Doors are your friends

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It is very interesting, that you can use the doors in the combat. Firts thing, you have to know: monsters can't open a door.
If you go in a chamber filled with monsters, go out, and wait until some of your enemies comes out too. Than close the door. Your opponents are separated...
If you can cast cloud kill or something like that, go in, cast your spell, leave the chamber and close the door. This way you have to be swift...
But my favourite door trick was in Irenicus's dungeon. After entering the portal, you meet Yoshimo. The next room is quite tricky. There is 4 caged an 4 free monsters. You have to kill only the caged ones. I went in, and retreated immediately, but 3 flying stupid followed me out. I hide in a shadow, and went back to close the door - from the other side. In the relative calm room it was not matter killing the undefended caged enemies

 

If I were you, I would either

a) Hope nobody else reads this, or

b) Cast a protection from fire on myself.

Because, my friend, you are about to get royally flamed.

 

Why would he get flamed over a tactic that would save him from getting his a** beat. I think that it is a very intelligent idea and if it works who cares?

 

/me royally flames...lol

Right, that is true about the doors, but it is also true that if a monster manages to get near door you won't be able to open them again. So you'd better quicksave often with that "strategy"!

 

Other tactics of equal (il)legitimacy which will successfully keep the player from getting his a** beat.

a) Fake talk

b) CTRL + Y

c) Console in the Killsword

d) 637 traps (after resting for 408 days in
the same room)

edit: e) almost forgot, when facing multiple enemies, running down the stairs so you can kill them one at a time.

Yes, I know, it's his game and he can play it any way he wants...but if you think, say, a Mind Flayer with methinks a 25 intelligence can't work out how to open a frickin' door, well...whatever floats your boat.

[This message has been edited by Gonzago (edited April 25, 2002).]

 

Actually, an average mind flayer has an intelligence of 17-18

And the topic name should be corrected. It should say: Doors are your enemies. One nasty critter panicked in a fight, ran away, and got himself wedged behind an open door and the wall. Nobody could see him, so they couldn't attack him. Had to fireball the pesky thing.

 

Mayhaps Mind Flayers got no thumbs?
Ergo cannot open a door? I dunno, just a thought.

 

That's a safe tactic, I must admit I used to use it all the time, but it's not much fun. Instead of heroically charging in and smiting all the enemies, you just sneak in, alert them, and run away taking them out one-by-one... You should only use that if you come up to a room filled to the brim with vampires, or golems or something else like that...
Of course, if you have an evil company, or a good company of thieves and/or rangers, it's alright...
EDIT: Valer, (if you're talking about the Battle of Agincourt, otherwise, disregard this statement, or let me know and I'll erase it) you might try getting the facts straight. Two hundred English bowmen ALMOST comletely wiped out a force of 4000 French knights. And there was no river, it rained the day before and the field got all muddy-that's why the knights couldn't charge, they kept tripping in the mud! (I saw it on the Discovery Channel last year)

[This message has been edited by Faerus Stoneslammer (edited April 26, 2002).]

 

It's logical to use the tactic if you're against, say an Umber Hulk or a mephit, or any other creature who doesn't have the capability or the intelligence to open a door. This "tactic" is cheap when used against someone capable of opening or bashing open a door, like a vampire or a golem.

 

That against room full of vampires? Bah!

Speaking of "strategies" you might get Anomen to swallow a potion of invisibility and enter there with Turn Undead. Oh, silly me, Anomen is too annoying to be in your party, it's less annoying to slam the doors numerous times.... *sigh*

 

Talking about doors. I think they made adatanium(I can't spell it) golems far too big and they get stuck in doors far too easily. And hey Just slamn the door and dont give s*** what anyone else thinks.

 

Who mentioned the Mind Flayers? I mostly use it against Umber Hulks. But i don't know why should everyone use open helmet tactic? Maybe it suits to a paladin, or a berserker but far far away from an assassin.
Another question: thief can unlock doors...are you sure he/she can't lock it? Intelligence is cool if the Knock spell memorized. Start a mage set the int to 25 and open a door at first level. Do you think you can?
This game based on rules. I did not hacked it. If the rule lets it it's Ok! Not a cheat!
Maybe you will crusify me but my assassin uses also: poison which is not fair against poor mages and golems, and sometimes (mostly) my character is not visible... and those bab bad ugly Mind Flyers with their int25 can't cast a true sight..
Historical sample: English archers (5000) totaly destroyed the French calvary (40000)in the middle ages just because a river separated the two army. Englishmen hated the German submarines because it was not fair.
Who can't use the advantage of suprise (backstab) or terrain (doors) not a clever person.

 

Using backstab is fine. By the rules.

Closing doors? That is not by the rules. In PnP the DM would have the monsters following you out the door. If they can't open it (too stupid, no thumbs), many would just smash it. What you are doing is exploiting a loop hole in the monster AI.

It's cheese. But if you can stomach it, then enjoy.

 

How about this? I run into a room, see a bunch of baddies, and then run out the door, BOLTING IT SHUT as I go. No one can open the door from the other side, unless they can smash it.

All doors do not open. In fact, I was at a customer site (TI), and they have a door with a sign that says: "This door cannot be opened." Boy, do I want to open that door!

I would add the ability to pick locks to work on locked doors. And bolting and/or locking a door should be a legitimate tactic.

 

Too bad you can't be BOLTING IT SHUT as you go, as the option does not exist in the game.

And intelligence 25 has nothing to do with true sight (besides, I already said they only have an intelligence of 17-18), Einstein had a huge intelligence score (relative to the age he lived in, everything is relative ) but was he intelligent enough to cast fireballs? No? According to you, that means he was stupid. Maybe he could've cast fireballs if there would have been someone to teach him (magic teachers are hard to come buyon our little world), but maybe nobody taught those illithids either, intelligent or not?

Having thumbs doesn't really matter when opening doors. Ever seen a cat jumping on the handle and opening one? Besides, illithids have thumbs

 

Yeah, I wish we could lock and/or bolt doors shut. And pick and/or smash them open. Imagine facing a huge oak door deeply set in stone in a castle. It's been bolted from the inside by a heavy oak beam.

Are you going to just open that door? No. What if you open it just enough to let in one or two bad guys, and then shut it and bolt it. That's a legitimate strategy.

 

Mind flayers have an intelligence of 17-18?? Then why can't a PC with equivalent intelligence open those frickin' doors in the MF area in the Underdark? ("You need a superior intelligence or godlike strength," or something to that effect.)

 

And who said anything about using it on Umberhulks. I always thought these beasts could claw their way through *walls*. How's a door going to stand in their way?

 

The Mind Flayers know how the doors work. You don't. But the "godlike strength" thing is there in case you don't have the control collars. Besides, 25 INT wouldn't give you "godlike strength" anyways. Mind Flayers just know the doors' mechanism. "Superior intelligence", IIRC, is not mentioned.

Valer: Doors are not terrain. It's not a good analogy with the river and the doors. For one thing, you can open a door; you can't walk across a river.

And I guess the Umber Hulks was a bad example. I guess mephits or imps are more fitting.

[This message has been edited by C'Jakob (edited April 27, 2002).]

 

Faerus: I don't know realy, I saw this on TV too, but I remember the French army was chasing the English archers across the whole country. And the river was there. But I remember what you mentioned too...so I am confused in this But I think the essence is the same.
I could tell the Hungarian sample (our hit and run tactic) but I think no one would know that...

Others: As you said the ability to open a door depends on the intelligence, strength and the thumb. I ask again: If I would start a human fighter with str 18 and int 18 and dual immediately to mage, are you sure I will be able to open the doors and locks??? I think not... Maybe because I don't know the mechanism how they closed it. But I wonder if they know how I did it?

Jakob: Calvary can cross a river... just without heavy armour.

[This message has been edited by Valer (edited April 29, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Valer (edited April 29, 2002).]