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jmsteven · 12-04-2004, 10:15 AM

Strategy and spoilers:
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Yes, good show and congratulations, Marty, though I'm not at all surprised by your success. I soloed all of IWD/HOW/ToTL with a single-class human ranger (not quite as good as an elf ranger would have been), and also defeated Presio and Yxunomei quite handily on my first attempts. My strategy was a little different as single-class rangers are differently advantaged than their Cleric/Ranger cousins.

First, it might be important to note that my ranger had returned to Kuldahar after freeing Shemeesh and rescuing Mother Eugenia and the rest of villagers (hoping for rewards). At this point he sold some stuff and purchased the "Rogues Cowl" and "Shimmering Sash" from Orrick which I think gave him a total +5 to AC (+2 from the Cowl & +3 from the Sash). This meant that going into the battle against the cold wights and Presio, he had an AC= -6 wearing studded leather armor (and an effective AC= -7 against some types of attacks).

Ranger Cumulative AC in Light Armor: AC= -6
Studded Leather Armor (AC= 7 w/ +1 against some attacks)
Mantle of the Coming Storm (AC= 6)
Boots of the Fox (AC= 5)
Rogues Cowl (AC= 3)
Shimmering Sash (AC= 0)
+2 Defender Bow or +2 Defender Axe (AC= -2)
Dex=18 (AC= -6)

This is low enough that wights and zombies need a 20 to hit.

For Presio, the key strategy was to use stealth and the fog-of-war to draw out the zombies and wights. He would pop out of the shadows and zip a few arrows, then move out of their line of sight and they would follow. He could usually disrupt the Imbued Wights from casting magic missle, but not always. Then, after all the undead were cleared, he used stealth again and shot Presio with the Acid Arrows he found. It only took 4 or 5 acid arrows to kill her, and it was over so fast that she didn't get to cast any spells.

Shortly after this battle, AC was upgraded to AC -7 (effective -8 against some attacks) after looting the "Braces of Defense, AC 6" off Geelo the librarian mage.

The strategy to defeat Yxunomei involved immediately chugging a potion of invisibility that was looted off Geelo on the previous level; then downing a Potion of Freedom (to avoid getting held), Potion of Invulernability (to lower AC & saves), and an Oil of Speed (to increase # of attacks). At this point, Yxunomei cast Cloudkill in her immediate area, killing off her own Yuan-ti priests and henchmen, though she, herself, seemed immune to the effects. Once the spell finished its course, and most of her henchmen were dead, my ranger became visible by shooting Yxunomei with the +2 arrows and Messenger of Sseth. She fell quickly, and the remaining henchmen were easy enough to kill.

Post battle: After getting struck by lightning trap, my ranger drank all his electricity and fire resistance potions for a cumulative 150% electricity resistance and 135% fire resistance, and actually healed upon activating the subsequent traps as he busted open locked chests with his temporary Frost Giant strength. On his way back to the surface, my ranger cast "find traps" to avoid any missteps.

Overall, this was one of the toughest areas in the game in terms of character level & difficulty balance, but definitely survivable when properly equipped. Having the rogues cowl and shimmering sash made a big difference.

12-04-2004, 10:15 AM	#5
jmsteven Dungeon Master Join Date: October 14, 2004 Location: Beregost Age: 37 Posts: 80	Strategy and spoilers: - - - Yes, good show and congratulations, Marty, though I'm not at all surprised by your success. I soloed all of IWD/HOW/ToTL with a single-class human ranger (not quite as good as an elf ranger would have been), and also defeated Presio and Yxunomei quite handily on my first attempts. My strategy was a little different as single-class rangers are differently advantaged than their Cleric/Ranger cousins. First, it might be important to note that my ranger had returned to Kuldahar after freeing Shemeesh and rescuing Mother Eugenia and the rest of villagers (hoping for rewards). At this point he sold some stuff and purchased the "Rogues Cowl" and "Shimmering Sash" from Orrick which I think gave him a total +5 to AC (+2 from the Cowl & +3 from the Sash). This meant that going into the battle against the cold wights and Presio, he had an AC= -6 wearing studded leather armor (and an effective AC= -7 against some types of attacks). Ranger Cumulative AC in Light Armor: AC= -6 Studded Leather Armor (AC= 7 w/ +1 against some attacks) Mantle of the Coming Storm (AC= 6) Boots of the Fox (AC= 5) Rogues Cowl (AC= 3) Shimmering Sash (AC= 0) +2 Defender Bow or +2 Defender Axe (AC= -2) Dex=18 (AC= -6) This is low enough that wights and zombies need a 20 to hit. For Presio, the key strategy was to use stealth and the fog-of-war to draw out the zombies and wights. He would pop out of the shadows and zip a few arrows, then move out of their line of sight and they would follow. He could usually disrupt the Imbued Wights from casting magic missle, but not always. Then, after all the undead were cleared, he used stealth again and shot Presio with the Acid Arrows he found. It only took 4 or 5 acid arrows to kill her, and it was over so fast that she didn't get to cast any spells. Shortly after this battle, AC was upgraded to AC -7 (effective -8 against some attacks) after looting the "Braces of Defense, AC 6" off Geelo the librarian mage. The strategy to defeat Yxunomei involved immediately chugging a potion of invisibility that was looted off Geelo on the previous level; then downing a Potion of Freedom (to avoid getting held), Potion of Invulernability (to lower AC & saves), and an Oil of Speed (to increase # of attacks). At this point, Yxunomei cast Cloudkill in her immediate area, killing off her own Yuan-ti priests and henchmen, though she, herself, seemed immune to the effects. Once the spell finished its course, and most of her henchmen were dead, my ranger became visible by shooting Yxunomei with the +2 arrows and Messenger of Sseth. She fell quickly, and the remaining henchmen were easy enough to kill. Post battle: After getting struck by lightning trap, my ranger drank all his electricity and fire resistance potions for a cumulative 150% electricity resistance and 135% fire resistance, and actually healed upon activating the subsequent traps as he busted open locked chests with his temporary Frost Giant strength. On his way back to the surface, my ranger cast "find traps" to avoid any missteps. Overall, this was one of the toughest areas in the game in terms of character level & difficulty balance, but definitely survivable when properly equipped. Having the rogues cowl and shimmering sash made a big difference.