negative plane protection

hwttdz · Post by **hwttdz** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 9:07 am

In planning a party I'm trying to get everyone immune to negative energy. So far I think I have a mage with the amulet of protection, an undead hunter, and a swashbuckler 10/fighter with the mace of disruption +2. Are there any other ways to pull this? I know my party is seriously light on clerical power but I don't really want to dual a cleric to a mage for the first one. Any ideas?

MasterDarkNinja · Post by **MasterDarkNinja** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 10:36 am

you can have the undead hunter take out the level draining undead alone. this may get him very injured from how many undead there are but it works. I've done it before. there's only one place in TOB that I had a hard time with getting the other people away from level draining undead.
also I think that a cleric is more useful then a mage but that's my opinion and I think that I misuse mages since my party's normal power without spells can usually take out anyone anyway.

hwttdz · Post by **hwttdz** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 1:17 pm

In my opinion it's much easier to use everyone. My normal strategy would be to cast some buffs (from this party defensive harmony and improved haste). Stealth the thief and walk him to the far side of the enemies. Now you can see the enemies and the mage can fireball or web or something of the sort to soften them up. I'd say fireball because then you don't have to worry about lingering effects on your own party. I would then send in the thief to take on any mages in melee so they cannot get spells off (I use a swashbuckler so there is a fight, a normal thief could easily remove a mage with one backstab but becomes less helpful after that). So now I'm fighting softened up enemies minus any buffs the mage would have gotten off and down a mage. I have 2 legit fighters and a mage. The advantage of having them all protected from negative energy is that I don't have to walk in an unprotected undead hunter all by his lonesome. Another strategy I found to work well would be to just take a fighter/thief or ranger with maybe the helm of brilliance, daystar and the mace of disruption +2 stealth them and walk them into the middle of a group of undead. Cast sunray from the sword or helm for a killer amount of damage and then just mop up.

I was wondering if there is another item one can use to gain another character preferably a cleric to this mix to help with some summons and healing.

hwttdz · Post by **hwttdz** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 3:30 pm

The spectral brand and the runehammer also do the same but only the upgraded spectral brand which means in SoA there are only those 3 ways. Most chars can use either the spectral brand or runehammer so I can add a ranger/cleric (runehammer) and an archer (spectral brand). I'd say that's a complete party.

serjeLeBlade · Post by **serjeLeBlade** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 5:14 am

Other options to get immunity to level drain are:

- Have a mage cast limited wish (negative plane protection for all party members is a "repeatable" wish)
- Barbarians are immune to level drain when they rage
- Install Weimer's Item Upgrade Mod and upgrade Azuredge or the Buckler+1

That's all I recall at the moment
Hope it helps

gnomethingy · Post by **gnomethingy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:03 am

Protection from magic weapons gives lvl drain protection..

Uhh, Angurdaveal (Tob) Spectral brand (Tob) Runehammer (Tob)

Uhhh...

Im not very knowledgable becouse I just dont find vampires very hard, what can I say? Im more a mind flayer hater

garazdawi · Post by **garazdawi** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:36 am

Originally posted by gnomethingy

Im not very knowledgable becouse I just dont find vampires very hard, what can I say? Im more a mind flayer hater

I'm with you on that one. Vampires are easy to beat compared to the illithid or a drow

hwttdz · Post by **hwttdz** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 7:30 pm

Illithid are hard. Drow are just annoying I've never found them all that bad. Level drain is also an annoyance though it can make characters useless. As a minimum you have to rest every time someone is drained because you have to cast restoration then your cleric is fatigued, the whole bit.

I really don't think there is an excellent way to fight illithid the best way I've found involves lots of magic swords and improved hastes though that requires as much resting as vampires I don't think there is really a great way around it. Chaotic commands?

MasterDarkNinja · Post by **MasterDarkNinja** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 8:13 pm

get high wisdoms and sneak up to them. also have your warrior drink stuff like a potion of magic resistance. and have a high magic resistance (That helps them not stun you, any paladin class can do heavy damage to mind flayers with the holy sword).
also about the vampires and two of the weapons named. the rune hammer is useless by the time you get it unless you didn't beat WC (except for the vampiric mind flayers which I consider the hardest guys in the game and the most evil cheating and vile monsters in the game, they are harder then even demons and dragons) (that I beat on the first try all of the time, what's the point of a cavalier if you always beat them on the first try?)
mind flayers are easy though with magic resistance and a fighter that can take them out quickly with some strong physical blows (their weakness). try to backstab a mind flayer and if you have TOB abilities then use whirlwind to beat them as fast as you can.

UserUnfriendly · Post by **UserUnfriendly** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 11:14 pm

mind flayers are very very easy...

just stoke up a warrior dual wield or ranged with g deathblow, and then load up on anti charm stuff, like the helm of charm protection, and drink up blue potions, not the purple, the blue lasts 12 hours, the purple maybe half an hour...

cast before entering room full of mind flayers, use impr haste, watch them fall down...even wes's evil improved flayers fall to g death blow...

i personally use a frag grenade. one launched into a umber hulk buddy in a flayer area will kill even the invisible ones....

this is why bun bun 2-6 have come equipped with 17 g deathblow and frag grenade i actually relax with flayers....dragons are harder....

lompo · Post by **lompo** » Fri Sep 13, 2002 3:35 am

You should protect from level drain only your spellcasters.
Mid-high lev. fighters are non affected from lev. drain (the difference of a 1-2 lev in a fighter could be 1-2 points of Thac0 if you are below lev. 20), so why bother, just continue to fight and the get somebody restore you.

gnomethingy · Post by **gnomethingy** » Fri Sep 13, 2002 4:01 am

I generally scoot through chapter 2 though...

So im not high lvl when I reach the flayer dungeon and have to use MUCH cheese to get through..

Vamprires just dont seem to bother me, possibly becouse I generally have ALOT of mages and they kill them before they get near me