D2 Goth Variant

When D2X was about to come out, in the beta it seems every fourth item dropped
was a Gothic plate, no joke. This formed the idea of a great Gothic war at the
release of LoD. That didn't happen, but I dug out the notes from CharisCobrago
my D1 Goth, about this call to action. I'm not expecting a team out of this,
folks are overcommitted already, but I left such team comments in as a reflection
of the history. Below then, are the D2X Gothic rules, with a focus as much on
attitude as well as rules. Just so others can know what a Goth variant is
without wading through longer rules, here's a summary:

The Goth Variant
- Class: Any (Paladin most common)
- Armor: Gothic plate, Embossed, Lacquered
- Shield: Gothic shield, Ancient, Ward, and gothic-"shaped" Paladin shields
- Wpn: One slot MUST be a 2H Gothic wpn (Sword, Axe, Bow, Staff), and used frequently
Other slot MUST include a Gothic class shield. Elite versions are fine too
for example Shillelah is Elite Gothic Staff.
- Stats: High dex, strong block, tanking ability is a must
- Skills: Mix of might and magic a must, neither meatheads nor glass cannons
Versatility is viewed as a big strength, no one-trick-ponies
- Merc: Any type allowed, but treated as a comrade not a slave. They must wear
Gothic gear was well, as far as they are able.

--- D2X Goth Changes ---

An urgent message from the Pen of CharisCobrago, Leader of the Ostrogoth Confederacy...

"It has come to my attention that in the lands of Harrogath, the Prime Evils have
conspired to genocide against the Gothic peoples. The bodies, and armor, of our
fallen comrades litter the bloodstained ground. The time for this heinous mockery
of justice has come to and end. The Gothic nations will stand idle no longer.
Prepare for war!"

"In roughly one months time, a fresh cadre of Goths will band together for greater
glory. It will be a loose gathering, but one which respects other. (Near) equal
levels will be maintained, and Act Bosses will be killed together as far as possible.
Unlike other teams there will not be a total focus for each character - each Goth
must be a versatile warrior, good both solo and in parties. Each will however have
a minor focus which others in coop can rely on. More on this later..."

"Some of you are wondering just what a Goth is. The extensive and sometimes
confusing training regime has sometimes clouded the vision of who we are.
A true Goth is: Valiant, Proud, Helpful, Versatile, Tenacious, and Generous.
We excel at Combat, we embrace Change, and we do not fear Magic or the Elements.
While self-sufficient, we know that banding together provides even greater strength."

"In the days of Tristram's glory, you would pick out a Goth by the following:
- The most glorious of all armors and shields, the Gothic Plate and Gothic Shield
These and other high durability items were seen as the finest works of a craftsman
- Strength and Agility, excelling in combat, both blocking and offense
- Intelligent use of Magic, with our skills FAR exceeding the typical D1 warrior
- A passion to exterminate our mortal foes, the vile Gargoyles spawned from Hell itself."

"These traditions will carry over into the new lands. All classes and genders may now
become strong enough to don Gothic armor, and all are welcome in the fold. Times
change, and so must our training - we will find new ways to push ourselves hard,
for a time, so that in the end we may be strong."

Restrictions-
- Almost no long term restrictions, with the exception of gear: once a royal title
is obtained, ONLY Gothic plate, Gothic shields, their exceptional and elite forms,
and the Gothic shaped Paladin-only shields may be used. No exceptions.
- Early on however, restrictions on weapons, stats, skills will be tight, for self-discipline.

Preferences and Role-Playing Suggestions-
- The other weapons which bear our name, and the related norm/exc/elite versions,
are strongly preferred but not required.
- We were successful in ridding the world of the Gargoyle abominations, but their
close allies, Winged Nightmares and the advanced Frenzied Knights, now earn our wrath.
- Cooping, sticking with a set of comrades if possible, is to be preferred over
powergaming or pubbie madness
- The Crossbow is strongly favored as the ranged attack (e.g. Chu-ko-nu), with
the exception of course of the Gothic Bow.
- Mercs are not meat-shields, they are comrades or apprentices, or not used at all
- Some classes may cast magic extensively, but Goths "get their hands dirty", they
do not sit back behind a wall of minions drinking tea.
(Necros rely on curses which require thought like the mind-altering skills, not
a sea of revives. Sorcs may cast freely but melee, not run around in a blaze retreat.
Druids are not zookeepers, but agressive fighters, etc...)
- They are incensed when the ground is littered with Gothic plate and weapons, signs
of fallen comrades. As far as they can, they will treat these items with respect,
setting up a small monument where the gear was found (pick up and inspect the item,
then leave it in place) or bring it to town for proper handling. (Remembrance pile
or sell). They would never ever leave a set or unique piece of Gothic gear to rot
on the ground, and often are found defending the honor of Isenhart.
- The 'w' key is made for the Goth! It allows full expression of versatily, whether
Gothic Sw/Gothic Shield and Gothic Axe combo, or a Orb/Shield/Gothic Staff combo,
S/S-Bow, Undead killer/Demon slayer weapons, etc.

Class Specific Comments:
- Pal - Gothadin - The closest to the classical D1 Goth, a mixture of might and
magic, virtuous and strong. All skills seem to fit in just fine. As for
shields, none of the wimpy new round shields, but the new 2x4 shields are
in actuality, Gothic in construction and highly prized.
- Sor - Goth Enchantress - "Love of nature and a disturbed imagination lead this
enchantress to focus on bending the power of nature to her will:
Meteor, Thunder Storm, Static Field, Glacial Spike, Blizzard. The spells
of the D1 Sorcerer are not her favorite: Chain Lning, Fireball.
- Ama - Gothazon - Bowzon (Xbow or Gothic Bow) or Gothic Shield w/Javelin
Fending, Avoiding, and Dodging are seen as a high art form
Impale is more likely to be used than by others, as it demands high dur items
- Bar - Gothbar - What distinguishes the Gothbar is the lack of a meathead mentality
The Gothbar is high in energy and uses mana frequently instead of
purely passive skills. Iron skin and other Defense improvement skills are good
Leap attack is critical for the Gothbar - reminiscent of the glory days of telekill.
In D2X WW is again allowed, but Berzerk and Frenzy are strong contenders
- Nec - The Vizigoth, Dark in color and somber in character, this is still a solid choice
for a Goth. He will be pushing dex both for blocking and for the highest damage
dagger class weapons. Not a "hit-and-run" PD, but an in-your-face melee and
tactical magic character. There is much variety past this restriction that
melee cannot be ignored. Confuse, attract, dim vision, CE after you get a melee
kill, fighting side by side with a golem, all are good choices.
- Dru - Gothid - The 'love of nature' is the key characteristic here. They use
"close range" magicks which complement melee, and if they shape shift at all,
will be good in BOTH bear and wolf forms. The idea of one-mode-fits-all is
exactly what the Goth is NOT. Sometimes speed, sometimes power and life - and
their two weapon combos will be chosen very carefully to match!
- Asn - The Eastern Vizigoth clans have fielded this new warrior. They use claws and
power ups extensively, BUT switch to a high powered Gothic weapon for the
finishing blow!

The Gothic Training Regime - The 8 Stages (simplified)

I. Gothic Initiate - the would-be-Goth must solo clear the Den of Evil, Blood Moor,
and Cold Plains. No skills may be assigned at this point except the one from Akara,
and it must be applied to an offensive skill. No stat points may be distributed
at this time. Obviously no twinking. No Potions, no scrolls, no magic items,
no town heal. Clear the Blood Moor and Cold Plains too. Any problems? Go home farmboy.
NPCs? You spoke ONLY when spoken to ('!' over head of townsfolk)
- Reward: potions, scrolls, healers, magic items may now be used

II. Gothic Seeker - time to learn about faith and undead. Weapon: blunts.
AFTER Blood Raven is dead you may assign five stat points. No further stat points.
Besides quest 2, the Crypt and Mausoleum, and Stony Field must be cleared. The
Seeker phase also includes finding any three of the following four
shrines: Skill, Experience, Armor, and Stamina. These represent strong values
honored by Goths. Once found, they trek through the underground passage and
unravel the mystery of Tristram. If Treehead Woodfist is slain in the process,
you may distribute 5 stat points to Strength and 1 more skill point.

III. Gothic Protector - the power of defense.
Sword(or 1H wpn) and shield is required for this phase. It begins with the
assignment of 5 more stat points, all to dex, and one more skill, something
with defensive value. First goal: Kill Countess and The Smith, and find some form of
magic mail armor. You may distributed str points if needed, to wear it (or to
wield a found shield). If the Goth dies facing the Smith, the kill must be
repeated in another game, until he can do it without dying.
Second goal is similar: Defeat Andariel. Repeat if necessary until you can do
it without dying. (Otherwise, what good are you as a Soldier?!)
Reward: With the promotion to Soldier, all remaining stat points may now
be distributed. One or two pts to dex per lvl up is recommended.

IV. Gothic Soldier - the best defense is a good offense
Any 2H wpn must be used (other than sword). The Goal is to learn to hit
often and hard: a +AR gem or jewel must be found and worn, and rare or
unique weapon with +AR must be found and used, and the max dmg on character
screen (without help from others) must be at least 60. When these conditions
have been met, slay Duriel. If you die, do it again until you get it right Soldier!

V. Gothic Crusader - a triple threat, the power of magic
Where the Goth Enchantress may have found Soldier difficult, now is her time to
shine, while others may have it tougher. Armor up to Field plate is allowed,
and any shield up to Bone (no Gothic til next stage). While the jungle is not
home to the Goth, he must clear the Swampy Pit and the Arachnid Lair, as
well as a full clear of any section of Kurast in which a Winged Nightmare is found.
The weapon used should be one which gives a magic boost (orb, sceptre, wand, or
one with a magic skill). Classes with no such skills available should choose a
weapon where elemental damage is very high and phys dmg low - three elements
ideally, socketing one if necessary. Kill the Travincal gang with ranged or
magic attacks, then using magic and elemental damage to the greatest extent
possible, take down Bremm, Maffer, Void and Mephisto. Resistances of at LEAST
35% all should be worn in Durance 3. Use the new crafting formula to make the
necessary rings if needed. Mephisto should be killed "with style" :P

VI. Gothic Master - finally, the Lord of Terror, and the right to wear Gothic Plate
The Pandemonium Fortress is a special place. There they will meet the
Goth of ancicent days, Halbu. Halbu sells many fine Gothic Plates, which
the fools tend to scorn. The Goth knows better. His goal is to find or amass
enough of a donation to receive, a fine magical Gothic Plate (and matching
Shield of course). However to earn the right to wear these, he must first
defeat Hephasto. Consider if at all possible, bringing the Hell Forge Hammer
to the Fortress to celebrate, and with Halbu's mentoring, forge a suit of
armor yourself with the mighty Horadric Cube. (Later, in Act V, you will do
so again, this time with runes). Now honored and properly adorned, the Goth
is ready to take on the Lord of Terror, Diablo. No holds barred here, with
one exception- from here on out... no Static Field vs and end boss
when it is done for a quest title. Victory against Diablo earns the title
Gothic Knight, and the duty to proudly wear the Gothic Plate and Shield.

VI. Gothic Knight - there is a brother who is not happy
The Gothic Knight stage is one of the longer ones, for there is much to
do, and... much to prove. Baal must be defeated, as well as all the super
bosses of Nightmare difficulty. During this stage dex must be raised to
at LEAST 60 (if not already), hit points must be at LEAST 400, a boss
Winged Nightmare must be found and slain, and finally, NM Baal.
This could take from clvl 25 to 60 to accomplish. Only those that perservere
through and past this can take on higher titles.

VII. Gothic Lord - now it really gets tough
The Gothic Lord now enters the realm of Hell difficulty. The tasks are by
now familiar, just much harder. Vitality must be raised to 100 (the max vit
for the D1 Goth), minimum 500 hp (not much actually, may be raised),
and he must help at a deserving female character to get her NM title.
As before, a Winged Nightmare boss must be found and killed.

VIII. Gothic King - slayer of Baal in Hell difficulty
No more is required of him, and no restrictions left other than to proudly
serve the Gothic nations and wear their armor and shields. Most will choose
a Crown to wear at this point. He has run the course, he has finished the race.

Special Sets and Uniques...

- Isenhart's set has a Gothic Shield, and Gothic style Breast Plate
- Sigon's shelter is the only set Gothic plate. Sigon, a tower shield
is allowed. The unique Gothic armor is Rattlecage armor, the Shield is "The Ward"
- These sets have no armor/shield, so can be used nicely with Gothic
gear: Death, Infernal, Iratha
(Iratha's father was rumored to have been a Goth, who use Rattlecage and The Ward)
- Cloudcrack is a new unique Gothic sword with moderate dmg, good elem dmg,
chance of FoH on striking, thorns, +2 defense/offense auras and +10% max Ltning res.
- Boneslayer Blade, Gothic Axe. Moderate dmg, extra AR/dmg vs Undead, 50% chance cast
Holy Bolt on strike, +20% IAS.
- Heaven's Brethren has a Ward shield, and hefty special armor, and is allowed.
- Tal Rasha's uses the exceptional gothic plate, lacquered. Sazabi's is also allowed.

Twinking and Towing...
The gothic items tend to be viewed as less than uber by most folks, and the fear is
not as great as making a young character a powerhouse. At a later age, making some use
of 'medium' finds such as Cloudcrack or a nice Godly Gothic plate of the Whale is
encouranged. But early on, giving items to eliminate the challenge makes no sense.
Similarly, being 'towed' up from norm/1 to ancients then same in NM makes little
sense. A possible exception would be to get a NM merc as young as possible to maximize
their eventual skill levels. But keep in mind that being carried through such quests is
not the same as earning it, and such a character must go back immediately and fill
in the gaps untwinked and not towed. Do not accept/use items that would eliminate
challenge.

Gothquest ...

A band of several goths come together at one time to start as new recruits
and seek to become a cadre of undeafeatable warriors. It is a long term
goal, and looser than some, but a worthy one.

Up to eight may form the team, and others may go in parallel as needed.
They will join up, as many as available, on a regular basis. It is not a race
or a quest for the powergamer. The idea is to stay close in levels and acts
to be able to coop together and benefit from each others skills. In a full
party (unlikely in practice) there would be one of each class plus a second
paladin. The benefits brought would likely include:

- Conviction, lower resist and amp damage to face the many immunes and resistant
- Minion and mercenary support, with enough targets around for the monsters that
the sorcs and necros could melee without fear
- Defiance and shouts all around, as all will be wearing heavy but not necessarily
'max' DR gear
- Powerful elemental damage and chilling
- Enchant, spirits, inner sight, for higher and harder hitting

With schedules tight and strict, getting all together will be tough, but
hooking up on an as-possible basis, with the old Tues Variants night as
one to target (for those that can). Their bond will be the common training
and struggles, sharing of our stories as posts, and keeping an eye out for
gothic gear to share with comrades. The first quest is pretty much solo, so
the first hook up would be the passage to Dark Wood and Tristram. Act bosses
should be done as group as much as possible, especially Diablo and Baal.

Those who like team quest might consider adding the Goth as a "role" into
your Seven Samurai, EST, FF, LoG, or other team.

"Whether we have just one, eight, or more Goths willing to take up this
Crusade, it will happen... the ground will no longer be littered with
the Gothic plates of fallen comrades!!" -- CharisCobrago