Cazador Szarr/Combat

Overview

Combat

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

Attacks and abilities

 Blight ()   –  Woe

8d8 (8~64) Necrotic

Deals 8d8Necrotic to a target. Plants take maximum damage from this spell, and have Disadvantage on the Saving throw against it.

CON Save

 Range: 9 m / 30 ft

 Call Lightning ()

3d10 (3~30) Lightning

Call down lightning to hit all targets within range and its area of effect for 3d10Lightning damage. Then for 10 turns, you can call down lightning again without expending a spell slot.

DEX Save

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

AoE: 2 m / 7 ft (Radius)

 Fly ()

Fly to a target position

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Forced Teleportation ()

3d8 (3~24) Necrotic

Cazador forcibly teleports one of his vampire spawn to a nearby location.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Misty Escape ()

Transform into a tiny mist cloud. It can't fall, and fits through small openings. It is very hard to damage.

The cloud has Advantage on Constitution, Dexterity and Strength Saving Throws.

Enough, Wretches!

When Cazador reaches low enough health, he will use Enough, Wretches!, and switch to physical attacks.

 Enough, Wretches!

Cazador switches from spells to savage melee attacks.

Recharge: per battle

 Claws ()

2d4 (2~8) + Strength or Dexterity modifier Slashing

Lash out with deadly claws.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

 Multiattack ()

2d4 (2~8) + Strength modifier Slashing

+

2d4 (2~8) + Strength modifier Slashing

The target must be  Blood-Sapped.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

Recharge: per turn

Tactician mode

 Potent Misty Escape ()

Transform into a tiny mist cloud. It can't fall, and fits through small openings. It is very hard to damage. Foes within 4 m / 13 ft of the cloud may be  Blinded and take 3d6Necrotic at the start of Cazador's turn. The cloud has Advantage on Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength Saving Throws.

Honour mode

 Vampiric Swarm

12d12 (12~144) Piercing

Call forth a swarm of vampire bats. Targets are pushed backwards 7 m / 23 ft and may become  Swarmed.

DEX Save

 Range: 10 m / 33 ft

AoE: 5 m / 16 ft (Cube)

Notable loot

• Rhapsody
• Szarr Family Ring
• Woe

Allies

• 6x Bat (6 additional bats spawn each round)
• Chatterteeth
• 3x Fallen Gur Hunter
• 4x Predator Werewolf

Encounter details

• If Astarion is in your party when you meet Cazador, a cutscene will play out in which he becomes trapped as part of the ritual. He can be freed using the  Help action.
• Cazador will attempt to complete the ritual to become the Vampire Ascendant. If 3 turns pass without the ritual being interrupted (by freeing Astarion or killing one of the Vampire Spawn) then at the beginning of the 4th turn Cazador will consume them all to become the Vampire Ascendant. This permanently kills Astarion and Scroll of Revivify,  Revivify, or Withers cannot be used to revive him.
• Cazador will be empowered by 7  Ritual Sources from each of the trapped vampire spawn, granting him 1m/3ft of movement speed, 10 temporary hit points, and 1d10Necrotic per trapped spawn. These sources are represented by lines of red magic on the floor and can be "stolen" by the party if they stand on top of the magic circles in front of the vampire spawn. 3 of them provide additional bonus effects:
  • Ritual Drain: Astarion: Gain an additional bonus action
  • Ritual Drain: Violet: Gain +5 AC
  • Ritual Drain: Yousen: Heal for 2d8hit points each turn
• If Cazador succeeds in becoming the Vampire Ascendent, he will permanently gain all the ritual source and ritual drain bonuses. Standing on the magical circles will no longer have any effect.
• If Astarion is not in your party when you meet Cazador, then he will be unable to capture him at the start of the fight. This prevents Cazador from starting the ritual and thus deprives him of all the  Ritual Sources and Ritual Drain bonuses as well as the 3 turn countdown to become the Vampire Ascendant.
• Cazador will always upcast  Call Lightning to level 5.

Tactics

• In the lead-up to the final confrontation with Cazador, Astarion can be split-off from the party and left way back up the stairs. Then upon descending the stairs with the rest of the party, Cazador will believe Astarion didn't accompany the party and will not entrap him. However, as of Patch 6 if Astarion later joins the fight and Cazador is still alive, the fight will be interrupted by a cut scene and Astarion will be captured. This technique can nonetheless be used to delay the three turn countdown for Cazador's ascendance, and to hold off Astarion's imprisonment until a more manageable time in the battle. It is also possible to avoid the capture with Astarion in your party by attacking Cazador from range and initiating the fight without dialogue. Astarion will be captured if he tries to move up the steps onto the ritual dais, but if he stays on or near the entrance stairs he will be safe.
• It is possible to start combat as normal, separating Astarion from the main party and selecting him to walk up to Cazador to initiate combat, leaving the other three party members behind. As the cutscene starts, it is possible to attack Cazador with any of the other three party members, which should, instead of drawing them into immediate combat, add them to the conversation. All cutscenes will play as normal prior to the start, and after combat. This should also not count as an action for the attacking party member either. Essentially it gives the party a free attack on Cazador before combat starts without cutting off the party from any part of the story.
• If Astarion is captured as part of the ritual, it is imperative to free him ASAP so that Cazador doesn't kill him and become the Vampire Ascendant. Using  Dash and  Misty Step can allow allies to reach him within a single turn so they can free him with  Help on the next turn. Alternatively a party member could use  Dimension Door to transport an ally (even Scratch!) across the room, and this second ally can free Astarion that same turn.
• The narrow stairway is a fantastic choke point for crowd-controlling the mobs with spells early in the fight. Some lightning resistance for the party and there will be little Cazador can do on lower difficulty levels since Call Lightning is the only ranged attack he has. Beware of getting pushed off the edge yourself however. Wall of Fire can be extremely effective if placed across the front of the dais, killing all the bats and weakening or killing the stronger minions.
• Using  Daylight or similar effects will impose  Sunlight Hypersensitivity on Cazador, reverting his mist form and causing 20Radiant at the start of his turn. Keeping Cazador close to a Daylight source will make the fight significantly easier. Daylight can also be used to trigger the fight with Cazador and skip the cutscene completely, allowing you to start the fight with Astarion already free.
• Summons are very effective in this fight since they give you more bodies to block Cazador's  Ritual Sources. Even something as simple as a  Spiritual Weapon can be used to block one of the ritual sources.
• The 10 temporary hit points provided by  Ritual Sources can be refreshed by walking off of and back onto the magic circles.
• This fight can be made significantly easier if Astarion is not in your party when you start the dialogue with Cazador since it prevents the 3 turn Vampire Ascendent countdown as well as the ritual source and ritual drain buffs. The party can achieve this outcome either by taking a different companion in Astarion's place or by leaving Astarion at the top of the stairs and having him enter the fight partway through.