Unearthed Arcana presents Might & Guile: tweaks and kits for warriors and rogues

[Endarire]

@subtledoctor
I would be disappointed.  I planned to have a Ranger/Mage!

[subtledoctor]

Ugh, really? It’s no good dude. There are a hundred more fun kits to use than that one. The code is bad. I’m saying I did a bad job. 

[Endarire]

What about fixing it?  You already reworked Paladins and implicitly turned my "Ultimate Magus" in BGEE idea into the Arcanist and 5e Casting.

Thankee!

[Quester]

With the last version of M&G I keep getting this install error:

Spoiler

//Appending to files ...
//ERROR locating resource for 'APPEND'
//Resource [D5_WASH.2DA] not found in KEY file:
//    [./chitin.key]
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//ERROR Installing [Add the Scout (thief kit) and revise the Swashbuckler], rolling back to previous state
//Will uninstall  43 files for [might_and_guile\might_and_guile.tp2] component 420.
//Uninstalled     43 files for [might_and_guile\might_and_guile.tp2] component 420.
//ERROR: Failure("resource [D5_WASH.2DA] not found for 'APPEND'")
//Please make a backup of the file: Setup-might_and_guile.debug and look for support at: SubtleD
//Automatically Skipping [Add the Scout (thief kit) and revise the Swashbuckler] because of error.
//Using Language [English]
//[.\lang\en_us\dialog.tlk] created, 651475 string entries
//NOT INSTALLED DUE TO ERRORS Add the Scout (thief kit) and revise the Swashbuckler

Did something change, there? It used to install just fine.

Oh, and then it skips installing all the new bard kits.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Quester

[subtledoctor]

6 hours ago, Endarire said:

What about fixing it? [ranger/mage]

There’s no fixing it mate. It’s just bad. And a compatibility nightmare. It doesn’t get enough proficiency points, and if you change the proficiency system it will go more off-course. It doesn’t get enough hit points, and if you change the way hit points are rolled it will go more off-course. It assume the rest of the game is completely vanilla and applies APR bonuses to match warriors’ level 7 and 13 bonuses, but if you change the way warrior APR increases, this kit will then be wrong. It uses an XP-reduction technique that is prone to interfering with other effects.

Basically if the rest of your game is stock and unmodded, the kit is… okay, I guess. But if you use other mods it is very likely to get out of whack and be frustrating. It’s not going to be fun. It’s a thief/mage pretending to be a warrior - an interesting exercise in 2012, but plain bad by today’s standards. It’s like those mods that try to make a fighter/sorcerer by giving sorcerers a huge thac0 bonus and an XP reduction. Just unsatisfying half-measures. 

If you want a nature-y mage-y kind of thing, try the Revised Bards Meistersinger. That’s a super fun kit that works well in a heavily modded environment. 

Edited October 25, 2022 by subtledoctor

[Endarire]

Thankee!  I was planning to go Fighter/Mage as a replacement, but Meistersinger may be better.

[subtledoctor]

The Meistersinger is a lot of fun. Some druid magic, summons, strong with Enchantment spells, and the Entangling bard song can help control the battlefield like almost nothing else. A supreme utility kit, on par with the best cleric/thief builds. 

The Elegist could be an alternative - undead summons instead of animals. I haven’t actually played this kit yet. 

If you want something more fighter-y, there is always the Blade. In my last game Haer’Dalis was insanely effective… even though the mage/thief version is theoretically behind the vanilla bard in terms of hit points and combat, with a pair of daggers and the right feats he had a strong thac0, great defense, buffs to become invulnerable, etc. Could tank fighters and in between attacks contribute abjurations against enemy casters. 

Of course the super gish kit here is the Skald. Crazy good. 

And in the next update MnG revised bards will get 8th-level spells. 

I’ve finished up the component reorganization, a bunch of updated mechanics, and the Samurai and Ninja kits. Now just need to do the Revised Backstabbing component (small and easy) and finish up the Rake kit which will replace the Scout (sorry @Quester, seems like you want to use the Scout… but on the bright side, rewriting it from scratch with a new name will at least solve whatever is causing your problem!)

Then test. 

[Endarire]

I thought Ranger/Mage would be well-fitting for a character who wanted to be Link, but I realize that he's quite versatile and musical.  He's a Bard.

[subtledoctor]

Yeah, jam on that ocarina!

[subtledoctor]

The first alpha of version 5 has come together, and boy-howdy the component list has expanded. A bunch of ranger kits migrated over from Faiths & Powers, the multiclass kits formerly installed together now have their own components, and I have added several new kits and new rule tweaks. The organization is a bit better: all fighter/thief/ranger/archer kits are installed first, then the various rule tweaks, then bards at the end. The total list (32 components!) looks like this:

• Move the Cavalier to the fighter class
• Add the Corsair kit (F... though maybe it wants a F/T variant?)
• Add the Weaponmaster kit (F)
• Add the Tomb Runner kit (F/T)
• Add the Thug kit (F/T)
• Add the Rake kit (T) and remove traps from the Swashbuckler
• Add the Ninja kit (T and F/T variants)
• Add the Spellfilcher kit (M/T)
• Add the Loremaster kit (M/T)
• Split the Trueclass ranger into regional variants: Forest Ranger, Mountain Ranger, Jungle Ranger, Desert Ranger, and Arctic Ranger
• Add the Mage Hunter kit (R)
• Add the Barbarian Ranger kit (R)
• Add the Archer as a fighter kit (F)
• Add the Elven Archer kit (R)
• Add the Halfling Slinger kit (F/T)
• Add the Marksman kit (T)
• Feat System
• Revised Called Shots
• Revised Multiclassing (more MC options for every race)
• Revised Stalkers
• Revised Beastmasters
• Improved Rangers
• Quickstride
• Revised Berserk Rage
• Revised Monk Fists
• Revised Backstabbing
• Revised Rogue THAC0 table
• Revised Bards
• Add the Jongleur kit (B) *
• Add the Gallant kit (B) *
• Add the Meistersinger kit (B) *
• Add the Loresinger kit (B) *
• 5E Spellcasting for 2E Bards *

* (These are only if you don't install the Revised Bards component.)

The Weaponmaster and Ninja kits show off my new Ki Pool function, which lets you put together several innate abilities and lets you cast them like a sorcerer, by spending kit points. It's neat.

Rapid Shot has been added to the revised Called Shots, giving a short-term APR boost in exchange for a thac0 penalty.

Revised Bards get a new bard aura, 'Harmonic Strikes,' which lets them focus ambient sound into little sonic bursts that add damage to melee hits.

Feats and new backstabbing abilities now append to the bottom kit descriptions instead of overwriting them, so these should be a bit more stable and compatible with other description adjustments.

Along with the Scales of Balance and Faiths & Powers updates, I'm keeping this as a "pre-release" for now. I need to quickly update NPC_EE to handle some of these new kit abilities, then put a big EET install together, and then play a game for in-depth testing. But if anyone wants to kick the tires and try out these new features, they are available to you.

Edited October 27, 2022 by subtledoctor

[Cahir]

Huh, and now I imagined I translated version 4 

On a serious note, good work mate!

[subtledoctor]

1 minute ago, Cahir said:

Huh, and now I imagined I translated version 4 

Actually I should have said, this is a great time to. translate the mod. I removed a ton of crap from the .tra file, it's gone from like 2,800 lines to less than 2,000. I really tried to clean out the unused cruft. And in several places I changed over to patching descriptions instead of overwriting, so the .tra files doesn't contain like four different versions of the Archer description anymore.

[Quester]

MnG 5alpha7: I'm getting an error trying to install the Multiclass Bards component:

Spoiler

//Copying and patching 1 file ...
//Copying and patching 1 file ...
//ERROR locating resource for 'COPY'
//Resource [d5zz206.spl] not found in KEY file:
//    [./chitin.key]
//Stopping installation because of error.
//ERROR: [d5zclons.2da] -> [override/d5zclons.2da] Patching Failed (COPY) (Failure("resource [d5zz206.spl] not found for 'COPY'"))
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//ERROR Installing [Bard Overhaul: Multiclass Bards], rolling back to previous state
//Will uninstall 3936 files for [might_and_guile\might_and_guile.tp2] component 400.
//Uninstalled    3936 files for [might_and_guile\might_and_guile.tp2] component 400.
//ERROR: Failure("resource [d5zz206.spl] not found for 'COPY'")
//Please make a backup of the file: Setup-might_and_guile.debug and look for support at: SubtleD
//Automatically Skipping [Bard Overhaul: Multiclass Bards] because of error.
//Using Language [English]
//[.\lang\en_us\dialog.tlk] created, 659973 string entries
//NOT INSTALLED DUE TO ERRORS Bard Overhaul: Multiclass Bards

It can't find d5zz206.spl. Is that file affected by another component or something?

 

[subtledoctor]

58 minutes ago, Quester said:

MnG 5alpha7: I'm getting an error trying to install the Multiclass Bards component

Sorry, grab v5alpha8.

[Quester]

5 hours ago, subtledoctor said:

Sorry, grab v5alpha8.

Thanks, but now I'm getting another install error:

Spoiler

//Compiling 1 script ...
//Extending game scripts ...
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//ERROR Installing [Bard Overhaul: Multiclass Bards], rolling back to previous state
//Will uninstall 2741 files for [might_and_guile\might_and_guile.tp2] component 400.
//Uninstalled    2741 files for [might_and_guile\might_and_guile.tp2] component 400.
//ERROR: Failure("Unknown function: 5E_revised_simulacrum")
//Please make a backup of the file: Setup-might_and_guile.debug and look for support at: SubtleD
//Automatically Skipping [Bard Overhaul: Multiclass Bards] because of error.
//Using Language [English]
//[.\lang\en_us\dialog.tlk] created, 659873 string entries
//NOT INSTALLED DUE TO ERRORS Bard Overhaul: Multiclass Bards