beholder lair

[Assassin]

Do you have Improved Beholders installed, SixOfSpades? Because if not, IIRC (I haven't played without Tactics for a long time now [img]smile.gif[/img] ), Beholders ignore summons. Send in Kitthix to do your dirty work.

I seem to recall there being a Necklace of Missiles as well, but I don't know where to get it. 6d6 Area effect damage, and it's usable by Warriors.

[Mahlennacht]

Originally posted by Assassin: Do you have Improved Beholders installed, SixOfSpades? Because if not, IIRC (I haven't played without Tactics for a long time now [img]smile.gif[/img] ), Beholders ignore summons. Send in Kitthix to do your dirty work...

(Wow, I don't know, I always tried to send summons to distract them, but they always got wasted in a few rounds, except maybe Skeleton Warriors lasted a little longer - shorter if there's a whole gang that showed up to assist the first beholder that got attacked)

[Pirengle]

Originally posted by NiceWorg: Here´s the deal: I´ve take a few months break from BG2, and forgotten everything. Well, at least the spell descriptions. I´m currently in underdark, the cave with 8-10 Beholders & Gauths and an elder orb. Even my three mages can´t seem to fireball/cloudkill them off, and I don't have the protective spells needed. They simply outnumber us. Some tips would be appreciated.

Ever the fan of the imbibables, let me offer you some potion strategy. If you have any potions of defense, invulnerability, clarity, or magic shielding/blocking, drink 'em. Beholders are spell-filled gasbags. These potions will make you more resistant to spells by lowering your saving throws (defense/invulnerability), providing temporary immunity from charm spells (clarity), or providing magic resistance or temporary immunity (shielding/blocking).

Watch out for that Elder Orb's imprisonment! It's a touch spell with Beholders too, so don't get too close.

[SixOfSpades]

I believe it's BaldurDash that affects how Beholders react to Summons. Before I BaldurDashed, I could send in a pack of Skeletons, and if the Beholders couldn't see my party members (due to Stealth or Invisibility), they wouldn't use their Beholder Rays--they acted like they wanted to save their "spells" for something special (me), and they just tried to BITE my Skeletons to death. And, since these weren't (and still aren't) Improved Beholders, mere Skeletons were sufficient to take them down.

After BaldurDash, however, a single Death Spell instantly kills all your Summons.

The Necklace of Missiles seems to be a ripoff--it has only TWO charges on it! I'll try selling/rebuying to see it that's the maximum.

[Thuram]

NicWorg, may I add my beholder pain in your thread?

I really do hate them now! I should have chosen them as racial enemy but I decided for Golems ...

I am a Stalker/Cleric. Right now I am level 8 Cleric, the Ranger part is inactive until next level. I do have Baldurdash and Tactics mod. I am dealing with the cult of the unseeying eye quest. I am facing 3 beholders and 3 gauths just after the broken platform, before the temple of Aumanator.

I would stealth away if needed, but for any reason they can see me even while I am in Sanctuary. Once they see me I can count 3 seconds until death, even the small gauth takes me down. I do not have any "special" potions or items, only Kittix but it gets killed very quick.

Any suggestions that can help me?

My current tactic is to smite them from afar, but I can only get 2 spells off until they appear. My hope is that they all fail their saving throws and get blinded, but I am not sure if this really will work out. Some do fail their saving, and apparently they are blinded. But once one of the not blinded sees me, the others (who supposedly were blinded) miracously recover their sight and then ...

[IronDragon]

The simplest solution I have found is to shuffle most of your party out of the way and then equip your mage, Nalia in you case with a wand of couldkill and a pile of invisibility potions. The cloak of non-detection is nice but not totally necessary. Turn your NPC AI off other wise Malia will try to tackle an elder orb with a short bow. Turn Nalia invisible and have her go beholder hunting. When she finds them (they do tent to hang out in groups) have her back off till she is out of their visual range. Make sure there is corner or side passage nearby. Fire off the cloudkill and book around that corner drinking the invisibility potion as you go. Yes the beholders will come hunting for Nalia but they can’t find what they can’t see and failing to find her they will obligingly go back into the poisonous cloud. Repeat the process about two more times. Usuaally after three times only the elder orb is still alive and since he, she it or them has high magic resistance the cloudkills did little to harm it. But since it is now alone your party should be able to handle it.