Skip to content

BGEE Improved Familiars v1.1

SMRTSMRT Member Posts: 11
edited September 2018 in BG:EE Mods
This mod is mostly intended for people who want to play a solo arcane caster without too much meta-gaming and immersion-breaking. It allows familiars to sense traps, so that you can avoid them (e.g. by casting Dimension Door).


NEW in v1.1
-Mod now has two options: Trapsense only familiars (same as V1.0) and Master Thievery familiars
-Master Thievery makes all familiars level 6 rogues with 13 max HP and high scores in Stealth, Lockpicking, Disarm and Set Traps. The Ferret and Cat have high scores in Pickpocketing. All familiars have a Detect Illusions skill of 35. Other special innate abilities are the same as in the previous version.


Installation
Copy the .CRE files into your override folder, start a new game and enjoy!


The specifics
Trapsense only familiars get the monk toolbar, which includes Find Traps and Stealth, but no Open Locks/Pick Pockets. The Find Traps skill is boosted to 100, so your Familiar is able to sense most danger. You can either walk around them or cast something like Dimension Door to avoid the trap (enable by mod/EEKeeper, the working spell is in the game files). Some familiars (those who already had the Find Traps skill) have other skills (Stealth/Detect Illusions) slightly boosted to keep them equally awesome allround. All wizard spells are now innate abilities. The imp now has the Shapeshift: Spider ability instead of Polymorph Self, which fits the lore better and requires no other modding. Note that its max HP is still 9 when shapeshifted, so do not get any wild ideas. The ferret can cast one extra Blur spell per day, for losing its pickpocket ability. All other statistics remain unchanged.
All Master Thievery Familiars are level 6 rogues with 13 max HP (rather than 12 or 9 for the Imp) and high scores in Stealth, Lockpicking, Disarm and Set Traps. The Ferret and Cat have high scores in Pickpocketing. All familiars have a Detect Illusions skill of 25. Innate abilities are the same for both versions of this mod.


Oh, before I forget, there is one imperfection in the "Trapsense only" flavour. The familiars are normally level 3-7 creatures, now all of them are level 0 monks. They still have their original saves and resistances, but technically their HD is 0. I imagine this should not really be a problem, most familiars are level 3 and thus affected by spells like sleep (<4HD) anyway. The reason I did this is some script forcing the Stunning Fist ability after loading the .CRE files. Exporting to .CHR and then removing the ability did prevent it from returning, but it did not solve the problem with the .CRE. So, there. Maybe someone has a simple solution or this will do just fine.
Post edited by SMRT on
JuliusBorisov

Comments

  • xscott71xxscott71x Member Posts: 63
    @SMRT , thanks for this mod! Would it be possible to create one (or modify this?) to allow familiars to Pick Locks as well? There was a mod years ago called Useful Familiars built on the same premise as your mod, but included the pick lock ability. Thanks.
  • SMRTSMRT Member Posts: 11
    Why, yes it would. That would mean familiars could also disarm traps rather than just detect them. I considered it before, but thought it would be immersion-breaking to enable familiars to do such things as picking locks and disarming traps, solo play immersion being the whole point of the mod. But it certainly is practical. I could make all familiars rogues. I could even give them pickpocket and set traps skills. Would be kind of overpowered, though, plus solo mages/sorcerers do not really need loot. Anyway, I can see why it would be fun and practical so I will make it happen soon.
    xscott71x
  • xscott71xxscott71x Member Posts: 63
    Thanks! I appreciate your efforts!
  • SMRTSMRT Member Posts: 11
    Done. If you have any further ideas or suggestions, please let me know!
  • WillScarlettWillScarlett Member Posts: 35
    @SMRT This looks great. Installed it on my EET game and it looks like it has no effect. Do you know if its EET compatible?
  • ALIENALIEN Member Posts: 1,270
    @WillScarlett Did you extracted it into BG1EE folder before EET installation?
  • WillScarlettWillScarlett Member Posts: 35
    @ALIEN I put it in BG2 override (having made a backup file) after EET installation.
  • WillScarlettWillScarlett Member Posts: 35
    That is, Game 00783 where the FAM*.CRE files are located
  • ALIENALIEN Member Posts: 1,270

    @ALIEN I put it in BG2 override (having made a backup file) after EET installation.

    Well, if you do it that way, EET was not detecting those files inside BG1EE folder during conversion. Try to preform separate EET installation, using clean game folders only this time put files into BG1EE before EET installation and check outcome.
Sign In or Register to comment.