Is to possible to add the Magic Def Adj to Wisdom scores?

[Guest DZA]

Hey there! 

First post here.

So in PnP, and in the original BG1 and BG2 manuals, wisdom below 8 and above 14 is supposed to give bonuses against certain kinds of spells. I know it was never implemented in the game, but is it in any way possible to implement it through mods?

It's defined as:

Magical Defense Adjustment listed on Table 5 applies to saving throws against magical spells that attack the mind: beguiling, charm, fear, hypnosis, illusions, possession, suggestion, etc. These bonuses and penalties are applied automatically, without any conscious effort from the character.

 

Now I know it's difficult to add modifiers to individual spells in the game apparently, but from the description above, at the minimum, it should cover all spells from the Enchantment and Illusion schools, which I believe is doable through mods, right? It's not perfect, but it would be an imperfect way to cover these penalties/bonuses, and make Wisdom less of a dump stat for non-druids/clerics. 

How difficult would it be to implement this through mods?

 

Thanks!

[Bartimaeus]

~TB#TWEAKS/TB#TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #6000 // 3rd edition style Wisdom: TB#Tweaks, V 2.61

...gives each character a +1 to vs. spell saving throws for every 2 points of Wisdom past 10 that you have (and -1 per 2 below 11). Sort of similar.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[subtledoctor]

Neither of those actually does what the original "defense adjustment" says. TB#Tweaks gives a straight bonus to all saves vs. Spells, which covers... a LOT of spells. Like, Fireball, Flesh to Stone, etc. All sorts of stuff that is not included in the 2E "Magical Defense Adjustment."

Scales of Balance also gives a bonus to saves vs. spells, but for high INT scores. With SoB Wisdom involves something like willpower, so a high WIS score gives you a bonus to saves vs Death and Petrification/Polymorph.

Scales of Balance also has a component that rebalances saving throws, reserving the save vs Spells for Enchantments and Illusions; it changes stuff like Fireball to use a save vs. Breath Weapon, and stuff like Flesh to Stone and Disintegration to use a save vs. Petrify/Polymorph.

So your best bet to most accurately model the original Magic Defense Adjustment is to Combine the SoB rebalanced saving throws and the TB#Tweaks 3E-style Wisdom.

(Although... not sure how TB#Tweaks makes that work. It was made a long time ago before stuff like dynamic arbitrary stat bonuses were really possible. Nothing against that mod - I still use parts of it myself! - but YMMV as far as how it actually works in-game.)

[DZA]

Thanks for the replies! Ages ago playing BG I put WIS points into my ranger thinking that I was helping to protect her against certain kinds of spells (going by the manual), only to find out that it was never implemented much later. 

Here's the original chart:

https://advanced-dungeons-dragons-2nd-edition.fandom.com/wiki/Wisdom