I think its the second level, but anyways, on the second level of the VoS, whats the best way to defeat all those skeletons and the Skeletal Mage? Thanks!

One at a time as far as is possible. Send in a hidden thief and move them so they can see 2-3 skeletons. Unhide, wait for them to see you and leg it.

A high-level cleric turning undead would be ideal, but you wont have one yet so do /not/ turn undead. Making them run away is no advantage if it just means you cant get at them to destroy them.

Those damn imbued wights will be more problematic, there is no way to survive that max-level magic missile of theirs, but it shoudnt be a problem for a decent tank.

Hmmm....what should I do if I don't have a thief? My party is:

Fighter- Level 3
Paladin- Level 3
Ranger- Level 2
Fighter- Level 3
Paladin- Level 2
Cleric- Level 2

If your ranger wear leather armor (or no armor) he will also be able to stalk,

Oh...ok, thanks! I always have him wearing Plate Mail, so I never realised! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

The Shield spell harmlessly absorbs Magic Missiles! That is bl**dy wonderful, let me tell you. Off the imbued wights go, merrily firing at you, and the Shield just negates the whole lot. That'll spoil their day - if being undead hasn't already.

Thats a mage spell, right?

Yep, and 1st level, so it shouldn't be too difficult to pick up. Fantastic spell for just such occasions, and it works on Mordenkainen's Force Missiles too! Go to Orrick's, and see if he has a copy to sell you - that's if you don't find one on your travels.

You can also just move slowly or send your lead tank out to uncover them, then stop him/her immediately and have anyone who can use range weapons attack. I have a thief but didn't use stealth in the vale.

I must say you're awfully brave for not taking a thief with you. You may want to consider ditching a paladin and adding a thief. You can start a new game with a thief and maybe two or three tanks. Once the thief levels up a few times you can then import him to your current game. Thieves seem to level up pretty quick. Remember, it'll only get harder as you progress through the game. There are some pretty nasty traps out there. While a cleric has a spell that can detect traps, you may need that slot for other spells!

Either way, let us know how it goes.

<font color = mediumspringgreen>Sir Goulum,
Yes, you are very light on magic and, most importantly, thievery (in the form of detect traps). Peytin is right: As early on as the VoS there are traps that can kill the weaker characters. Later on, there can be area effect spells, triggered while you are engaging opponents: This can threaten an entire party; and it don't get any easier....

I have heard (and even started) a few threads on Paladins. (I have a Pally, and have considered trading him in several times.) The conversation usually dissects whether it is best to have zero or one of these guys. More folks say zero than those that counsel me to have one; but I have never heard any advocates of more than one in a party (until now).

If you intend to dual-class a fighter to mage, later; I think that's great plan. Otherwise, I would advocate getting a Gnome Illusionist/Thief multiclass: One slot shopping for all your missing party needs (and that slot, IMHO, should come from one booted Paladin).

Enjoy your adventures!</font>