Survival Guide for a HoF-from-scratch party (spoilers)

[Aerich]

If you really must know, through excessive inventory management. It helps that the bard is a non-shooter, as it theoretically gives me 19 more spots for ammo (16 miscellaneous and 3 ammo). Additionally, my F/M is the only crossbow-user and he also has specialization in bows; that versatility is useful.

With heavy use of summons, you can actually do quite a bit of low-risk, no-ammo-necessary damage with melee weapons. It only requires a good sense of timing and placement. My F/M also specializes in greatswords, enabling him to perform melee attacks in relative safety. Before finding the Big Bertha of crossbows, the F/M split its time about equally between archery, melee, and casting. With the spells and equipment he now commands, the melee share will drop.

Edit: and the F/T mostly uses the returning throwing axe, so I've got six characters to carry ammo and only four to use it.

[ 01-19-2006, 03:43 AM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[pritchke]

For the high summoner you could make your entire party invisble walk into the room, close the door and take them out first.

For my solo fighter/mage/cleric on HoF I used santuary, buffed, walked in, closed the door and took them out first. Makes it easieer and is much quicker.

I guess things can still go wrong and isn't as easy as I make it sound but is a good tactic although I have never done so with more than one character.

[ 01-19-2006, 01:41 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

[ZFR]

Originally posted by Azred: If I still have it, I saved a screen shot where my Chromatic Orb managed to sneak through Yxunomei's magic resistance and then she failed her save--instant death! [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

And may I ask why did you cast it on Yuxomenei in the first place? You were actually hoping it would bypass both magic defense and saving throw and kill her?

[ister]

Nothing better to do?

[Azred]

I had stretched myself a little thin at the time. Chromatic Orb was the only offensive spell left in my mage's arsenal. Every now and then, it pays to throw caution to the wind! [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

[Dundee Slaytern]

When all else fails, the kitchen sink still hurts.

[Aerich]

Originally posted by ZFR: And may I ask why did you cast it on Yuxomenei in the first place? You were actually hoping it would bypass both magic defense and saving throw and kill her?

On HoF, anything with a chance for an instant kill or paralysis is worth casting when you're desperate. I recall hearing about someone who stunned the Big B himself with a Chromatic Orb. I myself Stoned a full-health Priest-Mage of Vhaeraun in the Ilmadia fight the last time I went through with a party on Insane. That spell turned the tide, as four of my six characters (all tanks) were hit hard at the time, I was out of summons, and the P/M was closing in on the injured.

Originally posted by pritchke: For the high summoner you could make your entire party invisble walk into the room, close the door and take them out first. For my solo fighter/mage/cleric on HoF I used santuary, buffed, walked in, closed the door and took them out first. Makes it easieer and is much quicker. I guess things can still go wrong and isn't as easy as I make it sound but is a good tactic although I have never done so with more than one character.

As I said earlier, this tactic does have potential. It would depend on how many 2nd level slots you had available for Invisibility and how many clerics or thieves you had that could be "invisible" by other methods. The party should have at least a couple invisibility potions by then too, so it might be possible even with a full party.

How did you get past the yuan-ti mages? As I recall, they are triggered by opening the door on the right by the carpet. Didn't your Sanctuary come off? I believe Invisibility disappears when you open doors, but I'll check into it to be sure.

The big issue is that you cannot rest on DE lvl 4. You have to be able to get out to rest and recover your spells - if you have a bard and have the door shut in the summoner's room, hitpoints won't be a problem. Coming out of the room, you'd have to fight your way through the mages and the flood of other enemies if you don't take them out on the way to the summoner. I suppose you might be able to have enough invisibility/sanctuary/stealth to get out again, but that would certainly eat up all the second level slots you have in a full party, leaving no room for Mirror Image or Acid Arrow.

As the summoner is IMO the easiest of these three battles, getting to it and killing it first might weaken you enough so that you couldn't win the other battles, and thus not be able to escape.

It would be worth a try, though. A party with a bard could merely retreat to the room to stand around listening to a ditty to heal up, and retreat multiple times to the room if necessary. It might be a little too much cheese for some people, but anything within the game mechanics is fair in HoF. Retreating to the room would have the benefit of causing the yuan-ti mages' protective spells to run out.

I like to have a clear path to retreat if necessary, so I probably wouldn't use this unless I was really struggling to clear the way in.

[ister]

I'm almost certain you can open doors under sanctuary. Of course the question then would be whether you can get into the summoners room and close the door before the sanctuary wears off. As soon as you open the door you WILL break any invisibility you're under. Casting sanctuary won't break invisibilty, but it will break stealth.

[pritchke]

I am pretty sure you can open doors with sanctuary. I know santuary is also great to take a break and cast healing spells on yourself when you need to. You can also use circle of bones, or those other circle damageing spells with santuary and take out the enemy with a little cheese and crackers.

[ 01-20-2006, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

[Kyrvias]

mmmm... crackers...