Suggestions for a modded game

[Laura]

I'm pretty new to using mods and in my next game of SOA/TOB would like to add new content as well as new characters.

 

The only two things I know for sure is that my PC will be a fighter dualled to cleric at around level 10 or so. I'm not sure whether the PC will be male or female. I will also be taking Kivan with me and I don't want to inadvertently trigger romance dialogue as I do intend to ressurrect his wife. So a suggestion for a romanceable NPC would be good - either male or female, and one that has TOB content, prefereably.

 

I'd love to know what recommendations people have to enhance the game. I had toyed with the idea of Taking Aeire along as backup cleric/mage, but I'd love to be able to try out a new thief or mage if there is one.

 

Also, What content/quest mods do people recommend?

[berelinde]

Why not try Amber? She's definitely different from the Bioware NPCs!

 

Or you could try Kelsey. Lots of people like him.

 

As far as non-NPC mods go, I would definitely recommend Unfinished Business and Quest Pack. If you've played BG2 before, they will add enough content that you don't get bored or get the sense of deja vu.

 

Have fun!

[Laura]

Why not try Amber? She's definitely different from the Bioware NPCs!

 

Or you could try Kelsey. Lots of people like him.

 

As far as non-NPC mods go, I would definitely recommend Unfinished Business and Quest Pack. If you've played BG2 before, they will add enough content that you don't get bored or get the sense of deja vu.

 

Have fun!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Amber looks great! Is her romance race-limited, or can it be any male PC?

[berelinde]

Check out her board. It's here on this site.

 

She is way cool. But keep in mind, please, that while she will romance any race or class, she has intelligence and charisma cutoffs at 12. And you might want to check alignment compatibility.

 

Also, she has an added bonus, from my point of view: she will romance Player 2! So, if you create your main protagonist as Player 1, you can have him/her romance the NPC of your choice, and you can still have another romance with Amber with Player 2. Yes, it's possible to participate in 2 romances and not cheat on anybody, install any multi-romance patches, or have lots of bickering.

[Lemernis]

I'm relatively new to mods too.

 

First I'll offer some unsolicited feedback on a Fighter-Cleric. From what I understand you'll get the most from Fighter if you dual at level 13--which personally, is something I would not do. If you dual instead at level 7 (i.e. immediately after character creation), you'll get your Fighter skills back after only 8 levels of Cleric. And the benefits of Fighter 7 are very comparable to Fighter 13. Your HP just won't be quite as high, and you'll receive 1/2 an attack per round less. But anyway, myself, I cannot be bothered waiting until Cleric level 27 (i.e., in ToB) to get my fighter skills back!

 

I'm currently using Divine Remix, and I really like it. I would recommend that for a cleric.

 

FWIW, so far I'm enjoying the following mods in a current game:

 

PP1 BG1 item graphics

Keto

Unfinished Business

Quest Pack

Banter Pack

Flirt Pack

Song and Silence

Divine Remix

 

I've heard nothing but good things about Kelsey, I'll be adding that next game probably.

 

Btw, did you have a particular party in mind? Which NPCs were you considering (in addition to Kivan, via Kivan and Deheriana)?

[Laura]

I've heard nothing but good things about Kelsey, I'll be adding that next game probably.

 

Btw, did you have a particular party in mind?  Which NPCs were you considering (in addition to Kivan, via Kivan and Deheriana)?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I played Kelsey a while back - my first modded game -- with Unfinished Business but my game totally crashed about halfway through and I abandoned it after reinstalling a couple of times.

 

Kelsey was great, though.

 

I don't really have a particular party in mind with respect to the existing NPC's -- I've played them all through the game at least once or twice. I like having a fighter/cleric in my party, either multi or dualled. I've always used Anomen but even a powerhouse like him gets stale after a dozen runs through the game.

 

Ideally I like a party that has five powerful characters and one that adds interest rather than kills.

 

What I usually play is something along these lines:

 

-Fighter/cleric

-Sorceror or pure mage

-Backup mage, dualled or multi - if there was a mage/cleric mod I would use it, although Aerie is great.

-Rogue of the thieving variety as opposed to a bard, either pure thief or dualled. I like Jan Jansens' skill set -- he's one of my favourite NPC's and my favourite existing thief NPC -- but again, even he gets old.

- Pure fighter or some other class that can melee effectively, like Valygar.

- Optional character of any class. This is why I like the Kivan mod - he's not really a fighter, but is a dynamite back-liner, as deadly as a high level mage.

 

My current party is a little too strong on the front line and the game is too easy. I have:

 

PC - multi fighter/cleric using hammers and flails and sling

Valygar using katanas only

Nalia with a few rings and potions (why she was created with such lousy thieving skills when she has a dexterity of 18 is a mystery to me) and the Gesen shortbow

Yasraena dualling her now +5 short swords only

Kivan with five levels of longbow (woo-hoo!)

Keto, the bard (who is very entertaining but after many, many days with the party accounts for exactly 0% of the kills )

 

I was thinking along the lines of a more magic-oriented party, maybe PC cleric/fighter, Kivan, Kelsey and a rogue (Amber?) as my main party while I do the standard NPC quests using one of the existing mages until Kivan's quest is done, and then perhaps pick up another mage mod and a fighter mod or another class that can melee if necessary (like a bard or swashie). If I'm using more mage power and less fighter I would ideally need a good thief to scout out those pesky bad guys.

[Meira]

Check out her board. It's here on this site.

 

She is way cool. But keep in mind, please, that while she will romance any race or class, she has intelligence and charisma cutoffs at 12. And you might want to check alignment compatibility.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Amber has no restrictions for alignment.

[Lemernis]

Ideally I like a party that has five powerful characters and one that adds interest rather than kills.

 

I was thinking along the lines of a more magic-oriented party, maybe

 

PC cleric/fighter

Kivan

Kelsey

a rogue (Amber?)

 

then perhaps pick up another mage mod and a fighter mod or another class that can melee if necessary (like a bard or swashie).  If I'm using more mage power and less fighter I would ideally need a good thief to scout out those pesky bad guys.

 

Your post has inspired me to try to compile a comprehensive list of Joinable BG2 NPC Mods. Here's the start, I'll have to finish it this evening. When it's finished I'll note gender, race, alignment, romanceable, ToB-or-no:

 

Solaufein - Chaotic Good/Neutral drow

http://weidu.org/main.html#install

 

Valen - female vampire

http://weidu.org/valen.html

 

Chloe - female Kensai

http://www.spellholdstudios.net/mods/chloe/

 

Hubblepot - male Totemic Druid

http://www.spellholdstudios.net/mods/hubelpot/

 

Yikari - male Monk

http://www.spellholdstudios.net/mods/yikari/

 

Azure - female Druid

http://balduran.blackwyrmlair.net/

 

Fade - female Tiefling Thief

http://www.gilalion.com/fademod.htm

 

Kindrek - male Roc (arcane magic hating half-giant)

http://www.gilalion.com/kindrekmod.htm

 

Saerileth - female paladin of Tyr

http://www.gilalion.com/saerilethmod.htm

 

Tsujatha - male elven Necromancer

http://www.gilalion.com/tsujatha

 

Yasraena - female Good-aligned drow

http://www.gilalion.com/yasraenamod.htm

 

Ariena - female half-orc Pit Fighter

http://www.geocities.com/fanaticfantasyfan...l?1087585753480

 

Auren Aseph - femalefighter

http://www.gibberlings3.net/auren/

 

Keto, the bard  (who is very entertaining but after many, many days with the party accounts for exactly 0% of the kills  )

 

Hehe! To my surprise, in my current party Keto has chalked up 10% of the kills so far, surpassing Vicona, whom I use as a meleer. (Chapter 2, day 47 - PC Cleric-Thief 26%, Korgan 33%, Mazzy 13%, Keto 10%, Viconia 8%, Nalia 7%)

 

I have Keto wearing the Bracers of Defense AC 3. And she buffs with Stoneskin, Ghost Armor, and Strength. Ghost Armor gets her AC to -2. For the major battles she's Hasted and has some other buffs up as well.

 

I send her into the fray slapping Ghoul Touch on enemy archers and spellcasters. She usually succeeds with one or two of them, following up immediately with Vampiric Touch, and finishing them off with an enchanted Long Sword or Short Sword. Then she moves on the the next target, using Slow, followed by her melee weapon.

 

Keto has 3 attacks per round as a dart thrower (4 while Hasted). But I kind of enjoy having her 'overcome' her fear of battle. She's only panicked once so far.

[Grim Squeaker]

Your post has inspired me to try to compile a comprehensive list of Joinable BG2 NPC Mods. Here's the start, I'll have to finish it this evening. When it's finished I'll note gender, race, alignment, romanceable, ToB-or-no

 

Hate to ruin your fun but it's been done already (and with pictures )

[Laura]

Hehe!  To my surprise, in my current party Keto has chalked up 10% of the kills so far, surpassing Vicona, whom I use as a meleer.  (Chapter 2, day 47 - PC Cleric-Thief 26%, Korgan 33%, Mazzy 13%, Keto 10%, Viconia 8%, Nalia 7%) 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

It always fascinates me how different people play a completely different game with the same cast of characters. more or less. I started using Keto strictly for using spell-protection removal with Nalia doing the destructive stuff. I'll have to revisit Keto's abilities now that she has a -6 armour level in TOB.

 

In my game Yasraena accounts for 38% of the kills (!), and the PC, Vally, Kivan and Nalia around 16-18% each. So if you need a good-aligned frontliner, Yas is great as long as you buff her Constitution, which is easy with the Belt.

[Lemernis]

it's been done already (and with pictures )

 

Ah, I can't say I'm surprised someone has already done it. At least I only wasted 10 minutes at it, heh!

 

Nice resource--that's boatload of of NPCs. Do you suppose the cross-banter pack will eventually be expanded? http://www.gibberlings3.net/crossmod/index.php

 

It always fascinates me how different people play a completely different game with the same cast of characters. more or less.

 

I started out not quite sure how to use Keto. But since over time I've come to enjoy using bards this way, pretty much, I went what I often do with (true class) bards. Even if it is basically out of character for her.

 

It's not to say that I don't have her also sometimes firing off Emotion or Chaos, etc., before plunging into melee. And against the toughest opponents she'll hang back, casting protection removing spells along with Nalia. Pierce Magic, Breach, Lower Resistance, Khelben's Warding Whip, Greater Malison, etc.

[Laura]

In TOB, of course, with all the high-level abilities Keto has become very useful, setting traps and using anything, and now she has a high-level bard song, too. That's the payoff for having a rogue - what they lack in THACO they make up for with ingenuity.

 

I can hardly wait for my next game now! I'm going to download all the mods I can find and create a while new party and game. Woo Hoo! This feels like discovering the Thief mods for the first time - new life in one of my favourite games of all time.

 

I must say, what I've seen of the mods is very impressive, and I thank those of you who have put in the effort.

[berelinde]

The beauty of BG2 is that it never gets old. There is always so much more to do, so much more to try, so many new mods that add content.

 

Allow me to sing praises to the people that bring us this gift. They work up a concept, they spend countless hours coding, and we get to experience our favorite game in a whole new way.

 

Modders, I love you.