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

[Seraph]

I'm just wondering, how did you get by level 4 of Dragons Eye? I've never had problems with Yxunomei once I get to her, but trying to get past level 4 (particulary the high summoner) in HOF mode is nearly impossible for me.

[Aerich]

It was difficult. As I see it, the key is to get to the summoner before he can wear you out with summoned creatures. Unfortunately, you need to fight two nasty fights before you even get to the summoner; at the entrance and against the yuan-ti mages near the door with the carpet. Therefore, the key part was to get through those two fights with enough health and spells to take down the summoner.

Look here for my strategies in those first two fights.

Simply, hole up in the library with summons in front of you, then expose the yuan-ti. Clog the doorway with spells, both damagers and immobilizers, and try to take care of everything except the librarian with ranged missiles. After mopping up, head to the yuan-ti mages and cast area-effect disrupters on them (Entangle and Spike Growth, primarily). Take down the disrupted ones at your leisure with missiles, but if any aren't within the AoE of your disrupting spells, use a precious summons and single-target spells to take them down ASAP.

Try to retain a summons or two, a couple of damaging spells, and maybe a prayer for taking out the summoner. The summoner itself isn't very strong, especially against archers.

Then go down a level to rest up, and the remainder of lvl 4 is easy.

[ 01-15-2006, 08:38 PM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Ultra Marine]

Send in an assassin with Presio's Dagger to stab the summoner thereby preventing casting then get out while the rest of the guys holds the choke point. Would this be possible in HoF?

Also, it would be possible to take out the summoner first by making the whole party invisible.

[Aerich]

It's not really necessary to go after the summoner in melee, and actually it is preferable not to. The yuan-ti priests can do you a fair bit of damage even hand-to-hand in HoF. A couple of bows will serve to disrupt him. It's also preferable to hold choke points in HoF with summons. The poison effect of Presio's dagger can be negated with a successful save, so more than one strike might be necessary and would be risky because the other priests in the summoner's room would target the poisoner and get some free shots.

I'm not sure if you'd have enough spell slots or invisibility scrolls to make the whole party invisible - sanctuary might be used too, but the duration isn't too long. You may also have to open a door or two, which could complicate matters as that counts as an action that would negate the invisibility or sanctuary.

It's not a bad idea, though. My worry with the invisibility strategy is that you'd have to fight your way back out to rest, at least past the yuan-ti mages, even assuming you took out a big load of creatures at the entrance.

[ister]

I thouhgt that opening doors in sanctuary did NOT break it. In BG I've used that trick - I'm invisible until I come to a door, then I go into sanctuary (which doesn't break invisibility) open the door (breaking invisibility, but not sanctuary) and go invisible before the sanctuary runs out. I haven't tried this in IWD, so perhaps sanctuary works differently.

Even if it does work it's expensive. It costs multiple casts of invisibility and sanctary (or potions).

[Dundee Slaytern]

Two tips when fighting the Summoner.

1) Melf's Acid Arrow
2) Acid Arrows, no save against the acid.

Casting obscene amounts of Spike Growth in that teeny-weeny room, while blocking the really narrow door with summons is also good sadistic fun.

Oh, not to mention an invisible Druid with multiple static charges.

[Sir Degrader]

Screw it, go Rocky Balboa on his ass.

[Klorox]

Wouldn't letting those guys out of the prison to help you fight be a huge help?

[Aerich]

Perhaps, but...

a) I like to keep all the xp for myself, and you don't get any for creatures that the adventurers kill
b) they turn hostile if they take any damage from you - considering how much I like Spike Growth, the risk of "losing" them is too great. If it's a choice between having the adventurers and being able to cast area-effect spells with impunity, I'll choose AoE every time.
c) a problem with going after the adventurers is that they are on the opposite side of the level from your prime target, the summoner. I like to go the direct route to minimize the summoner's effects.

Edit: anyway, I'm well past that area now, having just wiped out Marketh's homies in Lower Dorn's. Will update strategies etc tomorrow

[ 01-17-2006, 03:35 AM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Klorox]

I can't wait to see how much XP you've actually aquired doing every quest and finishing the whole game on HoF mode. Quite an accomplishment there, and you're almost done!