<font face="Verdana" size="3" color="#00FF00">I like its diversity because there is always something different to discover in the game. For Example:
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Just came to Ch5 again and last time I remembered having a major battle with a Priest of Bane as soon as I arrived. This time he spoke with my Bard who has a fairly high Bluff skill and I convinced him that an army of airships with troops were just behind me. So he fled and I received some easy experience, not the first time something different as cropped up as a result of a high bluff skill. But I am likely missing some options as first encounters don't always mean they will talk to my bard and other members have only a low skill or no skill.</font>

[ 11-27-2003, 11:57 AM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

Well, how I usually handle things like that is:

1. Always put my negotiator first when in town (just drag her portrait to the front, or send her in alone).

2. In dungeons, send a scout character (very well hidden) into any areas, then stop and pan the mouse around. If any of the enemies have a "talk" icon, then bring the scout out, and send the negotiator in to talk. If not, then prepare battle strategy normally.

3. And of course, save before taking a single step into an uncleared area. So if I miss an option, I can reload and try again. (This was useful in the Goblin Warrens, where it turned out that my Pally didn't have a high enough Bluff-- or Intimidate, whichever-- to get that army to go away, but my Wizard did).

It usually works.

But you're right, it is cool to find out how things work out differently with relatively minor changes in your allocation of skill points, your choice of races and classes, etc.

[ 11-28-2003, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: motub ]