|
SolidSnakesBandana posted:Minsc is a ranger. And since he has berserk and is Minsc, he's already better than you. Minsc is available early on in both BG1 and BG2. If you want a ranger then there you go. I read somewhere that bard song could be used to calm Minsc out of his Berserk status, anyone know if this is true? If so, does it also work with Kiel's Morningstar/Brage's Sword? I'd love to finally be able to utilize those weapons (and use Minsc's rage for something other than just killing sirines). edit; nevermind, tested it, complete bullshit (at least for BG:EE) verybad fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Dec 9, 2013 |
# ¿ Dec 9, 2013 01:00 |
|
|
# ¿ May 22, 2024 04:17 |
|
Factor_VIII posted:Doesn't that mean that the character is locked out of spellcasting though? Admittedly the same would partially happen with an F/M/C wearing armor, but it's possible to have a decent AC even without armor. A PC with 19 Dex, the Bracers of Defence AC 3, Helm of Balduran, Cloak of the Sewers, Ring of Gaxx, Defender of Easthaven and Ring of Protection +2 (all available in Chapter 2 of BG2) can have an AC of -8, leaving the armor slot open for the Robe of Vecna. Well, you do lose spellcasting while shapeshifted, but I'm not seeing the big the problem. Assumably you shapeshift when you need to be a melee monster, not when you need to do some spellcasting.* As for physical resistances, if you really need them after mirror image/stoneskin, there's always iron golem for 20%, or the rat form from cloak of the sewers for 90% base. *For extra fun times, slap shapechange, BSOD and chain contingency scrolls in your quick items and have a simulacrum do the shapeshifting for you. Best summon in the game? Yeah. caleramaen posted:Shadowdancers would be good if they could use standard backstab progressions or could set traps. But they can't so they aren't. The current no-reload thread had a couple of shadowdancers and they looked pretty strong to me. I think you're underestimating the ability to stealth under vision (while not wasting a spellcasting action).
|
# ¿ Dec 9, 2013 09:45 |
|
Basic Chunnel posted:It really does make bounty hunters less than useless, especially now when EE has made all other thief kit traps into original game bounty hunter traps. Dude, maze traps.
|
# ¿ Dec 9, 2013 12:37 |
|
Gyshall posted:So I cocked up and dual classed Imoen at Thief level 5 instead of Thief Level 6. She is Mage level 5 right now, and I would like to fix her class with EE Keeper if at all possible, since I don't want to have to reload a save from that long ago. Can someone walk me through this? Most concerned about having the game recognize her as a dual class thief/mage and also have whatever proficiencies and abilities might come with Thief 6. Just roll with it? Thief 5 is already enough points to handle locks and traps, and gives you the x3 backstab multiplier as well.
|
# ¿ Dec 10, 2013 16:20 |
|
So, I finished a (mostly) solo bard playthrough of BGEE a while ago, and got BG2EE so I could continue playing the character. I decided I'd take a small party this time, though I didn't recruit either Minsc or Jaheira, but I took Imoen with me (so I wouldn't miss out on any important loot). After finishing the dungeon I was level 11, with some 250k XP. Since I'm going for a small party taking Aerie along seemed like a good idea -- I've never had her in my party for an extended period, so this would be a good chance to push the limits of that insanely good multi-class combination. So I stroll into the circus, free her, press tab to check HP ("42? That's pretty high!") and then immediately check her character record: she's 10/11 cleric-mage with 1.2 million XP in the bank, holy poo poo! ... That's a bit imbalanced, isn't it? oh, did I happen to mention that the clone in Irenicus' dungeon dropped a scroll of simulacrum? Actually, since I don't have much experience with cleric/mages (or clerics!), does anyone have any suggestions for early spells I should be gunning for, or any general spell tips? Aside from polymorph shaenigans with sequencer buffs, I actually don't have much of a clue what I should have Aerie memorize (except "less different spells", the default spell selection for her leads to horrible clutter in the menus!). verybad fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Dec 14, 2013 |
# ¿ Dec 14, 2013 11:59 |
|
Kallor posted:she's such a high level because you are, I'm pretty sure each joinable npc has 2 or 3 different XP levels they can join at according to the pc xp/level, so if you are level 11, rather than 7/8 you get the higher leveled npc version. Yeah, I know, it just silly how it's based on levels and not XP. Funnily enough, I had the opposite problem in BGEE, where for some reason my high level character would get level 1-2 NPCs whenever I tried to recruit them.
|
# ¿ Dec 14, 2013 13:21 |
|
Hughlander posted:Just through regular play of the EE when will you hit the xp cap? I'm at the start of chapter 7, I did all of the side quests in pretty much every area, did all of the new NPC quests, and am doing TSC content now, and CHARNAME is still 50k from xp cap which means 30k from 4x backstab. I want my 4x backstab! Ankhegs give 975 xp and disturb sleep in the area north of Friendly Arm Inn. They can be kind of dangerous as they hit hard and have a lot of HP, but they are very vulnerable to sleep. Nation posted:I need help with my solo F/M/T in BG2 - Greater Werewolves are kicking my rear end fiercely on the way to Firkraag what is the best way to deal? Can't you just invis and walk right past them? I'd think an F/M/T that can take down Firkraag was able to deal with the werewolves, just slap on every combat buff you have and fight them in a chokepoint where only one or two can reach you, or try trap cheese if all else fails. verybad fucked around with this message at 15:40 on Dec 15, 2013 |
# ¿ Dec 15, 2013 15:31 |
|
Excelzior posted:I like to cast Strength (lvl 2 mage spell) on them; it's a beneficial spell so they don't get to save against it and setting their strength to 18/50 is a dramatic LOSS for them. It also lasts 1 turn/level so at ToB levels there is no worry of it running out mid-battle. That's amazing. I've literally never thought about this before, and I've been playing these games for 10 years.
|
# ¿ Dec 19, 2013 13:56 |
|
Samopsa posted:You do notice the game is balanced around a 6 person party though. I'm now doing a berserker / cleric dual class run, and my only party member is Jan, so that I have all bases covered: melee power, arcane and divine magic, and thieving. I'm almost done with side quests in chapter 2, and I'm almost at the original SoA exp cap. To be fair, BioWare kind of thought you would actually try and progress through the game instead of just clearing every possible sidequest in Chapter 2.
|
# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 14:15 |
|
Wolfsheim posted:How viable are swashbucklers for BGT? I kinda like the idea of a hooded halfling duelist who uses long swords (and early on, slings) but I dunno if I'm just gimping myself that way. Swashbuckler is a pretty boring Thief kit, but hey if that's the way you want to go, feel free. Every class can finish the game solo, hell I'm pretty sure every class can finish the game solo with SCS installed and on insane, so there's not really much to worry about. Swashes are boring though, if you want to play a straight thief kit I recommend Bounty Hunter. I'm soloing through BGEE with one right now and it's been pretty fun so far. Chunking someone with a backstab is always fun and traps add a little strategic depth to the gameplay.
|
# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 23:04 |
|
So hey, it turns out there's a bug in BG:EE that wipes out your characters proficiencies if you cast a Luck spell on them. That sure explains why my solo bard hasn't been able to hit the broad side of the barn ever since he
|
# ¿ Jan 4, 2014 16:10 |
|
fong posted:I'm assuming this isn't the Enhanced Edition? Either way one mage is fine for BG1. You'd do OK with just the 5 of you anyway but I'd probably grab a stronger ranged damage dealer like Kivan (from High Hedge area) or wait and pick up Coran later on (in the first Cloakwood Area - can't get there until after the Bandit Camp). Keep in mind though, these are probably the two most powerful NPCs in BG1 so if you want to make it a bit harder then get Ajantis instead (a Paladin from the farm area North of the Friendly Arm Inn). Garrick and Xan (mopey mage) are both pretty terrible NPCs - Garrick is arguably the worst in the game, Xan just because his mage specialisation doesn't let him cast some of the most useful mage spells. Garrick and Xan are not that bad, honestly. Enchanters are no worse than any other specialization in BG1, except that they can't use magic missile to take down mirror images fast. Bards are terribly underrated - they can use wands and scrolls, which basically makes them just as good spellcasters as any other wizard except they fight a bit better, have more hp and can use Greagan's Harp (20 charges of dominate, save vs. spell -2, no cast time or projectile). Oh and you don't have to memorize identify and remove fear when you have one in your party so that's nice. Now, Garrick and Xan do have a few problems, the big one being that they both have lovely CON scores, but that only really matters on Core+ if you're not cheesing max HP on level up. verybad fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Jan 6, 2014 |
# ¿ Jan 6, 2014 17:36 |
|
FairGame posted:Xan is atrocious. I don't care about the inability to cast magic missile and fireball since the game throws so many offensive wands at you (seriously, 6 dudes with wands of fire or 5 + 1 cavalier with both rings of fire protect is hilarious), but his one redeeming feature is his Moonblade--and you're not going to bring him into melee range when he's got like 20 HP at the end of the game. I believe in the original BG1, mirror images basically worked like stoneskin, ie. you can't hit the caster until all the images are gone. Coincidentally, Xan comes with mirror images memorized and about 15 minutes after recruiting him you run into NIMBUL, who quickly teaches you why that spell is so great, especially when combined with gear that boosts AC against missile attacks. It's kind of a shame how much worse Xan is in more modern versions of the game, just thanks to one small nerf. I don't think his end game HP is that big of a problem, though, potions of fortitude will that fix that right up. It's just that his specific niche is pretty much non-existant, since he can't be a pseudo fighter/mage at the start (because the way mirror images works now, he's still pretty drat likely to die if you take him into melee) and he plays just like any other wizard in the endgame - the Moonblade just isn't that impressive after the first few levels. Actually, funnily enough, I think Xan would be a great character if he was the bard and Garrick would be the lackluster Enchanter instead. verybad fucked around with this message at 21:37 on Jan 6, 2014 |
# ¿ Jan 6, 2014 21:31 |
|
Factor_VIII posted:I think that there are only a handful of NPCs that are worth pickpocketing in BG1; Algernon for his cloak, the meditating dwarf in Ulgoth's Beard for a ring of free action, one of the Firewine dungeon ghosts for a Bow of Marksmanship (last one needs a very high skill to work). One could just buy a stock of potions of master thievery and drink a few of them to boost their thief's pickpocketing skill before attempting these targets and not sink any points in it. The thing is you can't actually buy potions of master thievery until you reach Baldur's Gate, but all the items you listed are accessible way before that, so having a natural pickpocket is quite handy. There's one potion of master thievery, and three potions of mind focusing (+3 DEX, or +15% thieving skills basically) available early on, which you can use to grab a couple of those items you mentioned pre-Cloakwood. Algernon's Cloak is very strong in the early chapters, and that Ring of Free Action is quite handy to have for the spider area, or for Web abuse.
|
# ¿ Jan 6, 2014 23:41 |
|
I thought of something today, regarding BG2, and that thought left me very sad. There are so many mods for the game, yet the one thing I've always wanted, expanded dual/multi-class options is never going to happen. I just want to try out a stalker-bard dual class... ... or, as it's known by it's true name, the Fighter/Mage/Thief that gains levels according to the Rogue EXP table. So anyway, I'm about to do something stupid, that is to say, I'm going to try a BGEE run with full SCS installed, perhaps on insanity? How sharp of an increase in challenge, compared to say, a solo no-reload run, should I be expecting? I'm thinking of maybe aiming for no-reload here as well, though that's probably not going to happen. I'll probably downgrade to "if you die, you may reload the game tomorrow" or some other challenge like that, so at least I'll play honest. edit: ahahaha, oh my god, Carbos gets the assassin kit in SCS! Poisoned weapon? Yup, that was my first death right there. There's actually no way for a first level character to survive from that, as far as I can tell, so you better not get hit at all if you want to live! verybad fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Jan 8, 2014 |
# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 16:04 |
|
amanasleep posted:Not understanding how x3 backstab makes a bard so much better. Otherwise all that gets added is HP. Warrior APR and THAC0, free dual wielding, stealth. With mislead and improved haste running, you've got 10 APR, x3 damage, +4 dmg/hit from enhanced bard song. Dualing at ranger 13 would be completely viable even with a party since bards enjoy such a fast level progression.
|
# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 18:31 |
|
Ilyich posted:^Is Stalker to Bard a valid Dual? I think Bard is a single class only thing. No.
|
# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 19:32 |
|
amanasleep posted:But Bards don't get the Assassination HLA, so the x3 backstab is mostly meaningless. Aside from that and extra early proficiencies and HP, there isn't much that this gets you that a Blade or F/M/T doesn't already get. Both of those can get the same APR and Thac0 as your combo (because Dual classing at 13 only gets you 8 Thac0 max vs. Blade max Thac0 8 with Offensive Spin or F/M/T max of Thac0 zero). Bards get Mislead, x3 backstabs with Mislead and fighter APR are far from meaningless. Yeah, it's not that much different from an F/M/T, except that you would level up a poo poo ton faster and you get to pick all your HLAs from the Thief/Bard pool. Offensive Spin got nerfed in EE (though you can still reach 9 APR if you dual wield speed weapons and wear the gauntlets I think) and F/M/T max fighter level is 18 (Base 3 THAC0), which it reaches at 7.5 million exp. For comparison, bards get two level 6 spells at level 18, so you could start doing the Mislead/IH combo around ~3.2 million exp. You're right though, in that it would play a lot like an F/M/T, but it's still something I would like to try. I kind of sort of really like it not just for the mechanics, though, but for RP reasons too. Why assassin -> druid, though? Stealthy shapeshifting bear with poison attack?
|
# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 20:23 |
|
So, after my first attempt at no-reload SCS BG1 on insane ended to me being unceremoniously shanked by Carbos, I decided to drop the no-reload part. To keep myself honest, I decided to end the gaming session whenever I'd die, and restrict myself to loading only from auto-saves and saves made when exiting the game. So with these new rules, I embarked on my journey... and died to Shank. Time to do some dishes, I think.amanasleep posted:Poisoned Fire Seeds.
|
# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 21:36 |
|
Wolfsheim posted:Also stumbled into Viconia, but is it just me or are her stats pretty weak compared to Branwen? She can't even equip the higher end armors or shields due to her ridiculously low strength, and I don't see how her high dexterity would help all that much? Or am I using her wrong? Higher dexterity means better ranged THAC0, and I think she has higher WIS score as well, so she gets more spells, too. She makes for a better backline caster, basically. Oh and she gets 50% magic resist which is pretty nice.
|
# ¿ Jan 9, 2014 13:15 |
|
Oh god the SCS bandit camp is disgusting. My "tank with Xan" tactic did not work as well as intended, as even one attack getting through mirror images had a decent chance of killing him on the spot. I really should've gotten level 5 on him, then I could've used Vampiric Touch to boost his HP and he wouldnt've been affected by sleep, either (I'm beginning to suspect that the elven sleep resistance was never implemented in these games...)
|
# ¿ Jan 17, 2014 02:58 |
|
Those fixes are supposed to be included in BG:EE, right? My party's elves and half-elves are suspiciously sleepy.
|
# ¿ Jan 17, 2014 03:57 |
|
Ilyich posted:Tanking with a mage? Mirror images + other assorted buffs. SCS ranged AI has a tendency to focus fire squishies anyway, so it actually works out okay.* I think he had something like -9 AC against missile attacks? I had already gotten every tanky character killed by this point, and I really wanted to utilize Xan's moonblade this run, so I've been using him as a frontliner with buffs to keep him alive. It's been alright (I had to fool around a bit with Near Infinity to give him that Elf +1 THAC0 with swords he used to have in BG1) but since Mirror Images don't work like they did in the original game (real one gets hit last, instead it's now a random chance dependant on how many images you have) he occasionally gets one-shot by a lucky hit. Anyway, I reached level 5 with him now and Vampiric Touch should really help with that. Since I'm playing on Core, and just taking the HP roll on level up, the highest HP character has like 35 hp right now (level 5) - Xan can actually beat that with a lucky Vampiric Touch. I can't imagine playing this on Insane, just about everything that hits you would one-shot all but the most tankiest characters. *soons as I get the spells for it I'm going to have Xan beat Drizzt in a duel. verybad fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Jan 17, 2014 |
# ¿ Jan 17, 2014 14:10 |
|
JustJeff88 posted:Good on you for getting it while it was so cheap, though. For what it's worth, I think the game is actually more interesting with random level up HP (or rather, average HP - random HP can be pretty punishing sometimes) and scribe failure. Planning out how to use your limited potions of genius actually presents an interesting challenge, though the scribing failure rates at 95-99% seem to be kind of bullshit.
|
# ¿ Jan 17, 2014 18:19 |
|
Is there word out on if Overhaul is going to be making EEs for the Icewind Dale games? I don't think I can go back to playing the unenhanced versions after so many hours of smooth area transitions and zoom wheel. Not to mention that IWD2 looks and runs all kinds of awful with modern computers...
|
# ¿ Jan 18, 2014 17:31 |
|
I think the orcs hit pretty hard, but they almost never make it into melee range so uh no definitely not.
|
# ¿ Jan 18, 2014 19:26 |
|
Draile posted:I think my game is bugged. All the werewolves are hostile and each hit insta-kills a character. I can't even make it past the second room in the tent. The werewolves are supposed to be hostile - they're not supposed to be able to do any damage to you if you don't attack them first, though. What's your strenght score? The shadows drain strenght with their attack, they could theoretically kill you with it if they get you down to 0 STR. verybad fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Jan 18, 2014 |
# ¿ Jan 18, 2014 19:59 |
|
bathroom sounds posted:I can't make up my mind between continuing with my BG1 Cavalier in BG2 or if I want to try something new. Internet lied, Archers are great. Necromancers are also fine, and while it's true there isn't much mechanical benefits to the class, at least you get 16 WIS for free in character creation so you have an easier time rolling a caster able to (ab)use Wish spells without having to invest in potions of insight. Hell, for funsies, you could try and make the best use out of your class specialty spells instead of just picking the generic "best" spells. On another subject, I have a question about IWD bard songs: is there any point to using the first one you get (+1 hit/dmg, I think?) after you get the one that gives +1 to luck among other things? I was under the assumption that the luck stat gets added to basically every roll, including hit and damage rolls so uh, what the hey? verybad fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Jan 20, 2014 |
# ¿ Jan 20, 2014 16:34 |
|
From a thematic point of view, I actually really like the bard. He's your typical fantasy hero who is good at everything - he can fight, he's sneaky, he knows a bit of magic. All of the possible "father figures" from Candlekeep have influenced his path (Gorion taught you magic, Winthrop the sneaky business, fighting stuff from whoever teaches you that in the fighter biography). He's from Candlekeep, so he's well learned - that explains the high lore. As for bard song? That's a genuine supernatural ability, derived from Bhaal's divine essence. It's common in mythology and fantasy to associate music with the supernatural and the gods: in Silmarillion the world is created with a song, in Kalevala, the demi-god Väinämöinen casts spells that alter reality by playing his zither, etc.
|
# ¿ Jan 20, 2014 18:09 |
|
JustJeff88 posted:As for bard being the most "divine blood" class due to its song, the BG base bard song is more about inspiration. I can get pumped up for a football match or what have you by listening to Queen or Dio beforehand - the right music is very inspirational. Adding things like luck bonuses against saving throws, resistance to fear and morale failure, and hitting more often in combat make sense, and these are things all bards can do. Now, the IWD bard songs things like enthralling and healing the group, those are magical as gently caress and don't make sense in some ways, but I think that they were put into IWD-HoW and IWD2 just to make bard song not poo poo. Bards getting some priestly spells in 3rd+ creates a definite link to the divine and makes a song of healing seem a lot more plausible/thematic. I mean, you could totally interpret the Bhaalspawn Bard PC's Song special ability as just a really catchy tune or whatever, but why would you want to? verybad fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Jan 20, 2014 |
# ¿ Jan 20, 2014 21:36 |
|
Elver and Dwarves taking a hundred years to mature into adulthood doesn't even make any loving sense. Are they toddlers for 30 years? It's just stupid.
|
# ¿ Jan 20, 2014 21:44 |
|
sebzilla posted:"People taking 15+ years to mature into adulthood doesn't make even any loving sense. Are they puppies for ten years? It's just stupid." - A dog. You know, there's actually quite a difference between dogs and people. Like, for example, I know for a fact that you're not quoting an actual dog because dogs can't speak. Language and culture, man, they're huge. Pointy ears? Not so much.
|
# ¿ Jan 21, 2014 00:08 |
|
Wolfsheim posted:Is it worth it to actually roll with a bard as your PC in BG? They seem ridiculously gimpy compared to rolling a straight Fighter, Mage, or even a multi classed F/M. Bards can use wizard only wands (and scrolls) and are therefore automatically awesome in BG1. They're basically tankier, faster leveling mages who can use longbows and fight in melee. The NPC bards kind of loving suck though (poor stats). In BG2, bows and wands get nerfed but bards get UAI and their level advantage starts to actually matter (better dispels, faster skeleton warriors, harder hitting skulltraps) and they become crazy death-blenders in melee with buffs and the right equipment. The bard kits are all just straight up better than the base class, and the blade is the bestest and there's pretty much no reason to pick any of the others.
|
# ¿ May 5, 2014 21:28 |
|
Wolfsheim posted:That's why I asked, it seemed like I was missing something obvious Actually, your plan wasn't that bad. Getting to level 2 isn't THAT difficult, especially as a mage since you can just mostly roll through levels ~1-5 with sleep. It's not worth doing it just for the familiar or identify spell, but for the access to mage only equipment though. The real downside to your plan is that you're not going to be able to pick a kit for your fighter class, but getting scroll casting and the ability to use wands is easily worth the trade-off. So by all means, pick a specialist mage class of your liking, roll stats for a fighter, get sleep + whatever (I recommend blind, it's op) as your first two spells, dual class when you have the chance and have fun. Don't ignore your spellcasting ability (sleep & blind are very useful level 1 spells - sleep for killing large packs of trash monsters, blind for taking out spellcasters/other tough enemies out of the fight) and remember to use scrolls. If you're not saving a spellscroll for someone else to memorize, or for some specific purpose, just throw it in your fighter's quickbar and cast it at the first gibberling you see. If this is a BGEE only run, you should try to max out your longbow proficiency, with extra points going into whatever back up melee weapon you like. Your initial mage proficiency point is probably best spent on daggers. verybad fucked around with this message at 08:46 on Jun 30, 2014 |
# ¿ Jun 30, 2014 08:43 |
|
Pretty sure that's an SCS change so that you have to go through the whole dungeon instead of skipping straight to the end.
|
# ¿ Jul 28, 2014 10:11 |
|
Only good use of traps in BG1 is in Durlag's Tower. Everywhere else it's just a bullshit trap tile in the middle of a nondescript corridor.
|
# ¿ Jul 31, 2014 21:47 |
|
While the earlier poster here might've been trolling, at least the last time I tried IWD2, it was pretty close to what I'd call 'unplayable'. The performance was awful with constant stuttering, and I'm not sure if I got the widescreen mod to even work with it but if I did, I think it made the interface super ugly and without it the available resolutions just looked horrible on a modern monitor. IWD1 & Torment work 'okay', but both have minor annoyances (like flickering fog of war) that some people might just find unbearable, and they really just don't feel as smooth as the EE games do. The new content in them is kind of poo poo, and they're pretty buggy too, but overall I feel they're such an improvement that I really don't feel like going back to the originals. I just really wish there was IWD2 EE, because while I can take the annoyances with IWD & PS:T, whatever hacks BIS used with IWD2 just make the game a really terrible experience on every modern system I've tried it on.
|
# ¿ Aug 6, 2014 23:04 |
|
Ulcaster & Firewine should be fine, but the others are out of your league, especially if you don't really know what you're doing. Even with Firewine you should be really careful though, there's a couple of really tricky encounters there. Definitely do not touch at your level if you're playing SCS.
|
# ¿ Aug 10, 2014 00:26 |
|
That cut dream sequence sounds really interesting. I wonder where it was originally supposed to be, and why it was cut. I always felt that the Bhaalspawn story in BG1 felt a bit tacked on, maybe because of the cut content?
|
# ¿ Aug 10, 2014 12:27 |
|
|
# ¿ May 22, 2024 04:17 |
|
To be fair, it's quite a tough balancing between being a decent person and adventuring (read: being a murder hobo).
|
# ¿ Aug 10, 2014 12:38 |