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

[krunchyfrogg]

RE: Raffin.

#1: The financing expedition dwarf thingy can be done with any ordinary townsperson (no namers). Doesn't have to be somebody in the inn.

[Raffin]

Krunchy,

Thanks for the tip.

Made it further into HoF. Those ------ goblins are annoying when they swarm you, and, in HoF, they're pretty tough! I finally managed to pound, pincushion, and dodge my way to the tower with the Ogre in it, where I hid out in between forays to kill goblins outside. Even with full buffing and some decent fighters and all ranged weapons, it took around 8 forays to clear enough goblins to make it to Kuldahar. Sheesh!

But I made it, and now I can buy platemail and other goodies. [img]smile.gif[/img]

-Raffin

[Aerich]

After finishing off the orc caves in fine style, I came to the conclusion that Dundee was erring on the side of caution in warning people about how hard it is.

It took me 9 entries to clear the caves, and I generally got at least 7 orcs per entry. My F/M took Charm Person and Grease as his starting spells, and with a couple of Entangles and some Curse and Chant, the Ogres weren't too bad at all. I got three of them in one entry - there was a couple of stray orcs left at that point and I Charmed them both for fodder, allowing lengthy potshots at the ogres.

I have two more tips. First, if you have a bard, have him/her singing Tymora's Melody. It gives you a +1 on most die rolls, and additionally gives a better chance to critical hit. Second, do all your major battles (shaman, archers and elite from first open area; ogres and supporting cast) right by the entrance. It allows you to retreat quickly if need be. The passage is fairly narrow there, and a great spot for movement-inhibitors.

Edit: another benefit of doing major fights by the entrance is that when you leave and go back in, it takes the monsters a little while to get to you; therefore, you have some time to cast spells and/or pick up any little goodies left by monsters that you killed on the previous trip.

[ 10-30-2005, 11:56 PM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Aerich]

Some thoughts on the suddenly difficult Kuldahar Pass area.

1) The tough part is getting to a place to rest. You have three options here, none of them easy. You could get to the ogre's watchtower, but you have to pass a lot of goblins. You could get to Kuldahar, but you have to pass a lot of goblins. You can also rest out in the open, but you have to risk being awakened by a lot of goblins. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

2) A second challenge is ammunition; loading up in Easthaven with all the ammo you can carry is very important, and you may still run out.

3) Once you make it to Kuldahar, things should get a lot easier. At the very least, Kuldahar offers better armour and some spell selection. If you have the cash at this point (doubtful), you can also buy the Horn of Valhalla, which takes on even more importance in the early game of HoF.

I'm ready to go to the Pass now; my strategy, like Raffin's, is to make it to the ogre's tower. Once there, I will try to clear all the goblins in open areas so that I can make it to Kuldahar. Once I get to Kuldahar, I will load up on decent spells and return for the mill and the goblin/beetle lair area.

[krunchyfrogg]

Make sure you make like Raffin and go chicken hunting! The extra XP will help man!

[Aerich]

It's not too bad right now. You can rest in the corner that had 2 goblin archers, if you are willing to quicksave before attempting to rest and quickload if you get visitors.

Some more tips...

A druid beats a mage hands down in terms of offensive spells at this stage. Call Lightning is the most damaging single target spell available in the Pass, and works well with extended fights. Mold Touch is a little more work, but has the potential to be an effective "area effect" damaging spell. It is best used in a couple of ways - first, you can infect summons (undead) or charmed creatures and send them into a pack of goblins; second, you can have your tank (preferably a paladin, for the saves) engage goblins and have your druid cast the Mold Touch on one of them while it is otherwise occupied and not targeting the druid. If the tank has Protection from Evil (+2 to AC and saves) cast on it first, your chances of avoiding your own spell are pretty good. Spike Growth is decent, if you can trap enough goblins in an area.

Horror, the only (edit: second level) combat spell available to your arcane caster(s) in the Pass, is great for sending archers running while you take down their melee support - or vice versa.

Chickens are fast little pincushions, and have the habit of running away into the midst of goblins. It's safest to kill all the goblins in an area before going after your drumsticks.

[ 11-04-2005, 01:45 AM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Aerich]

Took me 5 rest periods (six "awake" periods) to clear Kuldahar Pass in its entirety; mill and goblin/beetle lairs included.

Druid is practically a required class for HoF from the start. [img]smile.gif[/img] I split first level spells between Entangle and Sunscorch, second level spells between Charm Person/Mammal and Alicorn Lance, and third level spells were mostly Call Lightning with an occasional Mold Touch or Spike Growth tossed in for variety.

Charm spells are awesome at this period of the game. It's just like a summoning spell in the sense that it saves your party a lot of abuse. I took out the orcs in the mill without taking a hit because I Charmed Uligar right off the bat. They are also extremely useful in the mass attacks you face all the way through the Pass. I generally try to Charm the first melee attacker that sees me.

Call Lightning was made for HoF - even on insane (never mind normal), a party is generally so far into the Vale by the time CL is available that the spell is just about useless because there's no more outside areas to use it in. In HoF, you have it all the way through the Pass. Having three CLs going in a multiple Entangle kill zone makes HoF far easier.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Not to mention Chain Lighting in combination with Static Charge.

[Aerich]

Yes, I'm looking forward to that. [img]smile.gif[/img]

How strong does a cleric or paladin have to be before having a reasonable chance to turn HoF undead, particularly skeletons and zombies? I'm in the Vale right now clearing the outside of shadows and yeti. Will it be worth my while to use a lvl 6 cleric to turn when I enter the tombs?

[Dundee Slaytern]

They will just run away, making it a major annoyance chasing them down. I only Turn Undead when there is an overwhelming number of undead, allowing me to focus fire on the few that did not run away.