New all purpose Baldurs Gate thread

[Drogue]

Wow, you're ahead of me now then. I'm still in Spellhold (haven't played much recently). I'll have to get back on it

[Stuie]

I had the day off yesterday.

[Jamski]

Hmm, every battle in the game is made tougher, like you described there in the first dungeon?

That must be a huge load of work to change all that!

Its an ongoing project. Each "battle" is a "component" which can be installed seperately. When you get the latest "Tactics" it contains the most recent versions of all the components to date.

I can post the readme if anyone is interested in this truely fantastic project from some very very dedicated modders. Hmmm?

My BG2 update: I'm having a pretty easy time all of the sudden.

Go on, GUESS what mod I'm going to reccommend

-Jam

[Traianvs]

Go ahead Jam!

I'm going to install BG2 again soon I think, to finally finish the game! The thing is I'm so accustomed to playing a ranger, that I always make my PC a ranger (or an archer), with the same NPC's every time.
Maybe this time I'm going to play evil, to see what Korgan and Viconia are like

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Jamski

Go on, GUESS what mod I'm going to reccommend

-Jam

I know, I know. Problem is, I had a really tough time on some of the battles prior to Chapter 4... like Samia and company... and the vamps in that same dungeon. That was reload hell. I don't want the tough battles to become impossible just so that the easy ones get harder.

[Jamski]

Ok, the Tactics2 readme (just the descriptions, may contain spoilers)

/------
| Improved Ilyich (requires ToB)
\------
The Improved Ilyich component makes the first dungeon much more
difficult. It was written by Lesley Reimer. The classic introduction is
as follows:

As I played through the Irenicus dungeon for the nth plus one time, I
remarked for the nth plus one time that Irenicus has some singularly
bad help down there. And while Bioware wanted players to be able to get
comfortable with the game, I have no such compunction.

Irenicus is, by all accounts, a master planner and a mage among mages,
with resources enough to build a vast underground empire, with a pocket
Plane of Air, all undetected by the Cowled Wizards. I find the notion
that he hires incompetents offensive.

What galled me most was the fact that Ilyich is guarding nymph acorns,
which are essentially an artifact-level treasure. It seemed implausible
that he would not take greater precautions to protect them.

So I have added a few extra guardians and improved his own combat
abilities modestly, to befit the trusted servant of an archmage and one
who would wish to keep his aforementioned artifact. It should be a
manageable challenge to an experienced BG2 player.

It is important to note that the Ilyich mod is a PARODY that is amazingly
difficult. Check out HINTS-Ilyich.txt for more information and make sure
you are up to the challenge before installing. Really, some elements of
the mod may not make sense to you (e.g., why Ilyich thinks the arcons are
hot stuff) unless you read up on the background.

/------
| The Ritual (requires ToB)
\------
The Ritual component adds a new tactical quest. There is not as much
dialogue as I might like, but the action is all there and it is quite
playable. You can start the quest by speaking to a yell-wrobed fellow
outside the Watcher's Keep. It involves some outdoor combat and obscure
symbolism against a very pretty backdrop.

It should remind you a bit of some parts of BGI or the Druid Grove quest
in BG2 -- you basically have to talk to some guy, clear an entire outdoor
map, then go back and talk again. At least, that's what it looks like at
first blush.

It is too hard for a party coming right out of Chateau Irenicus
(probably, but hey, prove me wrong!) and too easy for a party in ToB. If
you are a strong tactical player, try it with a level 11 or 12 party.
Otherwise, wait until everyone has around 2,000,000 XP.

/------
| Improved TorGal and De'Arnisse Keep
\------
TorGal and the De'Arnisse keep are made a bit more difficult. The Trolls
are better (Spirit Trolls instead of Giant Trolls) and they will not be
automatically slain by Cloudkill. There are more umberhulks for you to
contend with. TorGal himself has better guards (e.g., Yuan-Ti mages) and
is a stronger melee fighter. He also has a bit more treasure (including
the Flail Head of Cold -- you must kill him to fully forge Ages).

/------
| Improved Sahuagin City
\------
In "classic" AD&D, Sahuagin were 2-hitdice monsters, clearly way below
the level of a BGII opponent. This improvement assumes that you are
facing the cream of the crop of the Sahuagin: 12-20 hit dice (from
standard warriors up to the kings and princes). They now behave like
Archers, using crossbows and their special Sahuagin Paralytic Bolts to
good effect. At close range they use spears. Beware: Called Shot +
Paralytic Bolt is a combo (watch your saves). The Priestesses are now
14/14 Cleric/Mages and make better use of their innate powers (the
original game gives them a fun "Anti-Magic Zone" effect, but I bet you've
never even seen it ...). The old tactic of "cloudkilling from offscreen"
should be harder to use. Sahuagin now rise again as undead when slain and
concentrate on summoning the Eel Thingies while living. The Priestess
that holds the Cloak of Cheese (which is completely optional) can now
summon a Minor Avatar of Sekolah: watch out, it can swallow you whole or
cause massive bleeding. Finally, we unify Sahuagin XP (which used to vary
between 175 and 3000) based on hit dice.

The Sahauagin City may actually be too difficult for some
out-of-Spellhold parties now. That's fine, it is optional. :-)

/------
| Improved Bodhi
\------
This component tries to make Bodhi a worthy opponent. Vampires are
supposed to be scary. In BG2 they're only good for a laugh. Protection
from Undead scrolls, Sunray (Daystar) and False Dawn make short work of
them. A solo character with a Pro-Undead scroll can take out all of the
Vampire covens in the game. Sigh. Bodhi is worth 91K XP -- more than
almost anything else in the game. And yet she is a mere brute-force melee
fighter who doesn't even drink healing potions.

We make her more intelligent (e.g., she'll go after people who aren't
carrying maces of disruption) and give her some impressive pseudo-magical
powers associated with vampires of myth and legend. Bodhi gains dominion
over bats, the cold, the ground and the grave. She also gains stats
befitting her 25th level fighter/vampire status. You can face the
Improved Bodhi in Chapter 3 if you side with Aran, and in Chapter 6 as
you strive for the Lanthorn. In either case, the difficulty slider will
effect the fight (the EASY and NORMAL levels negate some of her powers,
etc.).

/------
| Improved Irenicus
\------
Makes Joneleth "The Shattered One" Irenicus a bit more of a challenge
when you finally face him in Hell at the end of SoA. Rather than
summoning generic demons and immediately losing to you, he sunders
himself into fragments, one for each Tear of Bhaal Test in Hell. Each
fragment has different strengths and weaknesses. We also add a paltry
amount of dialogue.

In my personal opinion the fight is now relatively (i.e., accounting for
party powers) harder than the normal end of ToB but easier than the end
of Ascension. It may be easier or harder than Imp Bodhi + Undead
Solaufein, depending on your opinion.

/------
| Improved Guarded Compound in the Temple District
\------
This component makes the guardians of Celestial Fury more "realistically"
difficult. They have appropriate spell picks for their levels (Sion is an
18th level conjurer, for example, so he can cast 9th level spells) and a
number of abuses are prevented (you can no longer run to the lower
floor). They also throw up a large number of protections early: they do
know you are coming, after all. Despite their high levels, they use only
SoA abilities (no ToB feats or ToB spells).

/------
| Improved Twisted Rune
\------
This component makes the guardians of the Staff of the Magi actually
believable. An 18th level conjurer, an 18th level fighter, a 26th level
Lich, plus they've got the Staff, and they're still routinely defeated by
solo characters still in Chapter 2. This component fixed some bugs (their
saving throws and spell memorization numbers) and makes more intelligent
spell choices (e.g., no gating in demons that will kill you). It also
prevents some previous cheesy tactics (traps, cloudkill, etc.). Finally,
Layene actually uses the Staff of the Magi the way a PC would
(invisibility and spell trap). Before she just sat on it. :-) Did you
even notice that their fighter, Revanek, appears completely naked? These
guys have money to burn and they can't buy him a long sword and some
armor? I think not! Despite their high levels, they use only SoA
abilities (no ToB feats or ToB spells).

/------
| "Kuroisan", the Acid Kensai
\------
Kuroisan, a Kensai / Wu Jen from Kara-Tur will eventually approach you if
you are carrying (and wielding) Celestial Fury or Malakar. He is obsessed
with Katanas and will try to take yours.

/------
| "Red Badge" Poison-Based Encounter (requires ToB)
\------
This challenge is triggered if you are standing outside the Watcher's
Keep. You must have more than 3 million XP, and you must either have
killed Gromnir or be in SoA.

/------
| Gebhard Blucher's Improved Mae'Var
\------
Mae'Var is no longer crippled (he was originally a powerful thief/mage,
but he was wearing the armor so he could never cast spells, etc.) and
makes for a much more creditable Thief Stronghold boss.

/------
| Gebhard Blucher's Lich in the Docks
\------
A new lich can be found in the Docks district: enter the door to the
north of the main Shadow Thief guildhouse entrance (position: x=1700,
y=500).

/------
| Gebhard Blucher's Improved Demon Knights
\------
This makes the Demon Knights (notably, those at the Demogorgon altar in
the Underdark) better opponents. They have more powerful spells and are
more resistant to cheese.

/------
| Kensai Ryu's Tougher Kangaxx and Guardians
\------
If you visit the tomb of Kangaxx you will find a new guardian in the room
above, the Archlich. He's a level 34/21 Cleric/Mage, and he has another
lich with him and some guards he's brought. Their purpose is to kill
Kangaxx and get his ring. If you already have the ring they do not know
this, they think Kangaxx is still alive and has it. They will kill
anyone whom they find snooping around his tomb. It's a pretty tough fight
so be prepared.

Kensai Ryu added a bunch of spells to Kangaxx and gave him the option to
work around some common used tactics that kill him. Try it out! Since
he's a Demilich he should cast some interesting spells.

This version includes quite a few bugfixes by Rassadihn and Weimer.

/------
| Kensai Ryu's Gnome Fighter/Illusionst in the Docks
\------
A gnome fighter/illusionist is looking for Valygar inside a building in
the docks and he will kill anyone in his way.

Warning: The fight can be difficult. Don't try him unless you're looking
for a rumble.

This version features massive bugfixes by Rassadihn.

/------
| Kensai Ryu's Improved Crypt King
\------
You remember the Cyrpt King in the Graveyard, don't you? Of course you
do, he's very easy to beat and he has some cool loot (good sword). This
version fixes his script that was broken in the game and also gives him a
couple of skeleton minions. After all, he is a king, right? He also calls
for more backup every now and then.

/------
| Ishan's "Always Toughest Random Spawns in Dungeons"
\------
This ensures that you will always get the most difficult random dungeon
spawns regardless of the number of people in your party and your
experience level. For example, you will always get all of the Statues in
the Watcher's Keep and you will always get the toughest kind of
randomly-appearing trolls.

/------
| Gebhard Blucher's Random City Encounters
\------
Occurs only in the city maps. The first few encounters are unchanged from
the game's standard encounters (Suna Seni, Renfield, Orogs & Slavers, Ch.
6 Rakshasas). Once all of the valid encounters above have been triggered,
the script checks for various things trying to find a match. If the
player has the fighter stronghold, and Lord Roenall isn't dead, then you
may encounters some Roenall Goons. If the player has the thief
stronghold, he may encounter some Night Knaves bent on revenge. Mage,
Lord Agrim. Ch. 6 + Silver Sword, Githyanki. Human Skin Armor or Staff of
the Magi, Twisted Runies. And so on and so on. If the script can't find a
valid encounter from the above then it will default to either the old
'bandits' or one of three groups of evil adventurers; as the party
becomes more experienced the chances of encountering a tougher group will
increase.

**Traps**: These are little 'hot spots' on a map. They trigger just like
traps. Depending on the trap, they check the range of a PC, the
visibility of the PC and other factors in the game. In the un-modded
game, the in-city Vampire & Shadow Thief encounters and the encounters
with the Amnish Centurions, when you have a very low reputation, are
examples of these 'traps'.

So far all of this is my stuff. I've retained all of the original
encounters (Vamps & STs and the low-rep encounter) and have added more.
There are three traps:

_Reputation Trap: If you have a very low reputation you will encounter
Amnish Centurians (unlimited) or members of the Most Holy Order paladins
(once only). This is unchanged. If you've ignored Garen Windspear you
will encounter a duplicate group of Most Holy Order paladins (once only).
This is also unchanged. My addition here is for parties with a _high_
reputation. Instead of encountering Amnish Soldiers and Cowled Enforcers,
you'll encounter a group of Cyric Cultists (Assassins x4, a Priest of
Cyric and a Mage).

Vamp & Shadow Thief Trap: the first (5, 6, 7?) encounters here are
unchanged. They should be recognizable to anyone who has already played
the game. I've added two extra encounters here. The first is a group of
hostile vampires. As long as Bodhi is not dead, and it's chapter 6 or
less, the vamps will plague the party if they've sided with Aran in
chapter 2. The second is a group of hostile Shadow Thieves (with a Priest
of Mask and a Mage). Again, as long as Bodhi is not dead and it's chapter
6 or less, this group will plague the party if they've sided with Bodhi
back in chapter 2.

_Bodhi Trap: this trap is unused by the un-modded game, the script is
totally blank/missing. It was probably cut at some point in the
development of the game and/or replaced. The 'hot spots' for the traps
are still present in many of the city maps, however. Right now, they are
set to spawn evil adventurers. At first you'll get groups of 'bandits'
(somewhat tougher versions of the old 'bandits'). Next you'll get a group
of adventurers with names like Assassin, Fighter/Mage, etc. Lastly,
you'll get a group of adventurers with names like Bounty Hunter,
Conjurer, Shadow Druid, etc. Which group depends on party xp.

/------
| Kensai Ryu's Random Wilderness Encounters
\------
These are the areas you sometimes find yourself in when you travel
between maps. You hear the ominous, "you have been waylaid and must
defend yourself," voice.

Kensai Ryu's encounters generally follow some kind of theme, and in any
event you'll rarely encounter more than two or three monster types.
However, those monsters can be difficult: it is not unheard of for a
party to encounter a random dragon in the wilderness.

/------
| Improved Undead
\------
This gives "throw-away" undead some additional powers to make them more
interesting. Shadows can cast Spook, Mummies can cast Malison, that kind
of thing. Just trying to make the undead scary again. Vampires and Liches
do not gain new powers.

/------
| Improved Golems
\------
Inspired by Kensai Ryu's "Smarter Golems", this component allows Stone,
Iron and Adamantium golems to throw rocks at you if they can't get to
you. Watch out! No more sitting around for five minutes while they get
stuck in a door and someone takes them all out with the Rifthome Axe or
Tansheron's Bow.

/------
| Gebhard Blucher's Improved Mind Flayers
\------
The Improved Mind Flayers strive to make the Iliithid the fear-inspiring
opponents that they should be. It improves their tactics and widens the
range of psionics they can use (bringing them more in line with Pnp AD&D).

/------
| Smarter Dragons
\------
The Smarter Dragons of SoA (there are five) component just make the
dragons user better tactics. In particular, it does not grant them any new
powers, so they will still fall to a high-level party with half-decent
tactics. However, do not expect a ninth-level party right out of Chateau
Irenicus to defeat Firkraag and take Carsomyr.

/------
| Xyx's Smarter Beholders
\------
The Smarter Beholders were written by Xyx. This changes Beholder
targeting so that they don't try to charm people who are immune to charm
and don't always kill themselves on the Shield of Balduran. In addition,
Elder Orbs and other advanced beholders are slightly color-coded so that
you can tell them apart from normal beholders. Finally, the beholder hive
in the underdark is made a bit more difficult.

-Jam

[Jamski]

And continued (sorry didn't realise it was so long, blame the formatting)

/------
| Kensai Ryu's Smarter Vampires
\------
The Smarter Vampires were written by Kensai Ryu. They make smarter
targeting choices (e.g., they avoid charming people who are wearing helms
of charm protection, that kind of thing).

/------
| Slightly Smarter Mages and Liches
\------
The "slightly" smarter mages component changes the behavior of Yuan-Ti
Mages and Liches (and some other random people, like Sorcerous Amon), the
most common "generic" magic-using enemies in the game. Mages now pay
much more attention to Stoneskin and Protection From Magic Weapons.
Better spell choices: Wilting instead of Maze, Mordy instead of Efreeti,
Time Stop instead of Gate. Better spell ordering: protect yourself
first, dispel their protections, then attack them. Better spell targeting
(code adapted from the smarter beholders): don't bother charming
Inquisitors or casting magic missile on someone with the Cloak of Cheese.
Better tactics in general: cast-and-attack with Melf, prep with Stoneskin
and other long-lasting spells (e.g., Pro-Magic-Energy), don't wander
around alone (e.g., bring a long-lasting summon). Mages will also notice
you casting spells on them while they are neutral: don't do it! Finally,
Liches will "notice" if they mysteriously start taking damage (e.g.,
because you have sent in one guy with a pro-undead scroll to take out a
lich) and will react as best they can (e.g., casting Remove Magic to
dispel your pro-undead status!]). The component is somewhat suboptimal in
order to add variety to the game. There is a preferred order for
spellcasting (assuming the enemy has that spell memorized) but there is a
chance of skipping any given non-essential step. Hopefully this is a
plus, since it eliminates the old "oh, it's a Yuan-Ti mage, look out for
Chaos followed by True Sight" feeling.

One of the most notable changes is that Liches can now call the party
back to them if you try to run away. Taking on a lich is a serious
endeavor and not for the ill-prepared. If you are used to taking down
liches with a solo character and a pro-undead scroll, think again.

/------
| Fighter-Class Archer Kit
\------
Basically, it's just like the Ranger-Archer except that:
(1) you can specialize in melee weapons
(2) it is a fighter kit
(3) so any race and alignment are OK
(4) and humans can dual-class later to thief/mage/cleric

GENERIC ARCHER: The generic archer is the epitome of skill with the bow.
He is the ultimate marksman, able to make almost any shot, no matter how
difficult. To become so skilled with the bow, the archer has had to
sacrifice some of his proficiency with melee weapons and armor.

Traditional missile weapons are slings, short bows, long bows, darts and
crossbows.

Advantages:
- +1 to hit, and +1 to damage with any missile weapon for every 3 levels
of experience.
- Every 4 levels he gains the ability to make a called shot once per day.
When he activates this ability, any shot made within the next 10
seconds is augmented in the following manner (according to the level
of the archer):
4th level: -1 to THACO of target
8th level: -1 to save vs magic of target
12th level: -1 to strength of target
16th level: +2 bonus to damage

Disadvantages:
- An archer can only specialize in melee weapons; he may never obtain
mastery.
- An archer cannot wear any metal armor.

Note: This kit should be installed AFTER "Ashes of Embers - Universal
Weapons Component" and AFTER "Rogue Rebalancing - Dual Wielding Fix
Component".

/------
| Anti-Paladin Kit
\------
If you install this component you will have a new fighter kit available
for all races: the Anti-Paladin. This is mostly for fun, and for people
who want to play evil. This variant is basically an Anti-Inquisitor. Kit
description:

ANTI-PALADIN: The Anti-Paladin has dedicated his life to finding and
eliminating practicioners of good magic and defeating the forces of
light, and his dark god has provided him with special abilities toward
that end. Anti-Paladins take a special joy in inflicting pain and
suffering.

Advantages:
- May use 'Dispel Magic' ability once per day per 4 levels (starts at
1st level with one use): ability is used at speed factor 1 and acts at
twice his actual level.
- May cast 'True Sight' once per day per 4 levels (starts at 1st level
with one use)
- Immune to Hold and Charm spells
- 'Dispel Magic' on every melee hit

Disadvantages:
- Basically none compared to a normal fighter.
- May not use standard paladin weapons like Holy Avengers
- May not Turn Undead
- May not cast Clerical spells
- Must be Evil

You may dual-class a human anti-paladin (but you need exceptional scores
to do so).

Note: This kit should be installed AFTER "Ashes of Embers - Universal
Weapons Component" and AFTER "Rogue Rebalancing - Dual Wielding Fix
Component".

/------
| Göran Rimén's Improved Nymphs
\------
This script replaces the AI for the Nymphs summoned by Call Woodland
Beings. Notably, they apparently no longer cheat (the old script would
cast more spells than the nymphs really had) and they are much more
intelligent. Favorite feature: before being unsummoned they will
automatically cast their mass healing spell on the most damaged party
member.

/------
| Kensai Ryu's Improved Copper Coronet
\------
This component creates more Guards in the Copper Coronet when the guards
go hostile. This will only work on games in which you have not yet
started the Copper Coronet quest.

Includes GB's "Gorf the Squisher" script fix.

/------
| SimDing0's Improved Oasis (ToB Required)
\------
This "spices up" the battle in the Oasis (AR6300). You know, the
practice area. The author (or instigator) felt that it didn't make much
sense that they sent a weak and pitiful army after you.

/------
| Mike Barnes' Improved Small Teeth Pass (requires ToB)
\------
This makes the Small Teeth Pass (AR1700, optional in Chapter 6 after Elhan)
much tougher by replacing the three Ankhegs by three Dragons. Should you
survive you get some extra gold and an extra set of red dragon scales
(which may help if you are trying to assemble things in the item upgrade
mod).

WARNING: Reported to be *incompatible* with TDD.

/------
| Mike Barnes' Improved North Forest
\------
This mod improves the 2nd most ignored area of the Game, the North
Forest. (Small Teeth Pass AR1700 is Number 1). I always wondered why an
Altar was set in the middle of a forest near a mid level party led by a
Priest of Cyric. Perhaps the evil god's minions were gathering together
their greatest champions and rarest magic items to oppose the Bhaalspawn.
After all, why would Cyric stand pat and give up the Sword Coast without
a fight?

[ ... ] I kept the night time guards the same (two high level vampires).
The day time guards (an Efreeti and a Djinni) were replaced with a Noble
Efreeti and a Noble Djinni. The altar's treasure vault cannot be opened
without a key. Unfortunately, none of the guards have the key. The mid
level party of Cyric was tweaked a bit. I raised certain members a few
levels to put everyone in the 13-16th range. [ ... ] Remember, these are
Cyric's champions, not his average followers! I made a few changes to
the creatures that spawn in should you explore the map. I nearly forgot,
the useless Mist Mephit was replaced with a Drake. (This fun monster is
courtesy of David Graider's Improved Abazigail mod). [ ... ]

Finally, like all mods, there is a question of balance. If you did the
bare minimum to meet Elhan, you're in for a tough fight. If you did most
of the optional SOA quests and then met Elhan, you'll do fine. If you
did every SOA quest, finished Watcher's Keep to get TOB high level
abilities and then met Elhan, you'll breeze right through it.

[ For full details, see the README in the nforest subfolder. ]

/------
| Mike Barnes' Marching Mountains
\------
A very minor mod that replaces the animal kingdom in the Marching
Mountains with the skeletal thief, cleric, mage and fighter from Nyalee's
temple area.

The home page is here :

http://www.weidu.org/tactics.html

-Jam

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by duke o' york
So I just have to wander around the outside and kill some wolves? Sweet.....

Thank you!

Oh, is there a maximum that he will buy? I don't want to turn up with ten of them and he'll only pay for four.

He'll buy as many as you can find, IIRC. Youre thinking of something that comes up later.

Actually i think theres more than one guy who will buy wolf pelts. One is a guy in one of the inns, i think in Beregost. The other is the shopkeeper in Nashkel.

You have to kill a White wolf to get a wolf pelt. Theyre mainly in the mountains near Nashkell.

[Jamski]

The shopkeeper in Nashkell pays a lot more. A LOT more. I think the other person is Captain Vai... I'll have to check.

-Jam

[duke o' york]

Originally posted by lord of the mark He'll buy as many as you can find, IIRC. Youre thinking of something that comes up later.

Er, I wasn't thinking of something else. I was just aware of what I call "game logic", and the possibility of its application here, to stop me getting stupendously rich! (Er, are these wolf pelts heavy?)

[Jamski]

What stops you getting stupendeously rich is the very small supply of Winter Wolfs to kill.

-Jam

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by duke o' york


Er, I wasn't thinking of something else. I was just aware of what I call "game logic", and the possibility of its application here, to stop me getting stupendously rich! (Er, are these wolf pelts heavy?)

OOps, then ignore what I said

as Jamski says, white wolves arent that easy to find (the total available in the game he knows better than I do) But it can help you out when youre cash strapped, especially together with the loot from the other baddies you find in the course of hunting the wolves.

[Traianvs]

it is not unheard of for a
party to encounter a random dragon in the wilderness.

Noway! How much dragons were there in the original game anyway,.. not too many

Anyhow I'm going to start me another game on human mode, to get the hang of it again.. it's been a looong while

btw what does prot from evil actually do, because the spell description is a bit vague (I suppose some better saves and damage modifiers against undead?)
I mean in my previous games I've never even memorized a prot from evil spell. That must explain why some opponents gave me a rough time sometimes

[Drogue]

Trajanus: It improves saves and modifiers against evil creatures, and means that a fiend, cacofiend or pit fiend will not attack you. It's only really useful (IMHO) in the "protection from evil 15' radius" version, that protects your whole party in one. Without a cleric, you have to make do with Keldorn's individual one though, when faced with a fiend.

[Jamski]

It (sometimes) protects vs mind control spells from evil creatures and gives evil creatures a -2 to hit.

BUT!

In BG many enemies have "odd" alignments - evil paladins, good demons... its just errors, but don't rely on it. That being said, Prot from Evil is one of my standard spells to cast before EVERY fight.

(Except dragons in the wilderness - no time to prepare wch: )

-Jam