Temple of Amaunator; what level should my party be at?

ANOF

I've never had any problems with this quest before, but I'm at the part where you have fight the mummies and whatnot before the floor puzzle, and my current party is getting wrecked.

I've got Minsc at Lvl 11, front and center with Lilarcor and an AC of -5. I quickly got tired of Lilarcor, so added the mind flayer circlet so Cromwell could silence him somewhat, so he'snow a +5 weapon, and that's doing no good at all; Minsc is getting destroyed by the mummy without putting up much in the way of resistance.

The rest of my party (Alora Lvl 11, Viconia Lvl 11, and myself, a Lvl 9 mage) are of no help; nothing we do in the way of spells, arcane or divine, or anything else, does much to help. I've tried isolating the mummy in the hopes of improving my odds, but that doesn't help at all; Minsc still gets slaughtered, it just takes longer.

ThacoBell

Did a Greater Mummy spawn? I can't see your party having that much trouble with a vanilla mummy. You mentioned you upgraded Lilarcor? That's mod content, so what mods do you have installed?

ANOF

I checked, and yes, it's a Greater Mummy.

These are the mods I have installed;

~SETUP-DUNGEONBEGONE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Dungeon Be Gone V1.6
~SETUP-UNDERREP.TP2~ #0 #0 // Underrepresented Items From Icewind Dale 2
~SETUP-EASE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Infinite Weapon, Potion and Ring/Amulet Stacking
~SETUP-EASE.TP2~ #0 #4 // Shut Up "You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth"
~SETUP-EASE.TP2~ #0 #6 // Wear Magical Armor AND Magic Rings (etc.)
~SETUP-EASE.TP2~ #0 #10 // XP Cap Remover
~SETUP-EASE.TP2~ #0 #13 // Unlimited Bag of Holding (Blucher)
~SETUP-EASE.TP2~ #0 #15 // Bonus Merchants (Baldurdash)
~SETUP-EASE.TP2~ #0 #16 // Keep Drizzt's Loot, Disable Malchor Harpell
~SETUP-ALORA.TP2~ #0 #0 // Chosen of Mystra's Alora NPC Mod: 1.5
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1080 // Add Bags of Holding: v16
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1120 // Stores Sell Higher Stacks of Items: v16
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1170 // Bonus Merchants (Baldurdash): v16
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1220 // Allow Cromwell to Upgrade Watcher's Keep Items: v16
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1230 // Allow Cespenar to Use Cromwell Recipes: v16
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2040 // Universal Clubs: v16
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2200 // Multi-Class Grandmastery (Weimer): v16
~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4100 // Change Korgan to Neutral Evil: v16
~KELSEY.TP2~ #0 #0 // Kelsey: V4
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #1 // The Suna Seni/Valygar Relationship: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #2 // Kalah and What He Was Promised: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #4 // Gorje Hilldark and the Extended Illithium Quest: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #5 // The Pai'Na/Spider's Bane Quest: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #11 // Gorf the Squisher Fix, by Gebhard Blucher: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #12 // Item Restorations: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #16 // Corrected BAMs and Scripts: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #17 // Corrected Character Names and Biographies: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #20 // Extended ToB Item Descriptions: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #21 // Throne of Bhaal Minor Restorations: v26beta2
~UB/SETUP-UB.TP2~ #0 #24 // Sarevok's Remorse: v26beta2
~SETUP-ITEMUPGRADE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Shadows Of Amn Item Upgrades -> Original list version: v40
~SETUP-ITEMUPGRADE.TP2~ #0 #1 // Throne Of Bhaal Item Upgrades -> Original list version: v40
~TYRISFLARE/SETUP-TYRISFLARE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Tyris Flare NPC: v7
~MAZZY/SETUP-MAZZY.TP2~ #0 #0 // Mazzy Friendship: v2.2
~SARAHTOB/SETUP-SARAHTOB.TP2~ #0 #0 // Sarah NPC Romance Mod for BG2:ToB: 4
~ASSASSINATIONS/SETUP-ASSASSINATIONS.TP2~ #0 #0 // Assassinations mod for Baldur's Gate II: v12
~ISRA_BG2/ISRA_BG2.TP2~ #0 #0 // Isra for BGII: v3
~ISRA_BG2/ISRA_BG2.TP2~ #0 #1 // Crossmod Content: v3
~NEPHELE/NEPHELE.TP2~ #0 #0 // Nephele NPC Mod for BGII: SoA & ToB: v2.2

I've had almost all of these mods before. without this problem coming up. I've checked the Read Me files of the few mods I'm using for the first time, like Assassinations, and none of them mention anything about changing the Temple of Amaunator.

Borek

Depending on your XP total the difficulty of the encounter will increase, sounds to me that you reached the point where at least 1 Greater Mummy spawns, they are pretty nasty.

You need at least +3 weapons to damage them (Daystar is the best as it does double damage and counts as +4 Vs undead, plus has Sunray special ability that is devastating Vs undead), you can also use Azure Edge Axe (must be good aligned) which has a chance to insta-kill on hit and can be thrown (super useful for Minsc), it's also possible to get the Mace of Disruption although it's a lil out the way, but again can insta-kill undead.

Mummy's are also vulnerable to Magical Fire, so wand of fire with Aganazers Scorcher option used can rack up some nice damage, they don't move particularly fast so you can possibly equip a few characters with wands of fire and just kite the mummy around whilst you wand it to death. Lastly i will add that you can abuse the Magma room, basically position a mage with stoneskin + prot fire in the magma, lure the mummy in and try and position it such that it's hitting the protected mage, but a few melee's can whack it in the back from outside the magma.

ANOF

I've tried luring the Greater Mummy's and Skeleton Warriors out one at a time, to see if that makes it any easier. It doesn't. Even with the added trick of getting him to walk across the magma, the Skeleton Warrior was beating the tar out of Minsc, and Minsc barely survived. I've also noticed two things with my party's attacks; almost all of them miss, and the ones that do hit don't seem to do much damage. I don't know whether I'm having terrible luck with the 'rolls' or something is wrong. And I've checked the difficulty level, and it's still the Core Rules I started out with, so that didn't get changed.

StummvonBordwehr

@ANOF
I usually postpone Windspear hills and the Amanuator temple until the end of charter 3. They both have an optional dragon fight so I would say its implied you do so. You could/should be level 14-16 when you go there. If you wait until then, liches appear instead of greater mummies...

I would replace Minsc with Anomen. Anomen is a pretty solid fighter and can tank as well. Anomen is a decent cleric as well, and his turn undead will be helpfull.

Anomen will blow up most undead by level 16+ bar the liches (if you play your cards right he will blow up the liches as well).

And if two lich spawns are what youre left with, a level 15+ party should be able to tackle them (traps and summons will help)..

Edit: if you recruit Anomen at your current level he should be level 7F/12C. Get him going with mace/sling (mace of disruption, Jerrods mace / sling of Everard) and a shield (shield of harmony, balduran or reflection shield).

ThacoBell

@ANOF Okay yeah, Greter Mummies are TOUGH. What weapons are you using and what proficiencies do you have for your melee fighters?

UnderstandMouseMagic

That's quite a weak party and quite low level for a greater Mummy IMO.

Only thing I can suggest is using as Vic summoning as many skeleton warriors as she can who can soak up some damage.
Do fire arrows work? can't remember, but keeping out of the way and shooting it might be the answer. I know I had two follow me once outside the dungeon altogether and kited and shot them with something.
Use a sling and the fire bullets that you get in the dungeon.
Alora can lay some traps, that might help.

Personally I agree with @StummvonBordwehr, get rid of Minsc and replace with Anomen. He is invaluable dealing with undead and in BG2 there are a lot of undead.

ANOF

StummvonBordwehr said:

@ANOF

I would replace Minsc with Anomen. Anomen is a pretty solid fighter and can tank as well. Anomen is a decent cleric as well, and his turn undead will be helpfull.

Anomen will blow up most undead by level 16+ bar the liches (if you play your cards right he will blow up the liches as well).

Edit: if you recruit Anomen at your current level he should be level 7F/12C. Get him going with mace/sling (mace of disruption, Jerrods mace / sling of Everard) and a shield (shield of harmony, balduran or reflection shield).

I might give Anomen a try. I've actually very rarely ever used him, because the character is such a turn-off. I just hope this party is good enough to get the Mace of Disruption.

ThacoBell said:

@ANOF Okay yeah, Greter Mummies are TOUGH. What weapons are you using and what proficiencies do you have for your melee fighters?

Minsc is using Lilarcor (+3 version) and Viconia is using the Flail of Ages. Minsc has two in Two-Handed Sword, while Viconia has one in Flails. I have Minsc at the front, so he takes the brunt of the damage, and Viconia remains relatively unscathed.

UnderstandMouseMagic said:

That's quite a weak party and quite low level for a greater Mummy IMO.

Only thing I can suggest is using as Vic summoning as many skeleton warriors as she can who can soak up some damage.

Do fire arrows work? can't remember, but keeping out of the way and shooting it might be the answer. I know I had two follow me once outside the dungeon altogether and kited and shot them with something.
Use a sling and the fire bullets that you get in the dungeon.
Alora can lay some traps, that might help.

It seems like my approach to this game has set me up for this struggle.

I started this game as a solo Kensai, which I used EEKeeper to change to a Fighter because he kept getting badly hammered in the earlier quests; he was barely surviving the battles, and he was going through Potions of Healing like they were going out of style. I dual-classed to Mage at Lvl 12, but he's only at Lvl 9, so he can't join in the melee combat.

I picked up Minsc to be my fighter, Viconia for the romance, and Alora because I need/want a thief.

Fire arrows help a little, so I'll have Alora go crazy with those the next time out. I hadn't thought of Alora laying traps; I'm not sure what her skill level as it in that regard at the moment, but I'll certainly look into it.

I may have to go back to the Temple later. I only went to it now because I've gotten into the habit of going through the side quests in a certain order; I'm so used to my party being able to handle it, that I guess it never occurred to me that this party wouldn't be up to the task. The Greater Mummy's obliviously didn't help, but this is the first time that they've ever been there. Before now, they've always been regular Mummy's. That aspect caught me by surprise.

ThacoBell

@ANOF I'd come back to the temple a little later. You aren't screwed for dealing with things like greater mummies, but your party is a little too underleveled/underequipped as is. I suspect your dualclass bumped up your enemy spawns, as greater mummies are high level enemies. If you like, I can tell you where to find some useful undead killing armaments (not sure if your played before or not.)

ANOF

@ThacoBell Thanks for the offer. I've actually started over, as the whole experience at the temple was rather dispiriting and making that particular game not fun to play. I hadn't gone too far, so it won't take long to get back to where I'd been.

This time, I'm dual-classing as a mage/thief. At the moment, I'm using the stealing and selling back trick at the Shadow Thieves Guildhall to give myself money and load up on bigger items. I've got almost everything I need for me, so now I'm trying to decide on who I want to bring into the party so I can get items for them ahead of time.

I know about Azuredge, but I can't get that yet as I haven't started any quests. As for the Mace of Disruption, how soon into the game can I get that from the crypts?

I might bring in Minsc or Anomen for melee fighting, but I'm open to Korgan, depending on how long I can put off doing his quest. How long do I have before I have to do Korgan's quest? I've rarely used him before.

Anomen's clerical abilities don't have to be a deciding factor, as I'm bringing in Viconia.

GreenWarlock

Dumb question - you say your party were missing all the time, were they exhausted? I always used to ignore this mechanic, but I believe it can make quite a difference if ignored for too long.

ANOF

GreenWarlock said:

Dumb question - you say your party were missing all the time, were they exhausted? I always used to ignore this mechanic, but I believe it can make quite a difference if ignored for too long.

None of them were exhausted.

ThacoBell

@ANOF The mace of disruption is availble in chapter 3. Its not at the point of no return yet, but it is after the 20,000 gp plot gate. There is another very undead killing weapon available in the city from the beginning without any quests attached to it, but getting it this early requires some pretty heavy meta gaming and cheesing.

You will want to do Korgan's quest pretty soon.

ANOF

ThacoBell said:

@ANOF There is another very undead killing weapon available in the city from the beginning without any quests attached to it, but getting it this early requires some pretty heavy meta gaming and cheesing.

What's the weapon and how would I get it?

As for Korgan, I may bring him in because his five ranks in axes could prove very useful. And his exchanges with Viconia would provide some amusement.

ThacoBell

Its the Daystar. A longsword that deals +4 damage to evil creatures, double damage vs. undead. The big plus is that it can cast sunray once a day. Which kills undead dead. As for its location:

Behind a hidden door at the crooked crane inn. The city gates district. The cheesy part is that it is guarded by a very nasty baddy, but can be gotten without much danger to yourself with a few different exploits/ knowing what to do ahead of time.

*edit*

Korgan is generally a very useful melee character, but if you are considering him for the AzureEdge axe. Pass, it can only be used by good aligned characters.

ANOF

I'll try for Daystar at some point, but I'll obviously have to be careful. As for Korgan, I have the Under-Represented Items Mod installed, I can give him, or whatever fighter I go with, the Holy Swizarnian Hammer of Lucerne, which is actually a a halberd, despite its name.

Raduziel

I'll just leave it here...

I Hate Undead Kitpack

ANOF

Some of those kits seem interesting. Are there any other kits out there, not necessarily undead related, worth giving a lookover?

Raduziel

ANOF said:

Some of those kits seem interesting. Are there any other kits out there, not necessarily undead related, worth giving a lookover?

Some deities from Deities of Faerun may interest you.

Borek

Regarding the Mace of Disruption then:

It's found during the last part of Aran Linvale's quest chain, when you raid Bodhi the 1st time in her lair underneath the Graveyard district. Obviously plenty of Vampires inside, but a solo char with invisibility/stealth and at least 1 potion of invis (or staff of the magi) can be used to sneak in, snaffle it from the coffin it's hidden in, then sneak out. Also note that you can also upgrade it using the Illithium metal (if you didn't give Sarles the good stuff), upgraded it is quite the weapon. Last note, you should avoid actually completing the quest as it is the final one before you leave for chapter 4, so hold back handing it in if you decide to smash everything in the crypts rather than being sneaky. Hexxat, Korgan and Edwin all have quests that involve the GY zone lower tunnels, defeating Bodhi and handing in that quest essentially locks off GY Tunnels and prevents those quests from being completed, NPC's will probably leave.

Joan_Daro

If Viconia is at lv11 shouldn't she be able to turn the skeleton warriors?

ANOF

ThacoBell said:

Its the Daystar. A longsword that deals +4 damage to evil creatures, double damage vs. undead. The big plus is that it can cast sunray once a day. Which kills undead dead. As for its location:

Behind a hidden door at the crooked crane inn. The city gates district. The cheesy part is that it is guarded by a very nasty baddy, but can be gotten without much danger to yourself with a few different exploits/ knowing what to do ahead of time.

.

In my new game, I was able to get Daystar without having to fight, at least for long, the baddy in question. He ended up being preoccupied with some help that he'd called on, so I just picked the lock on the chest and took Daystar and left.

Joan_Daro said:

If Viconia is at lv11 shouldn't she be able to turn the skeleton warriors?

I went back to the game and she was able turn the skeleton warrior. Her talents in that department, as well as Anomen's, were most useful in my new game when it came to dealing with Korgan's quest.