Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Sixstringer

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Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

TOURNAMENT: THE SWORD OF DESTINY

The legends are many. A single warrior. A single blade. Together, no host of evil can stand against them. They are linked through prophecy and legend. Aragorn and Anduril. Rand al'Thor and Callandor. King Arthur and Excalibur.

This tournament plays off the classic stories of the hero and his trusty sword. You find or make a legendary sword, and then are linked to that blade for the rest of your career.

THE RULES:

1) The Sword of Destiny: The first unique or set two-handed sword that drops is your character's "Sword of Destiny," the weapon that has been linked to him/ her through prophecy. Once that weapon drops, it is the only weapon that is permitted to be used, with one exception (see #2). If you do not meet the requirements, it remains your Sword of Destiny no matter what other drops occur. At level up, all future skill points must be devoted to becoming qualified to use that sword. You may socket your sword of destiny, upgrade it, enhance it in any way you wish, but it must be the only weapon you use. There is only one way to change your weapon after the first unique or set two-handed sword has dropped . . . see #2.

2) The Runesword: No warrior is more intimately linked to his sword than the warrior who has crafted his or her own sword. Once, and once only per character, you may use runes to create a runeword out of a two-handed sword. Once that is done, the character can never use any other weapon, with no exceptions. It replaces or supercedes any set or unique sword you have found or drops in the future. A character who creates a runesword has essentially made his final weapon choice. This is, however, a way to upgrade your weapon if your Sword of Destiny turns out to be less than endgame powerful. If you make a "Steel" runesword with Tir and El in Act I normal, however, that is your sword until your character dies or wins the tournament.

3) Two-handed swords are the only weapons permitted for use in this tournament. Your character has devoted his life to swordcraft. Barbs must use two-handed swords two-handed and cannot dual wield. You can use any rare or mundane sword that drops during gameplay until you find your Sword of Destiny, but you cannot purchase anything but a white or grey sword. No blues ever, at any time. You can also use the imbue quest for a two-handed sword if you choose, though that can be used for other gear as well.

4) If your Sword of Destiny drops as ethereal, you must use that sword until its durability expires. Then, once it is useless, the gods will grant you another Sword of Destiny (i.e., you must go back to using whites, greys or rares until the next unique or set two-handed sword drops. No sword that drops while you are using the Ethereal blade is permitted for use.

5) Untwinked, hardcore, or softcore until first death. Players may choose their players setting and change it at will. Enter as many times as you wish.

6) Re-running of areas is permitted. The hero will search every corner of the world to find the blade of prophecy, but consider: re-running low-level areas is a good way to ensure your Sword of Destiny will be low-level as well.

7) Classes: Any, though some characters have clear disadvantages. (More info below).

8) Other gear: All other gear (including jewelry) must be mundane (white or grey), rare, or crafted. No blues allowed anywhere on your character, and no set or uniques except the Sword of Destiny.

9) All charms are permitted.

10) Socketing rules: You are a swordsman, not a jeweler. You cannot socket anything in ANY gear except your sword, as you are intimimately familiar with it. Anything you find (gems, runes, jewels, facets) is fair game for socketing in your sword--including any sword you use before your Sword of Destiny drops, but you can't socket any other gear. And remember, only one runeword sword allowed per game as described in rule 2.

11) No gambling. Heroes of Destiny do not find their gear by gambling.

10) Melee kills only. Curses, auras, buffs, etc. are allowed to enhance the damage of the sword, but spells or skills which deal damage without a strike of the sword are not permitted in combat (they can, however, be used as synergies or have a point as a prequisite.) Damage return skills are OK, such as Thorns, Iron Maiden, and Spirit of Barbs, as they are essentially melee skills.

12)Summons, Minions, and Mercs: Heroes of Destiny often have companions, but they typically travel in small bands. For this tournament, you can have no more than two damage-dealing members of your party, including mercenaries. For example, a necromancer who summons a golem and a skeleton could not have a mercenary. However, a druid with a grizzly and Act I mercenary could summon his Heart of Wolverine (because it does not deal direct damage to enemies), but not a raven or poison creeper.

13) Merc gear: Mercs can only wear rare, crafted, or white/greys. No socketing of merc gear.

14) No scoring, except that the lowest level Guardian wins. This will encourage players to take risks and not do to much re-running. Tournament ends when there have been no posts for two weeks.


SPECIFIC SKILL INFORMATION:
ASSASSIN:
No traps. No mind blast.

AMAZON:
Passives tree only.

BARBARIAN:
Everything except War Cry. No dual wielding.

DRUID:
Uh . . . not much. Summons as long as they follow the summons rule. No shapeshifting, as then you're using claws and not a sword. Nothing in the elemental tree except Cyclone Armor.

NECROMANCER:
All curses are permitted in combat except Confusion and Attract. Summons as long as they follow the summons rule. No poison skills, no bone spear, teeth or bone spirit. No corpse explosion.

PALADIN:
No holy bolt, Fist of Heavens, blessed hammer, smite, or conversion.

SORCERESS:
Only skills available are Enchant, Warmth, Energy Shield, teleport, masteries, and the cold armor branch.


Post standings like this:

Code:
Name        Character    Class       Area         Level     Current Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Aragorn     Strider      Paladin     Rogue Camp     9        Anduril


Take up arms against Evil. Find the Sword. Fulfill your Destiny.
 
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Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

This seems like a pretty cool idea. There are some questions that I have about the rules, but I'm sure someone else will bring them up. Unfortunately there are other tournaments that I would like to attempt first, so I won't be able to participate until I have some more free time. But if I finish quickly in those than I will join this one with either a paladin or a barb.
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Sounds like fun. Count me in. Are we using a common table or just posting individual updates?

Svein
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

For information/planning purposes, here are some links to info on the unique two-hander swords in DII:

Normal Uniques

Exceptional Uniques

Elite Uniques

The only set two-handed sword is Bul-Kathos' Sacred Charge.

In addition, the following runewords can be made in a sword in single player:

Breath of the Dying: Vex + Hel + El + Eld + Zod + Eth
Call to Arms: Amn + Ral + Mal + Ist + Ohm
Crescent Moon: Shael + Um + Tir
Eternity: Amn + Ber + Ist + Sol + Sur
Hand of Justice: Sur + Cham + Amn + Lo
Honor: Amn + El + Ith + Tir + Sol
King's Grace: Amn + Ral + Thul
Kingslayer: Mal + Um + Gul + Fal
Malice: Ith + El + Eth
Passion: Dol + Ort + Eld + Lem
Silence: Dol + Eld + Hel + Ist + Tir + Vex
Steel: Tir + El
Strength: Amn + Tir
Venom: Tal + Dol + Mal
Wind: Sur + El
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Sounds like fun. Count me in. Are we using a common table or just posting individual updates?

Svein

Let's use a common table. It's hard to figure out where people stand without it.

Now I just have to decide on my own build . . .


 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

What is a S/U sword drops that the character can't use yet because of STR or other restrictions?
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

What is a S/U sword drops that the character can't use yet because of STR or other restrictions?

As the rules state, that sword is still your character's Sword of Destiny, and all future skill points must go toward becoming eligible to use it. You keep using your rare or white sword, but must switch as soon as you're strong/dextrous enough to use the s/u.


 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Can starting equipment and/or a 1-handed sword be used until the character can wield a 2-handed sword? I'm asking because I'm thinking of entering a sorceress, who starts with pretty low strength.
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Looks fun . . . (shame there are so many interesting tournaments coming out all at once). Anyways,

I didn’t see anything about game versions (I’m guessing it’s v1.10+ . . . but you never know), ATMA, RWM, Expansion and/or Classic . . . so my question is basically, what’s allowed? Thanks.
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

JayeM: Sure, the rules are pretty flexible for those first few levels. So use what you can until you can equip yourself a big sword.

Han: I don't really know much about those add-on things, so . . . I guess I don't have a problem with people using ATMA for storage (even though I myself will not be), but any other mods are out. And 1.10+ expansion is the version.
 
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Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Oh, good, I won't have to start over then. Enter Leona, another renegade sorceress currently wielding a short sword set with a chipped skull. She just finished clearing the Den of Evil and is headed for the Cold Plains.

Code:
Name        Character    Class       Area         Level     Current Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Aragorn     Strider      Paladin     Rogue Camp     9        Anduril
JayeM       Leona        Sorceress   Den of Evil    5        Sh Sword/Ch Skull
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Code:
Name        Character    Class       Area         Level     Current Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
JayeM        Leona        Sorceress   Den of Evil    5        Sh Sword/Ch Skull
Sixstringer  Silas        Paladin     Rogue Camp     1        Short Sword

Heh . . . Aragorn was just an example ... enter Silas, a pally probably headed for Holy Freeze with a Vengeance backup.
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Code:
Name        Character    Class       Area         Level     Current Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
JayeM        Leona        Sorceress   Den of Evil    5        Sh Sword/Ch Skull
Sixstringer  Silas        Paladin     Rogue Camp     1        Short Sword
sveinbjorn   Fafhrd       Barbarian   Black Marsh   14        2-Hand/2 ch emrld


Meet Fafhrd, a Concentrator Barb. He just finished rescuing Cain and is on his way to whack the Countess....
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Blast, I really should finish at least one of the characters from one of the other tournaments I’ve entered but this looks fun. I’ll enter with an Assassin that is going to do something with Fists of Fire and Phoenix Strike. A Martial Arts Assassin is about the last thing I’ve never made so I’m not 100% sure that these skills work with a sword (looks like they do) . . . someone stop me if I’m wrong. I don’t really have any idea as to what I’m doing here so it should be exciting!
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Sounds like an awesome idea and count me in for my first tourny, sounds like a good way to actually get involved tho I have been lurking around here for sometime now.

Code:
Name        Character    Class       Area         Level     Current Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
JayeM        Leona       Sorceress   Den of Evil    5        Sh Sword/Ch Skull
Sixstringer  Silas       Paladin     Rogue Camp     1        Short Sword
sveinbjorn   Fafhrd      Barbarian   Black Marsh   14        2-Hand/2 ch emrld
Thaquitz     Thrain      Barbarian   Black Marsh   14        2-H/ch emrld/topaz
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Code:
Name        Character    Class       Area         Level     Current Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
sveinbjorn   Fafhrd      Barbarian   Black Marsh   14        2-Hand/2 ch emrld
Thaquitz     Thrain      Barbarian   Black Marsh   14        2-H/ch emrld/topaz
JayeM        Leona       Sorceress   Den of Evil    5        Sh Sword/Ch Skull
Sixstringer  Silas       Paladin     Rogue Camp     1        Short Sword
Carolus Rex  Conan       Barbarian   Rogue Camp     1        Hand Axe

Enter Conan the Barbarian!

Question, does Concentration work when using a twohander or do you need a shield to gain the bonuses?
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Code:
Name         Character       Class      Area         Level  Current Sword
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
sveinbjorn   Fafhrd          Barbarian  Black Marsh  14     2-Hand/2 ch emrld
Thaquitz     Thrain          Barbarian  Black Marsh  14     2-H/ch emrld/topaz
JayeM        Leona           Sorceress  Den of Evil  5      Sh Sword/Ch Skull
Sixstringer  Silas           Paladin    Rogue Camp   1      Short Sword
Carolus Rex  Conan           Barbarian  Rogue Camp   1      Hand Axe
FurobinS     TheBlackKnight  Paladin    Rogue Camp   1      Short Sword

Count me in.
 
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Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

So, I guess the elemental auras for pallies (holy fire, holy freeze, holy shock) are not allowed, since while they do buff the sword damage, they also pulse damage (albeit not much)?
 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

Hmm, i'm thinking of entering but still have a couple of questions.

1) Rule 12 says that one cannot have more than 2 damagedealing members in your party. Considering a decoy just stands still i'm assuming it's ok to have a merc + valk + decoy all at the same time.
2) Rule 1. Once you find a unique sword you're stuck with it. Does this mean you're stuck with that exact sword or can you have another sword of that name. An example to make more clear what i mean: let's say i find a soulflay with 70% enhanced damage. If later in the game i find something like a gf it's clear i'm not allowed to use it. But what if i find another soulflay with a higher % of ed. I'd still be using a soulflay, but not the exact same sword i started out with. Would one have to keep the 70% one, or can you switch to the better one?
3) I have RWM installed. Would that be a problem as long as i don't make any rw's that cannot be made in vanilla?

So, I guess the elemental auras for pallies (holy fire, holy freeze, holy shock) are not allowed, since while they do buff the sword damage, they also pulse damage (albeit not much)?

Judging by the original rules i'd say it's not allowed since you could kill without sworddamage (at least in normal). But in one of his replies Sixstringer says he's thinking of making a pally using HF. So i'd say it's unclear atm whether it's allowed or not.



 
Re: Tournament: The Sword of Destiny

I got two questions regarding mercs:
1. Since rule 10 says melee kills only, then we cannot have act1 mercs, right?
2. Can we use sockets on mercs weapon? I guess not, but I gotta ask.

edit: I'm asking that becaouse I started, and got merc and cleared those tombs under blood raven with her help.. I could restart or got her killed if needed :undecided:
 
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