Aside: So happy my current F/M party managed to avoid the broken weapon blues this playthrough. At least one bonus to bee-lining to the Nashkel mines.
ha! half your luck, i went through fully half a dozen axes on my way down to the Nashkel. Stupid cheap polysterene substitutes. That'll teach me for bargain shopping.
Thankfully only 2 of my characters were regularly using their metallic weapon. Jaheria used a club or quarterstaff most of the time while Kivan and Imoen both used bows.
I always had a backup Longsword just in case. It's just habit at this point for me to carry spares around until I get magical weapons.
Haha, yeah, i've picked up that habit as well, i'm a fiend for looting all those corpses we leave in our wake...usually means i have about 2 dozen short swords to sell off after smacking xvarts...somehow i think i'm an incurable hoarder...i always envisioned any stronghold in BG2 to be completely full of useless crap cluttering up the corridors...complete with several dozen cats roaming around to guard it all...
but to get back on-topic, my clerics tend to start off with maces, just for the satisfaction of crunching bones and if they survive into BG2, go merrily a'flailing away...
my Clerics tend to follow a set path based on what race I pick for them.
Humans are either Mace or Flail (Honestly normally I envisioned the flail as evil but I'm starting to change my stance on that).
Half-Elf or Elf is usually Mace if I want a shield (I view them as a lighter more finessed based weapon), but I can see myself starting Elves with a Quarterstaff.
Dwarf HAMMER!
Half-Orc: @Elminster I really like his idea for clubbin!
my Clerics tend to follow a set path based on what race I pick for them.
Humans are either Mace or Flail (Honestly normally I envisioned the flail as evil but I'm starting to change my stance on that).
Half-Elf or Elf is usually Mace if I want a shield (I view them as a lighter more finessed based weapon), but I can see myself starting Elves with a Quarterstaff.
Dwarf HAMMER!
Half-Orc: @Elminster I really like his idea for clubbin!
Clubs get better in BG2 in some respects. I mean, at least in their opportunity to hit things. You can for instance (If I recall correctly) buy a +3 club in Trademeet. I'm not suggesting they are anywhere near what many melee weapons are, only that it is possible to play with them up to a point. Though I think a lot of the other more powerful ones are druid quest specific rewards (though you may be able to buy a decent club from the bonus merchant in the copper coronet I'm not certain). Hopefully BGEE/BG2EE will offer more of them.
You would be correct. There are currently no magical clubs in the original baldur's gate. That is one of the things that Trent and the gang have specifically stated they plan on adding when they're asked about how they plan on diversifying the weapon loadout.
@reedmilfam I can't believe I didn't see that! granted it's done better (less cheese) in the book than in the film.. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. "but no living man am I! you look upon a woman. Eowyn I am, Eomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless!
In the film Eowyn (removing her helm as if she were in a shampoo advert) "I am no man.. Yaraharaarahhgh."
I'm really grateful you pointed out the link! I still prefer MacDuff though.
Despair thy charm, And let the angel whom thou still hast served Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripped
I guess my real dislike was the film treatment of the line.
@kamuizin hopefully with BG2EE they will adjust the speed factors on clubs to account for their enchantments. In many cases they don't, which obviously makes them even worse. When they do however clubs will become certainly more viable for druids for instance (they are not very practical I admit for the type of classes a half-orc would play - though I'd love a half-orc druid). True there are better weapons, but few that give me that delectable feeling of squishing my enemies so early into BG2 that the +3 weapon does. Yea, I have to do the Djinni quest or kill them to be able to buy it, but thats only a minor problem
Maybe the lack of AD&D secondary skills harm a bit the use of weapons variations, making us focusing more in Long/shortswords, katana, two handed sword, that's besides the fact of BG2 have so few good clubs. I'm not familiar with the AD&D secondary skills so maybe i'm wrong, it's just a guess.
People get too caught up in +magical bonuses on weapons, I find. The Gnasher despite only being +2 is an incredible weapon. That damage proc on it is seriously good.
Like, people give Haer'Dalis a lot of crap but his swords are so good. I only switched to higher enchants on weapons if I absolutely need it to break a damage barrier of some kind. As I've often said, damage is the least important thing to determining your overall success in BG games. Damage comes in large numbers as is if you're running a full party. That extra +1 or +2 damage from a better magical enchantment isn't as important as, say, the NPP and undead-slaying ability on the Mace of Disruption +2.
So, clubs are just fine IMO. Sure I'd like a few more viable alternatives but I could say that about every weapon type.
People get too caught up in +magical bonuses on weapons, I find. The Gnasher despite only being +2 is an incredible weapon. That damage proc on it is seriously good.
So, clubs are just fine IMO. Sure I'd like a few more viable alternatives but I could say that about every weapon type.
To be fair there doesn't even exist a regular, run of the mill +1 or +2 club you can buy in the adventure mart (or anywhere else other than the ones in trademeet/saradush), so I would argue that there probably could be some effort in that respect. I agree with you that the weapons power doesn't always relate to their +enchantment, but it is needed in some cases (golems for instance).
You would be correct. There are currently no magical clubs in the original baldur's gate. That is one of the things that Trent and the gang have specifically stated they plan on adding when they're asked about how they plan on diversifying the weapon loadout.
Ooh ooh! I was just thinking about this! Did they say that they are only adding clubs, or are they going to ensure that ALL the weapon types have magical versions available?
Comments
Thankfully only 2 of my characters were regularly using their metallic weapon. Jaheria used a club or quarterstaff most of the time while Kivan and Imoen both used bows.
I always had a backup Longsword just in case. It's just habit at this point for me to carry spares around until I get magical weapons.
Haha, yeah, i've picked up that habit as well, i'm a fiend for looting all those corpses we leave in our wake...usually means i have about 2 dozen short swords to sell off after smacking xvarts...somehow i think i'm an incurable hoarder...i always envisioned any stronghold in BG2 to be completely full of useless crap cluttering up the corridors...complete with several dozen cats roaming around to guard it all...
but to get back on-topic, my clerics tend to start off with maces, just for the satisfaction of crunching bones and if they survive into BG2, go merrily a'flailing away...
Humans are either Mace or Flail (Honestly normally I envisioned the flail as evil but I'm starting to change my stance on that).
Half-Elf or Elf is usually Mace if I want a shield (I view them as a lighter more finessed based weapon), but I can see myself starting Elves with a Quarterstaff.
Dwarf HAMMER!
Half-Orc: @Elminster I really like his idea for clubbin!
The club from trademeet you mentioned is "Club +3, Blackblood" (BLUN22)
It's acceptable as a club but there are many better weapons.
Unfortunally the only good clubs in the game are:
Club of detonation (BLUN27), the crazy and fun one that i told before that's a +5 weapon that do the following damage:
1d6+5 +5fire dmg, 30% for +15 fire dmg (7% chance to explode a fireball on hit, i told, it's crazy XD!)
AND
A club brought by the item update mod, that fuse Gnasher with bone club, making a +5 club that grant grandmaster in clubs if held.
You would be correct. There are currently no magical clubs in the original baldur's gate. That is one of the things that Trent and the gang have specifically stated they plan on adding when they're asked about how they plan on diversifying the weapon loadout.
It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. "but no living man am I! you look upon a woman. Eowyn I am, Eomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless!
In the film Eowyn (removing her helm as if she were in a shampoo advert) "I am no man.. Yaraharaarahhgh."
I'm really grateful you pointed out the link! I still prefer MacDuff though.
Despair thy charm,
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb
Untimely ripped
I guess my real dislike was the film treatment of the line.
Like, people give Haer'Dalis a lot of crap but his swords are so good. I only switched to higher enchants on weapons if I absolutely need it to break a damage barrier of some kind. As I've often said, damage is the least important thing to determining your overall success in BG games. Damage comes in large numbers as is if you're running a full party. That extra +1 or +2 damage from a better magical enchantment isn't as important as, say, the NPP and undead-slaying ability on the Mace of Disruption +2.
So, clubs are just fine IMO. Sure I'd like a few more viable alternatives but I could say that about every weapon type.
They're adding magical weapons of all types in order to try to diversify BG1 some.
Flail: 1d6 damage, speed 6
Mace: 1d6 damage, speed 6
Morning Star: 2d4 damage , speed 6
I think the choice is clear.
All deal crushing damage.
I think Flail and Mace are both 1d6+1 and they're also both speed 7.