Lore query

Starlily

Newbie here, can't figure out why my elf ranger character..now 2nd level still has no Lore number at all (not even '0' in the space next to word 'lore')! Started out that way too. Have Intelligence of 8 and Wisdom of 16. Does that have something to do with it?

Also, no other of the NPC's with me have enough lore to figure anything out, not even the bard who just got 20. I pop the unidentified item in their backpacks and right click and remains unid'd.

Oh, using Mac version.

any help, you have my thanks.

TJ_Hooker

8 INT gives you -10 to lore and 16 WIS gives you +5 to lore and warrior classes only gain +1 lore per level (I think) so you will have a lore of 0 until you hit level 6. You can see the effects of WIS and INT on lore here: www.playithardcore.com/pihwiki/index.php?title=Baldur's_Gate:_Races_and_Stats

To get an idea of what kind of lore values you need to identify things, you can check out the table graciously compiled by @Zarakinthish here (about 5 posts down): http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/16904/table-for-lore-values

Starlily

Okay, I didn't realize I got a '-10' so I don't have to fret now. The links are very helpful too.

Gallowglass

Starlily said:

Also, no other of the NPC's with me have enough lore to figure anything out, not even the bard who just got 20. I pop the unidentified item in their backpacks and right click and remains unid'd.

20 isn't enough lore to identify much. One more level for your Bard and he'll have 30 lore, and at that point he'll be able to identify quite a lot of lower-level items. When a Bard reaches his maximum level near the end of the game, he'll be able to identify everything (which isn't true of any other class).

TJ_Hooker

Yeah, like @Gallowglass said, you probably won't be doing much lore-based identification with characters who aren't bards. Mages and thieves get +3 lore per level, so they'll probably be able to identify small things like magical ammunition and generic [item]+1s by mid- to late-game, especially mages, who will usually have high enough INT to get a lore bonus. But anything more and you'll probably need a bard.

PawnSlayer

Something I've been wondering about with lore - why are Sorcerors not considered like mages for lore? They also only get +1 per level, but mages get +3. Surely Sorcerors should as well?

Erg

PawnSlayer said:

Something I've been wondering about with lore - why are Sorcerors not considered like mages for lore? They also only get +1 per level, but mages get +3. Surely Sorcerors should as well?

Casting spells for sorcerers is instinctive, it doesn't come from knowledge like mages, so I would expect them to be less knowledgeable about things in general, hence the lower lore score.

TJ_Hooker

PawnSlayer said:

Something I've been wondering about with lore - why are Sorcerors not considered like mages for lore? They also only get +1 per level, but mages get +3. Surely Sorcerors should as well?

Huh, I didn't even realize this was the case. Maybe it's based on the fact that mages' training focuses on studying and reading, which lets them passively pick up general information, whereas sorcerers' abilities are innate, so they aren't necessarily exposed to the same amount of information.

Tyranus

Unless you have a bard in your party, don't worry about Lore. Even Arrows of Biting require an Identify spell for a 18int/17wis mage until he hits quite a high level.