Spending my gold. (BG 1 Vanilla)

Heindrich

For the first time in the game, I feel like I got some financial freedom to buy some nice things! I have been hoarding gold like I hoard potions and scrolls, and thus far the only significantly expensive items I have bought are composite long bows, a plate armour and a shield amulet.

After a few side-quests, I have amassed just over 4k gold. Before I head down the Nashkel Mines to investigate whatever horrors it holds, I am considering splashing my gold on some nice stuff. Before I do, can I just check that there is no need to hoard gold in this game?

Also I am considering buying an Amulet of Protection (2700 gold) from the Nashkel Carnival, because Dynaheir is really squishy and could do with some protection. Is there anything else (affordable) that I can better spend my gold on?

Jalily

There's no need to hoard gold at all. Soon, you'll have far more than you know what to do with.

If you haven't gotten it already, High Hedge sells a potion case that comes in handy.

Heindrich

Jalily said:

There's no need to hoard gold at all. Soon, you'll have far more than you know what to do with.

If you haven't gotten it already, High Hedge sells a potion case that comes in handy.

Ok thx. And no, I have no idea about this potion case.

Wisp

Unfortunately, cases and bags are not plain-BG1 features.

It's not necessary to hoard gold, but not everything available for sale is worth buying, and some purchases are wiser than others. Since you asked, buying the Amulet of Protection for Dynaheir is not what I would deem a good affair. +1 AC won't particularly improve her survivability (nor would the Armor spell, for that matter; AC 6 is still terribly bad). The mage at High Hedge sells a few nice item, as does the smith in Beregost, and the innkeeper in Ulgoth's Beard.

Heindrich

Wisp said:

Unfortunately, cases and bags are not plain-BG1 features.

It's not necessary to hoard gold, but not everything available for sale is worth buying, and some purchases are wiser than others. Since you asked, buying the Amulet of Protection for Dynaheir is not what I would deem a good affair. +1 AC won't particularly improve her survivability (nor would the Armor spell, for that matter; AC 6 is still terribly bad). The mage at High Hedge sells a few nice item, as does the smith in Beregost, and the innkeeper in Ulgoth's Beard.

Thanks. Given that Dynaheir cannot use Armor, is there any way to improve her survivability in the early game?

I have just emerged out of the Nashkel Mines and repeatedly getting my ass handed to me by the band of assassins nearby -.- I feel underpowered for this encounter. One of them one-shot Minsc and crippled Khalid with one spell. I think some sort of lightning attack.

franco

Recently at this stage I started stocking up on +1 arrows or maybe even a small number of +2 arrows (some +1 ammo for slings might be helpful) if you've got party members who can use them. I horde these until confronting something important where survival becomes a question mark. I think there is a Shield Amulet somewhere at the Nashkel carnival (I find that especially useful for a Blade, or perhaps a Mage when pressed). At High Hedge, there may be a scroll or two that you can visualize may come in handy for your mage. They also have wands there (perhaps sleep or fear).

Wisp

Heindrich1988 said:

Thanks. Given that Dynaheir cannot use Armor, is there any way to improve her survivability in the early game?

Not as such. The earliest opportunity comes with the 2nd-level spell Mirror Image. There's also a 3rd-level spell called Protection From Normal Missiles. Unfortunately, aside from being a 3rd-level spell, the scroll is not easily available. Mages are pretty frail at low levels, and survivability generally boils down to (somehow) avoiding attacks entirely.

Come to think of it, there is one thing you might want to invest in: a Necklace of Missiles (there should be one available at the Nashkel Carnival). It should prove quite useful in hard fights (and a good defence is a good offence, and all that). There are also Potions of Explosions and Oils of Fiery Burning available (at High Hedge and some at Nashkel Carnival) for less.

ambrennan

I have just emerged out of the Nashkel Mines and repeatedly getting my ass handed to me by the band of assassins nearby

This may sound a bit unorthodox, but how about going the other way? You can avoid them by not going north from the exit, so you can easily avoid them for now and come back later.

As for the amulet, they don't stack with rings and you should already have two rings +1 (one found in lion's way I.e. where you first find Elminster) so it's really rather pointless.

I'd either buy a bastard sword +1 if someone in the party uses them ( very rare drops unless you know where to look in Ulgoth's beard) or commission some ankheg armour (since it takes ages and is very nearly as good as full plate but cheaper and lighter I.e. something you can pass on to your cleric when you get better armour for the fighters)

Moomintroll

I used to be a hoarder. But I've found that spending money as you get it, is a lower re-load experience. I guess in an RP sense you're saying, "there're no re-loads, lets just survive the next fight if we can."

Twilight_Fox

I am usually well-equipped when I reach Baldur’s Gate and have something like 80K gold. My favorite way to spend all this money is to sell some wands that have low charges (6-8-12) and rebuy them. It cost 15-25K gold each but then you can have a wand of fireball of 50 charges and/or a wand of paralyse of 100 charges.

SionIV

The level 1 spell (Armor) gives your mage the same armor class as a studde leather armor +1. It stacks with dexterity bonus aswell. It's a start and an easy way to get 4 more armor class. It also has a 9 hour duration. So unless you rest or travel it will always be on you.

[Edited] : Actually don't think dynaheir can use the spell armor. Then get her the gauntlets of dexterity and robe of good archmagic to have a great armor class.

Heindrich

How c

Twilight_Fox said:

I am usually well-equipped when I reach Baldur’s Gate and have something like 80K gold. My favorite way to spend all this money is to sell some wands that have low charges (6-8-12) and rebuy them. It cost 15-25K gold each but then you can have a wand of fireball of 50 charges and/or a wand of paralyse of 100 charges.

How can u see how many charges ur wand has left? I got 2 wands that I have used sparingly, but I dunno how many charges left.

Heindrich

ambrennan said:

I have just emerged out of the Nashkel Mines and repeatedly getting my ass handed to me by the band of assassins nearby

This may sound a bit unorthodox, but how about going the other way? You can avoid them by not going north from the exit, so you can easily avoid them for now and come back later.

As for the amulet, they don't stack with rings and you should already have two rings +1 (one found in lion's way I.e. where you first find Elminster) so it's really rather pointless.

I'd either buy a bastard sword +1 if someone in the party uses them ( very rare drops unless you know where to look in Ulgoth's beard) or commission some ankheg armour (since it takes ages and is very nearly as good as full plate but cheaper and lighter I.e. something you can pass on to your cleric when you get better armour for the fighters)

Yeah I think I am underpowered for that zone (my protagonist is 2/2 mage/fighter, and my other characters are lv 3 or 4. I like to explore every map in its entirety and defeat all enemies in one trip if possible. But it looks like I have to leave these assassins for later. Same goes for the wizard who summons jellies. Those jellies hit hardh and don't appear to have weaknesses -.- I cannot hurt them with arrows or magic.

Wisp

Heindrich1988 said:

How can u see how many charges ur wand has left? I got 2 wands that I have used sparingly, but I dunno how many charges left.

It's a feature of the BG2 engine. The BG1 engine does not display charges.

Heindrich1988 said:

Those jellies hit hardh and don't appear to have weaknesses -.- I cannot hurt them with arrows or magic.

You need magical, non-piercing weapons.

ambrennan

Those jellies hit hardh and don't appear to have weaknesses -.- I cannot hurt them with arrows or magic.

Well, mustard jelly is the quintessential Mage killer (look out for polymorph self scrolls to turn the tables); however, if you take the other dialogue option the Mage summons lesser (ochre?) jellies and runs for it.

On an unrelated note, what is wrong ipad randomly capitalising words?

Twilight_Fox

BG:EE display charges. In vanilla, you can speculate that if you sold it 1000g and that now the same wand cost 25000g, there are at least 50-99 charges.

Mortianna

Heindrich1988 said:

Thanks. Given that Dynaheir cannot use Armor, is there any way to improve her survivability in the early game?

I have just emerged out of the Nashkel Mines and repeatedly getting my ass handed to me by the band of assassins nearby -.- I feel underpowered for this encounter. One of them one-shot Minsc and crippled Khalid with one spell. I think some sort of lightning attack.

I'm surprised no one has recommended Shield. It's a 1st-level Evocation spell, so it's Dynaheir's specialty school, and it gives her AC 4 against melee weapons and AC 2 against missiles. It also makes the caster immune to magic missiles from enemy casters, which is really useful (I realized you're talking about Vanilla BG1). You can find a Shield scroll in one of 1st floor bookcases of the house in the SE corner of Nashkel. The only downside is that it lasts for 5 turns.

As @franco said, you can also get a Shield Amulet with 10 charges from one of the merchants at the Nashkel Carnival (the one that sells the scrolls and potions), which is really useful for keeping your mages alive.

For the battle with the assassins, try throwing a few area-affecting spells at them, like Web, Entangle, Grease, and Stinking Cloud. Then have your cleric(s) cast Hold Person and Command at the ones that make their saving throws. You can then pelt them with missile weapons while your party is safely away from the mess.

Flashheart

Good tips from Mortianna regarding Web, Entangle etc. I like Blindness too, which can take an enemy out of picture.

In regards to Dynaheir's squishyness. The boots of avoidance (watch out for them coming your way soon) are extremely useful for a Mage. Arrows and Mages don't mix. Also the Girdle of Piercing (I hope you held onto that for now) helps Dynaheir against arrow attacks.

I'm not sure if you picked up the wand near the entrance to the Nashkel mines. Liberal use of that can help you during the encounter with the assassins.

Heindrich

Mortianna said:

Heindrich1988 said:

Thanks. Given that Dynaheir cannot use Armor, is there any way to improve her survivability in the early game?

I have just emerged out of the Nashkel Mines and repeatedly getting my ass handed to me by the band of assassins nearby -.- I feel underpowered for this encounter. One of them one-shot Minsc and crippled Khalid with one spell. I think some sort of lightning attack.

I'm surprised no one has recommended Shield. It's a 1st-level Evocation spell, so it's Dynaheir's specialty school, and it gives her AC 4 against melee weapons and AC 2 against missiles. It also makes the caster immune to magic missiles from enemy casters, which is really useful (I realized you're talking about Vanilla BG1). You can find a Shield scroll in one of 1st floor bookcases of the house in the NE corner of Nashkel. The only downside is that it lasts for 5 turns.

As @franco said, you can also get a Shield Amulet with 10 charges from one of the merchants at the Nashkel Carnival (the one that sells the scrolls and potions), which is really useful for keeping your mages alive.

For the battle with the assassins, try throwing a few area-affecting spells at them, like Web, Entangle, Grease, and Stinking Cloud. Then have your cleric(s) cast Hold Person and Command at the ones that make their saving throws. You can then pelt them with missile weapons while your party is safely away from the mess.

Thanks, I just bought Shield scroll from High Hedge, along with Horror and one or two others. I've levelled up a bit since my last post, so my party is a bit less squishy now.

By the way, I cannot afford it right now, but I am considering saving up to buy Shadow Armor for Imoen. Is it a reasonable purchase?

SionIV

Heindrich1988 said:

Mortianna said:

Heindrich1988 said:

Thanks. Given that Dynaheir cannot use Armor, is there any way to improve her survivability in the early game?

I have just emerged out of the Nashkel Mines and repeatedly getting my ass handed to me by the band of assassins nearby -.- I feel underpowered for this encounter. One of them one-shot Minsc and crippled Khalid with one spell. I think some sort of lightning attack.

I'm surprised no one has recommended Shield. It's a 1st-level Evocation spell, so it's Dynaheir's specialty school, and it gives her AC 4 against melee weapons and AC 2 against missiles. It also makes the caster immune to magic missiles from enemy casters, which is really useful (I realized you're talking about Vanilla BG1). You can find a Shield scroll in one of 1st floor bookcases of the house in the NE corner of Nashkel. The only downside is that it lasts for 5 turns.

As @franco said, you can also get a Shield Amulet with 10 charges from one of the merchants at the Nashkel Carnival (the one that sells the scrolls and potions), which is really useful for keeping your mages alive.

For the battle with the assassins, try throwing a few area-affecting spells at them, like Web, Entangle, Grease, and Stinking Cloud. Then have your cleric(s) cast Hold Person and Command at the ones that make their saving throws. You can then pelt them with missile weapons while your party is safely away from the mess.

Thanks, I just bought Shield scroll from High Hedge, along with Horror and one or two others. I've levelled up a bit since my last post, so my party is a bit less squishy now.

By the way, I cannot afford it right now, but I am considering saving up to buy Shadow Armor for Imoen. Is it a reasonable purchase?

It is an alright armor and you should give it to Imoen at some point in the game. But it isn't one of the things you need to rush as she should be using a bow/crossbow and stand behind people. You're also going to be finding alot of studded leather armor +1's from different enemies and those are good enough for you to save shadow armor until later on when you have alot of money to spend.

Here is a shopping list

1.) Make sure you buy full plate / platemails for your melee NPC's first. They will need the protection the most in your party.

2.) Buy large shield +1 to everyone that is using a one handed weapon and can use the shield. This will remove most ranged threats in the game.

3.) Get some good scrolls that will help your mage out (Learn them). Web, sleep, mirror image etc are great spells that will turn the tide of battle in your favor.

4.) You really shouldn't be buying weapons as you find the best ones out in the wilderness and not in a shopkeepers inventory. BUT the dagger of venom and light crossbow of speed are amazing.

5.) When you have geared up all your melee NPC's and got some good spells for your mage(s), buy the shadow armor.

atcDave

I would say the Shadow Armor is a good purchase IF you decide NOT to dual Imoen. As a spellcaster, she can't wear armor and cast, so its just a waste.

ZanathKariashi

In vanilla BG1, it's pretty nice. Combined with boots of stealth, it gives +50 stealth, before any other modifiers, allowing you to basically ignore putting points in stealth at all (I usually just sell the ring of wizardy...you can always come and buy it back later when you have money coming out your ears...but having 65%+ stealth chance at the beginning of the game is just too much to pass up (and there's plenty of wands to cover your spell casting...only Edwin can really abuse the RoW at the beginning of the game anyway, and there's no guarantee a player will use him). If you don't dual her, by the end, she'll have enough points max locks/traps and 80% stealth while using shadow armor and boots of speed, which is the set-up you want if you intend to use her for backstabbing (In vanilla BG1, thieves can use str potions, so save those for enemies you want to explode in gory chunks. It's a large part of why they nerf'd the hell out of backstabbing in the sequel...a good 24 str SoS x4 BS can wipe out 1/3-1/2 of the final bosses hp in one shot)

Heindrich

ZanathKariashi said:

In vanilla BG1, it's pretty nice. Combined with boots of stealth, it gives +50 stealth, before any other modifiers, allowing you to basically ignore putting points in stealth at all (I usually just sell the ring of wizardy...you can always come and buy it back later when you have money coming out your ears...but having 65%+ stealth chance at the beginning of the game is just too much to pass up (and there's plenty of wands to cover your spell casting...only Edwin can really abuse the RoW at the beginning of the game anyway, and there's no guarantee a player will use him). If you don't dual her, by the end, she'll have enough points max locks/traps and 80% stealth while using shadow armor and boots of speed, which is the set-up you want if you intend to use her for backstabbing (In vanilla BG1, thieves can use str potions, so save those for enemies you want to explode in gory chunks. It's a large part of why they nerf'd the hell out of backstabbing in the sequel...a good 24 str SoS x4 BS can wipe out 1/3-1/2 of the final bosses hp in one shot)

I haven't actually tried backstabbing yet. Do you just walk up to an enemy whilst in stealth mode and attack with a melee weapon? My Imoen uses a Short Sword +2, and at lv6, her ThaCO is still pretty bad, so she is still mostly just an archer in battles. That said, thanks to her good Constitution, with AC 0 provided by the Shadow Armour, she actually has good survivability now.

I next intend to buy her the light crossbow of speed as recommended by an earlier commentor, so I can use the nice bolts I've been picking up and make her fire support a bit more effective.

zur312

backstab -> go behind your enemy with a hidden thief and stab with thief weapon
short long sword wakizashi ninja to katana dagger quarterstaff and i think club

but you are right pure thiefs have not good thaco compared to fighters but imoen should stab some squishiy mages and small enemies

[Deleted User]

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zur312

dunno if it is bg1 but bolts of biting and electric bolts are really good

Heindrich

zur312 said:

dunno if it is bg1 but bolts of biting and electric bolts are really good

I've seen arrows of biting, but not bolts...

SionIV

There are bolts of biting, lightning and polymorph in BG1.

ambrennan

Not sure if any enemies drop them but you can buy them ( and a lot of other specialist ammo) at High Hedge.

SCARY_WIZARD

ambrennan said:

I'd either buy a bastard sword +1 if someone in the party uses them ( very rare drops unless you know where to look in Ulgoth's beard) or commission some ankheg armour (since it takes ages and is very nearly as good as full plate but cheaper and lighter I.e. something you can pass on to your cleric when you get better armour for the fighters)

Do you hear that, Viconia? No, seriously, girlfriend gets that so much, it might as well be her canon armour.
When I have hundreds of thousands of golds, I like to buy potions. Particularly, shortly before entering Durlag's Tower...if you can afford some wands, or some robes of the archmagi, then by all means, get those! Other attractive items, in my opinion, are special ammunitions for parties with archers such as Coran or Kivan in them.

kamuizin

Well lemme make some suggestions:

Buckler in Friendly Inn Arm with the gnome inside the inn (give +1 to constitution, always good)

Robe of the (alignment) archmage with the wizard on High Wedge (only good or neutral in this store), also buy here a potion case, protection from magic scrolls (save them for later) and spells to fill your mages spellbooks.

Shadow Armor (for thiefs) with the Blacksmith in Beregost, also he has a poison dagger that is nice.

In Ulgoth's Beard, get the +3 staff, the Cloak of displacement, the harp (for bards if you have one) and the wand of paralization (this one is awesome to have)

In Baldur's Gate get all the arrows of detonation and of dispel you can get in Sorcerous Sundreon store (BG entrance), they're expensive so you gonna spend something like 50-80k more or less to buy them all (based on your charisma+reputation), but they're worth it.