[SPOILERS!] Pseudo-Iron Man: Temple Rush: Planning Thread: Colons!

Intro
Greetings, all!

With the encouragement by the mod's developers that Ironman mode is too prone to crashing and corruption to be worth it and just use normal mode as a pseudo Iron Man mode instead, I figured this would be a good planning thread.

Instead of 1 life, I allot my game 3 vetos. If we get a party wipe, or we get ambushed, that's usually a loss of a 'life.' Saving and loading due to continuation, bugs, or/and for copying Wizard scrolls I don't count as lives lost. (Wizards can take 10 in tabletop to just learn anything worth learning anyway, assuming 14+ INT and max Spellcraft ranks.)

Each time I complete a major gameplay or story section, I get an extra life. These are:

-Clearing Moathouse (and beating Lareth, not just stealing his diary)

-Clearing all 4 Temple nodes, including guardians.

-Beating Zuggtmoy.

-Completing the Arena of Heroes.

-Killing or incapacitating Iuz.

-Killing or incapacitating St. Cuthbert.

-Doing spoilery stuff in and around Verbobonc.

-We'll see.

Basic Assumptions
-If it's permitted in the game without using the console, or we encounter a bug that's best remedied by console use, it's legit for our purposes. This includes starting everyone with

arbitrary stats. (I'm not using the roll number for the ability score, because that's just too much, and it likely bugs the rest of my stats to single digits.)

-Everyone who can craft (except the Bard - possibly) will be crafting. I want to share the EXP cost among the party.

-I don't plan to multiclass any main party members. Caster levels and spell progression are too valuable to dip for a feat (like weapon proficiency) or something like a feat (a Wizard's familiar for +3 Appraise). Otis and Furnok are likely candidates for multiclassing (if the game will let me) since there's much to be gained by dipping.

Methodology
-I complete various Hommlet quests to get EXP and money, especially the Holy Dowry quest then make a 'hard save' and a backup. If I need to restart due to wiping, I don't want to have to redo Hommlet, especially when there wasn't much danger here.

-The goal of this party is to "invisi-Zerg" (that is, rush through various pre-Temple areas using the Ring of Invisibility from Furnok, then use scrolls of Teleport to warp where I need to go until I'm ready to face random encounters) to getting Otis, Screng, and Burne, likely keeping Furnok along the way. Once my party is "like a BOS" (Burne, Otis, Screng), I grind EXP and money for a bit, go back through the missed content (Emridy Meadows, Moathouse, etc.) to build my party's EXP and funds, and continue from there.

-Everyone will use a longspear or a glaive for a melee weapon - eventually. Everyone will use a sling as a ranged weapon as prudent, but mostly in the early levels.

Party Member Summary
-The party (with NPCs) is expected to be 8. I'd make it smaller if I could reliably get all the goodies I seek without all these people.

-The Druid is in mostly for the early-game Survival skill, but also gets a buncha disposable minions.

-I need the Bard for Appraise and social skills. Enchanting things and other magic is a bonus.

-I want the 2 PC Clerics for crafting Good weapons and Lawful weapons while being individually useful. (The Strength Domain just seems that good.)

-Furnok is for locks, traps, and his Ring of Invi-Zerging.

-Burne is useful as a Wizard, a level 8 Wizard I can get without killing anything after my vignette! He can also enchant enemies and items. Apparently, if I give him the Golden Skull, he doesn't get jealous and develop a case of homesickness which requires he return to his tower to fix "the runs."

-Otis is a level 10 Fighter I can get while my party is level 1! He's also fairly optimized!

-Screng is a level 9 Cleric I can get slightly after getting Otis. Turn Undead just became useful!

Party Members
Thomlin, NG Bard: Party buffer, charmer, face man, Appraise master.
Just progress Bard.

1: Improved Initiative, Skill Focus: Appraise
3: Combat Reflexes
6: Power Attack
9: Cleave
12: Great Cleave
15: Heigthen Spell
18: Extend Spell

Artemis, NG Cleric of Pelor (Strength & Good Domains): Melee fighter, healer, crafter.
Just progress Cleric.

1: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative
3: Craft Wondrous Item
6: Craft Magic Arms & Armor
9: Power Attack
12: Cleave
15: Great Cleave
18: Quicken Spell

Udressa, NG Druid: Party buffer, crowd controller, summoner, healer, crafter, Survival expert.
Just progress Druid.

1: Improved Initiative, Scribe Scroll
3: Craft Wondrous Item
6: Natural Spell
9: Combat Reflexes
12: Power Attack
15: Cleave
18: Great Cleave OR Quicken Spell

Ronald Rynnwrathi, LN Cleric of St. Cuthbert (Strength & Law Domains): Melee fighter, healer, crafter of Axiomatic weapons.
Just progress Cleric.

1: Improved Initiative, Martial Weapon Proficiency: Longbow
3: Craft Wondrous Item
6: Craft Magic Arms & Armor
9: Combat Reflexes
12: Power Attack
15: Cleave
18: Great Cleave OR Quicken Spell

Furnok, TN Rogue: Open Locker, damage dealer.
Rogue4 >> Fighter2/Barbarian2/Rogue+12

1: Dodge, Improved Initiative
3: Weapon Finesse
5: [Combat Reflexes]
6: [Cleave], Power Attack
9: Great Cleave
12: Weapon Focus: Glaive
15: TAKING SUGGESTIONS!
18: TAKING SUGGESTIONS!

Burne, LG Wizard: Crowd controller, charmer, buffer, crafter.
Wizard8 >> Just progress Wizard.

1: [Scribe Scroll], Spell Focus: Enchantment, Spell Penetration
3: Improved Initiative
5: [Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment]
6: Combat Casting
9: Craft Wondrous Item
10: [Craft Magic Arms & Armor]
12: Forge Ring
15: Greater Spell Penetration, [Empower Spell]
18: Combat Reflexes
20: [Quicken Spell]

Otis, NG Fighter: Melee DPS, wall of metal.
Fighter10 >> Barbarian2/Fighter2/Barbarian+6

1: Alertness, [Cleave], [Power Attack]
2: [Improved Initiative]
3: Toughness
4: [Great Cleave]
6: [Combat Reflexes], Point Blank Shot
8: [Precise Shot]
9: Toughness
10: [Rapid Shot]
11: [Fast Movement], [RAGE! 1/day]
12: Weapon Focus: Glaive
14: [Weapon Specialization: Glaive]
15: Greater Weapon Focus: Glaive
18: Greater Weapon Specialization: Glaive

Screng, NG Cleric of St. Cuthbert (Law & Protection Domains): Support caster, healer, crafter.
Just progress Cleric.

1: Combat Casting, Toughness
3: Alertness
6: Improved Counterspell
9: Spell Penetration
12: Craft Magic Arms & Armor
15: Craft Wondrous Item
18: Improved Initiative

Party Member Swaps
These characters are not planned to be around for the long haul. They're useful in short spurts. (I'm not counting Hommlet NPCs I recruit to strip for me then kill or kick out.)

Spugnoir
He can cast teleport from a scroll. Unlike advertised, Spugnoir does not seem to demand any scrolls that I find! He enters once I'm otherwise done in Hommlet, then I remove this caster once Burne joins or is about to join my group so Burne can cast teleport instead. From spell slots. Once he's level 9.

Thrommel
He has the Sword That Always Hits. Once I reach the Temple, someone (Furnok or Ronald, most likely) will sit out for awhile. If Thrommy dies, so be it, but at least I have another level 10 Fighter at my command!

I also discovered how to obtain and keep both Fragrach and Scather, Thrommel's dual swords!

Location Order
-Start: Shop!

-Hommlet: Do quests for EXP and money and locations and a Holy Dowry. Recruit Furnok and Pishella. Buy 2 Teleport scrolls. Save.

-Emridy: InvisiZerg to the Hill Giant's treasure. Leave promptly thereafter.

-Moathouse: InvisiZerg with Furnok to Lareth's diary. Leave for Nulb.

-Nulb: Do any quests I want here. Talk with Otis about the Temple. Leave him here for now.

-Temple: Enter the front door then return to East Hommlet for Burne.

-Nulb: Get Otis. Get Screng.

-Emridy: Level up.

-Moathouse: Finish there.

-Temple: Proceed as normal.

Craft along the way.

Version History
[2 16 16] 1.1
-Udressa the Druid starts with Scribe Scroll (to be Burne's research and crafting assistant) instead of Combat Reflexes. Adjusted Udressa's feat plan slightly.

-Swapped out a PC LG Cleric of St. Cuthbert (to craft Axiomatic weapons) for Ronald Rynnwrathi (to craft Axiomatic weapons). This frees a PC slot for NPC purposes. I know if I park Ronald in Hommlet, he'll be safe.

[2 16 16] 1.0
-Initial release! (Planning and typing this took about 90 minutes)

Finally...
Comments? I'm taking suggestions for improvements, here!

 

Very interesting plan. Do everything in Nulb in one fell swoop after you get Otis then never go back. What do you plan to do about scather? Your party will be too big to escort the prince to safety.

 

Also I would recruit Elmo just long enough to complete the tailor/militia quest. You gain way more than 200 GP just by taking his excess treasure and the +1 dagger he will give up immediately. Plus you can sell Jinerth's crossbow for extra cash. I would also recruit the low level wizard just long enough to take his stuff then kick him out. Do you plan to recruit Fruella for her cleaver? I often do and then she dies a tragic death. So sad. You can kill off 2 hommlete residents this way. Perhaps Fruella and Elmo since you are keeping Furnok?