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[BGEE MOD] Oriental Adventures - Rise of the Samurai v1.03 BETA

GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
edited November 2014 in BG:EE Mods
MOD DESCRIPTION
o=====================================================================o

Dishonored and shamed, Ginawa was was cut loose from the system of honour and loyalty. He is no longer a samurai; he is a ronin with no honor and no standing in society. He retains the abilities of a samurai, and can still advance in level as a samurai, but at double the normal experience. Now he roams the countryside, earning money however he can, in search of honor…

GINAWA
o=====================================================================o

Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 10
Male, Human, Ronin Lawful Neutral
Str 17, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 11

Ginawa 2
Experience: 2262
Hit Points: 17
Katana ++
Single-Weapon Style ++
Katana of Quality
Ashigaru Armor
Potion of Healing x1
Potion of Heroism x1

---or---

Ginawa 4
Experience: 9012
Hit Points: 34
Katana ++
Longbow +
Single-Weapon Style ++
Katana of Quality
Daikyu
Partial Armor
Kote
Potion of Healing x3
Potion of Heroism x1

---or---

Ginawa 6
Experience: 36120
Hit Points: 57
Katana +++
Longbow +
Single-Weapon Style ++
Katana of Quality
Daikyu
Partial Armor
Kote
Potion of Extra Healing x2
Potion of Heroism x1

How to Use Ginawa Effectively:
-----------------------------------------
Ginawa is good enough that he can be a great melee character as he starts out Specialized in Katanas and Single-Weapon Style, but his light armor means that he should always be attacking from behind another character. Aim to rehonor him quickly, thus eliminate the crippling experience point penalty he suffers as a ronin.

Recruiting Ginawa:
-------------------------
You'll initially find Ginawa milling about the northern side of Friendly Arm Inn (AR2300), at (x=1122, y=722). Ginawa will join your party if you are honourable (reputation greater than 8, and you allow him). If you dismiss his or don’t allow him to join he will move inside the walls of the Friendly Arm Inn (AR2300), to (x=3326, y=2528).

KIT DESCRIPTIONS:
o=====================================================================o

RONIN: Ronin are masterless samurai, members of the noble class who have been cut loose from this system of honour and loyalty. He is no longer a samurai; he is a ronin with no honor and no standing in society. He retains the abilities of a samurai, and can still advance in level as a samurai, but at double the normal experience. A ronin can return to full samurai status with his old daimyo or a different one.

Advantages:
- May achieve Grandmastery (five slots) in Katanas/Wakizashis, and Longbows
- May use Kai ability once per day per level (start at 1st level with one use)

KAI: The samurai increases his strength score to 18/00 for one round

- 2nd level: Gains a +1 to damage rolls every 3 levels
- 5th level: Becomes immune to fear and morale failure
- 6th level: May use the Fear ability once per day

FEAR: All characters and creatures within a 10-ft radius must save vs. Breath Weapon or run away in panic for 4 rounds.

- 9th level: May use the Great Kai ability once per day

GREAT KAI: The samurai increases his strength score to 18/00 for two rounds and all enemies within 10 feet must save vs. paralyzation or be stunned for one round

- 12th level: +2 THAC0 bonus with off hand

Disadvantages:
- Race restricted to human
- Alignment restricted to lawful
- May not dual class
- May not wear armour heavier than splint mail
- May not exceed Specialization (two slots) in all other weapons
- Earns experience points at half the normal rate

SAMURAI: Samurai are professional warriors, members of the noble class who are trained in the arts of warfare. They are not only trained for their role in society, they are born into a system of allegiance, loyalty, and honor that influences every stage of their lives. A samurai cut loose from this system is no longer a samurai; he is an ordinary fighter, a ronin with no honor and no standing in society.

Advantages:
- May achieve Grandmastery (five slots) in Katanas/Wakizashis, and Longbows
- May use Kai ability once per day per level (start at 1st level with one use)

KAI: The samurai increases his strength score to 18/00 for one round

- 2nd level: Gains a +1 to damage rolls every 3 levels
- 5th level: Becomes immune to fear and morale failure
- 6th level: May use the Fear ability once per day

FEAR: All characters and creatures within a 10-ft radius must save vs. Breath Weapon or run away in panic for 4 rounds.

- 9th level: May use the Great Kai ability once per day

GREAT KAI: The samurai increases his strength score to 18/00 for two rounds and all enemies within 30-ft must save vs. Paralyzation or be stunned for one round

- 12th level: +2 THAC0 bonus with off hand

Disadvantages:
- Race restricted to human
- Alignment restricted to lawful
- May not dual class
- May not wear armour heavier than splint mail
- May not exceed Specialization (two slots) in all other weapons

ITEM DESCRIPTIONS:
o=====================================================================o

Katana of Quality
The Katana of Quality is a family heirloom with which Ginawa will not part, but will wear proudly. It is said that the soul of a samurai is contained within his blade, and the eldest of each generation is blessed to carry the katana of his grandfather. It is an honor, and a burden.

STATISTICS:

THAC0 +1
Damage: 1d10 (slashing)
Speed Factor: 4
Proficiency Type: Katana/Wakizashi
Type: One-handed
Requires:
6 Strength

Weight: 6
Usable by:
Ginawa

Revenge
Forged by Asahina Yajinden in 508 on the Anvil of Despair. It was the first of four bloodswords forged by Yakinden. Revenge possessed all of the abilities of any Bloodsword, and like its sister Yashin, it bore and additional mixed blessing. It reduced the damage taken by the wielder, at the risk of becoming berserk. While in such a state, the wielder would not sheathe Revenge until every visible enemy was dead. After all the enemies were killed or escape, the rage faded, and the wielder remembered nothing of the time in which he lost control.

STATISTICS:

Equipped abilities:
- Gains 10% resistance to crushing, slashing, piercing, and missile damage
- Causes the wielder to go berserk
- May only be removed with a Remove Curse spell

THAC0 +2
Damage: 1d10+2 (slashing)
Speed Factor: 2
Proficiency Type: Katana
Type: One-handed
Requires:
6 Strength

Weight: 4

Ashigaru Armor
Ashigaru armor is a light and inexpensive armor worn by farmers conscripted into a daimyo’s army. It consists of a light breastplate and thigh protectors made of laced metal plates, shin guards, and a light helmet resembling a round straw hat.
STATISTICS:

Armor Class: 7 (5 vs. slashing, 6 vs. piercing and missile)
Requires:
12 Strength

Weight: 20

Kote
Kote are a pair of armored sleeves connected by a band of leather or cloth across the shoulders. The sleeves extend from the shoulders to the backs of the hands. They are normally made of mail and some have small metal places sewn into them. They range from very plain to highly decorative in style. Kote can be worn inconspicuously under robes or in combinations with other pieces of armor

STATISTICS:

Equipped abilities:
- Armor Class: +1
- No protection against missile and piercing attacks

Weight: 2

Daikyu
The daikyu or great bow is favoured by samurai . It stands 7' tall and its hand-grip is not in the center of the weapon; it's located closer to the bottom, so the daikyu can be fired from horseback and from kneeling positions.

STATISTICS:

THAC0: +1
Damage: +1 (missile)
Speed Factor: 7
Proficiency Type: Longbow
Type: Two-handed
Requires:
14 Strength

Weight: 3

OPTIONAL INSTALLATIONS:
o=====================================================================o

BUSHI: Bushi are masterless warriors, men without ties to a lord, temple, or monastery. They are commonly mercenaries, bandits highwaymen, or wanderers, earning their money however then can. They can be found serving samurai, protecting the court, or swelling the ranks of armies. A few may be kensai who have fallen by the way. Most, however are men of low birth who have chosen the way of the warrior to advance in the world.

Advantages:
- +1 bonus to Armor Class every 5 levels
- May use Kai ability once per every 4 levels (starts at 1st level with one use).

KAI: The bushi temporarily raises his effective level by two for one turn. He temporarily gains +10 HP, +2 THAC0 and -2 to all saving throws.

Disadvantages:
- May not wear armour heavier than splint mail
- May not exceed Specialization (two slots) in any weapon class
- Reputation penalty -2

Rebalanced Weapon Proficiencies (CamDawg and Idobek)
Rebalanced Weapon Proficiencies, attempts to rebalance the groupings of weapons proficiencies. There are three main changes:

- Wakizashis move from Wakizashi/Scimitar/Ninja-to to Katana proficiency
- Ninja-tos move from Wakizashi/Scimitar/Ninja-to to Short Sword proficiency
- Morningstars move from Flail/Morningstar to Mace proficiency

Wakizashis are very similar to katanas in usage, and ninja-tos are straight, short blades. Morningstars, while there are several variations in definition, are essentially spiked maces in the game, and have been moved out of the flail category and grouped with maces. The proficiencies themselves get renamed to reflect these changes. Weapon descriptions also get updated

QUESTS:
o=====================================================================o

Rehonoring Ginawa allows him to return to full samurai status, thus negating the crippling experience point penalty

FUTURE CHANGES
o=====================================================================o

1. Quest to find and destroy the Egg of P’an Ku (Tamoko)

The Egg of P'an Ku was a powerful artifact, the last surviving part of the mad dragon P'an Ku, who unmade itself rather than become corrupted by the power of the Taint and the Nothing. It was said to have the power to create a shadow replicate of anyone and anything. It beared P'an Ku's madness curse and using it risked destruction.

The Egg of P’an Ku creates a duplicate of a target character. The duplicate is created at 60% of the level of the character being copied, and possess all the skills, abilities and hit points of the original.

Tamoko posses the egg, defeating her and gaining possession of the egg will offer the PC a choice, allow Ginawa to destroy the egg for 20,000 quest experience per character and retain his services or choose to keep and use the egg but face Ginawa in a fight to the death

2. Ongoing dialog enhancements and NPC interactions
Post edited by Greener on

Comments

  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    Uh, do you add a new, earlier meeting with Tamoko? I assume yes. Flavour suggestion, but if he starts with lower strength (ie less than 18/50) Kai will stand out much better. Otherwise interesting though.
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    Good point...I believe the earliest iteration of the mod had the NPC as a kensai
  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    Neat. I've wanted a 'ronin' party member for a while now.

    The second quest is... interesting, but I see a couple of issues. Do you get the egg in the last encounter with Tamoko? Because if so, I don't see any reason for not destroying the egg, seeing as there's probably only one battle left and the experience will be more lasting, and you'd lose a party member otherwise. I suggest lowering the quest xp (seriously, 20,000 per character is insane) to about 5,000 and giving a similar boost by duelling him, and making the duplicate stronger to 'emulate' a sixth party member. Also, I rarely fight Tamoko, so it would be nice to have a more peaceful way to acquire it, but not necessary.

    Btw, did you base the Egg of P'an Ku off anything? I only ask because of a Chinese legend on a giant called Pan Gu, who was born from an egg and separated the the sky from the land with his body. I saw a resemblance and wondered whether it was a coincidence.
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430

    Neat. I've wanted a 'ronin' party member for a while now.

    The second quest is... interesting, but I see a couple of issues. Do you get the egg in the last encounter with Tamoko? Because if so, I don't see any reason for not destroying the egg, seeing as there's probably only one battle left and the experience will be more lasting, and you'd lose a party member otherwise. I suggest lowering the quest xp (seriously, 20,000 per character is insane) to about 5,000 and giving a similar boost by duelling him, and making the duplicate stronger to 'emulate' a sixth party member. Also, I rarely fight Tamoko, so it would be nice to have a more peaceful way to acquire it, but not necessary.

    Btw, did you base the Egg of P'an Ku off anything? I only ask because of a Chinese legend on a giant called Pan Gu, who was born from an egg and separated the the sky from the land with his body. I saw a resemblance and wondered whether it was a coincidence.

    Thank you for your comments

    The Ronin NPC is ready to be released, I'm still working on the quest portions, I'm debating releasing an alpha version of the NPC for evaluation

    Retrospectively I agree 20,000 quest experience per character is excessive, I will adjust accordingly most likely to 5,000 per character.

    As of now, the only way to acquire the egg will be defeating Tamoko, but future releases may address this

    The Egg of P'an Ku is based on the Legends of Five Rings (L5R) version http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Egg_of_P'an_Ku
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    edited September 2014
    Fixed...
    Post edited by Greener on
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    the special ability can't be called kai because kensai already has an ability with the same name.
    in "the complete fighters handbook" it is described that the samurai does a kiai shout in order to increase strength so that's what the ability would best be called ("kiai shout" or in 3e - "kiai smite")

    also your samurai kit is not balanced at all. there are basically no penalties except the very small armor penalty.

    you should add something to emulate the p&p proficiency restrictions. i propose that the samurai should only be able to achieve grandmastery in katana, wakizashi, dagger, spear and longbow and in all other weapons - max 1 pip.

    also, not only should he be unable to wear armor heavier than splint mail - the *only* armors he should be able to wear in my opinion should be splint mail and dragon scale armors
    and he should be forbidden from shields as well.

    you could also add a more powerful fear ability at lvl20.
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    bob_veng said:

    the special ability can't be called kai because kensai already has an ability with the same name.
    in "the complete fighters handbook" it is described that the samurai does a kiai shout in order to increase strength so that's what the ability would best be called ("kiai shout" or in 3e - "kiai smite")

    also your samurai kit is not balanced at all. there are basically no penalties except the very small armor penalty.

    you should add something to emulate the p&p proficiency restrictions. i propose that the samurai should only be able to achieve grandmastery in katana, wakizashi, dagger, spear and longbow and in all other weapons - max 1 pip.

    also, not only should he be unable to wear armor heavier than splint mail - the *only* armors he should be able to wear in my opinion should be splint mail and dragon scale armors
    and he should be forbidden from shields as well.

    you could also add a more powerful fear ability at lvl20.

    Thank you for the feedback

    You pointed out an obvious omission with regards to the samurai/ronin kit's disadvantages. Specifically the inability to exceed specialization in any weapon other than katana and longbow

    Disadvantages:
    - Race restricted to human
    - Alignment restricted to lawful
    - May not dual class
    - May not wear armour heavier than splint mail
    - May not exceed Specialization (two slots) in all other weapons
    - Earns experience points at half the normal rate

    I would be curious for some more information regarding "add a more powerful fear ability at lvl20"

    With regards to your other comments, I understand what you are saying, I simply may not agree.
    Cheers
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    edited October 2014
    You're welcome!

    Glad to have been of help with the obvious but i have to comment on the proficiencies some more because it doesn't make sense that samurais can't have grandmastery in an essential samurai weapon such as the wakizashi

    Samurai also should have grandmastery in spears because it's a very important samurai weapon, but i don't insist on this point. Dagger grandmastery would also make sense but make the least of a point on that.

    Also please consider again that shields and samurai do not go together aesthetically. In our history samurai didn't use shields and it makes them a lot less fearless and samurai-like for me.

    When it comes to the better fear ability, in Complete Warior (3E) a level 20 ability is discussed for the samurai. The kit should have something for past the 12th level after all (AD&D wasn't envisaged for such high levels anyway). This is copy-paste from the book (suppose it's forbidden but hope you get it):
    Frightful Presence (Ex): A 20th-level samurai’s bravery,
    honor, and fi ghting prowess have become legendary. When
    the samurai draws his blade, opponents within 30 feet must
    succeed on a Will save (DC 20 + samurai’s Cha modifi er) or
    become panicked for 4d6 rounds (if they have 4 or fewer Hit
    Dice) or shaken for 4d6 rounds (if they have from 5 to 19 Hit
    Dice). Creatures with 20 or more Hit Dice are not affected.
    Any foe that successfully resists the effect cannot be affected
    again by the same samurai’s frightful presence for 24 hours.
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    edited October 2014
    bob_veng said:

    You're welcome!

    Glad to have been of help with the obvious but i have to comment on the proficiencies some more because it doesn't make sense that samurais can't have grandmastery in an essential samurai weapon such as the wakizashi

    Samurai also should have grandmastery in spears because it's a very important samurai weapon, but i don't insist on this point. Dagger grandmastery would also make sense but make the least of a point on that.

    Also please consider again that shields and samurai do not go together aesthetically. In our history samurai didn't use shields and it makes them a lot less fearless and samurai-like for me.

    When it comes to the better fear ability, in Complete Warior (3E) a level 20 ability is discussed for the samurai. The kit should have something for past the 12th level after all (AD&D wasn't envisaged for such high levels anyway). This is copy-paste from the book (suppose it's forbidden but hope you get it):

    Frightful Presence (Ex): A 20th-level samurai’s bravery,
    honor, and fi ghting prowess have become legendary. When
    the samurai draws his blade, opponents within 30 feet must
    succeed on a Will save (DC 20 + samurai’s Cha modifi er) or
    become panicked for 4d6 rounds (if they have 4 or fewer Hit
    Dice) or shaken for 4d6 rounds (if they have from 5 to 19 Hit
    Dice). Creatures with 20 or more Hit Dice are not affected.
    Any foe that successfully resists the effect cannot be affected
    again by the same samurai’s frightful presence for 24 hours.
    Thank you, it was never meant to be offensive, I simply have several copies of the readme file, and that appears to be a late addition that had not been updated.

    The wakizashi is an interesting subject, originally I had built the kit utilizing the rebalanced weapon proficiency system from BG2 Tweaks, thus merging the Katana and Wakizashi into one proficiency slot.

    I'm unsure how to make shields unusable by a specific class, if you have some idea's I'm all ears, as I completely agree, so far I've only been able to excluded sword and shield style

    I'll consider the the greater fear ability, I originally built the kit based on Oriental Adventures 1st ed. rules, though I agree they never envisioned characters surpassing the 12th level. Of note the damage modification continues to accumulate at higher levels
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    Poor tetsubo Samurai, no love for you here! ;)
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    edited October 2014
    DreadKhan said:

    Poor tetsubo Samurai, no love for you here! ;)

    Hahahahaha, I hear you're frustration

    Based on all the samurai weapons

    Katana
    Wakizashi
    Tetsubo (club/mace)
    Naginata (halberd)
    Daikyu (longbow)
    I'm sure I've forgotten one or more...

    One could make are argument for grandmastery in any of those. I welcome any and all constructive feedback, this mod is a work in progress
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    i don't know how to make shields restricted without modifying all the shields and whether it's possible...not a modder :(

    you're right that a naginata is much better abstracted as a halberd than a spear.

    the lvl20 fear ability could work exactly like spell lvl1 symbol: fear, just centered on the warrior and renamed into something appropriate - the above quoted 3E ability is called 'Frightful Presence', and other lesser fear abilities are called 'Staredown' (-/Mass-/Improved-)

    do you agree on dumping 'kai' for 'kiai shout/smite'?
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    Well, from my knowledge of lore, it was often seen as bad form for a true Samurai of proper birth to duel another noble Samurai with a weapon other than a 'proper' sword... a wakizashi wasn't really considered a proper sword, and could be worn by other nobles, but admitedly outside duels, Samurai used other weapons, ie on the battle field.

    Perhaps allowing GM for all isn't strictly necessary? Tossing that out. :p
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    it's not necessary but it's most in the spirit of p&p proficiency restrictions (which can only be emulated in the infinity engine) and it's aesthetically the best
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  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430

    There's a mod (either BG2tweaks or Item Revisions, I think) that moves wakizashi to the katana proficiency, so simply using that component would cure that issue.

    More to the point @Greener, if you want to give options to get GM in multiple weapons but still make limited weapon choice a meaningful disadvantage, you could have the Samurai choose a weapon to specialize in, to the exclusion of any others. (Obviously it would be more for PCs, since Toku has clearly chosen the katana). Basically you would make a kit for each weapon focus and make an ability to choose the focus in the main kit, casting a spell that switches the character to the specialized subkit. It's what my mod does for kensai.

    That sounds like an excellent idea, with your permission may I look at your coding?
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  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430

    Sure thing. It's called "Scales of Balance" over in the General Modding forum. The .tp2 is at 25,000 lines and counting at the moment, so it's easy to get lost. The best thing for you to look at is probably version 0.5, back when I had just completed the kensai component. Check it out here:
    https://github.com/subtledoctor/Scales-of-Balance/tree/master/v05

    What it does in a nutshell:
    1) 15 kits are created, each of which can get GM in a different weapon and only 1 star in any other weapon.
    2) 15 invisible .CREs are added, each with its own override script.
    3) Each of those scripts just switches the summoner of the .CRE to one of the 15 specialized kits in 1).
    4) 15 innate spells are added, each of which summons one of those 15 .CREs in 2).
    5) 1 innate ability is added that works like the "Enchanted Weapon" spell; it references a .2da file listing those 15 spells in 4) so the PC can choose one of them to cast. It erases itself after being cast, so the kensai can only choose a focus once.
    6) That innate ability is appended to the base kensai kit's CLAB file at level 1.

    So to sum up: 15 kits chosen by 15 scripts triggered by 15 monsters summoned by 15 spells cast by 1 innate ability, given to the kensai to cast once.

    For this mod, you could just do 3, which would simplify things a lot:
    - katana & wakizashi
    - tetsubo/mace
    - naginata/halberd

    Choosing one focus could grant GM in that weapon, Specialization in the other two and in longbows, and limited to 0 stars in any other weapons. For samurai I assume single-weapon and two-handed weapon styles would be available as well.

    Thank you!
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    edited October 2014
    A significant portion of this mod is complete, and I'm about to release an alpha version for those interested in testing with me. I'm just awaiting authorization from @CamDawg for use of a portion of his code
    Post edited by Greener on
  • Giant_GnomeGiant_Gnome Member Posts: 3

    For this mod, you could just do 3, which would simplify things a lot:
    - katana & wakizashi
    - tetsubo/mace
    - naginata/halberd

    Choosing one focus could grant GM in that weapon, Specialization in the other two and in longbows, and limited to 0 stars in any other weapons. For samurai I assume single-weapon and two-handed weapon styles would be available as well.

    It might be a good idea to add Daikyu/Longbow as another option. Some samurai were famous for their archery.
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  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    edited November 2014
    I just wanted to clarify: does this mod just add a new NPC with the ronin/samurai kit? Or does it allow the PC to choose the samurai kit as well?
    Regardless, it looks really good!

    Edit: Also, any instructions for installing this mod? :p
    Post edited by Noobacca on
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    Noobacca said:

    I just wanted to clarify: does this mod just add a new NPC with the ronin/samurai kit? Or does it allow the PC to choose the samurai kit as well?
    Regardless, it looks really good!

    Edit: Also, any instructions for installing this mod? :p

    This mod adds a new NPC "Ginawa" who is a ronin and can be rehonored to a samurai.

    In addition the mod adds both the ronin and samurai kits for the PC to play as if they choose

    The mod is weidu compatible thus is installed the same way any other weidu mod is installed (see readme)

    I will caution you the mod is very much an ALPHA release, and is a work in progress

    A BETA release should follow in the coming weeks (by years end)
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    Significantly updated, new dialogs and banters added numerous bugs squashed...
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    edited November 2014
    After some sage advice, I have pulled down this mod, until it is ready for public distribution. Please check back for further updates...
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    It sounds promising, keep up the effort!
  • phlippy_gphlippy_g Member Posts: 9
    Looking to see if any thing is happening with this one.
  • GreenerGreener Member Posts: 430
    This mod is still on the back burner, I must admit I had received a fair bit of negative feedback, thus my motivation to continue the project had deteriorated significantly. The kits, items and NPC is built and playable, I'm still slogging through the dialog as we speak....
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    Does this mod work for BG2EE as well?
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