Twisted Rune - help! & comments

[Zeddy]

I'm having some probs facing the Twisted Rune, in particular the lich in there.  His horrid wilting spells annihilate Aerie, Tashia and sometimes the PC Fighter/Thief in one volley.

I have tried casting Protection from Magical Energy, which is described when right clicked as conferring 100% immunity to spells like magic missile and horrid wilting.  However that didn't seem to help at all.

I'm loathe to part with all my saved up protection from magic and undead scrolls, so am looking for an alternative way of dealing with it.

Also, when casting spell immunity, I thought I was supposed to be able to select a school?  When Aerie casts it, it just goes off... and I don't get to make a choice.  I tried casting spell immunity (planning to select necromancy), but it didn't help.  I figured it was because I never got to select necromancy?

I have two PCs, one ranger class archer and one fighter thief.  Also in my party is Tashia, Solaufein, Minsc, and Aerie.  The two PCs have just hit around their first TOB high level selection (being imported from incompleted previous SOA games).  I have plenty of scrolls of protection, but don't want to part from them.  Tried putting a golem in from of us for him to target and run like hell, but he really likes his wilting spells it seems.

I have weapons capable of damaging them, I have ruby ray of reversal to take care of high level defences, breach, etc.  My main problem is just surviving the lich's wilting attacks.  I tried removing his spell protections and hitting him to disrupt his casting, but it never seems to work.  Even Tashia's spellstrike won't go off fast enough.

And is it just me or my traps don't seem to hurt the lich anymore? :\  Should I perhaps wait till I have spike trap?

Help anyone?  Pleeeeaaaaaseeeeee? (

I'd just like to comment on the underwater city... giving all of the sahaugin paralytic bolts was one nasty idea.  However, I had Aerie decked out with the shield of reflection and was able to get past fairly easily after the initial shock.  However, I think there might be a balance issue.  I now have an archer with a crossbow of speed, over 200 kuo-tuo paralysing bolts and over 1000 paralytic bolts too.  Until I met the twisted rune again, the procedure against hard opponents was to paralyse them using crossbows of speed fired from my archer with Minsc and my fighter/thief firing if needed.

Anyway, I really need help with the Twisted Rune, I'm going nuts!  Anyone, ideas please! :\

Regards,

Z                    

[Kish]

Also, when casting spell immunity, I thought I was supposed to be able to select a school? When Aerie casts it, it just goes off... and I don't get to make a choice. I tried casting spell immunity (planning to select necromancy), but it didn't help. I figured it was because I never got to select necromancy?

You have to have the person casting the spell, and only the person casting the spell, selected when it goes off.                    

[Mike B.]

Try reading the description for Protection from Magic Energy again.  The spell protects only one person per spell.  Thus, you have to cast it six times to protect all six of your party members.  This is a tough fight.  I'd go all out for this one.  Use all the mage protections possible: Fireshield Red & Blue, Imp. Haste, Stoneskin, Blur,  Mirror Image, etc.  Make sure Aerie uses the cleric protections: Chaotic Commands, Death Ward & Negative Plane Protection.  Also, Daystar, Azuredge and the Improved Mace of Disruption should help against the Lich.  What about summoning some help like Planetars and Devas?                    

[weimer]

The Lich (who bears the middle name "Reimer") anticipated that you would cast Pro-Magic-Energy and thus has the following Chain Contingency:
  1. Remove Magic
  2. Wilting
  3. Wilting
The Remove Magic dispels your Pro-Magic-Energy, and then the two wiltings do 40d8 magic damage (or somesuch) if you fail the save.

If you really want that Pro-Magic-Energy to stick around (and you need one per person), consider SI:Abjuraiton or the Ritual Boots.

You cannot "disrupt" a Chain Contingency -- just like they cannot "disrupt" yours.

I could make the Sahu city somehow get past the Shield of Reflection ... but why bother? Yes, it's way too easy. The SoR is way too powerful anyway (it's up there with Vecna in terms of long-term utility: the Ravager can be killed with SoR, for example). If you think it makes things too easy, don't bring it. There are people who are less tactically oriented who really want easy ways through the Imp Sahu City. For reasons unknown (they could just uninstall it). :-)

Let me know if you're still having problems with Shangalar and Layenne.



                   

[KaPe]

You don't need 6 PME, just one... and several skellys( big ones, that is) ... Lich has couple(or more :rolleyes:  death spells, but skellys have almost 100% MR... just add ADHW, or CL, or chaos or whatever, to kill rune assasins, and lich will waste his spells on your summons... (chaos, ADHW, etc.)                    

[Guest]

Try reading the description for Protection from Magic Energy again.  The spell protects only one person per spell.  Thus, you have to cast it six times to protect all six of your party members.  This is a tough fight.  I'd go all out for this one.  Use all the mage protections possible: Fireshield Red & Blue, Imp. Haste, Stoneskin, Blur,  Mirror Image, etc.  Make sure Aerie uses the cleric protections: Chaotic Commands, Death Ward & Negative Plane Protection.  Also, Daystar, Azuredge and the Improved Mace of Disruption should help against the Lich.  What about summoning some help like Planetars and Devas?

                   I know it only affects one person, but the thing is they ALL seem to take damage from the wilting even if I have cast it.  I think someone started remove magic, that would be the cause.  Perhaps if I use immunity abjuration before protection from energy?

Currently the protections I cast before entering are: Fireshield, Imp. Haste, Stoneskin, Blur, Mirror Image, Barksin on those who can, chant, bless, protection from evil (all members).

I do use daystar, plus tried false dawn.  They do damage, but not enough to stop that wilting from going off.

Didn't think of death ward.. that stops only death magic though, right?  I don't think wilting counts as death magic.

It's not the undead, I can do the damage and hack it out if I have to I think, the surviving memebers after the wilting go toe to toe fairly well against the melee, including the vamp.

I only have mace of disruption at the moment, not improved.  With the lich's wilting, this is irrelevent though, I never get to strike with a melee weapon, only some spells that hit before his does.

No Planetars or Devas, not high level enough.                    

[Guest]

The Lich (who bears the middle name "Reimer") anticipated that you would cast Pro-Magic-Energy and thus has the following Chain Contingency:
  1. Remove Magic
  2. Wilting
  3. Wilting
The Remove Magic dispels your Pro-Magic-Energy, and then the two wiltings do 40d8 magic damage (or somesuch) if you fail the save.

If you really want that Pro-Magic-Energy to stick around (and you need one per person), consider SI:Abjuraiton or the Ritual Boots.

You cannot "disrupt" a Chain Contingency -- just like they cannot "disrupt" yours.

I could make the Sahu city somehow get past the Shield of Reflection ... but why bother? Yes, it's way too easy. The SoR is way too powerful anyway (it's up there with Vecna in terms of long-term utility: the Ravager can be killed with SoR, for example). If you think it makes things too easy, don't bring it. There are people who are less tactically oriented who really want easy ways through the Imp Sahu City. For reasons unknown (they could just uninstall it). :-)

Let me know if you're still having problems with Shangalar and Layenne.

                   Aaah, Weimer, you're a wily one.  I couldn't figure out why it was getting past my defences.

That's weird though, I've noticed some people mentioning the Sekolah incarnation or something in other posts.  Did I miss something if I sided with the rebels?  If I did, could someone give me the area number so I can pop back there via console to take a look?

Bah, should have thought about the contingency... now that I think of it, I can't remember if I noticed it there or not, I was too busy swearing when my protected party members still bit the dust.

I wouldn't say it's too easy using it... it's just a tactic.  It's like saying using mantle with mages is cheating.  :blink:

I think I'll try them again this weekend.  Darn uni.                    

[KaPe]

You don't need planetar... just skellys... cast one, wait for death spell, then another one... Also, split your party before fight, so only one gets hit... (preferably one with high MR )
Kill Kuroisan(sp?) eariler for belt(girdle) of inertia(whatever), it will help with ADHW B)                    

[Guest]

I think I forgot to mention previously, I don't have high enough level to summon the big skeletons.

I tried splitting my party before, but it didn't help.  I was embroiled in killing the melee opponents while he was in the smaller room, but he timestopped, walked a little closer and blew the crap out of all the surviving party members.

Kuroisan?  Not sure if I've encountered him yet.  But doesn't the belt of inertial barrier come from Trademeet?

Regards,

Z                    

[KaPe]

No skeleton warriors? What level are you anyway? I couldn't take him out w/o them, or inertia belt(yes kur-whatever has one too) or ritual boots(cannot dispel PME) Since someone mentioned planetars I thought you are fairly hi-level... Not hi enough but at least 14/15...
Also, one question... There was a topic about further improvement of Twisted Runes... with stuff like cloud spells etc... and?                    

[Zeddy]

No skeleton warriors? What level are you anyway? I couldn't take him out w/o them, or inertia belt(yes kur-whatever has one too) or ritual boots(cannot dispel PME) Since someone mentioned planetars I thought you are fairly hi-level... Not hi enough but at least 14/15...
Also, one question... There was a topic about further improvement of Twisted Runes... with stuff like cloud spells etc... and?

                   Actually, someone was saying to use planetars, and I was saying I didn't have any.

Not sure about what you're getting at with the cloud spells... if you mean cloudkill, I didn't see any of those being thrown around.  Unless you mean their reactions to us casting cloudkill, I didn't case cloudkill.  Was thinking about casting death fog, but I don't think any of them count as summons.  In which case, I don't want my party being injured by that unless I really need to.

Regards,

Z                    

[KaPe]

I meant that there was topic with couple of suggestion on how to improve Twisted Runes even more... One of them was giving them cloud spells, but it seems that this idea was abandoned... Too bad, maybe later                    

[Aubrey]

I always go to Twisted Rune after Underdark, because in early trials my party is chewed up and spit out.

I have found that a way for my party to have some decent chances of beating Shangalar & Co is to have them cast their usual buffs, and ending the pro-battle preparations by drinking Potions of Fire Resistance. Kelsey uses his Wand of Monster Summoning, the monsters are sent to enter the room --taking thus the damage from the explosion of Skull Traps-- and then it's Keldorn's turn to go in.

After Shangalar's little speech, Keldorn, with True Sight on, hastens to take care of the Beholder (or whatever that things is) while Kelsey and Nalia (or Imoen) make a good use of their Chain Contigencies (3 X Fireballs), and Solaufein uses his Wand of Fire. After that, at least half of the Shangalar's dudes are dead or nearly dead, and the party goes on with summoned monsters. Also, Anomen's Sunray does a great amount of damage to the Vampire.

Not an easy fight, but those potions of Fire Resistance and the celebration of Fireballs had been really something and worked fine for me!


                   

[raven]

I think one way to deal with Improved Twisted Rune is to run all your party memebers to the other side of the large round room. Shangalar won't be able to see you so his contingency won't go off. And then you can just cast deathfogs and webs, lots of them, and that would normally take care of Shangalar (and the beholder if you don't have Shield of Balduran).

I beat it with my level 13+ party, I actually expected it to be harder...                    

[weimer]

Shang and Layenne didn't Dimension Door over to you while you were hiding in the corner lobbing death fogs at them? That doesn't sound right. Can you describe what happened in a little more detail so that I can try to reproduce it here?                    

[raven]

I run over the the other side of room, toss webs and deathfogs and cloudkill and greater malison... and that girl mage (layenne?) do teleport/appear near me after sometime, but not Shangalar. And she was promptly breached and killed by enraged Korgan. I don't kow, maybe Shangalar got webbed? (but he's supposedly to be immune to it right?)

And after I dealt those ones comes out of web, and that beholder, and that girl mage, Shangalar is already dead...

Hmm... I have summoned some creatures too, can't remember what though... some low level summons...                    

[raven]

Another thing that might be a bug. Since I never used traps before I never noticed it, that the improved Shangalar should be immune to traps right? However someone showed me that it seems he's not immune to the normal traps set by Yoshimo. He's immune to the special snares set by Yoshimo (not sure if he's immune to normal traps set by normal thieves). So it seems with Yoshimo you can kill him instantly since he's not immune to the normal traps set by him... Wonder if it's a bug or something?                    

[baldursgatefan]

I dont know how to beat the lich and the female mage. I actually didnt know there was a female mage until later because shes always invis and itseems like true sight wasnt revealing her. I actually thought i would win because i got really lucky and took out most the fighter with wilting, haste and sunray, but the lich and the girl mage kept time stopping and wilting me. Most my team was full life too fight 3 or 4 guy and got owned in the end. I got daystar +4 and that paladin sword +5, can +5 weapons bypass mantle, cause i dont know how to damage the lich. Im not even sure if breach is working on him.

[NiGHTMARE]

Holy c**p, a three-and-a-half year bump! I think it may be a new PPG record.