New all purpose Baldurs Gate thread

[Stuie]

Jamski quote snatched from the NWN thread:

Extra fire/cold/acid/sonic/electric damage is great because you can use it to smash down doors and locked chests with ease. They only resist physical damage.

So is this true in BG1 and 2 as well? Maybe THAT'S why I've never succeeded with brute strength. If so, I'll have to try again with the Flail of Ages.

[duke o' york]

Even so, you can still kick chests open in BG. I assume that Jamski was referring to magically-locked chests or doors, where even a character with strength of 19 cannot bust it open.

[Jamski]

Yep. Its also a 3e damage resistance issue. The chests and doors resist the first 15 points of physical damage from each hit. Makes the a PAIN to destroy (basically need criticals to scratch them)

To open the door in the under-graveyard-area you need to hire a golem. This happens as part of the main story. The wizard and the golem will agree to meet you down there, and the golem will smash the door in. (Golems being a. Very Strong and b. uneffected by the "feeling")

-Jam

[Stuie]

Ah, the master has arrived! Thanks Jamski - I'll just get started with the Shadow Thief quests, then.

I want to save up some more gold and buy a certain shield before finishing the Unseeing Eye.

[Jamski]

You don't NEED the shield. Garths and Beholders eye attacks are level 3 & 4 spell effects. ("Lightning Bolt" and "Cause Serious Wounds")They can be stopped by "Globe of Invunerability" Then there's the charm effect - "Chaotic Commands" or "Helmet of Charm Protection" deal with that, and the hold effect which can be avoided by casting "Freedom of Movement" first. Buff up your spell casters with these, then cast fireballs and skull traps at point-blank range centred on yourself (Globe of Invunerabitly blocks levels 1-4 ) Then run off and rest.

Oh - approach while invisible too.

Or just by the shield of cheese

-Jam

[Dis]

I use the cloak of mirroring. That's much easier than all that crap you just said .

and what about the disinitigration or whatever? Sometimes they send something that insta kills me. I'm not sure what it is. It's usually the elder orbs that do it.

[Dis]

Originally posted by Jamski
Yep. Its also a 3e damage resistance issue. The chests and doors resist the first 15 points of physical damage from each hit. Makes the a PAIN to destroy (basically need criticals to scratch them)

To open the door in the under-graveyard-area you need to hire a golem. This happens as part of the main story. The wizard and the golem will agree to meet you down there, and the golem will smash the door in. (Golems being a. Very Strong and b. uneffected by the "feeling")

-Jam

I don't remember any golem. But the door does eventually open later as part of a certain quest. I won't mention her name.

[Jamski]

I use the cloak of mirroring. That's much easier than all that crap you just said .

and what about the disinitigration or whatever? Sometimes they send something that insta kills me. I'm not sure what it is. It's usually the elder orbs that do it.

Cloak of mirroring comes later than Unseeing eye, and is in an optional area. It doesn't stop all the effects either.

The disintergration is probably "Imprisionment" The Elder Orbs only have this. The only protections I know are to kill them fast before they can use it, be in a bezerk rage, or best of all, use "Spell Immunity : Abjuration"

I don't remember any golem. But the door does eventually open later as part of a certain quest. I won't mention her name.

Spoiler:

Aran sends a Golem and a wizard to open the door, if you are working for the shadow thiefs

-Jam

[Stuie]

Well, I worked through the first couple "real" Shadow Thief quests, and what do you know, I'm heading back to the graveyard. Guess that clears things up.

You know, since I was at the Five Flagons anyway, I decided to try saving Haer Dalis and company; the results weren't as bad as before (I must be learning something) but I still lost Aerie in the first battle, and everyone else was beat up pretty good. So I put it off again.

[Jamski]

but I still lost Aerie in the first battle, and everyone else was beat up pretty good. So I put it off again.

Try turning her invisible and stoneskinned and mirror imaged before the fight starts. She'll probably come through unharmed.

-Jam

[duke o' york]

You must have worked out who the better opponents are by now, having been chopped down a couple of times already. Backstab the strongest opponent! I've found that when you have to talk to someone before the fight breaks out, then you have the chance to move your thief behind them before initiating conversation, and nearly killing them on the spot when the fight itself starts.

I'm sure that you're well aware of this by know, having played the first one too, but thought I'd stick it in anyway in case you hadn't thought of it in this situation, or didn't think it'd work. +1 anyway.

[Stuie]

Actually, DoY, I am really bad at taking advantage of my thief's skills beyond the obvious (traps and locks). I should be using Yoshimo's set snares ability, too, but I keep forgetting it's there.

So that's my goal for this evening: get the most I can out of Yoshimo's thieving abilities.

[duke o' york]

I tried to instal the ease of use pack last weekend, but didn't notice any difference.
Will it work with a new game only? I'm sure that Jamski said I could use it mid-game, but can only hold 20 arrows (well, 60) in my quiver at once.
Can someone please also give me a hint on what to arm Jaheira with, because she's next to useless in a scrap, even with the +1 staff I stole from the witch in Beregost. At the moment, I've just got her with tonnes of those throwing knives you can steal from the skeletons when you kill them, but I'd like something more effective. For a fighter/druid, it seems like the ratio is 1/100.

[Jamski]

Jaheira doesn't have the greatest STR for a fighter - so she's not hitting so hard or so often. And she can't use all the best weapons. However - she's a lot better in a fight than a plain cleric. I find its best to use her either sling and shield or dagger and shield. The smith in Beregost sells a lovely poison dagger +2 that she kills loads of stuff with. I use her more as a blocking and healing character, the real damage always comes from the archers.

Re: Ease of Use. You should be able to use it in a current game - but it won't affect arrows etc you already have or shops you already visited.

-Jam

[duke o' york]

Aha! I wish that I hadn't already been to the smithy then. Or have I? I can't remember whether or when I saved about that time. (I was being killed a lot, whenever the guards caught Imoen "borrowing" items from houses).