Held. Does everybody know this?

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I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, given that it is never mentioned in any of the game manuals. I've noticed that being 'Held' in any of the Infinity Engine games (Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale) means that every opponent's attack against you connects.

Yeah, I know it sounds blatantly obvious and logical, but I repeat that it's not mentioned in the manual. Only years of experience with BG2 and IWD2 led me to the realisation that getting held = getting ass kicked.

 

Even the critical misses?

 

There isn't even an attack roll! It's an autohit.

 

Hey, quit complaining! In the Gold Box engine, every attack against a held or sleeping opponent was an instant kill.

 

And that's the way it should be. If you are facing a heavily armored fighter who just became immobile, are you going to hit at his plate with your dagger, or are you going to drive it into his helms eye slit? Instant kill, And if it is your character held... well that is why one of the most needed spells was dispel magic.

I loved the gold box games,

 

I do remember hearing that somewhere before, and being held is definitely one of the worst enchanments to be under. I don't know if Mirror Image, Blur and Blink are also bypassed in this situation though. As for escaping the Hold Person spell, I have both my clerics memorize a casting of Remove Paralysis each for this. Enemy clerics cast Hold Person very often, but it rarely affects my party. Level 7 Chromatic Orb holds enemies as well, and its effectiveness is much greater, because it works on the reflex save, so can paralyze those pesky clerics. It's a lifesaving spell in the early to mid game.

 

It appears that you also auto-hit enemies nauseated by Stinking Cloud.

 

to be fair in pnp you can instant kill paralyzed, sleeping, held etc. people by sacrificing your entire round on making one killing blow.