Stop & Go V2.0

[xdesperado]

So yeah liked the group and basic concept for it I had in mind enough to take another shot at this Nightmare Ironman craziness with it.
in case anyone hasn't looked at the original group thread party consists of Kincaid, Vincent, Fyona and Selen,. Concept is for everyone to have some an AoE -AP curse of some sort along with whatever other curses I can muster which is the Stop and some extra MP to maneuver about the battlefield which is the Go.
Anyways since I lost Ironman status on first try due to a stupid mistake on my part this is my second go at it and while it won't be an exact duplicate hopefully I've learned some lessons with the original group and this will be even a better as a result.
For those who were watching the original thread I haven't forgotten that and do intend to keep moving it forward if for no other reason than to help me learn firsthand about new areas I've yet to play through with a group and how I can approach those best with this group so keep an eye out for updates there in future as well.

Alright currently in Oskahold. I've cleared all the West Road except for the Warm Caves and the Northern Vault. Party is all level 8 and I'll be tackling the Farmhall's next, starting with Korvain's Trench. If the party manages to reach level nine after clearing out Korvain's Trench I"ll go ahead and take on Nordhall immediately if not I'll go clear the warm caves then come back for Nordhall and the troll quest after that.

Kincaid
Level; 8
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 8, Con 6, Will 3, Int 6, Know 4
Skills; Blades 6, Thrown 6, Leadership 2, Lore 2, Stealth 2(5)
Talents; Darting Steel 2, Crippling Strikes 4, Lunge 1, Sure Parry 1
Gear;
Leather Jerkin (Light) 22 Armor, +1 MP, +60 Max HP, +3% SP Drain
Broad dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 2 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 13-22 damage
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
Banded Bracers (Bracers) +1 Parry, +4 Armor
Ring of the Bear (Ring) +30 HP, +4 Damage.
Earthen Walk Boots (Boots) +2 Armor, +4 All Resists.
Notes;
Poor loot drops during escape from Red Hill and in the Krellin Deeps had him struggling to do any significant damage to foes meaning he spent a lot more time simply acting as a shield for the party while Fyona and Selen did most of the serious damage. Even the basic weapons he got once we reached Oskahold gave him a serious upgrade in his offensive abilities and now with Crafted weapons getting added to the mix he should start to shine on offense as well as doing his job as shield for party. For Attributes he'll likely be going about 2-1 on Dex and Con from here on. Skills will see him continuing to split points between Blades and Thrown for time being, eventually he'll need to add some Leadership but that's a few levels off. Talents will see him taking Crippling Strikes to 6 then getting Darting Steel to 5, after that it will be Sure parry to 4 though he may add a level or two of Flanking Unity in there if the party starts struggling with landing hits.

Vincent
Level; 8
Attributes; Str 4, Dex 4, Con 6, Will 4, Int 8, Know 6
Skills; Blades 4, Polearms 1, Sorcery 6, Conjuring 5, Lore 2
Talents; Flash Freeze 5, Frigid Air !, Lightning Spear 1, Storm Strike 1
Gear;
Quilted Armor (Light) 10 Armor
Leaf Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 2 Accuracy, 2 Parry, 11-21 Damage, +6 Fire Damage.
Singed Arm Guard (Bracers) +4 Fire Damage, +4 Fire Resist
Sage's Band (Ring) +18 Max SP, +2 Armor
Wisewalk Boots (Boots) +2 Magical Damage [Rainbow], +2 Fire Resist
Notes;
Trying to get him more involved in combat earlier with this party than I did with last group. Since he's not nearly as fragile as KJ and can become very competent with his Knife, I'm now looking to get him more involved with combat after he curses any enemies threatening party. For now he'll be adding to Int for more SP. Eventually he'll also look to add to both his Dex and Con to improve defense. For skills he'll mostly take a 2-1 split of Blades and Sorcery though at some point both Conjuring and lore will be wanting some points. His next Talent point goes into Flash Freeze which will give him a -2 AP curse with 9 square block AoE. After that It's going to be all Thundering Blades to 10 with maybe a point going to Charged Speed for for the extra mobility.

Fyona
Level; 8
Attributes; Str 6, Dex 4, Con 7, Will 5, Int 6, Know 4
Skills; Hammers 5, Invocation 4, Leadership 3, Lore 3
Talents; Holy Strickening 3, Zealous Strikes 1, Blessed Aura 2, Shield of Cortias 1, Hammer Blow 1
Gear;
Kallasian Overcoat (Light) 16 Armor
Infantry Mace (1-H Hammer) 2 AP, 3 Accuracy, 1 Parry,31-40 Damage
Buckler (Shield) 1 Parry
Brass Necklace (Amulet) +1 Accuracy
Leather Bracers (Bracers) +1 Parry, +2 Armor
Sage's Band (Ring) +18 SP, +2 Armor
Notes;
After hearing a lot of why didn't you give her at least one rank of Shield of Cortias with my last party I decided to go ahead and do so early this time...honestly wishing I'd stuck to my original plans and just put it in HS instead. Attributes will be seeing her mostly splitting between Int and Con for now as she'll need plenty of SP for talents as she levels and HP to help her tank some enemies later on. Skills will be split between Hammers and Invocation for next few levels after that they will mostly go into Hammers. Talents will be going into Holy Strickening mostly though around level 12 I'll add a level of Righteous Fervor or 2 and around level 18 she'll get a couple levels of Reckoning. Very likely once I've got the Moonstone Crystals I'll respec her to move that point I put into SoC into either HS or BA as I'm just not seeing the benefit from it at this point. Later on when others start getting buff's, gear and attributes to better aid them in parrying/dodging attacks levels of SoC may indeed be a nice boost to party defense but for now without making defensive talents priority for entire party that single point could be much more useful elsewhere.

Selen
Level; 8
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 8, Con 6, Will 3, Int 6, Know 4
Skills; Blades 4, Bows 4, Lore 2, Security 2, Stealth 6(11)
Talents; Pinning Shot 5, Frenzied Blows 1, Sly Look 1, Precision Pick 1, Masterful Disarm 1
Gear;
Stealth Brigadine (Stealth) 14 Armor, +3 Evasion, +2 Stealth
Broad Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 2 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 13-22 Damage
Ironwood Bow (Bow) 3 Accuracy, 14-23 Damage, 6 Range
Overcloak (Cloak) +2 Armor, +2 Resistance
Ring of the Night (Ring) +1 Dodge, +3 Stealth
Savage Boots (Boots) +4 Damage
Notes;
Stealth is key here to try helping her win those all important surprise checks. Attributes will see her investing in Intelligence for the SP to help power her Talents without having to hit the SP Pots so hard and Dex for better Attack and Defense. Skills will see a rotation of Blades and Bows with some Stealth as needed to keep that ahead of curve. For Talents she'll open Punishing Blades Next followed by Dance of Shadows and then Quicksilver Defense. After she has first rank of all 3 of those her main focus will be PB with some going to DoS for the added Stealth and MP as needed to help her stay ahead of curve.

It's been a bit of a slog up till now as loot drops haven't been the best and some encounters have been a bit tougher than normal. However looks like loot may be starting to get a bit better and as more Bloodstone Crystals are found I'll look to do a bit more crafting. While it was tempting to craft something for one of the other party members felt Kincaid was most in need of buff currently with the way enemies target in EP1 and what we know we'll be facing. Despite the mostly lackluster loot to this point and gold being a bit tight currently the party has performed well enough so far and look to be developing nicely over all.

Please feel free to post comments and questions about party and my strategies here in this thread.

[xdesperado]

Craft Log

Will use this post to track where and when I craft Gear, what I used for tuning, who it's for and my reasoning about crafting it.

Oskahold after clearing Northern Vault

Leather Jerkin (Light) 22 Armor, +1 Move Point, +60 Max HP, +3% SP Drain
Used Warding Cloak (+4 Armor, +2 Unholy Resist, +2%SP Drain) as tuning item.
This is for Kincaid. While I didn't really care for losing that cloak at this time I felt this Armor with it's extra MP, HP and Drain would be more of a benefit to helping Kincaid act as both party shield and make the most of his attack talents.

Bladesman Knives (Thrown Weapon) 1 AP, # Accuracy, 2 Parry, 19-31 Damage, 3 range, +1 MP, +8 Ice damage, +3% Critical, +3 Dodge, +3 Stealth, +4% SP Drain
Used Eyestruck Ring (+6 Ice Damage, +2 Lightning Resist) as tuning item.
This is for Kincaid. Big improvement over base weapons damage, bonus movement, extra dodge for defense and drain to help keep his SP from evaporating makes this a great early upgrade that he'll be using well into EP2.

Oskahold after clearing Warm cave, and both Farmhalls.

Ashwood Bow (Bow) 2 AP, 6 Accurac7y, 15-36 Damage, 6 Range, +10 Fire Damage, +4% Critical, +20% Critical Damage, +4 Stealth
Used Serpent's Torque (+4 Fire Damage, +2 Fire Resist, +2 Ice Resist) as tuning item.
This is for Selen. While I could likely have made do without crafting this I felt the extra Stealth and increase in potential Damage was worth it since I'm unlikely to get anything better until we get into the Torrent Watershed.

Oskahold while clearing Ratkin warrens after the Deathkin fight.

Infantry Mace (1-H Hammer) 2 AP, 3 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 31-44 Damage, +60 Max HP, +60 Max SP, +8 Holy Damage, +10 Lightning Damage, +10% Critical Damage, +2 Dodge
Used Redglimmer Ring (+18 Max SP, +2 Armor) as tuning item.
This is for Fyona. While she was hitting fairly hard with the un-crafted hammer and isn't hurting as bad as some others for SP yet, figured this should help keep her going strong at least into Red Hill. Took a slight chance with my tuning item as there are 2 versions with SP but honestly would have been just as happy with the other version. This one is more defensive other one is more offensive hard to go wrong with either one.

Oskahold after clearing Vermin Warren.

Leather Jerkin (Light) 22 Armor, +1 Move Point, +60 Max HP, +3% SP Drain
Used Hund Mantle (+22 Max HP, +2% SP Drain) as tuning item.
This is for Fyona. Finally found something I could craft a set of this armor with for Fyona. Extra HP help her off tank better when holding the line with Kincaid and that extra MP will help her get in position better to make best use of that Hammer she just got.

Broad Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 2 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 13-28 Damage, +1 Move Point, +8 Ice Damage, +2% Critical, +4 Dodge, +4 Stealth
Used Turquoise Ring (+6 Ice Damage, +2 Lightning Resist) as tuning item.
This is for Kincaid. Extra mobility, added defense and better damage for his melee attack talents.

Riven Field after clearing Torrent Watershed and area outside the gates.

Spiked Shield (shield) 6 Parry, 3% Auto-Block, +200 Max HP, +6 Damage, +2% Critical, +4 Dodge
Used Traveler's Boots (+1% Critical, +1 Dodge) as tuning item.
This is for Fyona. She's been using the buckler she escaped from Red Hill with this whole time so serious upgrade here that will last her well into EP2 at least.

Oxenbone Bow (Bow) 2 AP, 6 Accuracy, 21-52 Damage, 6 Range, +80 Max HP, +80 Max SP, +10 Lightning Damage, +4% Critical, +24% Critical Damage, +6 Stealth
Used Bracers of the Deep (+20 Max HP) as tuning item.
This is for Selen. Nice upgrade to her damage especially with Vincent investing in Thundering Blades and Fyona building Holy Strickening. Nice buff to her HP and SP, but biggest factor is the boost to her Stealth that should help keep her ahead of the curve for a few more levels.

Boiled Cuirass (Light) 25 Armor, +70 Max HP, +30 Max SP, +3% SP Drain.
Used Green Cloak (+30 Max SP) as tuning item.
This is for Vincent. Decent upgrade to Armor and the extra HP and SP should be a nice boost here.

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.
Used Bracers of the Dog (+4 Fire Damage, +4 Fire Resist) as tuning item.
This is for Vincent. Not a huge boost in Damage over what he was using, but big upgrade on defense and the added SP will help him go for longer.

Advanced Siege Camp after battle for the Gatehouse.

Stealth Sheathe (Stealth) 22 Armor, +4 Evasion, +2 Stealth, +8 Lightning Damage, +2% Critical, +3 Dodge, +10 All Elemental Resists
Used Earthenweave Tread (+2 Armor, +4 All Resists) as tuning item.
This is for Selen. Didn't turn out exactly as expected so will likely only get limited use.

Red Hill after killing Baron.

Scything Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 3 Accuracy, 3 Parry, +1 Move Point, +10 Ice Damage, +3% Critical, +10% Critical Damage, +4 Parry, +6 Stealth
Used Iceheart Ring (+6 Ice Damage, +16 Ice Resist) as tuning item.
This is for Selen. While didn't like idea of giving up the dodge bonus on her old weapon the Parry bonus on this at least partially makes up for it. Main reason for crafting this is she needs the extra Damage to ensure she can continue landing Punishing Blows against heavier armor foes which requires she damage them before their armor is cursed. Getting a boost to Stealth is also a nice benefit of this upgrade.

Riven Field after clearing Storerooms.

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 Unbound Ring (+8 Ice Damage, +8 Earth Damage, +2% SP Drain) as tuning item.
This is for Kincaid. Unfortunately Captain Lukai's Blade just won't cut it anymore lol. It just doesn't offer high enough base damage to be useful even against most un-cursed foes this blade should be much better in that regard. While I'll miss the extra HP, the good dodge bonus and extra MP from this blade should help make up for that.

Granthorn after first clearing of Sea Road.

Lamellar Armor (light) +140 Max HP, +60 Max SP, +5% SP Drain
Used Redglimmer Ring (+18 Max SP, +2 Armor) as tuning item.
This is for Kincaid. He needed a serious Armor upgrade since he's been wearing the same set since Oskahold. While didn't like losing the extra movement felt the Added HP, SP and Drain along with much higher Armor more than made up for that 1 MP. Was tempted to go with the set that added Parry, Dodge and Resists but not confident enough in his ability to avoid attacks even with the nice boosts those give him to sacrifice HP as well as the extra MP and Drain that would have required.

Lamellar Armor (light) +140 Max HP, +60 Max SP, +5% SP Drain
Used Sage's Band (+18 Max SP, +2 Armor) as tuning item.
This is for Vincent. He'd been wearing the Curaiss of Harrow which was decent Armor but this gives more Armor, HP and SP. he loses some resist but makes up for that with added SP Drain and not taking the Evasion penalty. Overall should be a nice upgrade for him.

Lamellar Armor (light) +140 Max HP, +60 Max SP, +5% SP Drain
Used Guard of the Brown Bear (+34 Max HP, +6 Armor) as tuning item.
This is for Fyona. Yes three sets of same armor here, was tempted to give Fyona the Bone Cuirass (Heavy) armor here for even more Armor and HP but it has a nasty -5 Evasion penalty and just didn't feel taking that penalty was worth the trade at this point.

Reis Lodge after clearing Brellim Peaks and before going to rescue Valent Koda.

Featherweight Scale (Stealth) 26 Armor, +4 Evasion, +1 Move Point, +80 Max HP, +4% Critical, +3% SP Drain
Used Dreamer's Charm (+2 Ranged Accuracy, +2% Critical) as tuning item.
This is for Selen. Small upgrade to Armor here, Was hard to decide what to craft her but decided on this as it adds yet more mobility for her along with more HP, Drain and improved chance for Critical. Looking at my other gear felt it was easier to work with this and a slight gear change than with the other options which wouldn't have resulted in as much gain overall in my opinion.

[xdesperado]

Update Time as party has just defeated the Great Shaman which is the first major milestone in this epic tale.
While it's only been a few levels, these are some of the most significant in terms of setting them up, without any respec, they will see in my opinion.
As you can see in my crafting post above I've added a number of items and with the Act 1 rewards not all those items are with the Hero I originally crafted them for, but you'll see that in a moment.
So far fights have been some of the most challenging in terms of what mobs got spawned and where that I've seen in these early maps and loot to date seems to have been a bit underwhelming especially considering the difficulty of some of those fights. However the party has stood up to the challenges so far and are looking in pretty good shape for what they face next.

Kincaid
Level; 13
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 8, Con 8, Will 3, Int 6, Know 4
Skills; Blades 8, Thrown 8, Leadership 2, Lore 2, Stealth 2(5)
Talents; Darting Steel 3, Crippling Strikes 6, Lunge 1, Sure Parry 1
Gear;
Leather Jerkin (Light) 22 Armor, +1 MP, +60 Max HP, +3% SP Drain
Captain Lukai's Blade (Light Blade) 1 AP, 4 Accuracy, 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
Warding Cloak (Cloak) +4 Armor, +2 Unholy Resist, +2% SP Drain
Ring of the Bear (Ring) +30 HP, +4 Damage.
Serpent's Tread Boots (Boots) +2 Accuracy, +6 Armor
Notes;
Giving him Captain Lukai's Blade made more sense to me than leaving him with the crafted Broad Dagger even though it's got slightly lower damage potential. Feel like he can make better use of the Extra HP and Sp Drain this weapon offers than either Selen or Vincent could at this time although the loss of extra MP and Dodge made it a tough call. Attributes you'll see I've been giving him some extra Con to toughen him up as he continues to act as a shield for the party when enemies get close. He'll be seeing his Dex get some attention in next few levels though. Skills I'm continuing to split between Blades and Thrown and will keep doing that until I start adding some Flanking Unity when his Leadership will be needing at least a small increase. For Talent's I've finally got him to Crippling Strikes 6 for the AP curse and AoE targeting. Now I'm working his Darting Steel up to 5 for AoE targeting and then will get his Sure Parry up to 4. Overall he's come a long ways since my first post, now not only is he acting as shield for party but also becoming one of it's primary killing forces.

Vincent
Level; 13
Attributes; Str 4, Dex 4, Con 6, Will 4, Int 11, Know 6
Skills; Blades 6, Polearms 1, Sorcery 7, Conjuring 6, Lore 2
Talents; Flash Freeze 6, Frigid Air !, Lightning Spear 1, Storm Strike 1, Thundering Blades 2
Gear;
Leather Jerkin (Light) 22 Armor
Leaf Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 2 Accuracy, 2 Parry, 11-21 Damage, +6 Fire Damage.
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
Redglimmer Ring (Ring) +18 Max SP, +2 Armor
Notes;
While I was tempted to craft him Armor the same as I did for Kincaid and Fyona, didn't want to use all my Bloodcrystals here and he'll be getting better armor soon enough anyways. Plus since he's wearing an un-crafted sets I still have the option open to me if I feel it's worth it. More or less the same applies in regards to a better weapon for him, and that I know I can get him in Riven Field so he makes do with what he has for now. Attribute is all in on Int for now as need it to fuel his talents even if I'm being a bit more selective in use of his Flash Freeze. Skills I've been splitting between Blades and Sorcery, he's not great with his weapon yet and with only Lightning Spear 1 for an attack spell he's not rocking the world either but as things progress he will get better weapons and at some point an improved ranged attack so best to work on them both for now so he's at least semi competent when called on to go on the attack and help finish off an enemy or two. With Flash Freeze 6 giving him a -2 AP AoE curse to help control the mobs, I've turned my attention to getting his Thundering Blades buff built up to useful levels. Even lower levels help the rest of party's accuracy even if not adding much to damage yet so woth the investment regardless. For the immediate future and likely through end of EP1 at least Vincent will play mainly a support roll with his FF and TB, once we get past that improved gear availability and addition of Elemental Sundering will see him blossom and be able to start giving some real help to party offensively as well.

Fyona
Level; 13
Attributes; Str 6, Dex 4, Con 8, Will 5, Int 7, Know 4
Skills; Hammers 6, Invocation 6, Leadership 3, Lore 3
Talents; Holy Strickening 5, Zealous Strikes 1, Blessed Aura 2, Righteous Fervor 1, Shield of Cortias 1, Hammer Blow 1
Gear;
Leather Jerkin (Light) 22 Armor, +1 MP, +60 Max HP, +3% SP Drain
Infantry Mace (1-H Hammer) 2 AP, 3 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 31-44 Damage, +60 Max HP, +60 Max SP, +8 Holy Damage, +10 Lightning Damage, +10% Critical Damage, +2 Dodge
Buckler (Shield) 1 Parry
Overcloak (Cloak) +2 Armor, +2 Resistance
Bracers of Earth (Bracers) +1 Melee Accuracy, +4 Damage
Sage's Band (Ring) +18 SP, +2 Armor
Notes;
Yes I crafted her a set of Armor identical to Kincaid's and having the extra movement makes her much more usable offensively when I need something with higher Armor crushed. The extra HP from both the armor and her weapon along with decent Armor rating means I'm not as nervous when I need her to help tank with Kincaid. Attribute she's splitting between Con for the HP and toughness to help tank and Int to help grow her SP pool which will become increasingly important to her as she continues leveling Holy Strickening. Skills should see her mainly focus on raising her Hammers for both offense and defense, but a point or two might find their way into Lore for better healing. Talents will be mostly focused on getting Holy Strickening up for now with maybe a point getting added to Righteous Fervor or Blessed Aura. She is the most likely of my heroes to get a respec simply because I'm not really happy with the single point I put into Shield of Cortias and feel it could be better placed in one of the other talents. That said she's making a very solid contribution to the team now and can only see it getting better as she gains levels and access to improved gear.

Selen
Level; 13
Attributes; Str 5, Dex 8, Con 6, Will 3, Int 8, Know 4
Skills; Blades 6, Bows 6, Lore 2, Security 2, Stealth 6(20)
Talents; Pinning Shot 5, Punishing Blades 2, Frenzied Blows 1, Sly Look 1, Precision Pick 1, Masterful Disarm 1, Dance of Shadows 1
Gear;
Stealth Brigadine (Stealth) 14 Armor, +3 Evasion, +2 Stealth
Broad Dagger (Light Blade) 1 AP, 2 Accuracy, 1 Parry, 13-28 Damage, +1 Move Point, +8 Ice Damage, +2% Critical, +4 Dodge, +4 Stealth
Ashwood Bow (Bow) 2 AP, 6 Accuracy, 15-36 Damage, 6 Range, +10 Fire Damage, +4% Critical, +20% Critical Damage, +4 Stealth
Nightfall Shroud (Cloak) +2 Ranged Accuracy, +2 Stealth
Ring of the Hunter (Ring) +8 Damage, +2% Critical
Snaketooth Boots (Boots) +1 Ranged Accuracy, +4 Damage
Notes;
Giving the Broad Dagger I crafted to her is a big boost not only to her Stealth but also in terms of mobility and defense. With both it and the Bow I crafted for her I don't have to focus nearly as much on her Stealth near term freeing up Skill and Talent Points I can use for more offensive trains. Attributes are getting split between Dex and Int for now as her frequent use of Pinning Shot 5 can rapidly drain her SP pool and the Dex is needed to insure she not only hits what she aims for but also helps her defense. Skills are getting split between Blades and Bows. While she is using the Bow much more frequently currently than her knife, as enemy armor values start to go up she'll be increasingly called on to use her Punishing Blades talent to help the team continue landing solid meaningful hits. Talents will mostly be focused in Punishing Blades again to better help the team deal with higher Armor foes though I'm still likely to drop a at least one point into her Quicksilver Defense soon for its rather obvious defensive boost. She's currently right on track with where I want her so a big factor going forward is going to be the gear I can find and what I'm able to craft for her.

Overall I'm feeling very good about the party at this stage. despite my complaints regarding loot drops they are equipped about as well as can be expected for this stage of the game and are coming into their own in terms of Skills and Talents meshing well together as a team. outside of the lone point I put into Fyona's Shield of Cortias very early on I'm very happy with how I've developed them to this point and looking forward to continue watching them crush all opposition. Hopefully I can start finding some more SP Drain gear either to use as is or in crafts as I think that's the one thing that concerns me the most with this party is being able to get their SP usage at more sustainable levels without constant need for SP potions and rest.

As always feel free to post comments and questions regarding the party here.

[fallen]

+1!

[xdesperado]

Update Time
Baron is dead marking end of EP1 and party is all level 18. Decided to try something a bit different with this update to save myself a bit of typing and hopefully show the heroes off a bit better. Please let me know what you think of this style of posting. Because of the size I'll Be breaking this into 4 separate posts.
Screen caps are all done after party rested and has applied their buffs.
Kincaid






Attributes have mostly gone into Dex past few levels and will continue to do so though I am planning to add some more to his Con as well. For skills he has spent last couple trains on Leadership to boost the duration of his Flanking Unity buff so it's less likely to wear off mid fight and require re-casting. For Talents with both Crippling Strikes and Darting Steel at AoE level he's turning attention to Flanking Unity to help rest of party hit better and Sure Parry to bolster his own defenses. Since he has gear buffing his movement, I'll likely focus on FU and SP until both are level 4 before starting to add his Live by the Blade for more mobility.

Overall he's doing pretty well but as we get into EP2 he'll be needing some upgrades for Armor and Weapons, luckily we can address both fairly early into EP2 so no worries there.

[xdesperado]

Vincent






Attributes as seen are still going into Int but will likely start working on Dex soon and perhaps some more Con. Skills are still getting split between Blades and Sorcery for most part though putting an occasional point in lore to help keep Charged Speed from wearing off as quickly. Talents He's got starts on charged Speed to help him keep up with party and get better positioning on battlefield. Also has start on Elemental Sundering to give him more offensive boost as he will increasingly now be expected to help cover the flanks and rear of party. With first rank of both those talents out of the way he'll go back to working Thundering Blades up to aid entire party Accuracy and Damage.

Vincent is starting to come into his own, Thundering Blades is already making a noticeable difference in combat and he's starting to show he can also be useful in helping guard flanks and clean up hurt foes.

[xdesperado]

Fyona






Attributes she's been mainly focused on Int as she needs SP to feed Holy Strickening and the addition of Reckoning will only make her need for SP greater. That said I'll likely drop a point into Will soon as that gives her 2 more points of Resistance which is cheap and I'm not going to forget her Con either as she's got to be able to stand in the line and take hits on occasion. Skills are pretty much all going to Hammers to help make sure those big hits of hers can actually land and to help bolster her melee defense. She just added first rank of reckoning and I'll likely give her a second one next before going back to working on Holy Strickening and Righteous Fervor.

Much like Kincaid she's about due for an upgrade in terms of Armor and Weapon. While she can still deliver a solid hit in combat and has decent armor, if she's going to act as a Tank she'll be needing better for both offense and defense sooner rather than later. As the more astute among you may have noticed, yes I did do a respec on her a few levels ago and removed the Shield of Cortias Talent. While I expect I'll add it back in later I feel like the extra rank of Righteous Fervor has already been more help than the loss of that buff.

[xdesperado]

Selen







Attributes she's been able to start focusing more on Dex thanks to finally starting to get some SP Drain gear. She'll likely continue adding to Dex with some points likely to get dropped into Con as well. Skills are still getting rotated between Stealth, Blades and Bows as can be seen. Talents will likely get split between Punishing Blades and Dance of Shadows. the first to help her better soften up heavily armored enemies for the party and the later to try helping her stay ahead of the Stealth curve for gaining surprise and eventually added mobility. Still want to add some Quicksilver Defense just need to figure out a good time to do so.

She's the only one to receive a new Weapon after the Baron fight and that was to help her with both Stealth and ensuring her Punishing blows can be used effectively. Having her perform well is more or less key in making this party successful. She wins surprise check and party can select best place for combat to take place. Her removal of ranged threats helps keeps damage down for entire party and anything she's softened up becomes much easier for other members of party to deal with.