HLAs

[Demivrgvs]

One thing that I think should be taken into account when dealing with these spells is that they shouldn't be much more powerful than spells that takes the same spell slot. I don't want wizard's level 9 spells or priest's level 7 spells to become outshined in every aspect (e.g. Dragon's Breath deals more damage than Meteor Sworm and it's even party friendly, that's why SR's Meteor Swarm doesn't allow a save anymore).

 

Note: Devas, Planetars and Elemental Princes are cooming soon.

 

ARCANE HLAs

 

Energy Blades

Mostly unchanged: "The discs are thrown with a +10 bonus to THAC0, inflict 1D4+5 missile damage as well as 1D10 additional electrical damage, and are considered to be of +5 enchantment to determine what they can hit. This spell creates 20 energy discs and sets the caster's attacks to 9 as long as the discs are held."

 

Improved Alacrity

Unchanged

 

Dragon's Breath

Unchanged: 20D10 fire damage, wing buffet effect, party friendly, not bypasses magic resistance.

The damage output seems too much imo, but I can't reduce it either (e.g. 10D8), else Horrid Wilting would become more appealing than this spell (even if SR reduces Horrid damage from 20D8 to 20D6).

 

Comet

In order to make it a worth alternative to Dragon's Breath Comet will now bypasses magic resistance and it's damage output has been changed from 10D10 fire to 10D10 crushing.

 

 

DIVINE HLAs

 

Energy Blades

See above.

 

Sorm of Vengeance

I've raised the elemental damage per round from 3d6 to 3d10 (save half), the save against poison effect now has a -4 penalty (otherwise, by the time you can cast this spell most opponents always successfully save against this effect) but inflicts half as much damage.

 

Elemental Swarm

Previously named Elemental Summoning, instead of summoning two elementals of the same type it now summons three of them, each of a different type. I've removed the chance to summon an elemental prince, in order to make the other HLA more unique and to leave elemental princes as a druids only feature.

 

Elemental Prince Call

Previously named Greater Elemental Summoning.

 

Chan, Prince of Air (20 Hit Dice):

STR 19, DEX 24, CON 18, INT 17, WIS 16, CHA 18; AL Neutral

HP 180, AC -8, THAC0 -3, Saving Throws 3/5/4/4/6

4 Attacks Per Round, 1d12+11 piercing damage (Fist +4)

Special Qualities:

Blade Barrier: 1d6 damage/sec within 5' feet (save vs. breath negates)

Immune to weapons lower than +2 enchantment

Immune to hold, poison, sleep & stun effects

Electrical Resistance 100%; Magic Resistance 60%

Slashing, Crushing & Piercing Resistance 40%; Missile Resistance 80%

Sunnis, Princess of Earth (20 Hit Dice):

STR 24, DEX 12, CON 23, INT 17, WIS 16, CHA 18; AL Neutral

HP 230, AC -5, THAC0 -6, Saving Throws 3/5/4/4/6

3 Attacks Per Round, 2d12+16 crushing damage (Fist +4)

Special Qualities:

Stoneskin: 5 skins

Immune to weapons lower than +2 enchantment

Immune to hold, petrification, poison, sleep & stun effects

Magic Resistance 60%

Slashing, Piercing Resistance & Missile Resistance 60%; Crushing Resistance 20%

Zaaman Rul, Prince of Fire (20 Hit Dice):

STR 19, DEX 21, CON 19, INT 17, WIS 16, CHA 18; AL Neutral

HP 200, AC -7, THAC0 -3, Saving Throws 3/5/4/4/6

3 Attacks Per Round, 2d10+11 slashing +2d10 fire damage (Fist +4)

Special Qualities:

Fire Shield: 2d10 points of fire damage to whoever strikes the prince within 5' feet

Immune to weapons lower than +2 enchantment

Immune to hold, poison, sleep & stun effects

Fire Resistance 125%; Magic Resistance 60%

Slashing, Crushing, Piercing Resistance & Missile Resistance 40%

 

Globe of Blades

Quite a few changes here to make it really more interesting:

- 1D10 damage per second instead of 10D10 per round (less damage output, but much more chances to deliver it)

- doesn't affect party members

- +4 bonus to AC

 

Aura of Flaming Death

Quite a few changes here too:

- 100% fire resistance instead of 90%

- caster's melee hits deals 1D10 additional fire damage

- caster is immune to normal weapons (unchanged)

- should I remove the +4 AC bonus and/or replace it with something else? It doesn't seem very appropriate imo

 

Implosion

Unchanged (10D10 fire + 10D10 crushing, save for half), does it need any refinements?

 

Mass Raise Dead

I hate how it makes Raise Dead the most reduntant spell ever created, but I don't think I can do much about it. Unless we replace it, but I'm not too much well-disposed to it.

[Icendoan]

On the raise dead issue, you could replace it with a custom spell, one with a bit more use, because my characters rarely die by the time I get it. I was thinking of something I have in the works at the min, going along this sort of line;

 

Spirit of Healing

Casting Time: 1 Round

Duration: 10 Rounds or until dead

Effect: Summons a spirit of healing which heals every ally in the area for 42 HP each round. Cannot move, and you may only have one on the field at any one time.

 

I have most of what is needed for that already, if you want it.

 

Icen

[Bursk]

Oversight's Comet used to deal half crushing/half cold (and with a new look to match!), but Kish eventually changed it to crushing-only damage because it was destroying loot. I believe Miloch's p5tweaks has now solved the loot destruction issue, so maybe you could borrow the visuals from Oversight and make it half crushing/half cold.

[Demivrgvs]

On the raise dead issue, you could replace it with a custom spell, one with a bit more use, because my characters rarely die by the time I get it. I was thinking of something I have in the works at the min, going along this sort of line;

 

Spirit of Healing

Casting Time: 1 Round

Duration: 10 Rounds or until dead

Effect: Summons a spirit of healing which heals every ally in the area for 42 HP each round. Cannot move, and you may only have one on the field at any one time.

It's a good suggestion, but I can't see it as a cleric spell as much as a druid's one. In fact Refinements has a very similar druid's HLA. Furthmore Greater Restoration already covers pretty well healing abilities, while druid precisely lack such spell.

Oversight's Comet used to deal half crushing/half cold (and with a new look to match!), but Kish eventually changed it to crushing-only damage because it was destroying loot. I believe Miloch's p5tweaks has now solved the loot destruction issue, so maybe you could borrow the visuals from Oversight and make it half crushing/half cold.

I'll go and see the new animation, though I'm uncertain about making it deal cold damage...not to mention that I can't force SR's users to install p5tweaks even if what it does seems pretty good.

[Ilyich]

Furthmore Greater Restoration already covers pretty well healing abilities, while druid precisely lack such spell.

 

SCS II changes Greater Restoration to only affect one target, so Icendoan's suggestion would be welcomed by SCS II users, especially soloists like myself. Assuming there is compatability between the two mods.

[Icendoan]

There would be, as long as SCS is installed after, because it patches

 

Icen

[Demivrgvs]

SCS II changes Greater Restoration to only affect one target, so Icendoan's suggestion would be welcomed by SCS II users, especially soloists like myself. Assuming there is compatability between the two mods.

The two mods are fully compatible, and as of 1.5 all SCS's spell tweaks are "included" in SR. Most of those components work exactly the same in both mods, others are slightlly different, but I do work with SCS in mind because I play with it.

Greater Restoration is the only tweak which is quite different at the moment, SR opts for nerfing it by adding a "5 rounds fatigue effect", SCS makes it affect only one creature. I think the latter solution makes the spell just like Heal, with the only advantage of curing drained levels, but if most of you prefer to make it like SCS I'll do it too.

 

As I've said I like Icendoan's suggestion, but it seems more appropriate as a druid's spell to me, Mist of Eldath in IWD II does exactly that and it's a 7th level druid's spell. If I have to introduce a completely new spell I'd like it to be "pre-existing" in PnP, IWD, or NWN. If we don't like a Mass Heal spell (which priests usually have), what about this NWN's spell?

 

Undeath's Eternal Foe

Caster and all allies in the area receive the following bonuses: immunity to negative energy damage, immunity to energy drain, immunity to ability score damage, immunity to poisons, and immunity to diseases.

 

Now that I see it, adding to it a slight regeneration may be reasonable.

[Salk]

Personally, I am against to introducing new spells (I know I have suggested one myself but it was about a concept that is totally missing from the game and which would have been very nice to have) so I would vote "no" to Undeath's Eternal Foe.

 

About the Greater Restoration, I would like it to be like this:

 

- (SCS) It applies to one single creature only (in this way, people playing with SCS won't benefit of any unfair advantage over the AI since they use this spell to cure only one ally).

 

- (SR) It makes the caster fatigued.

 

- (SCS) It should restore drained levels and all the original Hit Points.

[Demivrgvs]

Personally, I am against to introducing new spells (I know I have suggested one myself but it was about a concept that is totally missing from the game and which would have been very nice to have) so I would vote "no" to Undeath's Eternal Foe.

I'm generally against it too, this would be a very special case, and I would do it only because having Raise Dead and Mass Raise Dead in the same spell level seems quite absurd.

 

About the Greater Restoration, I would like it to be like this:

 

- (SCS) It applies to one single creature only (in this way, people playing with SCS won't benefit of any unfair advantage over the AI since they use this spell to cure only one ally).

 

- (SR) It makes the caster fatigued.

 

- (SCS) It should restore drained levels and all the original Hit Points.

I will restore its single target only for consistency with SCS, but I think it makes this spell not much of an improvemented over Heal (in many cases it's even weaker). Now that I'm thinking about it, I should add to it the ability to cure confused characters.

[Salk]

Make it cure confused characters and feebleminded too.

 

And yes, I see your point: having Raise Dead and Mass Raise Dead in the same spell level is a situation that needs fixing.

[Bursk]

I much prefer the SR version of Greater Restoration, for what it's worth.

 

D-Man, I've had a good read through Salk's "Spell Revisions & SCS spell modifications" thread, and it's very useful, but I do think it'd be a good idea to have a pinned thread that lists what SCS/SCS II components you don't need to install. Obviously this is down to personal preference, but if a person wants to do things "the SR way", having a simple list of SCS/SCS II components to skip would be a great help. This list would hopefully then be updated if things change with a new release of SCS/SCS II or SR.

[Demivrgvs]

I much prefer the SR version of Greater Restoration, for what it's worth.

I really don't know what to do. The only advantages a single target Gr.Restoration would have over Heal are casting time (3 instead of a full round), and the ability to restore drained levels. Not much imo, considering it fatigues the caster and it occupies a slot where you could have an HLA like Summon Deva, Implosion or Storm of Vengeance.

But playing fair is very important too...

At the same time I could make it just like SCS's version and change Mass Raise Dead to Mass Heal (clerics should really have a spell of this type imo), but then why would anyone prefer GR.Restoration over Mass Heal?

 

D-Man, I've had a good read through Salk's "Spell Revisions & SCS spell modifications" thread, and it's very useful, but I do think it'd be a good idea to have a pinned thread that lists what SCS/SCS II components you don't need to install. Obviously this is down to personal preference, but if a person wants to do things "the SR way", having a simple list of SCS/SCS II components to skip would be a great help. This list would hopefully then be updated if things change with a new release of SCS/SCS II or SR.

Yeah, it may be useful for players, will do, though 90% of what has to be said about it is already stated in that thread.

[Bursk]

Thanks for the guide. Now newbies won't keep bothering you with the same questions (Salk's thread will eventually get buried by newer topics, I imagine).

 

I'm nowhere near as familiar with the games as you and DavidW, but I just don't see the benefits of a single target Greater Restoration spell, at least not compared to what else is on offer. It may play fair, but what's the point if no one is going to cast it?

 

Over the years I've seen various "Recommended Spells" lists, and what I love about this mod is that such a list will now include every spell! Well, maybe apart from a single target Greater Restoration. I think the best thing you can do is wait until you have more feedback from experienced players, before coming to a decision.

[Demivrgvs]

I'm nowhere near as familiar with the games as you and DavidW, but I just don't see the benefits of a single target Greater Restoration spell, at least not compared to what else is on offer. It may play fair, but what's the point if no one is going to cast it?

DavidW probably has a good reason for it, but I don't know which one it is.

Over the years I've seen various "Recommended Spells" lists, and what I love about this mod is that such a list will now include every spell! Well, maybe apart from a single target Greater Restoration. I think the best thing you can do is wait until you have more feedback from experienced players, before coming to a decision.

I do hope to achieve that goal, and regarding GR.Restoration we'll see.

 

 

Working on Elemental Prince I've found out common elementals could be improved...

 

- Air Elementals: damage dices reduced, +1 attack per round, +25% movement rate

- Fire Elemental: better scalability of its damage output (both physical and fire)

- Earth Elemental: movement rate reduced by 25%

All elementals now have slightly lower physical resistances. Complete updated info can be found on the Improved Summons thread.

 

I've almost finished Elemental Princes, but I'm unsure about some of the resistances and abilities Refinements gave them (I'd like to find out how they are in PnP but I don't have the info). I'll post them soon, we'll decide together what's best for them.

[Salk]

To play fair is important and that's why I like SCS's effort in keeping things so (with luckily few exceptions to the rule).

 

If the enemy AI uses Greater Restoration as a single target spell, I want that too. Now, not everyone is going to play SR with SCS but I would guess that most do.

 

I prospect here a solution that might be interesting for Greater Restoration:

 

Here's the specifications:

 

* It must restore all hit points and any drained level for a single creature.

 

* It cures confusion, feeblemindeness, poison, disease, blindness and silence

 

* It is moved down one level and takes the place of Heal which is just more or less a duplicate of it

 

This solution would open a free slot for the introduction of a new level 7 Priest spell.

 

What do you think, Demivrgvs?