Dodgydave said:
I'd love to give this tourney a go and the sept variant sounds very tempting.
The rules seem to have me slightly confused in places so I'll probably ask a lot of questions as I progress. Bear with me!
The rules have been clarified as the game has progressed. I have been trying to get the attention of a moderator to have a new set of rules replace the first post in this thread, but there has been no response. Therefore, I am using this post to provide a new copy of the rules with all the clarifications.
Still feel free to ask questions.
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Have you ever been obsessed with something (Diablo II perhaps)? An obsession can be overpowering. It can cause you to do things that you later regret. This tournament may become an obsession for you. No, strike that, this tournament is obsession. The basic idea is that you really have very little choice in what you do, except at the beginning when you select your obsessions. Here are the rules:
Your obsessions:
(1) At the beginning you select the character type that you are going to play. {Well, that is not so unusual!}
(2) Then you select a skill that you want to max out. You must put all points into:
- that skill (you must max it out)
- its prerequisites (only 1 point per prerequisite unless it is also a synergy!)
- its synergies (you must end up maxing out all synergies)
- the prerequisites of the synergies (Only 1 point per prerequisite unless it is also a synergy!).
NOTE: You can fill up your obsession skill and its synergies in any order. If you want, you can keep them all even by spreading the points over all of them. No restrictions at all. Except you can only use the obsession skill.
NOTE: You may find that you are putting a point (or points in the case of synergies) into Passive skills that are not your obsession skills. You will gain a wonderful benefit from that and it is perfectly correct to do so as long as those Passive skills are prerequisites or synergies of your obsession skill.
When your first obsession skill and all its synergies are maxed, you select a second skill to max out. Your second skill must be from a different skill tree. Again, you must put all points into either that skill or one of its prerequisites (only one point per prerequisite!), and then max all of its synergies.
When your second skill and all its synergies are maxed, you select a third skill to max out. Your third skill must be from the unused skill tree. Again, you must put all points into either that skill or one of its prerequisites (only one point per prerequisite!), and then max all of its synergies.
When that skill and all its synergies are maxed, you are free to use any other skill points that you acquire in any way that you want .
See the section on equipment to understand how skill obsessions impact your equipment.
(3) Then you select an attribute (Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Energy). Every time you level up (or receive your reward of 5 points from Alkor in Kurast dock area), you must spend four of your five points in that attribute. The fifth point can go to any attribute of your choice. {even an obsession must have some limit!} See the section on equipment to understand how this impacts your equipment. NOTE: You can never change this obsession. It remains the same for the life of the character. NOTE: Remember, even though Strength and Dexterity might seem like risky obsessions (Vitality seems best for HC), it is fairly easy to find the word Strength or Dexterity on most items (requirements!). That might be enough of an advantage to try Strength or Dexterity as your obsession. Unfortunately, there is no redeeming reason for selecting Energy!
(4) Then you select an element (fire, cold, lightning or poison). See the section on equipment to understand how this impacts your equipment. NOTE: You can never change this obsession. It remains the same for the life of the character. NOTE: A word like FIREBOLT contains the word FIRE and would be enough to declare an item usable if your elemental obsession is FIRE.
More on Skills:
Remember, the only skills that you are allowed to assign to the left or right buttons are your obsession skills (maximum of three, and maybe only one or two depending on how you select your obsession skills) and the simple attack or throw skills. If some of your prerequisites or synergies are passive skills, they will be used at all times.
WARNING: Think long and hard about your three skill obsessions and the order in which you take them. This is one of the keys to the tournament!!
NOTE: The sorceress mastery skills are to be considered synergies for their respective skill trees. Therefore, if your sorceress obsesses on a cold spell, she must maximize Cold Mastery, as well as any other synergies, before going to a second obsession. There are five exceptions to this rule: Frozen Armor, Teleport, Energy Shield, Warmth, Static Field do not have the mastery as a synergy because they get no benefit from the mastery skill.
NOTE: The Druid shapeshifting skills require the use of the basic skill to get to the more advanced skill. Example: You want to obsess on Feral rage. To use feral rage, you would have to use werewolf even though it is not an obsession skill. This is allowed. You simply put one point in werewolf (prerequisite), and then max out feral rage. To use Feral Rage, you activate werewolf and then immediately change your skill button to Feral Rage. A similar exception would be made for werebear and the skills used by werebear (Maul for instance).
EQUIPMENT
You can acquire equipment by finding it in the field, buying it, gambling it or receiving it as a quest reward. However, you are only allowed to wear equipment, wield weapons, or carry charms that have a reference to one of your obsessions.
NOTE: You can use the starting gear that your character receives at the beginning of the game, but not the skills on it unless you have that as your first obsession skill. Example is the fire skill staff that the sorceress receives. You can wield the staff, but you cannot use the skill unless it is your obsession.
NOTE: You can carry keys, scrolls, tomes, potions. It is just the charms that are limited! They are limited because you are not allowed to enhance your other elementals or other attributes through them unless they meet the basic requirement of referring to one of your obsessions.
NOTE: You can use those throwing potions if you like. There are no restrictions on them.
NOTE: You can carry and save any runes/gems/jewels. You can sell items, buy items, gamble items. You can get healed. You can use your cube that you find in Act 2. You can carry your cube with you or leave it in your stash. You can pick up and use arrows or bolts. You... Well, you can do most anything that is not carefully disallowed in the rules.
Second, the vitality obsession must have the specific word "Vitality". Not life or life steal or.... Similar rule for Energy. Mana does not count. The word on the item must be "Energy".
There are three ways that a piece of equipment may be declared usable:
(1) For the elemental obsession, your elemental word (either fire, cold, lightning or poison) must appear in the description of the item. One exception is that items with “resist all†are always usable.
(2) For the attribute obsession, your attribute word (either strength, dexterity, vitality or energy) must appear in the description of the item. One exception is that items with “+ to all attributes†are always usable. NOTE: other related words like life, mana, etc. do not count. Only the one word that you choose can be used to declare an item usable due to the obsession attribute.
(3) For the skill obsessions, the exact skill must be on the item as a skill mod or a Chance to Cast (CTC). + to all skills is not good enough. + to all skills in a tree is not good enough. It must refer to the specific spell that you obsess on. Also, synergies of the obsessed skill do not count for declaring an item usable.
NOTE: Once you are wearing the item, all of its other capabilities are usable except skill mods. You still are limited to using only your three obsession skills.
In addition, when you get to NM difficulty, you are limited to the following item types for all equipment:
- Any Set Items with some reference to one of your obsessions.
- Any Unique Items with some reference to one of your obsessions.
- Exceptional Items with some reference to one of your obsessions.
Finally, if you get to Hell Difficulty, you are limited to Elite items and exceptional (or elite) set or unique items. Again, these items must have some reference to your elemental obsession.
NOTE: When you begin NM or HELL, you will probably have to discard a large portion of your gear unless you have been able to prepare your equipment ahead of time by finding the exceptional/elite equipment. But remember, set and unique items may still be usable and all jewelry is still usable.
NOTE: The ruling for the circlets and there upgraded versions is this:
Circlet - Normal
Coronet - Normal
Tiara - Exceptional
Diadem - Elite
SET ITEMS
You may find a set item that appears to be useless. Look closely at the possibility of getting set bonus mods. For instance, if you have a set item that will give you +10 to all resistances when a second set item is worn with it, save it and you may be able to wear it later. You are allowed to wear a set item that does not reference any of your obsessions as long as it provides an enhancement to another set item and allows you to wear that other set item. However, the item that does not reference your obsession cannot be used to qualify for the 5 point bonus that is explained in the scoring section of the rules.
Examples:
(1) I have Hsarus's boots and belt. The belt has +20 Cold (my elemental obsession), so I can wear it. However, the boots are not needed to get that +20 cold, so I cannot wear the boots. Too bad for me!
(2) I have Isenhart's armor and helm. Neither of these has my obsession mentioned, however, when I wear both of them, the helm gives me +8 resist all. Therefore, to feed by obsession, I can wear both of them even though the armor itself does not mention any of my obsessions.
Later, I may find Isenhart's shield or sword. If I recall, the shield also can get +8 resist all as long as there is at least one other Isenhart item worn. I should be able to use that shield, but then I would not need the armor any longer. The sword has no reference to any of my obsessions, so it will not be used in any case.
SOCKETING
It is perfectly allowable to socket an item with a gem or rune (or rune word) that results in an item that contains your elemental obsession. For instance, a Stealth Armor has +30 poison resist and would qualify if your obsession was Poison. Another example would be to use a chipped ruby in a weapon to get fire damage when your obsession is fire. If you have other available slots, they can be used for anything.
NOTE: To use a runeword item in NM, you would have to find a plain old socketed exceptional item (like a ghost armor) and apply the correct runes. "Presto" you have an item that you can use if it has reference to one of your obsessions. To use a runeword item in Hell, you would have to find a plain old socketed elite item (like a Dusk Shroud) and apply the correct runes. "Presto" you have an item that you can use if it has reference to one of your obsessions.
UPGRADES and CRAFTING
Rares and exceptional items can be upgraded. That could come in handy when going to NM or HELL because you could continue to use the items that you have by advancing them from normal to exceptional or from exceptional to elite.
Crafting recipes can be used if the resulting item has one of your obsessions on it.
MERCENARIES
Any mercenary may be used, but you are not allowed to revisit previous acts to change mercenaries. The mercenaries must also conform to your obsession as far as their equipment is concerned.
SCORING
One point for every way point that you activate (including the town way points).
Two points for every quest completed. A quest is completed when the quest screen shows it as grayed out and completed. If you forget to talk to Asheara, forget to embue, forget to socket, forget to personalize, etc. then you don’t get your two points because you are not allowed to go back and fix it. Not even the embue quest when you go back to the rogue camp to run the Cow level.
Five bonus points for completing a difficulty level wearing an equipment item in all slots (including the merc and the switch weapon!). An exception is the shield. If you do use a shield, it must conform to the requirements, but a shield is not needed to receive the five point bonus. NOTE: It is possible that you may be wearing a set item that does not reference one of your obsessions, but is only worn to obtain a partial or complete set bonus on some other item. In that case, you cannot claim the 5 point bonus. It is perfectly allowable to save other items that do qualify and use them to qualify for the 5 point bonus even though you actually do not use them in the game play. NOTE: this bonus is declared when you finish the difficulty level.
Ten bonus points if you complete a difficulty level having assigned all of your attribute points to your obsession attribute. That means that all five points would always be assigned to the single attribute of your obsession during all five acts of that difficulty level. {Note: you can collect this for NM without having collected it for normal difficulty}
Every time you max out an obsession skill (including all of its synergies), you receive 10 points. NOTE: this bonus is declared as soon as you max out the skill. That would be a good time to declare your next obsession skill!
Other basic rules:
1. HC only.
2. Version 1.10, 1.11 and 1.11b are permitted. The Rune Word Module may be used. The RMM may be used.
3. No Multi-Player permitted. No trading permitted.
4. You may play on any players setting you wish, and change that setting as you see fit. Please do NOT engage in cheesy “kill monsters on players 1, open chests on players 8†tactics.
5. You may not use the escape key to bail out of a rough battle. If you cannot run away or portal out, RIP.
6. ATMA is permitted to extend your stash, but no items may be used except items that you find in this tournament, buy at stores or gamble in this tournament. Also, you are not allowed to use ATMA to equip items that are otherwise unequipible due to strength/Dexterity/level requirements.
7. You do not have to solve all quests or activate all WPs. Of course, you won’t get the score points!
8. You are not allowed to rerun any areas. When you must quit and return later, do not abuse this necessity by picking up any items or opening any chests in the area that you may have to revisit to get to your previous stopping point. Kill whatever you must kill to stay alive!
9. You are not allowed to go back to previous acts or previous difficulty levels for any reason. NOTE: there is one exception. You can go back to the rogue camp in each difficulty level to play the Cow level. If you forgot to save Wirt’s leg, you can go to Tristram to get the leg, but don’t kill anything or pick up treasure other than the leg. On P1 that should not be too dangerous! Killing the cows gives you no score bonus, but you might find something useful. If you do find an item that helps you get your 5 point bonus for filling all your equipment slots, that is OK.
10. The tournament will begin immediately and continue until there are no posts for 30 days. At that point, the best score will be declared the winner.
Replays:
Replays are allowed, but you must select a new character type. That means that you are limited to 7 attempts. If you want to start a new character before retiring or death of the first character, go ahead. You can have all seven possible characters going at once if you like.
Signing Up:
To sign up, enter a post that looks something like this:
Forum name: Wolron
Character Type: Barbarian
Character Name: Clobber
First Obsession Skill: Mace Mastery
Elemental Obsession: Fire
Attribute Obsession: Vitality
Required Posts:
Provide an update at the end of each act that includes level and any choice tidbits of information on how things are going. Begin by replying to the last post with the table in it. Erase everything before the table’s "Code" (in brackets) command and everything after the /code (in brackets) command. Update the table with your new score and location. Then include your new information in front of the table. It might look like this:
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Georgia has completed Act 4 and killed Diablo. She is playing on P8 and using her original weapon (a simple Javelin) because she has not found a spear or javelin with the required Cold element of her obsession. Her best find so far was a three socketed large shield that she put three perfect diamonds in to get +57 resist all. Her first obsession skill (Jab) is at level 20. Her second obsession skill (Valkyrie) is at level 8.
Score:
31 Way Points: 31
21 Quests: 42
1 Obsession Skills maxed out: 5
Total Score is 78
[then the table will appear here]
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You must post to announce your second and third skill obsessions as soon as you finish (max out) the previous skill obsession and all its synergies.
When you die or retire, notify via a final update.
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