When you complete the Deaths in the Umar Hills quest by speaking to Minister Lloyd, you get 25,000 XP and the Night's Gift +5 leather armor if you tell him you don't need a reward. If you ask for gold, you get 100 GP, the Night's Gift +5, and 28,000 XP. In other words you get 100 extra GP and 3,000 extra XP for being greedy.
Did you know that there are actually a lot of quests/situations in Baldur's Gate where the evil option really is the significantly more profitable option?
* Stealing Algernon's cloak. * Burgling items (e.g. Potion of Clarity and Star Sapphire in Candlekeep, Wand of Lightning in Beregost). * Selling the emeralds you obtained from Prism, rather than turning them in to be returned to their rightful owners. * Keeping Unshey's belt, Noralee's gauntlets, and the Golden Pantaloons for yourself. * Robbing tombs underneath Candlekeep. * Murdering Drizzt. * Murdering people for experience or magic items after you've completed their quests (e.g. Kelddath Ormlyr, Ragefast, Lothander). * Going to a house, breaking down the door, and murdering the inhabitants to get an awesome magic item for yourself (e.g. Helm of Glory, Ring of Wizardry, Ring of Protection +2, Spear +2).
Even better for the emeralds is to give Oublek the emeralds. Charm him with Algernon's Cloak and then get him killed by an assassin. That's the REALLY evil option. You get the emeralds back plus a lot of gold and you don't suffer reputation loss.
Heh, I usually hock em first, steal em back, then give them to him, but that works as well. I spose one could then pickpocket them again and then sell them to a fence for a triple play but not tried that one, not yet. The steal but don't kill method.
Heh, I usually hock em first, steal em back, then give them to him, but that works as well. I spose one could then pickpocket them again and then sell them to a fence for a triple play but not tried that one, not yet. The steal but don't kill method.
Your character is obviously not TRULY evil, his honesty just leaves a little bit to be desired.
The Spectral Guards of Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster are known for being challenging opponents. And there are good reasons for that. Did you know that every single Spectral Guard in Trials of the Luremaster wields a Long Sword of Action +4, the best long sword in the game?
The Spectral Guards of Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster are known for being challenging opponents. And there are good reasons for that. Did you know that every single Spectral Guard in Trials of the Luremaster wields a Long Sword of Action +4, the best long sword in the game?
My trick for killing them was having my sorcerer cast fireshield blue and red, pfmw and stoneskin,then attract lots of them at once. They ended up almost killing themselves.
Did you know that Baldur's Gate has an unused dialog file for Elminster?
The first dialogue in it seems like it would've taken place when you meet Elminster for the first time in the area south of the Friendly Arm Inn. It has an interesting mechanic that you do not see anywhere in the game: it makes the player enter a dialogue option manually.
Elminster: I am a wanderer of the realms not unlike thyself, and thou hast caught my notice. I would ask thee a riddle, just as a point of interest for me, and I have a gift if thy answer is correct. My simple test of logic is thus: You have a mother who had four children. Two were twin girls of quiet demeanor, to be named Spring and Summer. The third child, a hellion of a boy, was named Autumn. What was the given name of the fourth and final child?
Response 1:
<<The player must manually enter the answer. The correct response is
their own name
.>>
Response 2:
Incorrect response.
If the player answers the riddle correctly:
Elminster: Excellent! Basic sensibilities in abundance! I'll not delay thee any longer, for thou art quite capable of the task at hand. Take this potion, though thou may not need it, and go with haste to thy destination. Remember, do not turn down the help of a friendly arm's guidance. I shall see thee again, my friend.
(The dialog doesn't actually make him give you a potion.)
If the player does not answer the riddle correctly:
Elminster: Oh, dear. Well then! Don't dawdle in the woods too long, my young friend. It is dangerous out at night, and I would think that thou would like a FRIENDLY ARM to help GUIDE thee. Yes, , a FRIENDLY ARM IN-deed would be useful. Here's a little something for thy trouble... that thou will undoubtedly encounter. I shall possibly see thee again in thy travels. Goodbye and, well, good luck.
(The dialog doesn't make him give you something for this either.)
I'm not sure where the next quote takes place:
Elminster: Hello again, friend! Thy current path may lead thee to great peril. Be sure that thou hast experienced enough to brave the challenges before thee.
The next three quotes would have taken place after you beat Sarevok. It appears that you would've gotten a different quote depending on your reputation or something like that.
Elminster: Well, hello, friend! 'Twould seem thy journeys turned out for the best after all. I would not expect many great accolades for the killing of Sarevok, however. I imagine that the whole incident shall be hushed rather immediately. Rest assured, though, that many of the prominent citizens of the realms know of thy service and are grateful. A friendly word of warning, however. Those same citizens are watching. See that thou dost not pose as much a threat as thy brother did lest another group of young heroes need be dispatched to deal with thee. Luck be with thee.
Elminster: I see that thou hast survived the trials and tribulations set before thee. I cannot say that I am overly pleased with that, what with thy behavior as a whole. The destruction of Sarevok is a small consolation if thou art determined to follow in his murderous stead. Consider well thy course and destination. 'Twould be a shame to see thee end thy life in the same manner as thy brother.
Elminster: Why, hello! A glorious end to this bit of unpleasant business, was it not? I would not expect great accolades for your efforts, however, as this matter is likely to be hushed as soon as possible. Still, many of the realm know of thy battle and think highly of thee for it. A great evil has been routed. Let us hope that others of this unfortunate heritage do not seek the same path.
Apparently, Planescape Torment has its own version of Biff the Understudy. Its name is The Ubiquitous Zombie.
From the original Planescape Torment readme:
* The Ubiquitous Zombie This bug is believed to be fixed in all situations. If you have a conversation which requires a 3rd person who is not present, The Ubiquitous Zombie will appear and take the part of the other character. This keeps the conversation from crashing the game and ensures the player doesn't miss any critical game dialog. It is a bug, but at least it's fun!
Perhaps the Sigil Troupe in Baldur's Gate 2 should've used this extraplanar zombie as their stand-in for Haer-Dalis, rather than using Biff the Understudy!
In all my years of playing BG, I have never ever come across Biff the Understudy (except in the Sigil troupe play, of course). How common is it, really?
@JoenSo Not very common. There was, like, one encounter in vBG1 that was infamous for causing him to appear (namely completing Alatos's thief guild quest before Narlen's), but it typically doesn't happen unless you are either cheating or trying to make it happen. Also, the programming was changed so that he would no longer appear, IIRC, since vBG2. I know for certain he will not appear in the EEs any longer. Nowadays, instead of summoning a Biff, dialogs with missing NPCs simply end prematurely.
I used to come across the Ubiquitous Zombie in PS: T in Ragpicker's Square - there was a bug in a dialog with Marrow-Friend which triggered him to appear. I think it was fixed even before the EE version.
I never met Biff the Understudy either, except of course in the theater.
Did you know that Baldur's Gate has an unused dialog file for Elminster?
I'm assuming this was drawn up really early into development, and soon after, they decided against manual inputs. Since this dialogue got canned, there was no need to attach items to the dialogue.
Perhaps @AstroBryGuy could implement it into UB (using multiple choice), but I'm guessing he has too much other stuff on his plate.
On evel two of Irenicus Dungeon there is a bookshelf (near mephit cages) which has good chance to drop high level scroll. Including ones like spell trap, spell trigger, simulacrum, etc.
Namarra from The Graveyard District Crypt King has 3 charges per day of Silence 15 yards which unlike cleric spell is party friendly. WIth greater malison enemies save at -9 penalty meaning you can use it pretty much even in late TOB. Weapon doesn't have to be in active slot either, just have in in one of weapon slots. Fantastic weapon against clerics/druids or spirit trolls.
I never even considered using silence against Spirit Trolls! I always deemed Silence 15' Radius a weak option because mages can block it with MGOI and counter it with Vocalize, and the priests of the game are generally not too dangerous. But the Spirit Trolls from Tactics or the Tactics-style SCS component are absolutely deadly--silence could be a major game-changer in those fights.
Yea. It just makes spirit trolls into simply trolls... this allows me to charge into de'arnise and tor'gal very early even with SCS/LOB.
Also, did you know that spell which remove intociation (for instance mass cure) remove the intoxiation status effect but no the portrait icon. For the longest time I thought they didn't work.
Hitstun--the brief animation that plays when a character is hit--can be canceled by issuing an order. If you're trying to run away from an archer but you keep getting hit on the way out and the damage is slowing you down, you can minimize the time lost to hitstun by pausing when the arrow hits, issuing a new order to your character, and then unpausing. The new order will immediately reset the character's animation, canceling the hitstun and buying you a little more time to escape. It's not a lot of time in absolute terms, but a few frames can make the difference between escape and death.
Hitstun can also interrupt attacks. If you hit an enemy enough times in a single round, it's entirely possible to reduce their attacks per round, simply because the hitstun animation overrides the attack animation. The enemy can still compress some of their attacks in between hitstun animations (the attack will be made even if the attack animation doesn't proceed to completion, and only lasts a few frames), but if you force enough damage animations on a target, you can interrupt their attacks just like you could interrupt their movement or their spellcasting.
The Spectral Guards of Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster are known for being challenging opponents. And there are good reasons for that. Did you know that every single Spectral Guard in Trials of the Luremaster wields a Long Sword of Action +4, the best long sword in the game?
My trick for killing them was having my sorcerer cast fireshield blue and red, pfmw and stoneskin,then attract lots of them at once. They ended up almost killing themselves.
IIRC, I made them explode using my Spirit Redeemer's TU plus Invisibility.
Namarra from The Graveyard District Crypt King has 3 charges per day of Silence 15 yards which unlike cleric spell is party friendly. WIth greater malison enemies save at -9 penalty meaning you can use it pretty much even in late TOB. Weapon doesn't have to be in active slot either, just have in in one of weapon slots. Fantastic weapon against clerics/druids or spirit trolls.
When I play as a Wizard Slayer (with or without my version of the kit), I usually keep this sword with me all times exactly because of that.
Did you know, there is a use for the winter wolf pelts you find in Easthaven other than selling them for money?
Orrick the Gray will make you a nifty cloak using five winter wolf pelts (coincidentally, that's the exact number of pelts you find in Easthaven if you include the one found in the container of the house in the SE of the village). It's expensive (3500gp) and not earth-shatteringly powerful but it's pretty cool looking!
Just for fun, I decided to pit some of the toughest melee fighters in Baldur's Gate 1 against each other to see who would win.
I chose Sarevok, Drizzt, Hogarl (from the Black Pits), Albert, and Larze. Each of them used Enchanted Weapon so they'd have no problem hitting any of the others. I got rid of their AI, so they just attack when I tell them to.
[spoiler]Larze vs. Sarevok
Larze vs. Hogarl
Larze vs. Albert
Larze vs. Drizzt
Albert vs. Drizzt
Albert vs. Sarevok
Albert vs. Hogarl
Sarevok vs. Drizzt (this one was close and could have easily gone the other way)
Comments
The steal but don't kill method.
The first dialogue in it seems like it would've taken place when you meet Elminster for the first time in the area south of the Friendly Arm Inn. It has an interesting mechanic that you do not see anywhere in the game: it makes the player enter a dialogue option manually.
Response 1:
Response 2:
If the player answers the riddle correctly:
(The dialog doesn't actually make him give you a potion.)
If the player does not answer the riddle correctly:
(The dialog doesn't make him give you something for this either.)
I'm not sure where the next quote takes place:
The next three quotes would have taken place after you beat Sarevok. It appears that you would've gotten a different quote depending on your reputation or something like that.
The "Used internally" field of EFF files is referenced in the game's code as "m_JeremyIsAnIdiot"
Who is this Jeremy, and what did he do to have his name forever stained in the source?!
There are a few other Jeremys, but those are the others are involved in QA and voice editing, so I'd consider them less likely.
From the original Planescape Torment readme:
This bug is believed to be fixed in all situations. If you have a
conversation which requires a 3rd person who is not present, The Ubiquitous
Zombie will appear and take the part of the other character.
This keeps the conversation from crashing the game and ensures the
player doesn't miss any critical game dialog. It is a bug, but at least
it's fun!
Perhaps the Sigil Troupe in Baldur's Gate 2 should've used this extraplanar zombie as their stand-in for Haer-Dalis, rather than using Biff the Understudy!
I never met Biff the Understudy either, except of course in the theater.
Perhaps @AstroBryGuy could implement it into UB (using multiple choice), but I'm guessing he has too much other stuff on his plate.
Namarra from The Graveyard District Crypt King has 3 charges per day of Silence 15 yards which unlike cleric spell is party friendly. WIth greater malison enemies save at -9 penalty meaning you can use it pretty much even in late TOB. Weapon doesn't have to be in active slot either, just have in in one of weapon slots. Fantastic weapon against clerics/druids or spirit trolls.
Also, did you know that spell which remove intociation (for instance mass cure) remove the intoxiation status effect but no the portrait icon. For the longest time I thought they didn't work.
Hitstun can also interrupt attacks. If you hit an enemy enough times in a single round, it's entirely possible to reduce their attacks per round, simply because the hitstun animation overrides the attack animation. The enemy can still compress some of their attacks in between hitstun animations (the attack will be made even if the attack animation doesn't proceed to completion, and only lasts a few frames), but if you force enough damage animations on a target, you can interrupt their attacks just like you could interrupt their movement or their spellcasting.
Orrick the Gray will make you a nifty cloak using five winter wolf pelts (coincidentally, that's the exact number of pelts you find in Easthaven if you include the one found in the container of the house in the SE of the village). It's expensive (3500gp) and not earth-shatteringly powerful but it's pretty cool looking!
I chose Sarevok, Drizzt, Hogarl (from the Black Pits), Albert, and Larze. Each of them used Enchanted Weapon so they'd have no problem hitting any of the others. I got rid of their AI, so they just attack when I tell them to.
[spoiler]Larze vs. Sarevok
Larze vs. Hogarl
Larze vs. Albert
Larze vs. Drizzt
Albert vs. Drizzt
Albert vs. Sarevok
Albert vs. Hogarl
Sarevok vs. Drizzt (this one was close and could have easily gone the other way)
Sarevok vs. Hogarl
Drizzt vs. Hogarl