Six's random blatherings.

[Ardanis]

Use scrolls/wands

What was it, a Use Any Item followed by a buttload of Cannot Use [specific item]s?

Twin kits, as they call it. Baldur.bcs is loaded with checks for specific HLA taken, if true then char's kit is changed so that they may now use scrolls. And something wasn't working well, though it could have been not directly related to the method used.

 

Increased ApR of Weapon (Styles)

But as the weapons get more and more enchanted, the edge goes back to the Dual-Wielder, because weapons have so many passive enchantments on them

And 2handers get even more devastating as the enchantment level goes up. Carsomir, Soul Reaver and Warblade are all examples. And Staff of Ram in tob.

[DrAzTiK]

Two-Handed Weapon Style: Move the increased chance of Critical Hit from the 2nd star to the 1st, just like Single Weapon, and Specialization also gives +1 ApR.

 

 

Can you confirm to me that it is effectively the 2nd star witch provides "increased chance of critical Hit please" ?

 

I tested it with some players and we are not sure it works like this. In fact, bonus are noticed in the character menu ( bottom in pop up menu) when this one is wielding a two handed weapons in the game. Bonus nooticed are :

 

- +1 damage , +1 critical hit and -2 speed factor with only one star

- a second star seems to provide only -2 to factor speed.

[Dakk]

Having plowed through August's entire worth of Wall-of-Text™ I must say I really enjoy the back and forth of good suggestions, and I only want to weigh in on two things.

 

- Spider Boots of Stealth: I like the added effect. Having three of them is a problem, although I'd wager most people would only keep one (giving one pair back to Zhurlong, and never recieving the ones in BG). Someone mentioned killing Zhurlong for no penalty after giving the boots back; I'm pretty sure that's been changed in BGT. Ah here it is, "* Zhurlong can no longer be killed after completing his quest without penalty".

 

- Shadow Armor: I have no problem with it allowing spellcasting. In either case it must stay continuous with BG2 or exchanged with "Casting Leather" or what have you.

 

Keep up the good work gent's!

[Jarno Mikkola]

Someone mentioned killing Zhurlong for no penalty after giving the boots back; I'm pretty sure that's been changed in BGT. Ah here it is, "* Zhurlong can no longer be killed after completing his quest without penalty".

That's actually impossible to do without braking something, and probably in this case the fix is making the Zhurlong's .cre tagged as innocent, and at least that brakes my moral code, being thief that steels every time you talk to him, "What he deserves is a blade through his guts, and that's what he gets."

 

Using this a fix can be made, just replace the first column with zeros, or even positive numbers.

[Ardanis]

Is there any reason to give him these boots at all? They're too good to trade them for 300XP(?).

[Jarno Mikkola]

Is there any reason to give him these boots at all? They're too good to trade them for 300XP(?).

Yes, that and the 100 000gp he just so innocently stole from me! JJ

 

Besides, it's not the boots or the 300XP I wish, it's the 90XP I get from killing him.

[Dakk]

Is there any reason to give him these boots at all? They're too good to trade them for 300XP(?).

 

No, beyond (somewhat thin) RP-reasons, there's no justification for it. Just as there's also no reason to give back the only Girdle of Piercing in the entire game to Unshey in the FAI for 800XP...

 

But as I'm a sucker for cleaning up the quest book (forgot the name) I usually do both anyway

[Demivrgvs]

Bracers of Blinding Strike

My use of the word "overpowered' referred not to the BoBS as a whole, but to the AC setting; I was criticizing your decision to set AC to 4 instead of a more restrained value like 5 or even 6. To my eyes, having an item suddenly jump from no hint of AC at all to the second-best in the whole game smacks of powergaming, the sort of thing Weimer would do frequently ("Why shouldn't this Dagger do the same damage as a 2-Handed Sword?").

Well, making these bracers a unique version of the more common bracers of armor really doesn't sound like making a dagger deal the same damage as a greatsword. Powergaming would actually be to use Improved Haste from vanilla's BoBS and then equip Bracers of Armor 3 (which are available a lot earlier), as you can do by pausing the game during a fight. Using AC 4 and a while equipped hast-like effect you don't power-game at all, instead you force the player to decide if he/she prefer a better AC or the on hit effect. At the same time, considering this is the very last pair of bracers you can find in SoA, making them use a BG1 AC value like 6 make the whole AC point useless, because AC 6 at the end of SoA is completely worthless.

 

 

Two handed weapons vs. one handed ones

But as the weapons get more and more enchanted, the edge goes back to the Dual-Wielder, because weapons have so many passive enchantments on them

And 2handers get even more devastating as the enchantment level goes up. Carsomir, Soul Reaver and Warblade are all examples. And Staff of Ram in tob.

As Ardanis says within IR 2handed weapons are always more heavily enchanted than 1handed ones available in the same chapter.

 

 

Two-Handed Weapon Style: Move the increased chance of Critical Hit from the 2nd star to the 1st, just like Single Weapon, and Specialization also gives +1 ApR.

Can you confirm to me that it is effectively the 2nd star witch provides "increased chance of critical Hit please" ?

 

I tested it with some players and we are not sure it works like this. In fact, bonus are noticed in the character menu ( bottom in pop up menu) when this one is wielding a two handed weapons in the game. Bonus nooticed are :

 

- +1 damage , +1 critical hit and -2 speed factor with only one star

- a second star seems to provide only -2 to factor speed.

I don't know...and I hope you're wrong.

 

 

Spider Boots of Stealth

I like the added effect. Having three of them is a problem, although I'd wager most people would only keep one (giving one pair back to Zhurlong, and never recieving the ones in BG). Someone mentioned killing Zhurlong for no penalty after giving the boots back; I'm pretty sure that's been changed in BGT. Ah here it is, "* Zhurlong can no longer be killed after completing his quest without penalty".

Personally I think the current version is fine, but as I said, even if we ever revert them as per vanilla, I'd like to make sure you can't have 3 pairs of these boots.

 

 

Shadow Armor

I have no problem with it allowing spellcasting. In either case it must stay continuous with BG2 or exchanged with "Casting Leather" or what have you.

Comparing this armor to an Archmage Robe convinced me that it's not overpowered at all in BG1. The only issue is that it's found really too early, and being it the best light armor in BG1 (even in vanilla) it has to be available later on.

[Ardanis]

Shadow Armor

The only issue is that it's found really too early

As someone's already said, it's not that early on. It costs quite a fortune, so by time one can assebmle the sum, they'll already be 5th level at the least.

[kthxbye]

Shadow Armor

The only issue is that it's found really too early

As someone's already said, it's not that early on. It costs quite a fortune, so by time one can assebmle the sum, they'll already be 5th level at the least.

 

Actually, you could easily buy that at level 3 more or less.

Talk your way with Bassilus, and he will destroy his army for you, then fighting him alone isn't that difficult using magic missiles (Imoen has a wand) to disrupt his casting until you manage to blind him (usually it takes 1 or 2 tries) - that's already 5000 gp, plus the equipment. Same for Prism's bounty and Greywolf's Varscona (you can sell it), and that's another lot of coins. With the diamond you find early on (the one on the tree), two more quests and saving for the armor, your party members won't have more than 4000-5000 xp each when you can afford the armor - and no, it's not necessary to buy +1 items in BG1. I never had, going on with ONLY what I find, and using spells. For warriors, there are 2 easy RoP +1 (south of FAI, Mirianne), there are some easy magical weapons around (+1 short sword in the area with Bassilus, Varscona, Bassilus' hammer, +1 longsword from a bandit in Ogre's Reach, and so on), enough to let you not use the money (and help you make money fast too, as if you don't use them, they sell for quite a lot).

As I already suggested and posted in the proper topic, I'd leave the spellcasting abilities on the armor and move it inside Baldur's Gate, maybe to the thieves guild's seller. Actually, I'm fine with Taerum having it, but you can easily take it really early and it makes more sense to me if the thieves have that kind of armor.

[Ardanis]

Isn't it silimar to getting APA at 3rd level in Fallout 2? Sure, you can do it if you wish, but that's metagaming already, since we need to know where to walk and whom to rob.

[Dakk]

Isn't it silimar to getting APA at 3rd level in Fallout 2? Sure, you can do it if you wish, but that's metagaming already, since we need to know where to walk and whom to rob.

Agreed, taking on Bassilus et al while at lvl 2 or max 3 is not something you'd try without some serious metagaming.

[kthxbye]

Yup, I more or less agree, and that's why I said I'm fine also by leaving the armor in Taerum's shop. Anyway we were talking about possibilities, and the possibility is there, one has just to take it. Moreover, it would make more sense to me if thieves have the Shadow Armor.

[Ilyich]

Selling the ring of wizardry near the FAI gets you an additional 9k too.

[Jarno Mikkola]

Selling the ring of wizardry near the FAI gets you an additional 9k too.

Yeah, but is everyone willing to shot themselves in the leg just to get an item of less power? -Just asking.