Revised Ability Scores
This component revises the effects of your character's ability scores to make their bonuses a bit more uniform and intelligible, and to make some of them more useful. The modifications are based on 3rd edition D&D; you can choose between a 'custom' version (recommended) and a strict 3rd edition version.
The effects of your ability scores are now as follows:
- Strength: Still affects melee and thrown weapon attack and damage rolls, your chance of breaking a door or gate, and your carrying capacity. Exceptional strength is removed.
- Dexterity: Now affects saving throws vs. Wands and Breath Weapons. Still affects armor class, attack rolls with thrown and missile weapons, and initiative.
- Constitution: Now affects saving throws vs. Poison and Paralysis. Still affects hit points (the variable fighter/non-fighter effect has been removed).
- Intelligence: Now affects maximum number of memorizable spells for wizards. Still affects chance of learning arcane spells from scrolls.
- Wisdom: Now affects number of spell slots for shamans, and saving throws vs. Spell. Still affects maximum number of memorizable spells for priests.
- Charisma: Affects maximum number of memorizable spells for bards and number of spell slots for sorcerers and favored souls, the effective level of a cleric or paladin turning the undead, and (still) also the price you are charged in stores. Paladins receive an additional bonus to their saving throws based on Charisma.
Bonuses and penalties to attack rolls, hit points, armor class, and saving throws now use a common set of modifiers. (The change to a cleric or paladin's level for turning undead is half this modifier.) For ability scores between 1-18, that system is the same in both versions:
| Ability score value | Bonus/Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1 | -5 |
| 2-3 | -4 |
| 4-5 | -3 |
| 6-7 | -2 |
| 8-9 | -1 |
| 10-11 | 0 |
| 12-13 | +1 |
| 14-15 | +2 |
| 16-17 | +3 |
| 18 | +4 |
For ability scores of 19+, the two systems diverge: the custom system increases more quickly than the 3rd edition system. (This reflects the fact that ability score bonuses above 18 are harder to come by in AD &D—and in the IE games—than in 3rd edition D&D.)
| Ability score value | Bonus (custom system) | Bonus (3e system) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | +5 | +4 |
| 20 | +6 | +5 |
| 21 | +7 | +5 |
| 22 | +8 | +6 |
| 23 | +9 | +6 |
| 24 | +10 | +7 |
| 25 | +11 | +7 |
The table for spellcasters' bonus spells also depends on the version of this component you choose, with the custom version scaling more quickly for ability scores of 15+:
| Ability score value | Bonus spells (custom system) | Bonus spells (3e system) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 or less | none | |
| 12-13 | +1 first-level spell | |
| 14 | +1 spell at levels 1-2 | |
| 15 | +1 spell at levels 1-3 | +1 spell at levels 1-2 |
| 16 | +1 spell at levels 1-4 | +1 spell at levels 1-3 |
| 17 | +2 spells at level 1, +1 spell at levels 2-5 | +1 spell at levels 1-3 |
| 18 | +2 spells at level 1-2, +1 spell at levels 3-6 | +1 spell at levels 1-4 |
| 19 | +2 spells at level 1-3, +1 spell at levels 4-7 | +1 spell at levels 1-4 |
| 20 | +2 spells at level 1-4, +1 spell at levels 5-8 | +2 spells at level 1, +1 spell at levels 2-5 |
| 21+ | +3 spells at level 1, +2 spells at level 2-5, +1 spell at levels 6-9 | +2 spells at level 1, +1 spell at levels 2-5 |
The component also changes a few other rules, to fit better with this revised system:
- Base saving throws are slightly weakened, to compensate for the bonuses gained by high ability scores.
- Gnomes, halflings and dwarves now receive a flat saving throw bonus (+2 in each case) instead of a Constitution-dependent bonus.
- If you are using the low-level abilities component, a new ability, Force of Personality, is available; this allows a character to use their Charisma bonus in place of their Wisdom bonus for saves vs. spells.
For technical reasons, wizards and bards will not be able to learn any bonus spells during character creation, and sorcerers, shamans and favored souls will not receive their bonus spells until the first time they rest.
Point-Buy System for Choosing Ability Scores
This component replaces the default random-roll-based system for choosing ability scores with a point-buy system: you have a fixed number of points (75,80,85,90,or a randomly determined number depending on which version of the component you install) and your ability scores all start with values of 10 (or the minimum allowed, whichever is higher), modified by your class, kit and race choices. (Exception: if you are eligible for exceptional strength, your Strength begins at 18, so you can see immediately what your (randomly rolled) exceptional Strength is.)
(Really, the default system is also point-based; it's just that the total number of points is random and you start with your points all randomly allocated. The 'randomly determined number' version of the mod is equivalent to the standard system, just with the convenience of having your ability scores all preset to 10.)
3rd-Edition-Style THAC0s (somewhat faster progression for clerics/thieves/mages)
This component, inspired by D&D 3rd edition, changes the formula for THAC0 to something a bit more generous, especially for non-fighters.
Old formula:
- Warriors: THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1); minimum 0
- Priests: THAC0 starts at 20 and decreases by 2 every 3 levels thereafter - so roughly, THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1) x2/3; minimum 6
- Rogues: THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1)/2; minimum 10
- Mages: THAC0 = 20 - (level - 1)/3; minimum 13
New formula:
- Warriors: THAC0 = 20 - level; minimum 0
- Priests/Rogues: THAC0 = 20 - level x 3/4; minimum 2
- Mages: THAC0 = 20 - level/2; minimum 5
Remove Intelligence-Based Restrictions on Number and Level of Learnable Spells
This component removes restrictions on the maximum level of spells a mage (or bard) character can learn, and the maximum number of spells they can learn at each level. The UI is edited to remove any reference to these restrictions.
In addition, the 'erase' button is removed from the spellbook, since the intended reason to erase spells is to make room for new ones and there is no longer a capacity limit.
Cleric/Rangers can Become Proficient with Bows
This component grants Cleric/Rangers the ability to put up to two points into proficiency in shortbows and longbows. (It is obsolete if you install the 'Revised Weapon Proficiency System'.)
Wider Access to Grand Mastery
This component permits warriors other than single-class fighters to achieve Grand Mastery (five slots) in their usable weapons. There are three versions: allow multi-classed fighters to achieve grand mastery; allow paladins and single-classed rangers to achieve grand mastery; allow all warriors, single and multi-classed, to achieve grand mastery.
Dual-Class Kitted Characters Must Obey the Weapon-Proficiency Restrictions of Their Kit
In the unmodded game, characters with a kit who dual-class are no longer bound by any restrictions their kit places on their weapon proficiencies (though they are bound by any item-usability requirements). This component enforces kit-based proficiency restrictions even on dual-classed characters.
Dual-Class Characters Gain Weapon Proficiencies as for Their Current Class
In the unmodded game, a character who dual-classes and then regains their original class can add weapon proficiencies according to the rules for their old class (so that a fighter who dual-classes as a mage can continue to improve their training with the sword). This component prohibits this: proficiencies continue to obey the rules of your current class.
Revised Weapon Proficiency System
This component significantly revises the system for weapon proficiency and weapon use (somewhat inspired by 3rd edition D&D). The core changes are:
- All weapons are usable by all characters. (Exception: monks can't use two-handed weapons, unless you installed the component that permits them to.)
- Characters begin with a number of weapon proficiencies: roughly, they begin proficient in any weapon that they could use previously. So fighters begin proficient in all weapons; clerics begin proficient in blunt weapons, and so forth. (Fighter multi-classes are somewhat restricted compared to single-class fighters.) In addition, most classes can use crossbows and daggers.
- Dwarves and elves also gain proficiency with certain weapons: axes and hammers for dwarves; bows and longswords for elves.
- If you are using the cleric kits introduced by Talents of Faerûn, clerics receive a bonus weapon proficiency point in the favored weapon of their deity.
- All characters can at least become Specialized (two slots) with all weapons, and can specialize in any fighting style (other than weapon/shield, for characters who can't use shields). Characters who could already become Specialized improve their maximum achievable level by one slot.
- Characters receive fewer proficiency points at first level: single-classed fighters receive two, multi-classed fighters, rangers, and paladins receive one, and all other classes receive none.
- A few other kits are modified to allow for these changes: for instance, blades and swashbucklers receive proficiency in two-weapon fighting style for free at first level, and swashbucklers receive a bonus proficiency slot.
The various changes are fairly thoroughly documented in-game.