The Demon Knight is a demon who has claimed rulership over Durlag's Tower. He lures adventures to the tower so they will break through Durlag's wards and traps for him. Once the traps are gone, he plans to use the tower as a base. He is one of many evil creatures Durlag sought to seal away in the deepest levels of his labyrinth. Though the Demon Knight is surely older than the tower itself, he is not the greatest evil trapped within or the evil Durlag feared the most.
| “ | Hello, mortals. Death welcomes you. Here is now the property of I, and all others will fall or flee. Tour is over and tower is closed! All who enter will perish; all who enter will suffer pain. So speak I, and listen well you will. Tour is over! | ” |
Appearances[]
He can be met twice in Tales of the Sword Coast and Baldur's Gate EE. If the player chooses to take a tour of Durlag's Tower, he will appear within the entrance hall located on the ground floor of the tower and attack Ike and the tourists with fireballs. His second appearance is in his chamber which is accessible from the fourth level of the labyrinth under the tower. The chamber is where the final battle with the Demon Knight will take place.
During Baldur's Gate II: Shadow's of Amn, if an animal sacrifice is made at the Demogorgon statue in the Western Tunnels (of the Underdark), one or more Demon Knights can be summoned.
Gameplay[]
| “ | Spider says to fly, "the parlor welcomes." You have come to die, and I know best. | ” |
The Demon Knight wields a non-enchanted specific variant of a two-handed sword that can't be pickpocketed from nor will it be dropped by him and with which he has grand mastery. The weapon itself can be used by him at 2 ft range and with a speed factor of 2. He strikes with a THAC0 of -5, dealing 1d10+16 slashing damage (weapon, grand mastery and strength bonuses included).
Strategy[]
Because he is so highly resistant to magic and melee combat is difficult, it may be best to avoid using both. Instead, have the fighter with the best constitution and armor class run around the edge of the room as a distraction. Position all other party members in the center of the room and have all ranged fighters target him. Oil of Speed may be helpful for keeping the fighter alive. This method may take some time but is workable. A scrolls of Protection from Magic will prevent his fireballs and confusion from affecting a character.
The Paws of the Cheetah makes kiting easier.
2 Batalista's Passports with Gift of Peace gives fire immunity.
A party member with at least 90 hit points e.g. Kagain can be immune to Power Word, Stun and Power Word, Kill.
Stun can be prevented with Greenstone Amulet, Enrage or Barbarian Rage. Stun can be cured with Remove Paralysis.
A single class Druid (e.g. Faldorn) with at least 90,000 XP could cast Magic Resistance (spell) on the Demon Knight to lower his magic resistance down to 18-20%. If the druid is invisible, the spell shouldn't break invisibility so the Demon Knight may not interrupt the casting with an attack.
Mirror Fiend[]
"Uncovering" the Mirror of Opposition (by attacking it in actual gameplay) will summon the Mirror Fiends and the number of fiends summoned will correspond to the number of party members. An exact duplicate of the Demon Knight will also be summoned. Unlike the fiends that represent the party members, this fiend will actually attack only the Demon Knight. Upon its death, it will cast a Fireball centered upon itself. If the Demon Knight is killed first, the fiend will die too (and still cast the fireball spell).
Strategy[]
Concentrating your ranged fighters to target the fiend first will get you no experience points but will get you an extra-large shield +1 if you're able to take him down. If the fiend kills the Demon Knight first, it won't drop the shield. And, by killing the fiend first, it will prevent the fiend from killing the Demon Knight so you can get the XP from the Demon Knight too.
Notes[]
- In the original Tales of the Sword Coast, it is possible to kill the first Demon Knight that appears and greets the party on the first floor. He is not immune to Web, and as such can be incapacitated by the spell. The party needs to cast Web before he appears, then kill him quickly while he is immobilized. Multiple casts of Web will make it more likely that he will fail his saving throw. This Demon Knight drops a Full Plate Armor +1, Large Shield +1, and the Helmet of Opposite Alignment upon death. This is the only way to get the Helmet of Opposite Alignment, as the Demon Knight does not drop it when you fight him later.
See also[]
- Demon Knight (underdark) for BG II and BG2EE
Gallery[]
