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The Hills aren't alive ... but they do have eyes!

[Editorial note: I wish I had used "The Hills have Eyes" as the thread title earlier; this scenario does remind me of the plot of a bad horror flick more than some movie musical]

Both our nocturnal encounter with the shades and the folks in Umar who blamed wolves for the problem proved prophetic. Heading north toward some newly discovered temple ruins, we encountered a forest shrouded in perpetual darkness, where we were attacked by ... shade wolves? We also found a cave with a "normal" werewolf, whose pack had been converted to shade wolves by some evil force that had taken up residence in (surprise!) an old ruined temple to the east. He said he wanted revenge and would scout the way for us. Even though he was chowing down on a fresh corpse, we agreed. Heck, this crew wasn't going to be put off by a little bit of anthropophagy.

Cutting to the chase: we explored the woods but found nothing but some more shady wolves, which proved no threat. At the entrance of an old temple, we found our new pal the werewolf dying from wounds. He advised us that we should use a mirror nearby to help drive off the shades in the area, after which he bit the big one and about 2 dozen of the suckers, shades and shade wolves combined, jumped us.

Our valiant scout's sacrifice was pretty much wasted; we couldn't find a damned mirror anywhere! So we decided "screw these beggars" and just piled into them. It was a slaughter; they had no chance. In the interest of brevity, I will gloss over the dozens of combats we had with yet more shades, and will merely say that we encountered and freed the elusive Mazzy, whom we mocked and called Shorty, and sent on her way. (A halfling warrior? Really?) We then found a mouthy statue; "Big Al" got a real boost to his self esteem (which had suffered a severe blow after totally missing that "Terminsel is Elminster" bit a while back) by solving the statue's three riddles without the three sheets of clues. (The whole puzzle is pretty simple and logical for a change, unlike most). As a reward we got the three pieces of the symbol of "The Amunater", who apparently was the former bossman here.

The only even semi-challenging combat was with a bunch of stronger undead; bone golems and greater mummies. Defeating those, we picked up a wardstone to protect us from some sort of dragon; a shady dragon, of course. Descending, we did indeed encounter said dragon; big and dark and menacing! He seemed inclined to let us pass, and we were going to take advantage of that when Edwina pointed out that his name was "Thax the Silly". Well, Hell! We weren't going to cower before anybody whose nickname was "The SIlly"! We decided to fight!

We started summoning up a whole slew of critters; one summoned monster got too close to Thax, who apparently dispelled it away by just sneezing at it. He didn't even get upset by this incident; either he was stupidly complacent, or had well founded self-confidence. Hmmm, he might not be so silly after all. We altered our original battle plan and decided to pile onto him in waves instead of all at once.

Without going into the grim details, suffice it to say that, 3 summoned monsters, one efreet, one air elemental, two fire elementals, two skeletal warriors, one pack of wolves and one kitchen sink later, we had ... Victory! Such as it was, that is; even Phyrrus would have been appalled. "Al" was on his last legs, Hexxat was busy regenerating while whimpering in a corner, every single summoned creature was slain or dispelled, and Viconia, Jaheira, Edwina and Korgan were all pushing up daisies. Thax the Not-So-Silly proved to be no joke after all. Thank the gods for the Rod of Resurrection!

And thanks for good soundproofing! A combat on a scale just short of Armageddon had to have created quite a ruckus, but none of the baddies upstairs came down to investigate; we were able to rest up undisturbed. Next morning, we girded our respective loins and prepared for the ultimate throwdown.

Now, the Shade Lord upstairs was certainly no wimp, but he wasn't in the same class as Thax. It was a hard fight indeed, but nobody even got killed. And I was rather disappointed with that silly symbol; as far as I could see, it did nothing much. I was really hoping that The Amunater would show up and say "Hasta la vista, baby!" but alas, no such thing happened.

The Shade Lord being defeated, we suddenly found ourselves out in the open, with the sun shining and the birds singing, and not a shadow in sight. We all relaxed ... except for Hexxat, who began smoking and screaming. Oooops! Sorry, babe, my bad; get that cloak back on!

Back to town now, to receive the adulation of an adoring populace, and plan our next move.
JarrakullunarFinneousPJJuliusBorisovArdul

Comments

  • JarrakulJarrakul Member Posts: 2,029
    Very nice. Was that your first dragon? I do so love the dragons in this game.

    I think the symbol of Amaunator is a key to one of the doors in the dungeon. You probably just didn't notice because you already had it. I think maybe it's also involved in an annoying quest that might pop up much later in the game, but I'm not sure and I don't think you'll run into it regardless. I'd just stash the thing somewhere safe and get it out of your inventory.
    JuliusBorisov
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    edited April 2015
    Yeah; I have a ton use useless quest junk that I keep dropping on the floor of the Copper Kettle as souveniers. It's really starting to pile up. All that junk from this quest will join it. Is there any particular use for the Sunstone gem, or should I sell it?

    And please; its "The Amunater". I kept picturing him as a huge glowing Arnold Schwartzenegger, hence the "Hasta la vista, baby!" comment.

    As per usual, I have some post scenario questions and comments. Some of them might verge on the borders of the spoiler category, so I'll post the usual "Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!" warning.

    (Anyone remember "Lost in Space"? Even as a kid I wondered why they didn't just shove the good doctor out the nearest airlock.)

    We got this quest way back in chapter 2. The shade critters would have been more of a threat if the party were all 2 levels lower, had fewer spells available and worse armor and weapons. As it was, we barely noticed them. The bone golems and greater mummies were more powerful, but no match for fire elementals and an efreet, and the puzzles were pleasingly straightforward. I usually HATE puzzles with a vengeance, but these were pretty solvable.

    I can see why they included a "free passage" stone to get by the Shadow Dragon. Several levels ago when we tried to take out Firekraag, he opened up a can of good old-fashioned Whoop-ass and kicked our butts. Old Thaxy looked about as tough, so I wanted to see how we fared. It was a seriously close thing; an attack or two missing instead of hitting and we'd have been toast. A weaker party would never have made it.

    Here is where I miss having a reference Monster Manual. I really have no idea what the Shadow Dragon was doing, or what his powers and weaknesses were. It LOOKED like he was able to dispel things, including summoned monsters, possibly with a breath attack, and he was able to buffet us with wing flaps which blew us around the room and knocked some of the party unconscious. It was hard to tell what hit him and what didn't; I just tossed everything I could think of at him, hoping some of it would stick. I guess some of it did.

    Also, once we defeated the Shade Lord, we were back outside, and the entrance to the lower area seemed to disappear. If we had decided to take the free passage and perhaps come back and fight Thax the Silly at another time, would we have been able to? Or is it a one time only decision?
    lunarJuliusBorisov
  • mrb101mrb101 Member Posts: 66
    you can come back any time
    JarrakulJuliusBorisov
  • JarrakulJarrakul Member Posts: 2,029
    I like that you insist in misspelling his name when one of the dungeon's puzzles is based on the spelling of his name. :P
    joluvJuliusBorisov
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    They spelled it wrong, not I.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    edited April 2015
    Hillarious! Keep on writing as you progress, please, it is much fun to read.
    Shadow dragon has a level draining breath that can drain huge amount of levels if the victim fails a save vs breath weapon. It can permanently destroy npcs very easily! (Any npc that dies of level drain has a very big chance of going pop:vaporised) Guess you were smart enough to let summoned fodder suffer that fate instead of your party. (And ofcourse, Hexxat is conveniently immune to bad mojo like that!)
    JuliusBorisov
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    "Shadow dragon has a level draining breath that can drain huge amount of levels if the victim fails a save vs breath weapon. It can permanently destroy npcs very easily!"

    What?? Egads! Now this is the sort of thing I would really like to see in a reference somewhere. I thought he was dispelling the summoned critters, but I guess he was just killing them outright. Are dragons limited to using their breath weapons just 3x per day? If so, then by the time the real attack force (me and Korgan, initially) got to him, he was out of that type of attack and had to resort to beating us over the head with his wings. I know that none of the dead needed restoration magic, so they died from purely physical damage then.
    lunarJuliusBorisov
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    edited April 2015
    FrdNwsm said:

    "Shadow dragon has a level draining breath that can drain huge amount of levels if the victim fails a save vs breath weapon. It can permanently destroy npcs very easily!"

    What?? Egads! Now this is the sort of thing I would really like to see in a reference somewhere. I thought he was dispelling the summoned critters, but I guess he was just killing them outright. Are dragons limited to using their breath weapons just 3x per day? If so, then by the time the real attack force (me and Korgan, initially) got to him, he was out of that type of attack and had to resort to beating us over the head with his wings. I know that none of the dead needed restoration magic, so they died from purely physical damage then.

    Yeah they were lucky. Korgan's rage also prevents level drain, and Hexxat is immune, being an undead monster. Shadow dragon's breath weapon has a very little, very short duration graphic effect so it is easy to miss. You could have seen 'NPC-four levels drained
    NPC-five levels drained
    NPC-Four levels drained
    NPC-death' messages in the combat log and that would have been the end for that npc.

    Death and resurrection cures the level drain, AFAIK, so they were lucky I guess.

    Dragons can use their breath once every five or ten rounds or so, I think. Shadow dragonS breath is especially difficult to defend against, hence he can be a nuisance for the unprepared.

    JuliusBorisov
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    " Korgan's rage also prevents level drain, and Hexxat is immune, being an undead monster."

    Hang on; are you saying that berserk rage in general prevents level draining? Or is it some dwarven thing?
  • YannirYannir Member Posts: 595
    FrdNwsm said:

    " Korgan's rage also prevents level drain, and Hexxat is immune, being an undead monster."

    Hang on; are you saying that berserk rage in general prevents level draining? Or is it some dwarven thing?

    This is why people use berserkers. It's standard for berserking, not a dwarven thing.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    Yannir said:

    FrdNwsm said:

    " Korgan's rage also prevents level drain, and Hexxat is immune, being an undead monster."

    Hang on; are you saying that berserk rage in general prevents level draining? Or is it some dwarven thing?

    This is why people use berserkers. It's standard for berserking, not a dwarven thing.
    Barbarian rage also does so. Minsc's rage protects him from lvl drain as well, and he has favourite enemy:vampire so he is good against them.

    JuliusBorisov
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    OK, that is even more interesting; I knew most of the immunities it gives you but somehow overlooked that one. So, in fact we had three party members who were immune to his breath: Myself, Korgan and Hexxat. Must have been fairly frustrating for him. Jaheira and Edwina and Viconia were standing back summoning more cannon fodder and probably out of his range.

    Totally accidental, since I didn't even know he had a life draining ability. We lucked out.
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    edited April 2015
    Oh, and are Bhaalspawn in general immune to level drain, or was I only safe because I went gonzo?
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    FrdNwsm said:

    Oh, and are Bhaalspawn in general immune to level drain?

    How I wish so. Unfourtunately, no. In general, player characters are affected by spells/negative effects just like a regular person would do. The race and class abilities, spells, and also items will help and prove imunities, however.

    JuliusBorisovjoluv
  • YannirYannir Member Posts: 595
    Firkraag is a bit tougher cookie to bite down but if you have sufficient immunities, he should go down at this point as well. You can get that Holy Avenger for Kel now.. :wink:
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    Speaking of Keldorn, I seem to have misplaced him. I could swear I told him to wait at the Copper Coronet. Everyone else is there ... Neera, Nalia, Anomen, Minsc, Yoshimo ... but Keldorn isn't. I checked the Radiant Heart, and even went back to his Family Estate, but no luck. Is there any way to find out where he is hiding?
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    FrdNwsm said:

    Speaking of Keldorn, I seem to have misplaced him. I could swear I told him to wait at the Copper Coronet. Everyone else is there ... Neera, Nalia, Anomen, Minsc, Yoshimo ... but Keldorn isn't. I checked the Radiant Heart, and even went back to his Family Estate, but no luck. Is there any way to find out where he is hiding?

    Sometimes, there is a dialogue option when kicking an npc from the party. The npc wishes to go to his/her default place (for many, this is C.Coronet. Others have their own hiding places) but you say 'that is just not possible right now, just wait here and I will be back for you' if you choose this option the npc will wait where you kicked him out of the party.

    JuliusBorisov
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    Yes, but we were in the CC when I did so.
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    OK, found him. Radiant Heart, in room waaaay off to one side.
    joluv
  • JarrakulJarrakul Member Posts: 2,029
    It's also worth noting that dragons (I think including Thax) like to cast Death Spell, which kills all normal summons in an area of effect. It's one of the reasons dragons are jerks, which in turn is one of the reasons I love them.
    JuliusBorisov
  • FrdNwsmFrdNwsm Member Posts: 1,069
    Jarrakul said:

    It's also worth noting that dragons (I think including Thax) like to cast Death Spell, which kills all normal summons in an area of effect. It's one of the reasons dragons are jerks, which in turn is one of the reasons I love them.


    Well, that sort of makes sense, actually. Otherwise dragons would be pushovers for a mass assault by summoned flunkies.

  • ArunsunArunsun Member Posts: 1,592
    Jarrakul said:

    It's also worth noting that dragons (I think including Thax) like to cast Death Spell, which kills all normal summons in an area of effect. It's one of the reasons dragons are jerks, which in turn is one of the reasons I love them.


    That's legit. I mean, who there has never abused summons and summoned 30 hobgoblins to kill Drizzt in BG1?
    I am somehow glad this cannot be done in BG2
    JuliusBorisov
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    Arunsun said:

    Jarrakul said:

    It's also worth noting that dragons (I think including Thax) like to cast Death Spell, which kills all normal summons in an area of effect. It's one of the reasons dragons are jerks, which in turn is one of the reasons I love them.


    That's legit. I mean, who there has never abused summons and summoned 30 hobgoblins to kill Drizzt in BG1?
    I am somehow glad this cannot be done in BG2
    A dragon can obliterate 30 hobgoblins with a single breath, though. It is cool that they don't even have to waste their breath on summoned trash like that.

    JuliusBorisov
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