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Kuldahar Valley | Kuldahar | Chult | Dragon's Eye - Level 1 | Dragon's Eye - Level 2 | Dragon's Eye - Level 3 | Dragon's Eye - Level 4 | Fields of Slaughter |
CHULT
Jungle of Chult
At about 0:35 is where I run into a few Mezro warriors led by Katchmat, who can provide some background information.
An objective in this area is to collect 4 Religious Steles in order to unleash the Guardian of the Crossroads. I managed to get 3 of them, missing a 4th which I don't get until a subsequent video. The parts of the video where I get 3 of them are at 1:40, and another 2 at 8:40. The one I forgot the collect is at 6:20.
There will be battles against 2 large groups of Yuan-ti here. The first one is against a group that is led by 2 Pureblood Sorcerers. The Sorcerers will keep themselves protected by both Mirror Image and Improved Invisibility, so you usually can't get to them right away. And they'll get in a few Skull Trap spells after they've put up their defences. If you have the hit points to weather the Skull Traps, like me, you can simply take down the Abominations first and then go to work on the Sorcerers. If you're having trouble, an alternative idea may be to make use of Dispel Magic to bring down their protections.
The second group is at around 4:05, this time led by a pair of Priests. I let them come to me, with Lady Elanna repeatedly catching both the hanging back Priests and the oncoming Abominations with offensive spells. The other party members bring down the softened Abominations once they close in. Once the Abominations have closed in, Elanna switches gears with a well-placed Chain Lightning to help matters along.
At around 6:25 of the video, I run into a Yuan-ti Priest named Sashkta trying to instruct several Initiates into passwords for the temple. If you plan on infiltrating the Temple, pay attention as being able to use these same passwords will help you keep up your ruse. Combat is inevitable. I had Stygar use Holy Word to kill off the Initiates instantly, leaving a stunned Sashkta all by himself to be cut down. Each party takes a robe in order to disguise themselves before entering the Temple.
Yuan-ti Temple
I intend to kill all the Yuan-ti here, but first I want to take advantage of my subterfuge and milk the place for some quest-related xp. This also has the additional benefit that Tithian can disarm the traps here as well.
Periodically you'll run into a Yuan-ti guard that wants one of the passwords provided by Sashkta's Initiates as an answer. There will be one question involving a 'black flower' that the party will not have learned just yet.
At around 7:15 is a room that gets bathed with heat that causes fire damage. Tithian searches for a trap on the switch, and disarms it so that the room becomes safe to move through.
At around 7:47, I find the master of the Viper's Fangs Assassins and the master of the Coiled Cabal Disciples standing fairly close to each other. I avoid speaking to either of them, since both are easily provoked into starting combat.
At around 8:20 Lord Markus, who has a good Diplomacy skill, is able to trick a Viper's Fangs Assassin into revealing half the combination needed for a vault in the Temple.
At around 9:05 Tithian, having high Intelligence, tricks a Coiled Cabal Disciple into revealing important information about the Temple.
At around 12:25 is an acid-based trap room that again requires a disarming of the switch.
At around 13:27, I go to a room at the south side of the Temple. Inside is Jazrael, the delegate of the Yuan-ti from Dragon's Eye who have allied with the Legion of the Chimera. But I don't bother speaking with her. Instead, I speak with one of the Initiates, who reveals the answer that is needed should a guard ask a question involving a black flower.
I then move north and east. At around 14:08 I hit a switch to raise a pit. I then kill the Heartless Dead in the room. At the northeast edge of the room is another of the Religious Steles that is needed to release the Guardian.
At around 15:20 is the treasure vault that requires the combination (10-5-3-8-9-6) to enter. There will be some Histachii on the other side who are rather routinely killed. I then find quite a bit of treasure, spell scrolls, gems, as well as:
I avoid the northeast portion for the time being, since it's easy to get my cover blown on account of the High Priest.
I instead make my way out of the Temple, drop the Initiates' Robes, and put my armor back on since I now intend to wipe out the Temple.
Ashra and Inhatri
Now I begin my slaughter of the Yuan-ti. I start off with a sweep of the northwest and western portions of the Temple, taking out smaller groups of Yuan-ti along the way. Note how whenever I run into a Priest, I have Akutagawa race in and stun him before he can get any spells off.
The south room will have many Viper's Fangs Assassins led by Ashra, and several Coiled Cabal Disciples led by Inhatri. When I reach the room that had the fire-based trap in t, I tread carefully so that everyone is placed to have a view of the entrance to the south room, but without getting the attention of anyone in that room. I then start the crowd-control sequence. 1st round: Lady Elanna – Web, Alliria – Sun Ray, Tithian – Stinking Cloud. 2nd round: Alliria – Spike Stones, Tithian – Acid Fog. 3rd round: Alliria – Spike Growth, Tithian – Cloudkill. After this, Lady Elanna unleashes Acid Storm after Acid Storm.
One thing to keep in mind when it comes time for offensive spells is that the Assassins here have the evasion ability, which allows them to avoid damage altogether from spells that involve a Reflex saving throw. This wasn't a concern for me as Lady Elanna has a very good Difficulty Class for her spells. But if you find that Thieves-type enemies are evading your spells you may want to try something like Horrid Wilting instead, which involves a Fortitude saving throw instead of a Reflex saving throw.
Soon only Ashra is left by herself, and is then easily shot down at a distance. She will leave behind (courtesy of the Light of Selune mod):
Serpent's Scales – +4 leather armor, +3 to reflex saving throws, increased foot speed. This will be Alliria's armor for the rest of the game.
She will also leave behind several Potions of Invisibility, which Tithian will pocket for a certain quest in Dragon's Eye.
Jazrael
Another room along the south edge will have the Yuan-ti led by Jazrael. The same formula works here as well. Jazrael will leave behind a Scimitar of Acid +2 (+1d6 acid damage) and a few other magical items for anyone who's interested.
Ojaiha
The rooms to the north will have the High Priest, Ojaiha, and several Yuan-Ti Elites as well as a few Priests. When I burst into the room I get swarmed from all sides, so a different approach is called for. Stygar positions himself so that is his Holy Word spell stuns and interrupts the spellcasting of the Priests. Lady Elanna unleashes Chaos in order to minimize the threat from the Elites. As soon as the party can cut a path free they gang up on and kill Ojaiha. After that it becomes a matter of cleaning up.
The room north of where I killed Ojaiha will have a few chests that have several items in them, including gems, spell scrolls, and such. The more notable ones were:
Thunderclap (extra attack each round, Monks only) – I didn't bother. I'd rather Akutagawa keep his Bracers of Defense +4 on in order to increase his durability.
Apple Blossom – +3 Breast Plate (equivalent of Hide Armor), +5 slashing resistance, +3 constitution, lawful Paladins, Fighters, or Rangers only
Hoarfrost – +3 Katana (equivalent of a Bastard Sword), Keen, +2d6 cold damage, 10% chance of Slow on target for 3 rounds unless a Will save is made.
After this I get an xp bonus and a journal entry indicating that I've dealt with the Yuan-ti threat to Kuldahar from the Crossroads. But why stop there?
The Guardian of the Crossroads
As for the Guardian of Chult, that infamous Black Dragon, he's even more killer in Tactics. The Black Dragon has a lot more hit points, and is even more lethal with its physical attacks.
The ol' Disintegrate trick won't work anymore.
It will keep itself Hasted whenever possible to augment its attacks.
In addition to its acid breath attack, it will now occasionally throw out a Whirlwind effect similar to the Druid spell. It will go around randomly and can stun party members caught in its path. Suffice to say this can make things even more dire for you.
So first, I sleep around for xp points so that my Paladin is just short of advancing himself to the 16th level. Every little bit of attack bonus I can get helps.
Second, I have Lord Markus set 4 of the Steles in place. He then goes north a little and retrieves the Stele that I forgot to collect beforehand. He then regroups.
Now I have a very specific set of preparations in mind. There's the usual stuff like Magic Circle against Evil, Champion's Strength, and so on, but there's differences as well. Stygar turns off his use of Power Attack, but keeps the Accuracy feature of his Balance axe on. As I said before, I need every attack bonus I can get. Alliria casts Barkskin on both Lord Markus and Stygar, which will stack with their Amulet of Natural Armor and Brazen Bands. Lady Elanna casts Stoneskin and Improved Invisiblity (which lasts several minutes) on both of them. Alliria and Tithian cast Cat's Grace on themselves in order to improve their attack bonus with missile weapons. Lady Elanna ends the buffs with Mordenkainen's Sword and Mass Haste.
The idea I have is for only Lord Markus and Stygar (protected to the max) to fight the Dragon up close, while everybody else hangs safely back and hits at a distance.
I further this plan by having Tithian cast Lower Resistance on the Dragon, and then following up with Faerie's Fire. Alliria also adds Alicorn's Lance. This sequence makes it easier for the party to land physical blows on the Dragon.
The plan succeeds for the most part. The Dragon hits for plenty when it does land, but my preparations have greatly minimized the number of attacks that actually connect. Once in a while it will teleport and seek out the weaker party members, or chase after them. The Mass Haste is just as much about letting my weaker party members run away quickly as it was about maximizing Markus' and Stygar's attacks.
The strategy eventually works, and the Dragon is worn down. Now I have to make a run for the Crossroads again.
Cedra
When I return from the Crossroads the action continues non-stop with a combined assault by the Yuan-ti and the Legion of the Chimera.
This is going to come in several waves, so I have to be careful not expend all of my resources at once. I use as much as is necessary to tip the scales in my favour against a particular wave, and no more.
The first wave will consist of several Orogs coming after me, while the Yuan-ti Sorceress, Cedra, will hang back and cast spells. Stygar starts off by using Animate Dead right around Cedra in order to keep her occupied. Alliria starts off with Static Lightning, since this will be a very long conflict. She then buffs herself with Stoneskin, and then summons a Rhinoceros Beetle. Tithian and Lady Elanna start by protecting themselves with Stoneskin and Mirror Image. Tithian adds Emotion: Hope. Lord Markus starts off with Magic Circle against Evil. He and Akutagawa then begin attacking the oncoming Orogs.
Lady Elanna then hits the Orogs with Chaos. Keep in mind that Cedra can cast Disintegrate repeatedly so it may be worth your while to cast spells like Death Ward or Spell Resistance when you can. After a while a group of Harpies will appear, so Stygar also casts Remove Fear in order to prevent my party from getting divided. Once the crowd is thinned out enough Lord Markus and Stygar step right up to Cedra in order to bring her down as quickly as possible. At some point Cedra renders Lord Markus confused with a Beltyn's Burning Blood spell, but Stygar's use of the Greater Restoration spell undoes this (6:36). Keep in mind that Cedra can score hefty damage with a Mordenkainen's Sword of her own, so it may be necessary to use Lay on Hands and Heal here and now. Alliria, Tithian, and Lady Elanna meanwhile are either alternating between dealing with Cedra's minions up close or firing missile weapons at Cedra herself.
It can be easy for multiple party members to sustain damage over the long haul. Note how Alliria makes use of Circle of Healing and Stygar makes use of Mass Heal when it's needed.
The next wave will consist of several more Orogs, led by a Neo-Orog General, and two Yuan-ti Sorceresses. I go for the Sorceresses first, and use Chaos to keep the Orogs divided.
Next up, a very large wave of Yuan-ti that includes Archers, Warriors, Priestesses, and Sorcerers will appear across the two bridges to the east. I simply stay on the near side. There isn't really any need for crowd-control here, since most of them are archers or spell casters. My warriors can handle the odd Yuan-ti that crosses the bridge. My spellcasters paste the enemies with area of effect damaging spells across the bridges. Alliria and Lady Elanna get the job done with a Firestorm and 2 castings of Horrid Wilting respectively.
The last wave will be several Orogs, led by a General, another Yuan-ti Sorceress, and a Neo-Orog Priest. I sent Lord Markus, Stygar, and Akutagawa ahead. Stygar then sets things up with a spell-casting clinic of his own. He holds them up to start with a Holy Word spell, and then follows that up with Power Word: Blind. The three warriors begin chopping down the Orogs, with Stygar throwing in another Holy Word for good measure.
Alliria, Tithian, and Lady Elanna bring up the rear. Tithian and Elanna unleash their Chaos-Slow combination. The trio then fire away at the Sorceress, and then the Priest, at a distance. It soon becomes a mop up.
Cedra will leave behind a +4 Scimitar, a Golden Girdle (+3 to armor class vs. Slashing Weapons), and a Ring of Protection +3. Tithian now wears both the Girdle and the Ring for the rest of the game.
Iselore points me to my next destination, Dragon's Eye.
