I've have just suffered the biggest disaster ever playing BG2, virtually the whole of a 13th level party has been wiped out by vampires and I didn't really do anything particularly wrong damit.

BTW this is a minor spoiler for the Windspear Hills quest so go away now if you don't want to know about it, thanks.

My Party an undead hunter 12th level, a 14th level bard, a 12th level pure ranger, a 12th level mage, a 13th level cleric and a 14th level thief. They are all quite handy and I have a good selection of +3 weapons and magical gear which I thought would serve me well in the Windspear Hills. Wrong

Anyway I kill the paladins in disguise, lose the ex noble's ward and sleep to recover my spells then head off to kick Firkaags arse. Ease through all the encounters until I enter the keep proper, don't fire off too many spells, wands or arrows because I know there is a big room full of about 20 vampires on the right hand side of the map.

Prepare by casting negative plane protection on my ranger and my cleric plus haste and so on to bolster my party's defences use my undead hunter-immune to level drain, and the ranger to block the door so the vamps can't get out and my characters don't get level drained.

Door opens-there are the 20 or so vamps they charge I block the door, the mage, thief and bard start firing various spells, arrows and sling bullets at the vamps while my undead hunter and ranger start hacking away at them.

THEN one of the crafty vampires dominates my paladin who turns round and critically hits my ranger TWICE for 70 odd damage (ow) and thoughtfully moves leaving enough space for vampires to get through to the characters behind my front two fighters.

I try to move my cleric-who is also protected against level drain, to prevent this happening but while I'm doing this the paladin finishes off my ranger (He is an excellent fighter you see, and the ranger's AC was only about -4) and starts on my cleric, bugger.

I now have six exceedingly pissed off vampires and a paladin who isn't being terribly helpful to my cause up against a cleric, a thief, a mage and a bard three of which lose levels if they get hit by vampires and of course the only character who can safely fight vamps is my cleric currently trying to escape my undead hunter and surrounded by vampires.

Goody

My bard managed to hammer one vampire without being drained at all (lucky) my mage lost all 12 levels from level drain when she was attacked by three vampires, my thief died completely of level drain but took one with him and my paladin slew my cleric at about the same time my bard died trying to distract the three vampires chewing on my mage.(who used her contingency spells and all her other defensive spells up in a short but hopelessly unequal fight.)

The undead hunters domination ended when he was conveniently surrounded by about nine vampires and stranded on 45 hit points.

My undead hunter hacked his way clear (now on 13 hit points) and ran away down the corridor to heal up with extra healing potions (no more healing left now) but I can't resurrect any other characters because their gear is in a corridor full of very angry vampires and my paladin's gonna get creamed going in.

I've saved the game where I am and I'm going to have another go later-with the undead hunter bravely saving the day after nearly ruining it (he is my main character). There is got a rod of resurrection on one of the corpses (The ranger's I think) so I'll try and get to that and bring some buddies back to life. Failing that I'll try again I guess.

The most annoying thing was I didn't do anything massively wrong (it was on hard level) it's just bad, bad luck and all came down to one lousy spell.

one word: Daystar

That was pretty unlucky though, partly why i try to ensure everyone has greenstone amulets, or Licahor and other stuff for the mind defences. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif

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Greenstone Amulets
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Cast Mordekainens sword and then pickpocket it for a Greenstone Amulet. Memorize 6 of them, cast and rob to cover the whole party. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif

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It's bleedin dark down here, slippery too.
http://www.contrabandent.com/pez/cwm/cwm/piss2.gif Man, that's a pisser. http://www.3dpcgames.com/cwm/s/cwm/cwm/piss.gif

I don't do cheesy spoilers but thanks for the tip guys.

I do however seem to get myself in tight spots.

What's a green stone amulet by the way???

So I take it you never bought any of the Protection from Undead scrolls found in just about every temple in the game?


I sent in Craftidius and Minsc with Prot Undead and it was nothin.

A MUCH easier method:

Have one person that can use the ammulate of power and Azuredge (pink axe - only good-align char.s)

Move the rest of the party down the hall out of range

Have the person above go in and KILL, KILL, KILL. (yeah you will be dire charmed a couple of times but this is OK - they won't be hurting you when your charmed, when snap out of it KILL.

Another way to do this- yes i recommend someone eqipped with azuredge and the amulet (or having negative plane protection) to PULL out one at a time-- if more than one come, have anomen, viconia or even aeirie TURNING undead-- this will make it easy to concentrate on just one monster at a time. It will also kill outright any ghasts or whatever else is in these besides vampires so you have one less thing to worry about.

I think the best items against undead are mace of disruption and helm of brilliance (can cast sunray and fireball once a day).

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You cannot escape the inevitable.

Another method that I used (before I learned the power of Protection from Undead scrolls) was to use a hidden in shadows character and sneak up JUST until you see one or 2 monster figures in the room, keeping the rest of them obscured because you are too far away, then fire on them and run (if you stay the whole room ends up coming after you instead of the one or 2 monsters you shot at), athe moster you shot at will chase you, but you can lead them around the entrace (where it is a "T" ) and then they walk into an ambush and your party cleans them up. You can repeat this process until the main room is more manageable. The key is, is to not just barge in there, but to play the assasin and isolate them ione or 2 at a time. I use this tactic when soloing a lot. If you have the boots of speed you can usually nail the Vampire a couple shots, then run around the corner and your party finishes them off.

Welcome Unkown & Seid!

I typically employ Unknown's suggestion in addition to my own.

Sorry Seid but I most def. disagree - Azuredge is easily the best undead killing wepon in the game (mace,helm,daystar - all crap by comparison).

Ohmmmm... ...

Cheesy tactic ahead, please ignore the following unless you don't mind. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif
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Get two party members to drink potions of invisibilty and get them to block the doorway...

Remember to turn off party AI!

... three if necessary. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif Get a ranged party member to attack the Vampires through the doorway, make sure the rest of your party are elsewhere out of sight. The Vampires will attempt to attack your ranged party member but will be blocked by the invisible wall. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif They may dominate your ranged party member but it's okay, because they can't break through, and when dominated, your ranged party member can't see the wall either. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif Simply wait for the domination to wear off and continue to pelt the Vampires. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif

Heehee, I successfully killed them all using this technique when my average party level was only 9-10. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif

Note: Potions of Invisibilty grants you 12 hours of invisiblity unless you make an agressive move, which is why I recommend turning off the party AI.

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If not a Sorcerer, then a Paladin.
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cheesier is to cast invisibilty and turn undead, watch all the vamps 1] explode 2] dominated and fight each other 3] at worse run stupidly all over the place....

Try buffing up Minsc with all possible spells (don't forget improved invisibility for extra 4 AC) - haste (better if improved), bless, chant, defensive harmony, heroism (better power), giant strength, protection from negative plane, maybe even have him cast Draw Upon Holy Might when he get that spell. And then just send him into the room wielding mace of disruption (or better yet improved mace of disruption). Also, he should be able to wear amulet of power (if not - get the patch from Baldurdash). Sit back and enjoy the vampire chuncks fly http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif. Minsc IS the best vampire killed because of his +4 bonus against them.

Right just restarted my saved game I now have a load of reincarnated party members and dead vampires woowho. My paladin has just kicked the arse off about seven of them simultaneously reincarnated the ranger first (felt a bit guilty about slaughtering him in the first place I guess) and the pair of them have gone round and battered the remaining pointy fanged gits.

Just having a few probs resurrecting my level drained characters. Is it the same as in pnp where if you die of level drain you can't be resurrected ?

Thanks for all your suggestions by the way. Incidently this may have been unclear from the original post but I HAVE repeatedly finished this part of the game and my tactics usually work (honest) I just thought my misfortune might amuse you as much as it did me (after I'd finished pulling out all my hair of course).


In answer to some of your posts
1) I don't use cheesy tactics but thanks anyway
2) I don't use pro vs undead because it seems unfair somehow (but I do use pro vs magic against high level magic users-Kangaxx and Shangalar)
3) I did not have the daystar or azuredge or I would have used them

The first time I did this bit it was virtually the last part of the game I finished so I just walked in my cleric with a +2 mace of disruption turning undead. It wasn't pretty. I just like using different tactics when I repeat my battles.

Use your cleric's Turn Undead ability.
I did this with Anomen. I just cast invisibility on him and bye bye vamps. How funny is to watch them explode...hehehehehe

I do not think that TurnUndead&Invisibility is cheasy tactics - it is clever, I have not even think about such a way to defeat vamps or whoever...
Like it when people come with tactical ways that let even weak characters defeat strong enemies. Hat off to all the cunning ways! I myself isn't creative enough for such things...

The way I dealt with those nasty vamps was not cunning or clever. Whole party except Undead Hunter (PC) was hidden in the next room, Undead Hunter (with ChaoticCommands cast upon him) went alone to the vamps and killed every and each of them. Potion of extraHealing were of great help though...

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Tanda,
with best regards from Guild of Assassins

Where do you get Azureedge?

or if your looking for a quick fix you can just send someone into the middle of them and use Daystar to cast sunray. it cant be disrupted, and it will instantly kill any undead (unless the rolls suck)

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Proud member of the HADB. And remember, when you're thinking of giant heads, why not think of the Big Giant Head?