The creators of BGII TOS have successfully created an enemy so frustrating that I may not continue this game any further. I have gone to several site forums to help me defeat Draconis and have tried all their strategies to no avail. I cannot spell sequence because I cannot input any decent spells into the slots. Korgan is using +6 Carsomyr but every time I hit Draconis I get the ever amusing 'weapon ineffective' response. Even Dragonslayer is useless. I have summoned a Deva but she is an idiot and either succumbs to fear or gets handled in 2 blows. REducing his resistance is no use. The only thing I have found to hit him with is chain lightning, but I'm vaporized before I can get 3 cast. I'm afraid if I don't get any better advice my days are done with this game.
My party:
Level 21 Ranger
Korgan Level 20
Minsc Level 21
Imoen Level 18 mage, Level 7 thief
Edwin Level 20 mage
Level 25 cleric
HELP!!!
Stuck on Draconis
Cast Breach to remove the Stoneskins and the Protection from Magical Weapons he cast (which is why none of your weapons hit him).
I think he casts a protection spell, though, that protects him from Breach. In that case, try casting Ruby Ray of Reversal, then Breach.
Note: You might have to cast Breach multiple times, as he might recast Protections and Stoneskins.
Carsomyr's Dispel Magic works on him too....I once hit him just as he was casting Stoneskin, Protection from Magical Weapons, and another spell.....and it was all dispeled, and he went down quickly.
Good luck!
I think he casts a protection spell, though, that protects him from Breach. In that case, try casting Ruby Ray of Reversal, then Breach.
Note: You might have to cast Breach multiple times, as he might recast Protections and Stoneskins.
Carsomyr's Dispel Magic works on him too....I once hit him just as he was casting Stoneskin, Protection from Magical Weapons, and another spell.....and it was all dispeled, and he went down quickly.
Good luck!
If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.
This is the hardest fight in TOB IMO...... you have to be very carefull and plan everything out just as you want it..... ruby ray, lower MR and breach works wonders..... also make sure you have several remove fear spells memorized as he might dispell them.....
CHEESE WARNING!!!!
You might also want to set some (skull) traps and then lure him next to them...... but seing as you have no higher level theif in eyour party (which you kinda need in TOB IMO) you cannot really use this tactic.....
CHEESE WARNING!!!!
You might also want to set some (skull) traps and then lure him next to them...... but seing as you have no higher level theif in eyour party (which you kinda need in TOB IMO) you cannot really use this tactic.....
"Those who control the past control the future, those who control the present control the past" And I rule the PRESENT!!
I put the 'laughter' back in 'slaughter'
I put the 'laughter' back in 'slaughter'
I need some serious help here. Draconis has wiped me out at least fifty times in two days and half the time I don't survive long enough to see his dragon form. Once he changes I am dead, boom, gone, game over within seconds. I have zero time for casting any spells even with the spell sequencer. How do I beat this guy.
Are there not enough dangers in this world without seeking new perils?
Draconis is imho tougher than abazigal and it is indeed a tough fight but still quite easy. The whole trick is in using your strengths.
For mages...use your spell triggers and sequencers.(3 lower resistance or breach,pierce magic,greater malison...there so many ideas here...) use your special abilities i.e. Greater Whirlwind,greater whirlwind, greater whirlwind and use summons to distract draconis. And use a TACTIC. Send in the summons from the left..your party swoops in from the right....etc etc.. Then Draconis should fall pretty quick actually. First time I died pretty fast while I wasn't prepared,second time...he went down FAST
For mages...use your spell triggers and sequencers.(3 lower resistance or breach,pierce magic,greater malison...there so many ideas here...) use your special abilities i.e. Greater Whirlwind,greater whirlwind, greater whirlwind and use summons to distract draconis. And use a TACTIC. Send in the summons from the left..your party swoops in from the right....etc etc.. Then Draconis should fall pretty quick actually. First time I died pretty fast while I wasn't prepared,second time...he went down FAST
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UncleScratchy
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It helps to know what the enemy has to throw at you in magic and physical attacks. Here's his stats (he's pretty much the same in both human and dragon form):
25 STR, 14 DEX,16 CON, 15 INT, 15 WIS, 13 CHA, 190 HPs
AC -5, THACO 4, 3 attacks/round, Neutral evil, Saving throws of 3 vs paralyzation/death/poison, 5 vs rod/staff/wand, 4 vs petrification/polymorph, 4 vs breath weapons and 6 vs spells.
His resistances are: 100% to poison, 50% to fire, 0% to cold, magic cold and electricity, 55% to magic and 50% to magic fire. In his human form he has no built in resistance to slashing, piercing, crushing or missile attacks but in dragon form he gains a 25% resistance to these attacks.
In human form he can cast Vocalize, Domination, Sunfire, Disintegrate, Flesh to Stone, True Sight, Finger of Death, Prismatics Spray, Spell Turning, Horrid Wilting, Maze, Symbols: Fear and Stun, Time Stop, and Wail of the Banshee.
He wears a magic belt that grants him 100% immunity to panic, petrification, polymorph, sleep, death, slay, charm, berserk, poison, hold, hold creature and stun.
Like most uber magic creatures he can force cast his spells. When he first sees you in his human form he immediately casts stone skin and then fires off a contingency of horrid wilting, improved mantle and symbol: fear. He has a spell trigger that casts improved haste, mislead, and a death spell (on whoever is nearest). If you silence him he will cast vocalize (I think he can do this only twice). He has beholder strength spell turning, and can cast a special contingency of Protection from magical weapons, summon efreet and invisible stalkers and can cast cure critical wounds on himself. Of course he will use his time stop, maze, etc. as well.
In dragon form he can cast Magic Missile, Detect Invis, Fire Ball, Flame Arrow, Haste, and Chaos. Plus he gets dragon claw, dragon wing buffet and dragon breath attacks. His magical protections are Protection from Magical Weapons, Spell Immunity (Abjuration) and beholder style spell turning. As a dragon he can dispel magic, cast dragon style stone skin, dragon fear and haste. He will go invisible as well. If you cast cloudkill, incendiary cloud or death fog he will use his wing buffet to counter the effects. Edit: His AC becomes -10 in dragon form.
With this knowledge you should be able to find some weaknessess (i.e. to cold) and buff your party appropriately to counter the death spells and to draw down his defenses (pixie dust, true sight, oracle, protection from fear, don't use abjuration based spells, etc). Don't waste spell slots or wands on things that won't harm him. Breach, warding whip, spell strike, spell thrust, secret word, lower resistance, pierce magic and dispel magic for example are all abjuration spells and might not work if he has his spell immunity triggered, but the level 7 spell Ruby Ray is not in the abjuration school. Also summoning Hakeashar and Nishruu might be useful to eat away at his magic. A wand of frost might help as well as cone of cold, ice storm (this should disrupt his spell casting a bit) and ice arrows. I don't know if this would help, but in his dragon form you might be able to use Protection from Evil on your party as a defense. Possibly a cleric could be used with sanctuary and globe of blades to go after him and knock down his hps. Try it and if it seems to work, time the length of the sanctuary spell so you can cast a new one before the old wears off (and turn off the party AI for this). Or try simulcrum on a mage with scolls of ruby ray and summon hakeashar. Edit: Besides not having any immunity to cold he is succeptible to lightning/electrical attacks so wand and spells that do that kind of damage might be very useful.
Sorry I can't offer you more advice, I've always managed to get lucky with Draconis (if you call a big pile of spike traps luck).
25 STR, 14 DEX,16 CON, 15 INT, 15 WIS, 13 CHA, 190 HPs
AC -5, THACO 4, 3 attacks/round, Neutral evil, Saving throws of 3 vs paralyzation/death/poison, 5 vs rod/staff/wand, 4 vs petrification/polymorph, 4 vs breath weapons and 6 vs spells.
His resistances are: 100% to poison, 50% to fire, 0% to cold, magic cold and electricity, 55% to magic and 50% to magic fire. In his human form he has no built in resistance to slashing, piercing, crushing or missile attacks but in dragon form he gains a 25% resistance to these attacks.
In human form he can cast Vocalize, Domination, Sunfire, Disintegrate, Flesh to Stone, True Sight, Finger of Death, Prismatics Spray, Spell Turning, Horrid Wilting, Maze, Symbols: Fear and Stun, Time Stop, and Wail of the Banshee.
He wears a magic belt that grants him 100% immunity to panic, petrification, polymorph, sleep, death, slay, charm, berserk, poison, hold, hold creature and stun.
Like most uber magic creatures he can force cast his spells. When he first sees you in his human form he immediately casts stone skin and then fires off a contingency of horrid wilting, improved mantle and symbol: fear. He has a spell trigger that casts improved haste, mislead, and a death spell (on whoever is nearest). If you silence him he will cast vocalize (I think he can do this only twice). He has beholder strength spell turning, and can cast a special contingency of Protection from magical weapons, summon efreet and invisible stalkers and can cast cure critical wounds on himself. Of course he will use his time stop, maze, etc. as well.
In dragon form he can cast Magic Missile, Detect Invis, Fire Ball, Flame Arrow, Haste, and Chaos. Plus he gets dragon claw, dragon wing buffet and dragon breath attacks. His magical protections are Protection from Magical Weapons, Spell Immunity (Abjuration) and beholder style spell turning. As a dragon he can dispel magic, cast dragon style stone skin, dragon fear and haste. He will go invisible as well. If you cast cloudkill, incendiary cloud or death fog he will use his wing buffet to counter the effects. Edit: His AC becomes -10 in dragon form.
With this knowledge you should be able to find some weaknessess (i.e. to cold) and buff your party appropriately to counter the death spells and to draw down his defenses (pixie dust, true sight, oracle, protection from fear, don't use abjuration based spells, etc). Don't waste spell slots or wands on things that won't harm him. Breach, warding whip, spell strike, spell thrust, secret word, lower resistance, pierce magic and dispel magic for example are all abjuration spells and might not work if he has his spell immunity triggered, but the level 7 spell Ruby Ray is not in the abjuration school. Also summoning Hakeashar and Nishruu might be useful to eat away at his magic. A wand of frost might help as well as cone of cold, ice storm (this should disrupt his spell casting a bit) and ice arrows. I don't know if this would help, but in his dragon form you might be able to use Protection from Evil on your party as a defense. Possibly a cleric could be used with sanctuary and globe of blades to go after him and knock down his hps. Try it and if it seems to work, time the length of the sanctuary spell so you can cast a new one before the old wears off (and turn off the party AI for this). Or try simulcrum on a mage with scolls of ruby ray and summon hakeashar. Edit: Besides not having any immunity to cold he is succeptible to lightning/electrical attacks so wand and spells that do that kind of damage might be very useful.
Sorry I can't offer you more advice, I've always managed to get lucky with Draconis (if you call a big pile of spike traps luck).
"The Khajiit mind is not engineered for self-reflection. We simply do what we do and let the world be damned." Quote from the Ahziirr Traajijazeri
"Fusozay Var Var"
"Fusozay Var Var"
That's a very good summary, Uncle Scratchy.
Spell Immunity: Abjuration makes it impossible to dispel Stoneskin, Protection from Magical Weapons, and Improved Mantle. Spell Immunity lasts one round per level; since Draconis is a 25th-level monster, it lasts for 25 rounds. Stoneskin lasts for twelve hours. (Draconis gets 12 skins...that's 60 hits!) This makes Draconis difficult to hit, to say the least. (The other two protection spells I just mentioned last for 4 rounds.)
To get around those difficulties, I used the trademarked "Rocky Balboa" strategy: I let Draconis beat the crap out of one or more of my ("buffed up") party members for 25 rounds, and then when Draconis was "worn down", I let him have it. (Muhammad Ali used a similar strategy called "Rope-a-dope", but he never intentionally let anyone hit him.) Physical attacks seemed to be the most effective way to hurt him, especially with the use of High Level Abilities such as Critical Strike and Whirlwind. I haven't used cold damage spells all that much because most of them can hurt my own party, but I think I used Chain Lightning. I can't remember how many times Draconis can cast Stoneskin, Spell Immunity, and so forth or how many times he can heal himself, but I did manage to defeat him after a long, messy battle. It really helped to have Fighters in the party who had a lot of staying power. My Ranger/Cleric played the "Rocky Balboa" role. I buffed her up with spells like Iron Skins, Armor of Faith, Remove Fear, Chaotic Commands, Protection from Fire, etc., so she survived the fight. I think I had her cast Sanctuary when she needed a "time out". She was "on the ropes" (or running around in circles) most of the time, but when Draconis "ran out of breath", I removed his stoneskins and he got a taste of his own medicine.
If I recall correctly, summoned creatures didn't help much because Draconis casts the Death spell (which destroys the Nishruu but probably not the Hakeashar). I could be wrong about that, though. (It has been nearly a year since I last fought him.) But summoning Nishruu or Hakeashar sounds like a good way to deplete Draconis's memorized spells if he can't destroy them with a Death spell.
In case I sound like I knew what I was doing, keep in mind that I had to learn all these things the hard way. My original intention was to let my PC go one-on-one with all of the major opponents (Yaga-Shura, Abazigal, etc.) while the rest of my party sat on the sidelines or took care of my opponent's minions. But fighting Draconis was a humbling experience. At first, I couldn't tell what I was doing wrong. And I've never played a character who could take him down all by herself.
Now that we all know how to defeat Draconis, what we need is an Improved Draconis.
As you suggest, Spell Immunity: Abjuration changes the nature of the battle. Abjuration spells like Breach, Lower Resistance, and Pierce Magic JUST WON'T WORK. You can cast Ruby Ray of Reversal, but of all the protection spells you listed, the only spell that Ruby Ray of Reversal will counteract is Spell Turning. At least that's something. Also, I'm not sure whether the Inquisitor's Dispel Magic will have any effect on Draconis. Any ideas on that?Originally posted by UncleScratchy
In dragon form...his magical protections are Protection from Magical Weapons, Spell Immunity (Abjuration) and beholder style spell turning...[and] dragon style stone skin...
With this knowledge you should be able to find some weaknessess... Don't waste spell slots or wands on things that won't harm him. Breach, warding whip, spell strike, spell thrust, secret word, lower resistance, pierce magic and dispel magic for example are all abjuration spells and might not work if he has his spell immunity triggered, but the level 7 spell Ruby Ray is not in the abjuration school...
Spell Immunity: Abjuration makes it impossible to dispel Stoneskin, Protection from Magical Weapons, and Improved Mantle. Spell Immunity lasts one round per level; since Draconis is a 25th-level monster, it lasts for 25 rounds. Stoneskin lasts for twelve hours. (Draconis gets 12 skins...that's 60 hits!) This makes Draconis difficult to hit, to say the least. (The other two protection spells I just mentioned last for 4 rounds.)
To get around those difficulties, I used the trademarked "Rocky Balboa" strategy: I let Draconis beat the crap out of one or more of my ("buffed up") party members for 25 rounds, and then when Draconis was "worn down", I let him have it. (Muhammad Ali used a similar strategy called "Rope-a-dope", but he never intentionally let anyone hit him.) Physical attacks seemed to be the most effective way to hurt him, especially with the use of High Level Abilities such as Critical Strike and Whirlwind. I haven't used cold damage spells all that much because most of them can hurt my own party, but I think I used Chain Lightning. I can't remember how many times Draconis can cast Stoneskin, Spell Immunity, and so forth or how many times he can heal himself, but I did manage to defeat him after a long, messy battle. It really helped to have Fighters in the party who had a lot of staying power. My Ranger/Cleric played the "Rocky Balboa" role. I buffed her up with spells like Iron Skins, Armor of Faith, Remove Fear, Chaotic Commands, Protection from Fire, etc., so she survived the fight. I think I had her cast Sanctuary when she needed a "time out". She was "on the ropes" (or running around in circles) most of the time, but when Draconis "ran out of breath", I removed his stoneskins and he got a taste of his own medicine.
If I recall correctly, summoned creatures didn't help much because Draconis casts the Death spell (which destroys the Nishruu but probably not the Hakeashar). I could be wrong about that, though. (It has been nearly a year since I last fought him.) But summoning Nishruu or Hakeashar sounds like a good way to deplete Draconis's memorized spells if he can't destroy them with a Death spell.
In case I sound like I knew what I was doing, keep in mind that I had to learn all these things the hard way. My original intention was to let my PC go one-on-one with all of the major opponents (Yaga-Shura, Abazigal, etc.) while the rest of my party sat on the sidelines or took care of my opponent's minions. But fighting Draconis was a humbling experience. At first, I couldn't tell what I was doing wrong. And I've never played a character who could take him down all by herself.
Now that we all know how to defeat Draconis, what we need is an Improved Draconis.
That's one way to do it. But if all you want to do is weaken him so that you can kill him yourself, try using Ctrl-T (which advances the clock by an hour, causing most of his protection spells to expire) or use Ctrl-R on him (which removes all effects--that's the advantage--and fully heals him--which is a disadvantage).Originally posted by Nightmare
While this will ruin the fight (and fun for fighting him), if it gets to the point where you just can't beat him, and are tempted to give up the game, just "Ctrl + Y" him.
Now I bet all of you are going to think I cheat.
Originally posted by VonDondu
That's one way to do it. But if all you want to do is weaken him so that you can kill him yourself, try using Ctrl-T (which advances the clock by an hour, causing most of his protection spells to expire) or use Ctrl-R on him (which removes all effects--that's the advantage--and fully heals him--which is a disadvantage).
Now I bet all of you are going to think I cheat.
No, not really. ...Do you?
• "You cannot pass."..."I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go Back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf the Grey
Okay I am now very confused, not about defeating Draconis because I finally managed that before reading all of your very helpful replies which on my second attempt made killing Draconis much easier. I am now confused about all of the ctrl T and R and all the rest. What is that?
Are there not enough dangers in this world without seeking new perils?
Originally posted by Kassandar
I am now confused about all of the ctrl T and R and all the rest. What is that?
Cheats that do exactly what VonDondu wrote above.
Now, are you confused about what they do, or about the way you enable them?
• "You cannot pass."..."I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go Back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf the Grey
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actually i never found this fight so hard. cant remember party though but Imoen and Minsc was in im pretty sure of that. no cheese or anything just read the text and counter anything he does. protection form magical weapons? cast breach. spell turning or other spell disablin ability? cast pierce shiel or secret word
Est Sularus Oth Mithas
Yu ckoup Uryuomoco
The first 100 digits of PI: 3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679
Death is life's way of telling you, you're fired.
Just how much can i get away with, and still go to heaven?
Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.
- Albert Einstein
If I had only known, I would have become a locksmith.
- Albert Einstein
Yu ckoup Uryuomoco
The first 100 digits of PI: 3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679
Death is life's way of telling you, you're fired.
Just how much can i get away with, and still go to heaven?
Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.
- Albert Einstein
If I had only known, I would have become a locksmith.
- Albert Einstein
Originally posted by VonDondu
I use cheat codes when I'm messing around, solving problems, experimenting, or making minor alterations to my characters; but I don't cheat when I play "for real".
I know. All your posts in GB forums have convinced me you don't. I was joking.
• "You cannot pass."..."I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go Back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf the Grey
Allright, after checking out the suggestions and trying out every one possible I got him down to 'Badly Injured' once out of 25 attempts. Any recommendations on how to keep that $#@$ from wing buffeting me every time it seems I'm gaining ground? I was about to stomp a mudhole in him and he rapid fire wing buffeted me even though I had him surrounded.
It has been a while since I've fought Draconis and I don't remember exactly what I did, but here are some suggestions.
Your Ranger and Minsc can both cast Call Lightning. Draconis is vulnerable to electrical damage (when he isn't protected against spells). Each time you cast Call Lighting, Draconis will be hit with a lightning bolt every turn for five turns, doing 2d8 damage plus 1d8 per level of the caster. The bolt might hit an invisible stalker or some other summoned creature instead of Draconis, but you still have a pretty good chance of doing some damage. (I can't remember whether a Death spell will get rid of all of those invisible stalkers.)
Your Cleric can cast the Harm spell. As long as your Cleric can hit Draconis in melee, a successful hit will reduce your opponent to 1 hit point. If you have another character out of the way who's casting spells or using a ranged weapon (preferably one that inflicts elemental damage, like the Short Bow of Gesen), you could conceivably kill Draconis on the next hit.
I think it's important to hit Draconis hard and fast while his protection spells are down. I presume that some of your warriors can used Whirlwind Attack and/or Critical Strike. Those can enable you to inflict lots of damage quickly.
I agree that wing buffets are frustrating. Sometimes when I fight a dragon, instead of surrounding him with my entire party, I "tag team" him and have a fresh warrior rush in when my other warrior is wing-buffeted. For example, you can have one of your Rangers stand back and cast Call Lightning while Korgan fights Draconis, and then let the Ranger relieve Korgan after a wing buffet attack.
I hope these suggestions help. Good luck!
Your Ranger and Minsc can both cast Call Lightning. Draconis is vulnerable to electrical damage (when he isn't protected against spells). Each time you cast Call Lighting, Draconis will be hit with a lightning bolt every turn for five turns, doing 2d8 damage plus 1d8 per level of the caster. The bolt might hit an invisible stalker or some other summoned creature instead of Draconis, but you still have a pretty good chance of doing some damage. (I can't remember whether a Death spell will get rid of all of those invisible stalkers.)
Your Cleric can cast the Harm spell. As long as your Cleric can hit Draconis in melee, a successful hit will reduce your opponent to 1 hit point. If you have another character out of the way who's casting spells or using a ranged weapon (preferably one that inflicts elemental damage, like the Short Bow of Gesen), you could conceivably kill Draconis on the next hit.
I think it's important to hit Draconis hard and fast while his protection spells are down. I presume that some of your warriors can used Whirlwind Attack and/or Critical Strike. Those can enable you to inflict lots of damage quickly.
I agree that wing buffets are frustrating. Sometimes when I fight a dragon, instead of surrounding him with my entire party, I "tag team" him and have a fresh warrior rush in when my other warrior is wing-buffeted. For example, you can have one of your Rangers stand back and cast Call Lightning while Korgan fights Draconis, and then let the Ranger relieve Korgan after a wing buffet attack.
I hope these suggestions help. Good luck!
I just fought Draconis a couple of times to see if my suggestions were any good. EDIT: Harm and Call Lightning don't seem to be effective; when they hit him, they don't do anything. /EDIT But by using the strategies I normally use, I was able to defeat him every time. The second battle was much smoother than the first because it took a little while to hit my stride, so to speak, so I'll describe the second battle.
My PC is a Cleric/Ranger. I also had Minsc, Sarevok, Keldorn, Imoen, and Jan in the party. They all have 4-5 million experience points.
To start the fight, my Cleric/Ranger cast Iron Skins, Remove Fear, and Death Ward and walked up to Draconis by herself while he was in human form. (I wanted to keep everyone else out of the way.) When the fight started, Draconis cast Horrid Wilting, Time Stop, and Symbol: Fear. When those were out of the way, I brought in the rest of my party. Because Draconis had cast Mislead, Keldorn counteracted it with True Sight. When Draconis was visible again, Jan cast Breach. Then Keldorn, Sarevok, and my Cleric/Ranger pounded away. Draconis cast Sunfire once or twice, but fortunately, each of my nearby characters had some sort of fire protection (rings, armor, helms, etc.), and my other characters were out of range (like I had planned). I ignored the invisible stalkers that Draconis had summoned. When Draconis was badly injured, he switched to his dragon form.
At that point, I pulled everyone back except for my Cleric/Ranger so that she could do the "Rocky Balboa" routine. I had her cast Iron Skins again and had her read a Scroll of Protection Against Acid (to protect against Draconis's breath weapon). Draconis wasn't able to hurt her very much, but he dispelled my character's protection spells a couple of times, so I had to re-cast them. I couldn't hurt Draconis at that point, and he kept turning invisible and summoning invisible stalkers, so I ignored him and killed invisible stalkers just to pass the time. (I was waiting for his Spell Immunity: Abjuration to wear off.) I killed about a dozen invisible stalkers, and Minsc and Sarevok actually levelled up during the fight.
After about 25 rounds of that, I brought in Keldorn again with True Sight and had Jan cast Breach again. Minsc cast Call Lightning and targeted one of the invisible stalkers (on my first few attempts, I wasn't able to target Draconis, and the spell was cancelled). I let the invisible stalkers surround one of my characters so that Imoen could kill all of them with a Death spell, and they were gone. (The next few lightning bolts were supposed to hit Draconis, since he was the only remaining enemy in the area of effect.) Then I turned my attention to Draconis.
Jan and Imoen both cast Lower Resistance, which presumably wiped out all of Draconis's magic resistance. I kept Jan and Imoen away from Draconis so they wouldn't be attacked, and they never got hit. They cast Chain Lightning a couple of times, and it was pretty effective. I kept an eye on Draconis's protection spells and countered them whenever it was necessary. (Stoneskins and Protection from Magic Weapons = Breach, Minor Spell Turning = Ruby Ray of Reversal, etc.). I didn't let Keldorn cast Dispel Magic because I'm not sure whether it would remove the effects of Lower Resistance. (The Wizard spell Dispel Magic is not supposed to remove those effects, but I can't remember if the Inquisitor's form of Dispel Magic is any different.) When Draconis was in dragon form, I had to cast Breach a total of three times, and I cast Ruby Ray twice (so that the lightning bolts would hit him). Keldorn cast True Sight whenever it was necessary. In the meantime, Minsc, Sarevok (who was also protected by a Scroll of Protection Against Acid), Keldorn, and my Cleric/Ranger "tag-teamed" Draconis. I used Critical Strike a couple of times. (I should have used it more, but I was trying to see what works and what doesn't.)
Draconis healed himself once during the fight, and he cast Remove Magic on my party members several times. He has a way of counteracting just about everything. If I'm interpreting what I see with Infinity Explorer correctly, Draconis is not affected by Sarevok's Deathbringer assault. He appears to be immune to Harm, Call Lightning, and Energy Blades, as well. I tried to use Harm, but usually when I tried to hit him with it, he instantly put up Stoneskins. When I tried to target him with Call Lightning, he instantly cast Invisibility and the spell was cancelled. When I did manage to hit him with Harm, there was no effect, and even when I saw a lightning bolt hit him, he didn't suffer any damage. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the protection spells that he had cast, but I didn't see him take any damage from Energy Blades, either. (So much for my earlier ideas.) I didn't bother using spells like Mislead, Project Image, Invisibility, etc., but if I had, I figure he might have cast Dispel Illusion or True Seeing automatically. His "reflexes" are something else.
I don't feel like I did anything all that fancy. But I used the space bar quite frequently to pause the game, and I turned off AI for this particular fight so that I could put my characters exactly where I wanted them and make them do exactly what I wanted them to do. If I had been more aggressive, the fight probably would have been shorter, but I took my time and got the job done.
I think the main thing that throws everybody off is the Spell Immunity: Abjuration. I don't know what else to do except wait for it to expire. Draconis also deals out quite a bit of damage if you let him. (He killed Sarevok, Minsc, and Imoen in my first battle with him today, and he injured my Cleric/Ranger badly, so I had to use a Rod of Resurrection and regroup.) I think the best way to limit the damage is to keep your party members separated instead of keeping them all in one place where they can be attacked all at once. That's why I recommend "tag teaming". Careful use of True Sight and Breach also made things go smoothly. In hindsight, I'd have my Cleric/Ranger memorize Heal spells instead of Harm.
I don't mean to brag, but the fight was much easier than I remembered it. That's probably because Draconis made a really strong impression on me the first time I fought him, and I will always regard him as a unique and worthy opponent. But now that I have so much practice and know how to handle him, it's a lot easier. I'm also still a bit numb from playing Icewind Dale 2, so I didn't get scared or feel much of anything at all, really, and that probably made things easier (but not as much fun). One thing I really like about the Baldur's Gate series is that the villains are so cool. Instead of adhering to strict D&D rules, they have all sorts of special abilities that make them great opponents.
I hope this helps. Good luck!
My PC is a Cleric/Ranger. I also had Minsc, Sarevok, Keldorn, Imoen, and Jan in the party. They all have 4-5 million experience points.
To start the fight, my Cleric/Ranger cast Iron Skins, Remove Fear, and Death Ward and walked up to Draconis by herself while he was in human form. (I wanted to keep everyone else out of the way.) When the fight started, Draconis cast Horrid Wilting, Time Stop, and Symbol: Fear. When those were out of the way, I brought in the rest of my party. Because Draconis had cast Mislead, Keldorn counteracted it with True Sight. When Draconis was visible again, Jan cast Breach. Then Keldorn, Sarevok, and my Cleric/Ranger pounded away. Draconis cast Sunfire once or twice, but fortunately, each of my nearby characters had some sort of fire protection (rings, armor, helms, etc.), and my other characters were out of range (like I had planned). I ignored the invisible stalkers that Draconis had summoned. When Draconis was badly injured, he switched to his dragon form.
At that point, I pulled everyone back except for my Cleric/Ranger so that she could do the "Rocky Balboa" routine. I had her cast Iron Skins again and had her read a Scroll of Protection Against Acid (to protect against Draconis's breath weapon). Draconis wasn't able to hurt her very much, but he dispelled my character's protection spells a couple of times, so I had to re-cast them. I couldn't hurt Draconis at that point, and he kept turning invisible and summoning invisible stalkers, so I ignored him and killed invisible stalkers just to pass the time. (I was waiting for his Spell Immunity: Abjuration to wear off.) I killed about a dozen invisible stalkers, and Minsc and Sarevok actually levelled up during the fight.
After about 25 rounds of that, I brought in Keldorn again with True Sight and had Jan cast Breach again. Minsc cast Call Lightning and targeted one of the invisible stalkers (on my first few attempts, I wasn't able to target Draconis, and the spell was cancelled). I let the invisible stalkers surround one of my characters so that Imoen could kill all of them with a Death spell, and they were gone. (The next few lightning bolts were supposed to hit Draconis, since he was the only remaining enemy in the area of effect.) Then I turned my attention to Draconis.
Jan and Imoen both cast Lower Resistance, which presumably wiped out all of Draconis's magic resistance. I kept Jan and Imoen away from Draconis so they wouldn't be attacked, and they never got hit. They cast Chain Lightning a couple of times, and it was pretty effective. I kept an eye on Draconis's protection spells and countered them whenever it was necessary. (Stoneskins and Protection from Magic Weapons = Breach, Minor Spell Turning = Ruby Ray of Reversal, etc.). I didn't let Keldorn cast Dispel Magic because I'm not sure whether it would remove the effects of Lower Resistance. (The Wizard spell Dispel Magic is not supposed to remove those effects, but I can't remember if the Inquisitor's form of Dispel Magic is any different.) When Draconis was in dragon form, I had to cast Breach a total of three times, and I cast Ruby Ray twice (so that the lightning bolts would hit him). Keldorn cast True Sight whenever it was necessary. In the meantime, Minsc, Sarevok (who was also protected by a Scroll of Protection Against Acid), Keldorn, and my Cleric/Ranger "tag-teamed" Draconis. I used Critical Strike a couple of times. (I should have used it more, but I was trying to see what works and what doesn't.)
Draconis healed himself once during the fight, and he cast Remove Magic on my party members several times. He has a way of counteracting just about everything. If I'm interpreting what I see with Infinity Explorer correctly, Draconis is not affected by Sarevok's Deathbringer assault. He appears to be immune to Harm, Call Lightning, and Energy Blades, as well. I tried to use Harm, but usually when I tried to hit him with it, he instantly put up Stoneskins. When I tried to target him with Call Lightning, he instantly cast Invisibility and the spell was cancelled. When I did manage to hit him with Harm, there was no effect, and even when I saw a lightning bolt hit him, he didn't suffer any damage. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the protection spells that he had cast, but I didn't see him take any damage from Energy Blades, either. (So much for my earlier ideas.) I didn't bother using spells like Mislead, Project Image, Invisibility, etc., but if I had, I figure he might have cast Dispel Illusion or True Seeing automatically. His "reflexes" are something else.
I don't feel like I did anything all that fancy. But I used the space bar quite frequently to pause the game, and I turned off AI for this particular fight so that I could put my characters exactly where I wanted them and make them do exactly what I wanted them to do. If I had been more aggressive, the fight probably would have been shorter, but I took my time and got the job done.
I think the main thing that throws everybody off is the Spell Immunity: Abjuration. I don't know what else to do except wait for it to expire. Draconis also deals out quite a bit of damage if you let him. (He killed Sarevok, Minsc, and Imoen in my first battle with him today, and he injured my Cleric/Ranger badly, so I had to use a Rod of Resurrection and regroup.) I think the best way to limit the damage is to keep your party members separated instead of keeping them all in one place where they can be attacked all at once. That's why I recommend "tag teaming". Careful use of True Sight and Breach also made things go smoothly. In hindsight, I'd have my Cleric/Ranger memorize Heal spells instead of Harm.
I don't mean to brag, but the fight was much easier than I remembered it. That's probably because Draconis made a really strong impression on me the first time I fought him, and I will always regard him as a unique and worthy opponent. But now that I have so much practice and know how to handle him, it's a lot easier. I'm also still a bit numb from playing Icewind Dale 2, so I didn't get scared or feel much of anything at all, really, and that probably made things easier (but not as much fun).
One thing I really like about the Baldur's Gate series is that the villains are so cool. Instead of adhering to strict D&D rules, they have all sorts of special abilities that make them great opponents.I hope this helps. Good luck!
Draconis gave me fits. He is much harder than Abazigal. Thankfully, the thing that saved me was: Mordenkainen's Swords. He's not so good at hurting them, and they are immune to many of his spells. At one point, two party members were dead, several more running around in fear or unconscious, Valygar was getting his ass kicked, and two Swords were wrecking the dragon solo. I won, but my Rod of Resurrection got a workout afterwards.