I hate Ployer's friends

[Miguel]

Dear everybody,

 

Last night, Baron "Argucias" (I think he's called Ployer in english) doomed Jaheira because I was stupid to rest in the docks in whithout Jaheira, hoping that she'd rejoin later. The thing is, I didn't want to pay Terrece (lawful neutral, I don't pay mercenaries to do dirty deeds), and now Terrece and his friends are massacring me badly. With my current level and party, I can only either kill Ployer and escape from there forever or kill Ployer and resort to cheesy tactics like getting outside his house and waiting for their sequencers to end. I though that throwing Greater Malison + Confusion would help, but those mages made the save even with a 6. Three mages throwing chaos+hold+PW:silence is a deadly combination for my party.

 

I was cautious enough to save before resting and before meeting Terrece in the Government District, so an early save is readily available.

 

This is with BGT+ Fixpack + SCS2 (v7) (and a few extras). The thing is, my lawful neutral sorceress has just become level 11, and my party consists of Minsc, Jaheira, Jan, Joshimo and Kivan (future party will be sorceress, Mazzy, Jaheira, Jan and Kivan). Members have between 200k and 300k experience (Chateau Irenicus + Circus + Montaron and Xzar + some random encounters).

 

My question is: Is it normal that those three mages are kicking me badly at my level? Do you have any tactical suggestion (yes, I know I can pay)? If things are going to be always this tough, I have my doubts I'll be able to give DavidW feedback on his dragons.

 

PS: I want to kick minsc to gain experience, but seeing how things are going, I feel I need him badly.

 

PS2: The creatures at Prebek's house didn't follow me when I exited that building. Is it normal?

[Bearwere]

do you have "prebuffing" option installed?

[DavidW]

Certainly I'm not surprised those mages are pretty tough - SCSII makes more difference to mages than to anyone else, so mage-heavy encounters get relatively more difficult. And the best way to deal with enemy area-effect magic is to scatter, so inevitably encounters in confined spaces are tougher.

 

Suggestion: this is a good place to burn some antimagic resources. The real killers are spells like Chaos and Hold, so potions of clarity, magic shielding and freedom can come in useful (a scroll of protection from magic even more so, though some call that cheesy). And you should case as many Chaotic Commands and Free Action spells as you can beforehand. The enemy will probably make some attempt to dispel them, so be ready to renew if necessary.

[Miguel]

do you have "prebuffing" option installed?

 

Yes, I have activated prebuffs for mages ambushing the party (like Ployer's "friends"), and they are putting out a great deal protections I still can't dream of (sometimes PfMW, GoI,...). Anyway, nothing a dispel + protection-killing + breach can't take. Heh, I've sometimes seen someone using SI:Abjuration.

 

Suggestion: this is a good place to burn some antimagic resources. The real killers are spells like Chaos and Hold, so potions of clarity, magic shielding and freedom can come in useful (a scroll of protection from magic even more so, though some call that cheesy). And you should case as many Chaotic Commands and Free Action spells as you can beforehand. The enemy will probably make some attempt to dispel them, so be ready to renew if necessary.

 

Ah, so that's what you do. Fine. I think I'll reload and sleep somewhere else than Sea Bounty Inn, do this part of the Jaheira quest and go back to Ployer when I can cast enough Chaotic Commands and Free Action to protect most of my party. Anyway, what's these mages' level? Saving against confusion + greater malison with a 6 doesn't bode well for me.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions. I don't want to deactivate their prebuffing. After all, they are prepared to kill me. Let's hope that more adventuring will help.

 

BTW: I don't know if the increased difficulty encounters (just one notch) is causing this, but I've found some high level scrolls as random loot. One has been spell strike, and I'm only level 11.

[the bigg]

Up to level 8 they can be found as random loot normally (try pick-pocketing Nobles and Guards...). Can't Jaheira cast Insect Plague anyway?

[Suluku]

Somewhere early in the game you can get a Shield of Harmony, which protects against Charm and Confusion. I usually give it to Jaheira and let her wield a club. She is then free throughout a battle to cast buffing spells. You could also give it to Viconia.

 

Letting your fighters keep non-magical weapons handy is useful against human mages protected by PfMW, although Stoneskin usually last longer

 

Keldorn, with his kit-given Truesight and Dispel Magic abilities, becomes very useful tactical asset with SCSII installed.

[Bearwere]

Yes, I have activated prebuffs for mages ambushing the party (like Ployer's "friends"), and they are putting out a great deal protections I still can't dream of (sometimes PfMW, GoI,...). Anyway, nothing a dispel + protection-killing + breach can't take. Heh, I've sometimes seen someone using SI:Abjuration.

So that is your punishment, mwahahahaha!!!

As for advice - go buy arrows of dispelling in Promenade. (Remember to use them wisely, though)

[coaster]

In line with the bigg's advice, I suggest Jaheira casts Insect Plague on Ployer (the mages are often Improved Invisible I think, so cannot be targetted directly, but the Insect Plague spreads from Ployer to the mages). They will then run around (mostly) uselessly, although I vaguely recall they still use Melf's/spell triggers etc.

 

Also helps if you've pre-buffed - as I don't like paying the Cowled Wizards the fee for the ability to cast spells in the city, I usually buff up in Gaelan Bayle's house next door.

 

buy arrows of dispelling in Promenade

 

I think these are removed by one of the components of SCSII.

[Miguel]

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

A few notes:

 

1) Arrows of Dispelling: As coaster commented, these are unavailable. No arrows of detonation or dispelling are available on the promenade archery. Are these available elsewhere? Being so frigging expensive and with SCSII, I might roll back and help myself some.

 

2) Keldorn: My last play-through included him, as did my last SoA run. However, I haven't played with neither Mazzy nor Kivan, so I want to try these. I know he is the ultimate lich slayer and thus very helpful in SCS, which may make me somewhat masochistic. Mazzy's stats look fine, as long as she uses a strength girdle.

 

3) Shield of Harmony: Will I be able to do the trademeet quests without Jaheira Dying? That shield is lovely, especially when Kivan wants you to *not* get Lilarcor (he doesn't want to throw the lovers' ring to the sewers).

 

4) Insect Plague: This is a very good idea, but I'm an idiot. I should have rested *again* and try it. However, this means killing Ployer slower so that the illnes transferes nicely. I'll see if I can do more of the harpers' quest and then rest and go back to kill Ployer. I may even guess why the Paladin and the Orphan are missing in the graveyard.

 

Thanks again for your suggestions, which are (unfortunately) sorely needed.

[coaster]

If you have Rogue Rebalancing installed, I seem to recall the merchant in the Shadow Thieves headquarters sells arrows of dispelling (as well as many other goodies added by RR).

[DavidW]

Casting insect plague on one of your own party also works, if I remember right.

[aVENGER_(RR)]

If you have Rogue Rebalancing installed, I seem to recall the merchant in the Shadow Thieves headquarters sells arrows of dispelling (as well as many other goodies added by RR).

 

Yes, Marina sells 3 stacks of 40 Arrows of Dispelling each in her special store.

 

BTW, in case you choose to also install the "Shadow Thief Improvements" component, you can get a few more Arrows of Dispelling for free if you manage to disarm the guildhall traps which shoot them. Each time a thief successfully disarms such a trap, the message "Trap Recovered" will float above his head and a single Arrow of Dispelling will be added to his inventory.

[the bigg]

Casting insect plague on one of your own party also works, if I remember right.

Yup. A very cheesy but succesful tactics is (before seeing the enemy) to haste one of your guys, cast IP on him, and, as soon as the Insects spawn, have him become invisible and rush to the enemies (if the enemies are Blue circled, skip the Invisibility part).

[Miguel]

Hi guys,

 

I finally did it last weekend. I did it with a mix of pre-buffing with chaotic commands and some other bits and pieces, plus insect plague. As I didn't want to rest, however, I payed the harpers a visit*. These were suprisingly much easier (in this case, malison+confusion=win) than Ployer and his friends. Anyway, I did a couple of quests more and after sleeping for a night for restoring spells, Ployer was history. I didn't even need to use cheesy invisible plagued character.

 

In any case, life goes on, and as long as no random encounters appear, I'm fine. I admit I ran from a random encounter that had two mages, four pre-invisible thieves, two priests and a fighter.

 

By the way, is it normal that, in the Galvarey battle, Meronia disappears without a trace? I'm not sure if this is because I had a buggy install (I reinstalled yesterday), so that's why I'm asking.

[Louisa]

By the way, is it normal that, in the Galvarey battle, Meronia disappears without a trace? I'm not sure if this is because I had a buggy install (I reinstalled yesterday), so that's why I'm asking.

From this thread:

During Jahiera's romance/ quest when you get to the part where you have to fight Galvary and his followers. Meronia seems to disappear (Note: She doesn’t take a ‘Invisibility’ potion) just before everyone starts fighting on his side, resulting in you having to defeat only Galvary and 3 of his followers where it should have been 5 in total including him self and Meronia and the rest of his followers.

Meronia isn't one of the traitors (she's supposed to disappear).

So it is normal