[Classes] Cleric Kit Abilities

[Deleted User]

For the Priest of Helm's Seeking Sword:

Current Behavior: Seeking Sword provides a +4 bonus to attack rolls. This is reflected both in the character sheet and in feedback in the dialogue window.

Expected Behavior: As per Seeking Sword's description, it should not be providing a bonus to hit.

Additional note: Perhaps Seeking Sword should provide a scaling attack bonus for balance purposes? +4 to hit gives Priests of Helm very good THAC0 for the beginning of BGEE, but they may have difficulty hitting anything with the Seeking Sword in BG2 if they don't get any attack bonus.

Ability Duration:

Current Behavior: Boon of Lathander lasts one round per level as given in its description. Storm Shield and Seeking Sword last one turn, though their descriptions are also given as one round per level.

Expected Behavior: The duration of these abilities should either match their descriptions, or the descriptions should be updated to match their actual duration. Duration should perhaps be normalized between the kits.

bigdogchris

Seeking Sword:
The description says it is +4 for determining what it can hit, as in monsters that require +4 weapon or greater, aka anything in the game (I think). The +4 does not apply to atk or damage rolls, nor should it as it would be insane at low levels.

*edit* In hindsight, +4 isn't overpowered @ 89k experience (BG2).

This is a case where the description is likely wrong, not the game.

In BG:EE the sword provides +4 to ATK.

In BG2 the sword provides +4 to ATK. The description in BG2 does not claim it does not provide the bonus to atk, only that it does not provide a bonus to damage.

[Deleted User]

bigdogchris said:

The description says it is +4 for determining what it can hit, as in monsters that require +4 weapon or greater, aka anything in the game (I think). The +4 does not apply to atk or damage rolls, nor should it as it would be insane at low levels.

Agreed, but the current behavior is that the +4 bonus does apply to attack rolls.

bigdogchris

+4 to atk is too powerful for level 1 characters, but considering the kit is supposed to start at 89k experience, it wasn't overpowered in BG2.

The description just needs to be updated to remove that it does not provide to atk.

bigdogchris

Another part of the problem with the durations is that the spells are not designed for level 1 characters to follow the correct durations as the durations for level 2-9 do not even exist, and the level 1 time is not right.

Storm Shield
Description: 6 seconds/level (Should it say 1 round per level?)
In Game: Level 1 - 10 rounds; level 10 - 10 rounds; level 12 - 12 rounds; level 14 - 14 rounds, etc.

The description is correct if you are level 10, but not correct for level 1-9.

Seeking Sword
Description: 1 round/level
In Game: Level 1 - 10 rounds; level 11 - 11 rounds; level 12 - 12 rounds

Again, correct if you are level 10, but not correct level 1-9

Boon of Lathandar
Description: 6 seconds/level (should it say 1 round per level?)
In Game: Level 1 - 1 round; level 2 - 2 rounds, etc.

Boon has level 1-9 spell levels, so it looks correct.

[Deleted User]

I think the increased duration is reasonable, as these abilities aren't particularly useful if they only last a couple of rounds, but if StSh and SeSw get the lengthened duration, then BoL probably should too, and the descriptions should be more accurate.

bigdogchris

@Kaigen

It's a tough call. The abilities are really good. Giving a level 1 a +4 weapon for 60 seconds is very powerful.

I think it would be appropriate of the spells level 1-9 were properly implemented so that they increased by 1 round per level.

Either way, if it doesn't get fixed, at least the people who can fix description errors do browse around and have likely already seen this.