Circle of Eight Modpack 5.9.x/5.9.xNC General Commentary & Discussion Thread

It is impossible to fail the drinking contest. I did it twice without winning and the quest still stays blue until you win. After the first time you fail it, you should be mercilessly teased about being a lightweight after you wake up. Also, the rest of the bar patrons should give you the berries when you pass out, where everyone takes turns writing/drawing on your skin with permanent marker (decorum prohibits me from further detail among this august company) and putting glasses and bottles and cans all around you on the floor so that when you get up, you are most likely going to stumble on something and fall. Also, when you are in your room passed out, shovels and brooms and mops need to be placed against the corner of the door where it opens so that they all fall in when you try to come out. Tube toothpaste also gets replaced with Preparation H inside the tube and laxatives are added to your water jug/milk jug/canteen and mixed well. Cutting/shaving of the hair is optional.

 

I found another bug:

13) When I talk to Maurice at the Silver Consortium in VB, he will sell me the Castle of Lords again. I already purchased it and have put a few things in the chests there so I was a bit surprised when he offered to sell it to me again. I saved my game and then went through the entire line where he sells it. It did not deduct 100k in gold a second time but I have to wonder what kind of racket he is running. I hadn't been to VB in a while so maybe he had forgotten who I was and he sells it to any party who stumbles into town with 100k? I think I would like to have the deed in my hands next time...

 

That axe only appears to be of evil origin!

That is a masterwork crafted to +3 flaming defending greataxe.

And I'm wishing I would have taken good as one of my cleric girl's domains.

And thanks wizgeorge, I'll look for 5.91NC.

 

I went up against the will-o'-wisps on the third floor of the temple and experienced this there as well. Each member of my party receives a courage spell for each will-o'-wisp that they are up against. It's been around a while (at least 5.8.1 - maybe 5.5.0). Is no one else encountering this effect? And no, I do not have any paladins in my group. I do have a cleric of Pelor in my party. Would he do this?

 

I've seen this happen for years now. I just figured it was an effect that makes people want to follow it into the swamps and marshes to their deaths. Kind of a role playing thing. Or perhaps some kind of effect is needed on the characters for some advantage of the wisps to work.

 

Same here. I dont complain about benefits though.

 

Trolls should be more of a threat in the game than they currently are, according to SRD. They should get a free rend attack of 2D6+9 if both claws hit, which they currently do not...

 

The courage thing is a feat for the Wills that somebody put in a long time ago on a protos update. It's suppose to simulate something of their ability but I don't remember what.

 

I thought in fantasy lore that wisps put you in a trance or something... I dont think they give you courage.

 

Until you mentioned it, I always associated that courage aura coming from that circle of statues you see when you encounter the wisps on the third level. I had never come across them anywhere else myself.

 

Just finished my first game with 5.9.0, will be downloading 5.9.1 for my next run. I did one run through completely within alignment of Neutral Evil (didn't rescue the 2 Verbonc girls from the temple prison, therefore Wilfrick didn't have a bone to pick with the slave trade?). After completion, I went back to my earliest save, rescued them and he then was all of a sudden hot to trot to eliminate the slave traders. Well, he had the slave trade dialog after I rescued his daughter and that's the only thing I did different. Not complaining, just describing why I went back and played (slightly) out of alignment. If that's the way it's written, it's perfectly plausible for a father in his position.

Some observations:
1. Killing the guard on the corner between the Bazaar and Silver merchant triggers a "Butcher of Hommett" logbook entry. Confirmed from multiple stages of Verb. quest completion from multiple saves. Hommett is indeed ready to Badger you if you go there after that. Also, the fight in the pink haired eleven ranger's (Blue Goose?) Inn triggers the same Logbook Reputation and an angry Hommett. I know some changes were made that might effect this for 5.9.1, but I thought I'd mention it anyway since it might be independent of the fixes to make the Verb. Guards respond to parties that kill the wrong people. I would expect that rep for killing Wilfrick since Brother Smyth is apparently "friends" with Wilfrcik and has Verb. contacts. I don't know if this is intentional, just reporting.

2A. I was disappointed that there was no option to actually talk Gunther (and friends) into really joining the party, since some of us were of similar alignment and disposition (evil only thing?). Also, I had the paladin and Gunther turn on me in a wilderness encounter on my way to Hommett. They didn't wait up to get the elf barbarian's help.

2B. Also on my first playthrough, since I was new in Verb. and not wanting to make waves, my original plan was to allow Gunther to join the party, give me his information and then beat him unconscious and take him in. He was at minus 10 HP (non-lethal), unconscious, without any equipment, but alive when I took him in and he still managed to escape. I probably should have played that out, but I hit the power reload button at that point. If I'd been able to take him in like that, maybe that Gulag Captain would have made that random non-comment about saving the Verb. bureaucracy the trouble of a trial and hanging for these criminals a little earlier? Maybe in time for it to actually mean something?

3. If played honestly (no familiars, Mordy's Sword, animal friends, escaped orc prisoners, etc. in specific party positions) the slave traders encounter was awesome and very challenging. I can't wait to try it at a few levels lower and more "all business" (Necro's words from previous post) in 5.9.1.

4. All girl party (don't know if that matters), but Corporal Holly would never respond with anything other than "Hello." (whatever the response was for the rest of the constables and guards). It didn't matter if I was pretending to be good when I replayed from my old save, or being evil in my original playthrough. Quest completion didn't seem to matter either. The only quest line I didn't explore was Wilfrick's daughter's family issues.

5. Wilfrick's square/phalanx/whatever needs about 4 archers (okay, maybe 2) just like the one from the slaver encounter behind the square with rings of cold resistance. Have them target the party's spellcasters of course. Heck, make them "reformed" rouges with sneak attack capability. Also, I would suggest beefing up 1 wizard and 1 cleric to 50% more HP and give them rings of both cold and fire resistance. Cone of Cold and a dedicated archer take care of the spellcasters pretty quickly as is. In this instance, the party knows its going into a big fight and is easily prepped with its longer lasting spells (enlarge, bless, mirror image, greater heroism, minor globe, etc) before entering the range to initiate the battle. Lastly, just before entering range, or in the first round of melee, the party is hasted and greater invisibility given to the rouge and his bastard sword. They dropped like flies. When Wilfrick gave the order to break ranks, the only two people left alive were 2 soldiers on the other side of the square and Wilfrick himself. I think Gaear mentioned tweaking this battle for 5.9.1, so I will report again when I play it again. I know a lot of time and effort was put into making the square and it is viable (and different) with a few tactical tweaks. Also note, the square is already in a fight with the SB before the party arrives. I would assume they already have some spells active and in place. Just suggestions.

6. I would expect the Killing Wilfrick tag to go away in a week maybe if Lerrick actually succeeds in his power play to take over for the Viscount, and you're still a member in good standing of the SB? (I'm asking) And/or, a real assassin (maybe half an Iuz?) attacks the party to eliminate the evidence that he is linked to the those that killed Willfrick? Just a thought.

7. BTW, I did notice several different SB 18 HP cousin/nephews posted at many of the places I frequented around town. In one incarnation, I did manage to make them all disappear and trigger whatever that was at the Inn by killing Darlia (I think). I got the dialog of "The SB is after YOU!" in the first floor of the restaurant. Apparently, the guy hiding in my sleeping quarters jumped out like he was going to attack, took one look at BigMama and her glaive and hauled buggy out of there. She yawned, belched and slept soundly with no problems after that. IIRC from one of Gaear's previous posts, this encounter was possibly tweaked for 5.9.1.

8. I remembered an old post about some interesting dialog triggered by bringing Ashrem back to see his brother Alrem in his fire temple quarters. I was a member in good standing of both the Water and Earth temples at the time, but the fire temple went into attack mode as soon as Ashrem stepped into the room. Oh, well. I left him just outside the reactive Water Temple entrance. He didn't hang around for some reason, he was gone when I came back (imagine that). I didn't check to see if he re-spawned back in the nodes. I still have a save to check that if necessary. The reactive temple is a lot better overall, great stuff. No joining battle issues, the all wanted to whup me right then and there once combat initiated. Loved the Water Temple bugbears calling me out when I stepped in the room.

9. Where is the Hedrack's invisible troll? That sorry, low down, good for nothing, dirty rotten scoundrel of a bugger gave me an epiphany in 5.8 when I wasn't very intimidating. The one time I'm trying to use a bard and no rogue. Bugger. He wasn't there for my original or oldest save runthrough this time around. I kinda miss him.

I know all ^this is a day late and a dollar short, but I haven't noticed any input from parties that are actually evil. I read all the posts in this thread + the list of changes in the ToEE update thread and tried to limit the above to things that might still be an issue in 5.9.1. I realize some of it might already be fixed, if so, please disregard.

Great mod!! Way better than I expected for something that new and that big. BTW, when I remembered the rusty dagger, I knew exactly where the slavers were.

Ack! Wall-o-text. Sorry.

 

I had kind of a similar experience with Holly. I peaked at all the reputations and tried to shoot for Village Bicyclist with my last run (using 5.9.1) but was not able to trigger her dialogue. My party is mixed sexes with my lead speaker being male.

SPOILER(?):

I talked to the captain that triggers her change in dialogue and I did it after I got the drow quest but before I went down into the caverns but I never was able to get her to say more than good day. Is this out of sequence for getting Holly to talk? I will try to test this on my next run through (probably 5.9.2?) but I need a little help at this point on how to get her into my party.

 

I don't know what I'm missing but I can't find the slavers anywhere. I've searched every map at least twice looking for them and they're not to be found. If someone could tell me where they are supposed to be it would be a big help. Also discovered a bug while searching for the slavers. I went to HB to look there and was immediately attacked by an invisible, undetectable creature named Noblig. I couldn't target him with weapons or spells, and area effect spells did nothing either, but he would attack my wizard or sorcerer and anyone else who triggered an AoO. I reloaded and went to HB again, and this time just moved my characters as as far away from Noblig as fast as I could move them and after 5 rounds he was no longer there.

 

The Viscount gives directions. They went south then east headed for Dyers. Hommlet, Nulb and the surrounding areas are still a major part of the game.