Yeah, I don't have Dog either. In DAO I encountered the injured Mabari very early on and I was presented a choice: a) go on some miniquest to claim the Mabari as a canine party companion, or b) kill the Mabari on the spot.
...
There is no Mabari in my party, in case you're wondering.
It's only a pity they don't have bleach in the game.
Dragon Age Origins & 4E
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
Stuck at another bit. As before, it's a scripted combat, meaning I approach the NPC from a direction, and within a certain distance, it triggers a conversation. After the conversation, it automatically repositions my party inside a room, and then a load of enemies are placed on the map to attack us. There is no opportunity to sneak around the map putting down traps, or casting persistent area of effect spells to control the battlefield in our favor.
Each time I have appeared in the center, and undead have swarmed me from all sides, dragging down my party through sheer weight of numbers. The most successful try I've made so far was a TPK for us and they had about eight undead left standing (four had killed my main caster Firan and four had killed my party tank Alistair).
DAO is very pretty and it introduces the 3D moveable camera, but it's abundantly obvious that the actual game design has not progressed from its predecessors. Same arbitrary tricks and design shortcuts they use to ratchet up the difficulty level artificially rather than through any real thought and tactics.
Each time I have appeared in the center, and undead have swarmed me from all sides, dragging down my party through sheer weight of numbers. The most successful try I've made so far was a TPK for us and they had about eight undead left standing (four had killed my main caster Firan and four had killed my party tank Alistair).
DAO is very pretty and it introduces the 3D moveable camera, but it's abundantly obvious that the actual game design has not progressed from its predecessors. Same arbitrary tricks and design shortcuts they use to ratchet up the difficulty level artificially rather than through any real thought and tactics.
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
Yes. You don't?alhoon wrote:You consider the old lady Wynne more powerful than... MORRIGAN?!?!?
My main character, Firan, already does everything that Morrigan can do, and more. Wynne is hands-down the most powerful healer in the party. She can revive fallen allies, heal the group in one spell, and regenerate mana/stamina and health.
Tactically, Morrigan is completely redundant because my main character is better than she is in almost every respect. The only reason to have Morrigan around is so that somebody else approves of the lawful-evil roleplaying stuff I do.
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Nerit
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Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
HuManBing wrote:Yes. You don't?
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Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
It's actually moot at this point. Wynne left Firan's party after he decided to go back and do all the evil stuff he left undone, and Morrigan now thinks he's the dog's bollocks. ("Very good", to those of you not familiar with that British term.) This is good because her constant antisocial behavior and bitter-hearted snarking was starting to get Firan's party in more trouble with the locals, and also because behaving in a self-serving, antisocial way is FIRAN's job goddammit. The only thing still keeping her in the party is the fact that she doesn't seem to mind Firan's own behavior, which appears to be borderline psychopathic.
1. We went back and killed all the Drakes in the dragon's lair. Because their scales fetch a high commodity price, and frankly Nature's only inherent value is how much material use humanity in general (and Firan in particular) can make of it.
2. We went back and killed Morrigan's mother Flemeth. She committed a cardinal sin by raising Morrigan in the first place (if you're not going to raise a child properly then don't bother doing it - half-assed parenthood is not an option because children who are merely half-assed and not actually fully-assed are even more of a bane on society than usual) and then in failing to kill her before she became a serious threat. Plus I like the idea of killing a mother-in-law. It needs its own term. "Matrilexicide" sounds pretty good. Firan feels very strongly about parenthood and would never raise a child in an improper fashion in a million years.
3. We went back to Andraste's Ashes and put the Dragon's Blood into them, AFTER taking a bit of the ashes for myself. The small amount of ashes in our possession are now an even more priceless artifact now that Firan has irrevocably destroyed all the rest of the Ashes. Given that religion is at best an unprovable exercise of faith and at worst a predatory lie preying on the sociological gullibility of a pre-Industrial society, frankly Religion's only inherent value is how much material use humanity in general (and Firan in particular) can make of it. Sten and Morrigan both thought this was wicked fun, and Alistair moaned about it a little but was too pussified to do anything about it. Firan expects Alistair to tamely do whatever he's told until Firan becomes a Blood Mage, at which point Alistair may actually develop a backbone and suddenly evolve beyond the invertebrate phylum. Twit.
4. This is technically an extension of 3. above, but it deserves its own entry. Upon emerging from the superstitious reek of the vaingloriously opulent bourgeois temple dedicated to the sordid remains of a long-dead charlatan, Firan and his party were received warmly by the cultists, who believed they had performed the desecration as some sort of religious affirmation. This had the signal effect of pissing Firan off beyond all reason and control - not least because these cretins appeared to have completely missed the point of his decision, which was to free humanity from the yoke of false religion (note that "Cleric" is not even a spellcasting class in Dragon Age!) and to usher in a new era of rationality, reason, and research into magic and technology free of all ethical restrictions.
Firan decided there were two ways to demonstrate his theological stance to these ideological atavists. 1) through the application of enlightened discourse and the application of rigorous logical arguments, or 2) through the application of heavy metal objects and lethal magical energies to the skulls of the misguided inbred halfwits.
Firan went with the latter. Wiping the blood from his staff, he picked up a horn from the cooling corpse of the Lead Imbecile and blew it.
...
We are currently working on this encounter. The Dragon is really quite tough.
There are also soap-opera style developments at the camp.
When Morrigan came sashaying by his tent with a certain swing to her hips, Firan gave her her walking papers in fairly short order. The conversation went a little like this:
Firan then rolled over and went back to sleep, which was apparently fairly typical behavior for men in the area because Morrigan left quietly and didn't bother him again. Result!
1. We went back and killed all the Drakes in the dragon's lair. Because their scales fetch a high commodity price, and frankly Nature's only inherent value is how much material use humanity in general (and Firan in particular) can make of it.
2. We went back and killed Morrigan's mother Flemeth. She committed a cardinal sin by raising Morrigan in the first place (if you're not going to raise a child properly then don't bother doing it - half-assed parenthood is not an option because children who are merely half-assed and not actually fully-assed are even more of a bane on society than usual) and then in failing to kill her before she became a serious threat. Plus I like the idea of killing a mother-in-law. It needs its own term. "Matrilexicide" sounds pretty good. Firan feels very strongly about parenthood and would never raise a child in an improper fashion in a million years.
3. We went back to Andraste's Ashes and put the Dragon's Blood into them, AFTER taking a bit of the ashes for myself. The small amount of ashes in our possession are now an even more priceless artifact now that Firan has irrevocably destroyed all the rest of the Ashes. Given that religion is at best an unprovable exercise of faith and at worst a predatory lie preying on the sociological gullibility of a pre-Industrial society, frankly Religion's only inherent value is how much material use humanity in general (and Firan in particular) can make of it. Sten and Morrigan both thought this was wicked fun, and Alistair moaned about it a little but was too pussified to do anything about it. Firan expects Alistair to tamely do whatever he's told until Firan becomes a Blood Mage, at which point Alistair may actually develop a backbone and suddenly evolve beyond the invertebrate phylum. Twit.
4. This is technically an extension of 3. above, but it deserves its own entry. Upon emerging from the superstitious reek of the vaingloriously opulent bourgeois temple dedicated to the sordid remains of a long-dead charlatan, Firan and his party were received warmly by the cultists, who believed they had performed the desecration as some sort of religious affirmation. This had the signal effect of pissing Firan off beyond all reason and control - not least because these cretins appeared to have completely missed the point of his decision, which was to free humanity from the yoke of false religion (note that "Cleric" is not even a spellcasting class in Dragon Age!) and to usher in a new era of rationality, reason, and research into magic and technology free of all ethical restrictions.
Firan decided there were two ways to demonstrate his theological stance to these ideological atavists. 1) through the application of enlightened discourse and the application of rigorous logical arguments, or 2) through the application of heavy metal objects and lethal magical energies to the skulls of the misguided inbred halfwits.
Firan went with the latter. Wiping the blood from his staff, he picked up a horn from the cooling corpse of the Lead Imbecile and blew it.
...
We are currently working on this encounter. The Dragon is really quite tough.
There are also soap-opera style developments at the camp.
When Morrigan came sashaying by his tent with a certain swing to her hips, Firan gave her her walking papers in fairly short order. The conversation went a little like this:
* ~ * ~ *Morrigan: Hello Firan. Would you like to come fill a crack in my bedroll?
Firan: Goddammit, what do I look like, some supplies requisitioner? See Sten about a needle and thread if you need your standard issue equipment fixed.
Morrigan: What I mean is I've got a problem that can only be solved by a sausage and donut situation.
Firan: Oghren handles ration assignment and adult beverages. Go bother him and leave me to my plots to conquer the world.
Morrigan: Perhaps I'm not making myself clear. I'm asking you to come help me put a bomb in the barrel.
Firan: Hazmat department - see Zevran. Honestly do I have to think of everything around here?
Morrigan: No, no, no. I'm talking about the horizontal foxtrot, the sideways samba, the shady hour shag.
Firan: See Alistair about dancing and theater arrangements. That man's a little light on his feet, if you catch my drift. I saw him doing a spot of uphill gardening earlier today with all manner of large gardening tools stowed round the back.
Morrigan: Nice. Well, I'll be at my tent I guess. Come see me if you're interested in taking the banana boat to the seaweed grotto via the saltwater passage.
Firan [handing her a grammar book and lexicon]: I have an even better idea. Learn to speak properly, instead of hooting and gibbering like an inbred. Go back to your tent and work on your labials and fricatives, both of which appear to be giving you serious problems. I expect full articulation by sunrise or I'm confiscating your absorbents and setting bloodthirsty bears on your trail with only a half-day head start and a rusty dagger.
Firan then rolled over and went back to sleep, which was apparently fairly typical behavior for men in the area because Morrigan left quietly and didn't bother him again. Result!
Last edited by HuManBing on Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:59 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
No, I got that. My personal objections to Flemeth's conduct are made on completely separate grounds from the tactical importance of her daughter. Moreover, it's worth pointing out the post you reference is also written in the style of an anti-walkthrough (for an example, see this website). Anti-walkthroughs often intentionally mix absurdist humor alongside a semi-valid effort to play the game. I suspect you completely missed this element of humor as you were reading through my post. (Note the bit about Firan insisting he would make a good father, e.g.).
Regarding Morrigan, my low opinion of her actually is nothing to do with her conduct (although it exacerbates social intercourse because BOTH she and Firan are running around pissing people off). A few posts up, I make it very clear that I don't like Morrigan because she's tactically redundant. Pretty much every role she plays in magical combat is already preempted by Firan. I like Wynne much more because she's not redundant - her healing powers are extremely important in a game as combat-centric as this one.
Unfortunately, Wynne got really angry at me for defiling the sacred ashes that constituted the sole remaining earthly essence of the primary religion's first prophet. Some people are so picky about stuff like this...
Speaking seriously, the game gave me somebody really useful (Wynne) who would throw a hissy fit if I played my character the way I wanted to. It also gave me somebody not particularly useful (Morrigan) who would be okay with the role playing choices I made.
Personally I'd much rather keep Wynne around but sometimes you have to go with whatever reward/punishment system the designers arbitrarily assigned the game.
Regarding Morrigan, my low opinion of her actually is nothing to do with her conduct (although it exacerbates social intercourse because BOTH she and Firan are running around pissing people off). A few posts up, I make it very clear that I don't like Morrigan because she's tactically redundant. Pretty much every role she plays in magical combat is already preempted by Firan. I like Wynne much more because she's not redundant - her healing powers are extremely important in a game as combat-centric as this one.
Unfortunately, Wynne got really angry at me for defiling the sacred ashes that constituted the sole remaining earthly essence of the primary religion's first prophet. Some people are so picky about stuff like this...
Speaking seriously, the game gave me somebody really useful (Wynne) who would throw a hissy fit if I played my character the way I wanted to. It also gave me somebody not particularly useful (Morrigan) who would be okay with the role playing choices I made.
Personally I'd much rather keep Wynne around but sometimes you have to go with whatever reward/punishment system the designers arbitrarily assigned the game.
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Nerit
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Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
There was humor in your post, but no, it didn't feel like a walkthrough, it felt like you were expounding upon your role-played character's oddball reasoning. Anywho, I did read that you disliked Morrigan because she was strategically redundant to your mage character. I too played a mage and didn't bring her around that much unless I wanted the entertainment. I still think my second point is a valid question, though. Why not feed her to the dogs 
? I didn't, but that's because I was playing a (relatively) goody two-shoes.
? I didn't, but that's because I was playing a (relatively) goody two-shoes.VIEW CONTENT:
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
So the current playthrough is intended to be as much like Azalin might have played through if he had still been a living human. (Hence the name "Firan".) He deals with people in a relatively lawful, upright manner, but he is very brusque with them and not above subjecting his allies to some emotional abuse when he feels like it. He has no interest in sex, no sympathy for religion, and a lot of interest in raw power. He's also very much of a realist - in keeping with Azalin's political flexibility on Oerth, Firan attempts to balance things as much as possible, never pushing somebody into outright revolt unless absolutely necessary.
He also has a temper and picks fights with people whom he thinks a) are objectionable (which is nearly everybody else in the game world), and b) he can beat (again, almost everybody else in the game world, though the combat difficulty in this game usually means I'm reloading at least once per scripted fight because of designers' whimsy).
If you're asking why I didn't just let Flemeth claim Morrigan for herself, there's your answer. Firan will always try to get the best deal for himself first and anybody else second, and he will always start a fight if there is any chance he can win it just to teach the upstart a lesson. It was implied that Flemeth had a load of powerful magical stuff to her name (although this actually turned out to be untrue) which Firan would definitely have wanted to swipe for himself, PLUS in metagaming terms she was a huge experience point bundle. Firan had a choice between fighting her, pwning her for XP, and then grabbing all her stuff - vs. talking to her and bypassing the XP and then grabbing all her stuff on consignment.
Concerning Jowan, it was an interesting decision. At first, Firan decided to help him because of the chance of some personal loot, as he felt the Circle's limitations on Blood Magic were arbitrary and irrational. This was a rather difficult decision for me role playing as Firan because of his highly Lawful nature, so it was a near thing.
Later, in dealing with Jowan and the Arl, I had no hesitation - Jowan had to be kept alive because of his ability to save the Arl. I sacrificed the Arlessa because her shortsighted actions and softhearted lack of openness about the situation was what got everybody into this problem in the first place. Firan probably would have thought that such solicitous concern for her son and duplicity on his behalf would be a serious obstacle to her son's ever developing past his mama's embrace and the acquisition of fuzz on his peaches. Nothing a good beating wouldn't sort out, what what.
Jowan himself Firan was split about whether to cast 'neath righteous punishment, or to let go. Eventually Firan suggested letting him go, mostly because of his longstanding lack of confidence in the level-headedness of the Circle of Mages, and also because it's nice to have some ravenous Blood Mage running around on the loose terrorizing the local maidens and other creatures with blood in them - as long as he owes you a favor.
It appears that I have missed the Blood Mage specialization option in the standard game, as I did not accept the Desire Demon's offer in the Fade. Though regrettable, this is another example of role-playing trumping pure power play: Firan knows enough about demons to be cautious around them, and he is particularly resistant to any form of implied or actual seduction. So when the relevant contract was one that required acquiescence to a demon that resembled an extra from the Paul Verhoeven's movie Showgirls, it's not particularly surprising that Firan's response was "you have got to be joking right?"
"Eat only brown rice and vegetables..." ~ Gay Carpenter
"This diet is totally bogus. I ate only brown rice and vegetables in my teens and never came CLOSE to having a showgirl figure." ~ HuManBing
Fortunately I do have the add-on which allows me to do it the way Firan would rather do it anyway - learn it from A Forbidden Tome! Evidently the Awakenings add-on pack features the Phlebonomicon as a purchasable item.
He also has a temper and picks fights with people whom he thinks a) are objectionable (which is nearly everybody else in the game world), and b) he can beat (again, almost everybody else in the game world, though the combat difficulty in this game usually means I'm reloading at least once per scripted fight because of designers' whimsy).
If you're asking why I didn't just let Flemeth claim Morrigan for herself, there's your answer. Firan will always try to get the best deal for himself first and anybody else second, and he will always start a fight if there is any chance he can win it just to teach the upstart a lesson. It was implied that Flemeth had a load of powerful magical stuff to her name (although this actually turned out to be untrue) which Firan would definitely have wanted to swipe for himself, PLUS in metagaming terms she was a huge experience point bundle. Firan had a choice between fighting her, pwning her for XP, and then grabbing all her stuff - vs. talking to her and bypassing the XP and then grabbing all her stuff on consignment.
Concerning Jowan, it was an interesting decision. At first, Firan decided to help him because of the chance of some personal loot, as he felt the Circle's limitations on Blood Magic were arbitrary and irrational. This was a rather difficult decision for me role playing as Firan because of his highly Lawful nature, so it was a near thing.
Later, in dealing with Jowan and the Arl, I had no hesitation - Jowan had to be kept alive because of his ability to save the Arl. I sacrificed the Arlessa because her shortsighted actions and softhearted lack of openness about the situation was what got everybody into this problem in the first place. Firan probably would have thought that such solicitous concern for her son and duplicity on his behalf would be a serious obstacle to her son's ever developing past his mama's embrace and the acquisition of fuzz on his peaches. Nothing a good beating wouldn't sort out, what what.
Jowan himself Firan was split about whether to cast 'neath righteous punishment, or to let go. Eventually Firan suggested letting him go, mostly because of his longstanding lack of confidence in the level-headedness of the Circle of Mages, and also because it's nice to have some ravenous Blood Mage running around on the loose terrorizing the local maidens and other creatures with blood in them - as long as he owes you a favor.
It appears that I have missed the Blood Mage specialization option in the standard game, as I did not accept the Desire Demon's offer in the Fade. Though regrettable, this is another example of role-playing trumping pure power play: Firan knows enough about demons to be cautious around them, and he is particularly resistant to any form of implied or actual seduction. So when the relevant contract was one that required acquiescence to a demon that resembled an extra from the Paul Verhoeven's movie Showgirls, it's not particularly surprising that Firan's response was "you have got to be joking right?"
"Eat only brown rice and vegetables..." ~ Gay Carpenter
"This diet is totally bogus. I ate only brown rice and vegetables in my teens and never came CLOSE to having a showgirl figure." ~ HuManBing
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
Leliana is by far the wettest of all the party members. When I stave in a few enemy heads, she complains. When I knock loose a few enemy teeth, she complains.
Still, she is worth keeping around for a good laugh or two. Note this following conversation.
Leliana: Death is just another beginning. One day we must all shed our earthly bodies to allow our spirits to fly free.
Firan: [...Zal'Honan, he who one day becomes Azalin, an undying lich defying time and transcending mortality...] I, for one, am in no hurry to let my spirit fly free.
Still, she is worth keeping around for a good laugh or two. Note this following conversation.
Leliana: Death is just another beginning. One day we must all shed our earthly bodies to allow our spirits to fly free.
Firan: [...Zal'Honan, he who one day becomes Azalin, an undying lich defying time and transcending mortality...] I, for one, am in no hurry to let my spirit fly free.
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
Leliana continues to get on the nerves of people in my party.
Leliana first tells Morrigan that she's wearing rags, and that her clothes have "designer tears" in them to show off skin. Morrigan responds tartly that she lived in a bloody forest most of her life and that explains the state of her clothes.
Leliana then starts daydreaming about dressing Morrigan in a red velvet dress with the bodice cut low in front to show off her features.
Morrigan [unsettled]: Stop looking at my breasts like that. 'Tis most disturbing.
Leliana [not paying any attention]: ...and if it's cut low in the front, we must put your hair up, show off that lovely neck...
Morrigan: You are insane. I would sooner let Alistair dress me. (Firan's note: Morrigan thinks Alistair is a tool. In this respect Morrigan is surprisingly similar to Firan.)
Leliana: It'll be fun, I promise! We'll get some shoes too! [Gasps] Shoes! We could go shopping together.
At this point Morrigan got sick of the conversation and it ended. Shortly thereafter I booted Leliana out of my party and brought in Sten and Zevran instead. Any ally who starts rhapsodizing about visiting a mall to pick up shoes has entirely exhausted her short leash of goodwill and is coming perilously close to a toecap up the tunnel.
Leliana first tells Morrigan that she's wearing rags, and that her clothes have "designer tears" in them to show off skin. Morrigan responds tartly that she lived in a bloody forest most of her life and that explains the state of her clothes.
Leliana then starts daydreaming about dressing Morrigan in a red velvet dress with the bodice cut low in front to show off her features.
Morrigan [unsettled]: Stop looking at my breasts like that. 'Tis most disturbing.
Leliana [not paying any attention]: ...and if it's cut low in the front, we must put your hair up, show off that lovely neck...
Morrigan: You are insane. I would sooner let Alistair dress me. (Firan's note: Morrigan thinks Alistair is a tool. In this respect Morrigan is surprisingly similar to Firan.)
Leliana: It'll be fun, I promise! We'll get some shoes too! [Gasps] Shoes! We could go shopping together.
At this point Morrigan got sick of the conversation and it ended. Shortly thereafter I booted Leliana out of my party and brought in Sten and Zevran instead. Any ally who starts rhapsodizing about visiting a mall to pick up shoes has entirely exhausted her short leash of goodwill and is coming perilously close to a toecap up the tunnel.
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
We visited the city of the dwarves.
Sten, the party's broad-shouldered 6'6" hulking barbarian, finally came out of the closet and admitted he was actually not a broad-shouldered 6'6" hulking barbarian but actually two 3'3" dwarves stacked on top of each other and therefore deserves a double share of the party's booty.
Sten, the party's broad-shouldered 6'6" hulking barbarian, finally came out of the closet and admitted he was actually not a broad-shouldered 6'6" hulking barbarian but actually two 3'3" dwarves stacked on top of each other and therefore deserves a double share of the party's booty.
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alhoon
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Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
While I had (when I was playing) a female character LIKE Morrigan, with almost the same spells and all, Morrigan is still good to have around, even in the party just because she does the things I know best: Things my char can do.HuManBing wrote:Yes. You don't?alhoon wrote:You consider the old lady Wynne more powerful than... MORRIGAN?!?!?
My main character, Firan, already does everything that Morrigan can do, and more. Wynne is hands-down the most powerful healer in the party.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
Fair enough. Ironically, Morrigan has now actually begun to have some serious use for my party, because I've started specializing her as a Spirit Healer.
This makes her a lot more... like Wynne!
Then again, I have made Firan into a Spirit Healer as well. I missed the bit where I could give him Blood Mage specialization.
This makes her a lot more... like Wynne!
Then again, I have made Firan into a Spirit Healer as well. I missed the bit where I could give him Blood Mage specialization.
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alhoon
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Re: Dragon Age Origins & 4E
Your loss. Blood mage is powerful and thematic.
I play not-so-good-but-trying but the offer to become blood mage was too good to pass up. After all, that kind demon went to so much trouble to possess a little boy, she deserved to be given some slack. Something for other heroes to do in a generation or something.
I play not-so-good-but-trying but the offer to become blood mage was too good to pass up. After all, that kind demon went to so much trouble to possess a little boy, she deserved to be given some slack. Something for other heroes to do in a generation or something.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!