Scarlet Brotherhood questions [SPOILERS]

Ok, I would really like to know how you did that. Tried the fight for about five times, always got poisend.
What really bothers me is that I loose part of my equipment and have no idea if I get that back and how. For that reason I don:t like this encounter at all although generelly I love any kind of additional content, especially good fights.

 

There's some sort of work around if you don't like the idea of auto-defeat. In my mind works like that: ok, you're super duper high level. However, least you are a god everybody has a moment a distraction. Then is when they strike. Now, I usually give one of my PCs VERY high initiative, give said PC a scroll of teleportation, teleport away from the ambush and there you go, avoided auto defeat.

 

Well, even if I get auto defeated, I can stlill win the following battle. BUT I was right before finishing the game with Demon and Demigods: The ultimate fight in the game and now without my best weapons I can forget about it, that really turns me down. If I had at least an option to get that equipment back.
The teleporting option is not really satisfactory to me but if I could I would choose it but never had, initiative wise, the possibility to dot it.
Still very interested if how anyone ever won that battle.

 

You know your equipment and weapons are in the chests by the road, guarded by a hulk, right? You can have them back after the battle.
Funny enough, never actually tried hard to win that battle. Hmmm, could try harder next time. Possible ideas: Quick Heal spell/potions, Quickened instakill spells/finger of death/disintegrate, Power word stun/kill, etc... Of course everyone in the party should have HIGH initiative score. I'll mull about it...

 

No, I did not know that. So there are chests and a hulk on the same map? (If so I'm a little bit ashamed that I missed that.)
About the winning strategies, yes sure, my characters with lvl 18 never got the otion to react at all. But if I can get my equipment back the scenario is absolutly alright with me. A little bit punishment for snitching on the Scarlet Brotherhood seems justified.

 

Yes, after you defeat the first hoard of monsters you'll notice, towards one of the corners of the (same) map, a series of chests guarded by an Umber Hulk. There's your equipment.
As a matter of fact, if you carefully follow the Cousin's ( or whatever title he has) speech, there's a hint about this, when he says something like "it will be a shame if your equipment ends up in the hands of some traveller" or something like that....

As about chance to react, lots depends on the initiative score you've got. The level matters little. A level 1 character could have higher initiative than a level 20! It depends on Dex bonus, encumberance, Feats ( improved initiative... ) etc...

 

I haven't played this particular encounter, but I've always found the "C" key works if they talk to you first. If you enter combat during the conversation, at least one of your characters will get to go before any of the of the rest of them when the dialog ends.

 

This encounter was an attempt to emulate a movie scene to some degree, as Rudy pointed out above, with the auto-lose without death and then the James Bond villain monologue. It's a difficult line to walk in a crpg because there's no DM to monitor the action. If you beat the initial encounter, you miss the fun stuff that follows, but if your high level dudes get overwhelmed by the guys with 40 dexterity (actual stat) and unbeatable poison you want to scream foul that there was no chance to win. I did.

Eventually, just accept that the loss in the first encounter is part of the "background" for the action that follows. I don't think beating them was intended.

 

I think it would be fun to have a different scenario play out if you win. The SB could still be rediculously OP, but there would be a contingency routine if you actually beat them.

If you win, you miss out on the following action, but the loss summons a response team, (possibly a dragon in human form and a few of her minions).

If you lose, you get to experience the events already prepared.

 

I would second this sentiment.