Can anyone please help with strategy for defeating the spectral guards in the first level of the dungeon? My party members are all level 14 and up but we're getting wiped out fast!

<font color=silver>These guys are nasty! You don't want to face more than a couple of them at a time as they're essentially 15 hit dice each and highly resistant to physical damage.

Minor SPOILER
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Assuming I opened up the right creature file, here is what you're dealing with:

Hit Points: 120
Effective AC: -4

* Immune to all cold damage as well as charm, confusion, petrifaction and stun effects.
* 25% resistance to slashing, crushing, piercing and missile damage.
* Equipped with +4 longswords of action which grant an extra attack each round plus an additional 15% resistance to slashing damage.
* Save vs Spell: 7

Given their resistances and extra attacks, melee against these guys can be a slow and painful affair and a large group of them can be deadly.

If you have a 15th level druid -- try shifting him/her into the water elemental form which should be 75% resistant to slashing damage. This is considerable protection from their swords and should allow you to engage one or two of the guards with this character while your other characters can attack at safer distance.

Good luck with the battle!</font>

*quickly writes that down and tells mage to memorise lots of summon water elemental spells*

I believe the druid when he shape changes into a earth or water elemental is more powerful than a summoned one. Is immune to slashing, It could have been that I had the girdle that gives 50% immunity to slashing at the time. Although I tested it by taking off the girdle and she still seemed to be immune.

Anyway summon spells of any type will help to allow your members to concentrate one at a time. It only gets harder as well.

[ 12-04-2002, 09:52 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

<font color=silver>Based upon a quick peak at the creature files I believe you're right, Pritchke. Only the druidic shapechange has any specific resistance to slashing damage. Regular water elementals have no such resistance.

But of course regular water elementals can only be hit by weapons of +2 or better enchantment, something that does not apply to a Druid. ;)

Given that the spectral guards seem to be armed with +4 weapons, summoned water elementals will porobably not possess any special resistance to their attacks.</font>

Thanks Cyril Darkcloud for giving me the rundown on the guards, no wonder they're so tough.
One of the main problems is that I can't seem to isolate just one or two, they all arrive together - eight or nine of them! Anyone got any ideas?
A limitation of my party is that I opted for a cleric initially rather than a druid, big mistake.

Your right it is going to be tough without the druid. Use summons to lure a few off of your guys and if one of your guys is being double teamed have him run around a let one of those guys be double teamed.

If all else fails and you feel like giving up their is no need to give up your current game.

1. You can always change your game setting to easy just to finish TotLM.
2.You also have an option of reloading a saved game and not doing TotLM for your current game.

I know this are not prefered choices but they are still available. Personally I would go with option 1 and next time I play I would take a druid along.

[ 12-05-2002, 02:05 AM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

The Spectral guards are undead - try turning them

my lvl 30 cleric killed all of them by herself.

My Paladin with Pale Justice armed also seemed to do the trick, but it was a bit of a labourious process. I'll try turning undead with my Cleric and see what gives.