Spell Revisions Mod

[Demivrgvs]

Starting from ADPack mod I've fixed/tweaked/changed paratically all spells in the game hoping to make them more balanced/useful/fun to use. I've tested them with a wide selection of mods (FixPack and TweakPack obviously, NPCs mods, SCS II, ...) and it shouldn't have critical bugs but if anyone is interested to try them out and/or posting their suggestions i'll send them the files (contained in a .rar and an appropriate WeiDU .exe), just send me a PM.

 

Saving Throws System:

 

1) Level based saving throws' penalties: all level 1 spells have no penalties to their saves, all level 2 spells have a -1 penalty, level 3 spells have a -2 and so on up to level 7 spells which have a -6 penalty. The cap prevents uber -7/-8 penalties for level 8/9 spells and i think cleric/druid's level 7 slots should be somewhat comparable to the mage's highest ones.

2) "Appropriate"saves: this one is the more controversial tweak and I don't know if it can be accepted by AD&D fans. Reflex based saves are changed from save vs. spell to save vs. breath (e.g. Fireball). Constitution based saves are changed from save vs. spell to save vs. death (e.g. disease, poison, death effects). Will based saves maintain their save vs. spell (e.g. charm, emotion, hold, slow effects). If this tweak will remain implemented in future versions then every saves' tables for all classes have to be changed accordingly...which I've partially done in my game.

 

Arcane spells (most notable changes)

 

Level 1:

 

- Armor: AC 6 + 1/4 levels (up to AC 1 at level 20)

- Blindness: permanent duration (require Cure Disease); no AC penalty, -10 THAC0 (it's what the blindness effect really does with this engine); School: Necromancy (previously Illusion)

- Chill Touch: 1d8 cold damage, -1 to strengh (save vs. death neg.); +6 enchantment

- Chromatic Orb: random effects

- Color Spray: creatures with less or equal Hit Dice/levels to the caster caster are knocked unconscious for 5 rounds, those with one or two greater are blinded for 3 round, any creature is stunned for 1 round (save vs. spell neg all effects)

- Find Familiar: fixed and tweaked familiars

- Grease: save or fall unconscious for 1 round, movement rate penalty by 50% (no save)

- Sleep: affects creatures with less HD/levels than the caster, last 5 rounds

- Shield: +2 bonus to AC (further +4 vs. missile) instead of setting it to 4

- Shocking Grasp: 1d6 damage/level (up to 5d6), stuns target for 1 round; +6 enchantment

- Spook: save is fixed to no bonus/penalties (previously too powerful for its level)

- True Strike: replaces Infravision; +10 bonus to THAC0 for 1 round (would like to remove it if penalties for darkness could be restored)

 

Level 2:

 

- Deafness: permanent duration (require a Cure Disease); School: Necromancy (previously Illusion)

- Detect Invisibility: reveals invisible enemies once per round for 1 turn

- Glitterdust: creatures affected cannot return invisible for 4 rounds; bypasses SI: Divination

- Luck: added the missing +1 to all saves; last 1 turn

- Stinking Cloud: new cloud color

 

Level 3:

 

- Detect Illusions: cancels illusion spells up to 4th level

- Ghost Armor: AC 2, +30% to Hide in Shadow

- Lightning Bolt: one target only; 1d10 damage/level (up to a 10d10); i've serious doubts about this

- Melf's Minute Meteor: reduced enchantment to +3

- Monster Summoning I: summons up to five Hobgoblin Archers

- Non-Detection: fixed (it now works as per description, previously dispellable by Tre Seeing)

- Protection from Missiles: now protects from all missiles (including Acid Arrows, Flame Arrows and Melf's Minute Meteors)

- Skull Trap: reduced damage to 1d4 per level (up to a maximum of 20d4)

 

Level 4:

 

- Ice Storm: creatures in the area have movements reduced by 50% (at least it has some usefulness now!)

- Improved Invisibility: no saving throws bonus

- Monster Summoning II: summons up to four Gnoll Elite

- Teleport Field: allow a save every round to avoid the effect

 

Level 5:

 

- Chaos: creatures with 5 or more Hit Dice/levels less than the caster are not allowed a save

- Cloudkill: new cloud color

- Conjure Lesser Elementals: improved creatures (a description is provided in this thread)

- Monster Summoning III: summons up to three Ogre Berserker

- Phantom Blade: +4 enchanted, 100% spell failure for one round on hit (as per Moon Blade actually)

- Prot. from Acid: it should prevent spell disruption caused by Melf's Acid Arrows, Death Fog, ...

- Prot. from Electricity: it should prevent spell disruption caused by Lightning Bolts, Chain Lightning, ...

- Spell Immunity: only one school at a time (AI will ignore this tweak if it's not implemented by an AI-enhancing mod like SCS II); Spell Immunity: Abjuration now correctly protects from all abjuration spells

 

Level 6:

 

- Carrion Summon: changed to Summon Shadow

- Chain Lightning: 1d6 damage/level (up to 20d6) to the first target and half damage to following targets

- Conjure Elementals: improved creatures (a description is provided in this thread)

- Death Fog: renamed Acid Fog, removed the summon's insta-kill, added 50% movements penalty

- Invisible Stalker: improved creature

- Mislead: clone last "only" 6 rounds (otherwise it can be really abused), invisibility last 1 round/level, added the previously missing bonus that should be granted by Improved Invisibility state

 

Level 7:

 

- Cacofiend: summons a Death Knight (instead of a Nabassu); School: Necromancy (previously Conjuration)

- Mantle: protects from +3 weapons or lower (previously too weak); what about making it last 6 rounds?

- Prismatic Spray: effects are slightly changed

- Sphere of Chaos: creatures in the area are affected by wild magic

 

Level 8:

 

- Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting: reduce damage to 1d6/level (up to 20d6), save vs. death at -6 penalty half

- Improved Mantle: protects from +4 weapons or lower (previously too weak)

 

Level 9:

 

- Absolute Immunity: protects from +5 weapons or lower (+6 weapons should be "nerfed" to make this spell worth a level 9 slot)

- Energy Drain: Permanent 2-4 levels loss without save

- Imprisonment: applies a permanent maze effect (it no longer breaks romances and it no longer causes game over if the affected character is Player 1)

- Meteor Swarm: no duration; 24d6 fire damage without save

 

Divine spells (most notable changes)

 

Level 1:

 

- Cure Light Wounds: cures 1d8 + 1HP/level (up to +5)

 

Level 2:

 

- Barkskin: druids only; +1 bonus to AC plus 1 every 3 levels (up to a maximum of +5 bonus at level 12)

- Flame Blade: druids only; slightly improved

- Cure Medium Wounds: moved from level 3; cures 2d8 + 1HP/level (up to +10)

 

Level 3:

 

- Animate Dead: slightly improved creatures; (complete description of them is provided in-game)

- Call Lightning: limited to 6d6 damage; can be cast indoor

- Cause Serious Wounds: moved from level 4; causes 3d8 + 15 magic damage

- Contagion: replace Rigid Thinking; permanent -2 to Str, Dex, Con & Cha (requires Cure Disease)

- Cure Serious Wounds: moved from level 4; cures 3d8 + 1HP/level (up to +15)

- Glyph of Warding: 1d4 damage/level (up to 10d4); affects only enemies

- Invisibility Purge: clerics only; reveals invisible enemies once per round for 1 turn

- Hold Person or Animal: druids only; affects also humanoids (previously a useless spell)

- Holy Smite: limited to 10d4 damage (previously too powerful for its level)

- Miscast Magic: causes wild surges instead of spellcasting failure

- Repulse Undead: moved from level 5

- Strengh of One: +2 bonus instead of setting it to 18

- Summon Insect: no save against the damage, allow a save to avoid 100% spellcasting failure

- Unholy Blight: see Holy Smite

 

Level 4:

 

- Animal summoning I: druids only

- Cause Critical Wounds: moved from level 5; causes 4d8 + 20 magic damage

- Cloak of Fear: casting time 1; save every round for 1 turn or flee in panic for 1 round

- Cure Critical Wounds: moved from level 5; cures 4d8 + 1HP/level (up to +20)

- Defensive Harmony: 10' area of effect (fixed); + 4 bonus to AC for 8 rounds

- Ice Storm: added to the druids spells list

- Negative Plane Protection: last 1turn/level

- Neutralize Poison: protects from poison for 1 turn

- Lesser Restoration: available to druids

 

Level 5:

 

- Animal Summoning II: druids only

- Flame Strike: available to druids; 1d6 damage/level (up to 15d6) to the target and everyone in 6' radius

- Greater Command: allow a save every round to awake

- Iron Skin: renamed Stone Skin (druids and iron shouldn'go together); affected by breach

- Magic Resistance: 2% per level (up to 40%); cumulative with items

 

Level 6:

 

- Animal Summoning III: druids only

- Blade Barrier: 1d6 damage every second (save vs. breath to avoid); cancels invisibility and sanctuary

- Conjure Air Elemental: added to druids spells list; improved creatures

- Conjure Earth Elemental: moved from level 7; improved creatures

- Conjure Fire Elemental: improved creatures

- Fire Seeds: improved

- False Dawn: available to druids

 

Level 7:

 

- Shield of the Archons: clerics only

- Confusion: disabled

- Creeping Doom: allow a save to avoid 100% spellcasting failure

- Earthquake: druids only; doesn't summon Earth Elementals; generally improved

[Fyorl]

Obviously there are some spells in there that need a check for balancing although it does mean the low level spells aren't ignored at higher levels.

 

Either way I really like some of the changes and I would test it out normally but it means rewriting my sorcerer/cleric5 AI script. I've also just biffed my override folder so I'm not sure it'd work anyway.

[Mike1072]

This looks quite promising, and I'd like to give it a try. I have a few comments about the spells, especially in the case that they'd be used in a Tutu/BGT game.

 

- Armor: AC 6 + 1/4 levels (up to AC 1 at level 20)

Perhaps the additional AC increases could be slowed down to every 5 or 6 levels, since this is still a near-infinite duration level 1 spell.

 

- Color Spray: creatures with less or equal Hit Dice/levels to the caster caster are knocked unconscious for 5 rounds, those with one or two greater are blinded for 2 round, every other creature is stunned for 1 round

Being stunned for 1 round sounds worse than being blinded for 2.

 

- Shocking Grasp: 5d6 damage, stuns target for 1 round

This would be quite a lot of damage for a level 1 mage. 1d6/level, capped at 5d6, might be more reasonable.

 

- Barkskin: druids only; +1 bonus to AC/4 levels (up to a maximum of +5 bonus at level 12)

How does it get to +5 at level 12?

 

- Hold Person or Animal: druids only; affects also humanoids (previously a useless spell)

Does this mean no more Hold Person for clerics?

[J Beau]

Will magic items that duplicate spells be affected? Ex. Lightening bolt and the wand of lightening.

[Demivrgvs]

Obviously there are some spells in there that need a check for balancing although it does mean the low level spells aren't ignored at higher levels.

My concerns are mostly about Finger of Death and Wail of the Banshe...they both have a -6 penalty which makes them much more powerful than before. Almost all other spells are fine with the improved penalties and many of them really deserved them. Anyway the goal was making even low-mid level spells useful at higher levels as i was quite disappointed that only a few spell at any level was considered worth memorizing.

Color Spray... Being stunned for 1 round sounds worse than being blinded for 2.

Actually you're right but it's more or less as the PnP spell works...maybe blindness can last 3 rounds. Anyway those who are blinded for two rounds are also stunned for the first one.

Shocking Grasp... This would be quite a lot of damage for a level 1 mage. 1d6/level, capped at 5d6, might be more reasonable.

Ehm...it's how it works right now...i'll fix the short description above.

Barkskin... How does it get to +5 at level 12?

Sorry my fault again. It's +1 bonus to AC +1/ 3 levels. Starts as +2 at 3rd level (when you get it), +3 at 6th, and so on...

Does this mean no more Hold Person for clerics?

Clerics still have Hold Person as a level 2 spell which druids don't have.

Will magic items that duplicate spells be affected? Ex. Lightening bolt and the wand of lightening.

Depends on how items are made. Most ot them uses their own effects while few of them cast the corrispondenting spell. I'll look into it...anyway sooner or later i'll release an item revision mod which will have all items using their dedicated effects for sure.

[Fyorl]

Does this really need to be WeiDU-ised? Can you not just dump the spell files in the override folder?

[Demivrgvs]

Does this really need to be WeiDU-ised? Can you not just dump the spell files in the override folder?

Spell descriptions need to be added with WeiDU and it's anyway an easier solution to install/un-install the mod and to customize it (if you don't want some components).

 

As someone is testing the mod with BG I (something i didn't expect) i'll probably tweak Cure "X" Wounds to cure xd8 + 1/level HP.

Anyway the first post will always show how spells works in the latest built.

[Fyorl]

Sounds good, I'll definitely try it out.

[J Beau]

Everything looks very interesting. You mentioned the Mantles and lasting 6 rounds. If you are going to leave PfMW alone, this would be a great way to set it apart. You might even go 8 rounds or a turn. Then there would be a real difference between the spells.

 

Oh, and any idea how mods like the E-Series and BP-Series would be affected by this mod?

[J Beau]

Double Post ... sorry.

[Fyorl]

I would imagine they would still work but some of the logic would now be flawed. Some of the scripts don't even implement certain spells since they were so useless.

 

That's the problem I'm having with my scripts now. I've got to write in a lot more spells that I had skipped before. Also, certain situations where spells would be used have to be tweaked or changed.

[Demivrgvs]

You mentioned the Mantles and lasting 6 rounds. If you are going to leave PfMW alone, this would be a great way to set it apart. You might even go 8 rounds or a turn. Then there would be a real difference between the spells.

Indeed that was the plan! PfMW is way too powerful imo and at the same time Mantle, Improved Mantle and Absolute Immunity were too weak (weaker than their lvl 6 counterpart for sure even requiring slots of higher levels). Raising the enchantment level to which they provide protection and extending the duration by 2 rounds i hope to make them a sensible choice worth of memorizing. Anyway 6 rounds seems an eternity imo and i think 8 or 10 could be too much (especially for those like me that dislike uber items and play without Item-Upgrade or similar mods - in vanilla game +4 and +5 weapons are rare fortunately).

Oh, and any idea how mods like the E-Series and BP-Series would be affected by this mod?

I've restricted myself exactly to avoid compatibility issues...all spells should work, at least from a macroscopic point of view, as they worked before (e.g. Vampiric Touch should have worked as all other "touch" spell like Chill Touch, Shocking Grasp, Ghoul Touch, ... but requiring an attack roll for that spell would have broken AI scripts). For the same reason i've aborted my previous PfMW tweak: i thought about nerfing it to something like a mantle spell which protects from normal and up to + 2 enchantment level weapons. I don't know how BP creatures are scripted but i suppose there should be no incompatibilities, at least not something that could break a game. Anyway AI will consider the spells as they were before and therefore it will continue to act consequently (e.g. preferring PfMW to Mantles, ignoring the limitation to one Spell Immunity at a time, and so on).

I would imagine they would still work but some of the logic would now be flawed

Exactly what i'm trying to avoid...the logic behind spells should remain the same.

Some of the scripts don't even implement certain spells since they were so useless.

That's why i started to change them...it makes the game much more fun if you don't have to restrict yourself to the usual two or three spells that are way better than the others.

Also, certain situations where spells would be used have to be tweaked or changed.

True, that's why i'm testing it with SCS II, to be sure that tweaked spells don't screw anything. Furthmore i would be really glad if DavidW will help me in the future to make little changes to his scripts to better integrate the spells tweaks with them.

[Fyorl]

Yep it's all good. You shouldn't hold back to prevent incompatibilities with current scripts. For instance Vampiric Touch should work like all the other touch spells and should really be included in the fixpack.

[DavidW]

Also, certain situations where spells would be used have to be tweaked or changed.

True, that's why i'm testing it with SCS II, to be sure that tweaked spells don't screw anything. Furthmore i would be really glad if DavidW will help me in the future to make little changes to his scripts to better integrate the spells tweaks with them.

 

In principle, sure, provided (a) it doesn't make the scripts significantly longer and (b) it's not too much work. (Obviously I'm not going to assume your mod is installed by default so I'd have to include code to detect it.)

[Rabain]

- Carrion Summon: changed to Summon Shadow

 

Does this mean Carrion Summon is replaced by the spell Summon Shadow or that Carrion Summon now summons a Shadow...instead of...well....carrion. If the spell itself is replaced what happens to Summon Carrion...lost forever?