Is GWW the only HLA I need?

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This is a follow up from my previous thread in which I started a party with no one dual wielding. Everyone is using using a two-handed weapon, or a weapon and a shield. I'm not too far away from getting my first HLAs, and I'm thinking if there's anything I really need besides GWW for my fighter types. Deathblow and Greater Deathblow don't work on too many things in ToB, and I do not possess any kensais that would greatly benefit from critical strike.

Here's the party:

PC - Undead Hunter, using Halberds
Keldorn - using Carsomyr
Mazzy - Flail of the Ages
Korgan - The axe you get in D'Arnise Keep - can't remember its name
Anomen - Improved Mace of Disruption, Crom Fayr
Jan - Staff of the Magi, Firetooth

Obviously, this is a melee heavy party, so I'm thinking that without a dual wielder around, GWW may be the only HLA that makes sense. Am I missing something here - I'll take any recommendations for what else would be a good idea.

 

For the paladins, Summon Planetar is always handy. That and Greater Whirlwind will see you through to the end quite happily, in my experience.

 

If you can get your attacks per round to 3 or higher (gauntlets of extraordinary specialisation) then you'll do better damage with improved haste and critical strike... against enemies who aren't protected against criticals, anyway. But yeah, you'll do fine with just whirlwinds too.

 

Here are other useful HLAs:

Hardiness is very kewl if you want to make your fighters survive impossible odds. Hardiness ,s very useful, it lasts quite a bit and CAN be stacked to make you immune to all pyschial damage if you don't have the fix.

GDeath Blow is shockingly potent, it kills 'very' annoying monsters so fast, like Mind Flayers, Beholders, Umber Hulks to name a few. It is very nice to kill a group of 'Improved' (gasp) MFs in a single shot. Use detonation arrow, activate GDB and ALL of the room will be cleared! Cheesy but so much fun!

MR HLA can be of help, if your tanks have less than %50 MR, ofcourse.

Hoep I can change your idea, pure GWWing is boring, not versatile and fruitless IMHO.

 

I agree with Silverstar. Hardiness is invaluable at times, especially on something like a Barbarian with the Defender of Easthaven.

I second what he said about Greater Deathblow but he pretty much covered its uses so I'll leave it alone.

I suggest a few in Critical Strike regardless if it will do more damage or not. It's useful in that it doesn't just double your damage, it rolls a natural 20. Therefore, no matter your foe's AC, you'll hit him. It can be handy on some ridiculously armored enemies. Tactics/Ascension have a few. If you're not using those mods, however, it's not as important but I'd still get a few anyway. Better to be prepared, eh?

 

You can still stack normal hardiness with the wish spell version if you have the fixpack, haha.

 

Now that I remember, that ridiculously low ACs, the Wraith of Wrath is the winner, with -25 AC, and he was completely immune to magic too! Luckily all my fighters had Crtitical Strike and he went down in a minute!

So, better be prepared then be sorry! Just in case!

 

Heh, that Wraith is indeed the one I was alluding to. Have fun bringing him down without Criticals.

 

I had no idea GDB worked on Mind Flayers. They are probably worth having for that reason alone. I don't use Tactics or Ascension, and I can honestly say I've never had an issue hitting something because of it's AC. It usually because it has some type of spell that's negating the damage, not that my THAC0 is insufficient to hit him.

 

^Indeed, GDB slays Mind Flayers, Bigger Mind Flayers, Gauths, Beholders, some vampires and MAYBE Elder Orbs too? I am not sure about the last one though. Can someone confirm this?

 

I'm pretty sure it does. A lot of monsters are just randomly a low level because it doesn't really matter. If only Liches were one level lower...

 

^Then it is a pretty fearsome HLA, I would wager. What say you Aldeth? getting rid of pesky MFs, Elder orbs, vampires and the like in a single powerful blow is sure handy I guess!

 

Like I said, I had no idea GDB worked on either mind flayers (and I'm assuming Ulitharids - or however you spell it - as well) or Elder Orbs for that matter. So yeah, my opinion has changed on it. I'm still rather unconvinced with critical strike though.

 

Well unless you're getting five or more attacks per round with Improved Haste, it's not that useful to you. Since you are not dual-wielding, I'd imagine Greater Whirlwind is the way to go. If you don't have trouble hitting, you don't really need the natural 20s.

 

I think the most powerful HLA is use of Any Item. My FMT has great time, doing GWW with Carsomyr and Robe of Mystra, which made me immune to Time Stop. It was something like that:

Edwin: cast Time Stop
Warmonger: Greater Whirlwind Attack
Bang, bang, bang
Warmonger: Greater Whirlwind Attack
Bang, bang, bang
Saladrex - Death
The party has gained experience: 64k
[pick his items, wait until TS ends]
Saladrex: Contingency triggered - Stoneskin

I won't be able to do that without UOAI. Now I'm running Swashbucler, who will be a great warrior with loads of broken items I wouldn't be able to use by any other beater.

 

Yes, UAI is a great HLA, but I was talking about my fighter types. UAI will probably be the first HLA I take for Jan.

 

Elder orbs are level 9, so yeah, GDB will kill them.

Monster levels suffer from the same problem as alignments, the programmers were too slack to implement them properly... I was amazed how many things I could kill with GDB. Seems like a lot of monsters are level 9, I guess they just figured as long as death spell couldn't autokill the tougher ones it didn't matter what level they were.

 

Yes my fighters get their first HLAs in underdark and DB and GDB are the first pickings, to deal with horridly powerful Improved Mind Flayers!

 

Ohhhhhh yeah. The reloads I saved myself on the T->F solo made it more than worth it.