Dunno if anyone else knows this but I just recently figured this out myself, since I didn't see it explicitly written down anywhere on any BG sites...but this is how thief backstab damage is calculated:
(base weapon damage + BASE physical damage bonus from magical weapons + proficiency bonus damage + kit damage bonus + weapon style bonus damage) x multiplier + strength bonus = total; total doubled if critical
So the best ways to increase your backstab damage is by using katanas, or with anything else with a high base damage that straight-up thieves can use. Outside of that, there's Assassin (higher multiplier and +1 kit damage bonus); dual-classing into Fighter; dual-classing from Kensai (or into Kensai, if you want to use EEKeeper); and using weapons that are heavily enchanted such as the Staff of the Ram.
Also elemental damage don't multiply too. Which makes the first level priest spell shillelagh a lot more useful spell for cleric-thieves, than the second level flame blade.
Did you know that you can kill the Jailkeep Golem (the golem next to the starting BG2 cells) for free 5000 XP - the Golem remains neutral when you hit him (and to hit him, you need a crushing weapon of +1 or more)?
Did you know that you can kill the Jailkeep Golem (the golem next to the starting BG2 cells) for free 5000 XP - the Golem remains neutral when you hit him (and to hit him, you need a crushing weapon of +1 or more)?
You can also kill him with The Burning Earth sword, which is perhaps the top reason why I usually import that sword over other options.
Did you know that you can kill the Jailkeep Golem (the golem next to the starting BG2 cells) for free 5000 XP - the Golem remains neutral when you hit him (and to hit him, you need a crushing weapon of +1 or more)?
You can also kill him with The Burning Earth sword, which is perhaps the top reason why I usually import that sword over other options.
Did you know that you can kill the Jailkeep Golem (the golem next to the starting BG2 cells) for free 5000 XP - the Golem remains neutral when you hit him (and to hit him, you need a crushing weapon of +1 or more)?
You can also kill him with The Burning Earth sword, which is perhaps the top reason why I usually import that sword over other options.
I typically just use Jaheira's Shillelagh.
I think that is actually the only time I've heard Shillelagh having a use
@elminster , I just had her use Shillelagh against a mummy in Kresselack's Tomb in IWD. IWD has a lot of monsters that require magic weapons to hit in the very early game, with no access to any +1 clubs or staves for a druid, so the spell becomes situationally very useful there.
In the same time, Irenicus as a character was created by Ross Gardner during a D&D game. Ross Gardner (http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,6531/) was a designer and a writer for BG, now he's a technical director for the Sword Coast Legends.
I've searched a little more and have found an interview with Cameron Tofer in which he talks about origins of Minsc and Boo:
- We were kind of working on our own games... I guess the story goes, James Olin (the Baldur’s Gate Lead Designer), we shared an apartment in college. So there was the crew of us and when we hooked up with BioWare we were making our little games and stuff and we all got hired at once. It was James, Dean, Ben, then later Ross and all those guys – the original D&D campaign. So all those Baldur’s Gate characters like Minsc or whatever, they were all from our high school campaign.
- The BG characters had years of role-playing behind them. There’s huge depth of character, at least to us.
- In the original campaign, Sarevok was just another player character in our group. He was a ranger as well in the campaign. So it was Minsc and Sarevok, and Sarevok had this, Sarevok had that...
- That’s where Boo came along because one evening we’re doing level ups and he can get a thing now. “Can I have a bear?” “No.” “Can I have a wolf?” “No.” “What can I have?” So we started looking through and then we found this *laughing* Spelljammer book... “miniature giant space hamster.”
In the latest Familiar Magazine issue, there's an excellent article that can serve as a continuation of this story.
"Minsc, Edwin and Xan came from a PnP campaign that began around 1993. James Ohlen of BioWare was the DM.
According to Tofer, he was playing a lot of Civilization at that time and he played the Russians, and so Minsc was named after the city. He was based off some horrible rolls - his INT, Tofer just fumbled that. And because he joined late he was a couple of levels behind everyone."
"Minsc was knocked out in the first round of pretty much every fight. When Tofer finally levelled up enough to get a companion, that's how he got Boo. Boo was the only character he could play because Minsc was always knocked out"
"Eventually when we started leveling up, Minsc was pretty badass. On the character sheet, Minsc is listed as having a sister. Yeah, but she cam in late, she didn't really play a role. It was just Minsc lying unconcious and Boo running around doing everything".
The issue has photos of character sheets of Minsc and Boo from that PnP game (!!!) Over 20 years old and full of detail.
Ross Gardner played Jon Icarus (yay, the BG1 easter egg). "I changed the name because of its connection with Greek Mythology", says Ohlen.
Jeff Veitenheimer played a ranger named Sarevok, who was also Minsc's big brother.
"Sarevok had a vorpal sword and was really badass. Everything was "Sarevok this" and "Sarevok that", says Tofer.
Sean Carriere played Edwin, a wizard, and Dean Anderson played Bodi, Jon Icarus's sister.
Ben Smedstad played Xan. "Ben was literally Xan", Tofer recalls.
"Every campaign we started, we'd be naked in a jail cell", says Tofer. "Ohlen would say, Ok, you wake up. Naked. In a jail cell. OH NO, NOT AGAIN! EVERY TIME!"
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
"The trope did probably influence BG2."
I have to say, THANK YOU to @Amber_Scott ! This is probably the most important information about the world of BG I have ever read. It's very, very pleasant to learn these things. I literally grow up on Irenicus, Minsc and Edwin. And now I know how they appeared.
This is exactly why the Familiar Magazine is an awesome idea! And thanks to all participants of those PnP games who gave Amber this interview. Now these facts will be known to BG fans!
After you finish Nalia's keep quest and lead her outside, if you are playing a character that can unlock her stronghold and you say farewell to her and go on without worrying about her other quests, she will give you 650 gold. On the other hand, if you let her start talking about the problem of Roenall, she will give you 10650 gold. If you are not using a character that can unlock her stronghold, you will get the 10650 gold no matter what dialogue option you choose.
In BG1, it is possible to avoid the encounter where the dagger containing the demon is stolen from you. I managed to get my party invisible and return the dagger to the dwarf Stoneblade. Unfortunately, he didn't respond to it. I had to go outside, let the dagger be stolen and complete the quest from there.
I'm tempted to find out what would happen if you manage to kill the mage who summons the demon before she can start dialogue. If she dies before she can summon it, would it just break the quest? I'll try to find out in my next playthrough...
I'm tempted to find out what would happen if you manage to kill the mage who summons the demon before she can start dialogue. If she dies before she can summon it, would it just break the quest? I'll try to find out in my next playthrough...
It used to break the quest because Aec wouldn't come. I think they fixed that in v1.3 though...
When you go to Spellhold in the vanilla game (either by entering the area from Brynnlaw or by convincing Desharik that you need to be confined) you see a short cinematic showing the route from Brynnlaw across the bridge to Spellhold. The cinematic ends with the door to the right opening. But when you get there, you have to enter by the door to the left.
Hope this is not too much repetition, but hey, DA2 - probably not! :-p (love it a lot, perso)
First use of spoiler tag, so hope it goes - very minor anyway:
Even if your character cannot intimidate Harbor Master Liam's assistant to give you the cargo location for free, if you have Isabela in your party, she'll suggest you sneak a peek at the records at night. 2 sovereign saved there, few XP for Mabari guard-dogs... Took me ages to figure out!
Small thing, but can find at least two Mythal's Blessing potions at shops for significantly less than it would cost to make yourself during game.
BioWare's crafty lore-building is legendary, but Flemeth!
Anyone else noticed that when she gives her advice to Hawke on top of Sundermount, she says "The world will fear the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment, and do not hesitate to leap! Only then you will learn if you can fly."
Mere coincidence, with "Here Lies the Abyss" being a quest in Inquisition? I think not. Gotta love her!
Did not go... Gääh! And i searched the instruction thread and all, and copied pasted the tags, and wrote inbetween.
Could anyone write it out for me, please, putting for example quotation marks around the tags so I can see how exactly I should write them out? I'd really appreciate it! Would dearly hate this to remain "not known" category...
Did not go... Gääh! And i searched the instruction thread and all, and copied pasted the tags, and wrote inbetween.
Could anyone write it out for me, please, putting for example quotation marks around the tags so I can see how exactly I should write them out? I'd really appreciate it! Would dearly hate this to remain "not known" category...
Get rid of the spaces in the spoiler tags.
stuff
Hit quote at the bottom of my post to see how it should look.
Did you know: If you use Polymorph Self -> Sword Spider, you can then cast Shocking Grasp via a scroll or sequencer, attack to consume it, then wield whatever weapon you like while enjoying extra attacks per round. A neat trick for mage/thieves and bards in particular. Consider this the fairer version of the Melf's Minute Meteors exploit.
It works especially well with Cleric/Mages and Jan. Cleric/Mages can fit DUHM in the same sequencer, and have other cleric buffs that are normally limited by a cleric's low APR. They can also use weapons like the Flail of Ages.
Jan also benefits disproportionately from spider form, as his flashers are balanced assuming he has low APR. With Firetooth, he can deal physical and fire damage and inflict a nonmagical stun effect as a party-friendly area effect which can bypass enemy weapon immunities if you use a separate target. It's actually possible to stun-lock Kangaxx using Jan's flashers.
Ghoul Touch is another strong option, as it fits into a Minor Sequencer and is inordinately good at paralyzing its target. Another option that's only weak because it usually has low APR.
Did you know that the merchant you save from a thug at the gates pings evil? It's little details like that which make the game more realistic. I like seeing the evil merchant as the victim who actually behaves pretty properly.
In IWD:EE, you can actually lower certain enemies' fire resistance using the cleric spell Protection from Fire. The spell sets fire resistance to 80% rather than increasing it. Although 80% fire resistance is still very high, it lets you deal some limited damage using fire spells even against fire immune enemies.
Brennan Risling, the thief from Mencar Pebblecrusher's gang, is also in BG1. He is encountered in the dockyard in Baldur's Gate, presumably pre-Mencar.
Probably others know this, but I've found it only when I actually tried a kensai for the very first time ever
There's a big difference when the game says you: "This kit gets certain bonuses every X levels starting from level 1" and "This kit gets certain bonuses every X levels".
For example, the description of a kensai says they get +1 to damage and THAC0 rolls every 3 levels, without mentioning "starting from level 1", which means that at the 1st level they don't get these bonuses. They get their first bonuses at the 3rd level.
Did you know that if you were rolling stats organically using 3d6, you would have a 1 in 101,559,956,668,416 chance of getting 18s in every stat? That is 1 in 100 trillion. And if you want STR 18/00 to go with that, it's 1 in 10,155,995,666,841,600. That's 1 in 10 quadrillion!
So if you ever do that and you try to rationalise it by saying "my PC is one of the most powerful people on the planet", think again. Because if you use Earth as the comparison and assume a population of 7 billion, you would not only be the most powerful person on Earth, you could have 1,450,856 planets each with a population of 7 billion, and you would be the most powerful person on all those planets!
Let's look at it another way. If you actually tried to roll those stats, and went through every possible dice roll combination to get there, and if we imagine you could make 1 roll per second, it would take you 322,044,510 years to get there. That's 322 million years. I suspect they might even have created a better game than BG2 by then.
Comments
Also elemental damage don't multiply too. Which makes the first level priest spell shillelagh a lot more useful spell for cleric-thieves, than the second level flame blade.
You can also kill him with The Burning Earth sword, which is perhaps the top reason why I usually import that sword over other options.
In the latest Familiar Magazine issue, there's an excellent article that can serve as a continuation of this story.
"Minsc, Edwin and Xan came from a PnP campaign that began around 1993. James Ohlen of BioWare was the DM.
According to Tofer, he was playing a lot of Civilization at that time and he played the Russians, and so Minsc was named after the city. He was based off some horrible rolls - his INT, Tofer just fumbled that. And because he joined late he was a couple of levels behind everyone."
"Minsc was knocked out in the first round of pretty much every fight. When Tofer finally levelled up enough to get a companion, that's how he got Boo. Boo was the only character he could play because Minsc was always knocked out"
"Eventually when we started leveling up, Minsc was pretty badass. On the character sheet, Minsc is listed as having a sister. Yeah, but she cam in late, she didn't really play a role. It was just Minsc lying unconcious and Boo running around doing everything".
The issue has photos of character sheets of Minsc and Boo from that PnP game (!!!) Over 20 years old and full of detail.
Ross Gardner played Jon Icarus (yay, the BG1 easter egg). "I changed the name because of its connection with Greek Mythology", says Ohlen.
Jeff Veitenheimer played a ranger named Sarevok, who was also Minsc's big brother.
"Sarevok had a vorpal sword and was really badass. Everything was "Sarevok this" and "Sarevok that", says Tofer.
Sean Carriere played Edwin, a wizard, and Dean Anderson played Bodi, Jon Icarus's sister.
Ben Smedstad played Xan. "Ben was literally Xan", Tofer recalls.
"Every campaign we started, we'd be naked in a jail cell", says Tofer. "Ohlen would say, Ok, you wake up. Naked. In a jail cell. OH NO, NOT AGAIN! EVERY TIME!"
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
"The trope did probably influence BG2."
I have to say, THANK YOU to @Amber_Scott ! This is probably the most important information about the world of BG I have ever read. It's very, very pleasant to learn these things. I literally grow up on Irenicus, Minsc and Edwin. And now I know how they appeared.
This is exactly why the Familiar Magazine is an awesome idea! And thanks to all participants of those PnP games who gave Amber this interview. Now these facts will be known to BG fans!
(1) Minsc used to be a slave...
(2) Before his head wound, his racial enemy choice was Githyanki...
(3) Before his head wound, he had Int 10, Wis 15 and Cha 14.
After the head wound, his stats were reduced to Int 8, Wis 6, Cha 9.
Makes you wonder what he was like pre-gnoll ambush.
I'm tempted to find out what would happen if you manage to kill the mage who summons the demon before she can start dialogue. If she dies before she can summon it, would it just break the quest? I'll try to find out in my next playthrough...
It used to break the quest because Aec wouldn't come. I think they fixed that in v1.3 though...
First use of spoiler tag, so hope it goes - very minor anyway:
Small thing, but can find at least two Mythal's Blessing potions at shops for significantly less than it would cost to make yourself during game.
BioWare's crafty lore-building is legendary, but Flemeth!
Anyone else noticed that when she gives her advice to Hawke on top of Sundermount, she says "The world will fear the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment, and do not hesitate to leap! Only then you will learn if you can fly."
Mere coincidence, with "Here Lies the Abyss" being a quest in Inquisition? I think not. Gotta love her!
Could anyone write it out for me, please, putting for example quotation marks around the tags so I can see how exactly I should write them out? I'd really appreciate it! Would dearly hate this to remain "not known" category...
Get rid of the spaces in the spoiler tags.
Hit quote at the bottom of my post to see how it should look.
Jan also benefits disproportionately from spider form, as his flashers are balanced assuming he has low APR. With Firetooth, he can deal physical and fire damage and inflict a nonmagical stun effect as a party-friendly area effect which can bypass enemy weapon immunities if you use a separate target. It's actually possible to stun-lock Kangaxx using Jan's flashers.
Ghoul Touch is another strong option, as it fits into a Minor Sequencer and is inordinately good at paralyzing its target. Another option that's only weak because it usually has low APR.
Druid shapeshifting tokens are transferable across all druid classes.
So in practice, your totemic druid could summon spirit wolves, then use Jahiera's token to become a wolf him/herself.
Or the base druid, likewise, can have access to werewolf tokens and all token produced by avengers.
If you tell the Troll Cook that you killed Chief DigDag, he will rejoice at his freedom and run out of the room with happy fingers.
There's a big difference when the game says you: "This kit gets certain bonuses every X levels starting from level 1" and "This kit gets certain bonuses every X levels".
For example, the description of a kensai says they get +1 to damage and THAC0 rolls every 3 levels, without mentioning "starting from level 1", which means that at the 1st level they don't get these bonuses. They get their first bonuses at the 3rd level.
So if you ever do that and you try to rationalise it by saying "my PC is one of the most powerful people on the planet", think again. Because if you use Earth as the comparison and assume a population of 7 billion, you would not only be the most powerful person on Earth, you could have 1,450,856 planets each with a population of 7 billion, and you would be the most powerful person on all those planets!
Let's look at it another way. If you actually tried to roll those stats, and went through every possible dice roll combination to get there, and if we imagine you could make 1 roll per second, it would take you 322,044,510 years to get there. That's 322 million years. I suspect they might even have created a better game than BG2 by then.
Amazing what you can do with 18d6 and 1d100