Ketheric Thorm/Combat

This page focuses on Ketheric Thorm's behavior during turn-based combat gameplay.

Overview

Combat

Attacks and abilities

 Blinding Smite ( + + )

Damage: 3~24

Normal weapon damage

+ 3d8Radiant

Evoke a heavenly flare and possibly  Blind your target

CON Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

 Backbreaker ()   –  Ketheric's Warhammer

Damage: 6~9

1d4 + 5Bludgeoning

Put extra force behind your strike to possibly knock your enemy  Prone.

STR Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Recharge: Short rest

 Concussive Smash ()   –  Ketheric's Warhammer

Damage: 8~18

1d8 + 6Bludgeoning

+ 1d4Psychic

Hit an enemy with all your might to deal damage and possibly  Daze them.

CON Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Recharge: Short rest

 Deadly Orders

Command your troops to prioritise attacking a specific foe.

Your underlings are more likely to target this foe, and their Attack rolls against it have Advantage.

 Range: 24 m / 80 ft

Recharge: Per turn

 Divine Smite ( + )

Damage: 3~24

Normal weapon damage

+ 2d8Radiant

+ 1d8Radiant

Your weapon deals an additional 2d8RadiantDRS damage, increased by 1d8Radiant damage when attacking Fiends or Undead.

 Range: Normal weapon range

 Incubate Death ()

Damage: 6~27

3d8 + 3Necrotic

Spawn a skeletal involucre. After 1 turn, the involucre explodes, dealing 3d8Necrotic damage and birthing a necromite.

DEX Save

 Range: 24 m / 80 ft

 Main Hand Attack ()   –  Ketheric's Warhammer

Damage: 8~18

1d8 + 6Bludgeoning

+ 1d4Psychic

Make a melee attack with your equipped weapon.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5 ft

 Weakening Strike ()   –  Ketheric's Warhammer

Damage: 6~9

1d4 + 5Weapon

Target an enemy's hands with a non-lethal attack and possibly inflict  Weak Grip.

Creatures without weapons can't have Weak Grip.

STR Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Recharge: Short rest

Honour Mode

 Hordestrike ()

Damage: 4~32

4d8Force

Launch a hammer of spectral force at a creature your minions are attacking.

DEX Save

 Range: 16 m / 53 ft

Recharge: Per turn

Allies

Ketheric is accompanied by the following allies. Detailed information can be found on their respective pages.

Moonrise Towers Rooftop (Stage 1)

• Kar'niss (if still alive)
• Necromite - 8x
• Squire (if still alive)
• Susdera (if still alive)

Mind Flayer Colony (Stage 2)

• Isobel (if kidnapped during Resolve the Abduction)
• Intellect Devourer - 4x
• Mind Flayer
• Necromite - 4x

Encounter details

Ketheric Thorm's actual battle has two individual stages, some of which may be affected by the choices of the party.

Stage 1 (Moonrise Towers Rooftop)

The first part of the encounter with Ketheric takes place atop Moonrise Towers. Ketheric is joined by Susdera, his loyal dog Squire, as well as eight Necromites. Susdera stands immediately before the party, while Ketheric stands on the small balcony behind her, with necromites flanking the stairs to him on both sides. If they find the Letter to Ketheric is his Room, the party can make DC 18 Persuasion check or a DC 21 Intimidation check check. If they have not found the story clues, then the first check is followed by a DC 30 Persuasion check to persuade him to stand down. If the check is passed, Dame Aylin interrupts and causes Ketheric to attack anyways, but it does unlock a later DC 18 Persuasion check in the Mind Flayer Colony.

Ketheric boasts an impressive 22 AC, which makes him very difficult to hit. Additionally, though his Dexterity skill is relatively low, he has advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws via Ketheric's Shield. Spells with a Dexterity saving throw can still be used should Ketheric activate his armour Reaper's Embrace, which negates the advantage he has. He is also immune to  Charm and  Sleep due to his  Fey Ancestry. As an undead he is also immune to many crowd control spells such as  Command and  Hold Person. However, he can be affected by the Ring of Exalted Marrow.

Ketheric's main source of damage is a combination of his melee attacks and  Divine Smites. As a Paladin, his attacks can quickly knock down party members with burst damage if his hits all connected. At the end of his turn, Ketheric also orders his necromites to focus their attacks on a single party member using  Deadly Orders and caps his turn by casting  Incubate Death. The skeletal involucre it summons detonates at the end of the round.

If Aylin is spared in the Shadowfell, she joins the fight on the party's side as an ally. She often attempts to focus on killing Susdera or Ketheric.

Once Ketheric's health drops below 40%, he interrupts the fight by summoning a gargantuan tentacle, kidnapping Aylin should she be present, and fleeing down the destroyed tower to the Mind Flayer Colony. If all of his allies are dead, combat ends immediately, otherwise they must be dispatched first. The party is then free to explore the surroundings and follow Ketheric when ready.

Stage 2 (Mind Flayer Colony)

Phase 1

The next stage of the fight begins shortly after catching up to Ketheric in the Mind Flayer Colony. A Restoration Pod that grants the benefits of a Long Rest can be found to the right of the elevator that brings the party to him. This pod is present on all difficulty modes. The  Rejuvenating Miasma condition in the area also allows the party to cast  Animate Dead without consuming any corpses.

After the cutscene regarding Ketheric and his allies, a short conversation with Ketheric is triggered. During this dialogue, he can be talked down from fighting with a DC 18 Persuasion check, which is only available if party members laid the conversational groundwork during the prior conversation on top of Moonrise Towers. Success, causes Ketheric to kill himself and the battle will skip directly to phase two. Otherwise, a fight will ensue.

Ketheric stands on a raised circular platform before the party. To the far right, a Mind Flayer can be found overlooking the battlefield, and four Intellect Devourers quickly approach the party from below it. On the other side of the room, to the left, four Necromites sling spells down at the party from another raised platform.

Should she be alive, Aylin is found restrained by spectral hands, granting Ketheric  Invulnerability once more. Aylin can be freed via the  Help action. Once free, she assists the party in the fight, usually by charging directly at Ketheric.

Dealing with Ketheric himself should be relatively similar to his first encounter. As with the previous fight, Ketheric can order his allies to focus a single party member using  Deadly Orders and raise new necromites using  Incubate Death. If the party  Disarmed him of Ketheric's Warhammer during the previous fight, he instead wields a regular warhammer.

If Isobel was kidnapped during Resolve the Abduction, she is tadpoled and brainwashed into fighting alongside her father. She then uses  Healing Word and  Cure Wounds on her injured allies.

As soon as Ketheric is defeated, the final phase of the fight begins.

Phase 2

See also: Apostle of Myrkul

The last phase of the fight begins as soon as Ketheric is killed. This time the party faces the Apostle of Myrkul. Twisted by necrotic magic, the Apostle takes up the entire space in the center of the room, summoning necromites as the fight begins.

During this phase, up to four additional Necromites are created at random points on the edges of the battle at the end of every round. The involucres are resistant to piercing damage but vulnerable to bludgeoning and radiant damage.

The Apostle hits hard, often, and has a large health pool. The main gimmick of the fight is that the Apostle's ability to sacrifice a necromite in order to gain the  Finger of Death spell. If the necromites are properly managed, this spell cannot be cast.

The Apostle's presence also applies  Bone Chilled to anyone near it on the platform, which prevents healing damaged party members.

Once the Apostle is defeated, Ketheric's death is final, allowing the party to retrieve his Netherstone, and proceed to Baldur's Gate.

Tactics

Stage 1 (Moonrise Towers Rooftop)

The best course of action is to burst Ketheric down as soon as possible through whatever means available. His high Armour Class makes it difficult to land attacks on him unless inflicting conditions that give advantage on attacks such as  Prone,  Blinded,  Faerie Fire, or  Paralysed. He can also be made much less threatening if  Disarmed after which he no longer can use his  Divine Smites.

The party can also consume Elixir of Radiant Resistance to reduce the high damage of his  Divine Smites.

The necromites can be safely ignored if the party members have a high AC or necrotic resistance, as they only ever cast  Reach from Beyond, a low damage spell. However, both Ketheric and Susdera can summon more of them, so it is helpful to dispatch them with AoE attacks to avoid being overwhelmed.

Susdera herself may prove to be more of a direct threat at the start of combat given that she can cast  Fireball and the party members begin the fight grouped together by default.  Silence or  Darkness spells can neutralize her and give the party a chance to form up as needed. She is also able to cast  Bone Chill, preventing healing for one entire turn.

Alternatively, it is possible to kill Susdera, Squire, Kar'niss, and all eight Necromites prior to the battle:

• The party can enter the rooftop early by defeating Radija and the four necromites guarding its entrance, allowing them to talk to Susdera and antagonize her into attacking them. This causes her and all eight necromites to turn hostile, while the  Invulnerable Ketheric does not unless the party members get too close to him. Susdera and the necromites can be safely dispatched from a distance without approaching Ketheric.
• The party can also encounter and kill Squire in Ketheric's bedroom.
• Killing Kar'niss before this battle keeps things simpler. He is a boss in his own right who can also appear in this conflict if the party side with him during the Harper ambush and follow him all the way to Moonrise. Doing so is not advised, as it makes this fight far more difficult than it usually is.
• Finally, if one has the patience for it, a party member with very high stealth abilities can use invisibility to reach the rooftop prior to Minthara's trial. Ketheric still remains downstairs, but Susedra and all eight necromites are there; they can be then slowly stealth-attacked to defeat with far less fanfare, while the Ring of Exalted Marrow also becomes available for use against undead opponents (including Ketheric) for the rest of the game. Some useful stealth-enhancing equipment for this purpose includes, but is not limited to:
  • Gloomstrand Shield
  • Ring of Shadows
  • Shapeshifter's Boon Ring
  • Silver Pendant (cast by another party member)
  • Smuggler's Ring (can replace the Shapeshifter's Boon Ring after its benefits are applied)
  • The Graceful Cloth - along with the wearer having a natural 18  Dexterity
  • And, while not strictly stealth enhancing, The Deathstalker Mantle can also be quite helpful

Stage 2 (Mind Flayer Colony)

Phase 1

The restoration pod prior to the fight provides an excellent opportunity to prepare for the coming battle by summoning additional help. If available,  Conjure Minor Elemental can be particularly helpful in keeping the necromites and skeletal involucres under control. The party can also take advantage of the  Rejuvenating Miasma condition to summon multiple undead minions with  Animate Dead.

During the battle, the party should ideally split into three groups: one to deal with the Mindflayer and help Aylin if alive, one to keep Ketheric occupied, and one to deal with the Necromites. Scratch can even be summoned with  Find Familiar: Scratch specifically to free Aylin, as he is one of the few summons who can use the  Help action. It is even possible to give him invisibility either by potion or spell and send him directly to Aylin and free her the moment the fight starts. Dispatching the Mindflayer quickly helps keeping control of the battle, as it otherwise attempts to  stun the party. It also grants the party member a high vantage point to fight against the intellect devourers and Ketheric. Dispatching the intellect devourers should not be too difficult as most AoE spells can remove them all at once. They are not too troublesome either, though they could prove an annoyance should they  threaten a ranged unit.

The Necromites on the left platform are not too dangerous, however, they should be eliminated before the next phase, otherwise Ketheric has a great power spike. One party member with an AoE spell should suffice, leaving them up there also provide another vantage point for the rest of the fight.

It is recommended to clear all of Ketheric's allies before moving on to the next phase of the fight.

Alternatively, as with fighting Ketheric atop Moonrise Towers, it is possible to thin the ranks by killing all the Necromites, Intellect Devourers and the Mind Flayer here by stealth before combat begins, making the final two battles against him considerably easier.

• First, to eliminate the Necromites: a ledge close to the entrance to the final battle area by the necromites can be jumped up to; Astarion or another stealthily capable character can then time Ketheric's pacing around until he is far enough away to pick off the necromites at range by ranged attacks or a thrown AoE, such as a Smokepowder Bomb. Another way to reach the necromites is by sneaking around beneath them and climbing up from the other side.
• Second, to eliminate the Intellect Devourers: Astarion or another stealthily capable character must wait in hiding just out of range of Ketheric's line of sight until they are in range, and then - as with the Necromites - thin their ranks by ranged attacks or thrown AoE. Once the Intellect Devourers have been lured closer from one or more being damaged, the platform where the Necromites were can be used to finish them off.
• Third, to eliminate the Mind Flayer: it is possible for a party member to jump to the bottom of a ramp by the area where it is standing and then stealth / sneak attack it. Then, the party member must jump back to the main pathway and wait for the Mind Flayer to investigate the area it was attacked from; on subsequent rounds, the Mind Flayer can be shot from the pathway (albeit out of normal range) and be eliminated. While the Mind Flayer can be taken first, it is easier to eliminate the Intellect Devourers first, because then it is not necessary use timing to avoid being spotted by them.

Phase 2

See also: Apostle of Myrkul

Wounded party members can use  Disengage to leave the platform or move to a few small areas at the very edge of it outside the  Bone Chilled aura, and downed ones can be shoved off the platform by others if necessary.

Party members having trouble hitting the Apostle can turn to area-of-effect attacks, such as spells or Smokepowder Bombs. The Apostle's immobility allows certain spells such  Wall of Fire to continuously damage it each turn.

Despite the large size of the Apostle, it is still susceptible to most regular conditions, such as  Blinded, and can be made  Wet using  Create Water. Likewise, although it has a difficult-to-overcome saving throw versus many more severe conditions, casting  Darkness or  Hunger of Hadar on it blinds the Apostle thereby helping any melee fighters prevent some of the damage and combos, in particular removing its ability to opportunity strike.

The Apostle's  Reaper's Scythe does respectable damage and also knocks party members back, potentially off of the platform itself. Positioning all melee units with the spikes of the arena at their back prevents them from being knocked off the platform this way. Alternatively, the Apostle can be  Disarmed of its scythe, removing the threat entirely.

Notes

• If Gale uses his Netherese Orb Blast during the second encounter with Ketheric, the game can end at this very moment, allowing the party to kill Ketheric Thorm, Enver Gortash, Orin the Red and the Absolute in one fell swoop. This only works during the cutscene; using the ability outside of the cutscene will trigger a Game Over as usual, though this will not trigger the achivement for completing Honour Mode.
• Ketheric Thorm's  Dexterity Saving Throws have Advantage because of Ketheric's Shield. But the Tooltips do not show it.
• If you are an Oathbreaker Paladin above level 11, it is possible to use  Control Undead on the Apostle of Myrkul and have him fight for you against his minions. His movement speed of 0 means he will not follow you anywhere to fight anyone out of his range. You could then attack him again and kill him while he remains friendly and won't fight back. This death however will not trigger the cut scene where he turns back to Kethric or the Dream Visitor returns. Looting the body of the Apostle will give you a supply pack, a letter from Isobel, Kethric's Warhammer, and Kethric's Shield, but not the Reaper's Scythe, Reaper's Embrace or Ketheric's Netherstone. This option thus prevents the game from progressing to Act 3.
• During any fight with Ketheric, disarming him neuters his ability to use Smites. If disarming him in the initial fight and picking up his warhammer, then he has a Flail of Myrkul during the fight in the Mind Flayer Colony. Again, this will prevent him from using Smites. In fact, he does not seem to engage in melee at all in this case, simply directing his minions to target a specific character in party each turn. He will always have his warhammer in his cutscenes.
• After defeating Ketheric for the second time in the Mind Flayer Colony, while his body can be looted, his body cannot be picked up. The menu option presents for this, but upon attempting to do so his body is immediately dropped.