I think it was bugged in the original release and did not add the APR it should. Mods are there that fix it, but there's several different solutions, ranging from +1/2 APR to +1 APR. I'm not entirely certain which one is the most "accurate" but I think I remember it being the +1/2 APR one... it's a hotly debated topic, though, with quite some controversy.
Grandmastery in vanilla BG2 still keeps you with the +1/2 APR of Specialisation, Grandmastery in modded BG2 gives you an extra +1 APR *on top of* the +1/2 of Specialisation, for +3/2 attacks total. Grandmastery in BGEE gives you an extra +1/2 APR on top of Specialisation, for a total of +1 APR.
Harder, sure, but also not working as intended. The original GM bonuses are very lackluster given the investment of 5 proficiency points - when compared to a mere 2 (which can achieved by Paladins and Rangers, too) it really feels like it's hardly worth it. APR is simply too big of a contributor to damage output, and I think fixing GM is completely justified. More so even since BG:EE actually implemented the fix, making it quasi-official.
I think it was bugged in the original release and did not add the APR it should. Mods are there that fix it, but there's several different solutions, ranging from +1/2 APR to +1 APR. I'm not entirely certain which one is the most "accurate" but I think I remember it being the +1/2 APR one... it's a hotly debated topic, though, with quite some controversy.
Grandmastery in vanilla BG2 still keeps you with the +1/2 APR of Specialisation, Grandmastery in modded BG2 gives you an extra +1 APR *on top of* the +1/2 of Specialisation, for +3/2 attacks total. Grandmastery in BGEE gives you an extra +1/2 APR on top of Specialisation, for a total of +1 APR.
PnP rules grant +3 to hit +3 to damage, +1apr to the specialist apr, and base weapon damage and knockdown die increased to the next greater die size ... i think the mod is the best comprimise.
... and you get a speed bonus and your 1d8 scimitar goes to a 1d10, and you get some increased crit range if some optional rule is used etc. I think the modded gm is more accurate. So is the concern that 9/2 +belm or kundane +improved haste breaks something?
As far as I'm concerned 7-9th level is a great dual time for a warrior if gm is implemented properly and I'll hold fast to the modded version if I have too, assuming it works in bg2 ee.
**note i'd go to 13th if you use a two handed weapon ...
Um... maybe? I'm not sure the spell was in the original game (even if you did remove XP it wasn't in the files), but it may have been added in EE. Either way, at that high a level I'm not sure EE offers enough of a challenge for it to matter...
Belm and Scarlet ninja-to arent the only two, everyone forgets the Kundane+2 that has the APR+1 as a hidden effect from the planar sphere. its hidden, but put it on/off and check.
Not sure why you would say it's hidden, mine at least pretty clearly says that it adds +1 APR. Not sure why you would say "everyone forgets" either, when it's explicitly mentioned in this thread.
"Hidden" +APR would be Fire Tooth, which adds an extra APR when used as a throwing dagger, but apparently also does so when it's used as a melee weapon. Of course, you can't actually equip two weapons if one of them can be used as a ranged (even if it's currently in melee mode), but suppose you edit in a second weapon, it will in fact add the APR much like the other three "legit" +APR weapons.
"Hidden" in a sense that it is not explicitly mentioned anywhere on the item. And as you said, the engine doesn't allow for it to work the way it should (i.e. not adding it in melee) so it's obviously not working as intended - but it's also not something that you'd think was working that way at first glance.
Depends on your definition of "work". Certainly it would be worse than the alternatives. That isn't to say that it doesn't have its uses, especially in certain solo games. But from a powergaming perspective, it's more or less rubbish.
charname: halfling, pure kensai - halberd, spear ... sub-optimal weapons but whatever, you're pure kensai kensai 9/mage X - scimitar, offhand belm berserker 8/cleric X - flail berserker 13/druid X - quarterstaff, club, sling wizard slayer 9/thief X - longsword, shortbow, offhand scarlet ninja-to wizard slayer 9/mage X - axe, crossbow, offhand kundane ...
Either the druid or cleric will get the Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization ... Was thinking dragon's breath halberd isn't that bad on a pure kensai, and ixil's spike is worth a look for endgame ... He'll have enough pips for 2 grandmasteries ...
I have tested a four man party just to speed up dual classing and it seemed to be alright, just thought i might miss the nice druid summons(probably wouldn't get them until ToB anyways heh). Haven't reached the underdark yet though, haven't tried any liches or dragons but ...
Charname Kensai 9/Mage X Scimitar Berserker 8/Cleric X Flail Wizard Slayer 9/Thief X Longsword Inquisitor X Two Handed Sword, Axe
With this smaller party the game is as easy as pie, like rediculous ... at the beginning anyway.
I've been thinking to have at least one pure fighter/palidin in the party is useful for whirlwind moments, scs 2 likes to smash down all your buffs and stuff should you err ...
**Note I use that grandmastery mod so I dual 1 handed weapon wielders @ lvls 7-9.** **Almost always get +2str tear** **Probably better to have one of the mages be charname in a 6 man party so you can get a ring of wizardry made without a spot for Jaheira you'll need the wizard stronghold, or if you like just get that mod and make all strongholds available, or CLUAConsole:CreateItem("ring08") haha!** **wizard slayer/mage has to be CN, like obviously lol**
you could use imapler Spear +3, Impaler +3 THACO, +10 piercing damage
+10 damage is like staff of ram but you don't have to go to WK level 4 to grab it
------------------------------------------------------ also i don't know if team with all partial mages would be better
if 1 dispell can ruin your protections from protections why even bother?
kensai/mage cleric/ilusionist fighter/ilusionist thief/ilusionist or something like that with 4x immunity abjuration + spell shields + spell traps and other stuff they can outlast every mage ____________________________________________________________________ also i learned powergaming parties are too powerfull when fighting regular enemies but
LICHES OMG! they stack so many time stops contingencies PFMW comets pit fiends and my 3 mages (one is similacrum with wand) + inquisitor can't dispell him like WHAT? how can he receive ruby ray + breaches + few pierce magic and still being under PFMW?!
in 12 hours there should be my Lich video with those Liches
Sorcerer is rubbish for powergaming, except in very specific scenarios (solo). Offensive spells on average just do far too little damage compared to melee attacks, and are far less consistent.
Not sure about the exact changes made by SCSII but Liches are immune to ALL spells below lvl5 - including Breach and Dispel Magic. Demi-Liches are even better, being immune to anything below lvl9...
Note: Inquisitor Dispel is special. It is "lvl0", and will in fact affect Liches. However, as they are very, very high level usually, even an Inquisitor Dispel with full modifier will take luck getting through.
without higher than 5th level dispells fighting is pointless
but with immunity:abjuration and spellshields with enough buffs there is possibility of waiting all PFMW and killing lich after
but if breach doesn't work than what is dispelling combat buffs like PFMW? pierce magic is level 6 but it's spell defense dispell
vanilla demi-liches are really easy i would say easier than lich form because when you are protected you only need +4 weapon and they are done kind of disapointing with awesome name like "DEMI"+"LICH" but that was vanilla ; p
There's windows where Liches are not protected by PfMW, it's not a gap-less coverage. Sneak in a hit with Mace of Disruption or Azuredge if you're pro, otherwise just get in some regular DPS. It's not easy or fast killing these Liches, it's a matter of persistence.
I favor 4 person parties. I also know, in ToB, HLA's are amazing. Multiclassed characters get access to more HLA's. Here's my power party (I favor good/neutral parties):
Gnome Fighter/illusionist Jaheira Aerie Jan
It doesn't look like much, but this party is really, really good. If you want 6, add Mazzy and gear gear towards using flails and a strength belt. With her 18 Dex and awesome saving throws, she makes a great tank. And add Sarevok. He never left, even with a 20 Rep.
Alternately, all you need is a sorcerer. These guys are OP, and I don't even know what that means LOL.
OP means Overpowered (or Original Post/Poster in a thread, but not in this case). It's used quite gratuitously within the gaming community... think of it as "very, very good". It rarely means actual game imbalance, though it can.
Multiclass is strong in small parties. Still, you lose the kit benefits of dual-class, which isn't always worth it. Essentially, there are only very few HLAs that are actually worth taking (from a powergaming perspective of course). The decision of whether more HLAs are worth losing kit benefits is not one that can be generalized, especially since games and setups vary wildly.
Regarding sorcerer, it is in my opinion quite overrated; melee damage is simply higher, and more consistent in a majority of cases. Of course, there's fringe scenarios where this isn't true as well, such as solo play.
It might, though Liches are also immune to certain types of damage. In addition, SCS adds a lot of scripted spellcasting, which can't be interrupted by anything.
Comments
So something like this:
specialist +1tohit +2todmg 3/2 2/1 5/2
grand master +3tohit +3todmg (5/2) (3/1) 7/2
dual wield gm (7/2) (4/1) 9/2
... and you get a speed bonus and your 1d8 scimitar goes to a 1d10, and you get some increased crit range if some optional rule is used etc. I think the modded gm is more accurate. So is the concern that 9/2 +belm or kundane +improved haste breaks something?
As far as I'm concerned 7-9th level is a great dual time for a warrior if gm is implemented properly and I'll hold fast to the modded version if I have too, assuming it works in bg2 ee.
**note i'd go to 13th if you use a two handed weapon ...
"Hidden" +APR would be Fire Tooth, which adds an extra APR when used as a throwing dagger, but apparently also does so when it's used as a melee weapon. Of course, you can't actually equip two weapons if one of them can be used as a ranged (even if it's currently in melee mode), but suppose you edit in a second weapon, it will in fact add the APR much like the other three "legit" +APR weapons.
i am now wandering if 1 weapon style would work with this dagger so you could use it for more crit
charname: halfling, pure kensai - halberd, spear ... sub-optimal weapons but whatever, you're pure kensai
kensai 9/mage X - scimitar, offhand belm
berserker 8/cleric X - flail
berserker 13/druid X - quarterstaff, club, sling
wizard slayer 9/thief X - longsword, shortbow, offhand scarlet ninja-to
wizard slayer 9/mage X - axe, crossbow, offhand kundane ...
Either the druid or cleric will get the Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization ...
Was thinking dragon's breath halberd isn't that bad on a pure kensai, and ixil's spike is worth a look for endgame ... He'll have enough pips for 2 grandmasteries ...
I have tested a four man party just to speed up dual classing and it seemed to be alright, just thought i might miss the nice druid summons(probably wouldn't get them until ToB anyways heh). Haven't reached the underdark yet though, haven't tried any liches or dragons but ...
Charname Kensai 9/Mage X Scimitar
Berserker 8/Cleric X Flail
Wizard Slayer 9/Thief X Longsword
Inquisitor X Two Handed Sword, Axe
With this smaller party the game is as easy as pie, like rediculous ... at the beginning anyway.
I've been thinking to have at least one pure fighter/palidin in the party is useful for whirlwind moments, scs 2 likes to smash down all your buffs and stuff should you err ...
**Note I use that grandmastery mod so I dual 1 handed weapon wielders @ lvls 7-9.**
**Almost always get +2str tear**
**Probably better to have one of the mages be charname in a 6 man party so you can get a ring of wizardry made without a spot for Jaheira you'll need the wizard stronghold, or if you like just get that mod and make all strongholds available, or CLUAConsole:CreateItem("ring08") haha!**
**wizard slayer/mage has to be CN, like obviously lol**
Spear +3, Impaler
+3 THACO, +10 piercing damage
+10 damage is like staff of ram but you don't have to go to WK level 4 to grab it
------------------------------------------------------
also i don't know if team with all partial mages would be better
if 1 dispell can ruin your protections from protections why even bother?
kensai/mage
cleric/ilusionist
fighter/ilusionist
thief/ilusionist
or something like that with 4x immunity abjuration + spell shields + spell traps and other stuff they can outlast every mage
____________________________________________________________________
also i learned powergaming parties are too powerfull when fighting regular enemies but
LICHES OMG!
they stack so many time stops contingencies PFMW comets pit fiends and my 3 mages (one is similacrum with wand) + inquisitor can't dispell him like WHAT? how can he receive ruby ray + breaches + few pierce magic and still being under PFMW?!
in 12 hours there should be my Lich video with those Liches
LOOK AT THIS! 2 hours vs 3 liches and was lucky to kill any of them
Am i doing something wrong or are liches immune to breach?
Let's Play Baldur's Gate 2 021 tactics scsii insane Bonus Raw Lich in the Gate
Let's Play Baldur's Gate 2 022 tactics scsii insane Bonus Raw Lich in Temple Ruins
For things that are immune to +3 or greater weapons, just do combo of chain contingency and spell trigger.
Note: Inquisitor Dispel is special. It is "lvl0", and will in fact affect Liches. However, as they are very, very high level usually, even an Inquisitor Dispel with full modifier will take luck getting through.
but with immunity:abjuration and spellshields with enough buffs there is possibility of waiting all PFMW and killing lich after
but if breach doesn't work than what is dispelling combat buffs like PFMW? pierce magic is level 6 but it's spell defense dispell
vanilla demi-liches are really easy i would say easier than lich form because when you are protected you only need +4 weapon and they are done kind of disapointing with awesome name like "DEMI"+"LICH" but that was vanilla ; p
inquisitors
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3uiqnw/
I favor 4 person parties. I also know, in ToB, HLA's are amazing. Multiclassed characters get access to more HLA's. Here's my power party (I favor good/neutral parties):
Gnome Fighter/illusionist
Jaheira
Aerie
Jan
It doesn't look like much, but this party is really, really good. If you want 6, add Mazzy and gear gear towards using flails and a strength belt. With her 18 Dex and awesome saving throws, she makes a great tank. And add Sarevok. He never left, even with a 20 Rep.
Alternately, all you need is a sorcerer. These guys are OP, and I don't even know what that means LOL.
Multiclass is strong in small parties. Still, you lose the kit benefits of dual-class, which isn't always worth it. Essentially, there are only very few HLAs that are actually worth taking (from a powergaming perspective of course). The decision of whether more HLAs are worth losing kit benefits is not one that can be generalized, especially since games and setups vary wildly.
Regarding sorcerer, it is in my opinion quite overrated; melee damage is simply higher, and more consistent in a majority of cases. Of course, there's fringe scenarios where this isn't true as well, such as solo play.