Unearthed Arcana presents Scales of Balance: a post-hac tweak pack

[subtledoctor]

If that was the case, using this ability is sure CTD. Maybe IWDEE engine (or other EEs) support it, but vanilla game surely doesn't.

 

That would explain why I haven't seen any crashes in my IWDEE test game. But, an easy fix - my favorite kind! Though, it still doesn't explain why the ability wipes out your quickslot spells...

 

Also, the Bladesinger kit cannot progress past specialization in any weapons, in spite of what the readme says. Kitlist.2da looks fine and weaponprof.2da has up to 5 pips in several weapons for Bladesinger, however upon testing it seems it's using the standard fighter/mage's column (tweaking the standard ftr/mage column allowed me to advance past specialization). If it matters, the name on top of the character record as well as the kit description from the same page also show 'Fighter/Mage', not Bladesinger. The only place where 'Bladesinger' shows is the right side 'parchment' area by the experience points.

 

Hmm. I thought profsmax.2da would determine the class's max (fighter/mages) and your kit would be determined by the column in weaprof.2da. This report means that even if you have a kit with its own column, the game still forces you to use the fighter/mage column. There may be no way to get around this. Actually, there will be, if you use v3's proficiency overhaul - with that, Bladesingers should be able to reach grandmastery while normal fighter/mages can only reach mastery. I'll do some testing to confirm.

Edited May 19, 2015 by subtledoctor

[ithildurnew]

http://gibberlings3.net/iesdp/files/2da/2da_tob/profsmax.htm

 

According to the iesdp, re: profsmax.2da

This file is ignored in BG2: ToB

And I'm pretty sure kits when implemented properly do get to use their own columns in weapprof.2da. Wondering if the issue is with this particular kit; possibly some of these issues (extra spell slots, weapprof.2da reference) might be related to EE vs ToB as well?

Edited May 19, 2015 by ithildurnew

[subtledoctor]

But profsmax.2da is respected in the EEs, and I think with TobEx.

 

I highly doubt that it's something to do with the kit itself. It's a bog-standard mod kit, a simple fighter kit with the 0x00004000 trueclass usability flag and some extra AP_ and GA_ stuff in its CLAB file.

 

Kits will use the weapprof.2da columns, but I think the issue is that fighter/mage has its own column in that file - as if it were a kit. So if you apply a kit to a fighter/mage (something that is not anticipated by the engine) the question is, will the game use the kit column for fighter/mage, or the column for the added kit?

 

If it's the former, then giving Bladesingers higher max weapon mastery than normal fighter/mages will be impossible unless my new proficiency overhaul is used. In that case I can just make the kit's installation contingent on the overhaul being installed. Or just restrict the kit to the same max as fighter/mages.

Edited May 19, 2015 by subtledoctor

[ithildurnew]

Bladesingers in 2e didn't get any special treatment regarding ability to progress in specialization - they had the same restrictions normal fighter/mages did (they did get a set +1/+1 bonus to thac0/dmg with their weapon which I would probably add as bonus to melee thac0/dmg, opcode 284/285 iirc, tacked onto the initial D5_acbon ability received at lvl 1).

 

There's probably no need to try and get them to gain grandmastery if they get the +1/+1 set bonus. As for the loss of an extra attack/rnd (with BG1 Grandmastery), Bladesong helps make up for that, especially if it can stack with Haste effects (as I've modified it to do on my install). The result is slightly less attacks/rnd than a dual wielder (especially one with say, Belm or Kundane in offhand) limited to a few times /day, but still competitive enough to fit the archetype imo. Overall this version of Bladesinger still is more powerful than the 2e version (which probably is put to shame by the shredding machine that is the BG2 Improved Hasted/Belm dual wielding Ftr/Mage)

 

As for the extra spell slots, just confirmed, it does look like the behavior matches a character with wizard specialization, i.e. gained TWO rather than one lvl 2 slots upon reaching lvl 3 on the wizzie side. However, no restriction from necromancy (or any other) school, so it ends up gaining the benefits of specialization without it's restrictions, probably not a good thing balancewise.

Edited May 20, 2015 by ithildurnew

[kreso]

There are (at least one) other innates that will crash BG. "Swashbuckling" uses opcode 319 or such, which doesn't exist there.

[subtledoctor]

I think the spells thing can't be helped. The wizard stuff is so hard-coded, I think that as soon as the engine sees "oh here's a mage, and hey he has a kit! without any further investigation into what kit it is, I'm going to give him an extra spell.

 

Here's an interesting twist though: I rolled a multiclass mage/thief, used the Spellfilcher tome to give him a kit, and he got the extra spell/day of a specialist. I then rolled a thief, leveled up a bit, then dual-classed to mage, then became a Spellilcher... and now, gaining mage levels only, I am NOT getting extra spells. Maybe the 'OriginalClass' flag being set for a dual-class stops the engine from giving the bonus spells. ?? Who knows?

 

If it's any consolation, with my v3 wizard kit tweaks specialists will no longer get extra spells. I mean they will, because it's hard-coded, but all mages will get them and there are no opposition schools. So in that context, the Bladesinger will have a normal amount of spells (i.e. the same as a normal mage).

 

Is this really more powerful than PnP? I suppose the Bladesong ability itself is more powerful, since it's based on BG2 Blade's Offensive Spin. But the PnP Bladesinger gets a passive -1 bonus to melee AC *permanently* i.e. up to -10 AC at all times (depending on level limits). That's insane. My Bladesong ability gives a max -4 AC (I think), and only while the Song is active.

 

Btw I didn't specifically decide to make Bladesong prevent Haste, it was leftover from Offensive Spin. But I kind of like it being there, if only because increasing movement speed to 4x would be kind of silly. What I should do, is remove the Haste protection, and have Bladesong *set* movement speed to some value instead of just doubling it. Or find some other way for them to work together without things getting crazy.

[subtledoctor]

There are (at least one) other innates that will crash BG. "Swashbuckling" uses opcode 319 or such, which doesn't exist there.

 

Poop, good catch. I'm in final testing stages of v3, I'll fix that right now.

[ithildurnew]

 

Is this really more powerful than PnP? I suppose the Bladesong ability itself is more powerful, since it's based on BG2 Blade's Offensive Spin. But the PnP Bladesinger gets a passive -1 bonus to melee AC *permanently* i.e. up to -10 AC at all times (depending on level limits). That's insane. My Bladesong ability gives a max -4 AC (I think), and only while the Song is active.

 

 

 

Well, 3e Bladesingers ... unless you have a very high level character with statospheric INT 30 (rather unlikely without nerfing other melee relevant stats), +10 ac isn't going to be that common. 2E Bladesingers didn't even get that; they got a (level/2 - 1) amount of bonus to ac vs melee attacks only when casting spells.

 

The ac bonuses granted to this version of Bladesinger (+3, +5, +7, +9 with passive bonus and Bladesong active) leaves the 2e version in the dust and probably surpasses most 3e guys as well for x times/day (which is what makes it somewhat balanced, that it's x/day). Add to that the superior spellcasting of 2e fighter/mages (even without the specialization/extra slot quirk) vs 3e Bladesingers and the offensive spin bonuses, it's a more potent combo than either pnp version. If BG1 style grandmastery could actually be implemented, that's even more oomph.

 

Which is of course entirely at modder's discretion, but just pointing that out. Personally since BG2 is mostly (loosely) 2e with a handful of 3e elements, I've tweaked it into something closer to 2e, but that's just my preference. The work on the mod is appreciated, and hopefully the odd quirks can get ironed out somehow.

Edited May 20, 2015 by ithildurnew

[subtledoctor]

Whoa - I don't even remember coding those AC bonuses. Okay, I reduced them to match the thac0 bonuses: +1 at 1st level, up to +4 at 15th level. Much more reasonable. I'll give them thief usabilities as well.

 

Oh, and I think I figured out what was wiping out the quickspells - should be fixed now. Yay! And I removed the references to opcode 321 from Swashbuckling, so Corsairs and Swashbucklers shouldn't crash the old engine either.

 

And I'm adding the kitted clerics' Favored Weapons to the Divine Class Tweaks, so you don't have to use the proficiency overhaul to let your priest of Selune wield a scimitar.

 

Getting there! My to-do list is down to eight items - one bit of coding (give spellcasting to Harriers, at a reduced rate) and seven "test ____" items. If the testing doesn't turn up to many major problems, v3 could go out in a matter of days!

 

*whew.* Then I'm taking a couple months off.

Edited May 20, 2015 by subtledoctor

[subtledoctor]

Finally in the home stretch! Testing everything and getting some good results.

 

- backstab immunity: working! (now to add it to the Barbarian Ranger)

- Spellbender's improvisational casting: working!

- excluding Necromancy spells from bards: working!

- dual-class cheese reduction: working!

- Bladesinger: working!

- Shadow Step ported to the original engine: working!

- cleric favored weapons: working!

- new druid shapechanges: almost working. I need to figure out how to give an innate ability while shapechanged. Maybe add it to the .CRE file?

 

I still have a bunch of little adjustments to make, but it's only a few hours' work. Should be done soon.

Edited May 21, 2015 by subtledoctor

[subtledoctor]

Finally... I think this is ready for release. Say hello, to three point oh:

https://github.com/subtledoctor/Scales_of_Balance/releases/tag/3.06

New Readme:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86011511/readme-sob.html

Changelog! Oh my there are lots of changes. Here's a rough list:
- Massive internal changes. All components are compartmentalized in .tpa files. Anyone reviewing this mod later should be easily able to find what they're looking for, instead of wading through a single 25,000 line long .tp2 file.
- The proficiency overhaul has bee scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up. As I described above, now you pick proficiencies at the beginning instead of having them auto-picked. Which eliminates a truckload of huge bugs. Take note, this component now *requires* TobEx be installed if you're playing the old pre-EE engine!
- The proficiency overhaul will now enforce the PnP rule that you can't advance to GM any longer once you've dual-classed away from fighter. Purists rejoice! More details in the readme.
- New in the warrior class tweaks, a thoroughly revised Wizard Slayer kit. No MR, no item restrictions, just a couple innate abilities to cause casting failure in nearby wizards: a melee hit effect, and a Disruptive Shout ability. If you install the multiclass tweaks, you can give this kit to a fighter/thief. You can disable this with an .ini setting if you like the vanilla WS or want to use a mod like Wizard Slayer Rebalancing.
- The kensai component has been merged with the rest of the warrior tweaks. You can disable it with an .ini setting if you don't like it.
- The revised monk fists have been *un-merged* from the proficiency overhaul and are in their own component.
- I've reverted the Avenger druid kit from being elemental-focused to being poison-and -corrupted-nature-focused, like the original was. Trueclass/Forest druids can shapeshift into a wolf, a dire wolf, a rat (which is initially invisible, good for sneaking if you don't attack anyone), a lion, and a cave bear. Avengers can shapeshift into a small spider (also initially invisible), a giant spider, a wyvern, and a giant troll.
- The old SoB Avenger is spun off into a new kit, the Elementalist. Pretty much what it says on the tin, a druid that can shapeshift into elementals.
- Various kits have a permanent Luck bonus (Corsair, Gallant, Luckrider, Misadventurer).
- Loremasters now have Find Traps as an innate ability, and can cast more spells.
- The Darkcloak of Shar gets more and new innate abilities. Blur, Phantom Blade, and PW: Blind.
- The Spellbender kit is added in the multiclass tweaks! Improvisational casting of both wizard and cleric spells, this kit should be a lot of fun. BIG thanks to DreamSlaveOne over at G3 for providing the .BAMs for these spells!
- A new component that makes sense of the saving throws offered by all spells. Direct, mental, and illusionary spells (Charm, Hold, Spook) offer saves vs. Spells. Spells that you can dodge (Fireball, Entangle, Web) offer saves vs. Breath Weapon. Spells that attack your health (Cloudkill, poison, necromantic/undead effects like level drain) offer saves vs. Death. Spells that change your form (Flesh to Stone, Polymorph Other) offer saves vs. Petrification. Now you can get save bonuses and have a good, sensible idea of what they will and won't do for you (instead of the "saves vs. Spells beat everything" rule of the vanilla game).
- More improvements to the Bladesinger kit to balance it and fix some crash bugs. Bladesong no longer wipes out your quickslot spells!
- More NPC options, to make Nalia a Spellbender and Valygar a multiclass fighter/thief Wizard Slayer.
- Finally, the revised wizard kits! No more oppositions schools (but there is an .ini setting to avoid changing opposition schools, if you want to use this in conjunction with Opp. school changes from Tome & Blood or something like that). Every specialist has special, unique abilities that are all different from each other. Diviners can cast Contingency as a cantrip at level 1, and can't be backstabbed. Invokers do more damage with Invocation spells (only working with TobEx and EE v1.4). Illusionists have permanent SI: Divination and can use the SHadowdancer's Shadow Step ability. Abjurers get a Spell Shield with every Deflection. Enchanters cause nearby enemies to take a saving throw penalty. Transmuters can animate golems to fight for them. And Necromancers can learn to use necromantic touch spells at will.

Eh, my fingers are getting tired of typing all this stuff. Enjoy!

Edited May 27, 2015 by subtledoctor

[subtledoctor]

v3.1 is up. Aside from a few small bug-fixes, this version adds a first attempt at a mod to remove Magic Resistance from the game. If you like MR, you will *not* like this new component.

 

https://github.com/subtledoctor/Scales_of_Balance/releases/tag/3.12

Edited June 14, 2015 by subtledoctor

[subtledoctor]

Updated to v3.12, fixing a bug which dropped missile weapon APR too low when using the proficiency component.

 

If you are using v3.0 or 3.1, you don't need to reinstall to fix that; instead you can use the little "missile fix" modlet linked below, and just continue playing.

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86011511/SoB3%20missile%20fix.zip

[subtledoctor]

And, here is v3.2 - it eliminates the Harrier kit, instead giving its trap-setting ability to Stalkers. Also gives ALL rangers the ability to backstab at 2x damage, and fixes some other things, like Barbarian Ranger spellcasting and how the mod handles CLSWPBN.2da.

 

https://github.com/subtledoctor/Scales_of_Balance/releases/tag/3.2

[critto]

Just to clarify, when the readme says that the component 800 makes Imoen a Spellfilcher, and inside the game she's a mage/spellfilcher multiclass, that's the expected behaviour, right?

 

Installed on BGEE.

 

Oh, and the rabbit summoned by conjurer's cantrip is hostile. BTW, why Conjurer doesn't get Armor spell automatically? The description states it's school to be conjuration.

 

In the kit selection for the fighter class, wizard slayer is listed twice. The first occurrence seems to be the default class from vanilla game. The second one is not selectable.

 

I guess I'll attach my weidu.log for completeness

 

WeiDU.log

Edited August 24, 2015 by critto