Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter for Windows
Concise Guide (Version 0.5 - Limited Edition)
Current Update: Friday, 12 April 2002
Previous Update: Tuesday, 10 April 2001
Created: Sunday, 11 March 2001
By Don "Gamera" Chan (
[email protected])
Note: This file covers only the HOW (Heart of
Winter) part of Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter. For
the IWD (Icewind Dale) part, read my separate IWD
FAQ.
1. Acknowledgements
2. 2nd Impression
3. The Party
3.1 Character Creation
3.2 Heart of Winter Features
3.3 Strategies and Tactics
4. The Adventure
4.1 Kuldahar
4.2 Lonelywood
4.3 Barbarian Camp
4.4 Burial Isle
4.5 Gloomfrost
5. Links
Disclaimer: I send the newest version of this file
to only six Websites:
-
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/30009.html
-
http://vgstrategies.about.com/
-
http://DLH.Net/
-
http://www.gamesover.com/
-
http://www.cheathappens.com/
-
http://gameguru.box.sk/
If you downloaded or read this file at other
Websites, the SysOps of the other Websites probably
leeched it from one of the above Websites.
Dementi: J'ai envoye la plus recente version de ce
fichier a seulement six sites webs.
-
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/30009.html
-
http://vgstrategies.about.com/
-
http://DLH.Net/
-
http://www.gamesover.com/
-
http://www.cheathappens.com/
-
http://gameguru.box.sk/
Si vous avez telecharge ou lu ce fichier a partir
d'autres sites, les responsables de ces sites l'auront
probablement pompe a partir de l'un des sites ci-dessus.
"Setsunasa!" (*1)
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to these sierra hotel persons/organisations:
- Jean-Luc Barbera of France, for the French
translation of the Disclaimer, and the English
translation of the NOIR foreword. (After all, English and
French are the two official languages up here in Canada,
the True North Strong and Free.)
No thanks to these lima delta persons/organisations:
- M27Power.Com, for computer virus.
In memory of:
- The victims of the terrorist attacks in the USA in
the morning on 11 September 2001. God bless America.
"Le noir, ce mot designe depuis une epoque lointaine
le nom du destin.
"Les deux vierges regnent sur la mort.
"Les mains noires protegent la paix des
nouveaux-nes."
- NOIR (TV: 2001)
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2. 2ND IMPRESSION
I hate:
- In Burial Isle, Ghost Shamans and Wailing Virgins
at Difficulty = Hard. (Fortunately, at least they don't
drain the chara's levels.)
- In Gloomfrost, groups of four to five Ice Golem
Sentries at Difficulty = Insane.
3. THE PARTY
3.1 CHARACTER CREATION
In HOW, when the player creates a new chara, the new chara begins at
Level 1. Even in an Expansion Only game, a new chara doesn't begin at Level
9.
When the player begins an Expansion Only game, and Imports a party from
IWD into HOW, the party's Journal and each chara's Information screen are
reset to blank or zero. OTOH, when the party begins HOW in Kuldahar, the HOW
events are recorded in the current Chapter of their Journal.
For comparison, in IWD, my Marxist Social Democratic Party... I mean my
final party have six chara:
- Female, Human, Paladin 12, Lawful Good.
STR 18/39, DEX (17), CON 17, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 17.
Axes (Specialised), Great Swords (Specialised),
Hammers, Large Swords (Specialised), Maces.
- Female, Half-Elf, Cleric 10/Ranger 10, Chaotic Good.
STR 18/52, DEX 18, CON 18, INT 9, WIS 18, CHA 9
(10).
Flails (Specialised), Hammers (Specialised), Maces,
Missile Weapons, Quarter Staves.
- Female, Elf, Fighter 10/Mage 11, Chaotic Neutral.
STR (18/51), DEX 19, CON 17, INT 18, WIS 9, CHA (6).
Axes, Bows (Specialised), Great Swords, Halberds
(Specialised), Large Swords.
- Female, Half-Elf, Fighter 10/Druid 12, True Neutral.
STR 18/69, DEX 18, CON 10, INT 10, WIS 18, CHA 15.
Daggers (Specialised), Large Swords (Specialised),
Missile Weapons (Specialised), Spears.
- Male, Human, Conjurer 13/Fighter 2, Lawful Neutral.
STR 18/48, DEX 16, CON 16, INT 18, WIS 9, CHA 9.
Axes, Bows, Crossbows (Specialised), Daggers, Large
Swords, Missile Weapons.
- Female, Gnome, Illusionist 11/Thief 12, Chaotic
Good.
STR 10, DEX 18, CON 18, INT 19, WIS 17, CHA 9.
Bows, Daggers, Large Swords, Missile Weapons, Small
Swords.
Despite all the STR 18/XX, I'm not a Munchkin player, or I would've
downloaded and used a trainer to edit every chara's Ability Scores to at
least 25.
In IWD, when the Human Fighter was Level 2, I impatiently Dual Class
him to Conjurer. Even as an high-level Conjurer, his high THAC0 was
disadvantageous.
In HOW, after I remove his equipment (including his Restored Blade of
Aihonen), I lay off him, and add a new Human Fighter:
- Male, Human, Fighter 1, Lawful Neutral.
STR 18/68, DEX 18, CON 16, INT 18, WIS 9, CHA 9.
Axes, Crossbows (Specialised), Large Swords.
When the party begins yomping about Burial Isle, this new Fighter's
already Level 8, Double Specialised (+++) with Crossbows, and proficient (+)
with Great Swords. Using a Repeating Heavy Crossbow from IWD, he has four
shots (attacks) per round at 10+ points damage per shot, and THAC0 3. (To
quote (Retired) General Norman Schwarzkopf, "Knock them hard, knock them
fast, knock them out!") I'll Dual Class this new Fighter to Conjurer when
he's Level 9 or 12.
(The Cleric/Ranger and Paladin have been in the party since Day 1 of my
IWD game, and have the unromantic names of CLERIC/RANGER 1 and PALADIN 1.
(I'm serious.) OTOH, I don't name the new Human Fighter as Wang Wei or Ehime
Maru.)
LATER: In Gloomfrost, just before the party talks with the Seer, the
new Human Fighter is Level 12. He Dual Class to Mage instead of Conjurer,
because in HOW the Conjurer's Opposition School is Evocation, which means
the Conjurer can't use even Level 1 Chromatic Orb and Magic Missile! After
the party talks with the Seer, the new Human Fighter/Mage immediately gets
140,000 XP at Difficulty = Insane, and warps to Mage Level 9!
The party's favourite Mage spells are:
Level 1: Chromatic Orb, Identify, Magic Missile.
Level 2: Acid Arrow, Snowball Storm, Web.
Level 3: Flame Arrow, Haste, Lightning Bolt, Skull Trap.
Level 4: Ice Storm, Improved Invisibility, Monster Summoning II.
Level 5: Demi-Shadow Monsters.
Level 6: ?
Level 7: ?
Level 8: ?
Level 9: ?
The party's favourite Priest spells are:
Level 1: Cure Light Wounds, Entangle, Magic Stone.
Level 2: Cure Moderate Wounds, Silence 15' Radius.
Level 3: Animate Dead, Call Lightning, Dispel Magic, Holy Smite,
Invisibility Purge, Protection From Fire.
Level 4: Cure Serious Wounds, Static Charge.
Level 5: Animal Summoning II, Cure Critical Wounds, Raise Dead.
Level 6: Conjure Fire Elemental, Heal, Searing Orb.
Level 7: ?
Each Mage should memorise at least one Identify spell. Each time the
party is ready to rest, and if any chara has any unidentified magic item,
order the Mage to Identify the magic item before the party rests.
Like potions, multiple scrolls of the same spell can be stacked in a
backpack slot. When a Mage tries to Write Magic a spell from a scroll, and
clicks on a backpack slot that contains multiple scrolls of the same spell,
the Write Magic expends just one scroll.
In my party, when a chara has a missile weapon as one of her Quick
Weapons, she carries six slots (three Quiver slots and three Backpack slots)
of ammo. When a chara doesn't have a missile weapon as one of her Quick
Weapons, she uses her Quiver slots to carry extra ammo anyway.
When a chara's standing on and tries to pick up an item, but her
backpack is full, go to her Inventory screen. There, she can move items from
her backpack to another chara and pick up the item on the ground; or pick up
the item and merge it with a same item (ammo, gem, potion, &c) in her
backpack; or pick up the item and give it to another chara.
When a Druid is in animal form, she can open containers and doors. In
her Inventory screen, she can't move ammo from her backpack to her quiver,
because "Magical weapon in use."
My Druid naturally has STR 18/69, DEX 18, CON 10. In Winter Wolf form,
she has STR 17, DEX 9, CON 9. In Earth Elemental form, she has STR 23, DEX
5, CON 19.
Moving the Difficulty slider to Hard or Insane also multiplies the XP
awards that the party gets when they talk with certain NPCs.
3.2 HEART OF WINTER FEATURES
Gem Bags, Potion Bags, and Scroll Cases aren't automatically in a
chara's Inventory screen. The party buys them at the shops. (IMO, they are
relatively expensive.) They have a limited capacity, unlike the containers
in buildings and dungeons.
In a shop, while a chara is talking with the merchant, the chara can
open a Gem Bag, Potion Bag, or Scroll Case and buy/sell its contents.
In HOW, when a hostile monster sees a chara, that monster and other
monsters near it will chase the chara even when the monsters are beyond the
chara's visual range. When the party retreats out of a dungeon entrance, the
monsters don't follow the party out of the entrance. The monsters stop at
where they are when the party retreats out of the entrance.
For comparison, in IWD, after a chara sees a monster, and the monster
chases the chara, if the chara retreats faster and causes the monster to
become beyond the chara's visual range, it will stop chasing the chara and
return to its default position. Also, when a chara sees a monster just at
the edge of her visual range, the monster might not see and chase the chara
unless the chara attacks or moves closer to it. (Unfortunately, this "First
look, first shot, first kill" feature doesn't work in HOW.)
In theory, in HOW, in a dungeon with multiple entrances, the party can
run around, attract some monsters to chase the party, and exit the dungeon
by one entrance. After the monsters are assembled near one entrance, the
party can re-enter the dungeon by another entrance, move to the previous
entrance, and cast area-effect offensive spells to damage the monsters en
masse.
3.3 STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
The method that my party explore strange new Area Maps, which I
developed in IWD, is what I call the "Low and Slow" tactic. The tactic has
two variants: i) when the party are indoor; and ii) when the party are
outdoor. In both variants, almost every chara in the party has a missile
weapon.
When the party is indoor (like in a dungeon), I divide the party into
(in BattleTech terminology) three Lances, like the lines of players in an
ice hockey or soccer game. Light Lance, the first line, is (in USMC
terminology) the scout-sniper, like a Gnome Illusionist/Thief with Boots of
Speed, a magic bow, and area-effect spells (like Entangle, Fireball, Ice
Storm, or Web) memorised. Medium Lance, the second line, is some summoned
friendly monsters, and sometimes an Elf Fighter/Mage with a magic bow and
area-effect spells memorised. Heavy Lance, the third line, is the other
chara in the party.
After the party enters a dungeon, and no hostile monsters immediately
engage them, they summon some friendly monsters. While the Heavy Lance
remains immobile and waits, the Light Lance (scout-sniper) and Medium Lance
(friendly monsters) slowly move farther into the dungeon (two or three steps
at a time). When the Light Lance and Medium Lance are at least one screen
away from the Heavy Lance, the Medium Lance stops. While the Medium Lance
remains immobile and waits, the Light Lance slowly moves farther into the
dungeon and detects traps.
When the Light Lance sees some hostile monsters, she either casts an
area-effect spell to damage or hinder the monsters if the monsters are slow,
or retreat towards the Medium Lance if the monsters are fast. Also, I order
the Medium Lance to engage the hostile monsters, and the Fighter/Mage to
cast area-effect spells to damage or hinder the monsters. Simultaneously, I
order the Heavy Lance chara who have missile weapons or spells to engage the
hostile monsters. When the Light Lance is between the Medium Lance and Heavy
Lance, the Light Lance also engages the hostile monsters with her missile
weapon or spells (like Acid Arrow, Chromatic Orb, Flame Arrow, and Magic
Missile). When the hostile monsters are engaging the Medium Lance, I order
the entire party to engage the hostile monsters, with melee weapons, missile
weapons, or spells.
After the party destroys all hostile monsters and collects their
treasures, if any, the party repeats this method.
When the party is outdoor, and they are not as concerned about
detecting traps, I divide the party into two Lances. Medium Lance, the first
line, is the scout-sniper, some friendly monsters, and maybe the
Fighter/Mage. Heavy Lance, the second line, is the other chara in the party.
While the Heavy Lance remains immobile and waits, the Medium Lance slowly
moves farther into the Area Map.
When the Medium Lance sees some hostile monsters, the scout-sniper
either casts an area-effect spell to damage or hinder the monsters if the
monsters are slow, or retreat towards the Heavy Lance if the monsters are
fast. Also, I order the friendly monsters to engage the hostile monsters.
When the hostile monsters are engaging the friendly monsters, I order the
Heavy Lance to engage the hostile monsters, with melee weapons, missile
weapons, or spells. When the scout-sniper is between the friendly monsters
and the Heavy Lance, she also engages the hostile monsters with her missile
weapon or spells.
(In the war game BattleTech (or informally "CattleTech"), a Company of
9-12 Mechs are divided into 3-4 Lances of 3-4 Mechs each, either by tonnage
(Light Lance, Medium Lance, Heavy Lance, or Assault Lance) or by function
(Recon Lance or Fire Lance).)
In HOW, Mail of Life (magic armour) still doesn't Regenerate its
wearer's HP when the party moves from one place to another in the World Map.
BTW, HOW doesn't correct the bug in the Upper Dorn's Deep in my IWD
game. Each time the party enters Upper Dorn's Deep, the Blue Myconids and
Ettins always re-appear to welcome the party.
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4. THE ADVENTURE
4.1 KULDAHAR
In the house northeast of the Arch-Druid's statue is Hjollder. In
Hjollder's house, in the closet are: bullets and Sling +1.
Hjollder will Wind Walk (teleport) the party to Lonelywood only when
all chara in the party are Level 9+. OTOH, the party can temporarily decline
to help him and stay in Kuldahar, which are reported in the party's Journal.
Hjollder (Hjollder): Nothing. (1,400 XP. War Hammer +4, Defender.)
If the party attacks Mobius the Wind Walker... I mean Hjollder, he
counter-attacks. After the party murders him, the Priests and Priestess of
Ilmater don't attack the party.
4.2 LONELYWOOD
After Hjollder casts Wind Walk and disappears, northeast of the party
is a well. At the well is the girl Hailee.
Southeast of the well are Karrl, Rawleigh, and two horses at the
Gallaway Trading Coster.
East of the well is Jemeliah.
East of Jemeliah and northeast of the Gallaway Trading Coster is
Emmerich's house. Emmerich sells magic and non-magic missile weapons and
ammo. He doesn't identify magic items. Talk with him about the barbarians
and he'll add the Barbarian Camp to the party's World Map. Talking with
other persons in Lonelywood can also add the Barbarian Camp to the party's
World Map.
Northeast of the well is Quinn's shrine. He's a Priest and sells magic
and non-magic melee weapons, plus Gem Bags, Potion Bags, and Scroll Cases.
He identifies magic items at 300 GP each.
(Quinn buys Broken Armours and Winter Wolf Pelts, but not Broken
Shields.
Emmerich (see above), Kieran (see below), and Quinn don't buy Broken
Shields. I dump them in Kieran's bookcase.
Emmerich doesn't buy Winter Wolf Pelt and Yeti Pelt.)
In Quinn's room, after a Thief untraps and unlocks Quinn's chest, the
party can use it to temporarily store and re-arrange their equipment,
especially a party who come to Lonelywood from Kuldahar, and every chara is
carrying the best magic items the party has accumulated in IWD.
North of Quinn's shrine is Kieran's inn. After the party discovers
Kieran's secret room and talks with him about it, he can identify magic
items at 250 GP each.
On the upper floor of Kieran's inn, in the rooms are some containers
that contain (duh) items.
(My Level 12 Thief keeps failing to unlock his chest...)
Northeast of Quinn's shrine and east of Kieran's inn is Purvis's house.
Before the first time the party goes to the Barbarian Camp, a Thief can Pick
Pocket only one item from Purvis. After the first time the party returns
from the Barbarian Camp, a Thief can Pick Pocket two more items from Purvis.
(My party plan to terminate Purvis before he terminates Baldemar and
Arden.)
North of Purvis's house is Tybald's house.
East of Purvis's house is the entrance/exit of Lonelywood.
West of the well is a bridge. West of the bridge is Young Ned.
North of the bridge and Young Ned is Thom's house.
Northwest of Thom's house is Dolan and Doogal's house. When an
environmental-friendly party have a problem with Doogal's trapping and try
to debate with him, he doesn't attack the party.
East of Dolan and Doogal's house is Digby.
East of Digby is Arden and Baldemar's house. The party can't store the
Council Letter in a Scroll Case.
(None of the houses in Lonelywood seem to have an indoor toilet?)
After the party exits Lonelywood, enter Barbarian Camp, talk with
Wylfdene, talk with Angaar, exit Barbarian Camp, and re-enter Lonelywood,
Purvis is outside and southeast of his house.
(I don't know what happens if the party murders Digby before the first
time they visit Barbarian Camp?)
After the party talks with Baldemar and get 420,000 XP when he explains
the attempted assassination, the party tells him to get out of their sight,
but he doesn't.
When a female chara talks with Thom, he calls her "missy". When a male
chara talks with Thom, he calls him "sonny".
After the first time the party talks with Wylfdene, though the Burial
Isle icon in the World Map has a Travelling Hours of 0, the party can't go
to it by themselves. To go to the Burial Isle, talk with Young Ned.
After the party finds Hjollder in Burial Isle, and before the party
takes the Tribal Insignia from Wylfdene's coffin and give it to Hjollder,
when the party returns to Lonelywood at night, they might find a Greater
Werewolf outside Kieran's inn.
If the party attacks the Greater Werewolf, when its status is Almost
Dead, it changes into a four-legged Greater Werewolf and flees. If the party
Hold or Stun it, such as with a Chromatic Orb, it's worth 4,000 XP at
Difficulty = Insane. Its body has no item.
(My party decide to follow Michael Walsh's advice and flee from the
Greater Werewolf instead of engaging it.)
During daytime, the party can talk with Emmerich about the Greater
Werewolf, without first talking with Doogal and Kieran about a magic weapon.
If the party tells him they'll fatally cure his disease, the party attacks
him. He Stealth and disappears. If the party doesn't cast Invisibility Purge
and they exit his house, when the party is outside his house, he appears at
the doorway and shoots at the party, for 30+ points damage per shot. Even
after the party fatally cures his disease, the nearby Jemeliah and other
persons in Lonelywood don't become hostile. Then, when the party talks with
Doogal, they apparently say nothing special about the Greater Werewolf.
After the party discloses Wylfdene and the Wyrm Tribe Warriors'
conspiracy in the Barbarian Camp, and the party returns to Lonelywood and
enters Kieran's inn, when they exits the inn, they meet Vaarglan and
Alpheus.
Against Vaarglan & Co, my party cast area-effect, long-duration spells
at Vaarglan, such as Cloudkill and Web, then bombard him and his allies with
single-target and (small) area-effect spells, such as Acid Arrow, Chromatic
Orb, Lance of Disruption, and Skull Trap. When one of Vaarglan's allies is
Hurt or Badly Wounded, she/he is the target of the party's next round of
spells. Because Alpheus is probably some distance from Vaarglan, a Mage or
Priest in my party bombards him with single-target spells, such as Acid
Arrow and Chromatic Orb, then summons some monsters to keep Alpheus busy.
When Vaarglan's allies are all KIA, and only Vaarglan, Cloudkill, and Web
remain; my party switch to missile weapons and engage Vaarglan.
Ambere Dunn (Ambere Dunn): Nothing.
Arden Thurlow (Arden Thurlow): Nothing.
Baldemar Thurlow (Baldemar Thurlow): Nothing.
Digby (Digby): Nothing.
Dolan (Dolan): ? (Reputation -0. 262 XP. Leather armour, short sword.)
Doogal (Doogal): Nothing. (Reputation -0. 2,100 XP. Magic battle axe,
magic studded leather armour.)
Emmerich Hawk (Emmerich Hawk): Nothing. (Magic items.)
Greater Werewolf (Greater Werewolf): - (Reputation -0. 4,000 XP.)
Hailee Dunn (Hailee Dunn): Nothing.
Jemeliah Smithson (Jemeliah): Nothing. (Reputation -5. Dagger, leather
armour.)
Karrl Rider (Karrl): Nothing. (Reputation -2. 120 XP. Leather armour,
short sword.)
* Kieran Nye (Kieran Nye): Ring of Greater Resistance.
Murdaugh (Murdaugh): Nothing.
* Purvis (Purvis): Oil of Speed, two Rings of Free Action. (Reputation
-0. 11,000 XP. Boots of Stealth (Stealth +35%), Cloak of Non-Detection
(Non-Detection), Oil of Speed, Potion of Extra Healing, Ring of Free Action,
Short Sword +3 of Backstabbing.)
Quinn Silverfinger (Quinn Silverfinger): Nothing. (Reputation -5. 2,000
XP. Magic bullets, magic morning star, magic sling.)
Rawleigh Gallaway (Rawleigh Gallaway): Nothing. (Reputation -5. 650 XP.
Chain-mail armour, Short Sword +2.)
Roald Tunnelfist (Roald Tunnelfist): Nothing.
Sleeping Dwarf (Sleeping Dwarf): ? (Reputation -5. 0 XP.)
Thom Farold (Thom Farold): Nothing.
Tybald Dunn (Tybald Dunn): Nothing. (Reputation -5. 22 XP.)
Young Ned (Young Ned): Nothing.
Horse: - (0 XP. Nothing.)
In Lonelywood, even when a Druid talks with the horses, they say "..."
I don't think a Thief can Pick Pocket a horse.
If a Thief fails to Pick Pocket Hailee or Quinn, they become hostile
and the party attacks them.
If the party attacks Emmerich, he Hide In Shadows and disappears.
If the party attacks Hailee, her worst status is Uninjured. I suspect
all children in HOW are immortal, as in IWD.
If the party murders Jemeliah, Emmerich exits his house and attacks the
party.
If the party murders Purvis, the other persons in Lonelywood don't
become hostile.
If the party murders the Sleeping Dwarf, the other persons in the inn
don't become hostile.
Quinn doesn't react negatively to the party when the party pays him to
identify his magic sling.
Purvis is Evil!
Arden, Baldemar, Digby (surprise), Dolan (surprise), Doogal (surprise),
Hailee, Jemeliah, Karrl, Kieran, Murdaugh, Rawleigh, Roald, Sleeping Dwarf,
Thom, Young Ned, and the horses aren't Evil.
(Actually, I shouldn't be surprised the three brothers aren't Evil.
After all, in AD&D3 (or "E3"), Rangers can be Evil. If I ever play a live
AD&D3 game, I want to try an Evil Ranger. In AD&D1 and AD&D2, an Evil Ranger
was an impossible class, because a Fighter who is a Fallen Ranger and
changes her alignment to Evil can't acquire any further level as a Ranger.
Even the old Dragon Magazine once had an article about the seven variants of
Paladin who aren't Lawful Good (Paladin) or Chaotic Evil (Anti-Paladin).)
4.3 BARBARIAN CAMP
To open the gate, the party tells Angaar to take them to their leader.
After he opens the gate and the barbarians surround the party, when the
party tells Angaar to farewell, the other barbarians simply disappear. After
this, when the party tells Angaar to take them to their leader, he doesn't
open the gate again, and the other barbarians simply appear and surround the
party.
When talking with Kahless... I mean Wylfdene, when the party tells him
to farewell, he doesn't let them go, and the dialogue continues. To get
126,000 (or so) XP, be polite and do a Captain Kirk/Captain Picard on him
(debate with him).
Angaar (Angaar): Nothing. (9,000 XP. Battle axe, medium shield.)
Bear Tribe Warrior (Bear Tribe Warrior): Nothing.
Beornen Walson (Beornen): Nothing.
Elk Tribe Warrior (Elk Tribe Warrior): Nothing.
Hjollder (Hjollder): ?
Jorn (Jorn): ?
Wylfdene (Wylfdene): ?
Wyrm Tribe Warrior (Wyrm Tribe Warrior): ?
If the party attacks Angaar, the gate opens and other barbarians come
to attack the party.
After the party goes to Gloomfrost, talk with the Seer, get the Mirror
of Black Ice Amulet from Tiernon, and murder the Seer; when the party goes
to the Barbarian Camp and talk with Wylfdene, the Seer appears (like Obi-Wan
Kenobi) and talks with Wylfdene anyway.
Alternately, after the party goes to Gloomfrost, talk with the Seer,
and get the Mirror of Black Ice Amulet from Tiernon; when the party goes to
the Barbarian Camp, talk with Wylfdene, and tell him to farewell, he doesn't
let them go, and the dialogue continues.
(When a male Human Fighter/Mage talks with Wylfdene, he seems to get
one fewer option than a female Human Paladin.)
Afterwards, when the natives are restless, attack only Wyrm Tribe
Warriors. The cursors under them are red, and they wear something white on
their shoulders. Friendly Bear Tribe Warriors' clothing is yellowish brown,
and Elk Tribe Warriors' clothing is reddish brown.
Outside Wylfdene's tent are more hostile Wyrm Tribe Warriors. Seems the
party can get items from only those Wyrm Tribe Warriors whom the party
terminated.
(In my game, "the tribe of the Elk is victorious over the tribe of the
Great Wyrm." Maybe the Bear Tribe can also be victorious over the Wyrm
Tribe?)
The party can reach Beornen only when they exit Wylfdene's tent through
the rightmost exit.
Beornen, Hjollder, and Jorn don't buy and sell items.
4.4 BURIAL ISLE
On the Burial Isle, when the party rests near Young Ned's boat, hostile
Barrow Wights or Drowned Dead might appear.
If the party attacks Young Ned, he's apparently immune to even magic
weapons and spells. After his cursor becomes red, the party can't talk with
him and return to Lonelywood.
Northeast of Young Ned's boat is a cave entrance, "E" in Dan Simpson's
screen capture (JPG).
(After my party explored the surface level of Burial Isle, they entered
the underground level of Burial Isle from this cave entrance.)
Cave entrances and other structures on Burial Isle are guarded by
Undead: i) Barrow Wights and Ghost Shamans; or ii) Drowned Dead.
In the surface level, when engaging the Barrow Wights and Ghost
Shamans, prioritise the Ghost Shamans. I suggest move the party to southeast
of Young Ned, summon some friendly monsters, move north, engage the
right-side group of Undead first, and when the left-side group of Undead
engage the party anyway, divide the party to simultaneously destroy both
Ghost Shamans, before the party destroys the Barrow Wights. Entangle and Web
spells are effective against the Barrow Wights, Drowned Dead, and Ghost
Shamans.
(My Level 11 Cleric can't seem to destroy or turn any of the Undead...)
North of cave entrance "E" is Polar Bear Spirit's altar.
(No Coca-Cola bottles in sight though.)
When Polar Bear Spirit talks with the party, and the party tells it to
farewell, it lets the party go and doesn't become hostile. OTOH, when the
party (uses the Talk icon to) talk with Polar Bear Spirit, it becomes
hostile, summons some Black Bear Spirits and Wolf Spirits, and attacks the
party.
Northwest of Young Ned's boat is another cave entrance, "A" in Dan
Simpson's screen capture.
Northeast of cave entrance "A" and west of Polar Bear Spirit's altar is
another cave entrance, "C" in Dan Simpson's screen capture.
Northeast of Polar Bear Spirit's altar is another cave entrance, "D" in
Dan Simpson's screen capture.
Far west of Young Ned's boat, near the southwest corner of the Area
Map, is Edion's tower. Edion sells magic items and scrolls. He identifies
magic items at 250 GP each. He buys Broken Armours, but doesn't buy Broken
Shields. (The Dimension Door spell will be very useful later in the game.)
North of the tower are Skaldar and five Ghost Shamans with which the
party can talk.
When Skaldar talks with the party, and the party tells it to farewell,
it lets the party go and doesn't become hostile. Also, when the party (uses
the Talk icon to) talk with Skaldar, it doesn't become hostile. Skaldar is
more polite than Polar Bear Spirit.
(My party decided to not attack or provoke Polar Bear Spirit and
Skaldar, unless or until my party need their XP.)
Northwest of Skaldar is a lighthouse.
On Burial Isle, freezing rain and snowing (weather effects) sometimes
happens.
In the underground level, when Mebdinga talks with the party, and the
party tells it to farewell, it lets the party go and doesn't become hostile.
But if a chara opens Wylfdene's coffin, or remains near Mebdinga, Mebdinga
becomes hostile and summons four Wailing Virgins. She's more dutiful than
Polar Bear Spirit and Skaldar.
Damage evidently can't disrupt a Wailing Virgin's magic attacks.
If the party attacks Vexing Thoughts, it's apparently immune to even
magic weapons and spells. While the party is attacking it, it remains
neutral (its cursor is light blue), and the party can talk with it again.
(The first time my party talk with Vexing Thoughts, my Paladin doesn't
try to command it. My Paladin immediately talks with it again, and when it
demands the party to murder an innocent, my Paladin says they've done it and
dedicates it to the Tanar'ri. The party gets the Vexed Armour, and their
Journal is updated. My Fighter, and even my Paladin, can wear the Vexed
Armour, which isn't Cursed, and the wearer doesn't instantly die. Also, the
Journal reports Vexing Thoughts demands the party to murder nine innocents,
but the party reportedly murders only one to satisfy Vexing Thoughts. BUG!?
OTOH, when the party talks with Vexing Thoughts, they can try to
command it without knowing its true name. When a chara's wearing armour and
the player replaces that armour by Vexed Armour, that chara immediately has
-10 HP, dies, and transforms into a Chalimandren. The pointer is now the
chara's previous armour and when the player clicks the dead chara's portrait
to (try to) dump the previous armour into the dead chara's backpack, the
game says the dead chara is "too far away". WRT Critical Hits, the
Chalimandren is considered as wearing an helmet.)
When a Paladin talks with Hjollder, she can tell him "the touch of
Evil" is upon Wylfdene, but she gets no additional XP award.
If the party has the Tribal Insignia from Wylfdene's coffin and talk
with Hjollder, they give it to him. Then, if the party wants to return to
Kuldahar, he Wind Walk the party and himself from Burial Isle to his house
in Kuldahar. In Kuldahar, when the party wants to return to the HOW area,
talk with Kuldahar and he Wind Walk the party, but not himself, to his
island in Burial Isle.
(After he disappears one way or another, when my party re-enters the
underground level of Burial Island, some of the Undead in the underground
level regenerate and re-appear. Also, in Kuldahar, my party dump their magic
items in the chest in Conlan's shop, but I forgot my party left the Conlan's
Key in the chest in Quinn's shrine... Anticipating battles with more Trolls
in HOW, my party retrieve the key from Lonelywood, Wind Walk to Kuldahar,
and retrieve their fire-based magic weapons from the chest in Conlan's
shop.)
Edion Caradoc (Edion Caradoc): Nothing.
Mebdinga (Mebdinga): Nothing.
Skaldar (Skaldar): Nothing.
Ghost Shaman (Ghost Shaman): Nothing.
Polar Bear Spirit (Polar Bear Spirit): -
Vexing Thoughts (Vexing Thoughts): Nothing.
When a Druid in Polar Bear form speaks with Polar Bear Spirit, nothing
special seems to happen.
I don't think a Thief can Pick Pocket Polar Bear Spirit.
Vexing Thoughts is Evil!
Edion, Mebdinga, Polar Bear Spirit, and Skaldar aren't Evil.
4.5 GLOOMFROST
(Before my party went to Gloomfrost, they terminated Purvis. After
this, when they talked with Hailee, they didn't say anything about him.)
To kill a Snow Troll, soften its status to Almost Dead or knock down
it, then hit it with acid or fire damage, such as Acid Arrow, Burning Hands,
certain magic weapons, Fireball, flaming oil, Scorcher, &c. As in IWD, after
the party softens a Snow Troll's status to Almost Dead or knock down it,
sometimes even non-acid and non-fire damage by their weapons can terminate a
Snow Troll in HOW.
The underground levels of Gloomfrost have fewer traps than Presio's
level of Dragon's Eye in IWD.
An Ice Golem Sentry's attack can Hold or Stun even a chara who's
wearing a Ring of Free Action!
Against a group of four or five Ice Golem Sentries, my tactic is let
the party wait behind a relatively narrow passageway between two ice
columns, and let some summoned monsters wait in the passageway to block it.
Then, a chara moves forwards to bait the Ice Golem Sentries, and retreats to
behind the summoned monsters. When the Ice Golem Sentries are attacking the
summoned monsters, the party attacks the Ice Golem Sentries. Chara with
spells cast spells at one Ice Golem Sentry at a time, and when its status is
Hurt or Badly Wounded, they cast spells at the next Ice Golem Sentry. Chara
with melee and missile weapons terminate the Hurt or Badly Wounded Ice Golem
Sentry.
At Difficulty = Insane, a normal Ice Golem Sentry gives 28,000 XP. A
random Ice Golem Sentry that attacks the party as they try to rest gives
just 21,000 XP. (XP recession in action?)
In the first underground level, when a Ranger uses Tracking, she gets:
"There's one type of creature living in these tunnels: polar worms. The
unnaturally smooth ice walls could only have been created by their giant,
incredibly hot bodies."
Tiernon identifies magic items at 100 GP each.
(As my party contain no Dwarf, they don't bother to Pick Pocket him for
his Tiernon's Hearthstone. Before the party talks with him, if a Thief Pick
Pocket him for it, then the party talks with him, he claims he knows the
party has it.)
When a Paladin talks with Tiernon, she doesn't get the choice to let
Tiernon make the Mirror of Black Ice Amulet. When a multi-class Cleric,
Druid, Mage, or Specialist Mage talks with Tiernon, she gets the choice.
(As Anti-Magic Shell sounds useful, my party helps Tiernon to create a
Dagger +4.)
In Lonelywood, no one in my party can cause Murdaugh to talk about a
Glacier Rose, and Tiernon doesn't create one.
When the party rests in Tiernon's cave, random monsters can still
appear.
In the second underground level, near the southeast corner, a Remorhaz
is in a pit. Don't kill the Remorhaz unless a Mage has memorised two
Dimension Door. Else, after the party kill the Remorhaz, they can't get the
magic item in the pit. The magic item disappears after a few hours (game
time).
If the party casts Web on the Seer, they can't talk with her when the
Web is Holding her.
If the party murders the Seer, then goes to Tiernon's cave, unless the
party talks with Tiernon, he doesn't attack the party.
Seer (Seer): Nothing. (Reputation -0. 22 XP. Wailing of Virgins
(Cursed!).)
* Tiernon (Blind Dwarven Smith): Tiernon's Hearthstone.
5. LINKS
-
http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=30735&rid=29166
GameBanshee's Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter
locations and walkthrough.
__
Don "Tsuru Hiromi Inochi" Chan (aho)
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/146.html
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/12042.html
*1 "Sakuretsu!"
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