40 réponses à ce sujet

[The Cow King]

I bought NWN2 when it was released, but to this day, I've yet to play the OC, so now I'm getting there.

I'm just wondering, I've read the OC is kinda easy, so should I install Tony K's AI even though I'm a first time player (not new to D&D however by any means). I always play at max difficulty setting, and I'm planning to make a sorcerer. If the battles are just faceroll easy, I will probably get bored eventually.

Second, is Greater Spell Penetration worth taking for the OC? Or should I just go with Greater Spell Focus?

Third, can a drow reach L20 in the OC? I'm kinda split between wild elf & drow. I soloed IWD2 with pure drow wizard on my first playthrough, so it would be cool to play drow in NWN2 as well.

And finally, is there a download somewhere that replaces NWN2 casting sounds with those of BG1? Female spellcasting sounds horrible, wheareas in BG1, even a lowly divination spell sounds like you're about to bring on the apocalypse.

Forgot one last thing, do UI mods work even if they're not patched to 1.23? I'd like to use stuff like BG GUI and Rod of Preparation.

Final (I swear) question, how high are the bluff/diplomacy/intimidate checks in the game? It would be a shame to sink 23 hard points into bluff if the highest check is like 15...

Modifié par The Cow King, 07 mars 2011 - 05:34 .

[NWN DM]

Short answer: you don't need anything approaching a "maximized build" character to be successful in any of the OCs.

Beyond that, sorry I can't answer the questions specifically.

Modifié par NWN DM, 07 mars 2011 - 05:47 .

[The Cow King]

It would bother me immensely if I realized halfway through the game that GSP is close to useless due to lack of SR enemies, compared the GSF that would be of great use however you put it. I guess I'll go with GSF then, since SR doesn't seem to be an issue.

As for bluff, it would also bother me if my actual skill check is 10 pnts higher than the highest bluff check, as those skill points could have been spent on something useful.

[Arkalezth]

The Cow King wrote...

I bought NWN2 when it was released, but to this day, I've yet to play the OC, so now I'm getting there.

I'm just wondering, I've read the OC is kinda easy, so should I install Tony K's AI even though I'm a first time player (not new to D&D however by any means). I always play at max difficulty setting, and I'm planning to make a sorcerer. If the battles are just faceroll easy, I will probably get bored eventually.

I always play in Hardcore difficulty (the hardest one is bad implemented IMO) and with Tony K's. Not only the OC, every module. You can customize the AI, and it will also improve your companions'.

Second, is Greater Spell Penetration worth taking for the OC? Or should I just go with Greater Spell Focus?

No, I'd take metamagic feats: Empower, Extend...

Third, can a drow reach L20 in the OC? I'm kinda split between wild elf & drow. I soloed IWD2 with pure drow wizard on my first playthrough, so it would be cool to play drow in NWN2 as well.

I've never tried a Drow in the OC, but I think you can reach 20. Go with what you want, as NWN DM said, you don't need a powerbuild. And you don't need level 20.

And finally, is there a download somewhere that replaces NWN2 casting sounds with those of BG1? Female spellcasting sounds horrible, wheareas in BG1, even a lowly divination spell sounds like you're about to bring on the apocalypse.

Forgot one last thing, do UI mods work even if they're not patched to 1.23? I'd like to use stuff like BG GUI and Rod of Preparation.

I don't know about the sounds. The rods work. I don't know about other mods, but most, if not all, should work in the official campaigns.

Final (I swear) question, how high are the bluff/diplomacy/intimidate checks in the game? It would be a shame to sink 23 hard points into bluff if the highest check is like 15...

I don't know exactly, but don't worry too much about it. With a Sorcerer, you should have a high CHA, so you should pass most conversation checks even if the skills are not maxed.

[The Cow King]

No, I'd take metamagic feats: Empower, Extend...

Those are for granted.

Spellcasting Prodigy
Extend
Empower
Maximize
Quicken
SF/SP
GSF/GSP

But not necessarily in that order.

I've
never tried a Drow in the OC, but I think you can reach 20. Go with what
you want, as NWN DM said, you don't need a powerbuild. And you don't
need level 20.

Yes, I do. Missing out two L9 spells would be insanely detrimental to my gameplay experience.

The only un-optimized aspects of my character will be my familiar and appearance. I will take a cat instead of the beetle (because I like cats) and I always favor gear that looks good over gear that looks bad but has better stats.

Modifié par The Cow King, 07 mars 2011 - 06:39 .

[painofdungeoneternal]

Powerbuilding ( which is really what you are discussing ) in the OC can make the OC way too easy. Luckily your choice of items based on how they look should balance that out. The OC is not made for the person who knows D&D, but rather for the person completely new to it, which means for those who know D&D rules and figure out the best feat tend to find it really easy, while it's a challenge for that majority who played it who have no clue there are 5 different types of AC.

You probably want to install Tony K's ai, even thought it's built into the very latest 1.23 patch by default he's got some fixes the dev's did not put in it. There also is an increased challenge mod, and Kaldor has a decent mod for the OC that gives it features found in later patches. You probably want to put all that in and only remove it if it's too hard, aiming for things being the perfect challenge for you.

Ha, level 9 spells won't be an issue for you, you probably will probably be finishing the game up as you get your first 9th level spells, perhaps even finishing it up when you just get some 8th level spells if you are as good at D&D as you sound. If it's critical i'd make sure you spend a lot of time ensuring you clear out every area of monsters - i was level 18 as a wizard when i finished the OC as a human. Playing a drow will put you behind the leveling curve even more so. You should continue with the next expansion with the same character when you get all your 9th level spells and go epic.

Do lots of spells to take down undead ( undeath to death ) since the story is about the king of "shadows", and flesh to stone while not useful all the time is very good at taking down the few non undead and making those battles short. Also wait to cast until the movie is done on each battle or you will waste spells. Note that i really enjoyed the stories and movies so did not mind that battles went quickly.

[Arkalezth]

Sorcerers gain 9th level spells at 18. (Improved) Combat Expertise is also a good feat for casters. Quicken and Focus are definitely not needed, but I guess they doesn't hurt either.

If you have MotB, you might should take a look to Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep.

Modifié par Arkalezth, 07 mars 2011 - 07:09 .

[The Cow King]

(Improved) Combat Expertise is also a good feat for casters.

I'll be staying in defensive casting after I get my concetration up to a decent level, and unfortunately they don't stack.

Modifié par The Cow King, 07 mars 2011 - 07:22 .

[manageri]

Defensive casting isn't always better, if your enemy needs say a 15 to hit you then popping ICE means you lessen incoming damage to 1/6 and even though you'll prompt AoOs when casting the chances of getting hit by them is 5% and getting hit doesn't even guarantee you lose the spell, especially with damage reduction effects up. You can also do crap like dance around a little to make enemies AoO you due to movement and then immediately cast a spell to avoid an AoO there.

Not that you should care about this crap (unless you're soloing) since it's the OC.

[Kaldor Silverwand]

You can rest whenever and wherever you want, as often as you want without risk. So as a spell-caster, if you really want to make things harder for yourself refrain from resting or install a mod that prevents you from doing so (like the OC Makeover).

Regards

Modifié par Kaldor Silverwand, 08 mars 2011 - 01:26 .

[NWN DM]

The Cow King wrote...

It would bother me immensely if I realized halfway through the game that GSP is close to useless due to lack of SR enemies, compared the GSF that would be of great use however you put it. I guess I'll go with GSF then, since SR doesn't seem to be an issue.

As for bluff, it would also bother me if my actual skill check is 10 pnts higher than the highest bluff check, as those skill points could have been spent on something useful.

Sigh... the point being it really doesn't matter what you take/choose; you'll get through regardless with little trouble for 95% of the game.

52 9th level spells slots or not.

[Haplose]

I think you can get to level 20 with a drow if you're thorough. Especially if you exploit respawning enemies in the final areas.

You'll be really missing out if you don't multiclass. It might have been the best course in NWN1, but NWN2 brings some really nice PrCs for casters.

Modifié par Haplose, 08 mars 2011 - 07:53 .

[The Cow King]

NWN DM wrote...

Sigh... the point being it really doesn't matter what you take/choose; you'll get through regardless with little trouble for 95% of the game.

52 9th level spells slots or not.

Sigh... the point being, I didn't really ASK whether I'll make it or not, I asked whether I get 3x L9 spells or not (as drow). I asked whether GSP is useful in the OC or not.

The difference between being able to choose 1 or 3 L9 spells has a rather dramatic effect on my gameplay fun.

No matter, I've decided to go with Wild Elf.

Haplose wrote...
You'll
be really missing out if you don't multiclass. It might have been the
best course in NWN1, but NWN2 brings some really nice PrCs for casters.

You're right, I kinda ignored ASoC because one time I tried it and didn't get to pick known spells for a sorc because the module wasn't saved under MotB toolset. It's much superior to pure sorc no matter what way you put it.

Modifié par The Cow King, 08 mars 2011 - 06:13 .

[Arkalezth]

1 Pale Master level is also good. You'll lose casting power with more levels.

[painofdungeoneternal]

Bigger issue is the OC is designed so that you at most hit level 20, usually 18, but can do less or more depending on how much you earn. If you don't get the max level you won't get the 3 slots you want, unless you spend time focusing on getting as much experience as you can. Not sure if there are places near the end where you can focus on this or not.

Note that the expansion MOTB dovetails with the OC, so you can just continue at level 18, or where you left off if higher, and get the spell slots you wanted. If you consider the 1st and 2nd expansion as a sequence, and that you might finish the first and will just continue on in the second its not as much of an issue.

I am only bringing this up because you seem to have your heart set on 3 spell slots, and the game is just not set up to support that, in fact MOTB starts you out at level 18. I personally would view it as a level 1-30 game, with the first game being from about 1-18, second from 18-20

[The Cow King]

Arkalezth wrote...

1 Pale Master level is also good. You'll lose casting power with more levels.

Can wizards get high enough AC to actually dodge stuff in the OC with a high %?

I mean

Imp. Mage Armor = +6
Shield = +4
Dex = +2-4
Imp.. Combat Expertise = +6
Pale Master Bonus = +2

= 30-32 AC + items

I guess it could work (especially in the low-mid levels), with good defensive gear.

Anyway I won't be taking Pale Master because I'll be going with True Neutral and just see where I go from there (so I can't rely on being evil). Although, would I retain the +2 AC bonus even if I turn neutral/good AFTER having already taken one level of palemaster?

I'll certainly keep it in mind if I ever dip to the dark side.

painofdungeoneternal wrote...

I am only bringing this up because you seem
to have your heart set on 3 spell slots, and the game is just not set up
to support that

It doesn't matter if I get 1 or 3 L9 slots, it matters if being a drow nets me less slots in the end than a non ECL race. I just want the maximum spell casting ability available.

Modifié par The Cow King, 08 mars 2011 - 07:17 .

[Arkalezth]

The Cow King wrote...

Arkalezth wrote...

1 Pale Master level is also good. You'll lose casting power with more levels.

Can wizards get high enough AC to actually dodge stuff in the OC with a high %?

I mean

Imp. Mage Armor = +6
Shield = +4
Dex = +2-4
Imp.. Combat Expertise = +6
Pale Master Bonus = +2

= 30-32 AC + items

I guess it could work (especially in the low-mid levels), with good defensive gear.

Anyway I won't be taking Pale Master because I'll be going with True Neutral and just see where I go from there (so I can't rely on being evil). Although, would I retain the +2 AC bonus even if I turn neutral/good AFTER having already taken one level of palemaster?

I'll certainly keep it in mind if I ever dip to the dark side.

Not to mention, Mirror Image, Displacement, Stoneskin...a Wizard/Sorc can be very hard to kill. However, keep in mind that AC bonuses from Mage Armor and the like don't stack with enhancement from items.

You'll retain everything, with all classes. Pale Masters can be neutral (just non-good).

[The Cow King]

Arkalezth wrote...
Not to mention, Mirror Image, Displacement, Stoneskin...a Wizard/Sorc can be very hard to kill. However, keep in mind that AC bonuses from Mage Armor and the like don't stack with enhancement from items.

Doesn't Mage Armor give Armor bonus and shield 'shield' bonus? (I believe this was fixed in NWN2 compared to NWN1).

That would leave natural armor, dodge and deflection bonus to items.

Arkalezth wrote...
Pale Masters can be neutral (just non-good).

Ah true, I misread the wiki on my quick scimming.

Modifié par The Cow King, 08 mars 2011 - 07:37 .

[painofdungeoneternal]

You won't lose the maximum, it just takes longer though to get there which assuming there is only so much XP offered in the OC, means you might not reach the level until you start MOTB.

You get what works out to be a penalty to XP, so when you stop getting XP in the OC you will be lower level than if you did not have that penalty, it's just set up as requiring more xp to hit a given level.

Basically you are behind a given number of levels of someone who does not have that penalty, but if you do more work, farming xp, etc, and get more xp you will be just like someone without the penalty. If everyone has equal experience points it matters, but nothing is stopping you from gathering up more experience and reaching max level.

If you did Drow, i would suspect you'd hit most of your 8th level spells in the OC, and as you go into MOTB you'd get your 9th level spells. You'd have spell resistance and the like, and well it's the OC, so i imagine you'd enjoy it more if you choose a class which hinders you more. Doing everything a few levels below what the developers intended would make things more challenging for you, note the same is true when you multiclass, and to me that would improve your experience since the game was made for berks who don't have a clue how things work.

[Arkalezth]

The Cow King wrote...

Doesn't Mage Armor give Armor bonus and shield 'shield' bonus? (I believe this was fixed in NWN2 compared to NWN1).

Yes, I mean that Mage Armor won't stack with an enhancement bonus from the armor. Maybe you already knew, but just in case.

[The Cow King]

I did some googling and it seems drow can reach L19 if you don't miss any huge xp. I guess if you grind in the end (though I have no idea if the xp is unlimited via grinding) you could reach L20.

So I'll go with drow 19 or Wild Elf 20. I'll have to contemplate on this.

Modifié par The Cow King, 08 mars 2011 - 07:45 .

[painofdungeoneternal]

You should review sources of AC on nwn2wiki, its pretty complicated. I personally just think of some slots as useful and do some trial an error with the spells till i get enough for the situation, if you get it too high the it's just not fair for the monsters lol.

[Haplose]

The Cow King wrote...
That would leave natural armor, dodge and deflection bonus to items.

Actually there's Spiderskin or Shadowshield for Natural AC as well.

[Rex Radar]

First time I completed the OC it was as a Drow Druid. I was certain to complete most tasks and only made it to lvl 19 during the second last battle. There are a few locations were you can "farm" some XP and theroreticly make it to lvl 20 befor game end as a drow. Ther are also some choices that one can make that may add some extra XP.

I don't take SP/GSP if playing Wiz, that what Assay Restances is for.

Dodge can be brought up quite high, I seem to remmember haveing an AC in the mid 30's as a lvl 20 Wiz as a result of spells, feats and a high dex item. Robes and other items bumped me to high 40's. But if AC (and AB) is your goal look at a Bard. Don't look at Clearic as they already have swarms of mis-guided fan boy's

Tony K rocks! add it even if patched.

"Sounds" like you should make a mod! BG2 sounds would be awsome.

Each skill has a different required in game cap, and gives different conversation options. Med CHR toons should be able to get away with 15 or so in their favorite conversation skill and mabey 10 in a second. If you plan on taking feint then you will need to max bluff.

Go with the highest difficulty for a nice game challenge, unless yuor a fan of AOE spells, then I would go with Normal Hard core (still damages party but not to the same extent).

Finally since some people are reading this. Can the NWN2 be mostly Soloed? (forced campaoins aside)

[Arkalezth]

Rex Radar wrote...

Finally since some people are reading this. Can the NWN2 be mostly Soloed? (forced campaoins aside)

You mean being powerful enough to solo the OC? I haven't done it, but yes, you can.