. So somehow halfway through I decided I had to write about this in character. I don't write him as well as you people do, but I hope I managed to match his tone at least a little. And I'm glad people enjoyed reading about his (mis)adventures.

 

I'll also definitely continue this as new adventure decks come out, I had fun both playing through with solo Lem, and writing about it!

[PinkRose]

The Epic was kind of Short, don't you think.

[Nathan Davis]

Thank you, thank you. *bows, and also blushes a little*

 

I had no plans on doing this at all, I meant to play Legendary with a party of somewhere around 2-4 characters, but when StormbringerGT posted the challenge, well, I had to accept it, so poor Lem became my first Legendary playthrough somehow, all by himself. And it appears that the halfling bard, for lack of a party to use it on, instead inspired me with his Bardic Performance. That and I found his dialogues very entertaining. So somehow halfway through I decided I had to write about this in character. I don't write him as well as you people do, but I hope I managed to match his tone at least a little. And I'm glad people enjoyed reading about his (mis)adventures.

 

I'll also definitely continue this as new adventure decks come out, I had fun both playing through with solo Lem, and writing about it!

[Namyra]

The Epic was kind of Short, don't you think.

 

To paraphrase Lem: "And your pun was kind of low, don't you think. We shall both drink from the well of disappointment."

[Namyra]

Since someone asked, here's the way I built Lem for this so far:

 

Skill Feats: Charisma +3

Power Feats: Weapon Proficiency, Improved Bardic Performance

Card Feats: Spell +2 (6)

 

And my deck currently consists of:

 

Weapons (1):

Returning Throwing Axe +1

 

Spells (6):

Augury

Cure

Enfeeble (added at the end of 2-5 in the new spell slot, thus placeholder)

Holy Light

Lightning Bolt

Scorching Ray

 

Items (2):

Masterwork Tools

Sihedron Medallion

 

Allies (3):

Crow (banished something better, had to replace with a Basic, thus placeholder)

Father Zantus

Shalelu Andosana

 

Blessings (5):

Blessing of Abadar

Blessing of Calistria

Blessing of Erastil

Blessing of Pharasma

Blessing of Sarenrae