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cernd

so i just brought cernd along for the first time ever. his annoying voice set and weird native american-ish portrait always sort of put me off.

did his personal quests and to be honest i like him a bit more now (his voice still annoys me though).
he is absolutely useless in combat though.

thoughts?

Comments

  • RavenslightRavenslight Member Posts: 1,609
    I always really liked his portrait. Even though he often makes me think of “hippies” and a man who hasn’t quite grown up yet, somehow I still like him. I’ve yet to learn how to use him very effectively in battle though.
    JuliusBorisovBlackraven
  • simplessimples Member Posts: 540
    well basically they're in what's supposed to be spain, so i don't really see what business sitting bull has over there.

    right now i'm in the annoying 13th-14th level bit, but insect swarm is making up for it. that's just a show-stopper for most mages isn't it
  • iavasechuiiavasechui Member Posts: 274
    He can summon the bees of doom, he has a use. Though I usually just use Jaheira, I don't dislike him though.
    Ravenslightjackjack
  • RavenslightRavenslight Member Posts: 1,609
    Very true. Insect plague is my favorite spell. As for his appearance, I can easily see a druid using feathers for decoration, or some spiritual connection with nature.
  • CamDawgCamDawg Member, Developer Posts: 3,438
    Who?
    jackjackFinaLfrontJuliusBorisov
  • simplessimples Member Posts: 540
    i just put him on darts and hoped he hit something
    Ravenslight
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    edited May 2014
    If you are using him for casting then give him the staff of arundel. That way you can get 3 fire elementals out of him (or a conjure animal summoning and a few fire elementals) and another 5th level spell in a good portion of SoA. Alternative if I use his greater werewolf form then I normally give him either blackblood or gnasher (especially for when his claws get dispelled).

    Another thing to keep in mind is his nature's beauty spell (obviously you won't get access to this until level 14). You can cast it while invisible without disrupting his invisibility. The radius is about half of that of a fireball, but considering it gives permanent blindness (if it doesn't kill an enemy) its worth it.
    mumumomoJuliusBorisov
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    edited May 2014
    Cernds portrait is The. Best. Of the bg2 portraits. The. Very. Best.
    I'm just got him into my group for the first time now, and he's good. I don't like the shapeshifter kit, or his pathetic stats, but his quest was cool. He seems like a cool guy and I feel for his predicament(oops, I started talking about NPC's like real people again, didn't i) I loved the Druid-midlife crisis schtick. I also like Druids,(or the idea of Druids, at least) despite the lousy spells.
    RavenslightNonnahswriterJuliusBorisovBlackbɨrd
  • simplessimples Member Posts: 540
    edited May 2014
    @elminster does joluv sell that staff? i was going to make him dual-wield two clubs actually, blackblood and gnasher. in my head i just see an angry half werewolf guy kicking off with branches in his hands. edit: and a feather in his hair. what is that about?

    @meagloth‌ honestly, i liked him more after the quest but still, that doesn't really say much does it. he's still a huge knob isn't he
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    edited May 2014
    Joluv sells the staff of arundel. Gnasher is found in the druid grove and you can buy blackblood after you get rid of the djinni's in trademeet.

    Dual wielding with clubs with him is not a good way to go in my opinion because of the thac0 penalty and because of his lack of proficiency points. You only get to choose 1 proficiency point with him before level 16 (and he doesn't have either club proficiency or two-weapon style). Obviously getting -4 to your Thac0 on your main weapon and -8 on your off hand isn't much of an option, so if you are dual wielding you pretty much should take the two-weapon style proficiency. Especially given how slow his progress is when it comes to Thac0. If you are going to dual wield I'd recommend scimitars. Even then the best one of those for him is belm (because its APR bonus works while his form is active). I believe it used to be the case that you could dual wield weapons and then shapechange and still get the APR bonus given by the dual wielding. That is no longer the case (so dual wielding in this case doesn't do much in the way of benefits).

    Also dual wielding outside of his greater werewolf form brings up the problem of his AC and dexterity. They both suck. You can bring this down with spells, the shield amulet, or bracers, but either way given the benefits to magic and elemental resistance, the strength and dexterity boost, and the AC boost I think his greater werewolf form is your best bet for melee (at least until you get some of the HLA forms that set your Thac0 to be lower than it otherwise would be). While in his greater werewolf form his melee damage will be sucky compared to a warrior but with his AC as low as it is he is more of a defensive melee character (pre-tob).
    wizzywazzoJuliusBorisov
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    No, his personality is ok, @simples‌ I wouldn't dual-wield, you can't put any points in two-weapons style with a Druid, right?
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    meagloth said:

    No, his personality is ok, @simples‌ I wouldn't dual-wield, you can't put any points in two-weapons style with a Druid, right?

    You can its just that you are limited to spending 1 proficiency point before level 16. So its more of a question of whether or not it is worth it.
    jackjack
  • mumumomomumumomo Member Posts: 635
    edited May 2014
    Actually last time i checked, the extra APR from dual wielding was still working.
    elminster
  • jacobtanjacobtan Member Posts: 655
    @simples‌

    As it stands, consider using Cernd as a pure spellcaster rather than a warrior. He should have enough slots for Level 5, 6 and 7 priest spells to keep you happy, especially after you get items like Staff of Arundel and Heartwood Ring that add even more spell slots.

    Pre-combat, summon fire elementals and elemental princes. In the heat of combat, cast strategic spells like Insect Plague, Implosion and Storm of Vengeance. Resummon the elementals when they go down. While waiting to cast another spell, you can nick a little more damage by using slings.

    The Greater Werewolf form is not all that bad, but it is underpowered for late-SOA and TOB. It hurts your spellcasting, and you cannot even buff yourself while shapeshifted. No reason why you should bang your head against the wall when many other players have already got their lumps ;)
    jackjackJuliusBorisov
  • simplessimples Member Posts: 540
    nature's beauty is such a great spell. not as much in effect, but i love the whole concept.

    question: in cernd's quest, where does the door in the noble's house lead?
  • iavasechuiiavasechui Member Posts: 274
    I'm pretty sure you can't actually open that door. Supposedly its where the lich was doing its ceremony.
  • LoubLoub Member Posts: 471
    simples said:

    nature's beauty is such a great spell. not as much in effect, but i love the whole concept.

    question: in cernd's quest, where does the door in the noble's house lead?

    It's pretty obvious - it is mentioned on multiple houses using the same seed that it leads to a closet, which is presumably where he hides his porn stash, which is why you can't enter it - the doors became glued together with his magical liquid love.
    elminsterJuliusBorisov
  • simplessimples Member Posts: 540

    I'm pretty sure you can't actually open that door. Supposedly its where the lich was doing its ceremony.

    yeah but what for though? what was he doing?

  • CBAnaesthesiaCBAnaesthesia Member Posts: 3
    I'm pretty sure I read something once about some cut content that implied that Deril and the lich were preparing for some magic ritual involving Cernd's child back there.
    jackjackelminsterJuliusBorisov
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