Your Legit Hints and Tactics

[tehmpus]

Please use this thread to post your creative ideas on hints or tactics. I will be checking this thread over the next several days to learn more. Please dont include cheats such as casting "Magic Resistance" on dragons. Here's some of mine:

1) Golems: Regular cast spells dont work on them, but WANDS do. Buy the 50 charge Cloudkill wand in town. 1 zap usually will take down most golems.

2) Avoiding Mantle: When a monster or mage casts a Mantle spell, simple retreat for a few seconds and let it wear off before continuing.

3) Carry Normal Weapons: Each of your warrior type characters should carry normal weapons for those times when the opponents are protected from magical weapons.

4) Trolls: Keep a supply of fire or acid arrows handy for trolls. Also, Heirdalis can kill trolls with his poison shortsword.

5) Int Potions: Use multiple intelligence raising potions to increase the number of spells allowed in a mage's spellbook. These additional spells remain in your book after the effects of the potion wear off.

6) Thievery potions: Buy them if Nalia is your only thief type. This helps you not rely too heavily on yee ol "knock" spells.

7) 18 STR Mace: Give this purchaseable item to Aerie. It allows her to carry more items, and not get weighed down in the process.

8) Nonmagical Plate: All your plate wearing chars should wear the nonmagical Full Plate armor, so that they can take advantage of a cloak/amulet/ring of protection which increases Saves in addition to AC.

9) Summon Nishru works great against casters.

10) When escaping the Mind Flayers, use their charm collars to charm one, and have it open the two specially locked doors. You can turn yourself into Slayer for this, but that lowers your reputation.

11) In the Red Dragon Dungeon, complete the mask before killing the invisable guardian. That allows you to finish the mask quest properly.

12) Best legitimate char: Imported Dwarf Warrior from Baldur's Gate 1. Make sure he used all the statbooks, and learns grandmaster longsword in the process.

I'll be checking this thread regularly to hear your responses and learn from you as well.


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Tehmpus Thales the permanently InSaNe

[Mirac Honorguard]

First of all, Welcome ( -- Tempus give us victory -- Branwen )
Second, You've done an excellent researching job, I'll add one with it. Beholders, when finghting againts elder orbs make sure your fully protected against pertrification, use the amulet that saves vs. polymorph/pertrification or use the spell prtection of pertrification but the best is as a mage spell turning-like spells, real neat, beholders get themselve pertrified this way, easy kill and of course the best priest spell ever is choatic commands, but that hasn't got anything to do with pertrification

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Lady ArchAngel, Protector of IW's, smiter of evil

http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/mirac
- Priest of Helm
- Fellow Table Dancer of the Jerome's Table dancer group
- Spell formulater of the IW peace-keeping force
- Magical advisor of MiLady Lioness
- Worshipper of Dradeel
Bad dog, bad dog -Dradeel

[This message has been edited by Mirac Honorguard (edited 10-16-2001).]

[StarVid]

Well, I have to disagree with the best character being a dwarf fighter. The best -fighter- (tank) is a dwarf (imo), but there are other characters that can do well in the game. My character is an elven mage I'm playing in BG1 to take him into BG2 and kit into a wild mage. Other strategies (probably everyone knows though)

Cloudkill/Stinking cloud + animate dead spell combo: Stinking cloud works better than cloudkill (that way the baddies cant attack your skels), but if you use them both together, that's some good stuff.

Web + Fireball/Cloudkill/Skull Trap/Any other area effect spell: self explanitory

Give Jaheira darts, not a sling: at 3 attacks a round (maybe more because she's specialized) she can actually make good use of the darts of wounding/stunning. Which will be really helpful in disrupting enemy mages (as long as they don't have missle protection).

I've yet to get past chapter 3, but these tactics worked in BG1 and up to this point in BG2. I'd post more, but I have a class. Maybe later.

If you have the bonus collector's edition CD, it includes the shield of Balduran, an item which gives an a.c. bonus of 3, a penalty of -1 to strenght

BUT


REFLECTS ALL BEHOLDER RAYS BACK TO THE BEHOLDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by mitsos: If you have the bonus collector's edition CD, it includes the shield of Balduran, an item which gives an a.c. bonus of 3, a penalty of -1 to strenght BUT REFLECTS ALL BEHOLDER RAYS BACK TO THE BEHOLDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very nice shield against Beholders!!




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Where there are monsters and barbarians there will be Byronas fighting against them.

[Archon Devangilous]

an often over looked stratergy but can quickly become irratating is changing the auto pause option to turn based. if you are a big stratergist then this will work well for you as it allows practically every little move to be planned. if you dont like to continuous pausing then my suggestion is making full use of the space bar(pause) as u can pause when you feel the battle is turning any which way. This may seem petty but will make a big difference

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Nor shadow or myst
the jester is a myth
he is absolute
beware the jester

[Dundee Slaytern]

I set my Autopause when spell is casted, enemy sighted, target destroyed. I used to set it to round end, but it ended up slowing down my game too much.

Since I am here, here's my 2 cents worth.

Mislead Tactic:
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Cast Mislead and put the illusion outside your enemie's line of sight. When your opponents cast True Sight or any other divination spell, your invisibility will not be dispelled because the illusion must be in their line of sight.

Note: Line of sight is different from visual range.

Since you have undispellable invisibility, you can do a lot of nasty things to your enemies while they are helpless to your attacks.

Note however, that Mind Flayers will still hurl Psionics at you and Umber Hulks will still cast Confusion at you. Certain creatures like Liches and Kuo Tuas, can see through invisibility.

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If not a Sorcerer casting total oblivion, then a Cavalier meting out justice. Otherwise, I think I will just be a Blade and torture my enemies with, "My Heart Will Go On".

Platinium Sorcerer of ALSB, Aerie Loving Sacred Band! She's MeowRrrr, and more!

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Sorcerer Spell List
Dragon Slaying Tips

[StarVid]

ok, now that I have more time...

I keep my party spread out in a fight. It reduces the chances/number of chars that get affected by area effect spells.

I use the autopause for practically everything, and I turn the party AI off. Yeah, it slows down the game, but it makes it infinitely easier to control the party (especially my spellcasters). In BG1, not a single enemy spellcaster (except when there was more than one like in the Red Wizard area) ever got off a spell because I had one of my mages time his magic missles just right. And before anyone says that this is a cheese tactic, it really isn't. Put it in roleplaying terms, if you see an enemy spellcaster talking like they're about to cast a spell, you want to stop him and stop him fast, which is why MM is so handy. There were actually a couple instances when this didn't work, but that was only when the enemy caster was casting spells with a casting time of 1 (like MM). Still a good strat, IMO.

Keep only one Tank. I only have one tank in my part. Granted, I have two backups (Jah, Vic/whoever), but I designate only one tank and give him the best gear. He goes into a battle first, and because he's got all the good gear, he gets hit really little.

With this in mind, I always have at least two mages. I'm going through BG1 with no cleric (I have Jah for healing), and me and Dyn as mages. They can -really- buff your party, as well as deals some serious damage themselves. The only problem with this is that later in the game it seems everyone has 500% magic resists and saving throws of -50, but then you just use lower resist and greater malison (though it wastes a couple rounds).

Just as Nish works well against mages, Morwhatever's sword works well against pretty much anything with a non-magical attack.

As for trolls, keep some fire or acid arrows just in case, but a lot of times, Minsc (with a sweet 2H sword) would just gib them. The trick is for him to get a good hit in when their hps are really low. This shouldn't be a primary strategy, just something to keep in mind.

There was a huge debate a while back about whether or not Imoen is a good thief. She isn't naturally, but she can be (I realized this recently). There's lots of gear in the game that seriously jacks up a thieve's stats in certain areas. Just have her keep the gear on hand, and equip it when you need to.

Like I said before, the best legit char for me is a Mage I brought in from BG1 to be a wild mage. The main reason why I did this is so I could Tome his INT to 19 and not have to worry about using potions of genius, or picking spells to not scroll into the spellbook and all that rot. Besides, nobody else can make it rain cows...and that is what the BG series is all about.

[Haladar]

An addition: Always try and have Negative plane protection available during chpters 1-3 and 6, so u can take down all of the random vampires you meet without any trouble.
My most powerful character is a cavalier who i took all the way through BG1, and used all the tomes on. With carsomyr and a coupla other items he has 80% magic resistance, and being a cavalier he is immune to fear and has a bit of natural resistance, and lower saving throws than other characters. I have not ever lost more than 25HP against a mage, though dragons do kill me somtimes

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Haladar
Mithril Cavalier of ALSB
Guardian of The Holy Temple of Aerie

[blastoderm]

another chessy tactic is casting (chain) contingency in combat (it has a casting time of 0!!!!) and offcourse to use skeleton warriors against mages, or change yourself into an iron golem because of magic resistance
that's just about all I can think of right now