Question about the component "Remove Summoning Cap for Regular Summons"

[Ivellos]

Hello everyone!

I have a question regarding the component "Remove Summoning Cap for Regular Summons" and the Wand of Monster Summoning (WAND10). I don't know if it is a bug or not.

First of all, I think this component is great, since it removes the artificial limit of summoned creatures from the game. However, I think it is not working as intended with the Wand of Monster Summoning and it is a little too much op. Here is why.

First, the wand is supposed to summon 12 HD of monsters, right?

As an example, when I use it, it summons 2 lizardmen, 2 ogres, 4 ogrillons and 4 gnolls. A total of 12 monsters (image 01 attached). It always summons 12 monsters everytime I use it (but only of these 4 types).

However, if you check the msummo2.2DA file (image 02 attached) and the respective .CRE file of these monsters, you see that they have WAY more than 1 HD each.

For example, the ogre (OGRESU.CRE, image 03 attached) has 4 levels and a total of 33 HP, which means it is a 4 HD creature. So, the wand should be able to summon only 3 of them at once (and no more creatures).

The Gnoll (GNOLLSU.CRE), the Ogrillon (OGRELESU.CRE) and the Lizardman (MS2LIZM.CRE) are 3 HD creatures each as well.

So what this component is doing is that it is always summoning 12 monsters with only ONE charge of the wand, regardless of their Hit Dice number, making it extremely overpowered.

What do you guys think? Is this working correctly?

Also, is there a way of making the wand summon more variety of monsters like wolves, hobgoblins, and the like, or are we stuck with these 4 types only?

 Thanks in advance everyone!

[argent77]

That item description is a bit misleading (probably just copy-pasted from the AD&D manual).

In the unmodified game the Wand of Monster Summoning actually summons creatures with a total sum of 48 or more of their power level values (found at CRE offset 0x18).

If these CRE values were modified by some mod then the wand would summon an incorrect number of creatures (probably infinitely if these values were 0, or until reaching the summoning cap).

[jmerry]

The Wand of Monster Summoning is a variant of the Monster Summoning 2 spell; it uses the same list of creatures, but with a total power of 48 instead of the spell's one or two rolls at 8 each. Which means that under normal circumstances, the wand is way better. The vanilla list (MONSUM02.2DA( is a gnoll elite (power 8), a dire wolf (power 14), a hobgoblin elite (power 6), or an ogre (power 20). With the spell, you get one or two creatures from the list, and double up with another creature if you rolled the hobgoblin. With the wand, you get a minimum of three creatures and can easily run into the normal gap if you don't roll many of the expensive ones.

Power levels on creatures ... BG1 is pretty consistent about setting them reasonably appropriately, because those are also used by the spawn point system in most of the game's maps. Then BG2 mostly abandons that system, and doesn't bother assigning power levels to most of the new monsters. Want to put a mind flayer in one of these power-based systems? Well, that'll just keep going until you hit a cap, because mind flayers are power 0. Oops.

Anything that adjusts these lists or places new monsters in BG1-style spawn points needs to pay close attention to that "power level" field on the creatures it's inserting.

[jmerry]

Okay. The WoMS, unmodified, with the summoning cap lifted, should summon an average of just under 4.5 monsters. Eight is the maximum possible, and twelve is impossible. Something is clearly up in your game.

It's not a problem with this cdtweaks component. This component only touches the 2DA file that sets the summon cap. No, we have to look elsewhere, at changes to the MS2 table/monsters and possibly the wand itself. That looks like an IWD-ish monster list... and IWDification does indeed update the spell. Plus updates to the tables, and some of the creatures involved. Then, in the arcane post-production stage, it updates the wand:

// Earlier, read ms2table from the Monster Summoning 2 spell. It's the resource reference for the new table.
    ACTION_IF ms2table>=0 BEGIN // guard against no 331 in MS2, e.g. because of Spell Revisions (theoretically also user edit)
      COPY_EXISTING ~wand10.itm~ ~override~
        LPF ALTER_EFFECT INT_VAR match_opcode = 127 opcode = 331 parameter1 = 12 parameter2 = ms2table END // six creatures
    END

Opcode 127 in the BG series is hardcoded to use a specific set of tables. So we swap it for (EE-only) opcode 331, which can reference any table with a two-stage lookup. Here's the IESDP description for the opcode:

Quote

 

#331 (0x14B) Summon: Random Monster Summoning
Parameter #1: Count
Parameter #2: Type
Special: Mode

Description:

Each CRE file has a Creature Power Level number. This effect summons a number of monsters depending on this value, the special parameter and if it is used in SPL / ITM or from an external EFF.

When used in SPL/ITM files, known values for Mode are:

• 0 ⟶ Summon amount equal to 'Count' + Dice rolls
• 1 ⟶ Summon amount equal to 'Count' + Dice rolls
• 2 ⟶ Summon until Creature Power Level equals/exceeds Caster's Level

When used in external EFF files, known values for Mode are:

• 0 ⟶ Summon until Creature Power Level equals/exceeds Count
• 1 ⟶ Summon amount equal to 'Count' + Dice rolls
• 2 ⟶ Summon until Creature Power Level equals/exceeds Caster Level field

The Type field sets which 2DA file to pick the creatures to summon from. The 2da files are listed in SMTABLES.2DA.
If the resource field is filled, it will use a custom .2da to determine which monsters to summon.
If used from an external effect (.eff), the vvc field controls the bam/vvc file played over the creatures when summoning.
If used from an external effect (.eff), the second vvc field controls the bam file played over the target area when summoning.

Note: As far as the allegiance of the summoned creatures is concerned, this opcode uses “Match Target”, which sets the summoned creature’s allegiance to one of ALLY, NEUTRAL, or ENEMY, based on the summoner (whichever group the summoner belongs to).

 

And here, the mistake becomes clear. Since we didn't explicitly set the "special" field, it's zero. And since this effect is directly on an item, that summons a number of monsters equal to the first parameter - twelve. Not six, as the comment claims was intended (And which is still more than the vanilla wand).

All right, how many should it be? Well, let's look at the lists.

Old: Hobgoblin Elite (30 HP, ranged, power 6), Gnoll Elite (30 HP, melee, power 8), Dire Wolf (33 HP, melee, power 14), Ogre (33 HP, melee, power 20)

New: Lizardman (18 HP, melee, power 3), Gnoll Elite (24 HP, melee, power 8), Ogrillon (24 HP, melee, power 12), Ogre (33 HP, melee, power 20)

Okay. With the adjustments here - fewer hit points, mostly - six creatures instead of the old ~4.5 is reasonable. But in order to get six creatures, the first parameter of the wand's effect should be set to 6. Not 12. (Also, you're capped at 5 unless you lift the summoning cap)

Now, about those power levels ... the creature copied from IWD has a significantly lower power level than the BG creatures. Well, no. The copied spell uses op331, directly on the spell rather than filtered through an effect. Which means it's summoning a specific number of creatures (1d6) rather than anything based on power level. Overall, the average number of creatures summoned (ignoring the cap) doubles from 1.75 to 3.5 with IWDification.

So, no need to go through the IWDification summons with a fine-toothed comb adjusting creature power levels. But that edit to the wand should be updated so it doesn't summon twice as many monsters as intended.

Edited December 2 by jmerry