Gotta love rangers the only class to gain power through racism. Looking at starting a PnP ranger and now they get more favored enemies as they level, so rangers literally gain racism through power and power through racism.
Vampires. They hit you once, and you are forced to take a rest afterwards, even if the encounter was otherwise unchallenging. So annoying. I *hate* level drain. Illithids(SCS) are nasty, too. But at least they don't leave you with permanent stat changes.
@jinxed75, Vampires. Is a long time since one of them managed to level drain one of my toons (Lich-Vampire undead Sola apart), but before learning how to deal with them was also my personal nightmare, for the same reason. Illithids(Tactics mod) are nasty, too. But at least they don't leave you with permanent stat changes. they usually kill you in no time if you give them the slightest chance to do it. And I suffer more a forced reload then a forced rest.
I'll admit, Vampires used to be a lot harder to deal with before Enhanced Edition, but now that Amulet of Power works with Paladins and Rangers, either of those can hold the line against the bloodsuckers.
@jinxed75, Vampires. Is a long time since one of them managed to level drain one of my toons (Lich-Vampire undead Sola apart), but before learning how to deal with them was also my personal nightmare, for the same reason. Illithids(Tactics mod) are nasty, too. But at least they don't leave you with permanent stat changes. they usually kill you in no time if you give them the slightest chance to do it. And I suffer more a forced reload then a forced rest.
I was mostly referring to the early game, with those stupid encounters with Del and Tanova. They always manage to land a hit on one of my goons, since they are just faster. Don't know about the Tactics Illithids, the SCS ones allow at least one hit before you die(if it isn't Minsc^^), and you can dodge them relatively easy, since they don't like to walk much and prefer to teleport. I just play run in circles with them until they finally give in and go after my Fire Elementals.
@jinxed75, yes, that early encounters, I was really terrified, and also after in bodhi's lair.... now early game I usually have 2 powerful weapons against them, my thief and my mage. You meet in the night when is easy for the thief to hide and scout, so is always me that lie them into an ambush, with summons and traps ready and everything that is needed Tactical superiority is everything is needed to win most of the fights. and they don't see through invisibility, the mage has a lev2 and a lev3 spell that are the best protections for 1 toon or the whole party. Is very funny when Bodhi try that ambush when I go to the Graveyard to restore Immy's soul. She talk, menace you, leave you surrounded by vampires, that can not see you After as I use almost only arcane casters PFMW, they can not lev drain if they can not touch
Tactics Illithids like the SCS ones don't kill you in one hit and they teleport. They have also a sort of ranged psyonic attack that deal damage, not so much but you feel it, and go invisible at will and see through invisibility. When you have a toon int drained and you know that 2 or 3 of them will appear near him, as they are scripted to go for him, you know that maybe they are already there, invisible, is not fun at all. If you make him invisible they see him anyway, if you move away they teleoprt at him. I never tried SCS ones, maybe they are the same, maybe I suffer so much because with them the situation is inverted. they have tactical superiority over me
@gorgonzola From what I experienced of SCS illithids they behave similarly. With the exception of seeing invisibility though. I can still scout with Staff of the Magi.
@biffyclanger, so SCS illithids are almost as hard as Tactics ones. This make me think on how player's style is so important in this game. A single detail like enemies seing or not seing invisibility can change a lot for some players and few for others. I rely much on scouting and being invisible or hidden, this almost trivialize vampires for me, also at low levels, and make psionics so hard. Other players like @jinxed75, that favour different tactics, can have a completely different opinion about the relative difficoulty in fighting those enemies.
Well, scouting against Illithids is just pointless. I just send a summon to trigger them, and then the Planar Travel party starts. What I do to survive, is other than constantly move my goons is to haste them beforehand, and distribute some Potions of Genius among my party. PfMW for everyone who can cast it, and then, like I said run until they lose their motivation to chase my party members and settle with my Fire Elementals/Aerial Servants. As soon as they start engaging them, I have my Fighters start attacking them. It's best to not create a too big distance to the Flayers, since their Ballistic Attack really hurts(about 30-40 damage each).
If I have the appropriate level mage I find also really useful the Planetar because he can see and attack them also when they go invisible. Just the fact that attacking them reveal their position is really helpful in keeping my already stat drained toons safe, his contribution in the killing is obviously pleasant.
Huh, you could possibly prepare for Illithids by using Contigency: PFMW to trigger on becoming helpless. That way even if your mage gets stunned, you've got four rounds before they can actually start eating your brains, and hopefully that'll be enough time for the party to save them.
I'll admit, Vampires used to be a lot harder to deal with before Enhanced Edition, but now that Amulet of Power works with Paladins and Rangers, either of those can hold the line against the bloodsuckers.
IIRC this used to be the case in the original game too. Or perhaps it was a G3 fixpack addition.
IIRC this used to be the case in the original game too. Or perhaps it was a G3 fixpack addition.
Not as I remember it. It was weird, since it worked with Monks and not with Rangers/Paladins. Now it works with the latter and not the former, which is as it should be, considering who's a spellcaster and who's not.
Hasted Mordy Swords still do well against Illithids as they do against most enemies. AC stacking spells like defensive harmony, group protection from evil work wonders too. Spirit Armor with Spell save bonus are great, all the cleric buffs that last a short while but stack too. Have a mage memorize lots of improved haste, project image, spirit armor, improved group invisibility and you can add their protection to every member in addition to cleric spells really makes a difference. In my game with all buffs up at -10AC and up Illithids have a hard time hitting you.
Comments
In BG1, probably ogres. Spiders don't seem that difficult to me.
Illithids(SCS) are nasty, too. But at least they don't leave you with permanent stat changes.
Vampires. Is a long time since one of them managed to level drain one of my toons (Lich-Vampire undead Sola apart), but before learning how to deal with them was also my personal nightmare, for the same reason.
Illithids(Tactics mod) are nasty, too. But at least they don't leave you with permanent stat changes. they usually kill you in no time if you give them the slightest chance to do it.
And I suffer more a forced reload then a forced rest.
Don't know about the Tactics Illithids, the SCS ones allow at least one hit before you die(if it isn't Minsc^^), and you can dodge them relatively easy, since they don't like to walk much and prefer to teleport. I just play run in circles with them until they finally give in and go after my Fire Elementals.
now early game I usually have 2 powerful weapons against them, my thief and my mage.
You meet in the night when is easy for the thief to hide and scout, so is always me that lie them into an ambush, with summons and traps ready and everything that is needed
Tactical superiority is everything is needed to win most of the fights.
and they don't see through invisibility, the mage has a lev2 and a lev3 spell that are the best protections for 1 toon or the whole party. Is very funny when Bodhi try that ambush when I go to the Graveyard to restore Immy's soul. She talk, menace you, leave you surrounded by vampires, that can not see you
After as I use almost only arcane casters PFMW, they can not lev drain if they can not touch
Tactics Illithids like the SCS ones don't kill you in one hit and they teleport. They have also a sort of ranged psyonic attack that deal damage, not so much but you feel it, and go invisible at will and see through invisibility. When you have a toon int drained and you know that 2 or 3 of them will appear near him, as they are scripted to go for him, you know that maybe they are already there, invisible, is not fun at all.
If you make him invisible they see him anyway, if you move away they teleoprt at him.
I never tried SCS ones, maybe they are the same, maybe I suffer so much because with them the situation is inverted. they have tactical superiority over me
This make me think on how player's style is so important in this game. A single detail like enemies seing or not seing invisibility can change a lot for some players and few for others. I rely much on scouting and being invisible or hidden, this almost trivialize vampires for me, also at low levels, and make psionics so hard. Other players like @jinxed75, that favour different tactics, can have a completely different opinion about the relative difficoulty in fighting those enemies.
It's best to not create a too big distance to the Flayers, since their Ballistic Attack really hurts(about 30-40 damage each).
I might give demons a go in my next run. I assume the succubus' (succubi?) also count as demons?