Skip to content

Bala's Axe... wow...

I never really used this before, but I had it on my char and was having a hard time taking out the Lich with Daystar early, at level 9, so I decided to give it a try. I cast invis on my char with the ax and had him run in and hit the Lich to start things off. That one shot pretty much did him in because he wasn't able to cast anything after that.

So basically if you have someone using Bala's Axe and someone with Azuredge or Mace of Disruption then all the Liches and Kangaxx are trivial. I haven't use ti yet against dragons, but if it works on them then...
ThacoBellBorekRaduzieltbone1Aerakar

Comments

  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    Does anyone know if Bala's Axe goes through PfMW?

    @semiticgod ?
    tbone1
  • CamDawgCamDawg Member, Developer Posts: 3,438
    It's flagged as a magical weapon.
    RaduzielsemiticgoddessJuliusBorisovAerakar
  • RaduzielRaduziel Member Posts: 4,714
    Well, it remains a useless item IMHO.
  • malachi151malachi151 Member Posts: 152
    Yeah, Mantle, etc. blocks it, but that's why I ended up getting the first hit via invis. Also, that's just a standard problem, which has to be addressed via Breach etc. as usual. But once the effect lands, it's game over. If you have basically one char using Bala's Axe, one using the Mace of Disruption or Azuredge and one using Carsomyr, with others casting Breach, then it makes very short work of Liches.
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    The lich guarding Daystar can't see through invisibility, but that's an anomaly - standard liches can so you can't rely on getting a strike in before buffs fire. Even if you can attack, as @semiticgod says the chances of spell failure working on a lich are not good. Also, spell failure won't prevent it using sequencers etc - so your characters need to be well-protected to survive it's retaliation.
    thar_thaazdhensemiticgoddess
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Wait wait wait. You mean Bala's Axe is magical? All these years I thought it was just a mundane axe that also caused spell failure.
    StummvonBordwehr
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903

    If you have basically one char using Bala's Axe, one using the Mace of Disruption or Azuredge and one using Carsomyr, with others casting Breach, then it makes very short work of Liches.

    Liches are immune to Breach unless you have SCS installed, as they're immune to level 1-5 spells. With SCS, Breach will work, but only if you get rid of their other spell protections first, and they'll often respond to a Breach with a PFMW Contingency or Spell Trigger.
    Grond0AndreaColombo
  • bleusteelbleusteel Member Posts: 523
    What would need to be changed to make Bala’s Axe the badass, mage/priest killing/disabling machine it was supposed to be? Making it non-magical? Doesn’t Mantle protect against non-magical weapons?

    Spell Strike on hit maybe?
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Considering its a BG1 weapon, its probably good as is.
    bleusteelStummvonBordwehr
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    Making Bala's ax a normal weapon instead of a magical weapon would make it worse than magical.

    Iirc, liches and most higher level enemies are default immune to normal weapons.

    Re: @semiticgod all those enemies are NOT immune to spell failure. I took a dwarven wizard Slayer through the game, and learned to love spell failure.

    And yes, Bala's on a wizard Slayer was fun while I used it.
    semiticgoddesslolien
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @Dragonspear: Do you play the unmodded game? I was referring to SCS components that granted immunity to spell failure to dragons, genies, celestials, and demons.
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    @semiticgod yes, my apologies. This was in an unmodded bg2ee. I'd meant to write that last night.
    semiticgoddess
  • ArctodusArctodus Member Posts: 992
    For what it's worth, Bala's axe is changed with Dispel on hit (save vs spell negates) in Item Revisions. And it's treated as a non-magical weapon, making the really good against mages with PfMW.

    I think it's much better that way, because it makes it a lot more useful in general, especially for wizard slayers : not only it does not step on WS speciality, but it works well with their innate Spell Failure ability. It also makes the various Mantle spells relevant for enemy mages.

    (...this is why I love the Revisions mod. They try to make everything useful without making them OP.)
    semiticgoddessArdul
  • InKalInKal Member Posts: 196

    Yeah, Mantle, etc. blocks it, but that's why I ended up getting the first hit via invis. Also, that's just a standard problem, which has to be addressed via Breach etc. as usual. But once the effect lands, it's game over. If you have basically one char using Bala's Axe, one using the Mace of Disruption or Azuredge and one using Carsomyr, with others casting Breach, then it makes very short work of Liches.

    PfMW and Absolute Immunity will block Carsomyr and both other weapons. Enemy immune to normal weapons must be dispelled first, Carsomyr will NOT dispel PFMW on hit, because it will not hit until/as long as PFMW is active.

    Wizard's Slayers innate miscast magic (mundane weapon) is blocked by PfNW, Mantle, Improved Mantle, Absolute Immunity.

    WS miscast (enchanted weapon) is blocked by PFMW, Mantle +2 vanilla, +3 SCS (option), Improved Mantle +3 vanilla, +4 SCS (option), Absolute Immunity up to +5 entchantment, dunno about +6

    (btw. +5 is just stupid, +6 is stupid af imo)
Sign In or Register to comment.