Magic Strategy
In Grendel's Cave, magic is essential for advancement and victory. You will find it impossible without the use of magic. Starting on level three of the cave, you will encounter monsters that you can only defeat with the use of magic. The first is the Ghost. It possesses the magical ability Magic Damage Only, which indicates that you can only hurt or kill it with a magical attack. You will need either an enchanted weapon that you can use for a magical attack or a magical ability that makes your attack magical. Low value magical offensive abilities that you can get from the Witch include the following.
| Magic | Magical Stat Level Required |
|---|---|
| Paralyzing Touch | 13 |
| Strength Sapping Damage | 13 |
| Poison Damage | 13 |
| Sickening Damage | 15 |
| Throw Fire Ball | 15 |
| Immolate | 17 |
| Stoning Touch | 21 |
What this means is that you need a magical stat level of 13 to get the magic necessary to defeat a Ghost.
Level four of the cave is worse with the addition of the Ghoul. This nasty bugger has Paralyzing Touch and Detect invisible. What this means is if you have been using Invisibility to pick your fights and avoid fighting monsters, the Ghoul can defeat this strategy and has Paralyzing Touch on top of it. By the time you reach level four of the cave, you need the ability Protection from Paralysis or you will not survive. The following chart demonstrates the protections you need, level by level, and the needed magical stat level required to get each protection.
| Cave Level | Monster | Monster's Threat | Defense Needed | Magical stat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ghost | Magic Damage Only | Magical Attack | 13 |
| 4 | Ghoul | Paralyzing Touch | Protect from Paralysis | 13 |
| 5 | Wight | Strength Sapping | Protection from Sapping | 13 |
| 6 | Wraith | Sickening Damage | Protection from Poison | 13 |
| 7 | Balrog | Immolate | Protection from Fire | 25 |
| 9 | Cockatrice | Stoning Touch | Protect from Stone Touch | 21 |
| 13 | Iron Bull | Gas Breathing | Protection from Gas | 29 |
The above chart demonstrates the magical defenses you need to survive various levels of the cave and how you should be improving your magical stat level and making frequent trips to the Witch to obtain them.