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The Netherbrain/Combat
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| Overview | Combat |
This page focuses on The Netherbrain's behavior during turn-based combat gameplay.
Attacks and abilities
Range: 30 m / ft 
Honour Mode
Recharge: Per turn Conditions
- After using Karsus' Compulsion on the Netherbrain.
- If a natural 20 was rolled on the final check (DC 99) to dominate the Netherbrain at the Morphic Pool it will have this condition, which reduces its HP by 20%.
Allies
- Dominated Red Dragon
- 4x Illithid Arcanist
- 16x Tentacle (hidden under the brain's surface until approached)
- Nautiloid (Creature) (appears after a 4 turn countdown and begins summoning Mind Flayers and Intellect Devourers)
Conditional Allies
- The Emperor (if the player chose to free Orpheus)
- 4x Dream Guardian (if the player chose to free Orpheus)
- 4x Countermeasure (if the player chose to trust the Emperor)
Encounter details
Atop the brain
- The objective of the first phase is to make it to the Crown of Karsus and channel Karsus' Compulsion on it to enter the Netherbrain's psyche and defeat it for good.
- Stepping directly on the brain's surface will summon up to 16 hidden tentacles, so it may be easier to approach from the two platforms on either side.
- Once the party has reached the Crown of Karsus, the party member with Karsus' Compulsion must channel it in order to enter the final stage of the fight. The channelling lasts for 2 turns (the turn it was started and the following turn) and on the 3rd turn a portal will open to the Netherbrain's psyche (or The Unbreakable Will of the Netherbrain).
- Only party members and either Orpheus or the Emperor can enter this portal, so once it has been opened there is no reason to continue fighting other enemies.
- Once all party members and Orpheus/the Emperor have entered the portal, the battle outside on the surface of the brain will end and the remaining turn order will just consist of the party and the Netherbrain.
Inside the crown
- It is strongly recommended to have the entire party near the portal before completing Karsus' Compulsion. Once the portal is opened, the final fight against the Netherbrain begins immediately and it must be defeated before it destroys all the platforms inside.
- While allies summoned through Gather Your Allies (Class Action) cannot enter the portal, they can be summoned onto the platforms inside.
- The Netherbrain will use
to summon several orbs which deal damage at the end of the next round and destroy the platforms beneath them, so it is important to move characters off of any marked platforms. These Orbs will disappear upon the brain's death. - The Netherbrain must be killed quickly since every platform will be destroyed in only a couple of turns.
Tactics
Atop the brain
, 
, and 
are all useful spells/scrolls for moving from the entrance Atop the Netherbrain to the Crown of Karsus. Otherwise, if intending to sprint past the tentacles hidden under the brain's surface, it is helpful to use a character who can avoid Opportunity Attacks, such as one with the Mobile feat.
is incredibly strong in this fight. Both sections of the fight reward high mobility, since you need it to reach the crown and escape exploding platforms. A character with this ability can also quickly reach the Illithid Arcanists and kill them before they begin bombarding the party with their extra long range 
.
and 
are useful for protecting the caster of 
. However, the nearby Illithid Arcanists will still be able to 
creatures affected by these spells, which disrupts the spell prematurely.- The four Illithid Arcanists are very dangerous enemies in this section of the fight. They can spam a more powerful version of , use
, stun your party via 
and 
, and even gain control of allies with 
. They are also immune to being pushed over the edge with moves like Telekinesis, as they will just reappear atop the Netherbrain. Fortunately they have a rather low number of hit points, making them vulnerable to allies with high maneuverability and damage. - While choosing to ally with the Emperor over Orpheus results in less total enemies during this fight, the Countermeasures are far more dangerous than the Dream Guardians. Some of them have powerful disruptive abilities such as ,
, 
, 
, 
, and 
which can severely hinder an unprepared party. Others have significantly more hit points (see Rage Queller) or deal far more damage through 
and 
(See Breaker of War).
Inside the crown
- Casting
before entering the portal can allow melee range party members with low movement speed to immediately jump down to the brain and begin attacking it. - The first attack each round against the Brain will cause it to use
, which will damage and possibly 
everything in range. The player can potentially avoid this the first time by triggering it with the first party member to enter the portal, and then having the rest of the team enter afterwards. - and can help party members reach safe platforms if the ones they are on have been designated for destruction.
- On Honour Mode, the Netherbrain will augment itself with
, making it immune to damage types that were used agains it on the previous turn. It is important to plan ahead exactly which attacks will be used against it so that the party doesn't miss entire turns where the brain is immune to all their attacks.
Achievements
Hero of the Forgotten Realms
Save the day: kill the Netherbrain and destroy the Absolute tadpoles.
Absolute Power Corrupts
Reign with terror: take control of the Netherbrain and bend the world to your will.
Sins of the Father
Claim your Throne of Blood: take control of the Netherbrain for Bhaal and break the world.
Bugs
- Thrown weapons that return to the user, such as
Nyrulna or 
Returning Pike, may occasionally fall into the chasm below the Netherbrain and disappear forever after being thrown at it. Throwing builds should bring back-up weapons just in case.