My Character Creation Tips

This is the forum for helping you out if you're stuck or if you want to discuss the nitty gritty details of the dungeons within Mount Grimrock. Warning: forum contains spoilers!
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Velvetwinter
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:28 am

My Character Creation Tips

Post by Velvetwinter »

I love this game and am taking my sweet time with it, after a few restarts I just wanted to share some observational tips I've come across. Currently character level 8 on dungeon level 6.

I'm finding weapon skill is much more important than stats, Weapon skill adds to your damage and accuracy somewhere around skill/2+1 for damage and skill for accuracy, a much better rate of return than stats! You don't really want to go without a weapon skill.

This is very important: Dex does not affect ranged weapon accuracy, ranged or thrown weapons always hit, attack power modifies their damage as well as weapon skill.

From what I read you end around level 13, which means you only get 48 skill points + starting value, which is important because the minotaur, who only starts with 1 skill point will only reach 49 at the end if unmodified.

Vitality is important to get early if you are going to get it because raising it does not retro add hit points. And actually the formula for hp gain is Vit bonus, 1 for every 2 above 10 plus 1d3. For example a 14 Vitality character will get between 3 and 5 (2+1d3) per level, determined upon level-up so I do a lot of save/reloads to get the 3 modifier when I can. Which is interesting because assuming the lvl 13 end, the +15 hp perk is better than the +2 Vit, you lose a little on the resists but get more hp and it's front-loaded at the start of the game. I think the same mechanic works for energy and wisdom.

Speaking of resists, they cap at 100, 100 being immune so I assume it is a % reduction.

Evasion is very important for front line characters, although in this game it is inefficient to really toe-to-toe with anything, instead circle strafe stuff in a 2x2 grid or backaway while weapons refresh.

It might be good to go over my team and why I chose them. Weapon skill abilities are passive procs that go up vs more skill points in the skill, just as it raises your to hit and damage, I think weapon skills are extremely important. Humans are great for 4 skill points which I am valuing higher than stats due to how weapon skills work incrementally.

Human Fighter, skilled and evasive (worth 3.5 dex points without the resists)
13 str, 13 dex, 14 vit, 10 will (sword skill gives 1 str and 1 dex early is why they are odd)
Armor - 16 for heavy armor, but consider keeping it at 8 for light armor
Sword - rest of points, he hits a lot and like a truck

Human Rogue, skilled and aggressive (worth 8 str points, no extra carry weight)
12 str, 14 dex, 14 vit, 10 will
Dodge - 24 for improved stealth, nothing hits her and I focus on evasion only armors when I get them.
Daggers - Fast and decent damage, waiting for a decent dagger though, should get one sooner or later.

Minotaur Rogue , headhunter and aggressive (I'd probably choose skilled if I remade)
21 str, 6 dex, 18 vit, 7 will (Dex is a dump stat for obvious reasons)
Missile Weapons - all in!

Human Mage, skilled and strong mind (I'd probably choose aura over strong mind)
10 str, 10 dex, 14 vit, 16 will
Pick and element and get it to the greater version of it's respective bolt.
Spellcraft - haven't decided how much to invest, 5 points early is important (for me) for a spell


Spell spoilers
SpoilerShow
I chose Air because I read nothing really resists lightning, hits like a truck and comes with the invisibility spell as a bonus.
Earth is awful because undead and other stuff resist poison and it's a weak dot.
Fire is a good choice because you get get an item that boosts fire damage a lot later on.
Ice is great because it's first spell is a Line, not a single square like everything else, and frost bolt has a chance to freeze whatever it hits for a few seconds.
Spellcraft 5 point spells are light and darkness, I use light all the time so I don't fiddle with torches constantly, light spell is a blue vs a torches orange glow and has maybe 1/2 a grid space less radius, works for me though because all of my characters hands are full.
Arty
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:11 am

Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by Arty »

Unless you spend time grinding mobs your mino will not be able to put 50 points into missile weapons. At character level 13 when I ended the game my mino had 49 points in his thrown weapon skill with no skill points spent in anything else. Was really a down to see me so close to the final 50 point ability but not able to get it. I would recommend Skilled + Headhunter for mino or use the
SpoilerShow
+5skill book
you find on your mino.

Also I personally don't even get up str for my front line guys, they are not there to do damage they are there to survive. I make sure starting vit is 14 for good health gain per level (hear it really hits dimishing returns after 14) and rest into dex. Which gives accuracy, evasion and resist.
Poomermon
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:28 pm

Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by Poomermon »

I'm starting to think mages are useless. A lot of micromanagement for a crappy dps. Ranged rogues are so much better it is not even funny. For my perfect party I would go for 2 rogues in the back row. One is exactly like OPs minotaur but definitely take skilled over aggressive. Other is throwing weapons minotaur with skilled and aggressive. Since he only needs one hand he can carry a torch. For the front row I would use OPs sword fighter with maxed sword skill. Also use all skill tomes for him to get heavy armour proficiency. Other front liner should be lizardman unarmed fighter. I have one on my party he does comparable damage to my sword fighter and has ridiculously high evasion. All points to unarmed and take skilled + fist fighter perks.

Other points:

- Skilled is the best perk hands down. When you put those points to a weapon skill it raises both damage and accuracy plus it allows you to get better bonuses faster.

- Food was never a problem with me so 2 minotaurs should not be too much.
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Darklord
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Location: England

Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by Darklord »

Poomermon wrote: Food was never a problem with me so 2 minotaurs should not be too much.
I actually ran out on my first play through! This rectified itself before I died however. I would consider grabbing the athletics food ability at some point if your build can manage it.

Edit: Note I had 2 Minotaurs.

Daniel.
Last edited by Darklord on Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
A gently fried snail slice is absolutely delicious with a pat of butter...
Arty
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:11 am

Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by Arty »

On my first playthrough with 1 mino and 1 insectoid while using the bracer that added +20% food consume bracer I found right away I never had any problem with food. I infact had to throw out a fair amount due to weight problems. However this was on normal, currently on my second playthrough on Hard with the same mix of races (1 per race) I notice that you go through food noticeably faster. So everyone complaining about food shortages was likely playing hard, or just didn't stock up food from early levels.
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Darklord
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Location: England

Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by Darklord »

Arty wrote: So everyone complaining about food shortages was likely playing hard, or just didn't stock up food from early levels.
I played normal, but slowly! (I collected every bit of food I could find)

Daniel.
A gently fried snail slice is absolutely delicious with a pat of butter...
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Velvetwinter
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Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by Velvetwinter »

I completely agree with Skilled being the hands down, most valuable perk, and that every Minotaur needs it too to break that 50 mark.
SpoilerShow
unless of course you use the +5 skill tome on them, which is what I had to do on my first play through.
I have an over abundance of food on normal, I'm looking forward to replaying on hard. I would love to dump my mage for a 2nd ranged rogue, and while I would like to have a bow and crossbow user in the back, I'd probably have to make it thrown weapon just so I have a hand free for torch light. I doubt I'd miss enchanting arrows as that negates auto-pickup, and the rest of their functionality is replaced with a torch.

So when I finish Normal, my thoughts would be restart on hard with, all skilled of course
warrior human, light armor, sword
rogue human, evasion, unarmed
rogue minotaur, missile weapons
rogue minotaur, thrown weapons + torch

Light armor for the warrior and dump the heavy armor on the Minos in the rear
Arty
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:11 am

Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by Arty »

Darklord wrote:
Arty wrote: So everyone complaining about food shortages was likely playing hard, or just didn't stock up food from early levels.
I played normal, but slowly! (I collected every bit of food I could find)

Daniel.
Must of been a really long playthrough, mine was about 15hours and I still had plenty of food.
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war_dog
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Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by war_dog »

I like Earth magic too,
SpoilerShow
if u get Orb of radiance + shamans staff (wich gives a decent boost to Earth Magic, poison bolt now also cast poison cloud when it hits) makes earth magic a kind of strong (imo) if you combine it with a door, u open, cast poison bolt, close and repeat = WIN
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eharper256
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Re: My Character Creation Tips

Post by eharper256 »

I'm finding it hard to understand how people are finishing on only level 13 in their reports. I'm just about to enter Floor 10, and I'm about 2/3's into Character Level 12. Unless there is literally no combat between now and the final boss, I figure I'm going to hit at least 15th Level.
Here's a cap:
Image
Image
Then again, I have killed everything I've come across, including several respawns. I'm not actively grinding, though sometimes its taken me awhile to figure out some of the puzzles (hence probably prompting respawns?). I take it most must actively avoid combat?

Also, there are two books of infinite wisdom on Floor 9 (one in a vault- it's the obvious choice to use your golden key on, one as a secret), so you can get +10 Skillpoints. There's also a book of +3 Fire Magic as an option for the first golden key vault.

I've not had any issues with food. I lug excess around in a crate that moves from stairwell to stairwell (whilst held on the pointer, it has no weight, so just hold it onscreen when transferring it :D). Then again, in this case, my Human Fighter has the Endurance Perk from Athletics, and of course I have no Minotaurs either.

With regards to backing away, you have to be careful not to do so blindly or you can put yourself in a worse situation.

Also, I find I can sorta go toe-to-toe at this level, but it can be painful, I'll admit, even though I have an Armour Tank and a Dodge Tank as my front row.
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