Ok. I've browsed your baldur.bcs (yea, typo - sorry). Most of the stuff is per usual (romance checks, drow weapons etc.). No mention of cap anywhere. m#baldur.bcs is Amber mod's addition to the file, that's fine as well.
What you could do is edit your save with Shadowkeeper. Open up your save and browse "AFFECTS" tab. See if there's anything there.
Try deleting everything and see if you can get XP now. (when you do that, save under a different filename!). If you can, we can go from there,
If that fails, try downloading this. Simply extract to your override. It should revert XP tables to original.
Ok. I've browsed your baldur.bcs (yea, typo - sorry). Most of the stuff is per usual (romance checks, drow weapons etc.). No mention of cap anywhere. m#baldur.bcs is Amber mod's addition to the file, that's fine as well.
What you could do is edit your save with Shadowkeeper. Open up your save and browse "AFFECTS" tab. See if there's anything there.
Try deleting everything and see if you can get XP now. (when you do that, save under a different filename!). If you can, we can go from there,
If that fails, try downloading this. Simply extract to your override. It should revert XP tables to original.
The sub-race mod reduces experience by a percentage, usually 90% but for some particularly powerful sub-races it reduces it to 70% however, this is not an experience cap and I haven't noticed this happen before. However, it is the first time that I have imported a vampire hunter in from BG1. I will investigate further.
In the affects there are two lines that mean nothing to me and which could be important.
0x0122 107567 (Param1)
0x0122 139456 (Param1)
There is also the line.
Experience 90 (Param1) However I know from experience that this reduces experience by 10% .
I will try deleting each line in the affects page starting with those 0x0122 lines and perhaps the experience one as it could be that there is a bug at a certain level of experience. I can always put them back in again afterwards. Thanks for the advice.
Armor (scales up to AC 1 - probably should have picked Chromatic Orb),
Larloch's Drain (scales up to 10 damage - it's main feat is that unlike magic missiles it bypasses Shield spell)
level 2 -
Battering Ram (aka vanilla Knock) - unlocking, it can also be used vs enemies, 2d6 blunt damage + knockback.
Luck - Luck is awesome. SR makes it last 5 turns - the effects of this spell are - +1 THAC0, +1 saves, each damage die from spells is reduced by one point per die rolled, and character gets +1 to minimum damage rolls. Fantastic buff, especially in BG1.
Melf's Acid Arrow - same as vanilla.
Mirror Image - virtually same. It lasts much longer however (5 turns), it doesn't stop AoE damage.
Resist Fear - same.
level 3
Haste - single target, lasts 1 turn per 10 levels, doesn't "cut the round in half" nor double regeneration (or poison damage). SR makes it a bit stronger by adding +2 AC, THAC0 & Breath save, I don't like that so I removed it. It also fully counters Slow (slow is removed when Haste is cast & viceversa). In addition, it cannot raise apr higher than 5 - only WW attack can do that.
Melf's Meteors - this was a mistake. It did help in BG1 a lot, but now it's opsolete. +2 enchanted. Biggest asset is +5 THAC0, but it's irrelevant now.
Remove Magic - same.
Skull Trap - almost same. Damage is reduced (10d6), save is vs Breath at -2. Classic AoE, hard to resist damage.
level 4
Ice Storm - not very damaging, but it slows people down, making it good for casting one more spell before they catch up. Cannot harm undead, which is a blessing and a curse, depending how you look at it.
Stoneskin- same. Unlike vanilla version, you cannot rest and keep it.
Secret Word - same max level of dispeling protections, but it's Enchantment and has a casting time of 1; making it awesome.
Fire Shield - +40% resistance to Fire & Cold. Other than that, same as vanilla - hurts people with fire. One more important thing - this spell cannot be destroyed by Breach. Only a succesfull Remove/Dispel gets rid of it.
level 5
Dispelling Screen - aka SI:Abj. (In my game, it's animated by a "red globe"). Main features of this spell:
- lasts 5 turns
- does not prevent friendly abjurations from working
- does not stop hostile abjurations (like Imprisonment) from working.
- it stops Breach
- makes caster immune to dispelling effects. Not beholder anti-magic, but it stops things such as Remove Magic, Carsomyr, Dispel arrows and similar.
Breach - same. Some spells (like Fireshield, Mesthil, Blade Barrier and similar) cannot be breached anymore, so it's not all that powerful anymore.
Does not affect Liches or Rakshasa.
Lower Resistance- same.
Level 6
Pro Magic Energy - same. The main difference is that in addition to granting 100% Magic Damage resistance, it makes the affected individual litteraly immune to spells which do magic damage. This mostly affects on-hit contingencies & similar stuff. (it's a pre-ToBex feat, made so you cannot do "disruption on zero damage".)
True Seeing - this spell is changed a lot.
In short - it no longer dispells illusions above level 2. This means that Imp.Invis. stays on enemies after it's cast. Project Image, Mislead & Simmy aren't dispelled either - they're only "highlited".
However, it allows the caster to enjoy the benefits of being able to cast spells at creatures that are Imp.invisible (any spell).
It works similary to how Demons & Liches "see" you.
The main difference (gameplay-wise) is that PCs w/o TS active cannot really debuff enemy mages under Imp.Invis. This is a huge nerf to Conjurers, who don't have access to Divination school. Whoever wants to debuff Imp.Invis needs this.
In addition, this spell works as a sorta SI:Illusion; cures and prevents Blinded condition, and caster doesn't suffer the -4 THAC0 penalty for attacking imp.invis. enemies.
level 7
Pro Elements - full elemental resistance (including Acid), up to 10 turns at level 20. Considering Pro Fire, Cold, Acid etc. are all 5th level spells, and this has all of them inside, it's a no-brainer.
Her main "job" are buffs/debuffs/dispel. She doesn't have much in terms of damage output. Galia does that.
This is likely to be your kit's level drain immunity and extra damage vs undead. I just browsed the kit's file in TDD, it seems fine. No abilities seem bugged.
Do you get same bug on any character, or just him?
You might also want to import him to ToB, see if he can get XP there.
I have just discovered that he gets normal experience, but not the experience when leaving the dungeon and also the end of chapter experience which amounts to 1050000.
He is solo, so don't know whether this applies to other characters. However from the Autosave I can go and pick up Aerie to investigate.
Could the fact that he has much higher than normal experience due to mods have a bearing?
I am currently needed in RL so will have to investigate later.
One bug that I have found is his spell for killing vampires. The text is gibberish as if the string is wrong.
It seems to work OK though.
I suspect that this comes from the fact that when I imported him from Tutu, he came up with the wrong kit and I had to use SK to make him a vampire hunter again.
I have just discovered that he gets normal experience, but not the experience when leaving the dungeon and also the end of chapter experience which amounts to 1050000.
He is solo, so don't know whether this applies to other characters. However from the Autosave I can go and pick up Aerie to investigate.
I'm not sure I understand. You cannot get XP in dungeon?
Could the fact that he has much higher than normal experience due to mods have a bearing?
It kind of might. Try uploading file called ar0602.bcs. That might be problematic - it handles character import.
One bug that I have found is his spell for killing vampires. The text is gibberish as if the string is wrong.
It seems to work OK though.
I suspect that this comes from the fact that when I imported him from Tutu, he came up with the wrong kit and I had to use SK to make him a vampire hunter again.
You're probably right. Changing your characer via Shadowkeeper isn't the luckies solution in general, let alone with Tutu and mod added kits.
You'd need to make him level 0 to level up properly and remove everything from "affects" tab. Set XP to whatever you originally had, set kit's value ("characteristics" tab) to VHunter's and level him up in game - that should work.
I will follow your advice on importing first and then play it again. As I succeeded in defeating the dungeon, I don't think that replaying it with a bugless character is cheating.
I will also upload ar0602.bcs when I do so.
I don't mind losing some of the excessive experience I got when in BG!
Having 1,345,994 experience at the start of BG2 seems a bit much.
Probably needed some of it to defeat the mods, but they did seem a bit generous with the XP.
A small update on Nashlee's game (7th I think) - Planar Sphere
I felt kind of cocky; this is my usual state of mind when my casters get 7th level spells. This proved costly when Kayardi nailed down Galia with Flame Arrows.
The spell is a bit changed with SR - Arrows strike additional targets. The few flying through the air ended up in my sorceress.
It took a while to debuff him (all Remove checks failed) but he fell.
This is Mesthil's in action. I kind of overestimated Nashlee's abilities. Being only level 11/11/11, she has very low spell power - few skins on Stoneskin and similar. The idea was to purposely lower her (otherwise outstanding) AC so she *does* get hit and smites back with backlash. Unfortunately, she simply can't take the heat yet. It didn't matter much vs Necre, but it did vs Kayardi before.
I decided to do Tolgerias before Lavok. We buffed only slightly and covered in invis 10'radius entered. He eats a 3x Lighting Bolt seqencer. His massive HP pool melts before the third bolt even hit, failing both saves and dying instantly. That's almost 100 damage in no more than two Lightning bolts.
The puppet mage there was a joke and crashed like one.
In the fire room, we find an awesome spell - Delayed blast fireball. Galia's dream spell.
The damage (20d6) equals ADHW.
The bad part is it's fire damage. The good part is that save is vs breath - fighters, even late game, have rather poor breath save (max 6) in my game (these are the tables I use).
With a -4 penalty, this is a blast of a spell. If a Lich gets caught with his pants down (no Pro Fire), it can melt them in one hit.
Lavok wasn't hard either. He did debuff my sorceress (she has but Dispel Screen as her only spell protection) with a trigger she cannot whitstand
but got debuffed himself in the process. Same sequencer with Lightning bolts downed him.
Planes were straight-forward. Nashlee did get silenced once, but she was under heavy buffs - she needed to cast nothing more.
We cleaned up whatever was left of the enemies, some golems, and returned to home plane. I took the Sphere as my own, so the mage stronghold quests are next.
Alesia_BH, Gate70, Blackraven et 1 autre aiment ceci
Interesting. +2 to AC, and +4 to missiles rather than set AC to 4 with a -2 missile adjustment. That makes it easier to attain hyper-low AC, though more difficult to obtain moderately low AC early in the adventure.
Larloch's Drain (scales up to 10 damage - it's main feat is that unlike magic missiles it bypasses Shield spell)
COrb would bypass Shield too, or is that not the case in SR? Is there a reason to prefer Laroch's to COrb in SR?
Luck - Luck is awesome. SR makes it last 5 turns - the effects of this spell are - +1 THAC0, +1 saves, each damage die from spells is reduced by one point per die rolled, and character gets +1 to minimum damage rolls. Fantastic buff, especially in BG1.
I'm aware of the benefits of the Luck effect. The problem with the non-SR version is the 3 round duration, of course. 5 turns would make it an attractive L2.
Battering Ram (aka vanilla Knock) - unlocking, it can also be used vs enemies, 2d6 blunt damage + knockback.
Interesting. Save on the knock back?
Haste - single target, lasts 1 turn per 10 levels, doesn't "cut the round in half" nor double regeneration (or poison damage). SR makes it a bit stronger by adding +2 AC, THAC0 &
Noted. The additional super-low AC avenues in SR/IR are becoming clearer. +2 Shield, +2 Haste, +2 Robe, ETC.
Melf's Meteors - this was a mistake. It did help in BG1 a lot, but now it's opsolete. +2 enchanted. Biggest asset is +5 THAC0, but it's irrelevant now.
I can see that. In vanilla, at +5 enchanted, it virtually never reaches obsolescence. In SCS, at +2 enchanted, and with an APR of 5 -with each Meteor eating 3 levels of Spell Deflection/Turning- it remains useful as a means of peeling skins, stripping protections, and dealing moderate damage until very late. With the ability to erode spell protections removed in SR, the effectively stronger SR/IR Remove, and the option of using AoE spells to take down deflection, I can see it being less useful.
Ice Storm - not very damaging, but it slows people down, making it good for casting one more spell before they catch up. Cannot harm undead, which is a blessing and a curse, depending how you look at it.
Noted. I understand why you often open with it. Is there a save on the slow effect?
Breach - same. Does not affect Liches or Rakshasa.
Noted. It seems like the SR remove and the +2 level robe have permitted you to dispel rakshasas though.
True Seeing - this spell is changed a lot.
In short - it no longer dispells illusions above level 2. This means that Imp.Invis. stays on enemies after it's cast. Project Image, Mislead & Simmy aren't dispelled either - they're only "highlited".
However, it allows the caster to enjoy the benefits of being able to cast spells at creatures that are Imp.invisible (any spell).
It works similary to how Demons & Liches "see" you.
The main difference (gameplay-wise) is that PCs w/o TS active cannot really debuff enemy mages under Imp.Invis. This is a huge nerf to Conjurers, who don't have access to Divination school. Whoever wants to debuff Imp.Invis needs this.
In addition, this spell works as a sorta SI:Illusion; cures and prevents Blinded condition, and caster doesn't suffer the -4 THAC0 penalty for attacking imp.invis. enemies.
Got it. I can see that being a good early pick in SR.
Pro Elements - full elemental resistance (including Acid), up to 10 turns at level 20. Considering Pro Fire, Cold, Acid etc. are all 5th level spells, and this has all of them inside, it's a no-brainer.
That's awesomely good: full resistance to all, including acid, for up to 10 turns! That definitely would have been Adara's first L7 if she had the option. Though my crew hasn't taken any Acid damage yet, it's going to be an issue for my crew for much the adventure.
COrb would bypass Shield too, or is that not the case in SR? Is there a reason to prefer Laroch's over COrb in SR?
True, Orb would also bypass it. I should have picked it over Armor. Drain is imo better late-game since it gives caster 10HP temporary - this may be the difference for PW spells.
Battering Ram
Interesting. Save on the knock back?
Yes, breath. SCS also uses this spell against you if SR is installed. It was renamed since it looks funny when cast on people.
Ice Storm
Noted. I understand why you often open with it. Is there a save on the slow effect?
No, no save. It does kind of get a bit useless soon - high level mages simply do GoI or Pro Elements, and even Yuan-ti's often have Deflection which buys the few rounds they need to exit it.
The damage done is also low, hence the no-save on slow. It's only slow movement, it doesn't affect any other stat. It definitely has it's uses with other spells (example:SR druid can summon Polar Bears, which are super-tanks with immunity to this spell - which is also available to druids).
There are battles where this is great, but you won't be seeing much of this spell anymore.
Breach
Noted. It seems like the SR remove and the +2 level robe make has permitted you to dispel rakshasas though.
heh. Dispels are always a chance game - but yes, the robe certainly helps out. It such cases, it's better than Vecna. Do note however, Grove Rakshasa are very low-leveled. I don't know if this is a bug in SCS - it could likely be. They're level 9, so a 12th level caster already has a very decent chance. Her effective was 14 - Raks had no chance.
Pro Elements
That's awesomely good: full resistance to all, including acid, for up to 10 turns!
Yup. I think next SR version will make "lesser" Pro X spells level 4 spells, so they become more viable picks. Level 5 is way to overpriced for them - I tend to "grind" my way to this spell, never memorizing the lesser individual versions since they're so costly. They do last very long - but not worth the 5th level slot, even if they lasted a week imo.
Or they could be made like vanilla's Spell Immunity. One spell, but opens a "menu" with other spells - so you choose which resistance you want, all wrapped up in a single spell.
Haste
Noted. The additional super-low AC avenues in SR/IR are becoming clearer. +2 Shield, +2 Haste, +2 Robe, ETC.
Yes. I removed these effects from Haste. The original idea was that Haste would be the exact opposite of Slow (which penalizes AC, THAC0 & Breath by 2).
While this does make sense, I don't feel as if "very quick" equals to "very accurate", or "agile" so you can dodge blows.
As per low AC- yea, it can get very low on specific characters (fighter-mage types get the best of it).
Blunt modifier is always lacking a bit (potions can't buff it by 10 anymore), but "generic" can indeed be great. Blur is also neat for AC - it adds to specific modifiers, not the main AC score; hence it bypasses the cap.
True, Orb would also bypass it. I should have picked it over Armor. Drain is imo better late-game since it gives caster 10HP temporary - this may be the difference for PW spells.
Sure. I use Vampiric Touch for that purpose often.
VT is different in SR though, I assume.
heh. Dispels are always a chance game - but yes, the robe certainly helps out. It such cases, it's better than Vecna.
Right, dispel has a probabilistic mechanic. But in SR you actually have a chance with underlevelled casters. In SR/IR Remove is more useful in early/mid SoA
I'm aware that the early game rakshasas, save Ruhk, have low levels. I was noting that Breach's lack of efficacy against rakshasa is unlikely to be an issue.
No, no save. It does kind of get a bit useless soon - high level mages simply do GoI or Pro Elements, and even Yuan-ti's often have Deflection which buys the few rounds they need to exit it.
Understood. Still, imposing a movement rate penalty on melee warriors can be very helpful. I can definitely see ways of using that spell effectively later on.
Yup. I think next SR version will make "lesser" Pro X spells level 4 spells, so they become more viable picks. Level 5 is way to overpriced for them - I tend to "grind" my way to this spell, never memorizing the lesser individual versions since they're so costly. They do last very long - but not worth the 5th level slot, even if they lasted a week imo.
L5 is overpriced...unless they save your life. That's one thing people forget about defensive spells in no reload play: they only have to save you once in the entire adventure to justify themselves. But with that glorious version of Pro Elements at L7, they'd be an easy pass. The fact that the low level ones are all stacked at the same level is a problem as well.
In solo non-SR sorcerer games, I tend to use scrolls and potions early and then select Protection from Energy, in order to avoid contributing to bottlenecks at 5 and 6.
I have to say that I'm not sold on SRs changes to energy attack specific protections. As a reminder, in vanilla you get long duration fire and cold at L3, long duration acid and electricity at 5, long duration magic damage resistance at L6, partial short duration fire/cold/electricity at L7 and then partial short duration comprehensive protection at L8. They're all relevant from beginning to end and there are tradeoffs associated with them. I prefer that approach.
As per low AC- yea, it can get very low on specific characters (fighter-mage types get the best of it). Blunt modifier is always lacking a bit (potions can't buff it by 10 anymore), but "generic" can indeed be great. Blur is also neat for AC - it adds to specific modifiers, not the main AC score; hence it bypasses the cap.
Noted. The lack of Potions of Absorption doesn't seem likely to be an issue in SoA. With the super-low base ACs attainable and Blur bypassing the cap, you should be able to make vamps and golems miss. It would be nice to have a Potion of Absoption when fighting Bodhi, I suppose although she probably won't outlast ProMW.
Has IR/SR nerfed Roranachs, Easthaven, Armor of Faith, and Hardiness?
Sure. I use Vampiric Touch for that purpose often.
VT is different in SR though, I assume.
VT is a lovely spell, but it's level 3....beats Meteors, in any case.
I'm aware that the early game rakshasas, save Ruhk, have low levels. I was noting that Breach's lack of efficacy against rakshasa is unlikely to be an issue.
Rakshasa are generally fairly weak. Rukh is a different issue - he ended me one game with a Skull sequencer, dropping my paladin from 110 to 0 HP in one second.
Breach not bypassing Lich/Rakshasa immunity is more of an issue for liches, ofc. SR Pierce Shield can "breach" them.
L5 is overpriced...unless they save your life. That's one thing people forget about defensive spells in no reload play: they only have to save you once in the entire adventure to justify themselves. But with that glorious version of Pro Elements at L7, they'd be an easy pass. The fact that the low level ones are all stacked at the same level is a problem as well.
This true - but a sorcerer can't waste slots on those, given how important level 5 is. W/o SR, I'd definitely take Pro Fire at level 3. If for nothing else than casting Fireballs at my tank.
What I use as a "substitute" in BG1 is Luck. With it's damage decrease feat, it helps when spell damage is still low.
I very much agree on "unless they save your life" - this always reminds me of Draconis and his acid breath.
I have to say that I'm not sold on SRs changes to energy attack specific protections.
Neither am I. I also prefer the vanilla approach (I kind of envision Fire/Cold to be "basic", while Electric/Acid more "advanced").
Do note that priests/druids have access to all of these as well. Again, at level 5, which makes them rather battle-specific to memorize.
It would be nice to have a Potion of Absoption when fighting Bodhi, I suppose although she probably won't outlast ProMW.
Has IR/SR nerfed Roranachs, Easthaven, Armor of Faith, and Hardiness?
I hope Bodhi won't survive through a single casting of PfMW. If I get to her, that is. IR has a tendency of making Drow horribly annoying to deal with since it vastly improves adamantium armor & weapons. Their adamantine Full plate has 25% damage resistance and an AC of -4 . Unlike regualr armor, these impose very little DEX penalty.
If they use a shield (+6 AC), even single classed warriors have a hard time hitting them, let alone triple classed f/m/c (if debuffed, that is).
All their weapons have double-strenght Bless effect, so they're very accurate and do big damage. If there are enemies I'm afraid of with this party, it's Drow. I hope to have some powerful summons available for them. Or Dragon's Breath/Comet, that'd be nice.
Roranachs is 10% to all physical. It can be aquired in Suldanesselar after Riliffane avatar.
Easthaven has no DR (+10 HP, 20% chance for +1 apr, +2 enchanted, bought for an outrageous sum of money in Underdark - useless I think)
Hardiness - Kit Revisions changes it. 20% to all resistances (Fire, Physical) sans Magic Damage
All armor (even non-enchanted) has a small ammount of DR - leather 5, hide/chain 10, plate/splint 15, full plate 20. The heavier the armor, it incurs more DEX penalty. It's a percentage based penalty, so high-dex characters loose more. Natural armors like Dragon/Ankheg scales have less DEX penalty.
One more item has DR - Fortress Shield - 10%. Unusable by barbs however, and horribly expensive. I rarely use it, it's price is a bit too high for what it does.
And there is a potion (called Potion of Absorption) which adds 20%. I never use it, it's a complete gamebreaker for me, and it replaces Stone Form potion. Enemies don't use it either.
I pretend it doesn't exist - it will be changed I think; I already discussed this issue with Demi.
I'm kind of "my own policeman" when it comes to physical DR - I limit my characters to 75% for barbarians, 70 for AoF casters, and 60 for anybody else.
That's one more fairly important thing changed - potions. IR changes potions rather drastically. The biggest change is that they're (supposed to be) undispellable. (but Breach removes them generally).
I don't like that at all (I don't think potions should be superior to spells, even if I see the reasoning behind that change), so I made them dispellable.
2nd, IR makes them usually last much shorter. (This I didn't change.)
Example - you'll almost never see a screenshot where any of my characters has "strenght" icon on. Why? Those potions last 60 seconds... - that's one of the reasons my PCs generally have high starting strenght. No IR item sans potions "sets" strenght to a set value (or any other stat), they add to what you start with. They make you better at what you're already good at, but a low-dex character like Keldorn remains low-dex forever, even after DEX gauntlets.
Low Charisma cannot be set to 18 with a ring, Aerie cannot become a 25 STR behemoth with Crom etc.
3rd, almost anybody can use any potion. Very few are class-specific.
VT is a lovely spell, but it's level 3....beats Meteors, in any case.
Yes, its L3. I only mentioned it in that context because its an effective way of protecting de-buffed low HP mages from PW:S and PW:K. Aerie, for example, can nearly double her HP total using VT.
Whether it beats meteors or not depends on your install. At +5 enchantment, MMM is an excellent spell. In an SCS non-Revisions game, at +2, its still very useful as a de-buffer and damage dealer.
Rakshasa are generally fairly weak. Rukh is a different issue
In vanilla, rakshasas are underpowered. In SCS, I wouldn't say they are weak. It would be more accurate to say that it depends on what level you are relative to the level of the rakshasa you encounter.
Ruhk is a L15 rakshasa that you can encounter early in the adventure. That's what makes him different. Other rakshasa can be dangerous as well, depending on your level relative to theirs.
The Suldanesselar rakshasa would be non-trivial for a party which minimized side quests, rushed straight to Imoen, straight to Bodhi, and then straight to Jon.
Breach not bypassing Lich/Rakshasa immunity is more of an issue for liches, ofc
Agreed, But lich encounters can be avoided or delayed until you are over-levelled. Aphril probably won't fight a lich until ToB.
Neither am I. I also prefer the vanilla approach (I kind of envision Fire/Cold to be "basic", while Electric/Acid more "advanced").
I also like the fact that the broad protections, Pro Elements and Pro Energy, only provide 75% protection with a duration of one round per level. It makes sense. It keeps everything relevant.
What I use as a "substitute" in BG1 is Luck. With it's damage decrease feat, it helps when spell damage is still low.
I can see that. Again, with a long duration I'd use it often too.
It has occurred to me that the vanilla Luck spell, even at 3 rounds, is arguably worthwhile in ToB. Casting it at the beginning of a Vecna + AoP Improved Alactiy would, in theory, allow you to properly leverage it. I've never done that though.
This true - but a sorcerer can't waste slots on those, given how important level 5 is.
I understand. The bigger issue in SR is that by the time you have multiple L5s, you are at or near Pro Elements at L7, which basically obsoletes the L5s. As mentioned earlier, I'd definitely skip the L5s in favor of Pro Elements in your install.
I'm tempted to make room for Pro Acid in Adara's book, although I'm probably going to have to pass. I wouldn't mind crowding out an L5 spell in favor of Pro Acid. The problem is that she wouldn't have enough castings to cover the party and maintain her Spell Immunity/Spell Shield defensive setup. We'll probably have to skip it and settle for 75% via Pro Energy supplemented by scrolls against Draconis.
W/o SR, I'd definitely take Pro Fire at level 3. If for nothing else than casting Fireballs at my tank.
Agreed. At L3 Pro Fire is a good pick in party play.
I hope Bodhi won't survive through a single casting of PfMW.
As do I. Aphril is about to face her. Although I do have the luxury of chickening out and using Pro Undead- a luxury you don't have.
How does False Dawn work in SR? I've found it helpful as an opener against the SCS vamps. In vanilla, there's no save against the confusion effect and casting it doesn't break invisibility.
I'm kind of "my own policeman" when it comes to physical DR - I limit my characters to 75% for barbarians, 70 for AoF casters, and 60 for anybody else.
Makes sense. I respect that. I draw the line at taking the physical resistance granting Ascension bhaalspawn power to achieve +100 across the board. I should probably restrict physical resistance more. (I have to admit that I enjoy trivializing Demogorgon with Rornach's + Hardiness/AoF/Defender though...)
The one time I did play with a high physical resistance build (Ariel, F/T) I got bored and abandoned the run.
That's one more fairly important thing changed - potions. IR changes potions rather drastically. The biggest change is that they're (supposed to be) undispellable. (but Breach removes them generally). I don't like that at all (I don't think potions should be superior to spells, even if I see the reasoning behind that change), so I made them dispellable.
Understood. I can see a case for making them undispellable, since it helps rebalance non-arcane characters. Why should character with Dispelling Screen have all the fun? But I'm inclined to side with you on that. I'd have to test it to know for sure, though.
No IR item sans potions "sets" strenght to a set value (or any other stat), they add to what you start with.
Noted. I've seen that approach before in other mods. I'm ambivalent. If you were to, say, replace the belt at Ribald's with one that adds 2 strength points, you've arguably added a more, not less powerful item, since high strength character would now have exceptionally high strength.
At the same time, the widespread availability of set strength items and potions in vanilla makes innate strength nearly irrelevant. I'm not sure which approach I like better.
Anyhoo. This discussion is sprawling out a bit and its off topic. Let's refocus. Thanks for chatting though!
Aphril, Elven Sorcer: Bodhi's Lair (or What Aphril and Captain Janeway Have in Common)
In Star Trek Voyager Season 3, Episode 26, Scorpion Pt 1, the crew of Voyager encountered a disabled, isolated Borg ship. Now for those who don't watch Star Trek, Borg are bad. Really bad. And they're dangerous. Really dangerous. If you get the chance to blow them up, you do it and you don't look back.
But in this instance, Captain Janeway took a different approach. She decided to observe and investigate rather than destroy, seeking intelligence instead of a quick victory. In her first encounter with an SCS v30 improved vampire, sans-Pro-Undead, Aphril went Janeway's way. At the docks, Lassal was not killed. He was observed. I won't bore you with the details of Aphril's observations, I'll just say this: it was clear that the vamps were going to be a nuisance. And it was ever more clear that Aphril had no interest in learning about Con drain. Her team would need a fool proof plan. She found one. And once again, Aerie was the key.
First, some preliminaries. The Guild Contact was chunked by Aerie with ranged MMM support from Aphril and Adara.
Spoiler
The Grimwards were killed at range. A Telport Field stumped the melee warders, while Aerie, up ahead with the Reflex, intercepted arrows.
Spoiler
To the vampires. The plan here was to buff, approach invisible, and then have Aerie open with a False Dawn, a spell that doesn't break invisibility. The False Dawn would confuse the vampires, granting Aphril and Adara the opportunity to lay down a multi-layer Teleport Field free from harassment. By the time the vampires shook off their confusion effect, they'd be swirling helplessly around a Teleport Field. All that would remain would be to blast them. No ProMW or NPP needed. It worked.
Spoiler
A better illustration.
Aerie's opening False Dawn.
Teleport Field casts while the vampires are distracted.
Blast away.
Spoiler
Lassal
Spoiler
Victory achieved. Time for some coffee: black.
Aphril, Adara, and Aerie will fight Bodhi tomorrow.
Each round, opponents within the area must save vs. spell at -4 or be blinded for 1 round. Undead creatures take 2d6 points of damage for each round they are exposed to the false dawn. Lasts 1 turn.
I can see a case for making them undispellable, since it helps rebalance non-arcane characters. Why should character with Dispelling Screen have all the fun?
This is pretty much where it's at and why they're implemented like this, yes. It also helps AI fighters keep their buffs on. It's very hard to balance them overall, since there are numerous different situations (i.e. does the enemy even have dispels? Are they used already? SI:Abj? SCS potions? etc.).
I went with this approach last game with my Blackguard, since I learned how to make made it a Weidu component - tweaking hundreds of effects manually in Near Infininty isn't fun.
Anyhow, back to topic. And GL vs Bodhi.
Nashlee, 7th BG2 update
I didn't really bother with mage stronghold quests - for all I care Cowlies may die. What I did do is teach my apprentices. And spent 9K to send Solamnic Knights home. I like them, actually.
As for young mages, I tought them a lesson they'll never forget. I pick the cheapest options for first two craftings. This keeps them alive. Then I make them create Staff of Power. 10K is huge in IR, but what the hell - you only live once.
Nashlee's an exellent teacher. Bravo! Straight A students.
I tought the staff on his body is a plain quarterstaff - but it wasn't. It's Staff of Power - this is a very potent item.
Not really worth the 10K, but it can be useful. At least it can cast a Globe, which is great.
Next was Windspear. Rukh there simply refused to get dispelled. 4 attempts ended in failure.
He couldn't dispel us either, so not all was bad . Annoyingly long battle, and Nashlee was forced to actually use healing potions to keep herself alive - his THAC0 is very good.
For my utter disgrace, I summoned Flesh Golem in desperation. Rukh died after what seemed an eternity.
Vamps were nice. I didn't prebuff as extensivly as vs Tanova this time. I only wanted to group up the bastards in one place.
To smack them. 3x Fireball
..followed by Delayed blast fireball.
Slight modification to sequencer kept only Kaol alive (MGoI) vs Samia's gang.
He still got fried eventually.
Tazok was to easy to mention, Conster faced the same charged destiny as Tolgerias. Unlike the Planar Sphere foe however, a single bolt was enough to kill him.
Firkraag wasn't tackled with, and I doubt I'll fight him nor Thaxy. They have no noticable loot for me.
To end the session, we visited WK. Cleared out top floor, 2nd floor until Chrom (Cone of Cold seemed to affect everyone but Ice Room flunks...)
Dealing with the Fire Giant there gave Galia and Lastzee level 16. Now some really, really nasty stuff becomes available. Lastzee picks Summon Fiend as her 1st pick.
This is the SR version of this demon:
Spoiler
By means of this spell, the caster calls an outer planar creature to attack his foes and himself if not careful. The creature summoned in is a Glabrezu, one of the most powerful specimen of the Tanar'ri. The creature cannot be directly controlled, but the summoner can attempt to compel the demon to perform a service for him for the duration of the spell. Charismatic and powerful casters may bind the creature's will, intelligent and wise ones may negotiate with it, but dealing with these demonic creatures is always dangerous, and sometimes it may lead to disaster. Mages are warned to be careful of this spell, for a mistreated Glabrezu will turn on his summoner at the first available opportunity.
Glabrezu (17 Hit Dice):
STR 23, DEX 10, CON 21, INT 16, WIS 16, CHA 20; AL Chaotic Evil
Electrical Resistance 100%; Acid, Cold, & Fire Resistance 50%
Magic Resistance 50%
Special Abilities:
True Seeing (permanent)
Mirror Image (once every 5 rounds)
Remove Magic (once every 5 rounds)
Unholy Blight (once every 5 rounds)
Confusion (once every 5 rounds)
Power Word Stun (once every 5 rounds)
When summoned, it has a 15% chance to turn hostile. This makes this spell rather specific in terms when you want to cast it - namely, only before the battle starts. When swarmed by enemies, gating this can lead to a disaster quickly. It is however, uber-powerful.
Then again, there are even better....
We end our WK trip (for now) by inserting the keys and running away. We'll be visiting Chromatic again, but not now.
Btw. In our fight with Ruhk, MMMs helped a lot, actually. Between Aerie with the halberd and Aphril and Adara tossing Meteors, he had 13APR coming his way. His Stoneskins went quick.
I wanted to give a shoutout to a fell no reloader over at Beamdog: Semiticgod. Semiticgod recently completed an outstanding BGII SCS-Ascension run with a non-tradtional party: a crew of mages and softies, who specialized in physical damage. He called it the Party of Spiders. It was a great run and a great read. If I'm not mistaken, it was the first successful BG2 no reload on the Beamdog forums. Congratulations from a far, Semiticgod!
I'd also like to call attention to his retrospective post, which summarized what he learned in his run. There's some wonderful advice there. Check it out. It's the second post on pg 9, the page linked below.
(I have to admit that I enjoy trivializing Demogorgon with Rornach's + Hardiness/AoF/Defender though...)
Hahaha...yea, I can understand that. Feels good. Last time (ages ago) when I fought him I had Yoshi blast him with traps...poor guy didn't know what hit him.
@ Grimwald the Wise
If you want to fix the broken spell description, what I said above won't help you any. You'd need DLTCEP or NearInfinity to edit dialogue.tlk file to edit it manually.
I packed the fix for you however (it should work... I think). Download my mod from here. Install the last component (you'll know it when you see it ). Let me know if it fixed it and if it works properly now.
Hahaha...yea, I can understand that. Feels good. Last time (ages ago) when I fought him I had Yoshi blast him with traps...poor guy didn't know what hit him.
@ Grimwald the Wise
If you want to fix the broken spell description, what I said above won't help you any. You'd need DLTCEP or NearInfinity to edit dialogue.tlk file to edit it manually.
I packed the fix for you however (it should work... I think). Download my mod from here. Install the last component (you'll know it when you see it ). Let me know if it fixed it and if it works properly now.
The current game seems to be working OK as far as experience is concerned. I still am not getting any experience on finishing the chapter, but now the game is not telling me that I should be getting experience. Thanks for the critical file. I am going out with my wife shortly, so it will be a while before I test it.
Thanks again for your help.
Valiant has now finished the dungeon and solved the problems at the circus. He got to level 14 just before leaving the dungeon. Now wondering if I should have reduced his experience with SK before import.
With out new summons, we did Alhoon. Three were summoned, one turned hostile - but we were well prepered for that.
The only big quest left was Planar Prison. So that's where we headed now. Yuan-ti mages spawn in Mekrath's lair got a Delayed Fireball + Cone of Cold, both bypassing their Globes and killing them.
I returned the broken mirror, rested, and then it was time to go to Planes once again. Spell assassination tactic worked fairly nice, leaving only one bounty hunter alive, which crashed to icy parts.
I aquired Staff of Air there. This is an interesting weapon, and one which I keep. The best thing about it is the Gust of Wind actually, it disperses cloud spells.
Nashlee can cast this, but having an extra caster who can do that is always good. Additional apr isn't too shabby either.
As per Warden - he lasted a while. Nashlee tanked through his TS under PfMW.
She had enough Spell Protections for Warden's debuffs, but Yuan-ti were annoying as ever, tossing Thrusts at her.
Debuffed - and Warden wields BBoD. Run.
Our summoned Glabrezu bought us some time, but not much - we retreat further. This is where demon summons actually show their limited use - I cannot risk it now.
Sorceress casts TS and starts removing Warden's protections.
Nashlee creates some undead, and casts Death Ward on herself.
Warden kills them Undead easilly with his weapon, but time they bought us is of the essence.
Yuan-ti approach. I hit them with Remove. This is important, since now they refresh their stoneskins. Otherwise they'd slap us with spells.
Nashlee eats PW:Silence. Crap. No Vocalize...I need to memorize that.
Warden manages to stun Lastzee with Power Attack, and one of the mages Mazes Galia. Things are looking grim now. Nashlee has Remove paralysis, but cannot cast it due to silence.
Maze doesn't last long on 18 INT Galia, she emerges, and covers Lastzee in invisibility. Warden doesn't care about that, but switches target to Galia. Good.
Nashlee quaffs an Oil of Speed, and Galia and Lastzee debuff Warden. I manage to disrupt one of his spells,
and a final Breach opens him up for the kill.
We demolish the rest with Chain Lightings are are back to Alkathla.
Killed Chromatic. Anybody with SI:Abj possibility has very little difficulty here - he can't do anything against it. Oddly, his Acid form seems to be Lightning immune. Mayhap a bug.
I ended the session by taking Yoshi, and we should be setting sail right now.
I wanted to give a shoutout to a fell no reloader over at Beamdog: Semiticgod.
Wow! A SR/IR player! (not in his succesfull run, but a SR player non the less!). Nice read anyway.
Nashlee, 10th BG2 update
Due to our (very) high levels (Galia being level 17), we'd definitely be seeing a Lich in Asylum. I was well prepared for that, however. Both mages end their buff routines with True Seeing, so they can target the bastard. Nashlee can't yet afford TS - both her 5th clerical slots are Chaotic Commands.
The pure magery duo can however do the lich without trouble.
Pierce Shield gets rid of whatever he had on himself...
And a 3xDisintegrate trigger sends him packing.
The rest of the area was done with ADHWs, Cone of Cold and DBF spells.
We don't care about GoIs, Shadow Doors, Imp.Invisibility and similar crap anymore.
Jon was a bit long. I succesfully debuffed him, then one of the loonies casts TS. Idiot, magic missiles would have ended it - Jon was already very close to giving up.
But with that idiotic move, he went in his TS-Alacrity sequence, killed half of the loonies, and summoned Dark Planetar. We had to focus that thing down (Death Ward in place, since the beast has vorpal sword), which, in turn, gave Jon even more time. Sigh..
He couldn't really do anything, however. It only took a while.
I took Saemon's offer, and did Sahaugin w/o problems. I must admit that I like this magery-heavy party.
Upon entering Underdark, we hit 3Million XP. Level 18, and first HLAs. Nashlee is still 300K shy of her 1st, but both single classes got theirs.
Since I use Refinements, sorcereres gain arguably the crappies HLA table in the game. While their special spells/abilities are powerful, they almost always have a bad side-effect. For now, she chooses Inner Focus.
For her 1st level 9 pick, she chooses Gate. As with 8th level, same rules apply - 15% chance Pit Fiend is hostile.
The creature itself is notoriously powerful, and can demolish nearly anything.
This is SR's Pit Fiend:
Spoiler
y means of this spell, the caster calls an outer planar creature to attack his foes and himself if not careful. The creature summoned in is a Pit Fiend, the most powerful specimen of the Baatezu. The creature cannot be directly controlled, but the summoner can attempt to compel the demon to perform a service for him for the duration of the spell. Charismatic and powerful casters may bind the creature's will, intelligent and wise ones may negotiate with it, but dealing with these demonic creatures is always dangerous, and sometimes it may lead to disaster. Mages are warned to be careful of this spell, for a mistreated Pit Fiend will turn on his summoner at the first available opportunity, tear him and his companions apart piece by piece and then feast on the remains.
Pit Fiend (24 Hit Dice): STR 24, DEX 18, CON 18, INT 19, WIS 16, CHA 25; AL Lawful Evil HP 230, AC -10, THAC0 -8, Saving Throws 3/3/3/8/3 5 Attacks Per Round, 2d6+16 Piercing Damage (Claws, Bite, & Tail +4)
Combat Abilities (20% chance each): Disease: creatures struck by a pit fiend's bite attack must save vs. death at -4 or be infected with a vile disease known as devil chills, losing 2 points of strength after an incubation period of 12 hours Poison: a pit fiend's bite injects a lethal poison which inflicts 10 points of damage every second for 2 rounds unless a save vs. poison at -4 penalty is made Constrict: creatures struck by the pit fiend's tail must save vs. death at -4 to avoid being stunned for 1 round
Special Qualities: Immune to weapons lower than +3 enchantment Immune to confusion, fear, poison, & stun effects Regeneration: 2hp/round Fire Resistance 100%; Acid & Cold Resistance 50%; Magic Resistance 65%
Special Abilities: Improved Invisibility (at will) Fireball (once every 5 rounds) Remove Magic (once every 5 rounds) Symbol of Weakness (once every 5 rounds) Unholy Word (once per day) Meteor Swarm (once per day)
The way I summon these is the following:
1) never cast in the middle of battle, on before
2) Have a Planetar ready
3) *always* summon at least 2 (chances are minimal that both would be hostile)
4) never summon unless the following buffs are active: Pro Fire, Remove Fear, Dispel Screen
I tested them out vs Drow there. As Aerie would say: "Oh my....".
Ya...this didn't end well.
The bad thing about these is they're BIG - they cannot maneuver easilly and block tunnels. Likewise, they're uncontrolabe, and follow the summoner around. Finally, they last fairly short.
Be that as it may - they killed all Drow we met.
Nashlee soloed the Balor. He lost a lot of HP due to bashing Mesthils.
I fought the Drow party near exit w/o Adalon. This is nearly always a mistake. I had two Pit Fiends and a Planetar, but those Drow destroyed all of them and came rushing to me.
Galia eats Glabrezu's PW:Stun, and gets very near death.
She dies, but no chunk. Cool.
Nashlee focuses down Glabrezus first. Sorceress gets stunned as well. Remove Paralysis is availabe, but useless- she'd simply get another PW from Glabrezu.
Things started looking grim when Remove hits...
And for the full drama - Listzee gets held by Hold Monster. This isn't overy bad but Maze is cast on Nashlee! Noo...she does have 18 INT, so it won't last long. Listzee must survive the duration, and cannot do anything
Luckily, all drow fighters are dead and priestess & mage have only 1 apr - in addition, she has both Pro Mag Energy + Elements, keeping her safe from harmful magic.
I pray stoneskins would hold.
And indeed they did. Nashlee quickly removes hold, and craps down the drow.
Demon Knights were made harmless with PfMW + Dispel Screen. Mesthil's did half of them alone.
Oh, and Nashlee got a new weapon available. Skullcrusher. It's kind of "anti-boss" weapon in IR.
Not bad, I still prefer Ages however. Decent for off-hand, when needed.
She also got her first set of HLAs.
She gets to pick three - namely, Implosion, Elemental Swarm & Storm of Vengeance. All of these spells are *much* more potent with SR.
As per HLA's, I have SCS component which turns them into innates. This has two effects:
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