What is your favourite HLA?

Gloop · Post by **Gloop** » Fri May 24, 2002 8:50 am

Mine is Greater Whirlwind... I bashed through the whole of ToB with Greater Whirlwind from my twin "shredders" Keldorn and Sarevok. In fact I didn't use any skill/spell other than Greater Whirlwind when I fought Melissan in her last form.

I know mages are powerful and all that... but their skills seem to be needed only in situations like... when your fighters can't handle a dragon... now my two mages (PC Conjuror and Jan) need perform just one function... Breach/Ruby Ray.

But I do like to have fun sometimes, scouting ahead with SotM and using Skull Traps (one of the *best* low level area damage spells!) and Incendiary Clouds (if a non-magic/fire resistant creature stands in it for the full duration... its guaranteed dead).

What's your favourite HLA? And btw can anyone tell me some of the more 'effective' uses of UAI... because I might want to play a Fighter/Thief.

Dolphin · Post by **Dolphin** » Fri May 24, 2002 10:40 am

I really didnt use much HLA, cuz most of the times i just forget about it, and i seemed to be allright without it.
When i fought Melisan in the last stage, she just summoned 2 tan'nari and thats it,she was dead in bout 10 sec,so i didnt need any HLA there, 3rd fight on the other hand was the hardest one and i ended up with ressurecting 4 cars in the end(2 left alive), maybe if i thought bout HLA i would finish her off earlier........

Catalyst · Post by **Catalyst** » Fri May 24, 2002 11:17 am

I guess it depends on what type of character I am.

Greater Whirlwind gets the most use by far, so that would be my fighter choice. You can take a solo fighter through the game without terrible difficulty by abusing it.

Thieves are more tricky, but probably Assassination. Sure, lots of baddies are immune, but if they're not... (Use Any Item would probably take top spot if I ever played a Thief).

For Wizards and Sorcerers, Improved Alacrity is overpoweringly good, but I like good ol' Dragon's Breath myself. It looks cool, and the fact that it knocks all opponents away can be a lifesaver during the more compact ToB battles.

Gloop, the most obvious (ab)use of the UAI is not a Fighter/Thief, but a dualled Kensai -> Thief. Kensai are very very mean fighters, but they can wear *no armor*. With UAI, you can remove their biggest drawback by donning armor to your heart's content. Disgusting, actually.
However, if you mean a multiclass character, you can Specialize in Two-Handed swords and wield Carsomyr, or (for backstab) dual-wield Celestial Fury and Flail of Ages. Staff of the Magi is useful for it's spell-trap (soak up all your enemy's spells, then go invisible, switch to a good blade, and backstab them with the weapon of your choice).

Bloodstalker · Post by **Bloodstalker** » Fri May 24, 2002 11:32 am

Use any item is hands down my favorite.

Bruce Lee · Post by **Bruce Lee** » Fri May 24, 2002 11:45 am

My favourite HLA
1 Enhanced bard song. It is like a berserkers rage that effects the whole party and lasts the whole game!!
2 UAI
3 Improved alacrity. You have to love filling the whole screen with area effect damaging spells.
Kensai/thieves are great but multiclassed fighter/thieves can choose assassination more than once... I know it is a bug but I like it hehe.

Littiz · Post by **Littiz** » Fri May 24, 2002 2:57 pm

Improved Alacrity, The Godly Spell.

In my experience, if you have Ascension installed, you cannot
even try the final battle without this one.

@Bruce: don't forget insta-auto-buffing!

Ode to a Grasshopper · Sat May 25, 2002 9:59 am

Tracking

. No, seriously, I know it's useless but it's just so in character with Rangers. And it's funny to read in half the areas: "From the signs you notice you cannot discern what types of creatures inhabit the area", like in the Government district of Athkatla where humans are the only people around. It's an example of a potentially good idea that was implemented in completely the wrong way.

Stilgar · Post by **Stilgar** » Sat May 25, 2002 10:32 am

@Jim,you're right traking is just not it, while it good be very usefull.

I personally like the UAI but i also think it's rather cheesy.
The improved traps for thiefes are pretty good,

But i have to go for greater whirlwind and Improved Alacrity a draw betweens those two

gnomethingy · Post by **gnomethingy** » Sun May 26, 2002 9:39 am

Smite!!!!! I dunno why I like it, theres a certain charm in doing double damage and belting someone across the screen

VonDondu · Post by **VonDondu** » Mon May 27, 2002 4:53 am

Try this sometime: cast Energy Blades and then use Critical Strike. It's so powerful, I can't believe you can do it in the game.

Bruce Lee · Post by **Bruce Lee** » Mon May 27, 2002 10:42 am

or energy blades and smite...or melfs minute meteors, imp haste and greater deathblow... good for taking out mindflayers and beholders.
Or improved alacrity and all you HLA's!
I soloed a fighter/mage/thief... cap removed and gave him mage high level abilities as he leveled up.
Then run this combo.
Shapechange but dont change yet.
Improved alacrity followed by GWW, Critical strike, Assassination and then change to an Iron Golem.
This was powerful, very very powerful

Phantom Lord · Post by **Phantom Lord** » Mon May 27, 2002 11:30 am

Thieves: UAI, it's pretty much a superpower. Without taking UAI into consideration it probably would be Assassination.

Fighter: Greater Whirlwind.

Mage: Summon (dark) Planetar, because Planetars are a very powerful ally in battle and their healing capacity alone is worth the spell.

Priest: Summon Elemental, hoping I get the fire prince.

island007 · Post by **island007** » Tue May 28, 2002 6:57 pm

Hi,

1) Improved Alacrity

Runner-up) Dragon Breath

Thanks

Mr Flibble · Post by **Mr Flibble** » Wed May 29, 2002 2:30 am

Summon Planetar.

I'm soloing a sorcerer through TOB and the only spells I really use much is Project Image and Summon Planetar. Very effective combination.

Gloop · Post by **Gloop** » Thu May 30, 2002 1:51 am

wow... and i thought i knew some cheese...

any expert on cheese can contribute more to (ab)using the HLAs?

Phantom Lord · Post by **Phantom Lord** » Thu May 30, 2002 5:36 am

I think it was User Unfriendly who has posted some interesting ideas about the effects of poisoning splatter-damage weapons some months ago. Try a search on it. There are also many ways of combining the time stop / imp alacrity combo with pretty much any other mage cheese.

Chanak · Post by **Chanak** » Fri May 31, 2002 10:30 pm

Welp, here are my favorite HLA, according to the classes I've played:

Fighter/Paladin/Ranger: Greater Whirlwind Attack.

Mage: All of them.

Cleric: Summoning planetars is definitely handy. Also, Aura of Flaming Death. I dunno, I just like wading into battle with this active.

Druid: Summoning Elemental Princes, most assuredly.

Thief: While it is cheesy, UAI is their best ability, above all. I still have a little problem with Carsomyr-wielding thieves, though...

Bard: The enhanced bard song. What a lovely sound.

Oh, and for whatever reason, my cavalier PC could summon a deva once per day. I liked that, too.

Gloop · Post by **Gloop** » Sat Jun 01, 2002 4:23 am

ok, I think i have discovered a crazy cheese...

chain contingency triple project image
all time stop
abi dalzim horrid wilting, lower resistance for those resistant, greater malison, slow, glitterdust, blah blah blah (have 3 timestops

)

i did just that with Improved Bodhi in chapter 6... she fell too quickly to triple flame arrows after her resistance and saves were lowered

this cheese seems to work very well with sorcerers

and (i don't know if its a bug or not) projected images dont have a summoning limit... including planetars. so my sorcerer can get her 3 images to summon up to 6 * 3 = 18 planetars...

... which makes me conclude that summon planetar is my favourite HLA for mage

now i wonder... if energy blades can be cast during/before timestop to fling at enemies while they are frozen? hehehe...

Mr Flibble · Post by **Mr Flibble** » Sat Jun 01, 2002 5:36 am

Originally posted by Gloop
and (i don't know if its a bug or not) projected images dont have a summoning limit... including planetars. so my sorcerer can get her 3 images to summon up to 6 * 3 = 18 planetars...

You can take this cheese even further. Set the contingency to activate when the caster is helpless and then cast project image. 6 planetars from 4 images = 24 planetars. Haven't met anything that can survive that yet.

Gloop · Post by **Gloop** » Sat Jun 01, 2002 8:01 am

I know not how I can even begin to respond to *that*... 4 images... Well that cheese is nice... don't have to go near the enemy... Dragon's Wing buffets are a major pain (and i was about to do 3 timestops too!)

pardon if i am a little incoherent here...