Rule update?
Dark_Ansem
Member Posts: 992
just how possible could it be to update the enhanced edition games to the 3.5 or NEXT set of rules?
AFAIK there has been a 3.5 attempt for either BG or Icewind dale, but I'd like more info on this
AFAIK there has been a 3.5 attempt for either BG or Icewind dale, but I'd like more info on this
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Attempts you're referencing are probably NWN mods. There was Icewind Dale port for NWN2 I think.
it could simply mean to release the source code
There's also the 3D BG mod. I assume it uses 3e as it uses the NWN engine...
Baldur's Gate NWN (3D) mod
Somewhat related:
The Spell Revisions mod has some 3e flavor in that spells are a bit more balanced (relative to eachother) and there are a lot of save penalties.
BG2 Tweaks has an install option that gives a save penalty to spells dependent on spellcaster level.
[Note: as of Tweaks v14 and BG:EE v1.20 I had consistent text errors with the mod and stopped trying. Something to do with dialog.tlk and items; shift error in text references I guess; might not apply to the save penalty option of the mod...]
You could do the same thing with Wisdom for clerics and druids, letting it grant the appropriate bonus to spells per day--and you could modify the Lore bonus to be a linear progression (assuming that every 5 points is a +1, and you get a +1 for every two points above 10 your ability score is, so just multiply that expected bonus by 5).
Charisma works the same way; just make it a linear progression that penalizes sub-10 scores and rewards 12+ scores in a linear progression.
Next thing you would need to do--and this would be important for balance reasons more than anything else--is change the proficiency benefits and penalties. Instead of boosting APR, specialization and above should just grant bonuses to attack and damage rolls; and warrior classes should get a bonus attack every five levels.
There's definitely room to do a lot of it. Not quite all of it, but enough to at least make character creation work the way you want it to.
5e would actually be a lot easier, since you don't need to worry about feats, and there aren't any prestige classes to worry about. Archetypes could easily be represented by kits, and even weapons are easier (when you wield a longsword in two hands it essentially becomes a different weapon dealing different damage).
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#templates
There's no "template" mechanic in the Infinity Engine, AFAIK. Of course, you could modify an existing CRE as part of a mod install. You could modify a creature's THAC0, hit points, hit dice, stats, AC, etc.. Some creatures are paletted, so you could change their colors to change appearance (some aren't). Modifying size would be an issue, since the sprite would be the same size. If you give the creature special abilities or spells (e.g., you make a half-dragon kobold and want to give the creature a breath weapon), you'd need to remember to give the creature a combat script that uses the abilities/spells.
For example, saving throws were pretty easy to change. Armor Class and THAC0 can basically just be inverted (i.e. a +1 AC in 5E = -1 AC in 2E).
Some of the classes can be converted almost directly from the 5E Player's Handbook (such as Champion [Fighter] and Berserker [Barbarian]). Spellcasters in 5E were a bit of a hassle, but I believe Wolpak has devised a way of making any class cast like a Sorcerer through creative use of the opcode used by NRD; I'm quite excited to try this out instead of forcing all spellcasters to Sorcerers. Non-spellcasting class features (with the exception of Turn Undead) are all pretty straightforward.
So far the most difficult thing to get working was the advantage/neutral/disadvantage system, but if you're willing to tweak the bounded accuracy of 5th edition by a little bit in extreme cases (disadvantage on very low rolls or advantage on very high rolls), you can get something like that system working just fine too.
I just happen to know all of this for no reason in particular... >.> No reason at all...
Example: A Wizard can prepare a number of spells = Wizard Level + Intelligence Modifier. Note this is just a flat "number of spells" not "number of spells per spell level". A level 3 Wizard with 16 Int can prepare 6 total spells (3 for caster level, +3 for 16 Int).
For casting spells, spellcasters have the usual table of spells per day per spell level. A 3rd level Wizard has four 1st level spells per day and two 2nd level spells. To cast a spell she expends a slot equal to the spell's level (or higher), but it doesn't remove the spell from her list of prepared spells (i.e., she can cast it again).
Many spells are also now scalable, i.e. casting them with a higher level slot increases their potency. For example, there is now only Cure Wounds, a 1st level cleric spell (no Cure Light Wounds, Cure Moderate Wounds, etc..). It heals 1d8+ability modifier hit points. Using a higher level slot adds an addition 1d8 to the amount of hit points healed.
Also, spellcasters have access to 0-level cantrips (# known increases with level), which can be used without limit.