12-02-2003, 10:37 PM
Below is a guide that I had considered submitting to the "Miscellaneous Guides" section of Lurker Lounge, but since all guide submissions must first be posted as a thread, here it is. It'd be interesting to see your comments, as well as reports on how far people got with this character.
Thanks,
Alejack
---
THE PALADIN STALLION
The Ultimate Diablo II Challenge
by Alejack
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Rules
3. Refereeing
4. Strategy
5. Treasure
6. The Heavyweight Crown
7. Variations
8. Summary
---
INTRODUCTION
Hello, my name is Alejack and I'm an 'abloholic.
A quick note: This isn't a guide about how to play a better paladin. It's more of a guide about how to take a break from your regular gaming schedule to try something fun and different in Single Player mode. That having been said...
As I got into Diablo II, it became clear that there was a great deal of challenge and replay value in the game. And then came the expansion set, Lord of Destruction, and there was even more to see, do and be tested by.
My imagination ran wild. I began dreaming up new and different characters of all different types, trying this, experimenting with that. Finally, I hit upon one of the most compelling challenges of all.
I composed a set of rules for a paladin based on a heavyweight boxer, a character that would fight only with his fists and his spirit, meaning the paladin's auras.
It was a wonderful experience. The paladin looks good in a boxer's stance, and the satisfaction of playing the game as the baddest man of all was unlike any other character I've played.
You've no doubt seen the "specialist" guides here on Lurker Lounge, The Singing Barbarian, The Reviveless Necromancer, but think about this: Here's a lone man, no armor, no weapons, taking on the most fearsome creatures ever known. I was hooked. It made for very interesting gameplay, so I decided to write up this small guide to introduce the Paladin Stallion (PS) to other DII players.
The question arises: "Why introduce a boxing metaphor into a sword-and-sorcery game?" Well, there's no particular reason. But with all the heavily armored warriors walking around in the DII world, it can be sort of enlightening to see how the "man on the street," just a guy with no war gear, fares in such demon-infested realms, and why everyone is so desperate for a super-powered hero. You might see what "Joe Normal" is up against, even if this particular Joe is spiritually strong and handy with his fists.
I think you'll like trying out your own Ali or Tyson. Enjoy!
---
RULES
As in the real sport of boxing, there are rules for playing the PS, as follow:
The character must be started from 1st level.
It may be tempting to take your 90th level paladin and try him out with these rules but believe me, it's not worth the effort. The only thing you'll feel is that your great character has suddenly been stripped of many valuable items.
And that's true. Take it from me: Your existing characters are fine just as they are. You'll find no satisfaction through stripping down an existing character for experimentation. Through careful consideration, it has been decided that rule number one for the Paladin Stallion is: All PS's must be started from Level 1.
Allowable Equipment:
Gloves - Basic leather only, No Heavy Gloves, No metal, Max. Defense: 2, No magic.
Belt - Belt, Light Belt or Sash, No metal, No Heavy Belt, Max. Defense: 5, No magic.
Boots - Heavy Boots or Boots, No metal, Max. Defense: 5, No magic.
No Amulet, Rings, Armor, Weapon, Shield, Cap or Helmet. Basically, nothing but what a boxer would have; gloves, a belt or sash (a moderate concession since you can't have "trunks" and will need healing potions at hand more than anyone ever did) and boots. Improved Durability items are okay, but no Improved Defense items, no magic or ethereal.
One exception to the "No Jewelry" rule concerns amulets or rings that improve chances to get extra gold or better magic items from monsters. These are allowable in that they don't in any way effect the basic "bare-hands" dynamic of the character. All others, including subtle magical improvements such as Fast Cast Rate, Increased Light Radius, Reduced Effects Duration and the like are unallowable. The PS must pull it off by virtue of his fists and aura skills only.
Potions:
Drinking Potions are allowable with the exception of Stamina Potions. Throwing Potions are unallowable.
Scrolls:
Scrolls and Tomes are allowable.
Keys:
Keys are allowable.
Shrines:
Shrines are allowable. You may ask, "Why is a Stamina Shrine allowable, but Stamina Potions are not?" Although the difference may seem academic, it's considered that a shrine is a place where someone strengthens his own inner spirit, but stamina that is derived from a bottle is kind of like steroids. A Mana Potion, however, is considered a spiritual sacrament, and Healing, Thawing and Antidote potions are considered "ringside medical attention." Furthermore, you can buy potions, but you can't buy a Shrine.
Gems:
Any magical application of Gems, Jewels, Skulls or Runes is unallowable. Charms may not be identified until in town, and once active they may not be carried.
Hirelings:
No hirelings are allowed. The points in the game at which your character is assigned a hireling are exceptions to this rule (think of them as "sparring partners"), and they may not be resurrected.
Skills:
There are no restrictions on the use of skills. Smite and Holy Shield obviously can't be used because shields are not allowed, but you'll still have to put a point into Smite to unlock Charge.
Some auras, such as Holy Bolt, appear to be so un-boxing-like that it was considered that perhaps these should be disallowed, but since the PS doesn't have access to ranged weapons and since auras do indeed comprise the paladin's skills, it was decided that all skills are allowed.
---
REFEREEING
When in the middle of combat, there will inevitably come moments when the PS will inadvertantly pick up a weapon and start fighting with it. If it isn't magical, it will automatically mount itself into his hand. The same is true for armor, shields, helmets, caps, etc.
It isn't fair to the PS to interrupt him in the middle of a fight, so you, the player, will act as referee. At the first reasonable moment, open the PS's Inventory Screen and remove the item to the PS's backpack. If there is no room, the PS must drop the offending item or drop something else to make space, just as if the backpack were the only space available.
As referee, you should also check from time to time to make sure that an item hasn't made it's way onto the PS's head or body or into his hands.
In general, the hands must remain empty at all times and no headgear, body armor or jewelry may be worn, except as noted in the PS rules.
---
STRATEGY
Playing the PS will undoubtedly improve your overall DII skill, not just with paladins, but in the way you approach DII combat in general. In this exercise you'll find yourself facing tougher and tougher foes with virtually no armor or weapons.
As such, you'll find that you have to "bob and weave" more, dodging quickly then carefully advancing, drawing groups in to pick off the weaker foes first so that you can take on bosses or unique monsters without being slammed by a crowd.
This exercise will also, of course, hone your paladin skills, since you'll be relying so greatly upon auras. You'll be forced to be much more careful about which skills you choose to advance and which auras you have active at any moment.
Seasoned paladin players already have a healthy respect for auras such as Might and Thorns, but if you're not well-versed in the paladin's skills, you may be unconsciously playing him as merely a fighter. The PS exercise will cure you of this; you'll gain respect for an aura such as Defiance when you can't afford to sit back and rely on armor. In a short time you'll learn how to use his abilities sharply and effectively, and if you're a seasoned paladin player you'll gain insight into the unaided power of the paladin's skills.
Needless to say, as the game progresses you'll need to concentrate particularly on Dexterity and Vitality, like a real athlete, or you'll be toast.
---
TREASURE
"But wait!" you cry, "What the heck do I do with all the great stuff I find?"
The short answer is: Sell it.
You'll find that a.) You have no need for most found items, b.) You won't be buying anything but potions, scrolls and maybe keys, c.) You'll find a lot of money, items and treasure such as gems and jewelry, and d.) You're gold stash will never be big enough.
I found that the thing that made the best sense for me was to use the stash for such necessities as the Horadric Cube, and then fill up the generous empty space (and the Cube) with gold, amulets, rings and gems. I also stopped picking up items when it got to the point where I couldn't stash the gold made from selling them, so instead I just picked up gems, gold and jewelry.
After a while, you'll have a dazzling array of rings, diamonds and max gold stuffed into both your backpack and stash, a glittering king's ransom.
Just like the heavyweight champs.
An optional use for your stash is for Set items, which we'll discuss below.
---
THE HEAVYWEIGHT CROWN
There are four levels of challenge difficulty in ascending order: First Death, Heavyweight Crown, Set Retirement and Victory.
First Death
The most realistic challenge is to see how far you can get the PS before he dies the first time. Quite exhilerating.
Aside from the obvious two-player challenge, that of having two PS's duke it out on the net or in a TCP/IP game, you may also try a single-computer competition to see which player can take his PS farther before he dies the first time. Use the total Experience Points at the time of death as your official score.
Incidentally, the PS would obviously be an interesting Hardcore character.
Heavyweight Crown
This is the "classic" goal for the PS. Since it's so difficult (not to say impossible) to win the game with this character, an elegant challenge is to win the "heavyweight crown." Simply put, play your PS to a point in the game at which he finds a crown (no buying or trading). Since that's roughly halfway through the game, it's a serious challenge indeed.
At the point at which you find and don a crown, your Paladin Stallion wins. You may retire him undefeated, continue to play him to pursue further glory, or convert him at that point to a normal paladin. If you do the latter, you may rest assured that he will forevermore wear that crown with a special sense of pride.
Set Retirement
Another way that you may honorably "retire" your PS from boxing is if you get a complete Set. If you're lucky enough to obtain one, you may retire from boxing and don the Set. Of course, this option is primarily out of your hands. I'm not certain that it's even possible within the game to find a complete Set in one play-through, and it's very likely that you'd find a crown well before accomplishing this formidable goal.
Of course, Set components must be stored, not used, until a complete Set is assembled.
Victory
You'll be surprised how far you can take this character. As mentioned, the paladin's auras are quite powerful. Do you think you can take him all the way? Quite a challenge, eh? Just think of the rush you'll get if you can actually win the game without ever using armor or a weapon!
Good luck, though. Remember, the PS's Attack Damage is desperately low, his Defense Rating is negligible and he may employ no hirelings. At the time you're surrounded by twenty shrieking monsters, you'll understand.
---
VARIATIONS
The paladin lends himself well to fist-fighting, but you might also experiment with the other hero classes in a similar way. Give it a try with some other classes to see how they fare under these circumstances. Try to forge realistic boxing rules, as I've tried to do with the paladin.
For instance, even though the necromancer's skills obviously include minions, to use minions would seriously negate the "boxing" metaphor, so a "Bone Spells and Curses Only" posture might be appropriate. On the other hand, "boxing" aside, the necromancer would perhaps more accurately fulfill his "wizard" potential by allowing use of all his skills in a wand-only, no-armor exercise.
Overall, I believe that the best character type for this exercise is indeed the paladin. He's not too big or too small, his skills work well for it, and graphically his posture and animation is perfect. The other characters don't look a tenth as natural in the role. It's almost as if Blizzard had anticipated that people would be "paladin-boxing."
By the way, it's against the rules to pit different hero classes unless the contest is considered an "exhibition match."
---
SUMMARY
Well, that's it! It's a "Rocky" road, but I think you'll have fun with your Paladin Stallion. I know I did.
Don't take this too seriously, though. There are good reasons for armor, weapons and magic items. When all is said and done, there is every likelihood that you will not take this character very far. The game just gets too rough. But in the end, I think you'll feel that it was worth tackling it one time with your bare hands, just to see what it's like. And if you DO somehow manage to win the game with this impossibly challenging character, congratulations! You are without question the baddest of them all!
In conclusion, I'd like to thank Ironskull, my first DII character and, in a roundabout way, the character that inspired the Paladin Stallion. See you on Battle.net and here on Lurker Lounge!
Alejack
Thanks,
Alejack
---
THE PALADIN STALLION
The Ultimate Diablo II Challenge
by Alejack
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Rules
3. Refereeing
4. Strategy
5. Treasure
6. The Heavyweight Crown
7. Variations
8. Summary
---
INTRODUCTION
Hello, my name is Alejack and I'm an 'abloholic.
A quick note: This isn't a guide about how to play a better paladin. It's more of a guide about how to take a break from your regular gaming schedule to try something fun and different in Single Player mode. That having been said...
As I got into Diablo II, it became clear that there was a great deal of challenge and replay value in the game. And then came the expansion set, Lord of Destruction, and there was even more to see, do and be tested by.
My imagination ran wild. I began dreaming up new and different characters of all different types, trying this, experimenting with that. Finally, I hit upon one of the most compelling challenges of all.
I composed a set of rules for a paladin based on a heavyweight boxer, a character that would fight only with his fists and his spirit, meaning the paladin's auras.
It was a wonderful experience. The paladin looks good in a boxer's stance, and the satisfaction of playing the game as the baddest man of all was unlike any other character I've played.
You've no doubt seen the "specialist" guides here on Lurker Lounge, The Singing Barbarian, The Reviveless Necromancer, but think about this: Here's a lone man, no armor, no weapons, taking on the most fearsome creatures ever known. I was hooked. It made for very interesting gameplay, so I decided to write up this small guide to introduce the Paladin Stallion (PS) to other DII players.
The question arises: "Why introduce a boxing metaphor into a sword-and-sorcery game?" Well, there's no particular reason. But with all the heavily armored warriors walking around in the DII world, it can be sort of enlightening to see how the "man on the street," just a guy with no war gear, fares in such demon-infested realms, and why everyone is so desperate for a super-powered hero. You might see what "Joe Normal" is up against, even if this particular Joe is spiritually strong and handy with his fists.
I think you'll like trying out your own Ali or Tyson. Enjoy!
---
RULES
As in the real sport of boxing, there are rules for playing the PS, as follow:
The character must be started from 1st level.
It may be tempting to take your 90th level paladin and try him out with these rules but believe me, it's not worth the effort. The only thing you'll feel is that your great character has suddenly been stripped of many valuable items.
And that's true. Take it from me: Your existing characters are fine just as they are. You'll find no satisfaction through stripping down an existing character for experimentation. Through careful consideration, it has been decided that rule number one for the Paladin Stallion is: All PS's must be started from Level 1.
Allowable Equipment:
Gloves - Basic leather only, No Heavy Gloves, No metal, Max. Defense: 2, No magic.
Belt - Belt, Light Belt or Sash, No metal, No Heavy Belt, Max. Defense: 5, No magic.
Boots - Heavy Boots or Boots, No metal, Max. Defense: 5, No magic.
No Amulet, Rings, Armor, Weapon, Shield, Cap or Helmet. Basically, nothing but what a boxer would have; gloves, a belt or sash (a moderate concession since you can't have "trunks" and will need healing potions at hand more than anyone ever did) and boots. Improved Durability items are okay, but no Improved Defense items, no magic or ethereal.
One exception to the "No Jewelry" rule concerns amulets or rings that improve chances to get extra gold or better magic items from monsters. These are allowable in that they don't in any way effect the basic "bare-hands" dynamic of the character. All others, including subtle magical improvements such as Fast Cast Rate, Increased Light Radius, Reduced Effects Duration and the like are unallowable. The PS must pull it off by virtue of his fists and aura skills only.
Potions:
Drinking Potions are allowable with the exception of Stamina Potions. Throwing Potions are unallowable.
Scrolls:
Scrolls and Tomes are allowable.
Keys:
Keys are allowable.
Shrines:
Shrines are allowable. You may ask, "Why is a Stamina Shrine allowable, but Stamina Potions are not?" Although the difference may seem academic, it's considered that a shrine is a place where someone strengthens his own inner spirit, but stamina that is derived from a bottle is kind of like steroids. A Mana Potion, however, is considered a spiritual sacrament, and Healing, Thawing and Antidote potions are considered "ringside medical attention." Furthermore, you can buy potions, but you can't buy a Shrine.
Gems:
Any magical application of Gems, Jewels, Skulls or Runes is unallowable. Charms may not be identified until in town, and once active they may not be carried.
Hirelings:
No hirelings are allowed. The points in the game at which your character is assigned a hireling are exceptions to this rule (think of them as "sparring partners"), and they may not be resurrected.
Skills:
There are no restrictions on the use of skills. Smite and Holy Shield obviously can't be used because shields are not allowed, but you'll still have to put a point into Smite to unlock Charge.
Some auras, such as Holy Bolt, appear to be so un-boxing-like that it was considered that perhaps these should be disallowed, but since the PS doesn't have access to ranged weapons and since auras do indeed comprise the paladin's skills, it was decided that all skills are allowed.
---
REFEREEING
When in the middle of combat, there will inevitably come moments when the PS will inadvertantly pick up a weapon and start fighting with it. If it isn't magical, it will automatically mount itself into his hand. The same is true for armor, shields, helmets, caps, etc.
It isn't fair to the PS to interrupt him in the middle of a fight, so you, the player, will act as referee. At the first reasonable moment, open the PS's Inventory Screen and remove the item to the PS's backpack. If there is no room, the PS must drop the offending item or drop something else to make space, just as if the backpack were the only space available.
As referee, you should also check from time to time to make sure that an item hasn't made it's way onto the PS's head or body or into his hands.
In general, the hands must remain empty at all times and no headgear, body armor or jewelry may be worn, except as noted in the PS rules.
---
STRATEGY
Playing the PS will undoubtedly improve your overall DII skill, not just with paladins, but in the way you approach DII combat in general. In this exercise you'll find yourself facing tougher and tougher foes with virtually no armor or weapons.
As such, you'll find that you have to "bob and weave" more, dodging quickly then carefully advancing, drawing groups in to pick off the weaker foes first so that you can take on bosses or unique monsters without being slammed by a crowd.
This exercise will also, of course, hone your paladin skills, since you'll be relying so greatly upon auras. You'll be forced to be much more careful about which skills you choose to advance and which auras you have active at any moment.
Seasoned paladin players already have a healthy respect for auras such as Might and Thorns, but if you're not well-versed in the paladin's skills, you may be unconsciously playing him as merely a fighter. The PS exercise will cure you of this; you'll gain respect for an aura such as Defiance when you can't afford to sit back and rely on armor. In a short time you'll learn how to use his abilities sharply and effectively, and if you're a seasoned paladin player you'll gain insight into the unaided power of the paladin's skills.
Needless to say, as the game progresses you'll need to concentrate particularly on Dexterity and Vitality, like a real athlete, or you'll be toast.
---
TREASURE
"But wait!" you cry, "What the heck do I do with all the great stuff I find?"
The short answer is: Sell it.
You'll find that a.) You have no need for most found items, b.) You won't be buying anything but potions, scrolls and maybe keys, c.) You'll find a lot of money, items and treasure such as gems and jewelry, and d.) You're gold stash will never be big enough.
I found that the thing that made the best sense for me was to use the stash for such necessities as the Horadric Cube, and then fill up the generous empty space (and the Cube) with gold, amulets, rings and gems. I also stopped picking up items when it got to the point where I couldn't stash the gold made from selling them, so instead I just picked up gems, gold and jewelry.
After a while, you'll have a dazzling array of rings, diamonds and max gold stuffed into both your backpack and stash, a glittering king's ransom.
Just like the heavyweight champs.
An optional use for your stash is for Set items, which we'll discuss below.
---
THE HEAVYWEIGHT CROWN
There are four levels of challenge difficulty in ascending order: First Death, Heavyweight Crown, Set Retirement and Victory.
First Death
The most realistic challenge is to see how far you can get the PS before he dies the first time. Quite exhilerating.
Aside from the obvious two-player challenge, that of having two PS's duke it out on the net or in a TCP/IP game, you may also try a single-computer competition to see which player can take his PS farther before he dies the first time. Use the total Experience Points at the time of death as your official score.
Incidentally, the PS would obviously be an interesting Hardcore character.
Heavyweight Crown
This is the "classic" goal for the PS. Since it's so difficult (not to say impossible) to win the game with this character, an elegant challenge is to win the "heavyweight crown." Simply put, play your PS to a point in the game at which he finds a crown (no buying or trading). Since that's roughly halfway through the game, it's a serious challenge indeed.
At the point at which you find and don a crown, your Paladin Stallion wins. You may retire him undefeated, continue to play him to pursue further glory, or convert him at that point to a normal paladin. If you do the latter, you may rest assured that he will forevermore wear that crown with a special sense of pride.
Set Retirement
Another way that you may honorably "retire" your PS from boxing is if you get a complete Set. If you're lucky enough to obtain one, you may retire from boxing and don the Set. Of course, this option is primarily out of your hands. I'm not certain that it's even possible within the game to find a complete Set in one play-through, and it's very likely that you'd find a crown well before accomplishing this formidable goal.
Of course, Set components must be stored, not used, until a complete Set is assembled.
Victory
You'll be surprised how far you can take this character. As mentioned, the paladin's auras are quite powerful. Do you think you can take him all the way? Quite a challenge, eh? Just think of the rush you'll get if you can actually win the game without ever using armor or a weapon!
Good luck, though. Remember, the PS's Attack Damage is desperately low, his Defense Rating is negligible and he may employ no hirelings. At the time you're surrounded by twenty shrieking monsters, you'll understand.
---
VARIATIONS
The paladin lends himself well to fist-fighting, but you might also experiment with the other hero classes in a similar way. Give it a try with some other classes to see how they fare under these circumstances. Try to forge realistic boxing rules, as I've tried to do with the paladin.
For instance, even though the necromancer's skills obviously include minions, to use minions would seriously negate the "boxing" metaphor, so a "Bone Spells and Curses Only" posture might be appropriate. On the other hand, "boxing" aside, the necromancer would perhaps more accurately fulfill his "wizard" potential by allowing use of all his skills in a wand-only, no-armor exercise.
Overall, I believe that the best character type for this exercise is indeed the paladin. He's not too big or too small, his skills work well for it, and graphically his posture and animation is perfect. The other characters don't look a tenth as natural in the role. It's almost as if Blizzard had anticipated that people would be "paladin-boxing."
By the way, it's against the rules to pit different hero classes unless the contest is considered an "exhibition match."
---
SUMMARY
Well, that's it! It's a "Rocky" road, but I think you'll have fun with your Paladin Stallion. I know I did.
Don't take this too seriously, though. There are good reasons for armor, weapons and magic items. When all is said and done, there is every likelihood that you will not take this character very far. The game just gets too rough. But in the end, I think you'll feel that it was worth tackling it one time with your bare hands, just to see what it's like. And if you DO somehow manage to win the game with this impossibly challenging character, congratulations! You are without question the baddest of them all!
In conclusion, I'd like to thank Ironskull, my first DII character and, in a roundabout way, the character that inspired the Paladin Stallion. See you on Battle.net and here on Lurker Lounge!
Alejack
