Unearthed Arcana present Tome & Blood: more options for arcane casters

[Necromanx2]

Thank you!
Can I continue an existing game with this update?

[subtledoctor]

2 hours ago, Necromanx2 said:

Can I continue an existing game with this update?

Jeez, I don’t know. I never try that sort of thing. If everything after it uninstalls and reinstalls perfectly? Sure. But the changes won’t apply to Charname or any NPC you’ve already met. 

Best bet, as always: fully back up your game folder, then update the mods. If it works, great; if not, trash the game folder and restore the backup. 

[Necromanx2]

Started a new game (was only 10k XP in anyway) in BGEE with the Arcanist using TnB v0.9.1. It seems I can cast the same amount of spells per day as a Specialist mage. 4 casts at level one with 18 INT and 5 casts per day at 2nd level. Unless INT of 18 gives more then +2 1st level spell casts? At 3rd level, I can cast 6, 1st level spells and 4, 2nd level spells.

EDIT: I can memorize one spell at level 1 and two spells at level 2. So memorization is working like a mage.

EDIT2: Just found an identify scroll and was able to scribe it. Should it not be restricted from the Arcanist?

EDIT3: At 3rd level I was able to memorize 2nd level spells. Is this correct or should I be going up like a Dragon Disciple and it should be 4th level before I can cast 2nd level spells?

Edited September 20, 2020 by Necromanx2

[Necromanx2]

Started a Mana Sorcerer to see what it is like in BGEE. At first level I only know one spell instead of two like a sorcerer.

Does the Mana Sorcerer get bonus mana points for high CHA?

EDIT: Needed to pick them one at a time (use item twice). Didn't realize that at first.

Edited September 20, 2020 by Necromanx2

[subtledoctor]

Mana Sorcerer doesn’t get any bonus from stats or items. The maximum envelope of 99 points just doesn’t leave much room for that sort of thing. 

Now that I know the maximum is actually 127, maybe I’ll implement something... maybe 1 bonus point per point of CHA above 15... that means up to 10 bonus points, and the normal max can be 115, and I can rejigger the point advancement to power up the mid-high levels a bit. Maybe:

• 2/level for levels 1-5  (10 + CHA bonus total at level 5)
• 4/level for levels 6-10  (30+ at level 10)
• 6/level for levels 11-15 (60+ at level 15)
• 7/level for levels 16-20 (95+ at level 20)
• 4/level for levels 21-25 (115+ at level 25)

Or maybe try to put all point gain before level 20, and leave HLAs as the sole epic-level gains:

• 2/level for levels 1-5  (10+ at level 5)
• 5/level for levels 6-10 (35+ at level 10)
• 7/level for levels 11-15 (70+ at level 15)
• 9/level for levels 16-20 (115+ at level 20)

Then there's the issue of trying to make it more efficient.  @kjeron @Bubb Is it wishful thinking that maybe it is more efficient to cast 10 subspells with 500 effects each, rather than a single spell with 5,000 effects?  (I suppose that's easy enough to test, when I have some spare moments...)

Edited September 28, 2020 by subtledoctor

[Necromanx2]

Does Revised Familiar component 67 improve the familiars over levels or are they the save all through BGEE, BG2EE, and ToBEE?

[subtledoctor]

4 hours ago, Necromanx2 said:

Does Revised Familiar component 67 improve the familiars over levels or are they the save all through BGEE, BG2EE, and ToBEE?

They improve at 5K, 50K, 150K, 450K, 1.25M, 2.5M, and 4M XP. I forget what exactly improves... I think hit points, thac0, and saves. They provide a 15% hit point boost to the caster (when outside of your backpack), so the bonus will grow along with the caster’s growth, rather than being dependent on when you cast the spell. 

Edited September 21, 2020 by subtledoctor

[Necromanx2]

Thanks for the info!

 

Just noticed that in BGEE for my Arcanist, the Evermemory ring gives me 1 extra 1st level cast a day (as you noted), but 4 extra memorization picks. I just ignore the extras, but wanted to let you know.

EDIT: I am at 5th level, but I am not getting a 3rd level memorization slot to fill. I do have a 3rd level spell in my book. 1st and 2nd level memorization slots line up with a mage (4 and 2 slots).

Edited September 21, 2020 by Necromanx2

[Necromanx2]

@subtledoctorto add to the above.

After sleeping I was able to get the 3rd level memorization slot, but the dispel magic does not show up in my casting list. I rested again and can't cast my 3rd level spell.

EDIT: My observations are that memorization is working as if I am a mage. I can't figure out how casts per day works as it seems like Dragon Disciple amounts, but at 3rd level of Arcanist I could cast 2nd level spells while at 5th level Arcanist I can't cast third level spells.

Edited September 21, 2020 by Necromanx2

[subtledoctor]

Can you check d5acnst.2da in your override folder? (Or look at it in NI.) Either copy/paste the contents here, or attach the file to a post. As you look at it, you should see a few rows with stuff like “AP_D5SRC3A.” Those are your casting slots, the number is the spell level and the trailing letter indicates the number of slots. So if SRC2A and SRC2B are in the third column, that means you get two 2nd-level casting slots at 3rd level. 

Re Evermemory: yeah, there’s not much I can do about it. I used to change the +slot effects to operate via .EFF files, then I could make the Arcanist immune to it... but that is a major change that could screw up other mods. 

I hate Evermemory anyway, I always change it into the Ring of Acuity in my games...

[Necromanx2]

Here is the file.

d5acnst.2da

[Endarire]

@subtledoctor
You could call the Mana Arcanist a Netherese Arcanist since that's what they are!

The Pathfinder Arcanist on which the T&B Arcanist is based gets extra spell slots from a high INT for extra castings, but not extra variety.

[Necromanx2]

@subtledoctorcould my Arcanist spell casting issue be related to the tweaks changing spell tables? Should the Arcanist also be installed after tweaks like the ability bonus component?

[subtledoctor]

32 minutes ago, Necromanx2 said:

@subtledoctorcould my Arcanist spell casting issue be related to the tweaks changing spell tables? Should the Arcanist also be installed after tweaks like the ability bonus component?

The arcanist memorization slots should equal whatever the normal wizard spell table it.  The code doesn't have to make them equal; the game engine automatically sets your memorization slots to match the table every time you level up.  The Arcanist code only adds a permanent -1 penalty at every spell level, to make you match the non-specialist table (because the game treats any kitted wizard as a specialist, for purposes of the spell table).  That -1 penalty is the "AP_D500SLT" entry you see in the kit ability table that you posted above.  So changes to the spell table will be taken in stride, no problem.

The "Ability Score Bonus Spells" component complicates things; it increases the spell table by 2 for spell levels 1-7.  So the Arcanist needs an additional -2 penalty to spell slots, for levels 1-7.  That is represented by the two "AP_D5__SLT" entries you see in the kit ability table.

The only thing that gives me pause is, you have the "AP_D5ABSP1" entry there.  That is what applies the "bonus memorization slots" for high stats - actually by applying penalties for having low stats (since as noted, we have already increased the table by 2).  As I noted earlier, I removed this from the latest version of the mod, deciding that INT should not affect Arcanists' memorization slots.  But you don't have the latest version, so this is applied to you.  This means you are getting an additional -2 penalty for some various levels between 1 and 7 (if you have 18 INT, you will be fine for levels 1-3 but get improper penalties for levels 4-7.

Assuming that's the issue (and I'm pretty confident it is), you have a couple options.  First, you can use Near Infinity, right?  If so, then refer to this guide to using NI for editing savegames.  Fine Charname in your savegame, and look at the effects applied to him/her - that will be at the bottom of the .CRE file, and there will probably be a LOT of them.  (They all start with the word "signature," I think.)  Your options are:

Step 0) Find your most recent savegame file, and make a backup copy of it.  Just in case.  Then do one of the following:

1) Find a "Use EFF File" (opcode 177) effect, whose "resource" field is "D5ABSPW.EFF."  Change the "Type" field from opcode 177 to opcode 206; and set the "string" field to strref "-1." Now instead of getting the memorization slot penalties from the Ability Score Bonuses component, your character should be immune to those penalties.  The result should be exactly what you want: your memorization slots will exactly match your game's wizard spell table. 

If #1 doesn't work, delete the savegame and restore the backup from step 0, and try option #2:

2) Find the two "Wizard Spell Slot (opcode 42) effects applying a -1 spell slot penalty to levels 1-7.  (Remember, there is also one that applies to levels 1-9... you want to leave that one alone.)  Simply delete these two effects, and save the savegame file.  Now you will get the proper number of memorization slots... but you will also be getting bonus slots for having high INT, so you will have extra slots and be a bit more powerful/flexible.  You may not like that, but the up-side of this method is that it's easier to do.

That should fix everything.  And for other readers and your future installs, this has already been fixed in version 0.9.1. 

[Necromanx2]

Thanks!

Please note that I am using 0.9.1. So I am seeing this with the latest version.

EDIT: So I gave myself XP to level up and see when casts appear and I see that the following for when I am able to cast:
Level of spell         Arcanist level

1                                 1

2                                 3

3                                 6

4                                 8

I have ability bonuses on.

EDIT2: Removed the ability bonus component and started a new game. Leveled up and found it worked fine and I got the spells as a mage would with casts.

It seems to me that an INT of 18 does not provide as many 3rd level bonus spells as is being compensated for. Seems that way. if 18 INT only gives a +1 slot for 3rd level spells then what I am seeing with the bonus component makes sense if the compensation is doing -2.

Edited September 22, 2020 by Necromanx2