| |
Site Navigation
Main
News
Forums
Games
Games Database
Top 100
Release List
Support Files
Features
Reviews
Previews
Interviews
Editorials
Diaries
Misc
Download
Gallery
Music
Screenshots
Videos
Miscellaneous
Staff Members
Privacy Statement
|
|
Over the weekend the following happened at the IWD2 forums:Josh SawyerPrime Stat for a fighter
I consider a fighter's wisdom to be one of his or her prime stats, given their asstacular Will saves.
Lightning Bold Spell
Q: The 3rd ed lighting bolt affects all! enemies in the target area *and* can burn thin doors and small combustiles. Is this going to be implemented as well?
A: Yes, it will affect all enemies in the target area (anywhere the lightning bolt goes, targets in the path will take damage). No, it will not burn thin doors and light things on fire.
Igniting Objects (not)
It's not so much a "3D" issue as a dynamic object issue. If you want to deal with objects as real objects that have things like hit points and AC and hardness values, those have to be part of how the object is defined.
If you've ever used Worldcraft or any FPS editors, you may know "dynamic objects" as "entities". In a Quake level, for instance, anything that you can do stuff to (doors that actually open and close, ammo you can pick up, teleporters, explosive barrels you can detonate) are dynamic objects. They have data associated with them that defines how they ACT in the environment.
A quick way to separate dynamic objects from static objects (world geometry that doesn't really do anything) in most 3D engines that use shadow maps is to look for the "Scooby-Doo Effect". You know how, in Scooby-Doo, you can always tell when a secret panel is going to open or when one of the five statues is going to move? It's usually a different color than the surrounding stuff; it sticks out. In most 3D engines with static lighting and shadow maps, it's easy to spot the objects that can move or be thrown out anywhere in the environment. When the developers make the level and burn the light maps, all dynamic objects are ignored for purposes of making the maps. Because the dynamic objects can move or disappear, it doesn't make any sense to have them receive or block static lighting or shadows. Ergo, they receive none. That's why it's easy to spot dynamic objects in most 3D engines. Why did I go off on this tangent? It is a mystery.
Wizards
Wizards get a bonus feat at first level and a bonus feat every five levels after that. By 15th level, you could have a wizard with Greater Spell Focus in multiple schools (+4 to save DC).
Sorcerers do gain additional skill points, as listed in the rules forum.
Specialist Wizards
Actually, you'll be playing specialists almost exactly as they appear in the Player's Handbook. The only thing missing is the requirement that the bonus spell be from the specialized school.
Elemental Swarm
In our game, this is what it does:
Elemental Swarm
(Conjuration)
Level: Drd 9, Selune 9
Range: Sight of Caster
Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None
This spell allows the caster to summon four elementals, one from each of the elemental planes, to do his or her bidding. The spell always summons 16 hit dice elementals. The elementals will fight on behalf of the caster until the spell duration expires or they are destroyed.
It's pretty effective.
Search
Unlike PnP 3E, Search can be used by any class to poke around for traps. Disable Device is a cross-class skill, but at low levels, you can still get a decent score in it. However, it may be in your best interest to start packing on some rogue levels after the midpoint of the game. The traps in the later areas have high DCs, and a maxed-out cross-class Disable Device won't cut it for many of them.
To be frank, what I would like to do is simply compare the the total skill to the DC of the trap or lock, much like the dialogue checks.
However, a way to achieve an element of randomness would be to "jiggle" the DCs of traps or locks when a level is loaded for the first time in a given game.
E.g.: LiquidDamage is playing IWD2 and enters the Serpent's Lair. There are six traps on the level, with the following DCs: 30, 25, 20, 20, 20, 20. When the level loads, the game randomly raises or lowers the DCs of each trap by 0-5. The result: the traps are now DC: 32, 21, 23, 18, 16, 20. LD's rogue has an effective "roll" of 21 with his Disable Device, so he will be able to disarm four of the six traps -- but not the same four that he would have if the level simply loaded the traps at their default value.
Chad Nicholas (Briareus)Familiars?
I just know that it was decided to not have familiars early on in IwD2's dev cycle, and that decision hasn't changed. Once all of you see the changes we've done to the entire game, I don't think you'll feel that anything is too hard to do (how much time we have is another matter).
Turn undead
Q: Will any Enemy Clerics use Turn Undead against PC summoned Undead ?
A: Yes. Also, it is possible to get into a sort of 'turn undead war' as you take control some undead and an enemy evil cleric turns them back to his or her side.
Tex Yang (Bloodlust)NPC Interaction
There will be more skill/class/race/stat/gender (not necessarily in that order) dependent dialogues which players get access to in IWD2 than in the original one. Players will not be able to see all the different dialogues in their first run-through of the game.
It's dependent on who talks to the NPC. For example:
Talking to Joe NPC with a paladin
Joe NPC: Hi, I heard this story about the Battle of Rencoe, do you know it?
Paladin PC: Why yes, the Company of the Feathered Plume held the fort valorously against the Black Horde of (yadda yadda yadda)
or
Talking to Joe NPC with a bard
Joe NPC: Hi, I heard this story about the Battle of Rencoe, do you know it?
Bard PC: The Battle of Rencoe, yes, as the story goes, the great Captain Joseph Talerin was assigned the task of overseeing the pass of Rencoe, about 100 miles off the coast of Sheffield, between the Chasm of Jorinheim and the Forest of Norwood, in a defensive campain that. (I'm sure you don't want me to think up the end of this right?)
Those would be the dialogues that'd show up for the two classes, but they would not both appear at the same time, only when the player talks to him with that particular PC.
|
|
|
Icewind Dale II Forum Update
