Some questions about going beyond lv 10 and other stuff

Hi guys!

Remember my last thread about party creation a couple months ago?
Well, I have advanced quite a lot in the game since that time. I have done most sidequests (except Verbonoc) and have just cleared level 3 of the temple.

However, as I reached level 10, I realized that the game was becoming easier and easier. My question is whether I should stick to the level cap of the original game? I don't really mind if I don't get the high level spells. All that matters to me is that the game remains challenging.
Will I be able to beat the slavers, the balor and other new content creatures with a 10 level party?
If not, should I set the level cap to 12 or 15 in order to deal with higher CR but without making the game too easy?

My other questions concerns the woodcutter special items? I have saved Amii but he never suggested me to order anything at all!!! I am in day 30 (in the game) and I must have saved his daughter around day 2-3.

Concerning the gnolls in the Moathouse, if I ever let them go, will I be able to encounter them again so as to finish them off?

Thanks in advance! Cheers.

 

You could probably finish the game with level 11 characters if you are skilled and lucky enough (although expect to lose a lot of characters in the combat with the slave traders. You'll just have to resurrect/reincarnate them afterwards).
It's all relative - if you craft the best weapons & armour & wondrous items (or buy wondrous items from Senshock), then you will breeze through the game (depending on your skill). If you don't do any item crafting (and don't buy any wondrous items from Senshock), then you may want to have level 13 characters to compensate.
The game can become too easy if your characters are level 15 or higher, but this all depends on how many characters are in your party.
As a rule of thumb, I would say that the game becomes too easy if the characters in your party have a total number of more than 66 character levels (if you do item crafting and/or buy wondrous items from Senshock) or more than 78 character levels (if you don't do any item crafting and don't buy any wondrous items from Senshock).

The woodcutter no longer sells you his special items. You can buy masterwork strength bows from Armario the cabinet maker in Hommlet (near the jeweller's shop).

If you let the Moathouse gnolls go, then you will eventually get a random encounter with the gnolls that you let go, where you will discover the consequence of your decision to let them go.

 

Thanks for the reply!

I have a party of 6 characters (fighter, rogue, cleric, druid, bard, wizard). I do not recruit NPCs and I do not craft. I only use items that can be found or bought ingame. I haven't visited that shop you are telling me about, so I don't know how overpowered the items being sold are.
I guess I will try finishing the game with a 12th level party and leave the slave traders for the very end (l will level up to 14 if needed).

What other tough encounters are there?
I know there is a Balor (I don't know it's location though)...

 

Originally posted by gazra: