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Stocking up in Candlekeep as a Mage always seems ridiculous to me.

These guys have nothing for a mage.

This quiet secluded community of scholars has every weapon known to man or mole for sale in their shops, but nary a single spell scroll, absolutely naught for robes. I can point to somebody looking for spell scrolls without even leaving WInthrop's Inn. Who the heck is buying all these claymores and morningstars and rare imported katanas? I've looked the whole library over and seen nobody using them.
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Comments

  • PokotaPokota Member Posts: 858
    Gorion's Ward isn't allowed into the main library during the "stocking up" phase, which presumably is where the best scrolls would be. Candlekeep doesn't seem to have protocol for non-visitors entering the Great Library.
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    The library is just that a library. When you go there later there are no merchants selling anything. You can read, you can even borrow as long as you stay in the compound, but if you say wanted to use an identify scroll, destroying it in the process, like our friend Firebead Elvenhair, or god forbid, scribe something into your spellbook, then the library doesn't have you covered. You're just left to ask Tethoril to do you a solid.

    And that's without even touching robes.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    edited September 2020
    The scribes and scholars line up at dawn every shipment day and clean WInthrop out within the hour of all scrolls and robes. That library gets cold.
    Post edited by ThacoBell on
    ChroniclerZaxaresWarChiefZeke
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    how many spells and robes to you plan to buy with your 20-50 gold? if you are lucky and roll a 4, you will start the game with 50 gold which is enough to buy 1 level 1 spell, and if not, then you ain't buying squat when it comes to arcane type stuff, and if you did spend your precious 50 gold on 1 spell scroll then you will have no money left over for missile weapons, hope your mage feels confident using that beginning quarter staff
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    That's a reversal of cause and effect.

    Mages are given less money in their inventory at the start of the game because they need less money to stock up.

    Fighters are given more because they need more.

    It's not like there's any story reason why your fighter is rolling in dough to buy a full set of armor, helmet, shield, ranged and melee weapons, and your mage has enough to comfortably stock up on sling stones or darts. The devs just gave them funds tailored to their specific stocking up experiences.
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    The starting funds are probably based on a table somewhere in the tabletop game's character creation rules, actually. Warriors get money to buy some basic gear and generally do so before the first session, mages get a few spells already in their spellbook. It's just that the former gets pushed into gameplay for the tutorial area, while the latter stays as part of the character creation process.
    ChroniclerJuliusBorisovGrond0
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    Oh yeah, that makes sense. Would not be surprised if they'd pulled that out of some rulebook at all.
    JuliusBorisov
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    jmerry wrote: »
    The starting funds are probably based on a table somewhere in the tabletop game's character creation rules, actually.

    Indeed - here's the table from the Player's Handbook.
    ec16w341wj4g.jpg
    The cash actually goes a bit further in Baldur's Gate than P&P as you don't need to pay for all the ancillary stuff (such as food, clothing & adventuring supplies) that a DM might use to whittle down your resources ...
    Chroniclerjackjack
  • MaurvirMaurvir Member Posts: 1,090
    I've often thought that rations should have been added to BG/BG2, as it really does change the dynamic of adventuring. I have played other CRPGs that included consumables, and you really do have to plan ahead - especially if you are going to be exploring in the deep wilderness.

    I wonder if that could be modded in? Maybe using the fatigue system, such that you have to eat to remove fatigue.
    ChroniclerGrond0
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    I've often thought about it like "No wonder I'm decked out in all the best weapons and armor in the world. Everybody else has to spend their money on rent and food and stuff. Like all these bandits I encounter, I'm pretty sure they're using all their crime money just to get by. Meanwhile every penny I earn just goes towards expanding my killing potential, so you have these scenes of me in my full plate with my magic sword and a sack full to bursting with healing potions just tearing through a band of bandits decked out in leather with a simple iron longsword, yew bow and some arrows."
    Grond0sarevok57
  • dunbardunbar Member Posts: 1,603
    Maurvir wrote: »
    I've often thought that rations should have been added to BG/BG2, as it really does change the dynamic of adventuring. I have played other CRPGs that included consumables, and you really do have to plan ahead - especially if you are going to be exploring in the deep wilderness.

    I wonder if that could be modded in? Maybe using the fatigue system, such that you have to eat to remove fatigue.

    There was a thread about this a few years ago and iirc the general consensus was that although it would add 'realism' the downside would be even more micromanagement with inventory and varying constitution stats.
    Chronicler
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    dunbar wrote: »
    Maurvir wrote: »
    I've often thought that rations should have been added to BG/BG2, as it really does change the dynamic of adventuring. I have played other CRPGs that included consumables, and you really do have to plan ahead - especially if you are going to be exploring in the deep wilderness.

    I wonder if that could be modded in? Maybe using the fatigue system, such that you have to eat to remove fatigue.

    There was a thread about this a few years ago and iirc the general consensus was that although it would add 'realism' the downside would be even more micromanagement with inventory and varying constitution stats.

    That's ultimately the problem. Reagents run into the same issue. There's a certain subset of things that can be great for a story in all sorts of ways, but in gameplay terms they just add a bunch of errands to the experience. Nobody's looking for Immersive Grocery Shopping in their cooldown time.

    "We asked a bunch of players what their favorite part of the game was, and they said it was stocking up on ammo, so we created an elaborate game routine around stocking up on basic necessessities at periodic intervals."
    ThacoBell
  • ConjurerDragonConjurerDragon Member Posts: 110
    Chronicler wrote: »
    dunbar wrote: »
    Maurvir wrote: »
    I've often thought that rations should have been added to BG/BG2, as it really does change the dynamic of adventuring. I have played other CRPGs that included consumables, and you really do have to plan ahead - especially if you are going to be exploring in the deep wilderness.

    I wonder if that could be modded in? Maybe using the fatigue system, such that you have to eat to remove fatigue.

    There was a thread about this a few years ago and iirc the general consensus was that although it would add 'realism' the downside would be even more micromanagement with inventory and varying constitution stats.

    That's ultimately the problem. Reagents run into the same issue. There's a certain subset of things that can be great for a story in all sorts of ways, but in gameplay terms they just add a bunch of errands to the experience. Nobody's looking for Immersive Grocery Shopping in their cooldown time.

    "We asked a bunch of players what their favorite part of the game was, and they said it was stocking up on ammo, so we created an elaborate game routine around stocking up on basic necessessities at periodic intervals."

    That can be fun. It was fun for me in games like "Realms of Arkania"/Das Schwarze Auge where you have to have boots and winterclothing or your party will die from the cold in the mountain passes in winter. It was fun in the Ultima Series (e.g. Ultima VI with reagents for spells) or Ultima Underworld where you had to take care of torches and food.
    Balrog99
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