Kahrk is a 12th-level Ogre Mage that will be released in the Firewine Bridge area if Gorion's Ward and their party demand that Carsa surrender her jar. He emerges hasted from the jar with two spells active:
| “ | I am free... at last. Mortals, before you die, know that you have pleased KAHRK, mightiest of the ogre magi. Your deaths shall feed my power, for now I am weak. | ” |
As the fight begins, he casts Mirror Image on himself, then turns to offensive spells, including:
- Lightning Bolt x2
- Melf's Acid Arrow x3
- Magic Missile x5
Once he runs out of spells, he becomes a skilled warrior with 3 Attacks per round and THAC0 6. If the battle is still raging at this stage, his haste effect will grant him 1 extra APR in BG:EE and 3 extra APR in Original BG1.
Strategy[]
Due to his high level and protective spells, Kahrk is one of the tougher opponents in BG. Dispel Magic has a very low chance of success on him, so here are some tips on how to beat him:
Waiting for buffs to wear out[]
This strategy requires some careful positioning of a single party member. Leave the party behind, take one character (preferably wearing the Boots of Speed) and slowly approach Carsa's location until she appears at the edge of the fog of war and initiates conversation. Then, once Kahrk appears and ends conversation, quickly retreat to the party's location.
Drinking a Potion of Invisibility and retreating also works.
If done correctly, the ogre mage will not follow. Then wait for around 5 minutes real time or sleep for 8 hours ingame and Kahrk's protective spells should have worn off. He cannot recast them, so slay him any way you want.
Distraction[]
Wand of Monster Summoning can provide targets for Kahrk's spells.
Minor Globe of Invulnerability[]
Kahrk's Minor Globe of Invulnerability protects him from spells of level 1, 2, 3 and power levels 1, 2, 3.
He is protected from damage sources (Magic Missile, Fireball, Skull Trap, Call Lightning, Wand of Fire, Wand of Frost, Wand of Lightning) and debuffs (Blindness, Spook, Doom, Silence 15' Radius, Web, Glitterdust, Horror, Slow, Summon Insects).
Most debuffs above level 3 are unlikely to succeed because his saving throws are strong (Emotion:Hopelessness, Contagion, Confusion, Chaos, Feeblemind, Domination, Hold Monster, Mental Domination, Poison).
The following effects pass through Minor Globe and are useful against him.
- Wand of Paralyzation
- The Victor
- The One Gift Lost
- Cloudkill
- Potion of Fire Breath
- Potion of Explosions
- Oil of Fiery Burning
- Insect Plague (Faldorn over 90,000 XP)
After firing The One Gift Lost or The Victor, they can be quickly passed to other party members and fired again.
Kahrk's Minor Globe expires after 12 rounds but may be recast.
Minor Globe of Invulnerability can be removed with Spell Thrust. Then Magic Missile can remove his Mirror Images.
None of Kahrk's offensive spells (as listed in Infobox) are above level 3, so Minor Globe of Invulnerability may protect a mage from his magic.
Wand of Paralyzation[]
Wand of Paralyzation can be found at Lighthouse or purchased at Sorcerous Sundries.
Each firing of the wand has a 30% chance of paralyzing Kahrk for 10 rounds.
When paralyzed, all melee attacks land so mirror images disappear quickly.
Kahrk should die without much trouble.
Polymorph Self: Mustard Jelly[]
Polymorph Self can be prepared before speaking to Carsa.
A mage in Mustard Jelly form can't be harmed by Kahrk's magic but can still fire a Wand of Paralyzation every round.
Enchanted Missiles[]
Protection from Normal Missiles does not affect enchanted arrows, enchanted bolts and enchanted thrown weapons (of +1 or better quality). It also does not affect elemental damage done, so an Arrow of Ice can still do cold damage. Use this to pelt Kahrk with missiles.
His Armor Class vs missile is -8 and he has many Mirror Images so it will take many missiles to kill him.
Arrows of Dispelling[]
Arrows of Dispelling need to overcome Armor Class vs missile of -8 but can dispel Kahrk's Haste effect and Mirror Image. They don't dispel Minor Globe of Invulnerability.
Arrow of Slaying[]
The Arrow of Slaying is the ultimate anti-ogre mage weapon. A one-shot kill. There's only one of it in the entire game, though, so plan carefully against whom to use it. Kahrk is among the most dangerous ogre mages (if not the most powerful), so it might be wise to use it against him. Just make sure that Mirror Image is not active when you do.
Arrows of Detonation[]
Arrows of Detonation always hit - they ignore AC and Mirror Image so can quickly damage Kahrk.
Protection from Magic Scroll[]
A fighter can use a Protection From Magic scroll on himself to get immunity to magic but any buffs may also be dispelled.
Bugs[]
- As an ogre, Kahrk should be a giant humanoid.
Gallery[]
.png "Kahrk and Carsa dead (BGEee).png (686 KB)")