Foreword

This document will give you general (not detailed) information about all enhanced encounters and new adventures/quests added to the game by Improved Anvil.

Improved Anvil contains the most difficult (and the least cheesy) tactical encounters. While the battles are really hard, you never will see enemies using cheesy methods. This is the rule that is reflected in scripts and modifications to the game that removed all such methods both for players and the enemies. For example, multiple spell immunities don't stack; hence, you will never see an enemy mage casting more than one spell immunity (such as both SI: Abjuration and SI: Divination) on himself. You can see a complete list of these tweaks & fixes in the appropriate section of this document.

All abilities every creature in this mod has (in addition to their artificial intelligence) are made according to the game's rules. We try very hard to design enemies that play fair against you, probably more so than in the vanilla game, because many of the questionable approaches that were available to both players and enemies are now blocked and/or fixed in Improved Anvil.

Improved Anvil is a mod for true tacticians and those who don't run from a challenge, not for cheaters and cheesy players. Enemies don't cheat against you; so, you should not cheat against them either. You may try to out-cheat and out-smart the game, but this is not the intended way to have fun playing Improved Anvil, and you most certainly will come out frustrated and disappointed.

WARNING: If you are an experienced player in managing hard battles and if you want to be surprised by the enhanced encounters and new adventures during the game, it is recommended that you do not read even this very general information.

Tactical content & new adventures

Waukeen's Promenade

  • Improved Irenicus' Dungeon:
    • More powerful creatures spawned in the corridors
    • Tougher Otyugh
    • Encounter with the Keeper in the library
    • Improved Ilyich and the duergar
    • Tougher Cambion
    • A personal Bodyguard for the captive dryads
    • Improved Mephit Portal room
    • Improved Ulvaryl
    • Tougher Shadow Thieves
  • Tougher Mencar Pebblecrusher and Party
  • Squirreled Away (or "A Hard Nut to Crack"): A new quest (available to all protagonists)

Slums

  • Improved Copper Coronet
  • Guarded Lilarcor
  • Improved Slavers' Ship Building
  • Tougher Borinall
  • Improved Planar Sphere:
    • Improved Halfling Warriors
    • Improved Lavok
    • New types of monsters in the sphere
    • Improved Demons' plane
    • Tougher Tolgerias
    • Slightly Tougher Efreeti in the Fire room
    • Expanded Mage Stronghold (only if your main PC is a single class mage or sorcerer):
      • Magical container
      • Furnaces may malfunction
      • The Mystery of the Jewel Casket
      • Treasure in the Ice (Or 'Why is it so cold down here?')
      • Does Marvella always say the truth?
      • Danger at harbors! (Or 'Is it safe to go to Cromwell anymore?' — You need to forge 'Memory of The Apprenti' to see this feature of the mod.)
    • Expanded Mage Stronghold #2 (only if your main PC is a single class good-aligned necromancer):
      • Story of The Old Ones
      • My new apprentice and research programs
      • Activating an old device
      • The Wine and The Sandalwood
      • Lavok's postmortem request (or "A second journey to the demons' plane")
    • Ancient Priest (chapter 6; previously from The Four mod)

Bridge District

  • Improved Planar Prison
  • Improved Twisted Rune
  • Slightly Tougher Anarg
  • Tougher turmish fanatics (Bard stronghold) — Suggested by thetruth
  • Tougher Gracen (guild's contact) — Suggested by thetruth
  • Unexpected encounter in the basement of Rejiek the Hidesman

The Docks

  • Slightly Improved Rayic Gethras
  • Slightly Improved Mae'Var
  • Improved Pirates' Hideout
  • Improved Kangaxx the lich
  • Improved Kangaxx the demilich (he now has a limited number of Imprisonment castings; conversely, he has access to other spells now, as well)

Temple District

  • Improved Slavers' HQ (Guarded Compound)
  • Ancient Lich at the Slavers' Compound (previously from The Four mod)
  • Tougher Tarnor the Hatchetman and Party (Sewers encounter)
  • Improved Rakshasa encounter
  • Improved Mekrath and the Imp
  • Improved Illithid Hideout
  • Improved Theshal — Suggested by thetruth
  • Improved Screaming Statue (this challenge remains available as long as your protagonist has less than 2,350,000 xp)
  • Guarded Ashideena
  • Improved Unseeing Eye

Graveyard District

  • Improved Crypt King
  • Slightly Improved Spider Ambush at the entrance to Pai'Na's hideout
  • Tougher Pai'Na
  • Slightly Improved Nevaziah
  • Slightly Improved Tanova (chapter 3)
  • Improved Bodhi (chapter 6)
  • Encounter with Orcus: If you have Daystar Sword, you can go to the old crypts beneath Graveyard district to meet Orcus (Prince of the Undead) in his corporeal form

City Gates

  • Improved City Gates' Lich

Umar Hills

  • Tougher Baron Metrich & Party (Paladin stronghold)
  • Improved Shadow Temple:
    • Tougher Shadow Jailor
    • Tougher Shadow Dragon
    • Tougher Shadelord, Shadow Patrick & Shadow Altar
  • Expanded Ranger Stronghold:
    • Improved Umar Witch — Suggested by thetruth
    • New friend at your cabin
    • The mystery of the Shimmering Light (a big quest for all rangers)
    • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (a quest only for vagrant rangers)
    • The Ancient Secret of Suldanesselar (a big quest for vagrant rangers)

Windspear Hills

  • Improved Ruhk Conjurer and Kamikaze Kobolds
  • Improved guardians of pieces of Burial Mask
  • Encounter with the Tomb Mist (a new monster)
  • Tougher Fire Elemental Guardian of the Tomb
  • Improved Samia and Party
  • Tougher Tazok
  • Improved Conster
  • Improved Firkraag
  • Post-Firkraag Adventures (Once Firkraag is dead, new events will start to happen in Windspear Hills. If your main PC is not 'Evil' and has a reputation of 20, you can go to the Order of the Radiant Heart at least one week after killing Firkraag to meet someone new who has more information)

Trademeet & Druid Grove

  • Improved Trademeet Crypt
  • Guarded Store Tower in Druid Grove area (i.e. Belm scimitar is no easy treasure)
  • Improved Troll Mound in Druid Grove area
  • Ancient Mage (a second encounter inside the Troll Mound, previously from The Four mod)
  • Slightly Improved Dalok and companions
  • Expanded Druid Stronghold:
    • Improved Faldorn
    • Improved Chaos monster
    • Buried Ambitions (a big quest for single class druids and shamans)

De'Arnise Keep

  • New species of monsters in the Keep
  • Improved Greater Yuan-Ti
  • New location and Guardian for the Flail Head (cold)
  • Danger at the Library
  • Guarded Flail Head (Fire)
  • Guarded Frostreaver
  • Improved Glaicas
  • Improved TorGal
  • Improved Lord Roenal and Army (Fighter stronghold)
  • Improved De'Arnise Forge (This is a bonus rather than a challenge; you can forge Flail of Ages +4 by adding the Poison head to Flail of Ages +3)

Brynnlaw

  • Improved Brothel HQ
  • Tougher Perth the Adept
  • A new encounter in the island's main area

Spellhold

  • Improved Ancient Tome (New battles are added and if you rest before winning all of them, you will not gain all possible treasures from the tome)
  • Better focused Altar
  • Guarded Library:
    • Library Golem
    • Cat O'Nine Lives
    • Encounter with the Amnesic Librarian
  • Price of killing a pupil (a new encounter)
  • New guardians for Gesen Bow String
  • Guarded Mithril Machine
  • Slightly Improved Lonk the Sane
  • Improved Irenicus
  • If the party delays too long before setting out for Spellhold, they will find Irenicus' control over the Asylum has strengthened and it will be far harder to escape after rescuing Imoen. (Note: The recommended levels to go to Spellhold are levels 13 or 14 for single class characters. For druids, even level 14 will be too late. The protagonist should remain below 2.35M XP when the check happens upon arrival to the first area of the Spellhold dungeon.)

City of Caverns (Sahuagin City)

  • Improved Prophecy Verification challenge (suggested by shadan)
  • Improved Prince Villynaty

Underdark

  • Improved Vithal
  • Improved Drow Ambush in underdark (before the Deep Gnomes' village)
  • Improved Alchra Diagott
  • Slightly Improved Raevilin Strathi
  • Improved Drow Ambush at the bridge in underdark (suggested by Vardaman)
  • Improved Balor (in the Deep Gnomes' village)
  • Improved N'ashtar and Party
  • Improved Jae'llat's House
  • New conditional encounter in Deirex's Cave in Ust Natha
  • The mystery of the Third Color (new quest in Ust Natha)
  • Improved duelling mages in the tavern in Ust Natha
  • Improved Demogorgon's Temple
  • Tougher Kuo Toa Prince
  • Beholders' lair:
    • Improved Elder Orb
    • Ancient Golem (previously from The Four mod; can be fought only in Chapter 6 or 7)
  • Deeper than the Underdark (a hidden passage will lead you to deeper dungeons)
  • Improved Mind Flayers' lair:
    • Tougher Insane Dwarf Warrior
    • Improved final battle vs. The Master Brain:
      • Tougher Master Brain
      • Improved Brain Golems
      • Elemental Golem guardian of the brain (the Master Brain will not die as long as the main guardian is alive)
  • Improved Lesser Demon Lord summoned by the ritual in the Temple of Lloth

Suldanesselar

  • Improved Raamilat
  • Guarded House of the Talisman
  • Guarded Harpist's House
  • Improved Rakshasa Ambush
  • Improved Black Dragon
  • The Ancient Secret of Suldanesselar (a big quest for vagrant rangers, also listed in the Umar Hills section above)
  • Improved Irenicus (at Tree of Life)

The Abyss

  • Improved Irenicus (final battle)

Watcher's Keep

  • Encounter with the Spider Queen (You need to have defeated Pai'Na)
  • Guarded Bell and Candle
  • Improved Elementalist level
  • Clash of powers (New quest in the 3rd level of WK: There is a conflict between two very powerful creatures based on an incident which has happened 100 years earlier. You need to choose and kill one of them, if you can!)
  • Improved tieflings
  • Improved Demon Knights
  • Improved Demon Wraith
  • Slightly Tougher Karashur
  • Slightly Tougher Tahazzar
  • Slightly Improved Shade Death and Death Knights gated by Deck of Many Things
  • Tougher Rock and Garock
  • Improved Githyankis: Encounter with the Supreme Leader
  • Improved Demi-Lich Crypt
  • Improved Saladrex
  • Improved Globe Machine
  • Encounter with the 'Ancient Dragon' (the great wyrm)
  • Improved Horde of Orcs
  • Improved Azamantes
  • Improved Demogorgon: The Prince and his followers
  • Judgement Day plot-Part one: Meeting with a Messenger! (If you have Angurvadal sword, you can find a new encounter in the shades outside Watcher's Keep)
  • Judgement Day plot-part two: The foreseen day! (Forge Judgement Day sword and go to Watcher's Keep area)

Throne of Bhaal

  • Improved Illasera
  • Improved Gromnir
  • Improved Yaga-Shura's Keep & Temple:
    • Tougher Elite Fire Giants
    • Tougher Berenn
    • Tougher Imix — Suggested by thetruth
  • Improved Nyalee's Hideout:
    • Tougher Nyalee
    • Horde of undead Lords
  • Improved Yaga-Shura (& lieutenants)
  • Improved Oasis
  • Improved Draconis
  • Improved Abazigal
  • Improved Sendai Enclave:
    • Improved Slavemaster
    • Improved Spiders' hall
    • Improved Captain Egeissag and party — Suggested by thetruth
    • Improved Thelynn'ss and party — Suggested by thetruth
    • Improved Ogremoch
    • Improved Odamaron
    • Improved Sendai
  • Epic Divine Encounter: A new encounter in your Pocket Plane. (Note: If your main PC is a mage or sorcerer and if you have chosen (and successfully completed) the good path in one of the new quests of the Expanded Mage Stronghold ("Does Marvella always say the truth") in SOA portion of the game, this new encounter in TOB will be different for you; otherwise, it's the same for all classes and alignments). The encounter takes place in your pocket plane just before leaving for the throne.
  • Improved Melissan

General

  • Slightly Tougher rakshasas
  • Slightly Tougher Demons
  • Slightly Improved Yuan-Ti Mages
  • Slightly Improved Githyankis
  • Fixed and Improved Minotaurs (now they have all of their pnp abilities and more)
  • Improved Liches
  • Improved Ulitharids
  • Slightly Improved Mind Flayers
  • Improved Beholders
  • Improved Vampires
  • Improved Vampiric Mists (now they have their PnP ability of enveloping targets, and more...)
  • Slightly Improved Trolls
  • Chapter 2: Improved Random (city and wilderness) Encounters
  • Chapter 6: Improved Kruin — Suggested by thetruth
  • Many new species of monsters
  • Improved Zallanora and Party — Suggested by thetruth
  • More powerful random undead creatures will spawn in dungeons
  • More powerful random golems will spawn in dungeons
  • More powerful random monsters will spawn in dungeons
  • More powerful random mind flayers will spawn in dungeons
  • Enemy evil clerics will control undead and turn paladin. A successful turn paladin will also dispel all dispellable effects on the targeted paladin and will make the paladin immune to 'Remove Fear'.
  • Smarter summons: Summoned creatures (enemies and allies) will behave more intelligently. (Examples: They will shift target if they see that their weapons are ineffective; they will no longer stand idle if no enemy is in their line of sight, they will move/approach to see what's going on in the battlefield)