7 replies to this topic

[Kung Fu Man]

If you dig around in the DLG, you'll find there are actually a lot of strings related to spells that ultimately never appear in the finished game. The good news is, because of where they're placed, you can sort out just where they would've gone, and get an idea about how the development of spells for Torment went about

The list:
Innate
8610 Warp Sense
*This probably was changed to a permanent on-ability for Nordom. Makes sense. Something to note, Litany of Curses isn't here.

Wizard
8616 Intimidate (SPWI106)
8619 Protection from Evil (SPWI109)
8620 Seizure (SPWI110)
8622 Stinging Touch (SPWI112)
8629 Hammering Echoes (SPWI206)
8631 Irritation (SPWI208)
8633 Ray of Enfeeblement (SPWI210)
8637 Bands of Sirellyn (SPWI302)
8638 Bewilder (SPWI303)
8641 Ghost Armor (SPW306)
8648 Despair (SPWI403)
8649 Flamestrike (SPWI404)
8652 Improved Vampiric Touch (SPWI407)
8656 Fear Aura (SPWI503)
8665 Wind Tempest (SPWI703)
8806 Wilting (SPWI806)
8810 Disruption
8811 Immunity to Undeath
8812 Maw of Chaos
8815 The Final Word
*The spell names are for the most part easy to sort out what leve they would've been: they're in order with other related spells, and if you look at the filenames you can tell where they would have gone, though it's not quite so clear when you hit Disruption thanks to the filenames and Desert Hell listed right next to it... Oddly enough there are two other spells that seem to be exceptions to this too: Fire and Ice, and Chain Lightning Storm, the latter of which appears between Abyssal Fury and Rune of Torment (meaning it might've been intended to be SPWI913)
*Intimidate is pretty much Litany of Curses if I recall from what I found of it years ago, so it makes sense it's gone.

Priest
8827 Hold Person (SPPR203)
8833 Want-of-Sight (SPPR305)
*Same case here, you can tell where they go. Restoring these might be a bit more of a pain if you do though, as if memory serves the engine likes refreshing Priest spells upon levelup @_@'. Interesting bit, judging from this Remove Curse was added later on.
*With the above though, if you do find out what Want-of-Sight does you can get around it by possibly replacing Speak with Dead with it.

Well, finding them was easy enough. I can dig around a bit more, might be helpful if anyone has 2ED source books for them to see what the descriptions of some of these were (I know a few are official D&D spells like the Bands one).

Edited by Kung Fu Man, 12 July 2009 - 06:21 PM.

[Qwinn]

Interesting. Some of those would be pretty cool to have in game, unfortunately I'm not finding any extended descriptions for 'em in the dialogue file that would give us a precise effect/durations/etc to implement. But very neat to look through that list.

Another thing to look at: DMEBBETH.DLG, state 49. This orphaned state was apparently once meant to allow Mebbeth to teach you spells directly, without the use of scrolls... somehow, you'd exit the dialogue with her with these spells already magically in your spell book, but that intended mechanism obviously died somewhere along the way. But, from the responses to that state, you can see that she was meant to teach you:

Spell 1: Intimidate
Spell 2: Friends
Spell 3: Pacify
Spell 4: Seizure
Spell 5: Blood Bridge
Spell 6: Irritation

I'm not going anywhere with any of this, but it is neat to check out what was intended early in the process and shreds of which are still lying around

Qwinn

[Kung Fu Man]

A few of them would probably be easy to restore going off existing spells. Several of these appear in BG1, and since Torment is just using a modified version of its engine it should be viable enough to use the spell files with it with graphical tweaks. Here's a list of the ones that appear in BG1, BG1 filename first:
SPWI113 Protection from Evil
SPWI317 Ghost Armor
SPPR208 Hold Person (SP082.BAM and II440.BAM look like they'd be perfect for this)

One appears in BG2:
Ray of Enfeeblement (Enchantment/Charm)
Level: 2
Range: Visual sight of caster
Duration: 1 round/level
Casting Time: 2
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Neg.

By means of a Ray of Enfeeblement, a wizard weakens an opponent,
reducing its Strength and thereby the attacks that rely upon it. The
victim is reduced to a strength of 5 for the duration of the spell,
unless a save vs. spell is made. This spell does not affect combat
bonuses due to magical items, and those conferring increased Strength
function normally. However the target receives all of the penalties
for a 5 strength such as attack and damage penalties as well as lower
weight allowance.

There's a possibility Wilting is a familiar BG2 spell as well:
Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting (Necromancy)
Level: 8
Range: Visual sight of caster
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 8
Area of Effect: 30-ft. cube
Saving Throw: Half

This spell evaporates moisture from the bodies of every living creature
within the area of effect, inflicting 1d8 damage per level of the
caster. Affected creatures are allowed a saving throw vs. spell for
half damage. This spell is especially devastating to water elementals
and plant creatures, who receive a penalty of -2 to their saving
throws. This spell will not harm party members.

I'm downloading PDFs for the source books for my stuff to see about things to use. If you want me to go further and dig around for any of these that appear in there just say the word.

EDIT: Bands of Sirellyn
Description

Bewilder
Description

Immunity to Undeath
Description

Improved Vampiric Touch
Description

Irritation
Description

Seizure
Description

That's all I can look up for now, got things to take care of during the day. Should give a solid start at least :\

Edited by Kung Fu Man, 13 July 2009 - 12:06 AM.

[Kung Fu Man]

Well some good news, gainging levels apparently has no effect on Priest spells, though the bad news is that you have to give it to Grace in her CRE file. From everything I tried there's apparently no way to get them to learn Priest spells directly. Also there's nothing for Want-of-Sight that I could find in the priest spell sourcebooks.

Edited by Kung Fu Man, 13 July 2009 - 04:41 AM.

[Qwinn]

Some neat possibilities there. It probably -would- be doable to add priest Hold Person to the game. I'm not inclined to do so, though, because Hargrimm is the -only- priest I can think of in game besides Grace. Hold Person is a really really powerful spell. Adding it in would be a huge power boost to the player party in a game that most people already consider too easy combat-wise.

That's actually true of any new spells we might add... all casters in PS:T cast their spells via scripting, there's no AI that says "cast whatever spells you have memorized", so adding in a spell without changing a lot of scripting would just tilt the balance of power more towards the party than it already is. No NPC's would use the new spells without being specifically rewritten to do so, which I don't feel like doing, honestly.

So, I think adding these to PS:T as it stands would reduce the challenge of the game to an uncomfortable degree.

I think they would be a seriously awesome addition for your Vengeance project, though, where you can create balanced encounters such that the new spells get used -against- you, not just by you. It would also be a cool way to make playing your mod a different experience from regular PS:T.

Qwinn

[Shambelle]

You have also some unused art for spells in the files...

For example:

This is Soul Exodus: a spell used only in one item.
An icon exist in the files.
As well as some old concept art from Black Isle...

[Kung Fu Man]

Makes sense for them to keep that one to an item though...it's actually a damn powerful ability when you think about it. Fire it on TTO and YIKES o_O

[Shambelle]

Indeed...completely brocken.