Fw: Anti-necromancer newbie guide

[Sirrion]

(Originally posted by Geryon)


Orlein the male half-elf is my 12th knight @ Solace. I've learned some tricks that way...

1) Best feats for a knight are Balance, Toughness, Toughness.

2) Knight is a powerful death-machine. A knight can beat almost anyone, except perhaps a skilled neutral or good fighter.

3) Necromancer is most powerful class. However, a skilled and prepared knight can beat even a necromancer (due to highly tailored nature of necromancer).

a) Necromancer's pets mostly hit by bashing damtype. You should find and wear items that provide resistance to bashing attacks. There are lots of such gear around.

b) To prevent mummies from reaching you, you should use a staff/spear/polearm, being in defensive stance or mounted. Standoff skill is far more effective against high-ranked foes than any other defensive skill, be it parry, dodge, shield block or flourentine.

c) Necromancer has powerful maladictive spells. You must have a decent saves to resist them. Better 40 saves of each type.
Tip: your protectorate aura prevents sleep spell with 75% probability.

d) Use harden skin and sanctuary (alas, sanctuary doesn't prevent sleep spell, but it's more powerful than protectorate)

e) Use haste when available, it improves stand off, parry etc.

f) Sleep, Power word kill etc. spells cannot be used during battle. Try to attack the necromancer first, with your wrath spell for example. He will rescue himself with his mummies - you flee and spam wrath again.

g) If you are blinded - don't try to fight further, just flee and recall. Blindness reduces stand off and parry in a harsh way.

i) If you are slept - consider yourself already dead. Well, if you have high saves, perhaps you still have a chance.

j) Try to summon him from his minions. Without them he is no one.

k) Beware of traps, necromancer can summon you into some noexit (often passdoorable) place. Use pass door scrolls or pills if you are unsure about that. If you are summoned - better recall immediately, if you aren't 100% sure what are you going to do instead.

l) Summoning a necromancer in a noexit place is all but useless, since he can recall from battle. (Actually, of those with word of recall spell only knights cannot recall from battle).

m) Necromancer has a spell that grants 35% resistance from physical attacks, 20% from holy and 50% from negative. Consider that when choosing your weapons.

n) Necromancers tend to obtain veil of maggots spell. It works like sanctuary, but only against attacks, not spells, and shatters after few blows. So damaging spells will be more useful on them. You'll see that aura as (Teeming maggots).

o) Master spells! Even 99% wrath spell can lead to your death, say, from sleep or power word kill spell. Master word of recall spell too.
I remember a story when I killed a cleric of Sargonnas with my knight (actually, Werthius) by drumming his head with my maces. The drumming maces skill failed once and he tried to recall twice, but failed both times (word of recall 98%) and died. (*tip* Lynx)

p) Dunno what to add. As Gorbash says, rather use brains, not powers.

Being a Knight of the Rose, I successfully defeated a Tower necromancer not so long ago. However, Knights of the Rose have additional 20% resistance from bashing (mummies) and negative (power word kill spell), and two additional blocks. I had harden skin on, he had harden skin and protection from good. Seems he would win if he'd use sanctuary. In fact, a Tower necromancer and a Rose knight are decent enemies for each other.

I said something about highly tailored necromancers. Yes, actually, if you are immune to bashing and negative (along with decent saves, of course), then necromancers will be unable to do any harm to you. (Well, they shall still be able to scratch you with their daggers).

But. It's uneasy to defeat a necromancer. I'd say, it's nearly an impossible task for a newbie. So that you better learn first how to survive a meeting with a necromancer, then learn your ways towards victory.