NPC Skald

[Miloch]

Instead of bardsong, give him a "chant of inspiration" or some such that gives +hit/dam and increases resistance to fear.

Never done it, but Sorvan does some nifty, complicated things with bards in Art of Weaving. So I'd bet that this is possible. I could learn more about this type of thing if Eirik decides to use this idea.

For reference, you might want to check out yarpen's Faerun bards (spellsinger, dervish, beguiler) - I think all of them have a custom bardsong.

[Wounded_Lion]

I'd suggest starting proficiencies should include darts, as the nearest equivalent to a thrown spear/javelin type weapon...

 

A Skald using Darts? Um... No.

 

Alternately, you could go ahead and give him spear, and recommend that people go ahead and install Ashes of Embers.

 

It works great with Tutu, and spears become throwable!

 

Or he could include a "Spears Can Be Thrown" component packaged with the NPC mod itself. I don't like the idea of requiring AoE because I don't like mods that require that other mods be installed (except, of course, for requiring the BG2 Fixpack if needed).

 

Or he could include a custom magical Spear that can be thrown, returns to the thrower after striking, and can only be used by the NPC.

 

Or he could assign the default Skald kit to the NPC and devote all of his creative energies to storytelling (all this kit/weapon stuff is neat but unimportant compared to a good roleplaying experience).

 

- D

[EiriktheScald]

I recommend that Eirik draft a preliminary kit concept and post it. Everyone could provide feedback, and he could revise and refine the concept as good suggestions are posted.

 

My thoughts on a warrior-poet kit:

 

1. Remove +1 to hit and damage bonus, and allow weapon specialization (as fighter, paladin etc.)

2. Restrict pickpockets ability altogether (I'd much rather have an extra weapons slot)

3. Bard song unchanged

4. Cannot use wands, scrolls, etc.

5. Restrict spell use to divination?

 

Arcane magic is widely considered to be dangerous and questionable by the northlanders and those who practice it are regarded with suspicion, and sometimes open hostility. The Runethanes, however, work through acient symbols of power. It is said that it's granted by the spirits of their warrior ancestors. Necromancy would never be tolerated in their culture. Elementalists might also be negatively recieved.

 

Sound reasonable?

[EiriktheScald]

For reference, you might want to check out yarpen's Faerun bards (spellsinger, dervish, beguiler) - I think all of them have a custom bardsong.

 

This link takes me to 'Paladins of Faerun Kitpack v2'

[Miloch]

This link takes me to 'Paladins of Faerun Kitpack v2'

Yes, as I commented to yarpen, the name is somewhat misleading. It actually adds 3 kits for every class except clerics and mages. Scroll down to or search for 'BARD KITS.' Note: if you install this mod it will delete your existing kits like skald, etc. I've asked yarpen to change this in the next release. I've tested some of the custom bardsongs though - they're pretty cool.

 

I like your ideas so far. What you say about magic is particularly apt, with the exception of divination which makes sense. Enchantment/charm might not be too frowned upon either, as some might see it as a natural extension of the bard's abilities.* You're taking away quite a bit from the kit, so that may give you leave to add more too.

 

* Edit: By that, I mean the power to 'hold' people enthralled, charm them or put them to sleep could be seen as a function of the skald's music or poetry skill rather than true arcane 'magic' by the suspicious northlanders.

[EiriktheScald]

I don't think there are any divination spells above 4th level either, so yeah, allowing enchantment/charm would be a good idea.

[Kulyok]

I'd make any additional kits optional: some players, like me, wouldn't install any custom kits, however good the mod was.

[AnnabelleRose]

(bards can't use shields btw).

 

Can't they use bucklers? Bucklers and slings work pretty well. Sure they get no missle protection, but when you get charged and switch to a longsword (my vote based on what was there), you get a little more melee protection.

 

I would have voted for (light) crossbow, if there had been a choice for such. Now I voted long sword, because that would have been my pick for a melee weapon.

 

Ditto.

 

Or he could include a "Spears Can Be Thrown" component packaged with the NPC mod itself. I don't like the idea of requiring AoE because I don't like mods that require that other mods be installed (except, of course, for requiring the BG2 Fixpack if needed).

 

Or he could include a custom magical Spear that can be thrown, returns to the thrower after striking, and can only be used by the NPC.

 

Or he could assign the default Skald kit to the NPC and devote all of his creative energies to storytelling (all this kit/weapon stuff is neat but unimportant compared to a good roleplaying experience).

 

- D

 

I rather like this. Not enough NPCs specialise in spears.

[EiriktheScald]

Nor do I want to spend alot of time developing a kit. With the standard skald kit allowing only one proficiency point in any weapon slot or fighting style, dual wielding is out (I think the off-hand weapon is still at -4 to hit). But most of you indicate some type of melee weapon is desired. So, I will stick with a Bastard sword (there are some nice ones in BG1) with two-handed fighting style and his own custom sword ( what to name his sword?). If you want to use one of the swords from the game (e.g. +1, +3 vs. Dopplegangers) two-handed, you can always install the BG2 Tweak mod.

[Wounded_Lion]

1. Remove +1 to hit and damage bonus, and allow weapon specialization (as fighter, paladin etc.)

 

Doable.

 

2. Restrict pickpockets ability altogether (I'd much rather have an extra weapons slot)

 

Hmm... Each Bard kit's pickpockets score is 'hard-coded' if I remember correctly. However, I think that this might be associated with the usability flag, so it is possible that changing the flag to the fighter setting would eliminate the pickpockets completely. Or not. This is all theoretical, but I will run a few experiments in the coming days and see what happens. (Aside from that minor dual wielding tweak, I've never created a Bard kit before... )

 

3. Bard song unchanged

 

Doable. Obviously.

 

4. Cannot use wands, scrolls, etc.

 

I think that this can be accomplished by changing the usability flag to that of a fighter. Since no one else chimed in to verify or correct me when I posted that suggestion earlier, I'll have to experiment a little with this concept this week (as mentioned above).

 

5. Restrict spell use to divination?

 

If the kit is given the usability flag of a fighter, then the kit will not be able to use scrolls to learn spells. Divination spells can be assigned via the CLAB file and automatically added to the spellbook at appropriate levels. This method should grant complete control of which spells are in the kit's spellbook. Again, theoretical.

 

Arcane magic is widely considered to be dangerous and questionable by the northlanders and those who practice it are regarded with suspicion, and sometimes open hostility. The Runethanes, however, work through acient symbols of power. It is said that it's granted by the spirits of their warrior ancestors. Necromancy would never be tolerated in their culture. Elementalists might also be negatively recieved.

 

Sound reasonable?

 

So... Nearly everything hinges on whether or not adding the fighter usability flag has unforseen negative side effects. In the past, I've always used a flag from another kit of the same class. I'll draft a preliminary kit for some basic testing as soon as I have the time.

 

- D

[Miloch]

I'd make any additional kits optional: some players, like me, wouldn't install any custom kits, however good the mod was.

Why not? If your bard slots are full, you'll never see this one (it will, effectively, only be available to Eirik's NPC). And if they're not, you can ignore it if you don't want to use it.

 

Having said that, there's not reason why it couldn't be made optional (the same way Branwen's Battleguard of Tempus kit is optional in DR).

 

@ MajorTomSawyer: I made the similar observation about bucklers above (or maybe it was a related post).

 

@ Eirik: Custom sword name suggestion: "Poetic Justice" [P.S.: If you need help with custom icons or properties for the sword, I've recently done quite a bit of this and can help out. ]

[Wounded_Lion]

Bad, bad, bad news. Its seems that a kit retains the class usability flag of its parent class (in this case, Bard) in addition to whatever kit usability flag it is assigned. As a result, the Bard class usability flag overrules the Fighter kit usability flag and prevents some of the nifty theoretical stuff that I suggested above. All I can say is: I tried. I honestly wish that I had a better platform (i.o.w. game or engine) to mod for... BG2 annoys me on a daily basis.

 

What seems to happen is that the class and kit usability flags are essentially combined, preventing the use of both Bard-specific and Fighter-specific items.

 

A custom kit *can* yet be made; just bear in mind that most of my suggestions that involved changing the usability flag are not workable.

 

EDIT:

Actually, let me do some more tweaking and testing before you make serious changes to the concept. Looking over what I just wrote, and rereading my previous posts, some of the suggestions may actually work despite the unexpected behavior of the usability flags. Perhaps I let one negative result blind me to other positive results.

 

- D

[Miloch]

If I'm reading this arightly, it's possible to tweak the NPC (grant and take away abilities) via script without even doing a custom kit. Though a lot of this is hieroglyphics to me... you might be able to make more sense of it.

 

Also some info on usability flags here.

[berelinde]

Easier to take than to give.

 

No, there are a lot of things you can do with script, but there are limitations.

 

Of course, I'm no expert on anything having anything to do with hex codes or complicated scripts, so I wouldn't know what exactly those things are. My scripting needs are simple: a dialog happens at a specific time. Nothing else. So AI, et al, is not only a closed book to me, it's a closed book in a dead language, in an undecipherable script, that was written in code to begin with by a palsied scribe with bad handwriting, who was drunk.

[EiriktheScald]

@ Eirik: Custom sword name suggestion: "Poetic Justice"

 

*Almost flips over chair laughing hysterically*

 

 

@majortomsawyer: I thought bucklers were for halflings?