The Shield of Balduran was originally available only to the people who pre-ordered or purchased the "special" edition of Baldur's Gate II; the standard version did not come with the two extra merchants. For a short while, at least, many people did not have access to it. In retrospect, I suppose it would have been better to apply Protection from Projectile (83) rather than Physical Mirror/Reflect Projectile (197). Some beholders, though, cast actual spells rather than using their innate abilities. Speaking of their innate abilities, if your saving throw versus spells is pretty good (I would recommend 7 or lower, easily attainable via equipment or potions) then chances are you won't suffer any negative effects at all.
I am still trying to figure out how you can behead a beholder with a vorpal weapon. Cut off an eyestalk, yes--in fact, the original pencil/paper game allowed for the fact that if you physically damaged a beholder it would lose abilities as it lost eye stalks--but given that it is a floating ball it doesn't have a head.
Ah so. That. Well...I suppose we could always put a trigger into each block of behold01.bcs such as !GlobalTimerNotExpired("BeholdWait","LOCALS") then after each ability fires put in the action SetGlobalTimer("BeholdWait","LOCALS",2) and that should slow them down to three gazes per round. I didn't think that innate abilities could be used faster than once per round since beholders have no aura cleansing on them.
I had edited the illithid attacks so that their ability to drain intelligence doesn't work against undead, jellies/slimes/oozes, or golems.
The text editor in NI is very straightforward. Our 11-year-old son has written a few scripts, proving that the process isn't terribly advanced, but it is possible to let it get out of hand (as is true with most things). It is often easier to fix things via script than it is to edit creatures, items, or especially areas.
I haven't installed it since I don't use other people's mods, but I suspect SCS updated beholders to ignore people who have that shield equipped by checking via HasItemEquipped or HasItemEquippedReal. I am sure that plenty of people could confirm or deny this relatively quickly.
I haven't installed it since I don't use other people's mods, but I suspect SCS updated beholders to ignore people who have that shield equipped by checking via HasItemEquipped or HasItemEquippedReal. I am sure that plenty of people could confirm or deny this relatively quickly.
Yeah, SCS Beholders steal Balduran's Shield and the Cloak of Mirroring with their Telekinesis Eye Also, they follow strict P&P rules, when they get more damaged, they use less ray attacks.
Hang on though, surely this is working as intended? Minsc is still Minsc even while polymorphed into any form, and thus any attacks that drain intelligence should continue to work on him? He obviously maintains his own intelligence when polymorphed into another form otherwise the first thing he would do would be to attack the party
I remember a book featuring Drizzt that included a sequence in which a gnome polymorphed himself to swap the location of his brain and lower intestine. Suffice to say, the illithid did not look happy to be slurping excrement.
So, at least according to canon books, Polymorph should be an effective counter to devour brain if the form is appropriate.
In retrospect, I suppose it would have been better to apply Protection from Projectile (83) rather than Physical Mirror/Reflect Projectile (197). Some beholders, though, cast actual spells rather than using their innate abilities.
Those are the opcodes for those effect. 83 = protection from projectile (then you have to tell it which projectiles--arrow, bolt, etc) and 197 = reflect projectile (again, telling it which projectile to reflect--the incoming arrow will be redirected back to its original source).
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Speaking of their innate abilities, if your saving throw versus spells is pretty good (I would recommend 7 or lower, easily attainable via equipment or potions) then chances are you won't suffer any negative effects at all.
I am still trying to figure out how you can behead a beholder with a vorpal weapon. Cut off an eyestalk, yes--in fact, the original pencil/paper game allowed for the fact that if you physically damaged a beholder it would lose abilities as it lost eye stalks--but given that it is a floating ball it doesn't have a head.
I had edited the illithid attacks so that their ability to drain intelligence doesn't work against undead, jellies/slimes/oozes, or golems.
I haven't installed it since I don't use other people's mods, but I suspect SCS updated beholders to ignore people who have that shield equipped by checking via HasItemEquipped or HasItemEquippedReal. I am sure that plenty of people could confirm or deny this relatively quickly.
Also, they follow strict P&P rules, when they get more damaged, they use less ray attacks.
So, at least according to canon books, Polymorph should be an effective counter to devour brain if the form is appropriate.