Gonna try BG2 again...

TidusZ

Golden Member
Nov 13, 2007
1,765
2
81
I like the D2 and WoW systems for items and dmg etc. 101-223 dmg, 10% crit, etc.

When I get a club +1 or a saving throw or 1d6, I have no idea what they're talking about and I lose interest really quickly.

I don't wanna read a book (263 page instruction booklet anyone) I just wanna know what the stats mean.

Also, I wanna make a gg spell spammer, should I go mage or sorcerer?
 

zebano

Diamond Member
Jun 15, 2005
4,042
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xdy means roll x number of dice. Each of those dice has y sides. Thus a 5d6 fireball rolls 5 dice which each roll between 1-6 damage for a total of 5-30 damage.

+1 items do +1 damage and +1 chance to hit. To hit is based on a random 20 sided die (1d20) + your characters bonuses (str, magical weapons, feats etc.) versus your opponents armor + dex + magical enchancements.

Note that BG2 is version 2.0 of the rules and is significantly different than latter games which are 3.0 or 3.5 but they all revolve around random dice rolls.
 

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,267
3
81
If you want someone that drops fireballs left and right, go with a sorceror. Personally, I think sorcerors are the best area-effect killers in the game - spam sunfires, spam fireballs, spam abi dalzims, whatever. It's good to have a second wizard around for backup and other miscellaneous spelly-stuff - protection removals, invisibilities, hastes, anything that doesn't involve killing that involves spells.

Anyway, the way the armor system works is this:
Each character has an Armor Class (AC). It starts out at 10, and as you get better armor, it lowers to zero and below (negatives).
Each character also has a stat called To Hit Armor Class Zero (THAC0). This is their chance to hit. For hit calculations, this is the number they need to roll (from 1 to 20) in order to make a hit. The lower the THAC0, the higher the chance to hit a monster. Now, this is the number needed to hit ZERO AC. If the opponent has a higher AC (say, AC 5 or AC 7), that's a penalty to their AC and a bonus to your hit - you subtract that number from your THAC0, so you have a higher chance of hitting the monster. If your opponent has negative AC, then the reverse is true - it's harder to hit your opponent, so a penalty is ADDED to your THAC0.
 

TidusZ

Golden Member
Nov 13, 2007
1,765
2
81
Thanks guys so far so good and very informative. I have to express some disdain for this system though, I'm sure it worked great for pen and paper games but with computers I think its a big step backwards. I'm gonna try my best to learn it though, keep it comin.

One big question, whats up with saving throws?
 

aka1nas

Diamond Member
Aug 30, 2001
4,335
1
0
Most special effects or spells have a chance to fail when they hit a target, based on a random dice roll and the targets inherent resistance (in D&D usually a d20 roll).

I.E. If your character has Save vs Spells at 10 and someone casts a spell at him, he has a 50% chance of resisting the spell (based on the spell description). Some spells will fizzle if the target saves, some may just have a lessened effect(damage spells like Fireball usually do half damage if the target saves).

Another note about magic weapons. Not only does the "+ x" value effect hit % and damage, but many powerful monsters can't even be damaged by lesser weapons. Many magical creatures need +1 or better, with creatures like dragons and vampires needing +3 or better. IIRC, Demons can only be hit by +4 or better.
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
6,271
323
126
Soloing a fighter/mage or fighter/thief/mage is extremely potent with the experience cap removed. You can potentially build a level 150 (50/50/50) character.

Imagine a fighter that can spam offensive spells, cast protections on himself, then charge in.

 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
6,271
323
126
Soloing is a challenge for the first few levels, but once you hit mid-levels you basically will run over everything and you won't have to worry about babysitting some weakling on your team. There was always a NPC that was a dead weight on my team, usually due to a leveling bug where they joined your team and didn't scale, so your team was level 15 and he/she came in at level 7.
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
I find the game to be very unforgiving and often down right boring for a pure mage, especially if you are a beginner and don't know what spells are the best and waste your slots on the plethora of crappy spells. You are gonna end up having to rest a lot (which isn't always feasible) or let your fighter-type companions dish out the carnage. Of course, by the end of the game you'll have lots of powerful spells, but then it's the end of the game... I suggest a fighter/mage dual class for more fun.

 

TidusZ

Golden Member
Nov 13, 2007
1,765
2
81
Points taken, fighter mage probably makes the most sense since you have to rest and not use mana (how I love mana). I'm gonna spend some quality time in the character creation. Shortylickens, you already tried to take a dump on one of my posts last week, and I gave you quite the good retort that sent you on your way. This isn't your kitty litter box, look elsewhere.