162 replies to this topic

[T.G.Maestro]

That's true, it'd look pretty damn horrific without different icons for every race

UNLESS we can come up with a good idea for an "unisex" icon - an icon that would represent the ability itself instead of each race (the same solution was used for Brew Poison for Assassins).

[Caedwyr]

Would it be possible to have a script search for what the ranger's current racial enemy is, and then have the HLA apply the appropriate spell on the ranger to modify their attacks.

pseudo code for the passive HLA you pick would look something like this:


Search for racial enemy, and return value

If racial enemy = BLAH, then apply spell x which targets BLAH.



This would leave the player with a new passive effect which could be added to all of their attacks (now is this possible) against their racial enemy. This would mean there is no need for finicky menu systems ala spell immunity.


Incidently, NIGHTMARE has mentioned before that since you can add large numbers of map screens (unlimited?), it is possible to create new official looking menu systems, by using the map interface (buttons on a background).



Edit: If you are looking for some nice passive ranger HLAs that have to do with racial enemies, I can post loads of them. But only if you are interested.

Edited by Caedwyr, 21 October 2004 - 11:42 AM.

[SimDing0]

Would it be possible to have a script search for what the ranger's current racial enemy is

No.

Incidently, NIGHTMARE has mentioned before that since you can add large numbers of map screens (unlimited?), it is possible to create new official looking menu systems, by using the map interface (buttons on a background).

They work absolutely terribly though. We developed the technique for the DLTC deity system and worldmap, and it was, frankly, poo.

Edited by SimDing0, 21 October 2004 - 12:44 PM.

[T.G.Maestro]

If you are looking for some nice passive ranger HLAs that have to do with racial enemies, I can post loads of them

I'd be more interested in other ranger-specific HLAs, especially those that would fit the whole class.

I was thinking on Wilderness Lore (as a basic passive HLA like Inner Focus), but I'm undecided about it's effects. How about +1 CON and some other minor (but fitting) effect?
I'm open to suggestions here.

Edited by T.G.Maestro, 21 October 2004 - 10:51 PM.

[Schatten]

when outside (or only in the wood or whatever) rangers gain effects like invisible (every two rounds invis is cast on ranger) and/or better damage using range weapons. simulates that rangers know how to hide/hunt in the woods.

[Nerik]

For a Ranger HLA, how about some form of 'call enhanced animal companion'? or 'call woodland ally'. This would summon a stronger than usual natural animal with familiar-like characteristics (follows ranger between maps, reveals map - does not grant extra HPs or cause CON loss when killed - large animals, i.e. bears, wolves, lions cannot be placed in the ranger's backpack ).

For that matter, a lower level version (summoning a less powerful companion) could be made available for rangers at 10th level (like in PnP 2nd edition).

The animal companion summoned would have sufficient special abilities to be able to survive traveling with a HLA-capable party.

Charles

[Rathwellin the Bard]

Nerik your idea makes the beastmaster less useful, though it is OK for the other kits.

How about increasing resistance to Fire/Cold/Electricity a bit? Natural toughness sort of like a Barbarian at high levels.

[T.G.Maestro]

Hmm, I think we'll aim for the Improved Racial Enemy, if Littiz (or Bigg) can script it.

[Efreet]

Ideas for summoner.

1 Improved stability: Summons stay longer.

2 Elemental mastery: Summoner casts elemental summonings as cleric spells (does not need to roll for control)

3 Nexus of Wrath: Attack spell. There are many entities in the planes that are extremally and indiscriminately destructive and the spell briefly contacts one of them creating a channel just wide enough to unleash some of its power upon the enemies. The spell is very risky as it is impossible to predict the exact area and power. (An area is struck by random type of energy, from fire and cold to level drain and -6 chaos.)



Ideas for ranger.

Smell the wind.
The rangers long training gives him senses of the most dangerous predators. He is no longer fooled by invisibility (although the spell isn't dispelled, the party can attack the enemy as if "partially visible".)

[the bigg]

Hmm, I think we'll aim for the Improved Racial Enemy, if Littiz (or Bigg) can script it.

Right 'bout time for me to show up, eh?
I believe you can do this, though: in stats.ids you find:
49 HATEDRACE
so you can CheckStat to find out your hated race. The bad part is that you need to type races by number.

BUT: you can add to trigger.ids the following line:
0x4044 HatedRace(O:Object*,I:Value*Race,I:StatNum*Stats)
This way, you can type
HatedRace(Myself,HUMAN,HATEDRACE)
instead of
CheckStat(Myself,1,HATEDRACE).

If this works, it is trivial to add Improved Racial Enemy. The most boring part will be to create all the effects & write all the scripts (one for each race :bash: ).

[Littiz]

BUT: you can add to trigger.ids the following line:
0x4044 HatedRace(O:Object*,I:Value*Race,I:StatNum*Stats)

Uh? And what hardcoded function would you call with that line?
How you can define a new function by simply declaring it?

Am I missing something terribly obvious? :drunk:

[the bigg]

BUT: you can add to trigger.ids the following line:
0x4044 HatedRace(O:Object*,I:Value*Race,I:StatNum*Stats)

Uh? And what hardcoded function would you call with that line?
How you can define a new function by simply declaring it?

Am I missing something terribly obvious? :drunk:

I was thinking on that to avoid adding racial numbers instead of actual names in the script.
0x4044 is CheckStat(O:Object,I:value,I:value*stat). by copying it, but adding a *myids after a I:foo, I can use the entries in myids.ids instead of the numbers (EG, spell.ids allows you to write WIZARD_MAGIC_MISSILE instead of 2113 or whatever the number is).
But then I remembered that, of all modding tools, MS Excel (!) allowed me to put numbers more easily than names. So that part is to be scrapped.
After all, I've already finished the coding, all I need is for TGM to add the icon and that finishing-up stuff.

[Nerik]

Part 1 Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, Barbarians

Ok, here are a few ideas for HLAs (mostly taken from the old DM's Options: High Level Campaigns DO:HL and the D&D Companion set D&DC). Not all are necessarily a good idea though

Fighters

Breech Immunity (DO:HL) Fighters attacks (including unarmed) automatically treated as magical (+1 at levels 21 to 23, +2 at levels 24 to 26, +3 at levels 27 to 29, and +3 at level 30+).

Pro: should be do-able
Cons: less useful considering the number of magic weapons in BG II, would be a disadvantage vs. Prot. from Magic Weapons etc.)

Intimidation (DO:HL) Opponents of 4+1 HD or less automatically retreat from the fighter (its not a flee in panic, rather a cautious retreat - they will fight back if attacked, but at -2 to initiative, THAC0 and saves while they are within 60' of the fighter). Creatures with 4+2 HD or more get a save vs. death, if they fail, they can either retreat as above, or stay in the area and suffer the same penalties as noted.
The save is at -2 if the fighter is level 24 to 26, -4 at levels 27 to 29, and -6 at level 30.

Pro: Would be a nice effect
Con: probably requires scripting

Disarm (D&DC-modified) Instead of making a normal attack, the next attack does no damage and is at -4, but if it hits, the target must save vs. paralysation or drops its weapon. I'd be tempted to include a save penalty based on the fighter's level, perhaps -1 per 3 levels above 21st?
Technical question - is it possible to have an innate ability that is usable an unlimited number of times? in which case, I'd implement this as follows:
The ability is an innate, when used it creates a magically created weapon with the disarm ability (using the 'drop weapons in panic' op-code), and a duration of 1 round, perhaps it should also set the #attacks per round to 1?

Pro: Cool new ability, especially with the addition of scripting that would modify the behaviour of creatures that have been disarmed (this could be a bit of work though).
Con: problems with dispel vs. magically created weapons, requires scripting for realistic opponent behaviour?

Bravery (DO:HL - based on HL skill) Fighter gains resistance to fear

Signature Item (DO:HL) In a nut-shell, an item becomes impossible to break or lose permanently.

Pro: Really cool ability - item has become part of the character's story.
Con: I cannot think how to implement it! not without an insane amount of scripting

Ranger

Scroll Writing (DO:HL) At 24th level, a Ranger can write priest (druid) scrolls.
- I'm not sure about this one - do-able though.

Maybe allow them Disarm, Bravery and Signature Item as well.

I would actually make the existing tracking ability available from first level, with (say) a 70% chance of success (maybe lower, like 50%) at 1st level, increaing by 5% every 3 levels, to a maximum of 100%.

Paladin

Disease Immunity (DO:HL) In PnP All paladins are immune to mundane diseases, at 27th level, a Paladin should gain an immunity to mummy rot and lycanthropy, and similar cursed afflictions.

Note: AFAIK, Lycantropy in the BG series is a scripted event, and Mummy rot uses the state:disease opcode, so as a compromise, how about giving Paladins Disease Immunity (including mummy rot) as a HLA.

Cure Disease (PHB) In PnP, a Paladin gets 1 use of Cure Disease per week per 5 levels, so at 35th level, they can do this once per day, so, for simplicity, make Cure Disease a HLA.

Scroll Writingf see the Ranger ability, above.

They should also get the Disarm, Bravery and perhaps Signature Item ability (Cavaliers don't need bravery).

More to come later...

Charles

[fallen_demon]

signature item doesn't have much point

[T.G.Maestro]

Breech Immunity (DO:HL) Fighters attacks (including unarmed) automatically treated as magical (+1 at levels 21 to 23, +2 at levels 24 to 26, +3 at levels 27 to 29, and +3 at level 30+).

Pro: should be do-able

Actually, it is not.

Intimidation (DO:HL) Opponents of 4+1 HD or less automatically retreat from the fighter (its not a flee in panic, rather a cautious retreat - they will fight back if attacked, but at -2 to initiative, THAC0 and saves while they are within 60' of the fighter). Creatures with 4+2 HD or more get a save vs. death, if they fail, they can either retreat as above, or stay in the area and suffer the same penalties as noted.
The save is at -2 if the fighter is level 24 to 26, -4 at levels 27 to 29, and -6 at level 30.

Pro: Would be a nice effect
Con: probably requires scripting

Um, no, it would be quite easy to add, even without scripting. You simply need to add a permanent aura effect to the character, but I don't think we need this in addition to War Cry (somewhat similar).

Disarm (D&DC-modified) Instead of making a normal attack, the next attack does no damage and is at -4, but if it hits, the target must save vs. paralysation or drops its weapon.

Again, forcing opponents to drop their weapons is overkill in BG2, since they cannot fight without it, and to make them pick up and re-equip it would need insane amount of scripting - I generally hate all "Drop Weapons in Panic" opcode effects.

Bravery (DO:HL - based on HL skill) Fighter gains resistance to fear

Yep, not bad.

[Nerik]

Thieves and Bards

Nondetection (DO:HL) The thief gains resistance to detection spells (or maybe a limited number of uses of Nondetection per day?).

Shadow Travel (DO:HL) A thief that is hiding in shadows has an increased movement speed (up to double in very shadowy areas).
As an alternative, gives 1 use of Dimension Door per day, but only if the thief is hiding in shadows.

Note: This will probably require scripting to impliment (either version), and is only implimentable if there is some way to determine if a thief is hiding in shadows, and to read the light map.

Charles

[T.G.Maestro]

Distance Strike

Again, cannot be implemeted. at least I don't know how.

This HLA is also up for consideration for the Monk class

Well, the monk table is already heavily reconstructed in v2, and I consider its modifications closed for now.

[LarryTheArcher]

Refinements's HLA system still lacks the conjurer HLA. I'd like to hear your ideas and suggestions on this one, since I'm kinda stuck with it right now. V1 is near completion, so it would be nice to finish this component in the following week.

Any support - be it an idea or technical help - would be highly appreciated!

Call of the Conjurer
With this spell, the Conjurer casts out a magical portal that sucks out 1D6 creatures, each one from the Elemental Planes of Fire, Earth, Air, as well as the Negative Material Plane, The 9 Hells and the Celestial Planes. It calls down one random being of a pool of level 15+ creatures from that plane, ranging from Vampires, to Tanar'ri, to Greater Fire Elementals, to a Solar. The Level of the creatures summoned will match the level of the caster, and any demons summoned will not attack the user or the users party.


Make it an innate ability, once per day

For Bounty Hunters, the Disarm Opponent thing might make sense, but only if it was like a once per day thing

Edited by LarryTheArcher, 14 November 2004 - 10:31 PM.

[Feanor]

Call of the Conjurer
With this spell, the Conjurer casts out a magical portal that sucks out 1D6 creatures, each one from the Elemental Planes of Fire, Earth, Air, as well as the Negative Material Plane, The 9 Hells and the Celestial Planes. It calls down one random being of a pool of level 15+ creatures from that plane, ranging from Vampires, to Tanar'ri, to Greater Fire Elementals, to a Solar. The Level of the creatures summoned will match the level of the caster, and any demons summoned will not attack the user or the users party.

Summoning even a Solar is too much in my opinion.