Half-orc F/M/Shadowdancer
Hotheon
Member Posts: 19
in BG:EE Mods
I finally let go of my gamer purest philosophy and embraced mods, mostly for the bag o' holding (I still subtract the gp!).
Anyways I was messing around and I have a question but first I wanted to sing the praises of the aforementioned class. It's OP even for solo runs but I never had so much fun backstabbing. Must try.
I wanted a Barbarian/M/T but for some odd reason the batbarian class has a 🐛 about it that I couldn't work around. Scrolls and wands are redded out so I could not slot them but I could still scribe them. Thought about doing a run with it anyways but I really like having the wands as an option.
Inconclussion, EEK is pretty cool, thanks for making it (wherever you are) and Shadowdancers are the John Wick of the infinity engine.
Anyways I was messing around and I have a question but first I wanted to sing the praises of the aforementioned class. It's OP even for solo runs but I never had so much fun backstabbing. Must try.
I wanted a Barbarian/M/T but for some odd reason the batbarian class has a 🐛 about it that I couldn't work around. Scrolls and wands are redded out so I could not slot them but I could still scribe them. Thought about doing a run with it anyways but I really like having the wands as an option.
Inconclussion, EEK is pretty cool, thanks for making it (wherever you are) and Shadowdancers are the John Wick of the infinity engine.
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Comments
In earlier (pre-EE) versions of the games, barbarians were displayed as a separate class instead of as a fighter kit. They weren't really - it was UI trickery - but that mindset carried through to a lot of things like item usability rules. So stuff like wands and scrolls have the "barbarians can't use this" flag even though single-class fighters already can't use them. And that continued to the EE - no reason to change something that doesn't affect anything under standard rules.
Then, you can't use an item if the flag is set so your kit can't use it. Even if your kit doesn't match your current class; for example, a dual-class kensai-thief can't wear armor even if the dual is incomplete and they're basically just a thief with extra hit points.
Another thing to watch for: some kit features don't work right when applied to a multiclass. Like, for example, the shadowdancer drawbacks of fewer skill points and reduced backstab multiplier - you end up using the multiclass rows in those tables instead of the shadowdancer rows. Sorry to say, but your multiclass is effectively cheated due to this engine quirk. And you're going to get the generic F/M/T high-level abilities - no unique shadowdancer HLAs, but you can get the HLA traps. Or, with your attempted barbarian combo, they wouldn't get the extra HP that single-class barbarians do.
Though ... there's another fun thing about shadowdancers specifically. The "Hide in Plain Sight" ability is hardcoded to the shadowdancer's kit ID. So if you made a ranger or monk with that kit, they'd get all the same abilities as a vanilla ranger or monk because the game defaults to the base class ability table when the kit doesn't match the current class, and they'd also have the ability to hide in sight of enemies.
I get 1 Set Trap use per day, but I am not gaining anymore- it stays at 1 even at level 9 thief. I gain the full 25 thief points per level and the normal backstab multiplier. I suppose I could edit in a lower number of points to stay true to the kit limitations but with the slow triple class progression it doesn't seem very OP in that respect. I'm also getting an extra mage spell slot per spell level, not sure why that's happening but I'll accept that power gaming bug as well due to my slow class progression. Basically, I have 3 classes at the height of their powers rolled into one, instead of 3 hamstrung classes due to lifting the cap and some beneficial bugs.
Shadowdancers are hard to kill with so many Oh Shit! escape buttons to choose from. With a base 20 STR even without buffs like DUHM it is raining bloody chunks with epic backstabbing kills everywhere I go. Even an unmodified half-orc SD would be a blast play. The true lords of murder.
I've never been a kensai fan but I understand the math at high levels especially if you get UAI. Swashbuckler works well with F/M/T, the only benefits you get are the AC,hit/dam increase but you don't lose any backstabbing.
Shadowdancers normally also lose out on the ability to take the HLA traps - you'll have access to those because they're on the F/M/T list.
As for the extra spell slots, that's another bit of weird old code. The extra spell slots that specialist mages get actually apply to any mage or sorcerer that isn't "base class". Even if their kit isn't a mage or sorcerer kit. With the exception of other class -> mage duals; in that case, the kit is assumed to be attached to the other class, and you don't get the extra spell slots even if you are a specialist.
So here, you're effectively a specialist with no specialty; +1 spell slot per level, -15% chance to learn any spell from a scroll, but no forbidden school.
High strength doesn't actually do all that much for backstabbing; the bonus damage from strength isn't multiplied. Whereas bonus damage from other sources like specialization or the Legacy of the Masters gauntlets or hitting an enemy that's using a ranged weapon is. And of course, shadowdancers are supposed to have a reduced backstab multiplier.
High strength doesn't actually do all that much for backstabbing; the bonus damage from strength isn't multiplied. Whereas bonus damage from other sources like specialization or the Legacy of the Masters gauntlets or hitting an enemy that's using a ranged weapon is. And of course, shadowdancers are supposed to have a reduced backstab multiplier.[/quote]
I'll take your word for it, some of these damage rolls must be absurdly lucky if that's the case.
It's not only my first Shadowdancer it's my first dagger - focused character. Dual-wielding daggers and throwing them has been impressive, I have a newfound respect for speed factors.