My characters are dying in story mode...

JoeJ586

So Jaheira keeps dying all the time and I have to reload. Am I misunderstanding something? I thought characters don't die on story mode.

JumboWheat01

I'm sure they're not supposed to, but they still can, and without THAT much extra effort put into it.

JoeJ586

JumboWheat01 said:

I'm sure they're not supposed to, but they still can, and without THAT much extra effort put into it.

I will say I'm terrible at the game and don't really understand the rules that much.

Rawgrim

Read the manual. That is how you learn the rules.

ThacoBell

@JoeJ586 Normally I would recommend the manual, but its like reading a novel at this point and some things aren't super clear. While I personally enjoy them, not everyone wants to sink a bunch of what is probably already limited free time into reading them. I recommend keeping at it, Iearned this game by sheer virtue of never giving up back when BG vanilla first came out. You also have an amazing resource in these forums, tons of people here (myself included) will happily help you understand the rules and concepts at play here.

JumboWheat01

I agree with @thedamages. It's worked so far for me, and it took a fair bit to unlearn my 3e+ habits and knowledge.

ThacoBell

@JoeJ586 What are the situations where Jaheira is eating it?

Raduziel

mashedtaters

Jaheira say, Death is part of life. It is the natural balance in the world. Do not try to keep me alive or raise me from the dead because it is against nature to cheat death.

She is probably killing herself on purpose in an effort to defy the destruction of balance that is story-mode.

JoeJ586

thedamages said:

@JoeJ586 What are the situations where Jaheira is eating it?

We'll get into a battle and the enemies will gang up on her, then she'll die and her picture will be greyed out and it will say "Jaheira: Death" in the dialogue box. I thought story mode would be like other RPGs where characters get up after a battle if they die with an injury or something

Iglosnof

Your enemies will do less damage than normal and your team will be tougher, but they can still die. You still need some strategy

mashedtaters

This game is pretty hard for beginners, especially at the start of BG1 when your characters are squishy and newbie. Where are you in the game? Try putting another character in front, usually a fighter or ranger or paladin. (You will find these characters as you progress through the game.)
Jaheira is a utility character, meaning that she doesn't shine at one thing specifically, but is relatively ok at most things. She can be good at fighting, but it takes some preparation. I personally don't like Druids very much (a lot of people on the forum consider me a heathen as a result), and prefer to allot that slot to a cleric or warrior.
How is her AC (armor class)? What is she using as a weapon? (Is she proficient with the weapon you have equipped her with?)

Riderat

Wasn't there a quest in BG2, where she got poisoned or something, and you had to be relatively quick to lift the curse?

Maybe the OP is mixing up the two games?

JoeJ586

Iglosnof said:

Your enemies will do less damage than normal and your team will be tougher, but they can still die. You still need some strategy

That's very strange, the description says "cannot die."

Anyways, thanks for the help everyone. I think I'll start again on normal and actually learn what I'm doing this time.

JoeJ586

Riderat said:

Wasn't there a quest in BG2, where she got poisoned or something, and you had to be relatively quick to lift the curse?

Maybe the OP is mixing up the two games?

Baldies Gate 1 EE is the game I'm talking about.

alceryes

JoeJ586 said:

Iglosnof said:

Your enemies will do less damage than normal and your team will be tougher, but they can still die. You still need some strategy

That's very strange, the description says "cannot die."

Anyways, thanks for the help everyone. I think I'll start again on normal and actually learn what I'm doing this time.

I think it says, "cannot die in combat."
Is she getting hit by a poison arrow or by an ettercap or wyvern? You'll know if she's poisoned by the little skull'n'bones sprite on her character pic.

Iglosnof

Indeed that is what the description says, my bad.
Just tested it now and my 5 hp mage was not able to die at all.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

gmazca

Skill with the game will come with experience and testing out different weapons/spells at your disposal. A friend of mine used to create a custom party in Baldur's Gate 2 with max stats and all the magical weapons/gear you could think of and he still struggled. Fast forward to today and the game is all but a cake walk for him in most regards (Legacy of Bhaal mode excluded for now).

Even in story mode I would keep Jaheira out of the front lines of combat. Have her engage the enemy only after Khalid or another heavily armored character has grabbed the enemy's attention. Make sure to utilize her spells to buff her or the party's survivability or damage. Also, make sure you are equipping weapons that your characters are proficient in. Check the character summary screen to make sure you have the right weapons equipped.

If you have a mage, the level 1 sleep spell is your best friend. Useless in Legacy of Bhaal mode, but any other mode it is a godsend.

I usually ditch Jaheira in favor of Branwen in the early game, but that is personal preference. You have to make her die in combat if you want Khalid to remain with the group after you get rid of her though. Khalid with the Gauntlets of Ogre Power makes a nice tank later in the game.

Nimran

Well, I can't do anything about the whole story mode thing (sounds like a bug to me), but I can give you a nice tip that will surely aid you: ranged weapons are king in BG1. It might behoove you to equip a ranged weapon on every character and have them start every fight by releasing a volley or two before the enemy gets to them. Most mobs will be utterly crushed by this simple tactic before they even reach you.

Varwulf

I can confirm that while in a multiplayer session with @Nyrox, with Story Mode On (testing), the fight when you finish inserting the keys into The Imprisoned One's Seal within Watcher's Keep caught us both off guard and even with Story Mode on, we witnessed character deaths within the party.

It seems as though, if the health of a character with Story Mode On drops too low, and they are hit with a positively devastating hit, it can bring their health low enough that the ability given to them by Story Mode being On, is not enough to counter the damage and they can indeed, die.

ThacoBell

JoeJ586 said:

thedamages said:

@JoeJ586 What are the situations where Jaheira is eating it?

We'll get into a battle and the enemies will gang up on her, then she'll die and her picture will be greyed out and it will say "Jaheira: Death" in the dialogue box. I thought story mode would be like other RPGs where characters get up after a battle if they die with an injury or something

What do you have her equipped with? She can make a very good tank (she usually fills this role for me) Early on I would recommend platemail and a shield as her lowish dexterity will hurt he armorclass early on. The level 1 spell spirit armor that can memorize immeidately will help with her survivability too. Is she your only close range fighter right now? Who else is in the party?

madmangonemad

♫ Loser, loser, loser! ♫

Gate70

Does Jaheira have the "Invulnerable" icon and description showing?
(if not, try disabling story mode and re-enabling it)