[firithwingion]

I'm currently trying to kill all the orcs guarding the bridge (forgot the name), but it's the bridge where the neverwinter reinforcements are supposed to come from. I started HoF after getting a nice band of level 7 characters, its a little tough, but i think i can do it, they're currently level 12-14. Animate dead is a godsend if you have a higher level cleric. permanent summons with damage resistance makes shish-kaba out of orcs! The shadows from my mages are more powerful, but only last a couple rounds, making them somewhat limited in tanking ability.

I'm wondering what the best summons in the game are, taking into perspective duration, damage, hitpoints, and special abilities. Or should i forsake all the summons and just go straight offense/defense spells? I like the lightning bolt, but chain lightning seems to suck (it only hits 3 enemies when it says it should hit enough enemies equal to my caster level). At least with lightning bolt i can get 5 or 6 if i line it up correctly, and the damage isnt all that better, about the same except for the first target on chain lightning. What are your perspectives on the best spells of the game and what spell class should i specialize in? I'm currently having one on evocation and one on necromancy.