Positive feedback featuring a plea for tactical advice Options

[Ballad]

Thank you, Sikret!

I have finally gotten around to playing Improved Anvil, and wow, I'm stunned. The mod really makes the game feel fresh and fun... and so excruciatingly difficult. No, I'm not complaining, after all difficulty's what I've been looking for. I'm truly impressed with the improved AI and the new scripts: now it seems like the enemies actually know what they are doing. Most of the battles which used to be cakewalk are at least moderately challenging now. Generally speaking I'm very happy with Improved Anvil.

The first "between area"-battle (the one with Suna-Seni and Eldarin) was especially memorable. I only had four members in my party and hardly any equipment, yet I managed to beat them on the first try. Monster summoning is a really underestimated spell: with haste and defensive harmony even those puny dire wolves can wreak some serious havoc. The sewer encounter (Hatchetman) was a little more difficult but didn't take too many reloads either. I then started the Planar Prison quest but ended up postponing it because of the new elite bounty huntress who kept ripping my lowbie party to shreds regardless of what I tried. After some aimless estate plundering I concluded my day with the beastmaster and the slavers in the Slums.

Even though no battle is easy in IA, I find mages (especially higher level ones) extremely difficult to beat. Am I missing something or is Spell Immunity: Abjuration really unremovable? Every counter-protection spell out there (Breach, Spell Thrust, Pierce Magic, Dispel & Remove Magic etc.) seems to be of that spell school so there's practically no way to touch the mage until the immunity expires. The only way I've managed to beat them is to cast every possible protection on my party, then circle the spellchucker as long as his/her protections last. Now, I'm 99% certain that you are not intended to fight them that way, so... What am I doing wrong?

This post has been edited by Ballad: Apr 21 2007, 02:40 AM

[Romulas]

Its amazing how much easier things get when you get to 12 or 13th level, the fighters actually start to hit something and mages/sorcerers have enough spells to do some things.

I have two sorcerers in my party and it makes a difference at that level, On some of the battle tank monsters with magic resistance casting lower resistance 2 at a time helps, even if one of them is absorbed by something. Then my sorcerers are able to contribute to the battle by causing some damage.

The trick is to get them to that level in one piece. I have finished most of the plain quests and just finished the slavers ship and nalias keep. It took about 4 tries but I finally for the first time waxed that greater yuan ti in the keep courtyard, what a tough fight even for my party and level.

A question for sikret, what do you think about changing the feeblemind spell to duration for the following reason. If you fail your save your character, usually a fighter tank is immobile and useless, and if you are not high enough level to overcome it with dispell magic there is really nothing left to do but get rid of the character or reload. I know the real tactic to use is 2 potions of clarity but not everyone is able to get those so early, it just seems it would give a couple different ways of surviving the battle than just one.

Now off to the planar sphere, I tried it earlier but those blankity blank halflings kicked my tail out of the sphere, might need help on those.

Romulas

[thetruth]

A question for sikret, what do you think about changing the feeblemind spell to duration for the following reason. If you fail your save your character, usually a fighter tank is immobile and useless, and if you are not high enough level to overcome it with dispell magic there is really nothing left to do but get rid of the character or reload. I know the real tactic to use is 2 potions of clarity but not everyone is able to get those so early, it just seems it would give a couple different ways of surviving the battle than just one.

Chaotic Commands, Potions of Invulnerability, Potions of Stone form and Potions of Magic Shielding (but keep these for later ), all of them can protect from Feeblemind.

No need to tweak the spell IMO.