Author Topic: Screenshots and Love  (Read 26639 times)

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #30 on: January 31, 2017, 05:40:37 AM »

Oh, don't mind me.  I'm just showing off again.   :P


Good thing Marrelina isn't a denizen of the dark, huh?




EAT MORE SQUID!!!

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #31 on: January 31, 2017, 06:52:01 AM »


Bounty Officer, we really need to stop leveling up like this....



As if the glowing eyes of Perfect Self weren't sweet enough, along comes Epic Monk time!  :D

And just think about that for a minute.  Marrelina, like most other Disciples of the White Rod, exists to share the word of Loviatar with the masses by living the word of Loviatar and serving as a shining example of it.  And that usually means torturing the holy snot out of people while torturing herself and/or subjecting herself to those people's slings and arrows in return.  There's a perfectly good reason why Loviatans stroll around naked (or pretty close to it)...


("Sacerdotisa" is Portuguese for "Priestess," by the way.  The more you know!)

...and that reason is, more or less, to openly invite people to hurt them and/or to demonstrate that they're not afraid of any pain that people can dish out.  Because it all boils down to building a complete, intimate understanding of pain and suffering, and the truest way to accomplish that is to experience pain and suffering from both ends.  The more you feel pain, the more you understand it.  The more you understand pain, the more capable you become at dispensing it.

The Loviatans incorporate this ideology into every rite and ceremony they perform, most notably the Rite of Pain and Purity they perform at the beginning of each season.  "Okay, get half-naked and...oh, nevermind, you already are half-naked.  Okay, see how we've scattered all those sharp pebbles, bits of broken glass, hot embers and thorny rose stems in a dense circle around that bonfire?  That's where you'll be dancing.  Yes, I know that you're barefoot.  That's the point!  Bare feet are absolutely essential to the process.  Now get out there, dance like a madwoman and cut up those feet like everyone else is doing!  Yes, that's the high priestess thrashing all the dancers with a wet, knotted rope every time they pass her.  Don't worry; she'll stripe your skin too.  She'll probably aim for your inner thighs; it stings like all hell when you get hit there.  And don't flinch or she'll whip you twice.  Got all that?  Good!  Now get out there and dance!"

So now imagine a Level 21 Monk who has been suffering and making others suffer in equal measure, for all 21 of those Levels.  Pain and anguish have a way of lingering well beyond their course, so someone who can actually find an oasis of "inner tranquility that lesser characters cannot even dream of" and become one with this world of torment that the Monk has forged for herself is either A) hopelessly deranged (which is scary) or B) perfectly sane and possessed of an alien state of mind that most of us can't even fathom.

If you can't see why Option B is a hell of a lot more frightful and disturbing than Option A, I'm afraid I can't help you.   :o



Tempting though Whirlwind Attack, Armor Skin, Great Dexterity and Great Constitution were, I ultimately picked Epic Fortitude, reasoning that someone with Marrelina's history would probably be able to endure an absolutely ghastly amount of pain, malaise and malady.  Sure, she's been immune to all poisons and diseases for quite a while now, but there are still Fortitude Saves for Daze attacks, Paralysis attacks, Petrification attacks, Energy Drains and more, including the dreaded "Save or die" Death Magic attacks.

It hints at something which I briefly explored with my Loviatan Blackguard years ago on the Thay server: When you've somehow become so accustomed to pain that you can't imagine life without it -- when you depend on that torment for everything from motivation to a simple reminder that you're still alive -- then wouldn't numbness somehow perversely become the ultimate torture for you, or a soul-crushing sign that you've fallen out of the Goddess of Torment's favor?  That might explain why Marrelina now gets a +4 bonus to cling to life whenever these awful status attacks against her Fortitude rear their ugly heads.

(Besides, unlikely though it was, Marrelina has died to Implosion spells twice in Validimith's Fortress, and that's two times too many.  So now Marrelina's odds of dying to a balor's Implosion have gone from "Almost impossible" to "Completely impossible."  Thanks, Epic Fortitude!



This buttface finally let me into the Secret Handshake Club.  Let's see what's up!



Ooh, three new people to talk to!  Yay!   :D



This merchant's not so impressive.  All he sells are weapons with +5 Enhancements and -2 Enhancements.  Unfortunately, with the way NWN's engine works, bad item qualities don't reduce the price of the item you're buying or selling.  So with this guy, you're paying for a +5 Longsword, but you're only getting a +3 Longsword.

I don't get it, guys.  Why not just make them all +3 weapons?  Or am I overlooking some reason for creating all these +5/-2 weapons?



This other merchant has some nice items, though.  It's hard to beat the goodies that Marrelina has found from dungeon-delving and/or bought from Shirthoria, but I picked up a belt which gives +2 to Dex and +2 to Con, just for those times where I don't want to get hit yet want to be able to soak up whatever attacks get through.



And because he's the Guildmaster, this guy's apparently too good to talk to me.  Screw you too, buddy!   :P

Epic stuff, right?  Literally Epic stuff.  ;)
« Last Edit: January 31, 2017, 06:56:48 AM by Wids »

Darkzealot

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #32 on: January 31, 2017, 12:09:35 PM »
If I recall, the reasoning was that while they wanted a weapon that could pierce damage reduction 5, they wanted it to deal less damage and hit less often, but also cost a bunch. Therefore the items you saw. But I could be mistaken.

I enjoy the pictures by the way, just haven't commented yet. :3
"You get the award for the most characters clogging the veins of the server, building up like a plaque filled aorta"- DM Daisy.

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #33 on: February 01, 2017, 12:42:21 AM »
If I recall, the reasoning was that while they wanted a weapon that could pierce damage reduction 5, they wanted it to deal less damage and hit less often, but also cost a bunch. Therefore the items you saw. But I could be mistaken.
So I assume that creatures with Damage Reduction would count those two Enhancements separately, for the purpose of deciding whether or not full damage is dealt.  "That Barbarian just hit me and my 10/+5 Reduction with his battle axe.  That -2 Enhancement isn't enough, so I'll just knock 10 Damage off that hit...oh, wait!  His axe also has a +5 Enhancement, which is enough to match my Reduction!  I guess I'm taking full damage after all..."

All the same, a break in the price would be nice.  How many creatures on the server actually have X/+5 Damage Reduction, after all?

I enjoy the pictures by the way, just haven't commented yet. :3
Aww, thank you!  And now you have commented.  :)

Now make this topic better by getting on the server and taking some screenshots of your own.  We're counting on you, DZ!   ;D

Darkzealot

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #34 on: February 01, 2017, 07:17:57 AM »
Gold is plentiful enough as it is. As for how many things have +5 damage reduction? Not certain, but I do know a lot of spells have that level of reduction, which means it helps take out spellcasters.


Screenshots, huh? I haven't really been playing a lot lately. But if I do hop on I will do my best to document it.
"You get the award for the most characters clogging the veins of the server, building up like a plaque filled aorta"- DM Daisy.

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #35 on: February 03, 2017, 04:12:58 AM »
I could possibly see these +5/-2 weapons helping against dedicated spellcasters to some degree.  I'm wondering if those weapons would be any good against those illithids who like to blanket themselves in some kind of psionic defense which looks like Ghostly Visage yet behaves like Stoneskin with 200+ points of damage absorption.

(I just have to ask, even though those weapons don't really pertain to Marrelina; none of those weapons can be wielded by Monks -- just Fighters, Barbarians and I think Paladins and Rangers -- and Marrelina's already pretty handy at killing spellcasters.  Those illithids and their Ghostly Stoneskin Whatever?  She just stands there and hammers on the illithid with her Ki Strike +3 and her d20 Damage Die -- bam bam bam bam bam -- until the shield collapses.  The poor illithid usually dies shortly after that.  Enthralled duergar mages and drow mages take maybe about half as long, and if I can get around the obligatory giant crabs (or repeatedly kick the crabs onto their backs until they die), duergar clerics are cake.  So screw this merchant dude and his crazy weapons.   :P )

Darkzealot

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #36 on: February 03, 2017, 09:25:33 AM »
You just have to ask.. huh? I didn't catch a question in there. But yeah, in general I think those weapons are really bad. Since one can find +5 weapons with bonus damage to them in the loot tables.
"You get the award for the most characters clogging the veins of the server, building up like a plaque filled aorta"- DM Daisy.

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #37 on: February 05, 2017, 05:37:11 PM »
Yeah, I think I changed horses halfway through that post.  My bad.

I have found +4 weapons among the loot, but no +5 weapons yet.  Perhaps once Marrelina gains another Level or three, they'll start popping up.   :)

Tails1879_

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #38 on: February 05, 2017, 11:19:57 PM »
There was a time when our item enchantment guidelines were different. Back then, I believe the best enchantments you could find were +3 EB and AC, with +4 or a rare +5 on attribute enchantments perhaps. The +5/-2 enchantments was someone's idea to "match" the +3 maximum EB at the time, but be able to penetrate a mage's DR spells. Silly, though, because since there were still better items at that time and not as expensive. I still remember when those +2 Keen items were about top notch. :D You can see this on the old version of the Heartwood Spear, which used to drop as a +3, +1d6 acid, On Hit Stun instead of the OC's version of +4. You can also see some items with stats on them that are completely redundant on them and thus don't stack, like kamas with +5 or something and +1d4 slashing on them (which does nothing but jack up the price on them).

Since then, those guidelines have changed. +3 on attributes max, up to +5 weapons, and a higher value allowed. Best weapons you'll find have enchantments like +5 EB, +1d6 element, and Keen on it. And with that, the +5/-2 weapons feel even more out-of-favor.
"Patrolling the North almost makes you wish for an Aurilite winter."

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #39 on: February 07, 2017, 02:52:21 PM »
From what I understand, wouldn't that +1d4 Slashing damage still stack with the Kama +5?  Bonus Slashing Damage isn't the same enchantment as an Enhancement, so there's no redundancy; the damage would be 1-6 (the kama itself) +5 (the Enhancement) +(1-4) (the bonus Damage), for a total range of 7-15 Damage (not counting Strength, Sneak Attack, Divine Favor and all).  Or am I mistaken?

Now, if you want redundant enchantments, the Thay server has quite a few of those.  Like the Trident of Piercing: +1 Enhancement, +1d6 Piercing, Bonus Damage Type: Piercing.  It already does Piercing!  That extra Damage Type only succeeds at driving the price way up, which makes the tridents more useful as shop food than as weapons, which means that many a merchant on the server ends up with several pawned Tridents of Piercing.  The item creators over there seem to have trouble grasping the concept that an Extra Damage Type only helps if the weapon doesn't already have it, ie. adding Bludgeoning to a short sword so that its damage is considered both Piercing and Bludgeoning (meaning, for one, that skeletons take full damage from the short sword, as do any other creatures which resist or ignore one of those damage types but not the other).

And unless this server changed the rules somehow, doesn't a weapon's Attack Bonus also serve to overcome a creature's Damage Reductione (a la a vampire with 5/+2 will take full damage from both a longsword with a +2 Enhancement and one with a +2 Attack Bonus)?  The only difference there is that the Enhancement also increases the weapon's Damage, while the Attack Bonus doesn't, making Attack Bonus the poor man's Enhancement as far as weapon enchantments.  Those [Weapons] of Accuracy with the +5 Attack Bonus might be tempting for the reason of overcoming Damage Reduction, even if their Damage is "meh."
« Last Edit: February 07, 2017, 02:54:09 PM by Wids »

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #40 on: February 16, 2017, 09:02:02 PM »


"Coffers of the Vaunted One, only the Penitent man will pass, only in the footsteps of God will he proceed, for as the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail shall take it from you, yadda yadda."   ::)



Ah, screw it!

*survives*   8)





"There is nothing special about this object"...other than the fact that it's a crushed freakin' corpse!

Seriously, what happened to this guy?  Is it that this dead end used to end in a wall, and this guy happened to have a Hammer of Wall Excavation +5, so he walked up to the wall thinking, "Hum dee dum, derp dee derp, I bet there's some great treasure on the other side of that loadbearing wall that's at least 30 feet underground by this point!  I'll break it down and see what's inside!  Humperdiddo!" and then he smashed the wall, and it collapsed, and a bazillion tons of earth came crashing down on him before he could say "Uh oh"?  And that's why the skeletons have to stash their treasure chest right out in the open now?

Nice going, Crushed Corpse Guy!  Way to cause the undead some minor inconvenience there!   :P
« Last Edit: February 16, 2017, 09:04:49 PM by Wids »

Wids

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Stupid Paladins...
« Reply #41 on: February 16, 2017, 09:34:45 PM »


Undead firing squad.  :D




I actually managed to save all three of those Paladins of Kelemvor.  The Burning Dead usually does a pretty good job of mopping the floor with those yokels, so it's just a matter of getting to the bridge before the three paladins crowd the bridge and stop you from handing the Burning Dead a smackdown before he starts lopping off heads.

Thanks again, Monk Speed!  :)




So then, naturally, all three of them followed Marrelina across the bridge and immediately died.

Good game, dudes!  You really taught the undead a lesson there.   ::)




Neutral Zone's right.  That Necrophant does have a ridiculously huge robe.  Spacious, too!




I own this house, bizzy nitches!

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #42 on: February 16, 2017, 09:56:43 PM »




Undead Firing Squad II: Now with 75% more Vampire Mages!   ;D






Somewhere in the middle of that cloud of fire and doom, there is a naked, completely Uninjured Monk.  And she's laughing at you.




Laughing.  At you.

Try harder, buttercup!

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #43 on: February 18, 2017, 02:36:00 AM »
Something that I just Googled up and would like to mention to Thriand Feivra Grumpy the Melon Elf:

Bitter melons are NOT sweet!  Hence the name "Bitter melon."

They are, however, nutritious, they are best eaten when ripe and despite their lack of sweetness, they're apparently also delicious; just ask the Chinese, the Indians, the Pakistanis...pretty much anyone in the Far East.

Scientists have yet to calculate the possibility of nerfing a bitter melon, however.  But I'm told that they're looking into it.  ;)
« Last Edit: February 18, 2017, 02:37:43 AM by Wids »

Wids

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Re: Screenshots and Love
« Reply #44 on: February 18, 2017, 03:10:53 AM »
Sorry.  I just couldn't get it out of my head.



It had to be done.  It just had to be done.

Relevant link goes here.

(So right now, I have all of those fruit barrels set to Static.  Would it be beyond the pale if I instead set the frontmost fruit barrels to Usable and Has Inventory, so that NZ or whoever can set them to spawn grapes, honeydew melons and lemons?  :)  )
« Last Edit: February 18, 2017, 03:12:43 AM by Wids »

 

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