Relocated Assassins

[Lemernis]

Are both pairs of assassins supposed to ambush you at the same time? If so I would strongly recommend splitting the two groups up so that Lamalha's and Molkar's gangs attack you at different points (looks like the trigger is XP or level related).

 

For my level 3-4 party this seems virtually unwinnable. They're just plain outgunned. What level are they?

[Shaitan]

It's a unfortunate situation which sometimes happen. I use to reload as I quickly get chunkified. The trigger is (I guess) when you reach level 3.

 

I sometimes gets only one assassins and not all four of them.

[Lemernis]

Lol, well I'm getting all seven of them!

 

I tried to time the level-up so that it was inside FAI. They didn't spawn when I was inside. Instead they showed up as soon as I stepped out the door. So I figured I could go back inside FAI for Bentley's help but he just stands there with his thumb up his ass. (Actually, in the unmodded game Bentley goes ballistic if you attack anyone in his inn. So he really ought to help. Also, in Forgotten Realms lore the Friendly Arm has zero tolerance for violence.)

 

I'm going to see if I can manage this on the streets of Nashkel where the guards should step in to help. I'm only 109 Xp from the level-up so I'll scribe a spell or two. Come to think of it I could also try bringing the assassins into High Hedge and see if Thalantyr and his flesh golems will help.

[Lemernis]

Heh, they would not spawn in Nashkel (smart buggers).

 

I had to uninstall this component. I hope I can still find Lamalha's group in the map where one encounters them in the vanilla game. If not I guess I could CLUA them. I haven't yet visited Gullykin where Molkar's group is stumbled upon, so I'm assuming I'll find them there.

 

Not to quibble, but the readme mentions that some players' parties get wiped out by these assassins because those players "race through" chapter 3. In fact if you're following the storyline it's the appropriate thing to do. The first time I ever played the game I didn't sidequest at all, I followed the clues where they led. Of course by the same token, if all one ever did was follow the storyline there'd be no sidequesting at all, I realize that too.

[DavidW]

Not to quibble, but the readme mentions that some players' parties get wiped out by these assassins because those players "race through" chapter 3. In fact if you're following the storyline it's the appropriate thing to do. The first time I ever played the game I didn't sidequest at all, I followed the clues where they led. Of course by the same token, if all one ever did was follow the storyline there'd be no sidequesting at all, I realize that too.

 

And in fact, if all one ever did was follow the storyline, in the vanilla game probably one wouldn't run into the assassins at all

 

The point is, it's difficult to ensure something is balanced for all styles of play in the early game. That component errs on the side of assuming you're sidequesting. I don't particularly have views about whether that's a better or worse way of playing.

 

(that isn't to excuse the double spawning, of course; that's a bug).

[Lemernis]

Not to quibble, but the readme mentions that some players' parties get wiped out by these assassins because those players "race through" chapter 3. In fact if you're following the storyline it's the appropriate thing to do. The first time I ever played the game I didn't sidequest at all, I followed the clues where they led. Of course by the same token, if all one ever did was follow the storyline there'd be no sidequesting at all, I realize that too.

 

And in fact, if all one ever did was follow the storyline, in the vanilla game probably one wouldn't run into the assassins at all

 

The point is, it's difficult to ensure something is balanced for all styles of play in the early game. That component errs on the side of assuming you're sidequesting. I don't particularly have views about whether that's a better or worse way of playing.

 

(that isn't to excuse the double spawning, of course; that's a bug).

 

True, while Lamalha's gang is waiting for you outside the mine's "back door" exit, there's no sensible reason to explore any deeper into the mines at that point. My first time playing the game I didn't realize that door was there. I went back out the way I came in. I suppose you could just be checking to make sure there are no more kobolds about anywhere in the mines, though.

 

Each group should be defeatable at PC level 3, I agree. Although I find what makes the assassins particularly difficult is the party at that stage of the game typically lacks adequate resources to counter being stunned and held.

 

The whole issue of where to fit in sidequesting while sensibly following the story is one I have never satisfactorily worked out. In light of the storyline, when does it make the most sense to roam the countryside? For me it's quite early in the game when the importance of the Iron Throne intrigue, and its relevance to you personally, is still extremely vague. Plus some NPCs have personal quests to fulfill which have you traveling about, thereby increasing your appetite for the thrill of adventure and loot. But anyway, I can never quite decide if it seems to make more sense storywise to do it after the Nashkel mines or the Bandit Camp.