The Wise Cleric's Guide

In a post by Deurack in Garble’s Guide to Power Leveling in the Badlands., he brings up a good point about Turn Undead and Charisma. I was going to post this there, but when it got this big, I decided it would be best to start a new thread.

The way NWN did the mechanics behind 'Turn' is that it is "hit-dice" based. Only Paladins and Clerics get 'Turn'. I think COT can add to 'Turn' but does not get 'Turn'.

A Cleric uses his / her Cleric levels to determine the base 'hit'. A Paladin is 'Paladin level -2'. Cleric levels and Paladin(-2) levels are added together. All other class levels are ignored. COT levels might be used, I don't remember. This number is compared to the 'hit-dice' of the Undead monster. If the undead has a greater number, you just lost. PERIOD.

Once you do hit with 'Turn', your Charisma bonus is used to determine the strength and damage. It starts at your location, moving in a growing spiral. The 'turn' will attempt to turn as many undead as your charisma bonus and stop regardless of how many were turned. The charisma bonus is used again to determine weather you killed them or just softened them up.

There is a dice roll here for each undead. Each undead rolls it's own dice and you roll for each undead monster. Some will be 'Turned', some will not.

Feat: Turn Outsider works the same way except with different numbers. Taking Turn Outsider will strengthen Turn Undead as well as all the other 'Turn' based monsters. Other 'Turn' based monster are 'Domain' based. Only Clerics get a Domain.

I have actually gone into the 'Turn' Script to get the exact list.

• Element
  • AIR_DOMAIN_POWER
  • EARTH_DOMAIN_POWER
  • FIRE_DOMAIN_POWER
  • FIRE_DOMAIN_POWER
    • (fire domain counts as +2)
      
• Vermin
  • PLANT_DOMAIN_POWER
  • ANIMAL_COMPANION
• Constructs
  • DESTRUCTION_DOMAIN_POWER
• Outsider
  • GOOD_DOMAIN_POWER
  • EVIL_DOMAIN_POWER

There are several pitfalls here as far as BadLands goes.

1. If you want to turn a construct in Highland, you will need something like 35 cleric levels and the Destruction Domain. I'm not sure if Paladin and COT levels will stack here or not.
2. This NWN script has NOT been modified to see over level 40, so you will never be able to turn a Construct in the Doom Mines.
3. Players are not recognized as anything except players.
   
   • Monk level 16+ should be an Outside, but NWN did not provide support.
   • Elemental Subraces are not seen as true elements.
   • Pale Master level 10 should be seen as Undead and should become evil, but NWN does not provide this support.
   • The list goes on....

I do have plans to change most of this in the future. I was working on, and did most of it in a mini-mod that includes a new quest to become a true Lich.

The way the Lich thing works is you need to be 30 levels of Wizard or 30 levels of Sorcerer and 10 levels of Pale Master and Chaotic Evil. Once you do the "quest" (no details here) you can be transformed into a Lich. But guess what? For all the extra power you get, a well built Undead Hunter has the means to take you down because ..... you are now Undead!

Don't hold your breath and don't get your panties in an uproar, cause it won't be finished anytime soon. But, the PVP Action goes on.

Garble’s Guide to Power Leveling in the Badlands.

There are other ways to do it. But if you’re tired of wandering about the mosquito wolfe killing trolls 200 exp, hunting for slaad tongues to sell for a pittance or wasting precious time looking in potted plants for spare change this might help. I’m going to keep spoilers to a minimum. I’ll say what/how but not where so you’ll still need to explore.

The basic idea is to use a caster to get gold, blue bolt this gold to your other toons, and use the uber equipment to own the 800exp areas.

You need a good build to start with. A con based S29/PM10/R1 is solid all around. If you’re not sure what spells you’ll want you can change it to a wizard and have a little more flexibility. Shade is a good Subrace.

Take this build down to the dozo ruins and start killing rats with burning hands. You’re going to want to stay down there until you’re level 8. It won’t take long. You don’t really need to upgrade any gear yet since you’ll want 12K gold for a hasted cloak at level 9. This will get boring but it’s quick. If you get good at aiming you’ll be killing 7-9 spawns with ha single spell at 87 exp each. By the end. That’s not too shabby. You’ll want to use ghostly visage as your only defense. It’s all you need.

Now go to the smoke shack as quickly as you can. Please be careful to kill your spawns or Q will be displeased. Under no circumstances should you turn invisible and run through. The exp is low and it’s tempting to just bypass these areas but it’s against the rules so don’t do it. Going through this area the right way will net you one level.

Once you have a haste cloak your lvl 9 caster can grind out bugbears / slaad / harpy for exp. You’re going to want to get to lvl 11 as fast as you can. I like the harpy/hags for the exp. Your spells will make you immune to mind attacks so you’ll have a nice advantage. This is actually the first slowdown for your build.

When you are level 11 you can go to the UD and put +5AC to your Robes, Belt, Boots, Amulet and +12 to your Chr/Int. You won’t have this much money but that’s what you’re building towards.

When you can cast Undeath to Death go and hunt vampires. Invisibility is a nice defense if needed. Rest often and level very very quickly. Stay here even when the exp drops off. The UtD kills them so fast it’s insane.

When you can cast Bigby’s forceful hand you can kill the royal assassin and get your first boss drop. Farm him and Stride for their drops until you have enough gold to max out your gear. This should get your to lvl 18 or so. Now it’s time for the Drow. Invisibility, Wail, and IGM will help you lvl quickly with 800 exp a kill. If you don’t have max gear get back to the boss farm. Unless you have more than three MOBS on you your best damage spell will almost always be IGM. Don’t waste time looking for gold in plants or chests. It’s quicker just to farm.

When drow start to drop off in exp you want max your fort save and hunt azers. You might die once or twice on a bad save but it’ll still work out in the long run. Than make your way up the mountain and kill spiders and frost giants. If you started with a non-caster the giants are where your money troubles end.

Once you have 10 levels of PM you can kill the weapon master. (how should be obvious). Your money troubles are now completely over. Build up a nice bank of gold to transfer to your other toons.

Your next build can have Haste, +20AC and +5 to their weapon, and +12 to their main attribute at lvl 11. With this equipment advantage you’ll be able to level well ahead of your ‘proper’ level.

As a side note, the dev shield is well worth still spell, auto-still spell 1-3, and shield proficiency for your caster toon.

More Character Building Tips for BadLands RPG

Character building takes a certain thought process and proper method to not turn out like crap on BadLands RPG. Here's a few ideas to help you along.

Few things to remember and consider in my opinion are as follows.

1.) No one build is going to accomplish everything, so you need to make a hand full of toons to get the job done.
2.) Decide what you want to accomplish, are you going for PvP or to kill a specific Boss or maybe a dual purpose when alotted.
3.) Do you need to be Crit Immune? Spell resistant? Have an exceptionally high Attack Bonus? Ect…
4.) Some excellent feats to consider on BadLands include in no specific order, Dev Crit, Epic Dodge, Epic Mage Armor, Epic Warding, Knock Down / Improved Knock Down, any Great Attribute feat, epic prowess, armor skin, blind fight.
5.) Don’t screw up your PRE-EPIC ATTACK BONUS!!!! By taking your 3rd class to early!
6.) I like to focus all attribute points into 1 attribute. Choose a subrace accordingly. A good basic dev-crit build will want all points into strength at character creation, then choose a subrace with a strength bonus to add even more. Same goes with a good dexer.
7.) Don’t use shitty weapons, there are excellent boss drops to be had, make sure you focus your build to use them. Research the links in the side bar of this blog to choose a good weapon.
8.) Don’t take your skill points for granted! Use them to the best of your ability without wasting them! Tumble, Use Magic Device, Heal, Concentration, Discipline, open lock are excellent ones to use if you didn’t already know that.
9.) Use a shield if you can! One of the best boss drops in all of BadLands is the Devastation Shield.
10.) Spend some time outlining your character on paper, don’t waste precious game time hoping you have all the requirements met for your character, a few minutes out of game goes along way to a successful in game character.
11.) Keep your equipment always maxed for what ever level you are currently at. If you’re lvl 16, make sure your armor and weapons are upgraded that high ect. Every little bit helps ensure your survival before you hit lvl 21 and can max out everything.
12.) Don’t forget to add extra spell slots to your cloak! Especially you mages and clerics out there!
13.) You can only have a +12 total attribute bonus to your gear, so don’t waste space and money adding more than that.
14.) Keep a watchful eye on your level splits, no need taking extra pale master if you don’t finish on a level that gets you that extra AC bonus.

These are just a few things you can do to make sure you do end up with a crappy character on BadLands RPG. Please make sure to add your advice in the comments section.

Character Building for BadLands RPG

The discussion about how to build a toon (character) is never finish, old, or boring. One more time, it has come up in-game. Most can't start a new topic here at The Blog, so I will because a few have asked for it. I will collect the links to the older topics and publish them here, then open it to an 'open mike night'.

If you find something I missed, send me the link so I can add it here. As new topics are made, I will try to add them to this list.

Let me remind you, that what works on one server may not work on another server.

Links arranged oldest to newest.

• Character Building Calculater (requires Microsoft Excel)


• Legendary Levels


• The best part of playing a cleric is the buffs, the worst part is casting them


• WTF, my build sucks!!


• "WTF, My Build Sucks!!" (Part 2)


• WTF my char stills sucks, AGAIN!


• I CLAIM NO CREDIT FOR THIS, THIS CAME FROM TERRY17


• Feat: Blindsight 60


• UBER Barbarian


• Alignment shift


• Question about AC and Ride


• Game Balance


• HGLL and balance


• The Building of an Ogrillon


• Another One Bites the Dust (how NOT to build your toon)


• The Two-Bladed Warrior


• Big Bad Dev Crit DC


• More Character Building Tips for BadLands RPG


• Garble’s Guide to Power Leveling in the Badlands.


• The Wise Cleric's Guide


• A List Of The Classics (build recipies)

The New Evil Guild

Skullcrusher (Troll Snott) has reached level 50 and been given a guild slot. He wasn't my first choice in guild leaders, but Darian thinks enough about him and made it happen. But, nobody else was willing to stand up and say, "I want some abuse time too!"

"Black League"

"Dirty deeds done dirt cheap! Want us to steal candy from your baby brother? We will kill him to get it! Want your neighbors old dog kicked? We will castrate him too!"

Skullcrusher is one of those brash types that just rubs you the wrong way. Speaking of which, I've got a fresh story about Skullcrusher and a noob.

I was on the other day as Qwildurn DM. Not many players on and one I didn't know, so I port over to say High and welcome. This new player didn't waste any time complaining to me about Skullcrusher.
"I asked him a simple question and he got all mad and was real nasty to me. And then he lied to me and claimed to be a DM."
"Skullcrusher is one of my DM's.", I replied. "Me and all my DM's are players first, DM's second. You will find them playing more than DM'ing. What was it you wanted to know?"
Chatter continues and he tells me that a "good DM" will be happy to give new players armor and good stuff. I begin to tell him about the guilds and how the entire realm is one big playing field, and he says to me,
"Yes, I know all this. I had a level 59 before the wipe."
Did I fail to mention his question to Skullcrusher was, "What is there to do in this world?"
"No wonder Skullcrusher got pissed.", I was thinking.

Badass Hall of Fame

Who thinks they have what it takes to be a BadLands RPG Badass?

We all know it's easy to make a botched-up build. It's not all that hard to make a decent toon actually. But, who has what it takes to build a truly remarkable and outstanding character. And, why is this build of yours so damn tough? What has it (he/she) accomplished that is noteworthy? What is unique about your special toon?

This is not a trip down memory lane and what you had before the wipe, but rather, what have you done lately!

Guess Who's Back?

Shady's back...back again...Shady's back...tell a friend...guess who's back, on his back, been attacked, he's so whack...

Ok, I cant do much more of that. Anyway, after SWEARING that he's gone for good, and we can all suck it (ect) he's back. He says that he needs to recreate his "army" of toons before he'll make another guild, because you need an "army" to run a guild. That way when someone smacks your build around like a little bitch you can try to find one that can kill the bitch slapper. I remember him and Quad taking LITERALLY 20 minutes trying to come up with 2 builds that could kill Belpheron after I challenged him. Yeah, I challenged HIM and he wouldnt fight me without Quad there. It took me all of about 10 seconds to kill them both, after they had 20 minutes of preparation.

That's why I'm so excited about seeing Dano and Quad back together again. The server just wouldn't be as fun without them, and we wouldn't have as many opportunities for homosexual innuendo either.