Complete list of new items in this mod

[Andyr]

The following items are available from a new merchant, Raoul. If you are playing Tutu then you can find him at the Nashkel Carnival. If you are playing SoA then you can find him outside the Five Flagons, near Merchant's Square.

 

Tress of Jessecyl

 

Legends tell that Jessecyl was among the most beautiful of half-elven maidens. Before a battle she bequeathed upon her lover a favor; a lock of her hair. This valiant hero rode into battle against fell creatures, and the power of the love between him and Jessecyl protected him and his companions from many a threat.

 

Though this unnamed hero and Jessecyl have long since passed, true love lasts forever. Those of a particularly romantic disposition may notice that, likewise, the magic persists.

 

The item must be held on display to have its effects; it is equipped in the Shield slot.

 

STATISTICS:

 

When held by a character, the party is granted a +2 bonus to saves vs.death.

 

Weight:  0

Usable By:

Bard

Paladin

 

Skald's Battered Buckler

 

This small, battered shield belonged at one point to the skalds, the bardic members of barbarian tribes of Icewind Dale. It somehow made its way South to you, doubtless as the spoils of war after some long-forgotten invasion.

 

It is likely it belonged to a renowned bard at one point, as it has been enchanted to provide further protection as well as some measure of resistance to the all-pervasive chill of winter.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Armor Class Bonus:  2

Special:

No Missile/Piercing Attack Protection

Confers a 10% bonus to cold resistance while worn

Weight:  2

Requires: 4 Strength

Unusable By:

Lawful characters

Mage

 

Sound Defense

 

Sound Defense was a weapon forged in ages past at the commission of the bard and adventurer Grefyn, a name long forgotten these days to most scholars. The potent enchantments on the blade allowed him to cleave many a foe, while protecting his person. Combined with the faint hum of the weapon when drawn, this earned it the epithet of 'Sound Defense'.

 

All great heroes must die, though, and eventually Grefyn was killed by some adventuring priests of Waukeen after a 'disagreement' over Church property. The weapon remained in Church usage for centuries until it was eventually lost in battles against Orcs in the Time of Troubles; it's wherabouts from then to the present being unknown.

 

STATISTICS:

 

THACO:  +2 bonus

Damage:  1D6 +2

Special:

User gains a +1 bonus to AC and save vs. death while equipped

Damage type:  piercing

Speed Factor: 1

Weight:  2

Proficiency Type: Short Sword

Type:  1-handed

Requires: 5 Strength

Not Usable By:

Druid

Cleric

Mage

 

Caster's Chain

 

Chain mail is made of interlocking metal rings.  It is always worn over a layer of padded fabric or soft leather to prevent chafing and lessen the impact of blows.

 

This suit is particularly light and well - crafted, allowing the casting of arcane spells while worn. Suits with similar properties are famously manufactured by the elves, to aid their graceful fighter-mages and bladesingers in combat. The secrets of the elves are jealously guarded, making this human-crafted equivalent something of a rarity indeed. It would not surprise you much if, having learned of its creation, the smith responsible for the crafting of the suit had been tracked down and 'persuaded' not to make any more like it.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Armor Class: 5

Weight: 30

Requires: 8 Strength

Not Usable By:

Druid

Mage

Thief

 

Bardic leathers

 

Studded leather armor has little in common with normal leather armor.  Instead of a hardened shell, studded leather offers hundreds of metal rivets affixed to a supple backing.  The numerous studs form a flexible coat of metal that helps to turn aside slashing and cutting attacks, while the leather is little more than a means of securing the rivets in place.

 

This suit is particularly light and well - crafted, allowing the casting of arcane spells while worn. Although designed for bards in particular, it can be worn and used to cast arcane spells without penalty by anyone normally able to use studded leather armour.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Armor Class: 7

Weight: 15

Requires: 6 Strength

Not Usable By:

Mage

 

Bardic leathers +1

 

Studded leather armor has little in common with normal leather armor.  Instead of a hardened shell, studded leather offers hundreds of metal rivets affixed to a supple backing.  The numerous studs form a flexible coat of metal that helps to turn aside slashing and cutting attacks, while the leather is little more than a means of securing the rivets in place.

 

This suit is particularly light and well - crafted, allowing the casting of arcane spells while worn. Although designed for bards in particular, it can be worn and used to cast arcane spells without penalty by anyone normally able to use studded leather armour.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Armor Class: 6

Weight: 10

Requires: 6 Strength

Not Usable By:

Mage

 

Tale of Ghastly Evil

 

This scroll contains a tale of deeds so foul and evil so black that merely reading the final sentence can cause creatures to die a horrible, painful death.

 

Once the sentence is read, the magic fades from the scroll; although the tale that remains is still dark enough to haunt the dreams of a listener for a long while...

 

STATISTICS:

 

Can be used to cast the spell Death Spell once

 

Usable by:

Bard

 

Tale of the Horrific Dead

 

Upon this scroll, penned in shaky handwriting, is a story of terrible undead beings which roam the night. The scroll is enchanted such that reading sections will shake the nerve of the most stalwart of creatures.

 

Once read, the magic fades from the scroll; although the listener will doubtless always feel a chill down their spine when alone at night.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Can be used to cast the spell Horror once

 

Usable by:

Bard

 

Tale of True Bravery

 

This page is filled with tales of brave heroes triumphing against the odds; fighting hordes or orcs, defeating fell demons and evil dragons in their lairs. Reading a passage will imbue the character with a sense of courage strong enough to overcome all their fears.

 

After reading, the magic will fade from the scroll. The story itself, though, will always be welcome to hear.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Can be used to cast the spell Resist Fear once

 

Usable by:

Bard

 

The following items are added to Black Lily's store in Baldur's Gate if you are playing Tutu, and to Roger the Fence's store in the Sewers under Athkatla if you are playing SoA.

 

Returning Throwing Dagger +1

 

The weapon of many a swift and nimble warrior, throwing daggers are light and easily concealed.

 

Although the weapons do not do much damage, the speed at which they may be thrown gives them a great advantage over more cumbersome weapons.

 

This one has been ensorcelled to be of greater use, likely at the behest of a thieves' guild. It bears no identifying marks, however. Magical enhancements have increased the potency of its attacks, and- possibly even more valuably- it can be recalled to the owner's hand with but a thought, ensuring he or she is always equipped for a fight.

 

STATISTICS:

 

thac0: +1 bonus

Damage:  1D4 +1

Damage type:  missle (piercing)

Weight: 1

Speed Factor: 1

Proficiency Type: Dagger

Type:  1-handed

Requires: 3 Strength

Not Usable By:

Cleric

 

Phial of Poison

 

When losing an argument, poison is the retort of choice for many a shady character. A skilled handler can quickly and efficiently apply poison to his weapon, turning a scratch from the smallest of daggers into a festering wound more potent than an axe blow.

 

This phial contains enough poison to coat a weapon once.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Special:

May be used to coat a weapon in poison once, as the assassin kit ability. The next hit with the weapon will inject the poison into the target, dealing out 1 damage per second for 24 seconds (3 damage for the first 6 seconds). A saving throw vs. poison limits damage to 12 total.

Weight: 1

Usable by:

Thieves

 

Alathis' Guard

 

Alathis Hurbleton was one of many halflings whose chosen profession was not something to talk about in polite conversation. He enjoyed a profitable career in Luskan, til a series of unfortunate events made him decide that relocation might be prudent.

 

Settling in the urban metropolis of Waterdeep he continued to ply his trade. Preferring to operate solo meant he earnt the ire of local guilds such as the infamous Night Masks, so he commissioned a wizard to enchant his hood to protect him from the frequent attempts made on his life.

 

Overconfident and sure of his invulnerability, however, he slipped up on a particularly tough heist and was caught by the guards. The cowl didn't, unfortunately, save him from the hangman's noose.

 

STATISTICS:

 

Special:

Immunity to backstab and poison while equipped

Weight: 2

Usable by:

Thieves

 

Lights Out

 

At first glance this appears to be an ordinary cudgel, but closer inspection by a well-trained eye reveals a series of discrete runes traced along the grip. A thief would also remark on the weapon's fine balance.

 

The cudgel was enchanted in ages past at the behest of a Shadow Thief guildmaster for one of his most loyal - and prolific - protegees. As well as being a potent weapon, it seemed to mute the sound around a thief as he snuck up on his target to achieve a knockout blow. The last thing many foes would hear before slipping into unconsciousness would be the slight rush of air as the cudgel was raised behind their head, quickly earning it the nickname 'Lights Out'.

 

Unfortunately, as is often the way with these things, the protegee was not quite as loyal as his guildmaster had hoped, and one quiet night this weapon was used to bludgeon said guildmaster to death in his own bed. His wife, sleeping beside him, heard nothing.

 

How the weapon has since found its way into your hands is probably a tale you do not want to know.

 

STATISTICS:

 

thac0: +2 bonus

Damage:  1D6 +2

Special:

Grants a 10% bonus to the Move Silently skill while equipped

Damage type:  crushing

Weight: 3

Speed Factor: 4

Proficiency Type:Club

Type:  1-handed

Requires: 5 Strength

Not Usable By:

Mage

 

 

Suggestions for new items, as well as what other people/places some new items could go, are appreciated.

[Echon]

Caster's Chain is basically an Elven Chain Mail that single-classed thieves cannot use. Is there any background story detailing its creator and how it was made? The elves tend to guard their secret rather aggresively.

 

I was also wondering if there is any explation to why bards can cast mage spells in those studded leather armors while multi-/dual-classed wizards cannot?

 

-Echon

[Andyr]

I suppose I could add more of a description to the Caster's Chain.

 

And multi/dualclassed wizards can wear the leather armours, and can cast spells in them.

[Echon]

And multi/dualclassed wizards can wear the leather armours, and can cast spells in them.

Ah, the description just seemed to suggest that only bards could benefit from them.

 

-Echon

[Andyr]

I'll make a little alteration.

[Guest Crucis]

Hello Andyr,

 

I see above that you've created a simple +1 returning throwing dagger (kudos for that, BTW).

 

Yesterday, I was just looking at some items in BG2 using Near Infinity, throwing daggers in particular. I remember that some people have griped about how the boomerang and firetooth daggers are 2d4, not 1d4. But then I discovered that they do not get the benefit of any STR bonus. BTW, this was also true of all of the darts that I checked out, with one exception, the standard, unenchanted dart.

 

Has this oddity ever been mentioned or discussed before? Shouldn't all throwing weapons get the benefit of any STR bonus? For that matter, does your new returning throwing dagger use the STR bonus?

 

Very strange.

[Andyr]

I didn't think about the Boomerang/Firetooth daggers doing different damage - though thinking about it, yeh, I did realise.

 

BioWare was pretty inconsistent about the STR damage to ranged weapons, both across weapon types and within the same one. For example I think most throwing axes do but most darts don't, or something. I don't know what the pnp rule is for darts and throwing daggers, but if someone lets me know I'll make changes to the items.

 

My new returning dagger does not give a STR bonus, as I modified an existing dagger which didn't. Though, yeh, if pnp says they should then I'll add it.

 

I made that particular item partially as an incentive for me to use throwing daggers, as I always forget to bug more at the stores ingame.

[Ghreyfain]

I remember some trivia or other about darts having the strength bonus removed, because min-maxers would have a fighter with 18/00 strength and grandmastery in darts dealing out like a bajillion damage five times a round or so.

[Guest Crucis]

Interesting point, Ghreyfain, about the darts. But it seems like taking away the STR bonus ends up making darts a very undesirable weapon. Heck, the same is true for throwing daggers, except for the Boomerang and Firetooth daggers, due to their doing TWO d4 (plus bonuses), instead of one.

 

I guess that the question is... what's more "overpowered" ... a 1d4 throwing dagger that gets the STR bonus or a 2D4 throwing dagger with no STR bonus?

 

On one hand, you won't have super strong tanks throwing daggers or darts to take advantage or their STR bonuses. OTOH, you can have any person chucking throwing daggers that do TWO d4 of damage.

 

The thing about having throwing daggers doing 2d4 of damage is that it looks really inconsistent with daggers in melee. But not giving them something (either additional base damage or the STR bonus) seems to really wimp-ify them as good weapons. I mean, except for roleplaying reasons or class limitations, why would anyone want to use throwing daggers or darts, compared to a throwing axe or hammer?

 

Whoa! I just looked at the STR tables. +6 to damage for having a STR 18/00. I can see why one might want to avoid letting fighters get the STR bonus with darts. A base 3 attacks per round for starters (more with improved proficiency) and a base of +6 to damage per hit. Ouch.

 

 

I know that one can look into the PnP rules. Another thing to look at might be how does IWD2 implment throwing daggers and darts (STR bonus, yes or no). I don't happen to have IWD2 installed at the moment, so I can't give a quick answer to my own question. Sorry.

 

I suppose the real question is, how much damage should a strong fighter be able to do with a throwing dagger or dart, per hit and/or per round? And how does that compare with other throwing weapons or ranged weapons?

 

I suppose that its possible to say that maybe Bioware got it right with the Boomerang and Firetooth daggers. While they may seem a bit out of whack with throwing daggers that are doing more damage than their melee counterparts, the flip side is that they have to actually ROLL their extra die to get their damage. If the STR bonus is applied, that's a flat bonus that never changes. The 18/00 STR fighter gets that +6 every time. With the 2D4 dagger, you've got some randomness to the extra damage. And it does make throwing daggers and darts more advantageous to weaker characters.

 

I suppose if 2d4 seems a bit excessive, one could go for 1d6 as a compromise.

 

 

Sorry for the overly long post. A bit of free form thinking. on the topic.

[Andyr]

I will try and get someone who knows 2E pnp to comment.

 

My gut feeling is that daggers and darts should not give a STR bonus, but we'll see.

[SimDing0]

My personal experience of throwing knives (yeh, seriously...) suggests that major strength bonus doesn't make much sense, because unless you're a total jelly, you can easily vary the speed of the throw, and hence the damage. Anyone who puts their full 25 strength into a throw is just gonna miss anyway.

 

On the other hand, that doesn't really matter. Balancing it ingame is more important than making it realistic. However, I'd say strength bonuses make them pretty overpowered. Do bear in mind that the key advantage of daggers/darts isn't supposed to be that they do tons of damage, but rather that you can churn them out really fast. I'd suggest examining the damage done over a round versus other weapons, rather than individual hit damage.

[Echon]

I will try and get someone who knows 2E pnp to comment.

All throwing weapons get a strength bonus to damage if applicable. However, the bonus does not exceed the weapon's maximum damage. Thus, darts get a maximum of +3 to damage, throwing daggers +4, throwing axes +6 and so on. I am fairly sure BG2 is just like BG, however, in that it is either the full bonus or nothing. Personally, I am going to remove the bonus the darts and daggers. I think their high rate of fire still makes them useful.

 

-Echon

[Belanos]

It seems to me that the Caster's Chain is very underpriced. It has a better armour class than the Bardic Leather +1 with the same properties, so it doesn't make any sense to actually buy the Leather. You should either raise the price considerably, or add some abilities to the Leather +1 that the Chain doesn't have.

[Andyr]

You have a point.

[Guest Guest]

Yes, but also keep in mind that darts can be thrown at medium range and daggers can be thrown at long range without penalty in IE games (should -2 and -5 THACO respectively)