Old timer newbie tips for ad&d in BG2EE
canivalbella
Member Posts: 9
Happy to see the remake of this classic but figured I could throw out a few tips for newcomers of the game esp with regards to combat, npcs and classes.
There are minor spoilers like npc names and item names
Combat
THAC0- to hit armor class 0. The lower this is the easier it is to hit things. A THAC0 of 15 means you need a 15 (on a random 1-20) to hit an AC 0, a 10 to hit AC 5 and a 20 to hit Ac -5 and below. A 1 is always a miss and a 20 is always a hit.
AC- the lower the better. Increasingly less yeild by late game. You will get hit, making damage mitigation and avoidance more useful. AC is useless for avoiding most (95%) of ranged spells.
Saving throws- These are what keep you alive much of the time (after hit points). Again a random 1-20 roll. If you roll less than your saving throw value you succeed the roll --> therefore lower saves are better. This also means some races (gnomes, dwarves and halflings) are extremely powerful in the mid to late game due to their racial save vs spell bonuses.
Spells- Unlike other dnd games caster less and int/wis does not affect how hard spells are to resist. Targets of your spells always resist based on their saving throws. This makes some spells e.g. chaos and confusion, very powerful due to their save penalties. Caster level usually increases spell duration and damage.
Number of attacks- Only fighters, monks and fighter sub classes (ranger, paladin) get extra attacks with increasing levels. Fighters get and extra 1/2 attack at level 7 and 13. Extra attacks can also be gained by weapon specialization and grand master specialization (each give 1/2 an attack in bgEE unlike the original BG2 where you only got a 1/2 for specialization). So a level 13 fighter with a single proficiency in shortsword will attack twice per round. If he's a specialized with shortswords he'll attack 5/2 rounds (i.e. 5 attacks over 2 rounds) if he's grandmaster with shortswords it'll be 3 attacks per round. A level 40 thief will proficient in shortswords will attack 1 per round. Off-hand weapons only attack once per round regardless of proficiency- unless the weapons has an extra attack ability.
Dual class your fighters at level 13!!!
Other classes can get extra attacks by using a weapon in their off hand which give another attack at a stiff penalty- mitigated by putting proficiencies into 2 weapon fighting. There are four items that give extra attacks- a shortsword, a scimitar, a monk only sword, and a pair of gauntlets. So a thief/bard with the use any item ability can get 9 attacks every 2 rounds by equiping three of these items.
Max attacks used to be 5 per round. Not sure what it is now.
With monks it is fun (but difficult to do well) to equip scarlet ninja-to in the off hand --> your main hand will get your usually bonus attacks + you get 2 more per round from the sword.
Killing mages- Can be irritating. Look for weapons with some elemental damage to bypass stoneskin. Use true sight to bypass all illusions. Use breach (may need a lot of these) to make them vulnerable to melee and missile weapons. Worse case scenario you can do a war of attrition --> hide with the mage off screen and make him exhaust his spells by send summons after him (yes he will waste level 9 spells on a lone goblin or war dog)
Items
Most powerful item in the game (on a cost : benefit basis)- is...... the lowly helmet. Protection from critical hits is amazing and available for ~10gp! Lack of this item is often why your melee bard, kensai, thief and monk are sometimes gibbed into a fine red paste in the mid to late game. Unlike other dnd games protection from critically hits does nothing to protect from backstabs (i.e. thief and stalker sneak attacks).
Armor- for your human, elf, h-elf and h-orc avoid magic armor. Wearing magic armor prohibits wearing rings and cloaks of protection. Rings and cloaks of protection improve saving throws which in the mid to late game is more improtant than an extra -1 or -2 to AC. Halflings, dwarves and gnomes (and paladins) can get away with using magic armor due to their Constitution based (paladin class) bonus to saves vs. spells.
Attributes
Attributes- Constitution: Only fighter and their sub-classes (paladin, ranger) benefit from a constitution greater than 16 with regards to hit points. An you only get a bonus starting at a score of 15.
-Strength: Only fighters and their subclasses get exceptional strength i.e. 18 + a 01-00 percentage. You only start to get a bonus to damage with a score of 16, and a bonus to THAC0 from a score of 17. You can get a strength of 19 for non-fighter classes which gives huge bonuses via the Candlekeep tome in BGEE, the machine of Lum the Mad in BG2EE or by being half orc and maxing your strength.
-Dexterity: No difference between a dex of 19 and 20. You start to get a bonus to AC at 15. You start to get a bonus to hit with ranged at a score of 16.
-Inteligence: Learn more wizard spells/ level more easily. At 19 intelligence there is no limit to the number of spells learned per spell level. Wizards do not get extra spells for high intelligence.
-Wisdom: Get more cleric spells slots the higher this is!
-Charisma: Better prices at shops
Attributes do not affect saving throws except with dwarves, gnomes and halflings and their constitution.
You can get amazing attributes cheat free coming up through BG to ToB (tomes of BG, end of SoA, and macine of lum the mad: +2str, +2(+1) dex, +2 con, +2 int, +5(!!!!!) wis and +2charisma. so yes your natural maximum for a human bg -->bg2 character are str 20, dex 20, con 20, Int 20, wis 23 and charisma 20 before adding any equipment or spells!!
Remember you sacrifice an attribute point of your choosing in SoA and at the end pf SoA possibly loose a point of dexterity.
There are minor spoilers like npc names and item names
Combat
THAC0- to hit armor class 0. The lower this is the easier it is to hit things. A THAC0 of 15 means you need a 15 (on a random 1-20) to hit an AC 0, a 10 to hit AC 5 and a 20 to hit Ac -5 and below. A 1 is always a miss and a 20 is always a hit.
AC- the lower the better. Increasingly less yeild by late game. You will get hit, making damage mitigation and avoidance more useful. AC is useless for avoiding most (95%) of ranged spells.
Saving throws- These are what keep you alive much of the time (after hit points). Again a random 1-20 roll. If you roll less than your saving throw value you succeed the roll --> therefore lower saves are better. This also means some races (gnomes, dwarves and halflings) are extremely powerful in the mid to late game due to their racial save vs spell bonuses.
Spells- Unlike other dnd games caster less and int/wis does not affect how hard spells are to resist. Targets of your spells always resist based on their saving throws. This makes some spells e.g. chaos and confusion, very powerful due to their save penalties. Caster level usually increases spell duration and damage.
Number of attacks- Only fighters, monks and fighter sub classes (ranger, paladin) get extra attacks with increasing levels. Fighters get and extra 1/2 attack at level 7 and 13. Extra attacks can also be gained by weapon specialization and grand master specialization (each give 1/2 an attack in bgEE unlike the original BG2 where you only got a 1/2 for specialization). So a level 13 fighter with a single proficiency in shortsword will attack twice per round. If he's a specialized with shortswords he'll attack 5/2 rounds (i.e. 5 attacks over 2 rounds) if he's grandmaster with shortswords it'll be 3 attacks per round. A level 40 thief will proficient in shortswords will attack 1 per round. Off-hand weapons only attack once per round regardless of proficiency- unless the weapons has an extra attack ability.
Dual class your fighters at level 13!!!
Other classes can get extra attacks by using a weapon in their off hand which give another attack at a stiff penalty- mitigated by putting proficiencies into 2 weapon fighting. There are four items that give extra attacks- a shortsword, a scimitar, a monk only sword, and a pair of gauntlets. So a thief/bard with the use any item ability can get 9 attacks every 2 rounds by equiping three of these items.
Max attacks used to be 5 per round. Not sure what it is now.
With monks it is fun (but difficult to do well) to equip scarlet ninja-to in the off hand --> your main hand will get your usually bonus attacks + you get 2 more per round from the sword.
Killing mages- Can be irritating. Look for weapons with some elemental damage to bypass stoneskin. Use true sight to bypass all illusions. Use breach (may need a lot of these) to make them vulnerable to melee and missile weapons. Worse case scenario you can do a war of attrition --> hide with the mage off screen and make him exhaust his spells by send summons after him (yes he will waste level 9 spells on a lone goblin or war dog)
Items
Most powerful item in the game (on a cost : benefit basis)- is...... the lowly helmet. Protection from critical hits is amazing and available for ~10gp! Lack of this item is often why your melee bard, kensai, thief and monk are sometimes gibbed into a fine red paste in the mid to late game. Unlike other dnd games protection from critically hits does nothing to protect from backstabs (i.e. thief and stalker sneak attacks).
Armor- for your human, elf, h-elf and h-orc avoid magic armor. Wearing magic armor prohibits wearing rings and cloaks of protection. Rings and cloaks of protection improve saving throws which in the mid to late game is more improtant than an extra -1 or -2 to AC. Halflings, dwarves and gnomes (and paladins) can get away with using magic armor due to their Constitution based (paladin class) bonus to saves vs. spells.
Attributes
Attributes- Constitution: Only fighter and their sub-classes (paladin, ranger) benefit from a constitution greater than 16 with regards to hit points. An you only get a bonus starting at a score of 15.
-Strength: Only fighters and their subclasses get exceptional strength i.e. 18 + a 01-00 percentage. You only start to get a bonus to damage with a score of 16, and a bonus to THAC0 from a score of 17. You can get a strength of 19 for non-fighter classes which gives huge bonuses via the Candlekeep tome in BGEE, the machine of Lum the Mad in BG2EE or by being half orc and maxing your strength.
-Dexterity: No difference between a dex of 19 and 20. You start to get a bonus to AC at 15. You start to get a bonus to hit with ranged at a score of 16.
-Inteligence: Learn more wizard spells/ level more easily. At 19 intelligence there is no limit to the number of spells learned per spell level. Wizards do not get extra spells for high intelligence.
-Wisdom: Get more cleric spells slots the higher this is!
-Charisma: Better prices at shops
Attributes do not affect saving throws except with dwarves, gnomes and halflings and their constitution.
You can get amazing attributes cheat free coming up through BG to ToB (tomes of BG, end of SoA, and macine of lum the mad: +2str, +2(+1) dex, +2 con, +2 int, +5(!!!!!) wis and +2charisma. so yes your natural maximum for a human bg -->bg2 character are str 20, dex 20, con 20, Int 20, wis 23 and charisma 20 before adding any equipment or spells!!
Remember you sacrifice an attribute point of your choosing in SoA and at the end pf SoA possibly loose a point of dexterity.
2
Comments
Two things: Regarding saving throws: I think that you meant to write "If you roll equal to or more than your saving throw value you succeed the roll."
Regarding dual-class fighters: While some players might be fine with dual-classing at level 13 -- and it is, I suppose, the 'optimal' level at which to do so -- I've never had the patience for it. You end up spending much of the game working up to level 14 in your new class, which can be quite tedious. This is especially the case for mages and clerics.