i say stock on healing potions and good items and use some good range spells and then when they are close to dead whack em with your wepon!

IMO it depends on how powerful you are. Some flamedrop spells are enough if you aren´t that powerful (takes some time though). Otherwise blast them to smithereens with a meteor storm or the like. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I have them walk around til they are stuck in a certain spot. or to where they are in the water. Because they can't attack with there breathe in the water. Use the spell firestorm or burning haze. when they are stuck and in the water I go Melee on them.

I find that my tactic is to run past the rat bandits and get inside shurugeon. I do all the quests there, and then when i am about to leave (before completing the ninja quest) i go up the right side of the gate, jump onto the turret things and hop over to the wall. I then walk along waiting for them to arrive and then i let rip with all my magic. As WillowIX mentioned, if you have a storm spell (i found firestorm excellent - one of them will take one out or two if positioned correctly) and all the mana potions you find in the castle (which i hoard specifically for this purpose...lol) will help you take them out.

Btw, be careful not to fall off the wall outside the castle...it hurts and the mantraps will crush you (i know, unfortunately, from experience).

Cheers,
Moiraine Sedai

I think Firestorm is the best method with Meterostorm closely the second. With a bit of experience, it is possible to kill all 4 mantraps with a solo character with about 100 HP, without any spells, and with an unblessed Katana +1 in hand. If you want to simplify the fight then make your poison resistance as high as possible (the Snakeskin trait, the Algamesh' Amulet), cast Merlin Shield (you can buy scrolls in the Mages Guild), cast Haste, Heroic Might (a potion is available in the Mages Guild) and Bloodlust (bags of potions all around, also it can be bought in the Mages Guild), prepare Restore Health and Cure Poison potions, and beat them beat them beat them...

Any of the storm spells will kill them quite nicely. And as Radek mentioned, poison resistance. I had mine up to 100 percent when I first encountered mantraps with my solo Whiska, and they weren't much of a problem. They breathed, I laughed, they died.

What I want to know is a good way to kill the flying critters later on in the game, griffins and dragons. When they're on the ground you just whack them but when they go airborn, you can't hit them with anything but spells like burn or shock, which they resist half the time, or arrows, which don't exactly kill them in a hurry. They're not all that dangerous, but they're a pain to kill.

1. The Mantraps: Beware! Poison resistance does not always suffice! I thought it was sufficient once and got really hard times with my Lizzord (100% resistance due to Snakeskin and Algamesh' Amulet). Magic resistance is needed, too. That's why the Merlin's Shield.
2. Griffins, Amazoni Rocs, Red Dragons: You can try to cause them land (except the dragons) by running away and then returning. It usually works with the griffin at the way to the Stout Mines, it works less often with Amazoni Rocs, and it does not work with the dragons [img]smile.gif[/img] Otherwise, use high level spells: Demonic Fist, Meteor, Lightning, Incinerate, Iceball, and so on - according to the resistances.

my tactic is similar to moiraine's I run run past the rat bandits and go to the area were you enter shurugeon castle first. The mantraps can only get to were the forest meets the moat. From here you can safely cast spells like flamedrop, or meteor, I have never had any of the storm spells when I face them because I go after them before doing the snake temple so my level is not that high. But if you do have storm spells use them. I find they are great for gaining a few extra levels before entering the serpant temple.

[ 02-03-2003, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

The easiest way: storm spells, preferably fire or meteor. Ice isn't bad either.

The wimpy way (for low-level characters) - flamedrop. Cast it on them repeatedly, and they can't do anything (because they're reacting to that one or two points of damage). Just don't run out of mana or let the spells wear off...

The brave way: Hack and slash. Valid for one at a time (for low-level characters), since you can't hack both at the same time and at least one will breathe.

The packrat* way: Use firebombs on them. You can throw them from quite a distance, and one or two can take out a salad. You may then be able to hack the last little bit out of it.

I agree with others -- running into Shurugeon Castle and attacking from there is much easier. Protection...

* Packrat way: Not named after Packrat, our illustrious member and occasional buyer of beers at the Boogre Bar, but named after the tendancy to accumulate things, and suddenly discover, "Hey! There *is* a use for these firebomb potions!"

I never enter into closefight with, as Bungleau calls 'em, salads!

Still remember my first time when I leave Ishad N'ha into Shuregon castle and walked nice little path during the night....

Never know what hit me...
Reload from saved game...
Walked more carefully... same thing again!

Reload...
Walked ready to cast powerfull spells...
Reload wait for morning and see Giant plants...
Reloaded cause did see them from too close...
Reloaded and use Firestorm and run... Firestorm and run...

That's my advice! It's no shame to run If there's nobody to see that... [img]smile.gif[/img]
Or not be too long....