Golemancer Attempt No.2
- Thread starter LozHinge the Unhinged
- Start date
LozHinge the Unhinged
Active member
Hi JB, sorry you lost all your characters! That sucks. I try to remember to back mine up to a memory stick - usually whenever I find some irreplaceable item or the next exp level.
I've re-built my summoner and started a poisonmancer - poor old Balboa is a bit neglected but I'll get back to him. I can't let the OKs in the CS think I'm scared of them (no matter how true that may be).
I've re-built my summoner and started a poisonmancer - poor old Balboa is a bit neglected but I'll get back to him. I can't let the OKs in the CS think I'm scared of them (no matter how true that may be).
LozHinge the Unhinged
Active member
A trip down memory lane and beyond ...
I cannot imagine people either remembering, or caring about, this fella, but (on the off-chance you do) I'm pleased to announce GumbyBalboa has been active again.
After a long break, GB has picked up his wand and shrunken head once more, with a view to becoming a Patriarch. The original goal I had, P8 all the way, has of course gone by the wayside. GB will complete the game now at P1 (I can no longer tie up my computer for weeks at a time on this project :whistling: ). The other rules remain in place, single-pass and self-found only (but using the ATMA extended stash).
Balboa has picked up where he left off, many months ago, at the City of the Damned WP and just about to descend to the River of Flame. He has for company a Defiance Merc and a Bec de Corbin Malice Iron Golem. Both GB and his merc are Level 87. The first thing I did was to sink 7 unspent Skill points in Dim Vision (a no-brainer for me - I am a lot more experienced now than when I started this character). Other modifications were put in place, again the benefit of a lot more D2 experience coming through.Another D'uh decision ... the Defiance merc must eventually go, in favour of either A HF or Might merc ...:scratchchin: (GB still has 114 spare Stat points, he's awaiting some juicy piece of kit that requires Strength, otherwise it would go into Vita.)
The River of Flame and other Garden Spots ...
After such a long break, Balboa felt rusty (no, there's nothing slightly double entendre here, no pun intended) and reviewed his arsenal of Curses in readiness for his first outing in well over a year. The merc's Atma's Wail armour ... "Really, what was I thinking?" - was stashed now, in favour of a Treachery Dusk Shroud. Rusty himself looked as shiny as he did early last year, so no further effort was needed.
The RoF spawned fairly friendly, Maggots, Urdars and Abyss Knights. Nothing that DV, Terror and AmpDam couldn't handle. Boss packs needed to be broken up and occasionally the terrain proved difficult, but at P1, all was easy. Even Hephasto was a mere bump in the road. The Hell Forge was Pul (I believe this is GB's second Pul), nice but not awesome. (Still, it was better than my Furyzon's, a Ko - meh. She mat'd today, btw!. Er, enough digression ...)
Cue the Chaos Sanctuary, and a series of Iron Maiden inspired merc deaths - about eight, I think. After the first four, Balboa lost patience with the simple-minded Jemali and decided to go it alone with Rusty. Madness, I said, but Balboa told me to wait and watch. True enough, Rusty's talent for inflicting Open Wounds was remarkable - to the extent that large portions of the CS were cleared without the help of the merc! Jemali was resurrected for the Seal Bosses (and died a few more times).
The strategy Balboa used in the CS was to cycle DV, Attract, Life Tap, AmpDam and Decrep - this had the effect of silencing large crowds, tying up the OKs, controlling their movement and mitigating the attacks of the heavy hitters, whilst maintaining the two fighter's lives and of kill speed. (It was at this point that I remembered why I love playing this character - the tactical play is like nothing else I've tried).
Finally, The Infector, Lord de Seis and the Grand Vizier were all dust and it was time for Big D. Balboa was not confident - his stock of Rejuvs was almost all gone and Diablo isn't known for being gentle with mercs but nevermind. The Golemancer cast Decrep on the Big Nasty as soon as he appeared, and Jemali and Rusty engaged. Soon, Jemali was bleeding from numerous wounds as he took the brunt of Diablo's assault. The meagre supply of rejuvs was almost gone, and switching from Decrep to Life Tap only seemed to make things worse ... but then, a flurry of blows from Jemali and Rusty renewed their life force, and the crippling Decrepify once more subdued Diablo's attackes. The Demon could not direct his lightning hose to any great effect and Balboa himself was able to shrug off the flames of Diablo's Ring of Fire. All rejuvs were now gone, health potions were quaffed, Diablo was visibly weakening and then ...
... the Prime Evil was dead. Balboa had done it!
Balboa, the golem and the merc passed through the red portal and ended up in some sort of low-rent Barbarian ghetto. Jemali kept trying to engage the Golemancer in some sort of celebratory conversation (read, the merc pestered Balboa for free drinks at the local inn), but Balboa's mind was elsewhere ... "I need a new Merc", thought he, "Preferably one that is tee-total or buys his own drinks."
Summary
Sorry, no screenshots, but I may take this up again if there appears to be demand on the forum. If you're still here, thanks for reading and if you remember (and enjoyed) Balboa's adventures back in the day, this update's for you!
Champion GumbyBalboa - Level 87, Harrogath
I cannot imagine people either remembering, or caring about, this fella, but (on the off-chance you do) I'm pleased to announce GumbyBalboa has been active again.
After a long break, GB has picked up his wand and shrunken head once more, with a view to becoming a Patriarch. The original goal I had, P8 all the way, has of course gone by the wayside. GB will complete the game now at P1 (I can no longer tie up my computer for weeks at a time on this project :whistling: ). The other rules remain in place, single-pass and self-found only (but using the ATMA extended stash).
Balboa has picked up where he left off, many months ago, at the City of the Damned WP and just about to descend to the River of Flame. He has for company a Defiance Merc and a Bec de Corbin Malice Iron Golem. Both GB and his merc are Level 87. The first thing I did was to sink 7 unspent Skill points in Dim Vision (a no-brainer for me - I am a lot more experienced now than when I started this character). Other modifications were put in place, again the benefit of a lot more D2 experience coming through.Another D'uh decision ... the Defiance merc must eventually go, in favour of either A HF or Might merc ...:scratchchin: (GB still has 114 spare Stat points, he's awaiting some juicy piece of kit that requires Strength, otherwise it would go into Vita.)
The River of Flame and other Garden Spots ...
After such a long break, Balboa felt rusty (no, there's nothing slightly double entendre here, no pun intended) and reviewed his arsenal of Curses in readiness for his first outing in well over a year. The merc's Atma's Wail armour ... "Really, what was I thinking?" - was stashed now, in favour of a Treachery Dusk Shroud. Rusty himself looked as shiny as he did early last year, so no further effort was needed.
The RoF spawned fairly friendly, Maggots, Urdars and Abyss Knights. Nothing that DV, Terror and AmpDam couldn't handle. Boss packs needed to be broken up and occasionally the terrain proved difficult, but at P1, all was easy. Even Hephasto was a mere bump in the road. The Hell Forge was Pul (I believe this is GB's second Pul), nice but not awesome. (Still, it was better than my Furyzon's, a Ko - meh. She mat'd today, btw!. Er, enough digression ...)
Cue the Chaos Sanctuary, and a series of Iron Maiden inspired merc deaths - about eight, I think. After the first four, Balboa lost patience with the simple-minded Jemali and decided to go it alone with Rusty. Madness, I said, but Balboa told me to wait and watch. True enough, Rusty's talent for inflicting Open Wounds was remarkable - to the extent that large portions of the CS were cleared without the help of the merc! Jemali was resurrected for the Seal Bosses (and died a few more times).
The strategy Balboa used in the CS was to cycle DV, Attract, Life Tap, AmpDam and Decrep - this had the effect of silencing large crowds, tying up the OKs, controlling their movement and mitigating the attacks of the heavy hitters, whilst maintaining the two fighter's lives and of kill speed. (It was at this point that I remembered why I love playing this character - the tactical play is like nothing else I've tried).
Finally, The Infector, Lord de Seis and the Grand Vizier were all dust and it was time for Big D. Balboa was not confident - his stock of Rejuvs was almost all gone and Diablo isn't known for being gentle with mercs but nevermind. The Golemancer cast Decrep on the Big Nasty as soon as he appeared, and Jemali and Rusty engaged. Soon, Jemali was bleeding from numerous wounds as he took the brunt of Diablo's assault. The meagre supply of rejuvs was almost gone, and switching from Decrep to Life Tap only seemed to make things worse ... but then, a flurry of blows from Jemali and Rusty renewed their life force, and the crippling Decrepify once more subdued Diablo's attackes. The Demon could not direct his lightning hose to any great effect and Balboa himself was able to shrug off the flames of Diablo's Ring of Fire. All rejuvs were now gone, health potions were quaffed, Diablo was visibly weakening and then ...
... the Prime Evil was dead. Balboa had done it!
Balboa, the golem and the merc passed through the red portal and ended up in some sort of low-rent Barbarian ghetto. Jemali kept trying to engage the Golemancer in some sort of celebratory conversation (read, the merc pestered Balboa for free drinks at the local inn), but Balboa's mind was elsewhere ... "I need a new Merc", thought he, "Preferably one that is tee-total or buys his own drinks."
Summary
Sorry, no screenshots, but I may take this up again if there appears to be demand on the forum. If you're still here, thanks for reading and if you remember (and enjoyed) Balboa's adventures back in the day, this update's for you!
Champion GumbyBalboa - Level 87, Harrogath
Re: A trip down memory lane and beyond ...
Is Razan going out of retirement again? :crazyeyes:
Is Razan going out of retirement again? :crazyeyes:
LozHinge the Unhinged
Active member
Re: Golemancer Attempt No.2
Not Long Before The End ...
Rusty was placed into storage in a shed in Harrogath ... "Actually, there are only sheds in Harrogath", thought Balboa, somewhat dismissively.
The Golemancer had a trip in mind for himself and the merc and Jemali was told to travel light. "No, Jem, you won't be needing your weapons and armour for this." Jemali was struck by a sudden mental image (perhaps his first one, ever) of a dog owner opening the door to the carriage for his pet, saying "Come on, Boy!" but instead of a walk on the hills, there's a visit to the vet in the offing ...
When Rusty, the faithful Iron Golem next saw his owner/creator, he was amazed to see that 1. Balboa had topped up his suntan 2. He was wearing a Lut Gholein t-shirt and 3. Jemali had turned into Pratham and wasn't it chilly whenever Pratham enters the room? Pratham, a fresh-faced kid of the 83rd level of attainment compared to Jemali's jaded old 87, was unfortunately unable to wield the Strength Giant Thresher. Balboa had a sickening "D'oh" moment but then thought of the Cryptic Axe had had set aside in case he needed an Iron Golem with Crushing Blow. Problem solved.
There being no further business in Harrogath, the Golemancer, the Holy Freeze merc and theMalice Iron Golem set off on their adventures.
In the Bloody Foothills, Balboa found a 2os Wyrmhide and thought of the Smoke runeword as an upgrade to the Darkglow ringmail he still (still wore. Unfortunately, he was one Io short of a Lum so that was that. The wyrmhide was stashed.
Having spent all his spare Skill points into Dim Vision , now level 22, Balboa found the going to be very easy for the most part. Vast numbers of monsters
could now be reduced to little more than statues and it was a simple matter, for the most part, to chip away at the groups in relative safety. The bec de corbin Malice golem was able to kill perhaps one monster for every two that the merc managed . Sometimes the golem was the faster, where monsters (such as Vipers) have high damage but low life. The Thorns aura was noticeable.
The trickiest monsters were encountered in Level 3 of Nilly's temple (PhysI Night Marauders and Hell Temptresses stair trap!), the Glacial Trail and in the Icy Cellar (so many Hell Lords! Ouch!). The duel with Nihlathak was absorbing and very satisfying. Balboa found very few items to help him on his way in Act 5 - a couple of 3os Mancatchers (for
Malice) and an eth Tearhaunch from the Glacial Trail. The boots he decided to wear, as he rarely gets hit and the net effect of swapping out his dual res rare buts was 10 extra CR and PsnR. Thank you very much! Oh, and s sweet grand charm Drops were very disappinting, but with almost no MF, hardly surprising!
The Icy Cellar saw the end of Bec de Corbin Rusty. Balboa and Pratham had to flee from a boss pack of Hell Lords and Rusty was unable to disengage - poof! Still, the Mancatcher Golem was an upgrade, so all was well.
The next significant obstacle was the Ancients. Here, Balboa's fine arsenal of curses was reduced to just one useful one, Decrepify. Balboa was reasonably confident to start with, a decent supply of Rejuvies and as long as the abilities of the Ancients weren't too outlandish ... oops. The golemancer was appalled by the variety of weaponry employed against him and his team. I didn't get a good look - Conviction, Cursed, FE, LE, Spectral Hit, it was all there. Pratham, who by that time was at the 87th Level of Attainment and using Jemali's giant thresher, lasted almost no time at all. He managed to suck down a good chunk of Balboa's Rejuv supply though ... grrr.
Back to town for a merc resurrection and restock. The next manifestation of the Ancients proved positively benevolent by comparison - they were split up and tamed gradually, although the end of the full Rejuvie supply was reached. Not good.
The Worldstone Keep Level One was unpleasant, an appearance by Conviction Black Souls being the stand-out highlight. Levels Two and Three were a breeze, Defilers, Imps, Bone Mages, etc. Easy. The Throne was not easy - Souls, Ghoul Lords and Horadric Ancients, with a boss pack of Souls as a stair trap - Balboa played it cool but my heart was in my mouth. The Throne was carefully and methodically cleared, with Balboa ensuring that no monsters had been stealthily resurrected by the Horadric mummies behind his back.
Wave after wave of Ball's minions were sent against Balboa as the intrepid team neared the end of its long, long journey. Achmel provided stubborn resistance and his large group had to be taken apart piecemeal. A protracted battle, that one. Similarly, Bartuc proved to be a real handful. Oddly, Ventar was easily dispatched - he charged at Balboa, not realising that his minions had been Dim Visioned and left behind! Lister - ah, Lister, we dreaded him. No need; Bone Walls and Decrepify split up his team into manageable chunks - perhaps the easiest wave of the five!
Only Baal, now, only Baal ...
Post session chat ...
This has been a long journey - Players 8 for Normal, Nightmare and Act 1 Hell (up to the Pit), Players 5 to Kurast Causeway, Players 3 to City of The Damned and Players 1 (because I have to finish the character someday!) to the end. I wish I could have completed it last year but RL changes swallowed up my time and energy. Still, nearly the end now and hopefully, some closure!
@udgard
Razan was sacked part-way through the adventure, in favour of Jemali. The court case is still pending
Champion GumbyBalboa - Level 88, The Throne Room of the Worldstone Keep
Not Long Before The End ...
Rusty was placed into storage in a shed in Harrogath ... "Actually, there are only sheds in Harrogath", thought Balboa, somewhat dismissively.
The Golemancer had a trip in mind for himself and the merc and Jemali was told to travel light. "No, Jem, you won't be needing your weapons and armour for this." Jemali was struck by a sudden mental image (perhaps his first one, ever) of a dog owner opening the door to the carriage for his pet, saying "Come on, Boy!" but instead of a walk on the hills, there's a visit to the vet in the offing ...
When Rusty, the faithful Iron Golem next saw his owner/creator, he was amazed to see that 1. Balboa had topped up his suntan 2. He was wearing a Lut Gholein t-shirt and 3. Jemali had turned into Pratham and wasn't it chilly whenever Pratham enters the room? Pratham, a fresh-faced kid of the 83rd level of attainment compared to Jemali's jaded old 87, was unfortunately unable to wield the Strength Giant Thresher. Balboa had a sickening "D'oh" moment but then thought of the Cryptic Axe had had set aside in case he needed an Iron Golem with Crushing Blow. Problem solved.
There being no further business in Harrogath, the Golemancer, the Holy Freeze merc and theMalice Iron Golem set off on their adventures.
In the Bloody Foothills, Balboa found a 2os Wyrmhide and thought of the Smoke runeword as an upgrade to the Darkglow ringmail he still (still wore. Unfortunately, he was one Io short of a Lum so that was that. The wyrmhide was stashed.
Having spent all his spare Skill points into Dim Vision , now level 22, Balboa found the going to be very easy for the most part. Vast numbers of monsters
could now be reduced to little more than statues and it was a simple matter, for the most part, to chip away at the groups in relative safety. The bec de corbin Malice golem was able to kill perhaps one monster for every two that the merc managed . Sometimes the golem was the faster, where monsters (such as Vipers) have high damage but low life. The Thorns aura was noticeable.
The trickiest monsters were encountered in Level 3 of Nilly's temple (PhysI Night Marauders and Hell Temptresses stair trap!), the Glacial Trail and in the Icy Cellar (so many Hell Lords! Ouch!). The duel with Nihlathak was absorbing and very satisfying. Balboa found very few items to help him on his way in Act 5 - a couple of 3os Mancatchers (for
Malice) and an eth Tearhaunch from the Glacial Trail. The boots he decided to wear, as he rarely gets hit and the net effect of swapping out his dual res rare buts was 10 extra CR and PsnR. Thank you very much! Oh, and s sweet grand charm Drops were very disappinting, but with almost no MF, hardly surprising!
The Icy Cellar saw the end of Bec de Corbin Rusty. Balboa and Pratham had to flee from a boss pack of Hell Lords and Rusty was unable to disengage - poof! Still, the Mancatcher Golem was an upgrade, so all was well.
The next significant obstacle was the Ancients. Here, Balboa's fine arsenal of curses was reduced to just one useful one, Decrepify. Balboa was reasonably confident to start with, a decent supply of Rejuvies and as long as the abilities of the Ancients weren't too outlandish ... oops. The golemancer was appalled by the variety of weaponry employed against him and his team. I didn't get a good look - Conviction, Cursed, FE, LE, Spectral Hit, it was all there. Pratham, who by that time was at the 87th Level of Attainment and using Jemali's giant thresher, lasted almost no time at all. He managed to suck down a good chunk of Balboa's Rejuv supply though ... grrr.
Back to town for a merc resurrection and restock. The next manifestation of the Ancients proved positively benevolent by comparison - they were split up and tamed gradually, although the end of the full Rejuvie supply was reached. Not good.
The Worldstone Keep Level One was unpleasant, an appearance by Conviction Black Souls being the stand-out highlight. Levels Two and Three were a breeze, Defilers, Imps, Bone Mages, etc. Easy. The Throne was not easy - Souls, Ghoul Lords and Horadric Ancients, with a boss pack of Souls as a stair trap - Balboa played it cool but my heart was in my mouth. The Throne was carefully and methodically cleared, with Balboa ensuring that no monsters had been stealthily resurrected by the Horadric mummies behind his back.
Wave after wave of Ball's minions were sent against Balboa as the intrepid team neared the end of its long, long journey. Achmel provided stubborn resistance and his large group had to be taken apart piecemeal. A protracted battle, that one. Similarly, Bartuc proved to be a real handful. Oddly, Ventar was easily dispatched - he charged at Balboa, not realising that his minions had been Dim Visioned and left behind! Lister - ah, Lister, we dreaded him. No need; Bone Walls and Decrepify split up his team into manageable chunks - perhaps the easiest wave of the five!
Only Baal, now, only Baal ...
Post session chat ...
This has been a long journey - Players 8 for Normal, Nightmare and Act 1 Hell (up to the Pit), Players 5 to Kurast Causeway, Players 3 to City of The Damned and Players 1 (because I have to finish the character someday!) to the end. I wish I could have completed it last year but RL changes swallowed up my time and energy. Still, nearly the end now and hopefully, some closure!
@udgard
Razan was sacked part-way through the adventure, in favour of Jemali. The court case is still pending
Champion GumbyBalboa - Level 88, The Throne Room of the Worldstone Keep
LozHinge the Unhinged
Active member
Re: Golemancer Attempt No.2
The End of the Story
I don't have the words for this, so pictures will have to do!
Baal at the edge
What is this junk?
Never thought I'd see the day
Bliss
The End of the Story
I don't have the words for this, so pictures will have to do!
Baal at the edge
What is this junk?
Never thought I'd see the day
Bliss
Patriarch GumbyBalboa - A Level 88 Golemancer
A brief Pat writeup will shortly appear in the SPF. My thanks to anyone who has read and enjoyed this adventure.
A brief Pat writeup will shortly appear in the SPF. My thanks to anyone who has read and enjoyed this adventure.
