Shapeshifter questions

[Miloch]

I've never played a shapeshifter and the documentation in the manual is rather sparse, so could someone explain how they work in general? Does the shape change happen instantaneously? How long does it last? Can you cast spells, wear armour, etc. while shifted? If you have several shapes you can shift into, can you choose or is it random? What happens to your stats, equipment, etc.? Also, if your stats are better than, say, a wolf's, any reason you'd shift into it? This is so I know what is realistic when designing enemy shapeshifters - I don't plan on playing one (not anytime soon anyway). Cheers.

[cirerrek]

I've never played a shapeshifter and the documentation in the manual is rather sparse, so could someone explain how they work in general? Does the shape change happen instantaneously? How long does it last? Can you cast spells, wear armour, etc. while shifted? If you have several shapes you can shift into, can you choose or is it random? What happens to your stats, equipment, etc.? Also, if your stats are better than, say, a wolf's, any reason you'd shift into it? This is so I know what is realistic when designing enemy shapeshifters - I don't plan on playing one (not anytime soon anyway). Cheers.

 

Miloch, be advised that there is a Shapeshifter kit, so you might need to specify if you are talking about that or druids in general, or mages who also have spells that allow them to shapeshift, oh and there are some items that will also allow you to shapeshift. That is a lot of shapeshifting

 

I've never played a shapeshifter and the documentation in the manual is rather sparse, so could someone explain how they work in general?

 

Either activate and item, spell (could be innate, could be from a book) and wallah you transform into a different shape.

 

If multiple shapes are an option, then there will be an icon for each possible shape.

 

E.g. for a druid you will have an icon for Black Bear, Brown Bear, Wolf, etc., under your * special abilities.

 

There should also be an icon that looks like a human...return to human form. There are actually a couple of these return to human form spells and it is important which on you use (if you are monkeying with this stuff from the script), because they don't all do the same thing.

 

Does the shape change happen instantaneously?

 

Druid shapeshifting is pretty fast, items should be fast, spells not so fast.

 

Does it pause when you have a choice like that presented to you like? Fuzzy in my head about how that worked.

 

Can you cast spells, wear armour, etc. while shifted?

 

Without Wes's mode for Shapeshifters the Kit, no you can't cast spells while shapeshifted. You continue to wear your armor, but your actual armor class is set to whatever it is for that creature type.

 

What happens to your stats, equipment, etc.?

 

You get the stats, abilities, and equipment of the form you shift into.

 

Trolls get regenerate and probably also have claws that do slashing damage. Salamanders run around with spears. Mindflayers can cast Mind Blast, although I believe the silly spell is broken or so easy to resist as to be laughable. I think this may have been fixed in the BG2 Fixpack.

 

Also, if your stats are better than, say, a wolf's, any reason you'd shift into it?

 

Not being able to cast spells while shifted kind of sucks.

 

Because it is cool!

 

There are some reasons you might want to shift though.

 

Wolves run fast, Trolls and werewolves regenerate, Salamanders can breath a fireball, Gnolls have a +1 Halbard (occassionally useful early game), Elementals do hefty Fire or Crushing damage, etc.,.

 

You've got to compare the character to the creature you want them to shift into, what the shape can do, what you are losing by shifting, and whether our not you can scripts useful behavior.

 

AC is a big one because getting hit gets you dead, but if all you are going to do is turn into a wolf to run away, then the AC doesn't matter that much.

 

Definitely needs a touch of imagination.

[Miloch]

Ok, thanks for the info. I was thinking about where and how I'd put it in an enemy script for a shapeshifter or avenger druid. Being as how you can't cast spells in spider-form or whatever, I'll put it near the end, after he's exhausted all his other spells. And I guess at that point it doesn't matter whether I include a cast-n-attack timer, because he's out of spells and can't cast them anyway once shifted even if he wasn't. I don't think I'll bother with worrying about how long to get back to human form anyway, since either he or the PCs won't be around much longer at that point.

 

Errm... the special shapeshifted weapons aren't droppable, right? So if you kill a druid shifted to wolf form, you can't pick up their claws? Maybe the gnoll halberds and salamander spears are different? I'd guess it just moves whatever weapon was already equipped (rather than destroying it)?

 

I was wondering about what you mentioned in the CRE modding thread though:

Also checkout the code in the scripts for Polymorph Self and Shapechange to get ideas about druid shapeshifting

Where are these scripts and how are they called? Are they in BG2 or in eSeries or what?

[cirerrek]

Ok, thanks for the info. I was thinking about where and how I'd put it in an enemy script for a shapeshifter or avenger druid. Being as how you can't cast spells in spider-form or whatever, I'll put it near the end, after he's exhausted all his other spells. And I guess at that point it doesn't matter whether I include a cast-n-attack timer, because he's out of spells and can't cast them anyway once shifted even if he wasn't. I don't think I'll bother with worrying about how long to get back to human form anyway, since either he or the PCs won't be around much longer at that point.

 

Errm... the special shapeshifted weapons aren't droppable, right? So if you kill a druid shifted to wolf form, you can't pick up their claws? Maybe the gnoll halberds and salamander spears are different? I'd guess it just moves whatever weapon was already equipped (rather than destroying it)?

 

I was wondering about what you mentioned in the CRE modding thread though:

Also checkout the code in the scripts for Polymorph Self and Shapechange to get ideas about druid shapeshifting

Where are these scripts and how are they called? Are they in BG2 or in eSeries or what?

 

Putting it at the end is probably the best way to handle it, unless you are trying to highlight the shapeshifters abilities.

 

Enemies don't have a tomorrow, so they should pull out all the stops (my preference is no cheese, but since spells are often interruptible, it makes it tough to keep an enemy alive if you don't use some cheese).

 

So anyway, cast all useful spells, then shapeshift.

 

No the special weapons are not droppable, or if they are then it is a bug.

 

Yeah, the Polymorph Self and Shapechange scripts that I mentioned are in eSeries or probabably sgSeries or other various spinoffs of the eSeries.