Bardsong like BG1 Bardsong?

[-dbd-]

I've just imported my Bard from BG1 into BG2. Back in BG1, I was surprised and delighted to discover about halfway through the game that my Bardsong was actually quite useful: it removed Fear.

 

Now in BG2 I'm extremely disappointed to discover that it doesn't do that anymore. It only grants immunity to Fear. Well, that's utterly useless: I'm not going to have my main character standing off to the side in every fight playing his harp just in case somebody might suffer a morale failure.

 

I see that the BG2 Fixpack includes alterations to Bardsong. But you don't make make it the way it was in BG1. Why was that choice made? Is there any mod that does do this, or can I do it myself in Near Infinity?

[Nythrun]

The default BG2 bardsong doesn't even give immunity to morale failure

 

Curing fear was added in that OBC component because it was in BG1. The luck bonus and morale bonus were added because they're mentioned in the manual, and that's the only place any specifics about what the song is meant to do are mentioned.

 

If you want to cook up something yourself, you'll need to make two .spl files and modify one clab.2da - are you comfortable with doing so?

[-dbd-]

If you want to cook up something yourself, you'll need to make two .spl files and modify one clab.2da - are you comfortable with doing so?

 

I don't even know what it means! However, I've been poking around in Near Infinity, so I might be able to find the files myself.

 

But, does the BG2 Fixpack make bardsong cure fear already? From the description on the webpage it sounded like it didn't.

[Nythrun]

There's no file for the default bard song (it's defined only in the main game program).

 

The song added by the Fixpack is fjbardb.spl in the spl subfolder if you'd like to have a look at it with Near Infinity and see exactly what it does.

[-dbd-]

The song added by the Fixpack is fjbardb.spl in the spl subfolder if you'd like to have a look at it with Near Infinity and see exactly what it does.

 

Well, now I'm thoroughly bewildered. That file DOES list "Remove Fear" and "Remove Fear 2" among its effects. But when I used my bardsong while partymembers were panicked, it did not in fact have any effect on them. And yes, this component was installed.

[Nythrun]

The range on BG2 bardsongs is pretty short, and the songs don't even "pulse" once per round - it can be kind of difficult to keep fleeing party members in range.

 

If a panicked party member got the song icon and stayed panicked, there's a problem somewhere.

[-dbd-]

Well, I've gone into fjbarda.spl and fjbardb.spl, and increased all the ranges to 60 (they were 1!) Maybe that will help. Now I have to wait for somebody to panic so I can test it.

[Salk]

Range of 1 seems actually a too small area of effect. Thoughts ?

[Nythrun]

This field is not the area of effect: it's the distance you can throw a stone, rather than the breadth of the explosion the stone makes when landing. The area of effect radius is defined in a projectile file (inareapa.pro).

 

You can change the target type for each effect in the .spl from preset to party (which will give you unlimited range) if you like.

[Salk]

Thanks for the clarification!

[-dbd-]

I've learned that the problem is indeed the range -- I have to chase my panicked party members around and be standing right next to them at the beginning of the round.