making my werewolf stronger

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Hi,
I've been playing my shapeshifting druid werewolf and I'm currently at lvl 12. My werewolf is fairly powerful, but I would like to make him even more powerful. i just read about the greater werewolf when reaching lvl 13. This is good but I was wondering if I started multi-classing by adding some levels in fighter to my druid, would it make him even more powerful? I usually only use spells before battle and then turn into a werewolf and fight. btw, I am a half-elf. I heard that there are experience point penalities to non-human classes that multi-class. Is that true?

thanks
jim

 

Apparently the original game's Werewolf was nerfed for game balance issues. You can get the shapeshifter-rebalancing mod to make him really strong.

Humans dual-class, ie. start off in one class then stop growing in that class to pick-up the second class. However you can't choose a kit with the second class.
Non-Humans multi-class. Here they continuously grow stronger in both the classes they have choosen. Obviously you still need the same amount of XP for each class and you lag behind in the levels attained by a single-class charecter.

Either way, if you want a Human Fighter[8]/Shapeshifter[x] or a HalfElf Fighet/Shapeshifter you will have to resort to a little trickery via ShadowKeeper.

 

Since you are half-elf, you're stuck with being a pure shapeshifter for life. That's the thing about this game - you can't change your character during the game easily. (Re: the ShadowKeeper comment above)

Even had you multiclassed, the best you can do is fighter/druid. You can't pick a druid kit. There is no experience point penalty here except that the experience earned is divided evenly between fighter and druid. In some games, certain races cannot level up as high as humans can, but not in BG2. (I think that's what you were worrying about)

So the only way this could work is if you play human with the shapeshifter kit and then dual class to fighter at level 13. But I'm not sure what happens here. In werewolf form, do your fighter stats even matter anymore?

 

thanks guys.i appreciate it. i guess i really have no choice other than just leave him as he is (cause i don't want that fan made patch).

jim

 

I would install the fan made patch. Without it greater werewolves, in a word, suck.

I remember playing through getting tantalizingly close to lvl 13, finally getting there and being severely disappointed. If my memory serves right, the greater werewolf is only slightly better and in some areas *worse* than the lesser werewolf. Check out the notes on that fan-made patch to see what you're missing. I guess they didn't have many testers wanting to play a werewolf...

 

could you explain how they shorted the greater werewolf? i just fought one with my werewolf and it was a real fight. If I didn't have some back up I would have been dead. I really don't wanna use fan made patches but if it really needs it..anyway, if you could tell me in what ways it's better or worse i'd appreciate it.

jim

 

I don't understand why you don't want to use fan made mods. Some of them such as the shape-shifter rebalancing mod were written to do excatly what they say: rebalance something in the game that got short changed. If you have a specific concern ask and I'm sure someone here can address the question.

 

@uglijimus:

The monster greater werewolf is not the same as the one you shift into. Use shadowkeeper and boost yourself to lvl 13. You'll see why it sucks without the mod. I think the most disappointing aspect for me was the lack of regeneration. Un-modded it's pathetic, like 1hp every 2 minutes or something. Use the mod and watch your life heal like a real werewolf's should!

Come on, get over your fear of mods, get it as part of the ease of use mod at http://weidu.org/. It's ree-dicerously easy to install -- or uninstall if you don't like it.

 

From the Ease-of-Use readme: Shapeshifter Rebalancing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This makes Shapeshifters less of a joke. You might even be tempted to have Cernd in your party now. Well, let's not go overboard. Anyway, this fixes the bug where the Shapeshifter's paws could be dispelled and then any weapon could be put in their place. That exploit essentially gave you 2 extra attacks with whatever you wanted, plus all the werewolf powers.

Shapeshifter abilities now create "symbolic paws". When you wield one you turn into a Werewolf, when you remove it you're human again. No possible exploits, and you may choose whether to put the paw in your on-hand or off-hand. Since your off-hand THAC0 as a pure druid is, shall we say, sub-optimal, I recommend the on-hand.

This also fixes a "bug" where attributes of the CRE file for "PC polymorphed into a Werewolf" were not actually given to the PC by the Polymorph opcode.
Normal Werewolf:

You Were Supposed To Get / You Actually Got
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Base Magic Res 20% / Magic Res *LOCKED AT* 20%
Immunity to Normal Weapons / Nothing
Paw = 1d12 slashing / Paw = 1d6 piercing

For the Greater Werewolf ...

You Were Supposed To Get / You Actually Got
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THAC0 6 / Nothing
Saves 1/1/1/2/1 / Nothing
Base Elemental Res 50% / Elemental Res *LOCKED AT* 50%
Base Magic Res 40% / Magic Res *LOCKED AT* 40%
Immunity to Normal Weapons / Nothing
Paw = +3 Weapon / Paw = +2 Weapon
Paw = 2d8 slashing / Paw = 1d6 piercing
Regeneration 3 HP / second / Nothing

To see this for yourself, check out werewodr.cre, weregrdr.cre, brbrp.itm, etc.

The "Rebalancing" gives a Greater Werewolf Shapeshifter the +7 HP per Level due to a fighter with 25 CON (before you just got +2). Most importantly, Shapeshifters may now cast spells while in Wolf form. Hey, they're supposed to have dedicated their lives to controlling lycanthropy. I'm sure a little fur won't mess up their communion with nature. Yuan Ti, Githyanki, Sahuagin, they can all cast spells. Why not wolfmen?

In addition, the Druid spell choices were a bit weak in some areas, so some Priest-only spells were made Priest-Druid: Sanctuary (sylvan sanctuaries abound), Chant (they got Bless, why not Chant?), Zone of Sweet Air (sounds nature-y to me!), Glyph of Warding (no excuse, but they need a damaging spell here that isn't Call Lightning), Righteous Magic (listen to Jaheira for a while and tell me she's not Righteous ... more importantly, if they're going to tank around they need some extra help).

Finally, 99% of all sixth-level druid spell slots go to "Summon Fire Elemental". You can get a 24 hit dice monster with +4 claws that lasts for hours with that spell. It's so much better than the 7th level "Summon Earth Elemental" that it isn't funny. The other 6th-level summons just don't come close. To give you some actual choices, "Conjure Animals" has been changed to summon two 20 HD Greater Bearweres (they're like Greater Wolfweres).
However, the duration remains 4 turns. Do you want Fire Elementals forever, or Mighty Big Tanks for a short time? You decide.

By the way, I initially coded up a version of the Shapeshifter paws that would not be useable even by Thieves with UAI (this is the intended spirit of the power). However, I'm not the police, so I removed it. If you want to cheat, go for it.

 

lots of good posts on this one. I've been looking through pages on the net for the past couple of hours trying to figure this out. Firstly, I'm not afraid to use fan made patches (it may have come off that way in my original post, but i didn't mean it that way) if they fix the problem, i'm all for it. but from what I see, this mod gives way too much power to the greater werewolf. for example the guy who claims "what you got" and "what you are supposed to get", where is the proof for "what you were supposed to get"? I found the cre files that he mentions on my computer but how are you supposed to open those type of files up?

anyway, I don't think there are, but it would be nice if there were a more realistic mod out there. Regeneration every sec, being able to cast in werewolf form and unlimited times makes it pretty sick. I don't think the original game creators intended half of this mod's rebalanced attributes. I just want to play as close to what the creators envisioned. I wonder how hard it is to modify mods...

 

I'd definetly get Ease of Use mod. It will not interfere with any other installed mods and makes the game a hell of a lot easier to manage. Other aspects of the mod include a botomless bag of holdings, unlimited potion stacking, Dungeon be Gone (Gives you the option to skip Irenicuses dungeon) plus a number of other small tweaks. You can choose what parts of it you want to install and everything in it is easy enough to uninstall.

I would regard it as the best BGII tweak/mod out.

 

I agree with you jim, I don't think the extra things like being able to cast while shapechanged should be allowed. Fortunately for a lazy person like me it's easy to remedy - don't cast spells when you're shapechanged. If you've got no self-restraint though then you'll have to do it the hard way

 

Dungeon be Gone is a seperated mod Stu. It does not come with the EoU. These two and weapon upgrade are mods which are always on my install list.

The shapeshifter rebalance may be unbalanced but that does not detract from what a great mod EoU is. And you do have the power to decide which parts you wish to install and which you do not.

 

Ok, so after a little research it looks like it would be quite easy to 'mod the mod' or create a new shapeshifter rebalance mod. Using DLTC, an Infinity Engine editor found at:

http://www.dragonlancetc.com/forums/index.php?board=9;action=display;threadid=857

and Infinity Explorer found at:

http://infexp.sourceforge.net

Looking at the rebalance mod files, it looks like it's even more overpowered than described in the txt file; The creator also increased the number of spells that druids gain per level.

I think most people seem to agree that the mod is overpowered but that without it shapeshifters are underpowered. What would be a happy middle ground?

I'm a bit of a power gamer myself, so I could be off, but I propose this:

THAC0 6
AC -6
Saves 1/1/1/2/1
Base Elemental Res 50%
Base Magic Res 40%
Immunity to Normal Weapons
Paw = +3 Weapon
Paw = 2d8 slashing
Regeneration 3 HP / second
Str 21, Dex 20, Con 25

Essentially the exact stats taken from the greater werewolf, and likewise for the normal werewolf. Get rid of the extra fighter HP, casting spells while shapechanged, and extra druid spells.

Would that be balanced enough for most people?

 

I'd be willing to test it. Sounds better.

 

hey phatty, i like the suggestion! the only thing i'm a little worried about still is the 3 hp per second. is it supposed to be like that in 2nd edition? that seems a little unbalanced in itself, but the rest sounds great. what does everyone think?

jim