ToEE: New player

[Hormalakh]

So, I'm finally starting up ToEE and I've never played it before. I'm doing single-roll characters and creating my own party.

1- Should I play this vanilla or do I want the Co8 mod?

2- I'm fairly new to 3.5 and don't want to sit through reading all the rules. I'm going to try to learn as I go. Any thoughts on party make-up? So far I know I want a wizard, a rogue, and a fighter. I don't want specific builds, just general tips on what would be best.

I'm not sure if I really want to do this, but I might post updates and screenshots as I play through the game. I guess that might make this a "Let's Play," but I don't want to promise that, because I'll get lazy and not want to spend so much time doing it. Which is why this is posted here.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

You'd need the mod. A couple of fighters, a rogue, and a mix of clerics and wizards shouldn't do you too badly.

 

[Lorica]

1 You can install a no-new content version of Co8. I would recommend it.
2 If you want to play a good aligned party, I might add a paladin there. I would add a divine caster, of course, and plan on doing more hand-to-hand combat than spell slinging. I find that rangers and druids are actually decently useful in ToEE, but YMMV. Clerics can be OP if abused. Don't forget that you have a couple of opportunities to take an NPC along--there are about two wizards, a monk, a druid, a rogue, a barbarian and more fighters than I can recall. So you will have those options to redress party make up problems in game, if you're worried.

 

[Xeon]

I tried playing the game vanilla and modded but a lot of times when I tried and saved I got the save is corrupted or something like that.

There is a few guidelines on Co8 site for how to play with relatively bug free experience, That might hopefully help. Good luck

 

[Lorica]

Yes, don't use the iron man mode built in to the game and save in different slots, for starters.

 

[Lilura]

Play Co8 lite (not NC).

RTFM is beneficial for an overview but since ToEE has the ruleset built in and reviewable at anytime, you can sort of just wing it without being completely intimate with D&D3.5.

I'm not sure if I really want to do this, but I might post updates and screenshots as I play through the game. I guess that might make this a "Let's Play," but I don't want to promise that, because I'll get lazy and not want to spend so much time doing it. Which is why this is posted here.

Please, spare us until you have a vague idea of what you're doing. But if you actually have a specific question, don't hesitate to ask. I've mastered the ins and outs of this game, vanilla and Co8.

 

[Gregz]

sCaThEr

 

[TigerKnee]

Using martial classes in a D&D 3.x game?!

 

[Jim Cojones]

Ignore all the optional content in the starting village, just follow the quest started in the vignette. You may be interested in hiring someone in the tavern or visiting the temple (to get an additional area shown on map) but pretty much all the quests in Homlet are horrible and the real fun part of the game only starts when you travel to moathouse.

 

[jagged-jimmy]

Yes, don't use the iron man mode built in to the game and save in different slots, for starters.

As far as i remember, auto saving should be disabled too. Also, if this issue arrises - it's mostly Moathouse. Afterwards there should be no problems.

 

[Hormalakh]

Thanks everyone for your input.

I got standard Co8. And at a good time too apparently, they just put out their final edition a couple of weeks ago (version 8).

Party is Neutral Good:

C.Good M Human Fighter Str 15/Dex 15/Con 15/Wis 11/Int 14/Cha 13. Power Attack, Combat Reflexes
L.Good F Human Paladin 16/11/13/8/11/17. Toughness, Power Attack.
LG M Dwarf Cleric 13/12/14/9/15/8. Toughness
TN M Halfing Rogue 13/18/13/12/7/10. Two-Weapon Proficiency
CG F Elf Wizard 8/12/12/17/6/10. Spell Focus(Necro).

I won't go into Skill pools.

 

[Lorica]

Using martial classes in a D&D 3.x game?!

You hit a soft or a firm XP limit at a point where martial characters are still very useful compared with casters. Besides that, ToEE does mêlée combat well (more interestingly than battlefield control type spells, in my mind), there are some nice items for frontline fighters, and there are a lot of encounters, especially in the Temple, where you're going to want to conserve your magic.

Thanks everyone for your input.

I got standard Co8. And at a good time too apparently, they just put out their final edition a couple of weeks ago (version 8).

Party is Neutral Good:

C.Good M Human Fighter Str 15/Dex 15/Con 15/Wis 11/Int 14/Cha 13. Power Attack, Combat Reflexes
L.Good F Human Paladin 16/11/13/8/11/17. Toughness, Power Attack.
LG M Dwarf Cleric 13/12/14/9/15/8. Toughness
TN M Halfing Rogue 13/18/13/12/7/10. Two-Weapon Proficiency
CG F Elf Wizard 8/12/12/17/6/10. Spell Focus(Necro).

I won't go into Skill pools.

Wow. You couldn't switch these guys? You might be in for a rough time.

 

[tred]

Thanks everyone for your input.

I got standard Co8. And at a good time too apparently, they just put out their final edition a couple of weeks ago (version 8).

Party is Neutral Good:

C.Good M Human Fighter Str 15/Dex 15/Con 15/Wis 11/Int 14/Cha 13. Power Attack, Combat Reflexes
L.Good F Human Paladin 16/11/13/8/11/17. Toughness, Power Attack.
LG M Dwarf Cleric 13/12/14/9/15/8. Toughness
TN M Halfing Rogue 13/18/13/12/7/10. Two-Weapon Proficiency
CG F Elf Wizard 8/12/12/17/6/10. Spell Focus(Necro).

I won't go into Skill pools.

maybe you should have rolled better stats dude :T

 

[Lilura]

What's your level cap and max party size? (set in Co8 config) Just so you know, it's possible to defeat Co8 with vanilla lvlcap + party size.

And protip: crafting is interesting and important, as in NWN2: SoZ. Holy axiomatic weapons, ftw. Though elemental has it's place.

You might also like to dabble in archery feats if you got the room, very satisfying to drop giants with a longbow from afar, fired by a hasted elven archer with insane initiative and full array of ranged/RoF feats.

 

[Hormalakh]

I went for single rolls. I want this to be like a real D&D campaign. I'll suffer if I need to and hopefully my strats will make up for the shitty rolls

As for lvlcap and party size, I'm going vanilla everything. 5 members and I guess level 10?
Yeah I heard crafting's important, hence why I went wizard over sorc.

 

[Lorica]

Hormalakh I understand single rolls, but when you got a 9 WIS roll, why did you make your cleric? I think that your cleric and your wizard will be unable to cast any spells in this game.

Lilura and Gregz Let him find some stuff out for himself!

 

[Hormalakh]

Oh whoops, I think I wrote int and wisdom the wrong way. HAH. Wizard has 17 int and Cleric has 15 wisdom.

 

[Lorica]

Oh whoops, I think I wrote int and wisdom the wrong way. HAH. Wizard has 17 int and Cleric has 15 wisdom.

Okay, in that case it looks like you got pretty lucky with your rolls.

 

[laclongquan]

Larper!

 

[King Crispy]

I commend you for going with the single rolls and I think you should stick with it. Every level you gain, every bit of treasure, every new item is going to help you and will be that much more rewarding.

Use your 5' step in combat wisely. Hold your ranks and try to get Attacks of Opportunity (AoO) as often as you can -- they're lifesavers. Protect your spellcasters. Use the spell Sleep on anything that's not undead. Also don't forget about buffing spells like Bless.

Good luck. You're going to need it, especially in the lower levels of the Temple itself.

 

[Deitti]

Yeah, beating ToEE with first rolls party is always nice experience, i raise my hat to you good sir.

Oh and just as another tip for save game corruption. Avoid using console at all if possible.

 

[King Crispy]

If you find the going too tough in the Moathouse with just your party of five characters, head back to Hommlett. There's an individual in town who isn't what he seems to be, generally hanging around the Inn. He may be able to help you out.

 

[sea]

Get some good reading glasses. The tiny-ass font in the game makes it almost unplayable for me.

 

[Vadeross]

I tried playing the game vanilla and modded but a lot of times when I tried and saved I got the save is corrupted or something like that.

There is a few guidelines on Co8 site for how to play with relatively bug free experience, That might hopefully help. Good luck

DONT USE THE QUICKSAVE SLOT. It will corrupt that save game file--something about not getting everything written down or timing.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

One good thing about Co8's new content is that if you want to be level 2 for the Moathouse, you can just go to one of the new areas and kill shit for XP instead of dying of boredom doing fetch quests in Hommlet.