Difficulty way, WAY, to high

[Rasputin]

If you think it's tough in the sewers, wait until you see what awaits you at the castle as soon as you escape.

The first battle at the gate is outrageous (especially since waves continue to arrive until you blow up the gate), but what comes after is simply beyond the pale. I may get bored enough to check the EL of the encounter like I did last time, but I remember that it said when it rolled everyone's initiative that it is an EL 24. No way. Even if it is, we're only like level 17 by that point. 7 levels above the party and the enemies are fully prepared for us with self-buffs.

Imma admit right here that I cheated and I STILL couldn't make it through all the waves of enemies. I could have cheated more and harder, but all of my guys had every feat available by that point, stats approaching mid-30's, stacks of arrows of slay everything with +4 bows of wounding and speed, amulets of blindsight, and they still tore me a new one.

At this point it's almost certainly devolving into a cheating simulator, not a RPG. I dare you to show me the party that can make it through this game without cheating in any way.

[Dickie]

I don't believe that Pierre beat this game legitimately during testing. There's just no way.

[Tweed]

Don't do the gate assault until you've cleared the area around Gleegold, there's valuable loot and XP to gain from all the stuff surrounding the castle.

[tdunaj]

The King of Gobbos, wtf?

He casts Globe of Invulnerability, then walks in and casts a spell I have never heard of and wipes out the entire party. Level 13 dude against level 6 party. Not optional either there is nothing else to do?

[Tweed]

There's no easy way of doing the goblin king as far as I know, keep him preoccupied dispelling silence fields, stinking clouds, summons, or energy wall until he comes out of his hallway enough for you to get him.

[thelatestmodel]

I have to say that I fully agree. These encounters are absolutely crazy.

I'm not saying every encounter should be a walk in the park, but this is absolutely ridiculous. I'm a seasoned tabletop D&D / Pathfinder player and I'm having trouble getting through even the first couple of fights.

And to whoever suggested dropping the difficulty level to easy - no. If you have to do that, it's a sign of a poorly-designed encounter.

If the only way to get through this is to savescum, then the game is effectively impossible as it stands. Functionally the game is looking very promising but this adventure module needs a complete re-balance.

[Tweed]

Don't drop the difficulty it won't help, in fact it will make things worse by costing you XP.

And yes, every single fight is like this all the way to the very last battle.

[tdunaj]

There's no easy way of doing the goblin king as far as I know, keep him preoccupied dispelling silence fields, stinking clouds, summons, or energy wall until he comes out of his hallway enough for you to get him.

I did it man, what a fight! Last night I killed him for the first time, but it was a Pyrrhic victory with three of my characters dead. But at least I knew it could be done. Tonight I got him with everyone surviving and only a few consumables used (and well spent).

[tdunaj]

Anyone managed to bear Pizarra in the Upper Sewers without the surprise round and with standard rules?

[rpgguy]

Yes, you'll need to use high level scrolls for that, hit pizarra with a tornado blast so she dies immediately before she summons the devil, all your casters aoe the entire place with earthquakes/cone of colds/2nd tornadoes blast , your fighters can use acorns of earthquakes, you can pretty much clear almost everything on round 1 but you'll have to win initiative with most of your characters.