I have the same exact problem now, my character is even on the same level, 12. Wisdom 19, Intelligence 18. Apparently the game's now in an unwinnable situation. The good old days of challenging game design...

I spoke to every named NPC I met and did every side quest I could find. Should I load a save and grind on hive thugs for a dozen hours before entering the portal?

Get tattoos, buy better weapons, stock up on potions and charms etc. If you go to undersigil in clerk's ward there are some really difficult monsters which give you a lot of exp for defeating them. So if you want to grind a little bit then head on there with your party. Also, you may want to decrease difficulty to easy.

On separate note, you should always open a new thread when you have a question rather than post in an old thread.

Dealing with the end game.

The Modron Maze this is essentially a cheat but 5 to 10 hours in the maze on hardest setting sends your stats through the roof plus earns you a lot of money you will need to sell to as many different buyers as possible to keep prices up.

End game buy 100 plus healing potions and spend an hour or two killing Shadows and with the right tatoos and buffing goodies you can max out INT WIS and CHAR to 25 ollowing all options at games conclusion. I dont think you need to go over 23 but I had to be sure.

Not for first time players as it is cheating but if you love this game and have any doubts that you have missed an ending option its worth it for peace of mind.

Rayge1954

I have tip for all difficult boss fights (Trias, Mage in Modron's Maze etc.) except incarnations fight. Remember you can use Morte's taunt, especially effective when you boosted it through the game (for example by talking to prostitutes). When I played month ago, it worked literally on everybody and lasted until I eradicated enemy, preventing them from using any spell (works even on Mage in Modron's Maze, if you cast it fast enough, it even prevent all other enemies from moving and Mage from casting 8-lvl Mechanus Laser spell).

''wtf my THAC0 9, AC 6, level 12 fighter who isn't trained beyond proficiency in his weapons and has multiple empty gear slots can't beat the endgame fights"

Really makes you think doesn't it?