@marcialhd I don't want to dissuade @AionZ from doing anything (the more mods the merrier), but if what you want id to play a Bladesinger right now, there are several mods that already offer it. My most recent take on it is here.
dude... you and i already had a discussion about this topic 2 years ago on another thread and i distinctly remember you trying to shoehorn the idea that in 2edition Bladesingers are for "pure elves only" and how half-elves are "uncreative" despite the fact that in AD&D there were half-elven Bladesingers and it was even an option in the rulebooks for it (please see the 1d4chan link on my past comment) and i remember we ended up agreeing to disagree on the matter also i specifically mentioned in my comment that "yes i know that there are other mods that add Bladesingers kits to the game but they either: are in other languages with no translations, do not respect the lore of the class, or are abandoned/filled with bugs" and your mod falls in to one these.
look i do not want a repeat of our past discussion and if i actually took the time to put out what i wrote in the past comment is because i'm hoping somebody can for once do the Bladesinger kit actual justice, because believe me if i had the knowledge and the time to do so i would have made it myself a long time ago.
@subtledoctor look i wasn't trying to be agressive or anything i was just spooked and a bit frustrated about your answer, plus like i already said on my past comment "i know that there are other mods that add Bladesingers kits to the game" yours was among the ones i alluded to i just didn't liked your take on it nothing personal.
No worries. As I said, it would be quite cool if @AionZ made another interpretation, he tends to make 3E-inspired stuff AFAICT so it would likely be different and interesting, and 3E embraces much more liberal race/class options.
still i have to say sorry, its just that i really wasn't on the right state of mind when i wrote that and well considering how our last conversation about the topic went well...
Ugh... this will be the last thing you want to hear but the 2e Bladesinger does not look like a fun build to me. Everything is passive? I mean about 90% of it is doable I think but it's funny you come to me for this considering everything I've made is 100% homebrew and I have next to zero PnP knowledge.
Ugh... this will be the last thing you want to hear but the 2e Bladesinger does not look like a fun build to me. Everything is passive? I mean about 90% of it is doable I think but it's funny you come to me for this considering everything I've made is 100% homebrew and I have next to zero PnP knowledge.
well that's a shame i kinda hoped that you actually considered but hey maybe you can think of something to make it more to your liking? i was just offering ideas, besides are you sure everything you did is homebrewed? because if that's the case most of them while not a 100% exact are actually pretty spot on with both their PnP and video game representation (for example your Palemaster and Arcane Archer kits are pretty similar to their versions of the Neverwinter Nights games and 3rd edition PnP).
In relation to the portraits I shared in the Custom PC & NPC Portraits thread, I thought I’d share the conceptualized BG1 NPCs themselves along with a third - not currently in the prioritized mod releases, but I've been writing bits for them over the last year during my offtime when not working on my main mods.
Aiden Hyland is a NG human fighter. A capable Flaming Fist soldier from Baldur's Gate, his martial prowess is among the best of the Fist, but his unrestrained temper has held him back from being a candidate for promotion, and he is relegated to the lowly position of a patrol for the Sword Coast as a result. He is a competent warrior who favors a halberd in battle.
Tharun is a NE duergar sorcerer. Cynical and self-serving, his reason for living on the surface appears to be one of necessity, for what little he shares of his past reveals that his clan is extinct and he has no place to truly call home. Aside from possessing the gift of sorcery, he also has some skill with psionics - not an uncommon talent for duergar - and pragmatically wears an enchanted darksteel helmet that protects from mind-affecting spells and enchantments.
And the third:
Ryna Truesilver is an enigmatic undead hunter who specializes in slaying vampires. The specifics of her past are not known, but the Truesilvers are a well-regarded noble family in Neverwinter with a legacy of service to the church of Lathander as priests and paladins. Ryna, however, has an unusual set of talents that include the wilderness training of a ranger, as well as exceptional skill in swordsmanship and martial arts (ranger with a kensai-esque kit), dual-wielding katana and wakizashi made of blessed silver in combat. Similarly to a monk, her abilities channel ki which allows her to achieve great physical feats. Despite taking on a heroic profession, she is merciless in combat and a stoic, cold person. Instead of armor, she wears the Eidolon Robe, a strange garment which shapeshifts according to its wearer’s thoughts and conceals their alignment should they desire it.
Ryna is a bit of an unusual case because she is my favorite of the three knowing all the spoilery context and the confused summary doesn’t really do her justice. If I were to finish my current project she’s the one I’d work on afterwards.
Currently planning on revisiting Bardic Wonders at last. No new kits for the moment, but existing content will be updated heavily. Bard-exclusive arcane spells are a planned addition and may possibly make it into the next update.
The Artisan’s Kitpack’s next update will feature the Geomancer (a druid/sorcerer hybrid), Magekiller (an antimagic thief), a currently unnamed assassin/ranger hybrid, and a Kensai rework.
Oh yeah, and Useful Plot Items is probably going in to House Tweaks as a subcomponent. Maybe throw in a few additions along the way.
@AionZ The update of the Artisan's Kitpack that includes the compatibility between the Warhorn Shaman/Hivemaster and DoF's sphere system wasn't uploaded so far. Do you plan to do so in this next version?
The mod has not been updated in ages. Original plans for a compatibility patch were delayed to make way for the new kits. its not like that many people use my mods anyways so there’s no hurry
I believe I may have overworked myself lately as my stress level is not feeling particularly healthy. The Geomancer and Kensai for the kitpack have some final issues that are a little complicated to fix, so I may just post an update with the compatibility patch as well as the two kits that are finished, depending on whether there's any demand for them.
The first, the Magekiller, is the thief's answer for the wizard slayer:
MAGEKILLER: In regions where magic is feared and persecuted, the skills of those capable of hunting and eliminating magic-users are highly sought after. The Magekiller is a rogue who specializes in tracking, stealth and antimagic, becoming highly skilled at recognizing and countering magic of all kinds.
Advantages:
– +25% bonus to Detect Illusions.
– +2 bonus to Saving Throws vs. Spells. Gains an additional +1 per 10 levels.
– The Magekiller's backstabs have a chance to remove magical effects from their target as per a Dispel Magic spell.
– May cast Breach as an innate ability once per day. Gains an extra use at 10th and 15th level.
– 8th level: May cast Spell Immunity as an innate ability once per day.
– 12th level: May cast Globe of Invulnerability as an innate ability once per day.
– 16th level: May cast Spell Turning as an innate ability once per day.
– 20th level: May cast Pierce Shield as an innate ability once per day.
Disadvantages:
– -1 to backstab multiplier compared to an unkitted Thief:
Level 1-4: x1 (no multiplier)
Level 5-8: x2
Level 9-12: x3
Level 13+: x4
– May only distribute 15 skill points per level among thieving skills.
– May not dual-class to Mage.
– May not use the Set Snare ability.
This kit is fairly specialized, having very useful tools against magic-users at the cost of being a little mediocre in other situations. Not carbon copying the wizard slayer's bonuses because I wanted to make this kit's tools more tactical as befitting a rogue rather than a random number chance to negate spells. In place of the Snare HLAs, the Magekiller can get Resist Magic, Spellstrike (up to 3 uses), and Imprison Arcana, an Imprisonment spell that only works against mages.
The Dark Hunter, a ranger kit, is... less inspired, but I enjoy the thematic. Might have qualified as a stalker rework but I quite like the stalker as it is.
DARK HUNTER: Dark Hunters use their skills in stealth and survival for the purposes of infiltration, espionage, and manhunting, though they are no less capable in direct combat when necessary. While regarded as rangers in name only by typical woodsmen, Dark Hunters tend to be more welcome in guilds and groups of power as assassins and intelligence gatherers.
Dark Hunters, unlike typical rangers, may be of any alignment.
ADVANTAGES:
– +25% to Move Silently and Hide In Shadows.
– May use Backstab ability, although for a lower damage multiplier than Thieves:
Level 1-8: x2
Level 9-16: x3
Level 17+: x4
– May use the Poison Weapon ability once per day. Gains an additional use every 5 levels.
POISON WEAPON: Each successful hit within the next 5 rounds will inject poison into the target. Each target can only be affected once per round. The amount of poison damage depends on the character's level:
1st– Target suffers 1 poison damage per second for 6 seconds (Save vs. Death at +1 negates)
5th– Target suffers 1 poison damage per second for 12 seconds (Save vs. Death negates), and also immediately suffers 2 poison damage (no save)
9th– Target suffers 1 poison damage per second for 18 seconds (Save vs. Death at -1 negates), and also immediately suffers 4 poison damage (no save)
13th– Target suffers 1 poison damage per second for 24 seconds (Save vs. Death at -2 negates), and also immediately suffers 6 poison damage (no save)
- From 3rd level onwards, may use the Set Snare ability once per day with 50% chance of success, plus an additional 10% for every 3 levels gained thereafter. Gains extra uses every 6 levels thereafter.
SET SNARE: Set a trap in the chosen location when no hostile creatures are in sight. Traps grow more powerful with the character's level and can only be triggered by enemies.
1st Level: Deals 2d8+5 missile damage.
11th Level: Deals 2d8+5 missile damage, plus 2d6 poison damage per round for the next 3 rounds.
16th Level: Deals 3d8+5 missile damage, plus 4d8+2 fire damage.
21st Level: Deals 3d8+5 missile damage and 20 poison damage with no save; slays target if a Save vs. Death with a +4 bonus is failed.
- From 10th level onwards, may use the Set Manhunter Snare ability once per day.
SET MANHUNTER SNARE: The Manhunter is a powerful trap intended for crippling and tracking marks. This trap deals 10d10+20 missile damage and paralyzes the target on a failed Save vs. Death (-1 modifier penalty per 8 levels), or else greatly reduces the victim's movement rate, as well as causing them to bleed uncontrollably, dealing an additional 24 damage over 4 rounds. Additionally, the target is revealed for the bleed duration, remaining visible outside of allies' vision range and are unable to enter stealth or become invisible. The Manhunter's secondary effects do not apply against undead, elementals and non-corporeal beings.
DISADVANTAGES:
– May not cast priest spells.
– May not wear armor heavier than studded leather.
– May not use the Charm Animal ability.
This kit looks like a gimped version of an assassin/fighter but it does have a few neat niches. Firstly the stable power curve that negates the need for dual-classing is helpful, and the kit will have the advantage in hit points and THAC0 being a single-class warrior. Secondly, the Manhunter bites and has very useful utility. I considered adding a very limited spell selection with spells such as Invisibility, etc. to further its niche but I decided to hold off on that until I get a better measure of how the kit plays.
This is what the Kensai rework is looking like, by the way:
KENSAI: This class's name, which means "sword saint" in the common tongue, refers to a warrior who has been specially trained to be one with their weapon. The kensai is deadly, fast, and trained to fight without the protection of armor. (Note: Despite its common name, a Kensai may use any melee weapon with which they are proficient.)
Advantages:
– Base Armor Class of 8.
– -1 bonus to Speed Factor every 4 levels.
– Gains a +10% bonus to all physical damage dealt.
– Gains the Ki Critical innate.
KI CRITICAL: +2 bonus to critical hit rate. Gains an additional +2 at 10th level and +1 every 5 levels thereafter.
– May use the Ki Focus ability once per day. Gains one use at level 1 and an additional use every 4 levels thereafter.
KI FOCUS: All successful attacks within the next 12 seconds will never miss and deal 20% increased physical damage.
– From 3rd level onwards, may use the Defensive Fighting ability at will.
DEFENSIVE FIGHTING: The Kensai sets their base Armor Class to a value equal to 6 - (level/2 rounded up). This ability lasts indefinitely until deactivated. However, while Defensive Fighting is active, the Kensai loses his Ki Critical modifier, becomes unable to critically strike, and is unable to use Ki Strike or Ki Focus.
– From 5th level onwards, may use the Ki Strike ability once per round.
KI STRIKE: The Kensai's next attack within one round of casting the ability has a doubled Ki Critical modifier and deals maximum damage. The Kensai incurs a cumulative fatigue penalty upon landing the attack, the amount of which decreases as the Kensai gains levels. Ki Critical will fail if the Kensai is overly fatigued.
– From 10th level onwards, gains the Perfect Defense innate.
PERFECT DEFENSE: When Defensive Fighting is active, the Kensai becomes immune to backstabs. Additionally, the Kensai gains a cumulative +1 bonus to Armor Class vs. all weapon types (note: this translates to +1 per weapon type semi-bypassing the AC cap) for 2 rounds per successful melee hit.
– From 15th level onwards, gains the Perfect Offense innate.
PERFECT OFFENSE: The Kensai will no longer critically miss on an attack roll of 1.
Disadvantages:
– May not use any armor, helmets, gauntlets, bracers or shields.
– May not use missile weapons.
– Does not gain access to the Hardiness, Resist Magic or War Cry high level abilities. (note: these are substituted for offensive HLAs. Critical Strike is less desirable with this kit's innate critical rate and is therefore also replaced with a substitute.)
– Alignment restricted to any non-chaotic.
I wish critical hit immunity was an opcode but it's hardcoded as an item flag... that was the ideal Perfect Defense bonus.
And while the massive critical bonuses look insane on paper, it's honestly less powerful in practice when compared the ridiculous +1 to hit/damage per 4 levels the vanilla Kensai has. Not to mention it has a massive disadvantage against anything with a helmet. Since I've removed basically every defensive tool the Kensai did have and restricted it to the Defensive Fighting toggle, it's also fragile as all hell at every stage of the game. The payoff is that at high levels it feels as though you have Critical Strike permanently active and with the damage multipliers you get to see some pretty insane damage numbers.
I noticed your SHS download for the Artisan Pack does not have .zip at the end of it, so it comes out as a plain file (At least for me it did). I had to manually add .zip to make use of it. I recall it being fine before so I'm guessing its with the most recent version only.
This might just be local to me, but the -'s for the Arcane Archer's description came out as squares for some reason. It's all fine in the .tra though. Perhaps caused by the backup folder being in this download (I assume you forgot to delete it!)
Otherwise I have no issues with it and going to use the arcane archer for an alternate class for Emily.
Whoops. That happens when the files aren't encoded in UTF-8 format, so the en dash character gets messed up. The kitpack's been updated to 1.4 on github and SHS.
Is your Caelar Argent mod far? I'm extremely against SOD (I usually install the Skip Sod component from G3 forums) but your mod may make me change idea about not playing it.
I'm leaning toward the second one, using Drake's format, as everything is visible at a glance without having to click on additional details as with the Aura format.
I like Drake's better. But on the topic of formatting, I could live without that sidebar on the left; for a website with a dark color scheme, that white sidebar is an annoyance.
I've reverted Aura's mod page. I can't remove the sidebar but I changed the color to something a bit less distracting. The menu unfortunately can't be changed with my poor skills but it's at least something that isn't constantly present.
Also, since this is probably the best place to put it, I think I've found a bug with the Magekiller from the Artisan's Kitpack.
Their dispelling backstabs never seem to dispel the target, ever, even if the Magekiller is several levels higher than their victim. I've taken the Magekiller in a party of 3 all the way through BG1 and SoD and usually used backstabs as his main form of attack since about halfway through BG1, but they've never been successful even once.
I think it has to do with the dispelling type on the backstab effect spell, which is set to "Use specific level," but the level is set to 0. I changed this to "Use caster level" instead and now dispelling backstabs work - not all the time, as per Dispel Magic, but they at least have a chance of working now.
I believe I may have overworked myself lately as my stress level is not feeling particularly healthy. The Geomancer and Kensai for the kitpack have some final issues that are a little complicated to fix, so I may just post an update with the compatibility patch as well as the two kits that are finished, depending on whether there's any demand for them.
Hope you are feeling better now with a lot less stress! Just know that we are many in the BG community who appreciate your hard work with all these great mods.
Comments
dude... you and i already had a discussion about this topic 2 years ago on another thread and i distinctly remember you trying to shoehorn the idea that in 2edition Bladesingers are for "pure elves only" and how half-elves are "uncreative" despite the fact that in AD&D there were half-elven Bladesingers and it was even an option in the rulebooks for it (please see the 1d4chan link on my past comment) and i remember we ended up agreeing to disagree on the matter also i specifically mentioned in my comment that "yes i know that there are other mods that add Bladesingers kits to the game but they either: are in other languages with no translations, do not respect the lore of the class, or are abandoned/filled with bugs" and your mod falls in to one these.
look i do not want a repeat of our past discussion and if i actually took the time to put out what i wrote in the past comment is because i'm hoping somebody can for once do the Bladesinger kit actual justice, because believe me if i had the knowledge and the time to do so i would have made it myself a long time ago.
still i have to say sorry, its just that i really wasn't on the right state of mind when i wrote that and well considering how our last conversation about the topic went well...
well that's a shame
Aiden Hyland is a NG human fighter. A capable Flaming Fist soldier from Baldur's Gate, his martial prowess is among the best of the Fist, but his unrestrained temper has held him back from being a candidate for promotion, and he is relegated to the lowly position of a patrol for the Sword Coast as a result. He is a competent warrior who favors a halberd in battle.
Tharun is a NE duergar sorcerer. Cynical and self-serving, his reason for living on the surface appears to be one of necessity, for what little he shares of his past reveals that his clan is extinct and he has no place to truly call home. Aside from possessing the gift of sorcery, he also has some skill with psionics - not an uncommon talent for duergar - and pragmatically wears an enchanted darksteel helmet that protects from mind-affecting spells and enchantments.
And the third:
Ryna Truesilver is an enigmatic undead hunter who specializes in slaying vampires. The specifics of her past are not known, but the Truesilvers are a well-regarded noble family in Neverwinter with a legacy of service to the church of Lathander as priests and paladins. Ryna, however, has an unusual set of talents that include the wilderness training of a ranger, as well as exceptional skill in swordsmanship and martial arts (ranger with a kensai-esque kit), dual-wielding katana and wakizashi made of blessed silver in combat. Similarly to a monk, her abilities channel ki which allows her to achieve great physical feats. Despite taking on a heroic profession, she is merciless in combat and a stoic, cold person. Instead of armor, she wears the Eidolon Robe, a strange garment which shapeshifts according to its wearer’s thoughts and conceals their alignment should they desire it.
Ryna is a bit of an unusual case because she is my favorite of the three knowing all the spoilery context and the confused summary doesn’t really do her justice. If I were to finish my current project she’s the one I’d work on afterwards.
The Artisan’s Kitpack’s next update will feature the Geomancer (a druid/sorcerer hybrid), Magekiller (an antimagic thief), a currently unnamed assassin/ranger hybrid, and a Kensai rework.
Oh yeah, and Useful Plot Items is probably going in to House Tweaks as a subcomponent. Maybe throw in a few additions along the way.
Thanks.
The mod has not been updated in ages. Original plans for a compatibility patch were delayed to make way for the new kits.
its not like that many people use my mods anyways so there’s no hurry
I'm only asking that because so far two (or three, I can't remember now) players reported the lack of compatibility in DoF's thread.
But take your time. I told them already that the Warhorn wasn't updated yet and I had no ETA for that.
Cheers!
The first, the Magekiller, is the thief's answer for the wizard slayer:
This kit is fairly specialized, having very useful tools against magic-users at the cost of being a little mediocre in other situations. Not carbon copying the wizard slayer's bonuses because I wanted to make this kit's tools more tactical as befitting a rogue rather than a random number chance to negate spells. In place of the Snare HLAs, the Magekiller can get Resist Magic, Spellstrike (up to 3 uses), and Imprison Arcana, an Imprisonment spell that only works against mages.
The Dark Hunter, a ranger kit, is... less inspired, but I enjoy the thematic. Might have qualified as a stalker rework but I quite like the stalker as it is.
This kit looks like a gimped version of an assassin/fighter but it does have a few neat niches. Firstly the stable power curve that negates the need for dual-classing is helpful, and the kit will have the advantage in hit points and THAC0 being a single-class warrior. Secondly, the Manhunter bites and has very useful utility. I considered adding a very limited spell selection with spells such as Invisibility, etc. to further its niche but I decided to hold off on that until I get a better measure of how the kit plays.
And while the massive critical bonuses look insane on paper, it's honestly less powerful in practice when compared the ridiculous +1 to hit/damage per 4 levels the vanilla Kensai has. Not to mention it has a massive disadvantage against anything with a helmet. Since I've removed basically every defensive tool the Kensai did have and restricted it to the Defensive Fighting toggle, it's also fragile as all hell at every stage of the game. The payoff is that at high levels it feels as though you have Critical Strike permanently active and with the damage multipliers you get to see some pretty insane damage numbers.
Not sure how useful it will be in the long run but maybe it will be helpful not to have each mod’s discussion condensed into a single thread.
This might just be local to me, but the -'s for the Arcane Archer's description came out as squares for some reason. It's all fine in the .tra though. Perhaps caused by the backup folder being in this download (I assume you forgot to delete it!)
Otherwise I have no issues with it and going to use the arcane archer for an alternate class for Emily.
Whoops. That happens when the files aren't encoded in UTF-8 format, so the en dash character gets messed up. The kitpack's been updated to 1.4 on github and SHS.
Regards
https://artisans-corner.com/aura-npc/
https://artisans-corner.com/drake-npc-for-bgee/
Their dispelling backstabs never seem to dispel the target, ever, even if the Magekiller is several levels higher than their victim. I've taken the Magekiller in a party of 3 all the way through BG1 and SoD and usually used backstabs as his main form of attack since about halfway through BG1, but they've never been successful even once.
I think it has to do with the dispelling type on the backstab effect spell, which is set to "Use specific level," but the level is set to 0. I changed this to "Use caster level" instead and now dispelling backstabs work - not all the time, as per Dispel Magic, but they at least have a chance of working now.
For future reference the kitpack has its own thread now, but still, thanks for the notice.
Hope you are feeling better now with a lot less stress! Just know that we are many in the BG community who appreciate your hard work with all these great mods.