Return of the Heptad Tournament

**thewamp** · 02-11-2011, 00:30

Originally Posted by Wolron

My comment about grab bag 5 (no portal with monsters on screen) being no big deal has been changed after seeing your comment about Duriel. Yes, that is a concern! But are you sure that you can never portal out of his lair. It seems to me that the merc could keep him busy on one side while you went to the other side to get him off screen. Of course, I could be wrong because I have never really had to worry about this detail before.

Yeah, not quite sure. I'm going to fix it to require 800x600, just to be sure. And of course, the Almost All Alone character similarly has to survive normal duriel without TPing, because that character can never use a town portal (with one listed exception).

In any case, I've moved the grab bag restriction (5) up to (3) and shifted the other two down

**thewamp** · 02-11-2011, 01:18

Team Study Group has begun its progress.

Annie, the Amazon, isn't putting any points into strength. She's only using five skills (Freezing arrow, cold arrow, pierce, valkyrie, impale). She'll only use magic items and have an act 1 mercenary at her heels. Whenever she equips an item, she won't remove it until the end of the act and at the end of the act, she'll throw it away, never to be used again.

Abed, the Assassin, will have an even stat distribution. Despite what the game may tell you, he's a guy. He'll use any skills and as he's Mr. Respec, those will be changing frequently. He won't use any stat enhancing items and he won't have a mercenary.

Troy, the Barbarian, is putting all his stats into strength. He'll take a scavenger's apprenticeship, putting his points into Club Mastery, Leap Attack, Battle Orders, Increased Speed, Whirlwind, Battle Command, Natural Resistance, Iron Skin. He'll use rare items and have an act 3 mercenary. He'll have two lives in case he loses one in a kegflip gone wrong.

Britta's a druid and if the game suggests that she's a guy, the game's lying. She can use any stats, but she'll only use these 12 skills (Lycanthropy, Werewolf, Werebear, Oak Sage, Maul, Feral Rage, Heart of Wolverine, Fire Claws, Shock Wave, Hunger, Spirit of Barbs, Summon Grizzly). She'll only use set and unique items, she'll have the mercenary for whichever act she's in and she'll rerun each act boss twice to stick it to the man.

Pierce is an evil necromancer, but he's pretty old so he'll be avoiding vitality. He won't be using any skills over level 18 and he'll only use socketed and crafted items, because he made his money on moist towelettes and he wants everything to be overflowing with wealth. He'll have an act 5 mercenary and because he doesn't want to miss any fun anyone's having, he'll never TP when there's enemies on the screen.

Jeff's a Paladin cause they're pretty awesome. He'll put 2 points in vitality and 2 in strength each level. In addition to obsessing about his looks, he'll obsess about Zeal and then Holy Shock. He can use any items and any mercenary, but when everyone else isn't adoring him, he likes to have his own place to go back to, so he'll be Almost All Alone.

Shirley's a sorceress and she'll put all her points in vitality. She'll keep all her skill points in lightning, cause she's all about divine retribution in a purely compassionate way of course. She'll only use ethereal items and she'll have an act 2 mercenary and she'll use a stairstep players setting.

Code:

STUDY GROUP
Character      Class       Lvl   WPts  Quests  Bonus  Score  Last Waypoint
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annie (17)     Amazon      9     2     2       0      -85    Cold Plains
Abed (20)      Assassin    1     1     0       0      0      Rogue Camp
Troy (21)      Barbarian   17    6     4       0      -147   Outer Cloister
Britta (16)    Druid       1     1     0       0      0      Rogue Camp
Pierce (23)    Necromancer 1     1     0       0      0      Rogue Camp
Jeff (18)      Paladin     17    6     4       25     -101   Outer Cloister
Shirley (25)   Sorceress   13    6     4       0      -75    Outer Cloister

Total Score = -403

Code:

TEAM SCORES
Contestant   Team Name      Score   Team Size  Last Trading Point  
Wolron       ATeam            0      7        Normal – Rogue Camp
thewamp      Study Group      -403   7        Normal – Rogue Camp

**Bee** · 02-11-2011, 21:16

Ok, I really tried to stay away from D2 but after reading the restrictions I got to planning and after finishing planning I wanted to play. So I have decided to enter with Team Bee, my goal with each character is to make it into Hell. Really excited as I'm messing around with some builds I've never done before.

Team Bee:

Orchid (Amazon) - She will be vitality only, equip any item but will have to change all equipment every act. She will use the in act merc, and will be obsessive about jab and then about having an amazing Valkyrie (maxing valkyrie, decoy and penetrate first, then putting points into critical strike, D/A/E).

Digger (Assassin) - She will have no vitality, but will be allowed any skills. She will equip magic items, be without a merc and be allowed to rerun act bosses two times.

Killer (Barb) - He will distribute attributes using the 2 strength, 2 vitality method, be following the scavenger skills (sword mastery, double swing, frenzy, taunt, BO, NR, Iron skin, Shout). He will be joined by an act 2 merc and have two lives. He well be wearing craft, rune, socket items.

Bumble (Druid) - He is allowed to use any attribute however he cannot wear equipment that increases his attributes. He can have any merc he wants but is limited to 5 skills and must change these skills every difficulty. (going to be fire in normal, then summon, and finally a wearbear.

Ground (Necro) - He will only have strength, use skills up to 18, have an act 3 merc, wear ethereal items, and be going alone. (not sure how long this one is going to live)

Carpenter (Paladin) - He will be even in attributes and use 12 skills (might, sacrifice, holly fire, thorns, zeal, resist lightning, holly freeze, vengeance, sanctuary, conversion, conviction, salvation). He will wear sets and unique items be joined by an act 1 merc and never TP out of trouble.

Honey (Sorceress) - She will have no strength, be only lightning, wear rare items and be joined by an act 5 barb. Finally she will increase the player setting as she progresses.

Edit: Quick question about Mr. Respec, for attribute points are we to put them back to where they were before the respec and only change skills or are we free to put them anywhere as long as it complies with whatever attribute restriction that character has?

Code:

Team Bee
Character      Class       Lvl   WPts  Quests  Bonus  Score  Last Waypoint
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orchid    (24)   Amazon      1     1     0       0      0    Rogue Camp
Digger    (18)   Assassin    1     1     0       0      0    Rogue Camp
Killer    (16)   Barbarian   1     1     0       0      0    Rogue Camp
Bumble    (12)   Druid       1     1     0       0      0    Rogue Camp
Ground    (30)   Necromancer 1     1     0       0      0    Rogue Camp
Carpenter (19)   Paladin     1     1     0       0      0    Rogue Camp
Honey     (21)   Sorceress   1     1     0       0      0    Rogue Camp

Total Score = 0

Code:

TEAM SCORES
Contestant   Team Name      Score   Team Size  Last Trading Point  
Wolron       ATeam            0      7        Normal – Rogue Camp
Bee          Bee              0      7        Normal – Rogue Camp
thewamp      Study Group      -403   7        Normal – Rogue Camp

**thewamp** · 03-11-2011, 01:25

Originally Posted by Bee

Orchid (Amazon) - She will be vitality only, equip any item but will have to change all equipment every act. She will use the in act merc, and will be obsessive about having an amazing Valkyrie (maxing valkyrie, decoy and penetrate first, then putting points into critical strike, D/A/E).

Edit: Quick question about Mr. Respec, for attribute points are we to put them back to where they were before the respec and only change skills or are we free to put them anywhere as long as it complies with whatever attribute restriction that character has?

Looks good. Things to keep in mind: you cannot *unequip* any item you equip on your amazon until the end of an act either, so especially the first act is an interesting trick of seeing how long you can go without putting a piece of gear on.

Second, remember you can't use decoy, so you won't have a usable skill until level 30.

For your question, as long as you comply by the restrictions you have and don't repeat skills with more than one point, you're free to reassign skills/attributes as you like.

EDIT: Unless I'm mistaken though, your totals are wrong. These are your codes, yes?
Amazon - 67146
Assassin - 51372
Barbarian - 26521
Druid - 12414
Necromancer - 74757
Paladin - 43633
Sorceress - 35265

**Bee** · 03-11-2011, 02:15

@Thewamp: Good catch on the numbers, ya I had taken the old values onto the spreadsheet I was working off of and forgot to change them when you switched the grab bag 5 down to 3.

As for my amazon, I get so focused trying to figure out how to get these players to survive into hell sometimes I overlook the very beginning. My solution for this is to be obsessed about Jab (which has no synergies) and then obsess about valkyrie.

**jdkerr** · 03-11-2011, 16:41

I am planning a set of characters. I like what I have come up with so far, except one thing:

If I have an assassin with no merc, socketable equipment, and blade fury as the only skill, do you think it is possible for me to beat Normal Duriel with no town portals? How would you go about attempting that?

**Wolron** · 04-11-2011, 01:17

Originally Posted by jdkerr

I am planning a set of characters. I like what I have come up with so far, except one thing:

If I have an assassin with no merc, socketable equipment, and blade fury as the only skill, do you think it is possible for me to beat Normal Duriel with no town portals? How would you go about attempting that?

I would use the rune word MALICE on a decent sword or axe, get a couple life leech rings and a whole lot of rejuv potions. I think it would be rather easy.

I have a real problem for you. My amazon will have no valkyrie and no merc when she goes up against Duriel. She will have cold arrow and ice arrow at about ten levels each. I figure I have no chance at all.

**Wolron** · 04-11-2011, 01:21

A comment (question) about the equip once grad bag option. If I understand it correctly, you can never take any equipment off during the act and you must toss all equipment that is worn at the end of the act. My strategy will be to wear equipment that is not worthy of being saved. Anything that this character finds that is useful will be saved to be traded to another team member. Is this a valid strategy, or did I miss some fine points that would disallow this?

**thewamp** · 04-11-2011, 06:43

Originally Posted by Wolron

A comment (question) about the equip once grad bag option. If I understand it correctly, you can never take any equipment off during the act and you must toss all equipment that is worn at the end of the act. My strategy will be to wear equipment that is not worthy of being saved. Anything that this character finds that is useful will be saved to be traded to another team member. Is this a valid strategy, or did I miss some fine points that would disallow this?

Perfectly valid strategy. Go for it.