The Two-Handed Sword Is Mightier Than The Fist. ~~Improved Balthazar Spoiler~~

Dundee Slaytern · 11-12-2001, 07:45 AM

Due to my forgetfulness... I failed to realise that I had left the difficulty set to insane( because of my solo Sorcerer game), so I was clueless why the mercenaries and Balthazar were so damn freaking tough.

On the other hand, it meant that I did this on Insane Difficulty, WOOHOO!

Improved Balthazar Spoilers
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Amkethran

I was still in a slight daze as I stumbled into Amkethran. The previous battle had been... epic, to put it mildy. It had to be one of my most glorious battles yet. Even fighting Demogorgan, a Demon Prince, had been easier. I looked at my armour, it had been repaired by Cespenar, but faint traces of gouge marks left by Tamah and Abazigal could still be seen. I shivered a bit as I recalled memories of that fight. If it had not been for my ability to teleport to a Planar Stronghold, I would have surely been slained by them. Such battles though, were now in the past and better left aside until a suitable time, such as when I am in a tavern, chugging down my meads. Heh, heh... not that many will believe my tale anyway, it is far more outlandish than most fabricated stories even.

With a slight smile on my face now, I trudged my way towards the local tavern. I was about to enter when suddenly... several mercenaries marched towards me with glares on their faces and their weapons at the ready. It was obvious then, that they were looking for a fight, and I was their target. I guess they were not happy that I killed two of their numbers over the Mayor's daughter incident.

I immediatedly jerked into alertness and quickly scanned their ranks. The majority of them were armed with bows and arrows, and a wry smile formed on my face. I harnessed my Darksteel Shield and wore the Reflection Shield instead. Several of the mercenaries sniggered among themselves as they saw me change to a smaller shield, boy were they going to be in for a surprise when the fight starts, heh, heh... ...

I kept my Axe of Unyielding too, and took out K'logarath instead. I grinned at the by now, swarm of mercenaries... and ran away... ...

Well you could not expect me to stand there and fight! I am good... I am good enough to take on Abazigal and Tamah, but that did not mean it was okay to take on an entire army of mercenaries. I ran as fast as I could, and maintained a distance between me and my agressors. Every now and then, I turned around and hurled K'loragath at one of them. When they shot at me, their glee turned to horror as their arrows bounced off my shield and returned back to them with unerring accuracy.

It was a bizzare fight, despite the fact that none of them could catch up with me, they were persistent and stubbornly kept on chasing after me. Even as one by one, their numbers fell, they maintained their chase and followed me, waving their weapons and shooting at me.

The odds were in my favour though, and soon most of them lay dead. I was about to celebrate when to my dismay, several monks spotted me and made hand gestures to each other... greatttt, now they wanted me too. I was getting tired and gulped down some ale, I was getting non-chalant by now and hurled my axe backwards, not caring whether it landed a hit or not, it always return to me anyway.

Screams of agony and yelps of near hits echoed behind me as I continued my circular run. When they tried to use a pincer attack on me, I simply ran past them. It took a long time, and several bottles of ale, but they eventually all lay dead... I sifted through all their belongings and found a key on one of the more important looking monks. I correctly deduced that it was the key to Balthazar's stronghold and opened the gates.

Before I entered the inner chamber though, I made a return trip to my Planar Stronghold to sleep off the effects of the ale, and to resharpen K'loragath. When I woke up, I stretched and did a quick warm-up. As I swung my arms, I mused to myself, how tough could this Balthazar guy be anyway? Hmmmm... ...

- Leonardo
__________________________________________________ _

The Fight
--------

Equipment:
--------
Armour: Shuruppak's Plate
Gloves: Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialisation
Helmet: Helmet of Defence
Amulet: Amulet of Seldarine
Rings: Ring of Gaxx, Ring of Free Action
Cloak: Cloak of Mirroring
Boots: Boots of Speed
Belt: Girdle of Fire Giant Strength

Weapon of choice: Sword of Grief +5
Shield: Shield? What shield?

Before entering combat, I casted the following respectively,

Armour of Faith, Aid, Summon Deva, Draw Upon Holy Might, Hardiness.

I had 7 failed attempts, my 8th attempt nailed Balthazar, I will briefly describe how it went.

AC... was pointless and a non-issue... even with -18 AC... Balthazar and his monks all managed to nail me effortlessly... so the shield was practically worthless in this fight.

I chose the Sword of Grief as my weapon of choice, because of its' nasty ability to level drain.

I positioned the Deva to go to where Balthazar spawned and when she reached there, I walked forward to trigger the speech sequence. Balthazar talks and the fight starts.

I immediately activated Whirlwind and went crazy on Balthazar. Because of Balthazar's "Chant"... I only dealt about 3 damage per hit... When his chant is not active, I dealt about 20+ damage per hit. I tried using Carsomyr to dispel the Chant, but it did not work, so I stuck to the Sword of Grief.

Then Balthazar teleported away, leaving me with his four colourful disciples. They were no match for Leonardo though, and they quickly became human sushi.

Disciples dead, I went back to my Planar Stronghold.

Rested, buffed up, went back, and gated in a Deva. While the Deva distracted Balthazar, I whirlwinded in more level-draining hits on Balthazar. The Deva eventually dies and I am left to face him one on one.

Gee... just when I get him down to near death status, he yells, "Second Wind!", and promptly heals back to full life... I only had one Greater Whirlwind left, so I retreated. I ran and ran, until Balthazar was out of sight, casting a spell. I teleported again. And just as I was about to leave, Balthazar shows up and sneaks in another attack. Ouch... ...

Rested, buffed up, went back with a vengence. I had level-drained him multiple times already and I could sense him weakening. Whirlwinded again and again and again, until finally... he gasped and died... ...

Screenshots

A question though, what is Balthazar's level? If anybody knows.

Thanks for reading! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

YeRFDoG · 11-12-2001, 08:41 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern:
Due to my forgetfulness... I failed to realise that I had left the difficulty set to insane( because of my solo Sorcerer game), so I was clueless why the mercenaries and Balthazar were so damn freaking tough.

On the other hand, it meant that I did this on Insane Difficulty, WOOHOO!

Well done Dundee [img]smile.gif[/img]
I've accidentally left the difficulty on Insane once in chap 7 of SoA, it was difficult!
Btw, where do u get these improved boss patches from?

Dundee Slaytern · 11-12-2001, 09:01 AM

quote:
Originally posted by YeRFDoG:
Btw, where do u get these improved boss patches from?

I get them from Balderdash.

[ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

Euronymous · 11-12-2001, 09:35 AM

In Infinity Explorer it says that balthazar is lvl 30 I think

Dundee Slaytern · 11-12-2001, 09:40 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Euronymous:
In Infinity Explorer it says that balthazar is lvl 30 I think

Heh, given that I level-drained him about 15-20 times, no wonder he looked so drained during the third round. Heh, heh... unless David Gaider was evil and bumped him up to level 40 in the Improved version.

Thanks for the info, Euronymous.

Euronymous · 11-12-2001, 09:52 AM

In Fact here are Balthazar's stats:
lvl 30
Lawful Neutral
Str 22
Con 20
Dex 22
Int 15
Wis 15
Char 13
Hit Points: 280 (!!)
Resist Cold, Fire, Acid, Electricity, Magic, Magic Fire, Magic cold =90
thaco -5
Number of attacks 5
Save vs.
Death 3
Wands 5
Poly 4
Breath 3
Spells 4

Ac -10
Missile -10
rest are 0

Bloody Hell!

Mellissan Is a dual cleric/mage at lvl 30/30.......ahhhhh!!!!!!!!

[ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Euronymous ]

Dundee Slaytern · 11-12-2001, 10:08 AM

Well... I can safely say Improved Balthazar has far better THACO and saving throw versus death.

Sword of Grief has a +5 penalty to saving throw when you get hit, and I have seen him save against it with a roll of 0... meaning that his saving throw for death must be -5 or lower... ...

Given that -18 AC was virtually useless against him, the improved version must have really, really good THACO.

Euronymous · 11-12-2001, 10:11 AM

And anyway, who is this Balthazar bloke anyway!? Didnt he give Jesus Frankensence?

ahh well

Kresselack · 11-13-2001, 12:48 AM

Doesn't Balthazar has an invisible ring of negative plane protection?

Dundee Slaytern · 11-13-2001, 05:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Kresselack:
Doesn't Balthazar has an invisible ring of negative plane protection?

He does? I doubt so, because the battletext displays the message that he has been level-drained. You can see some of them in the screenshots.

11-12-2001, 07:45 AM	#1
Dundee Slaytern Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Age: 42 Posts: 11,063	Due to my forgetfulness... I failed to realise that I had left the difficulty set to insane( because of my solo Sorcerer game), so I was clueless why the mercenaries and Balthazar were so damn freaking tough. On the other hand, it meant that I did this on Insane Difficulty, WOOHOO! Improved Balthazar Spoilers ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Amkethran I was still in a slight daze as I stumbled into Amkethran. The previous battle had been... epic, to put it mildy. It had to be one of my most glorious battles yet. Even fighting Demogorgan, a Demon Prince, had been easier. I looked at my armour, it had been repaired by Cespenar, but faint traces of gouge marks left by Tamah and Abazigal could still be seen. I shivered a bit as I recalled memories of that fight. If it had not been for my ability to teleport to a Planar Stronghold, I would have surely been slained by them. Such battles though, were now in the past and better left aside until a suitable time, such as when I am in a tavern, chugging down my meads. Heh, heh... not that many will believe my tale anyway, it is far more outlandish than most fabricated stories even. With a slight smile on my face now, I trudged my way towards the local tavern. I was about to enter when suddenly... several mercenaries marched towards me with glares on their faces and their weapons at the ready. It was obvious then, that they were looking for a fight, and I was their target. I guess they were not happy that I killed two of their numbers over the Mayor's daughter incident. I immediatedly jerked into alertness and quickly scanned their ranks. The majority of them were armed with bows and arrows, and a wry smile formed on my face. I harnessed my Darksteel Shield and wore the Reflection Shield instead. Several of the mercenaries sniggered among themselves as they saw me change to a smaller shield, boy were they going to be in for a surprise when the fight starts, heh, heh... ... I kept my Axe of Unyielding too, and took out K'logarath instead. I grinned at the by now, swarm of mercenaries... and ran away... ... Well you could not expect me to stand there and fight! I am good... I am good enough to take on Abazigal and Tamah, but that did not mean it was okay to take on an entire army of mercenaries. I ran as fast as I could, and maintained a distance between me and my agressors. Every now and then, I turned around and hurled K'loragath at one of them. When they shot at me, their glee turned to horror as their arrows bounced off my shield and returned back to them with unerring accuracy. It was a bizzare fight, despite the fact that none of them could catch up with me, they were persistent and stubbornly kept on chasing after me. Even as one by one, their numbers fell, they maintained their chase and followed me, waving their weapons and shooting at me. The odds were in my favour though, and soon most of them lay dead. I was about to celebrate when to my dismay, several monks spotted me and made hand gestures to each other... greatttt, now they wanted me too. I was getting tired and gulped down some ale, I was getting non-chalant by now and hurled my axe backwards, not caring whether it landed a hit or not, it always return to me anyway. Screams of agony and yelps of near hits echoed behind me as I continued my circular run. When they tried to use a pincer attack on me, I simply ran past them. It took a long time, and several bottles of ale, but they eventually all lay dead... I sifted through all their belongings and found a key on one of the more important looking monks. I correctly deduced that it was the key to Balthazar's stronghold and opened the gates. Before I entered the inner chamber though, I made a return trip to my Planar Stronghold to sleep off the effects of the ale, and to resharpen K'loragath. When I woke up, I stretched and did a quick warm-up. As I swung my arms, I mused to myself, how tough could this Balthazar guy be anyway? Hmmmm... ... - Leonardo __________________________________________________ _ The Fight -------- Equipment: -------- Armour: Shuruppak's Plate Gloves: Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialisation Helmet: Helmet of Defence Amulet: Amulet of Seldarine Rings: Ring of Gaxx, Ring of Free Action Cloak: Cloak of Mirroring Boots: Boots of Speed Belt: Girdle of Fire Giant Strength Weapon of choice: Sword of Grief +5 Shield: Shield? What shield? Before entering combat, I casted the following respectively, Armour of Faith, Aid, Summon Deva, Draw Upon Holy Might, Hardiness. I had 7 failed attempts, my 8th attempt nailed Balthazar, I will briefly describe how it went. AC... was pointless and a non-issue... even with -18 AC... Balthazar and his monks all managed to nail me effortlessly... so the shield was practically worthless in this fight. I chose the Sword of Grief as my weapon of choice, because of its' nasty ability to level drain. I positioned the Deva to go to where Balthazar spawned and when she reached there, I walked forward to trigger the speech sequence. Balthazar talks and the fight starts. I immediately activated Whirlwind and went crazy on Balthazar. Because of Balthazar's "Chant"... I only dealt about 3 damage per hit... When his chant is not active, I dealt about 20+ damage per hit. I tried using Carsomyr to dispel the Chant, but it did not work, so I stuck to the Sword of Grief. Then Balthazar teleported away, leaving me with his four colourful disciples. They were no match for Leonardo though, and they quickly became human sushi. Disciples dead, I went back to my Planar Stronghold. Rested, buffed up, went back, and gated in a Deva. While the Deva distracted Balthazar, I whirlwinded in more level-draining hits on Balthazar. The Deva eventually dies and I am left to face him one on one. Gee... just when I get him down to near death status, he yells, "Second Wind!", and promptly heals back to full life... I only had one Greater Whirlwind left, so I retreated. I ran and ran, until Balthazar was out of sight, casting a spell. I teleported again. And just as I was about to leave, Balthazar shows up and sneaks in another attack. Ouch... ... Rested, buffed up, went back with a vengence. I had level-drained him multiple times already and I could sense him weakening. Whirlwinded again and again and again, until finally... he gasped and died... ... Screenshots A question though, what is Balthazar's level? If anybody knows. Thanks for reading! [img]smile.gif[/img] [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ] __________________ Click On The Image For BG2 Information Land of the Psycho-moe

11-12-2001, 08:41 AM	#2
YeRFDoG The Magister Join Date: September 2, 2001 Location: Perth, Western Australia Age: 40 Posts: 104	quote: Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: Due to my forgetfulness... I failed to realise that I had left the difficulty set to insane( because of my solo Sorcerer game), so I was clueless why the mercenaries and Balthazar were so damn freaking tough. On the other hand, it meant that I did this on Insane Difficulty, WOOHOO! Well done Dundee [img]smile.gif[/img] I've accidentally left the difficulty on Insane once in chap 7 of SoA, it was difficult! Btw, where do u get these improved boss patches from? __________________ \"Ambition?! Ambition is just an excuse for people who dont have the guts to be lazy!\"

11-12-2001, 09:01 AM	#3
Dundee Slaytern Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Age: 42 Posts: 11,063	quote: Originally posted by YeRFDoG: Btw, where do u get these improved boss patches from? I get them from Balderdash. [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

11-12-2001, 09:35 AM	#4
Euronymous Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: November 10, 2001 Location: Moscow Posts: 33	In Infinity Explorer it says that balthazar is lvl 30 I think __________________ I used to be _max_RuSSKiE_ don\'t ya know!

11-12-2001, 09:40 AM	#5
Dundee Slaytern Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Age: 42 Posts: 11,063	quote: Originally posted by Euronymous: In Infinity Explorer it says that balthazar is lvl 30 I think Heh, given that I level-drained him about 15-20 times, no wonder he looked so drained during the third round. Heh, heh... unless David Gaider was evil and bumped him up to level 40 in the Improved version. Thanks for the info, Euronymous.

11-12-2001, 09:52 AM	#6
Euronymous Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: November 10, 2001 Location: Moscow Posts: 33	In Fact here are Balthazar's stats: lvl 30 Lawful Neutral Str 22 Con 20 Dex 22 Int 15 Wis 15 Char 13 Hit Points: 280 (!!) Resist Cold, Fire, Acid, Electricity, Magic, Magic Fire, Magic cold =90 thaco -5 Number of attacks 5 Save vs. Death 3 Wands 5 Poly 4 Breath 3 Spells 4 Ac -10 Missile -10 rest are 0 Bloody Hell! Mellissan Is a dual cleric/mage at lvl 30/30.......ahhhhh!!!!!!!! [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Euronymous ] __________________ I used to be _max_RuSSKiE_ don\'t ya know!

11-12-2001, 10:08 AM	#7
Dundee Slaytern Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Age: 42 Posts: 11,063	Well... I can safely say Improved Balthazar has far better THACO and saving throw versus death. Sword of Grief has a +5 penalty to saving throw when you get hit, and I have seen him save against it with a roll of 0... meaning that his saving throw for death must be -5 or lower... ... Given that -18 AC was virtually useless against him, the improved version must have really, really good THACO.

11-12-2001, 10:11 AM	#8
Euronymous Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: November 10, 2001 Location: Moscow Posts: 33	And anyway, who is this Balthazar bloke anyway!? Didnt he give Jesus Frankensence? ahh well __________________ I used to be _max_RuSSKiE_ don\'t ya know!

11-13-2001, 12:48 AM	#9
Kresselack Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: November 7, 2001 Location: Singapore Posts: 49	Doesn't Balthazar has an invisible ring of negative plane protection?

11-13-2001, 05:52 AM	#10
Dundee Slaytern Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Age: 42 Posts: 11,063	quote: Originally posted by Kresselack: Doesn't Balthazar has an invisible ring of negative plane protection? He does? I doubt so, because the battletext displays the message that he has been level-drained. You can see some of them in the screenshots.

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