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More from the IWD2 forums:Dave MaldonadoSome Q&A
Q: Selecting a leader instead of the first character as the leader
A: This is not in yet. I couldn't say whether or not we'll have time for such; it poses more problems than some people seem to be aware of (like what if your leader isn't anywhere near the party when the NPC spots them, is silenced, is hidden/invisible, and so on - yes, there are certainly solutions, but the problems still go on and on... ^_^).
Nevertheless, still might happen!
Q: Will their be spells to lower elemental resistance?
A: I don't think there are any currently. There's Lower Resistance - which drops magic resistance - but that seems to be it.
Q: Can Monks use Cleave with unarmed attacks?
A: Currently, yes. And as Snowcat noted, Great Cleave seems to be in and working. Smacketa-smacketa! ^_^
Q: Lower Resistance
A: Using this spell, a caster may attempt to reduce the spell resistance of a target creature. The spell resistance of the victim works against the Lower Resistance spell itself, but at only half its normal value. There is no saving throw. If the victim does not resist the effects of this spell, his spell resistance is reduced by one for every two levels of the caster.
Q: Are Polymorph Self and Polymorph Other in?
A: Yep! For now. ;)
Q: Are magical items restricted in the number of enhancements they can have as per the 3E rules? How is this handled in IWD2?
A: Largely arbitrarily: the vast majority of equipment follows die Richtlinien, though there may be a rare exception here and there (especially in HoF mode).
Q: Is there last best unique weapon for every type in IWD2 ?
A: The "final weapons" should all be roughly equivalent in power, so yes.
Q: SO why not give a one final stat point at 30th level ?
A: Filed under "for consideration" with numerous other suggestions. ^_^
EDIT: numerous items and spells do give odd bonuses (+1, +3, etc.), so it's still quite useful...
Q: Can druids do spontaneous casting like clerics ?
A: Nope
Q: Can neutral clerics do spontaneous casting and if so what happens when they do it ?
A: Yes; to Cure.
Ocher Yelly Q&A
And now, a special bonus answer: Yes, ochre jellies split when struck by physical or electrical attacks.
Q: btw does that jelly split mean they become two enemies or the animation how they die `?
A: Two enemies, each with half the HP of the original. Nasty business!
Q: Does this only happen once, or can you split the new jellies into ever-weaker versions also?
A: Yep. To a point, of course. We can't have people crashing their systems with sixty ochre jellies blobbling around at once.
Q: Are the two split jellies worth as much as one unsplit interms of experience?
A: Ochre jelly "spawn" are considered summoned monsters of a sort as far as XP goes; they're worth no XP. Only the original retains any XP value. This decision was based largely on programming and temporal issues (for those of you now ready to get your rant on, please consider this a moment - you'll see the problems, I'm sure ^_^).
Yes, it means a player can keep splitting the original ochre jelly down until it has seven hit points (or whatever) and then kill it with lamp oil (or whatever)... of course, this also means there are now four no-XP ochre jellies blobbling around the map after her, all with the (impressive) damage capability of a full-strength ochre jelly...
It makes for an interesting monster, if nothing else, which can be a nice change. ^_^
Josh SawyerState of the nation
* nation = Icewind Dale 2
Hello. Things are going pretty well here at L33T H4X0R HQ aka Black Isle Studios. While I can't give you an "OFFICIAL FOR REALS" status report, I will tell you about some fun things:
* While bows are not as "vomitously" powerful as they were in IWD, they are still quite awesome. I made an elf fighter named Amraith, gave him a 20 Dex, and let him go to town. By 8th level, he had MW: Bow Specialization, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Dirty Fighting, and Improved Critical. I chortled many times as I shot goblin shamans in the eyes and Blinded them.
* Barbarian rage is useful, but man, you better burn through those enemies quickly before it runs out. If you combine BR with a nice high level of Power Attack, you can usually blast though most foes. You do have to apply PA strategically, though. Rushing armored priests with your PAing rogue will end in YUO = DED.
* 30th level monks with Great Cleave attacking goblins are COMEDY GOLD.
* Clerics are very good, but not as powerful as I feared they would be. It is pretty nice to watch my Stormlord of Talos cast Lightning Bolt, even if it isn't the most devastating attack in the world.
* Druids are still quite effective at all levels. Their shapeshifting forms are fast and powerful. Pretty much all of their forms are faster than the base human. Bears are really fast. Panthers are hellaciously fast. Polar bears have 27 Strength, and destroy everything in their path.
* Sorcerers and bards are cool, but the wizards' flexibility and spell selection still makes them the most useful arcane spellcaster, IMO.
* The use of Diplomacy, Bluff, and Intimidate can yield some truly great results.
* Putting modal feats on your action bar GREATLY helps alleviate the problem of forgetting what's available to you. I never forget about my barbarian's rage ability because it's staring me in the face every time I click on him. The same applies to feats like Power Attack, Rapid Shot, and Expertise.
* With all of the designers playing through the game, I feel confident in saying that the difficulty gap has been dramatically reduced. While experienced players will have an easier time than newbies, newbies don't fall so far behind on the "ignorance curve" that the game becomes overwhelmingly difficult. Casting Haste and Recitation before every battle isn't the simple solution to every problem.
* Watching NPC rogues evade Fireballs is pretty funny. But not as funny as watching them succumb to a few Hold Person spells.
* I love Spellcraft more than any other skill.
* Multi-classing often kicks your teeth in at low levels. I tried a super multi-classed party and a single-classed party. The single-classed party was much more effective, overall, even though the multi-classed dudes were more flexible. I think it's an appropriate balance.
* Spontaneous casting of Cure spells is sooooo nice. So is the spontaneous casting of Inflict spells, since touch attacks ignore armor.
* Max Dex Bonus for armor makes me cry, but in a happy, "I have to think about what armor I should wear" sort of way.
* Armored Arcana is quite nice for rogue/wizards or high dex multi-classed wizards. Wearing heavy armor with AA usually doesn't work out so well, but for the lightweights, it's cool.
W3RD.
Evil Clerics casting healing spells?
Yes, they can cast any healing spell. The inflict spells are more handy than you might think. They are a nice way to start the battle, and virtually no creatures in the game have any level of resistance against magical energy damage.
Multiclassing
I am playing through with one of the pre-made parties. We are providing five pre-made parties for players to use. The party I made is called "The Hands of Fury". It consists of the following characters:
Makados -- CE human male Stormlord of Talos -- Very high Charisma, high Wisdom, above avg. Strength, avg. everything else.
Dahel Bloody-Four -- CE human male barbarian -- Very high Con, high Strength, high Dexterity, avg. Wisdom, low Int, low Cha
Amraith -- NE moon elf male fighter -- Incredible Dex, high Int, high Wis, avg. Strength, avg. Con, low Cha
Mirai Wainwright -- CN half-elf female wizard -- Very high Int, high Con, high Dex, avg. everything else
Harbesh Carver -- TN shield dwarf male rogue -- High Strength, very high Con, avg. Dex, high Int, avg. Wisdom, low Cha
Fissera -- NE human male druid -- Very high Wisdom, high Int, high Cha, avg. physical stats.
My characters are now 10th level, and only now am I seriously considering multi-classing any of them. Eventually, I will have to multi-class Makados because his Wisdom is too low to cast 9th level cleric spells (unless I find some Wis-boosting items, which I probably will not). I may soon multi-class Harbesh to a fighter for a few levels. He's not quite able to participate in melee with the others, but his high Strength is wasted on the crossbow. Besides, I think his rogue skills are probably good enough by now to carry me through most of the rest of the game... I think.
About not showing The 'Jefferson' project at E3
Hopefully it won't be much longer. The Jefferson leads and the producers talked about showing it at E3, but it would have been a tremendous headache. Last year, the TORN team scrambled around and almost killed themselves trying to get it done. And even then, it wasn't quite in a state to be shown. If you can't make a huge splash at E3, you probably shouldn't show the project in question. You'll get drowned out and smothered by everything else.
Chat Nicholas (Briareus)Sorcerers underpowered?
I disagree slightly. If the question is, "Who would win in a Wizard vs. Sorcerer fight?" then I disagree. If it is, "Who is easier to go through the game solo with: Wizard or Sorcerer?" then I'd say a Wizard. You'll need that flexibility. Also, those extra feats are nice.
However, if you plan ahead, a sorcerer can be VERY deadly. Playing a sorcerer means not getting Minor Mirror Image and waiting for Mirror Image. It means not getting a Lesser Planar Binding elemental and waiting for a Planar Binding one. It means not getting Invisibility and waiting for Improved Invisibility. Etc., etc. That said, I'm very happy with my sorcerer. She can cast a LOT of Delayed Blast Fireballs and Chain Lightnings. :P Of course, she's not the only caster in the party. I've also got a bard to cast those spells that my sorcerer had to skip over.
Visible which spells affect monsters?
Nope, sorry. It'd be neat though.
Damien Foletto (Puuk)Rogues
Going through the game for balancing, I can tell you, without any reservations, that rogues seriously kick butt. I have a halfling rogue with a 16 INT, have her core skills maxed (which, in IWD, is about 3 points over her level), and she is able to search, disarm, unlock everything. I put a crossbow in her hands, and she tears things up - from a distance. And backstab - oy! Very cool class - right up there with a druid (gotta love that 27 STR in bear form).
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Icewind Dale II Forum Update
