So what do you guy's think is the hardest fight in SOA?

In un-modded SoA there really aren't any very difficult fights, maybe Firkraag can be a challenge for a solo player on Insane. Twisted Run could pose a threat as well if you resist the urge to simply trap the entire room with thieves and mages.

With the Tactics Mod though, the number increases dramatically. There are lots of fight in that mod that will give anyone serious troubles, but the by far most difficult is the Improved Irenicus Fight.

it all depends. if you use your absolute foresight (ie if you know what is going to happen), then the dragons pose no thread, nore the twisted rune.
if you don't know what is going to happen, then you are in for a treat.
dragons suddenly attacking and mega-fireballing your entire party, getting teleported away to some room suddenly, and having to face a bunch of hard mages.....

it all depends.

In Pnp, without the benefit of hindsight provided by reloading, Improved Irenicus would just plain squash you.

Even so, there are some methods to pulling it off, yet execution is often a different matter.

Definitely Improved Irenicus in SOA.

Mind you, the Improved Dragons are also quite fun in SOA.

(Unmodded but Baldurdashed SoA)
Used to be Twisted Rune, now it's Firkragg - with the patch I can't sneak a MagicResistance on him anymore ;)
But now I'm thinking of getting the improved enemies mods, haven't heard TOO many reports of crashing or bugs in them...

[ 12-28-2002, 02:41 AM: Message edited by: Mahlennacht ]

<font color="gold">With Tactics, I must say the fight with Illyich and the Demon. They wouldn't be tough if they came later in the game, but when you still have yet to level up, they're a pain in the a**. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Unmodded, I'd have to say Twisted Rune. ;) </font>

Improved Ilyich and Improved Irenicus. Ilyich is so agonizing I don't load that one. Irenicus is tough because he steals all your cheezy items.

Hmmm. Unless you haven´t studied the spells all over, almost every fight is a big challence. I haven´t. Lets say that fight which takes more than half an hour is difficult. So far, only Shadow Dragon has taken that long.

(Im currently stuck with Stone Golems in Planar Sphere. Any advice?)

Definetely twisted Rune(I don't play tactics mod) Took my solo sorcerer forever to beat him. Kangnaxx was pathetic compared to that battle.

I found Firkraag quite hard, but I was in Chapter 2, so I suppose it would be hard. Irenicus is really easy to kill. In the Asylum I reduce him to 'Near Death' in a matter of seconds!!!

;)
DJG

<font color="gold">Stone Golems? IIRC, +2 weapons should do the trick. ;) </font>

I believe that they are discussing the Improved Irenicus though.

Twisted Rune wasn't so tough in my book, improved Bodhi is much tougher - at least for a solo necromancer. The folks at twisted rune fell like wheat before the mighty threshing of my blade - Bodhi, not so much so.

The guys in Promenade... the ones in Inn... i think it was somethings Den... can really remmember their names right now... but the dwarf is really hard and the thief can backstab very painfully...

...it was Mencar Pebblecrusher, right? That IS hard if you're just coming out of Jon's dungeon... It's that Brennan Riesling guy who goes invisible - sometimes I can't kill him because he bails on Mencar and runs out the door

I liked Pooky though

Kangaxx. If you don't know about him in advance, you simply can't win.

Dundee will disagree. ;)

Its been a while since i played an unmodified game. Even then, after the first run through, all fights are quite easy. For me, the most dangerous enemies in an unmodified game were probably the Mephits (!) in the Plane of Air in the first Dungeon. Their special abilities can havoc the party on Insane!

With Mods, though, its a whole new game. [ Pun intended [img]tongue.gif[/img] ]

We all heard the merits of the Improved Ilyich Mod.

Since the de'Arnise Keep is usually my first quest (the Flail of Ages is just too good to give up), Improved Tor'Gal gave my level +-10 party fits.

And if that's not enough - the Guarded Compound is usually my second quest (for abvious reasons). :D This means i have to deal with both the Improved GC and Kuroisan with my low level parties.

The rest of the game is much eaiser - except for Improved Irenicus, of course. He is by far the best and toughest part of the Tactics Mod.

Never had real problems facing Improved Bodhi.

[ 12-28-2002, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Alson ]

Improved Tor'Gal, yes. Easily one of the toughest melee fighters there is. A level 14 Fighter/Thief of mine had severe problems, 8 traps barely scratched him initially. The poison damage eventually got him down to Badly Injured, but even then it was only through sheer luck with my criticals that I was eventually able to beat him. What stunned me was his amazing AC for such a potentially early encounter. Had 1/3 THAC0 when dual-wielding, and I doubt even 20% of my attacks connected. That, and his ridiculous damage, hits ranging from 50-70 on Insane - and I had 20% Physical Resistance!!

Actually, Tor'Gal's AC isn't exactly rock bottom... It's somewhere around -4. Then again, i also had a hard time hitting him. Maybe his attacks cause a slow or a STR drain effect... [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img]

What makse him so mean is his THAC0 - he's a level 15 Kensai (!) with 20 STR.
That hurts.
In addition to this his amazing offensive ability Tor'Gal has 180 HP, 30% Resistance to everything bar Fire and Acid, fast regeneration rate and permanent shimmering effect (as per Improved Invisibility) - which prevents targeting him with spells. Weimer is just plain evil. :D

[ 12-28-2002, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: Alson ]

This sounds weird, but the hardest fight i've had in a long time was the gnome fighter/illusionist and his two familiars. My 10th level, -10 AC fighter could barely stand up to his melee and his pets rained havoc on my party. In the end i had to leave my party downstairs and confront him alone... mano e gnome... just him and me (and my improved invisibilty to avoid the spells. And my trusty FoA + Kundane to get past his defences. And a potion of power to actually get a hit in. And a potion of storm giant strength to make sure it hurt when i did get a hit in. And a boots of speed to attack even faster and move quick enough to avoid his area spells. And about 6 potions of extra-healing. And that was it [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] . Pretty fair fight really [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] )

When i finally killed the midget, his familiars were no trouble at all. Any guilt i felt from resorting to uber tactics was instantly gone when i saw the arsenal (nay - the horde!) of items he was carrying. He certainly was packin' a punch.

Yes, the Fighter/Illusionist is a fun fight. [img]smile.gif[/img]

What version of the Tactics Mod do you have, Sever?
Up until version 4 the Gnome and his familiars were heavy cheaters... Illusionist casting Skull Trap, 9th levels spells in a Chain Contingency, illegal targeting, that sort of things... ;)

Odd, my one saving grace vs him was the fact that he actually missed me a few times [img]smile.gif[/img]

Wouldn't this shimmering effect improve his AC though? I thought Improved Invisibility gave the attacker a -4 to all attack rolls.

He also seems to have quite a few Superior healing potions, or if they were just large ones.

Heh... What was your AC?

The shimmering effect should indeed lower his AC, THAC0 and saves by 4. Then again, maybe Tor'Gal uses an 'external' effect which only prevents targeting... Weimer holds the answer. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-28-2002, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: Alson ]

Not that great. I was dual-wielding, didn't actually have any AC-boosting items except for a Ring +1. I'm guessing maybe -5 or something in the neighbourhood [img]smile.gif[/img]

I don't know what version i've got, but i do know the little bastard WAS cheating. Spells such as Fire storm, meteor swarm and stoneskin are not classed as 'illusion'. Maybe it was his pets that cast the first two, but if they cast the third on him then they's cheatin' big time.

The thing that really surprised me, though, was the fact that he could hit a -10 armour class character 75% of the time (at -14 with improved invis, he was still hitting me at least 50% of the time). Does anyone know his stats, THACO etc.

Sever, just because he's an illusionist doesn't prevent him from casting not illusionary spell like Stoneskin and Meteor Swarm. ;) Being an illusionist just prevents him from casting spells from the opposite school - Necromancy.

Now, for his stats.
He is a level 18/20 Gnomish Fighter/Illusionst.
STR 18/89, DEX 18, CON 16, WIS 8, INT 10, CHA 8.
129 HP, 3 attack per round.
Saves 2/4/4/2/1.

Anything else?

Sheez, I'm surprised he can keep a single spell in his head at once with that INT, or with that WIS even know what the hell he's doing [img]smile.gif[/img]

So that's how it works. All makes sense now.

His powerful melee is consistent with his level/stats, but Rataxes is right about the INT and WIS. Doesn't that seem too low for what he is?

BTW - i'm using 4th edition Tactics mod, so i guess the midget wasn't cheating after all.

A gnome with 18/89! Quite unusual.

Improved Bodhi still ranks as the toughest fight i've seen, though I have not fought against improved (sp) Ilyich as I installed tactics mod post-Irencius dungeon.

A gnome with 18/89! Quite unusual.

Improved Bodhi still ranks as the toughest fight i've seen, though I have not fought against improved (sp) Ilyich as I installed tactics mod post-Irencius dungeon.

Oh, Drewal, i forgot to ask... How did you fare against Imperial Bodhi?

Did Dragon Breath did the trick?

Yes, time stop and four dragon's breaths put her first form out of commission, Drizzt and a Planar made short work of her second form.

Improved or Imperial. I take it that was not a typo.

Imperial Bodhi == Improved Bodhi == The Mistress == Bodhilicious == etc...

Indeed, that was not a typo. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I see.

Is there an emoticon that depicts a smiley face with tongue waving suggestively? Such images would clear up any further misunderstandings. [img]graemlins/1drool.gif[/img]