Let's Sail The River of Time - 21 (Rat Diplomacy)

Update, plz.

(Bump!)

Maybe bringing this thread to the next page will awaken Brother None's LPing spirit..?

Sorry sorry, you guys are right. Got The Witcher 2'd. Back! Uploading the next update now. Short updates incoming.

If you talk to this guy (or a guy in the undercroft) while not a thief and before having Cano in your party, he'll just send you off, but now...

What do you want? Hey, aren't you Cano? I've already heard a lot about you. Come on in.

How about a little detour to Nadoret's Thieves' Guild?

That's why we're here bro...

That sounds exciting. Why not?

Can your companion be trusted?

On my honor, I only bring my best friends to this place!

Then you can come in. Don't let the men upstairs distract you, the Silver Vixen is downstairs ...



Inside we meet...this guy, probably one of my favorite NPCs in this game.

Hmm, yes, what do you want? Can I do anything for you?

What are you doing?

I'm sitting.

What do you mean, 'I'm sitting'?

Just that, I'm sitting.

But you can't just sit.

Yes, I can! I, I just want to sit.

But you must do something?! You can't just want to sit around all day!

Who says so? I tell you: I simply want to sit here.

Well go outside, that'll clear your head.



You can't go outside undisguised, the guards are never far away. Do you want me to get a disguise for you from the storeroom?

No, I don't want a disguise. I want to sit here.

Fine. But if you venture outside undisguised, you won't remain unrecognized for long. Don't say I didn't warn you!

But I don't even want to go outside. I only want to sit here!

Alright, alright. I'll leave you be. Have fun with your sitting.



Exploring he upper levels we find an accountant and later these sleeping bunks. The guild is fairly well organized.



We also meet this guy, who's learning how to cook, which is all a part of an elaborate plan.

Well, well, if it isn't the King of Thieves from Havena!

Uh, no, unfortunately that's not him.

Aaah ... not yet? Is it maybe because of the redhead?

Heh heh heh!

Everything has its price. Do you know what, Saul, I'll tell you about it some time over a nice, relaxing glass of wine.

Ah, I see. Very well, what can I do for you?

What exactly are you doing here?

Ah, well, it's actually very hush-hush, but now that you're here, it probably won't hurt if you are in on it. We're 'Danio Efferdian's Eleven Accomplices' and are getting ready for our biggest Phexcapade yet!

Who are Efferdian's Eleven Accomplices?

Well, for one there's Efferdian. Of course, he's the leader of our gang. Then there's Linus and Reuben here, who are practicing their sneaking skills. Rosenbeck is very important to this enterprise, too. I assume he's working on the numbers again, after all, he's responsible for the planning. The two sleepers upstairs are the night foxes, our burglars. Then there are the two Hill Dwarf twins Ligriwosh and Crutwush for all kinds of diversionary tactics, and Herman, our man for disarming underhanded traps, is sitting in front and wants to be left alone. And finally, there's me, Saul Guildensternbag, the man with the big plan!

[Cleverness] But that's just ten people. Aren't you Efferdians's Eleven Accomplices?



And just what is your grand Phexcapade?

Ha, well we would be pretty stupid to reveal our big plan to another thief. Let me just say that we're planning everything to the last detail here.

It sounds as though you are having some problems with your Phexcapade. Do you need some help perhaps?

What? No, no everything is going according to plan. Thanks for your offer, but we don't need any help ... after all, everything is planned perfectly. And it'll stay that way. There's nothing for you to do!

Like the doorman told us, these guys are useless, even though this seems to hint at a quest it never goes anywhere. I think this is an easter egg for Ocean's Eleven.

So we head downstairs to see who this silver vixen is.



But first, this thief character...

Yes?

I'm sure you hear a lot. Have you picked up anything interesting recently?

Of course, but the information will cost you 5 ducats.

Odila and Marcusi the tailor (whose stall being near the Thieves' Guild is no coincidence, he's in on it) can sell you information which is well worth it...

Fine. Here - take the money.

I heard there's a worthwhile building in the northwestern part of town, at the fork in the river. There's supposed to be fabulous treasure in the cellar. The problem with it is that the deceased owner allegedly laid traps all over the cellar. If you go in there, you should be extremely cautious.

That sounds very interesting. Thanks.

We'll visit the house next update. It is extremely profitable and you can't enter it without first knowing about it (by buying the information).

Now, the silver vixen...



... er, I am ...

Dilga, the pussycat from Festum, dream of my sleepless nights. Don't worry about the company I keep. I'm vouching for her.

Her?

Ah, Cano, you helpless rabbit, you were never good at lying. Nevertheless...welcome. You may call me Dilga, the Silver Vixen.

Helpless rabbit.... Muah ha ha hoo!

So far Forgrimm seems to be getting the most out of this visit...

It's a pleasure. I'm Sayyid ibn Nasreddin.

Would you like to do something for me?

Well, that's direct...

Well, what is it?

I would like to know what that newly-arrived ship is unloading in the harbor... An unobtrusive glance should suffice...

Then I'll go and hazard that glance!

But remember... no blood spilling, stay inconspicuous. If the chests are guarded, use your head.

Of course. That's what it's for.

An Update? Could it be?

Welcome back Brother None and thanks for a good update.

Now - no more Twiterching till you're done this!

Fuck TRoT and this LP, go potato and play TW2 :truepatriot:

Or better yet, put this on hold and LP TW2 instead ;D

Great, an update!

And TW2 is not worth abandoning this LP for.

Crooked Bee said:

Great, an update!

Click to expand...

I finished TW2 by the time I posted that update. But real life keeps keeping me busy. Back to fantasy...

So we picked up a pair of things to do from the Thieves' Guild, one is a quest, the other is just loot...let's do the loot first...



The door is marked "worthwhile object". Like I said, not available if you didn't pay for the info...



As we were warned, the place is extensively boobytrapped...

Cano, this is you. Disarm or jump onto it, I care not.

I'll...I'll just disarm it.





Also some rats in here, nothing threatening (though as you can tell, I let Cano walk into a few traps to disarm em).



But this is what we're here for.



Score! 30 ducats and a pile of jewelry is what we get from this little sidetrip.

Now, for the whole box mission...



So, found the box, but this burly woman isn't letting us anywhere near it...

May Phex forgive me, but not even I would try to steal from that woman!

You said it buddy...Fighting is not an option with guards around...Let's observe for a moment...



Who, me? I would never do anything like that.

Save your breath! If the chests stay here much longer, you won't get a farthing!



That was illuminating. Let's look for this floozy...



I'd like to do some business with you.

Wink wink nudge nudge

Well, I'm all ears. I already have an idea what it's about.

It's about a friend of mine ...

I've heard that line before ...



He works at the harbor ...

Hm ... I don't care what kind of crooked scheme you have up your sleeve. But that drives the price up, of course.



Seduce her, Cano. By the beard of Rastullah, it's all you're good for.

[Seduce] Honey bunny, you would be doing me a big favor if you let him show you around the warehouse.

[Success] Hee hee honey bunny, not bad. You know a thing or two about sweet-talking. I'll do it for you, my pumpkin.

Worst. Prostitute. Ever.

Ok honey bunny, get going now.



Me? Yes, uhm ... sure...

Well, well, what a good-looking fellow! Listen, I always wanted to know what it looked like inside one of these warehouses. Can't you help to satisfy my curiosity?

Well, what do you know? You are asking exactly the right person for that! Come with me, this way!

I sometimes regret that I didn't become a simple dock worker.



Where has your hauler disappeared to?

What do you mean by that? He isn't hanging around that trollop again, is he?

I would take a look inside the warehouse.

What?! I'll see to it that that no-good gets moving ...!

She runs off, leaving us to check out the box. We find...



...no idea. Something that'll surprise Dilga but we never get to see it. Pulp Fiction reference? Probably. Let's head back...

I know what's in the chests at the harbor. It's something delicate ... Come closer, I'll whisper it in your ear. *Whispers*

By Phex, who would have thought that! It's truly a red herring.



Anytime.

Brother None said:

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I think this woman owns a Magic Key that can be pickpocketted. It's quite an useful item, infinite use +10 lockpicks if I remember right.

What's next? Oh yeah! Rat diplomacy!

Ah, you're back! Are you ready to put a stop to those filthy Wolf Rats now?

Yes, I'm ready. Take me to them!

So, here we are. I'll close the door behind you now. Knock three times when you have defeated the beast. Then I'll know it's you, because rats can't knock, they only scratch.

Genius bloody plan there.



Thanks for the absolutely-not-news moment there, Fayris. God I hate you.



We find one of the mercenaries the merchant had hired. The others must be deeper in. Note the minimap, this is just a small cellar map, but it's pretty stocked full of monstars.



Right around the corner, we bump into Keeng Rat and his henchmen.



Yes. Well. I'm just going to assume that screech is your way of saying hello.



I'd just like to ask if there's any fetch quests I can do for you that would help convince you to, perhaps, uh, give up and shrink back down to normal size?



What the hell? Combat initiated?! That's right, people, there's no rat diplomacy in this game. Planescape: Torment THIS IS NOT.

So anyway, Papa Ratzi the Boss Rat is a typical boss fight. It's not scaled, and as I showed it's accessible basically when you hit level 2. Dive in then and you're dead meat. The group's at level 5-ish now and fairly well-equipped (not great, but fairly well).

At this point the fight is doable but not easy. Particularly it's designed in a way I kind of hate boss fights to be designed in RPGs: one big tank boss, and when you chip down his health he summons mobs to help him out. There's a few of these fights in TRoT and I don't enjoy any of em, and I suck at all of them. What's more, Papa Ratzi has wound-causing attacks, which means Forgrimm will have a hard time fulfilling his normal tank role. No matter how much HP he has left, four wounds and he's out.



Can you tell what's going on in this screenshot? Because I have no fucking clue. One second into the fight and we've got a clusterfuck of epic proportions.



Chipping down Papa Ratzi is easy enough, but as you can see Forgrimm won't last long here. He's got two wounds already even though he's still at full HP. I really hate wound-causing attacks from enemies.



More clusterfucking ensues. I got Papa Ratzi to turn his attention away from Forgrimm and onto Cano, who can die for all I care. Forgrimm needs only a nudge to fall over.

Note Papa Ratzi's helpers aren't your garden variety breed either, he's got unique big rats, like a poison-causing type, helping him. One is focused on the skeleton which is fine since he can take a punch (one of the main reasons to prefer Skelletarius to other summoning spells is that the skeletons have very high armor ratings). The other I'm having to waste some MP on since he's targeting Sayyid and Sayyid won't last long there (he's wounded and double-poisoned as you can see). All at or near full health, but it's the special negative effects that get you in this fight.



That's a lot of dead rats.



His final wave!



Fuck yeah!

Ok, so that fight wasn't as hard as I had expected. Luck, I guess. Though it would've gone very differently for me if they'd knocked out Forgrimm.



Mopping up.

So... that solves the rat problem! I hope that was the end of it once and for all!

I got Forgrimm the Helmet of Heroes between updates, btw. +1 ST +1 CH, a personal fave, though it'll be replaced eventually.



Papa Ratzi was...wearing a ring, I guess. A Ring of +10 VI. I never feel comfortable looting jewelry from monsters. I mean...where was he wearing it, exactly?

After looting the remaining mercenary corpses (poor sods), we head for the exit, expecting to find Kostan again, but...



Of course, you'll get paid for your work here, even if your client can't pay you anymore. Here, take this! It's everything the rat breeder still had on him.

Little does he know my client already paid me (or rather, told me to get my pay from dead mercenaries). He just gives one ducat. A pitiful reward for a tough fight, overall, but at least we got a good dollop of XP out of it.

I dig the writing here too. Not just of the guard, but you can check up on their tiny jail too...



Yes, I raised Wolf Rats, for their tails. And you?

In my case it was fireflies, for their sweet syrup... bzz ... bzz. But they have poisonous stingers on their tails, and that caused quite an uproar.

Ha, we should go into business together! Fireflies with rat's tails would be funny, wouldn't they. Then you wouldn't have trouble because of the poisonous stingers anymore and I would get my profitable rat's tails.

Hmmmm... *buzz*. That's a brilliant idea ... heh heh ...



One free healing later, and the party's good to go again!

Freebie: since I'm copy-pasting most of the dialog from the game's dialog file (which is still a bit arduous but easier than typing it myself), I'd just like to point out that there's some...interesting notes in the game's files, like this line:
(DO NOT TRANSLATE) It's raining men, halelulia...

Cano's area debuff and Plumbumbarum seem to be very effective against the big rat. It has a shitty attack rating already.

Thing is, if you waste time killing the small rats, the big rat will become increasingly "Berserk", and eventually be able to one shot your party members.

See? What happened to floozy quests? No killing, just observe and use your class skills. No, that won't do, you gotta go to x, kill stuff along the way, talk to x but kill x anyway, go to x.

Rats. Rats never change.

And for the update.

Fireflies with rat's tails would be funny, wouldn't they. Then you wouldn't have trouble because of the poisonous stingers anymore and I would get my profitable rat's tails.

Click to expand...

abnaxus said:

Cano's area debuff and Plumbumbarum seem to be very effective against the big rat. It has a shitty attack rating already.

Click to expand...

I had Stardust on early on. Stupidly forgot about it as the fight progressed. And the skeleton uses lightning find you. So he was pretty debuffed. A big help.

Crooked Bee said:

Fireflies with rat's tails would be funny, wouldn't they. Then you wouldn't have trouble because of the poisonous stingers anymore and I would get my profitable rat's tails.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Oh c'mon, it's a flawless plan.

Most fights againt large mobs can be handled with a combination of Fire Elemental and Ice Cold Warrior. It requires human and elven magic, and you have both.

Since the monster AI likes to target the member with the lowest HP, summoning a level one elemental pretty much guarantees it'll be the target of enemies not currently locked in melee. Normally an elemental would die fast, but since Ice Cold Warrior makes it invincible for one minute, it makes for an excellent tank that also inflicts burning to anything engaging it.

There's actually an exploit derived from this method, as elementals or other summons under Ice Cold Warrior are also immune to the effect that is supposed to kill them when you summon another minion while it's still alive. The elemental leaves the party and stops following but still fights on the heroes' side, so given sufficient mana a team of mage and elf can summon an army of invincible summons pretty fast.

Neat tactic. Though not the kind of tactic I like to exploit. Any system has its weaknesses but I don't like exploiting them unless the game difficulty demands it, and Drakensang's definitely doesn't.

Also I don't have Ice Cold Warrior yet. I don't think the elf in this city teaches it, planning to get it from the tree elves (that's where I got it last time).

Brother None said:

Neat tactic. Though not the kind of tactic I like to exploit. Any system has its weaknesses but I don't like exploiting them unless the game difficulty demands it, and Drakensang's definitely doesn't.

Also I don't have Ice Cold Warrior yet. I don't think the elf in this city teaches it, planning to get it from the tree elves (that's where I got it last time).

Click to expand...

ICW is certainly a necessity for getting through all the crabs in Efferd's temple. ICW, fire elemental summons and fireballs are the quickest way to do it.

Summoning multiple melee skeletons must be an even bigger exploit, then. Those guys can perform Mighty blow/Strike of wrath at higher levels.

Reptilian Shapeshifter said:

Brother None said:

Neat tactic. Though not the kind of tactic I like to exploit. Any system has its weaknesses but I don't like exploiting them unless the game difficulty demands it, and Drakensang's definitely doesn't.

Also I don't have Ice Cold Warrior yet. I don't think the elf in this city teaches it, planning to get it from the tree elves (that's where I got it last time).

Click to expand...

ICW is certainly a necessity for getting through all the crabs in Efferd's temple. ICW, fire elemental summons and fireballs are the quickest way to do it.

Click to expand...

Heh, no it isn't. I got to the bottom solo because I was under the impression the dwarf guy had told me that only I could go along so I left everyone else behind. Of course at the puzzle I thought WAIT A SEC. Good thing too as the boss down there just completely rolled over my entire party.