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Demetrios1453 Plays the Gold Box Games
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<blockquote data-quote="Demetrios1453" data-source="post: 9280393" data-attributes="member: 6801060"><p><strong><em>Pool of Radiance </em>(Part 4): Exploring New Phlan</strong></p><p></p><p>Before we head off to the Slums, we have a few other things to take care of and look into.</p><p></p><p>First, we have spells to memorize! Time to find an inn. Luckily, one is just down the street from the weapons shop.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349193[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Always make sure you have that platinum piece at this point! I once came out of equipment shopping without it (I had like a total of 2 gp; one further thing to remember is that in 1e rules, 1 pp = 5 gp, not 10 gp), and, well, basically had to re-start. Right now, we have like 7 pp, thankfully.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349194[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Here's the camp screen, whether you're at an inn or camping outside. I'm sure our lovely innkeeper will be happy about the giant campfire we made in our room! At this point, we choose "Magic" so our cleric and our two magic-users can memorize their spells. First off is our Cleric:</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349195[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We'll choose two <em>cure light wounds </em>and <em>detect magic</em> (those monsters have to have magic items, right? Indeed they will...). Remember, this is pre-5e, so we have to choose spells for <em>every </em>slot, instead of just preparing a few and casting them as we wish with our slots. So if I want to be able to cast multiple <em>cure light wounds</em>, Brother Baltor is going to have to designate a slot for each and every one.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349196[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>So three spells ready to be memorized by our cleric! Our magic-users, however, aren't so lucky.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349197[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>I'm guessing 3e and later players' eyes are currently bulging in shock. Yep. One spell.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349198[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><em>Sleep</em> it is, for both of our magic-users (at least it's going to be very effective against the low-level foes we're about to encounter in the Slums). Thankfully, this is only the default starting spell list - there are plenty of more spells out there to add. Each magic-user will get one free spell each time they level, and they can of course copy spells from scrolls as they are found. But for right now, they're one shot with their spell use, and then it's time for the bows to come out until the next rest. With our spells chosen, it's time to rest.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349199[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We hit "Rest" and the time will go down to zero, and then all spells are memorized and good to go. In the high-level games, it can actually take several days of rest to regain spells if most spell slots have been used. Also, since we're in an inn, resting is no problem, but rest<em> can</em> be interrupted, with various degrees of probability, should we rest out in the wild (oftentimes, you'll get a message hinting or outright stating that some closet or other location appears to be unused and is a good place to get an uninterrupted rest).</p><p></p><p>So, here's where we've been so far:</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349201[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>(Starting in the upper right, then to the upper left, backtracked to the clerk's office, went south to the store, and now in the inn, where the arrow is).</p><p></p><p>Before we go back to the gate to the slums there in the upper left, let's check out what else Civilized Phlan has to offer. There's a whole street of shops beyond the one we went to, but they all have one of the same three inventories. We've already seen the weapons and armor inventory, so let's see what else is out there to buy.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349202[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]349203[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Nothing much exciting here at first glance. There aren't any lycanthropes or anything else allergic to silver in the game, so all those silver items are pretty much useless. But... at the bottom there, that outrageously-priced long bow? You'd think it's just another useless item, but it's not. In fact, is probably the best weapon in the game. See, it's a strength bow, so instead of using DEX to hit (and <em>not </em>to damage - regular bows did not do extra DEX damage in 1e), characters use their STR for their to hit <em>and</em> damage bonuses! That's right, the already OP bows have an even more OP upgrade! We'll be saving up our money to get one for every character. Even my halfling, with her 17 STR, will benefit because, well, <em>gauntlets of ogre power</em> are a thing in this game.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349206[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]349207[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Mirrors (why weren't they sold in the silver shop?) are helpful in reflecting gaze attacks back onto creatures that have them, so they will suffer its effect instead of their target. There are several creatures like that in this game, so they can be useful in those circumstances (as they take up a shield slot otherwise). Oil and holy water do some minor splash damage (only against undead for holy water). The symbols are nice for RP, but really don't have a purpose in game - they don't buff turn undead attempts, for example.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349205[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Taverns aren't terribly useful. You can hear (mostly false) tavern tales here, and quite often you can be swept up in a brawl (which at this point can be pretty dangerous).</p><p></p><p>Next, we'll go to the Training Hall, just so you can see what it looks like, since we'll be using the GBC leveling tool in these games</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349209[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>I guess it would be a bit gauche to outright call them "thieves".</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349210[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]349211[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Dueling here can be useful if you have a character that is <em>just</em> on the verge of leveling up. The duel can take you over the top, but only if the character survives. They go against their exact double in the duel, so oftentimes it just comes down to who wins initiative, which is way too swingy to be fun. Since we're using GBC leveling, just go out into the wild again and get those last few XP and level up out there!</p><p></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349212[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>You can hire hirelings here as well. While that may seem like a good idea, they will demand (and automatically get) a certain share of the loot. Not good when they walk away with that nice magic weapon! Because once an NPC has an item, there's not a way to trade it back to a regular character's inventory (something useful to remember for regular NPCs who join the party as well).</p><p></p><p>So let's leave here and go to the Temple of Sune across the street.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349214[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Not now, but let's see what you have!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349216[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>All temples in all the games will basically have this same menu, although in later games they might have some higher-level choices as well. The prices aren't listed, and they tend to be pretty steep. It's rare that you'll actually need to visit a temple, unless for some reason your cleric is the one needing the healing.</p><p></p><p>As we leave the temple and walk along the northern edge of the city next to the river:</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349217[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The fact that it's poisonous and barren will be something we'll be dealing with in the future!</p><p></p><p>OK, enough with this tour, let's go around the corner back to the gateway to the Slums:</p><p></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349215[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Nothing like suspicious glares towards the heroes trying to save your city from a fiery, monster-filled fate. I guess they're jealous, since if they were competent enough, they wouldn't be guards but real adventurers.</p><p></p><p>(Here's where we've gone in the civilized area)</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349218[/ATTACH]</p><p>(And here is the full map of Civilized Phlan from the cluebook for those interested. We've gone everywhere exciting, so no real spoilers here)</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]349219[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p></p><p>Next time: Into the Slums!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Demetrios1453, post: 9280393, member: 6801060"] [B][I]Pool of Radiance [/I](Part 4): Exploring New Phlan[/B] Before we head off to the Slums, we have a few other things to take care of and look into. First, we have spells to memorize! Time to find an inn. Luckily, one is just down the street from the weapons shop. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222134.png"]349193[/ATTACH] Always make sure you have that platinum piece at this point! I once came out of equipment shopping without it (I had like a total of 2 gp; one further thing to remember is that in 1e rules, 1 pp = 5 gp, not 10 gp), and, well, basically had to re-start. Right now, we have like 7 pp, thankfully. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222147.png"]349194[/ATTACH] Here's the camp screen, whether you're at an inn or camping outside. I'm sure our lovely innkeeper will be happy about the giant campfire we made in our room! At this point, we choose "Magic" so our cleric and our two magic-users can memorize their spells. First off is our Cleric: [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222335.png"]349195[/ATTACH] We'll choose two [I]cure light wounds [/I]and [I]detect magic[/I] (those monsters have to have magic items, right? Indeed they will...). Remember, this is pre-5e, so we have to choose spells for [I]every [/I]slot, instead of just preparing a few and casting them as we wish with our slots. So if I want to be able to cast multiple [I]cure light wounds[/I], Brother Baltor is going to have to designate a slot for each and every one. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 224129.png"]349196[/ATTACH] So three spells ready to be memorized by our cleric! Our magic-users, however, aren't so lucky. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222440.png"]349197[/ATTACH] I'm guessing 3e and later players' eyes are currently bulging in shock. Yep. One spell. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222457.png"]349198[/ATTACH] [I]Sleep[/I] it is, for both of our magic-users (at least it's going to be very effective against the low-level foes we're about to encounter in the Slums). Thankfully, this is only the default starting spell list - there are plenty of more spells out there to add. Each magic-user will get one free spell each time they level, and they can of course copy spells from scrolls as they are found. But for right now, they're one shot with their spell use, and then it's time for the bows to come out until the next rest. With our spells chosen, it's time to rest. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222523.png"]349199[/ATTACH] We hit "Rest" and the time will go down to zero, and then all spells are memorized and good to go. In the high-level games, it can actually take several days of rest to regain spells if most spell slots have been used. Also, since we're in an inn, resting is no problem, but rest[I] can[/I] be interrupted, with various degrees of probability, should we rest out in the wild (oftentimes, you'll get a message hinting or outright stating that some closet or other location appears to be unused and is a good place to get an uninterrupted rest). So, here's where we've been so far: [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222639.png"]349201[/ATTACH] (Starting in the upper right, then to the upper left, backtracked to the clerk's office, went south to the store, and now in the inn, where the arrow is). Before we go back to the gate to the slums there in the upper left, let's check out what else Civilized Phlan has to offer. There's a whole street of shops beyond the one we went to, but they all have one of the same three inventories. We've already seen the weapons and armor inventory, so let's see what else is out there to buy. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213105.png"]349202[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213122.png"]349203[/ATTACH] Nothing much exciting here at first glance. There aren't any lycanthropes or anything else allergic to silver in the game, so all those silver items are pretty much useless. But... at the bottom there, that outrageously-priced long bow? You'd think it's just another useless item, but it's not. In fact, is probably the best weapon in the game. See, it's a strength bow, so instead of using DEX to hit (and [I]not [/I]to damage - regular bows did not do extra DEX damage in 1e), characters use their STR for their to hit [I]and[/I] damage bonuses! That's right, the already OP bows have an even more OP upgrade! We'll be saving up our money to get one for every character. Even my halfling, with her 17 STR, will benefit because, well, [I]gauntlets of ogre power[/I] are a thing in this game. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213506.png"]349206[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213515.png"]349207[/ATTACH] Mirrors (why weren't they sold in the silver shop?) are helpful in reflecting gaze attacks back onto creatures that have them, so they will suffer its effect instead of their target. There are several creatures like that in this game, so they can be useful in those circumstances (as they take up a shield slot otherwise). Oil and holy water do some minor splash damage (only against undead for holy water). The symbols are nice for RP, but really don't have a purpose in game - they don't buff turn undead attempts, for example. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213231.png"]349205[/ATTACH] Taverns aren't terribly useful. You can hear (mostly false) tavern tales here, and quite often you can be swept up in a brawl (which at this point can be pretty dangerous). Next, we'll go to the Training Hall, just so you can see what it looks like, since we'll be using the GBC leveling tool in these games [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213651.png"]349209[/ATTACH] I guess it would be a bit gauche to outright call them "thieves". [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213706.png"]349210[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213717.png"]349211[/ATTACH] Dueling here can be useful if you have a character that is [I]just[/I] on the verge of leveling up. The duel can take you over the top, but only if the character survives. They go against their exact double in the duel, so oftentimes it just comes down to who wins initiative, which is way too swingy to be fun. Since we're using GBC leveling, just go out into the wild again and get those last few XP and level up out there! [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213723.png"]349212[/ATTACH] You can hire hirelings here as well. While that may seem like a good idea, they will demand (and automatically get) a certain share of the loot. Not good when they walk away with that nice magic weapon! Because once an NPC has an item, there's not a way to trade it back to a regular character's inventory (something useful to remember for regular NPCs who join the party as well). So let's leave here and go to the Temple of Sune across the street. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213743.png"]349214[/ATTACH] Not now, but let's see what you have! [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213754.png"]349216[/ATTACH] All temples in all the games will basically have this same menu, although in later games they might have some higher-level choices as well. The prices aren't listed, and they tend to be pretty steep. It's rare that you'll actually need to visit a temple, unless for some reason your cleric is the one needing the healing. As we leave the temple and walk along the northern edge of the city next to the river: [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213823.png"]349217[/ATTACH] The fact that it's poisonous and barren will be something we'll be dealing with in the future! OK, enough with this tour, let's go around the corner back to the gateway to the Slums: [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 213840.png"]349215[/ATTACH] Nothing like suspicious glares towards the heroes trying to save your city from a fiery, monster-filled fate. I guess they're jealous, since if they were competent enough, they wouldn't be guards but real adventurers. (Here's where we've gone in the civilized area) [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-26 214127.png"]349218[/ATTACH] (And here is the full map of Civilized Phlan from the cluebook for those interested. We've gone everywhere exciting, so no real spoilers here) [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-02-25 222744.png"]349219[/ATTACH] Next time: Into the Slums! [/QUOTE]
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