[two]

Holy Mackerel.

This game is, for sure, more difficult to solo than BGII, if only because you start off at level one.

For a while, I was seriously worried about my choice of character class (Monk1/DruidX) but, after being required to make a huge number of will saves, I think my gut feeling was sound. My character had a will save of greater than 10 by 3rd level; that's because of Iron Will and an 18 Wisdom and Luck of the Heroes. And I needed every durn blasted bonus, believe you me.

However, this guy really truly sucks at melee combat. I just needed to make it to level Monk1/Druid5 (when I get my first shape shift form) and then I would be ok. But. That is a LOOOOONG haul.

After doing every easy quest I could find, this includes the ghost woman crying, the wood lumbar thing, the delivering of arrows to the palisade, etc. etc. I found myself with nothing left to do except report to the commander, who told me to go get that iron collar gang. Now, for a Monk1/Druid3, this was quite a task.

I went into the bar and checked 'em out. Two fighter types and a rogue type. Any of them would make mincemeat of me in a round or two; my to-hit is +2 or so, my damage is 1d6. Period. So I scan my spells for help -- druid level 1 and 2 spells. Yikes.

Then I see it.

"With a little help from my friends"

I go into a cabin right across from the bar, memorize 2 charm persons and a load of summon monster I, and sleep. Wake. Go to bar door. Open Door. Go in, summon dire rats x2, then -- cross my fingers -- cast Charm Person on one of the fighters. Failed save -- his save bonus was just +1! Easy. Charm Person. Got the other one too. Cool. I sit back while the one turns red and gets beat on by rats and his former friends. Then I slip out the door after that guy is dead, return to the hut, sleep again, go back to the bar -- and it's more tricky. As soon as I get into the bar they rush me, the 2 remaining, and they are crabby as sailors outbound from Tokyo. Yeah, that's crabby. So I cast charm, and it fails, and I'm hit by a sword. I'm in trouble. I jump behind the bar, cross my fingers, cast charm on the guy in front of my face. Works like...yeah. A charm. He turns good, and starts beating on the brat. I cast a few summoned monsters, etc. and soon they are both almost dead. Then I just attack willy-nilly and they go down. Done deal.

Close to fourth level (Druid4/Monk1) but not quite there. So I return to the commander, tell 'em the iron collar gang is dead, and...all hell breaks loose. I suspected as much, so I had slept, but still. What a mess. The goblins attack the palisade, and I wander outside casually -- thinking I would have time to scope it out. No. Oh, so no. A mage appears with 5 goblins. 10 goblins appear, plus one on a warg. I'm in a world of "huh?" I run, run like a baby facing a night sans milk. The mage is casting colors sprays left and right. Goblins ahead, behind. I try to entangle, but they are on me quick. This is painful.

I died.

It was insane. I have never had so few options. I was surrounded. I... died.

OK. So that's the end of no death/no reload. Because I sure as hell was going to reload and whip those goblins. I didn’t know how, but I was.

So I thought about it, left the computer. Returned, and reloaded to just before I told the commander I whipped the Iron Collar gang. I realized I could take out the mage 1-on-1 since I knew where he lived (in town). I went there -- didn't have anything to lose. I stepped in the door, summoned lots of monsters, surrounded him, then attacked with my crossbow. It was easier than I thought it would be. He died, plus the 4 goblins that appeared after I attacked him. Summoned monsters won that one easily.

But what to do about the palisade attack? I scanned through the druid spells, and decided upon the Rainshower spell (rain, something like that). Only did 2d6 damage, for 2 rounds, but still -- that is enough for goblins. So I got 2 rain showers, and 3 entangles and maybe 1 summon. Went back. Told the commander. The goblins attack. I leave the healer's house and immediately entangle goblins to the north. Fire 3 off, then 2 rains, and heck -- it was going great until a wolf got loose, and I had to run and it was just painful. I eventually killed a wolf after 10 shots with a crossbow ran more and then had to face a goblin on a warg. Alone (the spells killed the rest) but...still. I was down to 10 so I ran into the house again, and the healer guy said "need healing?" heck yeah!

Gimme some of that good stuff. He healed me, I went back out, dished out 10 points of damage for every 20 I took -- so then returned, got healed, went back out, etc. After 4 healings! the Warg guy was dead. No spells left. Yeah, I win. Right? NO. More appear in a cut scene. Well, to make it short: I managed to kill these guys by running AROUND the circular fort thing in the middle of the palisade, turning to shoot my crossbow every minute (I ran faster than they did, marginally). This took 10 unfun, grinding minutes. They died. More were summoned. Same dead. More summoned, plus some cleric guy. This was when I needed the will save BIG TIME. I killed all the goblins but this shaman goblin dude had protection from missiles up, plus mirror image, plus...who knows what else. He was spewing hold person's left and right! I literally had to "out save" 9 spells in a row... which I did with a +12 will save bonus but...god it was scary.

FINALLY he ran out of spells, and I did the hit/hit/hit/drop to 10 hitpoints/run to healer then return to hit/hit/hit/etc. After 5 healer visits (!) he was dead. I had saved the palisade. I made it to Druid4/Monk1. Yeah.

Died once so far, but worse than that: it was pretty boring. Grueling, took 30 minutes to beat off the goblins. I wasn't going to last the game at this rate.

But.

Things got a lot better.

Went on the next big mission, to beat up the orcs and save a bridge. Went there, cast a lot of rain/entangles, did some hiding/skulking, and had a blast. You could rest whenever, so I always had lots of spells available, and was in much less danger than the goblins. Just hide/go slow, and it's ok. After I met up with the druid, and saved him -- I hit Druid5/Monk1! Yes! Gimme wildshape! I got it. Nice. I took the panther feat as well -- wow. This guy ripped through 3 orc archers like butter. I can actually dish melee damage now!

The game is fun again, and.... I hope not to die EVER again. Period.

Gotta go now, sleep and stuff.