New all purpose Baldurs Gate thread

[Drogue]

I could leave you the surprise, but I think I'll just spoiler it

Spoiler:

Boo is a miniture giant space hamster that travels with Minsc. He is very smart, and his fury is great, however he is only small, so you have to look hard.

Not a big spoiler, just explaining what Boo is, but not sure if you want the surprise.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Stuie
You know, what determines when those cowled guys show up? I got jumped by some harpers who immediately started pounding me with magic, but of course I refrained not wanting to incur the wrath of the cowled guys. Well, they showed up anyway and started attacking MY party. WTF!? It's the damned harpers that are using the magic!

I'm answering my own questions now. I read somewhere that there's a bug with Keldorn's sword that makes the cowled wizards think you're using magic.

Also, those harpers kept wiping the streets of Athkatla with me, and no matter what conversation path I tried, they would eventually attack me. So I decided to avoid the spot they were appearing in and come back later when I was stronger... so I went elsewhere and came back later. But by then I had decided that I'd haste my party (inside a building, of course), run past the harpers, and pay off the government so I could use magic, then go back out and fight them. When I tried this, all of the sudden my conversations all ended differently and they didn't attack. Weird.

[Dis]

I can't seem to remember which harpers you are talking about. Were you talking about the docks district?

And yes, I always pay off the goverment. Gold comes fairly easily, 5000 isn't bad. Although there are a lot of nice things to buy early in the game... But I just like being able to use magic freely.

[Stuie]

It was actually in the Government district after we "finished" our business with the harpers at the Docks. Err... spoiler time in case DoY eventually plays BG2...

Spoiler:

We had killed the harpers at the guild hall, and some time later as I entered the Government district we were immediately stopped by some harper chick ( Revianne, maybe?? )who asked Jehiera why we killed the harpers. They go back and forth for a few lines, then I have some choices about revealing my parentage.

Now when I first ran into this, no matter what I did or said they attacked me, and the Keldorn's sword bug made the cowled guys show up and attack me as well. That resulted in a lose-lose situation. So I avoided the area for some time, tried again, and got some peaceful end to the conversation.

[duke o' york]

Don't worry about spoiling BG2 for me - I won't get round to playing it for ages. I'll want to play BG1 at least a couple of times before starting number 2, and since I've had it about a month and have only just reached Nashkel and my PC is still level 1, then it may be some years before I get there.

Mind you, if my girlfriend was to go away for the weekend.....

[Stuie]

I'm taking a slightly different approach. I'm playing through both with one character, and then I plan on starting over with a different character.

I'm getting really tired of Harpers showing up and harping at me or Jehiera about stuff. I was enjoying some time poking around a graveyard, looting tombs and such, when upon emerging from a rather extensive tomb we were accosted by yet another harper (Dermin, I think). He gave Jehiera some spiel about how they were going to execute her for being a traitor or some such, then said "Think about it" and took off. Uh, ok.

Anyway, the graveyard has been fun. However, I made a point of being there at night, but I cannot find Valen's mistress. Any hints?

[Jamski]

You left it too long, or you are already working for the thiefs. "Valen's mistress" is on a 10-day timer - she will turn up if you go there straight away - before paying off Galen. Pay off Galen or wait too long, and she's off.

DoY - as regards stone-to-flesh spell - anyone can use the green scrolls that you can buy in a temple, if they have INT of 11+.

-Jam

[duke o' york]

Thanks Jamski! I think that I may well have a character capable of using the scroll then.

Don't know when I can play again because my laptop screen has gone funny. I let the battery die down, and now whenever I turn it on, it has a crazy screen resolution that makes all the icons enormous, and will only display about a quarter of a standard-sized screen.
I've tried starting again with both a recharged battery and with the cable, but the same problem comes up each time. Even when I change the settings back to the way they were, I have to restart to implement them, and this means that the resolution screws up again. I'll have to fix this over the weekend, as I haven't much time till then.

[Jamski]

Run MSCONFIG and see if there's something "funny" in the autostart.ini You only need the basics ticked. (System tray, Scan registry, load power profile etc.)

There could be something in your start-up that is changing the screen res.

-Jam

[duke o' york]

Thank you.

What's your consultancy fee? Do you do call-outs from Germany? Actually, don't worry about that because you'd probably finish BG for me, and I want the pleasure all to myself!

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Jamski
You left it too long, or you are already working for the thiefs. "Valen's mistress" is on a 10-day timer - she will turn up if you go there straight away - before paying off Galen. Pay off Galen or wait too long, and she's off.

Ah ha!! I paid off Galen. Oh, well, I'll just keep kicking around the graveyard. Some nice loot to be had.

I think next I'm going to resume my work for the Shadow Thiefs, then I still have the Unseeing Eye to finish and some quests in Windspear Hills that need attention. So much to do!

[Jamski]

What's your consultancy fee? Do you do call-outs from Germany?

I only charge travel expenses

-Jam

[Stuie]

Ok, plea for more help time...

There's a door in the dungeon under the graveyard that I can't open. When my thief (Yojimbo or whatever his name is) tries to pick the lock, I get some message about his hands shaking because of the awesome power that seems to eminate from behind the door and the lock is weird and blah, blah, blah. Net result: I can't open the door.

Any hints?

[duke o' york]

Beat the crap out of it with brute strength instead?

[Stuie]

You know, I haven't been able to open ANYTHING with "brute strength" and my main character is a 19 (thanks to a certain tome I found in BG1... ).

[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).