KickStarter Knights of the Chalice 2 Thread - Augury of Chaos

[Desiderius]

Cache has scrolls of Prot Energy (Wiz) and Slow
Five Cure Serious Potions
Wand of Ice Blast (1d6/lvl AoE + fatigue) 5 charges
Gems worth about 6k
1420 or so cash
No diamonds

Search check is 18 DC, Rogue spotted it from four spaces away, Rogue also gets Warrior check on Enchanter difficulty to get across fire to chest. Need Ice (Water Druid has it), Centaur, or Arcana + scroll from cache otherwise or can just take damage.

Against Sal, Rogue cast Grease and moved within one space of Sal range, Bishop summoned Air Elemental + Prayer. Sal got Elemental down to single digits and Rogue (Mantis) 5-foot-stepped and took Sal down in one round. Fire Ele dragged Rogue into Fire Pit and almost killed her. Bishop Turned Ele for 29 dam to end fight (healing Air Ele).

Acrobat from Rogue got out exit with no damage.

Joran Grappled Efreet (62%?) Bard landed Cursed Dirge at 75%

Definitely want to do Crypt before Gobs because it unlocks Grey area so can pick up Erzimon.

 

[Serus]

His energy wall is annoying, he can kill one wizard/psion or even two if he goes first and put his mind to it but it doesn't go beyond this, once you put you flank him with your fighters from all sides, he's just fucked.
Or a DK aura + some spells are quite effective.

I'm not sure but I think you can trip him as well, even if the chances aren't really high at this stage (or maybe with an already specialized trip fighter)

For the record, the forge cache only contains some cheap loot and an ice storm wand, no magic diamonds.
Overall, it feels like some magic diamonds have been added to the loot here and there or am I just imagining it?

If he can be tripped it should be easy to do once you put grease under his feets. An enemy "balancing" on grease can be tripped automatically iirc. The only problem is the size limit, you can trip maximum 1 size bigger than your tripper. That makes a half-giant the best tripper, not just grappler.

Forge cache? Whats the "forge"? The place with 2 big fire monsters and sweating?

Pretty sure cache also has some scrolls? I’ll check tonight.

Balancing is auto Bull Rush, not Trip IIRC. Doesn’t Efreet fly?

If the forge is the place with fire salamander + big fire elemental then i must have missed the wand of ice storms somehow. There are however many medium and and high level scrolls somewhere there, mostly cold related or good for fighting in fire.

This one thing i'm not very enthusiastic about KotC2. Every time a hard battle is ahead, you find whatever is needed moments before. Scrolls, weapons with exactly right enhancements, you name it... Same with scrolls/potions needed for some non-combat tasks. This kills somewhat the idea of preparation. I'd prefer a more open world where, as example, you want to explore a haunted place where, according to rumours, powerful vampires reside. What you do? You go to a shop and BUY yourself the tools against vampires. In KotC2 you are simply given the tools - seconds before you need them. In the Crypt, there are 2 anti-undead weapons in the first two easiest coffins, waiting for you before the other though battles with the undead. This is not incline.

Efreet do fly indeed but this one is somehow relatively easy to trip. How one makes a flying being trip anyway? Doesn't the word imply that you have to be on the ground?

Tripping is automatic when the target is balancing, 100% sure. This makes tripping so easy as long as you can afford to spend an action to cast grease. My favourite tactics in this game. Not only effective but sounds silly amazing if you think about it.

 

[Darth Roxor]

The cache with the wang in the salamander sauna is hidden in a wall south of the entrance, you need a spot check to find it.

I agree that stuff like the exorcist mace in the crypt is cheap, but I don't agree about the scrolls. These are typically scrolls with spells of a higher level than what you have access to at the moment, so it's a legitimate choice to use them immediately against what's coming up, or save them to scribe them when you level up.

 

[Darth Canoli]

This one thing i'm not very enthusiastic about KotC2. Every time a hard battle is ahead, you find whatever is needed moments before. Scrolls, weapons with exactly right enhancements, you name it... Same with scrolls/potions needed for some non-combat tasks. This kills somewhat the idea of preparation. I'd prefer a more open world where, as example, you want to explore a haunted place where, according to rumours, powerful vampires reside. What you do? You go to a shop and BUY yourself the tools against vampires. In KotC2 you are simply given the tools - seconds before you need them. In the Crypt, there are 2 anti-undead weapons in the first two easiest coffins, waiting for you before the other though battles with the undead. This is not incline.

I agree with you on the open world part but which indie dev can afford to develop a handcrafted open world RPG?
Even a team of Veterans like Iron Towers don't go full open world. In before VD corrects me but I think Colony Ship is gated (Vault Dweller )

As for the scrolls, It's a choice, you can either use them or save them to learn more spells later.
It's a real choice for some useful spells as spell picks on level up are limited and the number of available spells is huge.

 

[Butter]

This one thing i'm not very enthusiastic about KotC2. Every time a hard battle is ahead, you find whatever is needed moments before. Scrolls, weapons with exactly right enhancements, you name it... Same with scrolls/potions needed for some non-combat tasks. This kills somewhat the idea of preparation. I'd prefer a more open world where, as example, you want to explore a haunted place where, according to rumours, powerful vampires reside. What you do? You go to a shop and BUY yourself the tools against vampires. In KotC2 you are simply given the tools - seconds before you need them. In the Crypt, there are 2 anti-undead weapons in the first two easiest coffins, waiting for you before the other though battles with the undead. This is not incline.

I agree with you on the open world part but which indie dev can afford to develop a handcrafted open world RPG?
Even a team of Veterans like Iron Towers don't go full open world. In before VD corrects me but I think Colony Ship is gated (Vault Dweller )

Knights of the Chalice is open world. It just has a steep enough level progression that you can't safely go anywhere you want at any time. It could have been designed for a smaller level range so you'd have more flexibility in what order you do things.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Knights of the Chalice is open world. It just has a steep enough level progression that you can't safely go anywhere you want at any time. It could have been designed for a smaller level range so you'd have more flexibility in what order you do things.

Not really, many locations are gated and you have to go through dungeons in the designed order.

Sure, there is two optional dungeons but it's semi-open world at best.

 

[Serus]

This one thing i'm not very enthusiastic about KotC2. Every time a hard battle is ahead, you find whatever is needed moments before. Scrolls, weapons with exactly right enhancements, you name it... Same with scrolls/potions needed for some non-combat tasks. This kills somewhat the idea of preparation. I'd prefer a more open world where, as example, you want to explore a haunted place where, according to rumours, powerful vampires reside. What you do? You go to a shop and BUY yourself the tools against vampires. In KotC2 you are simply given the tools - seconds before you need them. In the Crypt, there are 2 anti-undead weapons in the first two easiest coffins, waiting for you before the other though battles with the undead. This is not incline.

I agree with you on the open world part but which indie dev can afford to develop a handcrafted open world RPG?
Even a team of Veterans like Iron Towers don't go full open world. In before VD corrects me but I think Colony Ship is gated (Vault Dweller )

As for the scrolls, It's a choice, you can either use them or save them to learn more spells later.
It's a real choice for some useful spells as spell picks on level up are limited and the number of available spells is huge.

It wouldn't require a truly open world, just not as linear. That on the other hand would require either bigger game with slower level progression or less levels to be had. Can't have even a partially non-linear game if every few fights your power levels increase greatly. I really hope that Colony Ship will be better in that regard. Of curse it won't be as good in terms of tactical combat but you can't have everything.

Sure, scrolls give the player a valid choice*, no doubt. The problem is that those spells are given, just like the weapons in the crypt, exactly when and where you need them. It feels cheap. Perhaps it would be better to give the player more treasures/cash and add the ability to buy those spells? It wouldn't feels as cheap as finding very powerful (including level 9!) spells in a random crate, unguarded - seconds before possibly the biggest fight of the game, up to this point, against Pizarra start of Chapter 3. Alternatively put those scrolls in some more logical container and a few fights earlier. This way the player will have at least a "chance" to waste them before they are truly needed and it wouldn't feel as game-y.


*A hoarder and min-maxer in me forces me to keep them. Perhaps if i played on Archmage instead of Enchanter i'd be more inclined to use them.

 

[Reinhardt]

smaller level range

1-3

 

[Darth Canoli]

*A hoarder and min-maxer in me forces me to keep them. Perhaps if i played on Archmage instead of Enchanter i'd be more inclined to use them.

No, dealing with archmage isn't that hard, you learn how to deal with everything and go with ultra specialized builds.

What forces you to use the scrolls is iron man or low caster party.
Because it hurts.

 

[Serus]

smaller level range

1-3

More like 1 to 9 = Hearkenwold as i understand.

 

[Jermu]

No, dealing with archmage isn't that hard, you learn how to deal with everything and go with ultra specialized builds

So just metagame shit out of Chalice 2 with right builds and its not hard? Anyway I would guess that some fights are unwinnable in archmage if you get bad initiative roll but obviously I cannot say this for sure. Minimizing rng is an interesting concept when the game has so many variables.

Currently playing fake ironman with archmage difficulty and the crashes are driving me insane. Think I take a break from chalice haven't seen any posts from Pierre for a while.

 

[Desiderius]

Specialized builds or tight, imaginative play.

He hides "get out of jail free" stuff around where you need it so player is never stuck. First time thru Crypt I got owned by Dragon without ever finding the mace/club, and second time beat the Dragon without needing them. Likewise Crypt seemed like a true Death Trap the first time, but then you figure out what your options are and its manageable. Figuring things out is fun. That's good design.

The cold scrolls are in the chest across the lava river that triggers the snakes which pull you into the lava and throw Produce Flame rays at you from across it.

 

[Serus]

No, dealing with archmage isn't that hard, you learn how to deal with everything and go with ultra specialized builds

So just metagame shit out of Chalice 2 with right builds and its not hard? Anyway I would guess that some fights are unwinnable in archmage if you get bad initiative roll but obviously I cannot say this for sure. Minimizing rng is an interesting concept when the game has so many variables.

Currently playing fake ironman with archmage difficulty and the crashes are driving me insane. Think I take a break from chalice haven't seen any posts from Pierre for a while.

For me the game stopped crashing with the version 1.35. Which one are you using?

 

[Jermu]

1.35 steam

 

[anvi]

What's the difference between a party of 7 and a party of 8 in terms of late game spells and stuff? Or party of 6?

 

[covr]

Guys, how to beat Spider Queen?

 

[Koolz]

Beat the Spider Queen.

Make sure you have True Sight. Grapple her, see if you can Pin her.

Cast web on the Statue that comes alive and blow it away with spells.

Remember while playing that Will Power and Spell Resistance is really important also Spell Penetration.

I really enjoyed the game it reminded me of the Gold Box Games.

Played Pool of Radiance and all the rest on a Commadore 64.

 

[Koolz]

I mean true seeing.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Guys, how to beat Spider Queen?

There is no single method more reliable than grapple + pin. On my second playthrough when I had a greatergrapmonk, I think I killed her on first try.

And after she's taken care of you deal with the giant statue with a combo of disarm/suppress sword + grease.

Spoiler

In case you didn't live long enough to trigger it, yes, there is a giant statue of rape spawning a few turns after the queen.

Spoiler

remember that it has death explosion

 

[Dickie]

And after she's taken care of you deal with the giant statue

First time I saw that guy:

 

[Modron]

First time I saw that guy:

Shame they never made the part two to that film, still it had the coolest Hercules to grace film in it.

 

[Serus]

First time I saw that guy:

Shame they never made the part two to that film, still it had the coolest Hercules to grace film in it.

What movie is this?

 

[Modron]

What movie is this?

Jason and the Argonauts from the 60s
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057197

You might recognize the stopmotion special effect stylings of Ray Harryhausen in the gifs above
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366063/

 

[Darth Canoli]

Guys, how to beat Spider Queen?

First, you silence the top left area of the cave before turn 3 (when fighting the spiders).
You buff your fighters as much as you can contingent break enchantment, mind blank, mass enhance weapons if necessary, mass buff STR, mass buff INT for your wizard(s) and psion.
Enlarge or mass enlarge for your grappler if you have one.
True seeing on your fighter(s) or grappler.

You should have true seeing means because she has a lot of mirror images + concealment, there was a true seeing equipment but i'm not sure it's in the game anymore.

You could build a wall and laugh at the spiders, eventually go for a stall, you'd never win but they wouldn't either, then you make a video of the longest Spider queen fight without anyone getting killed.

Or you could just build a small wall (two vertical pieces) to protect your mages from the spider queen spells while your fighters get ready to surround you.

The key is to make the initial spiders last 3 turns (chaos/control/enchantment spells), buff the team and put your fighters in the Queen's pawn area, the small upper cave.
And true seeing.

Or you can hoard xp and get there level 18/19, hide behind a wall, accelerated spells and nuke her with prismatic spells.

Also, hide and protect the prince.

So just metagame shit out of Chalice 2 with right builds and its not hard? Anyway I would guess that some fights are unwinnable in archmage if you get bad initiative roll but obviously I cannot say this for sure. Minimizing rng is an interesting concept when the game has so many variables.

Currently playing fake ironman with archmage difficulty and the crashes are driving me insane. Think I take a break from chalice haven't seen any posts from Pierre for a while.

It's not metagaming if it's your own experience.
Few fights are unwinnable even when losing the initiative rolls if any, the ones with fewer party members like the forge will fuck you over if you lose the initiative rolls but you could win nonetheless (but this one might be the worst offender).

If you have a cleric/divine caster who can use True Resurrection scrolls, you give your healer the dragon's belt (+100 HP) and you're fine, in chapter 4, get a psion or wizard cast a accelerated spells on him, just in case and he can heal and resurrect fast enough to keep you in the game.

Also, many tough fights offer you some tactical advantages through character skills (pre-fight dialog) like Pizarra or castle fights.

 

[Desiderius]

One of Pierre’s design goals is to force you to use consumables. If you find yourself hoarding it’s time to up the difficulty.

Luckily he gives you a lot so you don’t have to worry too much unless it’s a spell scroll you really want to learn later and you’re on an early playthrough.