The Vlish Lord.

Author	Topic: The Vlish Lord.
Delicious Vlish His Mighty Tentacle Member # 627	written Saturday, May 21 2005 03:32 Profile #0 Well. It's time for a variant themed challenge on Torment. In every Geneforge game I have done a character I call the Vlish Lord. A Shaper that only uses Vlish creations and strong mental magic to back them up. The only battle magic used will be firebolt, until I can get Terror and Dominate. I am thinking this guy will be somewhat crazy. Unhinged. And he will want Terror Vlish and Mass Madness, so canister use, lots of canister use is going to happen. I am also thinking he might be a rebel. The Vlish Lord has always been one of my favourite challenges. Not making one single creation until I can make a Vlish is going to be tough in G3. This I know. And a lot of enemies, like clawbugs and such, are highly resistant to Vlish attacks. Greta is going to earn her keep methinks. I think I will even use one of the purple or pink Shaper avatars so that my Shaper and my beloved Vlish will match. From a roleplaying sense, this guy is a lot of fun. He is a mind warping scary nightmare... I could only imagine what his fellow shapers might think about him... The quiet silence that would fill the room when he shows up with his army of Vlish. Shaping skills will be pumped only so high, just enough to make a Terror Vlish. I want leadership nice and high... He is, after all, a silver tongued devil. And who is going to argue with a guy that with a snap of his fingers could turn your brain into jello? Mental Magic and Spellcraft will be pumped out the wazoo. The rest to be determined. This will be a Torment game and I plan to visit a certain secluded place of meditation that is sure to bring me to tears. I can only hope that Daze, Firebolt, and Greta is enough to clear the first island. It's feeling a little iffy at this point. I think I will have to come back and deal with the Venomous Artilla after I have my pets... I don't know. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00
Student of Trinity Electric Sheep One Member # 3431	written Saturday, May 21 2005 04:23 Profile #1 In G1 this probably worked great; I remember Terror Vlishes being extremely strong there. I'm pretty sure they were paralyzing Ur-Glaahks with terror in the Inner Crypt. In G3 it might indeed be pretty darn tough -- though Dominating spawners and creators might help a lot. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Delicious Vlish His Mighty Tentacle Member # 627	written Saturday, May 21 2005 04:53 Profile #2 I plan to use regular vlish too, most likely half and half. A few regular Vlish and a few of the Terror variety. One of my Vlish Lords in G2 was actually a Lady :eek: An Agent that intentionally put some points in Shaping for Vlish. And yes, at the end of G1, nothing moved. Every critter around would urinate at the sight of my Shaper coming. Both kinds of Vlish have their place. I stand by my claims that Vlish are excedingly powerful creations capable of endgame performance. A pack of Vlish launching their slow attacks will completely disable a foe. The secret to Vlish Victory is pumping creation stats. A little strength to boost their damage, some into intelligence to boost their energy, dex for a solid hit chance and armor value. I think that is why they appeal to me as a creature. Their relatively cheap cost allows you to adapt them as you grow. With 15 essence as a base cost for a standard Vlish, they are endlessly customisable, making them the perfect shock troops for a hit and run sort of army. No other creation offers this sort of bang for the buck. Even Terror Vlish with a 45 essence base are easily customisable by midgame, and you can really stack the stat bonuses by endgame. I am a little worried how they will perform in G3. Damage types have changed a bit. We shall see. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00
Student of Trinity Electric Sheep One Member # 3431	written Saturday, May 21 2005 07:57 Profile #3 Evolving the Vlish a lot was certainly the key in G1. In G2, I seem to remember trying that and being disappointed; they never compared well with Gazers. They competed not too badly with Glaahks, but on the other hand a pack of Glaahks was deadly in G2 -- I cleared Outer Gazak-Uss with five of them, I think (or maybe it was Ur-Glaahks by that point). Mass Energized, they just swarmed everything and stunned it silly, then gradually chewed it down. But I expect Vlish will be okay in G3 if they're supported strongly with -- and against! -- mental effects. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Delicious Vlish His Mighty Tentacle Member # 627	written Saturday, May 21 2005 08:15 Profile #4 Well of course they will be defended against mental effects. Mental Barrier is SOP come midgame. Phobia began as a somewhat typical Shaper. He did well in school, but terrified his peers. So he was cast down in the basement away from his fellows. Doing so reduced bedwetting by 50% Phobia has Alwan and Greta. He is doing ok so far. Getting out of the basement was TOUGH. No fyoras were summoned. On Torment. I actually had to reload from a quicksave. The Lord of Terror got kicked around pretty badly by worms, damaging his fragile ego. Phobia is starting to really dislike Alwan's attitude. In the back of his mind he contemplates an act of murder. Perhaps scaring him to death would be in order. One day Phobia hopes to have a Vlish Skin Tunic. Not from the Vlish he hopes to create, but Rogue Vlish. He would wear such a garmet proudly till the day he dies. He really doesn't care who he helps at the moment, all he seeks is power. After finding his first canister, he has seen the path to power and mental clarity. He is starting to feel a bit angry that his fellow Shapers would hold him back from having true power. He contemplates rebelion. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00
Icshi Mongolian Barbeque Member # 1528	written Saturday, May 21 2005 10:48 Profile #5 Sounds like Darth Vlish is in the making... :P But in all seriousness, this is a pretty neat concept you've got here. Interesting backstory, unusual approach to the game, etc. Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00
Suspicious Vlish Infiltrator Member # 2245	written Saturday, May 21 2005 16:51 Profile Homepage #6 The vanilla vlish is perhaps my favourite creation throughout the game, due to its low cost, yet high effectivity against enemies. Three or four vlish's can incapacitate a battle alpha or glaahk. -------------------- VIVE LA TAKERS! VIVE LA REBELLION! VIVE LA GHALDRING! Posts: 522 | Registered: Friday, November 15 2002 08:00
Student of Trinity Electric Sheep One Member # 3431	written Sunday, May 22 2005 04:42 Profile #7 For a Shaper, your first level of Create Vlish is probably the single biggest jump in power you get in the game. Relative to those mid-game enemies, suddenly you're large and in charge. It's almost comparable to getting Speed for an Agent, or getting Lord Rahul's gear for a Guardian. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Delicious Vlish His Mighty Tentacle Member # 627	written Sunday, May 22 2005 06:22 Profile #8 I would have to agree. Anybody noticed how many Vlish canisters there are? You can get like a level 5 or 6 Vlish skill. Vlish are, as you can see, my favourite creatures. The name is original and interesting, as well as the creature's characteristics and physical form. I have even gone as far as taking the Abandoned Vlish in G2 all the way through to the endgame with me. A question. Why bother with boats at all? One can clearly see that a Shaper that is not terribly fat could be air lifted by his private platoon of Vlish. Since Vlish are full of helium, would a Shaper that hangs around them to much talk in a funny voice? "I AM THE VLISH LORD!!! Why are you laughing? Die all of you DIE!" Vlish, for all their oddities, are mammals. This is suprising. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00
Student of Trinity Electric Sheep One Member # 3431	written Sunday, May 22 2005 10:48 Profile #9 Remind me how we know Vlish are mammals? Gazers are supposed to be Barzahl's idea of an upgrade to Vlish, according to my memory of a text box somewhere in G2. So could the Vlish Lord accept Gazers towards the endgame? Gazers in G3 do a lot of mind tricks. And there are some cool Gazer-based items. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Delicious Vlish His Mighty Tentacle Member # 627	written Sunday, May 22 2005 11:09 Profile #10 That Vlish are mammals is posted in the neat Vlish info screen on G3's loading screenies. Gazers are evolved Vlish, but, they are not Vlish. And to be honest, I do not like Gazers all that much. The Vlish are original and different. Alien if you will. Gazers and Eyebeasts are really just old hat Beholders from D&D. Nothing new or creative there. Just a rehashed concept because nothing better could be thought of. There are a lot of RPGs and sci-fi games out there. There are a lot of creatures out there that populate them. And out of all those creatures, how many of them are not just clones of earlier games or concepts? The Vlish is delightfully different and deserves some distinction. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00
Student of Trinity Electric Sheep One Member # 3431	written Sunday, May 22 2005 11:22 Profile #11 Well, that's true. Vlish are the poster-things for the originality of the Geneforge world. But although Gazers are re-hashed beholders, I like the way Jeff has realized them. I like their big grins -- they look like they are enjoying being deadly floating monstrosities. And the ones that talk all have this eerily deadpan monomaniacal attitude that seems perfect for creatures with one big eye. You can tell that Gazers aren't really going to compete with Drakons for running any kind of organized society, because they are all just too demented. The Drakons just have to find them jobs that match their obsessions, and the Gazers will be happy. Except perhaps for Aye Eye, with its seapower and giant periscope ... it might actually pose a threat. I think I've guessed a G4 subplot. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00