@histamiini: The exact formula is not known. For single-classes, it should be 50% of the class level. For dual- and multi-classes, it should be 60% of the average level. I believe it tends to round down if the result is a fraction, but I've seen exceptions, like when a level 35 sorcerer gets a level 18 clone.
@semiticgod Thanks. It sounds like either the description is then wrong, or the formula is broken. Why not simply make it as the description says, 0,6 x 17 lv =10 lv (rounded down), meaning 5th level spells, not 4th.
After doing some questing - Slaves, Underground, Graveyard - Krell decided to dive into the Cult of the Eyeless. His aim: Test if the Gauth XP loop works for Totemic Druids even in poverty runs. The result was clear: Yes it works!
With three Spirit Lions and two Fire Elementals Krell rested again and again while being invisible. Yes the Gauth will hurt the summons a bit but once they switch to melee mode they are quick meat. With his minions on autopilot i continued working on other stuff only reopening the game for another rest & smash round. Thanks to the breaks this took the afternoon and i stopped after Krell reached level 15 to chose his first HLA!
So many options: Engergy Blades will be cool. Or Elemental Shifting. But i think @histamiini will agree with me that picking the Deva first was no bad deciscion. More summoning power incoming. Time to visit Faldorn soon...
Guarded Compound. Six likes money, so I headed to the Guarded Compound, where I've never been, so this was as blind first try, as reading the net beforehand can be.
Buffed, 4 Skelis, 1 Deva, and triggered the attack. One Death Fog trigger killed all but the one Efreeti, who was killed as soon as I casted Truth Seeing.
Buffed even more for the second floor, AoF, Stoneskin, Mirror Image, Resist Fear, Chaotic Commands, SI:Abjuration and Sanctuary. And then I MoaF'd the mob.
Who resisted it somewhat casting Zone Sweet Air, but after I fed enough additional Cloudkills, all were dead. The whole place netted a cool 21k, which is pretty good for that little work.
@Harpagornis Deva always the first choice, he's such a tough bastard, and mage can insta cast it so it's good insurance policy. I'm thinking doing M/C next, and if all goes well, Planetar and Deva should be fun combo.
As I figured Staff of the Magi is another op item, maybe even better than Carsomyr. I completely toyed with an ambush, and as it casts invisibility when equipped, you can do that as many times in a round you want.
Krell rushed through Trademeet and started his journey to the Druid Grove...
With Fire Elementals, Deva and Spirit Summons as reinforcement Krell cleared the Spirit Troll groups one after another even though this took some while. The Druids however were helpless when Krell combined the summons with Creeping Doom - poor ones! The Myconid Spore Colonies were quite painful as Myconids swarmed all over the place giving his summons only time to clear one colonie per rest. Phew!
Faldorn herself was also painful as Krell had to start without invisibility (i dont pick up Cernd as Druid) and even though i tried it again and again Faldorns Insect Swarm was always ignoring his Magic Resistance. Miscast Magic or Horror also failed constantly even though her save against spells is only 6 on LoB. Strange.
As Krell had saved his levelup he invested it just for testing on Engergy Blades - and that was the turning point. Thanks to the high speed attacks Faldorn was interrupted without problems so Krell called in three Spirit Wolves. As Energy Blades also gives haste for moving he had no problem to outrun Faldorn casting Creeping Doom + Deva so she dropped like a sack of potatoes shortly after.
I tested Energy Blades several times and they always disrupted spell casting. If i will ever get this far on a no-reload poverty run this will be a thing to remember. However: Thanks to this new HLA the challenge for the Grove worked in the same manner so Krell is now the new and undisputed Great Druid. May the Earthmother be with him in the upcoming challenges!
Several new things from re-playing BG1 and the first SoD dungeon for the nth time:
1. If Charname is too far to the northwest during the Ducal Palace fight, the Doppelganger Assassin will attempt a backstab with 1d12 base damage, or 65 backstab damage on average. A maximum damage roll will deal 120, a critical hit will deal 130, and a maximum damage critical backstab will deal 240 damage. Even if you survive the initial backstab, all the doppelgangers have 5 APR and the Doppelganger Assassin can easily finish you off even if you survive the backstab.
2. In my install at least, the doppelgangers' attack, S1-12.itm, is coded as a magical weapon--probably erroneously, because all other items with the same naming convention are nonmagical unless they have M1, M2, M3, M4, or M5 at the end of their name. This means that Ithtyl's Protection from Normal Weapons spell is completely useless.
3. Of the Undercity party members you can charm and bring into the fight with Sarevok, Gorf is indeed a better candidate than Haseo. With Gorf helping us fight Angelo, the Skeleton Warriors, and Sarevok, we only needed 12 charges from the Wand of Monster Summoning. However, there are two caveats: first, you need to pull Gorf back whenever the enemy kills a summoned critter to make sure they won't attack Gorf, since Gorf's 400 HP isn't remotely enough for him to solo more than one enemy (I actually had to cast Invisibility on him to get Sarevok off his back). He needs support from summons. Second, you can only safely charm Gorf from one very specific position without giving Rahvin a chance to notice you:
4. Kysus has enough spell power to kill Drasus even if Drasus drinks a Potion of Magic Shielding, so the safest way to kill Drasus is to use Kysus on him.
5. Summoned Skeleton Warriors will always turn hostile when their summoner goes hostile, so don't count on a Skeleton Warrior to kill Mulahey, Bassilus, or Ramazith. It's best just to send the first two off to die against some of the local enemies, and just drain Ramazith's spells before stomping on him.
6. Speaking with the Watcher outside Candlekeep will get you away from the Ogre Magi, but the Ogre Magi's Charm Person spells will follow you through the walls and into Candlekeep. A Potion of Clarity is still necessary unless you use the Boots of Speed to escape the map and return under Invisibility.
7. It's entirely possible for all of the Ducal Palace doppelgangers to make their saving throws against Chaos multiple times in a row even if you open with Greater Malison. Their base saves vs. spell are 3, or -2 in LoB mode, which means Greater Malison+Chaos/Slow only has a 30% chance of working per casting, while Wands of Paralyzation have a 25% chance.
8. Porios will surrender if you have high STR and try to intimidate him or if you have high CHA and ask him to surrender. Even the enemies outside his door will surrender if you succeed, so it's a good idea to just rush to Porios and talk to him rather than trying to win the first fight of SoD.
9. There are several traps on the second level of the starting dungeon, and there's one in the Unsleeping Guardian chamber that inflicts fear. Nobody around seems to have any divination spells, so you might be safe just by being invisible and having Protection from Undead active, but if you do fail a save against fear, you might run around and trigger enough traps to die.
10. Be careful about the Dispel Magic trap just outside Korlasz's door. It can render you visible and the previous group of non-undead enemies might attack you from behind if they see you, so it's a good idea to drink a Potion of Invisibility right after the trap hits (you'll get plenty more in SoD). A single Arrow of Dispelling and a few Acid Arrows are enough to convince Korlasz to surrender, at which point every single enemy except for the mephits and beetles will die or drop their equipment and leave. When Korlasz surrenders, it's safe to rest in the area.
All Dopplegangers can hit my Spirit Summons even the smaller ones. But - thats the difference in my installation - Skels remain friendly even when their summoner goes hostile @semiticgod.
Krell started the main quest and will go for Bodhis lair soon!
Have done pretty much all I could so it was time for the end game of SoA. Apparently you can also find Time Stop scroll from the North Forest with the mage, so there's seven scrolls you can find in the game.
Vithal 1 Ribald 1 North Forest Mage 1 Suldanesselar Priest House 1 Dragon in Hell Trials 1 Arcana Archives 2
Also damn is the Staff of the Magi op, as it gives invisibility instantly after every action, so as an example you can practically spam Wand of Cloudkill being invisible.
Suldanesselar, Crom Fayer instakilled lesser Golems, and me and Deva tanked the Adamantine ones. Rajahs were on to me, so I summoned Skelis to keep company for them. This was interesting as none of their spells or weapons work on Skelis, and Skelis can't do anything to them. So this flailing could have gone for 8 hours straight.
But I put stop to it by luring them one by one and meleed them down. Raamilat was MoaF'd, and then me and Deva cleared the whole map from baddies. Was also able to save Priest Demin from the mob by tanking them with Deva.
Nizidramaanii'yt didn't suffer WoW because he went agro after I refused his request, but I had prepared 2x Lower Resistance + Greater Malison trigger, and first Feeblemind after it did him in.
The temple battle, buffed up, went in and summoned Deva who was able to kill the Glabrezu who actually was highest priority as it was the only one who could see through invisibility.
Suneer then summoned Planetar who murdered my Deva, and it was time to retreat out. Rested, buffed and went in again and because nobody could see me, I just MoaF'd Suneer, and Deva killed the rest.
Suldanesselar netted 52k gold + Bladesinger Chain + nice scrolls. Next up Irenicus.
Krell helped the Shadow Thieves to finish off Bodhis Vampire Lair and i must admit that it was supereasy. With the Spirit Summons immune against everything (no leveldrain, dominate etc.) and a Deva with Mace of Disruption the whole placed was cleared in no time...
Against Bodhi Krell used the retreat-rest trick to trigger her final talking - job done. With level 19 reached and Elemental Princes available he is looking confident into the future even though the whole challenge feels more and more like a speedrun.
Irenicus at Tree of Life, buffed up and my plan was to Sim PfM Irenicus from the get go, which didn't work because I wasn't fast enough and he dissappeared and made copies of himself. And then they started summoning Demons like no tomorrow, which was fine because with Cloak of Non-detection and Staff of the Magi invisibility and Protection from Evil I was completely protected from any targeting.
Eventually the Demons killed Irenicus, and I did nothing. Apparently Six is already so powerful that she could goad Irenicus to kill himself. And he even admitted that, "I... killed me".
Changed my mind and decided not to go the 2 AC evil route, as my save vs. spell eventually dropped to -4, so Human Flesh +5 wasn't really needed, and net MR wouldn't be any better compared to Robe of Vecna anyway, and -1 Dex did nothing. So I got all the good buffs. Oh yeah, and Sarevok was meleed down.
End Battle. Buffed up, summoned 4 Skelis and Deva and activated the battle. And as soon as the battle started I quickly ran to the bottom of the screen, and left everybody else in there.
Irenicus wasted the two Time Stops and I then waited his Fallen Planetar to unsummon. Then it was just matter of luring everybody one by one. First the Balors, I had prepared four Harm spells for them, but had to waste all of them on the first Balor alone. The second Balor was Sim PfM'd, and then I meleed it down having 110 fire resistance.
Then I lured the Glabrezus, dispelled them with the SotM and just meleed them down.
Tried poisoning Irenicus, and although it worked he had too high MR it to do anykind of viable damage. Then I casted two Lower Resistances, and tried to MoaF him, but it still wasn't enough as he has 12 hppr regen and he quickly wandered out of the smoke. Well this was all just foreplay, because Irenicus really had no chance against Staff of the Magi insta invisibility and it was just the matter of deciding Irenicus fate. And after Sim casting PfM on him, I meleed his Slayer form down one by one, using five Gww's and one Critical Strike.
And that was it for the SoA. Eklun should start oiling his moldy staffs if he wants the Throne of Bhaal, because Six is coming through. @Harpagornis
@histamiini: Protection from Evil isn't supposed to protect you from enemy summoned demons in SCS. It's supposed to be rigged to only protect against your own summoned demons. There must be something different in your install.
Nice execution @histamiini. With all those OP items and spells ToB should be a cakewalk.
Or to bring it to the point: You can only be beaten by yourself!
I dont bother about Eklun at the moment as i am too tired. I will continue with Krells poverty runs first. He has already cleared Brynnlaw and Spellhold except for the final confrontation with Irenicus there. But that one will be cheasy!
The Lich was absolutely helpless against Spirit Bears and Deva. Sometimes an Elemental Prince joined the party obliterating even the Umber Hulks. These summons are real beasts...
This also means that - except for Faldorn - there was no reload needed so far as Krell was mostly watching the scenes out of invisibility. I changed that a bit as he not only got Engery Blades but also the hard hitting Elemental Forms - their immunty to weapons is quite handy.
@Harpagornis Yeah I remember ToB being pretty death free with my Cavalier, I think the first death was actually against Abazigal's Imprisonment, which I actually should make a mental note of.
I'm midway through SoD with the Archer/Mage and I noticed that Ziatar's poison breath weapon does enough damage to kill almost any character in one hit. The spell file, DRGRBRHT.spl, says it does 24d6+12 poison damage with a save vs. breath for half damage, but in-game, it seemed to deal about 40-50 damage, or double that on a failed save.
That's the damage it does to summons besides skeletons. Against Charname, it deals twice as much: about 100 damage on a successful save, or 200 damage on a failed save. Only fighters can expect to survive it, and only if their save vs. breath is 1 or lower (Cavaliers, of course, are immune by default). Any other class stands a good chance of instantly dying if they get in range, even if they buff with Chant, Luck, and/or a bard or Blade's song. A Protection from Poison scroll offers no defense whatsoever.
She uses it every 5 rounds. Unless you have well over 100 HP, a save vs. breath of 1 or lower, and some spare charges of Durlag's Goblet, it's probably not safe to get anywhere near Ziatar.
Also, her Dragon Fear spell triggers every 10 rounds and has a -4 save penalty.
@histamiini: Poison comes in two different forms: poison damage, which uses opcode 12, and the poison effect, which uses opcode 25. The former is used for instantaneous poison damage, like the poison in a level 20 snare. The latter is used for lingering poison damage, like spider poison or the Poison spell. Green Dragon's Breath uses opcode 12 and deals damage instantaneously. The Neothelid's poison breath weapon uses both. One exception to the rule is a level 11 snare, which deals lingering damage but uses opcode 12, the first type of poison damage.
To block the first type , you need opcode 173, the poison resistance modifier. To block the second kind, you need opcode 101, the immunity to effect modifier, to grant full-blown immunity to opcode 25. The Protection from Poison scroll only blocks the second kind, so it prevents lingering poison damage but not the instantaneous kind.
Cavaliers and level 11+ monks are immune to both kind of poison damage because they have 100% poison resistance as well as immunity to opcode 25. Items like the Purification Stone and Ring of Gaxx also grant full immunity because they grant the same effects. To my knowledge, the Protection from Poison scroll is the only source of poison "immunity" that does not block instantaneous poison damage via opcode 12.
After finding the 58 hp Familiar and getting hp to cool 188 it was time to meet Illasera, who wasn't really fun at all. With invisibility and Shield of Reflection Six separated her from the rest, and lured her to the killing zone with Skelis and Deva. Tried to Harm four times but her MR cancelled it every time, so I had to melee her the old fashioned way, which was no problem really.
Speaking of old fashioned way, Six needs a break and so do I, so I rolled Seven, a Dwarven Defender tank, thing, for some mindless brawling.
You can also shoot Ziatar down with Arrows or Bullets from max range without any retaliation @semiticgod which makes this fight rather trivial. Looks like some kind of AI bug...
I got to Belhifet and I might just have been saved by a bug.
Things were looking horribly grim, with the map crammed with demons and Belhifet still at 400 HP when all my Potions of Heroism and Power were gone, my buffs were running low, and I was out of Arrows of Detonation. My only hope would have been to use the Wand of Monster Summoning to divide the enemy, keeping the crowds in two separate clumps so I would have enough room in which to kite Belhifet. But I'm not sure how well it would have worked, or if I would have survived in the end.
Then I suddenly died. It's an old bug, the one where your portrait goes black. I probably would have died anyway--I'd consider my odds of survival very small unless I came up with some other trick--but per my normal rules, I actually get to give Belhifet another shot!
Arrows of Detonation did not play out the way I thought they would. I figured a few rounds of aggressive bombing would clear the field and let me isolate Belhifet. But Arrows of Detonation removed my summons, and whenever my summons weren't around, the enemy would teleport to me, and then I'd be faced with the question of bombing myself and therefore getting all of the demons, or choosing a more distant target to deal less damage but avoid harming myself.
Neither option was very good. When I allowed Frisk to get hit, their HP dropped dramatically, to the extent that I may well have died if I hadn't stopped. When I didn't, I left many demons unharmed or clinging to life. In the chaos, it was impossible to clear the area using Arrows of Detonation without putting Frisk in danger. Just like last time, Belhifet's advantage grew, and with no pips in Single Weapon Style, with no Potions of Heroism left (I drank 20 before entering the elevator, and they wore off), and with my Potions of Power quickly vanishing, the Martyr's Morningstar was an unlikely gamble. I did the math and I was more likely to end up dead if I relied on the morningstar.
I also found that taking down Belhifet's Improved Invisibility is a hopeless exercise. He keeps re-casting it if I hit him with an Arrow of Dispelling, and the level 3 mage spell Detect Illusions does not dispel Improved Invisibility like I thought it would--I'd need to cast Oracle for that.
Right now I'm considering just going for broke at the very beginning of the fight. I'd have to time it carefully, but if I drank all 20 of my Potions of Heroism and all 10 of my Potions of Power, I could maintain 700 HP for maybe 20 rounds, and even if all the enemies landed every single hit, they'd only deal 600 damage per round on average. This means I could deal maybe 500 damage to Belhifet before I'd have to worry about Potions of Power running out and dropping my HP to 150. He'd have maybe 2-5 demons left, at which point I could kite him with a slight advantage compared to tonight's fight. Plus, now that I know I can divide the demons by summoning critters at separate locations, I'll be able to kite him for longer than I otherwise might have.
But this would require careful timing. I only need a 20-round window, but that would mean I'd need to drink all 10 Potions of Power in the elevator, and if I drink them too early, that HP bug might drop me to 150 HP, and then I'd be pretty much screwed.
Since I skipped the Dragonspear fight and went straight to Ashatiel, I never got to pick up Corinth's Bow, which would deal more damage than the Bow of the Banshee. But I have grandmastery in longbows instead of mastery (I thought I could use the level 6 mage proficiency point in bows, but I can), so it balances out.
Potions of Invisibility and hit-and-run will not work for the Archer/Mage. The hordes of demons mean each potion would only let us make one attack roll lest we get mobbed, and Belhifet's 50% missile damage resistance means we'd only deal 4.5 damage per Potion of Invisibility, which amounts to 2.5 damage considering his regeneration. To deal only 250 damage to him, we'd need 100 Potions of Invisibility and he would summon enough demons in the meantime to crowd out the map--which means a lot of Erinyes would be firing arrows at us despite our invisibility.
I might do a test run of Belhifet using my other save, which is what I originally planned on doing for this run.
I also found that taking down Belhifet's Improved Invisibility is a hopeless exercise. He keeps re-casting it if I hit him with an Arrow of Dispelling, and the level 3 mage spell Detect Illusions does not dispel Improved Invisibility like I thought it would--I'd need to cast Oracle for that.
I would have thought Detect Invisibility should work, though I'm not sure it would be particularly useful given how quickly Belhifet re-establishes invisibility. True Sight would be a much better option, but presumably there aren't any scrolls for that lying around in SoD.
Detect Invisibility doesn't bypass MR in my install. I noticed this when my MR blocked an enemy Detect Invisibility spell on the way out of the Underground River.
Comments
With three Spirit Lions and two Fire Elementals Krell rested again and again while being invisible. Yes the Gauth will hurt the summons a bit but once they switch to melee mode they are quick meat. With his minions on autopilot i continued working on other stuff only reopening the game for another rest & smash round. Thanks to the breaks this took the afternoon and i stopped after Krell reached level 15 to chose his first HLA!
So many options: Engergy Blades will be cool. Or Elemental Shifting. But i think @histamiini will agree with me that picking the Deva first was no bad deciscion. More summoning power incoming. Time to visit Faldorn soon...
Buffed, 4 Skelis, 1 Deva, and triggered the attack. One Death Fog trigger killed all but the one Efreeti, who was killed as soon as I casted Truth Seeing.
Buffed even more for the second floor, AoF, Stoneskin, Mirror Image, Resist Fear, Chaotic Commands, SI:Abjuration and Sanctuary. And then I MoaF'd the mob.
Who resisted it somewhat casting Zone Sweet Air, but after I fed enough additional Cloudkills, all were dead. The whole place netted a cool 21k, which is pretty good for that little work.
With Fire Elementals, Deva and Spirit Summons as reinforcement Krell cleared the Spirit Troll groups one after another even though this took some while. The Druids however were helpless when Krell combined the summons with Creeping Doom - poor ones! The Myconid Spore Colonies were quite painful as Myconids swarmed all over the place giving his summons only time to clear one colonie per rest. Phew!
Faldorn herself was also painful as Krell had to start without invisibility (i dont pick up Cernd as Druid) and even though i tried it again and again Faldorns Insect Swarm was always ignoring his Magic Resistance. Miscast Magic or Horror also failed constantly even though her save against spells is only 6 on LoB. Strange.
As Krell had saved his levelup he invested it just for testing on Engergy Blades - and that was the turning point. Thanks to the high speed attacks Faldorn was interrupted without problems so Krell called in three Spirit Wolves. As Energy Blades also gives haste for moving he had no problem to outrun Faldorn casting Creeping Doom + Deva so she dropped like a sack of potatoes shortly after.
I tested Energy Blades several times and they always disrupted spell casting. If i will ever get this far on a no-reload poverty run this will be a thing to remember. However: Thanks to this new HLA the challenge for the Grove worked in the same manner so Krell is now the new and undisputed Great Druid. May the Earthmother be with him in the upcoming challenges!
1. If Charname is too far to the northwest during the Ducal Palace fight, the Doppelganger Assassin will attempt a backstab with 1d12 base damage, or 65 backstab damage on average. A maximum damage roll will deal 120, a critical hit will deal 130, and a maximum damage critical backstab will deal 240 damage. Even if you survive the initial backstab, all the doppelgangers have 5 APR and the Doppelganger Assassin can easily finish you off even if you survive the backstab.
2. In my install at least, the doppelgangers' attack, S1-12.itm, is coded as a magical weapon--probably erroneously, because all other items with the same naming convention are nonmagical unless they have M1, M2, M3, M4, or M5 at the end of their name. This means that Ithtyl's Protection from Normal Weapons spell is completely useless.
3. Of the Undercity party members you can charm and bring into the fight with Sarevok, Gorf is indeed a better candidate than Haseo. With Gorf helping us fight Angelo, the Skeleton Warriors, and Sarevok, we only needed 12 charges from the Wand of Monster Summoning. However, there are two caveats: first, you need to pull Gorf back whenever the enemy kills a summoned critter to make sure they won't attack Gorf, since Gorf's 400 HP isn't remotely enough for him to solo more than one enemy (I actually had to cast Invisibility on him to get Sarevok off his back). He needs support from summons. Second, you can only safely charm Gorf from one very specific position without giving Rahvin a chance to notice you:
4. Kysus has enough spell power to kill Drasus even if Drasus drinks a Potion of Magic Shielding, so the safest way to kill Drasus is to use Kysus on him.
5. Summoned Skeleton Warriors will always turn hostile when their summoner goes hostile, so don't count on a Skeleton Warrior to kill Mulahey, Bassilus, or Ramazith. It's best just to send the first two off to die against some of the local enemies, and just drain Ramazith's spells before stomping on him.
6. Speaking with the Watcher outside Candlekeep will get you away from the Ogre Magi, but the Ogre Magi's Charm Person spells will follow you through the walls and into Candlekeep. A Potion of Clarity is still necessary unless you use the Boots of Speed to escape the map and return under Invisibility.
7. It's entirely possible for all of the Ducal Palace doppelgangers to make their saving throws against Chaos multiple times in a row even if you open with Greater Malison. Their base saves vs. spell are 3, or -2 in LoB mode, which means Greater Malison+Chaos/Slow only has a 30% chance of working per casting, while Wands of Paralyzation have a 25% chance.
8. Porios will surrender if you have high STR and try to intimidate him or if you have high CHA and ask him to surrender. Even the enemies outside his door will surrender if you succeed, so it's a good idea to just rush to Porios and talk to him rather than trying to win the first fight of SoD.
9. There are several traps on the second level of the starting dungeon, and there's one in the Unsleeping Guardian chamber that inflicts fear. Nobody around seems to have any divination spells, so you might be safe just by being invisible and having Protection from Undead active, but if you do fail a save against fear, you might run around and trigger enough traps to die.
10. Be careful about the Dispel Magic trap just outside Korlasz's door. It can render you visible and the previous group of non-undead enemies might attack you from behind if they see you, so it's a good idea to drink a Potion of Invisibility right after the trap hits (you'll get plenty more in SoD). A single Arrow of Dispelling and a few Acid Arrows are enough to convince Korlasz to surrender, at which point every single enemy except for the mephits and beetles will die or drop their equipment and leave. When Korlasz surrenders, it's safe to rest in the area.
In my install all doppelgangers have magical weapons, too.
@All
Wow so much progress here you guys been busy.
All Dopplegangers can hit my Spirit Summons even the smaller ones. But - thats the difference in my installation - Skels remain friendly even when their summoner goes hostile @semiticgod.
Krell started the main quest and will go for Bodhis lair soon!
Vithal 1
Ribald 1
North Forest Mage 1
Suldanesselar Priest House 1
Dragon in Hell Trials 1
Arcana Archives 2
Also damn is the Staff of the Magi op, as it gives invisibility instantly after every action, so as an example you can practically spam Wand of Cloudkill being invisible.
Suldanesselar, Crom Fayer instakilled lesser Golems, and me and Deva tanked the Adamantine ones. Rajahs were on to me, so I summoned Skelis to keep company for them. This was interesting as none of their spells or weapons work on Skelis, and Skelis can't do anything to them. So this flailing could have gone for 8 hours straight.
But I put stop to it by luring them one by one and meleed them down. Raamilat was MoaF'd, and then me and Deva cleared the whole map from baddies. Was also able to save Priest Demin from the mob by tanking them with Deva.
Nizidramaanii'yt didn't suffer WoW because he went agro after I refused his request, but I had prepared 2x Lower Resistance + Greater Malison trigger, and first Feeblemind after it did him in.
The temple battle, buffed up, went in and summoned Deva who was able to kill the Glabrezu who actually was highest priority as it was the only one who could see through invisibility.
Suneer then summoned Planetar who murdered my Deva, and it was time to retreat out. Rested, buffed and went in again and because nobody could see me, I just MoaF'd Suneer, and Deva killed the rest.
Suldanesselar netted 52k gold + Bladesinger Chain + nice scrolls. Next up Irenicus.
I'm thinking taking one of the evil choice's so I could try the Human Flesh +5, probably the 2 AC, because all the others aren't that good.
But it seems there is only ONE line working.
Charisma 19 + Reputation 20 was enough!
2-2-3-2-1-1-1-3-3-1-1-2-1
No fight, no suicide - Balthy joins the party!
May the Force of Evil be with you!
Against Bodhi Krell used the retreat-rest trick to trigger her final talking - job done. With level 19 reached and Elemental Princes available he is looking confident into the future even though the whole challenge feels more and more like a speedrun.
Eventually the Demons killed Irenicus, and I did nothing. Apparently Six is already so powerful that she could goad Irenicus to kill himself. And he even admitted that, "I... killed me".
Changed my mind and decided not to go the 2 AC evil route, as my save vs. spell eventually dropped to -4, so Human Flesh +5 wasn't really needed, and net MR wouldn't be any better compared to Robe of Vecna anyway, and -1 Dex did nothing. So I got all the good buffs. Oh yeah, and Sarevok was meleed down.
End Battle. Buffed up, summoned 4 Skelis and Deva and activated the battle. And as soon as the battle started I quickly ran to the bottom of the screen, and left everybody else in there.
Irenicus wasted the two Time Stops and I then waited his Fallen Planetar to unsummon. Then it was just matter of luring everybody one by one. First the Balors, I had prepared four Harm spells for them, but had to waste all of them on the first Balor alone. The second Balor was Sim PfM'd, and then I meleed it down having 110 fire resistance.
Then I lured the Glabrezus, dispelled them with the SotM and just meleed them down.
Tried poisoning Irenicus, and although it worked he had too high MR it to do anykind of viable damage. Then I casted two Lower Resistances, and tried to MoaF him, but it still wasn't enough as he has 12 hppr regen and he quickly wandered out of the smoke. Well this was all just foreplay, because Irenicus really had no chance against Staff of the Magi insta invisibility and it was just the matter of deciding Irenicus fate. And after Sim casting PfM on him, I meleed his Slayer form down one by one, using five Gww's and one Critical Strike.
And that was it for the SoA. Eklun should start oiling his moldy staffs if he wants the Throne of Bhaal, because Six is coming through.
EDIT: oh yeah in Improved Fiends part, well I should have that installed, here's my weidu log:
// The top of the file is the 'oldest' mod
// ~TP2_File~ #language_number #component_number // [Subcomponent Name -> ] Component Name [ : Version]
~SETUP-WEIDU.TP2~ #0 #0 // 24200
~SETUP-BWS.TP2~ #0 #0 // 20161130 - Updated by agb1 (installation started pe 15.12.2017)
~EET/EET.TP2~ #0 #0 // EET core - resource importation: 1.0 RC9.2
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #0 // Ascension Core (requires ToB): v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #1 // Tougher Abazigal (optional, requires ToB): v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #2 // Original Tougher Demogorgon (optional, requires ToB): v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #3 // Tougher Gromnir (optional, requires ToB): v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #4 // Tougher Illasera (optional, requires ToB): v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #5 // Tougher Yaga-Shura (optional, requires ToB): v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #103 // Restored Bhaalspawn Powers by David Gaider: v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #104 // Extended Epilogues for Bioware NPCs by shawne: v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~ASCENSION/SETUP-ASCENSION.TP2~ #0 #105 // Extended Epilogues for Beamdog NPCs by shawne: v1.51 BETA BWP 20170519
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3040 // Make Bags of Holding Bottomless: v4
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3083 // Increase Ammo Stack Size -> Stacks of 120: v4
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3093 // Increase Gem and Jewelry Stacking -> Stacks of 120: v4
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3103 // Increase Potion Stacking -> Stacks of 120: v4
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3113 // Increase Scroll Stacking -> Stacks of 120: v4
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #1000 // Initialise mod (all other components require this): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #1910 // Protection from Normal Missiles also blocks Arrows of Fire/Cold/Acid and similar projectiles without pluses: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #3030 // Re-introduce potions of extra-healing: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4000 // Faster Bears: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4010 // Grant large, flying, non-solid or similar creatures protection from Web and Entangle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4020 // More realistic wolves and wild dogs: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4160 // Increase the price of a license to practise magic in Athkatla -> License costs 10,000 gp: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4172 // Increase the price asked by Gaelan Bayle -> Gaelan wants 80,000 gold pieces: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4180 // Make Freedom scrolls available earlier: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4210 // Randomise the maze in Watcher's Keep: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #4240 // Treat mages' and priests' High-Level Abilities as innate abilities rather than memorisable spells (each may be taken only once): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5000 // Ease-of-use party AI: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5010 // Move Boo into Minsc's pack: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5020 // Remove the blur graphic effect from the Cloak of Displacement: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5030 // Remove animation from the Cloak of Mirroring (leave it for other spells and effects that use the same graphic): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5050 // Stackable ankheg shells, winterwolf pelts and wyvern heads: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #5900 // Initialise AI components (required for all tactical and AI components): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6000 // Smarter general AI: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6010 // Better calls for help: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6023 // Add high-level abilities (HLAs) to spellcasters -> All eligible spellcasters in Throne of Bhaal get HLAs; only selected casters in Shadows of Amn do: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6032 // Smarter Mages -> Mages never cast short-duration spells instantly at start of combat: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6042 // Smarter Priests -> Priests never cast short-duration spells instantly at start of combat: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6102 // Potions for NPCs -> Half the potions dropped by slain enemies break and are lost: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6200 // Improved Spiders: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6300 // Smarter sirines and dryads: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6310 // Slightly harder carrion crawlers: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6320 // Smarter basilisks: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6500 // Improved golems: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6511 // Improved fiends -> Fiends have normal hit points: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6521 // Smarter genies -> Genies have normal hit points: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6531 // Smarter celestials -> Celestials have normal hit points: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6541 // Smarter dragons -> Dragons have normal hit points: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6551 // Smarter beholders -> Don't give beholder rays any chance of burning through spell protections; beholder antimagic blocks all spells, including harmful ones, for a round (simulates D&D rules): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6560 // Smarter mind flayers -> Illithids have only original-game resistances; Illithids can see through invisibility: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6570 // Smarter githyanki: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6580 // Improved Vampires: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6590 // Smarter Throne of Bhaal final villain: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6800 // Smarter Illasera: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6810 // Smarter Gromnir: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6820 // Smarter Yaga-Shura: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6830 // Smarter Abazigal: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6840 // Give Ascension versions of Irenicus and Sendai SCS scripts and abilities: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #6850 // Give Ascension demons SCS scripts and abilities: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7000 // Improved doppelgangers: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7010 // Tougher Black Talons and Iron Throne guards: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7020 // Improved deployment for parties of assassins: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7030 // Dark Side-based kobold upgrade: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7040 // Relocated bounty hunters: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7050 // Improved Ulcaster: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7060 // Improved Balduran's Isle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7070 // Improved Durlag's Tower: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7080 // Improved Demon Cultists: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7090 // Improved Cloakwood Druids: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7100 // Improved Bassilus: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7110 // Improved Drasus party: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7130 // Improved Red Wizards: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7140 // Improved Undercity party: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7200 // Tougher chapter-two end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7210 // Tougher chapter-three end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7220 // Tougher chapter-four end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7230 // Tougher chapter-five end battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7250 // Improved final battle: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #7900 // Improved minor encounters: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8000 // Make the starting dungeon slightly harder: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8010 // Improved Shade Lord: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8020 // Spellcasting Demiliches: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8030 // More resilient trolls: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8042 // Increase difficulty of level-dependent monster groupings -> Almost-maximum difficulty (maximum for everything except liches): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8050 // Improved Random Encounters: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8061 // Improved de'Arnise Keep ("Tactics Remix") -> Enhanced spirit trolls (as in Tactics): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8070 // Improved Unseeing Eye: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8081 // Improved Bodhi (Tactics Remix) -> Original Tactics Improved Bodhi with SCSII scripting: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8100 // Improved battle with Irenicus in Spellhold: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8110 // Improved Sahuagin: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8120 // Improved Beholder hive (adapted from Quest Pack): v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8130 // Prevent resting in the Illithid city: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8141 // Slightly Improved Drow -> Leave Ust Natha's defences alone: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8150 // Slightly Improved Watcher's Keep: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8160 // Improved Fire Giant temple: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8170 // Enhanced Sendai's Enclave: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8180 // Improved Abazigal's Lair: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~STRATAGEMS/SETUP-STRATAGEMS.TP2~ #0 #8190 // Improved Minor Encounters: v30 BWP fix + K4thos' EET compatibility
~EET_END.TP2~ #0 #0 // EET end - last mod in install order
~ISANDIR/ISANDIR.TP2~ #0 #0 // CHARNAME menu portraits: v1
Or to bring it to the point: You can only be beaten by yourself!
I dont bother about Eklun at the moment as i am too tired. I will continue with Krells poverty runs first. He has already cleared Brynnlaw and Spellhold except for the final confrontation with Irenicus there. But that one will be cheasy!
The Lich was absolutely helpless against Spirit Bears and Deva. Sometimes an Elemental Prince joined the party obliterating even the Umber Hulks. These summons are real beasts...
This also means that - except for Faldorn - there was no reload needed so far as Krell was mostly watching the scenes out of invisibility. I changed that a bit as he not only got Engery Blades but also the hard hitting Elemental Forms - their immunty to weapons is quite handy.
That's the damage it does to summons besides skeletons. Against Charname, it deals twice as much: about 100 damage on a successful save, or 200 damage on a failed save. Only fighters can expect to survive it, and only if their save vs. breath is 1 or lower (Cavaliers, of course, are immune by default). Any other class stands a good chance of instantly dying if they get in range, even if they buff with Chant, Luck, and/or a bard or Blade's song. A Protection from Poison scroll offers no defense whatsoever.
She uses it every 5 rounds. Unless you have well over 100 HP, a save vs. breath of 1 or lower, and some spare charges of Durlag's Goblet, it's probably not safe to get anywhere near Ziatar.
Also, her Dragon Fear spell triggers every 10 rounds and has a -4 save penalty.
Btw, why doesn't PfP work against it? @semiticgod
To block the first type , you need opcode 173, the poison resistance modifier. To block the second kind, you need opcode 101, the immunity to effect modifier, to grant full-blown immunity to opcode 25. The Protection from Poison scroll only blocks the second kind, so it prevents lingering poison damage but not the instantaneous kind.
Cavaliers and level 11+ monks are immune to both kind of poison damage because they have 100% poison resistance as well as immunity to opcode 25. Items like the Purification Stone and Ring of Gaxx also grant full immunity because they grant the same effects. To my knowledge, the Protection from Poison scroll is the only source of poison "immunity" that does not block instantaneous poison damage via opcode 12.
The v2.5 update might have fixed this.
Speaking of old fashioned way, Six needs a break and so do I, so I rolled Seven, a Dwarven Defender tank, thing, for some mindless brawling.
Good hunting @histamiini - DD are pretty cool.
Things were looking horribly grim, with the map crammed with demons and Belhifet still at 400 HP when all my Potions of Heroism and Power were gone, my buffs were running low, and I was out of Arrows of Detonation. My only hope would have been to use the Wand of Monster Summoning to divide the enemy, keeping the crowds in two separate clumps so I would have enough room in which to kite Belhifet. But I'm not sure how well it would have worked, or if I would have survived in the end.
Then I suddenly died. It's an old bug, the one where your portrait goes black. I probably would have died anyway--I'd consider my odds of survival very small unless I came up with some other trick--but per my normal rules, I actually get to give Belhifet another shot!
Arrows of Detonation did not play out the way I thought they would. I figured a few rounds of aggressive bombing would clear the field and let me isolate Belhifet. But Arrows of Detonation removed my summons, and whenever my summons weren't around, the enemy would teleport to me, and then I'd be faced with the question of bombing myself and therefore getting all of the demons, or choosing a more distant target to deal less damage but avoid harming myself.
Neither option was very good. When I allowed Frisk to get hit, their HP dropped dramatically, to the extent that I may well have died if I hadn't stopped. When I didn't, I left many demons unharmed or clinging to life. In the chaos, it was impossible to clear the area using Arrows of Detonation without putting Frisk in danger. Just like last time, Belhifet's advantage grew, and with no pips in Single Weapon Style, with no Potions of Heroism left (I drank 20 before entering the elevator, and they wore off), and with my Potions of Power quickly vanishing, the Martyr's Morningstar was an unlikely gamble. I did the math and I was more likely to end up dead if I relied on the morningstar.
I also found that taking down Belhifet's Improved Invisibility is a hopeless exercise. He keeps re-casting it if I hit him with an Arrow of Dispelling, and the level 3 mage spell Detect Illusions does not dispel Improved Invisibility like I thought it would--I'd need to cast Oracle for that.
Right now I'm considering just going for broke at the very beginning of the fight. I'd have to time it carefully, but if I drank all 20 of my Potions of Heroism and all 10 of my Potions of Power, I could maintain 700 HP for maybe 20 rounds, and even if all the enemies landed every single hit, they'd only deal 600 damage per round on average. This means I could deal maybe 500 damage to Belhifet before I'd have to worry about Potions of Power running out and dropping my HP to 150. He'd have maybe 2-5 demons left, at which point I could kite him with a slight advantage compared to tonight's fight. Plus, now that I know I can divide the demons by summoning critters at separate locations, I'll be able to kite him for longer than I otherwise might have.
But this would require careful timing. I only need a 20-round window, but that would mean I'd need to drink all 10 Potions of Power in the elevator, and if I drink them too early, that HP bug might drop me to 150 HP, and then I'd be pretty much screwed.
Since I skipped the Dragonspear fight and went straight to Ashatiel, I never got to pick up Corinth's Bow, which would deal more damage than the Bow of the Banshee. But I have grandmastery in longbows instead of mastery (I thought I could use the level 6 mage proficiency point in bows, but I can), so it balances out.
Potions of Invisibility and hit-and-run will not work for the Archer/Mage. The hordes of demons mean each potion would only let us make one attack roll lest we get mobbed, and Belhifet's 50% missile damage resistance means we'd only deal 4.5 damage per Potion of Invisibility, which amounts to 2.5 damage considering his regeneration. To deal only 250 damage to him, we'd need 100 Potions of Invisibility and he would summon enough demons in the meantime to crowd out the map--which means a lot of Erinyes would be firing arrows at us despite our invisibility.
I might do a test run of Belhifet using my other save, which is what I originally planned on doing for this run.