Narcillicus Harwillinger and the 2 mustard jellies

superluccix

Just wanted to say that out of all the fights I've faced so far. This one has pissed me off the most.

I finally got to beating it, after giving up originally after the first couple times to go do other stuff, because I was too weak.

1 or 2 levels later however, and it was still a bitch. The only reason I won is because of pure RNG Goddess on my side.

Killing the mage was easy enough, had 3 archers, he went down before he got his invisibility off. However the 2 jellies were the biggest problem.

It was mainly because I had no idea what could even damage them. I kept reading different things from different people on different sites, saying that magic doesnt work, melee doesnt work, ranged doesnt work, that crushing weapons work but not slashing, that magic weapons work.

Tried them all and the only thing I thought did any damage was the magical weapons. Also, I didnt even know what a magical weapon was anyway, but after some attempts at the jellies, I guess it means any weapon that has a lore description on it? A normal 2 handed sword didnt do anything, but Dorns sword did, Neeras staff, Branwens mace, and Xans blade all worked. But with my MC and Kagain using just normal weapons, they didnt do anything.

Anyways, just wanted to say "Fuck you jellies"


Oh and 1 more thing. I think I read somewhere that a quarterstaff +1 could do damage to the jelly, which I thought was just an improved normal weapon. So now Im confused on what is considered a magical weapon.

Is it just weapons that have a lore description on them? That clearly are special? Or is that that AND any weapon that has a +w/e to it





Edit: And on something COMPLETELY irrelevant to the topic, what does spellcaster level mean and do? Im in a battle with Kryll and Neera just gained a spellcaster level. This obviously isnt a general level up, but I dont know what it is. Is it permanent?

GreenWarlock

A magical weapon, in this context, is any weapon with a + modifier to hit. Special weapons have lore associated with them, but even a 'generic' +1 weapon will do. Note that both Dorn and Neera come with magic weapons and are available early in the game - this is quite a boost relative to a pre-EE party that does not know in advance where to go hunting for magical weapons (i.e., exploiting 'metagame' knowledge of having played the game before, and ignoring the plot to acquire the most useful equipment early).

Yes, the jellies are a hard fight at low levels, but at least move slowly enough that escape is always a reasonable strategy. Quite an xp boost if you do take them at low level though.

lolien

superluccix said:

Edit: And on something COMPLETELY irrelevant to the topic, what does spellcaster level mean and do? Im in a battle with Kryll and Neera just gained a spellcaster level. This obviously isnt a general level up, but I dont know what it is. Is it permanent?

Neera's spellcaster levels changes because she is a wild mage. It is not permanent. It affects the power of certain spells (for example with higher spellcaster level you get more missiles with the magic missile spell).

If you have time i suggest you to read the manuals, they are interesting to read and help a lot at the start.

kcwise

Spellcaster level has a direct impact on how many spells you can cast and on the level of spells you can cast. Check your spellbook upon leveling up and you'll often see a new slot to fill up, and on some level ups you'll discover you can cast from a higher level of spells (if you've found and memorized spells for that level). Clerics are similar (they don't have to memorize spells from scrolls) and you can check the priest spells to see what slots/levels you may have unlocked.

SionIV

Certain creatures will require you to have magical weapons to hit, and for some creatures a +1 weapon isn't enough and they will need a +2 or even +3 weapon. It's generally a good Idea to keep at least one weapon that has a high enchantment even if it's not a weapon you're proficient with. There will also come creatures that are immune to certain weapon types like piercing, fire or even slashing damage and sadly the only way to figure out what works is trial by error.

Jarrakul

Everyone else pretty much has it covered, but I'll say this on mustard jellies specifically: They are immune to all weapons below +1 (that is, non-magical weapons), as well as spells and all melee piercing damage. They're highly resistant, but not immune, to ranged damage (although their non-magical weapon immunity still applies, and if you're using a bow it's the arrows that count for this). Fortunately, their only attack is ranged, so they suffer massive THAC0 and AC penalties if you're in melee with them. Go up and bash those slimes!

superluccix

Ok thanks for the help everyone!


Also to Jarrakul - When you say "and all melee piercing damage" does this mean that if I were to do melee crushing or any other melee attack that is not piercing, that it would damage the slime?

(Only reason I ask is because I'm still trying to get magic weapons for all of my party)

DreadKhan

If you use a crushing or slashing melee weapon that is magic (IE has a +x to hit and damage), it works. Short Swords and Daggers will not work. You likely have a good Longsword +2 already, which will work wonders against them. Proficiency is good, but not always mandatory; if you aren't doing any damage with one weapon (Weapon Ineffective), try a different one.

There is a really, really nasty enemy you run into that is completely immune to ranged weapons, so keep an eye on the feedback the game gives you during fights.

Generally speaking, the most reliable weapon damage is bludgeoning, followed by slashing, the piercing, then missile. That said, most enemies are pretty vulnerable to missile weapons, so make great use of them, especially vs casters as you seem to have noticed. Bludgeoning weapons are not normally as damaging for base damage, but many enemies are slightly easier to hit, which is a built in advantage. Those wearing Split Mail though will be HARDER to hit, but not too many tough enemies wear splint. You can turn on an option to get more feedback, which includes to hit rolls, which will give you a clue which weapons can hit easier sometimes.

superluccix

Ok, thats some pretty useful info right there. Thanks

Jarrakul

A couple more things to note: if a weapons lists a damage type like "crushing/piercing" the game will use the more favorable type, so (magical) morningstars for example can hurt mustard jellies.

Also, note the feedback down at the bottom of the screen. If it says "weapon ineffective", that means your weapon doesn't have enough pluses. Maybe it's nonmagical and needs to be +1, or maybe it's +1 and needs to be +3, or what have you. There's actually one spell and one creature in BG2 that will give you this message if your weapon has *too many* plusses, but that's not typical. On the other hand, if the feedback is "xxxx is immune to my damage", that means the target is immune to whatever damage type you're dealing (piercing, slashing, fire, etc.). Paying attention to the difference between these two will help you assess what you need to hurt the monster.

Chidojuan

I remember being more afraid of mustard jellies in my first play-through than pretty much any other enemy.