I'm sure they mean the Rannos and Gremag affair ... btw, that is Livonya's doing, clever one that she is.
Ahhhh .... And there I was all excited about finding a new thing in the game. And I agree, the casters in that fight actually use their spells and make it an exciting encounter.
This is why my tactic for these fights is always: move everyone down in initiative to after the Cleric. Move cleric forward one move, cast Bane. When the hidden goblins are baned they are forced out of hiding. Then I don't have to do the irritating end-resume combat ten times that you refer to.
The only solution to that (hiding/concealment is a core mechanic btw) would be to have them not hidden/concealed and just standing aroud, which, aside from being just as unlikely as the player being perpetually unwitted, would mean they would no longer appear to jump out of the shacks. Which would be a shame. The goblins are meant to be in the shacks, and the adjacent kobolds - who are on duty patrol if you listen to what Kwerd has to say - are meant to be sort of laying in wait underwater in the bog. Everyone just standing around is boring and doesn't fit with the Welkwood Vibe. (You'll get plenty of that later in the Temple.) Welkwood has to rely on more than just basic danger to be effective. Mood and menace are its main selling points.
"Mood and menace are its main selling points. " Don't suppose it's possible to do some good old fashioned traps in this game is it?
Well we can do traps, yes, but traps pretty much suck in ToEE. It's just "bang, you were damaged by a trap." They have to be require some thinking in order to be fun, which doesn't translate well into a dice roll and having the game depict your guy/gal kneeling down 'working' and wiping their brow, like ToEE does it.
Goshi- I did the Nulb ambush for the first time recently (I've never really bothered do all the stuff required to buy the house before) and was pretty high level so wandered into it immediately prior to a rest&heal stop. The confuse was a nasty surprise, particularly as it knocked out my wizard, who was wandering round between a barbarian and a rogue with the cleric also down and my melee'rs blocked in. Fortunately someone managed to tip Rannos' dust of disappearance on my rogue, who sniped the ambush to bits. Zaxis got off a Tasha's too to help out. Definitely a rude awakening and a warning against complacency.
Yeah I'm talking about the nice surprise Rannos and Gremag give you. Confuse isn't the only danger in that battle, one of the Fighters (The one with the Heavy Flail) sure loves Power Attack. The cause of so many deaths... :no:
I remember my first or second playthrough of the original unmodded ToEE I wasn't ready for what that black jelly in temple level 3 was. I had my fighter run in and just kept ordering him to hit it. By the time I got to 12 jellies my mind caught up and had me reload.
True. It's be cool if you could throw an oil flask with one character into an area, like half the radius of a fireball spell then the next with an enchanted flaming arrow sets it alight.
Creatures are dependant on your party level for what sucks or not? And if you use maxhps as I do. At low level I hate STIRGES-seems to have near auto hits,or ignore PC dex? Lizards are nasty.... Crayfish are worse...,can't hit them and hit you back twice with high damage. I get gang banged by up to 4 so far. Giant snakes,are useful if you manage to animal charm them,but can wipe you out if low level. Others are Crystal Oozes,Black Puddings,W-O-Wisps,Morags,Bodaks and Bugbears that trip you!
I really hate random encounter trolls for low levels, ettins and giants too. the demi gods cuthbert and iuz for high level, they can't be killed unless i'm using fragarach & scather.
Stirges in a random encounter? I never (Never!) get them as randoms. At higher levels I do get a lot of brigands and pirates, but thy never level up with my party. Slow moving monsters are annoying, especially when I have to watch a Galeb Duhr trudge lackadaisically to kill one of my (N)PCs.