Mind Flayer busting

will2k · Post by **will2k** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:15 pm

Anyone got any good stratagies on whooping mind flayers? I can deal with them when there's one or two but more than that I struggle. I'm stuck at he moment in the mindflayer dungeon (underdark) at the poinwhere there is 2 flayers 1 umberhulk and one of those things that looks alot like a flayer.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:18 pm

Well the good ole - cleric: Blade Barrier and santury is always good.

Also a hasted decent fighter made immune to their charm, stun and with potions of Geinious(sp?) and hasted should also be able to take them down.

Skeleton Warriors also work okay if hasted.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:21 pm

Luckily they have lots of doors in the parts where there are mind flayers. Open a door rock them with a cloudkill, close the door. Usually you can do that one or two times...but as nearly every hallway has a door you can retreat and play the game again a door back....

Works. Umber Hulks hate Cloudkill and usually you get one or tho of the flayers to panic or something and attacking their companions.

Vivien · Post by **Vivien** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:22 pm

Merlin,
I usually send one or two strong fighter types to deal with the majority, the rest of the group hanging back. I sometimes take potions to boost intelligence, as I believe they can drain this? (With characters like Minsc, this is necessary)

Then it's possible to use a green stone amulate, or the cleric spell chaotic commands to help immune your fighters. I've found the cleric spell to have lasted through the Mind flayer areas quite well.

That's the only advice I have, though I think Game Banshee has several tips on this in their strategy guide.

Quitch · Post by **Quitch** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:45 pm

Good fighter + Chaotic Commands (spell) + Potion of Insight = One cake walk

will2k · Post by **will2k** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:51 pm

What does having your intelegence drained actuly do? And does the ring of free action make you imune to the mind flayers atacks? And the spell which kills your chars (dunno what it's called) is this reflected with the cloak of mirroring?

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:57 pm

Intelligence drain will kill your character when it reaches zero.

The Ullithard are by far the nastiest of the two IMO

THE JAKER · Post by **THE JAKER** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 2:03 pm

If your character's INT falls to 1 or 0 or something, you die. The drain is only temporary, though...Int score comes back pretty quickly once you're not being hit anymore.

When dealing with the mind flayer areas, I usually just pick one tough character with good saving throws, like mazzy or keldorn, have them drink like 4 potions of genius or mind focussing so their INT is 25, cast chaotic commands on them, and then have them go around alone and kill everything. Everyone else just hangs back. Get the armor class of the character down as low as you can so you don't get hit much, and your INT will never get below 14, so you're never in much danger. The chaotic commands keeps any domination/confusion type effects from happening, and you save against damage from the psionic blasts.

It's easy, a little bit cheesy, but it gets the job done, and you'll never use many potions of genius anywhere else!

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 2:21 pm

My technique is classic Block head. I run in there, war cries shouting, and bash them on the head with whatever I got available.

will2k · Post by **will2k** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 2:25 pm

I see. But i dont have any poitions of genius :-(. I think i have a potion of insight somewhere though. My main char is wearing a ring of free action. Does this protect him from psoinc (sp?) Blasts? What hit points do flayers have? and will he survive with intell of 16 against 2 flayers and one Ullithard ? I'll leave the umber hulk till last.

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 2:26 pm

Another tatic is to cast Death Spell to get rid of the Umber Hulks who invariably accompany the Mind Flayers, then fill the Flayers full of arrows/bullets/bolts while keeping your distance from them (make sure your party members are protected with Chaotic Commands/Brine potions).

If you have a thief with a decent trap-setting ability, lure the Mind Flayers into traps. Have your mage send in a Mordenkainen's sword, and while the flayers are busy attacking it, ambush them.

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 2:31 pm

Originally posted by -=Merlin=-:
<STRONG>My main char is wearing a ring of free action. Does this protect him from psoinc (sp?) Blasts? </STRONG>

Yes, it does. It won't prevent the stun animation, but he'll still be able to move.

Runebane · Post by **Runebane** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 3:14 pm

Ok... First off, I've never gotten to the mindflayer area before I have skeleton warriors. Also you need some type of mental protection. If you are going solo their are a few items that can do this, otherwise have your cleric cast chaotic commands. If you are getting there before you have access to these spells then this won't help you.

Use the terrain. Every mindflayer dungeony area in the game has this type of design. If you use the terrain you never have to bother with INT potions or the like anyway.

First is to back party abit from the door summon skellies and open. Use skeletons to block/hold the doorway while the party goes for ranged attacks. Have the casters summon more skeletons as needed. They are immune to the psionic blast stun and, oddly enough, seem to have enough INT to last a while though.

Optionaly you can use some form of demon. Summon skeletons as normal (but only 4), then have your caster get close enought to gate it in behind the Ilithids. Just use PFE10' before summoning the demon. They stupidly focus their attack on something they almost never can kill (I did see them kill it once, so never say never). You do have to watch out for the demon attacking the skeletons or the occaisional fireball that gets through the skellies MR, but usually the demon is stunned and doesn't attack anyway.

MordorMan · Post by **MordorMan** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 3:35 pm

Stab 'm, I say, those dirty tentaclehads.
All you need is a good backstabber. My Kensai/Thief cleared the mindflayer dungeons on his own. The underdark dungeon is a bit tougher than the sewers but it still doable with a backstabber. Backstab, then run quickly away on your boots of speed out of visual range of the other 'flayers, hide in shadows and repeat. Ot use invisibility potions. That is basicaly it, although you have to keep the geometry of the dungeon in mind and stuff..

MM

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 3:37 pm

Originally posted by Goblynlord:
<STRONG>They are immune to the psionic blast stun and, oddly enough, seem to have enough INT to last a while though.

</STRONG>

Might that just be cause skeletons are dead and don't have an actual brain the mind flayers could suck?

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 6:01 pm

Try Mordekainen's Sword or Summon Undead. They are immune to psionics.

Otherwise, try using the skald's bard song. It grants your party immunity to many of their more crippling effects.

Mr. Sprinkles · Post by **Mr. Sprinkles** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 7:16 pm

Ready for a cheese tactic? Go up to the door and use Yoshimo's trap setting ability. If you hit the dual-class button and then cancel, he'll regain all his traps (thus you can have infinite traps). Then, after about 4 or 5 rounds of trap setting, just open the door and let the enemies come through and get nuked.

UserUnfriendly · Post by **UserUnfriendly** » Thu Aug 23, 2001 12:01 am

Cat about 5 skeletons, give aerie boots of speed, and harmonium shield. have entire group get back. cast haste amd mass inv on skeletons. have aerie open door and run back real quick. skeletons will take out flayers and umber hulks. use farsight to moniot, and if need be send more skeletons. for added fun have mage cast in stinking cloud. umber hulks are vulnerable to gas attacks, and while skeletons will go hostile in cloud kill, they don't notice stinky cloud.

Be careful gating in a demon!!! In SOa, without the tob instll, any summons that go near gated demons will become hostile to the party. some sort of demonic overlord power. This is why you cannot fight demons YOU gated in with summons. Test with a saved game befoer using demons. aslo, heard inv. stalkers are really deadly against flayer hulks. try haste for greater effect.

Fezek · Post by **Fezek** » Thu Aug 23, 2001 2:05 am

If you have the aptience you could try gating a Pit Fiend( your Cleric should ayhve this spell). Pit Fiends are immune to Flayer attacks. You might want to give your Pit Fiend "Chaotic Commands" as well. My tactic is to have Viconia Cast Protection from Evil Radius 10 then Gate in a fiend , cast a Command sspell on it and then open the door. It can't fit through the door but they come after it. Works every time.

Cynik · Post by **Cynik** » Thu Aug 23, 2001 8:00 am

Mordenkainens swords