-
- Forums
- Chatrooms
- Gallery
- Gameplay Videos
- Upload
- Articles
- Mod Reviews
- Shop SP: Games, Movies, Books
|
|
Equipping Your Party
Now it is time for some perspectives on how to equip your party members.
Some Bonuses Do Not Stack
Some bonuses provided by items don't really have a numerical value assigned to them. They're there or they're not. These include Freedom of Movement, immunity to critical hits and sneak attacks, immunity to ability and level drain. Having more than one item that provides you the same bonus (e.g. Freedom of Movement) will simply be redundant, so avoid that if you can.
Some bonuses do have numerical values that speak to their relative strength, the higher the value the more of a bonus. But some numerical bonuses do not stack. Suppose that you have found a Nymph Cloak +6 that adds a +6 bonus to Charisma and a Mask of Persuasion that adds a +2 bonus to Charisma. Equip them together and they wont stack together to produce a +8 bonus to Charisma. Only the highest bonus, from the Nymph Cloak, will apply. Likewise casting a spell like Eagles Splendour on the character will not confer any meaningful benefit. Keep this in mind, since it can mean freeing up a slot in your inventory for an item that provides a different benefit.
The bonuses that do not stack together are:
Others Do
Other bonuses with numerical bonuses will stack. They are:
Static Benefits Instead of Charged Items
I'm not a big fan of using items with charged spell-like abilities. Besides the fact that the charges are finite to begin with, they are used at limited spellcasting levels (e.g. Wand of Fireballs casts Fireball as though by a 5th level Wizard), and don't take advantage of the character's ability modifier (e.g. Charisma bonus for a Sorcerer) or the character's feats (e.g. Spell Focus or Spell Penetration). Your own spells, properly augmented by appropriate character development, will usually suffice and can be recouped upon resting.
Let's take it a little further. If for example you have an armor that offers certain static benefits like those I've listed above, and an armor that provides spell-like abilities, either with limited charges or on a daily basis, it shouldn't be any contest. The static benefits will always be there, always benefitting your character, and cannot be dispelled. The armor with spell-like abilities, not so much. There may be the odd justified exception of course, but it certainly helps to observe the guideline that I've provided. Of course, there may also be items that contain both. I may use those too, but mostly for the static benefits to begin with.
Maximum Dexterity Bonus
Keep in mind that the Maximum Dexterity Bonus for a character will depend on what armor he or she is wearing. And depending on what the character's Dexterity is to begin with, this can have a real effect on what type of armor / equipment configurations the character should choose.
For example, a Fighter with low Dexterity isn't hoping for much of a Dexterity Bonus to armor class to begin with, so a better set up is to go with a Full Plate that will have a higher armor bonus to armor class. If a Rogue character is able to put her Dexterity through the roof, why bother with even a Padded Armor (Maximum Dexterity Bonus of 8)? Why not have the Rogue wear a Robe with a Bracers of Armor, neither of which will impose a Maximum Dexterity bonus?
Appropriate To Your Class and Role
When choosing who to equip with an item, make sure it helps that member perform in his or her class and role. This may sound like a no-brainer, buts it's here anyway as a just in case it's needed reminder of common sense.
Assume that you find a pair of Gloves of Concentration (+3 Concentration). Your Paladin may have a use for them since he occasionally casts spells. But how about your Sorcerer or Cleric instead? Even this can invite a further distinction. If your Sorcerer constantly keeps herself layered up with protections like Stoneskin and Mirror Image, can she get away with not increasing her Concentration checks? Maybe the Cleric, who doesnt have the same repertoire, and often has to brave Attacks of Opportunity in order to heal wounded comrades can find a greater use for them. Conversely maybe your Paladin should wait it out until he finds a pair of gloves that confers some kind of combat bonus.
This reasoning is even easier for items that confer ability bonuses. Items with a Strength bonus benefit warrior types. Items with a Charisma bonus benefit Bards, Paladins and Sorcerers. Items with an Intelligence bonus benefit Rogues and Wizards. And so on.
In fact, it can be said that there are particular items that are so crucial to a character's effectiveness that they should dictate how the rest of the character's inventory is set up. I provide much more detail on how I equip my characters in their profile pages, but here I can provide a few general comments on how I go about equipping them based on the guidelines I've provided:
Valeria - Valeria is a character that combines melee combat with arcane spellcasting and thieving. Intelligence increases her spellcasting ability, her melee damage (in conjunction with Insightful Strike and later Combat Insight), the use of some of her thieving skills, and her skill points. Dexterity increases her armor class, her attack bonus in conjunction with the Weapon Finesse feat, the use of her Evasion ability, and the use of some of her thieving skills. Her setup therefore revolves around wearing a Headband of Intellect +8 and a Belt of Agility +8. Another priority is equipping her with a light armor and shield that will minimize her chances of arcane spell failure.
Khelgar - A key item for Khelgar will be a Periapt of Wisdom +8 to improve his armor class (because I have him change over to the Monk class), and that demands that I find something other than an Amulet of Health with which to immunize him against ability / level draining. Beyond that, it is crucial to find items that will stack up his armor class and a pair of gloves that will maximize his damage output.
Neeshka - Dexterity is so crucial to what Neeshka does, everything else pales by comparison. It goes without saying that a Belt of Agility +8 is a must. Because her Dexterity can go through the roof, I prefer that she wear a Robe and a Bracers of Armor.
Elanee - A Druid in Wild Shape can only benefit from item bonuses provided by a helmet, armor, and shield. I try to pack as much as I can into those three items in order to get the most of her use of Wild Shape and the Natural spell feat together. Fortunately, there is an armor that provides a +4 Strength bonus, and immunity ability / level draining, and a Shield that provides a +4 bonus to Wisdom along with elemental resistances.
Qara - Qara lives or dies by having the highest Charisma bonus that she can. Her setup demands a Nymph Cloak +8. If she wants to find a deflection bonus to armor class, she'll have to get it through a belt, weapon, ring, or gloves, but not a cloak.
Grobnar - Just like Qara, a Nymph Cloak +8 is an absolute must for Grobnar. Beyond that, my other priority is to find as many items as I can that will stack up on the Peform skill in order to maximize the potency of his Curse Song.
Casavir - Just like Qara and Grobnar, a Nymph Cloak +8 enhances so much of what Casavir does. His deflection bonus to armor class will have to come from a ring, but not a cloak. His Dexterity isn't good to begin with, so he's a natural for the full plate and shield setup. Provided his Use Magic Device skill rank is good enough, he's also a natural for donning the Ironfist weapon set, which consists of Strength-enhancing gauntlets, a Constitution-enhancing belt, and a powerful Warhammer.
Bishop - A good Dexterity score will increase his attack bonus with a longbow, and his armor class in conjunction with a light armor. A good Strength score will increase his damage with either a two-handed weapon when he needs to fight up close, or with a Longbow that has a good Mighty value.
Shandra Jerro - My utmost priority is to stack her Parry skill as much as possible to enhance her role of counter-attacking Tank. Heavier armors will impose a penalty of the use of the Parry skill. That, coupled with the fact that Shandra has a pretty decent Dexterity score, makes a Leather Armor or a Studded Leather Armor commendable. Of course, it helps to find a Dexterity-enhancing item for her.
Sand - It goes without saying that a Headband of Intelligence is a must for Sand. Beyond that, you will be confined to stereotypical wizardly attire.
Zhjaeve - Wisdom is important for her spellcasting, while Charisma is important for her Turn Undead ability that becomes useful during the later stages of the game. The former comes from a mace that I buy for her during Act III, while I make a Nymph Cloak +8 for her concerning the latter.
The Construct - There's nothing much to say here as the Construct literally cannot equip any items.
Ammon Jerro - A Nymph Cloak +8 is an obvious no-brainer. Keep in mind that Ammon can also fight up close if he has to, so don't over look boosts to things like Strength and Dexterity.
Checklists
One way to think of it is to construct a checklist for each character, and then planning an equipment setup that satisfies as much of that checklist as you possibly can. You may not be able to satisfy all of them, but the more of them you can check off the better chance your character will stand to perform his or her function in the party. Here are some criteria that often merit inclusion in the checklist:
I'll conclude this section by stating that immunity to ability / level draining is especially important, at least for many of those characters who will be staying with me during the final parts of the OC where I'll be facing off against plenty of Wraiths, Nightwalkers, Vampires, and finally the King of Shadows himself. However, if I can't fit such an item into a given character's inventory because other items are more important, the long-lasting Death Ward spell can be used to protect that character against ability / level draining.
Emphasize Raw Damage for Weapons
Some weapons inflict special effects that seem really cool, like stunning, holding, dazing, etc. The problem is, as the game progresses, enemies that will be immune to these effects like undead and golems and elementals become more and more frequent as the OC nears its end. The utility of such effects drops off correspondingly.
That's not to say I abide by that principle without justified exceptions. Valeria can use the Blade Weave spell on her weapon, even if it has already three or more enchantments on it already, so that she can inflict Daze in addition to the damage bonuses. My point is that having such an effect take up one of the three possible weapon enchantments really won't be worth it.
Two justified exceptions are the Slow power and the Blindness, which are exceptions in that they will affect enemies like undead and golems and elementals. In fact, I have Neeshka use a weapon that has a chance of slowing its targets because it will give her a resource where normally she would be in it rough against enemies that are immune to sneak attacks.
The same enemies that are immune to the effects that I listed above will also be immune to critical hits and sneak attacks. So, just like those effects, don't get hung up on using any enchantment slots to add the Keen weapon property. Instead, just use a Keen Weapon spell on piercing or slashing weapons or a Weapon of Impact spell on a bludgeoning weapon for when you anticipate fighting enemies who are subject to critical hits. They expand the critical hit range of a weapon even if the weapon already has three or more enchantments in place. On that note, don't bother with the Improved Critical feat either, since that will just be a waste.
At the end of the day, it pays off to maximize the raw damage output of your weapons. The best damage enchantment to add to weapons is the holy +2d6 damage vs. evil, since almost everything you face in the OC is evil.
How about beyond that? Don't bother with cold damage, since the undead that will become plentiful in the later stages of the OC will be immune to cold damage. Negative energy damage is even worse, since it will actually heal undead.
Don't bother enchanting a weapon with fire damage. The reason being that Elanee, in those moments you may decide to include her in your party, can simply cast an Extended Flame Weapon on any weapon to confer +1d8 fire damage for quite a significant duration, even if the weapon already has three or more weapon enchantments. Maybe Elanee won't always be in the party, like in my playthrough, but I was sure glad I had my weapons use different sources of damage when she was there to add the +1d8 fire damage on top.
That leaves acid, electrical and sonic damage as the alternatives. In fact, if you don't mind micromanaging, this can be taken to a definite extreme. Valeria uses a rapier that has no enhancement bonus but inflicts +2d6 damage vs. evil, +1d6 electrical damage, and +1d6 acid damage. She casts Greater Magic Weapon on her rapier at the start of each new day, which will add an enhancement bonus for pretty much the whole day even though the rapier already has three enchantments on it.
Item Crafting
If you browse through the items section of the walkthrough, you may be convinced that the items to be found in the normal course of the campaign are sufficient to meet your needs. On the other hand, you may decide that there are still a few gaps that can be filled or improved upon through custom made items. What now follows is a quick rundown of how to create custom items.
Adding magical properties to items or creating magical items typically requires the use of essences. Essences come in five varieties: Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Power. The five varieties each come in four varying degrees of strength: Faint, Weak, Glowing and Radiant. Essences can occasionally be found in various points in the game, but VERY occasionally. Ensuring a steady supply of essences requires a character who has developed the Craft Alchemy skill and a Mortar and Pestle. Whenever you find body parts left behind by slain foes, they are capable of producing one or more essences. Simply use the Mortar and Pestle on that body part when it is in your inventory. If your Craft Alchemy skill is high enough, the process will yield the essence(s). Body parts that produce the most powerful essences (e.g. Dragon Blood) require a Craft Alchemy skill of ten. Two less powerful essences can also be merged into a more powerful essence (e.g. merging two faint essences into one weak essence), while a more powerful essence can be broken down into a less powerful essence. Merging faint essences into weak essences requires a Craft Alchemy skill of 5. Merging weak essences into glowing essences requires a skill level of 10. Merging glowing essences into radiant essences requires a skill level of 15.
To build a weapon, you need to acquire a weapon mold (e.g. Longsword mold) and a base material (metal ingots for most weapons, wooden planks for clubs, staves and bows). Place these items in a forge, and then use a Smiths Hammer on the forge. This requires the Craft Arms skill. The weapon being forged and the material being used effects how high a Craft Arms skill you need.
The process is similar for armor. Youll need an armor mold (e.g. Half-Plate mold), and a base material (e.g. Leather Hide or Mithral Ingot). Place them in a forge, and then use the Smiths Hammer on the forge. This requires the Craft Armor skill.
To add magical enchantments to a weapon or armor, one of your characters must have both the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat and the appropriate spell. What is typically involved is placing the weapon or armor in a magical workbench, along with the appropriate gem(s) and essence(s). The character then casts the spell on the workbench.
Creating magical items other than weapons and armor is similar. A character needs the appropriate spell and the Craft Wondrous Items feat. Place the base material (e.g. hide or ingot), gem(s), and essence(s) in the magical workbench and then cast the spell.
Throughout the game youll find various books that tell you which items and spells are required for which items or enchantments. There is however no need to burden your inventory with such clutter. For an excellent spreadsheet written by Thaladar that gives you the nitty gritty details on item creation and enchantment, follow this link. Another very good guide can be found through this link.
Something to keep in mind is that coming up with enough essences for the recipes is usually not a problem, but obtaining the gems is often a different matter. The very best gems are Beljurils, Blue Diamonds, and Kings Tears, and can be difficult to find. Second grade gems include Star Sapphires, Jacinths, Canary Diamonds, Rubies, and Rogue Stones. There are shops that will carry a limited number of these gems at certain points of the game. There are also, however, a number of chests throughout Acts II and III whereby the best gems can be obtained as random loot. These can be found in the Collectors Mansion, Crossroad Keep while it is still controlled by Black Garius, the Ruins of Arvahn, Ammon Jerros Haven, Castle Neverneath, the Seat of the Mountain, Tholapsyxs Fiery Cavern, and Highcliff after it has been taken over by Lizardfolk. If you save beforehand, you can reload as needed until you cherry pick the gem you want from a given chest.
Whether to Custom Make or Purchase
There is a rather simple rule of thumb to follow. If you can make a certain item for yourself that you'd like, perhaps forging a weapon in a Blacksmith's Workbench and then adding magical enchantments to it, then go ahead and do that. Don't purchase the equivalent when you can make it yourself. Save your cash for where it will really count.
And where it will really count is when there's the opportunity to purchase items that offer benefits that you couldn't attain through the standard enchantment recipes. Examples could be items that confer bonus feats or bonuses to skills. Other examples could be enchantments that resemble what is available through enchanting, but with greater power than is possible through enchantment. For example, the Rift Hammer will be available through a merchant in Act III. It has an enhancement bonus of +6, whereas +5 is the maximum possible enhancement bonus through enchantment. It also inflicts a bonus +1d8 sonic damage, where almost no enemy in the OC has any resistance to sonic damage. There is no recipe for adding sonic damage to a weapon in the standard enchantment system. Also, aside from the +2d6 bonus damage vs. various alignments or creature types, the bonus elemental damage recipes offer +1d6 damage (not +1d8). So one possible idea is to buy the Rift Hammer, and then add +2d6 damage vs. evil to it. Although I did not do that during my playthrough, someone may want to.
Use Magic Device
Got a cool item you'd really like but the character you want it for can't use it because of class, race, or alignment restrictions? The work around is to have that character acquire 15 skill ranks in the Use Magic Device skill. The character's Charisma bonus is taken into account for purposes of the skill rank.
Keep in mind that if Use Magic Device is not a class-skill for the character you want that item for, you may need to pick up the Able Learner feat in order to spend possibly 15 skill points instead of 30 or so skill points (possibly less depending on your Charisma bonus). It's up to you whether the items you want are worth the expenditure of skill points and possibly a feat. I did in fact make that decision when it came to Casavir, but it was made easier by the fact that he has a high Charisma to begin with.
I also have Ammon Jerro, Grobnar, and Neeshka equip items that are normally restricted against their class, race or alignment because Use Magic Device is a class skill for them.
A Last Note
Once in a while I used the NWN2Gff editor to change the appearance of some of my items. It was simply for aesthetic reasons. I did not alter the capabilities of any items. Do not try anything like that unless you know exactly what you are doing.
