how to handle beholders...not in one on one situation?{heavy spoiler}

[teardropmina]

first of all, glad that the forum's back in business agagin!

ok, so, as usual, my party took on the unseeing eye quest as the last one before we proceed to ch.3. After intense reading and reseraching, I decided to do the quest not in the easy/cheesy way (thus I didn't go buy that special shield from Deidre though I had enough gold to do so at the time). no one in my group was able to cast 6 level mage spells yet, but since we could cast spell immunity, I guess it's fine.

yet, spell immunity blocking out Necromancy and evocation wasn't good enough since beholders dispel our magic protection in a hurry, and because of the limited resources (only mage can cast spell immunity, and the limited items that grant immunity or at lesat protection from slow, held, charm etc...), I could only buff up ONE, my PC F/M to confront them.

so...I crossed the bridge facing one beholder and three (maybe 4) gauths, and a bunch of shadow fiends/shadows lurking around...well, my spell protection worn out quick enough, and died pretty quickly as well. then, I thought I need summons to help out, but the beholder just death gazed killing all my summons in a second while attacking me (it turned to death gaze my summons and then turned back to my PC in the blink of eyes).
finally, I resorted to my old/easy/cheesy way to get pass the bridge. I set up five skull traps in the left side of the bridge before I answered the three questions. Then I lured them to that spot...all of them died but one gauth. The rest was easy.

In the beholder liar, I used the same tactics, but more difficult becasue threre were more (twice more) beholders and gauths to kill (well, we didn't have to kill them to complete the quest...but I shoot for the XP).

anyway, two questions,

1. how do you face a group of beholders and gauths straight up, without using the "cheesy" tactics (blasting them off sight with cloudkill, equipping cloak of mirroring or shield of baldurean etc.) I read that using "spell shield" can prevent them dispelling our spell protection...yet, in chapter 2 (or anywhere in SoA) where can you find such a scroll?

2. one of the cheesy tactics I used this time is to blast them with stinking cloud, and when they fell unconcious, we finished them with ranged weapons...but the odd thing is that even when gauths fell unconscious, they were still dishing out death gaze...is this a bug or that's their built-in ability-- dishing out death gaze automatically while falling unconscious (beholders didn't do this)?

I took on them when the average level of my party was 11. too low? when we improve our saving throws and get more items on the way, will we have better luck in the underdark? for all the foes and enemies in the game, I've found a way to defeat them facing them straight up, only these beholders and guaths (killing them one on one is easy enough...but not in a group).

I'm sorry if someone has mentioned the "straight fight with beholders" tactics before; in my reading and research I've not yet to find one that spell out explicitly (yeah...I did cast spell immuity, but I died miserably~~).

TIA, everyone^^

[JrKASperov]

Ehhm, use the terrain to your advantage there, the beholders can't cross the bridge, so use your mage to blast a flame arrow their way and retreat, do this over and over. Don't feel sorry if you think this is cheesy, I consider monsters which can cast high-level kill spells unlimited once per round cheesy anyhow

[Leslie]

Spell Shield protects from their Dispel Ray, that's been tested.
And also Boots of Preservation from Ritual Mod.

Otherwise they will dispel all magical buffs you have.
It's that simple.

So:

1. Cheese way - Cloak, Shield

2. Fair way - some sort of mage, sorcerer, F/M, ... protected with all sorts of things AND Spell Shield attacking them. (Improved haste, Stoneskin, Prot. from POISON !, ...)

3. Fair way 2 - Shield of Harmony, Ring of Free Action, Amulet of ... (Saves vs. petrification), a very good weapon (C. Fury, FOA, CROM, ...), lots of hitpoints, ...

[teardropmina]

Originally posted by Leslie: Spell Shield protects from their Dispel Ray, that's been tested. And also Boots of Preservation from Ritual Mod. Otherwise they will dispel all magical buffs you have. It's that simple. So: 1. Cheese way - Cloak, Shield 2. Fair way - some sort of mage, sorcerer, F/M, ... protected with all sorts of things AND Spell Shield attacking them. (Improved haste, Stoneskin, Prot. from POISON !, ...) 3. Fair way 2 - Shield of Harmony, Ring of Free Action, Amulet of ... (Saves vs. petrification), a very good weapon (C. Fury, FOA, CROM, ...), lots of hitpoints, ...

we all know tons about 1...

about 2, where can I find the scroll of spell shield?

about 3, I doubt in an average lvl 11 party, you're going to have someone with that many hitpoints to face a bunch of beholders and gauths (and the ring of free action comes two chapters later)~~

[Leslie]

Originally posted by teardropmina: we all know tons about 1... about 2, where can I find the scroll of spell shield?

Carlig (in the Underdark) has one or two, the rest are random treasure.
I sometimes found them after the fight in the Copper Coronet.

You can also use Invisibility, scout the area, Web, Web, ..., Cloudkill, Skull trap, ...
I don't this is cheesy for a mage or sorcerer. That's what he has. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[teardropmina]

Originally posted by Leslie: quote: Originally posted by teardropmina: we all know tons about 1... about 2, where can I find the scroll of spell shield?

Carlig (in the Underdark) has one or two, the rest are random treasure.
I sometimes found them after the fight in the Copper Coronet.

You can also use Invisibility, scout the area, Web, Web, ..., Cloudkill, Skull trap, ...
I don't this is cheesy for a mage or sorcerer. That's what he has. [img]smile.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]ok...so, it's pure luck if you can get a scroll of spell shield in chapter 2? guess I wasn't lucky enough to get one~~

well, I always used skull traps to kill them in chapter 2...but many seem to say traps are cheesy~_*

[Pyrenk]

Traps are cheesy because you can walk over them and lure the enemy into their AoE. However, if you walk near a Skull Trap, it explodes, and hurts you...not cheesy. It basically seals one direction.

[ 09-02-2003, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: Pyrenk ]

[BaRoN NiGhT]

Originally posted by Pyrenk: However, if you walk near a Skull Trap, it explodes, and hurts you...not cheesy.

not if u cast 'protection from magical energy' .

[Pirengle]

Originally posted by teardropmina: 1. how do you face a group of beholders and gauths straight up, without using the "cheesy" tactics (blasting them off sight with cloudkill, equipping cloak of mirroring or shield of baldurean etc.) I read that using "spell shield" can prevent them dispelling our spell protection...yet, in chapter 2 (or anywhere in SoA) where can you find such a scroll?

Skeleton warriors and grimwarders often drop Spell Shield scrolls. Try the Graveyard District if you haven't already.

Spell Turning can also keep them at bay for a while.

Do a search for "beholder bashing" and see what turns up.

I took on them when the average level of my party was 11. too low? when we improve our saving throws and get more items on the way, will we have better luck in the underdark? for all the foes and enemies in the game, I've found a way to defeat them facing them straight up, only these beholders and guaths (killing them one on one is easy enough...but not in a group)

Things should be easier when your party gets more experience. The only spells you really have to worry about from beholderkin are petrification, Maze, and Imprisonment. Everything else is just an inconvenience.

I don't think beholderkin can dispel potion effects. But I could be wrong. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I'm sorry if someone has mentioned the "straight fight with beholders" tactics before; in my reading and research I've not yet to find one that spell out explicitly (yeah...I did cast spell immuity, but I died miserably~~).

There is no "one shot best tactic" with beholderkin, and I think that's why people think they're so difficult. There is no one way to defeat beholders, illithid, liches, dragons, etc., but a combination of tactics and sometimes just dumb luck can bring all of 'em down.

[Pyrenk]

Then you wasted a Skull Trap, silly [img]smile.gif[/img] To lure the enemy, you would have to cast PfME, then a Skull Trap or three in front of you, and then run into them with the enemy nearly touching you.