Gold Box SSI's Gold Box Series Thread

[GarfunkeL]

What Mondblut said.

If you still want more after SF and BR, then - by all means - go with the FR-foursome as Jaesun stated.

Of course, you should play them all, in chronological order

 

[Jaesun]

The reason I didn't mention SF is because it is the most polished of the gold box games. Going from that to say PoR is like... night and day.

Ideally, a run through of all the gold box games in chronological order would be more interesting, in that you would slowly see the engine get more polished and more features that were added to it.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

So I caved and created a new party where I rerolled until I got decent stats. The game is MUCH easier now. I did have to rage quit last night though after a wight level drained two levels from one of my fighters -- can't believe temples there's no way to restore drained levels. Despite that setback, I'm really enjoying PoR. Now I'm going to see if I can't finish mapping out the textile district before I leave for a tranny employment workshop up in SF.

 

[octavius]

Temples can't cure level draining. But there are lots of Scrolls of Restoration to be found in the game that will restore your characters' levels.
You can find some in Mendor's Library and you get a big bundle of them when you accept the Graveyard mission.
Last time I played I for some reason got the scrolls twice from the Sasha the Clerk.

 

[Zomg]

Restoration scrolls only restore one level and only to the minimum (so if level A is the interval of 10,000-20,000 XP, and you were at 19,999 when you got drained, the restoration scroll only puts you at 10,000). So don't get drained twice without restoring, don't go to undead-heavy areas when you are near a level-up and use meatshield hirelings (and/or get them killed and animate their corpses) to soak up drains when you do.

 

[Crispy]

Only on Codex will you see a sentence like

Now I'm going to see if I can't finish mapping out the textile district before I leave for a tranny employment workshop up in SF.

I don't blame you for rerolling. 90's CRPG's pretty much expected you to do this. The game's balanced for 18-primary-stat characters (unfortunately).

 

[Zomg]

It really isn't, but you do mostly have a choice of running super-powerful 18 stat modified fighters with great AC, HP and melee damage OR of suffering a lot of bad interface when you have to menufuck to abuse ranged weapons and constantly re-memorize spells with shitty stat characters.

 

[Crispy]

Don't mean to argue with you but SMA's experience with the game so far is a pretty good testbed.

(althought to be fair SMA didn't mention 18's, just "decent")

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

Don't mean to argue with you but SMA's experience with the game so far is a pretty good testbed.

(althought to be fair SMA didn't mention 18's, just "decent")

Yeah I didn't reroll a million times. Just enough to get some decent combat bonuses. For example this is my lead fighter,

17 STR
17 DEX
16 CON
15 INT
12 WIS
16 CHA

 

[MMXI]

Now I'm going to see if I can't finish mapping out the textile district before I leave for a tranny employment workshop up in SF.

Keep this shit in GD. Thanks.

 

[Jaesun]

At least our resident tranny is playing a good cRPG instead of the Majestic Shit™.

 

[MMXI]

Majestic Shit™

Keep this shit in... OH GOD IT'S EVERYWHERE!

 

[Zomg]

One notable thing if you're playing characters with mediocre stats: the first level wizard spell enlarge will eventually give a high strength, like I just fired up an old Curse of the Azure Bonds save to look at it and it gave the dude 22 strength, which is +8 or 9 damage per hit. This is very different from newer D&D rules and it also has nothing to do with the P&P 1st edition AD&D version so I had no idea it was so powerful until playing much later games. It lasts 10 rounds per level, and taking a step in the map mode is one round also, so at like level 5 or so you won't be refreshing it that much. I think even at fourth or fifth level it gives 18/50 which is a very big deal for a 10 strength one-roll-retard fighter or a hireling (although sleep is the only first level spell you'll cast for a long time). There are no other really useful first level spells other than magic missile after sleep stops working.

 

[octavius]

There are no other really useful first level spells other than magic missile after sleep stops working.

Charm Person can be highly effective. At low levels it's better than Magic Missile, before enemies' Saving Throws get too high and before you get multiple missiles.

 

[Zomg]

I never end up using Charm because Hold Person spamming fills its niche.

 

[octavius]

I never end up using Charm because Hold Person spamming fills its niche.

Well, Hold Person is a third level Cleric spell (the mages have it too, but have better spells of the same level), so not directly comparable. Also to me it is somehow more satisfying to make enemies turn on each other. :D

 

[Fowyr]

Well, Hold Person is a third level Cleric spell

But Hold Person is a second circle spell. Or you mean what cleric gains it on the 3rd level? I remember using it a lot.

 

[octavius]

Well, Hold Person is a third level Cleric spell

But Hold Person is a second circle spell. Or you mean what cleric gains it on the 3rd level? I remember using it a lot.

Meant 2nd level of course.
It's the mage version that is 3rd level.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

So I got in a fight with a group of giant mantises and they "held fast" two of my characters. Now, as far as I can tell, those two characters can never again move in combat. What the hell?

 

[octavius]

So I got in a fight with a group of giant mantises and they "held fast" two of my characters. Now, as far as I can tell, those two characters can never again move in combat. What the hell?

Surely they are only held for the duration of the battle? A Dispel Magic will probably cure the paralysis.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

No luck on dispel magic. On the view screen both characters show a status of "Okay" and according to the display screen they don't appear to be under the effect of magic. They simply no longer have a move command in combat. Have I hit a bug?

 

[Jaesun]

Select:

E ncamp > M agic > D isplay

THAT will show any magic that is effecting the character. See if there is something there.

EDIT: Are the characters that don't move, are they possibly encumbered? If you have low STR characters, it is VERY easy to get encumbered in the Gold Box Games, so watch that inventory.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

Nope, they're unencumbered. No dice on the display screen either. I've decided to reload from another save slot. That puts me behind a bit, but it's better than having two borderline useless characters.

 

[Jaesun]

Of All the times I have played PoR, I have never ever experienced the problems you are having. I'm almost suspecting you have some very bad, bugged version you are playing.

You might try to "find" a better version.

 

[Fowyr]

Do you still have this save? Upload it somewhere, I want to see it.