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Vorgen posted:If she became an Invoker, she'd have opposition schools of both Enchantment and Conjuration. She'd be following in Edwin's footsteps I don't want to be a dick, but unless mods changed something, Edwin is a Conjurer and loses the Divination school. I wholeheartedly agree, though, that Conjuration spec has the least downside. Personally, I would lean towards Enchantment as her spec. She is currently, after all, a *charming* rogue, and with Xan having been changed by mods, I don't know if there is another Enchanter in game, while there is definitely at least one illusionist in the form of Jan Jensen. Jan is even a rogue/mage-of-some-sort hybrid like Imoen (will) be, so there is a lot of overlap there. I think being able to sample as many different classes, kits and roles as can be is the best thing for an LP that, if seen through to the end, could last years. This party is going to have plenty of long range magical offence even with just Syl as wild mages are ludicrously powerful at the highest levels - no need to fret about DPS, I say.
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Apr 12, 2012 14:24
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Kajeesus posted:Also, I'm pretty sure Annah's supposed to be Scottish Either that was the intention or merely a coincidence, as she was voiced by the Scottish singer Sheena Easton.
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May 30, 2012 19:45
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That's something that always bothered me about those games. It's fairly clear in 2nd Edition rules that the 7th-level clerical spell Resurrection can bring back someone with no or virtually no physical remains, and a chunk of a diced-up corpse certainly counts, yet that isn't reflected in the game even though PC clerics can cast Resurrection and Rods of Resurrection do indeed exist. I remember in my first BG2 play-through ever doing the Unseeing Eye quest or whichever one it is where you fight the lich, vampire, beholder, and others in a big round room with a huge table in it and get the Staff of the Magi. I was, perhaps, slightly underleveled for that encounter, but I managed to win on try 3. However, my F/T got chunked during that fight and, not wanting to lose her permanently, I had to reload despite having a well-charged Rod of Resurrection. It took me 15-18 more tries before I was able to clear that room without any one dying irrevocably. Worth it? gently caress yes. Hedgehog-in-pants annoying? Indeed I just hate the concept of permadeath in any game unless it is well done and specifically for plot purposes (Aerie). I, like many people, get quite attached to characters and the concept of "do all of that hard work again or lose someone dear to you" is just bad game design in my eyes.
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Dec 13, 2012 17:40
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Since this great LP is in that phase of the game, I hope that I can ask a question: I am playing the Enhanced Edition, having a blast, and am going to be in Durlag's soon. As everyone reading this thread has realised, that place is a trap breeding ground. I have Coran, who has 100 in both Pick Lock and Find Trap, but a lot of these traps have huge (up to -90%, according to the old TotSC strategy guide) penalties, so how does this work? I know that find traps for thieves has a pulse effect where it looks for traps in a radius every 6 seconds or so, I think... so, if a thief has 100 in Find Traps and there is a 60% penalty on a trap, does he have a 40% chance per pulse of finding it or does he automatically find it right away because his FT score is higher than the penalty? On a similar vein, what about disarming/opening locks? Does it work in the former way (FT score - penalty = chance to disarm/open) or is it more "auto-success if your Disarm/Open score exceeds the penalty?" Pardon my ignorance, but I've never been able quite to figure this out. What I do know is that I am going to load my bard with Knock spells (my sorceror knows that spell too) and my druid/cleric with Find Traps spells for extra help. This is going to be bloody brutal.
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Aug 15, 2013 17:02
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Willie Tomg posted:Also if its not too late, buy or steal every single potion of perception and master thievery you can. Every single one. They're a massive stat boost, and last effectively forever (six game-hours is longer than you'll realisitically be able to go before needing to rest your party.) The one sketchy thief merchant lady in Baldur's Gate is really nice for having a stack of those, ditto the guy outside Durlag's Tower. I have several dozen of those, I was just hoping that someone knew the mechanics. The clerid/druid spell Find Traps is 100%, I think, so I am going to keep as many of those memorized as I can - same with Knock on my bard/sorcerer. I just find this aspect of the game to be unnecessarily opaque.
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Aug 16, 2013 01:25
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Magrov posted:I'm 99% sure that find traps works on a threshold system, i.e., a thief with 100 will always find every trap that is findable. I'm 100% sure that disarming traps and open locks do work on a threshold system ("auto-success if your Disarm/Open score exceeds the penalty?"), and there is a chance of sucess if your skill is slightly below the lock/trap dificulty. Okay, that makes sense - thanks. That kind of supports my experiments. Coran has had 100 Open Lock for a long time, and he hasn't failed to pick a lock in ages, but levels ago when I still had Imoen I failed to pick a chest about 8 or 9 times in a row (quickloading between each one) and then got it on the 10th go, so there has to be *some* random element.
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Aug 16, 2013 04:23
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Shei-kun posted:In 2E, you had to roll beneath the percentage of the thief skill. Certain things, like your armor, the lock, the trap, etc, could give penalties. This is why you're allowed to get the skills above 100% - to show that you're so badass at it that even the most legendary of traps or locks are nothing to you. Oh sure, I played 2nd edition to death, so I remember that, but video games do not always stick precisely to the rules of their Pen and Paper inspiration. 3rd edition introduced the idea of "taking 10" and "taking 20", but what I wanted to establish is if, in BG1, you automatically succeed if your skill is above the difficulty level of the lock/trap, or if you still have to roll for it. The latter makes no bloody sense, frankly, because if you have 100 Open Lock and try to open a lock that is, say, -80, you only have a 20% chance to do so and you theoretically only get one go. I tried last night to do the Thieve's Guild quests that were featured in this thread recently. I was able to do the three artifacts quest no problem, but Narlen never shows up outside of the Sturgeon. It's not a big deal that I do these quests, but I'm a completionist and I really want to. If I knew the right flags to fiddle with, I'd use Shadowkeeper.
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Aug 16, 2013 17:42
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I just wanted to say that Drizzt's armour from vanilla BG (I just finished the Enhanced Edition) is actually quite good. My main character was a Blade (Bard kit) and it was basically the best armour in the game that I could use for him, but I was really disappointed to find that it did not allow spellcasting. That might seem like an odd complaint, but there is a suit of Elven Chain in the Enhanced Edition that does allow the use of arcane magic, and since Drizzt's armour is supposed to be thin and feather-light, I had rather hoped that it wouldn't block spellcasting like that.
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Oct 17, 2013 23:32
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caleramaen posted:Oh Vorgen, you silly. Yes Khelben Blackstaff is a Forgotten Realms character. He's a Harper, or was a Harper or whatever. Serious spoilers if you care about FR: I haven't read it, but in recent literature Khelben was destroyed doing Something Tremendously Heroic, but his wife (and another Chosen of Mystra) Laeral is pregnant with his twins. About time, too, as they'd only been together for a few centuries. So Hope Springs Eternal and blah blah blah Khelben was never quite as obnoxious as Elminster. He's kind of a guy who acts like a dick and is rather imperious, but overall a decent bloke. Apparently the tough guy act is just an act, which makes sense if you're in a position of power I suppose.
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Nov 5, 2013 21:33
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Serifina posted:I rather liked Khelben. He could be a bit of a dick, but unlike Elminster, he actually had a place in Waterdeep and took his responsibilities seriously. A little too seriously, sometimes, maybe, but he didn't gallivanting around the realms doing gently caress-all on a regular basis. I also enjoyed the Arilyn books - Danilo cracked me up. Elaine Cunningham knows how to write good characters. More potential spoilers: My favourite moment in the series is in the first book (Elfshadow?) when Arilyn finally figures out that Danilo isn't an empty-headed fop and dandy. She looks at him very shrewdly and says (I paraphrase) "Who are you, Danilo Thann? What sort of man lies under those silks and fine flattery?" To which Danilo replies in his own inimitable fashion "A naked one, in fact, but feel free to not take my word for it." That is humour.
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Nov 5, 2013 23:02
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Vorgen posted:Let's please stay focused on the ridiculousness of 2nd edition DnD and not get into a semantics slapfight. Indeed Benjifer posted:Drizzt is similar, having about 16 levels in Fighter and a couple in Barbarian (and even one in Wizard think) before becoming a ranger. I used to have the 2nd ed Menzoberranzan box set, and the stats for Drizzt in there broke all the rules. He was a level 18 warrior, I recall, which makes sense if you look at his past as an elite swordsman. On top of that, he was a level 15 ranger. So, he was sort of a dual-class but not really, and he had 90-some hit points, so about what a level 18 fighter with a 15 con would have, but not nearly what, say, a 18 fighter/15 ranger would have in edition 3+. On top of that, though, he had a bunch of special abilities. I remember one is that, if he makes his to-hit roll by at least 4, any humanoid enemy size L or smaller has to roll some kind of save or immediately die. It's kind of silly, but at the same time it made him seem really deadly, which is rather true and kind of the point. Edit: Found a pdf, actually... he has a percentage chance, adjusted up or down based on level difference, to kill outright on a hit if he makes his attack roll by more than 5. Also, he has insane MS/HiS (which is possible for high-level rangers in 2nd ed, to be fair) and can backstab for 5x damage. JustJeff88 fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Nov 6, 2013 |
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Nov 6, 2013 16:40
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Vorgen posted:You know, I was going to call for another party composition vote, but we're so close to the end I think I can taste it. I'm just going to power through and call one last vote when its time to go up against the big bad. Everyone will probably disagree with me, Vorgen, but I think that, when all of the BG1 stuff is done, you should close this thread for the archives and start BG2 in a new one. I would assume that the Big World Project is linked via Trilogy so there is a lot of continuity, but I would just take a shot of that last linking dialogue and then call it a thread with a link to the BG2 thread immediately after. I'm not doubting your sincerity, drive, or ability - I am bloody impressed that you've made it this far over so many months and with no small amount of problems. Having said that, BG2 is no doubt going to be even longer with more content, both good and bad, and the longer you go the more you risk burnout, real-life complications, software bugs and hard drive failures. Making a clean break between 1 & 2 assures that this fantastic LP goes into the archives for future enjoyment; just start the BG2 thread with the same "transfer scene" as that which ends BG1 and carry on without another thought.
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Nov 10, 2013 17:46
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I would say that a drow city would be the quintessential example of a Chaotic Evil society. Everyone is subject to the caprices of a goddess, Lolth, who pretty much does whatever she fancies at any given moment. There is no real law apart from what one makes for himself - if a matron's daughter can defeat her and take her place, then she's entitled to do so. Food and the rest of it is taken care of by the labour of captures slaves who have no status as people and can be tortured or killed for giggles if someone feels like it and won't anger the person in charge of those slaves. The god Bane was a good example of lawful evil - his church has/had a very defined hierarchy with strict rituals and traditions, and his mantra was the systematic oppression of those weaker than you. I recall Jarlaxle himself being Neutral Evil, and possibly Entreri as well. Jarlaxle's mercenary group, Bragen d'Aerthe, kind of had to rely on each other as they were almost all male in an oppressively matriarchal society and their group were as loyal as anyone really evil could be, if only in order survive. The group seemed to have a reasonably defined hierarchy and felt it was in their best interest not to constantly shiv each other in the bollocks, and Jarlaxle knew that decent treatment and generous rewards were the way to get dark elves to work together. I've never had the venom for the dual-axis alignment system that other people have, but I can't entirely blame those that do. It always worked out pretty well for us in our games and we didn't have a lot of people acting Chaotically Stupid, so maybe I'm biased. Edit: Apparently Entreri is Lawful Evil, which makes sense... he's very disciplined and determined and has a certain code of ethics.
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Nov 11, 2013 19:15
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Benjifer posted:Actually, Jarlaxle is Chaotic Neutral. It was noted a few times that he and Zak were best buds, plus he's always ALL about fighting the power and coming out ahead. Bregan D'Aerth are mostly Neutral Evil though. I remember Zaknafien being Chaotic Neutral from the Menzo boxed set. FR wiki says that Jarlaxle is NE, but I could kind of buy him as CN as well. Still, he does a few things in the novels that aren't very neutral, but it's not too much of a stretch. On the Law/Chaos axis, he definitely seems more chaotic to me than even neutral, and lawful he very much isn't. It irks a lot of people, but I like discussing the 9-square alignment system. Take that for what you will.
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Nov 11, 2013 22:15
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Blasphemaster posted:This makes perfect sense. This is the greatest thing ever. Someone make a .gif of this.
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Nov 13, 2013 16:28
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<--------> 
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The biggest opportunity ever missed in terms of Infinity Engine narrative was not making it that Boo was indeed a special superhamster and that Minsc was, in fact, able to communicate with him, and possibly Xzar as well because he's clearly as mad as a fruit bat.
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Jan 20, 2014 19:56
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Seems silly to me to play The Big World Project and skip content... I thought that the whole point was to see everything: good, bad, ugly & Chloe
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Jan 20, 2014 20:55
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quote:Really? Well that is good news. Now normal business can return to Candlekeep. I will have to let some other people know about this. Here is a little something for you from those that harp. Is this a mistake of some sort or am I losing my mind? (I personally wouldn't place bets either way)
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Jan 28, 2014 03:58
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Cythereal posted:To be fair, Saerileth arguably isn't the worst mod NPC BG2 has to offer. She's a JRPG's female lead. Irritating, but not terribly offensive. Tsjuatha or Chloe, though... NOTHING is worse than Chloe. There could be a mod that erased your hard drive, gave your sister incurable smallpox, killed off the bottlenose dolphin as a species and directed a tactical nuclear strike to your house every time you started the game and it would still be better than Chloe by a wide margin.
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Feb 5, 2014 06:37
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I'm going to play devil's advocate here, and not just because it's my only marketable skill. I am going to reiterate my agreement with other posters that, once BG1 is done, you should let it go to the archives and start a new thread for BGII, even on the same screenshot if you want to. It has taken you years to get through BG1, and BG2+ToB is even more massive I'm sure. Getting through all of the content in the sequel, which will no doubt take years more, without terminal burnout, a fatal hard drive crash/other technological problem, or some kind of personal tragedy is most definitely not in your favour. This is not an indictment of your dedication, ability, or integrity Vorgen, just the probable machinations of the fickle finger of fate. I even agree that taking an LP into the archive without the rest of the posts does cost it something, but don't roll the dice. You've managed to undertake and very nearly, at time of posting, complete an epic undertaking, and you owe it to yourself and all of your hard work, not to mention LP enthusiasts and gaming history, to preserve this endeavour in the best way possible.
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Feb 14, 2014 21:46
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Vorgen posted:Well I didn't know so many people felt strongly about starting a new thread. I guess you're worried I'm going to croak, on the Internet or in real life. But there's one huge argument against starting a new thread and letting this one fall to the archives - I don't have archives access and I don't want to lose access to my own thread. I don't feel strongly about starting a new thread, Vorgen, I feel strongly about preserving a tiny piece of gaming history - I am gobsmacked that you have gotten this far and I don't want it to be lost. The other people make valid points, and if there is another way to preserve this thread in the event of its "death", then I'm all for it and I have no personal quibble with it continuing indefinitely. However, the odds are against it and you shouldn't tempt fate. I have literally seen LPs end due to hard drive death, imprisonment of the LPer, and death of the LPer... no, I am not joking even a little. All I am saying is that don't put all of your eggs in one basket (forum) and take precautions.
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Feb 17, 2014 16:51
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shovelbum posted:Vorgen, when we finish BG1 you should just talk to the lparchive.org guy about archiving BG1 while the LP is ongoing into BG2 in this thread. This is what I meant. I absolutely have no desire to end the thread, just preserve it just in case. This is a very sensible backup to do, and it would allow someone who is so inclined, LP follower or not, to enjoy this insanity from start to finish... of BG1 at least. Granted, a thread this huge could take a few weeks to catch up on, but that's neither here nor there. It's just good sense. As for the LPs, a really good Pool of Radiance series one died due to a fatal hard drive loss... Roobanguy posted:Don't know about the dead one, but I'm pretty sure the imprisoned one is Leavemywife, who I think hit someone with a car? Not on purpose of course. I think he was doing a FFIV LP. ... and you correct on this one. As for the dead LPer, I honestly don't remember. I honestly think that I blocked it out mentally due to trauma. I do not believe that it was on SA, though, and I think that it was a Spiderweb game.
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Feb 18, 2014 05:04
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Ending was a little flat, but that encounter overall had a really epic feel about it. Also, I think that when demons die they just reform on their own plane and can't come back to the Prime for 100 years or something, so they don't really die per se. That said, they're demons, so bollocks to them.
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May 14, 2014 19:29
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Do it French style, since there are only two options doing well... end the vote, and then have everyone re-vote for either B or E. Not perfect, but better.
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May 30, 2014 19:42
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