@ the Shadowvale CSR
A personalized letter came a few days before today, reading:
'We here at Sunset Creek have been plagued by a brigand problem. I am the Imperial Liason here, and I am enlisting your aid due to the unresponsiveness of the Imperial bureaucracy. Come to the region and you will be paid handsomely for your services.'
It was a fairly official-looking document. Plus, it was delivered by hand by an errand boy, not posted in an inn somewhere. This person was seeking very specific help when he sent out that letter.
The last night was spent in an abandoned farmhouse which, according to the sign near the homestead, belonged to a 'General Field Marshall Abidan'. The man and his family appear to have been killed, although their killers had disappeared, making it a comfortable if not morbid place to get some rest.
The road to Sunset Creek continues to the north and dips into a small valley to the northwest. The brigands should become a presence shortly thereafter.
From TrueSite or TMU
Hint Sheet
by Author
Walkthrough
by Author
En Route to Sunset Creek
The Brigand Menace
Nearing the Final Showdown
The Final Showdown
Sidequests
Special Spells
Battle Tips
General Hints
Free-Falling
Fort Crimson
Docks
Battle One: Profanus Pyre
Battle Two: Profanus Pyre and the Red Army
'Battle Three: The Immortal
|Quick Q&A|
+=========+
Q. Hey-- I found a bug!
A. By all means, tell me about it. (The "contact me" section tells you how
to get in touch with me.)
Q. Is any other knowledge of Echoes lore required to play Echoes: Renegade?
A. No. At least, I'd like to think not. If I omit details in places, odds are it's intentional. If you are confused, though, feel free to whine at me about it.
Q. This scenario is difficult!
A. There's a "Battle Tips" section down below. Read that for assistance with combat. If that doesn't help, you may have entered the scenario with a party that is too weak. The recommended levels are 20-25.
HOWEVER, if you are using a party built exclusively using Kelandon's High Level Party Maker, your party will be so obscenely weak as to make it cannon fodder. Use of the Artifacts Hall (selecting items from scenarios below your average level) or using a naturally-built party is best. If you insist on using a HLPM-based party, you may wish to increase your party's level by 5 or 10 to compensate.
Q. Why can't I train in this scenario?
A. You can, but only in friendly areas. That means that, whenever you get the option to train, you should probably take it. (Keep in mind that there is a place to train in the final dungeon!)
Q. How do I level up in this scenario?
A. There are no randomly-generated wandering monsters in this scenario. On the other hand, there is a genuine glut of enemies to combat east of Sunset Creek. Furthermore, completing scenario tasks is often a significant source of XP. If you have undergone all optional tasks and you still find yourself struggling with the scenario, you may want to adjust your tactics (see "Battle Tips" below) or restart the scenario with a higher-level party.
Q. How do I go back to areas I've previously been in?
A. For the most part, you cannot. You can return to Sunset Creek when you are on the other side of its walls (see the "Sidequests" portion of the walkthrough), but when you cross a river or go underground, it's irreversible.
Q. Where do I buy better equipment?
A. You don't. You'll have to forage through whatever you find. (Although you shouldn't ever find yourself having a shortage of energy potions or ammunition.)
|WALKTHROUGH|
+===========+
+---------------------------+
|1. En Route to Sunset Creek|
+---------------------------+
You start off in the ruined farm of General Field Marshall Abidan. There's not much here, though you can find some valuable items on Abidan's wife (Earrings, Gold Bracelet, Gold Necklace, Gold Ring) and Abidan himself (Iron Plate Mail, Iron Large Shield, Iron Greaves, Iron Bracer, Gauntlets, Iron Axe). Also, if you want, you can find a horse in the southern of the two barns. You can check the cabinets in Abidan's bedroom for some letters. That's all there is here.
Following the road outside, you will find an encampment of brigands. They will flee from you. If you are fast enough or you are using horses, you will be able to catch up with them. Otherwise, you can simply let them go-- there's no real reward for chasing them. Past the ruined gate, a sniper will begin firing arrows at you. On the southern end of the eastern wall of the mountainside, you will find a secret passage that will stop the sniper from harming you. Follow the path to the sniper's aerie. He will ask you some questions, but your response is irrelevant as he will flee immediately. The four corpses in the ditch nearby have some good items to loot.
The bridge going to Sunset Creek is not operable. (If you have flight-bestowing items, their use is NOT RECOMMENDED-- flight has been disabled in this scenario; you will merely be wasting your items.) You will, however, find a man who beckons you to him. He is Hoppston, and as he explains, he has a fully operable boat, but the patrols on the water make it too dangerous for him to cross the river alone.
Accept his offer, and you will be on his boat, the Ten Slayer. Some brigands will come up behind you: Beware, the marines will walk across the water to get to you! The archers (if you did not face any before) have status-dealing attacks to watch out for. After a certain number of turns or all of the brigands are killed, the enemy boat will retreat and you will arrive at Sunset Creek.
|2. The Brigand Menace|
+---------------------+
You will be told to see the mayor and captain. Talk to both of them. This will net you 2000 XP. (There is an easter egg here which you get by talking to the captain. For more, see the "sidequests" section.) Captain Rupert will tell you that you will need a boat to reach the brigands. Ask Hoppston to ferry you into brigand territory. He will agree. (Before going with him, however, it would be a wise idea to check the basement for some valuable potions and missile weapons. Crossbow and javelin users will not be able to re-equip themselves anywhere else in this scenario.)
When you reach the docks, you will see the sniper... or maybe it was just your imagination. When you leave the docks, you will be contacted by a mysterious voice telling you to go north to a rotten tree. Go directly north-- you will be specifically told when you hit the tree. From there, go directly west and you will find a secret passage. (You will likely have to face a moderate number of outdoor encounters here.)
You will find a raised platform with a portal in the middle. Enter the portal to enter a place called "Sanctuary". NOTE-- you can train here! If you do not plan on taking the time or effort to return to Sunset Creek, be sure to get your training out of the way NOW. Here, you will talk to the Mysterious Figure ("K") and gain some information about the brigands. Also, you can find some valuable items here (Wand of Ice, Archer's Ring, Blessed Bolts). Check the bookshelves for scrolls. Also, check the room with the spellbooks for some special spells. Choose up to two which you feel may help you. (Singletons are recommended against taking Transfer Energy, as there is absolutely no use for it. Roost, on the other hand, is of incredible use to singletons.) You will also be given the chance to create a powerful, customized suit of armor. Make it as you see fit. As you try leaving, a woman will enter the room bleeding heavily. You may speak with her in the bedroom nearby if you want, but any information she has will be given to you in due time anyway so it is not required. Rest up if you feel it's necessary then leave.
Head east up to the mountainside, then travel north. You will go through a secret passage. The beams here will only appear if you try to pass through them. To get past the beams, you can break one of the power sources if you have a PC with at least 10 Strength. If you have 6 Intelligence, you can disable the power source. If you have 12 Intelligence, you can set the beams to always be active, but this requires already being on the other side. (It also has to practical effect other than trapping you.) To get to the other side, try walking through the beams, and eventually (depending on your Intelligence) you will receive the option to hold the amulet in front of the beams, allowing you to pass. When you are past the beams, walk up to the pit and dive in.
You will be followed by the sniper from before. He will dive into the pit shortly after you. You will meet him in free-fall, in which he will rapidly descend to your height. He will call himself "The Immortal", then he will begin firing at you. The goal in this fight is to survive for 15 turns or to defeat The Immortal in combat. (See "Battle Tips" below for more help.) When you have achieved either, you will be alerted that you are approaching the bottom of the shaft. End combat and move in any direction to continue.
You will then find yourself having made a noticeable impac t on a magical barrier. The Immortal will quickly recover, taking this opportunity to flash to the control panels for the magical barrier and smashing them. The barrier will disappear, but you will be teleported away from a sure death in the nick of time. The Immortal will teleport away, and you will be left alone to explore the caves.
|3. Nearing the Final Showdown|
+-----------------------------+
You will now be able to explore the caves, but unlike the area east of Sunset Creek, there is very little to see or do here. Go southwest from where you start off, then head south to find a small brigand fort serving as a dock. Katothen will warn you, however, not to approach the fort while The Immortal is present, and will beckon you to see him again at Sanctuary. Follow the path to the east as far as you can; Katothen will tell you when to stop. Go west through the secret passage and you will find another portal to Sanctuary.
You will witness a discussion between The Immortal and a rakshasa. The scene will fade away as you appear in Sanctuary. A mage will identify himself as "Orphus", one of the supposedly two alter-egos of Katothen. Hunter, the woman who appeared in Sanctuary as you left last time, is also present. Orphus will give a very brief description of the circumstances before leaving to enter a meeting with Janus, Katothen's other alter-ego, and the remaining six Imperial generals.
Hunter will explain many things to you, depending on whether or not you spoke with her previously. When she is through, she will tell you Katothen's directions-- that is, he wants you to take a boat from the
brigand fort he told you not to enter. She says that if his suspicions are correct, then The Immortal will no longer be present at the fort. Hunter says that Katothen didn't leave any goodies for you, but she's mistaken: Go to the room northwest of the meeting room to pick up some nifty magical items and food. The room to the northeast has all four spellbooks (minus any you took last time). You can switch around any spellbooks you have now to take some more if you like. (Also, check the "Sidequests" section to get
some easy XP and an artifact.) Also-- if you want to train, you may do so here. The next few battles are difficult, and it does not get easier from here on out.
Leave Sanctuary the way you came and return to the small fort. As you enter, you will be told by a large blockade of brigands near the entrance who do not attack you immediately. If you stand around long enough, you will be given a sarcastic indicator of what to do next: Kill the brigands!
Once you're done with the brigands, you will be able to speak with Captain Andre. Check his desk for a Rod of Arcana and an Invulnerability Potion. He will tell you some frightening information. Lastly, he will tell you how to pilot the boat and where you can find the key. Go to his room (it's unmarked, but it's on the other side of the fort from his office) and search his bed for a key. There's some mediocre, iron equipment in the chest by his bed you can take if you need it. Also, his bookshelves contain scrolls (although one is a scroll of Bitter Loss-- be careful). Go to either boat and activate it by walking up to the pedestal or trying to sit in the pilot's seat. You will be taken across the river to the docks.
Here, attempt to walk into the building and you will be ambushed by the Empire soldiers. Marines will surround you on both sides. Then, a mage will teleport in and summon reinforcements: two Infiltrators (Monks), six Archers and two Snipers. As if that's not difficult enough, there are four purple machines that will hit a random (friendly) target. See the "Battle Tips" section if you're having trouble.
Katothen will contact you with the new directives that are entirely obvious-- your next task is to go to the main outpost here and kill The Immortal.
|4. The Final Showdown|
+---------------------+
Follow the path to the Red Fortress. Rest up if you have to, then enter.
When you enter the fortress, there will be an entryway leading into a large, grassy field. Step into it. You will have a discussion with Rufus Rothgard. The discussion will be interrupted, however, when Hunter disrupts the illusion with her presence. Hunter takes on the soldiers flowing out of the barracks, while you high-tail it into the next room.
You are met by the wizard from the docks and a more ornate-looking spellcaster. Both of them speak to you briefly (or you can try to attack them, but they disappear), and tell you to meet them upstairs.
Travel up the stairs; it doesn't matter which one you take (they both go to the same place). Go west from the blocked-off portal to find the storerooms. If you can unlock the gates, you can find some decent steel weapons assorted among the iron ones, a steel plate mail, a blessed bow, a blessed edge sword, steel and magic greaves, and other items you may be interested in. (You may also want to collect things to sell, since you're nearing the end of the scenario.) Also, go east, north from the archery area, and into Gen. Rufus Rothgard's office. There is a secret passage in the northwest corner. Look in the chests for 666 gold, 6 rubies, and assorted magical paraphernalia. Also, there is a secret passage in the
southwest corner of the treasure room. Go here to find a smathering of herbs, and some very valuable spells on the bookshelves: Ice Lances level 12, Curing level 15, Mass Healing level 6, Unshackle Mind level 6, a permanent boost up to 4 Intelligence and 2 Priest Spells for all characters not already at that point (and 150 EXP for those who are), and +3 for all characters to Magery. The book on the pedestal teaches Radiant Shield level 3, which is particularly valuable. If you need training, go to the southeast corner of the fort (it's the area with a raised platform covered in blood). You will be allowed to train here. When you feel ready, go to the dueling area in the northwest corner of the second floor. Profanus
Pyre, aka Gen. Astrophel Ignatius, will trap you on all sides and attack. See "Battle Tips" if you have trouble here.
After the fight, Profanus Pyre and Dr. Wu will disappear. Hunter will enter the room and free you. After a brief dialogue, Hunter takes off. If you need a rest, there are officers' quarters in the southwest corner of the second floor that you may sleep in. Go back towards the stairs, witness a very brief scene, and head downstairs. Head towards the large room in the north end of the first floor of the Red Fortress to find the portals activated and Profanus Pyre waiting for you.
Once you are through, Dr. Wu will teleport in and close off the portals, telling Profanus Pyre to retreat. Dr. Wu come upstairs with him. Go upstairs, and you will see that the meeting room is open. Speak with Dr. Wu; you can hold a discussion with him, or you can simply tell him to show you to The Immortal. He will open up the portal to the south of you. Enter it, and you will be teleported to the final fight with The Immortal.
Once The Immortal is defeated, Katothen will appear. Congratulations-- you've beaten Echoes: Renegade!
|X. Sidequests|
+-------------+
Most of the "sidequests" in Echoes: Renegade are actually easter eggs, but there's always a chance for extra rewards.
a) Kill Field Commander: There is a large brigand army encamped outside of Sunset Creek's gates. If you try and approach it, however, you will be warned that there are too many brigands wandering about. What to do, then? The dialog gives you a hint-- take the fight to them! To sufficiently weaken the brigands enough, you'll need 40 "points". The various encounters in the area can easily put you over the top. Here are the point values for each:
* 20 points- The brigand "lair" burrowed into the hillside. Each brigand here is worth 1 point except for the commander who is worth 2.
* 13 points- The wooden shack by the docks
* 10 points- The marines who attempt to sneak up on you
* 10 points- The brigands guarding the hillside "lair"
* 9 points- The three snipers
* 8 points- The brigands wandering around the roads (who do not instantly notice you)
* 7 points- The archers sitting by the crossroads
It's relatively easy to get 40 points. When you do, you can then chose to charge the brigand army. The following battle is difficult, but Sunset Creek sends some soldiers and archers to help you out. Once they're defeated, you will be able to re-enter Sunset Creek. Talk to the mayor and captain, and they will have the gates in the storerooms downstairs unlocked for you. Go there to get all of the city's gold-- 1,100 coins-- and the Amber-Coated Shield. More importantly, you get 2000 XP! Score. Plus, if you talk to Jewel (the green-robed herbalist sitting by Hoppston), you can now buy more potions than before and both potions and recipes can be bought at a better price.
b) Captain Rupert's Dirty Secret: When Cpt. Rupert asks you to answer his questions, say no to him. Then, have him ask you to answer his questions again and say no. Do this repeatedly until he admits to you of being a crossdresser. Go downstairs to the storerooms. You will now be able to find a secret passage in the graveyard. In the room here, you will find Kinky Shackles (Forcecage x 10), Rupert's Dress (a surprisingly good suit of armor), and other assorted items of jewelry. Score?
c) Dark Knight Garland: On the mountainside to the west of the docks you land at to enter brigand territory, there is a secret passage. (It's one space to the west of where you get a piece of armor from a supply cache.) At the end of the passage, you will find Garland. Approach him, and respond in confusion when he asks you if you are the "warrior(s) of light". Kill him (it is painfully easy) for 130 XP and 250 coins.
d) Supply Caches: In the brigand territory east of Sunset Creek, you will find various supply caches littering the ground. The rewards are random (and are set at the beginning of the scenario, so don't try reloading your game to get a different item). The differing supply caches require minimum values in Nature Lore, and the four caches will give you a random piece of armor, a random weapon, a random potion and a random valuable equipment (sellable) respectively. To get all of the treasures, your Nature Lore has to be 10.
e) Reagent Bushes: In Sunset Creek is an herbalist named Jewel. If you ask her about ingredients she uses in her potions, she will mention that the bushes in the area with red berries on them are often sources of alchemical reagents. There are six bushes outside. One is south of Sunset Creek (within the city walls), four are in brigand territory, and one is in the secret area in the middle of the mountai n. You will need a minimum amount of Nature Lore, however, to be able to find them.
f) Fake Base: There is a "Brigand Lair" east of Sunset Creek. It's burrowed into a small mound. It's not actually their true base, though-- you are told this when you enter. When you are told this, if you gain access to Sunset Creek again, tell Captain Rupert about it for 150 XP. Not much, but there you go.
g) Call My Name: The second time you visit Sanctuary, you will find a secret passage in the southeast corner of the meeting room. In the room following, you will be told by a mysterious voice (this is the key-- "from behind the Blades of Avernum Editor") to "Call my name!" Stepping on each of the runes causes them to disappear. To complete the puzzle, make the room look like this (with "X" representing an unerased rune):
XXX X X
X XX XX
X XX XX
X X X X
X X X X
(To see the solution, you will need to view it in a monotype font, such as Courier. Essentially, the solution is to use the runes to spell out "TM".) The only problem is getting the four runes in the southwest corner. To get to them, cast Move Mountains near the space with rubble on it. Cast Move
Mountains when you get to the end of the hidden passage as well. If you hear a chime, that means you did it correctly. (You also get 130 XP for the first time you beat it.) If not, go to the button and press it to reset the puzzle. What this does is turns the rune in the room to the northwest of the meeting room into a pentagram. Pull the lever to get access to it. Here, you'll find an item called the Flayer Flail (good for magi), and an apology for not having enough Illithids in this scenario to kill. (I'm sorry.)
|Special Spells|
+--------------+
The special spells in this scenario and their affects are as follows:
Energy Transfer
Costs 33% of SP
50% -1% SP for each rank of Magical Efficiency, down to 28%
Transfers 25% of SP to given PC
Roost
Costs 12 SP
50% -1 SP for each rank of Magical Efficiency, down to 6 SP
Raises height up by 2 height, maximum raise is 2
Height lowers by 1 height per turn
Gives archer/sniper protection while roosted
Fracas
Costs 30 SP
50% -1 SP for each rank of Magical Efficiency, down to 25 SP
Puts all PCs in berserk for 10 turns
Gives all PCs 15 bless
Gives all PCs 15 haste
Gives all PCs 15 shield
Gives all PCs 10 dumbfounding
Gives all PCs 15 me-shield
Gives all PCs 1 divine aid per every 2 mage/priest levels, up to 10
Gives all PCs 1 invuln. per every 4 mage/priest levels, up to 6
Gives all PCs 4 magical resistance
Gives all PCs 20 regeneration
Prevents monk status alteration for 3 turns
Esuna
Costs 20 SP
50% -1 SP for each rank of Magical Efficiency, down to 15 SP
Resets statuses
Gives monk protection for 5 turns
Gives archer/sniper protection for 3 turns
Energy Transfer is, first and foremost, worthless for singletons. If you have a spellcaster who uses SP a lot, however, you may want to invest in it. (Priests tend to use fewer SP than magi, despite having more SP.) Ultimately, the wisest investment is to buy Energy Potions in Sunset Creek, but in the middle of combat, it is easier to send SP remotely via this spell if you ever run out of potions or want to preserve the target's AP.
Roost is worthless for singletons who fight in melee, but is particularly precious for those who fight at a range. Also, if your spellcasters often find themselves dying at the hands of melee attackers, this spell is a worthy investment. It becomes less worthwhile towards the end of the game, however, since the brigands are soon replaced with bosses and regular soldiers. You may want to invest in other spells the second time you visit Sanctuary.
Fracas is valuable when you don't risk getting wiped out by superior damage sources. Essentially, this means that while it's useful for dealing with many of the outdoor combats, it becomes a suicide spell later on in the game when you will be pitted against more and more direct-damage dealers (such as bosses).
Esuna begins as being somewhat valuable, and only gets more valuable from there. Sure, it negates positive status effects, but it also offers protection from archers and monks, which early in the game is vital. You'll want it at the end of the game too, since it will be of vital importance in the final fight.
|BATTLE TIPS|
+===========+
The enemies of Echoes: Renegade are not always easy. Here are some hints to help you out:
+-------------+
|General Hints|
+-------------+
There are six basic types of enemies you will be fighting against for the majority of the scenario: Brigands, Brigand Archers, Brigand Monks, Brigand Snipers, Brigand Marines and Brigand Commanders.
- Brigand Marines and Commanders are not seen very often: Both are warriors, and apart from the Marines' ability to walk on water, neither have any special abilities. The commanders are very well armed, however.
- Brigands are warriors, and while they are moderately dextrous, they pose no real threat. If they hit, however, they have a chance of stealing from you. They will either steal an amount of gold equal to the damage done, distract you making you less efficient for the next few rounds (counteract this with War Blessing), or steal experience from you. If they steal enough experience, they gain a level, although it should not get to that point.
- Brigand Archers are, as their name implies, ranged fighters. Their arrows not only do damage, however-- they also hamper your ability to fight. The most common effects of a successful arrow strike are poison, cursing or slowing, although it's also possible to be silenced, confused, or even paralyzed (although the last two are particularly rare). They aren't particularly resilient, meaning that eliminating them early in the fight with a well-placed offensive spell is not a poor idea.
- Brigand Monks are warriors. However, what makes them especially bad is their ability to "break" positive status effects. The status effects they remove from their target are, in this order: Invulnerability, Divine Aid, Haste, Bless, Shielding. Also, keep in mind that to break your invulnerability or divine aid, they do not actually have to strike you. Deal with them as soon as you can, as to give your warriors an easier time in combat.
- Brigand Snipers are archers, but they do a great deal more damage, take more hits before dying, and are tougher than nails in general. If they are damaged enough, then they will begin to drain hit points from their targets whenever they strike. If they are at a reasonable hit point total, they will then disarm their target, placing her/his melee or ranged weapon at her/his feet. (Snipers will strike the weapon which the target is most proficient with first, taking the other weapon thereafter.) Lastly, if the sniper is at a reasonable HP total and the target is already disarmed, the sniper will then begin using "lethal" shots-- that is, should the target's HP reach 0 when being hit by the sniper, even if s/he would not normally be killed, s/he will die. Fortunately, snipers' abilities do not work in close-range combat, meaning that if a target is within a space or two of the sniper, the abilities (ie, disarming, hit point draining, etc) will not activate. Snipers do have a decent melee attack, but it is nothing compared to their long-range prowess.
|Free-Falling|
+------------+
The goal of this fight is to either survive for 15 rounds or to kill The Immortal. However, this is easier said than done. Haste has no effect in this fight. The Immortal opens up with a shot, and will more-than-likely take the first shot as you enter combat as well (unless one of your characters is exceptionally fast). The Immortal is dangerous in ranged combat, true-- however, he is even worse in melee combat! He does more damage, has Quick Strike, and also has a fair amount of Lethal Blow, potentially dealing upwards of 200 damage. Invulnerability is a fair strategy in waiting this fight out if you have it; otherwise, damaging spells will do full damage (except for Lightning Spray and Arcane Blow, which do no damage whatsoever!). Do damage however you can or simply wait the fight out-- either strategy works.
|Fort Crimson|
+------------+
Most of the brigands are default-types. Once you kill the two monks, feel free to start piling blessings on your fighters. There's only one sniper. The numbers are pretty severe, but not much else is. Plus, if you keep the brigands in the bottleneck, you should be fine. Watch out, though-- some of the brigands are given magekiller scripts, meaning they will want to come after your magi!
|Docks|
+-----+
The machines are particularly lethal here-- they do 0-5 damage per level in magic damage. The key to disabling them is the runes surrounding them-- step on them to snuff them out. Also, you may want to consider summoning.
If you're up for taking some abuse, send some warriors into the room on the first turn to disable the first two devices. You may also want to use your magi to hit the archers, but be careful that your magi don't get hit by the snipers or the machines. Otherwise, retreat-- the archers won't be able to hit you, and the infiltrators won't reach you immediately either meaning that you can safely use invulnerability. You may want to use magi to take out the archers while summoning creatures to distract the fire from the machines, or you may simply want to sent an invulnerable warrior into the room to disable the machines. To get past the barricade of tables, either hack through them or use fire spells. Either way, once you're able to flee, then do so! Your job here is done.
|-=BATTLE ONE: PROFANUS PYRE=-|
+-----------------------------+
Profanus Pyre uses, as his name implies, uses fire attacks. He rotates randomly between the following attacks: Napalm will hit one character for intense unblockable/lethal damage, hit all characters within a space of the target for fire damage (including the target), and slow all characters within a space of the target (including the target). Arcane Fire will do fire damage to all friendly characters (including summons), doing significantly less damage based on the magic skills of the target(s). Fireblast MkII hit all allies for high-powered fire damage. Inner Fire will give Profanus Pyre bonuses to Parry and Riposte; he uses this attack when his hit point total drops below 50%. NOTE: After using Inner Fire, there is a 33% chance each round that Profanus Pyre will use another attack! (There is also a slim but existent chance that Profanus Pyre will use two or more extra attacks each round.)
If you find it difficult to beat Profanus Pyre, you may want to get your weaker characters (or those less resistant to fire damage) further away from Profanus. All of his attacks do less damage the further away from him you are; you can get two of your characters 10 spaces away from him, which lessens the damage of his attacks by a lot. Also, he is vulnerable to poison and acid, making Acid Spray a reliable source of damage if you have it. Furthermore, all of his attacks take away some of his hit points. Essentially, you can wait out this battle by taking his hits (although dishing some back will make it invariably easier). Plus, if you have the Rod of Arcana from Fort Crimson, use it. If you do use it, however, you should probably keep the difficulty on Normal or higher, since Easy difficulty makes your summons too susceptible to being killed off.
When you beat his first form, he will transform into a short-lived second form. He will use Fumarole, which turns the floor into damaging lava. After that, he will continue to pound the party with Fireblast MkII for one to three rounds, after which the wizard in red appears and tells Profanus Pyre that he needs help in marshaling the reinforcements downstairs, ending the fight.
|-=BATTLE TWO: PROFANUS PYRE and the RED ARMY=-|
+----------------------------------------------+
Profanus Pyre, in his second form, is managing a steady influx of soldiers. As you approach him, you will be given the option to simply attack, or to let him explain just what it is you're "in time for". JUST ATTACK. DO NOT LISTEN TO HIS SPEECH OR YOU WILL MORE THAN LIKELY SUFFER. (There is a 50% chance every round for each portal that another soldier will step out. If, however, you listen to his spiel, the odds of soldiers appearing is raised to 75%.) He starts with four Soldiers, four Infiltrators and three Empire Archers. Beware, though; He has no regard for the lives of his men. He is
joined by three types of support units: Soldiers, Empire Archers and Infiltrators. His attacks are as follows: Rally takes 25% of all soldiers' hit points (25% of their maximum HP, not their current HP) to bless them. Meteor Strike hits all units (including a fair number of soldiers) in a three-square radius, removing all defenses, striking them for insane fire damage, and potentially paralyzing all characters in a one-square radius. Burning Avatar takes a soldier chosen at random and transforms it into a Burning equivalent (ie, Burning Soldier/Burning Archer/Burning Infiltrator). Essentially, this soldier now does more damage, radiates a fire field, and is immune to fire damage and mental effects. As a parting shot, Profanus Pyre uses Beta Hit, which eliminates all soldiers and strikes a random party member x times (a random PC each time), where x is equal to the number of soldiers remaining plus one.
Obviously, part of the strategy of this fight is to leave as few soldiers remaining at the end as possible. Fortunately, Profanus Pyre helps this process a great deal himself by using Rally which softens the soldiers up and Meteor Strike which flat-out obliterates them. Burning Avatar is a slight annoyance, but can be truly harmful if the enemy actually reaches you. This time around, attrition is possible, but a lot less feasible. There is NO damage reduction for distance away from Profanus Pyre, although his abilities still cut into his HP total. He has more HP this time around, but his abilities are on the whole a great deal more expensive. Cold damage is still the best way to go, although poison and melee are still very good
options. Invulnerability is not feasible for the majority of the fight due to Meteor Strike, but you may choose to use it (or another, similar defensive status) immediately before killing Profanus Pyre so as to make Beta Hit less lethal, assuming you can't simply get rid of the soldiers. Singletons may also want to use invulnerability at the fight's end.
|-=BATTLE THREE: THE IMMORTAL=-|
+------------------------------+
The Immortal, after greeting you, will sink "into" one of the statues (chosen randomly before the fight begins). He has four forms that he will "switch" between randomly, each with 800 HP and located on a different statue. The key to this fight is defeating all four of them. (He will not switch to a form that has been defeated. Whenever he switches from one form to another, damage done to the previous form will be remembered.)
The quick-and-dirty of this fight is, The Immortal will deal substantially less damage to priests than anyone else. Why? Because his attacks take significant penalties for their targets' Willpower scores. (That should hint to you the nature of this fight. Sorry for the spoiler.) Also, note that he has a 1/4 chance of attacking twice, a 1/16 chance of attacking three times, a 1/64 chance of attacking four times, et cetera.
BEWARE! Characters who are paralyzed, asleep, confused and/or charmed will NOT be able to resist any of his attacks and will take maximum damage! It is of vital importance to cure all negative effects immediately.
One of his forms uses fire attacks. It uses Fireblast MkII, which is essentially similar to Profanus Pyre's attack. Another of its attacks is Red Haze, which hits all characters for lesser fire damage but confuses damaged characters. It uses Ruination least of all, but it's truly awful, doing intensely high fire damage to a single character and charming her/him. (Even characters with high Willpower may fall for this attack.) This form takes the most damage from cold attacks; poison and acid attacks do fair damage (although are not recommended because the only way to do this type of damage is Acid Spray, which becomes obsolete whenever he switches forms); and melee damage is heavily dampened. Fire (obviously) does no damage.
Another of his forms uses ice attacks. He uses Ice Lances MkII, which does less damage than Fireblast MkII but is more difficult to resist. Cold Snap does less damage than Ice Lances MkII and slows all damaged characters. (You may want to have one character both invulnerable and hasted to recoup
your losses if he uses this attack.) Rigor Mortis is used less frequently, but does heavy damage to a single character and paralyzes her/him. This form takes the most damage from fire attacks, although melee attacks are also effective. Poison/acid attacks are particularly worthless. Ice (again, obviously) does no damage.
The toxic form uses poison/acid attacks. It is imperative to cure the acid as soon as possible, since his attacks (especially those of other forms) will often run the risk of bringing you down to 0 HP. Acid Spray MkII does acid damage (though not a lot), and puts acid on all characters (and a great deal of it, too). Biohazzard does a fair amount of poison damage to all characters and potentially puts them to sleep. Black Mamba hits one character with heavy poison, acid and disease. Priests will be able to take this attack with minimal losses, though warriors will be DEVASTATED. Cast curing spells, or Esuna (if you have it). Melee damage does the most, but fire does a fair amount of harm. Cold does little damage, and poison/acid damage is totally useless.
The "steel" form does primarily melee damage. Thunderclap does wildly-ranging melee damage followed by a fair amount of magic damage. Piercing Strike will more-than-likely strip all warriors of their defensive status effects, and stands a good chance to do the same to priests, followed by a melee attack. Decapitation is particularly vicious-- it does damage enough to a single character that is virtually guaranteed to put her/him at 0 HP, and has a very good chance of dumping negative status effects on the
target. Cold damage is the most effective, followed by melee damage and poison/acid (if you can find a way to dish it out consistently). Fire damage is fairly ineffective.
After all four forms are defeated, The Immortal's illusion will be dispelled, and he will resort to fighting the party directly. This "fight" is painfully simple-- just whack him gently on the head (he only has 200 HP) and he'll give up. NOTE: Grab what items The Immortal drops, because when you leave combat, you will immediately be thrust into the ending cutscene!
Congratulations~! You win.