Vuki's experience with IA V5.0, Using a special party composition Options

[Kerkes]

Phosporus is good early on, it boosts your thac0 alot. And is +4, but you don't need that in spelhold unless you go late. I use DUHM for strenght, and foa+3 does elemental damage to bash trough stoneskin and disrupt spellcasting. If I had someone with less than 18+str who could use it (Keldorn not included) I'd forge it.

[SpellStorm]

One question about item development. Guys (and girls ), what is your idea, should I create cloak of prot. +2 and +3 with this party? What about prot rings? Are these really worth the money?

I think that you should wait before doing the ring/cloak upgrades until you have enough money. Maybe, in chapter 6 will be a good time. In the meantime, your party will collect enough rings and cloaks +1 for everyone, even some extra ones.

[Vuki]

Phosporus is good early on, it boosts your thac0 alot. And is +4, but you don't need that in spelhold unless you go late. I use DUHM for strenght, and foa+3 does elemental damage to bash trough stoneskin and disrupt spellcasting. If I had someone with less than 18+str who could use it (Keldorn not included) I'd forge it.

I have made Treefolk's Arm and now the strength of my characters is the following:
- Vagrant: 19
- Barbarian (half-ork): 19
- Ranger->cleric: 18/99
- Berserker->thief: 18/88
- Inquisitor: 18/87
- Cernd: I do not remember, it is low, but who cares?

It is not bad, isn't it? And there is cheating in it, this are thrown values (ok, vagrant originally had 18/15 but with Treefolk' Arm it went up to 19).

[Raven]

Treefolk's Arm is a great weapon which I always try to go for early. In general I agree with SpellStorm; I don't tend to spend gold on improving protective items until Chapter 6. However, if you're having trouble with your party being disabled, improving their saves might be important. Potions of Invulnerability and Stone Form would be a cheaper way to do it, provided you were careful with when you used them.

[Kerkes]

Treefolk is an awsome weapon, probably the easiest +4 weapon to get in game. But I dunno have "multiple strongholds" installed.
I try to get Gaxx improved always, so to me it's like a "future investment" + only Cromwell can forge +4 ring. I am very cheap about using potions. Breach scrolls also. Troll mound usually takes about 10 or so breaches, if not more.

[Sikret]

only Cromwell can forge +4 ring.

Are you sure? If I remember correctly, Cespenar can also forge the +4 ring. It's the +3 cloak which he can't forge.

[Vuki]

Are you sure? If I remember correctly, Cespenar can also forge the +4 ring. It's the +3 cloak which he can't forge.

How much +3 cloak is found in the game? Should I make some or will I find enough?

[Kerkes]

@Sikret

You're right, I always tought it's the ring.

@Vuki

You'll have a lot of cloaks. You won't find +3, but you can make them.

[Vuki]

You'll have a lot of cloaks. You won't find +3, but you can make them.

Ok, thanks. So it really worth to make them still in SoA (you cannot make them in ToB).

[Raven]

SPOILER!

Cernd also used the spell Magic Resistance against him and it set his resistance to a new level which was hopefully lower then his actual resistance (Cernd was level 12, so it sets resistance of Tazok to 24% no matter how high it was before). After it he was able to affect him by spells.

If you want to play without cheesy tactics then don't do this. Magic Resistance is even tweaked in v6 so it only affects the caster.

[Sikret]

SPOILER!

Cernd also used the spell Magic Resistance against him and it set his resistance to a new level which was hopefully lower then his actual resistance (Cernd was level 12, so it sets resistance of Tazok to 24% no matter how high it was before). After it he was able to affect him by spells.

If you want to play without cheesy tactics then don't do this. Magic Resistance is even tweaked in v6 so it only affects the caster.

Yes, that's exactly why I didn't bother to mention this exploit in the pdf document. It won't work in v6.

[LZJ]

I agree. It's a known cheesy tactic in the vanilla game. In the past, I've read of people doing this to Firkraag in the vanilla game.

[Vuki]

If you want to play without cheesy tactics then don't do this. Magic Resistance is even tweaked in v6 so it only affects the caster.

I did not know that it is cheesy. I thought that it is working in the way as it was intended.

I will not use it anymore.

[Vuki]

Part 3 is partially entered. It will be updated soon.

[Kerkes]

If you want to play without cheesy tactics then don't do this. Magic Resistance is even tweaked in v6 so it only affects the caster.

I did not know that it is cheesy. I thought that it is working in the way as it was intended.

I will not use it anymore.

I think if this is how it's suppose to work, it would be the only spell in game which gets worse as you level up
Btw, nice walkthrough you're writing. Looking forward for updates!

[Vuki]

I think if this is how it's suppose to work, it would be the only spell in game which gets worse as you level up
Btw, nice walkthrough you're writing. Looking forward for updates!

Thanks. I tried the Planar Prison but I had absolutely no chance there. I will try Conster, I could have more luck there.

BTW, my walkthrough is updated with the fight against Tor'Gal and Chaos.

[Raven]

Conster may be doable. Firkraag probably less so. I would say the Planar Sphere will be easier for you than (say) the Shadow Temple.

[Vuki]

Conster may be doable. Firkraag probably less so. I would say the Planar Sphere will be easier for you than (say) the Shadow Temple.

I tried Conster 2 times but no success up to now. My berserker->thief have an affinity for dying and he died permanently (disappeared from character screen). Next time Conster removed protections from my characters and I had no chance anymore.

My current party level is:

Vagrant: 11. level (only 5k XP is missing from level up, so he will level up during the fight)
Barbarian: 12
Ranger->Cleric: 7/12
Inquisitor: 11 (same situation than vagrant: 5k is missing)
Berserker->Thief: 9/13
Auramaster (Cernd): 13

This post has been edited by Vuki: Aug 30 2008, 12:56 PM

[Kerkes]

Conster may be doable. Firkraag probably less so. I would say the Planar Sphere will be easier for you than (say) the Shadow Temple.

Funny thing, I usually find Conster to be far more difficult than Firkraag. But then again, I tend to have a few mages to breach Firkraag.

[Vuki]

I killed Conster! Wow! It was the hardest battle up to now. Couple of interesting things occured during the fight:

- Excatly after Conster died the text "Contingency Fired" appeared on the screen but luckily for me nothing happened (thanks for fixing it Sikret!)
- The slow effect of the FoA affected him very easily. Is there no MR against it or was I really lucky?
- Scroll reading of Conster was not failed when I damaged him. Is it how it should work or is it an unfixable bug?

Fight was really interesting and extremely hard to win. I was really pride when I win it. Thank you Sikret for this! I had to find the perfect tactics during that battle for winning it and I learnt a lot during that process. I will write about it in the usual place, in the 2nd post in this thread.