Stop & Go

[xdesperado]

So after an overly long break from TB games I'm back and attempting another NMI run in HoS.
Actually set this party up before I took the break so came back to a party just starting the trek through Deeps.
For this one I'm using Kincaid, Vincent, Fyona and Selen. Idea behind party was for max AP removal and solid cursing attacks which is the STOP in name and adding MP through talents and Gear which is the GO.

The party has just made it to Riven Field so still a big chunk of EP1 left to go including some of the toughest fights.
Anyways here's the current breakdown on party.

Kincaid: Level 14
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 8, Con 6, Will 4, Int 8, Know 4
Skills; Blades 9, Thrown 8; Leadership 2, Lore 2, Stealth 2(5)
Talents; Darting Steel 4, Crippling Strikes 6, Sure Parry 1, Lunge 1
Gear;
Kallassian Overcoat (Light) 16 Armor, +2 Damage, +4% SP Drain
Captain Lukai's Blade (Light Blade) 1 AP, 4Accuracy, 3 parry, 13-25 Damage, +80 Max HP, +30% Critical Damage, +5% SP Drain
Bladesman Knives (Thrown Weapon) 1 AP, 3 Accuracy, 2 Parry, 19-31 damage, 3 Range, +1 Move Point, +8 Ice Damage, 3% Critical, +3 Dodge, +3 Stealth, +4% SP Drain
Footfall Cloak (Cloak) +4 Armor, +2 Unholy Resist, +2% SP Drain
Zenith Charm (Amulet) +20 Max SP, +4% SP Drain
Ring of the Hunter (Ring) +8 Damage, +2% Critical
Notes;
Rushed him to CS6 from start for the AoE and AP curse, he struggled with SP early on but now with the amount of SP Drain he's gotten that's not such an issue though heavy use of CS can still chew through it pretty fast if he's not getting enough solid hits/damage through. Taking DS to 5 for AoE then will work on getting his SP up to 4. After that it will definitely be time to give him some Live by the Blade for added movement not gained via gear, Flanking Unity to help party land hits and Cunning Footwork to help boost his defense and add more critical. Gear looks to be set through end of EP1 unless I find something better in loot. Will likely just keep adding to Dex in Attributes while Skills will likely continue getting split between Blades and Thrown.

Vincent: Level 14
Attributes; Str 4, Dex 4, Con 6, Will 4, Int 11, Know 6
Skills; Blades 4, Polearms 1, Sorcery 10, Conjuring 6, Lore 2
Talents; Flash Freeze 6, Frigid Air 1, Lightning Spear 1, Storm Strike 1, Thundering Blades 3
Gear;
Boiled Cuirass (Light) 25 Armor, +70 Max HP, +30 Max SP, +3% SP Drain
Keen Hilted Dagger (Light Blade) 1 Ap, 3 Accuracy, 5 Parry, 11-24 Damage, +60 Max SP, +10 Fire Damage, 2% Critical, +4 Dodge, +2% SP Drain
Wordward Cloak (Cloak) +16 Max HP, +26 Max SP, +2 Unholy Resist, +2 Lightning Resist
Korvain's Chain (Amulet) +20 Max HP, +32 Max SP, +2 all Resists
Sage's Band (Ring) +18 Max SP, +2 Armor
Notes;
Rushed him to FF6 for the AoE and -2 AP Curse, He is still likely to struggle with SP because of that though as he levels and gear with SP and SP Drain becomes more available it's not as bad as the early going. Will likely add another level or two of Thundering Blades to help entire parties Accuracy and Damage output then add some Charged speed for the extra MP and defense. Level 18 he'll be going into Elemental Sundering and eventually I'll likely add some to Energy Storm. Unless I can loot something better his gear looks pretty much set through remainder of EP1. Will most likely continue adding to Int for SP support of his talents though adding Dex will be in the cards for him at some point to help his defense and attack. Was stuck using a Staff for some time due to needing extra SP pool which hurt since I'd invested early in Blades. Now that He's finally got a Blade that can help his SP pool I can go back to adding to that.

Fyona: Level 14
Attributes; Str 8, Dex 4, Con 6, Will 5, Int 8, know 4
Skills; Hammers 6, Invocation 5, Leadership 3, lore 4
Talents; Holy Strickening 5, Zealous Strikes 1, Blessed Aura 3, Battlefield Devotion 1, Righteous Fervor 1, Hammer Blow 1
Gear;
Leather Overcoat (Light) 32 Armor, +20 Max HP, +3 Dodge, +6 Resistance
Infantry Mace (1-H Hammer) 2 AP, 3 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 37-48 Damage, +60 Max SP, +10 Ice Damage, +8 Lightning Damage, 3% Critical, +4% SP Drain
Spiked Shield (Shield) 6 Parry, Auto-Blocks 3% of Ranged Attacks, +100 Max SP, +6 Damage, 2% Critical, +8 all Resists, +8% SP Drain
Footfall Cloak (Cloak) +4 Armor, +2 Unholy Resist, +2% SP Drain
Firebrand Ring (Ring) +6 Fire Damage, +16 Fire Resist
Fist of Fury (Bracers) +10 Damage, +4 fire Damage
Notes;
While plan is for her to eventually take HS too 10, I haven't made that sole focus as she is intended to help keep party upright and fighting so BA, BD and RF are getting mixed in to that end. That has made her a bit less SP intensive than the rest of party so far thankfully. Level 18 she'll be adding Reckoning to the mix for her own AP Curse attack. Eventually will potentially add Shield of Cortias to the mix to enhance the parties defenses but that's likely a ways off. While I like her current gear well enough there is still potential for me to make some changes to it prior to end of EP1 either through loot or crafting. At some point I'll be needing/wanting to add some +MP gear as she has no Talents to enhance that. For Abilities it looks like Con and Str will be main focus though thinking of adding to her Dex for improved defense. Skills will likely get split between Hammers and Invocation with hammers getting a bit more attention, though still potential to add some in Lore for increased Healing.

Selen: Level 14
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 8, Con 6, Will 3, Int 9, Know 4
Skills; Blades 7, Bows 6, Lore 2, Security 2, Stealth 6 (23/25)
Talents; Pinning Shot 5, Punishing Blades 3, Frenzied Blows 1, Sly Look 1, Masterful Disarm 1, Precision Pick 1, Dance of Shadows 1
Gear;
Armored Overcoat (Stealth) 25 Armor, +2 Evasion, +1 Stealth, +22 Max HP, +4 Resistance, +2 Stealth
Scything Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 3 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 21-35 Damage, +1 Move Point, +10 Ice Damage, 3% Critical, +10% Critical Damage, +4 Parry, +6 Stealth
Oxenbone Bow (Bow) 2 AP, 5 Accuracy, 23-56 Damage, Range 6, +90 Max SP, +10 Ice Damage, +3 Dodge, +3 Stealth, +4% SP Drain
Storm Son's Mantle (Cloak) +8 Lightning Damage, +4 Ice Resist, +4 Lighting Resist, +2% SP Drain
Zenith Charm (Amulet) +20 Max SP, +4% SP Drain
Longhaul Boots (Boots) +2 Dodge, +5 Stealth
Notes;
Rushed her to PS5 for the AoE and -AP Curse, which put heavy strain on SP early on. Better Gear along with leveling have helped to get that back to easily managed levels. Now I'm mostly focusing on getting her PB leveled up to help strip enemy defenses for party, DoS for the MP, Critical and Stealth. Eventually I'll be wanting to add another few levels to PS and FB as well as probably some Quicksilver Defense. Gear wise I'm likely to craft some Armor for prior to end of EP1 for more SP Drain and better Evasion and Stealth although that will reduce her actual Armor value a bit. her Weapons are good through end of EP1 barring some monster loot drop and same for rest of her gear which is solid if not outstanding. Dex is going to be primary Attribute getting attention though others could see a point or 2 added along the way. Skills will mostly be split between Blades and Bows though if I feel I'm slipping on stealth a bit it may get some points as well. Considering she's my party leader I really want to keep the risk of losing Stealth roles to the bare minimum as easiest way to end a NMI run is to fail a stealth check and have the enemy spawn in crushing force right next to someone vulnerable.

Overall I'm enjoying playing with this party especially now that they aren't guzzling SP Pots during/after even fairly short combats. Think they have solid potential to go the distance as long as I stay patient and don't make too many mistakes.

Feel free to make comments/suggestions here regarding the party and my progress.

[xdesperado]

Crafts:
I'll use this to post gear as I craft it trying to list both the stats for the gear and what tuning items I used for the result.
Will also include notes about my thinking/affects on performance when I do these Crafts.
Unfortunately I didn't make a list of the tuning Items for my first few Crafts so they wont have them listed.

Initial Crafts (Oskahold); Did these as soon as I cleared the vault to north of Oskahold before clearing it's Farmhalls. They made for a solid and much needed at the time boost for party.

Bladesman Knives 1 AP (Thrown Weapon) 3 Accuracy; 2 Parry; 19-31 Damage; 3 Range; +1 MP; =8 Ice Damage; 3% Critical; +3 Dodge; +3 Stealth; +4% SP Drain
Kincaid has a Cloak and Amulet that also add SP Drain and with this is doing consistent enough damage that Darting Steel 1 is basically a free attack and often adds SP instead of costing him any.
Made for a very big boost in his combat performance and serious reduction in needing to constantly feed him SP potions.

Infantry Mace 2 AP (1-H Hammer) 3 Accuracy; 1 Parry; 37-48 Damage, +60 Max SP; +10 Ice Damage; +8 Lightening Damage; 3% Critical; +4% SP Drain
Fyona is loving this as she's now able to contribute in a significant way to combat and with Zealous Strikes 1 rarely costing more than 1 SP and often being free or even adding SP she almost never needs a SP Potion.

Torrent Watershed (Oskahold) after killing Great Shaman.

Oxenbone Bow 2 AP (Bow) 5 Accuracy; 23-56 Damage; 6 Range; +90 SP; +10 Ice Damage; +3 Dodge; +3 Stealth; +4% SP Drain
Found this Bow in first Chest I encountered in Torrent Watershed and immediately sped back to Oskahold to make this Craft.
Was a harder choice between this craft and the Lightening version than I at first thought it would be, but this version gives me an extra 10 SP and SP Drain which is very useful considering Selen uses Pinning Shot 5 fairly heavily and makes a lot of bow attacks at this point regardless. So decided that getting the SP Drain I felt will help more currently than the extra Stealth and HP from Lightning version. Feel the added SP and SP Drain along with much improved Damage from this Bow over the Icebow from Troll hunt side quest will be a big improvement for Selen and help reduce her reliance on SP pots greatly.

Riven Field immediately after clearing Torrent Watershed.

Scything Dagger 1 AP (Light Blade) 3 Accuracy; 3 Parry; 21-35 Damage; +1 Move Point; +10 Ice Damage; 3% critical; +10% Critical Damage; +4 Parry; +6 Stealth
Used Longstride Boots (+1 Move Point) as the tuning item for this craft.
This one is for Selen. While I would have liked more SP Drain like I could get with some other choices of weapons either here or in next section, feel the good damage, for a 1 AP Blade, big bump to Stealth, and added MP are to good an improvement for her at this point. As I've been working on her Punishing Blades added MP will let me more easily position her for those attacks and better damage will help make sure she gets the curse on enemies she hits.

Keen Hilted Dagger 1 AP (Light Blade) 3 Accuracy; 5 Parry; +60 Max SP; +10 Fire Damage; 2% Critical; +4 Dodge; +2% SP Drain
Used Bracers of the Dog (+4 Fire Damage, +4 Fire Resist) as the tuning item for this craft.
This one is for Vincent. He's been stuck carrying a Staff just for a bit of extra SP and as I'd made an early investment into his Blade skill that was not an optimal situation. While a blade that had +Lightning would have been nice to match with his Thundering Blades I've been working up, this gives him the much needed SP and is a small start on building him some SP Drain as well. Note; the chart I'm using to help me choose what to craft doesn't list either the Ice or Lightning versions for the Keen Hilted Dagger so there is a chance I might have gotten something better going with a craft for one of those other versions but I didn't want to risk my resources in terms of Crystals and Tuning Items hoping for something great with another version during this NMI run.

Spiked Shield (Shield) 6 Parry; Auto-Blocks 3% Ranged Attacks; +100 Max SP; +6 Damage; 2% Critical; +8 All Resists; +8% SP Drain
Used Footfall Cloak (+4 Armor; +2 Unholy Resist; +2% SP Drain) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Fyona. Even without the craft this would have been a solid upgrade for her, giving her the extra Resists should further help her survivability, while the extra SP and SP Drain will help keep her off the SP Pots going forward and extra damage and increased critical chance will help her to keep putting the smackdown on enemies.

Boiled Cuirass (Light) 25 Armor; +70 Max HP; +30 Max SP; +3% SP Drain
Used Opel Eye Amulet (+28 Max SP, +2% SP Drain) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Vincent. Big boost in Armor over what he was wearing, more HP and SP and some SP Drain to help when he uses that nifty new dagger I just crafted for him.

Red Hall end of EP1.

Leather Overcoat (Light) 32 Armor; +100 Max HP; +40 Max SP; +3% SP Drain
Used Borrower's Torc (+34 Max HP, +4% SP Drain) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Vincent. Yes I know I just crafted a set of Armor for him in Riven Field but felt the added Armor, HP and SP were worth the cost of this early replacement for that craft.

Riven Field after leaving Red Hall.

Edged Leaf (Light Blade) 1 AP, 5 Accuracy, 2 parry, 21-39 Damage, +1 Move Point, +12 Ice Damage, +6 Dodge, +4% SP Drain
Used Turquoise Ring (+6 Ice Damage, +2 Lightening Resist) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Kincaid. Much as I love Captain Lukai's Blade and the added HP Crit Damage and slightly higher SP drain, the fact was that against enemies with higher Armor Kincaid was starting to struggle getting any damage through even with all the other +damage gear he's equipping so it was time to get him fitted with a weapon having a higher base damage. The +1 MP and +6 Dodge should more than help make up for the loss of those HP and a 1% difference in SP drain shouldn't be real noticeable especially since he should do significantly more damage with this weapon.

Cadet's Hammer (1-H Hammer) 2 AP, 4 Accuracy, 2 Parry, 27-51 Damage, +1 Move Point, +12 Lightning Damage, +3% Critical, +14% Critical Damage, +3% SP Drain
Used Stalker's Promise (Ring, +5 Damage, +3% Critical) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Fyona. Honestly not sure if I'm going to use this. The added MP is very nice however Fyona is still providing party support in the form of Holy Strickening and Healing than engaging in melee combat so the loss of SP if I switch will definitely be felt. Add in that my average damage when she does make an attack is likely to actually go down slightly and I'm just not sure the extra MP is worth it.

Brunehorn after clearing Crossroads, Brellin Pass, Darkmoss Ironwood, and Darkmoss Wetlands.

Infantry Hammer (1-h Hammer) 2 AP, 5 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 43-72 Damage, +80 Max HP, +10 Holy Damage, +14 Lightning Damage, 3% Critical, +16% Critical Damage
Used Lost Amulet (=6 Holy Damage) as the tuning item for this Craft.
This was supposed to be for Fyona. Unfortunately there are 2 versions of this weapon with +Holy Damage and I didn't get the one I wanted. While this would be a solid upgrade in terms of dealing damage, without the +1 MP the other version offers I'm not sure I can justify the loss of SP switching her to this weapon will cause.

Infantry Hammer (1-H Hammer) 2 AP 5 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 43-72 Damage, +1 Move Point, +80 Max HP, +14 holy Damage, +4% Critical, +16% Critical Damage
Used Flashing Ring (+1 Move Point, +2% SP Drain) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Fyona. hadn't wanted to use the ring as a tuning item yet but decided I had enough other decent gear I could equip Fyona with that it was worth going ahead and doing this craft.

Granthorn after clearing Sea Road.

Lamellar Armor (light) 56 Armor, -1 Stealth, +140 Max HP, +60 Max SP, +55 SP drain
Used Zenith Charm (+20 Max SP, +4% SP Drain) as the tuning item for this craft.
this is for Vincent. More HP, SP and SP Drain along with much higher Armor than what he was wearing? Yes please.

Heavy Leather (Light) 52 Armor, -1 Stealth, +120 Max HP, +3% Critical, +2 Parry, +5% SP Drain
Used Traveler's Boots (+1% Critical, +1 Dodge) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Kincaid. Was a dificult decision for me as to what armor to craft for him here as had several solid choices but settled on this.

Reis Lodge after clearing Riven Field Trade post and Brellim Peaks.

Featherweight Scale (Stealth) 26 Armor, +4 Evasion, +2 Stealth, +60 Max HP, +12 Lightning Damage, +3 Parry, +3 Dodge
Used Shaker's Bracers (+2 Dodge) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Selen. not a huge upgrade in terms of Armor and Stelth over what she had but still with the added HP, defense and Lightning damage should be a solid improvement in helping keep her upright as Mobs get tougher.

Gholla Outlook after rescuing Valent Koda. (hadn't meant to go here yet but took a wrong turn in Bruenhorn so...)

Ironwood Flatbow (Bow) 2 AP, 7 Accuracy, 32-77 Damage, 6 Range, +110 Max SP, +16 Ice Damage, +4% Critical, +4 Dodge, +3 Stealth, +5% SP Drain
Used Shaker's Bracers (+2 Dodge) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Selen. Pretty strait forward upgrade to the Oxenbone Bow she's been using with more Accuracy, Damage, Dodge and SP drain as well as adding some Critical.

Ember Lake after Hunting Lodge and clearing the Orcin Caves.

Keen Horned Bow (bow) 2 AP, 10 Accuracy, 33-104 damage, 7 Range, +20 Lightning Damage, +6% Critical, +70% Critical Damage, +8 Stealth
Used Dreamer's Charm (+2 Ranged Accuracy, +2% Critical) as the tuning item for this craft.
this is for Selen, again :-P So yes she got the last craft which is a very nice Bow that gave her extra Dodge, SP and Drain so why did I craft this for her? Simple answer is Stealth as I was starting to really worry that she doesn't have enough Stealth to keep winning surprise for party and easiest way for me to lose Ironman at this point is to lose surprise with several un-cursed mobs in range to pound on one of my heroes. I do have other gear I can use to buff her Dodge, SP and drain so losing those will likely not have a huge overall impact on her performance, while the extra Range, higher potential Damage especially with Critical hits and fact that the Lightning Damage from this stacks with Vincent's Thundering Blades buff and other gear she has should keep me from regretting this craft.

Brunehorn after clearing the Krete job out of Trade post and re-clearing all maps between Braeys territory and Brunehorn.

Segmented Knives (Thrown Weapon) 1 AP, 8 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 25-46 Damage, 3 Range, +1 Move Point, +16 Lightning Damage, 7% Critical, +16% Critical Damage
Used Left Fist of Thunder (+14 Lightning Damage) as the tuning item for this craft.
This is for Kincaid. He's been using the Bladesman Knives I crafted for him since Oskahold which have been very good, however it was definitely time for an upgrade as they were starting to have trouble dealing damage against the higher Armor mobs we are now facing. Only thing I may miss about them is their extra dodge but the much improved damage especially with lightning Damage stacking with Vincent's Thundering Blades buff and increased critical means he'll be much more effective at quickly removing enemies.

[xdesperado]

End Of EP1 Progress report.
Party stormed through Redhill crushing all opposition. At Gatehouse Battle they stood their ground against Geraux and his forces and it was one of the shortest fights there I've ever had. Against Groth they wiped out each succeeding waive with only a slight rearward shift to force enemy archers and javelineers to come at them. At the end Groth was left facing the party all alone and as soon as they closed with him the fight was over as Fyona shocked everyone by stepping in and landing a critical for over 220 HP damage that ended the fight. Facing the Baron at the end I had them take out the Archers to their right flank as they moved back into the alcoves below the library. They then proceeded to crush the enemy rushes on them and the Baron himself seemed loath to follow them into the alcoves/library section. Seeing his hesitation the group used cover and then Selen and Kincaid took turns, after Vincent and Fyona cursed him, stepping out to snipe him with Bow and Throwing Knives before dancing back into protection. Since Kincaid had the lowest XP in party at that time I let him get the final kill shot. Entire paarty ended EP1 at level 18 and I've managed to keep the XP spread very close between the 4 of them.

My next step is to clear the storerooms and then I'll be heading off into what for me at least is the relatively uncharted territories of EP2.
Party Breakdown end of EP1.

Kincaid: Level 18
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 10, Con 6, Will 4, Int 8, Know 4
Skills; Blades 10, Thrown 10; Leadership 3, Lore 2, Stealth 2(5)
Talents; Darting Steel 5, Crippling Strikes 6, Sure Parry 2, Flanking Unity 1, Lunge 1
Gear;
Leather Skin (Light) 28 Armor, +6 Damage, +2% Critical
Edged Leaf (Light Blade) 1 AP, 5 Accuracy, 2 parry, 21-39 Damage, +1 Move Point, +12 Ice Damage, +6 Dodge, +4% SP Drain
Bladesman Knives (Thrown Weapon) 1 AP, 3 Accuracy, 2 Parry, 19-31 damage, 3 Range, +1 Move Point, +8 Ice Damage, 3% Critical, +3 Dodge, +3 Stealth, +4% SP Drain
Footfall Cloak (Cloak) +4 Armor, +2 Unholy Resist, +2% SP Drain or Hellfire Weave (Cloak) +10 Fire Damage, +22 Fire Resist, +2% SP Drain
Ring of War (Ring) +10 Damage, +4% SP Drain
Soulskin Boots (Boots) +34 Max SP, +2% Critical Damage, +4% SP Drain or Fist of Fury (Bracers) +10 Damage, +4 Fire Damage
Notes;
As you can see I've listed two options for some of his gear, the first set is his general travel setup where I'm looking to maximize his SP Drain and Armor while second set is what I use for scripted fights or rarely if I decide I need to make a switch on the fly for more Damage output. I've started to work on getting his Sure Parry up to at least level 4 but as you can see I also started working on his Flanking Unity to help teams Accuracy as Fyona and Vincent are becoming much more likely to find themselves in melee combat and can use the boost even with enemies cursed. Once I reach SP4 I'll likely start splitting talent points between FU and Live by the Blade as he'll be wanting the extra MP and Armor by then. Skills will likely continue to get split between Blades and Thrown though I may drop another point or two into Leadership to extend duration of Buffs. Attributes plan is to get Dex to 12 then I'll probably split between Dex and Con.

Vincent: Level 18
Attributes; Str 4, Dex 4, Con 6, Will 4, Int 13, Know 6
Skills; Blades 6, Polearms 1, Sorcery 10, Conjuring 6, Lore 2
Talents; Flash Freeze 6, Frigid Air 1, Elemental Sundering 1, Lightning Spear 1, Thundering Blades 5, Storm Strike 1
Gear;
Leather Overcoat (Light) 32 Armor, +100 Max HP, +40 Max SP, +3% SP Drain
Keen Hilted Dagger (Light Blade) 1 Ap, 3 Accuracy, 5 Parry, 11-24 Damage, +60 Max SP, +10 Fire Damage, 2% Critical, +4 Dodge, +2% SP Drain
Wordward Cloak (Cloak) +16 Max HP, +26 Max SP, +2 Unholy Resist, +2 Lightning Resist
Korvain's Chain (Amulet) +20 Max HP, +32 Max SP, +2 all Resists
Bloody Footfalls (Boots) +2 Accuracy, +4 Damage
Notes;
At level 18 I started him on Elemental Sundering which gives him a fairly strong AoE melee attack. I'll likely start rotating now between Charged Speed Elemental Sundering and Thundering Blades though it is tempting to drop a few points into Energy Storm for a better ranged attack and it's resistance curse. Blades will continue getting skill points now that I have him armed decently with a Light Blade and have solid melee attack options for him. Since he is very SP intensive I will continue adding Int until that's maxed out at 16 then start building his Dex for better defense and added accuracy with his blades.

Fyona: Level 18
Attributes; Str 8, Dex 4, Con 7, Will 5, Int 9, know 4
Skills; Hammers 8, Invocation 6, Leadership 3, lore 4
Talents; Holy Strickening 5, Reckoning 2, Zealous Strikes 1, Blessed Aura 3, Righteous Fervor 1, Battlefield Devotion 1, Hammer Blow 1
Gear;
Leather Overcoat (Light) 32 Armor, +20 Max HP, +3 Dodge, +6 Resistance
Infantry Mace (1-H Hammer) 2 AP, 3 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 37-48 Damage, +60 Max SP, +10 Ice Damage, +8 Lightning Damage, 3% Critical, +4% SP Drain
Spiked Shield (Shield) 6 Parry, Auto-Blocks 3% of Ranged Attacks, +100 Max SP, +6 Damage, 2% Critical, +8 all Resists, +8% SP Drain
Hardbone Wrap (Cloak) +18 Max HP, +1 Parry, +12 Armor
Flashing Ring (Ring) +1 Move Point, +2% SP Drain
Serpent-Tread Boots (Boots) +2 Accuracy, +6 Armor
Notes;
I saved a Talent point as I leveled Fyona so when she reached level 18 I was able to give her Reckoning 2. A quick initial foray into the storerooms shows that this is going to be a big boost to her contribution to party as a damage dealer and help spread the load of -AP cursing out even more. I'll likely add at least one level of Shield of Cortias next to help with overall party defense, and then set up a rotation between HS, RF and SoC, though I'll shortly be needing to add a point or two to BA or BD as the enemies are hitting much harder and I don't want to become overly dependent on Healing Potions. Hammers are likely to remain the focus for her skill points as she continues to become more involved in melee though might add some to Lore to help give the healing some boost. For Attributes I'll likely split between Con and Str mostly though another point or two into Int may be needed if she starts needing to rely on SP potions heavily to keep up with rest of party. At moment I'm debating crafting her another Leather Overcoat like the one Vincent is wearing which would help her HP and SP but not sure the loss of Dodge and Resistance makes that worthwhile. Alternatively though it would also cost her some Armor and Dodge I might craft her a Leather Skin for added MP and improved Resists.

Selen: Level 18
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 10, Con 6, Will 3, Int 9, Know 4
Skills; Blades 8, Bows 8, Lore 3, Security 2(6), Stealth 6 (20/23)
Talents; Pinning Shot 5, Punishing Blades 4, Frenzied Blows 1, Sly Look 1, Masterful Disarm 1, Precision Pick 1, Dance of Shadows 2
Gear;
Fox's Overcoat (Stealth) 25 Armor, +2 Evasion, +1 Stealth, +1 Ranged Accuracy, +6 Damage
Scything Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 3 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 21-35 Damage, +1 Move Point, +10 Ice Damage, 3% Critical, +10% Critical Damage, +4 Parry, +6 Stealth
Oxenbone Bow (Bow) 2 AP, 5 Accuracy, 23-56 Damage, Range 6, +90 Max SP, +10 Ice Damage, +3 Dodge, +3 Stealth, +4% SP Drain
Stormwrought Torc (Amulet) +8 Lightning Damage, +3% SP Drain or Bloodstone Chain (Amulet) +1 Accuracy, +10 Damage
Right Hand of Soul (Bracers) +4% Critical, +6% Critical Damage, +4% SP Drain or Fist of Fanatic (Bracers) +6 Damage, +3% Critical, +6% Critical Damage
Silent Soul (Boots) +4 Stealth, +4 Security, +5% SP Drain or Ring of the Hunter (Ring) +8 Damage, +2% Critical
Notes;
Like with Kincaid I have two options for gear with first option being normal travel option set to maximize her SP Drain and maintain a good Stealth, while second option is for when I feel need to maximize her damage output.
I've started building up her DoS and will likely start rotating that with PB and FB as I go though likely need to add at least a little Quicksilver Defense at some point to help keep her alive. For skills it will continue to be a split between Blades and Bows though if I feel her Stealth is slipping I may put some points there as well. Plan to keep adding Dex for both her attacks and defense though may give a few points to Con once she has 12 Dex. Still undecided about dropping a point into her will to bring that up to 4 for extra magic defense. I'll be looking to upgrade her Armor if I can find and craft the right kind.

Over all I feel like party is coming together nicely, though battles become more difficult from here on and risk of one of them dying because I missed an enemy I should have cursed or moved a hero into wrong position increases.
Factor in that I have almost no previous experience with the game after end of EP1 and things are getting interesting.

As always feel free to comment here regarding my team and strategies.

[Cory Trese]

I like the Selen build. I'm surprised you're not putting more Move Points on her

[xdesperado]

Ironman status lost so time for an update.
Selen getting killed was entirely avoidable I just made a stupid move and unintentionally left her exposed to 3 Bowrats and a Ratkin Shaman while re-clearing the Sea Road.
Will continue with this group but a bit slower to learn what's coming for the V2.0 I'll be starting.

Had been meaning to post an update here anyways when I got back to Granthorn after re-clearing the Sea Road so this update is only slightly early.

Kincaid: Level 25
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 12, Con 7, Will 4, Int 8, Know 4
Skills; Blades 12, Thrown 11; Leadership 5, Lore 2, Stealth 2(1)
Talents; Darting Steel 5, Crippling Strikes 6, Sure Parry 4, Flanking Unity 3, Lunge 1
Gear;
Heavy Leathers (Light) 52 Armor, -1 Stealth, +120 Max HP, +3% Critical, +2 Parry, +5% SP Drain
Edged Leaf (Light Blade) 1 AP, 5 Accuracy, 2 parry, 21-39 Damage, +1 Move Point, +12 Ice Damage, +6 Dodge, +4% SP Drain
Segmented Knives (Thrown Weapon) 1 AP, 8 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 25-46 damage, 3 Range, +1 Move Point, +16 Lightning Damage, +7% Critical, +16% Critical Damage
Mantle of the Soal Taker (Cloak) +1 Accuracy, +14 Damage
Arm-Guards of Haik (Bracers) +10 Armor, +6% SP Drain
Seductress Step (Boots) +3 Parry, +3 Dodge, +6% SP Drain
Notes;
Finally got around to raising his Sure Parry to 4 and chose the right time to do so as he's becoming increasingly more likely to be targeted by multiple opponents in a turn as he acts as main shield for rest of party.
Adding Flanking unity is a way for him to help buff the entire party's Accuracy and Damage which is important as both Vincent and Fyona are increasingly involving themselves in attacking rather than just acting as pure party support. Now that Dex is at 12 will be splitting Attribute between Dex and Con. Skills he's mostly splitting between Blades and Thrown with an occasional point tossed into Leadership to extend the length of his buff's. Going forward plan is to add Cunning Footwork for more Critical and Defense, then Live By the Blade for added mobility and again more defense. After adding the first levels of both those he will start a rotation of them along with FU.

Vincent: Level 25
Attributes; Str 4, Dex 4, Con 7, Will 4, Int 15, Know 6
Skills; Blades 11, Polearms 1, Sorcery 10, Conjuring 6, Lore 2
Talents; Flash Freeze 6, Frigid Air 1, Elemental Sundering 1, Lightning Spear 1, Thundering Blades 9, Charged Speed 1, Storm Strike 1
Gear;
Lamellar Armor (Light) 56 Armor, -1 Stealth, +140 Max HP, +60 Max SP, +5% SP Drain
Keen Hilted Dagger (Light Blade) 1 Ap, 3 Accuracy, 5 Parry, 11-24 Damage, +60 Max SP, +10 Fire Damage, 2% Critical, +4 Dodge, +2% SP Drain
First-Born Amulet (Amulet) +6 Magical damage [Rainbow], +4% SP Drain
Ember Ring (Ring) +22 Max HP, +22 Max SP, +8 Damage
Left Hand of Death (Bracers) +2 Melee Accuracy, +16 Damage
Notes;
As everyone now has an AoE -AP Curse ability he's become more able to get involved with combat his gear setup and Party buff's have him landing very impressive strikes against opponents that close within melee range where he can attack without getting himself overly exposed. For Attributes plan is to split between Con and Int until Int is maxed then start building his Dex. Skills he'll keep adding Blades and at some point Sorcery.
For Talents once he has Thundering Blades maxed out at 10, he'll work on Charged Speed plus a rotation of Energy Storm, Elemental Sundering and likely Frigid Air though that last hasn't been seeing much use recently.

Fyona: Level 25
Attributes; Str 8, Dex 4, Con 7, Will 5, Int 12, know 4
Skills; Hammers 11, Invocation 6, Leadership 3, lore 5
Talents; Holy Strickening 10, Reckoning 2, Zealous Strikes 1, Blessed Aura 3, Righteous Fervor 1, Shield of Cortias 1, Battlefield Devotion 1, Hammer Blow 1
Gear;
Cuirass of Harrow (Light) 46 Armor, -2 Evasion, +60 Max HP, +30 Max SP, +6 All Resists
Infantry Hammer (1-H Hammer) 2 AP, 5 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 43-72 Damage, +80 Max HP, +14 Holy Damage, +4% Critical, +16% Critical Damage
Spiked Shield (Shield) 6 Parry, Auto-Blocks 3% of Ranged Attacks, +100 Max SP, +6 Damage, 2% Critical, +8 all Resists, +8% SP Drain
Hardbone Wrap (Cloak) +18 Max HP, +1 Parry, +12 Armor
Relliat Winged Band (Ring) +1 Parry, +2 Dodge, +4 Armor, +2% SP Drain
Battleblood Boots (Boots) +3 Accuracy, +8 Damage, +6 Armor
Notes;
Holy Strickening 10 IS expensive in SP, but combined with everyone's Gear and Vincent's Thundering Blades buff the party just crushes opponents. Attributes will continue seeing her invest in Int to support SP demand of HS10 and her other talents. Still planning to increase her Con but she has both the highest Armor and most HP in the party already by a fairly wide margin so that is less pressing. Would eventually like to work on her Dex as well to help her defense but that is still some ways off. Skills she will continue investing in Hammers though Lore will liikely see an occasional point dropped into it as well to help her healing. Talent will get split between Righteous Fervor and Shield of Cortias mostly though will likely put another point into Blessed Aura sooner rather than later so she can better manage healing the heavier damage hits that the party is now seeing.

Selen: Level 25
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 12, Con 7, Will 3, Int 9, Know 4
Skills; Blades 10, Bows 9, Lore 3, Security 2, Stealth 8 (34)
Talents; Pinning Shot 5, Punishing Blades 7, Frenzied Blows 1, Sly Look 1, Masterful Disarm 1, Precision Pick 1, Dance of Shadows 5
Gear;
Featherweight Scale (Stealth) 26 Armor, +4 Evasion, +2 Stealth, +60 Max HP, +12 Lightning Damage, +3 Parry, +3 Dodge
Scything Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 3 Accuracy, 3 Parry, 21-35 Damage, +1 Move Point, +10 Ice Damage, 3% Critical, +10% Critical Damage, +4 Parry, +6 Stealth
Keen Horned Bow(Bow) 2 AP, 10 Accuracy, 33-104 Damage, Range 7, +20 Lightning Damage, +6%, +70% Critical Damage +8 Stealth
Cassandra's Moon (Amulet) +10 Damage, +2% Critical, +4% SP Drain
Right Hand of Soul (Bracers) +4% Critical, +6% Critical Damage, +4% SP Drain
Footstep of Air (Boots) +4 Dodge, +4 Stealth, +4% SP Drain
Notes;
Needs better Armor but finding/crafting a set I'm happy with has been hard. I like current Armor especially with it's extra Lightning Damage but with as hard as things are hitting she definitely feels the hits a lot more than other members of party. Attributes will see her splitting between Dex and Con to help with the defense a bit and hopefully give her enough HP to soak the hits that do land on her. Skills will be a rotation of Stealth, Blades and Bows to help her insure party gets surprise and that she keeps hitting what she goes after. Talents I'll be adding Quicksilver Defense and then rotating that with Dance of Shadows and Punishing Blows for now. Eventually want to add some to both Frenzied Blows and Sly Look but need to see to her Stealth, Defense and ability to strip enemy Armor first.

Overall feel this is a very strong party. and while I intend to make some minor adjustments for Kincaid and fyona in V2.0 there were no major oops I regret that lets do a respec to change things at this point. I'm rather frustrated with myself as I had expected I'd lose Ironman status in some scripted battle (have had a few close calls in those) and not through a stupid mistake in an easily winnable random fight.
Lessons learned with this group so far are, Stay patient, focused and pay attention to both the party and enemy positioning and buffs/curses. kincaid's Talents may be expensive early but by end of EP1 he's getting enough drain and has enough SP that I can probably get by with a lower investment in Int early game and use a couple of those points for Dex/Con to boost his defense earlier. Fyona I'll not put as much into Str early and use a couple of those points for Int to help deepen her SP pool as constant use of HS especially at higher levels is very SP intensive. Additionally I'll likely skip an early investment in Battlefield Devotion, relying on scrolls to remove curses as needed, and use that to either increase HS earlier or boost her party buffs. Vincent and Selen on the other hand I feel I've managed their trains about as well as possible to this point with the possible exception of maybe swapping 1 point of Selen's Punishing Blades for her first point of Quicksilver Defense.

As I stated at top of post while I lost my Ironman status I don't plan to abandon this save so look for future updates though they may be a bit slower in coming. Also will Start a S&G V2.0 thread when new party gets to Oskahold and makes their first Crafts there.

As always feel free to comment here about my party and strategies for building it and how I'm running it.

[xdesperado]

Apr 26, 2020 7:47:57 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

I like the Selen build. I'm surprised you're not putting more Move Points on her

As of my latest update to party she has +3 MP and has been adding to DoS so more on the way from that. other than gear not much else I can do to add more MP and my crafted weapons and armor have been focused more on covering her other needs than just looking for extra MP.

[CdrPlatypus]

This is very similar to the build I am running right now, but Instead I have Selen running all Melee and Vincent is working on Frigid Air as well as Flash Freeze. I've Been debating Going for Crippling Strikes 6 on Kincaid, but I am taking him up to sure parry 4 first after completing darting steel 5. And Instead of Fyona I have Kyera acting as a ranged caster.