Benefits of playing as a a Bard

[hq3473]

Wanted to share funny anecdote from my recent game:

Easiest run on Mana Temple Ever:

1. Tamed a killer bug from the Bug Temple and took him with me to the Temple.
2. Detected and disarmed all traps
3. Opened the inner door with Stealth 100%. The monsters ignore me...
4. Cast Far-sight (obtained from level 18 Power)
5. Systematically ordered the killer bug to massacre all residents of the Temple (including Nuurag-Vaarn!)
6. Waltzed over and collect the Orb.

Bards Forever!

[gut]

I'm actually not upset at reading this. If one goes through all the trouble of bringing a pet along for all that ride, they should enjoy a nice coast at the end.
Shame about pets and d:50 though, should we ask for an rfe on that?

[Al-Khwarizmi]

Shame about pets and d:50 though, should we ask for an rfe on that?
I don't think that's a game-breaker. You still have to be careful to clear D:50 with a pet. If you are able to do it with a pet you probably are able to do it without it as well, at least with a sufficiently good char.

[Stingray1]

Has anyone even tested what happens to companions on D:49? Can they walk on the ice, must you push them, can you swap, etc? I've for long been contemplating making the cute dog do all the killing. As a challenge game.

[LFk]

None of this is from personal experience, because I've never tried to take a pet to D:48, but the very conclusive answer is no.

1) The fire anomaly damages everything on the map, and it seems it lists the PC as the source of the damage. I read that this will turn your companions against you, especially Necromancer slaves as the more powerful undead minions are susceptible to fire.
2) Pets cannot cross D:49. I suspect you may be able to swap them, but you cannot push them in any way. This makes it impossible to traverse D:49 with a pet in tow.

I've read the improved guidebook very thoroughly back in the day for 1.1.1., and this is what I remember of it.

However, I have not read up on all the nuances of the prerelease changes for 1.2.0., mostly to leave out a few spoilers like discovering the new artifacts for the first time. Any changes to the way D:48/49 works in 1.2.0, I wouldn't know about. On my one playthrough with an Elementalist, I didn't notice any differences.

[Stingray1]

Wrt the fire anomaly, you can simply leave the companions on another level when dropping the orb into the anomaly.

Point no. 2 is the decider then. Unless you have a companion that can throw/shoot missiles. :) Maybe.

[Soirana]

Wrt the fire anomaly, you can simply leave the companions on another level when dropping the orb into the anomaly.

Point no. 2 is the decider then. Unless you have a companion that can throw/shoot missiles. :) Maybe.

Wasn't it like - pets simply don't go from d48 to d49 - like friendly waving you goodbye on suicide mission?

[Stingray1]

Yes, IIRC correctly nothing follows the PC to D:49. We are contemplating changing that.

[Blasphemous]

I think it would make sense for a PC that relies on pets/slaves to bring them through D49 all the way to D50.
It's a rather rare situation when PC needs a pet to get through something, an occasional summon of GEE or a greater moloch to deal with a single problem doesn't count.
I think this won't be abuseable in some game-breaking way.
Necromancers can still carry corpses and animate them on D50, it's a stretch but it's doable.
Bards suffer the most since they can't take pets they've been leveling for a long time throughout the game.
Perhaps only lift the restriction of no-pets through D49 for bards? That would be thematically proper I think, something to do with their special "bond for life" with their pets.

[Stingray1]

If it's not game breaking, which I agree with. Unless, I'm missing something. I think it is fine to extent this to every character and not only for bards.

If you indeed cannot push companoins on D:49 that will have to be changed.

[_Ln_]

How about pushing companions make them slide for some tiles (as well as pushing you back) but they can't move on their own? I understand that this is silly, but I'm afraid there is no reasonable mechanic.

[Stingray1]

That does make sense and the player will then still need to figure out the shooting trick to get back to next to the companion(s) or progress. Or abuse summon monsters, which I don't think is game-breaking, just the player using his/her ingenuity.

[anon123]

like friendly waving you goodbye on suicide mission?

I like this interpretation of the current behavior.

[gut]

All a PC currently has to do is stockpile a few blessed SoFS to have monster pets on D:50 anyway. What would be so bad about letting a killer bug or 2 in?

EDIT: and regarding mechanics, I think the best one would be making the pc kick the companion to the down stairs. Alternatively, they could shoot it or throw heavy items at it, such as anvils or huge rocks, in order to make it slide (would probably have to heal it a few times along the way). Another possibility is thrown fireball gems or alchemy to produce a force blast which could help slide them along.

Or we could just use :s

[Stingray1]

No, just pushing them is the most sensible solution. I do think you were joking though, but in this forum one can never be certain. :s should still make you swap.(Debatable)

Edit - I sense the need to explain this mechanic, when you press a direction key towards a companion, you are pushing them.