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Idea for tweaking Viconia


lac

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I am just installing Tutu for the first time. Thanks to the nice linkhttp://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=8122 I now have a much better idea of what mods I could install. There are many there which I have never even heard of. :-) :-) :-)

 

However, one thing caught my attention, the 'Make Khalid a Fighter/Mage'tweak. Given that you are willing to make character alterations like that,I personally know of a good one. I used SwordCoast Keeper (and laterShadowKeeper) to change Viconia into a Cleric/Thief. This produced a most enjoyable character to play -- indeed it was as a Duet with myplayer character as a Human Berserker (dualed to Magic User after level 12) that I was first able to play the whole saga from start in Candlekeep to finish at the end of ToB.

 

Aside from this major class change, I also used ShadowKeeper to adjust Viconia in BG2 ,after I met her again, to reflect the thief skills she had trainedin BG1, and the fact that she had read 3 tombs of wisdom in that saga. And finally, because I wanted her to have a weapon that she could use to backstab (well, back-thump, so basically a club) I used SwordCoastKeeper to change the loot you get from killing Bassilus from the +2 war hammer that also does electric damage to a +2 staff-mace). I figured this would not change game balance too much.

 

Playing the series as a duo with Viconia was a most enjoyable experience, one that I enjoyed so much that I would recommend it to anyone. This leads me to believe that this would make a useful BG tweak component, so I thought I would suggest it.

 

Also, because the roll playing aspects of the game are of great importance to me, the way I played the game was to have viconia be a cleric/thief but, all through the BG1 series, completely unaware that she is a thief. I stuffed the bulk of her training points into 'hide in shadows' and only a tiny proportion into detecting traps. None into the classic theiving skills of opening locked items or pickpocket. These things either weren't done by the Drow -- or at least were not done by women of Viconia's then-rank. The whole 'thieving' aspect of rogue skills has blinded her to the fact that she is one. (In a practical sense, I think this meant I had to spend some skill points on detect illusion before BG1 was through, because I was skipping the thieving ones on Role Playing Principle.)

 

This is consistent with the story that the BG2 Viconia romance tells you. Viconia gains a new goddess, moves to the surface, and spends all her time training hiding, and a little detecting and constructing traps, before we meet for even the first time. Once we team up in BG1, of course, I put her to work studying traps all the time, and so that is bound to improve. But still she is completely unaware of her dual-nature, thinking her success is only due to her superior Drow abilities, her extreme wisdom, and her great dexterity, until, in SoA ....

 

we get the quest to infultrate Mae'Var's guild! :-)

 

Once in the guild, Viconia gains access to a whole facility for thief training. There she is able to first appreciate 'roguedom' as something requiring skill, and discipline, and not just grubbiness and muggings. She there has the epiphany that _she too_ is a rogue! From then on I let her increase skill points in opening locks, and yes, even in PP, whatever suits.

 

I only mention this in case any of you would ever care to try this. The restrictions make the BG part a bit more of a challenge -- you have to really use the potions of master thievery, etc, to complete things with a seriously clueless thief. :-)

 

If you decide to make this a tweak, I can see one objection. Cleric/Thief is not a possibility

offered to elves -- only gnomes. To this, I only shrug. Drows aren't exactly elves, and the class combination restrictions may be culturally rather than genetically based in any case. If so, Viconia has discovered an ability that might even be available to more Drow or even Light Elves would they ever as forcefully reject their cultures as Viconia has her own.

 

At any rate, this has probably gone on for far too long. But you did mention that you were interested in ideas for Tweaks -- this one, along the lines of the Khalid F/M, is one that I greatly enjoyed.

 

Thank you for listening to this long note, and again , thank you for many hours of happiness your mods have already given me.

 

Laura

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Go download Level One NPCs from this very site, it tweaks every NPC in the game, to whatever you see fit, as well as assigning their starting proficiencies within the mod.

 

Icen

 

Aha, so the Khalid Fighter/Mage Tweak is just there for historical reasons, because it

predates the new way to do things. Too bad. I was hoping it was there to give people

ideas ....

 

Thanks very much,

Laura

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Actually, the Khalid Fighter/Mage tweak was made as a request for the Tutu portion of the Tweak pack. It writes over the files rather than patching them, so any mod changes made to the creature files would be lost. The Level 1 NPCs mod patches the creature files to the specs you choose, so it is safe to use with mods that may add items to the joinable npc in question. (You might even be able to use it with existing mod added npc's, at least in a future version... maybe.)

 

 

To be honest, the Khalid as a Fighter/Mage and the Montaron component should both be dropped in favor of using Level 1 NPCs. Mainly because the tweak pack versions over write the files rather than patching...

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