New Bard script request
gorgonzola
Member Posts: 3,864
in BGII:EE Mods
In BG2 a character can do 3 things in the same round: attack, a magic action (like cast a spell or drink a potion) and he can move and relocate if enough time is left in the round.
In the pre EE game it was quite easy to have a Bard sing and attack in the same round using the auto pause on round end, EE changed the way the round end and the Song interact so it has become a nightmare to do it.
I don't have any knowledge about creating scripts, but I suppose that for someone that has it it is quite easy and fast to create a script that allows a Bard to sing and attack in the same round, possibly having the choice to have him attacking mlee or ranged by pressing some hot key.
I feel that this could make the Bards more interesting to play, particularly for those that don't import from or don't even have SoD so lack of the Bard's Hat. The bards have been nerfed in EE, the song area reduced, the Mislead clone can no more sing (i hated it and almost never used it in the original as I dislike the side effect of the real Bard constantly invisible that can attack without retaliation), the songs of multiple Bards no more stack if they are of the same kind (and all the HLA ones are the same).
This script could somehow balance it, at the cost of the bard not using spells or items as his magic action is used to sing.
If someone proficient in scripting would spend some of his time and effort to create such script I would really appreciate it, Thank you in advance.
In the pre EE game it was quite easy to have a Bard sing and attack in the same round using the auto pause on round end, EE changed the way the round end and the Song interact so it has become a nightmare to do it.
I don't have any knowledge about creating scripts, but I suppose that for someone that has it it is quite easy and fast to create a script that allows a Bard to sing and attack in the same round, possibly having the choice to have him attacking mlee or ranged by pressing some hot key.
I feel that this could make the Bards more interesting to play, particularly for those that don't import from or don't even have SoD so lack of the Bard's Hat. The bards have been nerfed in EE, the song area reduced, the Mislead clone can no more sing (i hated it and almost never used it in the original as I dislike the side effect of the real Bard constantly invisible that can attack without retaliation), the songs of multiple Bards no more stack if they are of the same kind (and all the HLA ones are the same).
This script could somehow balance it, at the cost of the bard not using spells or items as his magic action is used to sing.
If someone proficient in scripting would spend some of his time and effort to create such script I would really appreciate it, Thank you in advance.
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Comments
An approach that maybe can work in EE, but I completely ignore it is possible to implement in scripts, could be the following:
if it is possible to use timers triggered by the beginning of a round as the round lasts 6 seconds a timer that instructs the bard to attack (if an enemy is detected or whatever) slightly after the beginning of each round and a timer set to have him start to sing near the end of the round should work. Probably attacking 0.5 sec after the beginning of the round and singing at 5.5 sec should work, maybe even less delay is possible, but this gives 5 seconds to attack each round that are enough for most of the weapons and APR, possibly with high APR, like a Blade with 2 speed weapons and 4 APR, some attacks will be lost if the speed of the weapons is low. but few attacks are better then nothing. This approach can create problems if the Bard is under improved haste as then the round is split in 2 shorter rounds of 3 sec, if I get it right, maybe is possible to disable the song if the bard is hasted or maybe it is not a problem at all and the bard will simply have 2 shorter rounds with only 2 sec each to attack loosing some time as he sings twice every 6 sec when one time is needed, but again something is better then nothing.
As I told I don't know if it is possible to get this working with the scripting tools as I don't know how scripts work, but if you did not try this route and it is possible to implement it those are my 2 cents about it.
Anyway thank you very much for answering to my request, I really appreciate it!
Vanilla Bards can use "Bardic Inspirations" that provide continual benefits that mimic (more or less) the Bard songs from IWD. These don't stop, and the bard can do anything else (attack, talk, cast spells, etc.) while they're functioning.
And there's an option ("Bard Song Mechanic Tweak") for all bards. This allows bards to use their songs like spells (they "cast" their songs, and the songs last for a period of time, during which the bards can do other things, like attack or cast spells).
If @morpheus562 or some other modder does not succeed crafting the script probably I will just cheat in the Bard's Hat (I own SoD, but most of my play troughs start in SoA) and maybe I will even mod it to have the song lingering for 10 rounds. I don't feel that it is cheating, like I don't feel is cheating using @Tresset tweak that makes the area affected by the song larger so it is possible to have a whole party positioned in a tactical sound way under its effect, with the EE vanilla one you have to bring the casters and ranged attackers too close to the frontline. I am able, with just a little micro management, to play the original game, that I still play side by side with EE, with my Bards singing and attacking and the whole party under the song effect, so why not? I had parties with 2 bards stacking the songs, was an interesting option in the small all arcane casters i use often and in EE will only be possible if a Bard is a Skald that never picks the HLA song, but I can live without it.
Other things made the not EE bard too OP, like having a mislead clone singing, for the ever lasting invisibility of the Bard, or stacking many mislead clones, I had Haer Dalis using the simulacrum from the helm, that was stacked with Mislead scrolls and could cast from his spellbook some other clones + the ones Haer Dalis can cast getting insane Thac0, AC and damage bonus, while my Sorc spammed Wish to get a new use of the helm and more clones By the bard. It was fun, at the end even my Sorc reached the AC and Thac0 cap and everyone was hitting with a +40 dmg or more, but it was something I did as an experiment, not the way I normally use the Bards in the not EE game, and I don't feel that a Bard that can sing and attack with a song that has an area of effect large enough to boost all the party is cheating, is only reacting to a Bard nerf that IMHO has really gone too far, way beyond the criteria that the EE developers promised to use while nerfing, that was to avoid problems to the players that are not willing to be affected by some game mechanics used as exploits. I don't see how a player can have a Bard's clone singing, or maybe more then one, maybe hidden away in a safe room of the dungeon without noticing it and doing it intentionally, this is no more protecting the players that don't want to be affected by some game mechanics, is policing the freedom the players have to play their game as they like and I don't like to have my freedom restricted even if I self restrict it as I am aware that the game, as the RL, must bring some challenge to be fun.