30) I think dark elves are overrated and ridiculous as a story concept. I've never used Viconia in any of my games. I have no interest in using Viconia in any of my games. I couldn't care less about Drizzt, the novels about him, or his fracking scimitars. I help him defeat the gnolls in my BG1 games because I always play good alignment, and that's the end of it. Dark elves, Schmark elves. I honestly don't get the appeal. I think they're a misandrystic race that only exists in the Forgotten Realms for some kind of misguided fan service. Bleagh.
"Male, get me something to eat!" Puh-leeze. What would be the reaction if some fictional male character actually said in a game, "Female, get me something to eat!" Honestly, some people!
There was a time when I was very into the whole dark elf scene, though now my views generally align with yours.
On the Viconia remark—that's exactly why I find her lines so funny. For all the people that consider Arie tolerable—I'm not one of them—I find odd that they clash so hard with Viconia's character. I see it for the mockery to that type of pomp that she represents, more a parody than an actual taking her character seriously. Therefore, I take great pleasure in seeing her flit about certain situations. Arie on the other hand, I feel more as a contrived attempt at plucking my emotional heartstrings, and I don't have any patience taking that cliche scenario she represents seriously.
-I don't like powerplay runs -I will knowingly sacrifice item/quest/companion acquisition dependent on the likely dialogue response my character would make. -I like to generate my character on their first roll with no reallocation. You do not get to choose your genetics when you are born.
Yes, my current run with a Neutral Evil, Half-Elf, Fighter/Thief with:
12 Str 12 Dex 7 Con <- yes, ouch 16 Int 14 Wis 14 Char (port into bg2 13/13/8/17/17/15 tomes)
Is the funnest run I'm having so far. It feels like I'm roleplaying an actual character, rather than piloting a min/maxed munchkin It forces me to allocate items differently, i.e. thieves don't usually bother with dex gauntlets, mine does.
I roleplay his above average mind stats into his decision making and companion composition. Despite him being "evil" it doesn't dictate his reputation which is always 16-20. He doesn't surround himself with an "evil" party, knowing that it's not wise to surround yourself with ambitious and competitive untrustworthy types. Clandestine evil is perhaps the most successful.
-I like to generate my character on their first roll with no reallocation. You do not get to choose your genetics when you are born.
That's an interesting idea and I think I will try that sometime. However the problem is that in this game you choose the class before the abilities. We don't choose our genetic, but we often train according to our abilities. From a role-playing perspective it would be interesting to imagine what made that guy become a F/T with so low Str, Dex and Con. He would have made a decent mage/cleric and was raised in a perfect place for that.
Choosing a certain kit can ensure that you will get certain minimum. Shadowdancer has a minimum DEX of 15, compared to 9 for F/T
its usually better to have a cleric cast healing magic on a warrior than have him waste an action drinking a potion. The warrior likely has a much better damage per action than the cleric does, and its not a good use of his/her time to waste an action drinking a potion. Obviously this can vary if the warrior needs immediate healing, or if the cleric has something clearly more important to do. But in melee I most often prefer to keep my damage dealers dealing damage, while my support characters provide support.
That is an unpopular opinion!
In a word, drinking a potion is instantaneous unless you're mis-timing it. Any alternative to a potion will cost just as much time, or more time--never less. There is no tradeoff between drinking a potion and making an attack roll. Your warriors can drink potions without worrying about their attack power.
This was extremely useful information.
Although I would add there is that significant "unless" attached to it. So even if there are more situations when the potion is the better choice than I had assumed, there are still plenty of times when it is better to stick with the cleric.
That's an interesting idea and I think I will try that sometime. However the problem is that in this game you choose the class before the abilities. We don't choose our genetic, but we often train according to our abilities. From a role-playing perspective it would be interesting to imagine what made that guy become a F/T with so low Str, Dex and Con. He would have made a decent mage/cleric and was raised in a perfect place for that.
Choosing a certain kit can ensure that you will get certain minimum. Shadowdancer has a minimum DEX of 15, compared to 9 for F/T
Yeah I can see how it could pose a problem if you are having difficulty justifying a profession with contradictory stats. I guess it just boils down to how well you can lawyer your way through a reasoning.
For example, my f/t has average str/dex. It might seem low compared to 18/18 but its still by all means normal. So my guy is no Altiar, I can live with that. He's just a regular person. Candlekeep is indeed a good setting for a c/m. However, I can still argue the f/t route. You have plenty of martial influence from so many guards crowded around such a small fortress. Thief influence from growing up as a child with Imoen.
His Con is a bit on the low side, the bare minimum of what I would call average. This can be used as an excuse for why he didn't partake in rigorous arcane study. I can say personally, I've been more tired studying books at school than I ever have through any exercise. I would think that serious study in the arcane arts would take some will power and be quite taxing on the constitution. Plus, I know people with great minds that you could say is wasted, by not going into science. Some people use their brilliance solely towards the quest for fortune.
If you are serious about trying a run like this and can't justify your stats, you could always write your first roll down, pick a more appropriate class, then just adjust the next roll into what the first was. Or, just don't worry about it
@atcDave: I normally don't use cleric healing spells because they take so long to cast. Heal is really powerful, but it's easy to interrupt. But on reading your post, I realized there's a good workaround for that. Teleport Field can royally mess up the enemy's attacking, and keep your cleric safe while he or she casts Heal. Likewise, if you really need the Heal spell to succeed, you can have a mage casts Invisibility on the priest right after the priest begins casting. The rest of the spell will proceed while the cleric is invisible and safe from disruption.
Yeah @semiticgod the Heal spell is awesome, especially if the cleric is protected or hidden. In big fights I'll often have the cleric start casting the Heal spell on a major warrior before he's even hurt.
Of course a lot of that is carry over from PnP, at least one DM I gamed with didn't even require the Cleric to identify their target until the spell went off. So at the start of a big fight the cleric would just start casting Heal on the assumption someone would need it by the time it went off!
Yeah I can see how it could pose a problem if you are having difficulty justifying a profession with contradictory stats. I guess it just boils down to how well you can lawyer your way through a reasoning.
It's always possible to come up with a good story. In the case of your F/T, my reasonning would be that he was rebellious with Gorion and didn't want to study magic, despite having the abilities and opportunity. Maybe he was really fascinated with books about legendary warrior and rogues and decided to be one.
BTW I noticed that different races have very different minimum abilities for the same class. For instance, F/T elf has minimum CON of 6, but 10 for halflings, 12 for dwarf and 4 for Half-Orc. After my current game I want to start an evil character and I think I will create 2 or 3 totally random characters and pick one I like.
@Nonnahswriter I made the statement expecting someone to call me out, heck I hoped for it. I've made it painfully obvious that mage, 9/10 wild mage and Sorcerer are the only 2 classes I really play Lol.
But I'm stilling that one for next vs topic that I walk into with a completely inside match up.
Stop saying that Minsc wasn't meant to be a ranger and the devs should officially change his class to Bersenker. He's got tons of dialogues/banters/lines that justify his class!
30) I think dark elves are overrated and ridiculous as a story concept. I've never used Viconia in any of my games. I have no interest in using Viconia in any of my games. I couldn't care less about Drizzt, the novels about him, or his fracking scimitars. I help him defeat the gnolls in my BG1 games because I always play good alignment, and that's the end of it. Dark elves, Schmark elves. I honestly don't get the appeal. I think they're a misandrystic race that only exists in the Forgotten Realms for some kind of misguided fan service. Bleagh.
"Male, get me something to eat!" Puh-leeze. What would be the reaction if some fictional male character actually said in a game, "Female, get me something to eat!" Honestly, some people!
There was a time when I was very into the whole dark elf scene, though now my views generally align with yours.
On the Viconia remark—that's exactly why I find her lines so funny. For all the people that consider Arie tolerable—I'm not one of them—I find odd that they clash so hard with Viconia's character. I see it for the mockery to that type of pomp that she represents, more a parody than an actual taking her character seriously. Therefore, I take great pleasure in seeing her flit about certain situations. Arie on the other hand, I feel more as a contrived attempt at plucking my emotional heartstrings, and I don't have any patience taking that cliche scenario she represents seriously.
-I don't like powerplay runs -I will knowingly sacrifice item/quest/companion acquisition dependent on the likely dialogue response my character would make. -I like to generate my character on their first roll with no reallocation. You do not get to choose your genetics when you are born.
Yes, my current run with a Neutral Evil, Half-Elf, Fighter/Thief with:
12 Str 12 Dex 7 Con <- yes, ouch 16 Int 14 Wis 14 Char (port into bg2 13/13/8/17/17/15 tomes)
Is the funnest run I'm having so far. It feels like I'm roleplaying an actual character, rather than piloting a min/maxed munchkin It forces me to allocate items differently, i.e. thieves don't usually bother with dex gauntlets, mine does.
I roleplay his above average mind stats into his decision making and companion composition. Despite him being "evil" it doesn't dictate his reputation which is always 16-20. He doesn't surround himself with an "evil" party, knowing that it's not wise to surround yourself with ambitious and competitive untrustworthy types. Clandestine evil is perhaps the most successful.</p>
That is awesome and I salute you for it!
At the same time I laugh because pretty early in SoA he will have S19, Dex18 and Con18.
In fact, he can have that in 1 quest (unseeing eye).
Enough gold for the belt of 19str from adventurer's mart Belt that gives 18con for 8 hours (use the belt and then out on the str one) Gauntlets of 18dex.
To really munchkin it...ring of human influence for 18Cha. Se safe amulet for +2Cha. Really cheap cloak of +2 Cha from shadow thief merchant. Even the blade of Balduran if you are really monty for a further +2. Meaning with that roll...
Power gaming should only be done in tactical mods.
Still, even with SCS I play like this. I just like the AI not being dumb. But some things like unrealistic instant prebuffs I have turned off. I don't prebuff my party either unless it can be justified.
Minsc is terribly annoying, I have tried 4-5 times to put up with him and I have always ended up letting him go after 2-3 in-game days. I have no idea why does he get all this love from everyone!
Dark allaince 1 and 2 are far better than BG1 and 2 combined.
I actually started a new game of Dark Alliance last night with the boyfriend.
They're not bad games at all; just extremely different than what you'd expect from a Baldur's Gate game. They're a hack-and-slash adventure done by the same people who did Champions of Norrath. I always thought they were a little boring to play by yourself, but with a friend, they're super fun!
Fun fact: the narrator for Dark Alliance is the same person who narrated Shadows of Amn. I actually recognized a lot of voice actors in Dark Alliance from the PC games...
Dark allaince 1 and 2 are far better than BG1 and 2 combined.
I actually started a new game of Dark Alliance last night with the boyfriend.
They're not bad games at all; just extremely different than what you'd expect from a Baldur's Gate game. They're a hack-and-slash adventure done by the same people who did Champions of Norrath. I always thought they were a little boring to play by yourself, but with a friend, they're super fun!
Fun fact: the narrator for Dark Alliance is the same person who narrated Shadows of Amn. I actually recognized a lot of voice actors in Dark Alliance from the PC games...
I just treated it the same way I treat the gauntlet series, don't play it alone. MY cousin and myself played it together I was the Elven mage and he was the Archer. We spent more time trying to get each other killed than anything else lmao
I remember playing both Gauntlet and Dark Alliance with my sister long ago. Recently, we started playing again, though nowadays my sister asks "Why are the women all scantily clad?" to which I respond with "Who cares, it's nostalgic." We both shrug and then keep playing.
Stop saying that Minsc wasn't meant to be a ranger and the devs should officially change his class to Bersenker. He's got tons of dialogues/banters/lines that justify his class!
So true. Most people only pay attention to the loud half of Minsc. His sword wielding, berzerking part is balanced by the wise and evasive part that he projects in boo. He didn't lose his mind; he just carries it along in a hamster. ''Minsc will lead with blade and boot!!! Boo will take care of the details.''
Comments
On the Viconia remark—that's exactly why I find her lines so funny. For all the people that consider Arie tolerable—I'm not one of them—I find odd that they clash so hard with Viconia's character. I see it for the mockery to that type of pomp that she represents, more a parody than an actual taking her character seriously. Therefore, I take great pleasure in seeing her flit about certain situations. Arie on the other hand, I feel more as a contrived attempt at plucking my emotional heartstrings, and I don't have any patience taking that cliche scenario she represents seriously.
-I don't like powerplay runs
-I will knowingly sacrifice item/quest/companion acquisition dependent on the likely dialogue response my character would make.
-I like to generate my character on their first roll with no reallocation. You do not get to choose your genetics when you are born.
Yes, my current run with a Neutral Evil, Half-Elf, Fighter/Thief with:
12 Str
12 Dex
7 Con <- yes, ouch
16 Int
14 Wis
14 Char
(port into bg2 13/13/8/17/17/15 tomes)
Is the funnest run I'm having so far.
It feels like I'm roleplaying an actual character, rather than piloting a min/maxed munchkin
It forces me to allocate items differently, i.e. thieves don't usually bother with dex gauntlets, mine does.
I roleplay his above average mind stats into his decision making and companion composition.
Despite him being "evil" it doesn't dictate his reputation which is always 16-20. He doesn't surround himself with an "evil" party, knowing that it's not wise to surround yourself with ambitious and competitive untrustworthy types. Clandestine evil is perhaps the most successful.
Choosing a certain kit can ensure that you will get certain minimum. Shadowdancer has a minimum DEX of 15, compared to 9 for F/T
Although I would add there is that significant "unless" attached to it. So even if there are more situations when the potion is the better choice than I had assumed, there are still plenty of times when it is better to stick with the cleric.
For example, my f/t has average str/dex. It might seem low compared to 18/18 but its still by all means normal. So my guy is no Altiar, I can live with that. He's just a regular person. Candlekeep is indeed a good setting for a c/m. However, I can still argue the f/t route. You have plenty of martial influence from so many guards crowded around such a small fortress. Thief influence from growing up as a child with Imoen.
His Con is a bit on the low side, the bare minimum of what I would call average. This can be used as an excuse for why he didn't partake in rigorous arcane study. I can say personally, I've been more tired studying books at school than I ever have through any exercise. I would think that serious study in the arcane arts would take some will power and be quite taxing on the constitution. Plus, I know people with great minds that you could say is wasted, by not going into science. Some people use their brilliance solely towards the quest for fortune.
If you are serious about trying a run like this and can't justify your stats, you could always write your first roll down, pick a more appropriate class, then just adjust the next roll into what the first was. Or, just don't worry about it
Of course a lot of that is carry over from PnP, at least one DM I gamed with didn't even require the Cleric to identify their target until the spell went off. So at the start of a big fight the cleric would just start casting Heal on the assumption someone would need it by the time it went off!
Sorry, I just had this gutt feeling tellin g me to do this.
BTW I noticed that different races have very different minimum abilities for the same class. For instance, F/T elf has minimum CON of 6, but 10 for halflings, 12 for dwarf and 4 for Half-Orc. After my current game I want to start an evil character and I think I will create 2 or 3 totally random characters and pick one I like.
Wild mage is vastly underpowered and isnt anywhere near as good a people pretend it to be!
[spoiler=Disclaimer]I just wanted to make a funny meme. No hostilities here.
I made the statement expecting someone to call me out, heck I hoped for it. I've made it painfully obvious that mage, 9/10 wild mage and Sorcerer are the only 2 classes I really play Lol.
But I'm stilling that one for next vs topic that I walk into with a completely inside match up.
Really? I'll delete the pic than.
We really need a better picture posting system, I've been battling to get the uploaded version deleted using my phone.
At the same time I laugh because pretty early in SoA he will have S19, Dex18 and Con18.
In fact, he can have that in 1 quest (unseeing eye).
Enough gold for the belt of 19str from adventurer's mart
Belt that gives 18con for 8 hours (use the belt and then out on the str one)
Gauntlets of 18dex.
To really munchkin it...ring of human influence for 18Cha. Se safe amulet for +2Cha. Really cheap cloak of +2 Cha from shadow thief merchant. Even the blade of Balduran if you are really monty for a further +2. Meaning with that roll...
Str19
Dex18
Con18
Int17
Wis17
Cha24!
...you darn power gamer!
For vanilla you should play ironman/lroumen style.
There...I said it ...
They're not bad games at all; just extremely different than what you'd expect from a Baldur's Gate game. They're a hack-and-slash adventure done by the same people who did Champions of Norrath. I always thought they were a little boring to play by yourself, but with a friend, they're super fun!
Fun fact: the narrator for Dark Alliance is the same person who narrated Shadows of Amn. I actually recognized a lot of voice actors in Dark Alliance from the PC games...