Mountain Pass (SPOILERS)

[some_name]

This is one of my favorite combats too, VoD. Impossible at 3, barely possible with some reloads at 4, and pretty easy once you can drop a fireball at 5. I love playing that round of combat at level 4. I often die, but if I can get set up in the narrow passage leading to the large chamber, then it's winnable.

Not to say things won't get very weird and mass loss of consciousness in nigh sacrificial manners, but the Spider Queen CAN be ultimately trounced at level 3.

Yes I managed it too now, but with 2 wizards & 2 clerics. So - sleep and soundburst en masse and then some coup de grace. Despite the rather lacklustre melee performance I'd say this was the most powerful party I played so far.

This is an amazingly powerful party... once you get it to level 3. That first fight with the Gnolls/Orcs is painful with this party... but once you get Sonic Burst and Web, you're pretty much set.

Then, once you get Divine Power and Righteous Might for your clerics, it's completely broken.

[VentilatorOfDoom]

There's your first problem- you don't need to cast Stoneskin on all chars, only low HP chars.

You will still spend round(s) casting stoneskin instead of taking offensive actions, I thought I made that clear.

One problem with this- eventually, your opponent will roll 20 (or, if they're using a sword, 19). And then, you're screwed.
He has to threat the crit, then he has to confirm the crit by penetrating your AC and then he has to roll against the concealment.
Before I was casting Stoneskin religiously, one crit was usually enough to one-shot my Wizard, especially in the mid-game. When you're outnumbered, and everyone is gunning for your Wizard, you can count on him getting critted. Those 15 damage is a 50% improvement against the most powerful of hits, and against more common threats, it actually does you better.

I told you that - with the approach I outlined - you won't be hit very often. 95% at least. So in the mid-game where your stoneskinned wizard had problems, my wizard wasn't hit and had no problems! Who would have thought.

There's a reason why every PnP Wizard or Sorceror takes it as soon as they can get it.

Even if that's true - and I seriously doubt that - this is not PnP. It's KotC. And in this game you have equipment ready that can give you AC as high as your knights AC. Even slightly more as soon as you get Foresight. If you can't see the advantages of having the AC of a mithril fullplated knight + permanent concealment, well nevermind. Noone says you can't use stoneskin on top of that. It's not forbidden you know. But I predict you would soon cease to use it after you realized that's waste of time and you don't need it anyway.

No need to? Tell me, how do you plan on beating the Lich in the Vancia dungeon without? Mass hold person on the surprise round frequently equals TPK without them (and, I know I've said it before, but that battle is a good example of why prebuffing is a vital part of D&D- high level surprise rounds are stupidly devastating without it).

No need to. My last playthru was 2 clerics & 2 wizards. I beat the game, won the final fight at the castle of the Knights and kept Karef & Quoris alive in the process and all without casting stoneskin or using a Resistance cloak. Weird, huh? Could it be....

As for the Lich. Well there is a spell Dominate Undead. Another one : Dominate Monster. Certainly a difficult fight due to the surprise round and the powerful foes. I made it at the first try this time but 3 of my party where dead after 2 or 3 rounds. But at that time there were a few of the undead and monsters on my side already. Anyway the remaining party member (female cleric) rezzed the other cleric, that one rezzed a wizard and that one cast the next Dominate Monster. At the end of the fight everyone was alive and well so noone missed the XP, not that it matters at this point.

You should do the fight at the castle of the Knights after the game ends when you play on. Come back and tell me stories how stoneskin was helpful in that fight.

[Cantello]

Just chiming in as the topic title suits my problem.

I have recently bought the game and quite like it so far, excellent strategic combat. Although one thing irks me, that I cannot prepare for combat. The only spells able to be cast outside combat are healing spells and the random 'enlarge weapon' etc. spell.

Now I am in the mountain pass where my party (2x K, C, W, all Lvl 10) falls down onthis salty sand and is surrounded by gnolls. How am I supposed to survive this? I cannot cast stoneskin before combat or even utter a prayer to help my guys and gals. The wizard is rendered unconscious before he can act and the remainder is caught in the insect plague + sand field. I survive maybe 3-4 rounds with my knights but then I am finished without putting up much of a fight.

I know that the more hardcore players surely have mastered this battle, but so far I have only reloaded <100 times to get max HP after leveling (and still my wizard got 1 on a d4 7 out of 9 times) and most certainly have not the optimal equipment (+1 weapons, +1 armour, +5 bracers and 2x +1 rings of protection for the W).

What can I do to survive this (and future similar encounters)?

[BlueSalamander]

Hello Cantello, welcome to the forums.
First, there is an option for Max Hit Points at level up - you can turn it on at any time before levelling up.
Secondly, I advise you to craft a wand of fireballs and a wand of cure moderate wounds, and then you should be fine in that battle. You can also upgrade your armor with the craft magic weapon feat. As for the party level, level 10 should be enough.
Use the wand of cure to keep your wizard conscious. You can heal him even when he's unconscious. Let the wizard cast Haste as soon as possible, then fireballs.

[Cantello]

Thanks, I tried it again after levelling up outside and buying a cloak of blur for my wizard. This did it, I guess. It kept him alive long enough to launch some serious fireballs.

Now I am stuck at Taneliz (no more slavers to kill but still the quest is open), but that is a different issue...