Is there a part of the game I'm missing?

I can't kill the Balor, apparently for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the ineffectiveness of my weapons.

L11 PAL - +1 Flaming Longsword (Also has a +2 Longsword, which with hindsight is probably a better choice... although...)

L12 FIG - +2 Longsword (According to the roll history needs a 16 or better to hit him. In two battles is about 0 for 50+)

L10 FIG - Frostbrand Greatsword (+3 supposedly... I don't think I've hit him once with it...)

L10 (Dwarven) FIG - +1 Holy Greataxe (Needs an 18 or better to hit with it. Like other group members has been extraordinarily unlucky and has only hit him 2 or 3 times. All 3 have been fairly devastating and done 20-30 damage though. Only real mildly effective character/wepaon combo.)

The 3 fighters and the paladin all have weapon focus. The fighters all have greater weapon focus and improved critical.

L11 CLE - +3 Rod of Smiting (Has never hit with it in quite a few attempts. More forgivable because of his class.)

My archer is my rogue. He can't hit the Balor at all either but again, non-fighter so I understand.

A paladin is supposed to be immune to fear. It is definitively spelled out as complete immunity. No save vs.... immune. My paladin has been feared in both battles immediately. I take some blame for this as I thought remove fear was a spell you cast to remove fear... like the spell says... not ward against premptively.

In the last battle, I cast Bless, Prayer and Aid (individually) on the whole party. I cast Divine Power and Magic Circle Vs. Evil on the 4 melees.


I was reading another thread about Balor's supposed vulnerability to cold. Not according to what I read elsewhere AND my own experience.


Sorry to whine, guys. I genuinely wonder if there are better weapons I should have and if so, where the hell are they? I cleared all 4 nodes (except Balor) and have cleared all 4 dungeon levels.

I also wonder if I'm getting wonky die rolls. I read that the RNG is screwy.

Sigh.

 

:scratchhe

..your inability to use the search button?

http://www.co8.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2742&highlight=Balor+killing

:roll:

 

Spike, no offense, but if you read that thread yourself you'd see that I was obviously referencing that thread in my post. I read it... twice.

I have one holy weapon. As far as I know, I've practically beat the game. Yet, my weapons seem insufficient. That's the gist of my question.

 

Invest in Craft Arms & Armor - with it, a LG cleric with Law and Good domains can upgrade almost any weapon in the game to a Balor-buster supreme. Or a wizard/druid can add cold damage that bypasses most of the Balor's resistances. One of the best feats in the game.

 

I guess you want to beat the Balor "because it is there" but do you realise that you don't have to fight the Balor in order to beat the game? My first run through I didn't even go to the nodes, as my party used the Throne "lift" on the ground floor of the Temple to assault Zuggy's lair.

 

Actually, to be honest, I didn't even mess with the craft item skills. Maybe next time I play, I will.

I also didn't know that you didn't have to acquire all 4 gems...

I'm just not sure about attacking a deity(?) when I can't even beat a subordinate demon (albeit an impressive one).

 

Item Crafting and Scroll Scribing are some of the best aspects of ToEE; they really capture that high-power fantasy novel feel, and give you something useful to do with all that treasure. Unfortunately, they're also an easy way to unintentionally boost your party's power past where the game remains challenging. If you're having trouble, you should definitely try using them.

As to Zuggy, you can (a) smash the skull with the help of Pishella, in which case the battle is tough but not impossible with the characters and equipment you have now, (b) avoid combat entirely through one of the answer trees, or (c) spend the time and cash to upgrade your gear and dig in against her full powered form.

 

None taken. It wasn't as obvious as you might think, given that there is lots of information in the many threads dealing with the subject. Try reading more of them. I never crafted anything my first run through, and took him out with what was available. Granted, it took a few tries...

 

Well, remember that Her Zugginess is confined and weakened by the Circle of 8 (no, not this community, the REAL Circle of 8...or do I mean the fantasy Circle of 8...sooo hard to tell sometimes-I feel a reality check coming on :drunk: )

If you smash the Orb of Golden Death, as Old Book says, you (at least supposedly-don't know if this does anything in game) weaken her further. My guys on the first run through were able to take her out doing this and never visited the mod expansions or the nodes.

Mr Balor is presumably at the peak of his physical prowess, and since he is CR 20 in the 3.5 rules he will be picking his teeth with your sorry 8th level ass-bones in short order!:txtsmilie (Seriously, though, even though he won't be anywhere near as tough as a PNP Balor and you DO have "Power Word Reload":notworthy, he could well be harder than Zuggtmoy, quite justifiably given the unfortunate situation she is in.

 

I'd recommend another level for your cleric and Craft Arms and Armor. Just find a random encounter map or a lower level of the temple and rest for 8 hours. With so many fighters you face an uphill battle late in the game when a wizard comes in mighty handy. I recommend getting Burne for a few levels to help your cause. You should have a decent supply of spell scrolls built up!

As for your "to hits" it is quoting his AC as 35 in my books which is hefty though not indomitable. PRE-buff your party (divine favor for cleric and pally, divine power and might for cleric, Bulls strength for all, Bless, Aid, etc.) and make sure you're not using things like power attack. If you can get past his SR you could also have a wizard type zap him with "Ray of Clumsiness" which should drop his AC a few points. Also flank and if you have "ray of enfeeblement" and a tripping specialist, you CAN beat him in a tripping fight by buffing yourself properly. My dedicated tripper w/ a 26 strength had a 50/50 chance to trip him after he was drained. That could result in a +4 to hit for your guys. Not the most feasible attack, but it worked well enough for me once and it's only a touch attack so not as big a problem there.

I don't know why your paladin was being affected by the fear. I haven't quite figured out how it has fear in the first place since it is not one of its standard abilities. Although were it to have its standard abilities it would lead off with "Blasphemy" and kill the entire party outright...

Good luck and I hope it works out for ya!

FR

 

I just posted my very detailed (and probably overly complicated) strategy on the other thread click here -- please check it out if you haven't already and let me know if it works out for you. All my characters were level 10 (except for my druid who was at lvl 9) AND i didn't use any crafted weapons (except for adding cold damage to the Radiant Longsword, which probably wasn't necessary).

 

:rant: Balor!

Craft Arms& Armor and Craft Wondrous Item is the key for me. Make all your weapons +3, and craft a wonderful wondrous object that increases your chance to hit by 15%! It takes a while with the Balor. Bless and Spiritual Weapons are handy as well. Surround the punk after you kill his minions then slay away.