|
SKARA BRAE, NIGHT
Now that I've gone up a few levels, I'm ready to take on the monsters that come out at night. These include Half-Orcs, Jade Monks, Swordsmen, Wolves and Zombies. They can hit for quite significant damage. Special mention now goes to Sorcerers, who often start at a range of 20' or 30', and can cast War Strike spells at the party. What heightens the danger these monsters present is that you can't replenish Spell Points naturally at night. Furthermore, two groups of monsters can appear during a fight, instead of just the single groups during daylight.
I have Mordred maintain a Ybarra's Mystic Shield, but I otherwise don't expend Spell Points unless it's necessary to heal party members. On the other hand, Ariel can play Travellers' Tune repeatedly to drive down AC round after round if she needs to.
Also, there is a chance that they will drop Mithril weapons and Mithril Shields that will be upgrades for my characters.
Mithril Dagger
My first fight is against a Nomad and three Jades Monks. I get a Staff out of it, which Mordred equips, although that isn't a big deal.
My next fight is against 7 Mad Dogs and 2 Swordsmen who start off at 20'. I get a Mithril Dagger as loot, which Cassandra equips for a 2 point improvement to her attack bonus.
1st Mithril Shield
I continue with night-time grinding. I don't show every fight, but I include one against six Wolves, and another against 3 Zombies and 4 Nomads.
At some point a fight against a lone Magician yields a Mithril Shield. Lord Stygar equips it for a one point improvement to his AC.
2nd Mithril Shield
I continue with night-time grinding. One of the fights yields a second Mithril Shield. Zarathos equips it for a one point improvement to his AC.
Sorcerers at Night
I carry on with more with night-time grinding. At one point I fight against 8 Barbarians and 4 Magicians, the latter of whom are 30' distant. Ariel uses Traveller's Tune during the first round, to protect against the Barbarians. She uses Lucklaran during the second round, to try and minimize the Magicians' chances of Withering party members. Lucklaran becomes the song of choice when you can expect a sustained assault round after round from numerous enemy spellcasters who are at a distance from the party.
The fight also gives me enough xp to advance Talia and Mordred another level. Unfortunately, the Review Board is closed at night.
I resume grinding until the sun rises again. Another fight against 4 Half-Orcs gives enough xp for the rest of the party members to reach the next level as well.
Somewhat later on, I get into a fight with 2 Swordsmen and 2 Sorcerers. The Sorcerers more than once cast War Strike in an effort to damage multiple party members. The party having good enough saving throws is enough to at least survive the fight, although the odd party member did take a hit or two over the course of the fight.
1st Mithril Sword
More night-time grinding leads eventually to a battle with 4 Spiders and 7 Barbarians. I get a Mithril Sword as loot. It doesn't have as good a maximum damage range as Halbards, but it also provides a +2 attack bonus. I have Lord Stygar equip it.
3rd Mithril Shield
I carry on with night-time grinding, and eventually get a battle against 6 Mag Dogs and 4 Magicians who start off at a distance of 20'. Ariel leads off with Lucklaran to minimize the chances of getting Withered. Note how Cassandra goes into hiding, and the Magicians are immediately within reach of her sneak attack Critical Hits, so she hits them any round after going into Hiding.
I get a third Mithril Shield as loot. Gallard equips it for a one point improvement to his AC.
9th Level
I keep on with the grinding until the sun rises and morning begins. The Review Board will now be open.
Everyone now has enough experience to advance another two levels (i.e. 9th level). Zarathos now has 3 attacks per round. Talia and Mordred each pay 7,000gp to acquire 5th-tier spells in their classes.
Talia gets a bit of an update in Greater Revelation if she wants, where the light has an expanded radius of illumination in dungeons relative to Lesser Revelation. She also gets another group-damaging spell in Shock Sphere, which has a range of 30'.
Mordred acquires a few options. One is Giant's Strength, which adds +10 to hit for all party members. That can really come in handy in some fights. Another is Stone Touch, which can petrify (effectively kill) a single enemy at a range of 60'.
He also gets Anti-Magic, which boosts the party's saving throws, although Ariel's Lucklaran song can often fulfill the same function.
The video concludes with the party selling off its excess loot at Garth's Shop.
Samurai Statue
Now I'm feeling ready for a little dungeon grinding for the next few levels. I head south from the Garth's Shop and the Adventurer's Guild just until I reach a Guardian Statue. I have Mordred put up Ybarra's Mystic Shield as a long lasting buff.
Now I go to the statue itself and attack it. The statue becomes a Samurai, but I kill it easily off the bat.
A little further south is the tavern known as the Scarlet Bard, the only one in town that offers Wine. I select Wine as my drink, and I end up in my very first dungeon, the Wine Cellar