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Shapeshifting dispell fix?


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Is this included?

 

Also, Littiz claims that there is a bug in the original game that means that the greater werewolf form is given at every level after it first appears, and that it was only intended to be given once, but the progression for the lesser form was just copied over for the greater form. Bug, or is Littiz interpreting things incorrectly?

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No, not yet. The paw solution is actually so simple that Idobek and I didn't even bother trying it because we assumed someone had already tried it. :) The paws include an equipped effect that delay-casts a spell every two seconds to re-create the paw. So if the paw is disspelled, you'll have a new one within two seconds. The only other twist is that the shapeshift to human form requires a spell immunity to block this spell and break the paw re-creation chain when you transform back. This was Littiz's solution and it is infinitely simpler than mine. :)

 

I'm not sure about the greater werewolf every level; I'd need to look at the game files when I get home.

 

The larger problem on which Littiz and I started work on is for polymorph forms that may be disspellable. While a shapeshifter druid transformation is a physical transformation and should not be dispellable, spells such as Polymorph Other/Self are more problematic. IIRC, we determined these should be subject to a dispel magic, though I can not remember if this was something we were looking to change because it was a confirmed bug, PnP, or just something we wanted to do. If the forms should indeed by disspellable, then we'll have a nasty bugfix. If they're not, we can extend the paw re-creation idea indefinitely.

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Oh, to address the every-other-level or just once argument: patched SoA gives werewolf shapeshift at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 and greater werewolf only once at level 13. (This makes sense, given that a druid can not advance to level 15 due to the XP cap.) The original kit description reads:

 

-  May shapeshift into the form of a werewolf once per day for every 2 levels  (starts at 1st level with one use).

-  At 13th level gains the ability to change into a greater werewolf once per day.

 

In Throne of Bhaal, the kit gains additional greater werewolf shifts every two levels through level 25, for a grand total of 6 regular and 7 greater werewolf shapshifts at level 25 and beyond. So we're faced with the standard "did they make a mistake in the string or in the file" issue.

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I don't think it was exactly a mistake in the string--rather, they didn't plan for the expansion when they wrote the kit description, and then forgot to update it for ToB. I think we should fix the kit description, rather than restricting the Shapeshifter to one Greater Werewolf change.

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Before I start coding these, I wanted to determine which forms we determine to be undispellable. The Shapeshifter greater and regular werewolf forms are simple since lycanthropy is not subject to dispel. How about the regular druid polymorphs, polymorph mage spells (Polymorph Self/Other and Shapechange) or the elemental transformation HLAs?

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The mage spell Polymorph self is dispellable as per AD&D. Polymorph other is also dispellable, but apparantly requires the recipient of the dispell to undergo a system shock check (I don't think these are present in BGII). Shapechange is undispellable, and if the caster dies in another form, they do not revert to their original form (which apparantly can mess up certain types of revivification). The druid shapechanges have indefinate duration and the shape shift seems to be as dispellable as Shape Change. The elemental transformations are not considered magical (the hierophant druid shapechange abilities are considered non-magical), so should not be dispellable. I can quote sources if there are any concerns.

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In something vaguely related, Polymorph Self has a serious design flaw--polymorphing to a flind with an offhand weapon or shield equipped will cause a hard crash due to the creation of a magical two-handed weapon.

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I'm more inclined to think that the issue is caused by the game trying to display a gnoll with a halberd and shield (or off-hand weapon), not because you happen to have some off-hand action when the weapon is created. What happens if you polymorph to a salamander under the same circumstances (salamanders don't get weapon and color doodads)?

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You worded it correctly (or, you phrased it poorly, and then even more so, I guess). I'm suggesting it's not the fact that a two-handed weapon was created while an off-hand item was equipped, but that the gnoll animation has separate weapon and creature sprites and it freaks out trying to display a two-handed dual-wielding gnoll. The same thing that happens if you try to use a two-handed animation weapon and an off-hand item on a normal character animation (even if the two-handed weapon flag is toggled). If so, it's the gnoll's fault (not that there's anything you can do in either case), which is why I suggested trying the salamander (I'm pretty sure these animations can have wacky invalid item combos without the game caring).

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